Oo I felt inspired to write more after watching some Street Fighter II V episodes. They're not so great because they keep replaying the same scenes over and over again, but the slash hints are all over the place. Oh, and thank you to the 2 nice people who commented on part 1! I was really happy to see feedback! oO
Part 2: Reconnecting
Ryu had been walking for five days straight, only stopping to rest for a few hours here and there, or to hunt and fish for food. He tended to avoid hikers and campers on his journey, keeping to himself until he was forced to merge with civilization in Tokyo. The whole trip had gone by so quickly that entering the crazed business district of Tokyo, in the middle of a Wednesday afternoon, came as quite a shock to a man who had grown accustomed to the peace and quiet of the forest.
As Ryu made his way through the busy streets, being bumped into and jostled, he found that his ability to concentrate had been greatly diminished. There were flashing signs trying to sell him products that he'd never heard of, the deafening mechanical noises of the pachinko parlors that he walked by, and on every street corner he was given a paper fan plastered with advertisements. So, with his handful of paper fans, and his pockets stuffed with free tissue packs – also complete with advertisements – Ryu walked straight through the gates of one of Tokyo's most popular all-girl high schools.
It was lunchtime, so Ryu drew a lot of unhealthy attention. Many of the girls put down their bento boxes to stare at Ryu's bare feet and rough appearance, whispering amongst themselves. A few others realized that there was something unique about the muscular karate man roaming around their school grounds and called out to him, giggling.
Finally, Ryu managed to catch the eye of one of the teachers. The small bespectacled man began to approach Ryu, all businesslike and assertive, but was shouldered aside by a girl with short dark hair, a pair of chopsticks in one hand.
"Ahh!" She cried out in worry and disbelief. "Ryu-san!" She quickly turned to the teacher and clapped her hands together, bowing apologetically. "This is my uncle, Sensei. I totally forgot that he was coming today."
"Now see here, Sakura. Your uncle can't just enter the school grounds without getting permission first. We can't have strange men coming and going as they please."
"Oh, Ryu-san isn't strange. He's just kind of senile." Sakura ignored the bewildered look that Ryu was giving both her and the teacher as she proceeded to grab Ryu's arm and drag him back out the way he had come in. "Come on, Uncle. Let's talk outside."
Once they were outside, Ryu shook off Sakura's arm and gave her a stern look. "Uncle? We are not that far apart in age," he said, uncomfortably looking away from the girls that were hanging around the gate, oogling him.
"Well, it was either that or watch you get hauled off to the police station for questioning. You just walked into an all-girls school without asking for permission first. Perverts do that all the time. The police station is usually where they end up." Sakura bounced on her toes, peering up into Ryu's face, her short uniform skirt blowing in the wind. "Are we going to begin training again? Is that why you're here?"
"No. I came from Wakayama to ask you for a favor."
"All the way from Wakayama?" Sakura's eyes widened. She glanced down at Ryu's blistered feet and had no reason to question the truth of his statement. "Do you want me to enter another competition? Is there a bad guy that needs his ass kicked?" She eagerly pounded her right fist into her left palm and waited for Ryu's answer.
"I need to borrow your cell phone."
"Huh?" Sakura's expression lost some of its youthful energy. "You walked all the way from Wakayama to borrow my cell phone?" She asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Ryu replied matter-of-factly.
"You couldn't have used a pay phone?"
"It's for a long distance call."
"Pay phones make long distance calls, too."
Assuming a very calm, innocent expression, Ryu elaborated on what the problem was. "I need you to make the call for me. I don't know how to reach the United States."
"What?" Sakura burst into obnoxious laughter, nearly doubling over with the hilariousness of Ryu's words. "You want me to call for you, too?" She continued to laugh until she could barely breathe. Then, she became serious again. "Okay. Tell me the number and the city. I'll Google the country and area code."
After Sakura had put in the call, she passed her pink cell phone, filled with sticker pictures of her friends to Ryu. Her collection of cell phone straps jingled loudly as Ryu pressed the cell phone to his ear.
"Hello," he said unsurely, forcing his Japanese accent down and switching to English when the call went through. "May I speak to Ken, please?"
"Ken no longer lives here. Is this, Ryu?" On the other end, Ken's father's unmistakable authoritative voice responded quickly.
"Yes, Sir. Where has Ken gone?" A twinge of concern piqued Ryu's voice, causing Sakura to raise her eyebrows as she stood eavesdropping beside him.
"He moved into his own condo three months ago. He said that I was smothering his style, or something ludicrous like that. Anyway, where are you now, Ryu? Are you working? How has life been treating you?"
"I'm in Tokyo, with Sakura. I was training for the next tournament, but I decided to take a break."
"Sakura? That school girl? You're hooking up with her now?" Mr. Masters sounded both impressed and repulsed at the same time.
