Author's Note: I'd like to express my confusion in the comments made by Fiery Mage and Chan. Kenny is a six year old boy. What kind of ex-boyfriends have you dated?!
Guy dug his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket. He tucked his chin unto the raised collar flap for extra warmth. His previous premonition had been right. Something terrible had happened, although it was unclear what it was. All he had to go by was the fact that the Street Fighter champion had been taken down by a simple, quick attack. Guy hoped that whoever was responsible wouldn't be participating in the tournament, but his gut feeling told him otherwise.
He was thankful he'd found the source of the disturbance in time. He hadn't expected to find Ryu unconscious on the ground. Who would have? The fact that his life was in the hands of a teenage girl and a little boy didn't help matters either. Guy knew that if he hadn't stepped in, Ryu would've gotten to the hospital much later than he had. But if he hadn't, perhaps Guy would've stood more of a chance at the tournament's championship prize.
He scolded himself mentally for even conceiving that thought. That's not his purpose of participating in the tournament. He'd heard that ex-Mad Gear gang members Rolento and Sodom were in it. He was joining to root them out and destroy them. Nothing more.
Guy reached the hotel quickly, after running the rest of the way. The cold night air was getting to him. If it weren't for his jacket, he might have froze to death on the winter streets of Osaka. The ninjitsu uniforms were designed for ease of movement and air to flow through to the limbs so they wouldn't be suffocated underneath layers of fabric. This didn't help if the air was too cold.
He unlocked the door too his room and leaned on it, using his weight to open it, too tired to use his strength. To his surprise, all the lights to his room were on. He could smell the scent of cooking meat on the stove. The blaring television was so loud; he swore the walls were vibrating. Guy continued walked deeper inside, getting his foot caught on the side of a suitcase. He nearly fell over but caught himself just in time with a loud thump of his foot.
"Way to make an entrance, dude," a deep, familiar voice said.
"Cody!" Guy exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing here?"
Guy was surprised to find his best friend, the man who helped him and Mike Haggar defeat the Mad Gear gang so long ago, here in his hotel room the night before opening day of the Street Fighter tournament. If the circumstances had been any different, Guy would've been happy to see Cody. But now, with the man relaxing on the sofa in his traditional white T-shirt and blue jeans, socked feet kicked up on the coffee table, Guy was slightly irritated. He didn't seem to be taking this seriously.
"Joining the street fighter tournament, of course," Cody replied running his hand through his short blond hair, flashing Guy a five star smile. "Better quit now while you got the chance and save yourself the embarrassment before I defeat you in front of all the masses of people tomorrow."
Guy frowned. "You know that's not why I'm here," he said. "Do you know about Sodom and Rolento?"
Cody nodded. They were two very deadly members of the Mad Gear gang. Sodom was an expert with all sorts of blades, but his specialty was in katana, and sai blades. Rolento was a madman who fought guerilla style with grenades and sticks. He was a quick warrior that practically moved in shadows with a scar on one side of his face. "We've beaten them before, man," Cody said, putting an arm on his friend's shoulder. "Don't tell me you're scared of facing them again."
"There's more to this than just them," Guy continued. "Have you ever heard of Shadowlaw? They're a crime syndicate run by-"
"An evil leader called M.Bison," Cody finished, "yes, I heard it all before. I know it's dangerous, that's why I brought a partner with me."
"What?! Cody, are you finished endangering the lives of people? Why are you bringing them into this tournament? Why are you even in this tournament?"
"To help you out, my man," Cody replied. "That's all."
"When did you register? I don't remember seeing you at the registration hall."
"I haven't yet."
"Good," Guy said, "because the last day for registration was today."
Cody's eyes widened with shock. "You're kidding!"
Guy shook his head. "Not a word of a lie. And what about your 'partner'? Is he registered too?"
"Actually, SHE doesn't happen to be registered either. Nonetheless, Guy, we didn't come all the way here from the states to see you get yourself beaten up in some tournament. But damn… I guess I blew my shot at the prize money."
"That's not what this is about, Cody! Get it into your head!" Guy was getting irritated at Cody's thick head. "And who is this person you brought? Where is she?"
"In bathroom," Cody replied. "And it's not any person, I'll have you know. It's Maki." Cody grinned, as if he knew what to expect of Guy's reaction.
