GILL'S REVENGE

A fanfic by neomage

(DISCLAIMER: Street Fighter and all characters therein are trademarks of Nintendo and Capcom.)

EPILOGUE

MT. FUJIYAMA, JAPAN

The two warriors stood in identical stances, their energies coursing all around their bodies. Each knew that the ultimate clash was about to begin. And each knew that he would now hold nothing back. Only one of them would walk away from this confrontation now.

Then, they charged.

Akuma attacked first, charging forward with a roundhouse kick to the chest. Ryu blocked and countered by grabbing Akuma's leg, then tossing him over his shoulder. Akuma flipped and landed on his feet, though, and immediately teleported forward. To his amazement, Ryu teleported, too, and came around him, at the same time firing off a Hadoken blast. Caught off-guard by such an unexpected maneuver, Akuma took the fireball in the back and went sprawling.

"Well done, young Ryu," he commended his younger opponent as he got up. "Where did you learn that?"

"Just a little trick I learned on my own," said Ryu.

"Humph. Well, come on. Show me if you have any more tricks up your sleeve!"

With that Akuma teleported again, this time going backward. Ryu stood his ground, unsure what sort of trick the demon might try to pull on him. His suspicions were confirmed when, quite suddenly, Akuma jumped high into the sky and shot two fireballs at him, then immediately came down into another attack, his foot pointing straight downward in a head-kick.

Cupping his hands at his side, Ryu charged up energy, intensifying it. "Denjin Hadoken!" he yelled as he released the blast upward. It cancelled both fireballs and hit a surprised Akuma right in the face, knocking him down.

Akuma got up, rubbing his chin, and grinned. "Interesting...very interesting...but now, it's my turn!"

He stomped one foot into the ground as his chi blazed around him, then released some of his energy into his fiery Messatsu Gou Hado fireball. It came at Ryu so fast that he had no choice but to jump over it - but as he did so, he got caught in the stomach as Akuma's Gou Shoryuken hit him three times. Landing, Akuma immediately performed another attack, the Messatsu Gou Shoryu, moving in three consecutive Shoryuken attacks. Ryu got nailed nine times in that attack, and he fell to the ground.

Akuma wiped the sweat from his brow. "Surprising...it's the first time in a long time that I have had to really try like this, and work up a sweat," he commented. "You truly are impressive, Ryu."

Ryu got up, wiping blood from his nose. "This battle is really starting to get interesting, I dare say," he remarked. "Shall we continue?"

"Let us proceed."

Both of them at once shot up and forward, each performing his version of the Hurricane Kick. Their legs got inter-tangled as they kicked at each other, spinning madly as they did. Finally they broke apart, landing two feet apart, and regarded each other.

The whelp has gotten stronger, indeed, Akuma mused to himself. I will need to try a little bit harder if I want to win. He charged up energy in his fists, then jumped up into the air. He came back down in a rush, his fist pointed directly at Ryu.

I know that attack, the young fighter realized. That is the Kongou Kokuretsu Zan - the Continent-Destroying Vajra Slash! If that touches, I'm finished! Grabbing at some of his energy, he shot upward as he performed his second-strongest technique, the Shin Shoryuken. His fist connected with Akuma's, and the immense energy got trapped in the middle. Sparks of lightning shot out from their fists as the two warriors struggled against each other.

Only one way out of this, Ryu knew. Drawing his other hand back, he summoned up energy and fired it off in a powerful Hadoken. To his shock, at the exact same moment Akuma did the exact same thing, and the resulting explosion knocked both of them out of the air and to the ground.

For a long moment, neither fighter could get up, as the blast had taken quite a lot out of both of them. The strain of the battle was starting to tell on both of them, made evident by the way their chests heaved as they breathed heavily. Their gi jackets were gone, scorched to ashes by the impact of the blast. Smoke rose up from their bodies, telling of the immense power of the Hadoken blasts they'd delivered to each other.

