Her

Chapter Three

"Haha, I can't even imagine someone like you being caught up in something like this." Chun Li chuckled as she twirled her chopsticks around in the empty bowl, "I'm sorry just the thought is crazy."

"Yeah," Ryu got off his stool and fished inside his duffle bag for the money to pay for their meal, "I didn't want to hurt her feelings but I ended up making things worse…"

She hopped off the stood before walking out of the ramen stand and stretching, "Funny that you said I'm the one you fell in love with thought."

She giggled again and would have missed the blush that covered his face if it wasn't for her sharp reflexes. With his cheeks almost a shade of crimson, Ryu paid for her breakfast and immediately turned around to bow, "I'm s-sorry about that."

It was her turn to blush as people stopped to look at him apologize to her, "Y-You don't have to be so formal about it! It's not like you were for real!" Chun Li frantically exclaimed, waving her hands around in an attempt to wave his apology off.

It was another awkward moment.

Every since he told her what happened between him and Sakura, no matter what the conversation was about they always managed to get on the topic of him saying he fell in love with her.

While the detoured conversations gave numerous reasons for their faces to color, the reason the Interpol agent was here in the first place couldn't be more serious, "Anyway," Chun Li continued as she turned away to regain her composure, "I came because Shadowloo is still active."

The soft sound of her voice betrayed how serious a problem it really was.

"But Bison is dead…" Ryu picked up his stuff and followed her as they walked away from the ramen stand. Shadowloo belonged and could only belong to one man and he was long gone. Without him, the organization was just crumbling remnants he thought dissipated long ago, "Why would they want Sakura?"

"Who knows..."

"What?" He asked, confused to what she meant.

"Right now, Shadowloo is just a group of criminals without anyone to lead them but it is still Shadowloo." Chun Li looked at the various stands as they walked down the busy street, "I heard Vega is in charge…"

Instantly, a memory of that mask and claw flashed in her mind. The scars she got from fighting him something that ensured he would never be on the friendly side of her foot.

He knew Vega was trouble even before she fought with him, "You still didn't say what Sakura has to do with any of this though." She came to an abrupt stop and he almost bumped into her, "Chun Li?"

"It's my fault." She sighed, shaking her head as she acknowledged it was all her fault, "Vega is randomly sending out as many people as he can to get information."

"After I handled Barlog, he told me Vega was looking for Cammy. He's using all the resources available to him to look for her and he knows I'm the one who helped her escape." He watched from behind as she balled her hands into fist, "I should have taken him out when I had the chance. If anyone gets hurt became of me…"

He wasn't sure if she was sad or angry but, even though he was standing behind her, he could already imagine the intense look on her face. Yes, he could virtually see her feelings as she alone accepted all and any blame. It was a soothing aura, the kind that made you feel just that much stronger when you saw her resolve.

"Don't worry," Ryu said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder as he moved closer, "I'm sure nothing bad will happen. Everyone can take care of themselves."

"Yeah, he should just accept it if she wants nothing to do with him."

"I was thinking the same…." Ryu trailed off as he turned to find the smiling face of the man he agreed with, "Where did you come from?"

The strongest sumo wrestler in the world let out a hearty laugh, "I just saw you two walking away from my favorite ramen stand and figured I'll join you!" Honda playfully slapped Ryu on the arm. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed to the point where he could hardly see and he took on the most serious expression he could muster, "Or is this a date…?"

Ryu held up his hands in denial, "You have it all-"

"Yes, it's a date."

Chun Li looked over her should and smiled at the men behind her as she spun around. It wasn't just a normal smile though. It was more than just a simple expression, something far more important than it seemed.

It was the first time he ever saw her honestly look happy, carefree even as she happily told the sumo wrestler that this was a day just for them. So breathtaking was her smile that he was almost knocked over when Honda slapped him on the back, "Ryu, you sly dog! Never thought I'll see the day!"

Ryu, still lost in the glory of her smile, could only mumble something that didn't make sense as older man left them alone and made his way to his favorite ramen stand, "You…."

"I know it's sudden but," She interrupted him on purpose, "When was the last time you had fun?"

