Chapter 7

At Shiranui Castle in the mountain region of Japan a great crowd has gathered today on this special occasion; the wedding of Mai Shiranui and Andy Bogard. The castle, home of Mai and the Shiranui-clan as well as the founding place of the special Shiranui ninja fighting style, had been greatly decorated and the peach and cherry trees blossomed beautifully and draped the castle with their pink flower petals.

Next to the Shiranui-clan and the Bogard family a lot of Mai and Andy's friends have travelled from a far to witness this special event. As per the dress code everybody was clothed in traditional Japanese kimonos on arrival with the black or dark blue ones for the men and white or pink ones for the women. The ceremony was about to start out the back of the main building.

All the guests were already seated and Andy in a black kimono stood at the end of the aisle. His brother Terry and Ryu were the best men wearing dark blue kimonos and 'Blue' Mary Ryan and Chun-Li were the bridesmaids dressed in pink houmongi kimonos, one of them specially tailored to accommodate Chun-Li's large baby bump.

The musicians started to play the wedding march on traditional Japanese instruments. All heads now turned down the aisle and watched in awe as Mai made the first steps. Mai wore a gorgeous white ornamented wedding kimono. Unlike traditional wedding kimonos this one was designed to still accentuate her curvy figure. Instead of a head piece Mai's hair was beautifully styled into a ponytail and adorned with flowers and some jewellery.

All eyes rested on her and Mai blushed and smiled happily as she walked down the aisle. She reached the podium and Andy whispered in her ear "You are so beautiful!" as he took her hand. The ceremony was held in English so everybody could understand. After they exchanged their vows and the rings a dozen white doves were released and flew into the sky as they kissed each other. Everybody took a stand and applauded and many of the women couldn't hold back some tears of joy.

Andy and Mai then walked back down the aisle towards the main building followed closely by the bridesmaids and best men. The wedding guests soon followed and everybody took their seat in the large ball room for the wedding dinner to start. It was a real feast with five courses. One could think that Andy, Ryu and Terry were competing in an eating contest as they scooped up the food. During the dinner Terry and Mary took a stand to propose a touching though embarrassing toast to the newly weds.

After dinner the group headed into the castles court yard for the after dinner party. But first Mai threw her bouquet at the group of unmarried women. Blue Mary was able, after much fighting with the other women in mid-air, to catch the bouquet and grinned happily at Terry while the other guests applauded to her catch. The wedding guests then either danced or engaged in conversations while the waiters made sure that no one was holding an empty glass.

Around Mai gathered a group of women comprised of Chun-Li, Blue Mary, Cammy, Athena, Sakura and others who listened intently to Mai's story of how Andy proposed to her. When she finished the women all Aaawed and Chun-Li said "Aaww...that was so romantic!" Mai smiled over both ears and said "Oh, yes. You can not imagine my happiness when Andy finally went down on one knee and pulled out that ring!"

The women had to giggle since all of them knew how long Mai was pursuing Andy. Mai said "Now I have a little request, Chun-Li!" Slightly surprised Chun-Li asked "Really? What request?" Mai smiled and said "Well, I would like you to tell us the story of how Ryu proposed to you!" The women around Mai and Chun-LI gasped in anxiety and eagerly waited for the story to begin. Chun-Li was flattered and said "Really? But this is your wedding!" Mai grinned and said "Yes and I am the bride...so, pretty please?"

Chun-Li chuckled at how Mai fluttered with her eyes as she said that. She said "Well, ok then listen up...it was almost two years ago. Ryu and I were living together in Hong Kong for almost half a year and things were going really well. We were so much in love and we never felt as happy as when we were together. Ryu even looked for a place to rent as a dojo because he wanted to chip into our upkeep with something other than street fighting. This was such a great gesture of him since I was the one with a stable income and it was my apartment we were living in...plus it showed me that he was serious about staying with me."

Chun-Li continued "The day he proposed to me I remember as if it was yesterday. He was acting pretty weird the whole week...well, weirder than usual." The group giggled slightly. "He was very nervous around me and I knew he was hiding something but I didn't want to distrust him. It was a Wednesday in spring and all the flora in Hong Kong blossomed so beautifully. That day I decided to wear my blue quipao with the white waistband, the outfit from the street fighter tournament..."

Flashback – Chun-Li and Ryu's apartment in Hong Kong, two years ago

Chun-Li stepped out of the bedroom fully dressed in her blue quipao and grabbed her purse in the living room. Ryu was standing on the balcony in a morning robe and shorts and inhaled the morning air with a cup of tea in hand. Chun-Li approached him from behind and said "Well I'm off to work, sweetie." Ryu turned around and fell into a speechless stare when he saw her standing in front of him in that beautiful dress and looking at him seductively.

Chun-Li asked "Ryu? Are you ok?" Ryu scoffed and said "Y..yes...of course...sorry you just enchanted me. You're so beautiful!" Chun-Li blushed and said "Thank you, handsome...Do have any plans for the day?" Ryu answered "Uhm...well, I..wanted to look at another location for my dojo. And...I thought that maybe..I could pick you up for dinner later?" Chun-Li smiled and said "That's a wonderful idea. Pick me up at five pm, ok?"

