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Chapter Text

A/N: I've had several random ideas for my Khronology series, but none of them seemed to fit with the main fics. So, just like I did with my F-Zero fanfics with the "deleted scenes," might as well make another series of oneshots.

Con't I

Every single Sunday, Aiko would hear the same old praises to the Lord and Jesus! She was hoping the Order of Light, as the majority was from China, would break these agonizing traditions that were the most prominent in the United States! While they eventually became accepted by some, she could not! And she was anxious that there'd be more hymns for their usual Gods and protectors of Earthrealm, Raiden and Fujin, she had heard of the Wind God and Raiden's younger brother, but never seen him, yet...

It was actually a good thing she decided to join the White Lotus Society full-time; her involvement with the religious sect wasn't for her at all, nor for Kung Lao apparently. She could've sworn they were much like Jehovah's Witnesses since they never resorted to fighting, and Aiko grew irritated in how too soft they were on letting their enemies live; that was the Great Kung Lao's fatal undoing after all, thus not believing they'd save their own realm! Upon her outrage, she asked Raiden if she could quit the sect and join the White Lotus completely with her beloved, and he was actually thrilled! As the White Lotus Society, with her betrothed and its specialties centering on the paranormal, fit her like a glove!

"The sect... still is in the process of reformation. With Liu Kang as Grand Champion and Kung Lao's assistance, they would soon catch on that our greatest adversaries must be bested in kombat. The Great Kung Lao chose mercy over Shang Tsung, and he recruited Goro who eventually let Lao meet his demise. They've been conflicted ever since."

The rookie Kombatant was then curious, "Raiden... Was Jesus actually...real, or was He just an urban legend?"

"He was most certainly real, Aiko, born at Jerusalem in 4 BC. The Elder Gods blessed His parents and I had taught Him the ways on defending Earthrealm. Even avoiding dark temptations. Unfortunately, He only lived for 30 years before His cruxification. There are still some within the Order of Light who worship Him."

With his words ringing in her mind and listening to the usual disquieting numbers, Aiko became irate! She stormed away from the Yellow River, where she was taking a break from disabling fishes' hearts, and into her dorm within the Wu Shi Academy to ease her mind. Till suddenly he saw and watched Raiden stand idly by as he observed Liu Kang and Kung Lao training within the grassy knoll. The spar momentarily ended, the two monks bowed to each other, and she couldn't help but follow with a slight curtsy. She quickly shrugged off Raiden's lecture as she was heading to her private dorm to recharge; her cardiokinesis shutting down the nervous system of large prey like tuna can really take its toll! But at least she gets a decent payoff weekly.

She just sat on her comfortable bed sulking, until she noticed a bright light ahead of her; sure enough it was her mentor. "Raiden...! What...brings you here?"

"I'd noticed you observing us while I was coaching Liu Kang and Kung Lao. Is something on your mind?"

She drooped and took a deep sigh. "I'm just so sick on how more widespread the...usual praises to the Lord are! It's irritating! And I'm not religious, even though I do make my offerings to you every Sunday at the Dragon Grotto. But I can't tell if it's in Chinese on...praising you!"

"I see. There has not been many in the English American language."

Aiko gave herself a moment to compose, "And y'know, I was actually thinking on making you a special offer."

"Yes, of course."

"...Your theme song."

"Aiko, there had been many hymns dedicated to me."

"Yea, but you said they're all in Chinese, Mandarin. Not often in English. So...I was thinking..." She just went up and took out a mix tape and inserted it into the cassette/CD combo; making a variety tape was the only thing she could do since the internet was still in its infancy. Eventually, an oldie named Lightning Strikes by Lou Christie played. The first verse chimed, and the Thunder God's face tightened.

When it got to the bridge, Aiko stopped the tape. "No huh. I didn't think it was a good fit neither."

She took the cassette out and inserted a mix CD she burned and skipped to one of the mid tracks. It played a more catchy tune known as Heaven is a Place on Earth from Belinda Carlisle. The chords and chorus were like subtle impacts, and even Aiko stimmed a little while listening to it! Raiden was impressed as his face brightened and his eyes sizzled with bolts.

"Ha! I KNEW it!" she cried in ecstasy as she raised her fists.

Next Sunday came along, and Kung Lao was beside her as they recalled on dealing with the numerous traps protecting Earthrealm's sacred Jinsei, the holy lifeforce that was constantly surveillanced by Nightwolf's equipment. As they finally stopped within the Grotto springs, Aiko took out another CD-R disc encased in a white flip envelope and laid it on the moist soil. In it was a variety of songs from the early 90s that were chosen as numbers representing the Shaolin and other Kombatants. Eventually, she'd make another CD-R consisting more tunes, including those for Ashrah and Fujin! Sveral months later, she soon picked special tributes such as Respect the Wind from Twister for the brotherly God, and another for the new Goddess of Light! And even several disco songs about fire for the recent pyro God, and Enya music for the Edenian Titan!

