Chapter Seven: The Date...And The Fight Thereafter
Note: This chapter sets the stage for the sequel...if I ever get around to writing it.
2nd Note: I was looking at this one movie on the tube, and that's where I got this song from. Guess which artist made THIS one? Bah.
Sure enough, there was a carnival going on not too far from the Masters' beachside condo. Ryu was there, waiting for Chun Li at the ground's entrance, not paying attention to the longing stares of the women who had passed by.
One of them, a Hawaiian woman in her mid-twenties, approached the Japanese fighter. "Are you new in town?" she asked.
"Not really," Ryu replied. "I'm actually waiting for my girlfriend."
The woman had a seductive look in her eyes. Ryu was not swayed by her charms. "It's a shame," the woman replied. "If I had a man like you, then I would never leave you alone. I might get jealous if I saw you with another woman."
That was when Chun Li showed up behind the other woman. "Soneone like me, perhaps?" How dare this ditz try to seduce her man--as if Ryu was not interested.
The Hawaiian turned around. "Can't you see I'm trying to carry on a conversation here?" she said in a venomous tone.
Chun Li raised one fist. "You'll be carrying your teeth in the next three seconds if you don't move away from my boyfriend," she said.
As fast as she came, the woman was gone. Ryu watched the exchange with a slightly bemused expression on his face. "Aren't we the jealous one?" he remarked dryly.
Chun Li turned to Ryu. "Don't start with me, Mister Hoshi, or I will kick your ass."
Ryu grinned. "You can try."
Chun Li threw a punch at Ryu's head. Almost by reflex, Ryu blocked it with his forearm and pulled his woman close to him.
"Finished yet?" he asked.
"I will be, as soon as you do something to change my mind," she replied.
Ryu moved in and kissed her on the lips. After a few moments, the pair brok off the kiss, leaving Chun Li breathless.
"Yeah, that did it," she breathed.
***
Chun Li's anger evaporated as she and Ryu took in the sights of the carnival, enjoying each other's company. Needless to say, Ryu was the object of envy for most of the women there, seeing as he had the most beautiful woman on his arm.
As they crossed the boardwalk, they came across a small music cafe with the words COUPLES NIGHT on the front door. Seeing as they WERE a couple, Ryu and Chun Li walked inside.
Inside the cafe, they found an empty table and sat down. Ryu flagged down a waitress and ordered him and his girlfriend drinks--her a iced tea, him iced water. As the waitress rushed off to get their drinks.
"We should do this more often," Chun Li said, "you know, just go out to places like this, just you and me."
"Remember when we had a night out?" Ryu asked.
Chun Li nodded. "Yeah, I remember. It was the day after we moved to Osaka. You took me out to dinner, to celebrate my new position at Interpol's Japanese office." She paused for a moment. "Y'know, seeing as how there's basically nothing else left for me to do, I was thinking about resigning, maybe open up a private detective agency with the money I'm going to win from this pageant."
"That is, IF you win," Ryu corrected her.
Chun Li grinned. "I know I'm going to win. And I know YOU'RE going to vote for me."
"Just because I'm the judge and you're the contestant doesn't mean that I'm going to vote for you right off the bat," the Japanese martial artist insisted. "That would be biased. I've decided that I will vote for the most talented woman who is deserving of the victory."
"Remember that when you're sleeping on the couch when we return home," Chun Li warned him.
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "I've slept in worse places when I was on the road. A couch is like a queen-sized bed next to the ground in a cave."
The live band--which consisted of a tall, muscular, white-haired man wearing a red jacket with white stripes, and whire slacks, a teenage boy dressed in a black shirt under a blue shirt with hung from his shoulders, and similar white pants, and a redhead whose bangs covered her eyes, and was clad in a pink dress, started to play a romantic song.
Note: If you ever played the King of Fighters series, you can pretty much guess who THESE THREE are. ;)
Ryu looked at Chun Li. "Chun...what would you do...if I asked you to marry me?"
