Chapter One: Strange Things Are Happening...
-Tamagawa-Minawi High School, Present Day...-
"Okay, class, settle down," the teacher called over the din created by his English class. As soon as the class calmed down, the teacher made his announcment. "The student with the highest grade on this week's English test is yet again, Kasugano Sakura."
A volley of paperballs, pencils and pens sailed in Sakura's general direction. She ducked underneath her notebook to avoid the onslaught of school supplies from her classmates.
"Enough of that," the teacher scolded. "If all of you would study as much as Sakura, then the majority of you would not have low grades." The school bell then rang. "Class dismissed."
The students gathered their belongings and began to file out of the classroom. As Sakura passed her the teacher's desk, he stopped her. "May I have a word, Sakura?"
Sakura looked up. "Hai, sensei?"
"Between the two of us, let me say that I am proud of you that your grade has improved."
Sakura shuffled her feet. "English is really not hard, sensei. I've been taking lessons."
"From whom?"
Sakura merely smiled. "That's my secret."
***
After leaving the school, Sakura headed to the train station. It was Friday, and Ryu wasn't training her today, since he put aside Fridays for what he called 'heavy training' for his wife.
Of course, Chun Li had talked to her in private about both her and Ryu having the Dark Hadou. Thankfully, Sakura was staying with a friend when Chun Li had went berzerk on her husband. Now that the Interpol agent had brought her own dark ki under control, she and Ryu had been training on how to use it with some kind of responsibility.
Upon arriving at the train station that would take her home, she found that three of her friends from neighboring Taiyo High School were waiting for her.
First was Kyosuke Kagami, the chief editor of the school newspaper, the Taiyo Times. Second was the feisty reporter Ran Hibiki, who had a serious habit of putting people on the spot when it came to her journalism. Last was Hinata Wakaba, her best friend, and Taiyo's resident fighter.
"Hey guys," Sakura greeted her friends. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Hinata replied. She gestured to the other two with a flick of her head. "They wanted to come, so I let them. You think your sensei would mind?"
"Sempai," Sakura corrected her. "For some strange reason, he won't let me call him sensei."
***
On the train ride, Sakura was constantly being grilled by Ran about the man she held in high reguard. As Sakura answered her questions, her mind began to wander about her sen--er, instructor.
Ryu was the embodment of what Sakura wanted to become--a master of the Art, perfecting the fight. Later on, Ryu had explained to her that there was no perfection of the fight, just the fight itself. He had learned that on his travels while chasing Gouki Akuma.
Aside from the fighting, she also found out that he was a fan of Sumo wrestling and a seeker of knowledge (his study contains several rare Chinese and Japanese manuscripts). She was also surprised to know that while studying overseas, he had acquired a college degree in Physical Education, not to mention fluent in English, Mandarin, and several other languages. On top of that, he also had money. Not filthy rich like his friend/rival Ken Masters, but enough to live off on, plus an sizable inheritance from Gouken, not to mention the dojo and house.
Her mind began to wander as the three Taiyo students chatted among themselves. The training from her instructor was demanding, but she adapted very quickly and was learning Shotokan rather quickly. While his style of Shotokan was formidable and powerful, hers was eccentric, almost chaotic, which served her well in a fight. Since moving in with Ryu and Chun Li, the two older martial artists became her surrogate parents. She remembered when Ryu had brought her to her first tournament. She had made it to the final match, but had lost. Feeling that she had let Ryu down, she was in a state of depresion, until the next day Ryu talked to her...
***
-Flashback-
Ryu knocked on the door to Sakura's bedroom. "Sakura?" He opened the door and entered the room. Sakura was curled in a ball, tears running down her puffy face. The teacher sat on the edge of the bed next to his student. "You want to talk about it?" he asked.
Sakura sniffed. "What's there to talk about? I lost the final match. I blew it. I don't deserve to be your student."
"I wouldn't go that far," Ryu replied. "Actually, I'm proud of you."
"What?"
Ryu nodded. "Despite your loss, you showed me that you are taking what I said close to heart. You gave your opponent a run for her money. What I'm trying to say is that you made her earn that win. You are that tough, Sakura."
Sakura sniffed again. "Really?"
Ryu nodded. "Really. Regardless of the outcome of yesterday's match, I want you to know that I am very proud of you, and whatever you do, never give up. Understand?"
"You're really proud of me?" Sakura repeated.
Ryu nodded. He then leaned in and said, "For the record, when I was your age, I lost my first tournament as well."
Sakura blinked. "NANI?! YOU?! But you never lose at anything! Even back in the Street Fighter Tournaments, you beat most of the fighters there. You even defeated Chun Li, Sagat and Bison!"
"True," Ryu replied, "but I learned from my mistakes. I trained harder. I win now, but sometimes I lose, and you learn that in life you take losing with dignity. But when a fight counts, I win. Understand?"
Sakura nodded. "Yes."
Ryu stood up and ruffled the teenager's hair. "Get some sleep, okay? You look like hell."
Sakura smiled. "Okay. I will."