Then, many more since it became a sort of tradition to her!

A/N: Little by little, I'd been finding theme song after theme song for several Kombatants, and I figured that giving the Gods their own songs would be more special than materialistic means like gold or gems... Hopefully, I'd eventually find a theme song for nearly everyone, mostly the heroes. A lot of those hits can be found in my virtual soundtracks in my Khronology series.

Also, on a personal note, I'm not religious though my parents had come from a Presbyterian background; same deal with my OC, Gavin Lucas, in my Sleepy Hollow fics.

By title, I thought Lightning Strikes would be a good theme song for Raiden, but after hearing the words, it wasn't as suitable since it's mostly about natural biological urges kicking in especially before marriage which caused conflicts between the couple. Fortunately, Heaven is a Place on Earth was a more soothing, suitable choice.

Respect the Wind was an instrumental end to the 1996 movie, Twister, which was usually inspiration for Fujin. Even for my 10 Video Game Aerokinetics. I hope I can pick a song for Ashrah. Enya, with its exotic style, I thought'd be a decent choice for Kitana to listen to, even fiery disco songs relating to Fire God Liu Kang, from MK11 of course.

I have a few more chapters in the works, so sit tight.

Chapter Text

Con't II

It was during Chinese Valentine's Day back in 1996, the first ever since the Shaolin restored themselves from the previous invasions, including Onaga's second coming, and Raiden returning to them from his Elder God status. It was ironic that America's annual day of romance took place the day after Kung Lao's birthday! Even with Aiko's mom's birthday on the day before it! Yet, China's version was always on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar; in which she always needed a lunar calendar due to holidays' inconsistencies.

Regardless on which edition, it was quite the day for the Shaolin, even to all of Earthrealm despite America's questionable origins. It was irresistible since most of the Order of Light and the White Lotus happen to have a significant other, even to those such as Liu Kang with Kitana as he decided to visit Edenia still under construction from Shao Kahn's regime, or Sonya with Johnny, or even Aiko with Kung Lao though the latter was busy amongst the prestigious faction.

As usual, the cardiokinetic's autistic mind seemed to never run out of these random and sometimes intrusive thoughts. She noticed Raiden, alone without a lover by his side; in fact, she never saw him with a lover, whether male or female, yet still she'd heard from the White Lotus he has a brother, the God of Wind, Fujin. She and Kung Lao had a chance to meet him right after their first date, and he'd been a vital mentor and hero ever since! There were also murmurs of other members of the Pantheon, though not as notable as the brother Gods, nor their newest addition, Ashrah.

While Raiden was keeping a watchful eye over his devoted followers as each family dispersed, he hardly noticed Aiko walk up to him. He actually decreed for them to have a day off to spend time with their loved ones, while the single warriors stayed.

"I bet you loved someone within the Pantheon. Right, Raiden? It's not just for mortals, is it...?" Aiko spoke curiously. "Or are they just asexual...?"

He laid a firm hand on her shoulder, "You know what, as a matter of fact, I did... Her name was Suijin. She was once the Goddess of Water who watched over Earthrealm with Riuky, Fujin and I. Before the world was in chaos and decimated by Shinnok."

The Thunder God flashed back to eons of the distant past as he, Fujin, Suijin and Riuky were within the heavens, all giving their best as they fought off the rogue Elder God. The sky was a bloody red and they were on a distant plain as the corrupt Elder God slain the other electromancer with his Amulet Staff, and the Water Goddess after he froze and shattered her!

He saddened, "Riuky... was the fallen God that churned into an asteroid and struck Earthrealm."

Aiko was despondent, "He engineered the apocalypse, and that was when you evacuated the Saurians... I'm...so sorry..." Nevertheless, she never thought that someone with an opposing element would be betrothed to another. "I guess Gods can die... What about the others."

"Millions of years later, Earthrealm and the Pantheon was reformed. They never wanted to recreate the fallen, as it is an imbalance of life and death, and there shall be no reminders from that fatal war. Alas, my brother and three other new recruits had defended the Temple of Elements and Shinnok's Amulet yet had been defeated by the bloodthirsty Bi-Han. After they recovered, they held off Shinnok once again in the heavens. Though it was discreet yet futile, even after Liu Kang, Fujin and I defeated Shinnok again; the Pantheon reduced in numbers once more.

"Still... I would never forget Suijin looking over Earthrealm and be fascinated with its ways of life, as the everlasting gem of the cosmos."

Meanwhile, the new Fire God was observing his mentor's conversation and even the ancient end of days thru the Hourglass. He closed his eyes trying to focus his racing thoughts as he sulked...

"Something on your mind, Liu Kang?" an alto spoke behind him.

He turned and his face lightened. "Kitana. I was just observing the Hourglass."

