Project Motherhood: Kitana

by Gamer95

One night, abused Harry Potter is gifted a talisman from a mysterious old man that takes him to the realm of Outworld. There is where he meets the Kahn, Kitana, and finds the mother he always wanted. Co-writer: SkorchNTorch

1. Chapter 1

Harry Potter was terrified, and alone. Currently he was sitting outside as rain poured down in buckets, thunder and lightning flashing throughout the sky, making him jump every few seconds. Harry pushed a small bucket out into the rain, hoping to collect some so he could have something to drink. He remained huddled under a tree, soaked to the bone. He wanted his family to come back… to rescue him! For anyone to! His mind began to wander to the thought of someone who loved him.

Harry was snapped out from his dreams when a loud whoosh! Around him, like a raging wind contained in a small vicinity. The next thing he knew, an old man was standing in front of him, seeming to appear from the wind. He had a long white pony tail and was wearing what looked to be ninja clothing, (or so Harry thought, having only seen brief glimpses of them in a book as he was cleaning his cousin's room.) Harry was shocked at the sudden appearance of the newcomer. Had he done the freaky stuff again?! Oh no! This man must've come to punish him because of it! The man looked around confused then saw Harry looking up at him terrified.

"Hello." The man said in a kind tone. "Um, do you know where we are?"

"Um...You're...You're at my aunt and uncle's house... This is...Number Four Privet Drive..." He explained timidly. The old man donned a thoughtful expression, realizing he was in unfamiliar territory. Harry tilted his head to the side curiously. "Um... Mister...? Where did you come from...? And you said we...Does...Does that mean you brought other people with you too?"

"Uh... well, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be here." He remarked with a frown. "Why did the Elder Gods send me here? What was Raiden thinking?"

Harry remained silent, he wasn't sure if what was currently happening was good or bad... so he remained silent. The older man looked around, then looked up at the sky. He shrugged, then looked back to Harry.

"My name is Fujin, what was your's?"

"I'm Harry. Hi Mr. Fujin." The boy greeted shyly with a small wave. The old man nodded his head in greeting, then looked serious.

"Now just what are you doing out here all on your own, boy? This is hardly a good time for a young child to be out and about, especially with the weather taken into consideration." Fuji asked calmly.

"I just needed a drink of water..."

Fujin blinked, looking from Harry, over to the house, then back to Harry. While Fujin was a God, unlike his brother, he could read people when he needed to, and he didn't need to ask his next question; he already knew his answer. Sensing something unusual about Harry, he added: "You're a magic user as well?"

"You can't say that word!" Harry squeaked.

"What word? Magic?" Fujin asked confused. "What's so bad about using magic?"

Harry didn't respond, making Fujin raise a brow but then frowned when he saw the scars on him.

The elderly man closed his eyes and shook his head in disapproval, a deep frown on his features. "I see now... You're trapped in an undesireable iiving situation, aren't you?" The boy didn't need to say anything. His silence spoke volumes. "Hmm... Just what would prompt such violent acts against a small child...?"

"The freaky stuff... I did the freaky stuff..." Harry mumbled.

"Oh? Would that be how you describe magic, by chance?"

Harry tensed up at the word once more, and it all made sense. His family were anti-magic.

'Which would explain why he's out here...' Fujin concluded. He thought about what he should do to help, then made up his mind. Pulling out his Talisman, he handed it to Harry who seemed confused.

"Hold that, it should take you somewhere better." He nodded. Harry was confused, then felt panicked when his magic began acting up when he held the artifact. Fujin nodded, telling him it would be okay... but then realized that Harry's magic was somehow overpowering the white Lotus magic. Before he could do anything, Harry was gone.

"...oh...that... that's not good." He muttered.

He sighed softly and looked over at the house with a deep frown. "Hmm... Perhaps I should confront the owners of this home... To find out why they were so cruel to such a small boy..." He mused to himself.

In a whole other world, there lived a young woman of striking beauty. With fair skin and long flowing dark hair that ran freely down her back, her beauty was only boosted by her very revealing outfit. With a short top that left most of her midsection exposed, a thong and loincloth covering her lower body, and a par of thigh high blue boots, she still managed to maintain an air of elegance and grace in spite of her choice of attire.

Sitting on a hill near a small river, Princess Kitana sat silently watching the scenery. She had spent most of the day training. In recent times, things had been… unique. After fighting to unify Outworld, she had found herself dealing with every issue imaginable, leaving her very little time for herself. She contemplated going to the Outworld market, sometimes she'd met vendors with children, which always made her smile. Getting up to continue her training, she stopped when she heard the sound of harsh wind nearby. Confused she went towards the sound looking up and nothing how there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Then she realized what it probably was.

"Fujin…" she muttered, annoyed. While he wasn't as insufferable as his brother, Fujin had… his own set of problems.

As she came over a hill, she froze in shock at the sight of a small boy, badly bruised trying to drink from the nearby river. Kitana gasped and was momentarily unsure of what to do. She made her way down to the small boy and cleared her throat.

She wished she hadn't.

The boy cried out in terror and curled into a tight, tiny little ball, trying to cover himself with his arms as if he was afraid of being hurt by something. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, please don't hurt me, I'll be good, I promise, i'll be good, don't hit me, please, please, please..."

Kitana was shocked at this reaction. The only time she had ever seen any child this scared was during wars and invasions where they felt a true sense of danger...

There was no danger in sight... What had this boy so terrified?

She reached forward to try and see if he was injured, while Harry attempted to get up and run, but slipped in the somewhat wet grass and fell into the river. As he began to sink, it was clear he couldn't swim. Kitana gapsed and he was flailing about, terrified. Without a second thought, Kitana grabbed him and pulled him out of the river, setting him on the ground. Terrified yet unharmed.

"Are you alright little one?" She asked concerned. What was a little boy doing out here? None of the servants at the temple had children…

Kitana was taken aback by his reaction, and was unsure of what to do. In a moment of uncertainty, she hugged the boy close to her, trying to calm him the best she could. Harry was crying now, afraid for his life, but felt odd when he felt the woman rubbing his back. She wasn't hitting him… she was… holding him?

Steeling himself to force the tears to stop, he slowly looked up at her with his big, frightened puppy eyes. Her expression was a bit difficult to read due to the fact that she wore a blue mask over her mouth, but her eyes seemed deeply worried about him. He let out a soft whimper of doubt and uncertainty, and she gently rested her hand on his cheek, slowly carressing it to try and soothe him.

"There there now, child... I'm not going to harm you... Please be calm..." She spoke softly and soothingly to ease his fear.

Her efforts seemed to work, as his trembling died down slowly and his rigid body seemed to slowly relax into her embrace. A small smile of relief graced her features as he calmed himself. "There... Very good... Now that you are calm, would you mind answering a few questions for me?" Harry hesitated before nodding slowly.

"Hello little one." Kitana said with a smile. "Are you alright?"

"Um…" Harry whimpered nervously, the small timid look he had as he looked around him Kitana found adorable. "I…I'm fine. Ma'am...t..thank you."

"What's your name child?" She said in a gentle tone, sitting down so she could be at his eye level.

"I'm, uh… Harry Potter ma'am." He said quietly. Harry pushed his small glasses back onto his face and looked up at her.

"I am Princess Kitana." Kitana smiled, Harry's eyes went huge and he stumbled slightly, trying to bow in respect. Kitana cooed at the kind gesture and lifted his head up. "There's no need for that dear."

Giving him a smile, Kitana felt a sense of warmth looking at him. He seemed so frail and weak, like he hadn't eaten in weeks, possibly having not eaten well ever. Maybe he came from a poor family… But he was also badly hurt, who did this to him?

"What are you doing here little one?" Kitana asked, getting back to the questions at hand.

"Umm... There was an old man... And he gave me this thingy..."

He pulled out the talisman, and Kitana gently took it from him, studying it closely with a deep frown.

"Hmm... A talisman... And who gave this to you?"

"An old man... He had white hair and he was dressed like a ninja." Kitana caught on quickly to who he was talking about.

"Fujin sent you here? But why? What is his plan?" She asked, putting a hand under her chin contemplatively.

"I...I think he wanted to help me... He looked worried when he gave me the thingy... I was having a bad time in my old house so he told me that the talis thing would take me to a better place... Is...Is this a better place...?"

Kitana frowned under her mask and gently picked him up.

"Yes, it is, love." She nodded, looking the boy over as she adressed him. He was as light as a feather, but it seemed like he was too old to be this light. From a quick guess, she'd wager he was around seven years old. He seemed so frail and weak, like he hadn't eaten in weeks, possibly having not eaten well... ever! Maybe he came from a poor family. Currently, that was the most logical, and least damaging theory. But if that was the case, why did he seem like he had been hurt? Who would've done this to him? Furthermore, while the Elder Gods weren't heartless (just mostly brainless) why would they send such a small boy potentially across the world?

"Don't worry, you're safe here." She spoke in a clam voice, continuing her subtle inspection. She noted how in an odd sense, he kind of (very slightly) looked like her. Their hair colour was similar, and his emerald eyes seemed like her mother's. But that was where the similarities ended. Either way, it was clear he needed some form of comfort, whatever that may be.

She gently set him on her lap, hoping that being closer to her would offer him some of that comfort he so desperately needed. He was tensed up at first, clearly unsure how to deal with this, but after approximately ten seconds, he seemed to relax. He slowly, cautiously, moved in closer to het, very gradually situating himself in her lap, occasionally looking over at her cautiously to make sure he wasn't making her angry. He saw no anger in her eyes, so that was probably a sign that she was okay with it. Ultimately, the little boy found himself snuggled deep into the young woman's lap, his tiny head leaning against her tummy as he nervously awaited her reaction. Would she push him away...? Throw him...?

Neither one of those things happened. What did happen is that he felt her gently running her fingers through his messy dark hair, a very soothing feeling that caused him to melt into her, letting out a soft coo as he nuzzled in closer and buried his face into her tummy, taking in just how warm she was.

"Oh, you're a precious little thing, aren't you?" The princess asked softly, pulling him a bit closer and letting him enjoy the warmth she radiated. Harry remained snuggled where he was, for the first time in his life, he felt safe. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he didn't feel the fear of being harmed by being near someone. 'If he has a family, I'll need to talk with them when he goes home...'

But then something else spoke up in her mind. A simple question she hadn't fully thought of yet, and one which only led to more questions being asked: What if he didn't have any family left? Was that why Fujin sent him here? But... to what end? And why did he say he was having a bad time at his old house? Wait, by that line of logic, he HAD a family... but then that probably mean that his family had been the ones to hurt him.

Her eyes narrowed at that. She knew what it was like to be trapped in a less than ideal family. Until recently, she was trapped under the thumb of a wicked, tyrannical dictator that saw her and her mother as nothing more than tools to be used for the sake of his power-hungry conquests. Yet she never feared Shao Kahn. Hated and despised him, yes, but never feared him. He only ever harmed her in training to make her stronger...

But this child was not a warrior, was he? No, he was an ordinary little boy. He was clearly not the type to have any interest in picking fights, and as such, it was unlikely that his state was due to the aftermath of a strict training regimen. Could it be that his family just... harmed him for the sake of harming him? If so... That disgusted her... Her own family situation was a mess, but she was still emotionally intact.

The only real 'good side' she could see in either of their cases was that her mother had been broken free from the curse she was kept under, and her father was gone. As for Harry, if he was here now, then he would have a much better life than the one he had supposedly been living. But at the same time, she didn't want to jump to conclusions, even if she knew them to be true. Rubbing the child's back, Kitana pondered if she should ask Harry what happened before he got here in more detail, namely what happened before Fujin showed up. But she pushed that thought away, Harry was clearly not in a place to talk about that, and she didn't want to force anything out of him when they had known each other for all of five minutes. Rising to her feet, Harry mumbled something inaudible in protest, then settled down when Kitana readjusted him so he remained snuggled into her embrace.

'The poor dear needs to eat something...' The Princess decided, walking for a minute until she came to a nearby orchard. The seasonal harvest cycle was different from the ones in Earthrealm (as she had been told) and currently, the golden-green apples were at their ripest. Harry looked up and his stomach growled. They looked so good! But he knew he couldn't ask, he'd just be beaten if he did... besides, he couldn't have normal food.

Kitana didn't catch on to his depressive state, instead opting to pick out several of the fresh ripe fruits. She studied them closely and nodded in satisfaction that they were in perfect conditon, then set them in a nearby basket and carried it to the man in charge of the orchard, reaching into the small satchel she kept attached to her hip to grab the money she would need to pay for their snack. The owner saw her, and she had to roll her eyes as he blushed slightly when he saw her. She held out the handful of gold coins for the owner to take. "Here you are, sir. I'll be taking these apples to feed the small one." She said simply. The man nodded his head rapidly and accepted the coins, not bothering to check if the proper amount for the apples really was there. This was his ruler, after all... And besides, she was much too beautiful for him to care. This man was what one Johnny Cage would refer to as 'a simp'.

Kitana nodded her thanks to the man, then carried Harry back to the hill she had previously been resting on. Sashaying her way over to the cherry blossom tree she had been seated beneath, she sat down and rested against it, keeping the child held close to her bosom as she selected an apple from the basket and gently placed it in his tiny hands, much to the boy's surprise. "Eat, child. You're much too thin."

"Oh... uh... I can't." Harry mumbled, and Kitana tilted her head with a raised brow. That was an unusual reaction, from the look of it, he clearly needed to eat something...

"Are you illergic?" Kitana asked, mispronouncing the condition, but her question was still sincere. Harry fidgeted in her lap and looked away.

"N..no... Imnotalwoedtoeatnomalfood..." He mumbled. Kitana blinked, and genrly lifted his chin up so she could look into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, what was that, dear?" She asked softly.

"I'm... I'm not allowed to have normal people food." Harry repeated. Kitana let out a soft gasp as her eyes widened.

"Not allowed?" She repeated, looking Harry over. "Are you part Tarkatan, or Shokan?"

Harry blinked in confusion at that. "Um... No... I don't think so... I just... don't get to have normal food cuz I'm a freak..."

Kitana was taken aback by the child's self-deprication. Surely he wasn't serious. She could not for the life of her see what he was talking about.

"Child... Why would you say something like that?" She asked softly, cupping his chin with her hand and tilting his head to look at her.

"Cause I do freaky stuff..."

"Freaky stuff? What could you possibly do that's so freaky that you feel unworthy of basic necessities like food?"

"I make stuff float and change colour..."

'Float and change colour? Those kinds of attributes are common in magic users.' Kitana thought. But that thought opened a new branch of questions: if this tiny boy had magic, what kind of magic did he have? She knew of five types of magic; soul, blood, ice, Ki and sorcerer for the general type of power. From what he described, Harry appeared to be in the latter of that list, but why would someone with these gifts think that they were a freak because of it? Yes, magic could be scary when someone first discovers it, especially if they don't fully grasp it, but what would make someone be so self-deprecating over magic?

"You have magic?" Kitana asked, and immediately knew her answer when Harry outright froze. He wasn't shaking, but it was clear he was having some sort of panic attack at the mere mention of 'magic'. Now everything started to align for the Princess... his small frame, his wounds, his self-loathing, it all tied into his magic. Wherever he came from, he had been hurt because of it.

There were always those who hated and feared those who used magic, especially after the travesties Shang Tsung had gotten up to. So it made sense to her that someone may hate this child for his magic. But surely his family could not feel that way towards him... Or at least not his parents... He likely got his magic from at least one of his parents in the first place... Could it be that the boy was living with distant relatives that were not born with such power? She scowled at the thought. She couldn't even imagjne hating a member of her own family simply for being different...

She shook her head. Nothing was for certain just yet. All she knew was that he was too small for his age, he was shy and frightened, and he thought he was a freak... But... that last part seemed so...incriminating. Why would he think himself a freak if someone close to him wasn't consistently telling him so?

"Please dear, at least try." She said, offering the apple once more. Harry looked at it, and this time Kitana saw the desperation and hunger on his face, before he finally accepted it.

"Thank you." He said softly, before taking a bite out of it. "Mmm...yummy..." He mumbled as he tentatively began to eat the fruit. Kitana gave a slight sigh of relief, as at least he wouldn't pass out from starvation in her arms. But she still had a lot of questions that needed answered. "I've never had one this yummy..."

"Oh, you've only had them in the off-season?" The Princess asked, trying to make simple conversation to warm the small boy up to her.

"N..no... they're usually brown or black... and sometimes it's just the centre part of them..." Harry replied.

That was further evidence towards the explanation she feared the most. He had only even been given spoiled apples? It was as if someone was trying to dispose of unwanted trash by giving it to someone they didn't care for...

"That's...terrible. Just terrible. Rotten apples are awful to eat for so many different reasons. It's a wonder you didn't get sick from eating those.' Kitana said gently, rubbing his head. The boy let out a soft hum in response, looking down sadly at his apple before taking another bite out of the juicy fresh fruit.

She watched him in silence, noting that he seemed to be savouring every morsel, as if this apple was the only thing he would ever eat again.

Yes... It was obvious to her. This child was not properly fed at all. And she strongly believed that that was entirely intentional.

So, she was back to her previous theory; he had been abused because someone feared magic. But moreover, it wasn't just a fear of the unknown, it was intentional. That very thought made her sick to her core, but she kept her emotions in check, simply holding the small boy and letting him eat. It was clear he needed to take things one step at a time, and the first step was getting some food into his little body.

As he ate, Kitana looked him over once more, not in a critical way, but more... observational. She noted that he was small, and seemed to have a very timid personality. She'd be lying if she claimed she didn't find him cute, from his mannerisms to his wide-eyed expression, he undeniably was a cute little boy.

She smiled under her mask as she watched over him with a warm smile. He took tiny, tentative bites of his apple, seeming oblivious to anything else around him. She looked up to the sky, deep in thought. Why send him here of all places? Would it not make more sense to arrange it so that he appeared in a populated area like a village or something? Why, if she hadn't been therr, who knows if he would have been found!

Fujin just didn't make much sense to her... His choices were rather nonsensical... But then, she was lucky enough to be the ons to find this adorable child, so there was that at least... Still, she fully intended to have words with that foolish god... As Harry finished his apple, she smiled softly at hin.

"Are you feeling better, now?" She asked. Harry looked away, then looked up and nodded tentatively. "Good... good. Would you like another?"

"Um... yes please... but I don't think I can eat it right now." Harry timidly replied, and Kitana understood. "Um, your majesty? Where am I?"

"You're in the realm of Outworld, dear." Kitana answered, motioning around her. From the look on Harry's face, it was clear he didn't know in the slightest what that was. "Where were you from?"

"L..London..." Harry stammered, and something, once more, clicked. He was from Earthrealm! But- wait. Talisman's were designed to only take someone so far, regardless of their size. There wasn't one powerful enough to jump realms, so that meant... Of course. Fujin had intended to send Harry to the White Lotus Temple! The Shaolin monastery would've been kind to him until a new home could be found... But if here was here, that meant his magic reacted to the talisman, and somehow he ended up here.

She was, quite simply put, very impressed. "Your magic power is extremely vast, little one, and it has brought you quite far from home."

Harry flinched at the word magjc once more, and she let out a very soft groan of sadness that he feared such a gift so much.

"Magic is not a bad thing to have, child. It can do so many wonderful things if it is used responsibly." She explained with a smile.

"But they said it was bad... They got really really mad when I used it, they hated it when I used it, they hated me for having it, and they... they... they..." Harry forced himself to stop before he revealed something that would result in him suffering a horrific punishment greater than anything he had ever dealt with in the past. He was getting frantic. His family would find out about his transportation to this place and they would come and find him and they would kill him and... He lost his focus as he began to hyperventilate.

Kitana noticed this and picked him up, holding him close and tricking him into the crook of her neck, she gently squeezed him to try and be a comforting presence as he worked through his terror. They sat there for a good five minutes as Harry desperately tried to collect himself, but every time he came close to doing so, the thought of his family immediately started something up again. Kitana found herself feeling more and more sorry for the little boy in her arms, and she wasn't sure what to do. Once Harry finally seemed to calm down, Kitana pulled down her mask, and kissed him on the forehead gently. She remained there for a few seconds, then pulled back.

"Are you all right, little one?" She asked.

"w..what was that?" Harry blinked.

"I kissed you." Kitana explained. "You've never been kissed before?"

"No..."

"Oh, you poor dear..." Kitana sighed, realizing with each passing second just how deep the abuse clearly went. Unfortunately, she didn't know the half of it yet...

What she did know, however, was that he was, without a trace of a doubt, hurting deeply on a psychological level. These people had destroyed the poor thing's self esteem to the point where it just wasn't there anymore, and that was heartbreaking to her. Especially since there was really no reason for his self esteem to be so thoroughly crushed. There was nothing wrong with this poor child that would warrant treating him as if he was less than human, as these awful people had very clearly done... And it was this clear emotional abuse that made one thing absolutely clear to her. She absolutely had to keep him away from these awful human beings by any means necessary.

"Little one... I believen you were sent here for a reason." She spoke.

He looked at her. "To not be with my family?"

"Partially that, yes. But...I think the bigger reason was... so that I would find you."

"Huh...?"

Kitana nodded. "Yes, I believe that fate brought you to me so that I may raise you, and care for you in the way they would not..."

"I...I...I don't get it..." Harry blinked, Kitana smiled sadly and hugged him close once again.

"Well, since you're far away from your home, and I have good reason to believe you wouldn't like to return to that place, correct?"

"Nmgh..I...yes..." Harry mumbled looking away as he spoke, it was clear he was even AFRAID to be honest with her...

"You poor thing." Kitana cooed, lifting Harry's chin up once more. "Well, for the time being, you're going to come home and live with me." When Harry was about to protest, Kitana put a finger to his lips. "I'll hear nothing of your 'freakishness' child, that is no excuse for you to be treated the way you were. I'll be bringing you home, and you'll be well cared for."

Kitana assumed she was saying that in kindness, but it was clear she had effectively hurt him inadvertently, but he still refused to cry.

It was as if he was afraid to shed a single tear. She had no doubt he would he yelled at every time he tried to at his old home.

