Note:If you want to read the most recent chapter just click on the arrow that's next to story's title. You'll see this arrow when you're on the main page with all the other Mortal Kombat stories, the arrow is to the right of the story's title. WARNING: A RACIAL SLUR WILL BE USED IN THIS CHAPTER.

Kano was about to close his suite's door until he saw Sonya knock on Nary's, "Goldie locks, you lost?"

Her light blue eyes rolled, "Nary and I are having a girls' night. And no boys allowed."

Right on cue Nary opened the door, "Hey Sonya, come in!"

"Wait, so Blondie gets to go in?" He folded his strong arms.

"Yes, because it's girls' night. Do you have a problem with that?" Nary asked as she tilted her head.

Kano briefly clenched his jaw then forced a grin on his lips, "Not at all. I hope you two… ladies have a good night."

Sonya enjoyed seeing Kano's reaction and smirked, "Thanks Kano! We sure will!"

"Goodnight Kano." Nary's smile was smug.

"Night, Love."

Right after she closed her door, Kano slammed his door shut and cursed.

With a small bowl of cheddar popcorn in her hands, Sonya climbed into Nary's king size bed and sat in the center.

"I can't believe you've never seen Scream!" Nary placed the disc into the Blu-ray player and swiped the remote control off the television stand.

Shrugging, Sonya answered, "My parents were strict when it came to rated-R movies. Sometimes I'd see one at a friend's house or when I went to my cousin's. So, I know how Scream is supposed to be a game changer but I never got around to watching it."

"It resurrected the horror genre which was dead during the 90s thanks to shitty sequels and direct-to-video releases…although Candyman is an exception but it unfortunately fell through the cracks when it first came out."

"I'm sad to say, I also haven't seen it."

Her jaw dropped, "Well, we're definitely watching it in the near future!" Nary sat behind her and undid the blonde's ponytail, "Thanks for letting me do your hair, braids are my specialty."

"Don't mention it. Anyway, I gotta ask, and whatever you say doesn't leave this room."

"Of course. Ask away."

"Are you attracted to Kano? Because it looks that way to me."

She paused then said, "He's easy to talk to and fun to tease."

"That's not really an answer."

"…Kano's not like anyone here and I've never met anyone like him. He's fun to be around. Admittedly…He's ruggedly handsome, like Daniel Craig, but I'm not looking to hook-up with him."

Sonya turned her head towards Nary, "Seriously? Have you seen Liu and Kung Lao? They're unbelievably hot! I saw Liu fighting Cole yesterday with his shirt off and fuck, it reminded me that I haven't gotten laid in three months!"

With a dry chuckle, she replied, "It's been over a year for me. And yeah, I noticed but like I've said before, they're like my brothers."

"I see…Let me guess, you never went through a bad boy phase?"

"Oh I did, in high school and it ended the night he and his equally asshole friends broke into a scholarship kid's apartment, trashed it and beat up the only person who was home, his mother."

Her blue eyes grew large, "That's so fucked up!"

"Tell me about it. Rodrick, my ex, was jealous that Leo was voted to be the lacrosse team's captain that year instead of him. Leo was also a high honors student, top of our class."

"Such a fragile ego. I bet Rodrick and his friends got a slap on the wrist?"

She nodded, "Of course. Rodrick's parents were good friends with and donors to the district attorney. Leo had a part-time job at one of our bakeries so my parents paid for the damage to his apartment and his mom's hospital bills. Soon after, they hired her to work as an administrative assistant for them..."

"That was very kind of them and at least Leo and his mom got some help. That doesn't always happen to everyday people like them."

"I know, hold on," Nary pressed pause on the remote control and walked over to the bookcase. She pulled a blue colored photo album off the middle shelf then returned to the bed, "I have the receipts when it comes to my teenage rebellion."

After opening the photo album Sonya scoffed as her eyes became big, "Wow, a crop top, high leather boots and shit, how short is that skirt?"

Groaning, she answered, "Way too short. My dad's hair went from black to gray during that same year."

"I'm not surprised. Kano would explode if he saw these photos!" She smirked while turning the page.

"Definitely, which is why he's never gonna see them."

"Good idea. Do you know that he's actually working on a graphic novel about his life? He drew a picture of him ripping Reptile's heart out and used some of Reptile's blood in it."

"Hmm, call me morbid, but I wouldn't mind seeing that specific drawing."

Her perfect brows furrowed, "And here I thought you were normal."

They shared a chuckle then Nary said, "Everyone has their own definition of normal."

After a beat she nodded, "True. But now that we're done talking about boys, let's get to the movie!"

"Here we go!" She pressed the play button on the remote control.

