Chapter 2
"No, she's not here yet."
The old school-house matron slowly shook her head as she eyed the stranger with a glare of wary distrust, secretly noting with an air of disdain the various tinkerings and particularities of his appearance. A black close-knit vest, polished dress shoes, plaited tie, slicked back hair— ooh these city boys just thought they were soooo sophisticated didn't they? Always trying so hard to show off their damned superiority to rural folk like her.
"She's not here?" the stranger furrowed his eyebrows in evident displeasure, flashing an anxious glance towards the obviously over-priced watch on his wrist.
"That's what I said."
"Do you know when she'll be in, then?"
"How would I know?" she glared at him, not caring enough to hide the obvious tone of annoyance present in her voice, "She's already two hours late as it is. Probably decided to sleep in or something."
"Two hours late?" He couldn't help but give a slight chuckle at the thought, "Two hours? Wow. That doesn't sound like Chunny at all."
The ancient matron slowly narrowed her eyes, making sure the well-dressed stranger could clearly distinguish the visible hostility in her gaze. Just who did this guy think he was? Swaggering in here all cocked up in his polished shoes and pressed clothing, so very obviously trying to convey the splendor of his perceived urban superiority. The children were impressed it was sure— quickly abandoning their games of tag, policeman, and hide-n-seek to come and peer at the absurdly expensive lump of metal on his wrist— but she wouldn't be so easily fooled. These city boys were leeches— evil, malignant parasites which crawl out from their stank, polluted brothels from time to time in order to suck the countryside dry. She had seen it happen way too many times. Talented young men and women become so easily enamored by the leeches' false luxuries and run off to live in those gigantic cesspools of crime and sin. The countryside was rapidly being drained of its labor pool.
"At any rate she isn't here." The ancient matron made sure to hiss out each syllable with as hostile a tone as possible, "Now would you please leave? You're distracting the students."
"Actually, if its alright with you, I'd like to wait for just a while longer." He smiled— the most innocent of childlike grins, tactfully designed to win over the heart of the frigidly cold matron. She, however, was not impressed.
"Mr. Jiang… understand— I cannot sacrifice the education of these poor children to cater to your own personal desires. If you really wish to speak to her then I suggest you go…"
"I won't be a bother." He hastily interrupted, desperately trying to summon the full force of his boyish charms. "The children won't even know I'm here." Come on… how hard could it possibly be to get on the good side of a wrinkly old hag with no sex life?
"I can't do that, Mr. Jiang. The children…"
"Look, I'll even stay out here in the courtyard. Playtime is almost over, right? They can't see me once they're inside the building."
"Mr. Jiang…"
"I won't make any noise whatsoever. I swear. They won't hear a thing."
The old matron contorted her features, hoping beyond hope that the deathly chill of her eyes would be enough to drive the outsider away. Hmmph. Once these city boys set their minds to something it was impossible to stop them. They were determined to get their way no matter how inconvenient or utterly harmful it was to the people around them. Selfish jerks. And this one was especially bad— a true king among jerks. Oh how she hated them all.
"Fine." she grudgingly consented, violently spitting the words out over the grinding of teeth, "But I warn you Mr. Jiang, if I see that the children are even slightly affected by your… swagger… I will be quite… upset."
He grinned. Damn overconfident bastard.
"No worries."
The golden tinge of the morning sun softly shined down on the white-washed carpet of the surrounding environs, reflecting off crystalline ice formations and day-old snowflakes to encompass the small, rather humble courtyard in a brilliant aura of sparkling yellow light. Hou Jiang breathed out a deep sigh of relief as he turned away from the frigidly sharp eyes of the still-glaring matron, not wishing to have to speak with the hostile woman any more than was absolutely necessary. Damn. Where the hell was Chun-Li? Interpol expected him back in Beijing by early next morning, and at this rate he wouldn't even be able to catch the six o'clock train…
Tinkle-tinkle.
The tinny ring of an old-fashioned hand-bell signaled the end of break period, calling the groaning masses of disappointed children back to the boring tedium of regular classes. They were all young children— four to six years of age at most—, rosy cheeked little kids clad in worn out hand-me-down pants and itchy home-stitched sweaters. Cute. Very cute. Chun-Li always liked children. It came as no surprise that she was volunteering at some run-down pre-school like this.