These people clearly regarded him as nothing more thsn an annoyance. An unwanted nuisance... And they refused to let him be a child.

He was walking on eggshells around her despite all reassurances that he would not be harmed. He didn't seem to believe her

"You poor thing, you poor sweet dear..." She spoke softly, patting his back. "You can cry if you want to, you don't need to hold it in any more."

Harry looked up, his eyes watery, but he didn't cry. He was still too afraid to, and believed that Miss Kitana would grow annoyed or angry if he did... Kitana could tell this and sighed, shaking her head. Rising to her feet, she gave the boy a reassuring squeeze, and decided he needed some more than a simple apple to eat, and began to make her way back to the temple she called home. As she walked, she offered the second apple to Harry, and smiled to herself when he accepted it. It was clear he was starving, but was so afraid of accepting food... he didn't deserve this. Even if he was the child of an enemy, he was still a child. One who clearly didn't know how to fight, one who never tried to fight, one who was just... abused.

Abused... That word was such an ugly one, one she absolutely loathed to hear or even think about...

The concept of it made her almost violently angry. To harm someone you were supposed to be close to, someone you were supposed to care for and keep safe and happy... It made no sense to her that anyone could even consider such cruelty, and it was especially disgusting that children could be the poor, unfortunate victims of such unfair cruelty... It made her wish she could just reacn out, pull every abused child into a tight, warm, protective embrace and tell them that everything was okay, and that she would protect them... Yes, if given the chance, she would more than happily adopt every single abused child in the entire world and give them a better life... But even though she couldn't do that for all of them... She could for this one.

She'd give him a home, food, care, everything that most people would simply have been accustomed to having, have grown to accept as a basic part of life... yet Harry for one reason or another, had not. Kitana smiled sadly at the tiny boy, who hadn't been paying attention and was focused on the apple he was still eating, as she thought about what his life must have been like. It seemed most likely that his own family had been the ones who abused him, or at least, his caregivers. That meant there would probably be a long, long journey until he trusted her, or at least trusted her enough to talk about what had happened, but Kitana understood that. She herself had been... apprehensive, so to say, to discuss certain aspects of her past with some of her allies. Thankfully, they'd been gracious enough to not push further than she was willing to talk about, and she wouldn't do so for this little boy she currently held.

'Still, if he does have magic, who exactly could train him?' Kitana wondered as she cast a glance down to Harry. The only traditional magi user she knew was Shang Tsung and... No. Just. No. If he was still alive (and after something involving an hourglass, thankfully he wasn't) Kitana would never trust a child to him, let alone someone as clearly fragile but powerful as Harry. That was how she had been raised, and she didn't want that for this small boy.

She needed to find someone that would treat him gently and compassionately. Someone with the patience and skill to know precisely what they were doing and help Harry through the more difficult aspects of learning how to work his magic. But she didn't know anyonr of the sort... Hmm... Perhaps this was an opportunity... An opportunity to get to know her citizens better... If she could search around and find the right one to teach this child, she just might learn something she hadn't known prior... Currently she was just the princess that was distant from her people due to the fact that she felt unworthy of their admiration after she had allowed herself to be manipulated by Shao Kahn, but she knew it couldn't be like that forever. Sooner or later, she jad to get to know her people. So if she went into town in search of the correct teacher, perhaps she would meet some interesting people that she could help in some way and truly earn the favour of her people...

Content with this idea, she looked down at Harry. "Someday soon, we will find someone out there that can help you understand the gift that you were born with... And when that day comes, you will see that your magic is not something you should hate and fear... but something you should embrace. Something that can bring you excitement and joy..." Harry looked up at her nervously, unsure if that was even possible.

Kitana didn't hear what he mumbled, but she could've sword Harry mumbled something along the lines of 'You make me happy...' in a voice so quiet she couldn't pick up on it. She didn't want to press it, she just smiled and gave him a slight squeeze. As she entered her home, her mind began to categorize questions into rational, realistic and over-active in terms of what they were. Namely, she questioned what would she do as she was the Kahn of outworld (She didn't like the term, but it was true.) so she'd need to find a way to balance ruling with taking care of him. Then there was the question of how he would react to some of her allies, as Earthrealm had little to no contact with Outworld. Then how would her allies react to Harry? Eventually they would meet, and she hoped for the best. She mentally groaned when she realized there was a very good chance that Harry would end up meeting Johnny Cage... and she didn't know how that would end. Then there was her mother. How would she react? Once she was freed from her curse, Sindel returned to the kind, compassionate (of somewhat sometimes strict) mother Kitana knew from her childhood.

She sighed softly and in slight exasperation as she remembered that her mother was unlikely to be an issue when it came to her raising Harry. The reason for this? Ever since she had reached her teen years, Sindel had expressed her interest in having grandchildren one day. And Harry was more or less the ideal grandchild that the queen of the realm had wanted. Her mother's blessing to adopt him was not what concerned her. It was the fact that she would have to try and prevent her mother from spoiling the boy too much.

'Perhaps you should slow down for a second.' A voice said in her head. 'You're taking this child in, and you're letting him heal at your home. But you aren't his mother, don't try and force that on him.'

Kitana mentally nodded in understanding, it was clear Harry now looked up to her, but she didn't want to force him into anything. Still she smiled when she looked down at him, and saw his wide eyed curiosity at everything around him.

"It's rather beautiful, isn't it Harry?" The Princess asked.

"Mmhmm... it's... big." Harry replied.

Kitana held him in a way that he could better see everything, smiling softly. "Oh yes, it certainly is... This temple is the place that I call home. And now, it is a place that you can call home as well." Harry seemed to perk up at that.

"I have a new home..." He said softly. This was not a dream or a hallucination... This place was where he was going to live... Miss Kitana was giving him permission to live here with her... Why, he didn't understand...

But he was very grateful to her.

She was the kindest person in the whole world.

This didn't go unnoticed by Kitana, who smiled warmly down at him, his face was honestly one of the cutest things she had seen. The mixture of adoration and wonder made for a reaction which wasn't one of fear or pain, but, for lack of a better term, child-like. It gave the princess hope that Harry could be helped, that the pain he had been through hadn't broken him irreparably. Still, there was a lot of work to go to get him there. Starting with either getting him fed, cleaned up, or settled in for a nap.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Kitana asked, holding the boy in front of her. "Are you still hungry?"

"N..no, Your majesty..." Harry shook his head, it was clear he was, but he either didn't want to be sick, or didn't want to overstep his boundaries. "I'm fine..."

"Hm. These rags must go." Kitana commented, looking at the old, moldy, torn clothes Harry was currently dressed in.

Harry looked down at his clothing and winced slightly, feeling ashamed of the fact that he was dressed in such tattered clothing in front of a princess. His aunt had always told her cousin that it was important to dress nice in front of important people. And here he was dressed like he lived in the garbage... "M'sorry..." Harry mumbled softly. Kitana caught on that he was distressed, and she gently cupped his cheek. He slowly turned his head up to look at her, hoping she would offer words of encouragement.

He was not disappointed.

"I put no blame on you, little Harry... You did not choose to wear these... You had no choice in the matter, did you?"

Harry nodded his head slowly. "They... They won't let me have any clothes that aren't my cousin's old clothes that don't fit anymore..."

Kitana sighed, shaking her head and holding him close. Harry felt reassured that Kitana was genuine in everything she said to him. He felt like... maybe... maybe he could trust her. She hadn't been mean to him, or yelled at him, or thrown him, or done any sort of thing to him yet. Maybe she wouldn't! Even if she was just being nice for now, Harry wanted to feel some sort of kindness, so he was willing to accept some false kindness.

"I don't know if we have anything in your size, but I will have my workers gather some for you." Kitana said matter-of-factly. "In the mean time, you may have to wear some more clothes that are too large for you, but aren't full of holes."

Harry was amazed someone would do that for him, and he wanted to say he didn't deserve it, but Kitana rubbed his back, and lulled him into a sense of security. He gave a very timid, very small smile, but didn't say anything.

He was, in all honesty, actually kind of excited. He had never worn nice clothes before, at least not for as long as he could remember, and the mere idea of wearing something nice was getting him rather eager. Kitana caught onto his excitement and chuckled softly, patting his head with a warm smile. "Yes, yes, soon you will be clothed properly, and I promise we will find something of good quality."

She made her way to her small throne, then sat upon it, looking down at Harry to see his reaction to the fact that he was indirectly sitting on the throne of a princess. He was looking around the room with wide eyes.

"This place is really pretty. Do you talk to people about important things on this chair?" Harry asked innocently. Kitana stifled a laugh, amused that he had referred to the throne as a simple chair.

"Yes, they do little one." Kitana nodded. "I'm certain you don't fully understand where we are, so I'll do my best to explain. Your home, is known to us as 'Earthrealm', where you are now is known as 'Outworld'. Here, Outworld is many worlds merged into one..."

'For better and worse...' She mentally muttered.

"...but sometimes our worlds need to work together to deal with problems." She continued. "As such, the leaders of Earthrealm meet with the rulers of Outworld, that being me."

Harry blinked, taking everything in, and then his eyes widened owlishly. He knew Kitana was a Princess, but... the Princess of an entire world!?

Then it hit him that she said he was from Earthrealm. That meant that... if he was in her world, Outworld, then he had transported himself between worlds! He had never imagined he could ever do something like that!

Was he trapped here forever?

Kitana seemed to catch this thought and she tightened her hold on the poor child, rocking him in her arms gently.

"No, my child, you are not trapped here... There is a way back to your original home. Um... World, rather..."

"...and I am more than willing to ensure you are returned safely, but I also have reason to believe you do not wish to return to your old home." Kitana explained, and noted with a bit of silence that Harry's eyes widened in fear.

"I...Idon...idonwann..." He mumbled, looking away and beginning to shake once more. Kitana sighed and squeezed Harry close, trying to give him that sense of warmth and protection he had been feeling earlier. It took a minute, but he finally did seem to calm down, but didn't want to look at Kitana for some reason, seemingly afraid of looking at her.

He was trying to hide his past. She could tell he very much did not want to tell her any details whatsoever. That was more than a little concerning. It felt like he wanted to surpress something, pretend it never happened...

Yes, it was so clear and obvious to her that he was hurt far more than she knew. And she really hoped he would be willing to talk to her about it soon, or else it would slowly eat him alive inside and leave him feeling increasingly more and more frightened, which in turn would make the inevitable breakdown all the worse.

But until he was ready, she'd show him compassion and patience, and if need be, protection. There were many things she could say, but none of them felt like they would actually be useful or beneficial. In actuality, most of them would probably be more harmful then helpful, and that wasn't what she was after.

"It's all right, it's all right." She said in a soothing voice, holding him close once again. "You don't need to tell me anything you don't want to."

Harry... wanted to. DESPERATELY. He wanted to unburden his pain, his fear, he wanted to get it all out and have someone tell him it'd be okay! But... he knew no one would tell him that. No one would listen. They'd just get upset, or angry, or both. It didn't matter who he talked to, he'd be stuck with this forever! And there was no changing that...

Kitana could tell pretty much everything Harry was thinking, and was appalled at how much his self-esteem had been destroyed. This clearly wasn't just a child who was afraid of meeting new people, this was intentional. Someone, or someTHING had done this to him.

You know what? There was no chance it was someONE. Only a truly inhuman beast would treat such a sweet and well mannered child with such a disgusting level of raw contempt that would lead to such horrible lack of self importance. She huffec slightly through her nostrils and tightened her hold on him.

She needed to try and fix his damaged mental state, that much was certain. She didn't know how she'd do it, but she would.

The pair remained in a comfortable silence for another few minutes, before Kitana decided Harry needed to be cleaned up somewhat. Even if that simply met getting him clean clothes, it would be better than leaving him in the filthy tatters threads he was currently left in. Rising to her feet once more, Kitana set off to her room, deciding that even if she couldn't find something for him to wear, she could perhaps get a better (and more importantly, secluded) look at the tiny boy.

Harry, for his part, didn't know what was happening, but he felt safe with Miss Kitana, so he didn't even so much as twitch in protest when they started moving again. When they reacher her room, Kitana set Harry on her bed, and smiled when she saw him sink slightly into the mattress, making him look around in confusion.

"Wait here, little one." She instructed.

Harry tilted his head and obediently sat still, waiting to see what Miss Kitana was going to do next. The princess turned towards the door and stepped outside. Harry looked around nervously. She was going to come back, right? Right. Of course she would. He was in her bedroom, after all. Or at least that's where he assumed he was... He looked around at Kitana's room, and his eyes widened in awe at what he was greeted with. This room was so pretty. Much fancier than even Dudley's bedroom.

The room was very, very blue. It was a very cool light shade of blue, from the paint colour to the decor. It was quite an elegant room, and it was very large. The curtains, the canopy above the bed, the fluffy blue carpet... It was a very soothing colour, almost like looking around at the ocean.

Miss Kitana seemed to really like blue.

It was quiet, but it was a nice kind of quiet. Harry felt like he was experiencing something new, something he had never seen before... and his mind began to wonder much more like a child's mind less about what pain he may feel, and more curiosity as to where he was. Miss Kitana was a Princess, but of an entire world? How did that work? Was Outworld smaller than Earth? How did he get here? What happened to that old man?

Harry was so deep in thought, he didn't notice the time passing by. It had only been about five minutes, but to him it felt like seconds had passed. Finally, the door opened once more.

He instinctively flinched as the door opened, feeling the very brief sting of panic and terror that he was used to. It didn't last long, though, as he quickly realized that it was just Miss Kitana. And she was carrying what appeared to be children's clothing in her arms, all neatly folded as she cradled them carefully in her arms. She had noticed Harry's brief shift in demeanour, but had decided not to comment on it.

"Mother was very prepared for my birth. She had clothing made for me regardless of what gender I ended up as... And you are unfortunately small enough to fit into what might have been my baby clothes."

Harry just nodded silently, not sure what to say. He flinched slightly when Kitana reached for his shirt, as if he was afraid of something. Well, not something. He was afraid of her seeing under his shirt, seeing what horrors lay beneath. But what should he say? Tell her not to look? That would upset her, and then she'd hit him for sure!

"Harry, are... are you all right?" Kitana asked, clearly noticing the fear on the tiny boy's face. Once again, Harry didn't look at her when he answered:

"Y..ye...s.

Setting the clothes down, Kitana frowned and gently placed her hands on Harry's old shirt. She felt the boy go as still as a statue as she slowly lifted it up, and nearly screamed when she saw what was underneath.

He was coverec in scars, cuts, welts, bruises, burns, any injury you could possibly imagine, it was right there, like sn awful, twisted art canvas of pain and suffering. There was not a single inch of his tiny frail body that was not completely taken over by these sickening, hideous injuries. She was absolutely appalled.

She was no stranger to gruesome, grizzly violence. But that was with grown adult warriors that had signed on for it.

This was a child.

A child that had no experience as a warrior whatsoever, no chance of defending himself from whatever it was that had done this to him... Just a helpless little boy that was assaulted relentlessly... And for what reason? His magic?

She felt sick to her stomach, even her life, even her FATHER, a genocidal megalomaniac who would kill anyone without so much as a second thought, never abused her like this! He hurt her yes, but that was to train her. This was torture for... WHAT?! Enjoyment!? Fear!?

Harry whimpered and curled into a ball, falling back onto the bed and sinking into the mattress once again, now desperately trying not to be seen. It was clear he was terrifed, it was clear he thought Kitana was going to harm him too, that she'd hold him down and add to his wounds, that all of this had been an act! That-

Kitana held Harry in a tight hug, resting her cheek on the top of his head.

"Oh... you poor, poor thing... I'm so sorry..." She whispered.

He tensed up at the contact and squeezed his eyes shut, awaiting a beating that was never going to come... And that crushed her...

She remained on her bed, holding the tiny boy close. Deciding in that moment, that she wasn't just going to give him a home. She was going to take care of him, she was going to raise him as her son. She would protect him, love him, nurture him, it didn't matter what that meant. Kitana saw a broken child, much like she had been, but unlike her, this wasn't going to result in him becoming stronger. He was abused, beaten and battered, it seemed like his life had been set up to essentially live as a slave.

"You poor, sweet, precious baby..." Kitana whispered, feeling tears beginning to form in her eyes. Why had this happened?! What had he done to deserve this!? He was a child! Practically a baby!

She looked at him... Looked at how small and weak and frail he was... How scared and worried about punishment he was... How... How adorable he was... It was absolutely absurd. How could anyone, ANYOHE be willing to hurt a face like that? He didn't deserve anything bad that had happened to him... He had such a quiet, gentle personality, at least based off of what she had seen so far, and she had no reason to believe otherwise... He was a good boy, through and through. Anyone with eyes could see that...

She was going to get her hands on this child's tormentors. She would ensure that Earthrealm's law enfordement dealt with them.

...after she had dealt with them.

"I...I deserved it though... I'm a freak..." Harry mumbled, still not looking at Kitana, who audibly gasped before pressing her forehead to his. She didn't speak at first, trying to find the right way to convince him that he wasn't. But for the moment, she didn't know how.

"No, no your not. Do not ever think of yourself as one. You're an adorable, precious little boy. How anyone could ever lay a hand against you is beyond me, and I promise, you're safe here. I'll take care of you, you'll be kept warm and secure with me, I promise."

She knew Harry needed a bath to clean his wounds, but right now, he needed some comfort. Wordlessly, she slipped the light blue shirt onto Harry and pulled him back onto her lap.

The shirt was too big. It went down to hia ankles.

"Gods above, it is not at all ordinary for a child to be this small..." She breathed, holding him tight and closing her eyes. He was so light... Almost weightless, in fact. It was like she was holding a sack of feathers.

She needed to feed him again soon... But she also knew she had to maintain a proper balance. Too much food all at once after his starvation was bad for his health, and could very easily end his life...

The fact that this was even an issue made her heart clench and she rested her chin atop the boy's head, squeezing him gently.

"Thank you, Miss Majesty." Harry said quietly. "No one's ever been so nice to me..."

"Ooh, that's not all right." Kitana sighed, kissing the top of his head once more. "Who could've done this to you?" She whispered, mostly to herself, and didn't expect Harry to answer.

"..m..my...my family..."

Kitana felt like her spine was frozen by Kuai Lang's cryomancer powers as she looked down at Harry. So, it was true. His family, his own FAMILY did this to him!

"I knew it..." She whispered softly to herself. "But I didn't want to believe it..."

"Miss Princess Kitana...?" Harry asked softly, tugging at one of the flaps extending down her sleeve to get her attention. Kitana looked down at him with a sad expression, and he looked down shyly.

"What is it, dear?" She asked, gently cupping his cheek.

"Um..." Harry hesitated, still clearly nervous to say anything. "Are... Are things really gonna be okay from now on...?"

"Yes, I promise they will." Kitana nodded with the utmost sincerity. She held Harry close, letting his head rest on her chest, and the tiny boy seemed to be lulled by the sound of her heartbeat. He didn't fall asleep, but the tiny boy did certainly seem to calm down somewhat, as if he was under a spell. "I'll take good care of you, I promise." She whispered.

She sat on the edge of her bed, letting the tiny boy clutch to her top, trying to steel himself to look back up at her. It took another five minutes, but he did seem to settle down somewhat. Deciding maybe he needed to focus on something else, Kitana rose to her feet and walked to her window. Pulling a curtain aside, she looked out over the regrowing lands of Outworld. Harry just looked out over it, amazement clear on his face, and it made the Princess smile.

"It's a truly beautiful sight, isn't it? It's finally regrowing after a terrible tragedy... Plants reside here once more, animals are returning to their natural habitat, the sun shines again... I always envied unconquered realms like yours because they were untainted by evil, and were able to maintain all that made them beautiful."

Harry didn't really know what she was talking about, but from what he could gather, this world used to be a dark and scary place because a bad man made it that way. "Um... How did you fjx everything, Miss Kitana? If it was really bad like you said, then how did everything get better? Was it magic?"

"Partially." Kitana nodded. "Part of it also had to do with time being allowed to heal the lands wounds. Without the violence and war that Outworld was left in for so long, nature began to naturally return. There's a long way to go before things are back to the way they were, but I'm happy to see it beginning."

"It's pretty." Harry said, still looking out the window.

"Indeed it is." Kitana nodded.

She smiled down at the kingdom. Her kingdom... Never again would it be corrupted by evil's vjce grip... It could be a pleasant land, a land all could live and thrive in. Men, women, children and animals alike would live in harmony once more... She wished Shao Kahn had been killed much, MUCH sooner...

But what was done was done.

He was gone now, and that's all that mattered.

With a sigh, she looked down at the tiny boy kept securely in her arms. She wasn't sure what to do now... she was enjoying just holding the tiny boy, he wasn't hungry, but he needed to eat. He needed a bath, but it was clear he wanted to be with her... so, what was she to do?

A knock at the door got her attention, and the Princess mentally prayed it wasn't her mother or a member of staff... she wasn't ready to introduce Harry to everyone.

"Kitana, some of the others were wondering if you would be attending the meeting this afterno-" Thankfully, it was her childhood friend, Jade. Unfortunately, she was still holding Harry. "Uh, am I missing something?"

Kitana shook her head. "It is nothing major, Jade... I just found a child, separated from his home... That is all..."

"Hm, well, either way..." The green-clad woman smiled down at Harry, who squirmed slightly, trying not to be seen. "Hello little one." She said with a friendly wave. Harry tensed, but finally waved back, which only made both Kitana and Jade smile.

"H..hi...ma'am." Harry managed to get out, trying not to show his nervousness.

"It's all right, little one." Kitana spoke softly, rubbing his back. "Jade is a good friend of mine." She then adressed the Emerald Assassin: "What's this about a meeting?"

"A few of the Faction Leaders were gathering for the monthly gathering, to discuss how things are going. Everything's been decent as of late, and if you're, *ahem* occupied, I can tell them you won't be attending."

Kitana looked down at Harry with a small frown, then shook her head. "I have responsibilities that cannot be ignored... I will attend the meeting, but I will need someone to look after Harry while I am there..."

"Your sister could do it."

Kitana frowned. She had accepted Mileena as her sibling, and the hybrid clone had made plenty of progress... But babysitting?