Liu was sitting on a ledge that overlooked the fight pit and was getting in his morning meditation when Kano walked up to him.

"Morning Lucy Liu, can I ask ya something?" He sat down next to him.

He took a slow breath then turned to face him, "What is it, Kano?"

"I was wondering, are there any tricks or shortcuts that will unlock me little arcana?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Come on, there has to be something. What did you and Speedy do with the Doc?"

Liu's body stiffened then relaxed after he exhaled, "It took some trial and error and time…but we definitely didn't use a trick or shortcut. She needed to break down an emotional barrier and we, along with Lord Raiden assisted her."

"Would you stop tiptoeing and just tell me?"

He shook his head then looked directly into the Aussie's eyes warning him, "It's not my story to tell and if you were wise, you wouldn't push Nary to share it with you."

Kano saw the same protectiveness in the younger man when he told him to put back the amulet. He held up both hands, "All right, no need to get all testy, mate."

"Is that all you wanted to ask to me? If so, I must get back to my meditation."

"Actually, no, do you think one of your little wushu moves can help me?

Liu didn't hide his surprise, "You want me to actually train you?"

He averted his gaze, "…I'm up for anything really."

A little grin came to his lips, "Good, first we meditate for one hour."

Kano's mouth dropped open, "An hour of just sitting on me ass? Fuck that!" He pushed himself off the ledge and stood up.

"Have it your way - but I'm always here if you need assistance." Liu listened to the grumbling mercenary walk away.

Sonya and Nary were overjoyed when Jax finally woke up. She asked him some routine questions and together, they helped him with some light physical therapy. At some point the conversation turned towards them watching Scream and how Sonya had yet to see Candyman.

Stunned, his dark brow lifted, "Really Blade? It's a classic! Tony Todd is an icon."

"Guys, it's not my fault that my parents were so strict but luckily for us, Nary has a copy of the movie."

"Good because we're definitely watching it! Nary, what else do you have in your movie collection?"

"There's so much but I also have plenty of blind buys like Fear, Cherry Falls, Girls' Trip which I'm really looking forward to because it's a reunion between Queen Latifah and Jada Pinkett Smith, they were fantastic in Set It Off."

"Yes, their performances in that movie tore out my heart." His metal hand gripped at his chest.

Sonya stared at them both, "Looks like I'm watching that movie too."

He shook his head and lightly laughed, "Seriously Sonya? You're fuckin' killin' me right now!"

The three of them shared a chuckle.

Nary then asked, "Movie nights are fun but how about game night? Things would be more fun now that it's no longer just me, Liu and Lao."

Sonya nodded, "I'm in, I actually love board games."

Jax shared, "And I'm great at them. No disrespect ladies, but if you're not on my team you're gonna get demolished!"

Nary crossed her arms as her lips formed into a playful smile, "We'll see about that, soldier."

In the lounge's kitchen, Nary was halfway through rolling a batch of egg rolls when Cole walked in.

"Hey Nary, need some help?" He sat down next to her.

"Sure, you're not training today?"

"It's my day off. So, can you please show me how to roll these?"

"I'd love to!"

After she showed him how to fill, wrap and seal the egg rolls, Nary asked him about his upbringing.

"I never knew my real parents and until I was twelve, I lived in a group home. Then I was placed with my foster mom, Susan. She was a wonderful woman; she adopted me a year later and raised me on her own."

"She sounds lovely, where is she now?"

He glanced down then returned his attention to her, "She um, she passed away a few months before Emily was born. She had an aneurysm."

"I'm sorry, Cole." She gave his shoulder a sympathetic squeeze.

He gave her a kind grin, "Thanks, she at least got to meet Allison and went to our wedding."

"That's really nice and um, how did you two meet?"

"After one of my fights I went into the burger joint where she was a waitress. Even though I just won, I had a nasty black eye. Still, I struck up a conversation with her and we hit it off," he smiled.

"That's real sweet and come on, of course she was gonna give you a chance, you're a good-looking guy and you have real heart."

A nervous laugh came from him, "Thanks and man, it's a shame that Kano didn't walk in just now."

"I know, right? Where is he by the way? He hasn't been around much lately."

"I saw him working on his graphic novel, he was on the balcony that's near the forge."

She nodded, "For some reason he hasn't shown it to me which is strange because he doesn't seem the type to hold anything back."

"He's definitely not…but you two seem to be getting along really well." He teased her with a devilish smirk.

"Cole, I like you but if you accuse me of flirting with him, I will use my arcana to send your beautiful ass straight through that wall!"

With a hearty laugh, he replied, "All I'm saying is, he's actually pretty…normal and nice around you."

"That's an accurate and fair observation."

