Chapter Two
At Ryu's request, Chun Li had decided to take a short-term vacation from Interpol to rest and recover from her 'fall.' Right now, she was in the bed, dressed in a pair of pajamas, her long hair in her usual 'braided and bunned' style.
She was still trying to figure out what had happened the night before. The last thing she remembered was sparring with Ryu in the dojo right before she passed out. She had assumed that it was just exhaustion, but the way that Ryu was acting made her suspect that he was hiding something from her.
***
-Somewhere on a train bound to Tokyo...-
The mysterious fortuneteller that was Rose sat in her cab. Placed neatly in a stack, were her Tarot cards. She took one off the top and placed it on the table.
'Hmm...so it begins,' she thought.
Originally, she had come to Japan to relax. Now, she was making a detour in her trip, after checking her cards.
'Seems that the Chinese woman has the Dark Hadou,' Rose thought.
Rose had met Chun Li back in Hong Kong when she and Ryu had gotten married. She had known Ryu even longer. She had met him though his friend Ken Masters. Before the Second Street Fighter Tournament, Rose had tracked down Ryu and told him that he would face his greatest challenge yet. It was not with an opponent, but with himself.
She was right. Ryu had triumphed over the Dark Hadou, and now, Chun Li was facing the same problem.
And Ryu needed her help.
***
-Shotokan School/Hoshi Residence-
Ryu was praticing in the dojo, his mind clouded with the fact that Chun Li had the Dark Hadou. At the moment, he was mauling a pratice dummy with his Dragon Punch.
He doesn't notices Chun Li, stil clad in her pajamas and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, enter the dojo. She watches in silence as she proceeds to perform the Shin Shouryuken on the dummy, follwed by the ever-devestating Shankunetsu Hadouken.
"Still praticing?" Chun Li asked.
Ryu turned around. "I thought you were asleep. What are you doing out bed anyway?" He walked over to her. "You should be resting."
Chun Li waved him off. "I'm okay, Ryu. You shouldn't worry about me so much."
"It's my job." He removes his left fighting glove and shows her the gold wedding band on his finger. "If memory serves me right, I am your husband, and I have to look out for you, whether you like it or not."
Chun Li fumed for a moment. "And what if I say no?"
"You won't," Ryu replied. "You like me pampering you."
"Hmm. You have a point."
They walked out of the dojo. At the same time, Rose appeared at the top of the stairs, suitcase in hand.
The couple stopped as they recognised the newcomer. Rose advanced on the pair and stopped withing arm's length. "It has been a while, Ryu," she said in flawless Japanese.
"It has, Rose," Ryu replied.
***
Later on, Ryu and Rose were at the dining room table, sipping tea. Chun Li was back in the bed, this time asleep.
"So what brings you to Japan?" Ryu asked.
Rose sipped her tea. "I came to Japan to the hot springs in Hokkaido. I heard that they ar a good place for resting and recuperating."
"That they are. I've been up there. You've come for something else."
"You posess a sharp mind, Ryu," Rose complimented. "I've come here to help you with Chun Li."
Ryu set his cup down. "So you know about the Dark Hadou."
Rose nodded. "I see you managed to control your dark side. But it is a different matter with Chun Li. She has been through so much pain and suffering with her father's murder and the Shadowlaw investigation that she may actually embrace the Dark Hadou."
"That will not happen," Ryu replied. "I will see to that."
"For her sake, I am hoping for the same thing," Rose said.
***
In the bedroom, Chun Li was moaning softly as her head rocked from side to side. In her mind's eye, she was reliving some key moments that had deeply affected her life. Her father's murder...chasing down Bison's goons...training...the Second Street Fighter Tournament...her match with Ryu to decide who was going to face Bison...
Then she was dreaming.
She found herself in a bamboo field. It was nightime, but there was an air of evil about.
"Where am I?" she muttered to herself.
'We're inside your mind,' someone replied.
Chun Li tuened to the source of the voice...
...and found herself face-to-face with herself...only darker.
Her dark half was in every espect her, with a few differences. Her skin tone was slightly darker, the chesogam battle dress was black, and her eyes held a malicious look in them.
"Who...are you?" Chun Li whispered.
'I'm you,' the twin replied. 'I am your anger, your rage, your hate, your pain. All of the emotions that you had locked away.'
"Why have you come to me?"
The twin smiled. 'To liberate you, Chun Li. You are weak.'
That struck a nerve. "I am not weak!"
'Whatever you say,' the twin replied, playing on Chun Li's weakness and emotions. 'You weren't strong enough to save your father.'
"I...I was in Japan," Chun Li defended.
The twin pointed an accusing finger at her other. 'That's no excuse! You should have been there to protect your father in his time of need. Then he would be alive today. You weren't strong enough to save him, and you're still not strong enough to defeat Ryu!'
"What does Ryu have to do with this?!"
'He is keeping you from reaching your true potential,' the twin replied in a motherly tone. 'You could have beaten him in the tournament, but he won because he knew of your weakness. He took your rightful vengeance away from you!'
The twin knew that Chun Li was weakening from her verbal onslaught, so she continued. 'But no more. I can take the pain away, Chun Li, if you open yourself to me. Call upon the true nature of your power...and you will be unstoppable! Even your husband will not be able to stop you!'
***
Chun Li's eyes snapped open. Slowly she assumed a sitting position and got out of the bed.