The titaness nodded, "I see. Even Earthrealm had its own share of Armageddon."

"It was how we evolved, thru natural selection when we had lost the dinosaurs. But...I never thought it was connected with the ancient war against Shinnok. Like mother, like daughter and son, they always wanted the realms in peril from their endless bloodshed."

His mind briefly flashed back to his confrontation with Kronika, in the Prehistoric Era before Shinnok's invasion no less! "The realms will not fight your endless wars!"

"Fight me further, Liu Kang, and your friends are lost. They have no future unless I create it!"

"The future you offer is not worth living! It will NOT come to pass!"

"We were fortunate to evade this scenario after I left the Prehistoric Era, then found you in the future, and restarted history. Twice..." He dropped his head again. "I could've saved them..."

Kitana reached and caressed his cheek, "Liu Kang... We cannot undo all of history. If it weren't for that catastrophe, then this realm would never have evolved. We must learn to accept that some of our dark past happened for a reason." He just sighed. "Your Revenant self and Raiden's dark self molded into you. Raiden here, Ashrah and Fujin are the chosen few to look out for Earthrealm, and we must do our part, to support our mortal selves and our allies indirectly. To prevent the dystopian future from transpiring again."

He recalled pulling out Baraka and Aiko from their horrific times, then had a change of heart, "Yes... That we must." She kissed him softly before she left. All Liu did was just stand there as he looked up at the Hourglass again. "Thanks, Kitana. But I know what we'll become..."

A/N: This was originally going to be a Valentine's Day special, but I wasn't able to make one on lack of inspiration/motivation, I contracted COVID, and I was stuck between my Pyrokinetics and Electrokinetics list. Also, I wanted to do an extra scenario with Raiden and Suijin inspired by the Battle of the Gods from MK Reconciliation, and I wanted Raiden to have a mate; I always didn't believe the Pantheon to be asexual. Whereas...how would Kronika have her son, Shinnok, and daughter, Cetrion. If Liu Kang and Kitana became the new titans of time together, surely, they'd love each other and maybe conceive. Hence my idea on their own son.

Also, in kase you don't know, Kung Lao's birthday being February 13th, 1964 was the date I found on Lao at the Super Fighters wiki. I liked that idea, rather than his bio as a pisspoor Bruce Lee rip-off from his biopic. And it was a koincidence that Valentine's fell 2 days after my mom's birthday, followed by Kung Lao's! Still, it's going to take me a long time for me to learn on the Chinese version of Valentine's, especially ever-changing on the "7th day on the 7th month," whenever that is...

It was difficult to find the right year for the setting of this chapter as it recalled Shinnok's invasion with Raiden's old shame on evacuating the Saurians; eventually 1996 was chosen since the invasions were over, Fujin was around as was Ashrah, and Raiden returned as Earthrealm's protector from his Elder God status and dark self! Besides...it might be better to have it take place before the upcoming Armageddon and the Final Kombat to justify Raiden and Liu's worries of future konflicts and the end of days.

Another bonus chapter kompleted, more shall be koming soon.

Chapter Text

Con't IV

It was around 8am as Aiko woke up during one of her early days living in China. She awakened within her new dorm room which was actually a hand-me-down from one of the surviving Shaolin warriors who offered her to live in it as it used to belong to one of the fallen from the Tarkatan attack. Rather than being abandoned and deserted, he given it to her free of charge. Thankfully it was unisex and wasn't too crazy with neither male nor female decor. By the time she switched out of her new nightgown and into one of the leftover Oriental casual outfits, she grabbed a paper map of the Academy grounds and followed the corridors to the dining hall. In it, there were a series of long tables and at the epicenter was a buffet with a variety of food products, including breaded sushi and whiting, baozi, Jian Bing crepes, scallion pancakes, soy and chili sauce, tea and oatmeal. The leading chefs had a strong health code and cut back on a lot of pure starch unless if accompanied by veggies, grains or other wholesome options.

"In order to be the best, you got to have the best..." Aiko thought aloud.

When she was done with her hearty breakfast, she followed a series of hallways leading to the outer courts; she got lost and confused at times, even by the Chinese signs with little English translations, but she eventually overheard her Shaolin brothers, Liu Kang and Kung Lao, sparring on one of the grassy knolls. By the time they noticed her, they stopped and bowed in greeting. She'd made a curtsy, although she needed more practice as she almost lost her balance after putting a leg close behind another as she bent.

"Good morning, how was your sleep?" Liu walked up to her.

"It was ok, thanks. I never knew these dorms can be so cozy," she crossed and rubbed her arms. "I think I was out like a light after...worrying for about an hour."

"They're definitely roomier than my stay at that mountain base way back," he referred to the desolate cave before it was severely flooded from Kahn's merger.

"Did you have breakfast yet?" Lao queried.