"I'll consider it." Kitana nodded.

"Your mother is also an option." Jade added.

"I... I would prefer to introduce Harry to mother at a later time when he's become more accustomed to his new home."

"His new home?" Jade remarked with a raised brow. "I thought you said he was a child who was misplaced from his family."

"Jade, this is not the time or place." The Princess retorted with narrowed eyes. Jade blinked, understanding there was more to this, and nodded before smiling. She understood what Kitana was getting at.

So her best friend was planning to adopt this child... Queen Sindel would he most pleased indeed.

"Well, you have a few hours until the meeting, I'll leave you two be." Jade nodded, deciding Kitana needed some time with her 'son'. Once she was gone, Kitana looked down at Harry, who looked up in curiosity.

"Miss Majesty? Am... am I in trouble?" Harry finally asked.

"What? Of course not, child!" Kitana shook her head matter-of-factly. "I'm just trying to figure out the best way to ensure you're taken care of later today."

Harry winced at that. "Um... Usually I get taken care of by getting yelled at or hit... But... Can you tell me what's wrong with me so I can try to fix it...? I don't like getting in trouble... It always hurts when I do..."

Kitana felt like she was punched in the stomach.

"No... No, child, you've done absolutely nothing wrong, I promise... You are a very, VERY good boy..." She whispered.

"Oh, um... thank you." Harry mumbled. Kitana smiled and kissed his forehead again. Her thoughts now turned to who she could trust with watching Harry. Personally, she'd prefer to either leave Harry with Jade, or take care of him herself, but she knew neither of those were viable options...

Kitana was taken from her thoughts when she saw Harry trying to hug her with his tiny arms, clearly trying to show his thankfulness for everything she had done for him.

"Aww, you're too sweet." Kitana smiled. "Come child, let's get you mended."

Rising to her feet, she carried Harry towards the lavatories, where she began the process of preparing a bath for him. Ordinarily, she would have had to warm a pitcher of water using a stovetop... But thanks to Earthrealm technology, the process of bathing Harry was so much easier.

'It's truly amazing how they created such convenient bathtubs... A simple turn of the knob, and the water comes out...'

The water began to fill the tub, and the magic of it had never truly left her.

"Now, is this comfortable for you?" Kitana asked, holding Harry up to the water, and letting him put his hand in the water. He looked back and nodded. Kitana smiled, gently pulling his shirt off and setting him into the tub. Harry winced as the warm water washed over him, and Kitana bit her lip, afraid she had hurt him, but then sighed in relief when she saw him settle into the water. "It's quite nice, isn't it?" The Princess asked, gently rubbing some soap over Harry. "There are some days when there's nothing I enjoy more than unravelling in a nice warm bath..."

"Mmmm..." Harry mumbled, feeling himself practically melting int the warm water, his anxiety slipping into a calm sense of peace.

The princess smiled softly and set to gently scrubbing him to get all the dirt, grime and filth off of his tiny delicate little body

There was something almost therapeutic about doing so, as if scrubbing the dirt and grime off of his little body was erasing the abuse. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case in an actual sense, but he was now with her, so there would be no more abuse. Kitana nodded as she worked, ensuring that this would be the last time Harry felt fear or pain at something as common as a bath.

The bath water turned a very upsetting shade of brown and red aa she scrubbwd him clean, and she had to drain and refill the tub more than once, but eventually, he was finally cleaned off, and Kitana pulled him out of the tub, wrappjng him up in a big fluffy towel and holding him up to inspect him, smiling at the way his tiny little face peeked out from the towel. "Well aren't you precious?" She cooed before hugging him close.

Harry blushed and closed his eyes, trying to look away, which Kitana only found even more adorable. He was so small and sweet, she found herself falling in love with him more and more. He may not grow up to be a warrior, but he would grow up to do great things, she could tell.

"Come, come. Let's get you all warmed up." Kitana smiled, sitting back down on the bed, and looking over the clothes she had brought with her. She chose another shirt and then looked to Harry, but couldn't bring herself to take him out of the towel just yet... she wanted to hold the precious little bundle a little longer.

It really was like she was holding a baby in her arms, he was so tiny and adorable... Of course, it wasn't normal for a child his age to be so small, but the fact that it made him extremely cute made it... okay, no, it didn't make it worth it. Not the least bit. What in the world of Outworld was she thinking?

Sighing and shaking her head, she began to gently rock the boy back and forth, humming softly to try and soothe him as much as possible. He was clearly enjoying it immensely if the way he snuggled in close was anything to go by. Eventually, however, he needed to be properly dressed, and so she reluectantlt unbundled him.

She quickly slipped the new clothes onto him, the shirt once more reaching far further down than it should've... and THEN she went back to cuddling him. She let a smirk form on her mouth as the tiny boy seemed like putty in her arms, just snuggling close to the first person to show him any genuine sense of kindness.

To Harry, he still somewhat feared/hoped this wasn't just a dream. Miss Kitana was everything he had ever wanted! She was kind, she was gentle with him, she was... kind to him. She seemed almost like his mother! But... she wasn't. And he didn't want to upset her by saying so. Still, he'd take all the affection she'd offer.

And as it seemed, she was willing to offer a lot... She seemed to really like holding him for reasons that were beyond his understanding... He wasn't complaining, far from it, but... He wished this constant affection made sense to him... It made lots of sense for Dudley to be loved... But him...?

What was it about him that made Miss Kitana like him so much? He was a freak... He was ugly... He was stupid... He was worthless... These were the messages that were drilled into his head all his life, and he frankly had a difficult time not believing them. He truly didn't believe he was anything special like Miss Kitana seemed to...

He was cut off by another kiss to the forehead, followed by one on the nose.

"Please, stop thinking of yourself in such low terms." Kitana said, sounding somewhat saddened. "You're a precious and special little boy, you're not a freak."

"But... that's all I've been told." Harry mumbled, revealing another card in his hand of misery that was his life. "I...I don't know what I am then..."

Kitana wasn't sure what to say. She could only tell him he wasn't a freak, or that she loved him, so many times... she needed to do something more...

So she held him up to eye level.

"Child... Did you know that magic is well know and respected in Outworld?" She said gently. Harry was stunned.

"It is...? People use it here all the time...?" He asked timidly. Kitana nodded her head with a small smile.

"They do. It is a common practice in Outworld... You are not alone here. You are amongst your own kind, and those who respect them."

"Oh." Harry blinked. This seemed like such a foreign and strange concept to him, Kitana couldn't help but smile slightly at his reaction. "But... what does that make me then?"

"It makes you someone I care for." Kitana answered honestly, tilting his head up and smiling at him. "Everything I've said is true. I'm going to take good care of you, you don't need to be afraid of your powers anymore, you won't be hurt because of them."

Harry exhaled shakily, looking up at Kitana and nodding, he seemed to be slowly beginning to warm up and understand what she was saying was true.

"No more getting hurt... No more stove, no more sleeping outsidr, no more getting beat up, no more working all day..."

Kitana blinked as the boy rambled to himself, then her eyes widened in horror as she realized he was describing what sort of treatment he had been through at the hands of his own awful abusive bigoted family.

"They truly did all those awful things to you, little one?" She breathed softly, gently cupping his chin to look at her.

"..y..yes." Harry nodded, looking up at her. "P..please Miss Majesty... am... am I really not gonna be hurt anymore?"

"Of course not, my sweet." Kitana said, kissing his head before resting his head against her chest. "You'll never be hurt here, I'll keep you safe and protected. I promise."

"Thank you." Harry said, tearing up once more, but this time, he did cry. He let his pain out, crying into Kitana's chest as the princess hugged him close.

She closed her eyes and hugged him close to her breast, gently stroking the back of his head to try and soothe his emotional state.

This... was a good thing. It was important for him to get this emotional baggage off his chest as soon as possible...

She hoped he would suffer emotionally less after he had finished, however... He was in such a delicate state...

It was only a few minutes - but to the pair it felt like a few hours - but Harry cried himself dry, now doing his best to hug Kitana for warmth and protection. The Princess sighed in relief and rubbed his back.

"There, there... there, there..." She cooed softly, nuzzling the top of his head with her cheek. "Do you feel better now?"

"Yes, Miss Majesty Kitana." Harry nodded. Kitana giggled slightly, and wanted to correct him, but there was something so adorable about the way he addressed her, she didn't have the heart. She reached over and plucked the second apple off of her nightstand, offering it to the small boy, who wordlessly took it and settled into his meal.

He took slow, deliberate bites, wanting to savour the delicious fruit as much as possible. Kitana was upset that he seemed to be treating every bit of food as if it was going to be the last thing he ever ate.

And this was over something as simple and common as an apple. She felt as though he would break down agajn over a proper home cooked meal.

She decided that she wanted to cook for him. She didn't know what she wanted to make, but she wanted to prepare a proper meal for her new charge the very first opportunity she got... She needed to put some meat on those little frail delicate bones... He looked like a light breeze would knock him over...

Still, he was at least eating, so that was something. Again, the last thing she wanted was for him to black out due to lack of food in his system - or worse - so she'd take what she could get. Speaking of that, she once again wondered who she was going to leave him with while she went to the meeting... the thought came to her that she could bring him with her, and while she admittedly kind of wanted to, she knew that would not be a good idea. The Faction leaders weren't always the kindest rulers - admittedly, they kind of had reasons for why they acted the way they did, and considering what Shao Kahn did to many of their people she couldn't really blame them - but she didn't think any of them would hurt Harry. Heck, a few of them might actually like him, but she didn't know how he would react to them.

So now, she was back to either her sister, her mother... or Erron Black. The latter she immediately shot down ("Ugh..." She mentally groaned at the accidental pun) because the last thing she wanted was to leave Harry alone in his current state with someone with as many guns as the mercenary had...

She shook her head at the disturbing thought, scolding herself for letting her mind jump to such a dark place, then made a decision. Jade was her bodyguard, so she had to accompany her to the meeting. Erron Black was a cold, rather harsh man that would scare Harry. So that left Mileena and her mother. She began to weigh the pros and cons of both of them. Mileena was quite a bit kinder than she had originally portrayed herself as. Sure, she had a sadistic streak a mile long, and her flirtatious behaviour was the source of many a headache, not to mention her choices of outfits were always, without fail, somehow even more revealing than her own... But she had a very clear soft spot for kids, and she was... well... fun. Her mother was wiser and more mature, but... she might have to focus on her duties over the child... She was the queen, and it was possible she was too busy to babysit.

She didn't have much time to make a decision, however, as she heard a knock on the door. Rising to her feet, she made her way over to open the door and pulled it open. As luck would have it, one of the two she was thinking of stood there.

"Sister, mother was wondering if you were on your way to the Faction meet-" Mileena began, but her eyes widened comically as she looked down and saw the tiny boy held in her sister's arms. "Hello, cutie!"

"Mileena, I was actually hoping I could speak with you." Kitana began in her usual, regal tone. "I was preparing to head to the meeting, but I need someone to watch over Harry in the meantime, and..." She then noticed that all the while she was talking, Mileena was looking down at Harry, a wide grin forming under her veil, which just seemed to grow wider and wider as Harry squirmed and tired to make himself smaller. It was also clear she wasn't paying attention to a word she had said. "Mileena?"

"What's your name my sweet little boy?" Mileena cooed, and Harry whimpered.

"Mileena."

"Aren't you just the cutest little thing? I could just eat you up!"

"Mileena!"

The clone winced at the tone in her sister's voice. "Oh, did I do something wrong, sister...? I didn't mean to make you angry... Please forgive me..." The cloned sibling said softly, wringing her hands together.

Kitana's stern gaze softened at her sister's timid demeanour. She sighed softly and shook her head. "It's all right, Mileena, but you must watch what you say around this child... He's very shy and afraid, and I believe he thinks you genuinely want to eat him now." Mileena's eyes widened at that and she shook her head back and forth wildly. Kitana nodded. "Yes, I know you would never, but he doesn't, and he is... regrettably used to being harmed at the slightest provocation..." THAT got Mileena to tense up.

"He's... what?"

"He is used to being hurt, sister..."

"Is he a warrior in training?"

"No... He isn't."

"But- why?!" The clone asked, a bit harsher than intended, and Harry whimpered again, burying his face in Kitana's chest. "I'm sorry, little one! I didn't meant to scare you!"

"Mileena... He has not had a very opportune life." Kitana settled on a simple and short explanation. "There are many factors which most would consider guaranteed or standard which... weren't present in his life. There are many things even I do not fully understand about it yet..."

"But why?" Mileena asked gain, her eyes shifting to a pained expression. It was clear she had only known Harry for about twenty seconds, but was already taken by him. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the same case for Harry.

"Mileena, I cannot give you all the answers right now." Kitana said honestly with a bit of a sigh, before she set to rubbing Harry's back, trying to coax him out of her chest. "Harry? Love? I would like you to meet my sister, Mileena."

It took longer than the princess wanted, but Harry did look up timidly at her sister.

The half-takartan clone winced slightly, then gave the boy a small wave. "Hello... Um... My name is Mileena..."

"H-Hi, Miss Mileena... My name is Harry... Oh... You must be a princess too... Like Miss Majesty Kitana... Hi Miss Majesty Mileena..." The shy child greeted in a soft voice that Mileena thought was absolutely precious.

"Aww, you don't have to call me by that stuffy 'Your Majesty' title. It's very boring, wouldn't you say? I prefer just 'Mileena' if you would. Or, if you would prefer, auntie Mileena sounds quite appealing to me as well."

Harry blinked at that. She wanted him to refer to her as his auntie? But why? Wouldn't that make Miss Majesty Kitana his... No, no... He couldn't think that way. He knew she would turn him down on the spot...

And he didn't want that pain.

This went noticed by both women, and it only seemed to deepen Kitana's understanding of Harry's abuse, and further cement Mileena's sadness at his current state. She had assumed her sister had adopted this small boy - and she wan't wrong per say - but she was now beginning to understand what her sister had been getting at when she said there was much even she didn't understand.

"Mileena..." Kitana muttered, somewhat in annoyance. "Listen, I will be going to the Faction meeting shortly, but I need someone to watch Harry while I'm there. I don't have much time to decide and even less options of people I would be comfortable leaving Harry with. It effectively has come down to you or Mother. Would you be willing to watch Harry while I'm gone?"

Mileena's eyes widened in joyful hope, but Kitana heard an upset whimper as Harry clutched to Kitana's top, afraid to let go.

"Y..y..you...you're leaving?" Harry finally got out. Up until now, Miss Kitana was the only person who had ever shown him real kindness, and now she was leaving!?

Kitana held him up to eye level, pressing their foreheads together and giving him what she hoped was a reassuring look. "Oh, Harry, please don't be frightnened. I am not going to leave you forever... I won't even be leaving for very long. Just for one afternoon. I will be back later this very day. That is a promise. I will never abandon you. I understand very well that you need me... And I will stay with you."

Harry did feel slightly reassured by her words, but he was still nervously clinging onto the subconscious fear that she was lying. That she hated him. That she wanted nothing more than to abandon him the first chance she got. Because that was the tattered, ruined state his self esteem was in.

Mileena decided to throw her own two cents into the ring. She hated seeing the boy who could potentially be her nephew sad.

"Harry... You live in her home. And you're staying in her room. She has to come back for you sooner or later." She said gently.

"mmm..." Harry mumbled. Mileena gently reached out and put a hand on his back. He tensed for a second, but then the clone squeezed his shoulder in a reassuring way. Harry took a deep breath, then looked to Mileena again. "Um... y..y..you're... you're not...not go..gonna eat me... are you?"

"Of course not sweetie!" Mileena said a mixture of sadness and seriousness in her tone. "I'd never hurt someone as small and adorable as you!" There was something about the way she spoke that Made Harry feel ever so reassured, and he finally whimpered slightly before nodding.

"M'kay."

Mileena let out a soft giggle, but she also felt a sense of self-consciousness welling up inside her as she rubbed her veil, remembering what lay beneath. In many ways, she did take after her sister, and for the most part, she was a very beautiful young woman. But the Takartan blood that flowed through her veins made her what she considered imperfect...

She disliked her mouth. The jagged rows of razor sharp teeth that so often she had used to rend the flesh of her enemies before her sister had reformed her... She rarely ever took off her veil anymore.

She hated it when people saw her mouth.

"But...I wanna be with you..." Harry mumbled, protesting genuinely for the first time since he had met Miss Kitana, and probably the first time in his life. Kitana smiled sadly and squeezed him tightly.

"I know, precious. And you will be. It'll just be a few hours, and if she's willing-"

"I am!"

"...and my sister will take excellent, gentle care of you." Kitana said, adding heavy emphasis to the word 'gentle' making her statement and warning astronomically clear. Mileena nodded eagerly and Harry tensed up before looking up with saddened eyes at Kitana.

"M'kay Miss Majesty Kitana..." He conceded, not wanting to anger the Princess who had done so much for him.

Kitana smiled, lowering her veil and pressing her lips against his forehead gently, letting them linger for several seconds before she finally pulled away and replaced her veil. "Be strong, Harry. For me."

Harry's eyes widened.

Miss Kitana needed him to be strong?

Could he be strong like she wanted? He was scared and anxious and he really didn't want her to go away, but she wanted him to be strong... How could he be strong for her? Just by accepting she wouldn't be there for a while?

...Well if that was what he had to do, then he would do it. He looked up at her and nodded his head slowly.

With a sad smile, Kitana relinquished Harry into her sisters' arms, gently stroking his hair with one more smile.

"Be very, VERY gentle with him." Kitana repeated herself, looking at her sister with somewhat narrowed eyes. "He is very timid, and easily frightened. Do not tell him stories of our... exploits."

"Which ones?" Mileena asked.

"The majority of them."

"Not the ones in Tijuana?"

"ESPECIALLY not those." Kitana said sternly her mind flashing back to the incidents that occurred when she, Jade and her sister had decided to go on vacation on Earthrealm... it hadn't ended in the most dignified way. For any of them... and more than a few of her allies refused to let her forget about it.

"All right." Her sister nodded in confirmation, adjusting Harry and letting him get comfortable in her arms. She wanted him to warm up to her, and despite how scared he seemed, it was clear he was trying his best not to let it overtake him. "D'aww! You're so cute!"

The boy squeaked softly and buried his face in his hands, not accustomed to Mileena's more outgoing praise compared to Kitana's more reserved personality.

Mileena let out a giggle, then looked the boy over carefully, studying him for any signs of being hurt. And she certainly found it in his size alone. She had seen children. Young and older. Not one of them was this small.

Her expression fell as she rested him against her chest, gently patting his back, not wanting to go too far in comforting him, but also wanting to relentlessly hug him. However, she knew that wasn't a great idea right now.

"I'll be back soon, Harry. I promise." Kitana insisted, and Harry nodded. "One other thing, Mileena. I've fed him some apples, but he doesn't seem to be able to eat much more than that. If I'm gone until the evening, which I shouldn't be, please feed him. But do be careful in how much you feed him."

"Of course." Mileena nodded.

She herself was careful about her figure, so she knew she could find a suitable balance for this clearly malnourished child.

"Right... well, let's just hop this meeting doesn't end as badly as the last one." Kitana sighed, rubbing her face. Mileena blinked, then smiled.

"I'll tell you ALLLL about it, Harry." She said in a playful tone, seeing Harry's confused expression. Kitana wanted to protest, but shook her head, knowing she didn't have time to deal with her sister and get ready.

Mileena giggled at her sister's reaction, the sound of her laughter bordering on completely insane. It sometimes disturbed Kitana...

But Harry didn't seem to notice. Kitana was intrigued. He was shy around Mileena, but he did really seem to like her. He was talking to her, after all. He had been too scared to give Jade much more than a greeting...

"Well, I'll let you get to it." Mileena smiled.

"B..bye Miss Majesty..." Harry got out, waving timidly. Kitana smiled and waved back. She mentally promised even if she had to make some sort of false excuse she'd leave the first chance she got so she could take care of Harry. She wondered briefly why she felt so strongly about this, but then realized her sister was right. She now WAS in a sense... his mother. She had decided on being so, but hadn't realized how quickly she had taken to that role. Mileena nuzzled the top of his head (as while she did want to kiss him, her mouth as a bit of an issue) and headed back to her room. Kitana sighed, knowing the sooner she got to the meeting, the sooner she could leave.

"All right, make yourself comfortable, sweetie." Mileena cooed, setting Harry on her bed.

He nestled into the matress, then looked up at her timidly.

She smiled (though her veil kind of obscured it, she hoped the light in her eyes would convey it properly), then sat next to him. "Okay... Hmm... Stories, stories..."

"Ah, well. This is a story about Kitana and I when we were younger." Mileena began, knowing 'younger' was kind of superfluous considering how long Edenians lives and the magic which kept them young, but whatever. "We were tasked to find a being known as Macro, an ancient warrior who made of the memories and souls of other powerful warriors..."

Harry listened intently, taken by the story, seemingly forgetting his fear and anxiety of being forgotten as he slipped into the world that Mileena wove, recounting one of the times when she and her sister had to find Ermac, before the Elder Gods destroyed her 'father' and freed her other 'father', allowing Ermac to have control of his mind and live freely. Harry also noticed that Miss Mileena wore a veil over her mouth like Miss Majesty Kitana, but there was something... different, about Mileena's. It was clear there was something under it that wasn't like a normal mouth. Still, any curiosity on that topic quickly was pushed to the side as the story continued to unfold.

"And so we finally found that creepy collection of other psople's souls, and Kitana and I began the battle. Ermac is a very dangerous enemy, you see. He has powers. Psychic powers that let him lift you with his mind."

"Huh..." Harry blinked, thinking back to when he had accidentally done that, and the beating he had received because of it. He felt afraid at first, but then he remembered that Kitana had said magic users were respected and somewhat common here. Maybe... maybe he didn't have to be afraid! Still, and further thought was quickly pushed aside once more as the story continued. Mileena had even been able to gradually snake her arms around him before pulling him onto her lap as she sat against her head board. Normally, Harry would've been afraid of being held, but the story was so captivating, he didn't realize what was happening.

