Chapter Four
Pain.
Chun Li groaned softly as she woke up. Her head was pounding and her chest hurt. She looked to her left, only to find that Ryu wasn't beside her.
He was in the chair next to her, watching her. She asuumed a sitting position, and that was when she notices the worried expression on his face. "Ryu, what's wrong?" she asked.
Ryu's expression was grim. "I know what is happening to you," he deadpans.
Chun Li was starting to get worried. "So what the hell is wrong with me?"
Ryu didn't beat around the bush. "Chun Li, you have the Dark Hadou."
Chun Li looked at him as if he had said that Bison was alive. "What?!"
"You have the same thing I have," Ryu replied.
Needless to say, Chun Li was shocked. "How...how could I have the Dark Hadou?"
Ryu was trying to figure out a way to break the news to her gently when she correctly guessed it. "It was you," she said bitterly. "You gave me the Dark Hadou."
"Chun Li--"
"You gave me the Dark Hadou," she repeated, anger evident in her eyes.
Ryu tried to explain. "I didn't know until--"
SMACK!
An angry red handprint was on the side of Ryu's face from where Chun Li had slapped him.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" she screamed. "JUST GO!"
Ryu didn't even bother to argue. He simply rose to his feet and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Chun Li alone, who was crying in the bed.
***
Three days passed since that event. Ryu had confined himself to his dojo and study, while Chun Li stayed in the bed, her anger directed at her husband, while Rose tended to her. The fortuneteller knew that she shoudn't interfere, but she had to get through to Chun Li.
After all, she was still pissed at Ryu.
***
"So how are you feeling?" Rose asked as she entered into the bedroom.
Chun Li looked up from the book she was reading from her bed. Her eyes were still red from crying. "Okay, I guess."
Rose pulled up a chair. "So how long you plan on not speaking to Ryu?"
Chun Li's eyes narrowed. "Did he send you here?"
Rose shook her head. "I came out of curiosity, not Ryu." When Chun Li didn't answer him, Rose continued. "You know, he's taking this hard, with you having the Dark Hadou and all. He's locked himself in the study. When he's not there, he's in the dojo."
Chun Li kept her angry expression.
"You also didn't give him much choice when you attacked him."
Chun Li blinked. "When did I did that?"
"You mean you don't remember?" Rose asked. When Chun Li shook her head, Rose told her of how she had attacked Ryu several nights before and of how he and Rose stopped her. To back up the story, Rose showed Chun Li the hole in the courtyard wall from when she had tried to blast Ryu with a Dark Hadou-powered Kikoushou.
"You really shoud try and make up with him," Rose suggested. "He's the only person that can help you conquer the Dark Hadou."
With that statement, Rose left Chun Li alone with her thoughts.
***
Inside the small torii shrine, Ryu, now dressed in his usual white karate gi, minus the headband, knelt in front of the altar, which contained a picture of his grandfather, several lit candles, and burning incense sticks.
'Sensei,' Ryu thought. 'Grandfather...I don't know what to do. Chun Li has the Dark Hadou and I may lose her.'
"Is that all you fear?" an elderly voice said from beside him.
Ryu opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice. He found himself staring into the shimmering image of his grandfather, Gouken. The image them materialized, then the spirit of the deceased Shotokan grandmaster knelt beside the surprised Ryu.
"You fear that you may lose your wife over the Dark Hadou, or is it something else?" Gouken asked.
Ryu shook his head. "I...I don't know, Grandfather."
Gouken managed a faint smile. "My poor grandson. You know well of the martial arts, but when it comes to the matters of the heart, you are still learning. You have learned to control your Dark Hadou extremely well, even better than Gouki Akuma."
"I still have my humanity," Ryu replied.
"That you have," Gouken replied. He looked at the altar. "Your wife needs you, grandson. She is stubborn, that is true, but you know her true character. You have to help her...just like you did by defeating her in the tournament."
Ryu looked at Gouken in surprise.
Gouken nodded. "Oh, yes. I know all about that. She still holds some animosity towards you from the tournwment, but she does a good job in not showing it. If you open your heart to her, then she will forgive you and in turn, open her heart to you." He placed his hand on Ryu's shoulder. "I have faith in you, grandson."
"Thank you...Sensei," Ryu replied.
***
Ryu's eyes snapped open. He had been kneeling for who knows how long and his knees were starting to ache. He stood up, stretched, and walked out of the shrine.
It was nighttime. The sky was clear, the moon was out, and stars littered the Japanese sky. He headed for his dojo, but instead, climbed up the tree and jumped onto the roof.
He was surprised to see Chun Li there, as if she was waiting for him.