***
"Hello? Earth to Sakura."
Sakura blinked. "Huh?"
"So are we going to meet the illustrious Street Fighter champion that you always rant about?" Ran asked.
"You'll find out."
***
-Shotokan School of Karate/Ryu and Chun Li's Home, 20 minutes later...-
"You live in the country?" Ran asked, looking around their surroundings as she, Sakura, Kyosuke, and Hinata walked down a road.
Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "Sempai dislikes city life, so he stays at his childhood home. It's pretty nice. Here we are."
Upon reaching the gates of the Shotokan School, the teenagers found a man and two women already at the gates. The man was Japanese, rotund, with black hair tied into a ponytail. He was wearing a loud red-and-white Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts and sandals. He was holding a paper bag filled with groceries.
His companion was slender, but built in a way that showed strength, despite her feminine curves. She was wearing a simple blue sundress with a green armband and a pair of sandals. Her hair, once blonde, now dyed fire-engine red, fell down her shoulders. She too, was holding a bag filled with groceries.
The second woman was Chinese, and dressed in a simple white spagetti strap halter, denim pants, and white tennis shoes. Her crimson-streaked brown hair was twisted into two pigtails and wrapped into buns that were on either side of her head. She was also holding a bag of groceries.
The Chinese woman turned toward Sakura and her companions. "Oh, you're home early, Sakura."
Sakura bowed. "Chun Li."
The rotund man and his companion turned as well. Ran immediately recognized him. "Y...you...you...you're..."
"Honda," the man introduced himself. "Edmond Honda." He turned to Sakura. "Hey, kid."
Sakura bowed. "Honda-san." She turned to the other woman and bowed to her. "Mika-san."
Hinata blinked. It WAS Edmond Honda the sumo champion, minus the kabuki face paint, and Rainbow Mika, the former pro-wrestler. She thought she was going to faint.
Ran pointed to Mika and exclaimed, "You're Rainbow Mika!"
Mika smiled. "Was. It's Mika Nanakawa now. I retired from wrestling."
Chun Li cleared her throat. "Um, Sakura, aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?"
"Gomen," Sakura apologized. She pointed to her friends. "This is Hinata Wakaba, Kyosuke Kagami, and Ran Hibiki. Guys, this is Chun Li Hoshi, my sempai's wife."
"Nice to meet you," Chun Li said.
"So you're 'The Strongest Woman in the World' that Sakura was telling us about," Ran said.
Chun Li blushed slightly as Honda and Mika snickered from behind. "Okay, so I had a bit of an ego," she admitted. "Come on. This food isn't going to cook by itself."
"So what's for dinner?" Sakura asked.
"House fried rice, sesame chicken, pepper steak rice, eggrolls and dumplings," Chun Li replied. "You know that Ryu eats like a horse."
Honda shuffled the bag in his hand. "Yes. Fortunate for Mika and myself, we decided to drop by the dojo just as Chun Li going to cook."
***
As the small group climbed the stairs that led to the courtyard, Ran was interviewing Mika. It turns out that 'Rainbow' Mika Nanakawa had decided to retire from pro wrestling due to a career-ending injury to her knee, thus forbidding her from wrestling. So she turned to acting.
Thanks to Chun Li, she had managed to get in touch with Fei Long, who offered her a role in his latest action/comedy flick, 'The Last Drunken Master II.' Mika turned out to have a natural ability for acting, and the movie had won her rave reviews in America, Hong Kong, and Japan.
She also ran a wrestling school. It was Honda who approached her with the idea to combine their schools into one. It was also rumored that they were exclusively dating. Whenever she wasn't on the set of her latest movie, she was training would-be wrestlers alongside Honda and his Sumo students.
Finally they reached the top. The three Taiyo students looked at the huge dojo and the cottage behind it. "Wow," Hinata commented. "Nice place."
"Sempai was born and raised here," Sakura explained. "You could say that this is his ancestral home. Speaking of which, where is he?"
Chun Li sighed. "Where else?" She started towards the dojo, with the others following behind.
***
Inside the dojo, Ryu Hoshi was going through his kata. Dressed in nothing but the pants of his white karate dogi with the black belt wrapped around his waist and his trademark red headband.
He was also oblivious to the fact that was being watched, since he was focused on his art.
The three Taiyo students watched in awe. Sakura had told them about her instructor, but seeing him in action was a different thing.
His prowess was lengendary, and his skill was well-known in the undergound fighting circles. Eyes closed, the Shotokan warrior continued to practice, fluid and graceful. To the gathered audience, who stood watching, Ryu Hoshi's skill was natural, his motions graceful, yet inhumanly beautiful.
He was strking at imaginary opponents in a combination of punches and kicks, as Sakura looked on with pride at her instructor/guardian. In smooth motion, he moved from stance to another, eyes closed in control and concentration, not wasting any movement.
He finished his kata with a bow, then he started to stretch to keep his muscles from kinking up. He also didn't notice Chun Li approaching from behind, that is until she had gotten real close.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ryu stated quietly.