"Maki?!" Guy predictably shrieked. "Why the hell did she want to be here?" He always knew she was a wild girl, willing to try anything just for the thrill of it. But this tournament was downright dangerous. It was Cody. He must've told her how "fun" this was going to be. Guy cursed Cody's childish thinking. Maki wasn't that old her self. She was a few years younger than him, also training in the same Bushin style martial arts, although that wasn't her primary link to Guy.
Maki had an older sister who went by the name of Rena. In contrast to Maki's vibrant aura, Rena was a lot more calm and collected. Her conservativeness was something Guy was attracted to and the two of them had been on a steady relationship for over a year now. In fact, Guy was starting to think of Maki as his own younger sister.
The two men heard the bathroom door open. A young woman with bright blonde hair stepped out rubbing her hair with a towel. Attractive curves showed through under the silk bathrobe she was wearing. And the mist from the hot shower surrounding her body added to the mysterious aura that surrounded her.
"Guy!" she shrieked happily, shattering the initial aura. She ran towards him at full speed, giving him a tight hug.
"Good to see you too, Maki," he said, returning the embrace.
"Where were you earlier today?" she asked. "Cody and I came here a few minutes ago but you weren't in."
"I …" Guy hesitated. He didn't want to tell her or Cody about what he sensed earlier. He didn't want to tell them that the world warrior, Ryu, had been hospitalized and was probably in danger. Whatever it was that attacked Ryu was deadly, dark, and powerful. For a street brawler like Cody or an impulsive girl like Maki, this would've sounded like fun. But it wasn't fun and Guy didn't want them involved. He wished they would return to the States, back to Metro City. "I went out to have a look at the city."
Cody wasn't mentally quick enough to pick up on Guy's fib, but Maki wasn't as clueless.
"Liar," she said, staring Guy down.
"What?" Guy asked. "What do you mean? Of course I went to have a look at the city. We're tourists here, aren't we?"
"It's not that," Maki said, twirling a lock of her blonde hair between her fingers. "I know you too well. For someone who's so serious about this tournament, it seems out of place for you to just find the time to stroll around town. Now tell me what's on your mind."
"I was…" Guy stuttered again. No. He wasn't going to give in to her. "Just forget about it, Maki," he said, trying to push his way past her.
"Don't try and walk away from me Guy," she said, holding an arm in front of his chest.
He grasped her arm in response, looking her straight in the eye. He didn't feel angry. He wanted her to go home. "You should be back home protecting Rena when I'm not there to be by her side."
"You need me more," Maki insisted. "I sensed it too."
"Sensed what?"
She gave him a look of deep disapproval. "Don't give me that bullshit. You know what I'm talking about. I'm a student of the Bushin arts too. I've learned how to meditate properly. In fact, I'm looking to challenge you one day of being the next master of the Bushin arts."
Guy was shocked at Maki's sudden aggression. "This isn't about the arts," he said. "This is about something far greater."
"I know. It's about the Satsui no Hadou. I sensed it too, just under an hour ago."
"Satsui no Hadou? So that's what it's called?"
Maki nodded. "Yeah. It's a branch of the Shotokan martial art, only far more evil in nature. Unlike the Bushin arts, every stroke of the Satsui no Hadou is meant to be lethal."
* * *
Ryu's body hurt no matter how he moved. He could feel the dull aches of his muscles coursing through his body and the sharp pain of the cuts on his skin. His head throbbed as his vision tried to adjust to the sudden amount of light that assaulted his eyes.
"He's awake." There was someone here with him. He couldn't quite make out where he was yet, but the color of the room was white. Then the smell started to hit him. It was artificial, like chemicals. He could also smell latex. The cold touch of the surface he lay on sprouted goose bumps on his skin. It felt like an operating table.
"Where am I?" Ryu tried to ask. To his surprise, his voice came out soft and coarse, not at all like what it sounded in his head. He sounded so weak.
"You're in the examination room," a distant voice said, the same one as before.
"What happened to me?"
"It's a long story. Two kids brought you in, saying something about someone attacking you. Can you remember what happened?"
Ryu thought for a moment, trying to recollect the last things he remembered. He could tell his memory hadn't been damaged because everything came back in a flash. There was the plane trip to Osaka, touring downtown with Ken, and then they met Kenny. Then something happened. Everything after that was a complete blank.
