As Cranky stood at the front of the room, explaining his past involvement with Kenny, his spectators could only stare and barely manage even a nod. Minds changed about Craig Crankurt, street thug and pick pocket extraordinaire somehow single-handedly raised Kenny from a child until he was six, when the third consecutive Alpha tournaments were held by the street fighter circuit. Cranky had taught him to adapt to the harsh realities of the streets, while at the same time never wanting him to be involved in the first place. What in the world could convince a hardened fifteen year old to look out for a mere child, when it was hard enough out there to look after yourself?
"It was Mei's doing," was his explanation. "Mrs. Feng, call her whatever you want. The woman was like a mother to me. The other street kids never had anyone to turn to. I kept her a secret from them. She was such a nice lady. She fed me, clothed me, and gave me a roof to sleep under. She saved my life."
"She took you off the streets?" Ryu asked. The news confused him. When Ryu had first run into Kenny and Cranky nine years ago, the both of them were already homeless children with no futures. Dr. Feng and his wife had only been killed a few weeks before, so rightfully, Kenny would have been in protective custody of the government, in an orphanage or something. And perhaps Cranky would've been with him. How was it that the two of them had managed to escape the government's grasp and end up with the other street kids?
"Mei never took me off the streets," Cranky explained, "although she offered to adopt me. But I didn't want to have to depend on her for everything after being on my own for so long. But I'd drop by for the occasional visit, a meal with the family, and she even gave me money for babysitting Kenny when he was a toddler."
On the other hand, for Cammy, it was starting to make sense. It was no wonder to her that Cranky seemed to have such a genuine, caring personality for her. It's because someone had taught him to have a heart, a personality trait she never expected someone to have especially if they'd live in poverty where only the strong survived. She rubbed her arms, remembering the way he held her with strong, capable, yet gentle hands. Cammy would well survive alone but it was nice to know there was someone who would fight to the death just to make sure she got out of any situation without so much as a scratch. And in turn, of course, she would do anything for Cranky.
"It's funny how it all turned out," Guile noted. "If you had accepted Mei's offer to adopt you, you would've forgotten the survival skills you had to teach Kenny after his parents were assassinated."
"Yes," Cranky noted sadly. "I wish things could've turned out differently. Mei wasn't the kind of person who deserved to die. She loved everything life had to offer, and taught me things that I would have never otherwise learned on my own. She taught me to appreciate everything for what it was, and be happy with both the good and the bad in my life. She taught me to hold my head high in the face of rampant discrimination, living as an Irish-American in Japan. I owe much to her. There are times when I wish she was still here …" He looked at everyone staring back at him and blushed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get all sappy there."
"No reason to feel embarrassed," Chun Li said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Most of us here know what it's like to lose a family member, a parent. Wagner, Cammy, Julian, and Ryu – who's never even had them, and me. We all understand."
"Is that why you took Kenny under your wing?" Ryu asked.
Cranky nodded. "I didn't want him to grow up without someone looking out for him, especially not after what Mei had to show me. I wasn't able to provide him with half the guidance Mei gave me, but …"
"You did a great job, anyway," Cammy said.
Katarina, who was now sitting in one of the many chairs scattered throughout the room, put up her hand in confusion and spoke up. "You all seem to be familiar with this Kenny character," she said, looking a little confused. "And according to you, he's our biological brother." Katarina motioned to herself and Issei, who was seat right beside her.
"We'd like to find out more about him," Issei said. "We'd like to meet him."
"You already have," Cranky noted bitterly. "You tried to shoot him."
The comment caused Issei to lower his gaze in shame while Cammy shot Cranky a frown. "I meant," Issei continued, "we … we want to meet him under different circumstances, knowing what we know now."
"We owe him an apology," Katarina admitted. "There is much we have to discuss with him; about our lives, our experiences, and most of all, our parents."
