Author's Responses:
I just want to thank all the readers who are still interested in this story after that LONG break I took. It's really your appreciation and your criticisms that inspire me to continue to write. I've been saying it forever, but this story is nearing completion, and thanks to all of you for sticking with it all the way.
Kikoken: Yes, thank you! The explanation was meant to answer any questions the reader might have.
Tao Shui: Sorry to disappoint you with the previous version of the interlude. In fact, it was mostly your comment that inspired me to re-write it. I initially left it up to the reader to figure out what happened between Ryu and Kenny, but I guess that was asking too much, especially given how much information I actually provided as to what really happened. Now that I think about it, this fanfic does bear a lot of similarities to the SFA: TM plot. But hey gimme a break. I'm making this up as I go along! Kenny's role is quite equivalent to that of Shun. The difference - Kenny is NOT a fighter and he really is a good guy … not like that spy Shun that was sent by Sadler to kill Ryu!
Vammy: You were getting worried about me? That's kind, thanks, haha. But no, I'm fine, I'm back and ready to write some more. I need to get this story finished. I was proud when I finished my first story, but once I get this done, this will be my third!
Jami: Yeah, I dug myself a hole this time. I wanted to have Kenny return for the sequel to this fic which is still in my head. It's either going to be Final Fight based this time around, or Marvel vs. Capcom or Capcom vs. SNK. Haven't figured out which one yet, but it'll definitely incorporate characters/plot elements that the Street Fighter universe has encountered. I'm trying not to make the sequel a crossover fic so maybe Final Fight would be the best bet, since they both take place in the same universe … After all, we can't let your Final Fight fic be the only one of FF.net!
Xardion: Yes, grief is almost always followed by anger and rage … but who's Ryu going to blame? Kenny's dead because Ryu succumbed to the Satsui no Hadou. And that is my intended conflict ;)
Chan: You LIKE that Kenny's dead? Well … not quite the reaction I was going for, but okay!
Immortal: Computer problems suck, don't they? But my temporary departure wasn't due to technological failure - more like unnecessary stress in my life. Like how about 2 thirty page scripts that had deadlines two days apart, complete with rewrites?! Damn my creative writing class. That was enough to get me sick of the computer for a good few weeks. On a more positive note, thanks for continuing to review this fic. I've said it many times before, but I thrive on reviews like what the readers like, and what they want to see. Glad to hear it's getting more interesting for you.
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"You goddamn bastard!" Cody had a white knuckled grip on Shadow's hair with one hand, the other forming a tight fist that he sent smashing countless times over his face. "I'll teach … you to fuck with … us!!" In between his sentences, he would punch Shadow across the face again and again, but Guile's cybernetically enhanced friend wouldn't show any signs of suffering; the only thing that could curb Cody's awesome rage.
Guile approached Cody from behind, grabbing the Metro City hero by his shoulders to try and pull him off of his friend. "Stop it Cody," Guile said through grunts of effort as Cody resisted, "he can't fight back anymore!"
"What the hell are you talking about, man?!" Cody replied without stopping his abuse. "The guy is down, we took him down! This is our chance to make sure he can't get back up!" Guile tightened his grip on Cody's shoulders and pulled the man back with force. Cody released Shadow, letting him hit the floor uselessly with a loud clang.
"We didn't take Shadow down! He was shut down!" Guile shook him by his shoulders, believing the information could be forced into him.
"I … I don't get it. How?"
"I'm not sure," Guile replied, less aggressively this time, but I think I have a theory." He looked towards Ryu, who knelt on the floor just a few meters from where they stood, with his back turned to them. He was cradling the body of a child in his arms, his head sunk low as he emitted soft sobs. "Kenny was the one who empowered Shadow and Shadow Lady with the technology inside of him," Guile continued. "Shadow collapsed because his power supply got cut off. And that means that Kenny …"
"No …" The two men approached Ryu slowly, both of them unsure of what to say.
"Ryu," was all that Guile could come with.
The Shotokan warrior didn't reply. Instead he continued sobbing, as if Guile and Cody weren't present. "Listen, man," Cody said, putting a hand on Ryu's shoulder, "what happened here?" Ryu turned his head to face him, revealing bloodshot eyes. His cheeks were coated with a thin layer of moisture.
