Namiya: Disclaimers and rant at the bottom.
---------------------------------------
Chapter 24: "A belief drowned in twilight"
A figure adorned the center of Justice High School's main library.
"Defeated. By who...?" Imawano Hyo kept on staring at the ceiling, while trying to come to grips on today's events. The same ones that had him lying on the ground.
"Brother..." A voice came from his left side. A familiar one.
"Kyosuke? Is that you?" The defeated Imawano seemed unsure.
"Yes" His face was immediately recognizable for him.
"Is he gonna be okay, Kyosuke?" Another presence came to the picture. This time, the one of a spunk haired boy, clad in a blue uniform.
"I think so" Kagami Kyosuke said, appearing quite confident.
"I must know" Even after defeat, every action and word of his had a proper pace. "What kind of training did you endured?" He inquired, sounding a little agitated while doing so.
"None. In fact, I am pretty much the same weakling, Hyo. Still looking at your successful exploits from far behind. I just realized what it truly mattered to me: The trust of my friends, which is just as important as the one I us-- No, the one I have in you, is able to overcome all kinds of challenges"
"B-but, how? Is that concept so alien to me?" Feeling much unrest after snapping out of what it seemed like a dream, Hyo looked down for a moment.
"It's not too late, brother. Indeed, it never is" Only to be reminded of reality by someone who has endured it just as much.
"If you believe in such thing. And, well, it seems to have worked for you, then--"
"Yes, you can achieve it too, Hyo. You're not alone in this" Kyosuke quickly re-assured his belief, all the while helping his brother up to his feet.
"Well, this has been... humbling to say the least. Defeat... at hands of two very different people" He couldn't help but to make light out of his current situation.
"What... do you mean?" He appeared to be the only one within that wave of thought after hearing his brother's doubt.
"Hoshi. Hoshi Ryu was here before you came, and even though I tried, I could not even accomplish the simple task of laying a finger beyond his defense"
"Ryu-san?" Batsu did saw him enter. The doubt was there, nonetheless.
"Yes. However, even if he outmatched me in all aspects, I can now tell the why of his actions" Hyo said, while bringing his defeated sword back to its scabbard. "Ryu is a very strong person. There is no short source of truth to that, but one thing that plagues him... haunts him, even, is the solitude he has endured" He added.
"Ryu-san, a loner? What're you talking about? Ryu has lots of friends! How can that be?" Hinata felt lost at Hyo's description of Ryu.
"The worst kind of solitude is the one that dampers you, even if you're surrounded by those that you care the most, my fellow student"
"But if he is alone, then how come he has such strength?" Kyosuke pondered.
"The pursuit of such thing is what drives him to be strong. Perhaps, if it is as you said, he too hopes to one day earn the trust of everyone he cares about" After the white haired student made such a claim, Batsu reflected on something.
"Maybe he already has. He just doesn't know it" Ichimonji implied, in a much more hopeful tone.
"Your mother would not expect nothing less from someone like you" Hyo claimed, while revealing a shy smile.
"M-my mother? Is she--?"
Hyo nodded silently as an answer.
"Where?" Batsu enthusiastically asked. Imawano pointed towards the back of a staircase. Not wanting to waste any further time, Ichimonji Batsu rushed towards said place.
---------------------------------------
Somewhere else.
Both rivals stood still. No significant movement. Not because they're unable to do so.
"No one has lasted this long when facing me... in a very long time. Last time such thing happened, Goutetsu was at the arms of death"
"Goutetsu-sama?" That name rang immediately within Ryu's mind.
"It is good to know you acknowledge the creator of our style" Gouki claimed, while ripping the remnants of his left guard glove off his hand.
"You say all this, yet I was the one who came to fight you in the end" Ryu's calm demeanor remained true on his sentence.
"Not quite. The encounter with Gouken, a couple of years ago, was to find out which one was the strongest out of us both. And while my brother was intent on his foolish ways regarding our art, he did raise you. Before that, I held no regards towards you, despite the fact that we, indeed, are related by kinship"
"While he was the closest thing to a family, master Gouken made clear that he wasn't my father" The mere thought of being related to such a person brought forth a myriad of emotions inside Hoshi.
"No, he was not. I am referring to Goujun, the youngest of my kin"
"Goujun?" Ryu seemed fazed after hearing such a name. "Gouki... Such was your desire to confront me? Were you the one who--?"
"I did no such thing, for I was merely a witness in all of this. If anything in reality, I only wanted to test your current abilities. It was however in your encounters against Sagat when you truly strived to use the Surge. Never I thought that someone under the tutelage of my elder brother was capable of such..." He made a brief pause. "... And while both your strength and skill enable you to hold your own against me for a while, you still have not tapped into your true power. You need to further embrace both your heritage and the nature of our style, Ryu"
After letting his tongue finally rest, Gouki dropped his stance. While this action seemed to confuse him, Ryu kept his. Breathing rather slowly, he knew this was little more than fighting manners. Now with a notorious bruise, his left eye remained half-closed, while blood, emerging from behind his headband, kept streaming down his face.
"The Hoshi bloodline ends with me. It has caused enough despair as it is; and as for the Ansatsuken, the vow I made to Gouken-sensei will not be broken," Ryu strongly affirmed.
