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Kurai sat on the bed feeling sick to his stomach after what his mother had just told him of the prophecy a sorceress once told Onaga thousands of years ago. The prophecy of an Edenian that would one day rise up and bring about the downfall of the Dragon King.
But why him? That's the question he is currently asking himself. Why have the fates chosen Kurai of all the Edenians to face Onaga when he returns? It doesn't make sense to Kurai. Just... why? Why him?
He releases a shuddering sigh as Sindel and Kitana try to comfort him and calm him down, but a knock sounds on the bedroom door. Kurai looks up. "Come in." He says as the door opens to reveal Hanzo Hasashi.
"Kurai, may I speak with you?" The former specter asks politely, which causes Kurai to nod instantly.
"Yes! Yes. Anything to take my mind off of what I was just told." He says softly before standing up on his feet while Sindel gently pats his back.
Kurai and Hanzo exit the room to walk about the palace while Sindel and Kitana stay behind in the room. Sindel then looks over at her daughter, who had a look of sadness on her face. "Kitana, you two must clear the air with each other." The Edenian Queen says to her tenderly as Kitana looks over at her mother with tears building in her eyes.
"Mother, he won't even let me apologize for how I've been acting towards him. I know that I haven't been treating him well since we all returned to Edenia, but when I asked if we could talk earlier, he shut me down! I want to make amends, but he won't allow it!" She exclaims sadly as Sindel nods with every word she says.
Kitana looks down as her shoulders begin to tremble. "Have I... Have I really treated him so badly that... that he has cut me out of his life and wants nothing more to do with me? Does he... He hates me now... doesn't he?" She wonders sadly before Sindel gently grabs her daughter and pulls her into a warm hug.
"Oh, my dear daughter, your brother is not like that and you know it. He's just hurt that his big sister has been treating him like an outsider instead of family. He's hurt, Kitana, and he is angry. There's no doubt about that. But he doesn't hate you. You understand?" She says to Kitana with a firm but tender tone as the princess nods and hugs her mother tightly.
"I miss my little brother, mother. I miss him so much." Kitana says to Sindel with sadness as the Edenian Queen nods in agreement and holds her daughter close.
"I know, Kitana. I know." She says softly, silently agreeing with her daughter but for a different reason. Sindel doesn't miss Kurai, so to speak, rather she misses the little boy that she missed so much time with. And with the coming event of the prophecy, she dreads to think of what the outcome of said event will be. Onaga's permanent demise. Or Kurai's.
Sindel sighs then gently pulls away from her daughter, who sniffles before looking at her mother. The queen laughs and kisses her daughter's cheek. "You should clean yourself up before he returns, Kitana. Make yourself look presentable." She advises her, which causes Kitana to look at her mother with confusion.
"Wha... What?" She asks dumbfounded which causes Sindel to giggle.
"If you want a chance to talk to Kurai, just wait here until he returns. He has to come back eventually to rest and heal, and he can't avoid you forever. But clean yourself up first, my dear." She tells Kitana tenderly before walking towards the door then stops.
She turns to look at Kitana again. "I, on the other hand, must return to Edenia and continue handling the NON warrior royals and convince them that Onaga could potentially be returning in some form. In the meantime, you take care of things with your brother and clear the air. Understand?" She says firmly, which causes Kitana to nod with a small smile.
Sindel nods in return with a smile before exiting the room to leave the palace and head back to Edenia. Kitana wipes her tears away and cleans herself up before sitting on the bed with a sigh. "It's easier said than done, mother. But all I can do is try." She quietly says to herself before lying down on the bed while she waits for Kurai to return.
Meanwhile, with Kurai and Hanzo...
Kurai and Hanzo walk steadily down a hallway of the palace with Hanzo keeping Kurai's slower pace as to not outpace him. "Kurai, I don't wish to take up much of your time, I only wish to know something." He says softly as Kurai looks over at him curiously.
"And what's that?" He asks.
Hanzo hesitates before looking over at Kurai. "After all the things I did, the things I did to you and your friends... Why spare me and cleanse my soul?" He asks the Edenian Prince curiously.
Kurai stops walking and glances off to the side to think about the question but not for very long. The thought that instantly came to mind was how he lost himself to his rage after Sadira's death for so many years. Then he met Hanzo during the Mortal Kombat tournament and saw a bit of himself in the ninja specter when he heard that his family and clan had been killed.
Then after learning the Phoenix Cleanse from Han, he decided that if he could find redemption, then maybe Hanzo could find his own. But not while he was under Quan Chi's heel as his slave.
Kurai then looks at Hanzo. "Because I know the feeling of what it's like to lose someone you love and give in to your rage. But I eventually found my center again and remembered what was more important." He explains as Hanzo looks at him with confusion with one more question in mind.
"And what would that be? What was more important?" The former ninja specter asks curiously as Kurai smiles before answering.
"Honoring her memory instead of going around fighting in a rage induced frenzy. Which is... exactly what you had been doing while serving under Quan Chi, Hanzo." He answers truthfully as Hanzo looks off to the side and contemplates what Kurai had just told him.