"I … I killed him, Cody …"
Ryu laid Kenny's body down on the floor, back into the pool of his own blood, and stood up, never taking his eyes off the fallen boy. Now it was Cody's turn to kneel beside Kenny, looking sorrowfully at him. There was a gaping wound in his chest where there was a large concentrated amount of warm, fresh blood. More blood was spattered over the slightly oversized T-shirt he wore, reddening the gray material. Cody brushed Kenny's sweat coated bangs away from his face. Despite the graphic, mortal wounds Kenny suffered, his eyes were closed peacefully and his mouth was curved very slightly into a smile. Cody ran the back of his knuckles against the boy's cheek, feeling the smooth texture of a child's skin. "Too young …" he whispered under his breath.
"Compose yourself," Guile said to Ryu, who now stood staring blankly at the ground. "It's unfortunate, but death comes with war. You can't go on feeling sorry for every single casualty you cause."
"He didn't have to die. It's because of me … because I embraced the Satsui no Hadou."
"The … what?"
"It's a bad thing and it's inside of him," Cody replied, cutting a long story short.
"We have to find Bison," Ryu said, sniffing back his tears, "and bring him to justice."
* * *
The metallic doors of the secret hangar slid open almost silently. Inside lying dormant was a large plane that resembled a stealth bomber used by the American military. This was to be Bison's escape plane. Smoke from explosions that occurred elsewhere in the base began to make its way slowly into the hangar. Bison glided towards the vehicle, just a few inches off the ground with his custom made anti-gravity boots, enabling him to move faster without wasting his own physical energy.
"And where are you off to in such a hurry?"
The deep, demonic voice caught Bison by surprise. The dictator turned around to face a devil right in the eyes. But this was no ordinary devil, it was Akuma, the once man who'd surrendered his soul to the Satsui no Hadou. But instead of feeling the cold grasp of fear clutch his heart as most men would have, Bison laughed mockingly to Akuma's face.
"I've been wondering where you were," Bison said. "You're the reason Ryu's been giving me so much trouble. How cowardly of you, Akuma, to force the Satsui no Hadou into him just so you could have someone else to kill me too. I don't even know why you want me dead!"
"Don't act so naïve," Akuma replied. "You don't think I know what the Shadowlaw organization is after? You will do anything for power, thus you having created the Psycho Power that you now wield. But nothing compares to the Satsui no Hadou and you know that! And it wouldn't surprise me if you decided to invest in it too. That puts me in danger from this organization."
"If I wanted the Satsui no Hadou," Bison spat, "I could just take it from you." Bison suddenly teleported behind Akuma and grabbed him in a tight chokehold. The demon responded with three powerful elbow jabs into Bison's midsection, forcing the dictator to loosen his grip. Akuma then grabbed his wrist and twisted it painfully behind his back, attempting to break his arm.
Just before Akuma could cause too much damage, Bison erected a psycho powered force field around his body, throwing the Shotokan demon backwards, painfully into a wall. "Is this what you call the Satsui no Hadou?" Bison taunted.
Akuma couldn't respond. He could only struggle to get up and stare back defiantly at Bison. He didn't want to admit it, but after suffering the injuries from Mecha Zangief, his body was in no position to fight, let alone fight against somebody like Bison with the power of the Psycho Drive at his disposal.
"Get out of here," Bison said, "and I may let you live. If I'm going to have a fight with a demon, I want it to be honorable at the least. But you, in the condition you're in, it's just ridiculous."
"The fight isn't with him right now," a third voice said, coming from a form entering the hangar from the sliding doors. It was hard to see who it was from all the smoke, but judging by the voice, Bison knew for certain that it was Ryu, the man he wanted to recruit as a Shadow soldier. Instead, Ryu had come to him! "Your fight is with us, Bison."
Two other forms appeared behind Ryu, one of the a tall blond haired man with stubble dressed in a white T-shirt and jeans, the other with a hairstyle that seemed to defy gravity, dressed in military combat boots, camouflage pants and a green wife beater. Unbeknownst to everyone, Akuma had taken the opportunity to slink back into the shadows, assuring a safe escape. Bison was right about him - he was too weak to fight. However, he vowed that in their next encounter, Akuma would be prepared. His ego had never been hurt like this before, and it would never happen again.
* * *
"Chun Li, wake up," Maki said, tapping her on the cheeks lightly with the back of her hand. Maki was sitting on her knees with Chun Li's head in her lap, hoping to wake the Interpol agent. She remained at her side ever since Chun Li collapsed in their fight. But now, Shadow Lady was gone. She had returned to normal, much to Maki's relief.