The last time he had fun? The fact that he had to take time out to think about it spoke volumes to the woman in front of him. He filed through recent memories and realized that he honestly couldn't recall the last time he sparred with Ken or enjoyed a fight.

"I…" He looked down at the sidewalk as the busy day continued around them, "I don't know."

Chun Li slammed her fist on her palm, "It's decided then! Let's go do something fun."

"We can't…" Ryu shook his head, unable to face her as he shot down her invitation, "We have to find Sakura and make sure she's okay."

"I came here because I thought she'll need some help but she'll be fine at that school." She reasoned as she idly traced her finger around the spikes on her bracelet.

Now that she put it like that, the school Sakura went to was pretty dangerous in its own right but it was still better than the alternative. If she was at school then it wasn't anything to worry about.

"I guess you're right." He relented, a small smile crossing his features as he decided that Sakura was in the safest place she could be.

"Hmm?" She mirrored his smile with one of her own, "You seem scared. Afraid I might beat you in a game or two?"

Ryu narrowed his eyes, the competitor in him rising up as they started walking again, "Is that a challenge?"

"Yeah," Chun Li laughed, "Yeah, it is."

0

It was almost sad to see such a lively place devoid of people but Chun Li insisted it only made it easier for them to enjoy themselves. Aside from them, the arcade was empty. The students that would have usually been spending their free time here were still at school.

It was because the arcade was empty that they had a free choice of which game they wanted to place and their decision was obvious. The flashy fighting game in the middle of the floor was the perfect choice.

Although it was just a game, the two didn't treat it as such. The fact that they were just pressing buttons and moving a joystick had little meaning when it was just as intense as an actual fight.

The screen flashed as a man cried out the name of his move and charged the woman in front of him with his fist raised. Patiently, she waited till he got close enough and countered his special with one of her own.

"KO!" The announcer yelled loud enough for people to hear outside.

The lady unfolded her fan, laughing not only at her opponent as he landed hard on the cement but, by extension, the man who controlled him. Ryu sighed, shaking his head as he looked at the character select screen, "What is this…? My sixth time losing in a row?"

"Eighth," She corrected him as he put another coin in the machine.

It amused her to no end that he was so ridiculously bad at fighting games. While the irony of the situation itself wasn't lost to her, it was the way he handled losing so bad that made her laugh. She even tried to lose on purpose in the fourth match but he managed to lose because of a time out.

"Final Round!" The announcer yelled as the text on screen faded away, "Fight!"

His character dashed towards her again, the brown leather of the jacket caught in the wind as he rushed across the screen with his fist held high. She blocked and easily countered causing his avatar to be launched into the air. Taking advantage of the opportunity, her character followed the man into the air and punished him with a combo that drained more than half of his health.

Before she could land the last hit, his character recovered and started to flash white. The man grabbed the head of his opponent and was prepared to drive it into the cement below until Chun quickly entered a command to reverse the throw.

"Nice try," She said as her character safely landed on the ground, the remainder of his health almost completely gone as the man struggled to get up, "You're starting to get it now. You just…."

She was silenced by the flash on screen. The background started to change colors as Ryu made his character rush her again. Chun Li watched as her character was overwhelmed by a wave of power, the strength of his character released in what could only be called a desperation move.

"W-Wow! You did it!" Chun Li exclaimed as she got ready to get serious… until she noticed his character wasn't moving.

With a cautious glance to her right, she couldn't help but be surprise when she saw the reason.

Ryu blinked as he stared at the broken joystick in his hand, "You… You have to be kidding me." He said, mystified by his bad luck when he was on the verge of his first victory.

Chun Li felt her eyes starting to water and, no matter how hard she tried, she knew she couldn't hold it back any longer. With tears starting to flow, she laughed so hard that her sides started to hurt. Having him lose like that was just too funny.

"C'mon!" She barely got out amidst her laughter, "Let's get out of here before someone sees us!"

He frowned in disagreement, placing the broken joystick back on the cabinet as she continued to laugh. She was a police officer and, even if it was no more than a minor offense, leaving things like this wouldn't just be breaking a law but morally wrong. He started to dig in his duffle bag for money to leave beside the joystick, "But-"

She grabbed him.

