Disclaimer: I do not own Street Fighter, and I certainly do not own the characters. The story is my own though.
'Where...where am I?'
This seems to be the first question anyone asks after awakening from unconsciousness. For the Muay Thai kickboxer, it was a question that needed to be answered. He stared at the ceiling of the room he was in, the only light being the moonlight coming through a small window on his left. Turning his head to the right, Adon spotted a closed door that was close to him. From what was depicted to him, he figured he was in the bedroom of a small house, and the day had ended.
Night had begun, but Adon had no intention of spending it in an unknown place. He attempted to move himself from the bed, but a sharp pain in his right arm kept him from making progress. A medical sling held his right arm, the white color shining bright in the moonlight. Growling, Adon swung his legs over the side of the bed, lifting his body up into a sitting position. He groggily blinked.
'What happened to me... I need to remember what happened before this...'
Adon managed to pry himself off of the bed, giving a low growl when he unconsciously moved his right arm. He shuffled to the window to get a better look at himself, and to find out where he was. A house was a good answer, but where was the house located? According to the large grassy hills and mountains, plus the lack of another building in sight, Adon deducted he was far from the cities of Japan.
Raising his left hand to his chest, he felt around for cuts and bumps. Seeing as his right arm was in a sling, it seemed obvious it was not his only injury. He tasted a copper-like substance in his mouth and cringed, realizing it was his own blood. Thankfully, whatever cuts that caused the bleeding had closed, leaving the man to simply swallow the marginal amount of crimson liquid to get that out of the way. Combine that with the numerous bruises and welts that were located in Adon's physique, he got the impression that he got into a fight and lost.
'A fight... wait a minute, I think I remember that...'
After cursing the wooziness in his head, Adon thought deeply for a moment. He remembered setting up a small tent near a hill, a meager meal that consisted of instant noodles, and taking a position overlooking a dojo. It was Makoto's dojo, wasn't it? He paced the room, paying no attention to the lack of furniture or the three-legged object in the corner. Yes, he remembered looking down on the dojo from above, but he was interrupted.
By who, he could not tell, but the individual stole something from him. Moving from his chest to his forehead, Adon searched his hairline. Aside from a handful of dirty red hair, he found nothing. This troubled him. Where was his headband? Along with his eight points of contact, his headband was highly treasured.
Given to him during his first week of Muay Thai training by his mentor, who viewed it as a mere trinket, the headband became very important. It was treated like any item received from a well respected person; well-kept and always near. When Sagat lost to Ryu, Adon lost all respect for his mentor, contemplating disposing of the headband and quitting. However, he had a better idea. His mentor had failed to uphold Muay Thai's honor, and he challenged him for his title as God of Muay Thai. Adon won, but an enraged Sagat did so much damage to him that he had to be hospitalized for months. Broken, but not beaten, the new God of Muay Thai vowed to become stronger. He still wore his headband, wearing it to spite his former mentor.
Yet, everything he did years ago seemed to be done in spite of him.
Voices came from the room next to Adon, startling him. There were people here, possibly the ones who took him in and assisted him after his defeat. As he walked to the door out of the room, he tried to remember more about his attacker. Nothing really stood out except for an image of two eyes; the pupils surrounded by pools of violet. Really, the whole ordeal was on the tip of his tongue, but he had no clue then.
Adon sighed and looked at the door, finding no door handle. There was a circle-shaped indent big enough for his fingers to edge into, which he did without further coaxing. It was a sliding door, typical in most Japanese homes. He slid the door to the left, opening up into a large room lighted by various lamps scattered around the surrounding walls. Given the paintings, small end tables, floor lamps, television, and three-seat couch, this was the living room of the house. Most of the furniture was made out of mahogany or teak wood, as were the sidings of the paper-like panels that separated the rooms.
Three young women were sitting on the couch, but they were too immersed in the visuals of the television to notice Adon had stepped out of the room. He craned his neck to look at what the women were watching, placing his left hand on the sliding door. On the screen were two people, a man and a woman, firing at what looked to be a large monster consisting of black tentacles in a dank basement. The man was large and very muscular, while the woman was small with dark skin. Adon thought that the woman looked just like an African woman he encountered years ago, although the woman he remembered had white hair, as opposed to the woman on screen, who had dark hair.
Ah, but the movie wasn't important to him.
Adon looked at the door before dragging it back through its slot to close off the room he came through. As the door clunked into place, he immediately felt three sets of eyes on him. He also heard a low growl, and he looked down to see a white dog sniffing his feet. Raising his head, Adon locked eyes with every woman on the couch. He could only recognize two from the three; the pony-tailed woman furthest from him didn't strike him as familiar. The woman in the middle of the couch was the Karate fighter he came here to observe in the first place, staring dully at him with a tub of popcorn in her hands. Finally, the woman closest to him was one that Adon recognized as Sakura Kasugano, student of Dan Hibiki.
Soft footsteps were heard to his right, and the women focused their eyes on the source of the sound. Adon, following their gaze, turned his head. He almost wished he hadn't, as whatever memory problems he had when he woke up were gone in an instant.
