The next morning Chun Li showed up to work early. She wanted to apologize to Li for
standing him up, but he did not come to work. As she went into her office, her boss went inside to
tell her the latest news. "Welcome back." He smiled.
"Thank you," she replied. "It's good to be back."
"I hope you got a lot of R&R. How was your time off?"
"It was okay," she replied.
"Well I hate to welcome you back with bad news, but this can't wait." Her boss hesitated. "One of the men you arrested has escaped."
"Who?" Her eyes widened.
"Vega."
"When did that happen?" Chun Li was outraged. "The man is a psychopath."
"Recently." He replied, "But that is not the half of it."
"There's more?"
"Yes," he added, "One of our agents intercepted a message from Shadowloo HQ." He
nodded. "We found out the tournament was held to weed out the world's best fighters."
"I don't understand what you are staying." She responded, "We already knew this."
"Yes, but we did not know that one of the men in the tournament was a spy. He was secretly gather information
on the fighters and as a result there as been three abduction attempts on some of the
finalist in the tournament." Chun Li was frozen. "I don't want to alarm you, we did
inform the local authorities and each of the pots were foiled."
"So what are you trying to tell me really?"
"We believe Vega might be coming after you along with Shadowloo agents. Also
some scouts in the field saw a Ryu Hoshi, from the tournament walking around down town yesterday. If he is
not a Shadowloo spy trying to locate you then he is most likely a target as well." Chun Li
did not answer. "This brings me to your next assignment." The mere mention of his
name was like a dagger in her heart.
"I want you to follow him, watch what he does. I want to know who he meets with, what he is wearing
and I even want to know what time he eats." Her face hardened. She was being asked to
observe a man she despised. Just the mere sight of him made her heart sink in despair.
"What makes you think he was the inside man in the tournament?" She asked, "There
were many people involved."
"Nothing much," he added, "But he has been seen around the dojo where you workout at
and he fought Li Sui an acquaintance of yours. That can be a coincidence, but I wouldn't
write it off just yet." Chun Li listened; she tried to keep her composure and have a clear
head. Her boss then gave her the name and address of the hotel at where Ryu was
staying.
"I want you to watch him and if needed, protect him from any Shadowloo's agents if he is
a target. But I must say this; take care of yourself Chun Li, since you are most likely a
target as well." She was somewhat touched by her boss' concern for her.
"I won't let you down," she replied. Then he left her office. Chun Li looked at the piece
of paper with the address. It was on the lower west side of the city. She looked up to see
her boss stuck his head back in her office.
"Oh and one more thing. I assigned a brown car for your mission. It is less conspicuous
than all the other cars." Chun Li nodded. "It's in section Red 3A in the company parking
lot. The car is an old brown Honda." Chun Li bit her lip out of spite.
When she found the car; it was the ugliest thing she had ever seen, but she sat behind the
wheel and drove to the lower west side of the city. It did not take her long to spot him.
He was a foreigner among her people; he stuck out like a sore thumb. Chun Li rolled up
the tinted windows and proceed to follow him He did not detect he was being followed.
Early on she was amazed at how far Ryu could walk. He walked from one dojo to the
next looking for opponents. Sometimes he found them, but most of the time he did not.
No normal fighter wanted to face him she imagined.
It was mid day when she picked up a hint that he knew he was being followed. She
accelerated the car and drove around the block, but stopped one block behind him. Chun
Li was not sure if he was an enemy agent or not so she made sure he did not notice her.
***
He walked down the narrow alley and around the corner to lose the brown car. When he
made it back to the street he saw the car was still with him. He then decided to go into a
restaurant and leave out the back door so he could double back around.
***
She had him in her sights. He went into the restaurant; so she circled the block. Once
she did not see him she parked the car and waited. One hour went by; she turned on the
radio. An hour and a half went by; she be came weary. After two hours passed she
knew she had to investigate. She took her gun and removed it safety; then slipped it into
the holster underneath her jacket. Like a good agent, she called from back up. Chun Li
was apprehensive, but kept her gun and badge hidden. Slowly she opened the car door;
fear crept up her spine. She stepped out and looked around. Then all of a sudden she
was accosted from behind. She spun around and did a lightening kick. He jumped back.
