Back again, aren't I? Well, thank God school is almost over for me and now I'm filling out forms for my teachers. Fun, fun, fun... Also, along with being hyped about the new SSBU DLC character (*cough Min Min cough*), I've been improving on Yuki's design when I stuck her in MKX and then her MK11 one too (which is the one I usually draw her in). ANYWAY, no one wants to hear me yapping all day. You wanna read more, I'll let you read more.

Mortal Kombat (c) NetherRealm Studios and Warner Bros.

About a year later, after her sixteenth birthday, Yuki decided that she should go to Arctika and find the Lin Kuei. After dropping out of secondary school and learning some basic Mandarin, the cryomancer packed her duffle bag, which had clothes, a blanket, her sketchbooks, pencils, granola bars, water, and the book about the Lin Kuei. Yuki felt that it was also important to write a note to her foster parents stating that she'll be gone for a while, not because she knew they'd worry, but because that's who she was.

After sneaking around security at the airport, Yuki managed to smuggle herself in without getting caught. Luckily, she also brought her passport (that she took from her foster parents' dresser) and showed it to customs. Thankfully, they let her through.

About seven hours later, the plane landed in Beijing, Yuki getting off and sneaking her way on a plane to Arctika, surprisingly without any other adult noticing. She thought her footsteps were quieter than she actually thought. As the plane was in the air, Yuki took one of the spare cargo plane headsets and decided to take a small nap until the plane landed. When it did, all Yuki saw was a beautiful winter wonderland. There was snow and trees as far as the eye could see, and the cryomancer found the chill and snow refreshing after the hot plane ride.

After a few tries, Yuki finally climbed up the mountain looking over the Lin Kuei temple, the thin air not making her lack air, but bringing more into her lungs. She silently thanked Tanaka for teaching her how to be a free-runner, as that ability helped her out heavenly. Carefully, Yuki made her way down the mountain, but accidentally tripped and her body formed a giant snowball that kept rolling down the mountain towards the ground, her body hitting a tree and knocking her out cold.

"Grandmaster! There's someone here!"

"Show me, then."

The Lin Kuei brushed the snow off of Yuki, revealing her unconscious self, soon lifting her in a sitting up position, as the small cryomancer's white and blue ombré hair was brushed back from her face. The Lin Kuei's grandmaster picked Yuki up in his arms and walked back to the temple without saying another word as his student picked up her bag.

When Yuki woke up, her head was bandaged and she was in some sort of temple infirmary. There were medical supplies beside her, along with a pretty brown haired woman who had a purple streak in her hair and purple eyes. The woman looked at Yuki and smiled. "You're awake. I had a feeling you would."

Yuki just kept staring at her, wondering whether to speak in English or Mandarin. Before she could, a deep voice with quiet footsteps came into the room. "It seems that you frightened her a bit, Mao. She's not speaking." Yuki turned towards the voice, seeing a middle aged man who was extremely well built. He had blue ninja type garb on and… well Yuki could keep the list going on and on, but she knew who this was, and couldn't believe she was seeing him with her very eyes.

"Kuai Liang…" Yuki whispered, it being heard by said person.

His eyebrow raised in surprise. "Have you heard of me?"

Shyly, Yuki nodded. Her bag was next to her and she grabbed it, opened it, and took out the Lin Kuei book. "I...I-I read about you through this book my Sensei gave me…" Although her voice was quiet, Kuai Liang could still hear her and took the book from her hands.

"Who was your Sensei? He must've been a Lin Kuei if he had this book."

"Um...Sensei Tanaka…"

Kuai Liang hummed in acknowledgement, remembering a student named Tanaka who would send in Lin Kuei recruits from a dojo in Hokkaido. But this girl was the first to truly say his name fully. He sat down beside her, making Yuki more nervous and a little scared. "What's your name? Tanaka hasn't contacted me in years and he usually does so before sending in a recruit."

Yuki shifted in her spot, honestly more scared than she was before. "Um...my name is Hanabi Yuki. And Sensei Tanaka said that I'm...a special case." Frost formed on her fingers as a sign of being nervous.

"How are you a 'special case'?" Yuki lifted up her hands to show her frost-covered fingers, in which Kuai Liang gently held her hands, feeling the frost covering them. "You are a cryomancer?"

Yuki kept quiet, hoping for the ice to go away, though failing to do so.

The medical lady, now known as Mao, smiled. "If you don't know, it's what you are, snow kitten. Cryomancers have the ability to control ice and snow." She turned to her grandmaster, confused. "I thought cryomancers were just shy of extinction."

"They are. I believed that Frost and I were the last ones." Kuai Liang stood up, giving off more of an authoritative tone. "It so happens that you have now added our number."

