The next few weeks continued in a similar pattern.
Ken would begin the morning by practicing his katas. He was nowhere near as good at them as either Ryu or Gouken, and often found that he would fall behind or perform a move out of order. (Gouken saw fit to constantly yell at him when he inevitably screwed up, and forced him to go back and perform the correct kata. It was frustrating. And exhausting.)Then, the boys would spend some time on the training dummies. Ken kicked and punched at his, generally only succeeding in getting a splinter. Ryu, meanwhile, could break his in half with ease.
Then it was time for sparring. If one could even call such one sided matches "spars." Ryu was too quick, too agile a fighter for Ken to have any hope of beating, and time and again he was rewarded for his efforts by being knocked or thrown down onto the ground, panting for breath.
After his master decided he had been beaten up enough, he'd be assigned chores. Some days this was working around the dojo, cleaning or repairing it. Other days the teens were sent to collect water for it, or bring back a fish for supper. Some sort of endurance training was often mixed in, such as the boys carrying sandbags above their heads on a trek, or performing 100 pull-ups using a tree branch. (Well, Ryu performed them. Ken attempted.) Most recently Gouken had taken to having them jump across the river's rocks and navigate their way back to shore without failing in. As with everything else, Ken found this nigh impossible, and the blonde made sure to complain about it(out of earshot of his master, of course.)
Then there was the meditation training. Some days they were required to stand in the stream and focus their Ki. Other days they sat besides the river and attempted the same. Ken had at first appreciated this opportunity for rest, but he quickly discovered Gouken knew when he was resting rather than meditating. While the blonde did not really see the difference between them, this excuse failed to impress Gouken, and he spanked the boy in front of Ryu. It was humiliating. But the worst part was the look of pity the other teen gave him afterwards.
Punishments were a common part of Ken's new life. Spankings seemed to be his master's go to for minor infractions, but one day Ken had been fed up with being worked like a slave and had exploded at Gouken. Many choice words were used, including half a dozen variations of "fuck" and accusations about his parentage. Ken had ended by calling him a "crazy old man" and had flipped him off, his anger outweighing his sense for self preservation. The older man had listened impassively until Ken had worn himself out. Then he retrieved a broken off tree branch and calmly told Ken to remove the top half of his Gi. The anger quickly left Ken,r eplaced by fear. He attempted to apologize, but these attempts were ignored.
The branch exploded against Ken's bare skin as he kneeled at the riverbank. The youth no longer cried out as much when he was being beat (the constant physical pain he was now being subjected to having all but ensured he had grown less sensitive) But this was a different sort. He had barely gotten through two blows before tears formed in his eyes and pleas for mercy fell from his lips. By four he was screaming in agony. And by six he found himself a sobbing mess.
Surprisingly Gouken stopped at seven blows instead of his usual fourteen, though he gave no reason for it. (Ken did not want to delude himself into thinking it could be mercy.) Discarding the branch, he told Ken to clean himself up in the river. Then he continued the training, the exhausted teen barely able to participate but nonetheless required to.
For the billionaire, life had formed into a sort of new normalcy, albeit it a hated one.
###
Things changed a few days later.
As soon as it came time for their chores, Gouken sent his students to the nearby village for supplies. Nearby was relative of course; the place had to be miles away. With no transportation it took a few hours to get there, but Ken hardly paid attention. He was getting used to long walks and barely noticed his discomfort from it. It was a depressing thought.
The walk passed largely in silence. Ryu only seemed to ever talk about training, and Ken had grown used to tuning him out. His own few attempts to communicate with the other teen had proven frustrating. No matter what he asked Ryu would give short answers, seemingly uninterested in expanding on them. Needless to say, he quickly stopped trying to get him to talk.
Finally they arrived in town. It was a small community of around a thousand people, but for Ken it may as well have been Tokyo. There were cars and a bus terminal, and Ken had spotted one of the few people out on the street was texting on their cell phone. Finally, hints of civilization!
As they continued their walk more and more people appeared to notice them. At first Ken felt pretty sure this was due to him. A place this rural it was unlikely they saw many gaijin, and he knew he looked sexy in his bright red Gi.(The fact that he sucked at martial arts was hardly important. It wasn't like the onlookers were asking for a demonstration.) He gave a cocky smile to anyone whose eyes he met, and was surprised when none returned it.