"Yea. The entries there were unique, exotic, very hearty. I hope they'd serve coffee eventually..."

"Yes, they always seem to have that scrumptious vibe, even after visiting the buffet for years they still taste fresh and new. They'll change their meal choices by noon, and they refrigerate then freeze the leftovers," the Champion informed.

"I'm sure it works the same way as in an American academy, err university." Lao wondered.

Aiko just rubbed the back of her neck as her face became vacant. "I don't know... I've never even been in one... Except the one in Boston, Harvard, but I was just wandering around with my stepcousin at the time. Many Orientals there."

"We were just doing training exercises," the heroic monk stated, "You can train yourself with your cardiokinesis. Just remember, that training is mental, not physical. And kinesis must always come from your chi."

"Your...chi?"

"Vital energy that assimilates the body internally, your essence."

"Oh."

"We'd been thinking you can train yourself on your new job, when you help us fish."

Her face became placid. "What!? I... don't know how to fish."

Liu pointed to himself, "I do the fishing. it's one of my favorite activities aside from sparring. I go into the Yellow River, hunt and catch big game before I toss them onto the bank, and fry them too. Kung Lao does the cutting, but you can assist us by disabling their hearts."

"The Shaolin don't use basic rods and cast them out like they used to." Lao added.

"Good thing," Liu murmured. "But for now, we must rest a while before we start."

Aiko was nervous, but as long as she had her trusted brothers by her side, she felt more confident on what she can do.

"I never cared about being the Champion, but rather...to do whatever I can to help. I always wanted to be a hero in defending Earthrealm, ever since I was young. Before I had left the lot of you." Aiko, Liu and Lao took a break from training while she observed them and functioned as a sort of ref and learnt how to do some basic healing duties; at the same time, though, it wasted some of her own stamina as she emitted fresh endorphins onto them while warm blood was rushing thru her right arm.

By the time their resting session was over, Liu suggested for her to get lighter clothes for the task ahead. As she was returning inside the academy, she eventually observed lines of bald monks doing their usual training exercises lifting their legs to stomp straight then extend to the side. Aiko can't help but mimic their moves, and she was actually giddy over the crowd! She wasn't quite a member of the White Lotus yet, so she couldn't enter the main square. By the time the exercises were done she left, never wanting to disturb their classes as they noticed she was around...

As she was heading back to her dorm room, she got confused again trying to follow the map of the Wu Shi Academy; she didn't even know she wandered outside the borders, thinking the nearby evergreen fields were a part of the courtyards like her favorite with the koi pond.

She sighed, "...I'll never find my way." She didn't even bother to ask the Shaolin for directions, as there was a great chance they'd respond in their native Mandarin tongue.

All a sudden she stopped from her mindless wandering and her heart began to race! Aiko felt this before, especially being this hyper focused; this was a common sign that someone, or something, would be out to get her. With fixated eyes, she surveyed her surroundings which seemed empty, but she wasn't buying it. Trusting her heightened instincts, she looked around again and in her blurry vision, she saw a small kid wearing blue jeans and an orange-red top walk quickly up to her. Post-haste, she focused and evaded a punch, and he kept on missing, until he managed to hit her. Just then, as he landed another punch, she grabbed and bent his arm backward and pulled it taut before she gave him a huge kick!

Other kids followed suit, and Aiko just landed blow after wild blow, high on adrenaline! She was agile, taking a few hits; luckily as a cardiokinetic, it was like an automatic heal. It was as if she was seeing red as she continued to pummel the whole group mercilessly! She even chopped on his neck making sure he'd stay down! She fixated onto her first assailant grabbing his chest and declared, "I'LL RIP YOUR HEART OUT!" Her cardio powers kicked in as she began to drain his vitality similar to Shang consuming a fallen soul! A couple of the kids grabbed his arms and pulled him away from her and the victim was breathing rapidly! Noticing it was cardiac arrest, the kids fled!

Aiko assumed they spoke only the usual Mandarin, or some other regional tongue, but she only recalled threatening if they dared to attack her again, she'd best them as human weapons.

"Aiko!" She immediately looked behind her, seeing a lone bald monk.

"Get away from me, Communist! I don't know who you are, but if you ever dare to assault me I will-!"

He rose a hand and spoke in English but with a strong accent like Lao's. "Aiko, relax. I don't wish to harm you. Those kids weren't one of us. We were worried we lost you, I followed the brawl to outside the academy."

Seeing the White Lotus symbol on his distinguishable red headband, she calmed down a bit, but her senses were running rampant. "Fine, let's go! Just stay away from me!"

He was still humble as he led her back into the Academy grounds, and she hardly paid attention to his lecture their students mustn't wander outside the school walls to always be protected from domestic threats, even those pertaining to Outworld.

