A/N: Kara's life in two parts, her past and now. Subtle changes will begin to appear. Hopefully not too subtle. Much love and thanks to all that have stuck with me. I know I'm not the most consistent in updates, and work has been hectic as anything, but, you're still here, putting up with little old me, and that is awesome. :)

Domino Effect

Nineteen years ago

"Urgh". Kara rolled onto her side and rubbed her eyes. She couldn't sleep yet again, and the beginning of a headache pulled at her.

"Hey". Stephen woke up, turned and cupped her face. He covered his mouth with his other hand. A long, drawn out yawn came from him. Kara shifted.

"No. God. I thought I was over this". She sighed, disorientated.

"Nightmare?"

She nodded. "I'm a grown woman, having nightmares", she sighed again, "I feel like I should get a damn nightlight".

Her companion rose from the bed, grabbed a lantern and his lighter. He lit the wick and placed it on their bedside table. Kara sniffled.

"Stop it, you".

Stephen raised a brow and got back under the sheet.

"Stop what?"

She blushed. "Making me love you even more".

He smiled softly. "I want to protect you. From what's happened in the past and in your mind, I know I can't, and that kills me. But, if you need a light, and, no, you are not a child, than I'll get you a light".

He also grabbed the blanket that Sarine, Kara's grandmother had knitted her. He wrapped it around her, watching her curl up into it. This had a smile grow on his face.

Kara surprised him, suddenly getting hands-on. He stopped her.

"I want to make you feel better Kara, but not like this. You aren't in the right frame of mind, and I sure as hell am not taking advantage of you".

Hazel eyes watered. Stephen sighed, trying to sooth her back to sleep.

"It isn't you. It's me. What the fuck am I doing anymore? I don't know", she blinked, making tears fall, creating glistening tear trails on her cheeks, "Is this real?" She looked at him. "Are you even real? I can't have anything this good in my life, can I? I don't deserve you, or this life. I'm so confused Stephen! What the hell do I do?"

Her boyfriend wiped away the tears with a thumb, looking deeply into her eyes, a soft smile on his lips when he saw her blush.

"You deserve this, me, and much more Kara. You know your family believe in you, your friends believe in you. I believe in you. You need to believe in yourself. Close your eyes, and when you wake, you'll still be here, with me. Everything will be as it is now, I promise".

Kara sobbed, spluttering then swallowing saliva. She'd forgotten to breathe in the meantime and had to be coached through a panic attack. The person she needed to help her was here, right with her, and he knew.

He knew, he just knew how to talk her down when she was so close to the edge. So close to falling down and down...

Present day

The gang rushed through the portal, only getting a few hundreds meters before being surrounded by Shirai Ryu acolytes. Kara panicked, though tried to keep the illusion that she was calm. She spoke to a growling Hanzo, who stood above a dying man, ready to strike the killing blow.

Master Hasashi, please. Stop this. We aren't here to prevent you in seeking revenge.

She looked at his men, noticing them trembling. They were young acolytes, had never tasted or even witnessed kombat before outside of the fortress. Kara knew how they felt, and put her hands up slowly, as a show of no ill intention. Cassie and her friends followed suit.

But we aren't here to die either. I know I'm Lin Kuei, but they aren't. Don't drag them into this.

Hanzo located the voice and glared at her. He hadn't seen the warrior before, and she did not wear her clan garb right now, though, he wasn't about to argue. He had come here with a purpose, seeking justice. And he would have it.

Sub-Zero is innocent. I know this now. My quarrel isn't with you.

Kara heaved a sigh when the leader waved for his men to stand down. Kara stayed where she was whilst her friends ran over to assist their fallen parents and comrades.

The general saluted the leader, and bowed graciously.

Thank you. I will keep the peace here. No one will stand in your way.

Or so she thought. As they were talking, D'Vorah strolled out of a portal, alongside several revenents. She handed Quan an amulet. He began chanting. When Kara heard that, she immediately swore.

No! Master, you have to stop him! I don't know what the hell that chant is, but it can't be anything good.

She ran over to where her friends were and created a barrier between them and the unfolding craziness. Hanzo spun around, drew a Ninja sword and took Quan's head clean off with it. D'Vorah screeched, hitting him with a sharp pincer. It pierced an almost perfect spherical hole in his shoulder. He grunted and drew back, yanking the pincer out. The woman managed to grab the amulet, and continued the chant. The trinket began glowing red.

Kara rolled her eyes.

So much for keeping the peace...

She yelled. "Hanzo! You need to get out of there!"

A black form materialized from the amulet, slowly swirling up and up, until it formed into a person. Hanzo tried to think on who this could be. He has to think fast or he would surely die. He chose to make a mad dash towards Kara, who let him through the barrier when he skidded to a halt in front of it.

Look, just trust me on this, okay? I know the Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei don't exactly get along, but, can we not argue for a while? Can we just not? There's more pressing issues at hand here. I'm not bullshitting you here, okay?