Finally she saw her attacker; it was Ryu. It became clear to her that he was the inside
person. He got around her and tried to put her in a hold, but she got him off balance and
threw him. Ryu got up immediately and threw a fire ball. She leaped out of the way
while keeping her skirt from flying over her head. He came at her again; she decided to
do a head stomp, but he caught her and did a dragon punch, the very move that defeated
her. She countered with a whirlwind kick, but missed. He picked her out of the air and
threw her like a rag doll. She was dazed, but she countered with another lightening kick
then a hard punch to the face. He proceeded to drop kick her but she blocked it with an
over head kick. She followed up with a kick to the mid section; but he caught her leg.
Chun Li had to think fast so she did a chest stomp and a back flip to gain some ground.
She shouted at him in English first, "Police!" She showed him her badge. "Reach for the
sky!" She always wanted to say that since an America colleague taught her that line. Then
she spoke to Ryu in English. "Who are you working for?" She put her badge away. He
did not respond. "Where is Vega?" She demanded, "I know you two are together." Ryu
just looked away. She wondered if her English was correct so she repeated herself
slowly and raised her voice. "Vey-Ga", she gestured, "I know U-R Wur-King to-get-her."
"Vega?" He answered, "Why are you following he?"
"You heard me, don't be cute." She replied. Her back up then arrived.
***
Ryu was meditating in a holding cell; apparently he was no longer considered a suspect.
Then an inspector Yu entered. He called Ryu's name, but he did not
respond. He turned back to the guards. "So he has been this way since you brought him
in? Are you sure he's not hurt or anything. He's not moving."
"He's meditating," one of the guards said. "Just look at him." The other men gawked.
"My grandfather use to do that stuff. Then we put him in a home." One of the other
guards replied.
"Why did your grandfather mediate?" the other guard asked.
"I don't know, it had something to do with chi, ka and all that stuff. You know." He
replied.
"So how do I speak to him?" The inspector asked. "I really wanted to talk to him."
"Just talk, I guess." The guard waved his hand in front of his face. "They all
thought my grandfather was crazy when he went into this state, but he also claimed to see
things too."
"Why not just talk to me." Ryu opened his eyes.
"Mr. Hoshi?" The inspector addressed him. "My name is Inspector Charles Yu." Ryu
continued to stare. "Don't get up. I'll sit down." Inspector Yu sat down beside Ryu.
"Congratulations on wining the Street Fighters tournament." He offered Ryu his hand,
but Ryu did not want to shake it. "I see you have met our special ops officer. She thought
you was working for the Shadowloo."
"So that is why I'm here," Ryu replied.
"Yes and no," Inspector answered. "We want to protect you from the Shadowloo to be
exact. They have been abducting fighters who participated in the Street Fighers tournament and
offering them "join or die" proposals. So far we have been successful at apprehending
the culprits."
"I don't need any assistance, but I thank you Mr. Yu." Ryu nonchalantly replied.
"That isn't quite what I'm asking. Since you and your arresting officer are targets we
to want secure you so we can have a combined effort to fight and observe the Shadowloo instead of scattering field officers
who would only watch the wings. Since you and Miss Xiang are the only two remaining non secured targets remaining it woud only be fitting for Interpol to protect you personally; especially since you were the champion." He smiled at Ryu. "Rest assured that
you will be perfectly safe. We wouldn't ask you to put yourself in any clear and present
danger."
"I'm listening."
"By cooperating you would help bring down the Shadowloo and help countless people."
Ryu did not reply. "You can think it over. You have plenty of time." Ryu stands up.
"Easy there chief, you aren't going anywhere." Inspector Yu put his hand on Ryu's arm.
Ryu gave him a mincing stare which caused Inspector Yu to back off. "You are in the
custody of Interpol and your cooperation is mandatory." He then left Ryu in the cell.
"Don't worry you will be sent some place better than here." Inspector Yu closed the door.
He then gestured for the guards to have him removed.
***
At this time Chun Li was being briefed with the latest news. She was receiving a new
assignment. When she heard the news, she did not want to be taken off the case, but listened. "It's not safe for you
to remain in Beijing."