"Seems you still do not know of the true nature of our fighting style--"
"I know it was made to kill!" Ryu yelled, interrupting Gouki in a rather harsh manner. "But it's not our goal! Gouki-sensei would never approve" He expanded.
"But you want to win, do you not?" Gouki asked, with an empowering tone. "You want to become stronger as every fight leads you to become more powerful. And that is where our style truly thrives. The desire to win, regardless of whatever price comes as an expense"
"Usotsuki. Gouken-sensei--!"
"My brother was a fool...!" The calm that also had characterized Gouki up until now suddenly became lost, if only for a moment. "Both of them actually. You on the other hand, possess the same power I have, and while still inexperienced at its use, you have indeed used the surge. Realize this"
Finally bringing his stance to a halt, Ryu looked down for a moment. 'Is he telling the truth?' He briefly thought.
"When you're able to control such power at full, find me. Then we'll know... who is truly the most powerful combatant" Gouki stated, before stomping on the ground, recalling all of Ryu's seemingly lost attention. Then-
FWACK!
Without even flinching, Ryu had barely managed to block a hook intended for his diaphragm.
"Prove that the end of this battle was worth of being put off" Gouki said, before walking past the young Ansatsuken practitioner.
After such a feat, Ryu's legs began to shake, before finally giving in. Hoshi kept himself from falling completely with the support of both his right knee and arm. A few seconds later, when Ryu managed to look over his right shoulder, he noticed that Gouki was gone. His breathing had become somewhat erratic since he ceased his stance.
'Is he right? Such is the nature of a true warrior?' He thought, while realizing he had no further need to keep his left fist clenched.
'Do you want it to be so?' A voice resonated on his mind.
'Who... is that?' He attempted to elaborate further.
'Relax. Everything is okay now, my sweet child''What?' His right eye brow arched in complete bemusement.
"HOSHIII!" A loud yell was heard at the distance.
With his intake of air taking a more stable tempo, Ryu smiled for a moment, before his jaw, literally, hit the floor.
"IIE, Ryu-kun!" A cry of concern was heard, this time with both an arguably louder volume and more feminine presence to it.
Before long, an entourage of people surrounded him. Two of them quickly kneeled besides him.
"Ryu-san" Ayuhara Natsu started with a less than subtle approach, shaking up Ryu's left arm.
"Ryu, answer me!" A strong voice came to his eardrum, inducing him into a fleeting, teeth gritting headache.
"Ow" He expressed a bit pain. "A quieter approach would be far more appreciated"
"Ryu-san" Natsu was fairly moved to see that Ryu was okay. "We w--"
"You idiot! You know how much you had us worried?" Chun-Li didn't held back when it came to express her concern regarding her ex-boyfriend.
"Certainly not at the SAME level as you would with your CHILDHOOD friend" Fei-Long said, still resenting the extreme measure Chun-Li took just about an hour ago. Chun-Li looked annoyed for a second.
"Uh, rea--" Cammy was about to finish her sentence when.
CANK!
"Bugger!" Her left foot was victimized by Chun-Li's rather sharp right elbow "Chun-Li, that was not necessary!"
When Ryu finally had the opportunity to look above his nose.
"Hey, man"
"Ow-- hey Ken. Hey Guy" He cheerfully rebutted, while both Masters and Hinato aid him back on his feet. "Thanks, you guys" He added, while Ken placed Ryu's left arm over his shoulders.
"Blimey! What in the tupping 'ell happened to your eye?" Cammy expressed when noticing Ryu's most visible wound.
"You know, the usual: I meet somebody. I fight this somebody... we beat the stuffing out of each other. I guess I just need a bit more of first aid than him" He said, while using his free hand to muffle his words a bit.
"Yeah, fig--" When it hit her, Cammy briefly swallowed her sentence, before shaking her head a bit. "Wait a sec-- are you being a smart-arse? That's weird. I thought that was Guy's gig"
"Oh, yeah, how can I forget? I'm the silent, brooding kid" The sound of Cammy's jaw dropping after listening to Ryu's sarcasm-coated remark was something that couldn't be possibly described in mere words of amusement.
"Chun-Li, this is clearly not our Ryu" Cammy's deadpan delivery matched that of the usual Ryu. "He's freaking me out!" the brit broke her shtick with a convincing tone of fright.
"... Whatever" Swiftly dismissing her best friend, Chun-Li attempted to assemble an air of coolness. "So, is it over? Did you finally managed to fight THE ONE?" She said, while her expression changed as she used air quotes to refer to whomever Ryu had fought.
"Yup. And guess what: I'm supposedly not up to it. Can you believe it?" Once the smart-assery became apparent, even Chun-Li felt a bit better.
"Really? Gee, the nerve!" Xiang's quirky tone revealed itself.
"I know" Ryu tried hard to stifle a laugh at Chun-Li's tone. They both failed at that.
"Hinato-senpai, Ryu-kun!" A voice called.
"What is it, Akira?" Guy expressed calmly.
"Is that Sakura?" She asked, sounding quite agitated.
"Uh, yeah, she--"
"Sakura-chan!" Natsu, who remained mostly calm, suddenly couldn't help it and ran towards her friend, cutting-off whatever Hinato was trying to explain. Akira followed shortly.