With her hand wrapping around his own, he was pulled away. Using her other hand to wipe the tears out of her eyes, Chun Li half dragged him out of the arcade, "If it was flimsy enough to break then it's there fault!"

This was a side of her he never saw before. Just like he never knew Sakura could be so serious, he never imagined that someone as frank as Chun Li could be so…

She looked over her shoulder as they ran down the street, her reassuring smile all that was needed to relieve any bitterness he previously had thanks to losing. She smiled at him and he smiled at her, both of them happy as they escaped from the scene of the crime.

He never knew she could be so fun.

So he let go of the feelings that plagued him just like she did. All he could focus on was the soft hand tightly holding his own and the pleasant sound of laughs that reflected the time they were spending together.

He wished it would never end and lost track of time because of that. They ran with hand in hand but not fast enough to get tired but not slow enough to be called jogging. How long they ran with those big smiles plastered across their faces? Why were they running? Where were they going?

None of it mattered.

Even if it was just a small escape, it was still an escape from their problems and they honestly didn't want it to end even though they knew it would eventually.

"You two running from the police?" A man asked, the chain that bound his legs clanking against the ground as he ran beside them.

Just like predicted, it came to an end sooner than they would have liked. So strange was the question that they both ended up stopping and he came to a halt beside them. Taking a good look at the man, he didn't appear to be the type of person that belonged in jail but the striped uniform he wore was proof that he was.

His short blonde hair was ruffled but that was a given seeing that he was on the run but it was his calm blue eyes that made it seem like this was an everyday thing. He stared at them with a nonchalant expression, the way he stood making it easy to see that he was still waiting on them to answer.

What caught Ryu's attention wasn't the stubble on his chin or even the fact that he made it so far with both his hands and legs bound but that he seemed so familiar. Chun Li, on the other hand, was only concerned about one thing as she released the hand she held and stepped forward.

"No, but…" In contrast to the laughs they shared before, she was dead serious about returning him to where he belonged, "I won't mind turning you in."

The prisoner, liking the feeling he got from the woman, smirked as he approached her, "I don't really like to fight girls but let's see what you are made of!"

Chun Li took her stance as the man before her did the same, "Fine with-"

"Wait…" Ryu said, stepping between them before anything unnecessary happened, "I remember now. You are Guy's friend, the one that is addicted to fighting." He said, recalling the exact words the Bushin master used to describe his best friend.

Cody took off his handcuffs and scratched his chin before slapping them back on, "Yeah, that's about right."

It was more than just right, it was true. Even though he was once regarded as a hero, he was now just a lowly inmate who passed the time picking fights with people. Without the aid of his friends and the faith of his girlfriend, this was what he became.

He didn't care… the thrill of the fight was all he needed anyway. The scuffles in prison were barely enough to sustain his appetite so he took the chance to escape when he saw it. The only thing that dampened his spirits was the fact he would have been freed by now if he just kept his cool but a few good fights would make him feel better.

The convict bent over to pick some rocks up, "So you still want to fight?"

Chun Li stepped from behind Ryu, "Do you still want to end up in the hospital?"

It was hopeless to stop them now, they were determined to fight. Her sense of justice was too strong and he was obviously provoking her for the fight he wanted. All he could do was back up and hope the officer running in their direction would stop them before things got out of hand.

The brown-haired man did a double take, the ends of his red headband caught in the motion as he looked at the man running towards them, "Where did he come from…?"

Chun Li crossed her arms, "Looks like someone is here to apprehend you already."

"S-Say what!?" Cody snuck a glance over his shoulder and almost dropped the rocks he held, "Damn! He's never found me this fast!"

He took aim and threw the rocks in an arch, easily hitting the police officer directly in the forehead. Chun Li gasped, holding a hand up to her mouth as the man in uniform lost his balance and fell.

"He… He just hit an officer!" She voiced, not believing her own eyes as Cody made his getaway. There was no choice to be made now, she definitely had to take him down herself and was about to until she was grabbed.

Thanks to the dangerous look she shot him, her arm was released the instant her eyes landed on him but he had a good reason, "He's alright…" He pointed at the burly policeman getting back on his feet and resuming the chase, "I never met him before today but I can tell he's a good guy."

