(2 Years Before The Birth of Malisha…)
Song: Impossible - Shontelle
Shaina - 🎼 "I remember, years ago
Someone told me I should take
Caution when it comes to love, I did
And you were strong and I was not
My illusion, my mistake
I was careless, I forgot, I did" 🎼
As Shaina sat in front of her mirror while singing softly, Malia stood behind her and brushed her hair. She warmly smiles as little Shaina sings and watches her do long stroke brushes through the mirror.
Shaina - 🎼 "And now
When all is done, there is nothing to say
You have gone and so effortlessly
You have won, you can go ahead, tell them" 🎼
When she sings halfway, Malia then sings along;
Malia - 🎼"Tell them all I know now
Shout it from the rooftops
Write it on the sky line
All we had is gone now
Tell them I was happy
And my heart is broken
All my scars are open
Tell them what I hoped would be
Impossible,
Impossible
Impossible,
Impossible"🎼
Shaina looks back at her mother in shock. Malia had a very deft and handy voice, in which she was capable of switching vocal range from smooth to swifty. As her daughter stared at her with admiration, she smiled warmly and rubs her head. "You have an amazing voice, my dearest." said Malia.
When she turns Shaina's head toward the mirror, she takes a scrunchy and ties little Shaina's long hair. "Mother…"
"Yes, dear?"
Shaina hesitates for a moment but then breathes softly before speaking, "You have a great voice… How come you don't sing much?..."
Malia then runs her fingers through Shaina's ponytail, "Well… I do sing dear, but the only time when mother ever sings is when mother's friends need me to heal them."
Shaina then turns to face her, "Heal?..."
"Yes… My singing isn't just for entertainment. Everytime I sing my healing spell, my hair glows and anyone who is injured touches my hair, my power heals them." Malia said,
"Can you sing it, mother?" Shaina askes and Malia smiles, "Of course, dear."
Malia was about to sing until little Shaina started rubbing her eye and yawning. "Naw, my dear… you tired?" she asked and her daughter nodded yes. Malia softly chuckles, "Do you want me to sing it to you as I lay beside you, my dear?"
Little Shaina nods, "Yes… yes, mother…"
Malia picks Shaina up and carries her to bed. When she tucked her in, she lays beside her daughter and softly sings;
🎼"Flower, gleam and glow
Let your powers shine
Make the clock reverse
Bring back what once was mine…"🎼
Little Shaina's eyes slowly close as Malia sings her to sleep.
🎼"Heal what has been hurt
Change the fates' design
Save what has been lost
Bring back what once was mine
What once was mine."🎼
When she sees her already asleep, Malia slowly gets up and leans in to kiss Shaina's forehead. "Goodnight, my dear." She said,
A Few Minutes Later…
"I'm pregnant again… a girl." Malia sat on the sofa and Shin was not just surprised but also felt uneasy about the news. "Malia… if you don't wa-"
"No… maybe it's different this time. Maybe… maybe our new daughter is a full Supreme Kai this time and not a half-blood…" She said,
Malia's hands were shaking.
When Shin notices, he sits down beside her and tries his best to comfort her.
"Malia, you… you don't have to risk your life to give forth another child. Supreme kai or not, what matters is that you're happy. I don't want you to risk your life all over again because of this." He said,
Malia's worried expression fades but worry and doubt stays within her mind, "I know… but what if… what if Grand Zeno and the other gods will see them as a threat or… as something worse…?"
Shin then takes and holds her hand, "Differences doesn't matter. As I said before, Supreme Kai or not, what matters is that you and our children are happy. No matter what."
With that, a small smile slowly crosses Malia's face, "... You know. Even though we were forced into this marriage on Grand Zeno's behalf, I'm honestly glad I met you, Shin. Husband or not, I'm happy to have you as a close-friend."
"Mom…"
Malia looks back and sees little Kai standing by the end of the stairs while staring at her and Shin. She gets up and walks towards him, "My poor dear… C'mere…" Malia then picks him up and carries him back to his room.
When she puts him back into bed, she notices Kai breathing heavily and his face glowing red. "My stars… your fever is getting worse and your face is burning up." Malia says as she feels his forehead.
