Ryu's eye's continued to stare at the door. "Interpol" was written in thick, bolded black letters. He had been staring so intently, waiting for "her" to come out for so long that when she finally did, he wasn't sure if he was hallucinating. Her silky red dress flew freely around her knees as she opened the door. Her hair was tied up in two buns, the way she had put them during the Street Fighter Tournament. Her face was serious and focused, and when her gorgeous brown eyes met his, Ryu found himself fluctuating, not knowing what to say to a seemingly perfect girl. Chun Li briefly lost all train of thought...briefly. She hurriedly looked away and picked up the pace as she walked.
Ryu called out to her, "Chun Li."
Chun Li pretended to be immersed in her thoughts as she walked swiftly.
"Chun Li!"
"I'm busy right now, sorry." She muttered.
Ryu followed her. "Chun Li, I've waited outside your office for 30 minutes, the least you can do is hear me out. You don't have to say anything, just please...listen."
Chun Li sighed. "Fine, what?"
"Look, I hope I didn't say or do anything to upset you because you seem kind of mad at me...actually, ARE you mad at me?"
Chun Li glared. "You said I didn't have to say anything."
"Right...I did...uh, well, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, but I didn't mean to make you upset."
"So you're saying you 'accidentally' beat me in the Street Fighter Tournament?"
Ryu paused. "Is that why you're mad at me, because I won against you?"
"Maybe." Chun Li shot back.
"Look, it was just a fight. You can't always win...I don't mean that in a bad way but you can't expect you'll always be the victorious one."
"You don't understand," Chun Li whispered quietly. "I was supposed to win because...because that MONSTER, Bison, HE KILLED MY FATHER!"
Ryu looked at her, trying to fight back her tears.
"That BASTARD killed my father, and I was going to avenge him. But instead, I lost to YOU!" She yelled, pointing a trembling finger at him. Chun Li refused to let him see her tears. "I HATE YOU!"
"Chun Li....I didn't know, I'm so sorry."
Chun Li put her trembling finger down and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I was supposed to win...when I found out he died, I trained twice as much, I lived off of noodles so I could get extra carbohydrates to work longer and harder, I slept at 2:00 AM all for the one chance I would have to defeat Bison. But you took that away from me!"
Ryu looked down. "I'm sorry." He repeated. He hesitated for a few seconds. "But...maybe it was better that you lost against me."
Chun Li's eyes narrowed. "What's THAT supposed to mean? You think I'm not strong enough?"
"It's not that you're not strong...but even I had trouble beating Bison." Ryu said quietly.
"YOU may not have, but I could have beaten him...I COULD HAVE BEATEN HIM!" Chun Li screamed. "The only reason you beat me is because you were lucky."
Ryu hesitated again. "Chun Li, I'm sure your father's soul is happy to see how you've grown and blossomed into a young woman. I don't think he feel like you've failed him."
"How would YOU know?" Chun Li spat through gritted teeth.
"If your fathers death caused enough anguish to make you hate Bison with so much fervor, then he must've been a good and honorable man. Good and honorable men don't harbor such grudges." Ryu replied calmly.
"What do you know about goodness and honor?" Chun Li growled.
Ryu looked down. "I've done all I can...if you don't want to listen, then fine."
Chun Li's face softened slightly. "Where're you going?" She asked.
"Home. I need to rest, I have this throbbing headache."
Chun Li watched as Ryu's back disappeared in the distance.
Ryu sighed as the night air brushed against his skin. Ken had already left which meant he had to walk the long distance home. "I tried my best...but it's impossible to reach her. She just hates me so much..." He continued to walk forward, until he saw headlights behind him. He turned to face the bright light while the car came to a slow stop.
"Hey...you need a ride?" The driver asked softly.
Ryu looked inside the car to identify the familiar voice. "CHUN LI?!"
"Do you want a ride or not?" She asked, avoiding eye contact with him.