"But I can handle myself, " she protested. "I thought I proved that to you. Don't take me
off the case just yet. Mr. Hoshi was an accident, he was acting in a suspicious manner."
"I understand," her boss replied, "But I'm not going to reassign you to another mission.
This is the same mission, but different circumstances." Her boss sighed, "I want you and
meditation man to go in hiding."
"Where," she asked.
"We are planning to hide the two of you in a cabin in the wilderness until we know that it
is safe and Vega has been captured."
"Vega," she repeated. "I can recapture him. He is a man of routine."
"Yes," her boss insisted. "But he has the element of surprise and preparation. It's not just
hand to hand combat. This is more than one person can handle." Chun Li did not reply.
"We will have a whole team backing you up."
"Will they be staying with me?"
"No but they will be nearby since to large of a crowd can bring unwanted attention." He
then added, "Just consider this another vacation."
"I will then," she smiled. "I will just commune with nature while I have team of Interpol
agents backing me up."
"Yes, that's it." Her boss laughed. "And don't forget meditation man, makes two." Chun
Li looked around.
"What! Take him!"
"He won't get in your way. All he has done since we brought him in was meditate;
besides the boys in lock down think he's goofy in the head." This could not be happening; her heart
fluttered, she felt nauseous.
"Are you sure putting two target's together is a good idea?" She asked. "We would be
making the enemy's job easier."
"True, but they don't know we have Ryu. So by putting you and him together we can
combine our field forces since we would only be securing one position instead of two."
"But," Chun Li uttered.
"They will be caught off guard if they want to take the offensive with us. I assure you that you are perfectly safe and in no clear
and present danger. So do you have any questions?"
"Yes," she asked. Her boss raised an eyebrow. "When do I leave?"
"Right now, to be exact, but don't worry about going home to pack. I'll supply you with a
credit card so you can buy all new things. By now your apartment is crawling with
enemy agents." Chun Li nodded. He then asked "So are there any more questions?"
Chun Li shook her heard. "Take the brown car again. We left driving directions in the
glove compartment."
***
On the drive to the cabin she had promised herself that she would be polite and courteous
to Ryu because he had nothing to do with her father's murder. She was so angry that she
felt the pit of her stomach. When arrived and saw that Ryu was not there, she was somewhat
relieved; so she watched her favorite movie "Enter the Dragon". Halfway through the
movie she heard keys being turned in the front door; her heart beated loudly in her ears,
but she smiled when Ryu entered the cabin. He gave her a cold stare. She picked up the
remote from beside her. "Are you going to stare at me all night?" She asked.
"No," Ryu replied. Chun Li could sense that their meeting was just as unsettling for him
as it was for her. She then sat back on the sofa and went back to watching the movie.
He continued to stare. "Where will you train?" He asked. The knots in her stomach
tighten.
"I guess out back," she replied. She wanted to tell him to leave her alone, but she swore
under hear breath in Chinese. Then she regained her composure. "Is that all?" Her
patience and hospitality was running short. Ryu observed her.
"I only asked this because I cannot meditate with the television turned on. Would you
mind turning it down." She looked at the television then at him, waited a few minutes
then decided to turn the television off.
"I guess I can finish watching this moving in the morning." She threw the remote down
on the sofa. "It's no fun watching movies without sound anyway."
"I did not mean to disturb you." He apologized. Chun Li smirked.
"Well that's alright, I was only watching the best movie ever made." She got up. "I think
I will turn in." Ryu looked as she left.
"I did not mean to bother you," he replied. "I was just saying." Chun Li slammed the
door. On the other side she leaned on the door and locked it. Her sorrow became anger
and the tears she swept became a fist. She was not tired, but she wanted to avoid him.
Chun Li hated being controlled even if it were by her own emotions. She took out a pair
of red silk pajamas she bought and got dressed for bed. Later that night she woke up and
finished watching the movie since Ryu was asleep. Then a thought came to her; she
could avoid him if she only was up at night.
***
Ryu woke up to find Chun Li asleep on the sofa. The television was still on. She looked
very troubled; her arms and legs were all disheveled and she violently tossed and turned.
