R&R!
The lively airs of China; its busy people, its loud noises intruding the ears. People went about their daily, simple lives with work, play and such things. In a martial arts school near the outskirts of Hong Kong, two individuals were training in the ancient forms of Gung Fu. They moved like water, imitating the natural animals one sees in the wild. They moved with perfect harmony. A woman and a man, Yin and Yang. She kicked a powerful kick but he blocked with a firm stance. She followed up with a punch and he evaded with a head weave. He tried to kick her but she shifted her body and gave him a low sweep, sending him to the floor. She climbed atop him, pinning him down with her body.
"I win~." She gloated in a sing-song-like fashion.
"Not yet." The man pushed up his hips and flipped her around until the positions were switched and he was on top of her. "I win."
The woman sighed in annoyance, though her cheeks were pink. "Alright, already. You can get off now."
He got up and offered his hand to her. Though reluctant, she accepted it and allowed him to help her up.
"You've definitely gotten better, Bruce. It's no wonder you're Dad's favorite student."
"You sound jealous, Chun-Li."
"Nope, doesn't bother me." She crossed her arms and pouted. Bruce chuckled in mirth, turning around and grabbing a towel.
"Yes, you seem fine."
Chun-Li, a young, fit, Chinese girl was standing in front of a young Bruce. She was shorter than him, with extremely muscular thighs. She wore an embroidered vest, unitard and athletic shoes, as well as studded wristbands. She had her hair tied in ox-horns style, having blue ribbons tied around them. Bruce was tall and lean, with strands of his hair falling over his face. He wore a hog pen row shirt along with black pants and Chinese shoes.
"So, best two-out-of-three?"
"Can't." Bruce threw his backpack over his shoulder. "I have class. Tell Sifu I'll be back later tonight."
"Oh, that's right. The grand and mysterious Bruce Wayne being able to kick ass and talk his way out of a fight. How do you do it?"
Bruce smirked. "All it takes is a little charm, Panda-chan." He waved at her as he walked out of the door.
"And stop calling me that! I hate that!"
Bruce walked through the streets of Hong Kong, walking on its streets, listening to its people. He has been in and out of this country several times and he's so fluent in their language, so proficient with their dialect that you could swear, if it weren't for the obvious, that he was born here. But he wasn't born here. He was born somewhere darker. In an alleyway, where rain plopped down and dripped, mixing with the blood of the people he called family.
Bruce stopped in front of the university he was enrolled in, one of the best in the world. He was studying Advanced Biology and after less than half a year, was nearly finished with the class. Bruce began walking up the steps, his mind flowing with a few thoughts.
"It doesn't take much for a man to be the best. It really doesn't. It's just a matter of a few variables and a couple of constants but a man can transform himself. He can be the best of himself. It just takes drive, an all-consuming, ever-present drive that you feel in your soul. It needs to take hold of you and make you something more, something greater. I walk a path and when I look ahead, I see pitch black. I don't know where this path leads. Perhaps, Alfred was right. Perhaps all I will find in the end is unhappiness, solitude, and an unyielding sense of loss. But if I become like the rest, if I just drown myself in money, drugs and girls, I can never go back to those graves again. And I need to go back to those graves. They are my strength, my armor. They are what help me keep the promise... to never let another tragedy like that happen again."
"What do we got?"
"Fractures along the jawline, arm, and ribs. Bruising along the temple and eye and several lacerations on the back and waist. This guy was beaten to death, brutally."
"We got any witnesses?"
"One guy says he saw some hulking man towering over our guy. The witness didn't stick around and ran away out of fear."
"We pick up anything else at the crime scene?"
"Not really. No hair samples, no blood, not even sweat, for God's sake. No DNA to identify this guy whatsoever."
"So, we've got no leads?"
"I wouldn't say that. We did get a call a few hours ago, talking about a hulking man getting stepping into a black car. We got the license plate."
"Good. I want you and your partner to trace it. I've got a class to teach."
"Got it, Sifu."
Chun-Li's father, Dorai, threw on his overcoat and walked out of the station. He was an average heighted man, with a black mustache and black hair. He wore the standard police outfit for Hong Kong. The Kung Fu teacher made his way back to his dojo where he trained his students in the way of martial arts. He got into a cab and had the driver take him home. After paying the man, he stepped out and walked up the steps to his dojo where his students stood outside, some stretching, others talking.
"Sifu!" Taking notice of his presence, they all lined up in front him, eager faces ready to learn and absorb. Dorai skimmed through their faces but did not see his daughter.