"Sure..." Ryu responded. He went around to the passengers seat, opened the door, and sat in the car. After the car door had been closed, she started to drive. There was an uneasy silence between the two for several minutes.
"I half expected to see Ken." Ryu said softly.
Chun Li was silent.
"Why are you giving me a ride?" Ryu asked.
"Would you rather freeze outside?" She asked calmly.
"No but..." Ryu began.
"I felt like a jerk, okay?" Chun Li responded.
Ryu grinned a little. "Okay."
"What are you smiling about?" Chun Li asked monotonously.
"Nothing, I just can't help myself from being a little happy."
There was more silence, but this time not a tense. Ryu looked out of the side window and continued to grin. After a good 10 minutes of driving, they arrived in the parking garage of the apartment complex.
Ryu looked down at the floor. "Thanks for the ride."
Chun Li nodded passively. The two walked up the stairs over to where they both lived. Ryu took out his keys and began to open the door.
"Ryu." Chun Li said quietly. He looked up at her. His piercing eyes forced her to look down. " I'm sorry about today and, it's not your fault that my father died...or that you were the one too go after Bison. Um, don't take anything I said seriously."
"You mean about me not having any honor or goodness?" He asked.
"Especially that, I'm sorry, I think I've just been going through a lot and I haven't really looked at it from your point of view."
Ryu was silent.
"I know this probably sounds so corny to you, but...I hope you can forgive me." Chun Li said earnestly.
"Well, you did say some hurtful comments, but...it's not like no one's ever said things like that to me." Ryu replied. "I'm sorry for not giving you space and practically forcing you to tell me everything. I shouldn't have been so nosy."
Chun Li smiled. "Friends?" She asked holding one of her hands out as a truce.
Ryu felt a slight twinge of disappointment, but he didn't let it show. "Friends." He repeated while taking her hand into his. They shook.
"Well...good night." Chun Li said slowly.
Ryu nodded. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."
"Friends." She whispered to herself. Chun Li sat back on her bed, her hair loosened out of their former hairstyle and her silken red dress replaced by comfortable silk pajamas.
Her thoughts began to roam. "I guess I feel much better now that Ryu and I aren't playing the cat-and-mouse game...but why do I feel so unfulfilled. It's not my father, I know that for sure." Chun Li sighed. "I guess this is better than thinking about why I hated Ryu so much...at least I found out that the problem was all psychological...Ryu's right, father wouldn't be upset."
Chun Li got up and traced the steps to her bathroom. She turned on the light and washed her face. "Snap out of it." She told herself. "I need to stop scrutinizing little details...when did I start over-analyzing petty matters?" She vigorously wiped her face with the towel, turned off the sunny light and crawled back into bed.
"Just sleep...just sleep...just sleep..."
Ryu rolled onto his back on the floor mattress. He stared up at the ceiling, looking at all the bumps on the ceiling.
"So Chun Li isn't mad at me...great. But friends..."
Ryu sighed, maybe the anticipation of having Chun Li as "more than a friend" had built up much larger than he had expected. Then to have that shot down...
Ryu thought for a moment. "Well, it's not exactly being shot down...it's more like taking it one step at a time...right?"
Ryu frowned in the darkness. "Maybe I should stop being so optimistic."
Chun Li yawned again while reviewing the manila folder on her coffee table. Technically, she was still on leave, but she insisted on doing some work. When her colleagues had told her it was already taken care of, she insisted on at least being able to bring her work home with her. They agreed and she was now sitting in front of the coffee table, drinking a steaming mug of coffee and reading the files of some boring case...something about possible counterfeiting in some random island. Of course she knew, all they would do is analyze the story, investigate, nab the counterfeiters, and that's it...end of story. Just thinking about the lack of adventure made her yawn again. She leaned back on her couch wearing a casual pair of drawstring pants and a short-sleeved "Puma" shirt. Her hair was still wet from the morning shower and was wrapped inside a towel. She put the folder down and drank some more coffee, closing her eyes as she relaxed. She was pulled out of her trance by a knock at the door. She got up, took her hair out of the towel, brushed it quickly and answered the door. She looked at the cheery face of Ken.
