Chapter 4: Surprises
It was an hour after I got off from work and I found myself ringing Sakura's doorbell. I still remember her address since she told me after the last time we fought. I breathed deeply and after a moment, the door swung open to reveal Sakura. She was rather surprised to actually seem me visit her.
"Hi, Sakura," I opened up. "You mind if I came in?"
"Oh. . . yeah, sure."
We sat on the same sofa in her living room. As I looked at her family pictures she spoke.
"Listen, Ryu. You can't stay here for long. My parents get off in an hour and I'm not allowed to have visitors without them knowing."
"I understand. I just came her to say that. . . well about the other day. . ."
"Ryu. . ." Sakura cut me off," I should be the one to apologize. . ."
I stared blank at her. "What?"
"When I heard that you gave up fighting, I was only thinking about myself. I didn't bother to think about it from your point of view. You're been fighting way longer than I have and you need to just relax and live a normal life."
"But. . . I thought that. . ."
"Don't worry about it. You're not the only reason I fight. I still have a rivalry with Karin and I could always spar with Hinata, Ken, and the others. You just think about your new life."
Somehow I felt weird. Here's a sixteen year-old girl that who used to look up to me give me the inspiration to live a normal life. The irony of it all. . .
"Okay, Sakura. At least I know that you aren't upset about it."
She smiled. "Yeah. . . Okay, Ryu. You gotta get outta here. My parents should be home any minute."
"Huh? I though you said that they wouldn't be home for another hour.
"Well. . . I say a lot of things. . ."
---- ----
"That's exactly what I told you from the start, Ryu," Ken said after swallowing some of his sushi. "Sakura's growing up everyday. She'll make a great fighter one day. . ."
"What do you mean 'one day'?" I countered. "She beat both of us, not to mention a lot of the other fighters around.
"Ryu. . . you let her win your match. I didn't."
"Oh. . ."
The time: 7 PM. The location: the local sushi bar. Ken treated me out (although I paid for half the food) and now we were almost about to move on with another part of my life.
"Anyway, let's see what we got here. You have a job, money in your wallet, you still work out a bit. Let's see what were missing. . . Hey, Ryu! You listening?"
Honestly I wasn't. My eyes caught the sight of a decent looking woman walking outside. She had to be at least 25 years old and her brown hair reminded me of how Chun-Li wore wore hers with her. . . Now that I think about it, I have no idea what those things are in her hair. . .
"Looks like I'm rubbing off on ya," Ken teased, getting my attention.
"What?"
"You know what. . ."
The instant I blushed, Ken smiled, but it quickly disappeared.
"Uh, Ryu?"
"Yeah, Ken?"
"Look whose here."
I turned around. . . and my heart jumped up into my throat.
"Oh. . . Chun-Li. . . I was just thinking about you. . ."
"Yeah, I bet you were," she responded. She was wearing her jumpsuit and sneakers with the yellow stripes and a bit of a smile on her face.
"So what brings you here?"
"Well. . . I gave a certain someone 'directions' on how to find you. . ."
"Like who?"
She pointed to her side, I followed and gasped. A teen girl, coming up to Chun-Li's waist, stood next to her, staring at me seriously. She had short, wild black hair along with her red shirt and blue jeans. What really stuck out and made me recognize her was the insanely long yellow headband that ran to the ground.
"Makoto?!?"
End of Chapter 4.
It was an hour after I got off from work and I found myself ringing Sakura's doorbell. I still remember her address since she told me after the last time we fought. I breathed deeply and after a moment, the door swung open to reveal Sakura. She was rather surprised to actually seem me visit her.
"Hi, Sakura," I opened up. "You mind if I came in?"
"Oh. . . yeah, sure."
We sat on the same sofa in her living room. As I looked at her family pictures she spoke.
"Listen, Ryu. You can't stay here for long. My parents get off in an hour and I'm not allowed to have visitors without them knowing."
"I understand. I just came her to say that. . . well about the other day. . ."
"Ryu. . ." Sakura cut me off," I should be the one to apologize. . ."
I stared blank at her. "What?"
"When I heard that you gave up fighting, I was only thinking about myself. I didn't bother to think about it from your point of view. You're been fighting way longer than I have and you need to just relax and live a normal life."
"But. . . I thought that. . ."
"Don't worry about it. You're not the only reason I fight. I still have a rivalry with Karin and I could always spar with Hinata, Ken, and the others. You just think about your new life."
Somehow I felt weird. Here's a sixteen year-old girl that who used to look up to me give me the inspiration to live a normal life. The irony of it all. . .
"Okay, Sakura. At least I know that you aren't upset about it."
She smiled. "Yeah. . . Okay, Ryu. You gotta get outta here. My parents should be home any minute."
"Huh? I though you said that they wouldn't be home for another hour.
"Well. . . I say a lot of things. . ."
---- ----
"That's exactly what I told you from the start, Ryu," Ken said after swallowing some of his sushi. "Sakura's growing up everyday. She'll make a great fighter one day. . ."
"What do you mean 'one day'?" I countered. "She beat both of us, not to mention a lot of the other fighters around.
"Ryu. . . you let her win your match. I didn't."
"Oh. . ."
The time: 7 PM. The location: the local sushi bar. Ken treated me out (although I paid for half the food) and now we were almost about to move on with another part of my life.
"Anyway, let's see what we got here. You have a job, money in your wallet, you still work out a bit. Let's see what were missing. . . Hey, Ryu! You listening?"
Honestly I wasn't. My eyes caught the sight of a decent looking woman walking outside. She had to be at least 25 years old and her brown hair reminded me of how Chun-Li wore wore hers with her. . . Now that I think about it, I have no idea what those things are in her hair. . .
"Looks like I'm rubbing off on ya," Ken teased, getting my attention.
"What?"
"You know what. . ."
The instant I blushed, Ken smiled, but it quickly disappeared.
"Uh, Ryu?"
"Yeah, Ken?"
"Look whose here."
I turned around. . . and my heart jumped up into my throat.
"Oh. . . Chun-Li. . . I was just thinking about you. . ."
"Yeah, I bet you were," she responded. She was wearing her jumpsuit and sneakers with the yellow stripes and a bit of a smile on her face.
"So what brings you here?"
"Well. . . I gave a certain someone 'directions' on how to find you. . ."
"Like who?"
She pointed to her side, I followed and gasped. A teen girl, coming up to Chun-Li's waist, stood next to her, staring at me seriously. She had short, wild black hair along with her red shirt and blue jeans. What really stuck out and made me recognize her was the insanely long yellow headband that ran to the ground.
"Makoto?!?"
End of Chapter 4.