Chun Li stopped. "How'd you know it was me?"
"Your perfume. It's your favorite."
Chun Li fumed. 'Next time, put on less perfume,' she noted to herself.
Ryu turned around. Chun Li remembered that they had guests, otherwise, seeing her muscular husband half-naked would make her jump onto him with a passion. Even when they were teenagers, Ryu had his share of girls chasing him. Even the Shadowlaw assassin Juli was smitten by him back in the Alpha TOurnament.
"We have guests, anata," Chun Li said, pointing to the others standing at the dojo.
Grabbing his dogi jacket that was nearby, the Shotokan master slipped it over his shoulders as he and Chun Li walked to the shoji door.
Sakura bowed. "Sempai, these are my friends." She pointed to the three students. "This is Kyosuke Kagami, Hinata Wakaba, and Ran Hibiki. Guys, this is Ryu Hoshi, my sensei."
The three Taiyo students bowed. Ryu bowed back. He then looked at Ran. "Hibiki? Are you related to Dan Hibiki by any chance?"
Ran nodded. "You know my uncle?"
(Note: I really don't know if Ran and Dan are related. I'm just making this up as I go.)
Ryu nodded. "He has a school in Hong Kong. Last time I saw him was when Chun and I had gotten married."
Sakura looked at Ran. "YOU'RE related to Dan? Pink gi, long hair, always screams 'Oyaji?'"
Ran nodded. "Don't remind me. He has a huge ego, but he is still family."
Hinata was in awe. "Wow. That was...great."
Ryu smiled. "Thank you." He looked at Mika and Honda and stepped forward. Honda steeped forward as well. The two men stared each other down for a long moment until Honda extended his hand. Ryu slapped his hand into Honda's in a greeting that is part contest. Then they break apart, laughing and embrace.
"It's good to see you, Edmond," Ryu said, breaking the hug. "I see you're doing well."
"So are you," Honda replied. "I see that marriage isn't making you soft."
Mika tapped Ryu on the shoulder. Ryu turned around. "I haven't forgotten about, you, Mika. So how was Hawaii?"
"Great!" Mika replied. "You should go sometime."
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "Been there."
Sakura cleared her throat. "Sempai, I was wondering if my friends could stay for dinner? Please?"
Ryu thought about it for a moment. "I don't see why not."
Sakura cheered and threw her arms around her teacher. "YAY! Thank you, Sempai!"
"Okay, okay," Ryu said as he untangled himself from Sakura's embrace. "Let me change clothes first, and in the meantime, your friends can look around the place."
***
As Ryu was in the shower freshening up, Sakura changed out of her sailor fuku and into some casual clothes. Her friends were scattered all over the grounds; Ran was in the living room, looking over the many photos of Ryu's friends and the places he's been during his travels; Kyosuke was in the study mulling over several transcripts; and Hinata was chatting with Honda, while Mika was helping Chun Li with the food.
Ryu stepped out of the master bedroom, wearing a simple v-necked black T-shirt, blue denim jeans, and a pair of sandals on his feet. His hair was slightly damp, but he paid it no mind. He strolled into the kitchen, where Chun Li and Mika were hard at work cooking.
Sneaking up behind his wife, he slipped her arms around her waist, causing her to jump slightly. He leaned close so that he could whisper in her ear.
"This is how you sneak up on a person. You would think that the great Interpol agent would know that."
Chun Li arched her back so that she could look at him. "Don't start with me, mister, or I will kick you ass."
Ryu bussed his lips against Chun Li's and left the kitchen, leaving her and Mika alone to cook. Mika looked at her friend. "How do you put up with him?" she asked teasingly.
Chun Li shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me, and I'm maried to the guy."
***
After the dinner was finished, the Japanese fighter, his Chinese wife, the sumo champ and his date, and the four teenagers were gathered at the table, enjoying a very scrumptious meal.
"So, Ryu-sempai," Hinata began. "How do you know Honda-sempai?"
"We grew up together," Ryu explained. "We've been friends since we were kids. Honda was constantly being picked on because of his weight, and I stood up for him. We've been friends ever since."
"It was Ryu who said that I should go for Sumo," Honda continued. "I knew he was joking, but I considered it and now look at me."
Laughter came from the gathered audience.
"This...this is good!" Ran exclaimed, her mouth full of Chinese dumplings.
Chun Li glowed from the praize. "Thank you, Ran."
Mika raised the cup of iced tea to her lips and took a sip. "I think you're in the wrong line of work, Chun Li," she said. "You should become a cook."
Chun Li made a face. "I enjoy my line of work, thank you," she replied. Deciding to change the subject she asked Mika, "So what's the story with you and Honda? You two seem to be getting cozy."
"We knew each other by reputation," Mika replied, "It was at you and Ryu's wedding in Hong Kong that we actually met. About the same time, I retired from wrestling and turned to acting. I guess I owe you for introducing me to Fei Long. Anyway, I decided to open up a wrestling school, but I didn't have enough money to get it off the ground, so Edmond suggested that we join forces. We opened up the School of Pro-Sumo Wrestling." Mika looked at Honda. "As for Edmond, he makes me laugh. Plus, he's a sweetie."