Hours later, by twilight near the riverbank, after Aiko's first exhausting shift at the Yellow River, the thought of that random ambush NEVER left her mind. Fragments of the gang bang kept flashing in her psyche, just as images of her undead friends and their mayhem she escaped from... Those stressors actually made her heart do rapid hatls on the fishes' hearts, including one as large as a tuna!

Through the muttering, she noticed a couple Orientals chatting in a foreign language while also facing her at times. She immediately thought they were teasing or flirting with her, aside from their occasional giggles and what she considered as cat calls with her name, and as soon as she spotted the same outfit consisting of the orange top and blue jeans, she slowly stuck out her right arm towards him. The distant man reacted as he felt his chest was in a pinch. His partner looked over as he held it, then Aiko rose her arm more causing it to cut off oxygen! Thru intense breaths, he implored in his native tongue in which his partner rose and gave hand signals. Aiko dropped her arm, stormed over and knocked him down. She snarled, advanced and was about to pull another punch, until Lao intervened!

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What're you doing!?" He startled after a hat teleport breaking off the assault.

The heavy breathing monk shouted for once in English, "She doesn't know anything about me! She thinks we're human weapons!"

"That is true!" she countered.

The fallen male added, "She retorted we're Communists and we treat people like labor slaves!"

"That is also true!"

"Wait! The White Lotus and the Order of Light aren't like that!" Lao reasoned.

"Keep lying to yourself, go ahead! Let your son mangle me again, I dare you! You wear the same clothes as he does, and he and his gang had no right to attack me! WHY? Because I'm different, I'm weak? Think again! You just laugh at me like everyone else!"

"What are you talking about? No one's laughing at you. You're exhausted, it's just cultural shock." Lao queried.

"He thinks I'm some stupid, weak specimen, he does! Why, I didn't ask for this conflict! It was thrust upon me! I didn't ask for my nation to war against yours, live as a vagabond over and over, and under develop into some...some kind of vulnerable retard!"

"Aiko, no one's calling you a retard!"

"I've heard them use cat calls! They were facing and teasing me behind my back! And a boy outta nowhere sicced onto me wearing your same outfit!" The weak male looked at himself. "I should've finished him when I had the chance! And now I can finish you by blasting your heart out-!"

Lao put his arms in front of her, "No, no, no-they just admire your skills! No one has possessed heart manipulation, and no one is making fun of you nor your differences! Calm down. He said the attacker wasn't one of us, you just got lost and he took you back. You need to be careful. We are...more benevolent than them."

He sat down next to her on the beach and put an arm around her.

"I know how you're feeling. Always being in survival mode, on high alert, always thinking of chaos, PTSD, seeing red. You must train yourself to hone it, to be hyper focused and deadly, but you shouldn't treat everyone as an enemy. ...We aren't here to attack you. Cultural shock...I understand it's hard, from what you've been thru, I know. Believe me, I know. But I promise, we're here to help you. We'll never be like the outside world with those heartless Soviets."

She began to quiver and just dove into him as she shed some tears. Lao held her and kept reassuring her, even not saying this to Liu Kang as he'd know the Champion can be very stern despite being benevolent. He even told her to take deep breaths. Then he soon felt her heart slow down, as if his own heart was calming hers. "Now, can you heal them?" He motioned to the fallen monks. With a shaky hand, she slowly drew out her right arm and tried to focus her energy despite the anxiety until the two got up and moved smoothly.

"You fight pretty good, for a girl," one of them said.

"You... think so?"

"Oh superb. Like that Sonya Blade."

"Yea... I'm sorry, it was...just a misunderstanding."

"We've never had anyone possessing skills of the heart. Let alone an American. We can use someone like you."

Not without proper testing first... Lao soliloquized.

There were a series of cheers, and the two acquainted men, along with the entire group closed around Aiko and Lao, asking her many questions including where she came from, how she attained her skills, or if she's useful on helping to defend Earthrealm, and to achieve her dream on doing the same.

A/N: It's been a long time, several months, since I've made another chapter to the Side Stories. I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience. Life's been hectic, as were my Elemental countdowns month for month, and I'd lost interest. Hell, even Caro's Baby Journal was a sort of distraction based on the roleplay with Liu Kang. I hope I'll do more in the future as I'd brainstormed some ideas, but never follow thru... I wish they won't be in the back burner much with my next countdown series for 2025.

I've had ideas on Aiko's early days for a while, even though I needed to look up a customary Chinese breakfast. Even that little excerpt from Rocket's outburst during the first Guardians of the Galaxy film. The moment I saw that disturbing scenario in the Karate Kid remake, when the bloodthirsty kids ganged up on Dre and beat the living fck out of him, I just went berserk! I can't help but refer to the common fears of communism, as I'd grown up learning of terrible relationships between China and the US. Some say it's not true involving slave labor or being as weapons, but there's been some triggers addressing that! Things being made in China according to the tags can be an example, some martial arts movies like Enter the Dragon or the Karate Kid remake, or some other random flick/series taking place in a Chinese setting like the Chairman, even MKX. Sometimes...I wish that the Order and the Society were real, and that people'd be as peace-loving though protective as them... Even the age of consent being low, or sometimes Bruce Lee's history can be stressors at times. It always seems to be like a swift, ruthless fighter first and a person second.