After thinking about Kurai's answer for a few moments, Hanzo looks back at Kurai and politely bows to him. "I understand, Kurai. It... may take me some time before I find my redemption, but I shall take the answer you said to me to heart and begin honoring my family and clan, but in my own way. I can only hope that you and I will become good friends down the road and close allies." He says respectfully to Kurai, which makes him smile with a nod.
Kurai reaches his hand out and waits. Hanzo stares at Kurai's hand for a moment before grasping it as they shake hands. Kurai smiles. "I hope for the same thing, Hanzo, and this is just the start." He tells him happily as Hanzo smiles genuinely.
"Hanzo!" A voice calls out to the former ninja specter, who turns around to see who called him.
It was Bi-Han waving him over. "Hanzo, let's go. Let Kurai get some rest for now. We should get some rest as well for the time being." Bi-Han says to Hanzo, who nods before looking back at Kurai and nods to him.
"I thank you for your time and patience, Kurai. Thank you for helping me and saving my soul." Je says to him sincerely with a quick bow.
Kurai smiles and waves it off. "Hanzo, think nothing of it. I was happy to help. Just remember to honor your family and clan in your own way. One that doesn't include harming innocent lives in the process." He explains causing Hanzo to nod with understanding.
Kurai and Hanzo then shake each others hands again before the yellow ninja turns to walk away but stops for a moment and turns his head. "Be well, Prince Kurai." He says politely.
Kurai smiles and nods. "And you as well, Hanzo Hasashi." He says as Hanzo walks away to meet up with Bi-Han, who waves to him before walking away with Hanzo.
Kurai lifts his hands up and rubs his face gently before letting his arms flop to his sides. He turns around to walk back to his room and get some rest.
Minutes later, Kurai's Room...
When he reaches the bedroom door, he opens it to see Kitana still in the room lying on the bed waiting for him. She sees him and sits up as he sighs in exhaustion. "Kitana, what are you still doing here?" He asks her exasperatedly causing her to shrug.
"Well, technically speaking this was my room during my time here." She says nonchalantly, which causes Kurai to sigh before he turns to face her.
"Fine. You want your room back? You can have it. I don't have time for this." He tells her with a frustrated tone and walks over to the bedroom door.
Kitana stands up desperately to stop him. "Wait, wait, wait! Kurai, I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. I was just... Just teasing. That's all." She says to him pleadingly causing him to stop from walking out of the bedroom.
He sighs and turns around with an annoyed expression. "Why are you still here, Kitana? What do you want?" He asks her exasperatedly as she stands up and walks towards him calmly.
"I just want to talk, Kurai. I don't want anything else but to talk to you and apologize for how I've been acting. The way I've been treating you for the past year, I can't take that back or change it. The only thing I can do is apologize and try to make amends." She tells him sadly as he looks at her suspiciously before sighing.
He walks over to the bed and sits down. "Yeah, about that. Why DID you start ignoring me and treating me like I had the plague? I mean, I know that me moving out of the palace upset you and mother, but I didn't think it would upset you THAT much." He begins as she nods her head shamefully.
"So why, Kitana? What was it about me moving out to the lake that set you off and forced you to treat me like trash? Hmm?" He continues asking her, but this time she shakes her head.
"It wasn't you moving out that upset me, Kurai. I was-" She begins to explain, but Kurai angrily interrupts her.
"THEN WHAT WAS IT?!" He shouts standing up from the bed, which forces her to shout back tearfully.
"I DON'T KNOW! ALRIGHT?! I DON'T... I don't know... and I don't have a definitive answer. All I know is that you leaving the palace was just... It was like I was losing you all over again when I had just got you and mother back." She explains tearfully, but Kurai wasn't buying it.
"Kitana, you knew where I was building my home. It is right near the lake. Almost an hour walk from the palace to get there. Mother visited me as much as she could when she had the time. But you? Not one single visit. And when I would visit the palace to see you and mother, you avoided me. WITH a cold glare I might add." He says to her angrily, which she nods to as tears stream down her cheeks.
He walks up close to her and stares her down with an ice cold glare. "I'll ask you one more time, Kitana. And you better have a clear answer. You apologized, I forgive you. But that's not what I care about. I want an explanation. What I care about, is why you suddenly changed when I decided to leave the palace. What changed with you, Kitana?" He asks her sharply, which causes her to freeze and make her think about everything before, during and after he left the palace.
Kurai waits patiently as she thinks long and hard, and the one thing that was made clear to her was that she couldn't see past the younger Kurai, her little brother. The prince, not the warrior. The image and memories of those times began to fracture and tear in her mind until they shattered.
Then the memories of his past and current actions flooded into her mind. His fights with Baraka, Percival Silva, the Lin Kuei cyborgs, the forces of Outworld, Shao Kahn, the demons, Percival Silva again, Shinnok, all of it flooded her mind and caused her to break down.