Honda grinned like a maniac at the comment.
Ran swallowed her food and looked at Chun Li. "You know Fei Long? The movie star?"
"Fei and I were trained by the same teacher, or in Chinese terms, sifu," the Interpol agent replied. "He is also one of Ryu's greatest rivals when it comes to fighting."
The gathered fighters enjoyed their meal, chatting with one another. Ran had managed to get an interview with Honda and Mika for the news paper, while Ryu studied Hinata for a second.
"You're a fighter?" he asked.
Hinata nodded. "How can you tell?"
"You have a strong fighting spirit," the older man explained. He then motioned to the white headband and yellow fighting gloves that she wore. "Plus, the headband and gloves gave you away."
"Oh."
"You defemd those that are weaker than you, not to mention that you have a strong sense of justice," Ryu continued, sipping his tea, "and yearn for the chance to prove yourself."
"You can tell all of that just by looking at me?"
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "When you know as much as I know, you can read people."
"And what do you know about me?" Honda asked.
Ryu looked at his friend and smirked. "You are a good at what you do, but you have an ego when it comes to a match."
Honda fumed. He slammed his hand down on the table, causing the dishes to jump from the impact and stood up. "That's it! I want my rematch NOW!"
***
Inside the dojo, the Shotokan warrior and the Sumo champion faced each other. Ryu, this time wearing a grey-blue karate gi, Honda in his sumo outfit (his usual fighting attire) and red face paint. Watching from the sidelines, was Chun Li, Mika, Sakura, Ran, Hinata, and Kyosuke.
Before the match could get underway, Chun Li approached her husband and tapped her husband on his shoulder. "Um, dearest."
Ryu looked at her. "What is it?"
Chun Li held up an object on her index finger. It was his red headband. Chun Li leaned forward and tied it around her husband's forehead, just as she has seen him done many times before and stepped back.
The two men squared off, Shotokan Karate versus Honda-style Sumo Wrestling. Honda slapped his hands together and stomped his feet. Ryu simply made sure that his belt was tied tightly around his waist and that his gloves were on his hands.
Ryu assumed his stance, just as Honda attacked. The heavyset man lunged in with a open palm strike, followed by a low palm strike. Ryu swayed from the first blow and raised his left leg in order to avoid the second blow. Ryu countered by launching a combination of punches and kicks.
Suddenly, one of Honda's huge fists shot forward and caught Ryu by the throat. Lifting him into the air, Honda slammed him on the ground, driving the air out of the smaller man. The sumo then attempted a follow-up attack by flipping into the air and crushing him underneath him. At the last minute, Ryu rolled out of the way, and Honda missed.
Ryu flipped to his feet and gained some distance from Honda. Flexing his muscles, he heard his muscles pop back into place. 'Okay,' he thought, 'time for Plan B. Knowing Honda, he's gonna try his Hundred Hand Slap on me.'
He was right. Honda lunged forward, his hands moving with blinding speed toward his target. Ryu had a huge surprise for him. Thanks to the 'speed training' that Chun Li had been giving him, Ryu had managed to deflect and parry Honda's attacks with his forearms. Finally Honda backed off, as did Ryu.
From the sidelines, the three Taiyo students watched the match with interest. They were also surprised to find out that despite Honda's immense size, he was incredibly agile, since he somersaulted ofer Ryu's next attack, the Hadouken. He then lunged in and wrapped Ryu in a bear hug, hoping to squeeze the air out of his smaller opponent. Ryu had other plans. Using every ounce of strength, he managed to get his arms free and started to deliver swift karate chops at the sides of Honda's throat. Once, twice, three times. He then then slammed the palms of both hands on either side of Honda's head. causing him to drop Ryu.
Ryu went low and punched Honda in the gut, which was followed by a foot sweep. Honda landed flat on his back and rolled away. He then launched himself at Ryu in his infamous Sumo Headbutt. Ryu did a split in order to avoid that attack, and Honda ended up crashing into some training equipment instead.
After Honda had gotten up (and shook the cobwebs out of his head) Ryu was upon him. He took Honda out in two blows: the first was a powerful right cross, followed by his famous roundhouse kick.
Honda was out like a light.
***
While Ryu and Honda were getting their wounds taken care of by their respective women, Sakura and the three were in her room, a different type of meeting was taking place.
"Have you heard the news?" Hinata asked.
Sakura shook her head. "No. What is it?"
Ran spoke up. "Several more students were attacked yesterday. I heard from the newspaper editor from another high school."
"Does the police know?" Sakura asked.
Kyosuke shook his head. "All they say is that it's rival gangs, but several people suspect that it's Justice."
Sakura blinked. "Justice High School? That snob school at the other side of town?"
"One and the same," Hinata replied. "Watch your back, Sakura, okay?"
Sakura grinned. "Hey, with the training Sempai had put me through, I can take them all on."