"Where is Chun-Li?"
They looked amongst each other but none could respond as to where she is. "I'll go find her."
Dorai glanced at Bruce who stood at the far end, looking firm and disciplined. Dorai nodded at him. "Xie xie, Bruce."
Bruce nodded before taking off down the steps and into the city to find Chun-Li.
"Alright, you're up next! You ready?"
"'Course I am!"
"Ladies and gentleman! Our next contestant is not one to be tangled with! A master of gung fu, she can kick faster than the speed of sound and will lay you on your ass before you know it! The strongest woman in the world – Chun-Li!"
Out from the curtains, Chun-Li energetically ran into the arena, flipping over the ropes and landing gracefully on her feet. She rose up waved to the crowd, giving them all the peace sign as they whooped and cheered her. People were seated all around her, loud and boisterous as they anticipated the fight ahead. Her opponent was a huge, muscular bald man wearing torn jeans and a cocky smirk. He had veins popping out of his arms and constantly flexed his arms.
"Ya sure ya wanna be here, darling? I can't make any promises that I won't kill ya."
Chun-Li turned to him with a wry smile. "I can't be sure I won't make you cry like a little bitch. Just start the match already!"
"Ya asked for it!" The man charged her with his hands raised. Chun-Li dropped into a stance and when the man got close to throw a swing, she immediately socked him in the face. Stumbling back, the man growled before throwing several more punches which were either blocked or avoided by Chun-Li. She then retaliated with six blurry, lightning fast kicks to the face. She then spun on her heel and used to her other leg to deliver a thrust back kick to his solar plexus. He dropped down on his knees, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath.
"What the hell?! How is she so powerful?!"
"It ends here!" Twisting her hip, she finished him with a bone breaking roundhouse kick to his face, knocking several feet back with blood spurting off his face.
"Winner, Chun-Li!"
The referee raised her arm in the air as she bounced up and down happily, the crowd cheering and chanting her name. In the back, Chun-Li was coming down from the high when a familiar voice interrupted her.
"So, instead of training, you come here and do this?"
Chun-Li spun around to see Bruce standing there with his arms folded, a disapproving look on his face.
"You! How-How did you-"
"Simple. I've followed you when you came out here one time. You missed practice so many days that week, I got curious. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Sifu's daughter is using her martial arts skills to beat on people in an underground fighting ring to win illegitimate money and rotten fame."
"You followed me?! You had no right to do that! I'm my own person and I can do whatever the hell I want!"
"You may be right, but your father is worried sick about you. Every right you have goes out the damn window when you make your parents worry for no good reason."
"You don't understand!" She cried.
"It doesn't matter. You're coming home right now." He grabbed her wrist and began to pull her in the direction of the exit but was stopped by her wringing her arm out of his grip.
"I'm not going anywhere." She said stubbornly. "I'm staying here."
"You're acting like a child."
"You're acting like my big brother. We've only known each other for a few months, Bruce. We're not family and I don't need you to look out for me. I can take care of myself."
"That's not why I'm here."
Chun-Li sighed, shaking her head. She then crossed her arms and looked up at Bruce. "Fine then, I'll make a deal with you. You stay too and fight in this tournament and if you win against me, I'll go home no arguments, no struggle."
"No. That's not reason enough to fight."
"Fine, then." She scanned her fingernails while feigning a look of disinterest. "I guess I'll just be staying put."
Bruce glanced at the arena, weighing his options. "What? You're not scared, are you?"
Bruce turned back to her, his eyes still hard as steel. "Fine." He finally replied. "I'll enter and when I beat you..."
"If you beat me." She interjected.
"When I beat you, you come back home and you never come back here again." She held her hand out to him and he shook it firmly.
"Deal."
The next match started with Bruce and a tall bald man with fierce eyes. The people were cheering and yelling around the arena as Bruce rolled up his sleeves. The man across on the other side of the stage was shirtless with shorts on. He had bandage wraps on his arms and feet and a scar on his face. One of his eyes were completely white while other stared him down.
"This next match is one for the record books! The god of Muay Thai himself, the lion of Thailand, Sagat!"
Everyone whooped and cheered at this announcement, while the man known as Sagat remained stoic, merely focusing on his opponent.
"His breath is steady..." Bruce mentally noted. "He's drowning out the noise, the lights, the spectators... in his eyes, we're the only two in the room."