"There isn't anything to discuss with Kenny," Cranky snapped. "You never sacrificed anything …"
"Calm down," Cammy said, rising from her seat. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and led him towards the exit. She turned around to face the twins and gave a weak, apologetic smile. "Please don't be angry with him," she said. "Cranky's just … he's shocked."
"As I'm sure we all are," Katarina said, understanding completely.
XXXXX
"My goodness," Vega said, stuffing a fork full of scrambled egg into his mouth, "this food is better than the stuff they serve from the kitchen staff. How were you able to attain such delicacies?"
"Oh, my brother cooked it for me," Kenny replied casually. "I wasn't really that hungry anyway. I'm glad you're enjoying it. Look, Mister …"
"De La Cerna."
"Right. Not that I don't mind hanging out and all, but … don't you have a job to get back to? Won't your boss be … I dunno, mad?"
Vega's head snapped up. He'd almost forgotten. The bellboy was probably laying down bleeding from a head injury somewhere in the lower levels before he'd taken his uniform. Vega had allowed himself to be distracted from the mission – to find Cammy, and see her squirm at the sight of him standing right in front of her. And instead, after taking the trouble to track down her suite, he found this kid instead of his intended target. Instead of letting his frustration motivate him in his goals, he allowed his hungry stomach to succumb to the delicious aroma floating in the suite's atmosphere. But maybe, just maybe he'd be able to get information out of the brat – the kind brat, sitting here before him.
"Oh, he'll be fine," Vega said, waving it off, hiding his folly. "So, what brings you to Osaka City?"
"Um …" Kenny shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a moment. "I lived here when I was younger, but then I moved to America and stayed there for about two years. I just got back a few weeks ago."
"I see," Vega said, nodding, "but how is it you're able to afford paying hotel rates?"
"Well I was able to buy a small apartment with the money I saved while studying and working in the States. I'm just visiting my brother and his girlfriend right now, and this is her suite."
"Ah." Vega couldn't help a sly smile creeping across his face. "And I suppose your apartment is too small for them to put up with you. I mean, being Japan and all …"
"She's participating in the street fighter tournaments."
Vega feigned surprise and admiration holding a well manicured hand to his chest. "Wow, are you serious? She's a real street fighter? That's fabulous. How lucky you are to be in such close relations with one of the best fighters in the world. Now, which one would she be?"
"Definitely not one of the better known ones like Chun Li," Kenny replied. "She's one of the four latecomers accepted into the tournament ranks."
"Well out for the four newcomers, Cammy's the only girl."
"And that'd be her," Kenny said, nodding proudly.
"I've seen her fight," Vega said. "And I must say, she's got beautiful form. I haven't known about her for very long, but she's quite a catch, isn't she? I'm sure your brother must be counting his lucky stars."
"Yeah," Kenny laughed, "just don't say that around him. Cranky's pretty over-protective about his loved ones. I've seen them quarrel and it's not a pretty sight. And check out the note he left me." Kenny handed the slip of Vega to read, watching his eyeballs move across the lines of scribbled text, the expression of shock forming on his face.
"He sounds like he could be your father," Vega noted, "except for the threat to throw you out the window. That's a little unnerving."
Kenny shrugged. "It is if you don't know him. But it's just the way he talks, I've learned."
"The two of you are close?"
"We were," Kenny admitted. "But now he's becoming more like a dad and less of the cool older sibling you always wanted to be like, you know? And that's putting some distance between us right now. I think being with Cammy is doing something to him – like he's becoming old or something."
"And how would you describe their relationship?" Vega tuned out as Kenny started blabbering away his response. He was starting to get irritated at Cammy, otherwise known as his beloved Camilla. How dare the girl try and move on with her life, especially after killing him in the manner she did. He wanted now, more than ever, to see the reaction on her face when he stood in the flesh in front of her, grinning his sadistic grin, seeing her dreams of a perfect life shattering before her. He was back, back from the dead and ready and willing to begin terrorizing her once again. And now with a new man in her life, it was going to be a little harder. But he would be killed if he got in the way.
