With an almost detached gaze to her, the brunette looked at the picture yet again, peering at the blood and bone fragments that littered the street and the walls of the alley. Her elegantly slanted brown eyes scanned the scene of the crime that she had visited personally, searching for anything that was out of place, as if she could glean the information that way instead of with some other method.

It had been weeks now since the deaths of three males were reported; two of them unconscious and one still needing extensive repair to his facial bones. They would not be saying anything any time soon, which frustrated her even further. She found it strange that some of the deaths were seemingly impossible on a physical level; a clean, neat hole burned through a man, two of them cut in half, yet no blade capable of doing such a thing in sight.

'No footprints, no skin, no hair samples… it's as if they were killed by a ghost.'

Which was impossible, she knew. But here it was, right in front of her, and she had no other explanation for what caused this. But three were dead, two were in what could be considered a relative coma, and she had to find out who was responsible.

She lay down the picture and closed her eyes, leaning back in her chair as she did so. She had to clear her mind; sort this all out for a moment. The woman was currently wearing a long-sleeved blue silk shirt and a pair of black slacks with matching shoes. Her hair hung in a long, cascading waterfall of dark chocolate, to the small of her back. The facial features were those of a beautiful, refined porcelain doll when at rest, sporting a gentle smile most of the time, but transformed into those of a hardened combatant when pressured.

There was a knock on her door that made her slip from the meditative state that she was attempting to put herself into, and her eyes opened slowly, almost lazily. "It's open."

A man opened the door and peered in, observing the woman for a moment before saying, "Hey, are you busy, Chief? There's someone downstairs who says he needs to talk to you."

The woman raised an eyebrow and said, "Is that so? Well, please inform him that I am not seeing anyone at the moment, because I'm trying to wrack my brain about who or what killed three young men and critically injured two more." Yes, she was stressed. It had been a long day.

The man cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, well that's the thing… he says he knows who did it."

This made the woman raise an eyebrow. She had just been poring over what caused this massacre, and now here on coincidence was someone who knew who did it? No, it was too easy. But she suspended her disbelief for a moment and asked a rather simple question. "Can you describe him for me? And please, don't be nervous; step inside."

The man walked in, closing the door behind him. He still looked nervous. He was one of the many men who thought that their Chief Superintendant of Police was incredibly beautiful in that classic way that one could not replicate easily. She was the face that launched a thousand ships, with the body that armies would go to war for. And she could shoot through a target with a handgun at two hundred and fifty meters.

"Well," he said as he attempted to get comfortable, "He appears to be of Japanese descent. Five foot seven, athletic build, looks like he weighs about one hundred and sixty pounds… came in wearing blue jeans, a black shirt, and a denim jacket. Black hiking boots. No marks on him, no tattoos. Seems like a normal guy."

The woman placed a hand on her chin, racking her brains for someone who fit that description. Her mind was a complex network of faces, names, and information. Being a high-ranking officer, she had to remember multiple identities, sometimes more than one at the same time, and it was a tough job to do.

For a moment, she shook her head, as if she couldn't place who this man was that just walked in with information, as if he knew beforehand that… something had happened.

Things snapped into place. But she had to make sure.

"Could you excuse me for a moment? I mean, stick around, sure," she said with a smile, "But just don't say anything for a few seconds."

The man nodded and raised an eyebrow curiously as Chun-Li closed her eyes again, attempting to search the building for a specific energy wave; an aura that was unique in its density and size. Sure enough, she could feel the man's presence from where she sat, almost immediately. He was six floors down, and it still felt like he was standing in the room with her.

'It's him, all right. No question now.'

She opened her eyes. "All right, I know who it is. Do let him upstairs, would you?"

The man nodded and said, "Got it, Chief." With that, he headed out the door, closing it behind him.

The woman settled back into her chair and folded one leg over the other. "Hmm… Ryu has come to visit. And he knows who killed those people. I'm not surprised."

Chun-Li smiled to herself. Things just got a bit more interesting in her day. A major break in the case and an old friend, all at once. Things were starting to look up.

Kanto the Slayer presents

A Street Fighter Fanfiction

Beyond Alpha

He sat in her office, a calm and relaxed expression on his features. But his eyes were just as intense, the eyes of some kind of tiger waiting for a good meal. Or at least, she thought they were a tiger's eyes. Such a gaze could see right through a person; pierce the very heart of them. Even now, it had an effect on her that she could not quite describe.