"Hey Chun Li, I know this sounds really stupid but Ryu was wondering if you would go with him to some club to go dancing or something like that."
Chun Li stared at him blankly.
Ken grinned nervously. "I told him it was a stupid idea and that you were already pissed off at us, but the guy wouldn't listen...he just wouldn't listen! So I told him I'd give it a shot because he's my friend and all...but, uh, I think I'll just go now."
Chun Li snapped out of her haze. "What time?" She asked.
Ken gawked. "Come again?"
"What time?" She repeated.
"Ah...I think her said he'd 'pick you up' around 7:00 tonight."
Chun Li grinned. "Tell him to make sure he's on time."
"Uh, right, sure...yeah..." Ken murmured, completely flabbergasted. "Just out of curiosity, did something happen between you two that I'm just completely oblivious too."
Chun Li smiled mischievously, pretended to be thinking about something, and said, "Maybe."
Ken arched his eyebrow. "Whatever." He shrugged. He turned away muttering, "Women..."
Chun Li walked back into her apartment, closed the door behind her and giggled girlishly.
"She said 'sure.'" Ken reported.
"Great." Ryu said nonchalantly with a smile.
"I get the impression that something's going on here and I'm being left out." Ken said suspiciously.
Ryu grinned. "What do you mean?"
"Don't give me that mock surprise. The Chun Li I knew would've slammed the door in my face, punched me in the stomach, yelled at me...stuff like that. So of course if you asked her out on a 'date' she'd freak out! But noooo, she told me to remind you not to be late."
"It's NOT a date!"
Ken frowned. "THAT'S not the point. Why would she agree on going with you? Not that you're not a charming guy or anything but WHY?!"
"Gee, I don't know." Ryu said in a dismissive tone.
Ken stared at him. "Fine don't tell me."
"Okay, I won't."
"Ohhh...Ryu come on, tell me, tell me!"
Ryu laughed. "I'll tell you if you pick out some decent clothes for the tonight."
Ken grinned. "Deal."
Ryu called out to her, "Chun Li."
Chun Li pretended to be immersed in her thoughts as she walked swiftly.
"Chun Li!"
"I'm busy right now, sorry." She muttered.
Ryu followed her. "Chun Li, I've waited outside your office for 30 minutes, the least you can do is hear me out. You don't have to say anything, just please...listen."
Chun Li sighed. "Fine, what?"
"Look, I hope I didn't say or do anything to upset you because you seem kind of mad at me...actually, ARE you mad at me?"
Chun Li glared. "You said I didn't have to say anything."
"Right...I did...uh, well, I didn't mean to offend you or anything, but I didn't mean to make you upset."
"So you're saying you 'accidentally' beat me in the Street Fighter Tournament?"
Ryu paused. "Is that why you're mad at me, because I won against you?"
"Maybe." Chun Li shot back.
"Look, it was just a fight. You can't always win...I don't mean that in a bad way but you can't expect you'll always be the victorious one."
"You don't understand," Chun Li whispered quietly. "I was supposed to win because...because that MONSTER, Bison, HE KILLED MY FATHER!"
Ryu looked at her, trying to fight back her tears.
"That BASTARD killed my father, and I was going to avenge him. But instead, I lost to YOU!" She yelled, pointing a trembling finger at him. Chun Li refused to let him see her tears. "I HATE YOU!"
"Chun Li....I didn't know, I'm so sorry."
Chun Li put her trembling finger down and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "I was supposed to win...when I found out he died, I trained twice as much, I lived off of noodles so I could get extra carbohydrates to work longer and harder, I slept at 2:00 AM all for the one chance I would have to defeat Bison. But you took that away from me!"
