Chapter One: Reunions
-Molokai Island, Hawaii, one year before the Second Street Fighter Tournament...-
Inside a small motel room, Juli sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a tanktop and a pair of shorts, lost in her thoughts. Ever since coming to Hawaii from Hong Kong several weeks earlier, she had been coming down with morning sickness. She had her suspicions, but upon visiting the doctor earlier in the morning, she had confirmed it for Juli.
She was pregant.
The former Shadowlaw assassin ran a slender hand over her stomach and sighed. She couldn't risk telling Ryu - wherever he may be, otherwise Shadowlaw might find her and use that as a trump card against Ryu.
'No one must not know about this,' she thought. 'This is my decision, and I will stand by it'
---
-Lanai City - Lanai Island, Hawaii, two months after the Second Street Fighter Tournament...-
Some time had passed since the last Street Fighter tournament. Since that time, Juli had moved around the Hawaiian islands, until she decided to settle in Lanai City.
She had made a new life for herself in America. Having let go of her assassin's past, she managed to open up a small floral shop in the tourist section of Lanai City. She had heard about Shadowlaw's destruction through the news, crediting the Interpol agent Chun Li Xiang and the American commando William Guile for its downfall. However, Juli had suspected that Ryu played a critical part in destroying Shadowlaw, but refused to take the credit for it.
The thing that worried Juli the most was the fate of the other eleven dolls.
It was nighttime in Lanai City. Juli was inside her apartment, tired from a long day working at the floral shop downstairs. She was looking at her newborn baby - a daughter - who was sleeping in her crib.
A small smile crept across her lips as she continued to watch her daughter sleep. The phone's incessant ringing broke through her reverie. Frowning at who could be calling her at this time of night, Juli walked out of the nursery and into her own bedroom.
Picking up the cordelss phone, she flipped it on and placed the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"
"You're a hard woman to keep up with, Juli," a female voice said from the other end.
Juli's eyes widened at the sound of her voice. "Satsuki? How'd you get this number?"
"We always knew where you were," Satsuki replied.
"Where are you now?"
"Hilo. Juni is here with me too. We should be in Lanai City tomorrow."
"And the others?" Juli asked.
"The other dolls have scattered, but they are all alive," Satsuki replied. "We'll explain everything when we arrive. See you soon, Juli."
Click.
Juli slowly lowered her phone. 'They're alive,' she thought. 'The dolls are really alive'
---
The next day...
Mondays was when Juli didn't open the floral shop for business. She was in her apartment, sitting in the living room. Her child was fast asleep in her room.
The former doll then heard that someone was knocking at her door. Standing up, she walked over to the door, unlatched it and opened it.
Standing outside was Satsuki, the Murumasa-wielding Japanese doll, the aforementioned sword wrapped in a slender bundle and slung over her shoulder. Beside and behind her was Juni, former vice-commander of the Shadowlaw dolls.
After a tearful reunion, the three former assassins were sitting in the living room, catching up on current events.
"I read that Shadowlaw was brought down," Juli said. "What happened to General Bison?"
"Dead. He was brought down by the Japanese warrior," Juni replied.
"Ryu," Juli whispered.
"Xiayu and Yanyu were both in Hong Kong and they reported that Ryu refused to take responsibility for defeating Bison," Satsuki said. "He allowed the Interpol agent and American commando to take the credit."
"That sounds like Ryu all right," Juli replied.
The conversation was then interrupted by the sound of a baby crying. In a instant, Juli was on her feet and rushing back into her bedroom. Satsuki and Juni followed her. Upon entering the room, they saw Juli gently cradling her child in her arms. Satsuki raised an eyebrow. "You're into babysitting too?" she asked.
"I'm not babysitting," Juli replied flatly. "This is my daughter."
Juni and Satsuki pulled off a general facefault. "Your daughter?" the both asked in unison.
Juli nodded. "Her name is Kirina. She's almost a year old."
Satsuki took a closer look at the child. "She's adorable. Who's the father?"
Juli bit her lip, wondering how they would take the news of who the father of her child is. "Ryu is her father."
If finding out that Juli had a child was shocking enough, then the fact that Ryu had knocked up Juli and that this was his child.
"Does Ryu know about this?" Satsuki asked.
Juli shook her head. "No."
"He has to know," Juni insisted. "This is his kid too."
Juli shook her head. "Shadowlaw may be destroyed but there are still remnants of the organization still around. If they find out that I had a child by Ryu, then they would use that against him, and I can't allow that. So no one tells him, understand?"
Juni was still defiant. "Ryu has to take responsibility--"
Juni stopped in mid-sentence as Juli quickly pulled out Satsuki's sword from its scabbard and it's razor-sharp edge was resting against her throat.