But as much as one would assume that she felt something for him other than the camaraderie of the warrior, there was nothing there. She was his good friend, and that was all. Ryu, she understood, was not one to stick around in any place for more than a day or two, due to the constant refinement of his martial arts. His life was dedicated to the path of the warrior, and she could respect that. In fact, she admired it; few and far between walked that road anymore.

But she had stopped being a professional fighter. If they were to spar right here, right now, the odds would be stacked in his favor. But she turned her mind from fighting and concentrated on the man himself. She could admit that he was handsome, in that rugged, chiseled sort of way. But she had never seen him in anything but his karate uniform, and she found that he cleaned up quite nicely.

Yet and still, she remembered that he had already chosen his path, and she had chosen hers.

"How long has it been, Ryu?" Chun-Li asked with a smile.

He smiled and said, "Five years. You still look as beautiful as ever."

She bowed slightly and said, "And you don't look like you've changed. Hell," she added with a laugh, "You don't look like you've aged. Then again, people mistake me for someone younger as well these days. I suppose it's because of what we do."

Ryu nodded. "True. But I didn't come here for small talk." His facial expression turned serious. "Have you ever heard of a man named Gouki?"

Chun-Li raised an eyebrow. "Can't say I have… who is he?"

Ryu closed his eyes and sighed. This would be difficult to explain, a very long story. He would try to make it brief. "He is the man that mastered the fighting style that I use. It might look like a standard martial art, but it was originally used to kill in one stroke with any move. The way that he became the master was by killing the old one, Goutetsu. Years after that, he killed my master, Gouken as well. So he is currently the grandmaster of Ansatsuken."

The images of the brutal scene in the alleyway passed through her mind for a brief moment. A man caused all that, and with only his fists and feet? She leaned forward, listening intently. It didn't matter how long it took now- he had her attention.

The man before her opened his eyes and said, "He can do things that most human beings can't begin to imagine, but it's not because of any sort of normal reasons for practicing a martial art. He doesn't do it for any kind of personal growth. He just wants to be the strongest. Gouki has the mindset that the weak are not fit to walk the earth. But at the same time, he doesn't go looking for a battle; he allows the battles to come to him. He only fights when challenged, and when victorious, his opponent ends up dead."

Chun-Li leaned back in her chair and placed a hand on her chin. What happened in that alleyway to start the fight in the first place? How quickly had it ended? "Describe this man for me," she said after a while. If she had a name, a face, she could place him at the scene.

Ryu began by saying, "He always wears black; red hair with a topknot, darkened skin from the blood constantly rushing through his veins. He's my height, but with a much more muscular build. But just because he's heavy doesn't mean he's slow." Oh, he knew that one by heart. "He's recently come to wearing sandals, though he used to be barefoot. His eyes are… red. No pupil, no iris, just blood red. He can't hide that, and doesn't try to."

Chun-Li had an image of the man in her head now, and closed her eyes again, placing him at the scene of the incident. Where did he stand, to the street or towards the back? From the evidence she was able to view directly, it was the street. The scene in her head changed immediately, placing Gouki right where she figured he would be.

'From what Ryu said about him,' she mused, 'they started the fight. I don't know what they were doing to cause them to instigate things; probably something they shouldn't have been doing in the first place. Tried to get rid of the witnesses and sent one guy to try and take care of it.'

That was the first knock out. She didn't know the approach or angle, but she did understand that the first man went down quickly. 'Then the second one… the one that got his teeth more or less kicked in. That guy is probably the chain-swinger, with that kind of momentum.'

She knew all about how a fight worked. It began playing out in her head now, two down and three to go.

'The others… they used weapons that weren't so easily countered. Things got ugly. But how did he move so fast?'

Her eyes opened. "I need to know what he's capable of."

Ryu nodded, understanding that she was trying to piece it together. "You've seen all my moves before. His are twice as fast, and when well-placed, can kill in one stroke, just like I said. His speed is unattainable by any normal means. If you blink, you can rest assured that he will end up behind you."

Chun-Li nodded and said, "I'll keep that in mind. What else?"

Ryu attempted to think if he had missed anything, and then said, "He can launch his ki from any position, including but not limited to the air."

Chun-Li's eyes widened. Something else clicked into place. She closed her eyes again and attempted to recreate the scene. They rushed, and he moved too quickly for them to notice where he had gone. From that position in the air, he fired his energy from… one hand, both? It didn't matter.