Ryu said nervously "O..ok." Chun-Li thought he was very cute the way he acted. She approached him closer and kissed his lips. She noticed that his body was really hot and felt like it was on fire. She broke the kiss and said "Have a nice day, sweetie." Ryu said "You too." and watched her leave the apartment.

-RCL-

At exactly five pm Ryu arrived at the Interpol building and had the lobby guard call Chun-Li. As Chun-Li walked down the steps to the front desk she noticed that Ryu was waiting for her in his trademark white gi with the black belt and the red fighting gloves. 'Hmm…he does look so great in that outfit!' she thought to herself. She walked up to him and gave him a kiss and said "Hi Ryu. Your timing is perfect!" Ryu smiled and said "I wouldn't want to be late for you."

They exited the Interpol building while holding hands and Ryu guided them to the nearby park. Chun-Li asked "So how was that place you checked out?" Ryu answered "It's great. It's not too big or too small...it has several training rooms and separated locker rooms with showers...and I said I would take it!" Chun-Li got excited and said with a big smile "Wow Ryu that is great." She thought it was great not only because it was his goal to set up a dojo but also was this the confirmation that he would stay in Hong Kong with her.

Ryu said "Yes...and I hope I can start soon with accepting students." The two warriors walked through the beautiful park and enjoyed the peace it was radiating. After a while Chun-Li asked "So...where are we going?" Ryu replied "To the garden restaurant at the other side of the park. I reserved us a table there." Chun-Li smiled and said "That sounds wonderful. And it was a great idea of you to go through the park. It's so beautiful."

Ryu rubbed the back of his head and said "Yes. But no flower, no tree or river compares to your beauty, Chun-Li." This made her blush and she said "Aaww, thank you. You're so sweet." Ryu guided them towards a large ornamented rock with stone carvings and lots of bonsai trees surrounding it. He stopped beneath some peach trees which were blooming with pink flowers.

Ryu then stepped in front of Chun-Li and held both her hands. She wondered what he wanted to do now and expected that he just wanted to make out at this romantic location. But then Ryu said "Chun-Li, there is something I need to tell you. Something I wanted to tell you for quite some time." Chun-Li noticed how serious his voice was and felt a little fear inside her. She said "Yes Ryu...what is it?"

Ryu gathered all his strength and said "People know me as the wandering warrior. For a long time I have been traveling the globe in search of strong opponents with whom I could evolve my own strength. However after my fight with Bison and Akuma on Shadaloo Island I realised something...I could travel the world for many more years but I would never find something crucial that I was missing all this time. Back then on the boat which took us away from the island I couldn't figure out what that crucial component was. Until..."

Chun-Li was touched by his words and said "Yes?" Ryu swallowed some saliva and continued "Until you stepped into my life. It took me some time to realize...but now I know. You complete me, Chun-Li. You give me a reason to fight and you give me the greatest gift of all...your love." Chun-Li felt the fear in her chest fade away. She gasped as Ryu went down on one knee and she could barely believe what she knew was coming next.

Ryu held onto one of her hands and said "Chun-Li, I love you and I want to be together with you forever." He grabbed a small box from beneath his gi and Chun-Li gasped even more when he opened it and showed her the contents. The box contained an engagement ring. The ring was made of a band of white gold and held a single sapphire surrounded by two diamonds. Ryu asked "Chun-Li Xiang, will you marry me?"

Chun-Li hoped that this was not just some dream she would suddenly wake up of. She smiled over both ears and tears of joy started to escape her eyes. She tried to find her voice to give him an answer and said very quiet at first "Yes...oh yes, yes, YES!" She held out her left hand and Ryu with a happy smile on his face attached the ring which fitted perfectly.

End Flashback

"...and when he got back on his feet we hugged and kissed while the pink flower petals from the peach trees surrounded us like a curtain." Chun-Li said to finish the story. The group of woman surrounding her now awed at her beautiful story and several of them were unsuccessful in holding back some tears.

Sakura said "Oh wow, Chun-Li. That was an incredibly romantic story." All the others agreed. After a while of chatting the group of women dispersed to chat with other people or to hit the dance floor.

Chun-Li remained alone in the middle of the crowd and looked around. As she watched the people and the beautiful setting around her something in particular caught her eye. It enchanted her completely and she walked straight towards it while ignoring everything else.

Cammy, who was talking with Athena and Kensou, noticed her waltzing by. Chun-Li's behaviour made Cammy worry and she excused herself "I'm sorry. Would you two excuse me for a moment?" Athena said "Of course." Cammy then followed Chun-Li through the crowd. Athena and Kensou looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

Chun-Li stopped in front of a large jade dragon figure. It was beautifully carved and shimmered with a green touch as it caught the sunlight. Chun-Li stared intently at the jade figure while resting her hands on her large baby bump. She didn't even notice that Cammy came to a halt right next to her. Cammy watched Chun-Li with a raised eyebrow and then looked at the jade figure since it was the thing that Chun-Li stared at while tilting her head.