Chun Li blinked. She wasn't expecting that. "Ryu..."
At that moment, the redhead--who happened to be the lead singer, began to sing.
[There's a song that's inside of my soul]
Ryu dug into his pocket and pulled out a small object. It was a simple wedding ring. It had cost him an arm and a leg, but it was worth it.
[It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again]
Chun Li was speechless.
[I'm awake in the infinite cold.]
"Chun Li, I know that this is all unexpected, with the pageant and everything," Ryu continued, "but--"
[But you sing to me over and over and over again.]
Chun Li pressed one finger to his lips. "Ryu..."
[So, I lay my head back down]
Chun Li chose her words carefully. "Ryu...I need some time to think about this. You're asking me to take a huge step in our relationship."
[And I lift my hands and pray]
Ryu understood. "Take all the time you need. I will be wating for your answer."
[To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours]
Chun Li smiled and placed one hand on the side of Ryu's face.
[I know now you're my only hope...]
SMASH!
"RYU HOSHI!"
The entire moment was then wrecked with the double doors being kicked from its hinges, and a female voice scremaing out Ryu's name.
"What the hell?" Ryu was on his feet. "Why can't I spend a normal day together with my girlfriend?"
Standing in the open doorway, was Kiyomi, the sister of the man whom Ryu had fought the night before. This time she wasn't alone. Flanking her, were eight more fighters.
Chun Li was on her feet and standing beside her man. "Friend of yours?"
"Long story," was the reply.
Kiyomi, now dressed in a black hakama was in a fury. "Ryu! You may have gotten lucky with my brother, but now you don't have your friends here to save you?"
From the stage, it was obvious that the tall man had recognized Ryu's name. 'That's Ryu Hoshi? The karate expert?'
Ryu folded his arms across his chest. "Gee, your school's persistance in defeating me even surprises me, Kiyomi. However, the night before, I let that slide." his eyes were now glaring. "You interrupted my date with my girlfriend. I have a huge problem with that."
Kiyomi looked down on Chun Li. "That bitch you're with means nothing to me."
Up until the moment Kiyomi had insulted her, Chun Li had planned on staying out of this. But when Kiyomi had called her a bitch, she wanted to unleash a Kikoushou right then and there, but kept her cool.
Ryu was surprised when Chun Li marched towards Kiyomi and stood within strking range. Chun Li cracked her neck muscles. "What did you call me?"
"A BITCH!" Kiyomi yelled.
SMACK!
Kiyomi was knocked flat on her back, thanks to Chun Li's roundhoue kick to the face. Seeing that the Chinese fighter had drawn blood, Kiyomi sent her fighters after them. "Get them!"
The eight fighters then surrounded the two fighters. Ryu now had his back against Chun Li's, both watching the circling fighters that were primed to attack at any moment. Then the fight fighters attacked in full force.
Three of them advanced on Chun Li. Chun Li dispatched one of them with a footsweep, and when she came back up, she delivered a front snap kick to her second opponent. The third fighter, this time armed with a steel sword, swung his weapon in a vertical slash...and missed.
KRACKKRACKKRACK!
Chun Li dove into a handstand and began to spin, legs stretched in a split as she dropped her final opponent with her Spinning Bird Kick.
The other four fighters were quickly taken down with general ease on Ryu's part. With an bored expression, Ryu dealt out swift and severe blows with his hands. The defeated fighters, after they had became throughly accquainted with Ryu's fists and Chun Li's feet, were sent packing. Only Kiyomi remained.
Chun Li wanted to do this alone. "She's mine," she seethed.
Ryu stepped back.
While the fight was taking place, Kiyomi had recovered, hoping to see the defeat of Ryu and his woman, but that didn't happen. Now she had Ryu's enraged woman to deal with.
Aside from the fact that her hair was sporting several strands, Chun Li was completely unscathed. Her expression was something that one didn't want to see--hell hath no fury than that of an woman insulted and Chun Li was planning on delivering some serious pain to Kiyomi.
