Kenshi was grinning like an idiot when his friends returned home. When they left for Lake Shinji, they told him they would only be gone for an hour. He took what was supposed to be their short absence from home as a chance to take care of the grocery shopping for Maya. With Sento strapped on his back, it wouldn't be difficult. He felt it was the least he could do. Although he made up his mind to let Hanzo take a more proactive role in helping Maya recover, he felt guilty for basically abandoning her. Something he promised he would never do.

Entering stores alone with Sento strapped on his back wasn't a problem. Years ago she made a very useful talisman with a red gem in the center for him to wear to conceal Sento while around civilians. He rarely wore it, with the Neatherrealm Invasion he didn't get the chance to take leisurely trips to stores. It was something he had to get used to again. The months of peace he had with Maya and Hanzo were greatly appreciated but he still had a desire to fight. He couldn't help it, the desire to fight is hardwired into his DNA. Having the souls of his ancestors at his disposal didn't help either.

After getting dressed, he went off to a local grocery store. While he walked around, Kenshi thought of the conversation he had Jamal, Maya's older brother, 5 years ago.

The two men walked beside Maya as she led the way to one of the many waterfalls in the hidden island they called home. They knew it would be a while before Maya would return home, bringing her to her favorite places to visit on the island lifted her spirits and eased her mind about her upcoming departure.

When they were close enough, the teenage girl shrugged off her bag and cover up before taking off in a sprint. In a matter of seconds she jumped into the water and began swimming. She felt at ease in the water, the stress and pain she felt melted away, something both Kenshi and Jamal sensed as they monitored her from nearby stones.

"I'd rather have her stay here than travel around the world to tend to the sick and wounded. She's at peace here. The past couple of months have been hard on her, being out there will only make things worse."

"She's strong and knows how to take care of yourself." Kenshi reminded Maya's worried brother.

"Yeah, but she's 17. She's seen and healed a lot of horrific injuries. From burns, broken bones, and severed limbs. But she always had me, our parents, or the others around for support whenever those nightmares or flashbacks come back..."

"Please look out for her. We've tried to talk her out of being out there and away from safety during this Invasion but she's hard headed. I've been assigned missions and won't be able to be the over protective brother. I know she'll love having you around."

"I won't abandon her. We've known each other for years, we're like family. It's the least I could do."

"Thanks man."

"No problem."

Maya and Hanzo finally returned home around 10pm. They didn't make an effort to return quietly, their loud conversation woke Kenshi up from his nap. He could hear bits and pieces of their conversation, them agreeing to return to Lake Shinji more often, and Maya laughing.

"Look who finally decided to come home." Kenshi greeted them when they entered the living room. He was sitting on the couch with his feet propped up on one end and hands clasped behind his head. Maya jumped at the sound of his voice while Hanzo stopped in his tracks. "It's dark out and I was getting worried about you two."

"And now we're back! I hope you weren't jealous that we left you all alone tonight." Hanzo took the bag of food from her hand when she moved to sit down next to Kenshi. He voiced his annoyance when she pinched his cheeks. "You're cute when you're upset."

"I'm not jealous. But don't you think it's a little wrong to be out with another man while I'm home alone?" He dramatically placed his hand on his chest.

"We didn't do anything you wouldn't approve of." Hanzo quickly told him.

He did feel a little bit guilty about being alone with Maya for hours. He didn't bother to keep track of time while he was out with her. It went by quickly while they were alone together. Their initial plan was to go straight home after watching the sunset by teleporting. That went out of the window while they wandered around markets, stopped at carious street vendors, and shared the snacks they bought during the long walk home. His guilt completely went away when he remembered how aloof Kenshi was while Maya was sick. She may not have been the friendliest person to be around but that wasn't an excuse for Kenshi to barely tend to her when she needed him. He barely paid attention to his friends' conversation while he stored their food in the fridge.

"Now that she's better, he's attached to her hip once again. Elder Gods forbid she takes a turn for the worse and falls ill again. Where will he be? Sitting on the sidelines while I attempt lower her fever by placing cool cloths on her forehead. Then again, he might feel uncomfortable with seeing her ill. I doubt that happens regularly. I don't know."