Standing not too far away from him was the woman with the violet eyes, and they were fixed on him with an almost greedy sheen to them. Her raven-colored hair flowed down to her shoulders after being freed from a horned style. A violet blouse covered her top. Unfortunately, it was open enough to show an ample amount of cleavage, further separating her from the other violet-eyed woman whom Adon remembered was not as provocative or violent as this one. Perhaps this was intentional, as a proud smirk was etched across her features, although that could be attributed to seeing Adon again.
"Juri," Adon spat. "I should have known you weren't above taking hostages..."
His left hand balled into a fist, which he sent towards his attacker. Shock gripped him when she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her, bringing his face closer to hers. Almost instantly, the woman's smirk vanished. In her eyes Adon could see disappointment as well as offence, as if he had wronged her in some way. Juri held his arm firmly and gave a cursory glance down at his feet before looking back up again.
"If you kick me, I'm going to break your legs," she threatened. "You know what? You're not gonna listen, sooo…"
Juri placed a hand on Adon's broken right arm and before he could even attempt to stop her, she began to twist it slowly. He let out a hiss of pain as he tried in vain to push her away from him. A hand came to rest on Adon's left shoulder, as did one land on Juri's. Both of them were pulled back, Makoto and Ibuki restraining Juri and Adon, respectively. Sakura stepped between them, looking at Juri.
"Woah! Come on Juri, don't make him stay here longer than needed!" She turned to look at the only man in the house, finding Ibuki to be having trouble restraining him with his broken arm. "You, uh, Adon-san! Please settle down, we sorta live here, and we're not hostages!"
The woman holding Juri mumbled, "He is..."
Her correction was met with a soft mumble of agreement, a confused look and two glares. Calm once again, Juri relaxed her muscles and turned to look at Makoto. The young woman got the hint and released her from her grip. After brushing herself off without so much as a glance in Adon's direction, she leaned into Sakura's ear.
"He's not going to believe you," she whispered before curling her lips up into a smug grin.
"Sure he will. Just watch, I bet he will understand," Sakura replied back in an optimistic tone of voice.
Both women looked at Adon and watched as his confused expression changed into an angry sneer.
"I don't believe you." Juri glanced at Sakura and gave her an 'I-told-you-so' look. Adon ignored this as he continued. "Either you women are ignorant, or you are the worst trio of liars I've seen! You're housing a murderer and a thief, and as such, I believe you three to be accomplices!"
Sakura groaned and brought a hand to her forehead. She gestured to Ibuki, making her release the man from her grip. Every woman in the room was focused on him, unsure of whether or not he would lash out at them. Animals did get angry and unpredictable when cornered, after all. Adon stared at Juri calmly enough, but inside he was seething. Suddenly, Juri spoke to the other women.
"He's going to act like this for some time girls, until I beat some sense into him."
"Talk some sense into him Juri," Sakura said under her breath. "But do that somewhere else. I don't think Makoto wants you two arguing here."
"Gotcha, I know exactly what to do." Juri looked at Ibuki. "What's the time?"
"Uh, seven-thirty, exactly," the ninja replied.
"Good!" Juri smiled and clasped her hands together. "I'll take him out and discuss the situation over dinner. It'll be like a date!" She turned to Adon and batted her eyes. "Wouldn't you agree?"
Adon was appalled by her idea. Anything was better than eating a meal with a murderous creature like her. He wasn't caged yet, and that gave the jaguar king some reassurance. He took a few steps back, unnerved by her expression. Ibuki reached out to grab him and put pressure on his right arm, although unintentionally. He growled in pain as she pushed him back towards Juri.
"Dammit girl! Careful with the arm!"
"Oh just shut up and suck it up."
His captor sighed as he was released by Ibuki, who, given her rough handling of him, seemed disgusted at his presence already. She blew a few strands of hair out of her face and turned to sit down on the couch.
"To hell with the idea that I'm eating anything you create," he exclaimed. "How would I know that it has not been poisoned?"
Holding up two fingers, Juri spoke in a disgusted manner.
"Two things. First, I'm taking you to a restaurant. You don't cook your own food there, idiot. Second, the cooks do not poison the food..." She crossed her arms and leaned forward. "...unless they are paid to do it, and I got plenty of cash to throw around. So, you can either stay here, sulking about as your stomach growls, or you can go out with me, and I'll fill you in on what's happened in the past few years as compensation for your broken arm."
To her, that was a good offer, but Adon didn't see it that way.
"I'm not hungry!" he snapped, almost sounding like a child.
A low growl was heard nearby, and the women looked over at Nikki, who was standing guard near Sakura. She looked up at everyone around her and yawned. The women waited a few seconds, hoping to hear the sound again. They did, and they soon found out that it was coming from the stomach of the only man in the house. A bead of sweat dripped down Adon's forehead. His stomach had betrayed him in the worst of times.
"It's no doubt that you're hungry after what you were eating before..." Juri pulled out a styrofoam cup with an image of noodles on the side, shaking it in front of the red-haired man. How she got that cup was a mystery to him. "You know, I heard that if you let instant noodles soak long enough, they feel more filling!"
Makoto and Ibuki snickered, unintentionally earning a punch to their shoulders from Sakura. Sure she wasn't under Dan's tutelage anymore, but she still defended him like any good friend would. Makoto grumbled and sat down next to Ibuki on the couch, rubbing her shoulder. Juri giggled and threw the cup over her shoulder into the kitchen as Sakura turned to Adon.