He liked listening to Mileena describe the fight between the two twins and the amalgamation of souls. It was very enthralling.

However, Mileena may have pushed things a little too far, as she gently wrapped a hand around Harry and pulled him close to her breast. This contact did register on Harry, and he had a brief panic attack, squirming about and falling back onto the mattress. Mileena froze, afraid she had upset him, and let him get a small distance away before he froze again.

"I'm... I'm sorry, my little cutie pie." She said sadly, looking away. "I didn't mean to upset you..."

Harry remained where he was for a minute, unsure of how to react. It had felt nice, she was warm and had the same protective aura as Miss Majesty, and her story was really good! He remembered Kitana asking him to be brave, so he decided to try. After a few moments, he crawled back over to her, and snuggled into her lap once more. This time, the shining light in Mileena's eyes was noticed and he allowed a small smile to form on his face.

"What happened next?" He asked with a quiet voice filled with childish wonder.

The tarkatan hybrid let out a squre, then returned to her story. "So Kitana overpowered Ermac at long last, and I...um..." She came to the realization that she couldn't really tell Harry exactly what they had done to Ermac. It was just... too gruesome, and would no doubt scar the poor child for life. So she deciced to embelish a little bit. "So then we pinned him down and beat him up. And then he um... got run over by a bus!"

Harry blinked, confused. How... how did a bus end up in the jungle? That didn't make sense. Still, maybe it was magic? Yeah, that made sense...

"Things didn't exactly go too much better for Kitana, tho..." Mileena added, and Harry tensed, afraid something had happened to Miss Majesty. "See, she doesn't like admitting to it, but she has a lot of trouble during the winter with ice and ending up in snowbanks. In the jungle, that wasn't an option, but... well, mud holes were. So after we defeated him, Kitana went to retrieve him... and I spent half an hour trying to get her out of a mud hole."

Harry gasped in worry for his parental figure, and Mileena reassured him with a gentle pat on the back.

"No, no, don't worry, she was just embarrassed... And a little bit mad that her clothes got all muddy... Heeheehee... It was funny... That Cage guy caught up with us by that point and pulled out one of those weird camera things that freeze moments in time so you can look at them later. He took a few pictures of her and let me have one... Don't tell her though..." She reached into her cleavage and pulled out the picture in question.

Harry looked at it in confusion, then giggled slightly. Kitana was covered in mud, and Mileena was clearly enjoying herself. But the look on Kitana's face wasn't anger, it was more a 'I-really-hope-no-one-ever-sees-this-wait-is-that-a-camera!?' look. Harry laughed and Mileena beamed, both happy she had been able to make the tiny boy laugh, and also because she thought his laugh was one of the cutest things she had ever heard.

"This stays between us, okay?" Mileena re-stated and Harry nodded. "Such a good boy!" Harry blushed at the praise and Mileena patted his head. "Now, this next story takes place in..."

Kitana was very, very bored.

Well, okay. That was putting it mildly. She HATED this! In fact, everyone present did...

After some of the more recent escapades, a bi-annual meeting was instated where the leaders would gather and ensure everything was fine. Things were, but they still had to go through all the guidelines and conversation pieces in order to unsure all was addressed. Still, it was clear everyone present was bored out of their skulls, answering in the dullest and most disinterested tones imaginable. And those were the ones who weren't asleep...

'I hope Harry is okay...'

She shook her head to the side, forcing herself to focus on the discussion at hand. It was unbecoming of someone of her status to let her mind wander aimlessly when she was in the middle of something this important. She did wish her mother could have attended in her stead, but after her time spent under Shao Kahn's control as his revenant, her reputation was rocky to say the least.

So it was up to her to fulfill the diplomatic meetings while Sindel tried everything she could to regain favour with the people.

She was making progress, to be certain.

But some still feared her...

...and others mistrusted her...

...and yet others hated her.

All of them had their reasons, many of which were justified, and some which were not.

"...so how long has he been on this?" Johnny Cage muttered, looking to Kitana as Raiden went on about... whatever it was he was going on about this time. The meeting probably could've been done an hour ago, but something set the Thunder God off, and they had been trapped here since.

"I don't know." Kitana muttered. "I'd prefer if he could get to his point, I need to talk to him and his brother after this..."

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. You hear about the kid Fujin found?"

"Jonathan, this is hardly- what." Kitana began in annoyance, but stopped mid-sentence and her head slightly snapped to the actor. Thankfully, no one noticed.

"Yeah, apparently Wind-Bro found this kid who was treated like crap. Tried to send him to the White Lotus temple so they could try and save him before he died or something... apparently, he's on the same level of competency as Raiden, and something happened and the kid went missing. It's why Lao's here without Liu. Shaolin dude went to try and find him in case the kid got hurt more or something."

Kitana blinked in surprise that they already knew,

But now was the perfect opportunity to squash all worry.

"The child is just fine." Kitana assured the man.

"Really? How do you know that?" He looked into the woman's eyes and caught on to what she was saying. "Oooh. So he showed up in your neck of the woods? How the heck did that happen? Fujin really that powerful?"

"It's... a long story, and I think Raiden is looking for opinions right now." Kitana replied, nodding to the Elder God, who seemed annoyed at how... asleep, most of the room was.

Still, she HAD been correct in her assumption; Fujin had intended for Harry to be taken to the Shaolins where he would've been given care for what he had been through... but, she had no intentions of sending him there now. He was hers. And she meant that in the best way possible. Still, she needed to talk to Fujin about giving a CHILD a talisman powerful enough to CROSS THE EARTH without his powers... and about what he might have seen.

Because she still didn't know the full story. All she knew was Harry was hurt by someone. And she intended to see to it that they paid the price for it.

Mileena meanwhile had finished her second story and was now sitting on the windowsill with Harry firmly held in her arms. She was pointing out some of the wildlife and birds to the small boy, who seemed completely enthralled by the new animals.

"Mileena? Who are you talking to in there?" An older woman's voice spoke, and Mileena froze. She recognized her mother's voice, but also knew Kitana wanted to introduce Harry to her... what should she do!? Harry tensed before he felt Mileena tense at the sound of someone new, and the next thing he knew, he was being pushed under the bed.

"N..no one mother!" Mileena called before whispering a 'shhh' to Harry. Mileena opened the door and tired to seem calm, while Sindel looked at her in bewilderment.

"Are you all right?" The older woman asked.

"Y..yeah! I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?!"

"You appear to be acting weirder than usual." Sindel commented, looking past her into Mileena's room. Thankfully, she didn't' see the tiny boy hiding under the bed. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes, mother." Mileena sighed.

"Who were you talking to?"

"No one."

"Mileena, I heard you talking to someone, pointing out the wildlife. Please don't lie to me." Sindel said in a somewhat dry tone. Mileena froze, her eyes thankfully not betraying this, before she finally spoke.

"I was talking to Stephanie." She said, mentioning the teddy bear she had. Sindel blinked, then seemed to nod in acceptance.

"I see, yes, it is good to have an outlet to speak with when you have no human company to talk to." The queen said with a small smile. She was still a bit perplexed that she had ended up adopting Mileena...

Mileena let out that psychotic-sounding giggle of hers and nodded her head. "Yes, mother, Stephanie here always listens to me, isn't that right, Stephanie?" Mileena cooed over the teddy bear like it was an infant, and Sindel shook her head. She never understood why some babytalked things that weren't human babies.

Mileena seemed to catch onto this and awkwardly cleared her throat. "So... yes, I wanted Stephanie to see the sights."

"Oh yes, she likes it very much."

"Good, good, I do try to ensure the gardens are kept in pristine condition... It is only natural that a royal palace should maintain a lovely garden."

"Yes, I love all the flowers."

"Oh, they were all personal choices from Kitana and myself."

"Oh, how interesting."

"Yes indeed. However, I noticed something interesting about Stephanie." Milerna tilted her head in curiousity.

Sindel gave a playful smile. "She sounds suspiciously like a small boy. I was truly hoping to find one of you two had decided to bring me a grandchild at last."
"I see. And does Stephanie like what she sees?"

"...I'm not sure. Is she on or under your bed?" Sindel asked.

'...' Mileena didn't react, but began cursing up a storm in her head. 'Relax. This is what she does, she might not know...'

"Mileena, what are you doing? I know you're terrible at lying." Sindel said flatly, a somewhat mirthful smirk on her face. "If you and Tanya have adopted a child, or your... well, expecting one, you can tell me. I won't be upset."

Harry was watching and debating what to do. He had been told to be quiet and remain out of sight; two things he was very good at. But he didn't want Mileena to get in trouble because of him... she hadn't done anything wrong!

Mileena sighed.

"Mother, I... think it's best if we wait for Kitana to return. She'll want to be the one to introduce you, I'm sure."

Sindel's smile widened. "So it is Kitana's child then? How lovely... I had thought her to be disinterested in being a mother, she never expressed much interest in children... I am very proud of her..."

Mileena nodded. "Yeah... Someday I'll have one too and then I'll introduce you righy away, but... I don't know, I just feel like Kitana should be here when you meet Harry for the first time..." Mileena said softly.

"Oh? The little dear's name is Harry? How sweet." She smiled. Harry blinked, and squirmed slightly, still hiding under the bed, trying to get a better look at the new woman. Sindel noticed something, or someone under the bed, but didn't have the heart to try and introduce herself if Kitana wanted to be the one who made introductions. It stood to reason if Kitana found him, he was probably frightened of new people... Still, how long had she had him?

"He... Oooh... he's so precious!" Mileena cooed. "But he's also super shy, I think even now we're upsetting him..."

Sindel nodded her head in understanding. "I see... Very well, then, I will leave you be for now... But do tell Kitana that I wish to see my new grandchild very soon." Mileena nodded her head with a slightly nervous smile, hoping her sister would not be angry with her for giving away the fact she had Harry. She never liked it when people she cared for were angry at her, it made her feel like all progress she made with them was going to become undone. No matter how many times she was assured that was not the case...

She looked back under the bed with a small smile. "Well, I'm sure you will get to meet him very soon, mother..."

"Very well then, good-bye." Sindel nodded.

"...bye..." Came a tiny squeak from under the bed, and Mileena both froze in shock, and felt her heart split in two. Once Sindel had left, she walked over and got down on her knees, looking under the bed.

"Sorry about that..." Mileena laughed awkwardly, lifting up the bed and letting Harry crawl out. "Mother is one of the kindest women I know, and I know she'll love you." Mileena explained, not knowing Sindel was listening in with a wide smile that only got wider with each passing moment. "But my sister wants to be the one to introduce you. Don't worry, she'll love you!"

"So she isn't scary...?"

"No! No, no, no, not at all! She's a very nice lady!" Mileena assured the boy gently. "In fact, you might even be able to say that she's your grandms someday!" Harry blinked at that, admittedly intrigued by the prospect.

Somehow the idea of having a grandma was very appealing to him. Maybe it was the fact that a grandma was associated with a mother. And if he was going to have the pretty long haired lady as a grandma, then that meant he was most likely going to have a mother as well. But was that mother Miss Kitana?

He thought about it... and honesty? He wanted her to be. She was kind, and caring and... like a mother! But would she want him? Sure, she was kind to him, she had taken him inter her home... but was she just being nice? He wished he had an answer...

Mileena noticed this, and noticed he seemed sad, and was quick to scoop him up and hold him close to her chest, nuzzling the top of his head.

"It's okay cutie, it's okay..." Mileena cooed, then thought 'Even if Kitana doesn't adopt you, I will! I most definitely will!'

"Thank you Miss Maje- Mileena." Harry began but caught and corrected himself, making the princess giggle.

"Heehee, Miss Majesty is cute... Too formal though... Oh! I should introduce you to my future wife sometime soon, you'd like Tanys... Did you meet Kitana's future wife, Harry?" Harry blinked and tilted his head.

"Um... Miss Majesty Kitana has a future wife...? I didn't know that... Um... There was another lady in here earlier... She wore green."

Mileena grinned. That could only be one person: Jade. The two of them insisted that they were 'just friends'.

There was no way though. With how close they were, they were most definitely lovers behind closed doors.

"While they aren't technicallllyyy together, I know they are." Mileena winked. Harry blinked, his face clearly one of confusion, but didn't know what to say. Miss Kitana and Miss Jade were together? Harry didn't know two women could be together! But if it made her happy, he didn't want to do ANYTHING that would upset her.

"Miss Mileena?" Harry spoke up again, still too afraid to adress her simply as 'Mileena'.

"Yes, dear?"

"Um... Miss Majesty told me that there was a lot of fighting in Outworld, and only recently the trees and pretty flowers are coming back. What happened?"

Mileena winced at the question. "Oh... Well, um... see... my...um...father... he was a bad man... He used to rule this place and he didn't...do a very good job? He wanted to be the most powerful... and he wanted to build his army to do it. So um... he just sort of let his army do what they wanted..."

She shook her head at the memories.

She took part in such awful things.

She had helped Shao Kahn nearly overtake earthrealm where several of her friends resided... She had been a terrible ruler herself...

"Oh." Harry blinked, seemingly understanding well enough. For a moment, Mileena figured he was going to squirm away before leaving, but when Harry looked up, he saw the sadness in her eyes, and while he didn't feel like this was his fault, he felt like he wanted to help.

To Mileena's surprise, Harry nuzzled closer to her, and tried his best to wrap his tiny arms around her. She blinked, then wrapped him up in her arms, holding him close.

"I..I didn't mean to make you sad. And I don't think I did... but I'm sorry if I did." Harry tried to apologize without apologizing.

"Oh... thank you sweetie..." Mileena said softly, nuzzling the top of his head. Harry let out a small gasp, and Mileena's eyes widened in terror. Her veil...

She immediately looked away and shut her eyes as if that would make everyone around her blind... But she didn't feel Harry tense, or scream...

What she did feel, however, was a tentative poke at her razor-sharp teeth. Opening her eyes slowly, she looked down to see that Harry was looking up at her, not with fear, but rather with childlike curiousity.

"Um... Wow, your teeth are really sharp... Do you use them to eat food easier?" He asked innocently.

Mileena blinked owlishly at his innocent question. Then her lips turned up in a small smile. And then she giggled.

She tried to get it under control, but she just couldn't help it. The question was just so silly, it put her in hysterics.

Harry simply watched her laugh with a confused expression, tiltint his head to the side, wondering just what he had said that was so funny.

Once she stopped laughing, Mileena beamed down at Harry before leaning forward and kissing his forehead. She didn't know how he'd react, but she wanted to. Harry just looked up at her, clearly confused as to what was happening, and she shook her head with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, dear." Mileena smiled. "That... I was not expecting that question. Uh, to explain, I'm not fully human like my sister. There are a race in Outworld you'll meet eventually called Tarkatans, and their mouths are like this generally." She said, pointing to her mouth. "It's a very long story, but I'm part Tarkatan."

"Oh, okay." Harry nodded.

"I... I laughed because usually when people see this, they think of me as nothing but a monster, a freak."

"They think of me like that too." Harry mumbled, growing downcast.

Mileena blinked and tilted her head to the side, frowning deeply at this unexpected revelation. She looked him over for any signs of abmormality that could lead to such sruel words being hurled thia child's way, but she came up short. For the life of her, she coulr not fathom why anyone would call him a freak.

"But why?" She asked softly, tilting her head to the side and doing her best to contain the anger she felt welling up within her. The simple fact that anyone could call a child a monster and a freak was infuriating to her, and when she found out who it was, she might not be able to stop herself from eating them.

"Cuz I do magic..."

Mileena was stunned. It was because he was a wizard that these people were so cruel to him? Just for that?!

"That...is unacceptable..." She growled softly.

"It's just... it's just what I am, I guess." Harry mumbled. "I'm just a freak..." Mileena lifted his chin up, looking into his emerald eyes. Something she had once been told was 'the eyes were the gateway to the soul', snd while she didn't fully understand (or believe) it, she saw nothing in his eyes other than a broken cry for affection. She recognized herself, she saw the pain and want for acceptance she had lived with so long while she attempted to mend her relationship with her sister and mother. She shook her head affirmatively with a frown.

"No, no. Absolutely not." Mileena stated, rising to her feet and holding Harry close. "Absolutely not. You are NOT a freak, little Harry. You're a precious little boy, and I see nothing wrong with you. If you have magic, that's a wonderful gift, and you'll become a powerful magic user one day."

Harry looked at her with wide eyes. She was the second person to offer him this kind of reassurance, the first being Kitana, and he felt a certain warmth welling up inside him. He felt as if... he could like himself a little more...? Two people had offered him this reassurance he had so craved all his life... The reassurance that he was not a freak, that he was not a monster, that he was worth so much more than what his aunt and uncle had always told him... Could it be that he was worth caring about?

Dare he believe it? His hopes had brought him nothing but pain and heartbreak in the past... He was afraid to hope... Because if his hopes turned out to be all for nothing... It would hurt... It would hurt so much...

Well, for now, he decided to let himself hope. It was a nice warmth, and he was tired of being so cold... he had been told he would be taken to a safe place, so why would he believe this wasn't? Maybe he'd wake up and it'd all be fake, maybe he'd find out they were just pretending to care for him, and they'd keep him as a pet to abuse for their amusement... but Harry didn't want to believe it, so he didn't for the time being. Leaning back into Mileena's embrace, he felt tears welling up, but he did his best to push them back down. Giving him another kiss on the head, Mileena seated herself on her bed and smiled.

"How about I tell you another story?" She asked.

"Okay!" Harry said, his wet eyes shining with the child-like happiness Mileena expected all children to have.

"All right, this one actually happened only about a year ago, at one of the meetings Kitana is currently at. I don't recall who, but someone decided to bring food for everyone, and someone didn't pay attention to what they were eating, and they had a massive amount of wasabi..."

Back at the meeting, things were just wrapping up. Everyone was preparing to go home... except for Johnny. He needed to have a very serious talk with a certain blue-clad princess... When he saw the opportunity, he approached Kitana and put a hand on her shoulder. "So have you talked to Jade at all since... y'know...her man died...?"

Kitana was about to reprimand Johnny for his untactful way of bringing up such a painful topic, but there was something about his voice that made it clear he wasn't trying to upset her, he was being genuine.

"I've approached her, but she doesn't seem ready." Kitana shook her head with a frown. "And I won't force that upon her."

"Yeah... I understand." Johnny nodded. "Cassie's the same way, she still isn't really open to talking about... y'know..."

Kitana did. Johnny and Sonya had a very - for lack of a better term - difficult relationship. And their daughter had been caught int he middle of it, making her childhood harsh. But over the past few years, things had been getting better. Cassie - now in her early twenties - followed her parents and joined the SF... Then, everything had went to hell when Kronika had appeared. For a time, time made no sense. Old rivals returned, timelines merged, and in the end, Sonya had died ensuring the allied warriors had a chance to break into Kronika's keep, and Kotal had laid everything down to stop Shao Kahn when he attempted to use Kronika's powers. When it was all said and done, they were gone, and no amount of magic was able to bring them back.

Both had died a heroic death. And both had left behind loved ones that reacted to this sudden loss in very different ways.

Cassie became much more moody. Johnny had called it phase that he was trying to help her through. He was determined not to let his daughter waste away, he wanted to aee her move on.

Jade, on the other hand? Upon her lover's demise, she put up a facade. She was pretending as though nothing was wrong and burying herself in work. Her act was quite convincing... But Kitana could see the bags in her eyes...

"I know she needs time to grieve, but at a certain point, it will be better to try and talk to her, regardless of how she is feeling." Kitana admitted.

"Yeah." Johnny nodded, then laughed slightly. "Hey, maybe use the kid Fujin sent here as a way to get her talking and then bring it up."

"Johnny that's..." Kitana began but realized despite how horrible that was, as in a way she would be betraying her friend's trust, it could actually work.

"Wait, hold on. I was joking!"

"You may have been, but you also may be correct." Kitana shrugged.

She closed her eyes and smiled. "Harry is... a very precious child that could melt the heart of any woman..."

Johnny chuckled softly. "Ah, that's the same thing I said about Cassie back when she was just a little girl..."

Kitana tilted her head at that. Johnny made comments like that about his daughter. Did that mean she saw Harry as a son?

...Honestly?

She liked that idea.

It was clear Harry looked up to her (and not just because he was small) but because, well. Huh. Now a lot of their interactions had another layer to them. It was clear Harry saw her as a mother figure, but considering his mental state, he was probably terrified of saying anything, lest she hurt him or reject him. She would say she had no idea how a child would end up with such thoughts, but that sadly wasn't the case.

"Hm. I never thought I would say this, but thank you for your council, Johnny Cage. There are matters I must attend to now." Kitana said with a curt nod. The other leaders were packing up to go, meaning no one had any personal information they needed to discuss, so Kitana was able to take her leave.

"Yeah, no prob- hey what was that about..." Johnny began with a shrug, then realized he had been insulted, but as Kitana left, his voice grew fainter and fainter.

She laughed quietly to herself as she walked away from the fighting actor. She certainly didn't dislike him, far from it. She had immense respect for him as a warrior, and he really was a good man in spite of his tendency to be... well... very rude and loud sometimes. She only said stuff like that every now and then to knock the arrogant actor down a few pegs. He was certainly improving, she would admit.

Then her mind turned to Jade... Her beloved best friend since she was a child... To think about how much she was suffering... It was painful... She wanted the pain in her friend's eyes to go away...

And she would do all she could to make that happen. Introducing her to Harry would certainly make for a good start.

She had known the Emerald assassin since childhood, they had grown and trained together, and fought in multiple tournaments together, she had been happy when Jade had met the Osh-Tekk warrior at one of the tournaments, and she had to admit, he did the best he could when he was Kahn, considering what he was given when he walked into that role... and now he was gone, he died a warrior's death, and hopefully was finally with his people once more. But even that was a saddening thought. The final Osh-Tekk, the one Jade thought dead for so long, gone.

She was left in a cold silence as she walked back to her sister's room. She needed to talk with Harry, she needed to ask him some things. Still, she questioned what she could do to help her friend.

