Cranky ran his coarse hands up and down the pale, slender woman's arms. She was beautiful with skin a little on the pale side, a tight tone body with curves in all the right places. The woman's beautiful blonde hair dropped gracefully around her face and shoulders, glowing in the light moonlight. She placed her delicate porcelain hands on his broad, tanned shoulders and pulled his face close to hers with surprising strength. Their lips met and the pair shared a deep, long kiss.
"I love you, Cranky," the girl said, large green eyes staring into his.
"You don't need to tell me that, Cammy," Cranky replied. "I know from the way you look at me."
"Then say it back to me," she pleaded.
"I …" Cranky tore himself from Cammy's embrace and faced away from her. "I do love you, but …" His conscience was bothering him again. The things he would do to get rid of his conscience all together ... "I can't continue doing this."
Cammy's face crinkled. It was at that moment, Cranky knew, that he'd broken her heart. Everything he did before, shunning her when they ran into each other down the street, only acknowledging her presence when they were alone, all of that only bruised her heart. But this time, he knew he'd shattered her.
Cammy didn't explode into a sobbing wreck like he'd expected. Instead, she turned around, turning her back on him and walked towards the motel room window and stared out at the moon that shone brightly in the sky. It wasa grungy motel with carpet that looked like it could use a good scrub. The room stunk of chemicals mixed with fecal matter. The bed sheets were coarse and itchy, and the mattress itself squeaked from years of use. But it wasn't because of the beds that they checked in. It was because of the privacy …
"I figured as much," she said, still facing out the window. "You know, I didn't want to admit it. But I guess I was too jaded. And I think …" the turned to look over her shoulder at him. "I think I still am."
"Look," Cranky explained, plopping himself down on one of the beds with a great squeak of protest from it, "I just think you deserve better than a jerk like me, that's all."
"But Cranky," Cammy protested, "I'm only in Japan for the Street Fighter II tournament. And after this is all over, it's back to Delta Red for me. I want my time away from them to mean something to me. That's why I'm with you."
"Yeah, but it's just that ..."
"I don't understand you," Cammy shouted in frustration, throwing her hands up in the air. "You just said a few seconds ago that you love me, and now you're trying to break us up. If I was interested in a relationship with another woman, I'd be a lesbian, Cranky! And here you're acting like a woman with relationship issues better than I ever could!! What's wrong, Cranky? You know how much I care about you. So if you're going to break my heart, then at least tell me why."
Just then, the door to the motel suite burst open, giving the arguing couple the scare of their lives. Standing in the doorway was the silhouette form of a petite girl, around Cammy's size. But that was where their appearances ended. Her bangs were separated into two different locks, each one dropping down one side of her face. She had high cheek bones, resulting in narrower eyes with dark brown irises. Her form fitting spaghetti strap top complimented the shape of her breasts and her torso. With slight contrast to her tight tops, the woman's jeans also fit tightly with her thighs, but flared out towards her ankles.
Cranky swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "Juli, this is Cammy. Cammy, Juli."
XXXXX
A large monster stalked out of the shadows. Kenny didn't get a chance to get a good look at the attacker, but he was well aware of the creature's strength. It had picked up Aunt Eliza with a single arm and thrown her against a brick wall, knocking her out instantly. She now lay slumped over on the pavement with a trail of blood running down the side of her face, in sharp contrast to her light, angelic features.
"Eliza!" Ken cried, running to his wife's aid. But that left Kenny open and vulnerable. The tall bald monster looked down at him menacingly. The first thing Kenny noticed was the sheer size of this man. He was well over seven feet tall and every inch of his body rippled with muscle. His thigh was of similar circumference to Kenny's waist. The man's arms were as thick as Kenny's head.
"Time to go home, boy," he sneered.
"Why are you doing this, Sagat?" Ken cried, looking up at him while he cradled Eliza in his arms. "You were the one who left Kenny with us! Why are you taking him back now?!"
Sagat frowned, and hung his head in shame. "Orders …"
"If you want me to go with you," Kenny said, sinking into a fighting stance, "then you're going to have to fight for it." He couldn't figure out why he was doing this. There was no way he was a match for this monster of a man, but Kenny's pride was more important. He wasn't going down without a fight.
Kenny jumped into the air and twisted his body, extending a leg as he did so. He swung his right leg into the side of the Sagat's head but was blocked with a single arm.
