Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Summary: In a bid to strengthen relations between the realms after Shinnok's defeat, Raiden – in all his wisdom – invites his Earthrealm allies, as well as foes from Outworld and the Netherrealm, to a grand banquet-style dinner at the Sky Temple. With his luck (or lack thereof), the night can only go so well. Or, considering who his guests are, perhaps not at all ... Rated T. Includes light/implied slash.

Disclaimer: I do not own Mortal Kombat or any of its characters; all of these belong to Ed Boon, John Tobias and Netherrealm Studios. I only own the plot.

Chapter 1: An Invitation

"Raiden, I beg you – please think about what you are saying."

"I know exactly what I'm saying, Fujin, I can assure you. My decision has been made."

Over the brim of his tea-cup, Fujin regarded the Thunder God sitting opposite him, his luminescent eyes clouded over with doubt.

"Even the wisest of minds may sometimes be quick to make rash decisions," he said slowly. "As you and I both know, such decisions have drastic repercussions."

Raiden waved a dismissive hand. Taking a sip of his tea, inhaling its fragrant vapours in a bid to soothe his suddenly aching temples, he replied in a firm tone:

"I know exactly what I'm doing. I had pondered the matter for several days before making my decision, and believe you me, it was made with the utmost clarity of mind."

The Wind God breathed a heavy sigh, sending both a puff of steam into the air and a trickle of chamomile tea over the edge of his cup. His eyes closed for a moment.

"I've no doubt that you have good intentions, Raiden, but this … this endeavour that you wish to carry out …"

He opened his eyes again. Another sigh escaped past his lips.

"… forgive me for saying so, but the idea of hosting an inter-realm dinner event sounds like something that only a delusional madman would think of."

Raiden frowned. "You think that I am delusional, Fujin?"

His counterpart's eyes narrowed as he answered, "Again, forgive me for what I am saying to you, but your past actions have brought you to the brink of delusion before. What you suggested to me just now sounds as if you have taken a flying leap."

Raiden could feel his temples throbbing something fierce, yet he resisted the urge to reach up and massage them. Only ten or so minutes prior, he had felt calm, so sure in the knowledge that his idea was perfect. Ingenious, he dared thought. So much so, he had invited Fujin to the Sky Temple for late afternoon tea to share with him his wonderful plan, hoping to receive support from the Wind God.

Needless to say, whatever hope Raiden possessed decreased by a ten-fold as Fujin spoke his mind.

Now I know how Johnny Cage felt after he tried to propose to Sonya Blade again. Granted, he was still suffering the after-effects of D'Vorah's assault and did not know what he was saying, but still …

The sound of Fujin's voice interrupted the Thunder God's thoughts.

"To be frank, Raiden," he said as he took a huge sip of his tea, "I do not think that it is wise to gather the Earthrealmers, Outworlders and the denizens of the Netherrealm together for a social occasion. At least, not so soon after Shinnok's defeat. If the relations between the respective realms were strained before, then they are certainly at their most vulnerable – not to mention extremely volatile – after what transpired a month ago."

It was Raiden's turn to sigh. Twisting a silver lock of hair around his finger, he replied:

"If not now, Fujin, then when? If peace between the realms can be attained, then reaching out now to each realm shows that we are not being lax about making amends in the wake of Shinnok's chaos. It is a move that I'm sure General Blade and Kotal Kahn would approve of."

Fujin raised an unimpressed eyebrow.

"After what the emperor put Johnny Cage's team through, I am fairly certain that General Blade and her ex-husband would rather take his head for a trophy and let his corpse fester in the streets of Z'Unkarah," he muttered.

Raiden rolled his eyes towards the heavens.

Dramatic. I swear to the Elder Gods, Fujin's dramatic nature would put Cage to shame.

Raiden opened his mouth to argue, but the Wind God was on a roll.

"I mean, can you imagine the emperor in the same room as Cage and the general?" he said, taking sips in-between his rambling. "No doubt Cage will go out of his way to show Kotal Kahn up. His enforcers won't like that one bit, especially the Zaterran."

"Fujin –"

"And what of Jackson Briggs? If Shao Kahn's soul construct is present, Briggs will break apart the Sky Temple to get his hands on him. And let's not forget that Liu Kang, Kitana and the rest of the revenants are not on the best terms with you –"

"Fujin, I –"

"And for all that is sacred and beautiful in this world, please tell me that you haven't thought of inviting that drunkard Bo' Rai Cho!" cried Fujin, his tea spilling into his saucer. "He would pass out before the appetisers are even served!"

Raiden blanched at the mental image. "I did not extend an invitation to him. After all, formal events are not his idea of fun and, uh … I do wish to make a good impression on the guests."

"If it were up to me, this dinner would not take place at all," the Wind God mumbled into his cup.

He half-stared, half-glared at Earthrealm's appointed guardian. "Yet somehow, I have a feeling that preparations are already underway, correct?"