Indeed, the onlookers seemed less interested in his being a foreigner than they were in him being a student of Gouken. Ken quickly realized the looks he was getting were ones of caution and distrust. But it soon hit him that Ryu was getting them to. Parents gestured their kids inside, and people whispered in their general direction. It was a weird feeling, and it made Ken lean in and ask Ryu a question.
"Is Gouken, like, an outlaw or something? The people around here look...weird. Which I could understand if it was just me, I guess. But they're looking at you weird too."
"Our visits to this area are...infrequent." Ryu said, but characteristically offered no further explanation.
"C'mon dude. Give me more than that!"
"There is little more to give. We have little contact with the town, and they with us. Given the lack of communication, we've always been treated with some suspicion. They usually don't pay me this much attention however. I suspect your arrival has intrigued them."
"Oh." At that, Ken gave a wave at a nearby crowd. "Yo, dudes and dudettes! Sup?"
"Ken!" Ryu's tone was harsh, surprising the blonde. He so rarely seemed to get angry.
"What, I can't be friendly?"
"Just... do not draw attention to yourself, please. It will just cause trouble."
"Ugh, fine."
Their destination turned out to be a modern looking convenience store. It wasn't very big or impressive, but Ken still gave a whistle at the sight. Meanwhile, two hours away he was having to shit in the woods. Life was unfair.
The doors were electronic and opened for the pair, and Ryu turned to Ken. "Master wants a few herbs and necessities he cannot produce at the dojo. I will get them. Can you get him a copy of the Asahi Shimbun?"
Ken yawned. "Sure, I guess. What's that, some sort of ancient text?"
"No. It's a newspaper from Tokyo."
"Oh. What does the old man want with that?"
Again Ryu's eyes flashed, and Ken had known him long enough to know he was irritated. "Master Gouken is not some bumpkin or whatever it is you consider him. He does appreciate reading and finding out what is happening in the world."
"If you say so," the American shrugged. "But yeah, I'll get it."
"Thank you." Ryu fished some money from inside the small bag he had brought with him and handed it over to Ken. "It should be down that aisle. I will meet you at the front once you are done."
"Fine."
Ken's eyes scanned the shelves as he moved through the aisle, taking in the various treats and gadgets the place had for sale. (Man, he really wished he had one of his credit cards.) The few people present in the aisle hurriedly got out of his way, confirming his suspicions. Gouken and his students were not welcome here. He wanted to laugh at that. Hey guys, I'm not a freak like them, trust me.
As he searched for the paper his eyes caught sight of an old arcade machine near the back of the store. Immediately Ken's face lit up as he recognized the game. Turbo Racer was a classic! He actually had the game back at his place, though had never played the arcade version.
Examining the machine, he saw that he actually had just enough to play it. It did take him a minute to decide whether or not to do so. On the one hand, he had not played a game in weeks, and this was one of his favorites. After all he had been through, surely he deserved a break? On the other, Gouken was sure to be pissed if he didn't get his paper. Though maybe Ken could tell him it had been sold out. Nothing he could have done then, was there?
In the end, it was the pitiful high score that sealed it for him. Ken knew he could beat it with ease. So without another thought, he put the yen in and started up a game.
The game was as easy as he remembered. Really, everyone knew the A.I. was super weak and easily exploitable. Plus, Ken knew all the exploits to shave time off his score. He won every race with ease, and was halfway to winning the platinum cup when he felt a tap on his back.
"Gah!" he quickly glanced back, relaxing once he saw it was Ryu. "Oh, it's you. What did I tell you about sneaking up on me like that, dude?"
"Where is Master Gouken's newspaper?"
"Oh. Uh... they were out."
"Really?" Ryu asked skeptically.
"Yep. Sucks, but I guess we got here too late."
"I just passed by the stands and they have several copies of it remaining."
"Oh. Did you pick one up?" Ken asked, turning the controller as he made a tight curve.
"No, because I gave you the money for it. Instead you spent it on this?" Ryu sounded pissed, but at the moment Ken found it hard to care.
"Yeah. I mean dude, it's been a hard few weeks. I wanted to treat myself. Gouken can go one time without his stupid paper."
"Again and again you prove disrespectful. I do not know what Master sees in you!"