-Tamagawa-Minawi High School, Present Day...-
"Okay, class, settle down," the teacher called over the din created by his English class. As soon as the class calmed down, the teacher made his announcment. "The student with the highest grade on this week's English test is yet again, Kasugano Sakura."
A volley of paperballs, pencils and pens sailed in Sakura's general direction. She ducked underneath her notebook to avoid the onslaught of school supplies from her classmates.
"Enough of that," the teacher scolded. "If all of you would study as much as Sakura, then the majority of you would not have low grades." The school bell then rang. "Class dismissed."
The students gathered their belongings and began to file out of the classroom. As Sakura passed her the teacher's desk, he stopped her. "May I have a word, Sakura?"
Sakura looked up. "Hai, sensei?"
"Between the two of us, let me say that I am proud of you that your grade has improved."
Sakura shuffled her feet. "English is really not hard, sensei. I've been taking lessons."
"From whom?"
Sakura merely smiled. "That's my secret."
***
After leaving the school, Sakura headed to the train station. It was Friday, and Ryu wasn't training her today, since he put aside Fridays for what he called 'heavy training' for his wife.
Of course, Chun Li had talked to her in private about both her and Ryu having the Dark Hadou. Thankfully, Sakura was staying with a friend when Chun Li had went berzerk on her husband. Now that the Interpol agent had brought her own dark ki under control, she and Ryu had been training on how to use it with some kind of responsibility.
Upon arriving at the train station that would take her home, she found that three of her friends from neighboring Taiyo High School were waiting for her.
First was Kyosuke Kagami, the chief editor of the school newspaper, the Taiyo Times. Second was the feisty reporter Ran Hibiki, who had a serious habit of putting people on the spot when it came to her journalism. Last was Hinata Wakaba, her best friend, and Taiyo's resident fighter.
"Hey guys," Sakura greeted her friends. "What's up?"
"Nothing," Hinata replied. She gestured to the other two with a flick of her head. "They wanted to come, so I let them. You think your sensei would mind?"
"Sempai," Sakura corrected her. "For some strange reason, he won't let me call him sensei."
***
On the train ride, Sakura was constantly being grilled by Ran about the man she held in high reguard. As Sakura answered her questions, her mind began to wander about her sen--er, instructor.
Ryu was the embodment of what Sakura wanted to become--a master of the Art, perfecting the fight. Later on, Ryu had explained to her that there was no perfection of the fight, just the fight itself. He had learned that on his travels while chasing Gouki Akuma.
Aside from the fighting, she also found out that he was a fan of Sumo wrestling and a seeker of knowledge (his study contains several rare Chinese and Japanese manuscripts). She was also surprised to know that while studying overseas, he had acquired a college degree in Physical Education, not to mention fluent in English, Mandarin, and several other languages. On top of that, he also had money. Not filthy rich like his friend/rival Ken Masters, but enough to live off on, plus an sizable inheritance from Gouken, not to mention the dojo and house.
Her mind began to wander as the three Taiyo students chatted among themselves. The training from her instructor was demanding, but she adapted very quickly and was learning Shotokan rather quickly. While his style of Shotokan was formidable and powerful, hers was eccentric, almost chaotic, which served her well in a fight. Since moving in with Ryu and Chun Li, the two older martial artists became her surrogate parents. She remembered when Ryu had brought her to her first tournament. She had made it to the final match, but had lost. Feeling that she had let Ryu down, she was in a state of depresion, until the next day Ryu talked to her...
***
-Flashback-
Ryu knocked on the door to Sakura's bedroom. "Sakura?" He opened the door and entered the room. Sakura was curled in a ball, tears running down her puffy face. The teacher sat on the edge of the bed next to his student. "You want to talk about it?" he asked.
Sakura sniffed. "What's there to talk about? I lost the final match. I blew it. I don't deserve to be your student."
"I wouldn't go that far," Ryu replied. "Actually, I'm proud of you."
"What?"
Ryu nodded. "Despite your loss, you showed me that you are taking what I said close to heart. You gave your opponent a run for her money. What I'm trying to say is that you made her earn that win. You are that tough, Sakura."
Sakura sniffed again. "Really?"
Ryu nodded. "Really. Regardless of the outcome of yesterday's match, I want you to know that I am very proud of you, and whatever you do, never give up. Understand?"
"You're really proud of me?" Sakura repeated.
Ryu nodded. He then leaned in and said, "For the record, when I was your age, I lost my first tournament as well."
Sakura blinked. "NANI?! YOU?! But you never lose at anything! Even back in the Street Fighter Tournaments, you beat most of the fighters there. You even defeated Chun Li, Sagat and Bison!"
"True," Ryu replied, "but I learned from my mistakes. I trained harder. I win now, but sometimes I lose, and you learn that in life you take losing with dignity. But when a fight counts, I win. Understand?"
Sakura nodded. "Yes."
Ryu stood up and ruffled the teenager's hair. "Get some sleep, okay? You look like hell."
Sakura smiled. "Okay. I will."
***
"Hello? Earth to Sakura."
Sakura blinked. "Huh?"
