"Go ahead and say it. I know you've been thinking about it."
Liu Kang expected the other Shaolin to deny the thought, to deny the accusation.
But he watched as Kung Lao averted his eyes in response to it instead.
He watched how the man's jaw visibly tightened, as though Kung Lao was having to restrain himself from speaking, rather than outright deny anything. Liu Kang didn't think he had ever seen the man so tense before; which was saying a lot, given the situation, and given how tense Kung Lao had already been so far.
"Do you honestly think I'm glad that I was right about not trusting Raiden?"
Liu Kang was surprised at how sharp the question came out, at how the man's words sounded like they were biting at each other.
He watched as Kung Lao shook his head now, before the Shaolin dropped his arms from where they had been tightly crossed over his chest.
It looked like he was physically trying to shake off the tension in his body.
But he just couldn't.
"Do you think I'm glad that I was right in not believing that Raiden wouldn't kill you again? Despite his assurances that history wouldn't repeat itself?" Kung Lao continued, as he turned to face him directly now. "I get it, maybe I like to be right a little too often- but do you really think that I find any kind of pride in watching Raiden fail to keep his word? Do you really think that I wanted to see him fail, and watch you die?"
Liu Kang felt himself tense at the words, at the spiked accusations that were getting thrown back at him.
He didn't like how they made him feel, how they made a pit form in his stomach now.
He had been so blinded by his own loyalty that he had chided the other Shaolin for his lack of it before.
Even when Lord Raiden admitted that this future was correct, and that his life had ended at the hands of the God, Liu Kang still held his faith. Hearing the truth of it come from Lord Raiden himself had been difficult to swallow, especially since it verified what his own Revenant had said, but he had found appreciation in the God's honesty; and he had committed himself to taking Lord Raiden at his word, that history would not repeat itself.
In that moment, it had been impossible to believe that Raiden would do such a thing, that the God would betray him like that.
And yet, seeing the rage in Raiden's eyes, seeing and hearing it being directed at him had shattered that illusion.
It had shattered his trust.
It had removed his self-made blindfold.
It was a feeling he was still battling with, despite Lord Raiden having stopped himself from completing their apparent shared prophecy.
The God may have prevented himself from killing him, but it didn't take away the fact that Raiden had tried to, that he had started to- that he had wanted to.
"I get that we don't always see eye-to-eye on things, Liu-"
"I know," Liu Kang interrupted, stopping Kung Lao from finishing his thought. "I know."
He heard his own voice crack slightly with the words.
"You were right before, but... I didn't want to believe it. And as much as I hate to admit it, I should have given more weight to my Revenant's words as well; he is technically me, after all, and he clearly knew Raiden better than I did."
Kung Lao looked surprised by the admission.
And it was enough to deflate the tension in his face.
"I'm sorry," he continued. "I was haste with my words, and I accused you of simply wanting to be right, and wanting to rub it in my face. I didn't- I didn't think of how everything must have looked from your perspective. You tried to warn me, and I didn't listen; and I almost paid the price for it."
Liu Kang could still recall how Fujin had gotten between he and Raiden afterwards, how the Wind God had used himself as a buffer between them.
But he could also recall how Kung Lao had grabbed him by the back of his shirt first, before the man pulled him back, and forced space between him and the God. He could recall how the air around them shifted for a split second, with Kung Lao all the more ready to teleport the two of them even further away if it became necessary.
Thankfully, it wasn't needed.
"I carry the burden of knowing that I was just seconds away from witnessing your death before we were brought to this timeline," Liu Kang spoke. "And now you carry that same burden."
He watched as every feature on Kung Lao's face softened now.
And all evidence of the man's previous frustrations were gone, now replaced by a familiar, vulnerable look.
He wouldn't say that Kung Lao looked hurt, but... without the anger, there was now that sinking realization that yes, he could've been killed by Raiden in that moment. And that yes, Liu Kang himself was finally coming to terms with it as well. And now they were both unsure exactly of what to do, of how to proceed from here, considering they had been following Raiden's guidance up until now.
Kung Lao's fingers toyed with the buckle on one of his gauntlets.
And the gesture implied that, despite it all, the Shaolin didn't know what to say in return.
And for once, Liu Kang could offer nothing to help guide him.
Kung Lao eventually broke the silence with a heavy sigh, before he walked over to him.
Liu Kang felt the heaviness of Kung Lao's arms as they wrapped themselves around him.
And he didn't realize just how heavy his own arms felt until he returned the gesture.
Until he buried his fingers into the man's shirt, and buried his head into Kung Lao's shoulder.