"Don't tell me you've been using your powers again, my dear…" Malia asks him but little Kai could barely answer. She then takes the bottle of medicine from the nightstand and gives him a teaspoon of it. For a moment, a lot of thoughts race through her mind as Malia tries her best to care for her sick little boy. "To be honest, I can't believe I'm still using this medicine…"
Malia then looks at her wedding ring, "... I guess I don't have a choice…"
At first she was hesitant to take it off but when she looks at Kai and then back at the ring, she sighs. "I can't keep going on like this…" Malia takes the ring off and puts it on the nightstand. She takes little Kai's hand and places it on the side of her head. As she was about to sing, she then felt Kai's little fingers move around in her hair. Malia looks at him and sees him staring at her with a little smile.
"Do you want me to sing to you, my dear…?" Malia askes and Kai nodded yes.
…
This was one of the reasons Kai never spoke about his powers. At age 7, when Kai's power first began to manifest, he started getting sick all of the time. It all began when he first started flying for the first time and then afterwards, his nose started to bleed uncontrollably. It started with excessive nosebleeds to everlasting high fevers.
And the only reason why Malia wasn't able to use her healing incarnation was because her wedding ring stripped her away from her powers. The vow was that she would give forth to the new heir Supreme Kai for the sake of Universe 7, however she was forbidden to use her powers until this vow was fulfilled. The moment she first put the ring on, was the moment she became powerless. Powerless to even protect her own family but when Kai got very sick, she had no choice but to save her son with her healing ability.
This was a secret Malia had to keep away from everyone. But of course, Shin found out after he realized she was taking the ring off without saying a word.
…
"What were you thinking!? If Lord Beerus found out about this-"
"No one will know, Shin! Just… don't say a word about what I've done."
As Malia and Shin argued, little Shaina sits on top of the stairs and listens. "But why did you take off the ring? You know your not allowed to do that until-"
"Our son is dying!" When Malia yells, the room goes silent for a brief moment. "I… I couldn't just stand by and let my son die… I just couldn't." Malia then sits on the sofa completely stressed and helpless. "I just… I just can't keep doing this anymore…" She said as she put her down while in tears.
As the situation was, Shin couldn't bear to see Malia under such pressure. Since she was carrying another child and was only 9 weeks pregnant. The best thing he could do was sit down and comfort her.
"Malia… I won't say anything. Just… don't put too much pressure on yourself." When he takes her hand, Malia looks at him as tears run down her cheeks. Shin places his hand on her cheek, "...Like I said, you don't have to keep risking your life like this."
For a moment, Malia stayed silent until a warm smile then crossed her face. She sniffs, "... Guess we're gonna need a bigger house now…"
When little Shaina slowly comes down the stairs, she steps on the 5th step, which makes a squeak noise. Malia looks over her shoulder and sees her crouching down while holding the bars. Malia quickly wipes her tears away, "My dear… ? What are you doing up so late? You couldn't sleep?"
Shaina slowly gets up from the stairs and stands on the last step, "Mother… Why are you crying? Did… did brother and I do something wrong?" She asked.
"What? No… no, dear. It's not…"
Malia stops for a moment and then breathes, "C'mere…"
Shaina walks to her and Shin and sits in between them. "Mom… is this about the baby?" She asked.
"No, dear… It's just… your brother is very sick." Malia said.
"Sick?"
"Yes, dear…"
Shaina's face saddens and Malia rubs her back, "But… it's not your fault, dear. This has nothing to do with you… We're just trying to figure out what's wro-"
"Mother! Shaina! Someone help!"
Suddenly, Kai yells in panic from his room upstairs. "Kai!?..." Malia immediately got and quickly went to his room and was horrified by what she saw.
…
Back to Present Day…
"Hey, Malisha… Malisha?"
When Malisha snaps out of daydreaming, she sees Ava and Imani standing in front of her. "Are you okay?" Imani askes,
"I'm fine… I'm just… thinking about some stuff." Malisha said as she moved a strain of her hair away from her face. "Malisha, is it true? You know… that you have powers?" Imani curiously asks but Malisha doesn't answer. "Hey, Imani. Malisha doesn't know how to control it yet." Said Ava.
"Yes, she has powers but she's still trying to figure out how to use them. And… she needs us."
Malisha smiles at Ava's defense.