"So are we going to meet the illustrious Street Fighter champion that you always rant about?" Ran asked.
"You'll find out."
***
-Shotokan School of Karate/Ryu and Chun Li's Home, 20 minutes later...-
"You live in the country?" Ran asked, looking around their surroundings as she, Sakura, Kyosuke, and Hinata walked down a road.
Sakura shrugged her shoulders. "Sempai dislikes city life, so he stays at his childhood home. It's pretty nice. Here we are."
Upon reaching the gates of the Shotokan School, the teenagers found a man and two women already at the gates. The man was Japanese, rotund, with black hair tied into a ponytail. He was wearing a loud red-and-white Hawaiian shirt, khaki shorts and sandals. He was holding a paper bag filled with groceries.
His companion was slender, but built in a way that showed strength, despite her feminine curves. She was wearing a simple blue sundress with a green armband and a pair of sandals. Her hair, once blonde, now dyed fire-engine red, fell down her shoulders. She too, was holding a bag filled with groceries.
The second woman was Chinese, and dressed in a simple white spagetti strap halter, denim pants, and white tennis shoes. Her crimson-streaked brown hair was twisted into two pigtails and wrapped into buns that were on either side of her head. She was also holding a bag of groceries.
The Chinese woman turned toward Sakura and her companions. "Oh, you're home early, Sakura."
Sakura bowed. "Chun Li."
The rotund man and his companion turned as well. Ran immediately recognized him. "Y...you...you...you're..."
"Honda," the man introduced himself. "Edmond Honda." He turned to Sakura. "Hey, kid."
Sakura bowed. "Honda-san." She turned to the other woman and bowed to her. "Mika-san."
Hinata blinked. It WAS Edmond Honda the sumo champion, minus the kabuki face paint, and Rainbow Mika, the former pro-wrestler. She thought she was going to faint.
Ran pointed to Mika and exclaimed, "You're Rainbow Mika!"
Mika smiled. "Was. It's Mika Nanakawa now. I retired from wrestling."
Chun Li cleared her throat. "Um, Sakura, aren't you going to introduce us to your friends?"
"Gomen," Sakura apologized. She pointed to her friends. "This is Hinata Wakaba, Kyosuke Kagami, and Ran Hibiki. Guys, this is Chun Li Hoshi, my sempai's wife."
"Nice to meet you," Chun Li said.
"So you're 'The Strongest Woman in the World' that Sakura was telling us about," Ran said.
Chun Li blushed slightly as Honda and Mika snickered from behind. "Okay, so I had a bit of an ego," she admitted. "Come on. This food isn't going to cook by itself."
"So what's for dinner?" Sakura asked.
"House fried rice, sesame chicken, pepper steak rice, eggrolls and dumplings," Chun Li replied. "You know that Ryu eats like a horse."
Honda shuffled the bag in his hand. "Yes. Fortunate for Mika and myself, we decided to drop by the dojo just as Chun Li going to cook."
***
As the small group climbed the stairs that led to the courtyard, Ran was interviewing Mika. It turns out that 'Rainbow' Mika Nanakawa had decided to retire from pro wrestling due to a career-ending injury to her knee, thus forbidding her from wrestling. So she turned to acting.
Thanks to Chun Li, she had managed to get in touch with Fei Long, who offered her a role in his latest action/comedy flick, 'The Last Drunken Master II.' Mika turned out to have a natural ability for acting, and the movie had won her rave reviews in America, Hong Kong, and Japan.
She also ran a wrestling school. It was Honda who approached her with the idea to combine their schools into one. It was also rumored that they were exclusively dating. Whenever she wasn't on the set of her latest movie, she was training would-be wrestlers alongside Honda and his Sumo students.
Finally they reached the top. The three Taiyo students looked at the huge dojo and the cottage behind it. "Wow," Hinata commented. "Nice place."
"Sempai was born and raised here," Sakura explained. "You could say that this is his ancestral home. Speaking of which, where is he?"
Chun Li sighed. "Where else?" She started towards the dojo, with the others following behind.
***
Inside the dojo, Ryu Hoshi was going through his kata. Dressed in nothing but the pants of his white karate dogi with the black belt wrapped around his waist and his trademark red headband.
He was also oblivious to the fact that was being watched, since he was focused on his art.
The three Taiyo students watched in awe. Sakura had told them about her instructor, but seeing him in action was a different thing.
His prowess was lengendary, and his skill was well-known in the undergound fighting circles. Eyes closed, the Shotokan warrior continued to practice, fluid and graceful. To the gathered audience, who stood watching, Ryu Hoshi's skill was natural, his motions graceful, yet inhumanly beautiful.
He was strking at imaginary opponents in a combination of punches and kicks, as Sakura looked on with pride at her instructor/guardian. In smooth motion, he moved from stance to another, eyes closed in control and concentration, not wasting any movement.
He finished his kata with a bow, then he started to stretch to keep his muscles from kinking up. He also didn't notice Chun Li approaching from behind, that is until she had gotten real close.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ryu stated quietly.