Slowly, simultaneously, the two warriors got up. "Most impressive, Ryu," Akuma said. "Never have I had a challenger as entertaining as you are now."

"I wish I could say the same, but...well, I've had many rivals over the years," said Ryu. "And all of them were very strong."

"Good. It would serve as training for you."

"It has."

For a moment, neither warrior moved a muscle as they struggled to catch their breath. Then, very quickly, Akuma charged up energy and fired another powerful Messatsu Gou Hado. Again Ryu jumped over it; but this time, just as Akuma prepared to use his Shoryuken, he got the shock of his life when he saw two fireballs hurtling down at him. Impossible - that's MY move! He jumped out of the way quickly, but still got the effects of the aftershock and was thrown back.

Ryu landed and wiped his brow. "Didn't expect that, did you?"

"No...not at all." Akuma got up and cracked his neck. "Well, young Ryu, it seems that you and I are equals indeed, in terms of everything. Strength...speed...endurance...special powers...neither of us is stronger than the other. Yet...there is something that drives you, something that gives you your incredible power. I am curious to know what it is."

Ryu looked at Akuma for a long time. "It was the love and trust of my friends."

Akuma raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"You see, Akuma," the other fighter explained, "I fight because I want to protect those around me who need protection. You, on the other hand, you fight only because you wish to get stronger. For a long time I was the same way...that is why I was susceptible to the power of the Satsui no Hado."

Akuma's eyes narrowed.

"I am ruled by thoughts and emotions that are filled with pure good," Ryu went on. "But you...all your life you have been led down the wrong path by your ambition. It was ambition that caused you to give up your soul for the sake of power. It was ambition that made you kill your father and my master. And it has been ambition that has made you stalk me for these last twenty years. But now your ambition will come to an end."

Akuma laughed loudly. "And who will bring it to an end? You? I beg to differ."

Ryu chuckled. "Well, we'll just have to see what happens, huh?"

Akuma scrutinized him. "Tell me, Ryu - if your power has increased in this magnitude, then that possibly means that you may have found a power that can rival my Shun Goku Satsu. If so, I am interested to see it."

Ryu shook his head. "If I show it to you, Akuma, it'll mean your demise."

Akuma shrugged. "Oh, well...it will simply mean that my years of wandering this earth looking for the ultimate challenge will have finally come to an end. Already you have proven yourself able to withstand or counter many of my attacks...now, let the final attack be thrown. Only the stronger fighter will leave this battlefield today."

Ryu nodded, sealing the decision. "Let's do it, then."

Once again, the two ultimate rivals stood in their fighting stances. Neither of them dared even to blink. Time seemed to stop right there as the two warriors gathered energy to perform the final attack. Dark energy swirled around Akuma; light energy coursed around Ryu. Both of them kept their eyes locked on each other. And both were thinking the same thought, on the same wavelength.

Only...

Only the stronger fighter...

Only the stronger fighter will...

Only the stronger fighter will leave this battlefield today.

And at that precise moment in time, they both commenced their final attacks.

They moved simultaneously, in perfect rhythm. Both warriors began to levitate and teleported toward each other. Both men's fists were shining with chi; Ryu's being blue-white, Akuma's being reddish-black

They got closer to each other.

Closer...

Time seemed to slow down the closer they got to executing the finishing blow.

And then...

A bright flash of light filled the entire field for half a mile in radius, and stayed constant for more than fifteen seconds. The light was so bright, even sunglasses would not help anyone who looked directly at it. And as that light glared brighter and brighter, several sounds of fists hitting against flesh could be heard...and then stopped altogether.

But if anyone were able to see into that light, what they would have seen would have been called unbelievable.

Akuma barely had one hand on Ryu's shoulder. His other hand was curled into a fist, aimed at Ryu's heart. Ryu, however, had one hand in front of his chest, palm up and facing outward, cupping Akuma's fist. His other hand, also curved into a fist, was pressing in against the flesh surrounding Akuma's heart.