Ken paused the game and looked back, shocked by his training partner's harsh tone. "Dude, chill. It's just a stupid..."
"You whine and complain about everything. I know you do not wish to be here, but you should make more of an effort to learn our ways!"
The American's eyes narrowed. "Hey, fuck off man. Don't act like this is easy for me. These last few weeks I've been put through hell, okay?"
"Yes. Your endless complaints have made that clear." Ryu shook his head. "I'm going outside. Come out when you have had your fun and I will escort you home."
He stormed off. Ken shook his head."What a fucking stick in the mud." He said, resuming his game.
It took him only a few more minutes to win it. He let out a loud and triumphant whoop, but was disappointed that there was no one around to observe his victory. He had no more Yen to continue with either, much to his disappointment. There was nothing left to do but head out, so he did so. Ken expected to find Ryu right outside, but to his surprise the older teen was nowhere to be seen.
I probably took too long and he ditched me. He's probably telling Gouken everything. Great, now I have a long walk to look forward to as well as a beating.
He started off, but he had only made it a short way before he heard sound coming from a nearby alleyway. Curiosity got the better of him and he peeked down it.
Ryu was down the far end of it, standing against the wall. Surrounding him were three older teens still wearing their school uniforms. By the messy way they were wearing them it seemed clear they were delinquents. The one directly in front of Ryu leaned in.
"You think you're so tough, don't ya freak?" He looked to be 16 or 17, tall and of decent build. He slammed a meaty fist directly into the side of the wall, just inches from Ryu's head.
"I've done nothing to you and have no wish for conflict." Ryu spoke calmly, seemingly wanting to deescalate the situation.
Instead his words made the boys laugh. "Oh yeah?" the same one continued. "Well you already have. You come into our town and act like you're hotshit just because you train in that dojo. I think it's time we teach you a lesson!"
His fist slammed into the side of Ryu's face. The Japanese youth barely flinched, even though Ken knew the blow had had to have hurt. Despite his current feud with the kid, he smiled.
Man they're in for it now. Ryu's going to own their asses.
But instead of unleashing his moves on the guys, Ryu just stood there, seemingly unwilling to retaliate. It seemed to be pissing the guys off.
"What the fuck is wrong with you? Fight back. Or is that Gi just for show? Or are you too much of a coward, huh?"
"If you've made your point, I would like to leave now." Ryu crossed his arms and matched the leader's stare with one of his own.
"Heh. Not yet we haven't. Fine, you don't want to fight? That works. I'm fine with just kicking the shit out of you."
At once the three of them began to hit Ryu, kicking and punching him all over his body. Ryu made no effort to block any of the blows, which was odd. Ken knew he could. Hell, he could have probably blocked all of them! What the hell was he doing?
Another blow led Ryu to fall to the ground, and this seemed to embolden his attackers more. Snarling and laughing they continued to strike him, Ken growing increasingly frustrated. Why isn't he doing anything? As much as he thought Ryu was lame he didn't deserve this!
Clenching his fists, he stepped into the alleyway before he realized what he was doing.
"Hey, fuckwits!"
Instantly all three stopped their attacks on Ryu and turned towards him, regarding the blonde with predatory eyes. It was about this time Ken decided he probably should have given this more thought.
"Who's this? Your boyfriend?" The leader asked the downed Ryu.
"No, I'm his training partner." Ken said, attempting to sound more intimidating than he felt. "And you all need to leave. Unless you want to tangle with me."
Shit, what am I doing? I'm no fighter, these guys could demolish me. But meh, Ryu's been demolishing me for weeks, if it comes to it I can handle one more beatdown.
"Oh yeah?" Said the boss, moving closer to Ken. "And just who the hell are you?"
"Me? I'm Ken Masters." He struck a pose.
"Never heard of you."
Ouch.
"Heh, your loss." he said, continuing the deception. "I'm only the number one fighter in the States. Why else do you think I came here?"
"What?"
"Well, no worthy opponents in America, so I came to Japan to look for some decent competition." He smirked. "That dude you're beating down? He's the only one I've ever had to break a sweat to beat. But he's good. Not as good as me, but like, I've seen him take down twenty men at once. He's only holding back to prevent himself from accidentally killing any of you."
"You're lying," said the leader, but he seemed a bit less certain now. Ken could see it in his eyes.