Raiden took to studying the contents of his cup as he answered, "The dinner will take place in five days' time. I've already spoken to the elder monks at the Wu Shi Academy. They have agreed to send some of their students to assist in setting up the décor, preparing the food and welcoming the guests. Grandmaster Kuai Liang has also graciously offered the Lin Kuei's services –"

"Sub-Zero?" Fujin gawped. "Sub-Zero has agreed to partake in this foolery? Has he taken leave of his senses as well?"

"On the contrary, the Grandmaster thought the dinner was a marvellous idea," Raiden declared, unable to stop his lips from curling into a self-satisfied smirk (I fear Cage's ego has rubbed off on me). "He, too, would like to make his peace with the other realms, the Netherrealm in particular. Like me, Kuai Liang wishes for his fallen comrades' restoration …"

Fujin merely sipped his tea in response, but his doubt still lingered.

Raiden continued: "I've already written up the dinner invitations. Kung Jin is coming here for tea tomorrow, whereby I shall ask him to pass on my invitation to our allies in Special Forces. I am assured of his skills of persuasion to encourage them to attend."

"Hopefully he has enough sense to persuade you to call the whole thing off," was the tart reply.

The Thunder God's eyes rolled towards the heavens for the second time.

"And what of Kotal Kahn and Netherrealm's new rulers, Raiden? They might not want to grace us with their lovely presence if you showed up on their doorsteps waving envelopes about."

Raiden was amazed that his eyes did not roll out of his skull as he looked towards the heavens for the third time.

"That task," he answered in a steady voice, "I have left up to Master Hanzo Hasashi of the Shirai Ryu."

"Good grief, Scorpion?!" Fujin nearly chucked his cup altogether.

"That is correct," said Raiden. "Master Hasashi wishes to atone for playing a hand in Quan Chi's death, so he has made clear his desire to align his clan with that of the White Lotus Society. Delivering invitations to Outworld and the Netherrealm is a good start, and nothing too strenuous, I think."

"Hardly sounds like something worth his time, even if it's ultimately repentance that he seeks."

Earthrealm's guardian shrugged his shoulders. "That is why I merely handed him the invitations without explaining what they were. Master Hasashi will learn the truth come closer to the time – I would very much like him to be present at the dinner alongside the Grandmaster as a show of solidarity."

Setting down his empty tea-cup, the Wind God pinched the bridge of his nose as he mumbled, "I swear to the Elder Gods, your place in heaven will be gilded in diamonds, platinum and gold if this event of yours does not fall to pieces."

The Thunder God emitted a small sigh as he poured more tea into their respective cups.

"I sincerely hope that it will not be a disaster," he said softly. "If there is one thing that my heart does desire, it is that all the realms can maintain peace with one another. By bringing together their representatives for one evening, it can allow for the amendment of the realms' strained ties."

Raiden picked up his cup, slowly stirring its steaming contents as he spoke:

"It is an unusual arrangement, but it is one that will hopefully bring my guests out of their comfort zone and get to know each other – not only on a political level, but on a personal level as well. It shall surely lead to more opportunities to strengthen relations."

His lips curled upwards. "Can you imagine, Fujin? Earthrealm, Outworld and the Netherrealm all existing alongside each other without enmity … I would do anything to make that a reality."

Behind a fount of steam, Fujin hardly looked enthralled.

"So, a ragtag dinner party is the answer to all our prayers," he remarked. "My heart can barely contain its joy."

Raiden sighed for the umpteenth time. "I take it that you won't be attending."

Fujin had the decency to look a tad sheepish as he replied, "No. Perhaps near the end, when it is, uh, quieter. Otherwise, I am content to stay out of any melodramatics that are bound to unfold."

Here, the Wind God's features softened. Concern radiated from his frame.

"All I can say, Raiden," he murmured, "is to be careful. Goodness knows that you will have your hands full with Liu Kang and Kotal Kahn's lot. Not to mention Special Forces and the two clansmen …"

Fujin shuddered at the very thought.

"But whatever happens, it is in the Elder Gods' hands now," he finished before taking another large gulp of tea.

As melodramatic as that statement sounded, Raiden knew there was a smidgen of truth in his friend's words.

Indeed, from beginning to end, I will leave the event in the hands of the Elder Gods.

Taking a long gulp from his beverage, ignoring the slight niggle at the back of his mind, the Thunder God sent a silent plea up towards the heavens: By your gracious mercy, may luck be with me throughout the evening.

If the Elder Gods had happened to hear that, they probably would have laughed themselves silly at the shenanigans that were about to come in five days' time.

A/N: Oh Raididdy, bless your heart for trying.

To clarify, this fic takes place a month after MKX's Story Mode's ending. For the sake of the story, I'm also pretending that Raiden isn't corrupted (Lord knows my feels are all over the place after seeing Dark Raiden in MK11's previews).

Hope you liked the first chapter - it's been a long, long while since I wrote fanfics for Mortal Kombat, so I may be a lil' rusty. Hopefully by Chapter 2 I'll be back in the groove. Of course, Johnny Cage will make an appearance there, so expect a ton of bad/dad jokes. XD As mentioned, there will be light/implied slash pairings, as well as pairings like Jacqui/Takeda and Liu Kang/Kitana. Otherwise, expect drama – and Johnny Cage jokes – galore.

Reviews are welcome!

*~AI07~*