Chapter Six: Face Your Worst Fear
Midnight. Ryu, Chun Li and Rose are all in the dojo, all three dressed in their respective outfits. A small circle of candles were placed and lit in a circle on the dojo floor, with Chun Li and Ryu standing in the circle.
"You know, I won't be there with you when you go," Ryu said.
Chun Li nodded. "I know. This is something that I have to do alone."
Ryu looked at her for a moment. Then he undid the knot in his red headband and pulled it from his head. He reached around and tied her hair with it. "For luck," he said.
The two then shared a passionate kiss, and Ryu stepped out of the circle. Chun Li then laid back as Rose held out a tarot card in front of her. The card then changed to dust and the fortuneteller blew it across the Chinese agent's face.
Before long, Chun Li had lost consciouness.
"Now what?" Ryu asked.
"We wait...and hope," Rose replied.
***
Chun Li opened her eyes, and found herself alone in the Shotokan Dojo. She looked around for Ryu and Rose, but to no avail. She got to her feet and stepped out of the dojo. It was nighttime, but there was evil in the air. As she stepped out of the dojo and into the courtyard, she heard her twin's voice.
'So you finally come, Chun Li.'
Chun Li found her dark alter ego standing on the dojo's roof, looking down. She was dressed in a darker version of her battle dress, her hair falling down her shoulders.
Dark Chun Li gracefully leapt down from her perch and landed in front of the real Chun Li. 'You came for me, haven't you? You came to me to fully embrace the Dark Hadou.'
"NO!" Chun Li yelled. "I've come to stop it!"
'You are foolish,' Dark Chun Li replied. 'Can't you see? We are the same!'
Chun Li shook her head. "I'm nothing like you. Once I was, but no more."
'Ryu has made you weak!' Dark Chun Li replied. 'He took away your vengeance! Can you see?'
Chun Li faced her evil twin. "He only did it to protect me from destroying myself...and becoming you."
Dark Chun Li was glowing with rage. 'If you won't join me...then it is YOU who will be destroyed!'
The two Chun Lis went into their battle stances. Then they both attacked.
Dark Chun Li attacked with a combination of attacks, those that Chun Li had parried and blocked. Fighting in martial arts tournaments was one thing, but fighting your own self that has your strengths and weaknesses was challenging, and at the same time, frustrating.
Dark Chun Li ran and dropkicked her counterpart in the chest with the force similar to the sumo Edmond Honda's Sumo Headbutt. Chun Li was sent flying and crashed against the dojo wall. Staggering to her feet, she saw Dark Chun Li charging in to finish her off.
Chun Li sidestepped Dark Chun Li's spinning kick and slammed her elbow into the small of the other woman's back. While Dark Chun Li was staggering, she heard the words, "Spinning Bird Kick!" and spun around, just in time to see Chun Li in a handstand, spinning, legs outstretched, smacking her in the face numerous times. When Chun Li stood back up, she landed a right cross, follwed by a spinning kick to the face.
Dark Chun Li staggered onto one knee. 'Good,' she said, wiping the blood from the corner of her lip. 'Here's where things get intresting.'
Chun Li was forced back by her own move--the Hykaretsukyaku. The Interpol agent was hard pressed to block the machine gun-like attacks. Repeated kicks wore down her defense, then Dark Chun Li planted a boot to her counterpart's abdomen, causing the real Chun Li to double over in pain. The boot was followed with a hard elbow to the back, slamming her down. Dark Chun Li kicked her counterpart again, this time launching her across the dojo courtyard and into the wall.
Dark Chun Li simply laughed softly as she casually walked over to herself, preparing to finish her off. 'You are pathteic,' she sneered. 'The Strongest Woman on Earth is at my mercy. Prepare to meet your fate.'
Chun Li was on her hands and knees, gasping for breath. Then something caught her eye. One end of Ryu's headband was over her shoulder. Almost immediately, she remembered something that he had said to her during one of their sparring sessions.
"With strength comes power. With power comes wisdom. With wisdom comes mercy."
Dark Chun Li was upon her. She raised her leg in a vertial split, preparing to finish the real Chun Li off.
Chun Li's eyes flashed with a new sense of power.
Dark Chun Li brought her leg down...
...and Chun Li snapped her arm up and blocked it. With her other hand, she slammed her fist into her side, staggering her dark half back. Chun Li began to fight back, fists and feet flying into her dark counterpart. A side kick to the side...several blows to the gut...spinning roundhouse kick to the face...
She then executed the Hoyokusen, the last blow punting Dark Chun Li into the air, just enough time for Chun Li.
"KIKOU...SHOU!!!"
Chun Li blasted Dark Chun Li with a high powered Kikou Shou, sending her dark half crashing into the side of the dojo.
Chun Li held her pose for a moment, breathing hard. Then she lowered her hands and slowly walked towards her fallen opponent, who was staggering to her feet, but had fallen down to one knee from the effort.
Chun Li realized that her dark half looked EXACTLY the way she looked after Ryu had defeated her in the final match before Bison. Her dress was slightly ripped from absorning the force of the Kikou Shou, as well as her pantyhose. The spiked bracelets were shattered, pieces of the black stone were littered around her body.
