Title: Sharing the Eons

Summary: Fire God Liu Kang summons Kitana from time unmade to remake the world, but with the chance to begin again in Edenia, is eternity next to Earthrealm's new protector worth it? Post-MK11. Liu Kang/Kitana.

Rating: PG-13

Relationship: Liu Kang/Kitana

Disclaimer: Mortal Kombat and all things related is property of NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros. Studios. (Honestly, do you think the absolute discombobulation that is the entire franchise would've happened if I owned this IP? Hands would be slapped for the slightest inconsistency under my rule as Kahn.)

Author's Note I: This originally started out as an attempt to visualize how Kitana came to be with Liu Kang (since she was of a future that, according to Kronika, "no longer exists"). It would be short and to the point. Then it steadily expanded and became about why Kitana chose to be with the deified Earthrealm champion. Mortal Kombat 11 really made me wish they spent more time on how this iteration of the characters became so warm toward each other (Kitana really just hugs my boy outta nowheres), because, god, the affection melted my stony heart and had me in tears. And they finally got to be with each other outside of the Mortal Kombat movies.

Author's Note II: Liu Kang's name has always frustrated me. Like, it's pretty clear "Kung" is the family name of Lao and Jin (or it should be), but Liu Kang? Everyone in the 1995 film calls him "Liu" (well, his little brother, Chan, and Johnny Cage) meaning his surname is "Kang". Everyone in the games straight up refers to him by his first and last name more often than not. Old MK1-MK2 bios referred to him as "Kang", but the comic book makes it clear that "Kang" is his surname. A mirror match in MK11 has one Liu Kang tell the other he's an ancestor named "Cheh Kang", meaning, once again, "Kang" is likely the family name and "Liu" is his given name. But, if the bit I keep seeing online about how his character was named after a late famous artist is true, "Liu" was intended to be the family name, and "Kang" his given name and I guess no one picked up on that?

For: KitanavsMileena. Probably the workinest Liutana writer in the MK fandom.

It was a strange thing to wake from nothing.

Standing alongside Kung Lao and Liu Kang, Kitana barely registered the the ashen mirror image that opposed them before the twisting white and silver of Kronika's keep fell away into the winding darkness.

And like a dream, all that she was ceased to be.

Until he called to her.

She opened her eyes to a sea of stars. In vast nothingness she was apart of, pieces of who she used to be come together in an act recreation.

Moments of a lifetime, from the first to her unexpected last, rolled through her mind like sand trying to fill the gaps of broken glass.

She wrapped her arms around the memory of a red band and brown eyes. She did it over and over again until it responded in kind, pulling her from the dark.

Every moment remembered between them became a protective blanket around her. The warm and gentle brown eyes of memory gave way to iridescent blue guiding her from the depths of her mind. "Kitana," Her name on his lips was gentle, encouraging. She was Kitana again.

Dizziness upended her. Kitana stumbled forward, unable to keep her knees from buckling. Strong arms steadied her, kept her upright while her hands held fast to his support.

"Liu?" Head spinning, she rest her forehead against his, unsure if who and what she was feeling was truly real.

Liu Kang smiled. "Yes. For the most part."

Opening her eyes, Kitana let her hands slide up to his shoulders, allowing him to straighten his stance.

Kronika's keep was gone. In its place was the vast something of the universe, the cosmos unmade and waiting to grow again.

She considered the fire god before her, dread creeping forward. "It's over? Kronika won?"

"No," The grip under her forearms became firm, but not dangerously so. "Kronika was destroyed, but not before our time was unmade." He nodded to the left. Kitana regarded the ground and saw nothing save crystalline glass shimmering in the light of the cosmos. Was that what remained of Kronika, or was he trying to tell her something else?

"The others… Outworld…" They were gone. All of the realms were gone.

"Not all is lost," Liu said. "They can still be saved." There was a confidence to Liu's words that did not reflect in his opaque eyes. For all his godhood, the insecurities of his humanity still shone through.

"How am I here, Lord Kang?"

"All life-force shares a connection. I simply followed mine to you," Moving her hand from his shoulder, he placed his palm under hers. Her fingers rest on the vein of his wrist, warmth sparking around her fingers.

Kitana couldn't recall the last time she touched Liu. Kotal's arena felt like eons ago. She remembered his reluctance, the polite refusal to be so forward with her. Now they stood with little space between them. Lacing her fingers with his, she straightened her posture, restoring the image of the newly crowned Kahn. "And as to why am I here, my Lord?"