Juli's eyes took on a steel hardness. "Juni, I appreciate the concern, but I will not speak twice. This is my decision. As long as Ryu is in the dark, and Shadowlaw doesn't find out, then Kirina is safe. Understand?"
Juni slowly nodded.
Juli turned to Satsuki. "This goes for you too."
Satsuki nodded. "Whatever you say."
Juli lowered the sword from Juni's throat. She tossed it back to Satsuki, who quickly replaced it back in its scabbard. Holding Kirina in her arms, Juli looked at both women. "I'm gonna need some help in raising Kirina. How fast can you get in contact with the other dolls?"
"In a few days," Juni replied.
"Have them come here," Juli ordered. "We have many things to discuss."
---
Over the next couple of days, the other nine dolls have began to resurface. Answeing their former commander's call they assembled at Juni's new lakeside home in Honolulu.
"As all of you already know, I have decided not to resume my former profession as an assassin," Juli announced.
There were mumurs of protests from the other nine dolls.
"Shadowlaw is gone and now, you have the choice to decide your own destiny," Juli continued. "If you wish to resume working as an assassins, then do as you please. I'm out."
Noembelu, the Mexican doll spoke up. "Surely you have some reason as to why you are not working as an assassin."
"One, I managed to go legit," Juli said. "As Juni and Satsuki already told you, I'm running a floral shop in Lanai City. But that's not the only reason."
"There's another reason?" Santamu, the Vietnamese doll cut in, her pet golden tamerlaine monkey perched on her shoulder.
Juli excused herself from the room. When she came back, she was holding Kirina in her arms. Mumurs from the other dolls were heard as Juli held her daughter in her arms.
"This is Kirina," Juli explaied. "She is my daughter."
Needless to say, the other dolls were shocked. Fevrier, the gun-wielding French doll walked over to Juli and the baby. "She's adorable," she said in accented English. "Can I hold her?"
Juli handed Kirina over to Fevirer, who gently handled Kirina, whispering things to her in French.
"So who's the father?" Yanyu, one of the Chinese dolls asked.
Juli measured the situation, wondering the reaction of her former subordinates if she told them her answer. "Her father is Ryu."
After that announcment, the nine dolls were silent. You could literally hear a pin drop. The other Chinese doll, Xiayu found her voice. "Ryu Hoshi? The same Japanese guy that General Bison was after?"
Juli nodded. "Yes. Ryu and I...well, he's Kirina's father."
"Does he know about this?" Xiayu asked.
Juli shook her head. "Not a clue. We were stuck in Hong Kong in the middle of a typhoon a year ago. One thing led to another and...we slept together." She sighed. "It was my decision to leave and mine alone."
Juli paused for a moment before continuing. "This is my last order. No harm is to come onto Kirina's father and his friends. If I find out that anyone of you - and I do mean ANYONE - break my order and harm Ryu in any way, then I will kill you myself. Is that clear?"
The other dolls nodded, knowing well that Juli will make good on her promise. Juli then excused herself from the room and stepped outside. As the other dolls talked amongst themselves and took turns holding Kirina, Satsuki followed Juli outside.
The Japanese doll found the former commander outside on the patio, looking out into the night sky. Satsuki walkded over to her and stood beside her.
Without looking at the person she considered as a sister Juli spoke. "Back in Shadowlaw, I never got a chance to look at the night sky. Even when I was on assignment, I never got the chance to look at the stars. Now...I can see how beautiful they are."
Satsuki nodded. "That they are. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Juli slowly nodded. "At least I'm not alone in this." She turned to Satsuki and smiled. "Kirina now has eleven aunts that will help raise her. So you want to see me about something?"
The Japanese woman nodded. "It has something to do with Ryu." She pulled out a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to Juli. "This is a copy of Ryu's birth certificate."
Juli took the sheet of paper and unfolded it. After scanning the document, she stopped on the names of his parents. "Hanzou Shinichi and Mei Kurosawa Hoshi. So those are his parents."
Satsuki nodded as she pulled out a second sheet of paper. "This is my bitrh certificate."
Juli took the second sheet of paper. "May Kozumi Hoshi," she read. "At least your parents named you right." Juli then blinked. "Wait a second..." She then found the names of the parents.
They were the same as on Ryu's birth certificate.
Juli looked at Satsuki in complete shock. Satsuki nodded. "Like you, I wanted to see that I was not a clone. Imagine Bison's surprise if he found out that his best chance of getting Ryu into Shadowlaw would be his own little sister."
Juli shook her head. "Does Ryu know about this?"
Satsuki shook her head. "Not a clue. Juli and the other don't know about it either. But he does need to know about his sister." She looked out to the horizon. "I heard from Marz that several members from Shadowlaw are planning on taking him and the Chinese agent woman that he's seeing out."
Juli nodded. "I want you to go to Japan and protect Ryu and the Interpol agent at all costs."
Satsuki nodded. "I will."