Hell, in the start of MK1, I always assumed that Bi-Han, Smoke and Kuai were enemies too, like the Lin Kuei being assassins like those in MK Conquest, especially with Baron dying from an unpaid debt, with Madam Bo' in danger. I always look to them as killers, and it's been justified when Bi-Han betrayed and killed his dad, and the Lin Kuei became corrupt under him and the stupid genderswapped Sektor! That can be a trigger, and it always remains uncertain...

There hasn't been anyone manipulating the heart, and the broadest example on just controlling blood would be the assassin, Skarlet. And it is true that one of Liu Kang's hobbies was fishing aside from dancing and shadow puppets.

Cultural shock can be a challenging thing, although I hadn't experienced it myself personally, at least not yet... I hardly ever left the US, and the farthest I'd gotten was at the Bahamas and/or Castaway Cay during the 2 Disney Wonder cruises, 1 in 2002 and the other in 2007...

Aiko is very protective over her own like a mother wolf, like some of my other OCs, and her abilities do remind me of the Grim Reaper from The Frighteners in which it can squeeze out victims' hearts. Best to not provoke her.

Glad I got that off my chest, especially before the holidays; hopefully, I'll do more.

Chapter Text

Con't IV

It was just a few days before December 25th, Christmas, after Liu Kang decimated the Outworld emperor, Shao Kahn, and after Aiko went back 16 years into the past. She was thrilled and felt a great deal of nostalgia once she noticed frost glistening on the distant trees and on the neat Academy lawns, as well as frozen fog in the air along with light sprinkles of snow. Because she came back in an awkward era...there was zip time to think on buying presents. She rushed putting on her usual winter attire consisting of brown-grey gloves with matching galoshes faded by age, a red long scarf, and an ashen-blue outfit, she headed out into the crispy, clean air. She was just about to assist the Shaolin fishing at the Yellow River, yet no one was there, not even near the breezy, bone-chilling coast! She saw the Temple of Light yonder and there wasn't any festive decor wrapped around it nor any Christmas displays beside it...! This made her bewildered as she wondered that the Chinese never celebrated the holiday season; this was actually a first for her since she lived what felt like months as a vagabond lost in towns devastated by the accursed Revenants... A sudden updraft snapped her out of her reverie, and she felt instant relief once she opened the main doors. Inside, there were some strings of lights, and many red candles aglow. The monks were nearly silent as they prayed, in which she assumed they were to the petty Elder Gods, or perhaps Raiden...

It was admiringly toasty in there...and she spotted an unusual Christmas tree, which wasn't the usual evergreen, but rather...a Bodhi Tree. She saw the balds sit under it and remained deafly silent in their lotus positions, and there were random fragments flashing in her mind. She recalled watching a Simpsons episode in which Lisa was doing the same in her backyard. Then...her face fell flat onto the red carpet...

Aiko made a heartbreaking assumption the Shaolin often go by Buddhist kustoms. She then recollected that they don't have any materialistic desires, not even money meant anything to them as she remembered Kuai saying that when she was a kid...

"Money means nothing, compared to endeavors of the spirit."

She moped and wandered back to her dorm, assuming there was no shift on Christmas, never minding the many wandering eyes on her. She was suddenly shedding some warm tears that Liu Kang and Kung Lao wouldn't accept any gifts...

She plopped on the bed and sulked as more tears ran and her heart was hammering against her chest... That all the last-minute gifts she found were for nothing...

There was a firm hand that laid on her shoulder which made her stop sobbing, thru her glossy sight as she looked up, she eventually recognized Raiden. "Hey, Raiden... How did you know I'd be here?"

"I followed you here as I saw you crying back to your dorm room. What's wrong?"

She sighed, "...I found out that Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and the Shaolin are all Buddhists... I saw a Bodhi Tree in the Temple of Light, and I just remembered they're interested in nothing... They've no materialistic desires... They're Buddhist. There's nothing I can give to them..." Her voice became shrill.

His eyes brightened upon the realization, "Ohh... I see. Liu Kang was deserted by the Order as he sought vengeance for his brother, Chan. And Kung Lao abandoned them and went for the White Lotus full-time. It's true that Buddhists tend to avoid avarice, materialistic vices or any kind, even greed and gluttony. But that doesn't always mean that can't ever accept gifts, as long as it is from the heart, instead of a shallow reception such as from the lottery or other scams," he clarified, "As long as it comes from the heart, the Shaolin can still accept them."

She arose her face, "Really...? You mean, they can receive gifts around the holidays...?"