At Ryu's request, Chun Li had decided to take a short-term vacation from Interpol to rest and recover from her 'fall.' Right now, she was in the bed, dressed in a pair of pajamas, her long hair in her usual 'braided and bunned' style.
She was still trying to figure out what had happened the night before. The last thing she remembered was sparring with Ryu in the dojo right before she passed out. She had assumed that it was just exhaustion, but the way that Ryu was acting made her suspect that he was hiding something from her.
***
-Somewhere on a train bound to Tokyo...-
The mysterious fortuneteller that was Rose sat in her cab. Placed neatly in a stack, were her Tarot cards. She took one off the top and placed it on the table.
'Hmm...so it begins,' she thought.
Originally, she had come to Japan to relax. Now, she was making a detour in her trip, after checking her cards.
'Seems that the Chinese woman has the Dark Hadou,' Rose thought.
Rose had met Chun Li back in Hong Kong when she and Ryu had gotten married. She had known Ryu even longer. She had met him though his friend Ken Masters. Before the Second Street Fighter Tournament, Rose had tracked down Ryu and told him that he would face his greatest challenge yet. It was not with an opponent, but with himself.
She was right. Ryu had triumphed over the Dark Hadou, and now, Chun Li was facing the same problem.
And Ryu needed her help.
***
-Shotokan School/Hoshi Residence-
Ryu was praticing in the dojo, his mind clouded with the fact that Chun Li had the Dark Hadou. At the moment, he was mauling a pratice dummy with his Dragon Punch.
He doesn't notices Chun Li, stil clad in her pajamas and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, enter the dojo. She watches in silence as she proceeds to perform the Shin Shouryuken on the dummy, follwed by the ever-devestating Shankunetsu Hadouken.
"Still praticing?" Chun Li asked.
Ryu turned around. "I thought you were asleep. What are you doing out bed anyway?" He walked over to her. "You should be resting."
Chun Li waved him off. "I'm okay, Ryu. You shouldn't worry about me so much."
"It's my job." He removes his left fighting glove and shows her the gold wedding band on his finger. "If memory serves me right, I am your husband, and I have to look out for you, whether you like it or not."
Chun Li fumed for a moment. "And what if I say no?"
"You won't," Ryu replied. "You like me pampering you."
"Hmm. You have a point."
They walked out of the dojo. At the same time, Rose appeared at the top of the stairs, suitcase in hand.
The couple stopped as they recognised the newcomer. Rose advanced on the pair and stopped withing arm's length. "It has been a while, Ryu," she said in flawless Japanese.
"It has, Rose," Ryu replied.
***
Later on, Ryu and Rose were at the dining room table, sipping tea. Chun Li was back in the bed, this time asleep.
"So what brings you to Japan?" Ryu asked.
Rose sipped her tea. "I came to Japan to the hot springs in Hokkaido. I heard that they ar a good place for resting and recuperating."
"That they are. I've been up there. You've come for something else."
"You posess a sharp mind, Ryu," Rose complimented. "I've come here to help you with Chun Li."
Ryu set his cup down. "So you know about the Dark Hadou."
Rose nodded. "I see you managed to control your dark side. But it is a different matter with Chun Li. She has been through so much pain and suffering with her father's murder and the Shadowlaw investigation that she may actually embrace the Dark Hadou."
"That will not happen," Ryu replied. "I will see to that."
"For her sake, I am hoping for the same thing," Rose said.
***
In the bedroom, Chun Li was moaning softly as her head rocked from side to side. In her mind's eye, she was reliving some key moments that had deeply affected her life. Her father's murder...chasing down Bison's goons...training...the Second Street Fighter Tournament...her match with Ryu to decide who was going to face Bison...
Then she was dreaming.
She found herself in a bamboo field. It was nightime, but there was an air of evil about.
"Where am I?" she muttered to herself.
'We're inside your mind,' someone replied.
Chun Li tuened to the source of the voice...
...and found herself face-to-face with herself...only darker.
Her dark half was in every espect her, with a few differences. Her skin tone was slightly darker, the chesogam battle dress was black, and her eyes held a malicious look in them.
"Who...are you?" Chun Li whispered.
'I'm you,' the twin replied. 'I am your anger, your rage, your hate, your pain. All of the emotions that you had locked away.'
"Why have you come to me?"
The twin smiled. 'To liberate you, Chun Li. You are weak.'
That struck a nerve. "I am not weak!"
'Whatever you say,' the twin replied, playing on Chun Li's weakness and emotions. 'You weren't strong enough to save your father.'
"I...I was in Japan," Chun Li defended.
The twin pointed an accusing finger at her other. 'That's no excuse! You should have been there to protect your father in his time of need. Then he would be alive today. You weren't strong enough to save him, and you're still not strong enough to defeat Ryu!'
"What does Ryu have to do with this?!"
'He is keeping you from reaching your true potential,' the twin replied in a motherly tone. 'You could have beaten him in the tournament, but he won because he knew of your weakness. He took your rightful vengeance away from you!'
The twin knew that Chun Li was weakening from her verbal onslaught, so she continued. 'But no more. I can take the pain away, Chun Li, if you open yourself to me. Call upon the true nature of your power...and you will be unstoppable! Even your husband will not be able to stop you!'
***
Chun Li's eyes snapped open. Slowly she assumed a sitting position and got out of the bed.