-Molokai Island, Hawaii, one year before the Second Street Fighter Tournament...-
Inside a small motel room, Juli sat on the edge of the bed, wearing a tanktop and a pair of shorts, lost in her thoughts. Ever since coming to Hawaii from Hong Kong several weeks earlier, she had been coming down with morning sickness. She had her suspicions, but upon visiting the doctor earlier in the morning, she had confirmed it for Juli.
She was pregant.
The former Shadowlaw assassin ran a slender hand over her stomach and sighed. She couldn't risk telling Ryu - wherever he may be, otherwise Shadowlaw might find her and use that as a trump card against Ryu.
'No one must not know about this,' she thought. 'This is my decision, and I will stand by it'
---
-Lanai City - Lanai Island, Hawaii, two months after the Second Street Fighter Tournament...-
Some time had passed since the last Street Fighter tournament. Since that time, Juli had moved around the Hawaiian islands, until she decided to settle in Lanai City.
She had made a new life for herself in America. Having let go of her assassin's past, she managed to open up a small floral shop in the tourist section of Lanai City. She had heard about Shadowlaw's destruction through the news, crediting the Interpol agent Chun Li Xiang and the American commando William Guile for its downfall. However, Juli had suspected that Ryu played a critical part in destroying Shadowlaw, but refused to take the credit for it.
The thing that worried Juli the most was the fate of the other eleven dolls.
It was nighttime in Lanai City. Juli was inside her apartment, tired from a long day working at the floral shop downstairs. She was looking at her newborn baby - a daughter - who was sleeping in her crib.
A small smile crept across her lips as she continued to watch her daughter sleep. The phone's incessant ringing broke through her reverie. Frowning at who could be calling her at this time of night, Juli walked out of the nursery and into her own bedroom.
Picking up the cordelss phone, she flipped it on and placed the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"
"You're a hard woman to keep up with, Juli," a female voice said from the other end.
Juli's eyes widened at the sound of her voice. "Satsuki? How'd you get this number?"
"We always knew where you were," Satsuki replied.
"Where are you now?"
"Hilo. Juni is here with me too. We should be in Lanai City tomorrow."
"And the others?" Juli asked.
"The other dolls have scattered, but they are all alive," Satsuki replied. "We'll explain everything when we arrive. See you soon, Juli."
Click.
Juli slowly lowered her phone. 'They're alive,' she thought. 'The dolls are really alive'
---
The next day...
Mondays was when Juli didn't open the floral shop for business. She was in her apartment, sitting in the living room. Her child was fast asleep in her room.
The former doll then heard that someone was knocking at her door. Standing up, she walked over to the door, unlatched it and opened it.
Standing outside was Satsuki, the Murumasa-wielding Japanese doll, the aforementioned sword wrapped in a slender bundle and slung over her shoulder. Beside and behind her was Juni, former vice-commander of the Shadowlaw dolls.
After a tearful reunion, the three former assassins were sitting in the living room, catching up on current events.
"I read that Shadowlaw was brought down," Juli said. "What happened to General Bison?"
"Dead. He was brought down by the Japanese warrior," Juni replied.
"Ryu," Juli whispered.
"Xiayu and Yanyu were both in Hong Kong and they reported that Ryu refused to take responsibility for defeating Bison," Satsuki said. "He allowed the Interpol agent and American commando to take the credit."
"That sounds like Ryu all right," Juli replied.
The conversation was then interrupted by the sound of a baby crying. In a instant, Juli was on her feet and rushing back into her bedroom. Satsuki and Juni followed her. Upon entering the room, they saw Juli gently cradling her child in her arms. Satsuki raised an eyebrow. "You're into babysitting too?" she asked.
"I'm not babysitting," Juli replied flatly. "This is my daughter."
Juni and Satsuki pulled off a general facefault. "Your daughter?" the both asked in unison.
Juli nodded. "Her name is Kirina. She's almost a year old."
Satsuki took a closer look at the child. "She's adorable. Who's the father?"
Juli bit her lip, wondering how they would take the news of who the father of her child is. "Ryu is her father."
If finding out that Juli had a child was shocking enough, then the fact that Ryu had knocked up Juli and that this was his child.
"Does Ryu know about this?" Satsuki asked.
Juli shook her head. "No."
"He has to know," Juni insisted. "This is his kid too."
Juli shook her head. "Shadowlaw may be destroyed but there are still remnants of the organization still around. If they find out that I had a child by Ryu, then they would use that against him, and I can't allow that. So no one tells him, understand?"
Juni was still defiant. "Ryu has to take responsibility--"
Juni stopped in mid-sentence as Juli quickly pulled out Satsuki's sword from its scabbard and it's razor-sharp edge was resting against her throat.
Juli's eyes took on a steel hardness. "Juni, I appreciate the concern, but I will not speak twice. This is my decision. As long as Ryu is in the dark, and Shadowlaw doesn't find out, then Kirina is safe. Understand?"