"Uh..." A blank expression adorned Ryu's face. "This is a common pattern, isn't it?"
"Yup" Both Ken and Guy showed a not-so different face, while nodding in agreement.
"What happened to her?"
Ryu choked a little bit after hearing that question. Ken grunted in annoyance shortly afterwards.
"Ah, crap! What did you do this time?" Masters inquired, while looking towards the wall where Sakura was propped.
"Nothing serious! I--"
"Screwed it up?" Guy interrupted his head-banded friend.
"No, I--"
"SNAFU?" Ken assumed, while following on Guy's interruptive steps.
"Sounds about right" Hinato complied.
"I DID NO SUCH THING!" Ryu violently yelled—before realizing he was further injuring himself. "Ow" He dryly expressed.
"Indulge us, then" Both Ken and Guy grew tired of having to see Ryu second guess himself every time it came to the topic of the opposite sex.
"Um, how do I put it?" Hoshi tried to assemble a decent sentence. Nothing came to mind.
"You're retarded for her?" Ken bluntness is the stuff of legend.
"… Yes" Ryu said, quite flushed.
"YESSS! I KNEW IT!" Ken seemed quite happy, while Guy Hinato's stare switched towards the ground. "Pay up, Hinato!"
"Ah... dammit" He said while kicking the dirt, before reaching for the pocket inside his blazer.
Suddenly, Chun-Li's mostly collected demeanor was suddenly replaced by a gawking stare, gape included, when she witnessed how Guy handed Ken a modest wad of money.
"You-- you were BETTING on RYU'S ROMANTIC LIFE?" She appeared to be quite upset.
"Somehow I'm not surprised" Fei-Long said, with an expression that backed up his words.
"And I never will again" Guy lamented. "Now I need to gather cash all over again if I want to take Rena out next week" He added.
"WHAT?" Ken expression was priceless. "T-t-the hot geeky girl?" He added.
"Yes, blond-brain. Because I enjoy courting such girls just so you can refer to them as such" Guy's wit wasn't lost on such a sentence-
"Hey Ken-- ow" Ryu reached for his jaw after his pain was made apparent once again "Pay up" He added, while looking towards Hinato, offering a quick wink. Guy offered a fast nod in response.
"Oh, man" As Ken reached for his wallet, Fei-Long also acquired a stupefied stare.
"You too, Ryu? But you're supposed to be the decent one"
"Hey! I had faith in Hinato. I knew he would come around" Ryu smiled, while Ken handed him an even bigger wad of money than the one he received from Guy.
"Augh, Ryu" Chun-Li groaned, in clear disappointment. "I thought you were better than these buffoons"
"Hey, I resent that implication!" Ken said, sounding a wee offended. "We're not called the power trio for nothing"
"Yeah, we had nothing but the best interests on each other" Guy expanded.
"True" Ryu tipped the last straw with a humble nod and a rascally smile following shortly.
"You guys are hopeless..." Chun-Li said, as she and Fei-Long turned away.
"You can be quite the deceiving trickster, Ryu Hoshi" Cammy said, all while crossing her arms and showing a strange form of delight in her expression. "Didn't know you had it in you" She expanded.
"Yeah, I guess..." Ryu seemed to continue, but a rather strong chain of coughs, which led him to cover his mouth, immediately interrupted him.
"Whoa. You sure you're okay, Hoshi?" Guy inquired.
"Uh, no worries. Nothin a goo--"
"en-ai... npai..!" Suddenly a voice took Ryu from his relatively calm mood to a rather spooked one. At first it seemed like a whisper, but as it slowly gained on volume.
"Whoa, man. Where's the ghost?" Ken noticed it first.
"Hoshi, what's wrong?" Hinato inquired. When both he and Ken noticed that voice as well, they gasped, in a rather exaggerated manner.
"SENPAI!" That single word, now in all clarity, stroke a chord of fear deep within the hearts of the three friends.
BOOM!
A big cloud of dust surrounded them.
"An attack?" Fei-Long pondered aloud.
"Crod! What the 'ell was that?" Cammy said, quite displeased about being taken by surprise.
When the dust began to settle, two figures appeared on the floor, unconscious.
"Oh crud! Ken! Guy! What happened?" Cammy's true concern was a rare sight, but when she kneeled to check on both her friends, such a thing was the only thing she could show.
Then, when the british student looked at the center, a little scene that made her raise her right eyebrow was taking place.
"Ohhhhh... that happened" She dryly commented. For a second, Cammy didn't know how to react, but when it hit her... her gasp couldn't justify her fear of what was coming ahead.
After finally noticing, Chun-Li bit her lip so hard, that she almost caused it to bleed.
"Uh-oh..." Fei-Long gulped, while a long stream of sweat came off his forehead.
With her hands around his neck, Sakura remained on top of a fallen Ryu, both engaged in a rather tender kiss. While the Tamagawa first-year remained with her eyes closed, Ryu appeared to feel a bit more puzzled on the whole thing. When Kasugano Sakura finally brought the event to a halt, she noticed Hoshi's look.
"Ryu-senpai... do-douki shita no, Ryu-senpai?" When she took a closer look to Ryu's face, her eyes reflected a bit of paranoia.