She sighed and shook her head. Dwelling on it now would not do her any good... Right now, she had another emotionally damaged loved one to take care of. She made her way down the hallways, thinking about just how much drama was going on with her loved ones, with her best friend being widowed, her mother being a controversial public figure struggling to regain favour, her sister being an insecure hybrid that only really had her girlfriend and family for company, and her... well, adopted son having a clearly very difficult past that he was too terrified to talk to anyone about.

As she slowly opened the door to her sister's room, she found her telling Harry a story... "And when we found Kitana, the only thing sticking out of the snow was her butt!"

"Of course." Kitana muttered, rubbing her face. She blinked in surprise when she saw her sister wasn't wearing her veil over her mouth, and Harry seemed completely okay with it. He was sitting in front of her as she told her story, both seemed genuinely happy. With a smile, Kitana entered the room.

"Oh, hello sister!"

"Miss Majesty?" Harry asked, turning around. Kitana felt her heart melt as she saw the hopeful and joyful look in his eyes when he saw her. Smiling, Kitana sat on her sister's bed and placed Harry on her lap.

"Hello, love." Kitana smiled, giving him a quick hug. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, Miss Majesty. Miss Mileena is really nice." Harry answered, seeming to grow somewhat apprehensive, and it was hard to tell if he was afraid of her, or if he thought she was worthy of being addressed in a more regal tone.

Kitana placed a hand on his cheek gently. "Oh, Harry... Please, don't feel like you have to be afraid of me... I am of royal blood, yes, but I am your new caretaker far before that. Please don't be afraid to relax more around me." She whispered softly,, holding the boy close and rubbing his back to comfort him.

She loved holding this light, adorable child...

Harry closed his eyes contently and nuzzled in close to Kitana's embrace. She made him feel safe and warm... He wasn't afraid of her, not the least bit... It was moreso he was afraid of what she could do should he upset her...

But would she do any of it?

He found himself doubting it more and more with every moment he spent with her. She had been nothing but kind and compassionate to him. She held him... Fed him... Did her best to comfort him when he was upset or scared...

"Ooh, you're too cute!"

"I..I can try and stop..." Harry said, somewhat nervously. This just made both women smile, and Kitana laughed gently, patting hsi head.

"No, love. Don't ever stop." She spoke calmly. "And please, don't ever fear like you can't tell me something or say something because you believe I'll harm you over it. I promise, I will never harm you for wanting to tell me something, or harm you for any reason for that matter." The Princess smiled down at the tiny boy she felt, feeling more and more like this wasn't just a child she had found, this was a child she was going to care for he was in a sense, her son. "Harry, I wanted to let you know, you won't be going back to your old home any time soon, for your own safety."

"But... where am I gonna stay then?" Harry asked. He knew Kitana was letting him stay here for the time being, but he didn't expect she'd let him stay here forever.

"You'll be living with me, of course." Kitana replied.

"For...Forever...?" Harry asked softly. Kitana smiled and nodded her head in reassurance, trying to ease his fears.

"You can stay here with me for as long as you like, Harry... And even longer than that for that matter, as I have no intention of ever sending you away. This is your home now, my child... Here, you will be treated as part of the family... You will continue to be fed and csred for and treated not as a slave, but as a child." She said softly.

"R..really?"

"I wouldn't be saying this if I wasn't honest." Kitana said calmly. "I'll be more than happy to take care of you, to help you heal. If you want, you can make this your home."

Harry went quiet. She was sirius! Everything he ever wanted (which really was just not to be hurt all the time) would come true! He'd have food, clothes, he wouldn't be beaten every day... Miss Majesty would take care of him, make him part of her family! 'That... then that means...' Harry thought, slowly coming to the realization that his most secretive dream was going to come true."

"Um... can..." Harry whimpered, then whispered something inaudible. Kitana knew what it was, but she wanted him to say it, to let him know it was real.

"What was that, precious?" She asked with a warm smile, feeling a tear forming in her eye.

He hesitated, still slightly worried.

He wanted to say it, but he also didn't at the same time. He was scared. What if she decided she didn't like him anymore?

Kitana caught on that he was nervous and waited patiently for him to finally speak his mind. Shr lowered her veil so that he could see her entire face, and the smile that graced her features. "Go on now, dear... Please feel free to speak your mind. Whatever you want to say, go ahead and say it..."

"I...I...I..." Harry fought with himself to get the words out, trying to force himself to fight his fear. With a deep breath, he said it...

"Can I call you mommy...?"

His response was a kiss to the forehead. He blinked, and then received another.

"Yes, you can." Kitana said, pulling him into a hug. "Of course you can!"

Harry teared up, then snuggled close to her chest, trying his best to hug his mother. He felt safe, warm, loved... He had a family! Kitana sighed deeply, smiling and holding her son close.

"Yaayy!" Mileena said with a wide grin. Kitana laughed slightly at her sister's optimism and joy.

The hybrid clapped her hands. "I'm an auntie now!"

"Yes, Mileena, you certainly are." Kitana laughed.

"I can't wait for my darling nephew to meet his auntie Tanya...Ooh! Sister, there's someone else he needs to meet too!"

Kitana realized she was right. Harry needed to meet her mother.

"Harry... are you comfortable with meeting one more person today?"

"W..who...?" Harry asked. "The long-haired lady from earlier?"

If it was possible, a glass window shattered as Kitana's eyes practice punched their way out of her head, before she whipped her head over and just... looked. At Mileena. There were no adequate words to describe it. This was a look that could rip a soul in two, after killing said soul, and turning it to stone. That order of events isn't possible, but somehow, it was right now.

"S..sister! I didn't tell her!" Mileena tried to defend herself.

"THEN HOW."

"Lo..look, I was with Harry, and she knocked on the door, I hid him under my bed, but she had heard him. I told her to wait until you were back, because you could explain this better than I could!"

Kitana blinked, then sighed. she was almost thankful in a weird way. Her sister could've easily hid him in her closet or somewhere else, but she always went for the strangest option. She looked to Harry, and he nodded, singling his aunt was telling the truth.

"All right then." Kitana sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you."

Mileena huffed. "Is introducing him to mother really such a crime?" She asked, sticking her nose up.

"In this case? Yes." Kitana replied. "One, I hadn't officially taken him as my son, and two, you've seen his current state. Do you really think leaving him alone with you and mother would be a good idea?"

"Yes." Her sister asked indignantly.

"Whatever, you live in your world, sister..." Kitana sighed, then looked back to Harry. "Yes, my mother. Your grandmother. Her name is Sindel, and I know she'd love to see you."

"Umm... okay." Harry nodded. To him, this was part of being brave, probably. Maybe. He wasn't sure, but he felt like it was, so that was good enough for him. Kitana smiled and rose to her feet, heading down the hall, an anxious feeling gripping her spine, obnoxiously... She arrived and knocked on her mother's door, then waited.

"Come in."

Entering, she saw her mother seated at her table, brushing her hair, something which Kitana always assumed would take half a day...

"Ah, Kitana. How was the meeting?"

"As productive as you would expect." Kitana sighed and Sindel laughed.

"Yes, but a few hours of boredom twice a year is a small price to pay for peace, is it not?"

"Never said it wasn't." Kitana shook her head, looking down at Harry. "Mother... there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Sindel smiled warmly and crossed one leg over the other. "Oh? Would it happen to be little Harry?" She asked, trying to maintain a cool, collected demeanour, but unable to keep the mirth and glee out of her voice.

'She knows his name too?' Was Kitana's immediate thought.

She nodded her head in affirmation and sighed softly. "Now, mother, know that he is extremely shy... Be very delicate with him..."

Kitana stepped form behind the couch that was concealing Harry currently. The tiny boy looked up from Kitana, then to Sindel. From the look in her mothers' eyes, it was clear he was even younger than she had anticipated.

"H..hi..." Harry timidly stammered.

"Mother, this is Harry. My son. Harry? This is Sindel, my mother." Kitana made the introductions as Sindel walked over to get a better look at him. Her eyes just widened and her smile grew. He was more adorable than she ever could've imagined. He was this small, timid little boy, and it was clear that he was trying his best not to be afraid.

"Hello, my sweet little boy." Sindel cooed softly, reaching out and placing a hand on his cheek. Her words and tone were quiet, but had that reassuring tenderness to them that Kitana always loved when she saw a child. "Ooh... you're just perfect!"

Harry seemed to melt into the woman's touch like an affection-starved kitten, leaning into her hand and lightly rubbing his cheek against it with a small smile. Both women let out a soft coo at the boy's actions.

"I do believe I'm in love." Sindel said with a smile.

Gently, carefully, she took Harry out of Kitana's embrace and pulled him into her own, sitting down atop her chair and crossing one leg over the other as she held her new grandson close to her breast, gently playing with his hair and rocking him back and forth in her arms. It was a sight that warmed Kitana's heart.

Anyone that had seen the cold, ruthless killer Sindel had been as a revenant would be utterly shocked to see her acting as a doting grandmother to a tiny little boy. But Kitana had seen her mother's kindness, and she knew this was how she was supposed to be.

"He's so small, so light... have you been taking care of him?!" Sindel asked, her tone somewhat hushed, but fill of concern.

"Yes, mother. Before you ask, he is not mine and Liu's, or Lao's, or anyone else you may believe I have had attractions to. I found him today."

"You found him?" Sindel blinked, the prospect of her daughter finding - for lack of a better term - an angel was delightful, but also highly improbable. But the look on Kitana's face made it clear there was MUCH more to the story, and even she didn't know all of it. "Oh... you poor baby..." Sindel returned to comforting her new grandson, who had almost instantaneously decided to accept Sindel as his grandmother.

"Yes, I found him near the orchards, I believe Fujin of all people may have had a hand in bringing him here-"

"Shh, shh, shh..." Her mother suddenly waved a hand, cutting her off and shocking the princess. "You'll disturb the little prince." At first, Kitana was irritated with her mother, but then she saw how happy Harry was, and couldn't bring herself to be anything but happy for him.

"Hi, Miss Majesty Sindel Grandma." Harry finally decided to try and adress her, but his mind panicked and he didn't know what to adress her by, so he want with option E.) All of them.

Sindel blinked at that, then put a hand to het mouth and let out a soft, regal laugh, becoming of someone of her status.

"Oh, you don't need all of those formalities, my dear. You can simply call me grandma. That is easy for a little one like you, yes?"

Harry smiled softly. "M'kay... grandma..." He mumbled, closing his eyes and nuzzling into his new grandmothet's hold. Sindel smiled and stroked his back. She was simply overjoyed to have a grandson... It had long been het desire to see her daughter have a little one of her own so she too could experience the warmth and love motherhood would bring her... Whether through childbirth or adoption, she didn't care.

And now, here he was. Her precious little grandson, here in her arms, melting her heart, just as she had long desired...

She carefully maneuvered her hair so that it draped itself around him, bundling him up in a soft blanket of warmth that left only his face poking out. Harry closed his eyes in content. "Grandma's hair's soft..." He mumbled.

Kitana laughed gently at the sight, remembering how her mother would do that for her when she was Harry's age. It took only a few moments, but Sindel had coaxed the boy into an afternoon nap wrapped up in her hair and held close.

"So... sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Sindel shook her head. "You were saying that you found him? and one of the Elder Gods brought him here?"

"Well, possibly." Kitana frowned. "This morning, I found him after he fell from nowhere and slipped into the river. He was terrifed, cold, borderline panicking constantly... He had a talisman from the White Lotus, I don't know the whole story, but apparently Fujin for some reason gave it to him. But from what I have gathered, he's been through far more pain than anyone his age should ever be put through." Her tone grew somber as she concluded her explanation, and Sindel sighed before hugging the bundled boy closer.

She looked down at her grandson with a soft, loving smile, before frowning and shaking her head. "How despicable... A child like this... Abused... Treated like dirt... What filth would do such a thing"

"Relatives, likely... He clearly fears his original home... There is no doubt in my mind that his family harmed him..."

Sindel's eyes narrowed. "A crime I am entirely unwilling to forgive... Those who would willingly do harm to their own family are trash... No... They are less than trash... To call them so is an insult to the very concept of trash... Damn these people... I will see them suffer the retribution of what they have done to this child..." The queen of Outworld all but spat in outrage. Kitana nodded her head with a soft sigh. She shared her mother's anger and disgust... She too wanted to see the ones who had harmed Harry pay for it.

Her mother, even when not a Revenant, could be one of the most frightening figures you would ever meet. Most of the time, that intimidation was used to try and end an argument, but on the rarest of occasions, that fury and fear would melt into her fighting styles. When that happened, all anyone could do was hope and pray they hadn't done anything to anger the Queen as of late.

"Mmrrmmm..." Harry began to squirm and whimper in his cocoon of hair, Sindel noticed this and quickly dropped the fury and returning to the loving grandmother figure. Kitana could see the fury and bloodlust in her mothers' eyes, but it wasn't directed towards Harry. Genuine love and compassion was directed towards him, and it was working, as he gradually calmed down and returned to a peaceful nap.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset the little one like that." Sindel commented.

Kitana shook her head. "I don't think it was your fault, mother... I believe Harry may suffer from night terrors..." She said softly.

"Most likely, but something I've learned is when you were asleep, you reacted to how whoever was holding you was feeling. That sometimes meant you would suffer nightmares if someone was angry. I don't know if it's the same for little Harry, though."

Kitana just smiled, it had been less than ten minutes, and already her mother had seemed to have had Harry for years. The bundle rested in her arms and Sindel smiled down at him, gently poking his nose and making him coo in his sleep.

"That's better. Sleep well you precious little thing. You're safe in grandmother's arms, no one will be able to hurt you now..." Sindel spoke softly.

Kitana sighed softly. "I don't know what I was worried about..."

"Hrph." Sindel huffed with a smile. "You seem to forget that I AM your mother, and I am very, very ca[able of being calm and collected."

"Is that why it looked like you wanted to run over here and grab him in a hug?" Kitana asked with a raised brow. She owed her mother for her 'sarcastic' tone that would sometimes work it's way into conversations, and thankfully her mother under stood that.

"Fine." The Queen said, sticking her nose up. "If you're going to talk to your own mother like that, then you aren't ready to be a mother."

"What."

"I'll be keeping this little boy. And I'll raise him properly." Sindel said., turning her back to her daughter.

"Mother, you know very well you can't do something so childish after he's already imprinted on me." Kitana said flatly.

"Oh can't I? As I recall, the palace belongs to me, does it not? You live under my roof, under my rules, dear. As your mother, I have authority, and as such, my decision is that I will adopt Harry and you shall be his elder sister."

Kitana crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Her mother just loved to tease her, and to a rather ludicrous degree.

"Honestly, mother..."

"Don't make me ground you, dear."

"As Kahn I'm ordering you to give me my son back." Kitana retorted, deciding to act like her mother, if that's what she wanted.

"Yet I'm still your mother, which still puts me above you, authority wise." Sindel shrugged, hugging Harry and stroking his cheek while he slept, making him smile.

"I will assemble the army of Outworld to liberate my son if need be."

"You may try." Sindel replied ominously, and Kitana couldn't help but let out a scoffing laugh at that remark.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means you may be Empress, but many of the soldiers still hold allegiance to me as well as you. Also, I believe it is a fair assumption that you wouldn't want to frighten little Harry with such violence, would you?"

Kitana crossed her arms over her bust. "Honestly, now I remember why I was concerned about this introduction."

"Ah yes, it is always a hazard to introduce your child to your mother. There's always a very good chance they will steal them."

"I am certain normal mothers do no such thing."

"Well, I am certainly no normal mother, now, am I?" Sindel asked rhetorically, smiling down at her slumbering grandson and kissing his cheek.

Kitana wanted to argue, but there was something even now, something about this conversation that stopped her. For so long, her mother had either been dead, a demonic slave, a killer, or all three. It had been about a year and a half since she returned to 'normal', and Kitana wanted the relationship she had as a child with her mother once more. Gradually, she was returning to it, and she was thankful for everything her mother had done in recent times for her and her sister. But maybe Harry was what she needed to fix the last parts she hadn't been able to mend yet.

Or maybe her mother was just being stubborn towards her and over-affectionate to her grandson. Yes, that's what it was.

Kitana laughed and sat down next to her mother in another chair, watching Harry peacefully sleep. He looked better, less frazzled than earlier, but he was still pale, and his face was clearly worn with exhaustion.

"Hm. The poor dear has glasses." Sindel commented, noticing them. "I hope it's nothing too drastic."

Kitana gently removed his glasses from his face and held them up to eye level, inspecting them with a frown. "Goodness, these are in terrible shape... He'll need new ones. No son of mine will be saddled with such damaged glasses..."

"And new clothes, I assume?" Sindel asked before smirking lightly. "Don't think I haven't noticed you've dressed him in the clothes I made for you when you were a baby. I see he has excellent taste."

"Yes, and I'm thankful for that." Kitana nodded, still inspecting the state of the glasses. She didn't know why so many of her problems were being inadvertently solved by him, but she knew Johnny Cage knew more about glasses than she did... "The clothes he wore when I found him, apparently were from the garbage. They didn't fit him, and his 'family' wouldn't give him anything else." She finished with a deep frown. If that was the outermost layer of his abuse, what else was there? Sindel shook her head, tsking slightly as she rocked Harry in her arms.

"What kind of monster would willing harm someone so innocent?" She asked softly, feeling guilty for... past events. Kitana just bit her lip, having had this conversation many times since she had met him this morning. "He doesn't even look like he could be trained to fight! He seems like he'd be afraid of doing so!"

Kitana nodded her head. "I would greatly prefer to keep him uninvolved with any and all combat situations... But I suppose that is not a realistic goal, is it?" Sindel sighed softly and shook her head in affirmation.

"I'm afraid it would be best to at least teach him to fight someday... The poor boy would be completely defenseless without at least some formal training. Don't fret too much, it doesn't have to happen any time soon... But one day, it would be for the best to help him learn the very basics of combat, you see..."

"I understand."

"Hmmph." Sindel chuckled lightly. "I could see him one-day becoming the champion of the Moral Kombat Tournament."

"Mother!" Kitana exclaimed, louder than intended. The thought was outrageous and somewhat horrifying. Both because she dreaded the thought of ever returning to the days where Outworld tried to rule all by force, but mostly because of the thought of Harry being killed in the tournament! Also, somewhat, the thought of Harry being a killer, but that was third on the list of concerns. Unfortunately, her exclamation was enough to wake Harry up, and believing he was back home, sent him into a confused panic.

"I...I'M SORRY!" He exclaimed thrashing about, Sindel dropping from her hair to her lap in surprise. "I DIDN'T MEAN TO FALL ASLEEP!"

"Harry! You're all right, please calm down!" Kitana immediately said, hugging her son as much as possible with him being on her mother's lap. Slowly, he did seem to calm down, although his breathing was either fast, or stuttering. "There we go, there you are, precious. It's all right, you're safe now."

"M..mama? Grandma?" Harry finally asked, looking around. "Wh..where a...are you?"

"We're right here, love." Sindel said comfortingly.

"I can't see."

Kitana let out a soft "Oh." And she picked up his glasses, placing them back on his face carefully with a smile.

"There we are." She said. "Is that better, love?"

"Y..yes... I'm sorry I fell asleep. I didn't mean to." Harry mumbled, and Sindel frowned, handing him back to Kitana, who took her son and kissed his head.

"No, don't apologize for sleeping, little one."

She rocked him in her arms gently to try and soothe his fears.

"You clearly need your rest... You're exhausted... I encourage you to sleep whenever you need to, my child..."

Harry remembered how caring his mother was and closed his eyes in content.

Kitana seated herself once more, letting her son drift back to sleep before frowning deeply. The thought that he was afraid to sleep, lest he be punished for it made it clear that his abuse went DEEP.

"What would make such an innocent soul apologize for falling asleep?" Sindel asked. "It wasn't an accident, I was trying to lull him to take a nap, it was clear he needed it."

"I wish I had that answer."

She frowned down at the little boy softly and let out a sigh. "There are truly cruel people in the many worlds we inhabit, mother... Shao Kahn is by far the worst, yet he is very far from the only one..."

"Yes, dear... I know... I have seen how cruel the world can be... But not to a child... It was always inconceivable to me..."

"Father dealt with such issues swiftly when he was alive, didn't he?" Kitana asked.

"Yes." Sindel smiled. "Jerrod could be rather persuasive in some regards. It's a shame so many people remember Edenia as nothing but a paradise ruined by Outworld, we were not without our own issues and strife. But Jerrod... he always tried his best to find the right solution."

"I...I talked with Kenshi, and..." Kitana began growing somewhat awkward. "He told me whatever was done to make father into Ermac cannot be undone easily, especially without the one who did it in the first place." Kitana noted her mother scowl slightly at the comment. Not because of what Kitana did, but because of what that would potentially mean.

"I will not allow that snake to return. Not after everything he has done." Sindel said in a much sterner tone than Kitana had expected. "Would you trust him to hold true to his word? Would you be fine with him and Harry even being in the same Realm?"

"No, no... of course not." Kitana shook her head. "It's just... I'm sorry, mother."

Sindel exhaled softly and shook her head. "It's all right, dear, I apologize for being so forceful. I just despise that man and his nefarious schemes... The world is a much better place without him... Even if we must give up on getting Jerrod back..." Sindel said softly. "He would have wanted Tsung to remain dead..."

"Yes... I know..." Kitana replied with a sad, mournful tone in her voice. "I will miss him dearly, but the risk of bringing him back is just far too great... We will have to make peace with the knowledge that his killers are now dead, and he is avenged..." Sindel gently put a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"I know you miss him, dear, and I am sorry that we can't save him... I am very proud of how mature you have been regarding this situation. It's a very difficult decision to let your beloved family member go..."

"I...am very grateful we were able to save you, mother..."

"Yes, I am thankful to be free." Sindel nodded, walking over to Kitana. "I am thankful I got to see you and your sister again, see this world in a better place... and if I wasn't saved, I wouldn't get to meet my precious little grandson, now would I?" Sindel rubbed Harry's cheek with her thumb, making him squirm and coo, nuzzling back down in his sleep.

"I suppose not." Kitana smiled.

"Are you sure he's human? This little boy seems to be an Angel sent from above." Sindel cooed.