"… and them fucking in the next is SO the last thing you want to hear before falling asleep," Kenny finished.
"This man of hers," Vega said, "your brother, what is his name?"
"What does it matter to you?" Kenny asked curiously.
"Well it's just that I heard you mention him as Cranky, and it just seems like an odd name."
"Oh, it's Craig," Kenny replied, "Craig Crankurt. But I made up Cranky for him when I was a kid and it just sorta stuck with him."
"I see," Vega replied, nodding. "Well, I best be off to continue my rounds before the boss realizes something is amiss."
"Well it was good talking with you, Mr. De La Cerna."
"As it was with you, Kenny," he said, giving a polite bow before closing the door behind him. Kenny locked the door behind Vega and headed back towards the dining area. That was certainly a strange circumstance, talking with the bellboy. How could anyone be so lazy as to stop their rounds for a quick meal? He looked on the empty plate where the toast once sat, relieved to discover the bread crust had been devoured. Kenny had a distaste for crust. As he headed for the sink, he stopped dead in his tracks, realizing that something was terribly amiss.
The fucker didn't make the bed for him.
XXXXX
Vega stormed angrily down the corridor of the hotel, leaving the car directly outside Cammy's suite. A part of him told him to put the cart back where he'd found it – alongside the unconscious bellboy lying somewhere on the lower levels of the hotel, but he was too emotionally charged to care right now. The youth in Cammy's suite had told him all he needed and wanted to know about the woman's life today.
She had moved on. She was in love with a man. She was happy. The thought sent froth spewing from Vega's mouth. He wouldn't have it. He would not let her live in peace, especially after what she had done to him. The yearning to make her life a living hell was there. He knew how much suffering he wanted her to go through, but Vega was unsure of how to go about inflicting it. He wanted extract the full experience of pain out from every cell of her body, and doing so might take some planning. Perhaps weeks, perhaps month, or maybe even a couple of years. It had to be creative, it had to be agonizing, but above all, it had to be beautiful.
Vega looked the clear late morning sky and took a deep breath. He was familiar with himself. When he was obsessed with something, he would go far into it. And he knew he'd go far into making his plans, weaving them around Cammy, designing each plot element to cause her pain and suffering, and to ultimately form the story of her demise. Vega could feel it. This was the last breath of fresh air he would draw without the obsession of making Cammy pay clouding his mind. Or was it too late for that already?
He headed over to the closest payphone and took the green speaker off the hook with one hand, inserting a coin with the other. As soon as the dial tone was audible, he dialed a number, held the speaker to his ear and waited. He'd been gone from Shadowlaw headquarters since early in the morning without notifying Bison. He wondered if Bison would be angry, but most likely not, as Vega was unimportant until the final rounds of the tournament. Until then, he could do as he pleased, and most of that time had been spent training – at least, since he'd been resurrected thanks to Katarina.
And speaking of that brilliant, beautiful witch, where had she gone? The last Vega had seen of her, the woman was getting ready to destroy the Killer Bee. Vega wanted to take her down himself, but knowing full well that she could deliver Katarina's ass on a silver platter, he was never concerned for the Killer Bee's safety. Katarina was probably lying in a broken heap somewhere with her spine snapped in multiple places. The only regret in Vega's heart was that the world had lost a true specimen of beauty in Katarina's death. But the woman, as gifted as she was in the sciences, was no warrior. And if she was too stupid to understand even that, then it was her own undoing.
"Whaddaya want?" came the answer on the other end.
Vega scoffed at the crude method of speech his coworker used, a sorry excuse for a form of communication. "Balrog, Vega reporting here."
"Yeah, I figured yous be callin'," Balrog said. "Yous been gone all mornin'. The boss ain't worried or nuthin', hell, I don't even think he's noticed ya gone. Butcha better git back here soon, yea? Don't take anymore risks than necessity."
"Necessary," Vega corrected inaudibly. "Look, Balrog, thanks for watching my back for me. I'm on my way back to headquarters now."