He debated whether to wake her. He put his hand on her shoulder. She then stirred to
the touch. He moved back, but she did not wake up. Then she spoke.
"Father," she sobbed. "I am so sorry I failed you." He noticed that tears were coming
from her eyes. She started to cry louder, but woke up. She hunched over and put her
face in her hands. Chun Li did not notice that Ryu was beside her. He then called her
name. She winced. "How long have you been there?" She wiped her tears and gained
her composure.
"Not long," he replied. She quickly pushed her hair back and stood up.
"I have to get dressed." Her face was flustered. She pushed past him and ran back into her
room. He was about to follow her, but stopped. It was not his business and decided to go
outside. But after a week of the silent treatment and being avoided, Ryu noticed that
Chun Li stopped training. He had wanted a rematch with her, but since she had stopped training it might not happen.
***
When he approached her, she was in the backyard. Chun Li was huddled up in a ball,
holding her ankles. "Have you stopped training?" He asked her. Chun Li was quietly
staring far off. "You are a good fighter Chun Li." She turned to look at him; she had not
been expecting a compliment. Chun Li unballed herself and got up from he chair to
leave, but Ryu was blocking her.
"Just leave me alone!" She yelled at him in her native tongue. Ryu did not back off.
"Why should you care." She pushed him out of her way and walked to the back door, but
he caught her. "Let me go you," she did not know what to call him because she was so
angry.
"I want you to challenge me," he said.
"Why should I?" She struggled to get away from him, but he did not release her. "Now
let me go!" She swore at him in Chinese again.
"It's a shame to watch an exceptional fighter like you decline." He told her. "Why won't
you continue training?"
"It's none of your business," she shouted. Then she realized he considered her an
exceptional fighter. "Let me go," she pleaded. He loosened his grip. She did not know
what to do. He then spoke to her again.
"Why do you hate me?" Chun Li was speechless.
"Hate you," she repeated. "I don't hate you, but you won't understand. Now please get out of my way."
"Don't stop training." He looked her in the eyes. "You have so much potential."
"Do you really want to know?" She asked. No person is an island so she decided to
confide in Ryu. "It's about my father." Ryu gave his undivided attention. "I was suppose
to avenge my father's death, by bringing Bison to justice." Her face was pale, she did not
look at him. "But then you came along," she went on, "and when you defeated him he
escaped and went underground causing all my years of hard work and training to be
worthless." Ryu looked at her unempathicaly then said.
"I want you to hit me as hard as you can."
"What?" She asked. "No," she pushed him away from her, but he followed. "It's not your
fault."
"Hit me," he demanded. Chun Li looked at him. "I defeated you and took your only
chance to avenge your father's death." He turned her around slowly to face him. "Come
on, don't be lady-like, hit me." She thought about it, then slapped his face, but Ryu
caught her hand. "Too slow, again." She was a little peeved and tried to slap him again,
but he ducked. "Again," he said. Chun Li soon caught on that Ryu wanted her to train with
him.
"I see what you are trying to do" She said. "I am going to keep up my training regimen if
that is what you are wondering." She noticed that Ryu had a faint smile since he usually had such a stern expression. "Did you want to spar?"
"Ofcourse," he said. "Our last match was a good challenge for me."
"I hear there will be another tournament" She replied. "Don't think you will get to know
all my moves. I'm no push over; I have a few you haven't seen."
If you want to defeat Bison, you have to improve." Ryu said; Chun Li took offense to his
statement, but let it go. "He was a very strong opponent with little weaknesses. You will
have to be more than just fast to beat him, you will need stronger moves."
"I'm listening," she nonchalantly said. Her temper was slowly peeking. Ryu backed up.
"Do you see that tree over there?"
"Yes, what about it?" She asked. It was an old pine tree with a massive trunk and many wide
branches.
"Watch." Ryu threw a fire ball at the tree, causing it to be pulverized. "Now you try."
"I like trees," she said, but she was in awe at how the tree was blasted into pieces. "How
did you do that?"
"I'll show you," he replied. "As for your whirl wind kick it needs to improve." Chun Li
could not believe what she was hearing, but remembered Mr. Wong's words, "It must be
good fortune." Deep down she knew that Ryu was right; he did defeat her after all.
standing him up, but he did not come to work. As she went into her office, her boss went inside to
tell her the latest news. "Welcome back." He smiled.