"Indeed I am... Only a human could have the injuries I saw him with..." Sindel turned to her daughter with alarmed concern, and she sighed softly. "Underneath his shirt... I cleaned the injuries the best I could, but the scars are unlikely to go away at least any time soon, if at all..." She explained.

Sindel hesitated before looking under the shirt.

Then she fought the desire to kill.

However, the desire was winning... and Kitana didn't blame her. She was furious over what Harry had been through, even if she hadn't adopted him. He was a small boy with powers he never asked for, and clearly didn't understand, and he was beaten into submission for something he didn't even know he had. He was abused like a slave in the old days of Outworld, and for what?! From what she knew, Earthrealm wasn't a civilization built on fighting - okay, maybe it sort of was, but not like the other Realms!

"If I find whoever did this... I don't care what anyone in this realm thinks of me for it... I am going to kill them." Sindel slowly spoke, her voice icy cold, and Kitana sighed, unsure of how to react.

"Mother, your vindictive side is showing." Kitana said softly. Sindel took a deep breath and shook her head.

"They must learn that their actions have consequences. Should I encounter them, their punishment shall be swift and brutal."

"Then I will enact it myselr." Kitana replied.

Harry yawned, turning about once more and settling down. Kitana smiled rubbing his back.

"My, he seems awfully energetic in his sleep." Sindel joked. "I look forward to spending lots of time with my little prince. If another meeting or anything arises, please, don't hesitate to bring Harry to me. I'm more than happy to watch him."

"I have a feeling Mileena will stop by any chance she gets to see him." Kitana said mirthfully.

"Well of course. Why wouldn't she? Hmm... I wonder if she's introduced him to Tanya yet..." The queen mused.

Kitana noiticed over the years that her mother was very accepting of Mileena and Tanya's relationship, and that gave her the confidence to finally come out about her own preferences in lovers...

"Mother? I believe I am what earthrealmers call 'bisexual'."

"I figured." Sindel shrugged.

"I know, it may not be- excuse me?"

"I've seen the way you look at the Shaolin warrior." Sindel said with a mirthful smirk, and Kitana felt her face redden somewhat. "And I've seen the way you've looked at Jade. Whomever your heart belongs to is your choice, I've already gotten what I wanted, so why should I complain?"

Kitana was going to ask what her mother meant by that, but then realized she wasn't holding Harry. "Mother..." She grumbled. Sindel laughed gently, planting a long kiss on Harry's forehead, then handed him back, the tiny boy sleeping peacefully all the while.

"All I ask is that you choose someone who will care for Harry the same as we do." Sindel said softly.

"Of course, mother... It is entirely vital that any lover of mine loves my child as well." Jade nodded.

She looked down at the sleeping Harry with a small smile and considered her options. Would any of her crushes be a good parent to Harry? Only time would tell at this point... Who knew who she would end up with?

Of course, with the ones she longed for being close friends that she understood, she at least knew that they would never harm her son. She trusted them entirely on that front. But were they interested in being parents?

Surprisingly, parenthood brought about it a whole slew of questions Kitana had never even considered up to this point. Sure, there were the basics, but now she'd have to consider ten to twenty other factors to each question. Honestly, she knew she'd figure it out. After everything Harry had been through, she was willing to deal with some of the druge if it meant making him happy.

She looked at her mother and nodded her head. "Thank you, mother... I think it's time for Harry to be tucked in for a proper nap now." She said softly. Sindel nodded with a smile and beckoned towards the door, her eyes conveying the silent message of 'Please bring him back to see me again very soon'. Kitana nodded and made her way to the door, stepping out to find that Jade was in search of her.

"Ah, there you are Kitana." Jade nodded walking over to her friend. "Is everything all right? You just disappeared after the meeting."

"I'm fine Jade, thank you for your concern." Kitana smiled. "There were other matters I needed to attend to."

"Ah, you were afraid your sister would adopt the little one before you did?" Jade asked with a smirk and Kitana groaned slightly at her friend's joke. Jade looked down and smiled at the sleeping boy in the princess' arms. "Huh... he's a lot smaller than I thought."

"Indeed, he has not had an opportune life." Kitana admitted with a nod. "The poor thing has barely been fed, let alone shown compassion. I think it says a lot when he's already taken to calling me his mother, after I found him this morning."

Jade blinked in surprise at that, then looked slightly pained. Kitana knew why. She and Kotal Kahm had been planning to have children.

Without her husband, Jade felt that she had lost her opportunity to be a mother, and have a family...

Still, she was happy for Kitana and Harry. The two of them were clearly happy with one another, and that was rather heartwarming on its own, even in spite of her personal problems. She smiled under her veil.

Now that Harry was Kitana's son, it was now her job to protect him as well. And she intended to see that through. Her duties towards the royal family was all she had left, and she would see them througb even if it killed her.

"Here, he's magical in a way." Kitana smiled, handing Harry over to Jade, who took him somewhat awkwardly. The Emerald Assassin adjusted him in her arms and looked down at him. At first, she didn't seem to be that affected by holding the boy, but then... something changed. The small boy didn't even notice he was in someone elses' arms, he just rested his head against Jade's chest, and breathed peacefully in his sleep. A wave of relief washed over her, everything melted away as she felt a warm sense of comfort wash over her. The tiny boy seemed to just take away her pain by simply being in her arms.

"Yes... You're right... He is rather magical..." Jade spoke softly, gently playing with the little boy's messy dark hair. He subconsciously leaned closer in his sleep, cooing softly in content before he innocently began sucking his thumb.

"Aww, so cute." Jade whispered, holding him close.

"Would you mind accompanying me back to my room? The little dear needs a nap." Kitana said and Jade nodded, the two walking back towards her room.

"Where exactly did the little boy come from?" Jade asked as they walked, and Kitana frowned. Jade noticed this and bit her lip. "Never mind, all that matters is that he's here now, right?"

"Indeed."

The two women remained silent on their trip back to the room.

Kitana pushed the door ooen, and she blinked in surprise when she saw her sister was patiently waiting on the bed.

"Mileena? Might I ask why you're still in my chambers?" Kitana asked with a quirked brow. Mileena tilted her head.

"I was waiting for my nephew."

"He needs to sleep for a bit."

"So?"

"Mileena..." Kitana muttered, rubbing her face somewhat. If there was one thing she knew, it was that while her mother would be affectionate, but mostly able to be reserved, her sister was not the same case.

"After everything that's happened, I just wanna make sure he's okay!" Mileena insisted.

"He is fine, sister."

"I wanna see."

"Fine. Come and look at him then." Kitana said in exasperation. Mileena eagerly hopped to her feet and rushed forward to look over Harry, letting out a soft "aww" at how cute he looked when he was sleeping.

"He is literally perfect." Mileena said.

"Yes, he is." Kitana smiled as Jade passed the sleeping boy back to his mother.

"I want one..."

That surprised both women. Sure, Mileena was more free-spirited than either of them put together, but a mother? that was something they hadn't expected. Kitana blinked, then smirked.

"Well, this one is mine." She said matter-of-factly. Walking over and pulling the covers off of her bed, setting Harry down and then pulling the warm blanket back up over him. "You'll just have to find your own."

"Fine!"

There was no anger in Mileena's voice, just a small pout... and loads of eagerness.

"Yeah... I'll get one someday..."

"Does Tanya want one?" Kitana asked. Mileena's eyes widened as she realized the two of them had never had that conversation.

"I sure hope so... Um... I should probably go and talk to her about the idea right now..." The clone gave Harry a quick kiss on the forehead before rushing out the door, leaving Kitana, Jade and Harry alone.

"Well. She's certainly energetic for your clone." Jade remarked.

"I remember being like that in my youth, somewhat." Kitana remarked sitting on the bed and putting a hand on Harry. "But part of that still remains from her tarkatan side, and what was done to her." Jade nodded in understanding at that. "So, do you think there were issues which went unspoken at the meeting?"

"Not that I could tell." Jade shook her head. "The Tarkatans and Shokans seem to finally be understand and accepting the treaties put in place, I highly doubt they're willing to work together, though..."

"Well, it's certainly better than them fighting constantly." Kitana shrugged, looked to Harry, then remembered the Actor's idea. "And, how are you doing Jade?"

Jade blinked. "Ah... Well, I have been having a fine day, Kitana. Nothing truly of note aside from the meeting, but nothing inconvenient has happened at all. I spent my morning with a nice bath, then a healthy breakfast and then I trained for approximately three hours, and then I came to find you, and..."

"Jade..." Kitana said softly, cutting her friend off. She knew Jade was trying to dance around the issue of her deceased husband, and she wasn't about to let her do that. "You know very well what I mean..."

Jade winced and looked down, clenching her fists in her lap. "I...What is there to talk about? He is gone now, and I'm unhappy with it... It's that simple..."

"It should be, but it isn't, is it?" Kitana sighed, looking to her friend. "Despite your best efforts, I've seen how you have been acting as of late, you're pushing yourself beyond the breaking point. I appreciate all that you do, but you need to take time to care for yourself?"

"What is there to care for? He's..." Jade began but the words died in her throat.

"I feel like you forget that you can talk to me." Kitana said in a somewhat quiet voice. "You may be my body guard, but you're also my friend."

Jade looked away, not wanting to meet her friend's gaze. She couldn't break down... Not in front of Kitana... She was her bodyguard, for heaven's sake! She was supposed to be the strong one for her, not the other way around!

To let the one she was supposed to protect see her in tears... It was degrading!

But she felt the desire... She had felt it since she had watched her husband's final moments... It wouldn't leave her be...

"Jade, you've protected me for so long. If you want, I can protect you tonight." Kitana said. "I won't judge you if you feel like you need to cry. Harry broke down more than a few times today."

"He's a child, Kitana. His pain and abuse wasn't warranted. I knew what I was getting into, Kot- Kotal knew what he was doing when he attacked Shao Kahn... I don't need to cry, I just... I need to push through this. One way or another."

Kitana looked back to the sleeping Harry, wondering if she should let her friend hold him again, maybe that would make her feel better. Or it might make her feel worse.

She sighed softly and put her hand on her friend's owh. "The longer you restrain youtself, Jade, the deeper the pain will grow... You will never be truly happy until you've gotten these issues off your chest..."

"I...I can't... It just isn't who I am... I don't have it in me to shed tears... Kotal Kahn would not want me to weep over his demise... He would want me to be happy... To make the most of what his sacrifice brought us all..."

"But are you happy?" Kitana asked. "And will you ever be happy if you allow these emotions tk feater like this?"

Jade didn't reply, and Kitana knew the answer. Still, she also knew her friend was about to cry, not yet. She truly was one of the strongest warriors Kitana knew, but she could also be as stubborn as her mother some days. The Princess just remained silent for a few moments deciding that Jade would lead this conversation.

"Does it matter? I can perform my duties, and-"

"Yes. It does matter." Kitana cut her off. "You seem to forget you're my friend Jade. You have been since we were children!"

"But we're not children anymore, Kitana... Even in childhood, I shed no tears. My duty is to remain vigilant, to keep calm... If I were to cry... It would disgrace my position. I am a hardened warrior. Tears are beneath me. I will not give in to this desire no matter how much I want to... Because that is the life of a warrior."

"Jade..."

Kitana knew Jade didn't really believe what she was saying. She was just trying to convince herself and herself alone...

Finally deciding she knew her friend wouldn't let it out without some 'help', Kitana picked up Harry and set the sleeping boy in her friend's lap. Jade blinked in confusion, trying to adjust him so he didn't fall off the bed, then looked to Kitana.

"You want me to cry in front of your son? The prince?" She asked, a little irritated.

"I want you to feel happy." Kitana said honestly, not sure what else could be said.

Jade frowned down at Harry and held him close. She would admit that his presence did help her quite a bit... Well, to herself, anyway, not so much to Kitana...

"I..." She muttered, then looked away, simply placing a hand on Harry's back.

The pair sat in silence, not sure of what to say next. Jade smiled slightly as Harry let out little snores as he slept peacefully in her arms.

"...Sapphire." Jade whispered.

"Pardon?"

"Kotal and I... if we had a child, and she was a girl, we wold've named her Sapphire. If it was a boy, we would've named him Ravnica or To'kaa."

Kitana smiled softly. "You had a theme, did you?

"Actually... Sapphire was partially in thanks to you." Jade admitted, and Kitana's eyes widened in shock.

"R..really?!"

"Yes, while your father may have done some... horrible things to Kotal and his kind, you helped save him during his times in the Flesh Pits all those years ago. You gave him food and water that wasn't contaminated, and you brought the messages I would write so he would never lose hope... That's when he became Kahn, he gave you the throne because he knew of your true kindness."

Kitana clutched at her chest and smiled with closed eyes, remembering how selfless the man had proven to be.

"To think he was once an enemy..."

"Yes... He did many things he regretted immensely... I believe that was a part of the reason why he... why he chose to make his final sacrifice... Because he felt the desire to atone for his past sins... Despite my attempts to reassure him, he never once stopped blaming himself, never stopped self depricating over it..."

"It wasn't his fault." Kitana shook her head. "I never thought it was to the extent he did, he only did what was ordered of him. He didn't have control over what was happening back then."

"I understand that, and so did he, but he always had trouble accepting that..." Jade said softly, looking back down at Harry who was now nestled against her stomach, napping without a care in the world. He seemed so content and peaceful, Jade couldn't help but softly smile down at him. "...I somewhat wish I found him."

Kitana smirked under her veil. "I believe mother and Mileena have had the exact same thought. In this scenario, it would appear that I am the lucky one." She said in amusement. Jade smiled under her veil as well.

"You very much are, my friend... He's a precious child... More than happy to live life in your care... Depending on you to tend to his needs... Loving you as only a child can... Seeing you as the most important thing in his life... That is a feeling I had very much been looking forward to... But was it not to be?"

For the first time, in a long time, Kitana had no answer. No words of comfort, no... nothing. She didn't know what to say to that. Jade was her closest friend, and she wished she could make her happy somehow, but she didn't know how. If she had found Harry, Kitana would've done everything in her power to make sure they had the best life imaginable, but now? For the first time in a long time, she felt powerless.

She looked down at her lap and clutched at the fabric of the blankets beneath her between clenched fists. She let out a sigh and turned to her friend, the sadness visible in her eyes. "Oh, Jade... I wish there was more I could have done for the two of you... I wish I could have saved him, or been strong enough to destroy Shao Kahn myself... I truly feel as though I have failed you myself, old friend..."

"It... it wasn't your fault, don't ever think it was." Jade shook her head matter-of-factly. "You did all you could, this isn't your fault."

"..M..M...Miss Jade? D..did...did I do something wrong?"

Both women blinked in surprise when they looked down, seeing Harry looking up in a mixture of concern and fear at Jade. It wasn't clear how long he had been awake, but it was clear he had heard something, at least.

Jade shook off her surprise and shook her head vigorously. "No, Harry, not at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. You're helping me."

"I am? How?" He asked.

"Simply by being you." Jade replied with a smile, rubbing his head and playing with his messy dark hair. "Sometimes all one needs is something adorable to hold close... And that is precisely what you are..."

"Oh, okay." Harry quietly said, leaning back down into her embrace, letting the green-clad assassin sigh as she messed with his hair.

"He's such a sweet boy..." Jade commented, and Kitana smiled sadly. She didn't like the fact that her son immediately thought Jade being sad was his fault, but it was also adorable that he wanted to immediately do what he could to help her.

Jade was absolutely right. He truly was a sweet boy, and any woman would be extremely lucky to have him in their life...

"I... I appreciate you letting me talk, but there's matters I must attend to." Jade remarked, giving Harry a quick squeeze and handing him back to Kitana. The Princess wanted to insist, to protest, but she could tell her friend was done talking for the day, anything more would be... unfair.

"All right." Kitana sighed reluctantly.

Jade nodded her head in farewell and rushed out Kitana's bedroom door, pulling it shut behind her. Kitana watched her door for a couple seconds before she let out a deep sigh. Jade was so stubborn... But she would get her to see reason sooner or later... She needed to learn that showing a little weakness here and there was perfectly natural.

And absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.

Kitana went to tuck Harry back into bed, but paused when he whimpered quietly in protest, and settled for sitting on her bed, holding him to her chest. She knew he'd need to grow up and be independent one day... but that wasn't for years and years, she could hold her son all she wanted until then!

"If you're still sleepy, you can take another nap. I'll wake you when supper is prepared." Kitana said softly, trying to let her son know it was just fine to sleep, and he didn't need her permission.

He smiled softly and snuggled in closer to her chest, closing his eyes and clutching at her revealing top innocently. "I dunno why I wanna sleep so much... I just feel really tired a lot of the time... Is it bad...?" He asked innocently. Kitana shook her head rapidly and planted a kiss on top of his head.

"No, my dear, not at all... It isn't your fault that you've been deprived of the sleep that you so desperately need..."

"Oh. Okay." Harry mumbled, yawning an drifting back to sleep. Kitana smiled at her son, wrapping an arm around him and sighing deeply. Today had been quite eventful, and she knew the days coming would be as, if not more so, but that could wait. Right now, she relaxed, listening to her son's soft breathing, and smiled knowing things (for now) were okay.

But would they stay that way? She knew the threat of an attack from an enemy nation was always there... She knew that any day now, the peace they fought so hard to regain could be overtaken by one individual's desire for power, or vengeance... But she would have to try and have faith that that would not happen. For now, everything was just fine, and there was no reason to stress herselr out.

Honestly, the only real 'stress' she found herself dealing with would be her mother and sister (plural, technically) taking Harry. Granted, they did so because they cared for him, but in his current condition, she hoped he'd be okay.

Then there was Jade, what could she do to help her?

She had to think of something or else her friend would tear herself apart emotionally. She hated that Jade didn't even realize she was surpressing herself. No... She did realize it. She was just too stubborn to do anything about it.

That needed to change.

She really, REALLY didn't like the idea of using Harry as essentially emotional manipulation to get her friend to open up... but... if Jade wasn't willing to help herself, maybe a sweet little boy could help her, and he'd never know why he was REALLY helping her!

'This sounds like a Mileena plan.' Kitana thought, frowning slightly before shrugging. Maybe today was just a tough day for all, and tomorrow she'd be more willing to talk. If not, she smiled down at her plan b.

He was now sucking his thumb like the innocent, adorable little boy he was, causing her to let out a soft "Aww..."

She pushed his hair away from his eyes, letting him peacefully slumber for what might be one of the first times... ever. He was so content, so happy, she really didn't want to take that from him.

"..."

Kitana blinked, looking around before sighing in relief. Usually, when she had a thought like that, her sister or some other force would intrude to make things difficult. Thankfully, the Elder Gods seemed to be giving her a break.

She laid back in her bed and stared at the ceiling, content to just lay in place and hold her child close until he was ready to wake up and face the day once more. The poor thing was so sleepy... It was cute.

She just hoped he caught up on his sleep soon...

She really didn't like the idea that his own family, on top of everything else, had deprived him of something as basic and vitally important as a good night's sleep... Looking down at him, she noticed the bags under his eyes.

He was so inhumanely treated... and for what?!

...she didn't want to know, but she did. Fear, abuse, control, it was sickening. But that was in the past now, he was under her care and protection. She'd nurse him back to health, enjoying the warm feelings he brought her, the sense of genuine love and happiness he radiates when around her.

She would help fix him.

She would make absolutely certain that he grew to have a normal life free from the influence of his cruel relatives... She would ensure that they paid dearly for their crimes against her child... She would show him just how completely and utterly wrong their way of thinking was, and always would be.

For now, she could rest, meditate, and most importantly, hold her child. Dinner wouldn't be prepared for a few hours, and Harry would probably be hungry by that time. Then, another challenge would present itself; getting him to eat. As well as not having her family steal him, or try and feed him more than he could eat.

She knew they most likely would do it because they cared for the little boy, but still. Maybe she should just have food delivered to her room, and the two of them could eat in here tonight.

She chuckled at the thought, remembering that her mother had always protested her eating in her room when she was a child. 'What if you spill food all over your sheets? I don't want a mess on your bed!' was what Sindel would always say when she was a young child. She remembered it so fondly...

Alas, it was sometimes inevitable, as she took on her fait share of responsibilities as the daughter of the queen.

Still, Harry had been doing rather well thus far. Awkward introductions aside, he seemed to have greatly warmed up to Sindel, which was unsurprising, and to Mileena, which was surprising. He really did seem to be trying his best to be brave for her, or at least trying his best to figure out how to act around the newcomers he was surrounded by. He clearly only wanted to make them happy, possibly even at a detriment to himself. The Princess sighed, deciding she'd let him make that choice when he woke up, it was his first meal here, and she didn't want to overwhelm him, but also didn't want him to think he had to remain hidden at all times.

He already believed that for long enough... And it disturbed her greatly that he did... Such a precious child ought to be shared with the entire world... Who would want to ensure no one ever saw him? Then she scowled in anger. She knew why... She knew very well why... It was so they could hide the awful things they had done to him... They knew that they would be harshly punished should they ever be caught and exposed for their evil ways, so they browbeat poor Harry into being too scared to even let another human being outside of those despicable people so much as lay eye on him. She exhaled and closed her eyes, gritting her teeth beneath her veil and shaking slightly with anger.

Harry subconsciously seemed to notice this, and held on a little tighter, as if he was afraid, or trying to comfort her. Kitana quickly reined in her emotions, and looked down at her son, smiling and rubbing his back in appreciation for his concern and care. He truly was too pure for his own good in some ways, and Kitana didn't know what to do about that. Sure, she loved it, and wanted to see that purity and sweetness as much as possible, but she didn't want him getting hurt because of it, either.

'Maybe he could befriend everyone, then if anyone hurts him, he'll have an army to avenge him.' Kitana thought with a mirthful smile. It was an odd idea, but who knew? Maybe that would happen one day... he had already recruited her mother and sister.

And Jade as well. Though somehow she doubted he would be able to win over the likes of Erron Black the same way... If at all, actually...

Oh well, at the end of the day, the gunslinger was a mercenary. He was also smart enough to know not to mess with things unless he was told to, lest he lose his job. He'd probably be confused, then ignore Harry unless she told him to do otherwise, which she had a feeling she wouldn't.