"Aw man, but I really wanted to see her do cool stuff." Imani said and Ava sighs, "Malisha almost froze the whole town yesterday, do you really want that to happen again? What if it got worse this time?"
Imani then looks at Malisha with shock, "Wait, that was you?" She asked. Malisha hesitated to answer but nodded slightly. "Well, jeez… I thought it was just hail yesterday… But wow…" Imani said with disbelief. "So you see, that's why we can at least help her on how to use it. Without harming anyone."
While Ava debates on the situation, Malisha's attention is then driven to three of her classmates by the otherside of the classroom. The two boys who were standing were Asa Botan and Kota Masashi, the one sitting down by the desk was Bratt Davis.
When Ava notices Malisha staring at the boys, she frowns, "Hello? Malisha…"
Malisha turns towards her, "Oh, uh… Sorry, I… I got distra-"
"Why are you staring at Bratt?" Ava questions. "I wasn't… I was just…"
Imani then interjects, "Hey, speaking of Bratt, I heard he's having a birthday party this weekend on Saturday."
"Heh… good thing I'm already 13." Said Ava. Malisha then takes one glance at Bratt before looking back at Ava. "Hey, you know… he's been talking a lot about you this past week, Malisha." Imani said.
"What do you mean?" Malisha asked.
"Well… he's been talking about you to everyone. Even his friends. Personally…" Ava then moves in closer and puts her hand on the side of her mouth. "... Personally, I think he has a crush on you."
"Wait, huh?... Why would… why would he have a crush on me?" Malisha askes. "Well, we don't know. Maybe because of your ears." Ava said. "My ears?"
"I mean… they are adorable." Ava teases and Malisha blushes. "What!… no, don't… say stuff like that… Ava…" She said as she looked down while blushing.
Ava chuckles, "I was kidding… Besides, he does talk about how cute your ears are."
Malisha then looks at Bratt and then looks down at the desk, "Jeez… does he really talk about my ears that much or is it more than just…"
"Do you have a crush on someone?" Imani asked. Malisha looks at Imani with a blushy and shy expression, "... I… don't know… Maybe…"
"Hey, can I ask… when is your birthday?" Ava asked, "Um… 23rd of February… why?" Malisha questions. "Well… It's kinda weird that you don't celebrate on your birthday. How come your parents don't-"
Bratt then approaches them with a nervous look on his face. "Uh… Hey, Malisha…"
"Hey Bratt…" Malisha greets him.
Though Bratt was okay around his other classmates, everytime he tried to talk to Malisha, he would get nervous. "Um… Do you have a minute…?" He asks and Malisha looks at Ava who shrugs.
She looks back at Bratt, "Yeah, I guess so. What is it?"
Bratt blushes, "Would you… like to come to my party this Friday?"
There was a moment of silence until Malisha then finally responded,
"... I don't have any studies this Friday, so I guess I could come." She said,
Bratt beams, "Woah, really?..."
Ava snickers and Malisha pouts, "Yeah… I mean, is there a reason why I can't go?"
"No… not at all. Um… See you there, Malisha…" Bratt quickly goes back to his desk where his friends were standing and told them softly that Malisha was going.
Ava smiles, "Told you." and Malisha blushes, "... That doesn't mean anything… He just asked me to come, that's it."
"Fine… have it your way then." Said Ava.
After School - Malisha's Home
"Do you want to go?" Ava asks as she and Malisha read some of the stuff they found from yesterday. "Yeah… I mean, my sister isn't here to stop me or tell me otherwise. Might as well have fun and party like there's no tomorrow." Malisha jokes and Ava chuckles. "You're not 16 yet, Malisha. It's only a birthday party, not a nightclub."
"Heh, I know. I was just kidding." Said Malisha.
As they were reading through books, Ava then began to play with the water from her glass by using her power as she daydreamed but as she was, the water then began to form shapes. When Malisha looks at Ava, the water continues to her hand and then forms into the shape of a heart.
"Are you okay?" Malisha asked when she saw the heart.