"Am I?" The American adopted the fighting stance he used during his sparring session. By now it came almost second nature to him. He may not have been able to really fight, but he knew he looked the part and the cocky look he had on his face cemented it. "You're welcome to test me then," he waved a gloved finger towards the gang, encouraging them to attack. "Come on! One thing though; unlike Ryu, I won't hold back. You guys can attack me all at once, if you want. Maybe it will be a little bit of a challenge then."
A long moment passed as both sides evaluated the other. The three delinquents stared at one another, having a silent conversation. gang leader looked away. "Peh! Just stay out of our town, freak. Take your partner and get lost back to the mountains." He brushed past Ken and left the alley, his friends following.
Ken held the position for several seconds before he felt confident enough to break it. He rushed further down the alley and examined Ryu. "You alright, dude?"
As it turned out, aside from a bit of dirt and bruising from the scuffle, the other teen's wounds were largely superficial. Still, he offered Ryu a hand and helped his partner up.
"Yes, I'm fine." Ryu looked at him in confusion. " But why did you get involved?"
"Dude, c'mon. I may think you're kinda lame but that's no reason for them to give you trouble. Besides, sparring partners stick together. Or heh... something like that."
"Thank you, Ken-San. Ken. I appreciate it."
"Yeah, no big." Ken grinned, but it quickly turned into a frown. "But hey, why the hell weren't you doing anything? I've seen you fight, dude. Hell, I've felt you fight. You could totally have taken them!"
"I could have, yes. But it would have just caused problems. The townsfolk distrust us enough as it is. Had I fought three of them I would have besmirched our reputation further. "
"But they started it!"
"It does not matter," said Ryu, shaking his head. "It would be three of their words against my own, and they are locals. We would be seen as troublemakers."
"So you just let them beat you up?"
"I've trained in the arts since I was a child. I am used to pain, as well as how to reduce it. Nothing they could inflict on me is as harmful as they think it is. I would have let them think they had taught me a lesson and walked away nearly unscathed."
"So what's the point then? You learn all these moves and can't actually use them? Man, this is a bigger waste of time than I thought."
"Things are more complicated than that." Ryu explained. "I do not wish to bring trouble or shame to Master Gouken. And getting involved in fights would cause that." Ken opened his mouth to argue, causing the black haired youth to shake his head. "Please Ken. Let it go."
"Ugh, Fine. Whatever man."
The pair left the alleyway and began the long trek back home. But Ken was still feeling talkative.
"Hey, uh, Ryu?"
"Yes?"
"Sorry about the paper. I guess it was kind of selfish. I mean we should have been given some extra Yen just in case. But still. I don't want to bring trouble down on your neck."
"I do wish you had given it more thought before you acted." The youth admitted. "You can be...impulsive. But any punishment is well earned. I should have been watching you more carefully."
"What?"
"It was your first time away from the dojo. It makes sense you would have fallen easy prey to distractions. I should have stayed with you and kept an eye on you."
Ryu was giving him an out, and Ken appreciated it. Normally he'd have taken it eagerly, but for one of the first times in his life, he felt an urge to take some responsibility.
"Nah man... I should have just listened. I'm 14, I don't need like a babysitter or anything. It was my fault."
Ryu looked at him, seeming a bit surprised by the other youth's candor."I appreciate that, Ken. Between that admission and what you did back there, there may yet be hope for you."
"Hey!" came the blonde's offended reply.
Then the other teen smiled, conforming it had been a joke. And Ken felt himself crack up. He slapped the other teen appreciatively.
"Heh. You can be pretty funny man. Should try it more often."
"It was more of a half joke, really. I knew Master would not have taken you in if you were truly hopeless. But I am glad to see another side to you. You acted like a noble warrior today."
"Yeah, well, you know. Gotta do something with all the training. But you know what, Ryu?" The blonde lightly punched his friend in the arm and grinned.
"I could have taken them."
###
A/N: Finally, some progress between Ryu and Ken. I know it was a long time coming, but it was satisfying to write. Ken still has a ways to go, but he's getting there.
This was the end of my stockpile of chapters, so no idea when the next chapter will be released. Hopefully soon though, as I have a general idea of what happens next. In the meantime, leave a review if you like, they're appreciated.
Until next time,
DA