"When Raiden chose to save my revenant counterpart, he surrendered his godhood," His gaze was downcast. "He not only saved my soul, but the soul of the other Liu Kang as well."

"I don't understand. How was your soul in jeopardy?"

"Before you arrived on the shores of the isle, my revenant self used Shinnok's magic to take my soul. If I was not dead I was certainly dying as a result of his actions."

She'd seen bodies without souls. They were commonplace on Shang Tsung's island, almost ornate statues in his court. Grey husks, withering unnaturally because the core of their life-force was ripped from them. No one came back from that. That Liu did was both a feat and a literal blessing of the gods.

Kitana considered the luminous tattoos wrapping around his arms across his shoulders and back. Gently she placed a hand on his forearm, flinching unconsciously at the arc of energy that danced under her palm. There was no pain. "Raiden's soul is mortal now, and is subject to time, but his gift remains with me," Liu's smile was melancholy. "From now until my chosen end, I am immortal."

"Yes, I gathered as much, before the end of our time," Kitana's fingers gripped his forearm. The arc under her palm became quicker, stronger. "You are a sight to behold."

"Perhaps I am a bit too flashy," He regarded the glowing tattoos and closed his eyes. Kitana watched with awe as the ornate dragon and clouds receded up his arm, leaving behind unmarked brown skin. She followed the recession of light until it was no longer visible. For the briefest of moments his silver hair became tinged with black. Kitana gasped, startling him. In the blink of an eye the tattoos returned.

"That was incredible," She said.

Liu offered her an appreciative nod, but didn't hide his disappointment. "Without Kronika's influence, we are no longer doomed to her endless cycle," He said, returning to the subject at hand.

"But…?" Kitana picked up on his hesitation.

"I cannot merely protect this isle's keep, I must create the new era alone."

"What of the primordial gods? The other titans? Surely they would assist you?"

"They have not intervened so far. I cannot expect or wait for their help."

Her hand reunited with his, the pulse between them never wavered. "Present circumstances aside, I can think of no one better to guide us than you, Lord Kang."

Liu snorted inwardly at the continued use of his title. "I have no doubt in my ability to recreate the timeline, Kitana Kahn," He approached the hourglass. It was no longer trapped in a pocket of time of unmade, but nestled in the bedrock of the young isle's foundations. It lay dormant, just an oddly shaped structure of bent metal and warped glass protecting the whirling sands within. The memories of watching Kronika twist time and life to her whims bubbled up from what remained of his revenant self. "I don't doubt. But, this is a task I feel I cannot be responsible for alone. I need help." The fire god met her pensive gaze. "I would like your help, Kitana."

Kitana balked. "My help? What could I possibly offer the realms?"

"The very strength that united Outworld's people against a common foe. The wisdom of thousands years lived," He said. "Raiden believes your hand, and mine, can guide the realms to a better future, not just a new one."

"I couldn't possibly," Kitana shook her head. "I am no god, Liu."

"Before all of this, nor was I," He shrugged. "Though this path was chosen for me, my mortality still makes up much of who I am. I live with the understanding of not only what made my mentor, but who I may have become under Kronika's hand. But, more is needed I feel." Liu closed the distance between them in a short glide. Kitana's hand found its way to his chest. The gentle thrum of his heart played under her fingers, warm and welcoming like the memory of home.

"I would like your help, but I will not consign you to a fate you don't want." Raising a hand, he manipulated the sands just enough that the hourglass began to glow. Kitana drew away from him, entranced by the light. In the haze of the sands she saw a thriving city, warm and bright. Placing a hand on the glass, she felt her heart jump when the city fell away, becoming an ornate bedroom of wood and stone. That she recognized personal affects as her own, Kitana's growing conclusions were affirmed when she saw herself from behind the blue canopy. She sat on a large bed swathed in red silk, laughing with her mother, unbothered by the day.

Liu's fingers curled around hers, drawing her attention away from the illusion as it began to fade. "How did you do that?"

"By accident, mostly," Liu was sheepish. "While I was trying to reach you, I realized I could see possibilities, timelines within the sands."

"You can restore Edenia? De-merged from Outworld?"

"Yes. If it is your wish, I will make it so that you will be reunited with your people," He said. "You can live as you were meant to, Princess Kitana."

As she was meant to. Kitana regarded his expression with unspoken gratitude, tears swelled around her eyes, but refused to fall. "To be reunited with the Edenians is my greatest wish," She said. "It's all I've ever wanted."