"Just give her a chance to explain herself to you," she pleaded. "Isn't that what Sagat gave you? A chance to explain yourself to him and apologize?"
Murmurs arose from the couch, quickly ending when Adon shot a glare towards the women on the couch.
'Cursed child,' Adon thought, frowning. A guilt trip was not what he needed, and neither was his empty stomach. "Fine. You've won, and I'll follow you to this diner. I am ever so eager for your words of wisdom, Mistress Han," he said sarcastically as he performed a mock bow.
"Good boy!" Juri said euphorically.
'Mistress Han' reached over and ruffled his hair with another giggle. Before he could even look at her, his vision was cut off by a shirt thrown to his face. He reached up to grab the fabric off of him, throwing it to the ground afterwards. Juri was putting on a pair of sandals with a purple plastic purse in her hand. She looked over to Adon and frowned.
"Put that on." She watched as he grudgingly pulled the shirt over his head. "Don't forget some footwear either. Where we are going has a no shirt, no shoes, no service policy."
Sandals were thrown his way, and he put them on as well.
"Judging by my name on these sandals, they are mine." Adon raised an eyebrow and jabbed a prosecuting finger in Juri's direction. "You stole my bag too, didn't you?"
"Maybe..."
She guided him to the front door as Sakura watched over them. Finding Juri capable of handling Adon, she sat back down on the couch with her friends to return to their movie. The Korean opened the door for her captive, half-expecting him to run off. Instead, he walked out and turned to wait on her like an obedient dog, although glowering at her all the while. She came outside and closed the door behind her.
"Excited to be spending time with me?"
"I'd rather have my leg broken," he retorted. "Let's just get this over with..."
"Alright then, follow me and keep close," Juri said.
"Keeping close to you is a surefire way to get injured again!"
His reply was ignored. His 'date' simply turned her back on him to walk forward along the trail away from the dojo/house and out of the mountains. There were lanterns scattered along the dirt path, all of which were positioned on wooden posts. As Juri passed one she turned her head to see if Adon was following. Seeing that he was not, she beckoned him to follow. He looked back at the dojo for a moment, contemplating staying back there. A loud click and the sound of a bolt being slid into place behind the door sealed his fate. Grumbling, he decided to follow her.
She led him through the night without any conversation, save for a few grunts she received from Adon as he followed her along the path. Soon they reached a city, which Adon remembered chasing Juri into. No one was being chased at the moment, so no darting in and out of alleyways. There were quite a few people on the streets attending to business of their own. They were either walking home or to various restaurants for a meal.
Numbers of people were going into stores and other buildings along the cobblestone street. One building stuck out. It was small building situated on a street corner with red neon symbols lighting up the front. Adon presumed the symbols were Japanese, since he couldn't read them. The only languages he knew were his native tongue and English. Juri seemed to know Japanese, as she stopped in front of the building and looked back at him.
"Well, here we are. The Red Lotus. Remember this place?"
"We fought near here a few hours ago," Adon said dryly.
"That we did, that we did," Juri reinforced, nodding.
They walked through the outdoor area of the diner, which had tables and chairs that were previously brought inside from the fight. Juri opened the door for Adon, stepping in after him. Scents of food and drinks greeted them, as did the well decorated interior of the restaurant. Various paintings were hung on the walls; some were photographs while others were painted. Juri looked at some of the paintings with pride for a moment before realizing Adon was with her. She refocused her gaze to the lobby before the man could question her.
A young waitress came to the two with a few menus under her arm. She bowed politely and began to speak to them in Japanese. Adon wished he had his translation book with him, but that was in his bag which Juri had taken. Juri smiled back at the waitress and responded, speaking fluently in the Japanese language. Hearing such a change of voice surprised Adon, and he gave the Korean an inquisitive look. The waitress nodded and turned to walk through the restaurant, leading the two guests up into the second floor.
They were led to a table next to a window that overlooked the street below, Juri pulling out a chair for Adon. He raised an eyebrow but sat down anyway. If one were to look at them from the street, Adon would be on the left side while Juri would be on the right. As Juri sat down the waitress began speaking to her, setting down the menus in front of them as she spoke. Juri talked to her for a minute before looking over at Adon. He could not understand anything they were saying, and that bothered him.
"Something to drink?" Juri asked him, repeating what the waitress had asked her.
"Just water," Adon replied.
She nodded and translated for Adon before throwing in her own drink order. The waitress nodded and walked off to leave the two alone. Adon picked up the menu, looked at it, and then quickly put it down after realizing it was written in Japanese. Things just didn't seem to be going his way today.
"So, tell me everything then," he said.
Juri looked up from the menu to stare at Adon. She set it down and replied to him.
"What do you want to know?"
"You said that you have 'turned over a new leaf'. You mean to say that you quit S.I.N?"
"Yes."
"How?" Adon growled. "One does not simply quit without suffering consequences. I want to know how you quit and why."
"Well," she began, folding her arms on the table, "my informal resignation from S.I.N.'s employee list... I'll be honest with you here. You know what Shadaloo is, right?"
Shadaloo was the name of the criminal organization that hosted street fighting tournaments. He remembered the name because he remembered his mentor joined its ranks, motivated by revenge against the wandering warrior, Ryu. But it was only temporarily. The man who led the organization was a cruel and evil being, a dictator who went by the name of M. Bison. Although never meeting the man in person, Adon did meet his two employees, Balrog and Vega. He nodded and allowed Juri to continue.