"It is and I gotta ask, does he know about the money you paid Sonya?"

She shook her head, "I don't see why he should? Technically, Sonya is the one who owes me not him. Although I don't plan on making her pay it back."

He slowly nodded, "I get it. I'm curious, how do you handle all of his flirting?"

"I've met his type before and remember, I grew up with big brothers. I know how to deal with him."

"Right. I'm sure you do. So, please don't take this the wrong way, but after we win the tournament and we go back to our regular lives - you can have any guy out there. Don't settle."

An appreciative smile was on her lips, "Thanks Cole. Right now, I'm just enjoying my time with all of you."

The last thing Kano expected to happen was to be insulted by Liu Kang and Kung Lao during dinner. All he wanted was one of Nary's egg rolls. Instead, both men attacked his skills and him as a man. Gripping his right bowie knife, he felt the familiar waves of anger boiling up and they reached their tipping point once Kung Lao called him a failure. Before he knew what was happening, he felt hot red energy shoot from his right eye. He looked around and saw how everyone had the same stunned looks on their faces. Then exhilaration spread through him as he cheered, insulted Liu again and congratulated himself. His eyes widen when he realized who was missing from the room.

"Holy fuck, I gotta show the Doc!" He ran out of the formal dining room.

A dejected sigh came from Cole while Sonya said, "Great, the worst person we know now has a superpower."

Nary was heading to the formal dining room for dinner when she saw Kano happily rushing towards her with an enormous exercise ball, "Kano, what's happening?"

"Come on Love, you've got to see this for yourself!" Without thinking he grabbed her hand and lead her to the fight pit.

Seeing how excited he was caused her to giggle as she clasped his hand, "Lead the way!"

Once he was in the center of the fight pit, he told her to throw the ball in the air with all her strength. Using his laser eye, he burst the ball into rubber shreds and triumphantly pumped his fists in the air. When he looked at Nary her face was lit up like a Christmas tree. Seeing how proud and pleased she was made him feel wonderful.

There wasn't any hesitation when she pulled him into a hug, "Oh my god, Kano you did it! That was amazing!"

He lifted her off her feet and spun her, "More like pretty fucking GREAT! But I'm also glad I could impress ya!" He kept his arms wrapped around her body; it felt right to have her in his grasp.

It was then she realized just how close they were and how good his muscular frame felt against her curves. She cleared her throat and gently brought her hands to his chest, "We uh…we should get to the dining room with everyone else but um, I'm so happy for you!"

He felt her stiffen and her hands softly pushed against his chest. Kano reluctantly set her down and let her go. "Thanks, Sunshine and that uh, that means a lot to me."

She saw how sincere he was and awkwardly itched the back of her neck, "It's no problem. Now, it's Cole and Jax's turn."

He snorted, "Those wankers' arcanas aren't gonna be as fuckin' awesome as mine!"

She laughed, "It's good to see that you're not letting it get to your head."

"Of course not, modesty is one of me strong suits." He playfully bumped his shoulder with hers as they left the fighting area.

After dinner, Kano decided to use the hot springs to treat himself for finally getting his superpower. Five minutes into his soak, he heard footsteps approaching and turned his head.

"Hi Kano!" Nary said as she walked in.

"Hello Peaches, the water's great tonight."

"It's always perfect but thanks for letting me know." She stated while removing her bathrobe.

His deep blue eyes grew large and his jaw went slack. In all of his forty years, he never thought a one-piece swimsuit could be so sexy until that moment. In the center of the black one-piece was a zipper that started at the v-neckline's valley and ended just above the hip. On either side of the zipper were three cutout horizontal triangular half-inch wide slits covered with black mesh. The suit's skintight fit and stylish cut accentuated her buxom chest and shapely backside.

Once he saw her walking towards him, he regained his composure and arched his brow, "There's plenty of room in here for you, Darling."

Nary saw the lustful glint in his eyes and heard it in his voice, "Nice try but I prefer this one." She stepped into the small pool next to his and released a lungful of air.

He watched Nary fully immerse herself into the water. When she came back up her black hair was slick; she swam over to his side where four inches of flat smooth rock separated them. The image of water dripping from her beautiful face, particularly her pillow lips, her glistening smooth skin and the way the wet swimsuit clung to her breasts was beyond tantalizing. He burned the alluring picture into his mind so he could use it whenever he felt restless or lonely. Kano swam over to be closer to her.

She placed her forearms on the pool's ledge, "Kano, I'm happy that you found your arcana but I hate that Liu and Lao had to bully you into it."

Kano mirrored her actions, "Aw, that's real sweet of you, Kitten, but I can take care of meself."