"Kenny, no!" Ken cried, but was paid no need. The teen continued his assault, throwing a flurry of punches just as he landed from the kick. Sagat swatted away his strikes as if they were mere flies. Kenny kicked his foot up into a set of three successive kicks, one aiming low, waist-level, and high respectively. But Sagat sidestepped all three. The man wasn't fighting back, but he wasn't letting Kenny hurt him either. The teen performs a spinning back kick, but was avoided like all his other attempts were. Fatigue was beginning to take over his body as he sunk down onto a knee.
"That's it … I'm quitting smoking," he said, gripping his chest.
"You have skill," Sagat complimented, "but you have the potential to be so much more than you are right now. Come with me."
"What makes you think I'm so willing?" Kenny shot back.
"Either way, you belong to Shadowlaw," Sagat replied, "so you will be coming with me whether you like it or not. I'm just giving diplomacy a chance."
"Give it up already," Kenny retorted. "My father betrayed you guys, I know that. And he's dead, so why can't you leave a dead man alone? Why do you have the need to terrorize his family?"
"This has nothing to do with morality. This has everything to do with reclaiming what is rightfully ours – the Shadow Technology that is hidden inside you in a single chip. That technology was developed by Dr. Feng while Shadowlaw was paying him to support you. So we own it."
"You don't own me."
"The technology has welded itself to you. Both of your forms are one. So technically speaking, we own you as well. Any attempt to remove it from your body would kill you, rendering it useless."
"Sagat, don't do this," Ken pleaded. "Nine years ago, you left him with us. Remember? You didn't feel it was right for a six year old kid to be corrupted by Shadowlaw …"
"I know why I did what I did," Sagat spat. "And I was doing it by my own free will at the time. This time, I'm under orders. I'm sorry, Ken."
"If you won't back down then, Sagat," Ken said, joining Kenny's side, "neither will I."
"Just like a true warrior would," Sagat nodded in approval, "I wonder if I will ever be able to reclaim that kind of honor." Sagat shot his fists forward, producing a projectile made completely of chi. Ken dodged the fireball, but it caught Kenny with its full impact on the chest. The lightweight teen was lifted off his feet and thrown meters backwards.
Countering Sagat's offensive, Ken positioned himself under the might warrior and shot his fist upwards, performing a deadly, yet graceful uppercut. He spun with such speed, drilling his body upwards and through Sagat's form, both men shooting up into the sky like a magnificent fireworks display. The flames produced by the sheer chi tapped by both warriors wrapped around Ken's body in the form of a mighty Chinese dragon, battering Sagat with additional hits.
As Sagat's body dropped earthward, he was somehow able to regain his balance, flipping himself so that he would've landed feet first. Ken was unaware of this fact and suffered the consequences seconds later as his opponent erupted into a Tiger Genocide, battering Ken with a set of two seven-hit uppercuts in succession. Ken's face and chest were remodeled in a time frame of two seconds as he ate the pavement.
Kenny leapt onto Sagat's shoulders from behind and began punching mercilessly at his head, hoping to distract him long enough for Ken to regain his composure. Sagat raised an arm, reached around behind his back and single-handedly picked Kenny off of him, tossing the teen aside like an action figure. But Sagat had made the mistake of turning his back against Ken, who was now back on his feet.
"Hadouken!" Ken cried, propelling the fireball from his palms. The projectile smashed into Sagat's lower back, but only distracted the man for a little. He knew Ken was trying to distract him from his goal, attaining the SS-001. And it lay right before him, in the form of young Kenneth Feng.
"Face me, you shameful warrior!" Ken demanded. But Sagat reached down and picked Kenny up, throwing him over his shoulder.
"I was ordered to kill you if I had to," Sagat said calmly, before walking away, vanishing into the night. "Don't make me utilize that authority."
XXXXX
Ryu inhaled deeply, taking in the crisp cool mountain air. He liked it like this, quiet, peaceful, and a magnificent view of an endless ocean of mountains spilling out into the horizon before him. He sat on a cliff edge with his knees pulled in close to his body. A fresh breeze of mountain air washed over his meditating form, fueling his body for the simple, yet disciplined task. He opened his eyes for a moment, taking note of the beautiful moonlight, casting a pale glow on everything around him.
He found it a little difficult to meditate tonight. Perhaps it was because of the beauty of the scene around him, or was it the fact that the Street Fighter II tournaments were happening as he sat there? Was it maybe that he'd made it all the way to the final rounds? Something at the back of his mind troubled him about the nature of the second street fighter tournament. This one was hosted by Shadowlaw, the second set of tournaments hosted by them, the first being the Alpha tournaments when Ryu and his fellow street fighters had the privilege of running into a six year old boy named Kenneth Feng.