'He burned a big hole straight through the third assailant, the one with the knife. Poor guy didn't even have time to drop his weapon before he hit the ground. What the hell is this Gouki?'

She knew this; he wasn't human. Not anymore.

"Keep going," she said with her eyes still closed. "There's one more thing. How much force does it take to cut through someone without using a blade?"

Ryu placed a hand on his chin and said, "Gouki is already strong. With the speed that he can display that strength… it wouldn't be difficult. From what you're asking, I trust that he used the Tatsumaki Zankuukyaku."

Her eyes opened and she leaned forward. "You… saw it happen?"

Ryu shook his head. "No. But I saw where it happened and the aftermath, and I read the ki patterns that were in the area. The Satsui no Hadou was everywhere. I knew it was him without even having to be there."

Chun-Li was silent for a moment before sliding the picture over towards him. "This is what you saw?"

Ryu lifted the picture, studied it for only a few brief seconds, and then nodded. "Yeah, down to the letter. See those two that have been cut in half through their upper torsos? That's exactly what that move does. It moves so quickly and has such sheer power behind it that it produces the force of a live blade."

She grimaced, but said nothing. 'Everything matches, the placement, the timing, the description of his abilities.' Her eyes closed again and she rewound the scene in her head, playing it back from the beginning. The five of them had been caught by Gouki doing something that they should not have been doing. It was a case of coincidence really; he was not looking for a fight.

'They made a decision to leave no witnesses; sent the first guy after him. He got taken out quickly, and they started taking notice. They figured that a big chain would work, but that failed. I figure all Gouki had to do was give it a simple tug and… whack. The attacker has the lower half of his face kicked to pieces. That one's lucky that he's not dead.'

The scene continued as the other three decided to rush him en masse. She could almost imagine him vanishing from one point and ending up in mid-air, lined up for a perfect shot. 'Given his level of skill, he probably projected his ki through a single hand, and it was powerful enough to kill in one shot.'

The scene moved to normal time again. The other two moved to beat him across the head with their sticks, but they were nothing compared to this monster. He vanished again and immediately sliced through the final two aggressors as if they were merely air.

"What I don't get," she said after the full picture in her head stopped moving, "Was how he did not leave a single footprint or trace of his passing. We have nothing on him…"

Ryu shook his head and said, "And you probably won't. Gouki is simply that fast. It's like fighting a ghost."

Chun-Li shook her head and said, "That's what I thought too, but this is worse. It's like being in a fishing yacht when a tidal wave is coming. He's a monster, a demon."

Ryu nodded and said, "Exactly."

She nodded and replied, "You understand this is a major break in the case, and as such, I would ask for your cooperation. You know more about him than we do." She raised a hand before Ryu could speak and said, "Please don't say no. Consider it a request from a comrade. Besides, you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. Is there anything in particular you need, within reasonable limits?"

Ryu smiled and said, "I was just about to get to that." She believed him; good. Now it was time for the hard part. "I have a student with me, here in Hong Kong."

Chun-Li raised an eyebrow. "You have to be joking. You got yourself an actual student?" She smirked and said, "Thought you didn't give lessons."

Ryu shrugged and said, "Well that's not true. I give them on and off to support myself; make a little bit of money here and there. But I don't have a permanent student; at least, I didn't until now. Circumstances have forced me to change my position on that."

His good friend nodded and said, "May I ask what kind of circumstances?" She had a guess, but she needed him to say it.

The smile faded. "Gouki is after her." Before she could reply, he continued onwards. "Her name is Sakura Kasugano, and she was able to copy my fighting style to an extent within a single year, including the utilization of ki."

Chun-Li's mouth stayed open for a few seconds. She realized that she was gaping and closed it slowly. "That's… well it sounds interesting enough, if slightly unbelievable. But I figured that the part about Gouki being after her was evident. Apparently, this is the reason why."

Ryu nodded. "I brought her here to learn a few extra things that she could use to modify the moves I've already shown her. Since she's already copied the style to her own small margin, it only took little more than a month and about seven or eight days for her to completely own the basics. She needs to make them her own, however. She's already done it with the Hadouken."

Chun-Li was quiet, contemplating what he could be implying. Then she said, "Well if what you're saying is true, then she's a prodigy; a genius of fighting." She smiled and said, "In fact… she reminds me exactly, to the mirror image, of myself."

Ryu raised an eyebrow."Is that so? So what was your inspiration?"