"After our meeting on the cruise ship I traveled back to the S.I.N. headquarters to return to Seth, the man I worked for. He wasn't a man, but a weapon." Catching Adon's questioning look, Juri waved a hand as she fished for words. "Uh… a synthetic human created by S.I.N. to create a deadly style of mixed martial arts. I get an upgrade to my eye first, and then I went to report in to Seth. Bison was there, holding Seth by the head. I didn't expect him to come after Seth, or me. I expected him to send that boxer or crazy Spaniard, but there he was. He looked towards me with those white, empty eyes and attacked."
Juri looked up for a moment, thinking of what to say next. It would have been a luxury to give him a condensed version that left out a few parts, but she felt Adon needed to know everything. A few years ago, she wouldn't be caught dead in a position like this. But here she was, ready to answer his questions over dinner.
"It was a tough fight, but I managed to beat him. I stood over his body and brought my foot down upon him one final time, ending his life. This wasn't a matter of doing my job, to protect and work for Seth, but to take over." Adon raised an eyebrow at that. Juri sighed and continued, looking out the window. "Bison was dead, and Seth lay not too far from him. He knew I was going to betray him, he knew it all along. I taunted him, telling him I just wanted to watch him and Bison go at it while I took over. He couldn't do anything as I knocked him over and destroyed the source of his power: a yin-yang ball in his abdomen." She looked over at Adon, stoic-faced. "Seth... was no more."
"So, you killed the man in charge of the organization that you worked for so that you could take over?" Adon questioned. "That does not sound to me like you quit."
"Yes, I did take over S.I.N.," Juri said with a pinch of shame. "I was the leader for a week."
"What? A week?"
The waitress came over with a glass of water for Adon and a glass of dark liquid, which appeared to be soda, for Juri. A plastic-wrapped wet napkin was given to both of them to be used to wash hands with. Speaking to Juri, the waitress appeared to be ready to take their orders. Neither of them had chosen anything yet since Juri was engaged in telling her story. She looked to the waitress and uttered a few apologetic words, sending her off.
"We need to make up our minds," Juri stated, returning her attention to the menu after washing her hands with the wet napkin.
"I can't read Japanese, but I'll take anything that has rice and chicken in it." Adon leaned forward, continuing to talk. "Now, you led S.I.N. for a week?"
"I think I can find something here for you and something for me…" She looked up at Adon from the top of the menu as if she had just heard what he had said. "Oh, yeah, a week. With Bison and Seth gone, as well as all of his copies destroyed, I was free to rule. I did as Seth did for a few days before ending it all."
That wasn't what Adon expected. The woman was a villain, a murderer, and a terrorist. If there was any semblance of doubt, Juri was still human. She must have done something to redeem herself to be sitting here in front of him, and it was enough to give the man incentive to ask the most infamous question of all:
"Why?"
"I'm not on why at the moment, I'm on how," Juri scolded, gesturing with her hands. "Since Bison was dead, it would be obvious that he would return, be reincarnated due to his loyal lapdogs that are scientists. I convinced his two former lackeys, Balrog and Vega, to dispose of them and work for me."
She paused to point towards the wet napkin the waitress had given Adon, making a motion of washing her hands. He unwrapped the napkin and washed his hands, albeit begrudgingly as if he was being ordered.
"I offered them more money than what Bison paid them, but I also offered them something else: a chance at redemption. They stood by my side when I led the organization straight into the ground and took a bit of the credit for helping me." Adon put the wet napkin off to the side as Juri continued. "Now, how I put S.I.N. into the ground... Well, let's just say I called a few friends over to visit during a bad time." She looked confused for a moment, raising an eyebrow. "I don't recall if I called them myself or if I made someone I trusted do it."
Adon nodded, but he wasn't satisfied just yet. He leaned forward and shot Juri a skeptical look.
"Friends? Who?"
"People who hated Bison's guts, but cared about the information he left behind in Shadaloo and S.I.N. That would be Interpol, Delta Red, and the USAF. Of course, they didn't believe me at first. Why would they?" Juri asked rhetorically. "They thought they would be walking into a trap. Nobody wanted to believe the words from a 'monster'. But I gave them the location of S.I.N.'s base, and soon they were eager to visit."
Her glass soon became a little lighter as she stopped to take a sip of her beverage. She wiped her mouth before covering it to suppress the burp, and if she was embarrassed by that, she did not show. Instead, she giggled lightly before shaking her head.
"I caused a distraction. Being the newly appointed leader had its benefits, and one of them was access to the power generators of the facility. Shutting the power off, no, blowing up the generators was a great way to cause chaos and confusion, allowing the 'good guys' to rush in and lock the place down."
"Then what happened?" Adon asked, placing his chin in the palm of his left hand.
"They arrested as many people as they could, took all the data they found, and held the place. Hardly any shots were fired; these people were mostly scientists, not fighters. Those who did fight back were quickly subdued by the soldiers. Once they had things under control, they sent little miss Delta Red after me."
The waitress came back, but this time Juri had the orders for her. Soon the waitress nodded, having received the orders, and picked up the menus from the table as well as the used wet napkins. She walked away from the two and headed downstairs. No doubt about it, the sweet aroma that wafted through the restaurant had come from some kitchen on the first floor.