"We's better be getting' back ta our trainin'. The tournament dudes are fightin' us ta-morrow, yea?"
"Got it. I'll talk to you soon."
XXXXX
"Kenny, we're home!" Cranky held the door open for Cammy as she stepped through the doorway just behind him, while he took off his shoes. He looked around, listening for a response but none came. "Kenny?" he called again, a little more urgently this time.
"Where could he have gone?" Cammy asked, locking the door behind her.
"I don't know but he better not come back if he knows what's good for him," Cranky said.
There was a murmur coming from the bedroom where Kenny had spent the night. Cammy and Cranky looked at each other. Whatever the speaker was saying, it sure wasn't in English. They neared the bedroom cautiously, listening intently, and recognized Kenny's voice.
Cranky smiled, partly from relief, and partly from the good old times, before he taught Kenny a word of English. The youth was born in Beijing, but as a result of living in Osaka since infancy, his first language had been the Osaka dialect of Japanese.
"He sounds excited," Cammy whispered.
"He is," Cranky agreed, "and with good reason."
"Is Kenny on the phone? What's he saying?"
Cranky voluntarily translated for her, pausing every few moments to hear what Kenny was saying.
"Kanjo ga hontou ni uketa?" She made it?
"Uso…" You're lying …
"Subarashii!" That's great!
"Nanji ni hajimaru?" What time does it start?
"Hai, wakatta. Kanjo ga kaeru tokoro desu. Sugu ni oshieru. Arigatou." Yep, I got it. They just got back. I'll tell her …
"Sore de wa Bison to tatakau chansu ga aru no ka?" Cranky gasped upon hearing the last line while Cammy listened intently to his translations. She was expecting the English version to come from Cranky's mouth and was mildly surprised when he said nothing.
"Is there something wrong, Cranky? What did Kenny say?"
Cranky struggled to form some kind of explanation for her, but his heart didn't want her to find out. She'd made it into the final tournament rounds which were starting tomorrow. He didn't want her to participate in something so dangerous. Sure, Cranky had given her his support to fight in the tournament, knowing full well she had a score to settle with Shadowlaw and most of all, M. Bison himself. But the moment was so close now, and Cranky had only just realized he never expected it. He never expected Cammy to go so far despite knowing what kind of a vendetta she had against Bison. And now he found himself fearing for her safety. He didn't want to tell her. All he wanted her to do is remain by his side and let things continue the way they were. He wanted her to forget her mission, to forget everything bad in her life and just move on with him. But the way she looked at him inquisitively with those large blue eyes, pleading with him for some kind of explanation …
"So … wanna tell me what you two are doing out here?" Kenny asked as he walked out of the room, finding Cammy and Cranky with their backs pressed to the wall while they were eavesdropping on his conversation.
Their bodies loosened instantly and they both began speaking trying to explain the situation while their fingers pointed in every direction imaginable.
"See, Cammy didn't understand the, uh …"
"…couldn't figure out who you were talking to …"
"…cause nobody … uh, replied and …"
"Well since you've already heard the entire thing, have you explained to her the good news?" Kenny asked, elbowing Cranky lightly in the ribs.
"No, I haven't …" he replied, hesitantly. "I was about to, but …"
"You got accepted into the final rounds of the Street Fighter tournament!" Kenny announced to her excitedly. "Do you know what that means!"
Cammy's eyes went wide and her jaw fell open. "Are you sure, Kenny? How did you find out? Who was that you were talking to?"
"It was a Shadowlaw tournament representative. You've been accepted, Cammy! You've received enough points during your battles, defeated enough enemies, displayed enough skill, everything is … ENOUGH! You're in!" The two of them wrapped their arms around each other and danced around the living room, laughing happily.
"I've made it! Shadowlaw is going down!" Cammy cried excitedly.
"Don't forget to hook him up to that spinal tap machine when you're done!" Kenny said. "I want him to know what it feels like!"
"And after I'll pump him full of painful body-altering steroids, erase his mind, and order him to jump off a bridge!"
