Hooking her right leg around him, she then wrapped her arms around his neck. Nary pulled his chiseled body tight against hers. Without breaking their kiss, Kano's hands moved down her sinuous physique until he grabbed her thighs lifting her onto the counter. Needing air, she pulled her lips away but wrapped both her legs around the eager Aussie. Their ragged breathing filled the lounge as his hands glided up her thighs past her hips then grasped her waist.

"Oh Love, I've-I've wanted this for so fucking long." Both his hands slid underneath her top and stroked her soft skin.

She grinned at him, "So have I."

His mouth stretched into a brilliant smile, "Then what are we waiting for?"

When he tried to go in for another kiss she held him back, "Wait! I want-no, I need to make this clear; this wouldn't be a one-night hookup or a fling for me."

"Of course not! This is real for me. I've never felt like this before and I know I can be everything you want and deserve…"

His words caused her eyes to tear up, she nodded, "You have no idea how happy that makes me but-…"

"But what else is there?"

She glanced down then returned her gaze to him, "What about after the tournament?"

"We'd be together, obviously."

"OK, but would you go back to...to your old life, as a mercenary?"

He pulled his head back and his brows creased, "I, eh, I don't know. Honestly, until now, I haven't really thought about it."

"…Kano, I've seen how your face lights up and how excited you get when talking about the jobs you've done, you've found what makes you happy…"

He couldn't deny her statement, "You're not wrong…. but you make me feel incredible too! Do we really have sort this out right now?"

She reluctantly took his hands off her sides and held them, "I want us both to be happy. So, I'll always be your friend and I can be your partner and lover…but I can't be the Bonnie to your Clyde or the girlfriend who's terrified that her boyfriend isn't coming home because he's either arrested or - or dead."

His eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened, "Are you seriously giving me an ultimatum?"

"No! I would never! I'm only asking you to consider your choices. One would mean that you'd simply be a part of my life, as a good friend. And the other is…the other is us sharing a beautiful life, together."

Kano's stare briefly went sideways. He wanted to be mad but he knew that she wasn't cutting him out of her life.

She could see the conflict in his eyes, "You don't have to decide right now."

"When?"

"After the tournament."

He slowly nodded then asked, "What if one of us dies during it?"

"I have faith that we won't," she looked deep into his eyes, "Kano, if I let you into my heart and my bed, I don't want it to be for a night or a few days or a few weeks, I want it to be…forever." She bought her hands to his face pulling him into a long passionate kiss.

His hands clutched her back as he lips and tongue heatedly met hers.

After she withdrew her mouth from him, she planted a small kiss on his forehead before looking into his eyes, "Whatever you decide, I'll support you."

"I know you will, Sweetheart…" He loosely bent his fingers and lightly stroked his thumb and knuckles down her cheek.

After taking his nightly shower, Kano stepped in front of the sink and the full-length mirror above it. His eyes went to his black dragon tattoo. The ink dragon started at his left pectoral muscle and covered his entire arm. At the time of his sessions with Kira, he was full of pride at cementing his infamous moniker onto his body while also secretly honoring his uncle. His eyes then went to each of the scars on his neck, chest and legs. Each mark had its own story with a memory of the particular pain it inflicted on him. He wore each scar like a badge of honor that helped his cultivate his image as a lethal criminal. It was then he realized, he had received no scars since arriving at the slab of rock he currently called home. Yet, his time at the temple and the people there clearly changed him.

His fingers traced over the ink dragon. For over twenty years he worked hard to create and uphold his image as The Black Dragon. Since living in Raiden's temple he felt like he recaptured a part of him that he thought died with his mother and uncle. Now, he was at a crossroads and didn't know which path to take.

Kung Lao and Liu were in the lounge's kitchen when Kano walked in. Liu was setting the table while Lao was cooking breakfast.

"Hey Liu and Lao, I got something to run by you two," he sat down at breakfast bar.

"What's on your mind, Kano?" Liu sat next to him.

The Aussie relayed the conversation he had with Nary the previous night.