She raised an eyebrow, her expression darkening as she looked at him, "You didn't see the same thing I just did?"

"I did but you didn't see that they were smiling." Ryu scratched his head, "I think they are having fun just like we were… Even I can tell they are friends even if they don't know it yet."

"I guess you're right…" Chun Li took a deep breath and let it out, exhaling the urge to drag Cody back to prison herself, "I'll let it slide if it's like that."

As they quietly watched the officer run and later round the same corner that Cody took, Ryu noticed how close the sun was to the horizon. If he wasn't mistaken, Sakura would probably be on her way back home soon.

Chun Li nodded in agreement before she yawned, "You mind if we go take a break in the park for an hour or two?" She gestured towards the park that was a few blocks away.

She started walking without even giving him a chance to reply. While he didn't know her as well as he would have liked, he knew enough about her to know that was just the kind of person she was.

It wasn't that she asked as a formality or wasn't patient enough to wait for his answer. She just knew what he was going to say and confidently started walking down the street with her head held high with him trailing not far behind.

As they walked, he watched her proudly take step after step.

She walked just like Sakura…

It was a thought that came out of nowhere but he retained the thought nonetheless. Chun Li and Sakura were so similar in some ways but, at the same time, they were extremely different. While Sakura adopted a fighting style that mimicked his own, Chun Li alone honed her skills with training she forced herself to do every other day.

To this day, he remembered how those very skills almost trumped his own in the tournament but it wasn't like he could ever forget those kicks that were strong enough to break through his guard.

At that time neither one of them were anything remotely close to behind happy. He was barely clinging to his sanity because of the influence Akuma revealed he always harbored and she was enraged over the murder of her father, consumed by her hatred of the man who killed him.

It was a bitter fight, things like words and reason were left behind long before it started and the setting was just as bleak. It was storming, rain pouring down on the market street as everyone but the few that watched the fight ran to seek shelter from the downpour.

Their feelings met in a clash of power, a victory something both of them desperately needed. It was a fight in every sense of the word. It wasn't just a mere match but a gritty battle fought to see who would be the one standing when the other couldn't get up.

They were finished with blocking, the effort it took to do that something that could be used to attack and that was exactly what Ryu did. He used his trademark move freely, unable to hold back under threat of being hit by more of her kicks but she withstood constant projectile after projectile.

He was going to throw another one until her feet landed squarely on his face. Shock reached him before pain, the latter taking over as he fell backwards and his head broke through the pavement. He bounced off the ground just enough to get caught in the flurry of kicks that were waiting to juggle him.

She didn't stop.

Just like him, she didn't hold anything back. Each and every kick was felt, but it was more than just the impact they left on him. He could feel her anger, the way she strained to keep going till he blacked out a sign of her impatience… but it was in that anxiety that he saw his only chance.

Waiting on her to get tired wasn't an option, any more and he wouldn't be able to get up. Instead he had to wait for the perfect moment and do something to break her rhythm. They could hear the cheers from the soaked people around them but neither of them paid the crowd any attention as she continued her relentless assault… until he finally parried and threw her off balance.

Using her surprise to his advantage, he rushed towards her and lowered himself to the ground in preparation for another of his special moves. His fist met her chin and the strength of the uppercut brought both of them into the air.

He landed softly on his feet and watched as she landed on her back, the resulting splash proof of how hard she hit the ground.

In spite of how much it hurt, she rolled over and he gave her ample room to get back up. They glared at each other through wet locks of matted down hair as the crowd continued to grow but they both knew the fight was nearing its end.

Ryu was more than just winded, he was barely standing. The barrage of kicks left him with virtually no stamina left to speak of and the only thing keeping him upright was his will to win with his own power.

Chun Li was not fairing any better. In addition to the Hadou-kens she took at the beginning of the fight, the Shoryuken was more than enough to make her vision get blurry. Instead of one opponent, she was seeing three and the rain wasn't helping.

One hit…

One good hit and it'll be over.

"Kikoken!" Chun Li cried, swaying after she launched the projectile in his direction.