"No, no," Kenny disagreed. "He won't be suffering then."
"Hmmm … you might be right." She diverted her attention to Cranky, who she noticed only then, wasn't celebrating with the rest of them. He stood in the corner, arms folded across his chest, looking stunned, his gaze on the ground. "Cranky are you okay?"
"Cammy … you know what I think."
"Oh no, please, this isn't one of those times. I'm not going on a mission for. I'm going for a tournament fight. That's it. It's not as long as a mission and –"
"But it's ten times as dangerous, especially knowing it's Shadowlaw we're dealing with!"
"Look, you know how important this has been to me my whole life."
"And that's what scares me," Cranky said. "I know getting even with Shadowlaw has been all you've been obsessed about your whole life. But can you just learn to forget that and move on? You've got me now. I thought I was all that you needed. Why do you still need to put yourself in danger?"
"You are all I will need, Cranky," she said, "in the very near future – after I have gotten my revenge on Shadowlaw. Then you can be the man you are to me, without my vengeance complex getting in the way. Can you please wait at least that much longer for me?"
"Put your shoes on, Kenny," was Cranky's response. "We're going." Kenny obediently headed for the door, giving Cammy a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before moving away. Cranky turned to follow but she grabbed his elbow, begging him to wait.
"Please don't do this," she said. "I don't need this now, not at this time. All the other times – fine, but now just … no, please."
He put a hand behind her head and pulled her in closer, until their noses were just barely touching. "Come back to me in one piece." It was as much an order as it was a plea. "Without you … I don't want to think about it." And he kissed her.
XXXXX
Ryu clicked the phone off expertly, as if he'd used a cell phone all his life. Ken was quite impressed as Ryu handed the phone back to him. He wondered what Ryu had just heard, now that his friend was wearing a broad smile over his face. The two of them were sitting in a coffee shop, stopping by for a quick meal after the meeting earlier this morning. They'd already been here for two hours, updating each other on the past couple of years since they'd last met, and the new information they'd gotten just earlier this morning regarding their new allies in their war against Shadowlaw, and their relation to Kenny.
"Do you have any regrets taking Kenny away from the streets all those years ago?" Ken had asked, taking a sip of coffee from a small, white porcelain cup.
"No, although it seemed like a bad idea," Ryu admitted, setting down a small cup filled with green tea. In the end, it had worked out for the best. Shadowlaw would have gotten Kenny first if Ryu had just left the street child to his own devices. Cranky was a lot younger back then, and though he'd been an expert at surviving in such harsh conditions, there was no way he could have protected Kenny from Shadowlaw. Ryu's one regret, however, was separating the child from the only guardian he'd ever known. After the tournament, Ken acted as Kenny's temporary guardian but provided the youth only with money. Cranky was more than a guardian, he was a companion, and older brother, a father figure, all rolled into one person.
It was shortly after that topic of conversation had come to a close when Ken's cell phone rang. The caller, speaking English with a thick accent requested to speak with Ryu. Their conversation flowed, and Ken could understand the language of this land word for word, having spent his youth growing up in the rural mountain dojo of his master Gouken with Ryu. He refrained from telling the caller to speak in his native tongue, just to hear how badly he could slaughter the English language.
Ryu had just snapped the cell phone shut and smiled at Ken, modestly.
"You bastard, you made it into the finals, didn't you?" Ken asked. Ryu didn't say anything and just nodded. "Well then again, I don't know why I feel happy for you. It wouldn't be you anymore if you hadn't made it into the final rounds anyway. Good job, buddy. I bet you didn't even have to train for that."
"It's because I train that I have made it, Ken," Ryu explained. "Doing so keeps one in touch with …"
"Dude, I was joking, let up a little, huh?"
"Have you received word yet as to your placement?" Ryu asked.
Ken cocked an eyebrow. "You're talking to the U.S. Martial Arts champion," he bragged. "I can't believe you didn't assume I'd make it to the finals!"