Kung Lao was the first one to speak after Kano stopped talking, "Are you an idiot?"

Liu pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

Kano folded his arms and narrowed his eyes, "What crawled up your ass this morning?"

Lao replied, "I ask you that question because only an idiot wouldn't immediately choose Nary."

Liu held up both hands, "Lao, you have to look at this from Kano's perspective."

"Yeah, I've never faced a decision like this before, cut me a break!" He defensively told the young monk.

He tipped his head as he crossed his arms, "…Fine, sorry for being rude."

"That's more like it and apology accepted, mate."

"Now, you don't wanna give up being The Black Dragon, well, what is it? You named your clan after it but you disbanded the clan over a year ago." Lao stated as he leaned forward.

"The name has always been mine and those fuckers know if they'd ever try to take it, they'd find themselves in an ocean of deep shit!"

Liu interjected, "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you were a mercenary long before you got the tattoo?"

He nodded, "Everyone in my line of business needs a name."

Lao asked, "And your tattoo, it was a secret way to honor your uncle, right?"

"Yes and no, it was both personal and professional-would you two get to the fucking point?"

Kung Lao and Liu looked at one another, the former said, "The Black Dragon is what you make it, Kano."

"You get to define what it means. No one else does." Liu shook his head at him.

Pointing at Kano, Lao said, "And you don't have to only have one passion or interest. The only person who sets limits to that-to your identity, is you."

Kano ran a hand ran through his hair, "Yeah…I don't know…I always thought I'd-I'd get killed during a job. And I used to tell my crew to never think about the next job, just have a fucking blast with the one we're on."

Gripping his shoulder, Liu said, "Kano, you've proven that you can adapt to change. So, if you quit your criminal lifestyle, you can choose your own path that's not motivated by money or ego. And you're fortunate, because one of those paths includes a very understanding woman who loves you."

He slowly nodded, "I know Liu…but I've never gone this long without pulling off a job."

Lao asked, "Do you miss it?"

"…A small part of me does but this," he gestured to both men and their surroundings, "it works for me too."

"Well, you have plenty of time to figure out what you want and you have us to help you," Liu said with a grin.

With a thankful curl of his lips, he replied, "I know and thanks, mate; it's much appreciated."

A friendly grin was on Rasi's lips when his face appeared on Nary's computer screen, "Hey Nary, what's up-..."

"I kissed Kano last night!" She blurted out.

His mouth became agape then formed into a huge smile, "I knew it! Damn, I really should have made a bet with you just to see your bitter losing face," he chuckled.

Rolling her eyes, she said, "This is serious! Last night was…"

"If you two slept with each other please don't tell me, I just had dinner and I prefer to keep it down!"

"Gross and no! But we did talk about our relationship and…"

"You're together now?"

"No, he's deciding whether or not he wants go back to his old life where we-where we'd only be friends or leave it behind to be with me." She said with a small nod.

He leaned closer to his webcam, "That's it, he only gets those two choices?"

Confused, she knitted her brows, "I don't see another one?"

After releasing a long exhale, he rubbed his right temple, "Nary, I haven't been entirely honest with you…"

"Yeah I know, you have a girlfriend that you're keeping secret from me for some weird reason."

He looked to the side then back at her, "There's no girlfriend! And the black eye I had a couple of weeks ago, it wasn't from my personal trainer."

"OK, what happened?"

"Well, the truth is, I'm not just the co-manager of this brew pub. I'm also a part of a crew and we use this pub as a base of operations."

She folded her arms as her voice became stern, "What kind of a crew is this, Rasi?"

Groaning, he then stated, "I'm the security for a band of-of grifters, thieves and hackers but we help people!" He adamantly declared.

Her jaw dropped, "You're working with criminals?!"

"Technically yes-but we're like Robin Hood mixed with Ocean's Eleven! We actually help people who have been conned and screwed over by other grifters, CEOs, people, corrupt politicians and other shitty people! They've been at this for over a decade now, they have crews all over the world and they're the best!"

She held her head with both hands, "I can't believe this! You've been lying to me all this time and you're a vigilante!"