Cammy said "That's a nice dragon!" Chun-Li jerked her head at Cammy with open eyes and said "Huh?...What?" Cammy sceptically looked at Chun-Li's face and asked "Are you ok?" Chun-Li looked back at the statue and said "Yeah...I think I just had an epiphany!" Cammy looked at the jade figure and then back at Chun-Li completely puzzled and asked "About what? The statue?"

Chun-Li looked at Cammy and said "No...I need to talk to Ryu! Did you see him?" Cammy looked around and then spotted Ryu on the first balcony of the castles main building. She pointed her finger at him and said "Up there! He's talking to Ken and Andy on the balcony!" Chun-Li looked up and smiled as she saw her husband leaning on the balcony rails.

With an extreme happiness Chun-Li hugged Cammy and said "Thanks!" Then she left the completely stunned Cammy standing at the jade figure and headed to the main building as quickly as she could. Her baby bump and the kimono made it very difficult to run and after she climbed the stairs to the first floor she needed to pause for a breather.

She approached the men and yelled from afar "Ryu!" Ken, Andy and Ryu interrupted their current discussion and watched the pregnant Chun-Li approach. She stopped in front of the three fighters and said while breathing heavy "Phew...Ryu...I need to...talk to you in private...for a minute." Ryu gave his exhausted wife some support and said with a smile "Of course honey. Guys, will you excuse us?" Ken said "Ok...see you later at the bar!" Then he and Andy left the warrior couple alone.

Chun-Li unfolded her butterfly fan and waved herself more air. The she said "Phew...I am so looking forward to being able to run for a mile without pause after the baby is born!" Ryu chuckled and said "Of course, honey. So...what did you want to talk about?" Chun-Li now remembered why she hurried up here in the first place. She put the fan back in her kimono and took Ryu's hands.

She said "Just moments ago I had an epiphany of sorts about a name!" Ryu looked with open eyes at his wife and said "For our baby girl? What name?" Chun-Li in the high hopes that he would approve said nervously "Well...what do you think about: Mei-Lin? It means..." "Beautiful jade!" Ryu said before Chun-Li could finish her sentence.

As Ryu let the name sink in, Chun-Li waited anxiously for his reply. Ryu smiled and said "Wow, it's perfect!" Chun-Li gasped in happiness and asked "So you approve?" Ryu hugged her and said "Yes, I do. It's such a beautiful name." Chun-Li laughed happily and said "Oh wow...our baby's name will be Mei-Lin Hoshi!" They disengaged their hug and held onto Chun-Li's baby bump together. Ryu smiled and said "Mei-Lin Hoshi". As he said that Chun-Li felt a kick inside her and she said "Ouh!...Hihi, I think she approves!" They both laughed and smiled at each other happily.

Mai along with Cammy, Eliza and Blue Mary walked up the stairs and towards the warrior couple. Cammy said "Hey there you are, Chun! I was worried by your weird behaviour before!" Chun-Li grinned innocent and said "Ups...sorry!" Mai asked "What's going on with you two? You seem very happy about something!" Ryu answered "Well, we have some exciting news to tell...Come on, let's go find Andy and Ken!"

Ken and Andy were joined by Terry and Sakura at the bar. They were discussing the positive and negative aspects of marriage while sipping down a cold beer. They noticed the girls and Ryu approaching and Ken said with a grin "Well hello. So, did you conclude your private discussion?" Guile and Julia approached the group with Amy sitting on Guile's shoulders. Guile asked "Hey, what's going on?"

Ryu said to the group around them "We have something important to announce!" The group was listening intently and Chun-Li said with a huge smile while holding onto her baby bump "Ryu and I just decided on a name for our baby girl! It will be 'Mei-Lin'." The group cheered and everybody agreed that is was a very beautiful name.

Mai hugged both Chun-Li and Ryu and said "That really is a beautiful name! I'm so happy for you two! And I think it is wonderful that you came up with that name at our wedding!" Chun-Li tightened the hug and said "Thank you, Mai. It makes it so much more special to us." Andy raised his hands in a cheerful manner and said out loud "I would say this calls for more champagne!"

The whole group cheered and the waiters poured everyone a glass of champagne and fake champagne for Chun-Li and the underage. Andy raised his glass and said "To Mei-Lin Hoshi!" The whole group raised their glasses and cheered "Mei-Lin!" Ryu and Chun-Li blushed and took a sip of champagne. They kissed passionately and their anxiety grew to watch their baby daughter Mei-Lin come into this world.


At last Ryu and Chun-Li could decide on a name for their baby girl!

But the most diffucult part is still before them

What that might be? Chapter 8 will tell

Now while one could say that this is a crossover, i say it's only partial because the main charachters are still Ryu and Chun-Li, which is why i didnt put it in the crossover section. I just like Mai and Andy very much, that's why i include them in my stories.

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