Ryu looked down. "I'm sorry." He repeated. He hesitated for a few seconds. "But...maybe it was better that you lost against me."
Chun Li's eyes narrowed. "What's THAT supposed to mean? You think I'm not strong enough?"
"It's not that you're not strong...but even I had trouble beating Bison." Ryu said quietly.
"YOU may not have, but I could have beaten him...I COULD HAVE BEATEN HIM!" Chun Li screamed. "The only reason you beat me is because you were lucky."
Ryu hesitated again. "Chun Li, I'm sure your father's soul is happy to see how you've grown and blossomed into a young woman. I don't think he feel like you've failed him."
"How would YOU know?" Chun Li spat through gritted teeth.
"If your fathers death caused enough anguish to make you hate Bison with so much fervor, then he must've been a good and honorable man. Good and honorable men don't harbor such grudges." Ryu replied calmly.
"What do you know about goodness and honor?" Chun Li growled.
Ryu looked down. "I've done all I can...if you don't want to listen, then fine."
Chun Li's face softened slightly. "Where're you going?" She asked.
"Home. I need to rest, I have this throbbing headache."
Chun Li watched as Ryu's back disappeared in the distance.
Ryu sighed as the night air brushed against his skin. Ken had already left which meant he had to walk the long distance home. "I tried my best...but it's impossible to reach her. She just hates me so much..." He continued to walk forward, until he saw headlights behind him. He turned to face the bright light while the car came to a slow stop.
"Hey...you need a ride?" The driver asked softly.
Ryu looked inside the car to identify the familiar voice. "CHUN LI?!"
"Do you want a ride or not?" She asked, avoiding eye contact with him.
"Sure..." Ryu responded. He went around to the passengers seat, opened the door, and sat in the car. After the car door had been closed, she started to drive. There was an uneasy silence between the two for several minutes.
"I half expected to see Ken." Ryu said softly.
Chun Li was silent.
"Why are you giving me a ride?" Ryu asked.
"Would you rather freeze outside?" She asked calmly.
"No but..." Ryu began.
"I felt like a jerk, okay?" Chun Li responded.
Ryu grinned a little. "Okay."
"What are you smiling about?" Chun Li asked monotonously.
"Nothing, I just can't help myself from being a little happy."
There was more silence, but this time not a tense. Ryu looked out of the side window and continued to grin. After a good 10 minutes of driving, they arrived in the parking garage of the apartment complex.
Ryu looked down at the floor. "Thanks for the ride."
Chun Li nodded passively. The two walked up the stairs over to where they both lived. Ryu took out his keys and began to open the door.
"Ryu." Chun Li said quietly. He looked up at her. His piercing eyes forced her to look down. " I'm sorry about today and, it's not your fault that my father died...or that you were the one too go after Bison. Um, don't take anything I said seriously."
"You mean about me not having any honor or goodness?" He asked.
"Especially that, I'm sorry, I think I've just been going through a lot and I haven't really looked at it from your point of view."
Ryu was silent.
"I know this probably sounds so corny to you, but...I hope you can forgive me." Chun Li said earnestly.
"Well, you did say some hurtful comments, but...it's not like no one's ever said things like that to me." Ryu replied. "I'm sorry for not giving you space and practically forcing you to tell me everything. I shouldn't have been so nosy."
Chun Li smiled. "Friends?" She asked holding one of her hands out as a truce.
Ryu felt a slight twinge of disappointment, but he didn't let it show. "Friends." He repeated while taking her hand into his. They shook.
"Well...good night." Chun Li said slowly.
Ryu nodded. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."
"Friends." She whispered to herself. Chun Li sat back on her bed, her hair loosened out of their former hairstyle and her silken red dress replaced by comfortable silk pajamas.