His hands went to his chest as he sincerely spoke, "Nary, I'm actually and directly helping people who have nowhere else to turn. Unlike corrupt governments and immoral private security groups, these people don't have a greedy, nefarious or self-serving motive. And I know that mom and dad would still be pissed if they found out. So, please keep this between us."

Seeing how earnest he was, she decided to support him, "Fine, it dies with me. But why are you telling me this now?"

"Because we could use a guy like Kano in our crew! I mean, not on a full-time basis because of his face scars make him stand out but he has skills that could help us, security wise. We'd also pay him well. And since we have crews all over the world, the hackers in them can erase his criminal record in every law enforcement agency's database!"

"…I get it and I hear you but Rasi, this is still so risky! You're going after powerful people!"

"And none of us have been arrested or killed. We only kill as a last resort and in self-defense, that's only happened once! In that particular case, our guy was outnumbered and outgunned. Look, Kano could do some real good with us, Nary. So, you have to let him know what ALL of his options are."

She stared at the webcam as his words registered into her mind.

"Nary? Are you still with me?"

"Names, I need to know who you've taken down so far."

He immediately started naming former marks.

Lord Raiden stepped out of his chambers when Nary was passing by. He handed her a note, "Nary, I need you to go into town this morning and pickup these items. It's a long list so you should take Sonya and Jax with you."

She was surprised by his last suggestion, "Lord Raiden, are you sure about this? I'd love to have their company and help but they can't blend in like I can."

"There's a flu going around so everyone is wearing masks right now. That will help disguise them. It will take less time to get everything I need with them helping you."

After a beat, she nodded, "All right, I'll get my things and tell them on the way."

On the way to her suite, Nary bumped into Kano coming out of the lounge.

"Hey, I'm about to get a few things for Raiden but I need to tell you something first, in private," she grasped his hand.

"Lead the way, Cupcake!" He excitedly gripped her hand and followed her into the lounge.

After making sure they were alone, she then told him about her conversation with Rasi. His head gradually pulled back as he took in everything she was saying to him.

"I know this sounds unreal but it is legit. Granted, they are vigilantes but they're at least bringing justice to people who deserve it. They'd love to have you a part of their crew, even if it's just a few times a year."

"You'd really be fine with this? Darling, there's still some risk involved."

"I know but you would be working with good people who will always have your back. One of them would be my brother so I know you'd be safe. And speaking of, the only time I've ever seen Rasi this happy and fulfilled was-was when he finished his training after he enlisted," she brought her hands to his chest, "Kano, if you work with him and his crew, you can do some real good in this world. But like I said last night, you have options and this is simply another one. And you don't have to make a decision right now."

He shouldn't have been surprised to see her willing to compromise but a part of him still was; he was grateful for her. Kano held her face, "You've given me a lot to think about, Sweetheart. And thanks for…for not forcing me into either direction."

With a sympathetic tilt of her head, she replied, "I meant what I said, I want you to be happy."

He planted a kiss on her forehead, "I know and I want the same for you."

She pulled him into a tight hug, "I'll see you after I get back."

"Don't take too long or else this place will turn into a pile of rocks again," he smirked.

While Jax, Sonya and Nary were walking towards Lord Raiden's chambers, she told them about her and Kano.

Sonya was first to react, "So, he's actually thinking it over?"

"Oh come on Sonya, I know you two have history but-…" Nary was cutoff.

She flatly stated, "He's impulsive, usually about stupid shit but this doesn't count. Why would he need time? You even found him a compromise with Rasi!"

Jax interjected as he put on a dark gray hoodie, "She's right; he could have the best of both worlds but he needs time to think about it? I know you have feelings for him but only a dumbass could make this easy choice so complicated."

"Guys, it's a major decision for him and I like that he's not just immediately acting without thinking or simply telling me what he thinks I want to hear. So, cut him some slack. Oh and Jax, you gotta wear these gloves or else the locals will talk." Nary said as she handed him black gloves.