"Ewww! No way!" Sakura grabbed the cell phone from Ryu and shouted into the receiver. "He's only borrowing my cell phone. It's dishonorable to hook up with one's master."
Ryu frowned as Sakura let him have the cell phone back, not quite sure what the phrase hook up actually meant.
"I'm relieved to hear that. So, if you're taking a break, that means that you have no plans for the summer?"
"No, Sir. Not yet."
"Well, Ken might not ever say it himself but I think that he misses you. He's been in this weird funk lately and has been training himself into the ground. It would be great if you could come and visit. Give him someone capable of hitting back."
Upon hearing that invitation, Ryu's shoulders relaxed and he gripped the cell phone tighter in his hand. "That sounds great! I can take the next boat to the Philippines, and from there-."
"Uh, Ryu, there are better ways to travel these days," Mr. Masters interrupted. "Give me the address of the place that you're staying and I'll have my private jet pick you up tomorrow morning."
"Wow!" Sakura bounced back into the conversation. "Can I come, too? I have a month and a half off starting Monday! But, I can skip the next two days and call in sick." As an afterthought, she added, "I want to visit Ken, too!"
"Just make sure you clear it with your parents first."
And, just like that, Ryu's reunion with Ken had been planned out and finalized.
A day and a half after Ryu had finished speaking with Ken's father, Ken was sitting in his kitchen, making himself a champion's breakfast of buttered toast, a fried egg sunny side up with bacon, hash browns, tropical fruit in a bowl, and a tall glass of milk. He ate several meals throughout the day to keep his energy levels high when he intended to work out or go for a run in the park. Not everyone was like Ryu who could stuff his face full of carbs and still manage to move with deadly speed and force right after eating.
Thinking of Ryu made Ken feel melancholic so he picked up his laptop and began to go through his personal emails to clear his head. He was halfway through them when the intercom buzzed from the screen at his front entrance.
Without getting up, Ken patched it through to his laptop to check the surveillance camera, eyeing what looked like a maintenance crew waiting at the bottom of his private elevator.
"Yeah?"
"Mr. Masters? My name is Olivia Flint, I'm with building security," a proper looking brunette in a navy blue security uniform spoke up. "We're experiencing a problem with the ventilation system and need to send a crew up to fix it. A computer glitch is filtering the air from the parking garage directly into your suite."
Ken dropped the piece of toast that he'd taken a bite out of back onto his plate. "Since when?"
"About thirty minutes ago. We'd recommend you temporarily exit the building for health and safety reasons."
Knowing fully well the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning – the silent killer – Ken was already rushing into his bedroom to pull on a sweatshirt over his faded blue jeans. He keyed in the secret code to access the elevator, greeting the maintenance crew as they approached him, their fancy equipment beeping and putting out readings. They all wore masks and safety goggles that clashed with the fancy interior décor of the classy condominium that he lived in.
Olivia Flint nodded to Ken, instructing one of the men to take his pulse and scan him.
"Low level carbon monoxide readings," the man announced. "Pulse is slightly out of normal range."
Ken stood there dumbly, not really knowing what he should be doing when two of the men invited themselves into his penthouse suite.
"Mr. Masters, we're going to need you to sign this. It grants us access to your suite and holds us liable for anything missing or damaged."
Taking the pen that Olivia held out to him, Ken quickly glanced over the form that she held in her other hand before signing it. "What now?"
"It would be best if you waited downstairs in the lobby or outside in the fresh air. This should only take twenty to thirty minutes," Olivia instructed, standing guard by the elevator. "If you exhibit any symptoms – dizziness, nausea, fatigue – please don't hesitate to call on our twenty-four hour medical personnel."
"Um… okay." Ken backed into the elevator, wondered if he should go back inside to make sure he had locked all his valuables away, thought better of it and hit the button for the lobby.
Once the elevator was on its way down, Olivia narrowed her eyes at the four men who were at her disposal. "You have fifteen minutes. Tops. Leave nothing traceable behind."
"What if he becomes suspicious and comes back up here?" One of the men was already yanking off his mask so that he could communicate more efficiently.
Giving the man a sardonic smile, Olivia twirled the pen that Ken had just used to sign the false document in her hand. By the center of the pen protruded a sharp fiber so fine that it was nearly impossible to see unless you squinted at it, up close. "Why would he become suspicious? After the drug that I filled this pen with is fully absorbed by his system he'll begin to exhibit mild symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning. In thirteen to fifteen minutes he won't be able to see straight, never mind come back up here to engage us in combat. As soon as the nausea hits, one of our operatives will be in place, ready to treat him. The drug will wear off in an hour, giving him no reason to seek out further medical attention. And our activities will be long forgotten by the time he goes to bed tonight."
"I should know better than to doubt you by now." They traded a knowing look and got back to their individual tasks.
Oo What do you think so far? Please review if you have a free moment! Ryu and Ken will be reunited in part 3. oO