Chun Li stopped. "How'd you know it was me?"
"Your perfume. It's your favorite."
Chun Li fumed. 'Next time, put on less perfume,' she noted to herself.
Ryu turned around. Chun Li remembered that they had guests, otherwise, seeing her muscular husband half-naked would make her jump onto him with a passion. Even when they were teenagers, Ryu had his share of girls chasing him. Even the Shadowlaw assassin Juli was smitten by him back in the Alpha TOurnament.
"We have guests, anata," Chun Li said, pointing to the others standing at the dojo.
Grabbing his dogi jacket that was nearby, the Shotokan master slipped it over his shoulders as he and Chun Li walked to the shoji door.
Sakura bowed. "Sempai, these are my friends." She pointed to the three students. "This is Kyosuke Kagami, Hinata Wakaba, and Ran Hibiki. Guys, this is Ryu Hoshi, my sensei."
The three Taiyo students bowed. Ryu bowed back. He then looked at Ran. "Hibiki? Are you related to Dan Hibiki by any chance?"
Ran nodded. "You know my uncle?"
(Note: I really don't know if Ran and Dan are related. I'm just making this up as I go.)
Ryu nodded. "He has a school in Hong Kong. Last time I saw him was when Chun and I had gotten married."
Sakura looked at Ran. "YOU'RE related to Dan? Pink gi, long hair, always screams 'Oyaji?'"
Ran nodded. "Don't remind me. He has a huge ego, but he is still family."
Hinata was in awe. "Wow. That was...great."
Ryu smiled. "Thank you." He looked at Mika and Honda and stepped forward. Honda steeped forward as well. The two men stared each other down for a long moment until Honda extended his hand. Ryu slapped his hand into Honda's in a greeting that is part contest. Then they break apart, laughing and embrace.
"It's good to see you, Edmond," Ryu said, breaking the hug. "I see you're doing well."
"So are you," Honda replied. "I see that marriage isn't making you soft."
Mika tapped Ryu on the shoulder. Ryu turned around. "I haven't forgotten about, you, Mika. So how was Hawaii?"
"Great!" Mika replied. "You should go sometime."
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "Been there."
Sakura cleared her throat. "Sempai, I was wondering if my friends could stay for dinner? Please?"
Ryu thought about it for a moment. "I don't see why not."
Sakura cheered and threw her arms around her teacher. "YAY! Thank you, Sempai!"
"Okay, okay," Ryu said as he untangled himself from Sakura's embrace. "Let me change clothes first, and in the meantime, your friends can look around the place."
***
As Ryu was in the shower freshening up, Sakura changed out of her sailor fuku and into some casual clothes. Her friends were scattered all over the grounds; Ran was in the living room, looking over the many photos of Ryu's friends and the places he's been during his travels; Kyosuke was in the study mulling over several transcripts; and Hinata was chatting with Honda, while Mika was helping Chun Li with the food.
Ryu stepped out of the master bedroom, wearing a simple v-necked black T-shirt, blue denim jeans, and a pair of sandals on his feet. His hair was slightly damp, but he paid it no mind. He strolled into the kitchen, where Chun Li and Mika were hard at work cooking.
Sneaking up behind his wife, he slipped her arms around her waist, causing her to jump slightly. He leaned close so that he could whisper in her ear.
"This is how you sneak up on a person. You would think that the great Interpol agent would know that."
Chun Li arched her back so that she could look at him. "Don't start with me, mister, or I will kick you ass."
Ryu bussed his lips against Chun Li's and left the kitchen, leaving her and Mika alone to cook. Mika looked at her friend. "How do you put up with him?" she asked teasingly.
Chun Li shrugged her shoulders. "Beats me, and I'm maried to the guy."
***
After the dinner was finished, the Japanese fighter, his Chinese wife, the sumo champ and his date, and the four teenagers were gathered at the table, enjoying a very scrumptious meal.
"So, Ryu-sempai," Hinata began. "How do you know Honda-sempai?"
"We grew up together," Ryu explained. "We've been friends since we were kids. Honda was constantly being picked on because of his weight, and I stood up for him. We've been friends ever since."
"It was Ryu who said that I should go for Sumo," Honda continued. "I knew he was joking, but I considered it and now look at me."
Laughter came from the gathered audience.
"This...this is good!" Ran exclaimed, her mouth full of Chinese dumplings.
Chun Li glowed from the praize. "Thank you, Ran."
Mika raised the cup of iced tea to her lips and took a sip. "I think you're in the wrong line of work, Chun Li," she said. "You should become a cook."
Chun Li made a face. "I enjoy my line of work, thank you," she replied. Deciding to change the subject she asked Mika, "So what's the story with you and Honda? You two seem to be getting cozy."
"We knew each other by reputation," Mika replied, "It was at you and Ryu's wedding in Hong Kong that we actually met. About the same time, I retired from wrestling and turned to acting. I guess I owe you for introducing me to Fei Long. Anyway, I decided to open up a wrestling school, but I didn't have enough money to get it off the ground, so Edmond suggested that we join forces. We opened up the School of Pro-Sumo Wrestling." Mika looked at Honda. "As for Edmond, he makes me laugh. Plus, he's a sweetie."