"Chunny… it'll be good to see you again." Hou smiled to himself as he leisurely leaned his weight against the red-bricked surface of a nearby wall. How long had it been? Not too long; only a few months at the most. Still he found that he already missed having the auburn-eyed Interpol agent around. Without her the offices seemed strangely… barren; the never-ending heaps of paperwork became a thousand times more difficult to shift through. She had always seemed to infuse a kind of energy to the place— a force which made working at Interpol at least somewhat "fun." And besides…
"She's fine as hell." Hou grinned devilishly to himself as he stared across the white, snow-covered expanse of the court-yard to the small arched gateway which served as entrance onto school property. Still no sign of her. Since when was Chun-Li ever late? She's waaaaay too much of a workaholic to be this late. Bending down to the ground, he gathered a handful of the left-over powder into his hands. It was good snow. Soft… wet… cold… perfect for packing. Too bad there wasn't anyone around.
Giving an impatient sigh to the frigid morning air, he absent-mindedly began rolling the snow into the perfect projectile. To be completely honest, he was kinda nervous about seeing her again. How would she react? It wasn't as if they had a bad relationship together… well… maybe… they sort of did at times. It was often hard to tell with the two of them. She either completely loved him or desperately hated him. It was one or the other… or both. Heh. It was really pretty hard to tell. He wasn't even going to try.
Tap-tap.
The sound of fast approaching footsteps startled him, awakening him from the stream of semi-conscious ramblings on which his mind had floated. Huh? Was that finally her? Yes, from across the courtyard he saw her— legs racing, face flushed, a half-eaten pork bun gripped tightly in her hands. Hou grinned. She was just as he remembered. Cute.
"Heads up, Chunny!"
SMACK!
The snowball hit with quite a bit more force than he had intended, exploding on her face in a cold shower of powder and ice. She cried out in pain and surprise, falling upon one knee as the force of the impact threw her violently backwards. Heh heh. Oops. Not a good way to start any reunion.
"You alright, Chunny?" He stifled his chuckle, barely able to hold back the open laughter which danced upon his lips. "Sorry about that… accident. No hard feelings, huh? It was just a little jo…"
WHACK!
And before he could finish he found himself down on the snow, the innards of a partially-eaten baozi sprayed rather unceremoniously across his fine-knit custom-made designer vest. Shit. He'd forgotten just how hard that girl could throw. From the ground… with the remnants of a pork bun… aughh… it still hurt like hell. It was a true blessing that no one else was around to see this.
"Need some help?"
And suddenly she was bending over him, a smug grin painted lavishly across her otherwise delicate features. Heh. Her whole face was bright red. At least he'd gotten her good.
"Who needs help recovering from your weak-ass throws?" he responded with a smile, forcibly ignoring the violent pounding in his head as he pushed himself upwards, "See? I'm fine. It might've hurt if you actually had some power in your throws."
"Inspector Jiang… still as childish as ever." Chun-Li gave a short chuckle, mockingly rolling her eyes at the arrogance of the inspector, "I wonder if you'll ever grow up?"
"Ouch. What a harsh way to greet someone. And here I was expecting hugs and kisses from my good friend."
"Good friend?" she grinned, "I hate you."
"Pssst. That's what you always say. But we both know what the real truth is, don't we?" he flashed her a teasing wink, "Why not just come on out and admit it?"
"Admit what?"
"That you think I'm dead SEX-SAY!"
"Not very likely, Hou." She gave a short laugh, playful punching the cocky Interpol agent in the arm, "In your dreams, maybe."
Heh heh. If only she knew how close to the truth that statement was…
"Anyways," He gave a slow, drawn-out yawn, leisurely stretching his arms out into the cold frigidity of the frosty morning air, "Listen… you up for taking a walk? Just the two of us. Wouldn't want all this sun to go to waste."
"Oh," she stopped, a slight frown suddenly returning to take the place of her teasing smile. "Maybe later. I really have to get going to the…"
"Chunny, Chunny, Chunny. You'd refuse me after I came all the way here to see you?"
"Sorry, Hou." She gave a short sigh, "I really have to go now. If you meet me here at around five..."
"Always the responsible little girl." Hou grinned, his tone marked with a definite air of teasing condescension, "Why always put duty in front of everything else? If you're already two hours late, what's another hour going to change?"
"I have a resp…"
"Yes. Yes. Responsibility. That's your excuse for everything. Even at Interpol I would say 'would you like to go out for dinner with me tonight, Chunny?' and you would reply 'sooooorry, Hou, I have to work overtime to take down Shadowloooo,' or 'sooooooory, Hou, I must go over these papers on Shadowloooo,' or 'soooooooooorry, Hou, I'd rather spend my night training so I'm ready for Shadowloooooo!'"