Her legs begin to wobble before collapses against Kurai, who catches her and loses his glare as he holds her up. He looks at her with concern as she weeps and cries loudly. "Kitana, what...? What's wrong?" He asks her with concern in his tone as she crumbles slowly to the floor with Kurai still holding her.
She continues to cry as she looks up at him. Her lips tremble before she sniffles. "I finally understand why I acted the way I did. I have an answer for you... When I looked at you, Kurai, I didn't see you as my brother... I couldn't... I didn't want to accept that you had grown up after all this time. I just... all this time and all I wanted was my little brother back. And when I do, he's a grown man. I didn't... want you. I wanted you to be how you were back then. We lost, I lost, so much time Kurai that I can't stand it." She explains tearfully while Kurai remains silent.
"Whenever I looked at you all I saw was... a stranger. Someone that wasn't my little brother, you just... looked like him, but you ARE him. Then when you decided to leave the palace, I didn't know how I felt. I was upset but also... relieved? By the Elder Gods, I don't know... I don't even know how to explain it. I just... gods, Kurai... I just want you to know how sorry I am. And I see you now. Who you were back then, who we all were... so much has changed and so much time has passed... we'll never get it back..." She continues with tears streaming down her cheeks before she hugs Kurai tightly.
Kurai hugs her back and shushes her softly while rocking her back and forth. "We don't have to, Kitana. We may have lost time, but we can make up for it. We just have to take care of Delilah first and Onaga. After that, we'll have plenty of time to make new memories." He tells her tenderly, which causes her to nod before the two siblings fall silent in the room.
"I'm sorry, Kurai. I truly am." She says after a few moments of silence as Kurai shakes his head softly with a smile.
He hugs her tightly and holds her. "Kitana, I told you already, I forgive you. I just wanted to know why. That's all." He tells her tenderly as she nods while wiping her tears away while they continue to hug each other warmly.
"But I see you now, little brother. And now whenever I think about all of the things you've done up to now, I can't help but feel so proud because of how strong you've become. I always knew you would be strong, but I never imagined that you would be strong enough to fight a former Elder God and survive." She admits to him, which causes the both of them to laugh lightly.
He pulls away from the hug and shrugs. "Well, I think it's safe to say that we've all surprised ourselves in some way. Especially our mother telling us that we're basically a royal family of demi gods." He tells her jokingly causing her to laugh again.
She nods after a moment. "Indeed. It sure surprised me when she summoned a phoenix with her voice." She says to him as they laugh again and fall into a comfortable silence.
The two siblings eventually pull away from their embrace and rises to their feet while Kitana walks towards the bedroom door before stopping. She turns to look at Kurai with a loving smile. "I love you, Kurai. And I always will, little brother." She says to him warmly as he smiles.
"I love you too, Kitana. Always have, always will." He says back to her, which causes her to smile widely before she opens the bedroom door and exits the room. Kurai sighs deeply and plops down on the bed. It doesn't take long for the Edenian Prince to fall asleep, both from the pain his body was feeling, and from the emotional conversation he just had with Kitana.
Meanwhile, Palace Clinic, with Jade and Tanya...
"...and that just about sums up everything up to this point." Tanya finishes her explanation to Jade of everything that happened that caused the fall of Edenia and her whole life up until now.
Jade, with a shuddering sigh, nods her head with understanding before she stands up from the bed to process the information. A large part of her is shouting and screaming at her, telling her not to believe Tanya and that she is lying. However, another part of her, a stronger part, is telling her that if she doesn't believe Tanya, then she should believe in and trust Kurai.
He may have kept a big secret from her, but he did it to protect Tanya, and considering how Jade reacted when she injured her mother while trying to kill Tanya, she understands why now. Jade has held so much hate and rage against Tanya for so many years that she began to remember what Kurai had once told her. During his era of a rage induced frenzy, he had hurt innocents and blindly killed those deserving after Sadira's death.
She looks at her trembling hands and clenches them tightly before sighing. She had decided that she did not want to tread down that path when no good would ever come out of it.
Without glancing at Tanya, she nods. "Thank you for telling me, Tanya. But... I still don't know how to feel about this. I understand everything you went through was... traumatic, and you have my sympathy. But... I still need some time before we can become friends again." She admits truthfully to her old friend, who nods before Jade begins to walk away.
"Jade?" Tanya calls out to her causing her to stop, but she doesn't spare Tanya a glance.
"Listen... I love Kurai, and I know you do too. So with both of us knowing this... where do we go from here?" She asks Jade curiously, who clenches her fists again tightly at the mere thought of having to share Kurai with Tanya.
Releasing a deep sigh, Jade finally turns to look at Tanya with a soft expression. "I don't know, Tanya. But... we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Ok?" She says to Tanya truthfully, who nods with understanding before Jade exits the clinic.
After Jade leaves, Tanya turns and lies back down on the bed and gently rubs the scar on her belly before her lips tremble. She quietly breaks down in tears and begins to cry silently alone in the clinic room.