The three of them put on their face masks when Lord Raiden opened a portal for them.

"We won't be long," Nary told him before walking into the portal.

Lord Raiden nodded at her and hoped that his plan would work.

Nary opened the door to the town's drug store letting Sonya enter first, "The things on your half of the list are in aisles seven and eight. I'll head over to three and four then we'll meet up at the register."

"Sounds good and I gotta admit, it's nice getting out of the temple and the people here are friendly. I wanna thank Raiden for suggesting this, is there anything I can get him?"

"He loves pastries specifically, sponge cakes, egg custard tarts and sesame balls. We'll drop by the bakery before we go back home."

"Good idea and I'll see you at the register!"

After grabbing a shopping basket, Sonya headed into aisle seven and collected the items on the list. Just as she entered aisle eight, she received a text on her mobile phone from Jax and was reading it when a woman bumped her shoulder.

"Watch where you're going, bitch."

Sonya immediately looked up and recognized her, "Kira?"

The redhead pulled down her face mask then removed her dragon teeth knives from her hip scabbards, "Believe it or not Blade, this isn't personal. Shang Tsung put a lot of money on your and Jax's heads and I plan to deliver them to him."

Sonya placed the basket on a nearby empty shelf and pulled out her knives, "Well, you're gonna die trying..."

Once Nary placed the items in her basket she walked up the register and eyed the lone employee with questioning eyes. She had never seen her before and she didn't look like any of the local residents. Based on her eyes and light skin, she could tell that the woman was Caucasian. Her hair was short enough to be entirely covered by the black knit cap she wore.

"Good morning, how are you?" Nary asked as she started to place items on the counter.

"I'm doing pretty good, is this it?"

"I'm actually with my friend and she's bringing up the rest of our items-you're American?"

"Yeah, I'm staying with Jia and Hanna while I'm here on vacation. We're old friends." She picked up a box of gauze and scanned the barcode.

"Really? That's cool, they're saving up to visit New York this winter."

"I know, they're gonna stay at my place." She reached for another item to scan. The edge of a familiar design was on the woman's wrist, it was peeking out from underneath her long sleeve.

Nary looked at her with suspicion, "That's interesting, because they're my friends and I'm the only American they know," she suddenly grabbed the woman's wrist and yanked back the fabric revealing the dragon marking. She tightened her grip, "Who are you and where the hell are Jia and Hanna?"

A wicked smile pulled at her lips while taking out her knife, "You have no idea how much you just fucked up."

Nary quickly released the woman's wrist and withdrew her hand narrowly missing the knife swinging down. With her other hand, the doctor blasted her against the back wall where the crack of her neck cut through the room. She then unmasked her dead attacker and removed the knit cap but didn't recognize her. A ruckus caused Nary to look at the security cameras' monitors where she saw Sonya knife fighting a woman who was identical to her assailant. She removed the knives from the knocked-out woman and paused when she saw the black dragon markings on them, "Kira?"

Before she could react, she heard muffled screams coming from the back room and headed towards them. When she entered the back office, she found Jia and Hanna with their mouths covered with duct tape and their hands tied with plastic handcuffs. Using Kira's knife, she freed them and removed the tape. The sisters immediately left the store using the back exit.

Sonya drove her knives into Kira's eyes as Nary ran over to her. While pulling out both knives out of Kira's skull, she said, "What the fuck? Kira is a champion and she's working for Shang Tsung?!"

"And her arcana is replication. Wait, do you feel anything happening on your skin?"

Shaking her head, she then stated, "That means, neither of us killed the original Kira." She took out her phone and called Jax.

He had just stepped out of the hardware store when he answered her call. Angered and shocked, he turned around planning to head to the drug store, "Blade, Nary, you got two more Kiras heading your way!"

"We see them and we'll take care of them real quick!" Sonya said before she returned her phone on a nearby shelf as she Nary got into their fighting stances.

Jax was about to run towards the drug store until he saw two grenades land in front of a parked car, he looked up and saw another Kira on the roof of the bakery holding a grenade launcher. The explosives immediately blew up the vehicle. He saw the car's roof flying towards a young mother with a baby carriage and a female toddler by her side.