"Then it is done," His smile was somber. With a bow he rose from the ground with the same grace that came naturally to other gods. Positioning himself at the side of the hourglass, fire and lightning arced across his arms down toward his palms.

He'd been so quick elect to her, Kitana. He wasn't so ignorant that he didn't see the disappointment in Raiden's brown eyes. He realized Raiden simply wanted another chance with him, unfettered by Kronika's deceptions. Yet, he ached to be with Kitana again, could feel her calling to him. With the world out of danger, every thread that kept them intertwined, amplified by his godhood, reached out for her before he truly processed the feeling. Yet, however bound together they were by destiny, this was the best possible outcome for Kitana. A peaceful life, surrounded by her family in a new history.

As the hourglass began to glow, the sand twisting downward, the gloved hand of Kitana found itself again in his. Liu looked down, Kitana's gaze was imploring. "I haven't made my decision yet, Lord Kang," She said. Descending away from the hourglass, he allowed his power to recede, doing his best not to look relieved.

"In this new history… will we know each other?"

"I cannot say for sure. Perhaps you will know me as we knew the elder gods. As stories, myths that became real," Liu said. At her crestfallen expression, he added, "If gods like Raiden began as mortals like me, I can't imagine how their immunity from time changed their former existence with it."

"Surely you could still be... Liu Kang? You needn't be here on the isle to protect hourglass if you're the only one privy to its location?"

Liu fixed her a look as if to ask if she'd taken a blow to the head. "Kitana, you must know I am no longer permitted the simple life that brought me to you."

"I would hardly call our lives simple," She mused. "Our every meeting was amidst realm-wide conflicts."

"True enough, I suppose." At the quirk of her eyebrow, Liu subdued a laugh. "It's simple compared to a demigod," He clarified. Kitana traced the lifelines of his palm. The fire rolling down his arms toward his palms quelled under her touch, giving way to tiny sparks that danced across her fingers. "However the sands turn, I do hope to meet all of you again."

That he existed at all meant there remained a connection to the roots that birthed him. It could not simply be his godhood. His mother, father, little brother, and grandfather. All would be restored in the new era, but how would time adjust to the immunity he now had against its wares? Would it simply annex him, or would some paradox create another Liu Kang? Did he or could he have as much control over time to remedy such a conundrum as Kronika might've?

"But a life, family –?"

"I must protect all of Earthrealm now. That is my sole responsibility," Liu said. The gentle ministrations of her fingers ceased. Liu looked to the hourglass then to the forlorn expression playing her features as she stepped away from him.

"I will give you a moment, but then I must begin my work," He said.

"Are you so eager to get rid of me?" Kitana hated herself for sounding so childish.

Liu paused, his expression apologetic. "No, Kitana," He said. "But, if this is our final meeting as we know each other, I would rather spend that time working to help you."

"Of course. Thank you, Lord Kang," Kitana's voice commanded a sort've confidence that made it easier to square himself to his lonely fate.

Stepping out toward the edge of the isle of time's small beginnings, the fire god pretended not to watch Kitana watch the possibilities of her life unfold within her mind through the reflections of the hourglass. He closed his eyes against the growing sting needling across his chest.

This was the right choice.

Kitana mulled over the decision that lay before her. With the fire god's help, she would be reborn in her homeland, she would be reunited with her mother and father, and there would be, gods willing, no Shao Kahn to steal her away. No one to destroy Edenia through conquest. No accursed Mileena to mock her existence in abomination. A life in Edenia was the dream her mother kept alive in her heart. She kept that fire stoked in the heart of her child as well, however impossible the concept seemed.

In the short time she knew him, Liu Kang was a man she felt irrecoverably tied to. In some ways, she knew the feeling was mutual. When she had approached him with information on Shao Kahn, he initially mistook her actions for deceit. But the truth won out. He believed in her, aided her budding coup d'etat until it came to pass. Regardless of the transgressions that passed between them initially, he believed in her with an earnestness that seemed supernatural for an outsider. If their circumstances were different, maybe they could've lived a simple life together in Edenia, Outworld, or even his Earthrealm. That was a big maybe, however.

A low tremor drew her attention toward Liu. His back was to her, and he was slowly, but surly, rising from the ground. Power coalesced at his center, drawing down toward the earth beneath him. The hourglass thrummed, impatient, eager to begin again. The slow exhale of his anxieties was stopped short at the touch of Kitana's fingers curling around his hand, grounding him once more.