Honda grinned like a maniac at the comment.
Ran swallowed her food and looked at Chun Li. "You know Fei Long? The movie star?"
"Fei and I were trained by the same teacher, or in Chinese terms, sifu," the Interpol agent replied. "He is also one of Ryu's greatest rivals when it comes to fighting."
The gathered fighters enjoyed their meal, chatting with one another. Ran had managed to get an interview with Honda and Mika for the news paper, while Ryu studied Hinata for a second.
"You're a fighter?" he asked.
Hinata nodded. "How can you tell?"
"You have a strong fighting spirit," the older man explained. He then motioned to the white headband and yellow fighting gloves that she wore. "Plus, the headband and gloves gave you away."
"Oh."
"You defemd those that are weaker than you, not to mention that you have a strong sense of justice," Ryu continued, sipping his tea, "and yearn for the chance to prove yourself."
"You can tell all of that just by looking at me?"
Ryu shrugged his shoulders. "When you know as much as I know, you can read people."
"And what do you know about me?" Honda asked.
Ryu looked at his friend and smirked. "You are a good at what you do, but you have an ego when it comes to a match."
Honda fumed. He slammed his hand down on the table, causing the dishes to jump from the impact and stood up. "That's it! I want my rematch NOW!"
***
Inside the dojo, the Shotokan warrior and the Sumo champion faced each other. Ryu, this time wearing a grey-blue karate gi, Honda in his sumo outfit (his usual fighting attire) and red face paint. Watching from the sidelines, was Chun Li, Mika, Sakura, Ran, Hinata, and Kyosuke.
Before the match could get underway, Chun Li approached her husband and tapped her husband on his shoulder. "Um, dearest."
Ryu looked at her. "What is it?"
Chun Li held up an object on her index finger. It was his red headband. Chun Li leaned forward and tied it around her husband's forehead, just as she has seen him done many times before and stepped back.
The two men squared off, Shotokan Karate versus Honda-style Sumo Wrestling. Honda slapped his hands together and stomped his feet. Ryu simply made sure that his belt was tied tightly around his waist and that his gloves were on his hands.
Ryu assumed his stance, just as Honda attacked. The heavyset man lunged in with a open palm strike, followed by a low palm strike. Ryu swayed from the first blow and raised his left leg in order to avoid the second blow. Ryu countered by launching a combination of punches and kicks.
Suddenly, one of Honda's huge fists shot forward and caught Ryu by the throat. Lifting him into the air, Honda slammed him on the ground, driving the air out of the smaller man. The sumo then attempted a follow-up attack by flipping into the air and crushing him underneath him. At the last minute, Ryu rolled out of the way, and Honda missed.
Ryu flipped to his feet and gained some distance from Honda. Flexing his muscles, he heard his muscles pop back into place. 'Okay,' he thought, 'time for Plan B. Knowing Honda, he's gonna try his Hundred Hand Slap on me.'
He was right. Honda lunged forward, his hands moving with blinding speed toward his target. Ryu had a huge surprise for him. Thanks to the 'speed training' that Chun Li had been giving him, Ryu had managed to deflect and parry Honda's attacks with his forearms. Finally Honda backed off, as did Ryu.
From the sidelines, the three Taiyo students watched the match with interest. They were also surprised to find out that despite Honda's immense size, he was incredibly agile, since he somersaulted ofer Ryu's next attack, the Hadouken. He then lunged in and wrapped Ryu in a bear hug, hoping to squeeze the air out of his smaller opponent. Ryu had other plans. Using every ounce of strength, he managed to get his arms free and started to deliver swift karate chops at the sides of Honda's throat. Once, twice, three times. He then then slammed the palms of both hands on either side of Honda's head. causing him to drop Ryu.
Ryu went low and punched Honda in the gut, which was followed by a foot sweep. Honda landed flat on his back and rolled away. He then launched himself at Ryu in his infamous Sumo Headbutt. Ryu did a split in order to avoid that attack, and Honda ended up crashing into some training equipment instead.
After Honda had gotten up (and shook the cobwebs out of his head) Ryu was upon him. He took Honda out in two blows: the first was a powerful right cross, followed by his famous roundhouse kick.
Honda was out like a light.
***
While Ryu and Honda were getting their wounds taken care of by their respective women, Sakura and the three were in her room, a different type of meeting was taking place.
"Have you heard the news?" Hinata asked.
Sakura shook her head. "No. What is it?"
Ran spoke up. "Several more students were attacked yesterday. I heard from the newspaper editor from another high school."
"Does the police know?" Sakura asked.
Kyosuke shook his head. "All they say is that it's rival gangs, but several people suspect that it's Justice."
Sakura blinked. "Justice High School? That snob school at the other side of town?"
"One and the same," Hinata replied. "Watch your back, Sakura, okay?"
Sakura grinned. "Hey, with the training Sempai had put me through, I can take them all on."