"Still, what they said was pretty harsh."

He shrugged, "Growing up, I was a runt until I was fifteen. Before that, I got into a couple of scuffles with some cunts who wouldn't leave me alone. But good ol' Uncle Jack used to be a boxer. He taught me everything he knew."

Nodding, she waited a moment and asked, "Are you still close with him?"

Without any hesitation he answered, "Some drunk prick crashed into him when he was driving home; he didn't make it. For a couple of months, I was in a foster home."

Her head leaned forward, "What was it like?"

A bitter chuckle left his lips, "The Dores were utter assholes, they wanted to control everything I did, no matter how little. Glenn Dore, the prick, would knock me around if I didn't make my bed the exact way he did. The only good thing I learned from that fuckin' tyrant...was that I never gonna take orders from anyone."

With a sympathetic tilt of her head, she told him, "I get it. He was a controlling piece of shit. I'm sorry you had to deal with such a terrible man."

Seeing the look of understanding in her eyes urged him to share more, "Living with that shithead, it made miss me Uncle Jack even more…I ran away the first chance I got. And I've been on my own since I was seventeen."

"That must have really hard and lonely…"

He shrugged, "….Sometimes. But it helped make me into the badass, irresistible and charming man that I am today." He winked at her and smiled when she giggled.

"And so humble."

"Right, how could I forget that one?"

She then rested her chin on her forearms, "Yeah…from kindergarten through senior year I went to Everton Hill Academy. In total, there are 500 students and I was one of the ten who…who weren't white. I was fourteen when one boy, Elijah, he kept calling me Chinese until I yelled at him saying that I was Cambodian and Irish American. He told me that um, that it didn't matter because all gooks were ugly."

He masked the empathy he felt for her with his anger and growled, "Fuckin' racist dickhead!"

She nodded then wiped her eyes and her voice quivered at what she said next, "We were in gym class and he-uh, he shoved me. His friends laughed…I got up and pushed him back and he hit the floor, hard. There was so much blood, it was a head wound and he was fine…but at the time, I was terrified but I also hated feeling so helpless. After that, I enrolled in Taekwondo classes."

"What happened to that fucker?"

"The headmaster didn't want a lawsuit so he made Elijah write an apology letter and he had to read it to me in front of the entire school. During junior year, he approached me and apologized again. He said that his father used that racial slur and his mom just divorced him. Four years ago, his father, Connor Shea, was exposed as a racist, homophobe, a wife beater and a rapist. Right now, he's rotting away in prison. And Elijah? He married a fellow lawyer; Grant Kline and they adopted their second kid last year."

His eyes widen, "You're actually friends with him?"

"He lives in France, so, more like Facebook friends. But whenever he's in town, we catchup over dinner." There was a little grin on her lips. "I'm not dumb, I know that not every bully grows up and becomes a good person like Elijah. But I still think it's a victory when a few of them do."

"Well, it helps that there are good people like you to forgive them…"

"It was the only way I could let go of the anger and guilt…but thanks for the compliment."

"I'm simply being honest with ya, Love." He moved forward pressing his forearms against hers; she didn't back away from him.

They held each other's gaze and wore the same quiet content expression until Kung Lao and Liu entered the room. With some hesitation, she pulled away from him to greet her friends.

Later that night, Kano thought about his conversation with Nary and knocked on Kung Lao's door. He saw the exasperated look on the younger man's face.

"What do you want, Kano? It's late."

The Aussie itched the back of his head as he glanced down and said, "Eh, about tonight when I called you, Kung Pao…it was stupid."

Lao blinked and cocked his head looking him over, "Yes, it was…although I've been called worse..."

"That's fucked up. Anyway, I won't do it again. So, sorry mate."

He slowly nodded, "Thanks, is that all?"

"Pretty much. I'm off." He turned to leave until Lao spoke again.

"Kano?"

"Yeah?

"Do you still need help with Nary's gift?"

His lips briefly quirked, "No, I got it handled…but thanks. Goodnight, mate."

"You too, Kano." He gave him a quick grin.

After Kano went into his suite, Liu opened his door, "Did that just happen?"

Lao nodded, "I'm as surprised as you are…we need to check if Netherrealm has frozen over."

Note: Please review, favorite and follow this story! It doesn't matter if you've just binged this fic or depending on when you read this, if it's weeks, months or even years old; writers love reviews! The only exception applies to trolls/harassers/haters. Thanks to everyone who is reading and supporting this story so far. I honestly didn't know if there was an audience on this website for the movie adaptation so it's a relief and comforting to see that you guys are here! I want to remind everyone that this story is a romantic comedy and drama but we're only allowed to choose 2 genres. Have a good day/night!