A few hours passed, and Kitana was pulled from her meditation by small mumbles and groans. As she looked down, she saw Harry squirming about as he woke up, eventually, looking up with a half-eyed look.

"Mama?"

"Hello, precious." Kitana smiled, kissing his nose. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mmhmm... I didnhavbaddrems..." Harry mumbled, and Kitana frowned slightly, before nodding. She figured her son would have bad dreams in the future, but at least he was at peace for now.

"Do you have bad dreams often, my dear?" She asked gently. It broke her heart the way he simply nodded his tiny head as if it were completely normal... "I see... Well... I'm sure we will be able to put an end to that in the future... I will do whatever it takes to ensure you can sleep safely and comfortably each night."

Harry smiled at her declaration and nuzzled in closer.

"Thank you..." He said quietly, and Kitana chuckled at that. Rubbing his back.

"Now, dinner will be ready soon, love. Would you like to eat in the dining hall? Or would you prefer to eat in here with me?"

"Would you be in the hall?"

"Of course!" Kitana nodded affirmatively. "It would be me, Grandmother, Aunt Mileena, Jade, and possibly Tanya, Mileena's friend."

She saw no reason to mention Mileena and Tanya's true relationship.

Mainly because they were so open about it that it sometimes became downright awkward and uncomfortable.

Harry looked thoughtful.

"Um... I know most of those people, so... I think it'll be okay to eat in the hall..." He said sofrly. Kitana felt pride well up within her.

She knew earlier when she had told Harry to 'be strong' that had clearly meant something to him, and he was trying his best even now to not let his fears hold him back. Kitana nodded in affirmation and kissed his forehead.

"Very well, then." She stated with a smile. "The dining hall it will be." She smiled, and her son smiled in return. Rubbing his back, Kitana rose to her feet, trying her best to wake Harry up so he wouldn't arrive to dinner half-asleep. That wouldn't be an issue to her, but HArry might be upset he'd offend someone by doing so...

Perhaps she would take him out for a nice walk in the garden. It was the perfect time of day for it. Satisfied with this decision, she made her way out of her bedroom and through the hallways to the backdoor.

She pulled the door open, and Harry was immediately left in awe at the sheer beauty of the palace gardens.

"It's so pretty!" Harry exclaimed as the waves of colours flowed around him. Flowers from Outworld, Earthrealm, Edwin's, Orderealm, and even a few fiery flowers from Chaosrealm created a wonderful cacophony of scents and colours, leaving those walking though the gardens surrounded on all sides by a lovely feeling of growth, nature, and sight.

"Indeed it is." Kitana nodded, stopping by some Krystal Shards and letting Harry look at them with curiosity at the somewhat sharp-looking blueish-purple flowers.

The little boy's eyes widened in wonder, and he carefully reached his tiny hand out to carress the beautiful plants, taking great care not to cut himself or harm the plant. Kitana was intrigued at how well he took to the nature surrounding them. "Hmm. You seem to be very interested in plants, little one..."

"They're pretty. I used to plant them all the time. It was a little bit fun, even if it was too hot outside." He replied innocently.

Kitana bit her lip slightly at that. She didn't like all the implications of it, but she was happy to now know something her son liked.

"There's so many..." Harry innocently added, looking around. "I've never seen a lot of these!"

"That is because many of these plants are not from Earthrealm where you come from. There are plants from many different realms." Kitana explained.

"Wow... Plants from brand new worlds..." Said the awestruck Harry.

Kitana smiled at that, it was nice to see something so simple be so awe-inspiring to Harry. It was also a nice distraction from the pain he seemed to be used to up until now. It was a relief to see him genuinely happy and focusing on something else for a change.

She set him down gently on the ground. "Why don't you explore? Discover new plants you've never seen before." She urged him gently. Harry looked up at her with a small smile, then began to wander the gardens.

Some of the flowers were taller than him, and Kitana watched as he looked up at the flowers with a curious expression. It was clear he liked gardening and was now wondering what it would take to tend to these flowers, and Kitana noted that she'd do what she could to help him find a way to help in these gardens without him getting hurt, of course.

Perhdps she could let the boy have his very own little corner of the garden that he could work on and tend to. She could let him create his very own arrangement of flowers of his choosing. Truthfully, she would very much like to see his talents put to work.

Well, put to work but not in the way he had been forced to work. Never like that. What she really wanted was for him to be happy, however that came to be. Through gardening, or any other sort of activity, she wanted her son to be happy with whatever he did.

And as she watched him exploring the gardens, she knew that flowers were a great waynto help him find that happiness. Then, Harry noticed something... "Look, mama... It's a bunny rabbit..." He whispered softly.

Kitana blinked, nervous for a few seconds, then relaxed. Some time ago, there had been an issue of violent rabbits in Outworld, rabbits which attacked anyone and anything, and even killed a few people... thankfully, they had been driven out, and now the more timid-natured and friendly rabbits had returned.

The little rabbit tensed up when it saw Harry, the two staring at each other for several seconds. When the rabbit decided he wasn't going to harm it, it decided to just look for food while keeping a good berth from the humans.

Harry was a little disappointed as the rabbit turned and hopped away, but it didn't seem to be afraid, so... that was something. Harry came upon a tall, golden-red flower with a beautiful multi-petal head which swayed gently in the soft breeze. Harry looked at it curiously, watching the flower for a few moments before looking around at the others.

It was like a mysterious otherworldly jungle with all of the strage and incredible flowers that he hadn't even known existed. Could he plant flowers like this? What did the seeds look like? What was the proper way to care for them and help them grow? He had so many questions. He wanted to learn more.

Kitana smiled as she noticed that. He was so curious, and he seemed to be watching in child-like wonder that should've been the norm, not the outlier to his life.

'I should ask Mother about the floral...' Kitana thought, as her mother had been responsible for bringing much of the flowers here. 'Then again, perhaps they could work in the garden together, she'd most definitely have no objections to spending time with him while working on this...'

Yes, Harry needed to bond with his grandmother... And what better way than over something they shared a common interest in?

She smiled softly at the thought. Despite the fact that she was feared as a dictator due to Shao Kahn's machinations, Sindel had very wholesome interests...

And she clearly loved Harry, so it'd be nice for the two to have a special bond in that regard. Harry looked around at what was called the 'Demon Rainbow' flower, one of the few (if not the only) good things to come from Chaosrealm in its entire existence. It was another ten minutes before Kitana was approached by a servant, who bowed respectfully, and Kitana nodded in understanding.

"Harry, love. Dinner is ready." She said, gently picking him up in her arms.

He nodded his head in understanding and cuddled in close to her chest, allowing himself to be carried away from the garden, smiling softly as he looked at the pretty flowers. He was happy that this was his new backyard... Kitana smiled beneath her veil. She made a mental note to bring him out here for a gardeh picnic sometime down the line...

There were many things she looked forward to doing with her son, regardless of her duties as Empress. She'd gotten used to juggling so many different tasks thus far, finding time for her son, regardless of everything else, could be that hard. Either way, she knew she was probably going to lean more towards doing things with her son than her duties if given the chance... it wasn't that she hated be Empress, quite the contrary. There were many things about it that brought great satisfaction; least of which was helping re-build her home to a more respectable image. But the mere were things she disliked just as much, but such was life, she figured.

Still, as a mother, she had a whole new set of obligations to fulfill for her son. It was absolutely vital that she spent as much time with him as she reasonably could. Especially with his backstory in mind... He needed her.

She pushed opened the doors to the dining hall and took a deep breath, hoping for the best with tonight's dinner. Unfortunately, she appeared to be the last one to the hall, as her mother, sister and others were already at the table, and they all collectively looked over at her as she entered.

She held Harry close to protect him from the gazes of the small gathering of people, burying his face into the crook of her neck. "My apologies if we kept you waiting, everyone. Harry and I were admiring the garden when we lost track of time." She explained with a small apologetic bow.

"..." A few of those who hadn't met Harry yet looked to one another in confusion, but shrugged indifferently.

Kitana sat down at the table, with her son on her lap, and tried her best not to show her awkwardness at everything happening around her. Her sister had a wide grin (under her veil) as she smiled at Harry, who looked up and gave a tentative smile in return. IT dud surprise her how quickly the pair had bonded, despite them being complete and total opposites of one another.

Mileena waved at Harry, then nudged another woman with her elbow. This woman was her lover, Tanya. "Look, look, it's Harry, the little boy I was telling you about, isn't he cute?" She whispered loudly.

The woman gave Harry an apprising look, and Harry had a hard time reading her face. This was one of the few things Kitana genuinely disliked (but also had to respect at the same time) about Tanya. The woman had a very, very high air of superiority in the way she carried herself, and her confidence could make most feel... off, even if there was absolutely nothing wrong with either party. Kitana had both gotten used to it, and had the whole 'Empress' thing going for her, but she was sure how Harry would react to it.

"He's adorable." Tanya said with a small, but warm smile. "Such a small little thing... He looks like your sister, too."

"Mmhmm. You'll need to meet him after supper, he's the sweetest little thing!"

The two women exchangec a smile, and Kitana felt a sense of contentment that Tanya clearly approved of her son. She saw no reason why she shouldn't, frankly... She looked over to her mother and nodded in greeting, a gesture that the older woman returned, then she looked at Jade, who was maintaining the stoic, quiet demeanour she'd had since Kotal Kahn's death. She sighed softly, wishing her dear friend would just open up and let her in... Let anyone in... Let them help her...

She shouldn't be shouldering this emotional burden on her own, yet she adamantly insisted on doing so...

How long would it take?

Well, she couldn't say she fully understood what it was like, or even what helping someone was like, as Harry's case was different. Her boy hadn't fully given up everything just yet, but he was young enough that a little bit of emotional reassurance and perhaps a tiny amount of emotional 'guidance' (as she refused to believe it was manipulation) was what he needed to open up. Her friend on the other hand, well, Kitana didn't have the first idea what it would take. But she assumed it would wither happen gradually, or all at once. It would be a quiet, reserved conversation, or it would be one full of powerful emotions ranging from anger to depression.

But either way, she would come out of it happy and content. That she would make sure of... Jade may be angry with her for a time, but surely she wouldn't remain so forever. Not after they had been friends for so long...

Dinner was served, and Kitana smiled down at Harry, who looked up with a hopeful look on his face, and it was clear he still wasn't sure if he was allowed to eat or not. Kitana nodded and Harry seemed to lessen somewhat from the tension gripping his body.

He carefully picked up his fork and set to trying to cut his meat, which Kitana responded to by gently taking his knife and doing it for him. Evidently whoever had prepared the meal had not been informed that a child would be joining them...

On the one hand, fine. No one but her, Sindel, Jade and Mileena knew about Harry. But at the same time, Kitana had expected someone (Mileena) to have passed the message along to the servants. Either way, it wasn't a big deal, and didn't really qualify as a 'concern' to the princess. Slowly, Harry took bites, quietly eating his meal slowly, as if it was the first and last thing he would ever eat. Kitana wanted to encourage him to eat more, but also didn't want to make him sick.

She was just happy he was willing to eat at all, frankly. She smiled and focused on her own food... as well as the other occupants of the table.

It was the usual, there was small conversation, Sindel seemed to have the air of 'Seen it all before, enjoying seeing it again' as she watched the tables interactions. Kitana was thankful things weren't too hectic or populated currently. But she was a little nervous by the side glances she kept getting. What was she supposed to do? Stand up and say 'Hi, this is Harry. I've adopted him?' without warning? That was logical, but she didn't want to upset Harry either.

Erron Black was one of the occupants of the table, however, and he was anything but tactful as he bluntly asked "So, who's the little fella, anyway? You been holding out on us or something?"

Kitana shot the gunslinger and deadpan look which got her message across clearly. The only issue was, he clearly didn't care. With a sigh, Kitana squeezed Harry's shoulder to reassure him before she spoke up.

"This is Harry, my son."

"Yeah, we figured. Was it you and Liu? Or the other guy?"

"Black!" Sindel snapped, irritated.

Erron raised his hands. "Just speakin' what's on everyone's mind. We all want more info here." Kitana rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"If you must know, he's adopted."

"Ah, makes sense... considering the hell hole Outworld was left in after that last mishap with the Black Dragons and Kahnquerors and all the stuff they did, figured there'd be a few on the streets..."

"He's from Earthrealm." Kitana cut in flatly, and that took the Gunslinger (and those who hadn't met Harry yet) aback. She didn't want to get into an argument with the Gunslinger as it usually ended with her questioning WHY she kept him around, then remembering that he was extremely good at his job, but not socializing, and then dropping the matter.

"Well now that just doesn't make any sense at all. The portals to this place are kept in seriously out of the way places. How would he have found one to end up all the way down here?" The man asked gruffly.

"An old man helped me..." Harry answered. Erron raised a brow at that. An old man? Was it that Fujin guy Raiden kept complaining about?

"He gave me something and it sent me here."

"How much of that is true and how much is trauma hiding what happened?" Erron asked, looking to Kitana who seemed genuinely offended by his question.

"All of it. Everything he's said is true. Fujin - for some reason I don't know myself - tried to help him by sending him to the White Lotus Temple. Harry has... something different about him, which caused him to be brought here."

"...right..."

And then, as if on cue, Harry's magic acted up. What did it do? It turned Erron Black's hat pink. Everyone at the table stared, hiding their snickers. Erron quirked a brow, then grabbed his hat off his head. "...Well now. This ain't my colour at all, son. Mind fixin' it for me?" Nervously, Harry focused his magic, and Erron's hat was back to its original colour. "Much obliged."

The Outlaw had questions, but he figured this was probably as much as he was going to get tonight. Also, it was clear from the look on his face that he was terrifed of... something.

"Oooh! That's amazing!" Mileena said, her eyes shining slightly. "Can you do that to anything else?!"

Kitana was going to say something, but when she felt Harry freeze, she realized what was currently happening to him. He had used his magic, and probably now thought he was going to be punished because of it. "Harry?"

Harry bit his lip harshly trying his best to keep himself collected, terrifed of what would happen next. He knew his Mama had promised not to hurt him, but she hand't seen his magic before.

Kitana rose to her feet. "Will everyone just excuse us for one moment? We'll be back shortly..." She requested.

"Of course, dear. Take all the time you need." Sindel said with a aad frown, concerned for her grandson's mental state.

Mileena was looking at him in concern, Tanya looked to be deep in thought, Erron looked as unteadable as ever, and Jade looked... sad...

Once she was away from the table, she looked down at Harry with concern, unhappy that he was desperately trying to not show any emotions.

"What's wrong, Harry? Please, tell me." Kitana asked.

"Ididnmeanto...msorry..." Harry mumbled, refusing to even look at her. Kitana sighed, cupping his cheek and turning his head to look at her.

"Precious, please talk to me."

"Ididnmeanto...msorry..."

He repeated this mantra several more times before his mother finally got through to him by gently stroking his cheek.

"Harry... It's okay..."

"I shouldn't have done it, I turned his hat pink, I didn't mean to, it was an accident, I don't want anyone to hate me..."

"No one hates you, dear."

"But I made a mistake..."

"And?"

Harry blinked, looking up with tears in his eyes. He clearly didn't understand what was happening, and Kitana smiled sadly, kissing his head.

"No, no. It wasn't your fault, and it wasn't even a mistake. This is something you cant control, it isn't your fault." She repeated herself, trying to calm him down.

"But..."

"Harry, love. Don't fear your gift, you didn't hurt anyone, and nothing you've done was wrong."

"I...I..."

"He wasn't mad. Not at all... He didn't raise his voice at you, didn't scold you, he simply asked that it be turned back, which you did."

Harry thought about it. It was true that the cowboy man hadn't seemed mad about it... He seemed disinterested in fact...

But still...

He was so used to people's anger that it felt... off that no one was mad.

Kitana noticed this and hugged him close, rubbing his back and pushing some hair away from his face. She smiled sadly and pressed her forehead to his.

"Little one, it's not normal to believe that people not being angered at you is unusual. Please, don't feel like everyone must be angry with you." Kitana spoke, readjusting her son in her arms.

"Oh. But..."

"But nothing, little one."

She said it softly and gently, yet with a tone of finality that left very little room for argument. Harry felt... How did he feel?

Not scared... Not intimidated... Was it... convinced? No... He still felt a little weird about it... But his mother said he shouldn't? How could he not though? That was what his life was for such a long time...

How could he juat accept such a change?

It was a good change... But a confusing one...

Somewhere deep down he wanted to accept it, he wanted to believe it was true! Harry wanted to be able to live knowing that things were okay, that everything wasn't his fault; but after so many years of being told otherwise (sure, six or seven may not seem like a lot, but it was when you got down to it) that decision was much harder than he knew how to make.

"Harry, I understand this may be confusing. But you don't need to worry, you're not alone in this." Kitana spoke again, trying her best to reassure her son. "I'm here for you, and so are Aunt Mileena and Grandmother. I don't expect you to be completely fine immediately, but please, you don't need to blame yourself."

Harry looked down slowly and nodded his head. "I'll... I'll try... It's really, really hard... But I'll try... I'll try really really hard..." He spoke softly. Kitana smiled softly and held him closer.

"That's all I ask, precious." She cooed, trying her best to ease her son's fears. "I know you'll try, and if you don't succeed all the time, don't think you'll be punished for it. That's all I ask."

Harry looked up and nodded, understanding his guardian's words and deciding he could do that. He could try. Also, the promise of not being harmed for making mistakes was something he was desperate for, and even if she was- No! His Mama wasn't lying! She had been nothing but kind and honest to him! It was wrong to assume she'd be lying now...

...but he was still afraid.

He shook his head, trying his hardest to force those feelings away. His mother wanted him to be strong, and for her, he would do it! Kitana looked at him and saw the rather adorable look of determination on his little face.

She chuckled lightly, pulling her son close and just enjoying the moment. It was clear there was a long path ahead of them, but he was trying his best, and it was rather cute when he did. But it also gave her hope, hope that it wasn't too late, and the damage could be undone. That all this could be put behind him one day, that the scars would heal and wounds would fade.

'Wait. Wrong way on that last thought.' Kitana blinked, shaking her head indifferently.

Then she remembered there was a table full of people waiting for them to come back. "Now then... Shall we go finish our dinner, my dear?" Harry looked up at her and nodded his head. With a smile, she carried him back into the dining hall, where everyone seemed to be waiting for them. "Thank you for your patience, everyone. Harry is all right now." She spoke, much to most of the room's relief.

"Very good. Come back and join us, dear." Sindel said with a nod.

Kitana nodded and sat back down with Harry on her lap once more. The small boy tried to remain mostly unseen as he went back to his food, it was amazing. He had never had anything like it before! Yes... that partially had to do with the fact that he hadn't ever been given much, but that was besides the point.

He decided not to think about that, and just focused on eating his dinner. He felt grateful for the chance to have such amazing food... He really did...

This didn't go unnoticed by Kitana, who smiled as her son quietly ate, taking in every bite and trying to make the most of it. On the one hand, it was adorable. On the other hand, it was horrific that he was so used to starving that this was such a big deal for him.

But he finished his food. That was good enough to satisfy her. She idly wondered if she could get him to eat a little bit more though...

"Are you still hungry, dear?" Kitana quietly asked, and Harry looked up with what honestly seemed like disappointment on his face.

"I wanna eat more... but I'm not hungry." Harry answered, and Kitana nodded in understanding. He probably wasn't used to eating so much, and the last thing she wanted was to make him sick.

She picked him up and seated him on her lap carefully, giving his nose a gentle poke. "You did well, dear. I'm very proud of you."

"Thank you, Mama." Harry said with a small smile. He was beginning to really like this positive reassurance, and decided he do what he could to earn more whenever he could.

It wasn't long after that, that dinner was finished. The staff began cleaning off the table, and a few of those around it left. However, seeing the look on her sister's face, Kitana knew Mileena wanted Harry to meet Tanya. And like it or not, he was going to.

"Are you comfortable meeting one more person?" Kitana asked.

Harry looked at his mother with a tilted head. "Um... I think so... Are they nice...?" He asked softly and somewhat nervously.

"Well, it's a friend of Aunt Mileena." Kitana answered. "She's... nice." the Princess decided to not go into the awkward relationship between herself and Tanya, and the rivalry/hatred between Tanya and Jade, which thankfully seemed to have settled in recent years.

Harry however, nodded in acceptance. He liked his Aunt Mileena, she was really nice! So if someone was a friend of her, they were probably nice too. Also, Mileena had mentioned a 'future wife', was that who this new person was?

Kitana smiled and carried him over to her sister and her lover. "All right, Mileena, here... I know you want to get him acquainted with Tanya." Mileena let out a squee and eagerly took her nephew with gusto.

At first, Harry was afraid, as the quick movements made it impossible to tell what was happening. But then when he realized he was being hugged by his Aunt, he settled down, and smiled up at her timidly.

"Isn't he so adorable?!" Mileena cooed, kissing the top of his head before adjusting him so he was sitting in her arms. "Harry, this is your Aunt Tanya."

"Hello, you adorable little thing." Tanya smiled down at Harry, bending forward to not seem so intimidating.

"Hi, Miss Aunt Tanya." Harry waved shyly, his fear briefly taking over and making him over-analyze how to address someone.

The dark-skinned woman let out a soft chuckle of amusement at his timid politeness. "You're quite the little dear, aren't you?" She cooed, rubbing his head gently. He leaned into the touch like an affectionate kitten.

"Aw, Mileena didn't tell me you were such an affectionate little boy." She gently rubbed his cheek, noticing Harry blush slightly in embarrassment at her words. Tanya wasn't sure if she wanted children or not, she didn't really have any strong feelings on them, but in this case, she did. Harry was one of the cutest things she had ever seen. "Come here, sweetness."

Gently, carefully (and somewhat to Mileena's annoyance) Tanya took Harry out of her lovers' arms and held him close. Her pyrokinesis activating ever so slightly, not enough to burn or even be discomforting, but enough to envelop Harry in a warm hug. "There we are..."