"Ribs... Would you be nice enough to... ngh... get off me?" Ryu's sentence was delivered with a forced smile on his face. Sakura blushed, in complete embarrassment.
"Gomen!" Sakura quickly removed herself by slipping her arms off the floor and rolling to her left. Ryu let out a strong sigh, indication that he was trying to mince off the pain he felt was about to make his bones cave in.
"Ryu, I'm sorry! I really am!" Sakura stumbled upon her words.
"Not... your fault" Ryu said, between heavy gasps of breath. For some reason, Hoshi reached for his left side only, while attempting to stabilize his breathing once more. When Sakura approached him, she did so in a exaggeratedly cautious manner. Noticing this, Ryu extended his left hand, as if requesting aid to rise from the floor.
Sakura complied, and proceeded to help him. Noting his exhaustion, she only pulled him enough so he could sit correctly.
"Ryu... please forgive me" She said, while offering Ryu a very humble bow. "Your eye... was it me?" She added, while still offering her apology.
Afterwards, she noticed a humble expression planted on Hoshi's face.
"It's okay. I should have been more perceptive towards what you felt" He shyly said.
"But I hurt you!" Sakura's worrisome side was one that rarely came to surface. "And because of me--"
"Cease" Suddenly, a strong voice appeared from behind, halting Sakura's apology. A hand was quickly positioned at her left shoulder. "Please leave Ryu to us" The person was revealed to be none other than Chun-Li.
"But I--" Sakura's sentence was interrupted once again when the Chinese student pulled her away from Ryu. "Ow!" She yelped in pain.
"What's wrong with you?" She replied, only to earn a rather contemptuous stare from said student.
"WHAT'S WRONG?" Chun-Li raised notably her voice in the wake of such a reply. "Haven't you done enough as it is?" The Chinese adolescent was pissed. If what she just had heard was true, then Chun-Li would readily end this misunderstanding, with Sakura on the ass-end of the trade.
"Hey, don't talk to my friend like that" Natsu quickly made an act of presence, trying to defend one of her best friends.
"Chun-Li, please--"
"No, Ryu! I'm tired of seeing you play the hero, okay?" She quickly rebuffed any excuse he may attempt, while turning around to look at him. They both shared an intense stare, in complete silence.
"We were worrying sick for you. Although you came to school today, everyone was concerned. And I KNEW that, despite everything, you were still keeping an agenda" Chun-Li had never spoken to him in such a domineering tone "And yes, we all put our trust in you, and your plan worked out just fine. But for crying out loud! She fought against you, even when you taught her part of your style. Can't you see?" She added, while sounding a bit more comprehensive.
Those words apparently struck a nerve... but not in the person she expected to. Everyone around Ryu heard a short sob.
"She... she's right..." Sakura's voice denoted such quality. "I should have..." She erratically added, while standing up, without taking her eyes off the ground. Suddenly, tears started streaming down her face. Even when a severely wounded eye, Ryu could still see them clearly.
"Sakura, don't say--"
"She's right! About everything! I..." After her sobs intensified, her words started to lose all coherence. It was pretty obvious that her lament was sincere. "I NEVER SHOULD HAVE DRAGGED YOU INTO THIS!" She yelled, before turning away and running opposite from the group.
"Wait! Chippy!" The brit attempted to stop her, but it proved fruitless. "Augh... poor chippy" Cammy said, showing sympathy towards the Tamagawa student.
"Sakura-chan!" Natsu quickly went after her. Akira hesitated for a moment, before following suit.
A few moments of silence passed, with all the awkwardness floating around.
"Chun-Li, you didn't have to go to those extremes!" Fei-Long berated his childhood friend.
"Well, I was worried. Okay?" She turned around to make her come-back. She was not going to back down on this.
"Hey, time-out!" A voice called for reason.
"WHAT IS IT CAMMY?" Both replied angrily. Cammy only answered in the form of a finger pointing towards someone...
A frantic expression plastered itself on Ryu's face, along with the lack of proper breathing, as Hoshi reached for his chest with his left hand.
"No... Ryu, don't!" Chun-Li suddenly found she feeling lost, with choices appearing non-existent. "Ken, wake up! We need help! Cammy, please call somebody!" Her attention was divided between holding Ryu, trying to bring Ken back to his senses, and urging Cammy to
take action.
"Hinato! Hinato!" Fei-Long quickly followed, attempting to wake Guy up. It all seemed futile: Ryu's skin had turned paler, and while Chun-Li kept him from falling completely on his back, she did not know what to do.
'Please, Ryu. Don't die--' That was the only thought Chun-Li's despairing mind allowed her to process..Suddenly, a sound adverted towards their collective attention. It sounded as if someone had landed behind Ryu.
Cammy and Chun-Li both noticed this person.
"Would you allow me?" A mellow voice reached everyone's ears. When Chun-Li looked above, she noticed a slim, beautiful figure standing behind Ryu.
"W-who are you?" Cammy asked, noticing a familiar trait in the stranger's facial feats.
"A friend... well actually, family would be more precise" She replied, quickly following with a warm smile.
Afterwards, the female kneeled behind Ryu; she embraced him immediately after.