Yuki straightened her posture as well. "There's another? I..I-I didn't know that more had existed." Her voice was a little more audible, as now both Lin Kuei heard the small cryomancer. She then blushed in embarrassment, fearing she spoke out of turn. "S-Sumimasen! I-I didn't-" Yuki kept on stammering what she was trying to say, but it came out as only babbling. Then she put her hands to her blushing face, trying to hide once more.

Sub-Zero pushed back her hair, and took her hands from her face. "Don't worry, you did not speak out of turn. Mao, make sure that she gets proper rest. Tanaka's student will be going through a trial run. Only to make sure she can keep up with the rest of the other Lin Kuei."

Mao nodded, guiding Yuki back down. "Don't worry, snow kitten. You'll be back on your feet before the week is over. Now get some rest, xiaoxue." Yuki was getting more anxious by the minute, as Mao was trying to settle her down.

"I'm confused. What trials? What's going on?"

"Don't worry, snow kitten. Let the Grandmaster worry about all that. Just rest my snow kitten."

After about a month, Yuki was officially instated into the Lin Kuei, also getting her own uniform and medallion. She's still very shy, but not as much as before. The female Lin Kuei began flocking their way to her after seeing her fight, which also made Yuki feel very flustered and uncomfortable, since she wasn't used to so much attention. She was still very quiet, maintaining her distance between herself and the others. It was during their free hour that Yuki took out her sketchbook and began to draw what was in front of her.

"I was not aware that you were an artist."

That voice made Yuki jump, hide the sketchbook, and turn around to see Kuai Liang. She blushed and hid the sketchbook farther behind her. "I...I-I don't know what you're talking about… I can't draw…" Her soft voice became quiet as she shyly turned away. Kuai Liang took the sketchbook from behind her and opened it, despite Yuki's protesting.

He chuckled and looked in awe of her artwork. She was a talented artist, so why would she try to hide it? "Your sketchbook proves otherwise. The art is beautiful and you are talented." Kuai Liang's kind words made Yuki's face red with embarrassment. "Why do you try to hide it?"

She fiddled with her hair, the small cryomancer's cheeks lighting up. "Um...it's a long story and I don't want to talk about it…"

"Do you know the paintings inside that hold the Lin Kuei's history?"

Yuki nodded. "Yes. The art is absolutely beautiful."

Kuai Liang put the sketchbook down, looking a bit remorseful. "The Lin Kuei's past is not a good one, and I do not like our history, even though I was given a clean slate to reinstate the Lin Kuei. Even so, the history remains." He then looked at Yuki, who was looking at him with wonder. "Just from looking at your sketchbook and beautiful art, I want you to complete the mural. I know you have what it takes, little one."

Yuki couldn't believe it. Kuai Liang asked her to finish and repaint the Lin Kuei's mural, which showed their history. "You… want me to finish the paintings? But I also have training, and-"

"Do not worry. You can start and finish at your own pace. There is no rush." The small cryomancer's cheeks flushed into a darker color, from being complimented to being offered to finish and recreate the paintings. Kuai Liang noticed that she was shifting in her spot and that she was hiding behind her hair once again, and this kind of behavior with Yuki was very frequent, as she was always nervous when talking to others and preferring to be on her own during their free hour. Even during his younger days in the original Lin Kuei palace in the Himalayas, Kuai Liang was quiet, but he was more in his brother's shadow than just very reserved and shy. Something was up with Yuki, but she wouldn't tell him. "Yuki, is everyone treating you alright?"

She looked up at him, her pale face being tinted with red on her cheeks. "Yes, everyone is treating me alright. Why do you ask?"

"Usually, from what I've seen, someone being alone means that something is going on and that I don't like it. No one is this reserved and quiet in the Lin Kuei, Shirai Ryu, Special Forces, or even in Outworld and Edenia." Kuai Liang's harded face made Yuki cower a little before him. "If someone is giving you a hard time, let me know. This way I can speak to them and let them suffer the consequences."

"I-I will. Promise."

Kuai Liang's facial features softened a little, placing a hand on Yuki's shoulder. "Then tell me, if no one is giving you trouble, then why do you have such a shy and reserved demeanor unless you are fighting?"

Yuki hid her face again, looking more shameful than embarrassed and flustered. "I am a minashigo, an orphan. I lost my parents when I was very little, and soon my brother disappeared about a year later. I was later adopted by a couple who were more interested in music sheets and my future than just me as a person. Then later on, in primary school and beyond, I was mistreated because I'm a cryomancer. Then again…" She looked at her hands, a frosty mist emanating from them. Her icy, vibrant blue eyes lost in thought, almost thinking that her white hair was the snow falling from the sky. "I never asked to be a cryomancer."