Harry's eyes widened slightly at the sudden burst of warmth, and then he smiled and closed his eyes, leaning into it with a soft yawn. He was feeling sleepy again, but he wasn't sure if he should try and stay awake or not... Would his mother mind if he slept some more?

Yes, she had told him to sleep if he needed to, but he felt like it would be rude if he fell asleep while meeting someone new. It was an uphill battle, but he tried his best to force himself awake. Tanya noticed this and turned down the heat a little, finding his struggle to be adorable.

"Heh, feels good, doesn't it?" She asked.

"You're really warm... it feels so nice..."

The women at the table giggled. Even Jade stifled one. Harry fought to keep himself awake, but it was so hard... He was so sleepy... Maybe if he asked first... "Um... I'm sleepy,.. Is it okay if I..." He yawned.

"Yes, love." Kitana nodded, and Harry was out in mere moments. Tanya was surprised, but smiled gently, rubbing his back and resting his head against her chest.

"Sleep tight, sweetness." She cooed as Harry drifted off once more, peacefully sucking on his thumb as he slept.

The women all watched him sleep, all smiling warmly at the adorable child. Meanwhile, Erron Black was feeling a bit out of place.

"Well, I best be off now. You ladies keep on fawning over that boy." He said calmly as he exited the room.

'I need a drink...' He thought as he disappeared.

"Ooooh... he's so tiny and sweet!" Mileena cooed, watching Harry sleep in her lovers' arms. Kitana smiled, feeling a sense of relief as not only would she have a few choices for who could watch Harry should she be busy, but also her whole family clearly loved him.

Harry would know the love of a family...

After a life of abuse and neglect... He would finally get to experience what having a family was supposed to be like... She began to think of all the wonderful family activities they would do together...

"We're keeping him." Mileena said, pulling Kitana from her thoughts.

"No. You're not." Kitana groaned, not wanting to run through this again. Mileena however, hugged her lover and the sleeping Harry before sticking her tongue out.

"Hrmph." Mileena pouted. "When you're working, I am."

"That is not keeping him, that is watching him."

"He's still in my care during that time, therefore until you return, he is mine." Mileena said with a smirk.

Kitana sighed and shook her head.

Her sister... was her sister. She was also an absolute nightmare to deal with some days. Most days. Pretty much any day that ended in 'Y', her sister would find a way to be difficult. But here, it was clear she just loved Harry.

But Kitana wasn't giving him up. Not a chance in the Netherrealm. Still, he looked so peaceful, so happy... she didn't mind letting Tanya hold him a little bit longer.

And so she let out a sigh and sat back, deciding it best to just let Mileena have it her way for the time being.

She felt guilty saying so, but she had a hard time accepting Mileena as her sister once things finally settled down. She was made from her own DNA, but made to be a monster, a weapon. But in time, Kitana realized Mileena acted the way she did because she had been told to, her only experience with life was what Shang Tsung, Shao Kahn and whoever else was involved made her believe. As such, Kitana was slowly getting to see the real Mileena, and she was still psychotic in some regards, and could be downright savage when she lost her temper, but Mileena did want to be better. It still surprised her just how much Mileena liked children (her mind never went to the thought of her liking them in regard to 'meat') because there was such a gentle, sweet, friendly side to Mileena that came out when she met one, and Harry was the be-all-end-all example of that.

She always felt the slightest pit of guilt in her chest for how harshly she had rejected Mileena in the past. It was now clear to her that all along, the half-breed wanted nothing more than her acceptance. She wondered what she would have done if she had accepted her sooner... Would she ever have committed the atrocities she had during her brief time as empress? Likely not... It was clear to her that all of her actions had come as the result of a loveless background that led her to act out against those she felt hated and shunned her... And if she hadn't ultimately accepted her, she shuddered to imagine how much worse it would have gotten... If she hadn't happened upon Mileena during that moment of vulnerability...

Nothing would've gotten better. Her sister rarely showed her face (masked or not) in public due to the genuine fear and hatred that many still held towards her. Feelings Mileena herself wouldn't always contest, leaving her essentially trapped in the temple, aside form the occasional rare meeting outside of it. But even Kitana had to admit, there was more to her sister than that.

"Tanya, I wanna hold him!"

"Hush, dear. The little one is sleeping."

Kitana smiled beneath her veil. Mileena really did act like a child sometimes... It was clear that she didn't fully understand the world. She was grateful to Tanya for being able to provide her sister with guidance.

"But he's so cuutteee..."

"Yes, and he's bonding with his Aunt." Tanya replied simply, giving Mileena one of her smug, 'elite' smiles. Kitana cast a glance to Sindel, who was greatly amused with the whole ordeal, looking at Harry, snuggling into Tanya's arms. In his sleep, Harry could sense a sort-of bond growing, a sense of family, love, and safety. Even as he slept, he didn't feel afraid, he felt warm, happy, it was nice.

He subconsciously knew that the people around this table were his family... And that they would keep him safe...

"Tanya, I think mother wants to talk to you." Mileena commented. Tanya blinked, looking to Sindel, who seemed equally confused... and then felt her arms get lighter.

"Really?"

"Mine." Mileena said, hugging Harry close. "I wanna hold the sleepy baby."

"...somedays your childish tendencies make me wonder if you are a child." Tanya commented with a mirthful smirk, making Mileena frown.

"I want one..."

"I don't know if I do, though." Tanya admitted with a shake of her head, surprising those present. "Harry is a delightful darling, but I don't know if I would be a good mother."

"Well, you can practice by taking care of Harry!" Mileena reasoned before looking to Kitana. "When are you leaving for an extended period of time?"

"Mileena..."

"I'll pay you."

"What use do I have for money?"

"I'll pay you in love and appreciation?"

"Mileena. I don't know when. I know you want to spend time with him, but I adopted him TODAY. I'm not about to leave for a few days after that, as he probably won't be able to understand that. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah..." Mileena sighed, kissing Harry on the forehead.

The child mumbled in his sleep and nuzzled closer into his aunt's embrace. "Aww..." Mileena cooed softly, rocking him back and forth to keep him comfy and asleep. Kitana smiled in content, happy she understood.

"You will have your time with him. That I can promise."

"I've always seen children as energetic and rather loud, he seems so quiet and sleepy." Tanya commented, and Kitana bit her lip, unsure of how to handle this topic.

"Well, he's had a big day, and he's said he's nervous around new people." Sindel shrugged. "I'm sure in time he'll warm up and be more expressive and energetic."

Kitana gave her mother a grateful smile, thankful to have avoided having to explain Harry's past again... for the time being, anyway.

Mileena seemed to catch on as well, surprisingly enough, as she looked at Kitana with an expression that was clearly asking permission to explain to Tanya later.

Kitana bit her lip, unsure if she wanted Mileena to explain it or if she should... but, Tanya was Mileena's lover, she should be the one to explain it. Finally, the princess nodded, and Mileena smiled.

Harry was still out like a light, he didn't feel the warm heat, so he assumed he was in his mama's arms again. Unknowingly, he clutched onto what he thought was Kitana's top with his small free hand, wanting to feel the safety his mother brought him, but in reality, he was holding onto Mileena, who seemed delighted with the turn of events.

She had never felt this level of love before, not even from Tanya... This was utterly unconditional... Harry loved his auntie... She knew... She knew there was no purer form of love than the love of a child...

Mileena didn't like talking about it, but when she was Empress, and even before, when she, Tanya and Rain were conquering Outworld, she wanted to protect them. She felt like it was her job, regardless of how strong the other two were, she felt like it was on her to ensure their safety.

Now, she felt that same fiery passion, but for the tiny boy sleeping soundly in her arms.

The Factions and Earthrealm allies for the most part ignored her, either out of disgust for what she was and had done, or because they knew she was trying to be better, and needed to give her room to do so, but if anyone of them ever laid a hand on Harry... she didn't care what happened, she'd show them all that they still had good reason to fear her...

But that wasn't now. Now, she nuzzled the top of Harry's head with her cheek, a wide grin plastered on her face.

She really hoped she could convince Tanya that children were worth a try... She wanted one so desperately bad...

It honestly was at a point where Mileena was considering 'surprise adopting' a child, and then letting Tanya warm up to the idea. Still, every time she thought about it, one major issue stared her in the face. Her face.

But Harry didn't seem afraid, he was curious! He was such a sweet little bundle of joy... maybe a child wouldn't be afraid of her Tarkatan features...

But her conscience was still another thing keeping her from making such a decision... It would be cruel to suddenly thrust a child on Tanya, when she had made it very clear she was unsure about the idea...

So the best bet she had was waiting for an opportunity to babysit Harry again and let Tanya fall in love from there.

Tanya clearly liked Harry, and Mileena adored him... still, things might take time. But for now, she had her nephew, and she was happy.

"Aren't you just the sweetest widdle thing?" Millena cooed, rubbing Harry's cheek with her thumb, making him squirm and settle down with a content sigh.

She let out a soft giggle, the same giggle that many citizens of Outworld found to be creepy and unhinged.

But to the people that cared for her, it was a beautiful sound. Because it was an indication that she was happy.

Jade watched, feeling many mixed emotions. On the one hand, she was happy to see Kitana so happy, and to and extent, she was happy to see Mileena, well, happy. She didn't hate the clone, not like she used to, but there was still many uneasy feelings that weren't figured out yet. On top of that... she felt somewhat disheartened, she would admit to it, she liked Harry, and she longed for those feelings of family Kitana seemed to have now.

She looked down and clenchrd her fists in her lap slightly. It was rather painful to watch... This was something she could never have... Unless she...forced herself to move on from Kotal Kahn... Which would be very hard...

And even then, if she moved on, who would she move on with? Kitana? That notion was ridiculous! She had been her best friend, her bodyguard, since they were children! She had respect for the princess, she cared for her... but loved her? That thought... it didn't... it wasn't...

Wrong... It wasn't wrong... She had felt there was... something there for her charge... But she would never act on such feelings. It was most improper for a guardian to have such a relationship with the one they guard.

And even now, Kitana was a mother. Her attention was most likely to be divided between ruling Outworld, and tending to her son. So, by those regards, she would most likely not even have time for a relationship.

And so she would remain silent, observing from a distance, watching Harry grow under Kitana's care. Defending both Kitana and her child with her life if need be. This was her purpose. This was all she had left.

Kitana watched Jade and could pick up on these feelings, and felt her spine run cold. How could she help her? It wasn't a matter if she should, she HAD to help her friend! And if that meant having Harry befriend her (which was going to happen anyways) she help her through him.

She would have to ensure that they spent plenty of time together and formed a strong bond... Strong enough to chink away at that icy shell Jade had surrounded herself with and bring out her emotions.

Mileena might be upset that she asked Jade to watch Harry instead of her, but that could be an option to help them bond. Now that she thought about it, Jade would be an excellent mother for Harry...

Quickly shaking her head, Kitana blinked, unsure where THAT thought came from.

Sindel's hair snaked around Mileena's shoulders and rested against Harry, which the small boy took in his free hand while he slept, holding onto it like a blanket.

The former quern smiled mirthfully at the contact and closed het eyes in content. "My grandson is far too precious for his own good..." She said softly. Truthfully, she had hoped for a grandson someday...

It was her dream to have a daughter and a son. But since that never worked out, a grandson was the next best thing.

And on top of that, she was given such a sweet little angel... it gave her hope for the future. While it was many, many, many, MANY years away, Sindel knew one day both she and Kitana would no longer be able to rule Outworld. But there was something about Harry that made her feel like if he did become Kahn, he would rule through the strength of wisdom, rather than the strength of violence as had been Outworld's fate for so long.

He was a pure hearted soul that would never willingly harm his own people. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be beloved by the entirety of Outworld. The thought brought a smile to her face. When Harry was ready to reveal himself to the public eye, he would no doubt be given more love and adoration than he would ever know what to do with.

But for now, he had his family, and that was enough.

"Well, Harry seems to be settling into this new life rather nicely." Kitana remarked with a small smile. "I'm glad to see that."

"Yes, but I am concerned as to how he got here." Tanya frowned. "Apparently he had a talisman? I didn't know those worked on mortals."

"With enough magical energy they can." Jade spoke up. "Harry happened to have the correct amount of magic to use it."

Kitana nodded. "Yes, and he dreads it with all his heart, the poor dear... Afraid of his own gift..." She said softly.

"He has magic?" Tanya asked, surprised. However, she got her answer when she heard Harry whimper and squirm in Mileena's arms.

"No...nononono...it's okay, it's okay..." Mileena cooed, trying her best to soothe the small boy. A few moments later, he seemed to have settled down. Mileena sighed, then noticed Sindel asking to hold him, and reluctantly relinquished him.

The former ruler accepted the child with a small smile, holding him close to her breast and wrapping him in her hair.

"He does indeed, Mileena... And very powerful magic at that. Given enough time and training, I believe he could outdo even the likes of Shang Tsung someday when he grows old enough to properly wield it..."

Mileena tensed up at the mention of the Sorcerer, and Sindel realized why. She didn't say anything, as Mileena shook her head to avoid that subject... Tsung had been her creator, and that would always be a sensitive subject for the clone.

"Gramma?" Harry mumbled when he felt the hair wrap around him.

"Shh, rest, love." Sindel cooed.

"Mmkay..." Harry mumbled sleepily as he nestled into the bundle of soft hair he was coccooned safe and snug in. Sindel smiled and rocked him gently, softly humming a tune into his ear to keep him comfortable.

Kitana smiled. "The lullaby you once sang me..."

"And I hope you too will sing it for him, Kitana." Sindel replied.

"Indeed."

Harry was calm again, now warm and safe, sleeping as if nothing had happened. Tanya noticeably seemed concerned, which was odd. Again, while Tanya had done some questionable things in the past, she wasn't one of the worst forces Outworld had ever seen... but compassion wasn't something Kitana always expected from her. Honestly, she half expected her to ignore his pain should it ever come up. Maybe it was because Mileena so clearly loved him, or maybe she was wrong to judge her so harshly.

Hard to tell, really...

Tanya was looking at Harry without an unreadable expression. For once, she could tell what was running through the woman's mind. Concern. Worry. Curiousity. She wanted, more than anything, to know what exactly had happened to this boy... Thankfully she was spared from the issue of having to repeat anything she had already explained thanks to Mileena... Perhaps hearing what they knew of Harry's past would finally completely melt away that rather distant exterior she gave off.

Still, she at least liked Harry, and was kind to him. That was good enough for now. Presently, the biggest issues she face were helping Jade overcome her grief, ensuring the peace in Outworld lasted, and keeping an eye on Harry. Both due to her family all clearly loving him, but also due to his magic. If it was anything like what had happened at dinner previously, he had no control over it. It was in a sense, wild magic. That wasn't bad... if you knew how to control it.

But Harry was a young child that had been taught all his life that his magic was something to fear and hate. There was no way he had control over it. She would need to find someone who could teach him to properly use it...

Still, that would be another issue for another day. Right now, she needed to help him overcome his scars, and thankfully, there was his family to help him through.

There was a mild conversation for the next ten minutes, Mileena looking from Harry to Tanya, Sindel happy to be holding her sleeping grandson... but Kitana felt Jade's awkwardness, and wasn't sure what to say or do about it.

She turned to look at her friend, who slowly rose to her feet. "Dinner was delicious as always... I will be making my leave now, however. I must return to my training." She said with a polite nod before turning to exit.

"Jade-" Kitana began, and noticed her friend tense. "Mother, would you please put Harry to bed? I'm going to train for a shot time before I turn in for the night."

"Of course, dear. The precious little one is safe with me." Sindel smiled down at Harry, giving him a light squeeze.

"And... please be sure to put him in my bed, not yours." Sindel gave her daughter an offended look that was half playful and half serious. Kitana sighed as she realized her mother was probably going to pull that on her.

Kitana followed Jade, the latter somewhat awkward about suddenly being followed, but knew better than to say anything against it.

"You're keeping him, aren't you?" Tanya flatly asked once Kitana was out of earshot.

"Oh, most certainly. At least for the time being... I couldn't possibly leave such a small, sweet boy alone at night, now could I?" Sindel smirked mirthfully.

Mileena rested a hand on her chin with a small pout. "No fair... I wanna keep him..." She grumbled. Sindel patted her adopted daughter's head.

"In good time, Mileena. In good time."

Jade spun her staff in a fast, free-formed flurry before stopping and pointing at Kitana, who snapped one of her fans open, and pointed with the closed one.

"Is there any reason you wanted to spar with me tonight?" Jade remarked.

"No reason." Kitana shook her head. "Just wanted to see if you were as sharp as you used to be."

Jade smirked wryly. "After how much I've been training these days, you fear I've grown rusty, Kitana?"

"I suppose you have me there."

"I am more concerned for you. It has been long since you last needed to fight."

"Empress, I am fine." Jade retorted as their weapons clashed. If Jade referred to her as 'empress' either she was upset with her, or something was very wrong. Kitana had reason to believe in this case, it was a bit of both. "Your concern is kind, but there isn't much to talk about."

"But there is. Jade... Your loss is gradually overtaking you as an individual. You focus entirely on training. It is not uncommon for you to collapse from exhaustion midday. You clearly are not sleeping well and you are eating less as well. Your health will fail if nothing changes. I am deeply worried for you."

Jade's staff missed Kitana, but knocked one of the fans out of her hand.

"I'm fine!" Jade snapped, seemingly trying to convince herself more than anyone. However, it was close that it wasn't working on both regards.

"You aren't." Kitana replied simply.

She nimbly sidestepped a downward strike from Jade's staff, then flipped backward to avoid a sweeping strike.

"It doesn't matter." Jade muttered.

"It does to me!"

Jade didn't reply, she just pressed her attack, clearly not caring or focusing on her attacks, and slipping up, being hit by the handle of one of Kitana's fans.

She staggered and nearly tripped.

"You are off balance, Jade."

"Because you are distracting me!" The emerald warrior snapped before trying to collect her composure.

"No, you've lost your edge. You used to be able to perform these forms blind, yet you've focused so much on something else, you no longer-"

"SHUT UP!"

Kitana was struck in the jaw, and fell backwards onto the ground. She looked up in shock at Jade, who looked back in genuine terror.

"Jade- I..."

But Jade was gone.

She rose to her feet, rubbing at her jaw, and then she let out a deep sigh of defeat. She had failed to reach her.

She had made it worse.

Now, on top of everything else, Jade was going to be beating herself up for harming the one she swore to protect.

She was a fool.

She pushed her hand too far.

'Damn it.' Kitana cursed herself. If the moments before she ran, Kitana saw the pain, she saw the empty brokeness in her friends' eyes... and she pushed further.

"Jade... I'm sorry..." Kitana said quietly into the night, but got no response. She didn't expect to, but even the air seemed to have turned away from her, leaving her in absolute silence. Kitana wanted to go after her best friend, but she also wanted to go to her child, to hold him close... but what if she hurt him too?

She shook her head. She couldn't let herself get wrapped up in such thoughts... She had made a mistake... That was all...

She wasn't going to hurt Harry like that. She knew that he needed to tell her what happened to him on his own time. But with Jade, it felt... different... Her friend was suffering... And she was just so damned stubborn...

She didn't exactly love the idea, but she thought now more than ever, Harry would be the bet way to get to her. He didn't know what had happened to her, and there was no possible way he could hurt her...

"Harry..." Kitana said quietly, deciding she needed to be with her child. She returned to the quarters and stopped, rubbing the mark on her face. She sighed, knowing there wasn't anything that she could do about it.

She pushed the door open and looked over at her bed. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a long suffering sigh when she saw that Harry was not in her bed. That meant her mother had gone against her wishes and taken him to her room.

"By the Elder Gods... why is this my life?" Kitana groaned as she stormed down the hall, passing Mileena, doing her best to look innocent, and pushed open the door to her mother's room. "Mother. Give me my son."

"Ah, there you are." Sindel smiled, looking up from the book she was reading, Harry tucked into one arm, sleeping soundly.

"I specifically asked you to put him to bed. My bed." Kitana said with more agitation than she intended.

"I did." Sindel shrugged. "Then the poor dear began whimpering and tossing and turning. I couldn't just leave him there."

That got another groan out of Kitana. She hated that her mother's logic for disobeying her request was entirely sound and justifiable, but it was what it was. She exhaled through her nose, then approached.

"Well, you succeeded in warding off his nightmares. I would very much like him back now if you don't mind..."

Smiling, Sindel agreeably handed the little boy back to his mother, who took him and cuddled him close with a smile.

"Oh, Kitana. What happened to your jaw?" Sindel blinked, noting the mark. "Are you all right?"

"Y..yes..." Kitana sighed, somewhat defeated. "Jade managed to get a hit on me, and... she's not in a good place right now, and all I did was make it worse."

Sindel was silent for a few moments, then nodded in understanding. "If you want, I could try and talk to her."

"No, I think any of us talking to her will only make things worse." Kitana admitted. "I think Harry may be the only one who can get through to her."

"Harry? How do you expect him to do that?" Sindel asked, looking down at the sleeping child with a small frownl

"Simply by being himself... He's a kind soul. He'll be able to tell that there's something wrong with Jade... He'll want to help..."

"And you think she will let him?" Sindel asked, frowning softly. Kitana nodded her head, a determined look in her eyes.

"I do... I am confident she will. Whether she realizes it or not, I know that Harry is the key to her happiness..."

"Well, all right then." Sindel nodded, deciding to let her daughter handle this. If something happened, she still had Harry. "Good night, dear."

"Good night, mother." Kitana nodded, before turning and heading back to her room. Once they got to her room, Kitana smiled at her son, pulling the blankets up and tucking Harry into bed. She quickly changed and got into her bed as well. Wrapping her arms around Harry, she smiled as the small boy squirmed closer in his sleep, resting his head against her breast.

She planted a kiss against his cheek, then decided to just lay with him in her arms for a few minutes. Something about... just watching him sleep made her feel so much better about the situation she was in.

"Sleep tight, my little prince." She whispered, settling down into a comfortable position, letting herself succumb to sleep, drifitng off for a calm, relaxing sleep. There were many things she needed to figure out; the future of Outworld, Harry's scars, what to do about his abusers, what to do about Jade... but that could wait until tomorrow.