He bolted towards them, "Get down!" Using his body and arms, he blocked the roof from colliding with the family. From deep within him, he felt a jolt start from his heart and quickly spread until his mechanical arms upgraded to bionic limbs tearing through the sleeves of his hoodie and gloves. He effortlessly pushed the car roof off of them.

"Thank you, sir!" The little English girl said to him.

"You saved our lives, thank you so much!" Her mother said in the same accent.

"It's nothing, I need you and your kids to go over there away from the danger, got it?"

The mother instantly obeyed and urged other bystanders to follow her lead.

He yelled into his mobile phone, "Blade, there's another Kira on the bakery's roof but I can't get to her, she's armed with a fucking grenade launcher!"

The blonde soldier slit Kira's throat and swiped her phone off the shelf, "I just killed another one, did the one the roof react in any way?"

"Yeah, she grabbed her throat!"

"She's the original!"

Nary ducked avoiding a wild punch from Kira, "Sonya, I got this! Go out the back way!"

She nodded at her friend before following her directions.

Sonya felt her heart beating against her ribs as she ran up bakery's back stairs and arrived on the roof. She saw Kira drop the empty launcher before removing her knives from her hip scabbards.

"Shang Tsung's gonna make me a very rich woman and I'll have you to thank, Blade."

"Just shut the fuck up and fight me already."

Sonya quickly realized that the former Black Dragon member hadn't picked up any new moves since they disbanded. The redhead managed to slice the outer side of the soldier's forearm. She hissed but ignored the stinging sensation.

With a cocky grin, Kira took another wide swing with her right arm only to have the knife kicked out of her hand. Now, only armed with her left knife, she went at the fair-haired fighter again but then lost the knife when her wrist was grabbed and twisted. After grabbing both of the assassin's hands, Sonya gave her a headbutt followed by a hard kick to the ribs sending her over the roof's ledge. Her corpse laid flat on the pavement.

It was then Sonya felt a light burning on her right upper arm. With pure pride she stared at the dragon marking but her triumph was short-lived when she saw a familiar face heading towards the drug store, "Erron Black!"

The mercenary cowboy threw a grenade at the drug store shattering its floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

"Hey Asshole, remember me?!" Sonya shouted catching his attention.

He looked up at her and swiftly removed his rifle from its holster.

Throughout her entire body she felt a force reverberating. Sonya followed her instincts by making her right hand into a fist while fully extending her arm; she gripped her elbow and shot a bolt of purple energy at the gunslinger. Her arcana's strength and recoil nearly caused her to lose her footing, she grabbed the ledge to keep her balance. The blast only hit the outer edge of his left shoulder causing some flesh and blood to splatter on a nearby building's wall.

When Jax saw Erron Black recover and aim for Sonya again, he hollered and defiantly held out his bionic arms, "Come at me you cowboy motherfucker!"

Sonya used Jax's diversion to her advantage, found her footing and launched another shot that punched straight through the cowboy's chest leaving a gaping hole. She looked down and saw a proud smile on Jax's face until he looked into the drug store, "What is it?!"

"It's Nary!" He charged towards the store.

When Sonya ran out onto the street, she saw Jax carrying Nary's body. She sprinted over to them and became filled with terror; a shard of glass was lodged into the left side of her throat. Nary struggled to breathe as she fought to keep her eyes open.

"We gotta get back to the temple!" Jax told her as he led the way.

"Hang in there, Nary! We're gonna get you help, OK! Stay with us!" She gripped her hand.

A lightning portal appeared the instant they arrived at the alley.

Liu, Kung Lao, Cole and Kano were walking towards the fight pit when they saw Lord Raiden opening a portal. Kano's heart shattered the moment he saw Jax carrying Nary's slumped body.

The Aussie sprinted over to them and was horrified to see her, "What the fuck happened?!"

"Shang Tsung hired your old buddies Kira and Erron Black to come after us!" Sonya angrily explained.