"You have the eyes of an animal." Sagat gruffly said. "A wild, vengeful animal. Untamed and fearful... but pathetically weak and small. Cunning but not especially powerful. I look forward to clipping your wings."
"And how do you know what kind of animal I am?"
"Your aura comes off in waves, revealing you to be a man of the West with the ferocity of the East. Truly a warrior. I will honor you with the respect of a fellow warrior... and I expect you to deliver the same courtesy."
"You want my respect? Earn it."
Sagat took up a strong Muay Thai stance while Bruce took up a Wing Chun stance. The two stared off at each other, keeping their breaths steady. They were tense but calm and the crowd couldn't help but stare with tenseness as well. Chun-Li bit her lip as Bruce and Sagat stared each other down.
Sagat made the first move, stepping forward with a sharp roundhouse kick. Bruce put weight on his back leg and allowed himself to block it with his arm. Bruce cringed from the kick, the power from it being great enough to nearly fracture his arm. Moving with it, he spun and tried to give Sagat a spin kick to the gut. Coming down from his kick, Sagat parried Bruce's strike and jabbed him in the cheek. Stumbling back, Bruce barely was able to parry the one-two combo Sagat gave him. Bruce then launched a quick low cross kick to the knee before elbowing him in the solar plexus. Sagat step back, shaking off the blow before giving Bruce a shin kick to the neck. Bruce wrapped his arm around Sagat's leg before stepping in and sweeping him. He then followed up by dropping his knee on his chest and punching him in the face several times. Sagat tried to jab Bruce but he caught his arm and went into a Jiu Jutsu lock, holding his arm and locking him with his legs. Using his other arm, Sagat grabbed Bruce's ankle and began to stand up. Sagat, before standing fully up, threw Bruce off and he landed in an aerial flip which allowed him to gracefully land on on his feet. He had no time to catch his breath as Sagat rushed in with a one-two-three combo, forcing Bruce to bob and weave from the blows, moving back on his feet and keeping his senses alert. Bruce punched Sagat in the jaw but he took the strike in stride and socked Bruce square in the face. Blood began pouring out of his nose but he didn't let it faze him as Sagat sneered.
"You're no match for me."
"Shut up and fight."
Bruce gave a flying hook kick to Sagat's face who blocked it with his elbow. Sagat then jumped up and kneed Bruce in the chest. Bruce blocked the knee with his crossed arms, but the blow was powerful enough to knock him to the floor. He recovered with a back roll and landed on his knees.
Bruce moved forward with a side kick, landing it in Sagat's stomach and forcing him to double over. Bruce then spun on his heel and gave a reverse elbow strike to the temple. While Sagat was stunned, Bruce grabbed his neck and threw him over his shoulder, putting him on his back.
"So much for the great lion." Bruce boldly stated.
Sagat sprang back up, taking up his stance once more. "In the wild, it's the strong and cunning who survive. The ones who know how to take an animal's strengths and use them to their advantage. Who knows how to rip apart its prey's neck with raw ferocity. That's why the lion is king – he possesses the most power."
"Then prepare to get dethroned."
The crowd watched with quiet awe, entrapped by the ferocity of the two fighters. Their eyes were under the spell of their rhythm, their dance of pain and punches. Chun-Li, despite her best to not seem so, was worried about Bruce. His opponent was strong, extremely so. The last thing she wanted was for him to get hurt.
"Bruce..."
Bruce and Sagat stepped to each other, kicking the other in the shin with a roundhouse kick. They withheld the pain with Bruce coming forward with a finger jab to the throat. Sagat dodged it and tried to elbow his opponent in the nose. Bruce ducked it while hooking Sagat in the ribs, making him double over. Bruce followed him with a chop to the ear before finally thrust kicking him in the face. Sagat stumbled back before using his backing up to his advantage and spinning on his heel to hook kick Bruce in the face. Bruce spun to the ground, blooding flow out of his chin. Sagat wiped the blood that was flowing from his own mouth. Sagat then raised his foot before stomping on Bruce's stomach, eliciting a cough of blood from his mouth. Sagat smirked darkly down at Bruce, who simply glared up at him defiantly.
The crowd cheered loudly for the Muay Thai king while Chun-Li gasped but resisted the urge to run up onto the arena. She knew it would be shameful for Bruce, she knew it would hurt his pride and that'd be worse than any physical pain he was enduring right now.
"Bruce!" She shouted. "Get up, Bruce! Fight! Fight!"
