In the chaotic aftermath of Kronika’s attempt to reset the timeline, Princess Kitana found herself in a present not her own, surrounded by familiar faces aged by decades. Among them was Kuai Liang, the Sub-Zero she once loved in her own timeline. He was now a seasoned warrior with silver threading his dark hair and mature disposition. Seeing him again--alive and still full of fire had warmed her. Their past romance had been a fleeting but fiery connection cut short by his abduction into the Cyber-Lin Kuei’s clutches and her own into the ravages of time-travel. She feared she may never see him again. Now, standing in the quiet of an opulent chamber within the fortress, she gazed into Kuai’s weathered yet piercing brown eyes, her pulse quickening as she remembered their first time together in the Outworld courtyard--the depth of their spoken love and heated bodies intertwining. The memories came flooding back. The weight of their reunion pressed against her chest, a mix of longing and hope, as she reached for his hand, her fingers trembling with the need to reconnect.

His cool touch was calming and familiar, a sensation she had never thought to experience again. 

Kuai Liang, though hardened by years of leadership and loss, felt the same spark reignite as Kitana’s touch warmed his calloused palm. He had mourned her absence, believing her lost to Quan Chi's dark sorcery that condemned her an hellish existence as a revenant. Yet here she stood now--radiant, fierce, and full of life as the woman he fell for decades ago. She remained unchanged in her love for him as words gave way to action. He pulled her close, their lips meeting in a kiss that was both tender and desperate, tasting of frost and Edenian spice. They stumbled into a secluded couch, the air growing heavy with their shared breath as Kitana pressed herself against him, her hands tracing the scars that mapped his broader, older frame. Kuai’s icy aura enveloped her, a cool contrast to the heat building between them, as he murmured her name with reverence, reigniting the passion they’d once known.

Clothing fell away in a flurry, Kitana’s azure silks pooling at her feet as Kuai’s hands roamed her fit form, reverent yet hungry. She gasped as his cold fingers teased her skin, sending shivers down her spine, while her own touch coaxed warmth from his frost-kissed body. Their lovemaking was a dance of contrasts--her fluid grace against his controlled strength, her warmth melting his chill. Kitana arched beneath him, her nails digging into his shoulders as waves of pleasure crashed through her, each thrust a reclaiming of what time had stolen. Kuai’s low groans mingled with her soft cries, their rhythm urgent yet intimate, as if they could fuse their souls to defy the fractured timelines that had kept them apart.

Afterward, they lay entwined on the soft cushions, the night air cooling their sweat-slicked skin. Kitana traced lazy patterns across Kuai’s hairy chest, her heart swelling with love and a feeling of completion that transcended timelines. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, his voice rough with emotion as he confessed how her memory had anchored him through his darkest days. Though the future remained uncertain in this fractured timeline, this stolen moment felt like a victory, a reaffirmation of their bond. Kitana nestled closer, savoring the steady beat of his heart. She didn't care of the cost, she was determined to fight for this reality where they could be together without the specter of time and war-mongering conquerors tearing them apart again.

The rising of dawn over the horizon would see Kitana and Kuai Liang exiting the room, hand-in-hand. They moved to rejoin their allies, ready to face whatever challenge may come next for them with a resolve burning brighter than ever before.

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