Ryu remembered when he so ruthlessly punched a hole in the boy's chest. He remembered the rage that raced through his veins, the numbness of his own limbs – yet they somehow had a life of their own – punching and kicking at young Kenny who was completely defenseless. Well … not exactly. The child harbored the Shadow Technology, an ability enhancing agent that worked wonders on his body. Despite being at a size, strength and weight disadvantage, Kenny's Shadow enhanced form was able to put up a decent fight for Ryu, who was charged with the power of the Satsui no Hadou, at the time.
Rustling in the bushes behind Ryu caught his attention. Most people would've passed it off as some kind of animal, but Ryu knew better. He could sense the creature's aura, and it wasn't threatening. But Ryu got up to his feet and approached the source of the energy with caution just in case in was good at masking its aura from any aggressive intentions.
To his surprise, Ryu's longtime friend and rival, Ken Masters, stumbled out of the bushes. His face was bruised and bits of dried blood clung to his face, outlining where it had flowed freely shortly earlier.
"Ken," Ryu cried, "what happened to you?" The wind picked up, sending Ryu's dark brown hair and the tails of his bright red headband flapping in its currents.
"I … ran here as quickly as I could," Ken gasped, clutching his side. "Eliza and I were attacked. I called for an ambulance for her …"
"But what about yourself?" Ryu asked, the concern for his friend apparent in his voice. "Why did you not go with her?"
"I can't afford to do that," Ken replied. "Kenny needs our help."
"Kenny?!" That was a name Ryu hadn't heard in awhile. "You said you would leave the kid to live on his own, with only minimal help from you."
"I ran into him on the street earlier today," Ken said regretfully. "I know I promised not to interfere with him running his own life, but I couldn't hold it back any longer. I wanted him to know who I was, why I was helping him out financially, and his past. I don't know … I guess I just thought it was sad that I knew more about him that he knew about himself."
"You fool," Ryu said, shaking his head, turning his back on his friend. "You don't know what you've done."
"I understand what I've done," Ken corrected.
"Apparently not," Ryu snapped, facing Ken once again, this time with a completely different expression than when Ken first appeared. "Now I think I know why Kenny needs our help. You spoke to him and told him everything about his past, didn't you? And being the brash little rascal that he is, he went running of spouting all sorts of curses, about his Shadow Technology and Shadowlaw caught on."
"Well, not exactly," Ken countered.
"Yeah but that's how it is right now, right? Shadowlaw has him, don't they?"
"Yes," Ken answered sheepishly.
"How foolish of you, Ken!" Ryu cried. The man rarely lost his temper and when he did, one always knew whatever they did was wrong. "Given the kind of person Kenny is, you know how he would take the news. And even worse, you decide to reveal it to him during the Street Fighter II tournaments, being run by Shadowlaw! They've probably got men scouting Osaka city – and they would, because this is where their Shadow subject was from!"
"Yeah, I know, I was stupid, okay?!" Ken said. "Don't think I haven't scolded myself already. If Sagat hadn't seen Kenny with me, he would've never gotten the clue that he was THE Kenny."
"That's why you promised that you'd stay well away from Kenny for the safety of him, yourself, your family and your friends. And you've gone and broken it." Ryu sighed outwardly.
"Look, Ryu," Ken said, putting his hands up, "don't think that I'm going to defend what I've already done. But I want to help Kenny get out of this mess. Aren't you going to help me?"
"Of course I'm going to help you!" Ryu said. "That doesn't mean I won't be angry at your brashness."
"Alright then," Ken said, "I'm parked at the bottom of the plateau, where the trail ends. We've gotta get over to the main tournament headquarters in Downtown Osaka if we're going to find out where to find the Shadowlaw big wigs."
"Ryu cocked an eyebrow. "We?"
"Uh … yeah!" Ken replied.
"No, you're going to the hospital before we do anything. Chances are, Kenny's life isn't in danger, if Shadowlaw knows how to treat their assets."
"But …" Ken sighed. "I guess you're right."
"We'll start our hunt once you are out. Meanwhile, I have to alert Chun Li and Guile. I'm sure they'd be happy to know that they've got the Shadow Technology in their hands once again."
"I'm sorry, already!"