She chuckled and said, "My father, for one. But it really started when I was five. I saw a Peking Opera troupe, and it changed my life. Their movements, the height of their jumps, everything fascinated me. Well, that and a Bruce Lee movie or two."

Ryu was silent, not wanting to say anything until she was finished. As if she didn't notice, the woman continued onward. "So I just kept on pushing and pushing my dad, asking him to teach me and teach me, and finally he did."

Ryu chuckled. "Yeah, you two are definitely alike. So how long did it take you to learn everything?"

Chun-Li placed a hand on her chin and tried to remember, and then she raised a single finger. "One year. For each martial art I studied, I learned and mastered it in less than eighteen months." She shook her head and said, "Yeah, we're exactly alike… I believe you now about her being able to mimic your style in a year."

Ryu smiled and said, "Well then, you understand what I'm about to ask you then. I want you to start teaching Sakura. At the very least, she needs one move or form that will help her along the way. And trust me; she's going to repeat it…"

"…Over and over again," she finished with a laugh. "Sure thing, I can't wait to meet her. Is there anyone else with her, so I know beforehand?"

Ryu nodded and said, "She's got a… friend that she's known since high school named Karin Kanzuki. She's interested in watching you in action. She might want to learn a bit of something as well."

Chun-Li nodded. "All right, it's settled. And in exchange, you help us capture this Gouki. This time, let's try to keep in touch a bit more, all right? I'm starting to wonder if you can properly use a phone or computer these days."

Ryu laughed and said, "Don't worry about that. I don't have much use for them, but I know how to use them. I can't guarantee that I can track Gouki all that effectively though; he can mask his ki when he moves around. That makes it fairly difficult to do much."

Chun-Li nodded and said, "Then it was a good idea to come to me with this, Ryu. You think as well as you fight. It's almost a shame you're not in my division…"

Ryu shook his head and smiled. "It's not for me, Chun-Li."

Sakura's eyes went wide as she saw all the food in front of her. It was a veritable feast, fit for royalty. At least, she thought so. She looked towards Karin and said, "Are you sure we can…"

Karin chuckled and said, "Oh, I'm sure. I can pay for it. Besides, you're gonna need all the energy you can get for the next few days. Hell, we both will. Go ahead and eat up."

Sakura grinned and bowed slightly to Karin. "Well then, itadakimasu!" She picked up the pair of chopsticks and deftly twirled them around her fingers before biting into the noodles first, a happy smile on her face. Karin almost wanted to count how long it would take for her to clean all of her bowls and plates, but refrained from doing so. The blonde took a bite out of her own steamed rice and found it to be tasteful, for just being simple rice. After a while though, they moved on to the dumplings. "You know what? We should eat here every day we're here," Sakura said after finishing just one of them. "This is the best stuff I've ever had!"

Karin raised an eyebrow and said, "Won't you be worried that it'll get boring?"

Sakura shook her head. "I'm gonna try everything they've got, sooner or later. Every day is gonna be an adventure in eating." She giggled and popped another dumpling in her mouth. Karin smiled behind her tea cup, amused at Sakura's clever choice of words. She was busy taking a sip of her tea when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement.

'Hmm… so he's found us. Who's that with him?'

Sakura's eyes opened, for they were closed during her blissful eating, as soon as she sensed it. There was Ryu, approaching from behind and to her left. But who else was next to him? Whoever it was, they felt… strong, incredibly strong. She could feel the weight of the person's aura on her shoulders, an invisible mantle that pressed down on her without them being in close proximity.

"Sakura," Karin said as she lifted her head, finishing her particular sip of tea, "Someone's…"

She nodded without looking behind her. "I know. And whoever it is, I like 'em already." Karin noticed that Sakura was grinning excitedly. She always got like this when someone looked strong. But now that Sakura could sense auras… or at least, Karin thought she could, from her ability to discern that someone was approaching without looking… well, could she sense their intent as well? Could she tell if they were a good person?

'And can I do that as well?'

Ryu, as expected, arrived at the table. "So here you guys are. I figured you wouldn't be far from the hotel." He turned towards the elegant, shapely woman next to him and said, "This is…"

Karin finished the sentence for him, her response breathless. "…Chun-Li."

Sakura's head snapped towards the woman, eyes wide. "…The Chun-Li? China's Legendary Legs?" She looked towards Ryu and said, "I'm jealous, seriously. You're friends with a four time Sanda champion!" Then she paused as she realized, "Wait, you're the super cop he was talking about!?"