"Maybe you just need a better work ethic." She remarked dryly.
"Huh. And maybe you need to learn how to loosen up a little."
"I will… just as soon as I get my father back."
He stopped, forcibly controlling himself from going any further. A line had been crossed— a stripe drawn all too clearly in the pure white powder of the late day-old snow— and he was all too eager to jump back across. Chun-Li's motivations, the real incentives for her passion— it was no secret to either Hou or the other agents of Interpol. Hate. Revenge. Retribution. An obsession bordering on insanity. A violent need to destroy the destroyer. Her life had been bound to Interpol, her existence fused with the endless searching's, investigations, inquiries of the hated organization. And so as Shadowloo had faded away so too had her desire to fight. Was she finally happy, now? Had she finally obtained her revenge? Somehow, he doubted that.
"You never cease to amaze me, Chunny." He clicked his tongue, flashed a smile to defuse the air of built-up tension, "So you won't take a walk with me?"
"You know my answer." she shook her head, "The school matron is…"
"Oh her? Don't worry about her. I've handled it."
"… she's very strict."
"Relax Chunny. You really think any woman can handle my sophisticated charms?"
"But you don't have any charms." Chun-Li giggled, unable to suppress a burst of laughter at the thought. She had to admit, if nothing else, he really knew how to lighten a conversation.
"Jealous?" He gave her a teasing nudge, "At any rate, I was able to persuade her in giving us an hour of time together. Why not make the most of it?"
"Really?" she hesitated, "Are you lying to me, Hou?"
" 'Course not, Chunny." He flashed an innocent smile. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Damn. He was such a bastard. He knew he was a bastard. She knew he was a bastard. Probably every person he had ever met knew he was a bastard. Still, the lie was at least somewhat justified in this case; there was no chance in hell the matron would actually set aside that kind of time for her to speak to him. And besides, if worst came to worst, it would be her fault for not remembering what a bastard he truly was. Still bearing that self-same grin smugly upon his features, he very chivalrously offered her his arm.
"Well… shall we go?"
A tundra… a field of ice and snow as far as the eye could see. Rice fields, meadows, pasturelands— soon to be so full of the energy of the coming Springtime: a fair chorus of newborn vigor and blossoming farm life all rising to sing in anticipation of the lush Summer harvest. But now the land lay barren— its inhabitants hiding— the fallow soil of the Winter earth sleeping peaceably under a thick layer of pallid frost. The frozen farmland stretched for miles, extending for what seemed like an eternity into the far off distance before stopping finally to merge together with the crystal clarity of the overhanging heavens. It was truly a sight.
Chun-Li stared off into the distant horizon, face still flushed from the biting cold, arms intertwined tightly around those of her former Interpol work partner. She was just being friendly— a little gesture playfully catering to Hou's subtle wishes— but anyone else who witnessed the two of them together would have thought them a couple— two young lovers brimming with the full passion of vibrant youthful adoration. Together they trod along the frozen dirt pathway, silent, unassuming, neither daring to speak for fear of breaking the aura of peaceful quiet which descended over the scene.
Presently she turned to him, flashed a quick glance towards the cocky Interpol agent who strolled leisurely beside her. Hou… why was he even here? For what reason did he travel all this way? Just to visit her? No. She doubted it. No matter how sweet and utterly adorable he pretended to be, the truth was that Hou was a jerk… the type of person who wouldn't make the effort to visit just anyone simply for reminiscing. There was another reason.
"Wow. Your hair sure is nappy today." He was the first to break the silence, turning to her with that same usual grin painted across his features, "Bad nights sleep?"
"You could say that."
"Well… I kind of like it this way." He patted her head, "Why d' you always keep your hair all tied up in those ribbons, anyway? Why not let it all hang down for a change?"
"Oh I do, Hou." She grinned at him. "You just never happen to see me when I go off on one of my wild sex rampages."
"Damn." He gave a nervous laugh, jokingly snapping his fingers to the frosty morning air, "So that's what I've been missing all these years."
Another silence. He was trying to say something. She could tell. He just didn't know how to phrase it… how to put the words together in a persuasive and believable manner. What was it? Why had he come here?
"It's kind of strange you know." He finally spoke up, "I never imagined you to be the rural village-type girl."
"Oh?"
"I mean… you living… here? In some no name village smack dab in the center of Henan province? Wow."
"That surprises you?" she glanced at him, "Why?"
"Why? After all the places you've been to… all those sprawling metropolises— Beijing, Chicago, New York,— why be content with a village like this?" A slight frown furrowed his brows, "For crying out loud, Chunny! There's nothing here!"