"Thank you," she replied. "It's good to be back."
"I hope you got a lot of R&R. How was your time off?"
"It was okay," she replied.
"Well I hate to welcome you back with bad news, but this can't wait." Her boss hesitated. "One of the men you arrested has escaped."
"Who?" Her eyes widened.
"Vega."
"When did that happen?" Chun Li was outraged. "The man is a psychopath."
"Recently." He replied, "But that is not the half of it."
"There's more?"
"Yes," he added, "One of our agents intercepted a message from Shadowloo HQ." He
nodded. "We found out the tournament was held to weed out the world's best fighters."
"I don't understand what you are staying." She responded, "We already knew this."
"Yes, but we did not know that one of the men in the tournament was a spy. He was secretly gather information
on the fighters and as a result there as been three abduction attempts on some of the
finalist in the tournament." Chun Li was frozen. "I don't want to alarm you, we did
inform the local authorities and each of the pots were foiled."
"So what are you trying to tell me really?"
"We believe Vega might be coming after you along with Shadowloo agents. Also
some scouts in the field saw a Ryu Hoshi, from the tournament walking around down town yesterday. If he is
not a Shadowloo spy trying to locate you then he is most likely a target as well." Chun Li
did not answer. "This brings me to your next assignment." The mere mention of his
name was like a dagger in her heart.
"I want you to follow him, watch what he does. I want to know who he meets with, what he is wearing
and I even want to know what time he eats." Her face hardened. She was being asked to
observe a man she despised. Just the mere sight of him made her heart sink in despair.
"What makes you think he was the inside man in the tournament?" She asked, "There
were many people involved."
"Nothing much," he added, "But he has been seen around the dojo where you workout at
and he fought Li Sui an acquaintance of yours. That can be a coincidence, but I wouldn't
write it off just yet." Chun Li listened; she tried to keep her composure and have a clear
head. Her boss then gave her the name and address of the hotel at where Ryu was
staying.
"I want you to watch him and if needed, protect him from any Shadowloo's agents if he is
a target. But I must say this; take care of yourself Chun Li, since you are most likely a
target as well." She was somewhat touched by her boss' concern for her.
"I won't let you down," she replied. Then he left her office. Chun Li looked at the piece
of paper with the address. It was on the lower west side of the city. She looked up to see
her boss stuck his head back in her office.
"Oh and one more thing. I assigned a brown car for your mission. It is less conspicuous
than all the other cars." Chun Li nodded. "It's in section Red 3A in the company parking
lot. The car is an old brown Honda." Chun Li bit her lip out of spite.
When she found the car; it was the ugliest thing she had ever seen, but she sat behind the
wheel and drove to the lower west side of the city. It did not take her long to spot him.
He was a foreigner among her people; he stuck out like a sore thumb. Chun Li rolled up
the tinted windows and proceed to follow him He did not detect he was being followed.
Early on she was amazed at how far Ryu could walk. He walked from one dojo to the
next looking for opponents. Sometimes he found them, but most of the time he did not.
No normal fighter wanted to face him she imagined.
It was mid day when she picked up a hint that he knew he was being followed. She
accelerated the car and drove around the block, but stopped one block behind him. Chun
Li was not sure if he was an enemy agent or not so she made sure he did not notice her.
***
He walked down the narrow alley and around the corner to lose the brown car. When he
made it back to the street he saw the car was still with him. He then decided to go into a
restaurant and leave out the back door so he could double back around.
***
She had him in her sights. He went into the restaurant; so she circled the block. Once
she did not see him she parked the car and waited. One hour went by; she turned on the
radio. An hour and a half went by; she be came weary. After two hours passed she
knew she had to investigate. She took her gun and removed it safety; then slipped it into
the holster underneath her jacket. Like a good agent, she called from back up. Chun Li
was apprehensive, but kept her gun and badge hidden. Slowly she opened the car door;
fear crept up her spine. She stepped out and looked around. Then all of a sudden she
was accosted from behind. She spun around and did a lightening kick. He jumped back.