Her thoughts began to roam. "I guess I feel much better now that Ryu and I aren't playing the cat-and-mouse game...but why do I feel so unfulfilled. It's not my father, I know that for sure." Chun Li sighed. "I guess this is better than thinking about why I hated Ryu so much...at least I found out that the problem was all psychological...Ryu's right, father wouldn't be upset."
Chun Li got up and traced the steps to her bathroom. She turned on the light and washed her face. "Snap out of it." She told herself. "I need to stop scrutinizing little details...when did I start over-analyzing petty matters?" She vigorously wiped her face with the towel, turned off the sunny light and crawled back into bed.
"Just sleep...just sleep...just sleep..."
Ryu rolled onto his back on the floor mattress. He stared up at the ceiling, looking at all the bumps on the ceiling.
"So Chun Li isn't mad at me...great. But friends..."
Ryu sighed, maybe the anticipation of having Chun Li as "more than a friend" had built up much larger than he had expected. Then to have that shot down...
Ryu thought for a moment. "Well, it's not exactly being shot down...it's more like taking it one step at a time...right?"
Ryu frowned in the darkness. "Maybe I should stop being so optimistic."
Chun Li yawned again while reviewing the manila folder on her coffee table. Technically, she was still on leave, but she insisted on doing some work. When her colleagues had told her it was already taken care of, she insisted on at least being able to bring her work home with her. They agreed and she was now sitting in front of the coffee table, drinking a steaming mug of coffee and reading the files of some boring case...something about possible counterfeiting in some random island. Of course she knew, all they would do is analyze the story, investigate, nab the counterfeiters, and that's it...end of story. Just thinking about the lack of adventure made her yawn again. She leaned back on her couch wearing a casual pair of drawstring pants and a short-sleeved "Puma" shirt. Her hair was still wet from the morning shower and was wrapped inside a towel. She put the folder down and drank some more coffee, closing her eyes as she relaxed. She was pulled out of her trance by a knock at the door. She got up, took her hair out of the towel, brushed it quickly and answered the door. She looked at the cheery face of Ken.
"Hey Chun Li, I know this sounds really stupid but Ryu was wondering if you would go with him to some club to go dancing or something like that."
Chun Li stared at him blankly.
Ken grinned nervously. "I told him it was a stupid idea and that you were already pissed off at us, but the guy wouldn't listen...he just wouldn't listen! So I told him I'd give it a shot because he's my friend and all...but, uh, I think I'll just go now."
Chun Li snapped out of her haze. "What time?" She asked.
Ken gawked. "Come again?"
"What time?" She repeated.
"Ah...I think her said he'd 'pick you up' around 7:00 tonight."
Chun Li grinned. "Tell him to make sure he's on time."
"Uh, right, sure...yeah..." Ken murmured, completely flabbergasted. "Just out of curiosity, did something happen between you two that I'm just completely oblivious too."
Chun Li smiled mischievously, pretended to be thinking about something, and said, "Maybe."
Ken arched his eyebrow. "Whatever." He shrugged. He turned away muttering, "Women..."
Chun Li walked back into her apartment, closed the door behind her and giggled girlishly.
"She said 'sure.'" Ken reported.
"Great." Ryu said nonchalantly with a smile.
"I get the impression that something's going on here and I'm being left out." Ken said suspiciously.
Ryu grinned. "What do you mean?"
"Don't give me that mock surprise. The Chun Li I knew would've slammed the door in my face, punched me in the stomach, yelled at me...stuff like that. So of course if you asked her out on a 'date' she'd freak out! But noooo, she told me to remind you not to be late."
"It's NOT a date!"
Ken frowned. "THAT'S not the point. Why would she agree on going with you? Not that you're not a charming guy or anything but WHY?!"
"Gee, I don't know." Ryu said in a dismissive tone.
Ken stared at him. "Fine don't tell me."
"Okay, I won't."
"Ohhh...Ryu come on, tell me, tell me!"
Ryu laughed. "I'll tell you if you pick out some decent clothes for the tonight."
Ken grinned. "Deal."