A small yellow ball of energy surrounded by a flowing blue aura started to slowly make its way towards her opponent who she knew was going to counter with a projectile of his own. Just like she predicted, he started to gather all of his remaining energy for what they both hoped was his final offensive.

"Shinkuu Hadou-ken!!" Ryu shouted as her attack neared him.

Chun Li was already in the air before he shouted, her heel aimed directly at his face until she noticed that his hands were empty, "A… A fake!?"

It was too late to recover. If she tried to fall in front of him, she would get hit by her own projectile and any attempt to land her attack now would only end with her being the one hit. Wisely, she landed behind the wave like blue of her attack and Ryu started to charge forward with his elbow leading the way.

Her eyes went wide as he plowed through the attack and continued towards her like it was nothing. Her eyes gradually returned to their normal size, her composure something she regained as she had the foresight to realize this meant she lost.

His elbow collided with her still frame, the attack hitting her so hard it felt like her torso was going to be torn in half. She doubled over in pain but he was just as unforgiving as she was as his fist finished what his elbow started.

The second Shoryuken launched her into the air once again only for her body to land on the fruit merchant's table. Drained, Ryu carefully stepped over the apples and oranges that rolled across the ground and offered a hand that she eventually accepted.

Reasons for entering the tournament were exchanged and things were learned about each other that they never shared with anyone else but, because he beat her, he had one more match to worry about.

"Ryu?" Her voice derailed his train of thought, the fact that he later managed to beat Bison eclipsed by the way she looked at him, "How about we sit over there for a while?"

Looking around, he realized that they were indeed in the park now. The dark greens and browns of the place were more calming than it appeared from the distance. Trees of all sorts dotted the park, the only that took away from the atmosphere being the black lamps that lined the stone path and even those didn't detract from the overall feeling. Taking his eyes away from the scenery, he followed her line of sight and saw the wooden bench she pointed at.

With that they made their way to the bench and took a seat. For the first time today, they relaxed, taking a few minutes to reflect on the day they enjoyed together. From the lunch she insisted she pay for since he paid for breakfast to the joystick he broke and the money he left to pay for it. From running down the street without a care in the world to watching Cody evade the law. It was a day he would remember for a long time to come.

"Our little date…" Chun Li leaned back and stretched, "It was pretty fun." She said, satisfied that she did exactly what she set out to do, "How did you like it?"

Although she was more than content, it was the faint blush on his face that made her smile. She wasn't sure if he liked it or not but she loved playing with him. He was so serious about fighting but, when it came to other things, he was as awkward as a child.

"It was fun." He admitted, turning away from her as his whole face started to share the color of his headband.

She nodded before yawning. It was easy to see that she was tired but acknowledging as much reminded him how wore out he was. He was so concerned about Sakura that he couldn't sleep and, based on how Chun Li stormed into her house, he would guess she went longer than he did without getting any rest.

Still, it was a shock when her head softly came to rest on his shoulder. Failing to stifle another yawn, Chun Li shuffled closer to him so she could get comfortable, "I wonder what we… should do next time." She muttered before her heavy eyelids finally closed.

Ryu, careful not to wake her, relaxed and eased his back into the rigid wood of the bench. While it definitely wasn't a comfortable place to sleep, it was better than nothing and he was just grateful for this much.

He turned towards one of the lamps in the park as it turned on. Before he knew it, it was already this dark but he paid the setting sun no heed as his sleepy mind starting to ponder about things it only touched upon during the day.

Their date was one of the best things that ever happened to him and the promise of it being a next time was enough for him to feel anxious but just spending time like this opened the door to things he never bothered to think about before.

Love…

He risked a look at her sleeping face. With complete trust, she rested on his shoulder with a lazy smile on her face as she dreamed. She trusted him to the point that it made her vulnerable but she already knew he would never do anything to hurt her.

Was it something like this?

Would it be days like this where he wouldn't have to raise his fist even once? Would there be times where he could just take a break and relax with his friends? Would he be able to enjoy doing nothing at all and being able to be content at the end of the day?

No, it was unfair to make assumptions like that but if love was anything like today then he wouldn't mind at all.

Continued

Author's notes: Hmm, looking back at it I realized I unintentionally made them use some characters from an SNK game… Maybe I should rewrite that scene some other day.