Finally she saw her attacker; it was Ryu. It became clear to her that he was the inside
person. He got around her and tried to put her in a hold, but she got him off balance and
threw him. Ryu got up immediately and threw a fire ball. She leaped out of the way
while keeping her skirt from flying over her head. He came at her again; she decided to
do a head stomp, but he caught her and did a dragon punch, the very move that defeated
her. She countered with a whirlwind kick, but missed. He picked her out of the air and
threw her like a rag doll. She was dazed, but she countered with another lightening kick
then a hard punch to the face. He proceeded to drop kick her but she blocked it with an
over head kick. She followed up with a kick to the mid section; but he caught her leg.
Chun Li had to think fast so she did a chest stomp and a back flip to gain some ground.
She shouted at him in English first, "Police!" She showed him her badge. "Reach for the
sky!" She always wanted to say that since an America colleague taught her that line. Then
she spoke to Ryu in English. "Who are you working for?" She put her badge away. He
did not respond. "Where is Vega?" She demanded, "I know you two are together." Ryu
just looked away. She wondered if her English was correct so she repeated herself
slowly and raised her voice. "Vey-Ga", she gestured, "I know U-R Wur-King to-get-her."
"Vega?" He answered, "Why are you following he?"
"You heard me, don't be cute." She replied. Her back up then arrived.
***
Ryu was meditating in a holding cell; apparently he was no longer considered a suspect.
Then an inspector Yu entered. He called Ryu's name, but he did not
respond. He turned back to the guards. "So he has been this way since you brought him
in? Are you sure he's not hurt or anything. He's not moving."
"He's meditating," one of the guards said. "Just look at him." The other men gawked.
"My grandfather use to do that stuff. Then we put him in a home." One of the other
guards replied.
"Why did your grandfather mediate?" the other guard asked.
"I don't know, it had something to do with chi, ka and all that stuff. You know." He
replied.
"So how do I speak to him?" The inspector asked. "I really wanted to talk to him."
"Just talk, I guess." The guard waved his hand in front of his face. "They all
thought my grandfather was crazy when he went into this state, but he also claimed to see
things too."
"Why not just talk to me." Ryu opened his eyes.
"Mr. Hoshi?" The inspector addressed him. "My name is Inspector Charles Yu." Ryu
continued to stare. "Don't get up. I'll sit down." Inspector Yu sat down beside Ryu.
"Congratulations on wining the Street Fighters tournament." He offered Ryu his hand,
but Ryu did not want to shake it. "I see you have met our special ops officer. She thought
you was working for the Shadowloo."
"So that is why I'm here," Ryu replied.
"Yes and no," Inspector answered. "We want to protect you from the Shadowloo to be
exact. They have been abducting fighters who participated in the Street Fighers tournament and
offering them "join or die" proposals. So far we have been successful at apprehending
the culprits."
"I don't need any assistance, but I thank you Mr. Yu." Ryu nonchalantly replied.
"That isn't quite what I'm asking. Since you and your arresting officer are targets we
to want secure you so we can have a combined effort to fight and observe the Shadowloo instead of scattering field officers
who would only watch the wings. Since you and Miss Xiang are the only two remaining non secured targets remaining it woud only be fitting for Interpol to protect you personally; especially since you were the champion." He smiled at Ryu. "Rest assured that
you will be perfectly safe. We wouldn't ask you to put yourself in any clear and present
danger."
"I'm listening."
"By cooperating you would help bring down the Shadowloo and help countless people."
Ryu did not reply. "You can think it over. You have plenty of time." Ryu stands up.
"Easy there chief, you aren't going anywhere." Inspector Yu put his hand on Ryu's arm.
Ryu gave him a mincing stare which caused Inspector Yu to back off. "You are in the
custody of Interpol and your cooperation is mandatory." He then left Ryu in the cell.
"Don't worry you will be sent some place better than here." Inspector Yu closed the door.
He then gestured for the guards to have him removed.
***
At this time Chun Li was being briefed with the latest news. She was receiving a new
assignment. When she heard the news, she did not want to be taken off the case, but listened. "It's not safe for you
to remain in Beijing."