"Yeah but we took care of those fuckers! We need to get her to the infirmary!" Jax nearly growled.

Kano stared at them in disbelief then cupped Nary's face and gripped her hand; his voice quivered, "L-Love, look at me, you fight, all right? Don't you fucking give up, you hear me? Don't-don't leave me!" He felt her weakly squeeze his hand as she struggled to hold his stare.

Liu barely kept his composure, "The… the operating room is right around this corner. Her arcana will help her heal faster but we must get to her to surgery, she lost a lot of blood."

Jax placed her on the operating table as Liu stepped in front of Kano, "We need to let the doctors work on her, Kano. I know it's hard, but for now, you have to let her go."

"Fuckin' hell I-…"

"They can't save her life if you're here and I know you want that for her, just like the rest of us." He pleaded with his friend.

With obvious reluctance, Kano let go of her but kissed her forehead before leaving the room. When he saw Lord Raiden standing in the hallway, he furiously marched over to him, "Why the fuck didn't you send her alone? You said that these two would have a target on their backs if they ever went with her!"

Kung Lao and Liu stood on either side of Kano, Lao couldn't hide his anger, "He's right! We know that Shang Tsung has spies in the area why would you risk losing one of our best fighters?!"

"Because now we have two more fighters who have now unlocked their arcanas and we haven't lost Nary. I have faith that she will pull through." He calmly said to them.

Liu pulled his head back in horror, "You wanted this to happen? Why? I thought you cared about her!"

His glowing eyes looked away then returned to his champions, "I do...and I didn't know she would be attacked; I hate that it happened. But what we were trying to do within these walls…they weren't working for Jax or Cole. But now, we have a real chance to win the tournament."

Kano pointed at him and could barely see through his wet eyes, "Oh fuck the tournament! What if she dies, what the fuck do we do then?!"

"For the first time in centuries, I have faith in all of my champions! And I am responsible for protecting all of the lives in Earthrealm, not just hers. Again, I have hope that she will survive this and become stronger because of it."

Cole stepped up to him, "What if she dies and I fail?"

"I don't believe that will happen but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

"I should tear you to fucking shreds right now!" Kano hollered as he jabbed his finger at the thunder god's chest.

"You can try, but that won't help her. After the surgery, she'll need you by her side." He gave the Aussie a sympathetic look.

"You better hope she gets through this or else…I'm gonna turn this place and you into fucking ashes!" He glared at the thunder god.

"Kano," Liu gripped his shoulder, "Nary's gonna be in surgery for some time. You should clean up." He gestured to his bloody hands. "Then you can come back and wait with us."

The mercenary simply nodded then stormed off to his suite.

As the water from the sink washed away Nary's blood, his hands trembled. After taking a few breaths, his nerves settled and he returned to the hallway outside of the infirmary. Everyone else was there seated on chairs taken from other rooms. There was an empty chair for him between Sonya and Kung Lao.

"…Kira and Erron Black were there? Which one of those fuckers did this to her?" He looked at Sonya then at Jax.

She answered him, "Kira's arcana was making replicants of herself. But I killed the original and two others. Nary broke one's neck."

Jax explained, "And she shattered another one's skull. Black must have been Kira's backup because he came in and threw one of his grenades at the store that she was in. The blast shattered the windows and…that's how I found Nary."

"I used my arcana on him, he's dead meat now." Sonya nodded.

He looked at his former nemesis, "Good, he fucking deserved it…thanks, Blondie."

She pushed past her shock and replied, "The world is a less shitty place with Kira and Erron Black gone." The way Jax eyed her, she knew he was thinking of the time when she hoped that Kano would meet a similar fate.

Almost an hour later, a doctor came out and spoke to Liu. He then relayed the doctor's message to everyone else, "She had a concussion, she lost a lot of blood and the surgery was a success. But she needs rest and time. She'll wakeup in two to four days."

"Can we see her now?" Kano asked.

"Yes but she'll be asleep."

"I don't care, I need to be with her."

He nodded, "There's already a rollaway bed in her room for you."