"Huh!?" When Ava snaps out of daydreaming, the water drops onto the table, wetting it and everything except the books. "Ava!? What the…"
Malisha tries to dry up the water with her sleeves but ends up accidentally freezing the table. "Damn it…" She sighs out of frustration. Ava apologizes, "I'm… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to-"
"It's fine…" Malisha said as removes her hand from the frozen table. "I… I'm at fault. You… accidentally spilled water on the table and I just made it worse…"
"Maybe we can put the table outside to thaw away…" Ava suggests and Malisha agrees, "I guess so…"
…
After Malisha and Ava move the table to the backyard, they go back inside. As they were cleaning up the mess, Ava's phone suddenly began to vibrate. When Ava takes her phone out of her pocket, she sees that the time is 4:50 PM.
"Oh geez, It's getting late. I guess I'd better get back home." Said Ava. "Are you sure? I mean, it's almost 5 PM." Malisha asked as she placed the books back into the box. "Exactly… I can't stay out late anymore, since my dad and mom are in hospital and my maid is the one looking after me."
Ava takes her bag and heads for the front door. "Hey… Ava?"
Ava then turns towards Malisha, "Huh? What is it?" She asked. "... Is… there something you wanna tell me because-?"
"I'm fine, Malisha… I just…" When Ava interjects, she then blushes. "I just have a lot of things on my mind right now." She said,
"Bye, Malisha…" When Ava leaves, Malisha continues to pack the books back into the box.
When she finished, she went upstairs to take a bath. As she lays in the tub, her thoughts go back to the water heart shape that she saw Ava do which made her question, "How does she do it? If Ava knows how to control her powers… then… maybe I should ask her tomorrow for advice."
After Malisha is done, she wraps herself in a towel and leaves the bathroom. She walks to her room but stops by her room door when she notices a strange scent coming from her brother's room. Malisha went in to look and the room smelled strangely humid. "Okay… I know his room is clean but where is that smell coming from?" Malisha looks around Kai's room out of curiosity and finds nothing but when she looks into the drawer of his nightstand, she finds something that shocked her to the core.
Meanwhile…
"Woah! Woah, woah, wait a second! I'm not gonna kill anyone!" said Johnny after being told by Shang Tsung to kill his second opponent, Baraka.
Liu Kang throws a confused look at Raiden, who takes in the scene impassively. "Very well." Shang Tsung then stands up from his chair, "The tournament will resume at dawn!"
When he turns around and departs, the monks all rise and start to do the same.
"What, that's it? Really?" Johnny asks but no one answers. He then turns around and rubs his hands in anticipation, "Now where'd that hottie go?"
Maliza looks around in confusion as everyone leaves but her attention is then drawn to Johnny when Raiden and Liu Kang walk up to him. "You fought well." Said Raiden.
Johnny: "Thanks. Nice hat."
Liu Kang: "You should be more respectful of Lord Raiden. He is the protector of Earthrealm, the God of Thunder, the–"
Johnny: "Look, I don't know what kind of role-playing you guys are into, but count me out."
He turns to leave but Kang steps in his path, "This tournament is more than a chance for personal glory. We are fighting for the very survival of Earthrealm."
"What are you talking about?" Johnny asked.
"Your last opponent was Tarkatan. He was born with those blades."
"Yeah, those things are real." Johnny sarcastically says when Raiden mentions Baraka.
When Maliza hears this, she looks at two guards who pick up Baraka's unconscious body and carry him away. "He represents Outworld. Had you lost, the emperor Shao Kahn would have come one step closer to physically absorbing our world into his." Says Lord Raiden but Johnny doesn't take his words seriously. "Outworld, yeah right, right…" He said.
"The Elder Gods created the Mortal Kombat tournament to give Earthrealm a chance to defend itself. But if we lose this time, Shao Kahn will conquer all."
"Dun Dun Dunnn!" Johnny dramatically throws his arms up in the air. "Look guys, I'm an actor. I save the world for the cameras. If this emperor is really a threat, call the military. Me, I've got a date with a blonde. Ciao!"
He slaps Raiden on the arm and leaves. "What do you see in him?" Liu Kang asked. "He is a hero, Liu Kang, though he may not yet know it."
Maliza stood for a moment, thinking about the words that Raiden said earlier. "The Elder Gods… That… sounds familiar." She thought. She goes after Johnny, thinking that maybe him and Sonya might give her some light to what's going on and where she is.
To Be Continued…