"Dad Kung Lao keeps stealing my stuff!" Cassandra whined loudly.
"No I don't! Why would I want your stupid stuff?" Young Kung Lao said as a toy dropped from his jacket.
"See?" She said angrily.
"Alright you two that's enough. You two have been fighting for most of the day and it's driving your mother crazy. Now make up. Kung Lao, stop stealing Cassandra's things or else I'll hide some of your things. Now, is there anything else you two need?"
"Yes. Can I go to play with Jessie?" Cassandra asked.
"Yes if it's ok with her parents, so call first."
"Ok." Cassandra said running into the kitchen.
"Kids, they'll always find something to fight about." Raiden said.
"You said it, Raiden." Kung Lao said.
"Well if she can go out and play then I want to too! I want to hang out with Ryan."
"Fine but be back by dinner."
Kung Lao turned his head to face Raiden's, but found he was gone.
'Why does he always leave at the heated fights and hides while the rest of us suffer? Oh well, at least Rebecca will be glad to have some peace and quite for once.'
The next evening….
"Come on you two, we're going to be late!" Rebecca called to her two children.
"I'll take the food and wait in the car." Kung Lao said.
"Thanks, hon." Rebecca said. "Hurry up you two!"
"We're coming!" Young Kung Lao and Cassandra yelled in unison as they sprinted down the stairs.
"Honestly, what took you guys so long?" Rebecca asked.
"I couldn't find my jacket." Young Kung Lao said.
"And I couldn't find my hair tie." Cassandra said.
Rebecca sighed as she opened the front door. She quickly locked it and ran to the car.
"Ready?" Kung Lao asked.
"Yes let' get going." Rebecca said.
The family of four left and arrived just as the Cage family did. The children ran out and greeted each other with great enthusiasm. They ran over to sit down at the table. Liana and Sebastian walked calmly over and sat down across from each other. The adults grabbed the accessories and put them neatly on the ground while Raiden simply set up the barbeque by throwing it on the grass standing up.
"Raiden if you keep setting the barbeque up like that you're gong to break it. Luckily for you it's not mine." Johnny warned the thunder god.
"Johnny, trust me, I'm a god. I know what I'm doing. I'll get this hunk of metal fired up in a flash." Raiden said having quickly and surprisingly set the barbeque up. "Do me a favour and hand me the bag of coal and lighter fluid, will you?"
Johnny handed Raiden the can and bag. "So do you know how much of that stuff you should use?"
"Of course I know how much to use." He said pouring nearly half of the bag of coal. "I've done this before…once."
"Once, that's all?" Johnny asked surprised.
"Well it's not difficult you know. All you do is pour a heap of coal on, and then add a bunch of lighter fluid and viola; you've got yourself a bon fire."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Johnny said shaking his head. "Let me know how big the smoke signal is when you're done."
"Funny, Johnny. I've never seen you light a barbeque yet."
'That's because I don't need search and rescue to come and put out a barbeque.' He thought.
"Johnny, are you and Raiden fighting again?" Sonya asked.
"Hey I'm just looking out for everyone here. Raiden's lighting a barbeque for the second time."
"So?" Sonya asked.
"Well just look at him. He looks like a pyro maniac. Not to mention he's using half a can of lighter fluid. I say we keep search and rescue on speed dial."
"Hmm you're right. You might want to keep the fire station on speed dial when the little bon fire erupts into a forest fire." Sonya said chuckling.
Everyone who caught the remark couldn't help but laugh. Although they had known the thunder god for years, not one of them had ever actually seen Raiden light a barbeque before. In fact the only one to bear witness to that event was Fujin, the god of wind, whose face was slightly covered in soot and his white eyebrows turned brown from the blaze.
They all stared closely at the freshly lit match. Johnny had his hand in his pocket ready to whip out his cell phone in a flash while the children were ready to duck underneath the table. Their eyes followed the match as Raiden let it drop loosely from his finger tips. They followed it down as the barbeque came to life in a burst of flame.
Raiden turned to his mortals. "Now that wasn't so scary, was it?"
Everyone shrugged their shoulders in agreement.
"Well shall we get everything else set up?" Rebecca said changing the subject.
Within twenty minutes everything was set up. Raiden cooked the steaks with Johnny closely supervising from behind.
Kung Lao and Liu Kang prepared the vegetables and salad while Rebecca, Sonya and Kitana talked.
"So how are those steaks going, Johnny?" Liu Kang asked.
"So far everything's good. The meats not burning and there's no chemical explosion. Raiden's actually a really good cook. Go figure." Johnny said.
"Four steaks are done!" Raiden yelled flipping the four steaks in the air.
"What?" Johnny asked confused. E looked up at the four steaks over top his head. His eyes widened in shock. "Whoa!" He quickly grabbed a large serving plate and managed to catch all four steaks.
"Good reflexes." Raiden said.
"Raiden are you crazy? I could've dropped all four steaks!" Johnny yelled.
"Ah but you didn't, did you? You see I knew you wouldn't." Raiden said confidently.
"Still, we only brought enough steaks for everyone." Johnny said.
Raiden shrugged as he turned around and threw the remaining seven steaks on.
"Honestly, I swear those two love pulling each others chain. They're like two children." Sonya said.
"That's because Raiden is a child. He's just a very, very old child. How old is he anyway?" Rebecca asked.
"Hmm I think over a thousand years." Sonya said.
"I think it's beyond that. He has to be over that. It has been many years since the least invasion, thankfully." Kitana said.
"Yeah you're right. Johnny's not any better. Sometimes I feel as if I have three children in the house instead two." Sonya said.
"And at those times it's only one mature adult, right?" Rebecca asked.
"Yeah, that's exactly what it feels like." Sonya said.
"Tell me about it. Kung Lao can be the same way." Rebecca said.
"It's the same with Liu. I guess all men are like this." Kitana said. "After all, I remember my father was the same way."
"Do you hear those women talking about us like that?" Kung Lao said.
"Yes I do. Let's just act like we don't hear it. I don't want to start a fight now or I'll never make it home alive." Liu Kang said.