"Thanks, mate."

After everyone took turns speaking to her, they left the room giving her and Kano privacy. He pushed his bed next to hers and held her hand. Being in a hospital room reminded him of his mother's final days. He remembered how she imparted wisdom on him and how he tried to tell her everything on his mind. Although he knew that Nary's prognosis was positive, it still killed him to see her this way.

The next morning, Cole walked in with breakfast, "You need to eat, Kano."

"Thanks, Cole. Mate, how the fuck do you do this, with a wife and a kid?"

Hearing and seeing the vulnerability in Kano's voice caught him off guard but he appreciated it. This wasn't the unbearable man he met several weeks ago at Sonya's home, "It's not easy to see the people you love in pain and not being able to do anything about it. It does help that I can lean on Allison and Emily and my friends for support. But as horrible as times like these are…it makes the beautiful moments that we share together, so much sweeter. Kano, being a husband and father is the most exhausting, terrifying yet wonderful and fulfilling part of my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything else in this world." He cupped his shoulder, "You being here, it may not feel like it, but you're doing so much for Nary right now, never forget that."

He patted Cole's back, "Thanks…pretty boy."

They shared a small chuckle.

During that first night by her side, he had a nightmare. He was caged and all of his enemies surrounded him with weapons in their hands. Despite his disadvantage he dared them to unlock the cage and come at him. Then the crowd parted revealing his mother, uncle and Nary bound and gagged, on their knees in a straight line. When they turned their focus on them, he begged the mob to kill him instead but they ignored his pleas. He awoke before any harm came to his loved ones.

On the second day, Sonya walked in with lunch. After a few bites, she spoke first, "Nary's gonna be thrilled to see you here once she wakes up."

"Yeah…Girly, do you believe in bad luck or curses?"

She pulled her head back, "Kano, this had nothing to do with you."

"Ya see, I don't know about. Me mum then my uncle…anyone I care about, that I let get close to me, they don't last."

"That's not true, Nary's still here. And yes, it was a close call but she's gonna make it."

"This time around…but I've made a lot of enemies, she could get caught in the crossfire or worse, they could hurt her to punish me…" He stood up and began pacing.

Sonya got to her feet and grasped her hips, "Nary's not some regular person, she's a fighter, Kano. She can take of herself and she was knocked down but she's getting back up. You worried about what could happen to her during and after the tournament, right?"

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"Something bad still happened and you didn't see it coming because that's how life is! It throws things at you that you can't possibly anticipate let alone be prepared for! Kano," she gripped his shoulders, "She's the best thing that has ever happened to you. If you distance yourself from her, because you're afraid of what could happen...it'll be the biggest mistake of your life and that's saying A LOT!

And you've come such a long way! Before Liu found us, you were daring me to kill you but then…then you actually begged me. I didn't do it because I pitied you. But then you met Nary and-and she helped bring out another side of you, one that deserves a second chance."

Stunned, he looked at her and knew that wasn't lying or coddling him. But he needed to get away to process what she said and his feelings, "I need to get some air…when she wakes up, come get me. I'll be near the fight pit."

She stayed behind despite her instincts telling her to drag him back.

When he neared the fight pit, he dragged his knife against the conductor's circular base until he spotted a shadowy figure on the other side of the electric force-field. He immediately powered up his laser eye while closing in on the figure. The Aussie put on his best game face; this was no time to show weakness. The unknown person was wearing a respiratory face mask with red glowing eyes along with a combination of military gear and police attire. A dry chuckle came Kano once the person started speaking, "Kabal…"

Note: Thanks nadilla for the reviews! This was never intended to be a full-out action story so the fight scenes won't be as elaborate as the movie's. Once again I reimagined the video game characters. Erron Black in this story doesn't have an arcana, he's simply a gunslinger mercenary. My version of Raiden is more like Marvel's Nick Fury because the movie version seemed similar to Samuel L. Jackson's iteration to me. Please leave a review (guests can do this), it can be a short or long sentence or even just one word or a typed out emoji. Have a nice week!