"There's the children. They…"
"Yes, of course. How could I forget about all those poor poor children?" he rolled his eyes, "But shit Chunny, its like living two hundred years back in the past!"
"I'm fine here." She replied calmly, "Besides, the place isn't without its charms."
"What charms? I didn't see any charms."
"Like that…" she pointed out towards the horizon, "Don't you think that's impressive?"
"But shit, Chun-Li!" He ripped his arm away, threw both his hands up in the air in exasperation, "Most places don't even have electricity, here! How do you manage to keep warm in the winter?"
"There are these things called fireplaces you know." She grinned at him, "And I have a place here…"
"What place? A place as an assistant teacher at that run-down trash of a…"
He stopped, his lips frozen in mid-sentence by Chun-Li's sharp glare. Damn. That girl could kill you with her stares. Even at Interpol… he could still recall more than one occasion when she choked him with his own words.
"That's just the problem with you, Jiang." She replied rather curtly, resting both hands on her hip in annoyance, "You never think of anyone but yourself."
"Please. You sound exactly like my mother. All I'm suggesting is… why not just let the educational system work for…"
"It doesn't reach this far out into the countryside, Hou." She gave a forlorn sigh, brushing a loose lock of dark-brown hair away from her eyes, "And most of the residents here haven't had a proper education themselves. They… need me."
"Huh. So you can teach these children how to kick the asses of people like me?"
She smiled. "Among other things…"
"Whatever, Chunny." He sighed in exasperation, folding his arms across his chest in a symbol of defiant acceptance, "But if it were me… I wouldn't be able to stand having to boil water every time I took a bath."
"Not that you take any, anyways." She laughed, "I always could smell you from my little office down the hall."
"Chunny, Chunny, Chunny. Still as sharp as ever." He flashed that familiar grin. "Who's being childish now?"
They proceeded onwards, trudging through the wintry wonder-land of the countryside. Presently the snow became thicker— a chunky paste which clung tenaciously to the boots, forcing the two to occasionally stop by the road and scrape some of the stuff off. How long had they been walking? She didn't care anymore. Strolling like this; chatting with Hou… it felt good. Maybe… maybe it was ok to take some time off for herself from time to time.
"We all miss you down at Interpol." Hou spoke in a died down tone, again breaking the chain of silence, "You know we'd all love to have you back."
Chun-Li didn't say anything. Is this what he had come to talk about?
"And of course the higher ups would love to have you back as well. You know you're one of our best."
"Sorry Hou," she started, giving a tired sigh to the atmosphere, "I'm done with Interpol."
"But why?" he raised his head to look at her, "Why? Look at yourself. You're still only in your mid-twenties. Why throw in the towel and retire at such a young age?"
She stared down at the frosted dirt of the ground, fought the wave of cruel emotion which swelled through her, seeking to overtake and swallow her whole. What would he know? What would he know even if she tried to explain it? There used to be a time when she herself believed she was fighting for justice; fighting for a world where there would be no more evils like Shadowloo to frighten little girls and take away their fathers. But the real truth never appeared clearer than on the day she left: she hadn't been fighting for a just and noble cause after all. She had only been fighting for herself. Fighting for an end to her pained memories of her father's death. Fighting for an end to the tremendous feelings of sadness, rage, and guilt which haunted her every single day. Once Shadowloo was gone, what was there left to fight for?
"Interpol sent you, didn't they?" she spoke at length, raising her head to meet the eyes of the inspector. "They want me back."
"For one mission, specifically." He studied her carefully, looking her up and down for any signs of satisfaction or anger, "Something's come up."
"Oh?"
"Recently Interpol received information that a certain man has been invited to a reception hosted by what we know to be a shady Shanghai criminal organization. An investigation now could yield valuable…"
"You can spare me the details, inspector." She interrupted, holding a hand up to stop him, "I won't do it."
"Oh? Not even going to let me finish?" He grinned at her.
"There's no need to. My mind's already made up."
"Then perhaps I can change it." Hou cleared his throat. "There is a reason why you were picked for this assignment, you know. This man who you are to investigate… I'm sure you are already acquainted with him. Want to take a wild guess on who it is? A wandering warrior… the champion of the Street Fighter Tournament… single-handedly destroyed Bison…"
She froze. Wha— what? How… how could…
"You don't look very confident about your decision now, Chunny." He laughingly remarked, "Your journey… it's not over yet. Not when I tell you his name is Ryu."