"But I can handle myself, " she protested. "I thought I proved that to you. Don't take me
off the case just yet. Mr. Hoshi was an accident, he was acting in a suspicious manner."
"I understand," her boss replied, "But I'm not going to reassign you to another mission.
This is the same mission, but different circumstances." Her boss sighed, "I want you and
meditation man to go in hiding."
"Where," she asked.
"We are planning to hide the two of you in a cabin in the wilderness until we know that it
is safe and Vega has been captured."
"Vega," she repeated. "I can recapture him. He is a man of routine."
"Yes," her boss insisted. "But he has the element of surprise and preparation. It's not just
hand to hand combat. This is more than one person can handle." Chun Li did not reply.
"We will have a whole team backing you up."
"Will they be staying with me?"
"No but they will be nearby since to large of a crowd can bring unwanted attention." He
then added, "Just consider this another vacation."
"I will then," she smiled. "I will just commune with nature while I have team of Interpol
agents backing me up."
"Yes, that's it." Her boss laughed. "And don't forget meditation man, makes two." Chun
Li looked around.
"What! Take him!"
"He won't get in your way. All he has done since we brought him in was meditate;
besides the boys in lock down think he's goofy in the head." This could not be happening; her heart
fluttered, she felt nauseous.
"Are you sure putting two target's together is a good idea?" She asked. "We would be
making the enemy's job easier."
"True, but they don't know we have Ryu. So by putting you and him together we can
combine our field forces since we would only be securing one position instead of two."
"But," Chun Li uttered.
"They will be caught off guard if they want to take the offensive with us. I assure you that you are perfectly safe and in no clear
and present danger. So do you have any questions?"
"Yes," she asked. Her boss raised an eyebrow. "When do I leave?"
"Right now, to be exact, but don't worry about going home to pack. I'll supply you with a
credit card so you can buy all new things. By now your apartment is crawling with
enemy agents." Chun Li nodded. He then asked "So are there any more questions?"
Chun Li shook her heard. "Take the brown car again. We left driving directions in the
glove compartment."
***
On the drive to the cabin she had promised herself that she would be polite and courteous
to Ryu because he had nothing to do with her father's murder. She was so angry that she
felt the pit of her stomach. When arrived and saw that Ryu was not there, she was somewhat
relieved; so she watched her favorite movie "Enter the Dragon". Halfway through the
movie she heard keys being turned in the front door; her heart beated loudly in her ears,
but she smiled when Ryu entered the cabin. He gave her a cold stare. She picked up the
remote from beside her. "Are you going to stare at me all night?" She asked.
"No," Ryu replied. Chun Li could sense that their meeting was just as unsettling for him
as it was for her. She then sat back on the sofa and went back to watching the movie.
He continued to stare. "Where will you train?" He asked. The knots in her stomach
tighten.
"I guess out back," she replied. She wanted to tell him to leave her alone, but she swore
under hear breath in Chinese. Then she regained her composure. "Is that all?" Her
patience and hospitality was running short. Ryu observed her.
"I only asked this because I cannot meditate with the television turned on. Would you
mind turning it down." She looked at the television then at him, waited a few minutes
then decided to turn the television off.
"I guess I can finish watching this moving in the morning." She threw the remote down
on the sofa. "It's no fun watching movies without sound anyway."
"I did not mean to disturb you." He apologized. Chun Li smirked.
"Well that's alright, I was only watching the best movie ever made." She got up. "I think
I will turn in." Ryu looked as she left.
"I did not mean to bother you," he replied. "I was just saying." Chun Li slammed the
door. On the other side she leaned on the door and locked it. Her sorrow became anger
and the tears she swept became a fist. She was not tired, but she wanted to avoid him.
Chun Li hated being controlled even if it were by her own emotions. She took out a pair
of red silk pajamas she bought and got dressed for bed. Later that night she woke up and
finished watching the movie since Ryu was asleep. Then a thought came to her; she
could avoid him if she only was up at night.
***
Ryu woke up to find Chun Li asleep on the sofa. The television was still on. She looked
very troubled; her arms and legs were all disheveled and she violently tossed and turned.