It was over. Chun Li had won. She lowered her fists.
'NO!' Dark Chun Li screamed. 'The fight is not over yet!'
She tried to rise to her feet once again, but fell to her knees. Dark Chun Li looked the victor. 'You have beaten me, Chun Li,' she said. 'Now finish it.'
Chun Li shook her head. "No. I would be only destroying myself. You are a part of me."
Dark Chun Li looked at regular Chun Li for a moment. Then she nodded her head. 'I see. You finally understand.'
Chun Li then saw white.
***
Back in the real world, Chun Li gasped and sat up, causing Ryu and Rose to be slightly startled at her action. Then Chun Li emitted a soft moan and fell back, losing consciousness yet again.
Ryu was at her side. He quickly checked a pulse and found one. "She's still alive," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. Gently picking up her prone form, he carried her out of the dojo and back to the house.
***
Ryu watched as Rose scanned Chun Li with a tense look in her eyes. After a moment, Rose stopped and looked up. "You should be proud, Ryu," she said. "Chun Li has conquered her Dark Hadou. She has a strong spirit."
"She gets it from me," Ryu replied. "So what happens now?"
"That is up to and Chun Li to decide," the fortuneteller replied. "Just let her rest. She will be okay."
***
-Two days later...-
Moaning softly, Chun Li's eyes fluttered open. She found herself dressed in a pair of her pajamas, her hair splayed all over the pillow. Ryu was in a chair, arms folded across his chest, looking out the window.
'He's been watching me all night?' Chun Li wondered. 'How sweet of him.'
Ryu looked at her and saw that she was awake. "Hey," he said, grasping her smaller hand into his larger one. "You feel okay?"
Chun Li nodded. "Yeah. How long was I out?"
"Two days. You really had me worried there."
The Chinese agent sat up in the bed. "I was a bit worried myself when I was fighing my dark half. But you were there with me."
Ryu sat on the edge of the bed. "You know, the same thing happened to me when I was trying to overcome my own Dark Hadou. It nearly killed me, but I made it out."
"So what's it like, having this...this power inside you?"
Ryu took a moment to think. "You know its there, but you can't feel it. It's a part of you, your emotions. I've learned to control it and I can show you how to control it as well."
"So you're gonna teach me?"
Ryu smiled. "If you're as bad as a student as I am a teacher, then we're quite the pair."
Chun Li slugged him lightly in the shoulder. "Jerk." her features then soften as she caressed the side of her husband's face. "I love you."
"I love you too." Ryu bent down and kissed Chun Li's forehead. "Rest now. You deserved it."
Midnight. Ryu, Chun Li and Rose are all in the dojo, all three dressed in their respective outfits. A small circle of candles were placed and lit in a circle on the dojo floor, with Chun Li and Ryu standing in the circle.
"You know, I won't be there with you when you go," Ryu said.
Chun Li nodded. "I know. This is something that I have to do alone."
Ryu looked at her for a moment. Then he undid the knot in his red headband and pulled it from his head. He reached around and tied her hair with it. "For luck," he said.
The two then shared a passionate kiss, and Ryu stepped out of the circle. Chun Li then laid back as Rose held out a tarot card in front of her. The card then changed to dust and the fortuneteller blew it across the Chinese agent's face.
Before long, Chun Li had lost consciouness.
"Now what?" Ryu asked.
"We wait...and hope," Rose replied.
***
Chun Li opened her eyes, and found herself alone in the Shotokan Dojo. She looked around for Ryu and Rose, but to no avail. She got to her feet and stepped out of the dojo. It was nighttime, but there was evil in the air. As she stepped out of the dojo and into the courtyard, she heard her twin's voice.
'So you finally come, Chun Li.'
Chun Li found her dark alter ego standing on the dojo's roof, looking down. She was dressed in a darker version of her battle dress, her hair falling down her shoulders.
Dark Chun Li gracefully leapt down from her perch and landed in front of the real Chun Li. 'You came for me, haven't you? You came to me to fully embrace the Dark Hadou.'
"NO!" Chun Li yelled. "I've come to stop it!"
'You are foolish,' Dark Chun Li replied. 'Can't you see? We are the same!'
Chun Li shook her head. "I'm nothing like you. Once I was, but no more."
'Ryu has made you weak!' Dark Chun Li replied. 'He took away your vengeance! Can you see?'
Chun Li faced her evil twin. "He only did it to protect me from destroying myself...and becoming you."
Dark Chun Li was glowing with rage. 'If you won't join me...then it is YOU who will be destroyed!'
The two Chun Lis went into their battle stances. Then they both attacked.
Dark Chun Li attacked with a combination of attacks, those that Chun Li had parried and blocked. Fighting in martial arts tournaments was one thing, but fighting your own self that has your strengths and weaknesses was challenging, and at the same time, frustrating.
Dark Chun Li ran and dropkicked her counterpart in the chest with the force similar to the sumo Edmond Honda's Sumo Headbutt. Chun Li was sent flying and crashed against the dojo wall. Staggering to her feet, she saw Dark Chun Li charging in to finish her off.