Before Kuai Liang could say anything else, another Lin Kuei came up to him and told him that Master Hasashi was approaching the temple. After the cryomancer nodded, he looked at Yuki, and tucked some of her hair behind her ear, showing more of her red face. "Yuki, Master Hasashi of the Shirai Ryu is coming. Please get ready and make sure your cheeks are the same color as the rest of your skin."

"R-right!"

As soon as Yuki went back inside to prepare, and forgetting her sketchbook by mistake, Hanzo Hasashi, formerly Scorpion, had teleported to the entrance to the temple. "Master Hasashi. Welcome to the Lin Kuei temple." Kuai Liang bowed to the Shirai Ryu, who bowed in return. Their alliance had happened nearly five years ago, and they had been getting closer to being friends since then. "It is an honor to have you here."

As they walked through the temple, Hanzo felt he was stepping on a book, and when he picked it up and looked through it, he realized that it was a sketchbook. "One of your students draws very well, Sub-Zero." Hanzo complimented, opening it fully for them both to see. "Is there an artist in your ranks?"

Kuai Liang nodded. "Yes, and she's quite shy. She joined the Lin Kuei a few months ago, and I'm already marveled by her progress. She absorbs everything as if she were a sponge." After he said that, there was a knock on the door. "I believe that's her right now." He turned to the door, believing that it was the owner of the sketchbook. "You can come in, Yuki. I believe that you are missing something and you are not in trouble."

The door slowly slid open, revealing Yuki, who was muttering some apologies in Japanese and took the sketchbook from the table, planning on carefully striding away. Her plan of escape was stopped by Kuai Liang who took a hold of her arm. "Um...grandmaster, I'm not in trouble for this, right?" Yuki's blushing face then saw Master Hasashi, making her face turn more red from embarrassment. "Because I think I am."

"Take a deep breath, Yuki. You are not in trouble. Just sit down and be polite to our guest. I believe he likes something of yours." The small cryomancer sat down carefully, feeling her heart pound in her chest from being nervous. She then held onto the sketchbook even tighter to her chest. "Yuki, this is Master Hanzo Hasashi of the Shirai Ryu. We allied nearly five years ago, and do not worry. He doesn't bite."

Yuki then bowed to the Shirai Ryu, who did the same in return. "So you are the owner of the sketchbook with the beautiful art inside. You are quite talented." Hanzo complimented, seeing Kuai Liang's student place the sketchbook back on the table.

"A-arigato, Master Hasashi. I do my best with my art."

Hanzo then noticed that Yuki's voice was very quiet, and that she was very shy. "You are more shy than how Sub-Zero described, and yet despite this, you are progressing faster than his other students."

Feeling a little more comfortable, Yuki nodded. "Yes, it seems as if I put my shyness to the side, and focus on training."

Kuai Liang shook his head with an amused smile on his face. "I will never forget the day she sparred with Frost and after she defeated her, every female warrior practically flocked to her. She was so shy and flustered, then managed to duck her way out."

Yuki then blushed with embarrassment. "I wasn't used to attention then. I am still not that used to people complimenting me that much."

Hanzo then noticed the shifting in Yuki's spot, then proving her point to not being used to compliments or too much human interaction. He opened the sketchbook once more, seeing sketches of what looked like the Lin Kuei's mural. "You will be completing the mural here in the temple?" The small cryomancer nodded. Hanzo then looked to Kuai Liang, an unusual small smile on his face. "Then it will look more beautiful than before." He turned to Yuki once again, who immediately composed herself. "Tell me, young one. How old are you and where do you hail from?"

"I am sixteen years old, Master Hasashi, and I come from Rikubetsu, a town in Hokkaido."

Hanzo chuckled to himself. Considering her quiet voice, and very young look, he assumed she was much younger than sixteen. "My apologies. I had believed that you were younger than sixteen. Considering your quiet voice and very youthful face. Then again…" He looked down at the rest of her body, seeing her large chest, curvy hips, and thick thighs, making Yuki blush and cover herself. "...I suppose the rest of your body would beg to differ." Clearing his throat, Hanzo put a hand on the small cryomancer's head. "Anyway, I wish you luck with the Lin Kuei. I'm very sure Sub-Zero and your peers will make you very welcome."

"Arigato, Master Hasashi."

Omg, I was so in my own head that I pretty much forgot to place an outro. (Sarcastically) Go, me. Anyway, I really hoped that you really liked this chapter, as you find out more about Yuki and her being extremely shy lol. See you in the next chapter!