"What is Delta Red?" Adon inquired, looking up from his glass of water.
"It's a British special forces team," she replied quickly. "They sent Cammy to collect me, thinking I would put up a fight. Chun-Li came along too, possibly to assist Cammy. It didn't surprise me, those two were always together, despite the fact that Chun was in law enforcement and Cammy was in the military." Looking out the window, she continued. "Cammy hated me so much… more than Chun-Li did. I almost killed Chun once, and I used Cammy's sisters for my own benefit." She shook her head, looking back at Adon. "Anyway, they grabbed me, cuffed me, and prepared me for transport. I knew they were doing this so I couldn't get the jump on them, but I knew they were surprised when I just gave in. They did the same to Balrog and Vega, and I instructed them to give in too."
Juri stopped and looked down at the table without seeing it. After a few seconds of recollection, she spoke again.
"Delta Red had the honors of interrogating me, and Cammy certainly was looking forward to it. Unfortunately for her, her superiors knew of her desire for revenge against me and sent some other woman in a leotard to interrogate me. I told them everything they wanted to know, and the things I wasn't able to tell them were given to them by Balrog, Vega, or one of the captured scientists."
"What about your charges, and the verdict for those charges?"
"Yes, when I was on trial they read my case and my history. Almost everyone wanted me dead, or left to rot in some prison somewhere. However, since I brought down S.I.N. and Shadaloo, as well as killed their former leaders, the court viewed it as acts of redemption. I had large fines, but those were easily paid from the pockets of the organizations. I avoided prison, but landed myself in deep water. If I slipped up, committed even one minor crime, it would be the end of me. You know," she said with a smile, "I think Chun-Li might have vouched for me against Cammy's wishes." She sighed, moving on to another part. "Balrog and Vega got off relatively well, but Vega was deemed insane and had to be detained. Unfortunately, Vega got out in time, but he's followed around by a psychiatrist now."
"Wow..." Adon leaned back into his chair, taking what she said in. "You did all that?" He received a nod and a smile from Juri. "But… why?"
Now was the time to lay it down. Everyone wanted to know why Juri had done what she had did, and while she was getting tired of it, she wanted to make an exception just for Adon. So far, his behavior was acceptable. There were no insults thrown her way, nor were there any snide comments to sift through. The man deserved an answer as compensation for his arm and broken pride, but somewhere in the back of her mind, Juri wanted to tell him anyway. Perhaps he had grown on her in such a short amount of time.
"Simple. Revenge." She blinked once and took a deep breath. It seemed as if the events she was about to disclose were a source of great sorrow and shame for her. "It all started when I was fifteen. I had a fine life, living in South Korea with my mother and father. They loved their daughter with all their hearts, just like every other family loved their kid. My mother worked with computers and taught me English, since she knew that those computers from America were a great chance at a job. My father was a lawyer in charge of prosecuting organized crime operations. In that aspect, Shadaloo targeted my family. They kidnapped all of us when they only wanted my father. He wanted to protect his wife and daughter, but..." Juri lowered her head. "They killed him. Then they tortured and killed my mother, ignoring my screams of protest and my cries."
Dropping her hands from the table, she looked off to the side.
"Then they moved onto me. Those Shadaloo soldiers did many awful things to me. They tortured me, destroyed my left eye, and beat me without pause. If the eye, injuries, and death of my parents weren't enough, they also took something so precious from me, something that could never be returned or replaced." When she looked up she saw Adon giving her a sympathetic look. He knew what she was talking about. "After they had their way with me, they tossed me out into the cold, leaving me to die." Her expression became fierce and determined. "But I didn't die. I managed to find help, get treated for my wounds, and get back home."
"They did all that?" Juri nodded, calming down. "I... I sympathize with you. My parents died when I was young too, but from an auto accident. I cannot believe the pain you must have gone through..."
"Glad to know that I'm not the only one who experienced the loss of a loved one at so young an age." She smiled, touched. "I appreciate your sympathy, Adon."
A sheepish grin found its way across his face. She had said his name instead of sticking with some demeaning title, and for that, he began to give more respect her way.
"So what happened after you got back home?"
"I lived with my Taekwando instructor for years, training hard for the day that I would find the ones responsible for the deaths of my parents. I knew that it was Shadaloo's doing, and if I wanted to get to them quickly, I had to head straight for them. There was a fighting tournament in Thailand when I was nineteen, so, I entered." She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I didn't do it for the money, but for a chance to get into that organization and drive it into the ground. My chance came after fighting that giant man with the eyepatch, who I now know is called Sagat, your mentor."
Adon grumbled to himself, but let her continue.
"He thought I had potential, and I wanted to join, so he brought me in. It sort of felt nice, not being the only person with an eyepatch for miles. I passed all the tests those Shadaloo bastards threw at me, and I finally got to meet the man in charge of everything: Bison. He never acknowledged my presence, but I knew he was watching me. Hell, I would too if I was him. You couldn't be too relaxed when you've got the daughter of two people you killed running around," Juri said with malice. "For reasons unknown to me, I was transferred over to the weapons division of Shadaloo, S.I.N., where I began working for Seth. He saw endless potential in me, and I saw him as a way to get to Bison. Four long years I spent as his confidante and he rewarded me with his power."