Chun Li sidestepped Dark Chun Li's spinning kick and slammed her elbow into the small of the other woman's back. While Dark Chun Li was staggering, she heard the words, "Spinning Bird Kick!" and spun around, just in time to see Chun Li in a handstand, spinning, legs outstretched, smacking her in the face numerous times. When Chun Li stood back up, she landed a right cross, follwed by a spinning kick to the face.
Dark Chun Li staggered onto one knee. 'Good,' she said, wiping the blood from the corner of her lip. 'Here's where things get intresting.'
Chun Li was forced back by her own move--the Hykaretsukyaku. The Interpol agent was hard pressed to block the machine gun-like attacks. Repeated kicks wore down her defense, then Dark Chun Li planted a boot to her counterpart's abdomen, causing the real Chun Li to double over in pain. The boot was followed with a hard elbow to the back, slamming her down. Dark Chun Li kicked her counterpart again, this time launching her across the dojo courtyard and into the wall.
Dark Chun Li simply laughed softly as she casually walked over to herself, preparing to finish her off. 'You are pathteic,' she sneered. 'The Strongest Woman on Earth is at my mercy. Prepare to meet your fate.'
Chun Li was on her hands and knees, gasping for breath. Then something caught her eye. One end of Ryu's headband was over her shoulder. Almost immediately, she remembered something that he had said to her during one of their sparring sessions.
"With strength comes power. With power comes wisdom. With wisdom comes mercy."
Dark Chun Li was upon her. She raised her leg in a vertial split, preparing to finish the real Chun Li off.
Chun Li's eyes flashed with a new sense of power.
Dark Chun Li brought her leg down...
...and Chun Li snapped her arm up and blocked it. With her other hand, she slammed her fist into her side, staggering her dark half back. Chun Li began to fight back, fists and feet flying into her dark counterpart. A side kick to the side...several blows to the gut...spinning roundhouse kick to the face...
She then executed the Hoyokusen, the last blow punting Dark Chun Li into the air, just enough time for Chun Li.
"KIKOU...SHOU!!!"
Chun Li blasted Dark Chun Li with a high powered Kikou Shou, sending her dark half crashing into the side of the dojo.
Chun Li held her pose for a moment, breathing hard. Then she lowered her hands and slowly walked towards her fallen opponent, who was staggering to her feet, but had fallen down to one knee from the effort.
Chun Li realized that her dark half looked EXACTLY the way she looked after Ryu had defeated her in the final match before Bison. Her dress was slightly ripped from absorning the force of the Kikou Shou, as well as her pantyhose. The spiked bracelets were shattered, pieces of the black stone were littered around her body.
It was over. Chun Li had won. She lowered her fists.
'NO!' Dark Chun Li screamed. 'The fight is not over yet!'
She tried to rise to her feet once again, but fell to her knees. Dark Chun Li looked the victor. 'You have beaten me, Chun Li,' she said. 'Now finish it.'
Chun Li shook her head. "No. I would be only destroying myself. You are a part of me."
Dark Chun Li looked at regular Chun Li for a moment. Then she nodded her head. 'I see. You finally understand.'
Chun Li then saw white.
***
Back in the real world, Chun Li gasped and sat up, causing Ryu and Rose to be slightly startled at her action. Then Chun Li emitted a soft moan and fell back, losing consciousness yet again.
Ryu was at her side. He quickly checked a pulse and found one. "She's still alive," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. Gently picking up her prone form, he carried her out of the dojo and back to the house.
***
Ryu watched as Rose scanned Chun Li with a tense look in her eyes. After a moment, Rose stopped and looked up. "You should be proud, Ryu," she said. "Chun Li has conquered her Dark Hadou. She has a strong spirit."
"She gets it from me," Ryu replied. "So what happens now?"
"That is up to and Chun Li to decide," the fortuneteller replied. "Just let her rest. She will be okay."
***
-Two days later...-
Moaning softly, Chun Li's eyes fluttered open. She found herself dressed in a pair of her pajamas, her hair splayed all over the pillow. Ryu was in a chair, arms folded across his chest, looking out the window.
'He's been watching me all night?' Chun Li wondered. 'How sweet of him.'
Ryu looked at her and saw that she was awake. "Hey," he said, grasping her smaller hand into his larger one. "You feel okay?"
Chun Li nodded. "Yeah. How long was I out?"
"Two days. You really had me worried there."
The Chinese agent sat up in the bed. "I was a bit worried myself when I was fighing my dark half. But you were there with me."
Ryu sat on the edge of the bed. "You know, the same thing happened to me when I was trying to overcome my own Dark Hadou. It nearly killed me, but I made it out."
"So what's it like, having this...this power inside you?"
Ryu took a moment to think. "You know its there, but you can't feel it. It's a part of you, your emotions. I've learned to control it and I can show you how to control it as well."
"So you're gonna teach me?"
Ryu smiled. "If you're as bad as a student as I am a teacher, then we're quite the pair."
Chun Li slugged him lightly in the shoulder. "Jerk." her features then soften as she caressed the side of her husband's face. "I love you."
"I love you too." Ryu bent down and kissed Chun Li's forehead. "Rest now. You deserved it."