"You can let go now, dear" She directed herself towards Chun-Li.
"Will he--?"
"Yes. I assure you he will" A quality of truthfulness was found in her voice. This soothed the Chinese student without any logical explanation. Soon she found herself letting go off Ryu's shirt.
"Will you please do me a favor?" She raised her look, this time directing that question towards everyone. Both Chun-Li and Cammy nodded in agreement. Fei-Long did not answered in any visible way.
"Close your eyes for a few moments" She requested. The three complied shortly afterward. "You too, my dear child" She said, while directing herself towards Ryu. Looking visibly weak, the young head-banded quickly looked above his right shoulder, coming face to face with the woman. His right eye fathomed very little. He shortly fulfilled the woman's request as well.
"Thank you" She said in a rather low volume, almost comparable to a whisper.
After 7 seconds had passed, Chun-Li opened her eyes, only to discover that both Ryu and the mysterious woman had disappeared.
"They're... gone" Chun-Li's concern still left her feeling a bit uneasy.
"Yeah, brilliant deduction, Holmes"
"Wh-wha--" When she tracked that voice back to its source-- "MASTERS!" she looked infuriated.
"What?" He expressed, while taking the dirt off his hair.
"Were you... the whole time?" Fei-Long couldn't believe it either, while both Ken and Guy got off the ground.
"Yup" Ken affirmed, sounding quite un-flinched.
"Guy? You too?" Fei-Long looked towards Hinato.
"Calm down... everything's gonna be just fine" Guy commented, while shaking the dirt of his shoes. When he looked straight once more, his and Chun-Li's stares clashed. "Uh, I guess?" He added.
"Well, sometimes you just need to move on" Ken said, seemingly speaking to himself. It was, however, obvious to whom this advice was offered.
"Oh, shut up, Ken. You're the last person I need to hear whining about this. I'm fine" She coldly dismissed him.
"Sure... Now try and make it sound like you actually believe it. But, you know, suit yourself" After finishing his sentence, Ken threw a nod towards Guy, while starting to walk back from where they came. After a few seconds, Chun-Li appeared even more offended by his words.
"Shut up!" Chun-Li reacted angrily this time around.
"He's right, you know" Yet, someone cut her tantrum off.
"Cammy, I'm--"
"Just because you're ga-ga around Ryu most of the time doesn't mean everyone else is" Cammy said, before coming to an about face with her.
The two best of friends stared at each other for a good lapse. And while Fei-Long remained among them as well, something seemed to tell him that it was better to let his childhood friend to settle this on her own. Soon, Chun-Li looked down, feeling a bit depressed.
"Then why is he so DAMN HARD TO READ?" She made her frustration apparent, before letting her head rest on Cammy left shoulder.
"Nah, is not your fault" Cammy's comprehensive side came forward on such an occasion. For a short lapse, they both remained calm. Then, the british student slowly proceeded to pry Chun-Li off her shoulder.
"Don't you remember? Before chippy girl came along, he was a wad of emotional insecurities, especially around you. Once chippy girl came into the equation, the boy ashamed of defeating you in the Alpha tournament basically ceased to exist. Hey, at least he still considers you a friend. And at the end of the day, isn't that better than, y'know, leaving shite at the side of the road? Metaphorically speaking, of course"
"But..." Chun-Li appeared to hesitate at those words, but when she looked at Cammy's face, she knew what to say. "yeah, that'd be one bridge burned to the ground, right?" She half-heartedly replied
"Well, what you're gonna do, jiemei?" Fei-Long finally intervened.
"Move on, I guess?" At that response, Fei-Long smiled. And while less enthusiastic about the idea, the british girl took a rather strange course of action.
tick!
"Ow!" She flicked her best friend on the forehead. The three of them stared at each other, before sharing a subtle laugh.
"...attagirl" Cammy said, before they turned around to follow their friends. This didn't last long, though, as both Ken and Guy were frozen on their tracks by a giant presence.
"Is... is--" Cammy seemed at a loss for words. A first, surely.
"You" Ken's voice left no doubt in that he felt displeased.
"Ken Masters" The man said, without any correspondence to Masters' hostile tone.
"The same that smiles and sneers. What do you want?" He quickly asked.
"Where is Ryu?" The individual asked with quite a no-nonsense attitude.
"He's unavailable at the moment. Not that you'd need to know" Ken's comeback stood its ground fairly well.
"Actually, there is something I want to tell him" The person insisted. A glare persisted on both sides, before--
"I'm a lousy answering machine, but I can try my darnedest" Ken's biting tone came off as a surprise.
"Right... then I guess I can confide in you to let him know" Everyone stood still.
"Although he did defeat me, he still has not managed the demons that came as a result of that discipline you two practice. Tell him this: next time we fight, I expect the honorable warrior who first managed to challenge me, not some feral kid" He spoke calmly, almost as if he had repeated this more than once on his head.
The silence after that statement made for rather awkward stares to be shared by everyone but Ken and this man.
"That's it?" Masters said, unaffected by the comments about his best friend.
"That is all" He went along with it. Suddenly, some rather heavy steps were heard behind the towering man. Everyone else noticed a particular presence. Chun-Li, Cammy and Fei-Long looked particularly bemused. Guy seemed to be the only one who recognized him well enough to remain calm.