"Chun-Li..." Bruce uttered somewhat weakly.
She cringed upon the sound of it. She had never seen him so vulnerable. He behaved strong, stern, proud. He had seem composed and trained with a proper goal in mind. All thoughts of whatever deal she made flew out right out of her mind and raw emotion took over.
"Are you going to let him defeat you?! What the hell have you been training for?!"
"Training for...? Remember the purpose..." Scenes of his life flashed before his eyes. His happy, pre-8 year old childhood, Alfred, Gotham City, the death of his parents. Something sparked within Bruce and his eyes widened with renewed vigor and fury. "That's right! What am I doing?! I don't have time... TO LOSE HERE!"
With Sagat's foot still on his back, Bruce began to furiously push himself up. His breath was short and hot and his teeth were gritted. "I don't have time to worry about how my body feels or how strong this bastard is. I made them a promise... I can't lose to ANYONE! I WON'T! Get up! Get up, damn you! Get... up... YOU WEAKLING!"
"HUAAAAHHHHHHH!" Bruce sprang up, pushing Sagat off him and when the Muay Thai fighter stumbled, Bruce instantly socked him the stomach with an insanely powerful cross. Bruce gave him no time to recover and followed up with a hard uppercut to the chin.
"Fight!" A low roundhouse kick to the shin and then a roundhouse kick to the ribs.
"Fight!" Sagat tried to counter with a few jabs but Bruce was too fast and either parried or blocked everyone of them. For every blow Sagat tried to throw, Bruce instantaneously launched out three.
"FIGHT AND WIN!" A thrust kick to the stomach, two side kicks to the face, a haymaker and a Cobra punch was it took to finally put Sagat on the floor for good, knocked out. Bruce stood him over him, his eyes wild and feral.
"So... tell me, 'lion'... what kind of animal did you say I was?"
The crowd whooped and cheered while Chun-Li wiped her eyes, a relieved smile on her face. Bruce looked over his shoulder with a small smile, nodding slightly.
In Bruce's hotel in downtown Hong Kong, Bruce sat on his bed, shirtless, while Chun-Li tended to the wounds on his face.
"Ow!"
"Be still, for crying out loud. It's just disinfectant."
"Well, it stings."
"I thought you were a man." She teased.
"And I thought you knew better than to use Sifu's fighting techniques in some underground fighting ring."
Chun-Li sighed. "I suppose I should've been expecting that..." Chun-Li crossed her arms and turned away from him. "It wasn't for illegal money or fame... I just..."
"You just what?"
"I needed to prove myself. I needed to know I wasn't inadequate, that I was an actual fighter. My father... it seems that sometimes he's always on me, always pressuring me, like I'm not good enough... I guess I just needed to validate myself in some way. I'm sorry..."
Bruce sighed, scratching his head. "So that's what it was... You're an idiot."
She turned to him sharply. "What?"
"Do you think your father, who treats you with more pressure than the rest, feels you're not good enough? You're wrong. You're getting special treatment. He wants you to be strong and his pushing you doesn't mean that he thinks you're weak but that he thinks you're strong enough to handle it."
Chun-Li smiled bitterly, covering her face with her hand. "God, I'm so stupid..."
"Agreed."
"Shut up." She kicked him in the leg halfheartedly but they both had a mutual smile on their face. Chun-Li tilted her head, her eyes roaming Bruce's face. "You almost got your ass kicked."
"I had it under control."
"Mm-hm."
"I could still beat you."
"Well, I guess we'll never see." She shrugged. "We left right after your fight."
"You seem quite worried about my condition."
"Please, little boy." She walked in front of him, tapping on his forehead with her finger. "It's just some scrapes."
"That's not what it sounded like when you were cheering me on at the arena." Bruce smirked, his facial expression exuding raw boyish charm. "You cared."
"So, what if I did?" She asked nonchalantly. "Is worrying about your fellow classmate so strange?"
"No... But that's not what that was."
"Oh, no?" Chun-Li's hand was softly stroking Bruce's shoulder while Bruce had his hand on her thigh.
"Nope." He rose up and gently placed his hand on her cheek. "Definitely not..."
Bruce pressed his lips on hers as she placed her hands on the back of his head, running her fingers through his black hair. Chun-Li parted her lips and slid her tongue into Bruce's mouth. After several minutes of swapping saliva, the two parted for a breath, panting in each other's face. Chun-Li reached back and undid the ox-horns, letting her hair flow free. The radiance of her now free hair made Bruce even more entranced. Chun-Li wrapped her arms around his neck while Bruce took a hold of her hips, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist. Her legs were strong as he felt them make a vice grip around him. He turned around, their lips interlocked and began walking to the bed, where they would spend the night.