"I think someone did try to attack me," he replied. And then, Ryu remembered the tournament. "When will I be released?"
"We want to keep you overnight," the voice replied. "Just want to make sure everything is okay."
"I can't stay. I have to be at the Street Fighter tournament arena tomorrow. I have to go." Ryu's vision had cleared by now. He saw the man talking to him. He was tall, with short gray hair and a moustache. He looked like he was in his mid thirties, probably been practicing medicine for a few years. He probably knew what he was talking about when recommending that Ryu should stay overnight in the hospital, but Ryu didn't care. He wanted to get out.
The doctor put a hand on Ryu's chest saying, "Please sir, lie down. I can't release you just yet."
And then, Ryu felt it. It was a burning sensation coming from his chest, and shot itself into his mind. The pain was physical at first, but then it became mental. He could've sworn he was seeing red. He felt anger. He didn't know why, but the feeling was so overwhelming that he could hardly control it. Something at the back of his mind begged him to stop. Ryu knew it was the Satsui no Hadou at work, but his sanity was too weak to control him. The next few moments felt like a dream he couldn't control. He saw his fist flying towards the doctors face, feeling the impact of breaking bone against his knuckles, and a sudden explosion behind him. It was chi, only it wasn't his own. It felt evil. The Satsui no Hadou was taking over him. This was the first time he had been fully exposed to it and he lacked the discipline and the experience to control it. Ryu's mind panicked. He didn't know what to do, feeling so helpless as he executed moves he didn't even know he could perform, killing everyone that got in his way as more explosions occurred behind him. Ryu was powerless as he gave into his sudden instincts that he inherited from the Satsui no Hadou. All he could feel was power, anger, insanity and death.
* * *
Kenny ran his hands along his stomach, feeling how round it felt. It had only been a week or so since he'd felt this full, but that was long enough for him. And after having his favorite food, McDonald's, he knew every bite was worth it. Who knew when he could eat it again?
He walked quickly, trying to catch up with Sakura, the pretty short haired school girl who strode quickly in front of him. She was excited to get back to the hospital to see Ryu, but he didn't know why. She seemed to really like him a lot even though she'd never met him before. Kenny couldn't understand why.
"Hey, Sakura, wait up!" he cried, breaking into a run. But he stopped after feeling a sharp pain in his stomach. "Ouch. I'm getting cramps."
He heard her moan in frustration, but thankfully, she slowed down. "Come on, Kenny," she said, motioning for the boy to catch up. "We gotta go see if Ryu is okay."
"But why do you care so much? Ryu will make it. You and I know it."
"And leave him there all by himself at the hospital?!" Sakura put her hands to her face, acting as if it was such a terrible idea.
"Ryu is a grown up. He can take care of himself."
The logic seemed to make sense for Sakura but she refused to take that as an answer. "I'm going back to see him," she said. "You can go home if you want."
Kenny shook his head. To a certain extent, he wanted to find out too if Ryu was okay. "I'm coming with you," he said.
The pair of youths didn't have to walk any further. They saw a familiar figure approaching them from down the street. It was quickly approaching midnight and most of the crowd had cleared the streets. A lone figure was enough to grab their attention, but it wasn't just that. They could see, to their amazement, that it was Ryu who was walking slowly towards them. Sakura started squealing in delight.
"Ryu! Thank goodness you're okay," she said, running towards him.
But Kenny didn't feel quite as relieved. He sensed something evil about Ryu. He was walking towards them with a blank, emotionless gaze on his face although he seemed to be looking straight at them. The energy Kenny sensed that surrounded Ryu didn't feel right. The man he'd met was conservative, protective and kind. But this "thing" that approached them seemed aggressive with bad intentions in mind. It was downright creepy, and the chill that made it's way down Kenny's spine proved his point further.
"Sakura, get away from that man," Kenny called after her.
But after "Ryu's" eyes lit up with a glowing red light, Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. He stopped walking all of a sudden and started gliding like some kind of ghost towards her, with shadows trailing behind him. Kenny could hear him mumble something demonic. "Messatsu!!" And the next thing Kenny saw was Sakura reeling back in horror and screaming. Kenny covered his ears in horror as he heard Sakura's death cry pierce the cold night air.