The woman raised an eyebrow and said, "Seems my reputation precedes me." She bowed and said, "Chief Superintendent of Police, Chun-Li. It's a pleasure to make both of your acquaintances." She looked towards the dishes and said, "Ooh, dim sum! Mind if I join you?"

Sakura shook her head and said, "Not at all!"

Chun-Li looked towards Sakura, and immediately her senses picked the young woman's aura up. 'It's just like Ryu said… she's powerful. But her spirit is clear, like an unclouded lake or a polished mirror.' Sitting down next to Sakura, she caught a glimpse of Karin. 'This one is in good shape as well, but she is limited by something. I can't tell what it is yet.'

Shrugging her initial assumptions of the two women off for now, she flagged down a waiter and asked for another pair of chopsticks for her and Ryu. Then she looked towards Sakura and said, "Ryu has informed me of the situation, and I've agreed to take you guys on as students until your stay here is finished."

Sakura grinned and said, "You really mean that!? Oh, this is so awesome!" Sakura had to keep herself from squealing like a fan girl. "Kei is gonna be incredibly jealous when I tell her!"

Chun-Li smirked and said, "If you even have enough energy left at the end of the day to write or type anything, I'll be impressed." She looked towards Karin and said, "So are you here to watch, or participate?"

Karin smiled and said, "Oh, now that I know who Ryu's friend is, I'll participate. Don't worry about me; I can pull my share of the weight."

Chun-Li shrugged and said, "We'll see for sure. For the moment, I'm going to have to ask you what your experience is with fighting. Ryu didn't give me too many details on that. If you have any, this will go a lot faster than if you have none. Then again, one should approach any new training as if they know nothing at all."

Sakura nodded excitedly. "We understand. Please take care of us."

Chun-Li chuckled and said, "Excellent. I can tell we'll be friends already. Ah, here come the chopsticks! Enough talk, let's eat up!"

And from that point, Chun-Li was barraged with questions during the meal. With the grace of someone in her position, she answered them all, even the ones that were silly. Her answers of course, were designed to make the two young ladies laugh. Silly questions deserved silly answers, after all.

Sakura was fascinated with this woman. Like her, she had dreams and ambitions and a desire to be better than she was the day before. Just like her, she had idols that she wanted to live up to. And they had something in common – they liked Bruce Lee movies. "I can't believe that one fight scene in Enter the Dragon," Sakura chatted away in that animated manner she used when she was really into something. "You know the one in the prison cells?"

Chun-Li nodded and said, "Some of his best work. It didn't matter where they were; he would line 'em up and knock 'em down. I'd never seen anyone move so fast in my life, and watching that one made me want to be like him even more." She tilted her head to one side and asked, "So what was your inspiration?"

Sakura said nothing, simply pointing towards Ryu. Chun-Li smirked. "I figured so. I hear you copied his style in a year, and then actually learned the basics of it in less than two months."

Sakura blushed slightly. "He told you about that?"

Chun-Li nodded, her face becoming serious. "You're what we call here in China a treasured sword. The more one grinds and polishes it, the sharper and more effective it becomes. If I push you hard, and I will, you're going to learn much in a short amount of time. Make no mistake, this will not be easy."

Sakura grinned and said, "That's the way I like it! Hit me with your best shot!"

She looked towards Ryu and said, "I'll be picking these two up first thing in the morning and having them join the other students in my class. Have them be ready before I come knocking. I'll call you before I leave the house."

Ryu nodded and said, "They'll be awake."

Chun-Li smiled and said, "I'll take your word for it, then."

Karin couldn't help the sudden feeling that she had just bitten off more than she could chew. But then again, that was what she had come here for, essentially; to bite off more than she could chew, to get that hard training and catch up to her rival. And for that, she would go through anything.

'Including,' she couldn't help but lament, 'the tragic loss of my beauty sleep.'

Round 21: Welcome to Hong Kong

And there we have it; another chapter fresh out of the oven, ripe for consumption, and courtesy of the Slayer. This one was a chance to really test my imagination and my canon facts. And get this piece of useless (but extremely fun) trivia: Sakura and Chun-Li may not have been born in the same year, but they were born in the same month.

I've noticed that they have similar traits; they can be obsessive, they have an excess of energy, they're prodigies in the martial arts, and they're both sensitive souls. We'll have to see how the two of them match up when it comes down to the showdown. And yes, there will be one; trust me.

You have to stick around to find out what I'm gonna pull out of the hat next. Cheers!

You have fists of god!