"I try not to make any assumptions, but honestly Ken, I expected as much. They say it begins tomorrow."
"Yeah," Ken agreed, "and we're being shipped off to different parts of the world to face off against Bison's bodyguard panel. How many of them are there?"
"Three," Ryu replied, narrowing his eyes.
"Any idea who they are?" Ken asked.
"No, but I'm certain Sagat will be one of them."
"Ryu, Sagat is a dangerous man. It's bad enough what he can do to his opponents, but the guy actually has a legitimate hatred for you. Anger makes people do crazy things and I don't want to see you …"
"Are you doubting my abilities, old friend?"
"No," Ken said. "I'm just hoping Sagat isn't going to be one of the final matches."
"Well the matches start tomorrow," Ryu said, looking into the distance, "so we'll see who we're up against."
"It's funny that they're starting so quickly," Ken said, scratching his head. "The tournament only officially opened yesterday."
"Ken, you should already know. The final combatants haven't been completely selected yet. The tournament judges need at least two more days to decide who else to send. There are some warriors who haven't even fought their first matches yet! Besides, the final combatants are sent one by one all over the globe. We don't all go at once."
"Oh yeah, the first destination is Las Vegas, then Spain, and the final two matches are staged in Thailand," Ken said, recounting what the tournament representative had told him.
"And that's when we'll fight Bison."
"We can't face Bison one by one," Ken said. "I don't know what his fighting abilities are like, but if what I hear about the Doll Program, the Shadow Technology, the Agent Initiative and the Psycho Drive are correct, Bison is one juiced up mother. There's no chance that we can face him alone and succeed."
"Well that seems to be our only option right now," Ryu said. "Can you suggest anything else?"
"We need a plan," Ken replied. "We need a plan that will bring Bison down."
"And what could do that, other than a fight?"
"We take out his bodyguards."
Ryu's narrow eyes widened. "Are you serious?" he asked, nearly knocking over the tea cup.
"Look, the only reason Bison is capable of facing all of us warriors is because he relies on his bodyguards to wear us down. By the time we get to him, we're exhausted, and he just wipes us out."
"Are you suggesting we murder the bodyguards?"
"Of course not, this is a tournament for crying out loud. We don't kill them. But we'll injure them to the point where they can't fight anymore."
"That'll be difficult, considering if Sagat is one of the final …"
"Shut up about Sagat. It's our only hope. The sooner we can take out one of his bodyguards, the less matches the people behind us have to fight."
"So we use three warriors to knock out the bodyguards, and the rest of us take Bison on together at full strength," Ryu said, recapping everything. "I'll be honest, Ken. It sounds like a bold plan. It directly goes against tournament rules."
"At this point, fuck the tournament rules. We only play by the rules in the first place to get where we want – in front of Bison, ready to pop open a can of ass-whooping. There are more important things than the warrior's path here, Ryu. Bison's defeat will save thousands of people all over the world – their current victims, and their potential victims."
"You speak with passion, Ken," Ryu commented. "I have never heard you talk like this before, especially with something like the Street Fighter tournament. I always thought your participate to inflate your ego."
"That's what I was like," Ken admitted. "But I guess a lot's happened to me since the Alpha tournaments. I sheltered Kenny for a little while and dated Cammy. Those two taught me just how much Shadowlaw can fuck up a person. And then I met the woman of my dreams in the form of Eliza, and we're about to get married. In my life alone, there are people who've suffered at Shadowlaw's hands. If they've already screwed around with Kenny even after Cranky, Eliza and I took care of him, made Cammy barren and mess with her psyche and injected some kind of genetic altering shit into her body, imaging what they could do to you or Eliza. I'm not going to have anyone else in my life suffer at their hands."
"You've grown," Ryu said, nodding in approval.
"Heh," Ken said, letting out a nervous laugh. "About time too, huh? So what do you say, Ryu? Are you going to work with me on this?" He extended a hand.
Ryu took it into his firm grip. "We'll bring down Shadowlaw together, old friend."