"Hey! Mr. Sagat!" The person spoke. Sagat, the man who had previously battled against Ryu at the Alpha tournament, looked back at the mention of his name.
"Huh?" Ken seemed acquainted with that voice. "Honda?" He said, sounding a bit goofy while doing so.
"Hey, Ken" He smiled politely while answering Ken back.
"What's wrong? Did the plan went without a hitch?" Guy inquired.
"Of course! Not a single one got beyond the zone, just as planned. Dan was a lot of help" He explained.
"Really?" Both Ken and Guy asked, sounding clearly puzzled.
"I know. Hard to believe, right?" His cheerful demeanor threw off the compressed atmosphere surrounding the scene. "Oh, Mr. Sagat was looking for Ryu"
"Yes, that is true. I am deeply grateful for your help, Edmond Honda" Sagat spoke humbly, even offering something akin to a bow towards the Moriwa student. "Now if you excuse me" He added, while turning away from everyone.
"Hey! Sagat!"
Sagat stopped, but didn't looked back.
"Was it worth it?" Ken's query was followed by a few moments of silence, before...
"It was certainly humbling" He said, before resuming his march.
Ken smiled, almost scoffing after such a sentence.
"Hey Masters, what the hell was that about?" Fei-Long seemed curious.
"Nothing that matters" Ken quickly dismissed any worries with an assured tone. "Now let's go. There's a dumbass Bostonian that is begging to be annoyed" He said, snickering a bit after that last part.
"You never change, do you blond-brain?" Guy jokingly jabbed.
---------------------------------------
Half an hour later. Justice High Research Building's Roof.
"... Ugh" He didn't felt precisely well, but it was certainly an improvement from his previous condition. The ground felt cold, and he didn't know what just had transpired.
"You can open your eyes now, dear" A sweet, mellow voice made an act of appearance.
"That voice..." He seemed to recognize that voice.
"Yes, it was me" Any possible worries were jettisoned.
Ryu opened his eyes at a rather slow pace. He suddenly felt a warm sensation invading his body all over again. A warm sensation. Especially on his hands.
When directing his eyes towards the source of that voice, something bothered him. He then proceeded to sit up straight.
"What... what's wrong? Why is it-- my eye--"
"I couldn't fix that" She said, while facing the now somewhat stable Ryu. "I'm sorry. I'm not skilled enough yet. And if I hadn't closed your wound, you would have lost your sight altogether " Her voice made her sound notoriously down.
Ryu was completely speechless. Auburn Hair, flowing down like a fiery-wall. Amber eyes. A white, mid-sleeved blouse. Washed up green classic jeans. A woman of incredible beauty was kneeled before him, lamenting about the reason he couldn't see anything with his left eye.
"But... my wounds... ehrm... how?" Ryu wasn't sure on how exactly he should phrase his sentence.
"That was all too easy, my child" She said, while tying her hair into a ponytail.
"My child? That... that means you are--" On his mind, Ryu felt something... odd.
"Mikuni. Hoshi Mikuni.." She said, offering a smile afterwards. Ryu's felt fairly relieved inside, but now, an even stranger feeling invaded him. He was happy, but... "although I would prefer if you'd called me--"
"Oka-san!" He jumped at her arms, while allowing tears to stream down his face. "O-- oka-san" He repeated, while his voice broke; he doesn't remember feeling this happy.
"You can't imagine how good that makes me feel, you little twerp" Mikuni returned the embrace with almost the same emotion.
"I-I thought... you were dead" He said, with a very discrete sob within his voice.
"To die before seeing my son once again..." She said, before showing a common sign of affection. A kiss to his forehead. After a few moments, they both stopped. A few eye-scoutings later, Ryu quickly realized that they were not alone.
"Yagami-san?"
"You finally had the courtesy" His tone appeared somewhat relaxed, in stark contrast to the hesitant Yagami that refused to let Ryu fight alone.
"Yagami, do not be rude!" A very proper sentence tried to maintain Iory's wit on check.
"Chizuru-san" Hoshi Ryu quickly recognized her.
"Yeah, red bangs. Shut the hell up"
"Kusanagi..." Ryu slapped his hand against his forehead, while uttering Kyo's family name, clearly annoyed. "What are you three doing here?" He asked, if only to confirm his suspicions.
"Noooo, it's okay Iory. Not like you should be worried at all" Iory fell back into familiar humor.
"Okay, don't refer to yourself in the third person, ass-hat" But it obviously wasn't everyone's cup of tea.
"Shut up, Kyo" Iory's retort was poorly thought out.
"No, you SHUT UP!" Especially considering how easy a comeback it incites.
"You wouldn't know sarcasm even if it hit you in the face..." Iory tried to fend Kyo's attitude off.
"Eat dirt, shibuya-kid!" Now that was just rude.
"What?" The argument promised to escalate, while the members of the Hoshi family looked on rather exasperated.
"Tell me, son. Do they wallow in this kind of behavior often?" The auburn haired woman asked.
"Uh... I guess? Does... does it really matter?" Not feeling like tempting any further discussion, Ryu felt somewhat tongue-tied when it came to regard Yagami Iory and Kusanagi Kyo.
