Disclaimer: Capcom

x

"How far are you going to go to kill me, Inspector?"

"I'll go as far as I need to."

There it was again: bitterness.

The sour, musky flavor of bitterness hung in her mouth as if it was a bad aftertaste from a mint, originating from the back of her throat.

I can't believe I got away.

Oh yes, got away. Always got away…away, away, away. If he went, she went. He jumped, she jumped.

Right now, Chun Li wished she smoked or had some other nasty habit in order to rid herself of the empty feeling inside the pit of her stomach, the pit of her heart.

Fiddling through her pockets, the detective found no trace of sinful habits or even dirt for that matter.

Oh, that's right. I bought this coat yesterday. It's brand new.

Yesterday…yesterday, she was at a restaurant…Ryu was there. Yes, Ryu took her to a restaurant…it was…a Chinese restaurant off of 5th avenue near a quaint bookstore. The waitress that was serving them had a red scarf tied around her neck with doll shoes printed on it.

How I remember only the most trivial and stupid things.

Shivering, Chun Li hugged herself with her brand new coat.

I remember buying this. Ken gave me the money.

Money…suddenly, Chun Li remembered she had no money. Well, she wasn't poor…just no money on her right now…probably a loose twenty maybe…

She was going to get paid Tuesday anyway so it really didn't matter.

I hate money.

Money was disgusting. Money was stupid. Money was the reason Lord Bison strived to do anything. She hated Bison so she hated money.

I also hate the color red.

Bison wore red. Probably thought it made him look good. Red was the color of power, of wealth, of luck…

Passion, fire, love…

Blood. It was also a distinct and hideous color of blood. In fact, Chun Li would like blood more if it wasn't red…if it didn't flow red…

"I think, Inspector, he doesn't love you."

Revenge was red…

"But who could love you, Chun Li?"

"Ryu…" She muttered to herself, opening her wallet book.

"You're so infatuated with me, who could you possibly give devotion besides me?"

Her fingers stopped on his number, begging to call him. She wanted to explain; she wanted to justify herself, her motives, her reason to hate. Chun Li wanted to love Ryu, she really did…it's just that Bison couldn't let her love. His entire existence stopped her heart and soul, turning it into a demon.

"You know, Chun Li, when you go chase after a man, that's the relationship you have. You don't have one with me; you have one with him. I hope you two are very happy together."

Ryu was so cruel and spiteful, jealous when he said that to her.

Red was also the color of jealously.

Blinking, the warrior pulled herself back together and started across the street. Her boots clicked against the ground, her stepping brisk and curt. Her eyes felt like they were going to burn off her face, her mouth wanting to drop to the ground.

"How far, Inspector until you're satisfied?"

Her pace grew faster, her boots barely touching the ground.

"How much do you want to see me die before you decide that it's enough?"

Before Chun Li knew it, she was at her front door in her front lawn, standing next to the red roses in their bush.

"How fast are you going to run when you see me again, Inspector?"

"I hate red." She said through gritted teeth, forcing the tears back from her eyes. Suddenly, as if she was in a dream, Chun Li reached out for a rose and ripped the head off, the thorn jagged into her finger.

"You want to kill me but the ironic thing is, Inspector, is that I've already killed you."

Red blood seeped from her finger, dripping to the ground like a sob from a trapped prisoner of war. Chun Li uttered a gasp of false pain, a routine thing that humans do when they were hurt, and squeezed her finger to draw more blood.

Red was the color of hate.

x

M.Bison, for some reason, turned on the news that day.

It wasn't his usual thing-he constantly hated being seen on TV, it annoyed him that he looked overweight and burly.

"In tragic news, the police believe to found the body of Chun Li Xiang, an Interpole detective who had been missing for 2 days now. The Strongest Woman in the World, at first thought to have been kidnapped, is now pointed to the idea of suicide. The police have yet to identify the body but they have strong beliefs it may be her. More as this story develops."

There was a moment of silence that Bison took after the screen flickered off.

"Inspector…Xiang…hmm…"

Sitting back, he found himself actually mourning a loss: Chun Li was always a cunning opponent, one he enjoyed company of.

"Suicide…I wouldn't have guessed…"

Getting up, Bison picked up a key and locked his back door.

"However…"

He then unlocked the entrance.

"I find that most things are hard to get rid of."

End