She pointed to her left eye and on whim it activated to glow its sinister violet color. The eerie shriek that was emitted from the machine filled the room for a few seconds before dying out. Fortunately for the two, the waitress had not returned to witness it, and no one else was on the second floor.
"The eye..." Adon whispered, taken aback by the sight.
Juri quickly deactivated the eye and placed a hand over it. She shuddered a little at the euphoric feelings coursing through her body, but she maintained a clear head and focused. If she lost control now, it would be the end of her. Judging by her reaction, it seemed as if she hadn't used the eye for some time. Before Adon could wonder why, the woman spoke.
"The Feng Shui Engine, as Seth called it, heightened my abilities, especially my ability to displace ki energy. But what you might view as a gift now was a curse then. It consumed me, and I had one thing on my mind: power." She removed her hand from her eye, clenching a fist. "God dammit, I suffered so much when my parents died… My mind was a broken sheet of glass, and this eye only widened the cracks! I killed for fun and pleasure! No-one was safe around me!"
She took a breath and calmed down.
"Two more years passed and thankfully I could control the eye by then. I weaseled my way into Seth's tournament, which he told me it was to draw a man named Ryu to him, and he also told me there was a chance Shadaloo's leader would be attending." A cruel smile found its way back onto Juri's face. "Seeing as Seth couldn't stop me from getting into the tournament, he tasked me with getting rid of all the newcomers and those that weren't as important as Ryu or the World Warriors."
"So that's where you come into my life... to knock me out of the tournament so Ryu could advance without much trouble?" Adon growled, none too happy about this realization.
"Hehehe, sorry about that," Juri apologized, holding up her hands in defense. "Nothing personal, ya know? I always fight like that. If I scare the other guy into submission, it made the fight much easier."
Adon found himself accepting what she had said. He could even understand her reasons for her attitude all those years ago given that he acted in a similar fashion. He could be a loud, intimidating prick when he wanted to be, and suffice to say, such an attitude garnished him many victories. The cruel, sadistic nature that Juri brought to the fight had caught him off guard when he first met her, as he would have never imagined a woman to be capable of such violent tendencies. Ah, but he was arrogance incarnate back then.
"Mind games… Alright, I understand," Adon grumbled. "Back to the question."
"Oh yeah, right. Well, Seth wanted Ryu all to himself, but unfortunately life doesn't pick favorites. First Ryu loses to Ken Masters, then the winner drops out of the tournament because of some issue with his wife, and then Bison pays Seth a visit." Juri pointed at Adon. "If you've been listening, you would know what happens next."
"You defeated Seth, and took over S.I.N. But why did you run it into the ground?"
"So I could make sure Shadaloo would never recover. I had extracted my revenge on Bison, and so his organization had to fall along with him. No child should suffer the loss of his or her parents like I have."
Adon nodded, agreeing with her. The waitress came back with a tray on her hand. Steam arose from the tray, and when she set it down on a nearby table, the two patrons were able to see the delectable portions of food. She gave them their plates of food, bowls of rice, chopsticks, and a bowl of soy sauce for dipping. Juri looked to the waitress and smiled.
"Itadakimasu," she said, nodding.
The waitress looked amazed for a moment before she happily smiled back. She took her tray and moved back downstairs, leaving the two to their meals. Adon stared at his food, then at Juri's. It looked to be the same dish. What bothered him was that he had to use his left hand to hold the chopsticks. He grumbled and picked up the pair with his left hand, carefully picking up grains of rice, meat and vegetables. Between bites, he asked Juri another question.
"Where did you learn Japanese, Juri?"
She had already started on her food, and she was using the chopsticks like an expert. Nothing seemed to escape the two tiny sticks of wood when they were wielded by her. Fortunately, the rice at the restaurant was sticky, so one didn't have to pick up every single grain. She ate a good-sized portion of it and moved on to her main dish, speaking as she picked up bits of food.
"I learned it while I was in S.I.N. During those six years with Seth, I found that when he wanted to hide something from me, or when I pissed him off, he would speak in Japanese to toy with me," Juri muttered as she looked down at her plate. "All of the scientists around him knew the language, but I didn't. So, I read a buncha books about it, and I learned on my own time. Soon, I became fluent in Japanese, much to that chrome creep's dismay."
"What did you do after the fall of S.I.N?"
Adon asked this as he continued to eat, having some difficulty with the chopsticks in his left hand. He didn't consider himself as ambidextrous, but in fights he never favored one hand over the other. Sometimes a man just had to deal with the situation he was in to the best of his abilities. As he dropped a piece of meat, Juri scratched the back of her head.
"I had to stay in England, where I was tried in court, for a year. It was… eventful over there. Cammy was assigned to watch over me and to make sure I didn't do anything stupid. In essence, she was my probation officer. She usually thought up tough community service jobs for me to do, since she hated me so damn much."
"Surely you made amends…" Adon wondered, seeing as making amends got him out of the frying pan and allowed him to skip over the fire.
"She didn't want me to apologize to her. She wanted me to apologize and make amends to every one of her 'sisters', which were Bison's former dolls. I had used them as my own bodyguards during that important week in S.I.N." Juri rubbed her cheek as she recounted the memory. "Satisfied that I had been slapped enough by her sisters, Cammy accepted my apology. Other attempts at apologies were much easier. Chun-Li accepted it upon hearing that Cammy had done it, and Guile gave in when he found the body of his best friend in the labs of S.I.N."
