A/N: This chapter and several other chapters in the story will have a bit of a time skip in between to speed things up a bit with age.
6 years later…
Liana ran into her parent's room and jumped on the bed and landed on her fathers legs. Liu Kang gasped in pain as her knee dug into his legs. Kitana sat bolt upright when she heard her husband. She looked down to see her daughter smiling at her. She smiled back as she took her daughter into her arms.
"Now what do you're doing jumping on the bed like that? You nearly crushed your father's legs."
"Sorry daddy." Liana said.
Liu Kang waved a hand at her. "It's alright but please don't do it again."
"Ok." She said pushing herself off the bed from Liu's legs once more. He grunted in pain as he rubbed his sore legs.
"Oh! Why me? What about you?" He said.
"Because it's better to hit you, that's why." Kitana said.
"Sure." Liu Kang said getting out of bed.
He gazed over at the clock. 9 Am. If he was about his daughter's age, waking up early wouldn't be a problem. But now it seemed impossible. With each year he grew older, he found he felt it harder to wake up early. Besides, he wasn't a morning person. He opened his drawers and found clothes to wear and changed out of his pajamas before going downstairs. He could smell the aroma of bacon and eggs that trailed up the stairs as he descended down into the kitchen to the familiar sizzle from the pan.
"I'm glad to see you finally made it downstairs." Kitana said.
"Very funny, ha-ha." He said laughing sarcastically. "You know I'm not a morning person." He said.
"Well that's a shame because our daughter is."
"Yeah, just like her mother. Has she any talents from me?"
"Maybe, if you're lucky." She said chuckling.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"I'm enjoying every second."
"Do you think she'll have an interest in martial arts?" He said picking up the paper.
"Maybe, who knows? If she ever does, she just might be as great as her father, maybe even greater."
"You're good too you know."
"I know. I kicked your butt in the ninth mortal kombat tournament."
"I can still feel the pain from landing on my butt."
"Good. That means you won't forget."
"How could I forget? That's where I first met you." He said as he got up to hold her.
"You know as much as I'm enjoying this, the eggs and bacon need to be kept warm, and I just turned the stove off."
"Liu Kang blasted a very small fire ball into the two pots. The sizzling got louder.
"You know one of these days you're going to burn the house down if you keep doing that. Plus, you're gong to burn the breakfast."
"If I burn the house to the ground you can scold me for the rest of my life. As for the breakfast, it'll be fine. Besides, we're missing two ingredients."
"And what would those two be?"
"We're missing milk and toast to make the breakfast complete."
"Which reminds me; I need you two to take Liana with you to the store so you two can pick up some more milk and toast. We're almost out."
"Liana doesn't need to come."
"She will if I'm to take a nap. I was up half the night dealing with a nightmare if you can recall."
"That's right. Alright, but I don't want to be chasing her through the super market."
"You won't if you keep an eye on her."
"Easy for you to say, you know how she thinks."
As Kitana put the bacon and eggs on a plate, Liu Kang began making the toast. He had just grabbed the toast from the toaster when Kitana handed him the shopping list.
"What's this for?" He asked.
"Well we need more than one loaf of toast and jugs of milk just in case you forget."
He folded the piece of paper in his pocket and began buttering the toast.
"Liana come down for breakfast!" Kitana called.
Loud stomps could be heard as Liana came barreling down the stairs. Liu poured everyone a glass of milk.
"I'll leave for the store at one." Liu Kang said.
"Where's daddy gong?" Liana asked.
"You and your father are going to the super market to pick up a few things." Kitana replied.
Liana tried to smile with food in her mouth. Liu Kang raised an eyebrow. He couldn't see how grocery shopping was fun. Although he did it many times before he never enjoyed it. The reason being because he could never find what he was looking for. Kitana once sent him to the supermarket to pick up a can of crushed pineapple pieces that took him thirty minutes to find before asking for assistance in which the lady pointed to the can of crushed pineapple pieces behind him. It was a few weeks before she sent him back to the super market.
Liana quickly ate her breakfast and ran upstairs to her to her room to get changed.
"Well she's sure in a hurry to get going." Liu Kang said.
"Well she likes going places with you."
"She does?" He said.
"Yes she does. She thinks you walk on water."
Liu Kang smiled at the compliment. "She never told me that before."
"Maybe she's too nervous to tell you right now. Or maybe she doesn't have to. Just make sure when you two arrive that you remember to have on hand on her and the other on the grocery list."
"Ok, got it. Is she really that spontaneous?"
"Trust me."
Liu Kang helped Kitana wash he dishes before settling down to a book before getting ready to leave. At one o'clock he and Liana left for the store while Kitana happily laid down for a nap.
'If he doesn't figure out what happens should he let go, he will.' She thought to herself.
Liu Kang and Liana began to walk the five mile trip to the super market.
"Are we there yet daddy?" Liana asked.
"No sweaty. Not yet." Liu Kang said.
"Are we there now?"
"Not yet."
"What about now?"
"No! Look, I'll let you know when we're there, ok?"
"Ok."
Liu rubbed his temples to try to prevent the headache that threatened his day. They walked for fifteen minutes downhill while Liu held Liana's hand tighter incase she tripped.
"Are we there yet?"
"Liana, what did I tell you fifteen minutes ago?"
"Are we?"
"Yes, finally." He said with a sigh of relief. 'Maybe this won't be so bad.' He thought to himself. He couldn't be more wrong.
Together they walked into the super market as he still held onto his daughter's hand with the same firm grip, remembering his wife's advice. He led her up and down the aisle looking for the first item on the list: bread.
"What are we getting first?" Liana asked.
"First some loafs of bread and then milk."
"Do you know where it is?"
"No."
"Well why don't you ask that man over there?" She said pointing to the man stocking the shelves.
Liu Kang walked up to the man. "Excuse me, which aisles can I find the milk and bread?" He asked.
"That will be aisle twelve, two aisles to your right for the bread, and the milk is in aisle eight, two isles to your left."
"Thank you." He said writing the down the two aisle numbers.
"Excuse me, sir, but didn't you have a little girl with you?" The man asked.
Liu Kang looked to his left where Liana had been. "Oh man. Did you see where she went?"
"I think she went down aisle twelve." The young man said.
Liu Kang ran as fast as he could to aisle twelve. When he arrived, the bread from the shelves had been knocked down. He put the bread back on the shelves and grabbed the five bags e needed.
"Clean up in aisles 12, 19, 8, 7 and 6." A voice announced over the PA.
He ran to seven where he saw her jump over two carts, knocking five cans on the floor.
"Liana come here!" he yelled.
He jumped over the two shopping carts while he heard another announcement.
"Clean up aisle 3."
He caught up with Liana and grabbed her before she could take off again. "Now you listen to me. We are going to grab four jugs of milk and pay for our items and head for home without a sound. Got it?" He said in a stern voice.
Liana bowed her head and nodded. She had to jog to keep up with her father's quick pace. He led her to aisle twelve for the milk. He took two in each hand and handed his daughter the four loafs of bread and walked over to the counter.
"That will be $13.95 sir." The cashier said.
Liu Kang paid the money and handed Liana some bags.
'Now I know why Kitana said hold on to her hand at all costs. At least with her hands full she'll be too busy carrying them to run off.' He thought.