He debated whether to wake her. He put his hand on her shoulder. She then stirred to
the touch. He moved back, but she did not wake up. Then she spoke.
"Father," she sobbed. "I am so sorry I failed you." He noticed that tears were coming
from her eyes. She started to cry louder, but woke up. She hunched over and put her
face in her hands. Chun Li did not notice that Ryu was beside her. He then called her
name. She winced. "How long have you been there?" She wiped her tears and gained
her composure.
"Not long," he replied. She quickly pushed her hair back and stood up.
"I have to get dressed." Her face was flustered. She pushed past him and ran back into her
room. He was about to follow her, but stopped. It was not his business and decided to go
outside. But after a week of the silent treatment and being avoided, Ryu noticed that
Chun Li stopped training. He had wanted a rematch with her, but since she had stopped training it might not happen.
***
When he approached her, she was in the backyard. Chun Li was huddled up in a ball,
holding her ankles. "Have you stopped training?" He asked her. Chun Li was quietly
staring far off. "You are a good fighter Chun Li." She turned to look at him; she had not
been expecting a compliment. Chun Li unballed herself and got up from he chair to
leave, but Ryu was blocking her.
"Just leave me alone!" She yelled at him in her native tongue. Ryu did not back off.
"Why should you care." She pushed him out of her way and walked to the back door, but
he caught her. "Let me go you," she did not know what to call him because she was so
angry.
"I want you to challenge me," he said.
"Why should I?" She struggled to get away from him, but he did not release her. "Now
let me go!" She swore at him in Chinese again.
"It's a shame to watch an exceptional fighter like you decline." He told her. "Why won't
you continue training?"
"It's none of your business," she shouted. Then she realized he considered her an
exceptional fighter. "Let me go," she pleaded. He loosened his grip. She did not know
what to do. He then spoke to her again.
"Why do you hate me?" Chun Li was speechless.
"Hate you," she repeated. "I don't hate you, but you won't understand. Now please get out of my way."
"Don't stop training." He looked her in the eyes. "You have so much potential."
"Do you really want to know?" She asked. No person is an island so she decided to
confide in Ryu. "It's about my father." Ryu gave his undivided attention. "I was suppose
to avenge my father's death, by bringing Bison to justice." Her face was pale, she did not
look at him. "But then you came along," she went on, "and when you defeated him he
escaped and went underground causing all my years of hard work and training to be
worthless." Ryu looked at her unempathicaly then said.
"I want you to hit me as hard as you can."
"What?" She asked. "No," she pushed him away from her, but he followed. "It's not your
fault."
"Hit me," he demanded. Chun Li looked at him. "I defeated you and took your only
chance to avenge your father's death." He turned her around slowly to face him. "Come
on, don't be lady-like, hit me." She thought about it, then slapped his face, but Ryu
caught her hand. "Too slow, again." She was a little peeved and tried to slap him again,
but he ducked. "Again," he said. Chun Li soon caught on that Ryu wanted her to train with
him.
"I see what you are trying to do" She said. "I am going to keep up my training regimen if
that is what you are wondering." She noticed that Ryu had a faint smile since he usually had such a stern expression. "Did you want to spar?"
"Ofcourse," he said. "Our last match was a good challenge for me."
"I hear there will be another tournament" She replied. "Don't think you will get to know
all my moves. I'm no push over; I have a few you haven't seen."
If you want to defeat Bison, you have to improve." Ryu said; Chun Li took offense to his
statement, but let it go. "He was a very strong opponent with little weaknesses. You will
have to be more than just fast to beat him, you will need stronger moves."
"I'm listening," she nonchalantly said. Her temper was slowly peeking. Ryu backed up.
"Do you see that tree over there?"
"Yes, what about it?" She asked. It was an old pine tree with a massive trunk and many wide
branches.
"Watch." Ryu threw a fire ball at the tree, causing it to be pulverized. "Now you try."
"I like trees," she said, but she was in awe at how the tree was blasted into pieces. "How
did you do that?"
"I'll show you," he replied. "As for your whirl wind kick it needs to improve." Chun Li
could not believe what she was hearing, but remembered Mr. Wong's words, "It must be
good fortune." Deep down she knew that Ryu was right; he did defeat her after all.