***
Outside the cafe, three minutes later...
"Kikou...SHOU!"
KA-BLAM!
The human projectile that was Kiyomi was sent flying out of the cafe, and landed on the boardwalk. Her hakama was shredded, but still had enough clothes for some degree of modesty. The force of Chun Li's Kikoushou had rendered her opponent unconscious.
Chun Li stepped out onto the boardwalk. In the end, Kiyomi was no match. It only took her several blows to knock Kiyomi out.
Ryu stepped out next to her and looked at his girlfriend's handiwork. Chun Li turned to Ryu. "Come on. Let's go home." She glanced at her fallen opponent. "She pretty much wrecked our date."
***
Back at the Masters condo, the pair were getting ready for bed. Ryu had, in the meantime, told her everything. The tournament in Nagoya, in which he had fought Kiyomi's karate school, which led up to the brawl at the restaurant and the fight inside the cafe.
Ryu was clad in a pair of blue pajama pants, his chest was bare. He was doing his stretching excercises before he went to bed. Chun Li was wearing a short terrycloth robe, and was brushing out her hair.
"I'm really sorry about today," Ryu apologized.
Chun Li placed the brush down and faced Ryu. "It wasn't your fault," she replied. She then managed a smile. "Now I know for a fact that you are faithful to me."
"Was there ever any doubt?"
"A little."
The Shotokan fighter crossed the room and stood in front of Chun Li. "Is there anything I can do to to help you forget?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with good humor.
Chun Li wrapped her arms around his neck. "You can try," she replied, pushing him back to the bed.
The two fighters began to kiss. However, Ryu had misjudged the distance of the bed and stumbled on its side, sending both him and Chun Li onto the matress laughing. They stopped for a moment before resuming their kissing, which led to something more as Ryu fumbled for the lamp on the nightstand.
It turned off with a soft click, leavingg the two lovers with the moonlight outside as a source of light.
Note: This chapter sets the stage for the sequel...if I ever get around to writing it.
2nd Note: I was looking at this one movie on the tube, and that's where I got this song from. Guess which artist made THIS one? Bah.
Sure enough, there was a carnival going on not too far from the Masters' beachside condo. Ryu was there, waiting for Chun Li at the ground's entrance, not paying attention to the longing stares of the women who had passed by.
One of them, a Hawaiian woman in her mid-twenties, approached the Japanese fighter. "Are you new in town?" she asked.
"Not really," Ryu replied. "I'm actually waiting for my girlfriend."
The woman had a seductive look in her eyes. Ryu was not swayed by her charms. "It's a shame," the woman replied. "If I had a man like you, then I would never leave you alone. I might get jealous if I saw you with another woman."
That was when Chun Li showed up behind the other woman. "Soneone like me, perhaps?" How dare this ditz try to seduce her man--as if Ryu was not interested.
The Hawaiian turned around. "Can't you see I'm trying to carry on a conversation here?" she said in a venomous tone.
Chun Li raised one fist. "You'll be carrying your teeth in the next three seconds if you don't move away from my boyfriend," she said.
As fast as she came, the woman was gone. Ryu watched the exchange with a slightly bemused expression on his face. "Aren't we the jealous one?" he remarked dryly.
Chun Li turned to Ryu. "Don't start with me, Mister Hoshi, or I will kick your ass."
Ryu grinned. "You can try."
Chun Li threw a punch at Ryu's head. Almost by reflex, Ryu blocked it with his forearm and pulled his woman close to him.
"Finished yet?" he asked.
"I will be, as soon as you do something to change my mind," she replied.
Ryu moved in and kissed her on the lips. After a few moments, the pair brok off the kiss, leaving Chun Li breathless.
"Yeah, that did it," she breathed.
***
Chun Li's anger evaporated as she and Ryu took in the sights of the carnival, enjoying each other's company. Needless to say, Ryu was the object of envy for most of the women there, seeing as he had the most beautiful woman on his arm.