Pain.
Chun Li groaned softly as she woke up. Her head was pounding and her chest hurt. She looked to her left, only to find that Ryu wasn't beside her.
He was in the chair next to her, watching her. She asuumed a sitting position, and that was when she notices the worried expression on his face. "Ryu, what's wrong?" she asked.
Ryu's expression was grim. "I know what is happening to you," he deadpans.
Chun Li was starting to get worried. "So what the hell is wrong with me?"
Ryu didn't beat around the bush. "Chun Li, you have the Dark Hadou."
Chun Li looked at him as if he had said that Bison was alive. "What?!"
"You have the same thing I have," Ryu replied.
Needless to say, Chun Li was shocked. "How...how could I have the Dark Hadou?"
Ryu was trying to figure out a way to break the news to her gently when she correctly guessed it. "It was you," she said bitterly. "You gave me the Dark Hadou."
"Chun Li--"
"You gave me the Dark Hadou," she repeated, anger evident in her eyes.
Ryu tried to explain. "I didn't know until--"
SMACK!
An angry red handprint was on the side of Ryu's face from where Chun Li had slapped him.
"GET OUT OF HERE!" she screamed. "JUST GO!"
Ryu didn't even bother to argue. He simply rose to his feet and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Chun Li alone, who was crying in the bed.
***
Three days passed since that event. Ryu had confined himself to his dojo and study, while Chun Li stayed in the bed, her anger directed at her husband, while Rose tended to her. The fortuneteller knew that she shoudn't interfere, but she had to get through to Chun Li.
After all, she was still pissed at Ryu.
***
"So how are you feeling?" Rose asked as she entered into the bedroom.
Chun Li looked up from the book she was reading from her bed. Her eyes were still red from crying. "Okay, I guess."
Rose pulled up a chair. "So how long you plan on not speaking to Ryu?"
Chun Li's eyes narrowed. "Did he send you here?"
Rose shook her head. "I came out of curiosity, not Ryu." When Chun Li didn't answer him, Rose continued. "You know, he's taking this hard, with you having the Dark Hadou and all. He's locked himself in the study. When he's not there, he's in the dojo."
Chun Li kept her angry expression.
"You also didn't give him much choice when you attacked him."
Chun Li blinked. "When did I did that?"
"You mean you don't remember?" Rose asked. When Chun Li shook her head, Rose told her of how she had attacked Ryu several nights before and of how he and Rose stopped her. To back up the story, Rose showed Chun Li the hole in the courtyard wall from when she had tried to blast Ryu with a Dark Hadou-powered Kikoushou.
"You really shoud try and make up with him," Rose suggested. "He's the only person that can help you conquer the Dark Hadou."
With that statement, Rose left Chun Li alone with her thoughts.
***
Inside the small torii shrine, Ryu, now dressed in his usual white karate gi, minus the headband, knelt in front of the altar, which contained a picture of his grandfather, several lit candles, and burning incense sticks.
'Sensei,' Ryu thought. 'Grandfather...I don't know what to do. Chun Li has the Dark Hadou and I may lose her.'
"Is that all you fear?" an elderly voice said from beside him.
Ryu opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice. He found himself staring into the shimmering image of his grandfather, Gouken. The image them materialized, then the spirit of the deceased Shotokan grandmaster knelt beside the surprised Ryu.
"You fear that you may lose your wife over the Dark Hadou, or is it something else?" Gouken asked.
Ryu shook his head. "I...I don't know, Grandfather."
Gouken managed a faint smile. "My poor grandson. You know well of the martial arts, but when it comes to the matters of the heart, you are still learning. You have learned to control your Dark Hadou extremely well, even better than Gouki Akuma."
"I still have my humanity," Ryu replied.
"That you have," Gouken replied. He looked at the altar. "Your wife needs you, grandson. She is stubborn, that is true, but you know her true character. You have to help her...just like you did by defeating her in the tournament."
Ryu looked at Gouken in surprise.
Gouken nodded. "Oh, yes. I know all about that. She still holds some animosity towards you from the tournwment, but she does a good job in not showing it. If you open your heart to her, then she will forgive you and in turn, open her heart to you." He placed his hand on Ryu's shoulder. "I have faith in you, grandson."
"Thank you...Sensei," Ryu replied.
***
Ryu's eyes snapped open. He had been kneeling for who knows how long and his knees were starting to ache. He stood up, stretched, and walked out of the shrine.
It was nighttime. The sky was clear, the moon was out, and stars littered the Japanese sky. He headed for his dojo, but instead, climbed up the tree and jumped onto the roof.
He was surprised to see Chun Li there, as if she was waiting for him.