The man frowned, but agreed.

Sonya, who was drifting in and out of consciousness saw the red light, it's beauty overshadowed by it's ominous presence.

"Is...that who I think it is?"

A loud, deafening crack of thunder had everyone covering their ears. Raiden appeared, spinning in the air, white lightning fizzling in the air around him. He landed gracefully on the ground, his gaze fixed on the inky black shape.

"Shinnok"...

A collective gasp exuded from the group. Shinnok's form appeared before them, though he looked drawn, sick. Both Raiden and Kara could sense and see that he was not at full power as of yet. He'd be vulnerable for a time.

If they were to strike, they must do it soon.

"Lord Raiden? Whatever you're planning, I'm right with you".

Kara walked around the group but kept up the barrier.

"Shall I call my Mom? My abilities are not enough to prevent his", she paused, trying to think of the right word, though, the one she picked didn't sound quite, "awakening? Mom's are".

Raiden shook his head. Kara blanched.

"We've no time".

"Oh god". She took a few deep breaths. "Okay. What do you need me to do?"

"Keep doing what you already are, shielding the others. Good call".

Kara smiled upon receiving a smile from him.

"Got it".

She stood firm, before being moved out of the way. A red beam hurtled towards her, going completely unnoticed. The thunder god pushed her out of harms way and returned fire, shocking Shinnok until he coughed up blood. Kara span around, disorientated for a moment. She looked at the white haired god, then the fallen one, and had a metaphorical 'ping' in her mind.

Did Raiden just gravely injure Shinnok? He had to be stopped, that was a given, but this confused her. This fused with worry when the two clashed in a baffling flurry of attacks. She knew he protected Earthrealm fiercely, but he never performed the ultimate judgement, death upon anyone, other than Smoke, that she knew of.

And, he didn't mean to kill him, right? That was a mere accident.

But, as she regained stability and her vision no longer blurred, the gravity of her thoughts hit her, knocking her for six.

Since when did gods make accidents? Raiden had millennia to hone his abilities, keep them in check, reigning them in when needed. Even if the situation was dire, he hadn't actually caused much in the way of destruction in his wake.

He'd changed significantly. His aura shone a brilliant blue, but also a blinding white, much brighter than it was prior. He had increased in power, this she felt, but she felt this change wasn't from the boost. It was from him, something inside him had changed...

Snapped perhaps?

No.

This was internal strife, and she would find out what. She wasn't taking silence for an answer ever again...

Another portal opening caught her attention. Sub-Zero, along with one hundred Lin Kuei acolytes walked through it. A man who Kara didn't think would be there followed them.

Snake. And he was with his wife Lin, and their twins, Ruben and Phoebe.

Kara lit up, feeling the stress lift from her body almost immediately. It only took looking back at the nightmarish scene before her to drag her mood right back down to dire though.

Sub-Zero and Snake walked next to Hanzo, their men offering his backup.

"As a show of solidarity. I was not about to let this happen without making sure I assisted you if need be. I would rather be here than sitting at home, twiddling my thumbs".

Hanzo looked a little annoyed by the man's sudden appearance, but quickly realised they could use all the help they could get...

"How did you know?"

Sub-Zero pointed to Kara.

"Kara informed me of the situation".

It then dawned on him. The voice he had heard in his head. Kara was a telepath. She may have just saved his clan AND his reputation whilst she was at it...

The three men shook hands, and, which surprised her, Hanzo offered his hand, in thanks to Kara. She shook it gratefully, noting his shoulder injury.

Hanzo was bleeding, rather a lot, rather quickly too. He stooped, and the colour drained from his face, though was keeping a facade of 'I'm fine'. Kara put her hands up at the side of her head, to show she meant no harm.

"As a show of good faith, may I heal that wound? I can stop the bleeding until my Mother gets here".

He'd accepted help from Sub-Zero, a Lin Kuei, something he never believed he'd do. Although he squinted, he did not know Kara well, at all, but her leader trusted her. He gave her second-in-command position. Therefore, he came to the conclusion that he had reason to distrust or suspect her of anything sinister.

He nodded. Kara placed a hand a few centimeters from his shoulder. A cool sensation washed over him, prompting a shiver. Blood seeping from the injury ceased and pooled at the stop, coagulating before his very eyes. Snake winked at her, which took the edge off her frazzled mindset. This also took her attention off of something much more important.

The skin began healing over it, only a little flayed skin remained when he shot back.

"Kara, watch out!"

D'Vorah ran into the fray. Kara muttered under her breath and ran at her. Pincer after pincer flew at her, she skillfully maneuvered around the offending appendages. She gave the swarm a run for it's money, the flies couldn't get near enough to phase her. A swift kick into the wall of a pagoda and an uppercut sent the woman hurting upwards. She hit the wall with some force, her skin scraping on the brick. Kara began walking away back to the group.

She made a near fatal error in judgement...