"Yes… IT DOES!" She yelled, stopping the petty discussion Kyo and Iory were about to escalate into. Everyone directed a rather scared look towards Mikuni, even her own son. "Now that I have your attention, you may wonder why I gathered all of you here" Her voice pointed that she seemed at ease once again.
"It's this about—"
"That was a rhetorical question, Kyo" Her soothing voice was gone, this time replaced with a more cynical one. "Boy, you're slow on the uptake" She added.
Kyo grunted in annoyance at that remark.
"Do not mind him, Hoshi-dono. Please, proceed"
"Well, it is about them. The so-called Orochi Clan. They've spent the better part of the last 7 centuries living in a pipe dream, you know"
"What? Pipe-dream? Hoshi-dono, plea--"
"Mikuni-san would be far more appropriate. I am only 35, Chizuru" She proclaimed. Both Iory and Chizuru gasped in awe.
"But... a member of your clan should be revered as the most honorable family in this country" Kagura was well aware of the ties between the Hoshi clan and Japan's history.
"It's the 21st century. Nobody reads that much into ancient history" Mikuni expressed in a rather gloomy light.
"But people should care! After all, if it wasn't for the three sacred treasures, the treasures you provided to our clans, then what our ancestors did--"
"Was in vain" Iory completed Chizuru's sentence, albeit with a differing tone. "Then what my clan has endured through these past 7 centuries has been for naught, right?"
"You are missing the point" Mikuni attempted to remain calm in the wake of what it seemed like a huge misinterpretation.
"Well, spill it now, dammit!" Kusanagi urged. Mikuni sighed afterwards. Despite his somewhat rude way to express himself, Kyo was right.
"... Okay. You see, the thing is that people read too much into things that are basically fiction. Yes, the ties of the Hoshi with the houses of Yata, Yasakani and Kusanagi are true. So is the origin of our own clan--"
"Ama… Amaterasu's own" Chizuru said, while remembering the teachings of her elders.
"You've made your homework; good girl. But then people elaborate further into this. And, as history has shown us again and again, that's never good" She took a brief inhale before calling forth the three sacred treasure current holders.
"Now, the first time Orochi became truly a menace for Japan was when your ancestors first came into the picture. It first started slowly; mostly eating sacrificial maidens for the sake of some prophecy. Not very original, if you ask me…" She paused, while the manner in her voice turned more and more laid-back.
"…Then the time for the final maiden to become fodder was upon once again; unfortunately, it turns mine and Ryu's ancestor was not allowed to meddle. So what does she do? Showing the guts worthy of someone with Hoshi as a name, she broke into the royal palace, took the sacred gifts, and went to search for the three bravest warriors she had knowledge from. Since they all lacked a family name, Hoshi Minami did the honorable thing and gave each one a surname, based on their respective trait, ability and treasure. A few months later... well, I guess you can fill the blanks" She stopped talking, just to realize the looks of perplexity fixed upon the faces of the 4 young persons standing near her. Good storytelling yields good results.
"Whoa, hold on. So, the three houses actually come from a peasant background?" Kyo was surprised.
"Why are you so surprised? Normally, any name worth its salt must be stolen, or received after leading a honorable life. So this time it was bestowed upon your ancestors as a sign of good will. Big deal. Now here comes the bite. Orochi, since then, has been dead" She returned to her humble tone somewhat.
"Orochi… Dead… then why did my sister had to sacrifice her life in order to keep the seal from breaking?!" Chizuru said, feeling quite offended. This revelation came as a distress to everyone… except to Mikuni.
"I am truly sorry about what happened to your family, Kagura. But it is true. Orochi has no place to return in this world" Mikuni assured. "The moment your ancestor used the mirror, it was not to seal the creature. The mirror denies Orochi of the opportunity to be reborn in this world by absorbing it's power source. The mirror merely holds the power of Orochi, not its existence; it is a rather impressive amount of power, nonetheless. And also the reason behind the Orochi clan's delusions of bringing their ancestor back to life" She added.
"For little over 1000 years, the three families were held in equal regard. Then, some loud mouth starts running his mouth that the Kusanagi clan was the big kahuna. At first people dismissed this idiot. But over a century, that family kept on picking at it. And, well, you know people--"
"Hakeshu, right?" Iory intervened.
"Now you're thinking, kiddo. And since the guys at the house of Kusanagi were such good sports, they started to bite the bait. Soon, the Yasakani became bullied and, in an act of temptation, the once proud clan fell from grace. After the Yata clan went into seclusion after the events that transpired, it all went straight to hell, only to remain there to this day…" She said, while attempting to reach for the pocket on the back of her jeans.
"Kusanagi. Yagami. I suppose you have fought against each other before" Mikuni said, quite confident in her thought.
"No" Iory diverged.
"Nope" At Kyo's dry retort, Mikuni stopped completely on her tracks.
"WHAT? Seriously?" A bit of confusion could be traced in her words.
"Well, they were about to. But I, huh, convinced them otherwise" Ryu vacillated; a far cry from his usually collected nature. Mikuni could sense something was off, but she still had her second thoughts.
"... Okay, who are you and what have you done with Kusanagi Kyo and Yagami Iory?" She asked, somewhat jokingly.