Now that much of the adrenaline had left her body, Maki was beginning to feel the pain of her left arm, the one that had been set in a cast in the hospital. The cast was broken in some areas, and she had the feeling it would collapse at any given time. It could barely support the weight of her arm without raining bits of plaster onto the ground. At least it did its job protecting her arm quite well.
Chun Li's eyes fluttered open, but remained half closed. Her usually dark, cheerful eyes were slightly glazed over and showed her extreme confusion. "Where am I?" she asked with a dry voice.
"It doesn't matter," Maki replied. "But you're safe now. Just relax."
Chun Li began to protest. She wanted to know who else was there, and if they were alright. She wanted to know if Charlie and Kenny were safe. There was a lot that she didn't know and she was going to ask Maki, but gave in to the weak state that her body was in.
Approaching footsteps against the dusty ground caught the ladies' attention, as they turned their heads to look in the direction they came from. About fifty meters away, emerging from the forest were two familiar figures. One with golden blond hair that shone brightly in the brightening morning sky, dressed in red clothing. The other was smaller in stature and frame, with the tails of a white bandana tied to her forehead whipping behind her in the wind and they ran.
"Sakura!!" Maki cried, waving her good arm frantically in the air. "Ken! Over here!" It wasn't like she needed to do it, they were already heading in their general direction. But Maki was so happy so see them, she didn't know how else to respond to their presence.
They stopped just a few feet away, both hunched over almost immediately trying to catch their breath.
"How the hell were you guys able to find your way here?" Maki asked out of surprise. "I thought the American Military kept information like this a secret!"
"Well when Ryu was telling us about the mission, it wasn't too hard to figure out," Ken replied, "especially when he was referring to Shadowlaw's 'Mount Fuji Base.'" Maki shrugged. It made sense to her.
"Chun Li!" Ken cried. "I heard about what happened to you at the airport. Are you alright? What did Shadowlaw do to you?"
"I have no idea," Chun Li replied. "They took me to this room … then I saw Kenny and they did something to me." She pressed a hand to her forehead. "I'm sorry, I … I don't remember much."
"Let her rest," Maki insisted. "I'll explain everything later."
"And the others?" Sakura asked. "What happened to them?"
"I thought Ryu told you stay in the hospital," Maki said, in a tone that sounded remarkably parental. The concept didn't sit right with her as cold chills made their way up her spine.
"Yeah but Ken and I got out after they left."
"Weren't you against her coming too?" Maki asked, turning her attention to the American Shotokan warrior.
"Yeah but … I dunno. I kinda felt bad for snapping at her just now?" Ken rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Besides with the skill and determination she has, Sakura might come in handy."
"You're endangering her life," Chun Li said weakly. "It was a mistake coming here, and you know it. Aren't you still injured from the collapse at the Osaka Dime?"
"I'll be the judge of what I need to do, Chun Li," Ken said, closing the conversation. "I can't sit around when the people I care for are putting their lives in danger, especially when there's something I can do about it."
"Alright you guys, we need to save this bickering for later." Maki stood up, helping Chun Li sit up as well. "There's something going on inside that base." She pointed to the source of the sounds of shooting, explosions and screams. "And we've gotta get in there and help our friends. Hopefully, nothing has happened to them yet. Chun Li, are you going to be okay resting here for awhile?"
The Interpol agent nodded in response. "I'll be fine."
"Sakura, you better stay with her," Ken insisted. "It's more dangerous in the base. The Shadowlaw soldiers can be hiding anywhere but at least out here, you're out in the open. It'll be safer." To Ken's surprise, Sakura agreed without any protest.
"I'll keep Chun Li safe," she promised.
"Alright then, we should be on our way." Together with Ken, Maki took of towards the open doors of the Shadowlaw base, leaving Chun Li and Sakura behind in a cloud of dust that the two of them angrily choked on.
After a few moments of silence, unsure of what to do, Sakura decided to help Chun Li up and move her to a safer location. True they were safe in the sense that they could see any approaching enemies, but at the same time, they'd be clearly visible for anyone to shoot at from a distance.
"Can you stand?" Sakura asked.
"Of course," Chun Li said, slightly insulted by Sakura's treatment. She got up quickly, a little too quickly perhaps as she spread her arms out from her sides, attempting to regain her balance. She glanced at Sakura and laughed nervously. "Head rush …"
"Target confirmed."