"Guile?" Adon asked, putting down his chopsticks to grab his glass. "The professional American soldier?"
"You know him?"
"I remember seeing a soldier drinking alcohol in a graveyard somewhere in California. Would that be him?"
Juri closed her eyes and shook her head, smiling.
"That would be him."
"So, after that one year in England, then what did you do?"
She opened her eyes and looked at Adon.
"I went back home, gathered my things, and ended up here. As luck would have it, there was a fighting tournament hosted in Japan, so I entered myself in and did what I did best. I mean what the hell. I was bored, so why not?" Juri said with a jovial undertone. "Soon, I reached the finals, and my final opponent was none other than that spunky karate fighter, Makoto. I beat her fair and square, this being a mixed martial arts tournament anyway."
"Fair and square?" Adon repeated, skeptical.
"Well, I drew a little bit of power from the eye," Juri replied with a pinch of shame. "It wasn't enough that it was obvious, and it wasn't too much that I would go too far with it."
"I've heard she hasn't lost a fight for a few years," Adon stated, referring to Makoto. "How did she take defeat?"
"Very well, actually. She knew who I was, but after hearing my story out, she offered me a room in her little dojo." Juri made a 'tsk' sound with her tongue and shook her head. "Of course, there was a catch. It wasn't just Makoto I'd be staying with; it would also be with her friend too. That's the woman that you didn't recognize before, Ibuki. Since I had more money than those two combined, Ibuki was dragging me around the city looking for furniture and building materials. She had a friend that would stop by every now and then to chat or help out: Sakura."
"So you've been living with two to three girls for two years?"
"Correct. I know what you're thinking, and no, we're all just friends."
Adon chuckled.
"Even after you implied that you and Makoto were more than just friends?"
"I was just teasing!" She smiled and leaned back in her chair. "Still, I wonder about that girl. I'm not sure what she likes, but I guess only time will tell." Sighing, she looked at her plate and picked up some food. "Anyway, I've told my story, now it's your turn. I'm not asking for your life story or anything, but what happened to you since we last met?"
Adon nodded. It was only fair he tell his own story after hearing Juri's. He didn't trust her completely, but he did believe her tales. She seemed sincere enough, and he would have to admit that he did pity her after hearing of all that had happened in her life. She would never accept his pity, though. The woman had a great amount of pride, and it was probably on par with Adon's own when it was subdued.
"There's not much to tell. After I defeated Sagat in the tournament, there were a large amount of challengers willing to take me on. I fought well at first, but then I let everything get to my head." Juri rolled her eyes, an expression that would say 'typical'. "I was so focused in my goal of becoming a legend that I let my ego get in the way. Of course I wouldn't admit that it was my attitude that kept me from winning, so I set out to find someone, specifically, the fighter with the ten on his back."
Juri widened her eyes and gulped down a mouthful of food. She stared at Adon for a few seconds before responding.
"Why were you going after Akuma?"
"…You've probably heard of him, given your past connection with S.I.N." Juri nodded. "I went after him because I wanted that move… the Shun Goku Satsu. It was a selfish desire, I'm aware of that. I thought that one move would be all it took to give me the boost I so needed to become a legend."
Juri frowned. To her, it seemed that they both were on power trips. His was brought on by a strong desire to win, while hers started when that eye was implanted in her skull. His goal was to bring Muay Thai back to glory, an impressive one at the least, but his methods of achieving the goal were extreme. He must have been so compelled to win that he desired the Shun Goku Satsu to achieve his goal.
"I'm guessing you didn't find him, since you're still alive and sitting here today."
"No, I found him in a forest somewhere. But once I did find him, he was attacked by another fighter, who killed him in battle."
"Did you see who the other man was?" Juri asked, genuinely curious.
"It was a large old man. He fought in the same style as Ryu did."
The plate of food in front of Juri was nearly empty, just a few more bites and everything would be gone. She made motions with her hand, thinking as she chewed. Swallowing, she refocused her attention back on Adon.
"Large old guy… I've only seen two fighters that are really old. One was a friend of Chun-Li's father, and the other guy looks like he's over a hundred years old and partially decomposed. The second guy I only know of because Ibuki supposedly ran into him and took a picture." Juri waved her hand as if to dismiss that train of thought. "Anyway, continue on."
Adon had already finished his food. It wasn't that different from his usual fare that he set for himself. He suspected the restaurant staff wanted him to eat everything he was given down to the last grain of rice. Japanese cuisine was new to him, but he knew how to use chopsticks, and he knew how to clean his plate. He frowned as he spoke.
"When I approached him, he picked up the demon fighter's body and walked into the forest. I shouted at him, cursing whoever he was. Could you imagine the anger I felt at having been robbed? He stopped and turned around, giving me a stern look. He told me the power I sought was twisted, just like Sagat did; only this time I listened. I just stood there as he walked off with that dead body in his arms."
"What happened to you after that?" Juri asked with a tilt of her head.
Adon grumbled and looked away from her.
"I went back to Sagat…"
A giggle greeted his ears, and he glared at the one responsible for it. Juri shrugged.
"What? It's good you did that. My taekwondo instructor died while I was in S.I.N., so you should be glad yours is still alive and kicking."