"I... stopped them from doing so. Something, or someone, I don't know, triggered Iory's nerves. Maybe it was frustration over Sakura being missing, maybe it was Kyo. I'm really not the best judge here" Her son, however, didn't hesitate to come at terms with his frame of mind.
"But you two bozos didn't engage, right?" She had to confirm it.
"No, and I resent being called names" Kyo's pride wouldn't allowed him to be put down.
"That's good to hear, and you are a bozo. Means we still have a chance" Mikuni felt much more upbeat after hearing that she was wrong about her hunch. "Ryu, I'm sure Gouki mentioned something about the Satsui no Hadou, right?" She directed herself towards her son.
"Yes" He answered without hesitation.
"Well, do you know how to tap into it willingly?" The question seemed a bit constricting
"I... I may have an idea" This time he wavered a bit on his response.
"Good. You see, in a rather mundane way to explain it, the Satsui no Hadou is, if anything, your most basic instincts kicking in. The need to survive, to protect someone, to win. Now whatever he had told you, remember, you do NOT need to kill. That would be like tossing fuel to the fire" She assured him on something he had strong feelings about
"That sounds reasonable. But what does our fighting style has to do with the three families?" Ryu couldn't quite catch her mother's drift.
"You see, Iory suffers from something similar to you; the Riot of the Blood is usually the name pegged to his, shall we say, 'condition'. However, in order to atone for this condition, the affected person requires intense training and regulation. Since you were already able to dispel it, I hope it does not bother you to aid him in this aspect"
"Well, we had already made an arrangement, of sorts--" Yagami said, interfering with whatever was about to come off Ryu's mouth.
"Shanghaiing sounds more likely" Hoshi sounded beside himself after hearing Iory's remark.
"Ah, don't be such a buzz-kill, Hoshi. It'll be fun!" Iory revealed a smile after such words.
"Uh, what is he talking about, dear?" Mikuni inquired, a bit curious after seeing her son's defensive remark.
"Um, well. He kinda convinced me to join his band" Ryu said, with a somewhat awkward tone to it.
"You? In a band?" Mikuni was baffled… if only for a second. "COOL!" She happily expressed.
"WHAT?!" Confusing her son to no end.
"It's perfect! You can both learn from each other" Iory smiled after Mikuni gave her approval to such an endeavor.
"Oka-san!" That was something definitely unexpected to the young Ansatsuken practitioner.
"Don't be so uptight, son. Learning is always good. And who knows, maybe it'll grow on you. Like with me... you can only fight for so long before it starts to bore you"
"But... I'm not sure I can. I mean, yes I could fight in equal terms against Gouki, but--"
"Gouki?" She scoffed after pronouncing his name. "Ryu. Gouki is nothing but a child who refused to grow up… besides, he's not THAT strong"
"What? You mean…?" Ryu was beginning to formulate his question, when he was swiftly stopped by the answer. A wink from his mother.
"Wow…" To say Ryu was surprised would be an understatement. "This explains so much"
"Why? Did he mentioned me? Awww, how sweet of him to remember! Especially after that humiliation I put him through" Mikuni's playful tone was fairly evident.
"Miss Mikuni… you are the coolest woman I've ever met" Iory felt compelled to give praise.
"Well, thank you, Yagami. You're not so bad yourself" Mikuni felt compelled to humor the crimson haired boy. Afterwards, she and Ryu walked for a bit, allowing Iory and Chizuru to engage in what it seemed like small talk.
"Now tell me. What are you gonna do about that other problem?" She asked, now in a much more comprehensive way.
"Oh, I guess I'll do it? Maybe you're right, and Iory—"
"I'm not talking about Iory, dear" She interrupted her son. After a brief exchange of looks, Ryu came to a realization.
"… Oh. Her…" Ryu felt a bit distraught. He sighed "I don't know"
"Now what's that I see? Doubt? Is it that bad?" She sounded truly concerned.
"It's kind of complicated" At that reply, Mikuni offered a smile.
"Ah, I know, my dear boy. Misunderstandings suck. I went through something similar with your father. But remember, time passes by really fast. It's not wise to dismiss it just because you don't know how to manage it at first"
"Yeah. I suppose" Ryu said, with the calm that distinguishes him returning. Many things went inside his head as he closed his eyes.
A minute of tranquility ensued, before a gentle tap in the shoulder snatches him away from his thoughts. After opening his eyes, he proceeds to undo his head-band. Holding his white memento on his right hand, Hoshi Ryu stared at it with a mixed bag of sensations. The night was about to envelope the capital of the east.
It has been a very long day...
--------------------------------------
Namiya rants: Finally! The madness is over! More than two freaking years to put the cherry on top of this story... almost. As you well know, this fic started with a prologue. Being the skitsnacker I really am, an Epilogue is in order. Don't worry, it is done. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't have published this last chapter if the Epilogue wasn't basically done. I just need to polish it a bit more, in order to be readable. To all those that read, thank you. To those that decided to give me a piece of their mind(mostly two or three guys) thank you, as well.
Remember, while the characters and names(except, of course, for Ryu's mother) are all property of CAPCOM and SNK/Playmore, this is my story, and these are my words. Good evening to you, and go have a ball. Human throats be damned.