"What the hell?" Chun Li asked, hearing a robotic female voice emerge from nowhere. Sakura, too, was now on her guard, fists raised.
It felt like her cheek had exploded. Chun Li's head was knocked sideways, throwing her entire body in that direction, sailing through the air and landing painfully in a cloud of dust.
"Chun Li!" Sakura cried. The schoolgirl's view of Chun Li by a third figure. The intruder faced Sakura, having her back turned to the fallen Chun Li. She was female, not much taller than Sakura herself. But her limbs, or her legs at least from what was uncovered by her odd clothes, were thick with muscle and covered in strange blue markings. Her golden hair hung parallel to her body in two thick braids. Her large blue eyes while wide like a child's showed no hint of humanity in her soul.
Chun Li wiped her mouth, tasting the warm, metallic flavour of blood in her mouth. She stood up and got a quick look at her assailant. "Sakura, get away from her, now!!" she ordered.
"Who is she?" the schoolgirl asked, the tension in her voice now rising.
"She's the lady that attacked us at the airport! Get away, Sakura!!"
"Silence," the intruder ordered, turning to face Chun Li, and slapped her across the face with a powerful swipe. She felt the sharp sting of the slap. The resulting stars she saw because of the impact blinded her temporarily. Chun Li choked back the tears that threatened to squeeze their way out of the corners of her eyes and gathering her strength, she stood up, facing the intruder squarely woman to woman.
"Who are you?" Chun Li demanded, not giving in to the intimidation the strange woman seemed to want from her. "What has Bison done with you?"
"Designation SD-6854, codename Cammy," the woman responded. Lord Bison's orders are to eliminate all that oppose Shadowlaw, and I'll start with you." A quick blur of a fist headed for Chun Li's face. The Interpol agent, using her well trained reflexes cocked her head to one side, barely out of reach of the strike, and caught Cammy's wrist, using the Shadowlaw doll's own momentum to pull her towards her. Cammy was caught off balance and fell forward, feeling her abdomen cave inwards upon contact with Chun Li's rising knee. Chun Li then brought her elbow down fast and hard, striking Cammy's upper back, just between the shoulder blades, seeing her face twist in agony. It appeared that the Shadowlaw robot could be hurt. She could feel pain - which meant she couldn't have been enhanced by the Shadow technology Kenny possessed.
As Cammy collapsed to the ground, she rolled away to safety from Chun Li, who attempted to crush her by slamming her foot on top of Cammy's fallen body. The Shadowlaw doll, using her gained momentum from falling, arched her back and using her arms as support, performed a back flip that get her back on her feet. Chun Li wasted no time in pursuing her attacks. She wasn't going to let Cammy gain the upper hand in this fight. She too flipped herself upside down, spread her legs and threw her entire body at her opponent, hoping to bear down on Cammy with her strong calves. The Senenshu was quick but risky. It assured decent damage if it connected correctly, but had enough recover time to allow the opponent to block and counter easily if it missed.
Unfortunately for Chun Li, such was the case. She didn't miss, but just as she was about to slam Cammy from overhead, the Shadowlaw doll kicked her leg up to almost a vertical position to the ground and thrust her light body high into the air yelling, "Cannon Spike!" The kick connected with the back of Chun Li's thigh, sending her flipping uncontrollably in the air, causing her to land painfully on her upper back.
Chun Li wouldn't let herself writhe in pain on the ground. Enough adrenaline was pumping through her body to allow her to bypass the pain. Instead, as Cammy was landing from her Cannon Spike, Chun Li threw herself into the air after her and kicked Cammy's descending body in a spiral of spinning kicks. "Tensho Kyaku!" she yelled, announcing the name of her trademark attack.
Again, Cammy collided with the ground at great speed, gained from Chun Li's powerful kicks. She struggled to get up, looking at the Interpol agent with a fierce determination in her eyes. Her body, however, seemed to disagree with whatever her mind had intended on doing. Cammy was beaten but she didn't want to believe it. She couldn't be beaten by a mere human, one that didn't have the power of the Psycho Drive on their side.
Chun Li walked bravely up to the fallen doll and grabbed her by the neck. "Keep still or I will crush your throat," she threatened. "Sakura, come over here and help me with her." The schoolgirl headed slowly towards the older women, at the same time, reaching around behind her head and untying her headband.
"We can use this to tie her up for awhile," she offered.
Chun Li smiled and nodded, accepting the headband gratefully from the young girl's hands. "This will do quite well," she said.