The sharp turn of his head exposed his humanity, his tears. Cupping his face, she thumbed away the tear that slipped around it. "When I learned you were taken by Kronika, I felt an ache in me that I couldn't describe." She caressed his cheek. "Like part of me was taken as well. But, standing here with you now, I feel its opposite the strongest."

Liu nodded. "It's the bond created by the timelines. For every lifetime we lived as Liu Kang of Earthrealm and Kitana of Outworld, we connected always," He smiled, pressing his face against her hand. "Not even death could rend it." Kitana traced the edge of his jaw with her fingers until they rest on his chin. Leaning in, she kissed him. Just like before, he was reluctant, but he eventually responded in kind. It felt right, like a moment shared once before.

Pulling away, she laid eyes on the mortal image of Liu Kang. His black hair, brown eyes returned, but the tattoos remained luminous. "And this bond we share..." She was hesitant. "Was it our choice or Kronika's making?"

"Kronika may have influenced certain events in the timelines, but I believe it was only in the service of destroying Raiden and keeping her desired balance. Our alliance was a choice that we made, that we keep making."

"Losing you this time felt final," Kitana struggled to verbalize the vague idea of their connection. "On the blood sea, I thought once we rescued you, I would ask you to remain at my side in Outworld." Her smile was tearful. "As my consort."

"A proposal, Kitana?" Liu grinned. "I'm flattered."

"More like a solemn vow, monk," She swatted his arm. "It seems silly now. Thinking that if we were bound together, no harm would come to us ever again."

"I'm not so sure I would've said yes," Liu decided to be honest.

"I suspected you wouldn't, but I hoped," She laughed. "The needs of the realm need not outweigh the needs of man."

"If things were different –"

"If things were different? Yes, perhaps there would be a timeline where we could grow old together," Kitana was reluctant as her hand fell away from his face. "But it never will be like that now. The gods simply never permitted it."

"I am sorry, Kitana," He said.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Kitana's smile remained tearful. She reaffirmed the grip on his hand. "I've decided to help you, Liu Kang."

"Kitana," The opaque blue of his eyes returned. "Edenia…"

"I will see Edenia again, but not as a mortal, and not as Kitana of Outworld. I will become Edenia's protector," She said. "And if there is no future for us as mortals, then we will make one as gods. There is nothing, no one to stop us now." No Raiden, no Kronika, no conflict of realms to keep them apart. They stood at the beginning of a blank slate and with only each other as companions.

"The life of a god," The fire god shook his head. "There is little chance for true peace."

"I don't pretend to believe I would know true peace in the new era, much less as a god. But, as much as I desire it, I desire Edenia's safekeeping so much more. Besides..." She pressed her thumb against his palm. "Edenians would never accept an Earthrealmer as their protector."

Despite himself, Liu laughed at the jab that had become a commonplace insult for him in other realms.

Kitana pulled him into a embrace. Taken aback at first, he wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin atop her head. In a moment a lifetime of love was communicated between them. The heat of his body eclipsed the light of the newborn star stretching across the cosmos. Her choice was made.

Pulling away from her, he asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," Kitana welcomed the caress of his thumb across her knuckles. "But, we cannot plan for every possibility, no matter how we reshape the sands. Mortals will make their own choices, and there is no balance without light and dark."

Admiration burned bright in Liu's eyes. "Above all else, each realm's destiny must be their own," Taking her other hand, he allowed himself to bask in the promise of the eons. "Whatever their choices, we will face them together."

They approached the hourglass, the sands of time came to life, undulating through the motions of creation. In the gathering event horizon building across the dawn of time, Kitana consented to the power coiling around her life-force, strengthening their bond once more. Moments of their lifetime, from the first to their unexpected renewal, flashed through her mind. But now the glass was mended, complete.

They were together.

Author's Note III: I haven't thought about Mortal Kombat in eons (okay, four years). Long story short, I love MK11 as much as I love MK2 (Sega Genesis) and the 1995 MK movie. Never in my adult years did I think that NetherRealm Studios would redeem themselves from the disjointed shock value that was MK9 and directionless trajectory that was MKX with an honest-to-god earnest and reflective story. (They finally did right by Jade, Kung Lao, Kitana, Liu Kang, and Raiden.) Even Kronika was awesome. Goes to show you what a little Injustice 2 can do for a two decade old video game franchise. I'm cautiously optimistic about what they'll do with a blank slate and guardian Kitana/Liu Kang.