He closed the fridge and turned around to see Maya standing in front of him. Kenshi already left the living room to shower and go to bed, leaving them alone for the second time that day. She rocked back and forth, occasionally looking at the ground. The smile that played on the corners of her mouth finally presented itself, making her already round cheeks look fuller. He mimicked her when she leaned in closer to talk to him.

"I know I already said this but thanks for today. I had fun."

"So did I. I would stay up and find something to do but with all of the food we ate, it's best if I turn in for the night." He patted his stomach. The yawn that escaped Maya told him she agreed. Without saying another word the pair walked side by side to their separate bedrooms.

Hanzo laid awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. He was annoyed at the fact that he woke up before sunrise. The clock sitting on a nightstand read 2:08am. He got out of bed, rolling his eyes, and stretched. Out of the corner of his eye he looked at his closet. Moments later , he began searching through the new clothes and shoes to find something he discarded months ago. Once his hands touched the cold metal and leather, he knew he found what he was looking for.

Ripping it to shreds and setting it ablaze was the first thought he crossed his mind when he looked at it in the past. Now he felt indifferent while looking at his old gear. It represented his past life, a life that was consumed with hate and rage. He hesitated to place it back in the closet the more he looked at it. The black and yellow coloring of his gear represented the life he lived before the fateful attack led by the Lin Kuei. His life as the Grandmaster of the Shirai Ryu. He never let Kenshi and especially Maya know he felt uncomfortable being in Japan. Maya briefly discussed how she made the transition to living in Japan and feeling comfortable in her new home. Bringing up the fact that he felt out of place being in the country where his clan once walked the earth and on thriving before being massacred will bring everyone down.

He glanced at the scabbards laying at his feet. After taking in a deep breath, Hanzo replaced his old gear, picked up his scabbards, and unsheathed the twin blades secured inside. No matter what he is still a fighter a heart. Combat comes naturally to him. While he enjoyed not having to fight on a regular basis, he did miss sparring. It kept him on his toes, everything maybe peaceful now but it could quickly take a turn for the worse.

The low growl his stomach let out made him leave his room in search of something to eat. With a full fridge at his disposal, he decided to eat until he felt satisfied. As soon as he stepped inside the living room eating was the last thing on his mind. One of the sliding door that lead to the garden and lake was ajar. Although he didn't need any weapons to tackle whoever or whatever decided to invade the home, Hanzo would have liked to have a sword in hand. If he had no choice but to kill, a slash to the throat or stab to the chest would make things easier than fighting with his bare hands. It's only been a day since Maya recovered from her illness, she was vulnerable and the last thing he would allow is someone breaking into her home and hurting her.

As he inched closer to the door Hanzo heard someone speaking in a strange language. The supposed intruder's voice became clearer and he let of a long sigh of relief. Frustration quickly followed.

"What a stupid thing to do." He chastised her under his breath. For someone who was always careful, he was disappointed that she made such a careless decision. If he didn't hear her, Hanzo would have attacked her.

After pushing the door to the side, he found Maya sitting with her back turned to him. It was easy to guess what she was doing. A small cauldron sat in front of her with a low red flame flickering beneath it. Bottles of various shapes and sizes, many resembled the potion bottles she stored in her room and expensive perfume bottles he's noticed her stare at while they were out hours ago, along with a black mortar and pestle sat to her left. Ingredients for her potions sat to her right. Hanzo could easily identify some of them, many of the plants and flowers grew in the garden. Others, like the different oils, preserved organs, horns, stones, and bones threw him off.

Suddenly a white glow surrounded Maya and all the objects around her, leaving Hanzo stunned. Some of the ingredients rose from the terrace. In a matter of minutes, ingredients were cut, crushed, and peeled before dropping into the cauldron. The mixture gurgled and white plumes of smoke occasionally rose from the cauldron.

"Enjoying the show?" She asked.

"Yes. It was very impressive."

"Thanks!" Maya gave him a quick glance over her shoulder, only to do a double take at the sight of the man standing behind her. His short hair was now shoulder length, which was long enough to make her want to style it. Her eyes traveled down and stared his arms and abs. It also didn't hurt that he wore his pajama pants just below his hips. "Good lord." She said under her breath.