But what would have been more surprising was the conversation going on between the two at that moment.

"Ryu...so this is your ultimate attack...truly it surpasses even the Shun Goku Satsu..."

"Indeed."

"Such power...and yet there is simply no trace of evil energy. You have really come far."

"I have."

"So...could this have been the path I could have walked, had I not sold my soul to the demon within all those years ago...?"

"Perhaps."

"...what...is this technique, anyway...?"

"Tenchuryuken. Heavenly Judgment Dragon Fist."

"I...see...so this is...the power...you used to...defeat Gill..."

"It is."

And, for the first time in many years, Akuma smiled...he smiled a genuine smile. "So...it's come down to this...truly, heaven's judgment has come for me."

"Don't think of it like that. The demon within you is the one that is feeling the agony of Ansatsuken's power. As for you yourself...your soul will be freed from the torture you have suffered all these years."

Akuma nodded. "Then...so let it be."

And then the bright flash exploded into a million sparks, as Ryu shot up into the air, in the aerial pose for the Shoryuken, as Akuma flew several feet up and away. The light then consumed Akuma, homing in on his body, forming into the shape of the shining dragon and wrapping itself around him and going through him, setting him ablaze. As it did, the demon spirit inside his body shrieked in agony and evaporated, as did his body.

And Shin Akuma was no more.

Ryu slowly sank to his knees, his energy aura fading as his hair and eyes returned to normal. Lying nearby, he noticed, were some beads. The beads Akuma had always worn around his neck. Taking them up, he looked at them with a sense of regret, and at the same moment an aura of peace washed over him. "Akuma..." he whispered. "Finally, you can rest."

He got up and turned to go back to the dojo. The beads were going to be placed right next to Master Gouken's shrine. Akuma had, after all, been the master's brother at one point. And Akuma himself had been a formidable opponent. And as Ryu made his way back to the dojo, a new resolve entered his mind. I will continue to be the best I can be...and I will remain the way I am.

And at that moment, the sky cleared up to reveal the sunrise in the distant mountains.

BEIJING, CHINA

Chun Li sat forlornly at her desk, the mountain of paperwork before her. It didn't matter anymore, though. None of it did. She was still waiting for Ryu.

He will keep his promise. He always has, and he always will.

She remembered how he'd promised to help her, back in the second Street Fighter tournament, by taking on Bison in case she couldn't herself. And he had. Then, she remembered the most recent battle with Gill, when he'd promised her he would come back. And he had kept that promise, too.

Oh, Ryu... She sighed and buried her face in her hands. She didn't even acknowledge when the door opened and someone stepped in.

"Excuse me, miss, but are you the master of this dojo?"

That voice...could it be...? She slowly looked up, and there he was. White gi, red headband, duffel bag over his shoulder. Ryu.

A flutter of happiness filled her heart, washing away all the bad memories of the past and the loneliness she'd been suffering. "Yes. Yes, I am."

Slowly she got up and walked around her desk to face him. "Is everything all right now, Ryu?" she asked softly.

He smiled and touched her cheek. "It will be, Chun Li. It will be."

They stood there looking into each other's eyes for the longest moment. Slowly, little by little, their faces got even closer, and their eyes closed.

This feels so...natural. So right to do, Ryu mused to himself as Chun Li's lips touched his own. She deserves some measure of happiness. She's all alone in this world...just like I've always been.

At length they gently broke away from each other. "I...am a little weary from my travels," he said quietly. "Do you have a room where I may stay...for at least a year or two?"

She smiled sweetly. "Of course. This is your home...away from home...now and forever."

Ryu nodded his consent. Chun Li then took him by the arm to lead him to his room. "By the way, Ryu," she said, "how was Japan?"

"Well, I'll tell you all about it," he replied. "Just as long as you can manage to keep me here comfortably. As Ken would testify, I've got a rather big appetite."

"I think I can live with that. Oh, and Ryu...?"

"Yes?"

"Please...call me Chun."

THEEND