As they crossed the boardwalk, they came across a small music cafe with the words COUPLES NIGHT on the front door. Seeing as they WERE a couple, Ryu and Chun Li walked inside.
Inside the cafe, they found an empty table and sat down. Ryu flagged down a waitress and ordered him and his girlfriend drinks--her a iced tea, him iced water. As the waitress rushed off to get their drinks.
"We should do this more often," Chun Li said, "you know, just go out to places like this, just you and me."
"Remember when we had a night out?" Ryu asked.
Chun Li nodded. "Yeah, I remember. It was the day after we moved to Osaka. You took me out to dinner, to celebrate my new position at Interpol's Japanese office." She paused for a moment. "Y'know, seeing as how there's basically nothing else left for me to do, I was thinking about resigning, maybe open up a private detective agency with the money I'm going to win from this pageant."
"That is, IF you win," Ryu corrected her.
Chun Li grinned. "I know I'm going to win. And I know YOU'RE going to vote for me."
"Just because I'm the judge and you're the contestant doesn't mean that I'm going to vote for you right off the bat," the Japanese martial artist insisted. "That would be biased. I've decided that I will vote for the most talented woman who is deserving of the victory."
"Remember that when you're sleeping on the couch when we return home," Chun Li warned him.
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "I've slept in worse places when I was on the road. A couch is like a queen-sized bed next to the ground in a cave."
The live band--which consisted of a tall, muscular, white-haired man wearing a red jacket with white stripes, and whire slacks, a teenage boy dressed in a black shirt under a blue shirt with hung from his shoulders, and similar white pants, and a redhead whose bangs covered her eyes, and was clad in a pink dress, started to play a romantic song.
Note: If you ever played the King of Fighters series, you can pretty much guess who THESE THREE are. ;)
Ryu looked at Chun Li. "Chun...what would you do...if I asked you to marry me?"
Chun Li blinked. She wasn't expecting that. "Ryu..."
At that moment, the redhead--who happened to be the lead singer, began to sing.
[There's a song that's inside of my soul]
Ryu dug into his pocket and pulled out a small object. It was a simple wedding ring. It had cost him an arm and a leg, but it was worth it.
[It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again]
Chun Li was speechless.
[I'm awake in the infinite cold.]
"Chun Li, I know that this is all unexpected, with the pageant and everything," Ryu continued, "but--"
[But you sing to me over and over and over again.]
Chun Li pressed one finger to his lips. "Ryu..."
[So, I lay my head back down]
Chun Li chose her words carefully. "Ryu...I need some time to think about this. You're asking me to take a huge step in our relationship."
[And I lift my hands and pray]
Ryu understood. "Take all the time you need. I will be wating for your answer."
[To be only yours, I pray, to be only yours]
Chun Li smiled and placed one hand on the side of Ryu's face.
[I know now you're my only hope...]
SMASH!
"RYU HOSHI!"
The entire moment was then wrecked with the double doors being kicked from its hinges, and a female voice scremaing out Ryu's name.
"What the hell?" Ryu was on his feet. "Why can't I spend a normal day together with my girlfriend?"
Standing in the open doorway, was Kiyomi, the sister of the man whom Ryu had fought the night before. This time she wasn't alone. Flanking her, were eight more fighters.
Chun Li was on her feet and standing beside her man. "Friend of yours?"
"Long story," was the reply.
Kiyomi, now dressed in a black hakama was in a fury. "Ryu! You may have gotten lucky with my brother, but now you don't have your friends here to save you?"
From the stage, it was obvious that the tall man had recognized Ryu's name. 'That's Ryu Hoshi? The karate expert?'
Ryu folded his arms across his chest. "Gee, your school's persistance in defeating me even surprises me, Kiyomi. However, the night before, I let that slide." his eyes were now glaring. "You interrupted my date with my girlfriend. I have a huge problem with that."