"Yes, as long as it's out of good faith, love and compassion. We strive for inner peace. but we can celebrate all holidays with the people we care for. And we can all use a holiday respite. Besides, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, and I would look forward on what you'd bring us." He smirked, "Good thing you've warned us about the holiday rush."

Aiko took out the gifts from the closet, though she hesitated as she was a newbie to wrapping. She just stuffed the small ones into those decorative bags instead and carried the big ones and laid all the packages out at the Academy's own large Christmas Tree next to a Bodhi plant in the main hall. She was only able to get random gifts during the rush over the previous nine days, but when the day arrived, the base was loaded!

The Shaolin students, including Aiko's close brothers, gathered around and exchanged some gifts. Aiko gazed upon a very large lump package at the corner from the tree, and noticed it was for her; thankfully, the tags were in Mandarin to only those who'd understand. The cushiony lard was for Aiko herself and from the Shaolin, she unwrapped it, and mistakenly figured it'd be a bean bag couch, but one of the warriors clarified it's actually a punching bag shaped as an ass, since one time she was irate hearing how admirable mooning and butts are! He also volunteered to hang it up!

With glee, her mind went back to hearing Baby Got Back from Sir Mix-a-lot randomly, perhaps on one of the small ceiling speakers, and all a sudden Aiko was so irate, that as she was rapidly punching a cushion, she fantasized it was a large butt! Kung Lao smirked and commented she'd be breaking the bones! She was eventually tired out as the song ended... Her love tapped her on the shoulder, bringing her back to the present, and they resumed opening gifts.

Her other gift was a medium coffee maker suited for her dorm and accompanied by a tray for catching water. She recalled she was hesitant on drinking the water from another country, but Liu assured her body would take time to adjust, and they're lucky their water supply was pure preventing contamination by the Pacific Conquest long ago, courtesy of the sacred Jinsei!

She gifted Kung Lao a contraption with a spinning wheel and a small hose in which she stated it can clean out the metallic brims of his hats. Even a six-foot tall wooden hat rack to hang and organize them!

She gave Liu Kang a pair of shiny, new, red num-chuks since his last set was broken by Lao being so foolish. She also managed to find a large dragon with three candle holders and several different incense flavors. For Kiba, she heard of the special ice cream dogs could eat and ever since that first encounter, the wolf became eager just by smelling them and even opening the box before taking one out and eating it! In addition, she found heads of fresh lettuce and carrots for Kung Lao's white rabbit, who instantly went over and munched them happily, which also made his incisors and coat shinier.

She found some Brillo pads suited for Kung Lao's hats, Liu's arm blades, and even wanted to gift some to Kitana who's rebuilding Edenia for her fans! For Jin, she managed to find a few games most notably EVO: The Path of Eden, SimEarth, and Eek the Cat.

She wasn't sure what in the Netherrealm to get for Nightwolf, so she hastily went for SD cards and an external hard drive in which he appreciated.

Although...there was a surprise package on her nightstand. When she opened it, it was actually a lava lamp! Even better was that Liu Kang shown it can not only change shades, but also emit different noises for each color, such as brown, green, white, blue, purple or pink noise! The instructions were experimental as each noise can be designed for different relaxations such as sleep, relieving anxiety or concentration! To her surprise, she didn't know different noises with various effects existed!

Over time, she got better on finding gifts whether it'd be for her family's birthdays or Christmas. She vaguely remembered each one. The dog ice cream and the rabbit veggies began to be a tradition, as were the hardware equipment for Nightwolf whom offered he'd make his tools by hand including his weapons and sometimes his own incents.

1993 was proportionally less on gifts since Liu left for the US and stayed for a couple years training future Shaolin warriors, including Kai. And another house pet for the Kungs was a bad idea, including a tanuki or a ferret... Lao stuck with just having the rabbit still for safety precautions.

In Christmas of 94, Aiko naturally picked out the Lion King tape for Jin along with the SNES game of Mortal Kombat II! Lao needed another hat stand considering his surplus was growing, especially when he was training with Fujin and prepared for Shinnok. For the sake of relieving their anxieties, she also got Lao the same lava lamp she had. She began to receive more beet supplements and even the veg itself to help regulate her cardiokinesis and bloodstream while also increasing her iron intake. Even a rubber mouthpiece for Jin during his karate training. There was also the fact that since Raiden, Fujin, and soon Ashrah would be receiving offerings nearly every Sunday, gift ideas became scarcer, but overall optional.

In 95, there was the SNES version of MK3, the Donkey Kong Country trilogy, and even the VHS of the original MK film for Jin! On the latter, he promised to share it with Aiko. Although all she ever wanted was the usual plain eggnog, as well as collections of Beanies!