Sifu Dorai stood outside of the dojo, looking out at the city. The students had long left but Chun-Li and Bruce had not yet returned. He wasn't worried however, as he trusted Bruce to look out for his daughter. He turned around and went back inside the school. He lit up a pipe and blew out the smoke, enjoying the relaxing feeling until he heard a sudden crash.
"Excuse me..." A deep voice spoke out. Dorai turned around and took up a Wing Chun stance.
"Who goes there?!"
The mysterious man's hand glowed a fiery purple and he smiled dangerously.
Bruce and Chun-Li stood in front of the white sheet which covered the body of his teacher and her father. Chun-Li clenched her fist and a vein could be seen on her forehead. She was restraining a tear as she let anger fill her. The police had questioned them extensively about the death of their captain but no leads, no prints, nothing. It was if he were killed by a ghost.
After the funeral, Chun-Li sat at her father's grave with Bruce standing a few feet behind her. He had no words but he felt grief.
"If only I was there instead of wasting time... he might not have died... It's my fault that he..."
"Stop blaming yourself." Chun-Li said suddenly.
"Huh?"
"I know what you're doing... You're beating yourself up. You're blaming yourself for something you couldn't possibly know..." She sounded empty and robotic. "I don't blame you... I blame myself... If I... If I..." Her voice started to crack and you could hear her sniffling. "If I wasn't so damn stupid... If I didn't go to that arena then none of this would have happened now... It's my fault... All my fault..."
Chun-Li felt a hand on her shoulder and she saw Bruce kneeling beside her, a solemn look on his face. "Stop it. Sifu wouldn't want you to blame yourself."
"Then who do I blame?"
"The one responsible." Bruce's eyes possessed a dark tint to them. "The one who dared to take away what was rightfully yours. You can still do good by your father's memory... Pass on what he learned. His teachings, his philosophy, you can carry them with you and make him proud."
Tears were trailing down Chun-Li's cheeks. "Do you... do you really think I can?"
With his thumb, Bruce wiped the tears from her eyes and gave her a small but utterly sincere smile. "Of course I do. And I'll be here to help you... for as long as you need me."
Chun-Li smiled warmly at Bruce, the glow of warmth in her eyes returning. She then embraced him tightly. "Thank you, Bruce. I'm so lucky to have a friend like you."
"Of course... Panda-chan."
She chuckled. "You know... I think it's growing on me."
After several months of mourning, Chun-Li and Bruce stood at the train station as this day was the day where they would part for a time. Bruce stood in a black shirt and black pants with a black bag over his shoulder. Chun-Li wore a bright red qipao dress with the ox-horns hairstyle in place.
"I can stay longer with you, if you want."
"No, you need to continue your journey. Thank you, Bruce, for staying with me and helping me throughout all this."
"I'd never leave the side of a friend in need."
Chun-Li smiled at him. "You're more than a friend to me Bruce... you're my family."
"If you ever need me, you have my number."
"I do." She walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek. "Good luck, Bruce."
"You too, Panda-chan." He turned around and stepped onto the train with Chun-Li waving at him. She watched as the train left before turning around and walking back to the dojo. She had her father buried near the school that he had dedicated his life to and loved. She stood before the tombstone and knelt down softly.
"Bruce left, Father. I'll miss him but he has many more things to learn and so do I. I'm going to leave for awhile... I'm going to Japan to train under a teacher who can teach me how to manipulate my chi... I'll miss you. But I'll be back..." She clenched her fist and with a determined look on her face, rose to her feet. "I'll become stronger, I'll join the police force and I promise, I'll avenge you one day, Father. I love you. Goodbye."
With that, Chun-Li turned to embark on her own journey, unsure of the obstacles to come but ready to brave them with all she's got.
A.N.: And that's that done! Now, this was originally meant to be oneshot but, I'll make a deal. If you viewers like the idea of Bruce, in his training days, traveling around the world and meeting the young ladies of Street Fighter and other characters, then I'll make this into a series. If not, then it's just a short oneshot (though it was a bit long to write). I hope you guys enjoyed this. Let me know if you were digging the BruChu pairing and if you would like to see it expanded and just generally what you thought of this fic. Thanks, guys and until next time.
Green out.