Juni slowly nodded.
Juli turned to Satsuki. "This goes for you too."
Satsuki nodded. "Whatever you say."
Juli lowered the sword from Juni's throat. She tossed it back to Satsuki, who quickly replaced it back in its scabbard. Holding Kirina in her arms, Juli looked at both women. "I'm gonna need some help in raising Kirina. How fast can you get in contact with the other dolls?"
"In a few days," Juni replied.
"Have them come here," Juli ordered. "We have many things to discuss."
---
Over the next couple of days, the other nine dolls have began to resurface. Answeing their former commander's call they assembled at Juni's new lakeside home in Honolulu.
"As all of you already know, I have decided not to resume my former profession as an assassin," Juli announced.
There were mumurs of protests from the other nine dolls.
"Shadowlaw is gone and now, you have the choice to decide your own destiny," Juli continued. "If you wish to resume working as an assassins, then do as you please. I'm out."
Noembelu, the Mexican doll spoke up. "Surely you have some reason as to why you are not working as an assassin."
"One, I managed to go legit," Juli said. "As Juni and Satsuki already told you, I'm running a floral shop in Lanai City. But that's not the only reason."
"There's another reason?" Santamu, the Vietnamese doll cut in, her pet golden tamerlaine monkey perched on her shoulder.
Juli excused herself from the room. When she came back, she was holding Kirina in her arms. Mumurs from the other dolls were heard as Juli held her daughter in her arms.
"This is Kirina," Juli explaied. "She is my daughter."
Needless to say, the other dolls were shocked. Fevrier, the gun-wielding French doll walked over to Juli and the baby. "She's adorable," she said in accented English. "Can I hold her?"
Juli handed Kirina over to Fevirer, who gently handled Kirina, whispering things to her in French.
"So who's the father?" Yanyu, one of the Chinese dolls asked.
Juli measured the situation, wondering the reaction of her former subordinates if she told them her answer. "Her father is Ryu."
After that announcment, the nine dolls were silent. You could literally hear a pin drop. The other Chinese doll, Xiayu found her voice. "Ryu Hoshi? The same Japanese guy that General Bison was after?"
Juli nodded. "Yes. Ryu and I...well, he's Kirina's father."
"Does he know about this?" Xiayu asked.
Juli shook her head. "Not a clue. We were stuck in Hong Kong in the middle of a typhoon a year ago. One thing led to another and...we slept together." She sighed. "It was my decision to leave and mine alone."
Juli paused for a moment before continuing. "This is my last order. No harm is to come onto Kirina's father and his friends. If I find out that anyone of you - and I do mean ANYONE - break my order and harm Ryu in any way, then I will kill you myself. Is that clear?"
The other dolls nodded, knowing well that Juli will make good on her promise. Juli then excused herself from the room and stepped outside. As the other dolls talked amongst themselves and took turns holding Kirina, Satsuki followed Juli outside.
The Japanese doll found the former commander outside on the patio, looking out into the night sky. Satsuki walkded over to her and stood beside her.
Without looking at the person she considered as a sister Juli spoke. "Back in Shadowlaw, I never got a chance to look at the night sky. Even when I was on assignment, I never got the chance to look at the stars. Now...I can see how beautiful they are."
Satsuki nodded. "That they are. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"
Juli slowly nodded. "At least I'm not alone in this." She turned to Satsuki and smiled. "Kirina now has eleven aunts that will help raise her. So you want to see me about something?"
The Japanese woman nodded. "It has something to do with Ryu." She pulled out a folded sheet of paper from her pocket and handed it to Juli. "This is a copy of Ryu's birth certificate."
Juli took the sheet of paper and unfolded it. After scanning the document, she stopped on the names of his parents. "Hanzou Shinichi and Mei Kurosawa Hoshi. So those are his parents."
Satsuki nodded as she pulled out a second sheet of paper. "This is my bitrh certificate."
Juli took the second sheet of paper. "May Kozumi Hoshi," she read. "At least your parents named you right." Juli then blinked. "Wait a second..." She then found the names of the parents.
They were the same as on Ryu's birth certificate.
Juli looked at Satsuki in complete shock. Satsuki nodded. "Like you, I wanted to see that I was not a clone. Imagine Bison's surprise if he found out that his best chance of getting Ryu into Shadowlaw would be his own little sister."
Juli shook her head. "Does Ryu know about this?"
Satsuki shook her head. "Not a clue. Juli and the other don't know about it either. But he does need to know about his sister." She looked out to the horizon. "I heard from Marz that several members from Shadowlaw are planning on taking him and the Chinese agent woman that he's seeing out."
Juli nodded. "I want you to go to Japan and protect Ryu and the Interpol agent at all costs."
Satsuki nodded. "I will."