"Do you mind if I join you?" He asked. Maya patted the space next to her and he sat down. "What exactly are you making?" He peered inside the cauldron and watched the bubbling concoction turn a light shade of blue.

"An anti-headache potion. When that's finished I'll make a batch of anti-anxiety, nausea, and a couple of burn potions. I like to keep a supply for myself here and give a batch to Natsuo. We know spells that can fix those nasty little problems in a heartbeat but most of the time all we need to do is give our patient a potion and they'll be fine. It helps reserve some of our magic too."

"Wouldn't it be better to sell them? Having some extra money in your pocket is never a bad thing."

"Money's not a problem." She simply answered. That was obvious. Not a lot of people her age could afford to have a large home or have a temple built in their name. "Being a part of The Bellamy Family of Sorcerers has its perks." Maya told him while waving her hand to stir the brewing potion. "There's some pressure that comes with it, like living in their shadow and feeling like I have to prove myself." When he placed his hand on her shoulder, she knew he understood. They sat in silence and watched the bottles rise and be filled to the brim with the finished potion. Water appeared to clean the cauldron and another potion was in the process of being made.

He wanted to go into detail about challenges he faced while in the Shirai Ryu but restrained himself. Being the son of the Grandmaster put the spotlight on him. He went against his father's wishes and joined the Shirai Ryu to prove himself. He went above and beyond every mission he was sent out to, trained the most and the hardest. His hard work provided him a better life than what he would have lived if he became another civilian working an everyday job. The downside was it not only put a strain on his health but in his relationships with others.

"I take it everyone have roles in your family." He asked her. "If you don't mind telling me, what are they?"

"You can say we're part of a clan at home. Different families and sorcerers in a community that have their own part to play. There's the Elders who's been around for centuries." His brows raised at that word. Even with all of the supernatural things he's seen, he was skeptical of her statement. "You already know about Shao Kahn and Outworld invading Edenia. Some were lucky enough to flee to Earthrealm and landed in the Caribbean. While they were rebuilding their lives, the helped slaves gain their freedom. Some of them already knew magic but didn't have a strong command of it like the Edenians. Then the age old people from two different sides of the spectrum help each other, fall in love, and have families happened. To protect themselves they created islands hidden within all the other ones in the Caribbean and live there. I'm part of the 'first families' in our community. My parents and brother are great at healing and combat. My brother almost was a part of the Mortal Kombat tournaments before The Invasion. That's how good he is. I focus more on healing because that's the easiest. At least for me."

"Have you tried to learn combat?"

"I know how to defend myself and use have magic to rely on. I'm all about defense and avoiding physical fights at all costs. One of the few times I had to fight, things didn't end well." She furrowed her eyebrows and clenched her jaw. "Since I focus more on magic my fighting skills are a little rusty. I want to train and spar but don't know where to start. Oh, if only I knew two guys who are well known and skilled fighters who could teach me. That would make things a lot easier." She titled her head and wiggled her eyebrows when he looked at her.

"I'm sure Kenshi will be more than willing to help me train you. You two share some common abilities, he can help you hone and master those skills while I focus on something else."

"I'm sure you will."

By sunrise all of the potion bottles were filled and labeled. Maya made a light breakfast for the group, she kept Kenshi's plate warm for him when he wakes up. They carried her potions to her room and carefully stored them in a box she kept in a corner of her room. Out of the corner of his eye, Hanzo saw Maya's robe being thrown on her bed and her stretching her arms. The affinity to magic wasn't the only thing she inherited from her Edenian bloodline. Everything from her tightly coiled brown hair, dark brown eyes, full lips that usually pulled into a smile when she looked at him, defined waist and full hips that filled out and made every piece of clothing she wore look better, made him feel like flustered teenage boy again. He was sure his cheeks were bright pink every time he looked at her and quickly turn around so she wouldn't catch him. But the fact that she didn't tease him about it told him she hasn't noticed his admiring gaze. At least not yet.

Before he knew it, he was standing on the opposite side of her bedroom door.

"I can't wait to start our lessons, sensei." She told him with a sly smile before closing the door.

Another chapter down! A lot more to go! Things are heating up between Hanzo and Maya. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Thanks the birthday messages! And thanks again for reading. Hope you guys enjoyed it! :)