In 96, she got Mario Kart 64 and MK Trilogy for Jin, and she started to find gifts for his mom, Kung Ling, with the tea bags of various flavors, a red lantern replacing the one that burnt out, and another one of her many elegant light dresses. And because Bo' Rai Cho was on the mend and curbed his alcoholism since he found a new pupil in Li Mei then assisted during Armageddon, Aiko rewarded him several small Godiva chocolate candies shaped like bottles...with a variety of spirits including rum, southern comfort, and others. There were also some ceremonials as the Shaolin, including Kung Lao, Kai, Nightwolf, Kiba and Aiko attended within Liu Kang's tomb to honor his fallen mortal self and Raiden...

There were tons of hand-me-downs from Aiko's 9-year-old counterpart as Lord Liu Kang would occasionally drop by her room late at night to visit her and donate her old Sesame Street books or unwanted plushies to Cheung. He too would gift the tween of any missing songs she yearned, including the Club Mix 96, and other nostalgic classics. The older self even received a large, flat tribal drum in which Lao also appreciated as they explored her connections with the Matoka. Along with some duplicated home movies, plushies from her younger self including a fox with real fur, the grey and brown elephants with Velcro hands, and a grey-white wolf plushie her younger self won at the Seaside boardwalk! As for Caro, he'd have the usual stone/gold structures crafted by the Shaolin artisans who used to do the same for the Elder Gods and the Dragon Grotto.

And in the current year of 97, she and her child self got a VHS of Dante's Peak, in which the latter got a letter saying the demand was too high and was only available for rent. She also got word instead on getting a male American Eskimo, her young self got a female Golden Retriever named Angela instead of Bear in which history had been altered. Aiko and Jin received some Pokémon plushies and a Poké Ball. So too the two counterparts received more microcassettes for their recorders, and the younger self received MK 95 along with Defenders of the Realm! And Liu, as the new Keeper of Time, utilized the Hourglass and donated the tyke's first choir concert for both her past and present selves. The older Aiko didn't mind having copies of her younger self gawking with gibberish on her own recorder tapes. So too with the younger self's Golden Book on Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Powerful Storms by Tom LaPadula III, or the Speed VHS and the Star Trek movies including the Director's Cut of The Motion Picture from the kid's parents' mom and pop shop. Her current counterpart even had a random idea to have Mileena receive clef surgery to fix her defected face by her Tarkatan fangs.

But nothing prepared her on a ribboned gift located in the cellar in the Kung Kottage which turned out to be an electrical scooter known as the ScootElec! The board was wide for her to balance on, unless she wanted to sit on the backseat, and it was accompanied with three wheels and a basket. And she was ecstatic to finally have a pedestrian vehicle! She'd used it for shopping errands or even for a fun ride ever since!

A/N: Originally, I wanted to have another house pet for the Kungs since Lao's rabbit is always away living in his hat. So, I randomly had this decision on having a ferret, which was one of the pets I used to have since I was young. However, I looked up whether or not ferrets can get along with rabbits since they're both rodents. Unfortunately...they don't! They can't be in the same room with each other, and ferrets hunt rabbits! So, that idea was scrapped.

So too was the idea on owning a tanuki, aka a raccoon dog; turns out they're illegal to own as pets, carry various lethal diseases including rabies, and can be aggressive to fauna! Dammit!

While the Simpsons episode, She of Little Faith, debuted in mid-December 2001, it was enough for Aiko's present self to see, thus she and I figuring out on some of the Buddhist customs applied here.

Most of the Christmas gifts both Aiko's past and present selves were based on the best gifts I had during those years, most notably the book, Volcanoes, Earthquakes and Powerful Storms, and Beanie Babies. When I was 10, I couldn't get Dante's Peak on video since I received Santa's letter saying it was difficult and was only for rent; it wasn't until sometime in 98 after I had a great report card in which I'd watched the crap out of it till my severe growing pains, same deal with the Beanies. Although I wished I would've kept Pokémon merch so early, and I wish I would've had nostalgic songs identified back then... I miss the days when I unwound with a microtape recorder too. It's a good thing we can find past songs, games and sometimes shows and movies across the internet.

I've fantasized Aiko having a large ass as a punching bag for a while, ever since I randomly heard Baby Got Back as a coworker played it... And the idea came from Rocky punching raw meat, as Aiko and I share our disdain for big butts and mooning! The rest of the gifts were just improv, excepting the hat racks and spinning wheel with hose for Kung Lao's hats, or the veggies for his rabbit; I've had those ideas for a long time. Even the group of random chocolate bottles with alcohol in them, BLECCKKKK!

The duplicates of objects that Lord Liu Kang made was a method of Temporal Duplication according to the Superpower wiki, in which material can be copied from the past or future and duplicated to another time, even from outside the timestream, and can be done in the Master Level of chronokinesis! Specifically inorganic/object duplication! There's also Temporal Teleportation in which he'd used as well aside from fiery portals.