Kiyomi looked down on Chun Li. "That bitch you're with means nothing to me."
Up until the moment Kiyomi had insulted her, Chun Li had planned on staying out of this. But when Kiyomi had called her a bitch, she wanted to unleash a Kikoushou right then and there, but kept her cool.
Ryu was surprised when Chun Li marched towards Kiyomi and stood within strking range. Chun Li cracked her neck muscles. "What did you call me?"
"A BITCH!" Kiyomi yelled.
SMACK!
Kiyomi was knocked flat on her back, thanks to Chun Li's roundhoue kick to the face. Seeing that the Chinese fighter had drawn blood, Kiyomi sent her fighters after them. "Get them!"
The eight fighters then surrounded the two fighters. Ryu now had his back against Chun Li's, both watching the circling fighters that were primed to attack at any moment. Then the fight fighters attacked in full force.
Three of them advanced on Chun Li. Chun Li dispatched one of them with a footsweep, and when she came back up, she delivered a front snap kick to her second opponent. The third fighter, this time armed with a steel sword, swung his weapon in a vertical slash...and missed.
KRACKKRACKKRACK!
Chun Li dove into a handstand and began to spin, legs stretched in a split as she dropped her final opponent with her Spinning Bird Kick.
The other four fighters were quickly taken down with general ease on Ryu's part. With an bored expression, Ryu dealt out swift and severe blows with his hands. The defeated fighters, after they had became throughly accquainted with Ryu's fists and Chun Li's feet, were sent packing. Only Kiyomi remained.
Chun Li wanted to do this alone. "She's mine," she seethed.
Ryu stepped back.
While the fight was taking place, Kiyomi had recovered, hoping to see the defeat of Ryu and his woman, but that didn't happen. Now she had Ryu's enraged woman to deal with.
Aside from the fact that her hair was sporting several strands, Chun Li was completely unscathed. Her expression was something that one didn't want to see--hell hath no fury than that of an woman insulted and Chun Li was planning on delivering some serious pain to Kiyomi.
***
Outside the cafe, three minutes later...
"Kikou...SHOU!"
KA-BLAM!
The human projectile that was Kiyomi was sent flying out of the cafe, and landed on the boardwalk. Her hakama was shredded, but still had enough clothes for some degree of modesty. The force of Chun Li's Kikoushou had rendered her opponent unconscious.
Chun Li stepped out onto the boardwalk. In the end, Kiyomi was no match. It only took her several blows to knock Kiyomi out.
Ryu stepped out next to her and looked at his girlfriend's handiwork. Chun Li turned to Ryu. "Come on. Let's go home." She glanced at her fallen opponent. "She pretty much wrecked our date."
***
Back at the Masters condo, the pair were getting ready for bed. Ryu had, in the meantime, told her everything. The tournament in Nagoya, in which he had fought Kiyomi's karate school, which led up to the brawl at the restaurant and the fight inside the cafe.
Ryu was clad in a pair of blue pajama pants, his chest was bare. He was doing his stretching excercises before he went to bed. Chun Li was wearing a short terrycloth robe, and was brushing out her hair.
"I'm really sorry about today," Ryu apologized.
Chun Li placed the brush down and faced Ryu. "It wasn't your fault," she replied. She then managed a smile. "Now I know for a fact that you are faithful to me."
"Was there ever any doubt?"
"A little."
The Shotokan fighter crossed the room and stood in front of Chun Li. "Is there anything I can do to to help you forget?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with good humor.
Chun Li wrapped her arms around his neck. "You can try," she replied, pushing him back to the bed.
The two fighters began to kiss. However, Ryu had misjudged the distance of the bed and stumbled on its side, sending both him and Chun Li onto the matress laughing. They stopped for a moment before resuming their kissing, which led to something more as Ryu fumbled for the lamp on the nightstand.
It turned off with a soft click, leavingg the two lovers with the moonlight outside as a source of light.