"You're right about kicking," Adon muttered with a pained expression. "He wanted his title as God of Muay Thai back, and I agreed."
"Agreed?" Juri repeated.
"Fine," he growled in defeat. "He fought me and won easily. Sagat put me in the hospital for a week, which I figured was my reward for losing."
"Confining someone to a hospital bed isn't my idea of a reward, unless they deserved it."
"The last time I fought him for his title and won, I had to be hospitalized for months! I accepted my reward gratefully!" Adon brought his left hand to his forehead to rub his temples, sighing. "Sagat had training for me, and at first I was skeptical. He didn't doubt my abilities as a fighter, which was certain. What he had planned for me was to send me off to find every fighter I encountered and observe them. I'm certain this was his idea of telling me that the world does not revolve around me, and that others carry on, not preoccupied with thoughts of power or revenge. Once I had found a fighter and spoke to him or her, I would go back to Sagat and tell him about the journey and the fighter. He wanted me to get every detail I could about them, not for his personal use against anyone, but to make sure I was listening."
"So you've been traveling a lot lately." Juri leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table. She rested her head between her hands as she looked at Adon. "Where did you go last?"
"I went to the western part of America. In the city of San Francisco I found Ken Masters and his family, as well as that American soldier. Things went well, despite a fight we got into when I first found him. I'm not sure if he wanted me gone, or if he was just being friendly, but he paid for my ticket to Japan, where I would find Makoto."
"And that would be where I found you," Juri finished.
Their food gone, the waitress came back with a bill and set it on the table. Juri thanked her for her service and watched as she left. The bill was laying face-down; it would have to be flipped over to bring the costs to light. Adon acted on impulse, putting his left hand over the bill. Juri's hand was there already.
Their fingers touched. It was as if a jolt of electricity had passed through them, as they visibly cringed, yet it wasn't a bad feeling. Juri had her eyebrows raised, as if she had not expected this, while Adon was looking into her eyes. He continued to stare, an expression of disbelief on his face. Juri made no effort to stop this, staring back into his eyes. Soon, Adon slowly withdrew his hand, looking down with a sheepish smile on his face. He forgot he didn't have pockets or money with him. Juri grinned and pulled the bill towards her, looking into her purse to count out the money.
"Look at you! Such a gentleman! What'd you do with the real Adon?" She looked at Adon and gave a sincere smile. "Teasing aside… I appreciate the thought, Adon."
He continued to look down, embarrassed. He didn't say a word as Juri paid for the bill and thanked the staff for the meal, and he didn't until they left the diner. Looking up at her, he couldn't help but smile. She was the first person (save Sagat) he told about his past, and she seemed to understand him. When she looked back at him, he lowered his gaze to his right arm.
"I noticed that my arm was broken when I awoke, no doubt it was your work. Who put it in a sling?"
"I did." Juri shook her head when Adon looked at her. "When I brought you to Makoto's, I asked Sakura to do it, but she forgot. So, I took the liberty of doing it myself."
Now there was a thought. She had the mind to bring him to shelter, fix up his arm, and feed him. These acts could have been done from the bottom of her heart, or she was only keeping the poor thing alive just to play with him. Adon was tempted to believe the latter, but after the stories he was told in the diner, he wouldn't expect that. No, the woman had truly changed, although not to an extreme level.
"I suppose I should thank you, Juri," he said with a smile.
They continued to talk as they walked back to the dojo. Adon told more about himself while Juri would add in parts of her history that hadn't been revealed to him yet. Despite the openness between them, Adon had the sinking feeling that Juri was hiding a few things from him. There were not any words of the moment they had in the diner with the bill, but in each of their minds they couldn't help but feel something for the other. Both had experienced pain, attempts at power, and redemption. Perhaps they had more in common than they originally thought.
Soon they reached the dojo and stepped inside. Makoto and Ibuki had retired to their room, leaving Sakura to sleep in a lounger near the TV. The power was still on, showing the main menu of a DVD. The TV turned off with the click of a remote. Juri looked towards Adon and gestured to the couch.
"Can I get something for you? A blanket, perhaps?" she offered.
Adon glanced at his bag near the couch. A blanket would be found in there, along with some bits of clothing and camping supplies. Juri bent over to fiddle with the zipper to the bag, fully aware of what she was showing in her position. Although she couldn't see him, she smirked when she felt his eyes on her. She stood back up and flashed the man a provocative look before laying a blanket down on the couch with a pillow. She also picked up his bag, slinging it over her shoulder.
"There you are." She wagged a finger at him. "Just so that you don't try to escape, I'll be keeping this bag in my room."
"I can just walk out the front door!" Adon practically shouted as he gestured to his exit.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." The panels to her room opened, and she stepped through. She looked back at Adon as she closed the panels. "Nighties!"
As soon as the panels slid into place, Adon sat down on the couch. He scoffed at her statement.
'Wouldn't do that if she were me... why? What in the world is stopping me?'
He looked to the door. It seemed to beckon to him, inviting him to leave. Part of him wished to, but another part of him wished to stay. His question was answered when he looked to what was guarding the door. The white dog was lying nearby with its eyes focused on Adon. It growled, making Adon avert his gaze.
'That dog should be muzzled...'
Finding negotiation with a canine to be useless, Adon sighed and decided to sleep on the couch.