Kara was back-handed to the floor, a midair, decisive strike. She tried and failed to twist in midair herself, so she could land on her front and roll forward. She hit her head on the ground, hearing a crack beneath her. Immediately her head grew warm, the skin at the back stung. It pulsed and she saw stars.

She tried to look at the man responsible for saving her ass' direction, though her head swam through a thick haze.

Thanks...

Before she passed out, she saw a soaring fireball smack the swarm queen. It burnt her face and neck. She screamed and clutched at her face, blindly sprinting off towards the revenents. They were angry, eager to fight, though Shinnok had not commanded them to do so. They stood impatiently, waiting for their turn.

They would not get one. Shinnok bellowed and a huge flash of scarlet hit everyone.

It all faded to black, one by one, the warriors fell like dominoes...

Kara woke up, at what time, she did not know. She took a peek at the clock on the bedside table and noted it was 5.36am. She and the others had been fighting last night.

Shit, I was out for hours! What happened?

"Someone? Anyone?!"

She sat up and saw a slither of light through the tent flaps. Only, the light wasn't aquamarine, like she'd expect it to be during sunrise.

It was ruby red, it rippled and cascaded in waves.

"Oh God". She scrambled up, swaying in the process.

"Kara. There isn't anything we can do now".

A sudden, deep, thick with sleep voice jolted her awake. Now, she was truly awake.

"Master Hasashi?" She sighed in relief. "At least someone else is here. What the hell happened?"

Hanzo looked glum, glummer than she'd ever witnessed the man be.

"Shinnok killed D'Vorah, took her energy and some of the revenents too. He used this to bolster and enhance his own abilities. Before you fell, he unleashed a wave of concentrated energy, using the maelstrom of air around him. In turn, it created a torrent, which hit everyone".

Kara felt sick. Biliousness urged her stomach to freak out, causing her to swallow, in a vain attempt to stop herself from retching.

"The others...are the others okay?"

The leader nodded.

"They are fine. Your Mother arrived here after the conflict had ended and began the long process of accessing everyone. She looked us all over and, as you said, my wound has healed nicely".

Kara managed a small smile. Relief swept through her at knowing her friends were okay.

He continued. "Johnny was taken by Shinnok however. Cassandra and her team have gone after him, to the Sky Temple".

Kara's heart jumped and her stomach sank.

"Shit! I...fuck! I said I would help them, keep them as safe as I could. And what do I go and do? Get myself knocked unconscious! And the Sky Temple? How dare he desecrate such a sacred place! Bastard." She growled, knowing there was nothing she could do. The Sky Temple resided in an alternate plain, one that could not be entered easily. It had to 'let you in', so to speak. It was designed to keep evil at bay, outside it's protective walls.

Wait. He's yet to mention...

"Is Raiden alright?"

Hanzo shook his head, gulping. That and the bob of his Adam's Apple cause darkness to creep into her mind.

"He...He used Raiden to get inside the Sky Temple, didn't he? It wouldn't let anyone inside unless he was there, or had given his permission".

If her stomach sank any lower, it'd end up in her feet. It already felt like someone was trampling on it underfoot. She teared up, the man noticing this, but not mentioning it.

"Do you think they are strong enough, to defeat Shinnok I mean. If he's captured Raiden, then", her voice was a mere whisper now, fading out gradually, "then that means they aren't, and couldn't possibly ever be. I can't"...

She stopped abruptly, stress overflowed and she felt herself sinking into the bed. Hyperventilating, sweating, cold hands, shaking body accompanied the sinking feeling. She was having a panic attack, the first in eighteen years.

Hanzo shot up and ran to the tent opening.

"Lady Tiama!"

Upon hearing her name, Kara's Mother raced to the tent...only to find her daughter in a state of utter defeat. Frustration, upset and fear radiated from her, her once thin, wispy aura growing thicker, darker.

The goddess steeled herself though she felt tears making their way from her ducts to the surface. She coughed and walked over, kneeling down, uncaring of her now thoroughly bloodied and dirtied robes.

"Oh, Kara".

Her eyes were wide, her mouth open, expression agape. She was vulnerable yet again, possibly about to lose her friends, and the man, who built her up from nothing. Watched her grow as a fighter, learn from him. A teacher, and the only man, before Snake (she didn't count her Father or Sub-Zero in this) to not treat her as disposable. As nothing more than a mere object, single-use, then cast aside.

Unwanted? Useless? Unnecessary in the grand scheme of things? Kara couldn't wonder about that, let alone think at the moment. Everything raced by, whizzing in a blur, whilst she lay there, unable to process any of it.

And this? This frightened her terribly. And Tiama too. She had no choice but to hide it, squirrel it away, and give off the illusion she felt no troubles. For this, she wanted to cast aside her Goddess status and be a Mother, only that and not care about her heavenly duties.

They could wait, Kara couldn't. Her daughter came before anyone and anything in this world.