Disclaimer: Do I look that smart? Nuh uh. Nothing's mine!
Author's Note: I am SO SORRY that I took so long to update. A lot of sickness and death my way and this is my first free chance in forever. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chappie and please review, I want to please the people so tell me how ya like it. Now, nough' boringness, ON WITH THE STORY!
Chapter Ten:
Who You Really Are
How quickly time seemed to pass once Chun-Li allowed herself to get involved with Guile. It wasn't that she had romantic feelings towards him, no matter what he believed, she just needed someone there that wouldn't question her authority. Time was now being spent with him, at his matches, and doing whatever he wanted to do…but he never once questioned her motives for following him.
The matches came and went in a flash and Chun-Li was proud to be noticed as one of the ones that had yet to be defeated. To everyone else, she seemed to have everything in order…she was on top the world. Or so it would seem. And it was about time, she finally got her mind back to her job.
"I just don't fully understand you." E Honda admitted one dreary afternoon as he and Chun-Li lounged around in his dorm.
"What's there not to get? Am I a woman of mystery?"
E Honda hesitated before he spoke, choosing his words wisely. "You spend every waking moment with Guile yet your heart is far from him. Your thoughts and your actions betray what everyone else assumes to be true. What kind of a game are you trying to play? I never took a girl like you to be one to play around. Thought you had your head on straight…here to fight and make a name for yourself."
"Oh E Honda, I am here for that. But it's only human of me to get distracted. Even you, the great sumo wrestler, has been distracted from a job. We are only human; we're allowed to make mistakes."
"But to lead men into believing that you have feelings for them. Chun, that is not right. They deserve a fair chance. Just consider it for a while."
Doing just that, Chun-Li drew her knees to her chest and rested her chin upon her folded arms around them. "I'm horrible aren't I?"
"No, no one is horrible…only a confused person."
"What am I supposed to do now?"
"First of all, sort out your own feelings. Then try talking to them…all of them. If they love you the way you claim, they will respect your honesty. Just stop it before you get yourself in to deep. No one deserves to be caught in a whirlwind romance that they can't get themselves out of."
Giving a soft chuckle, Chun-Li buried her face in her knees. "Oh E Honda, that is so much easier said than done. What if they all decide that they hate me? I will never be able to live with myself then." She cried sort of muffled.
Looking down, E Honda looked slightly nervous about what he was about to say. He licked his bottom lip then closed his eyes. "It is much easier to tell someone how you feel about them than it is to keep it all bottled up. With time comes trials…don't face them when you aren't at your utmost."
"I wouldn't know any of that. I have never had a romantic entanglement before. With me, it's always been about work. My work was my life, and I enjoyed it that way. Until I came here…then I met such new wonderful people and my every day, organized, preplanned life turned upside down. When I first met Ryu, I did not love him…I was amazed by him. Perhaps even now I do not love him…I just need something to keep me occupied. Is that wrong? Am I really just a fool, play a fool's game?"
Considering this, E Honda rested a reassuring hand upon her shoulder, forcing her to face him in the eyes. "Chun, until you will ever hear what your heart has to say, you first must listen to your soul and your mind. They contradict each other but they help you grow as a person. In order to know any of the questions that only you can answer, you must figure out who you really are."
Confusion swept over her normally cool eyes. "Whatever do you mean?"
"I mean that you know what you are….a workaholic for starters. But that does not tell us who you are. Why are you here Chun-Li? Is it because you choose this destiny or are you obligated to be here? You are a walking contradiction…one day you seem like you love being here; others you wish you were miles and miles away. I, I want to be here and I have to be here. This is my life, this is who I am. Fighting is just what I do…good or bad, pass or fail. I must head my call."
Beginning to understand what he meant, she sighed audibly. "Then how do I figure out who I am?"
"Spend some time alone so you can think, sort out your feelings. Forget all about everyone else in the world and focus on what you want. It doesn't have to be romance or even a title…it may go deeper than that. Something a little more personal. After you get that settled, take some time to be with the people you have grown to appreciate. They won't let you down; they love you too much for that. Though you confuse them beyond belief, they know exactly what you are going through. Everyone goes through this state sooner or later, now it's your turn."
Chun-Li emerged from her chair and eased her arms around her strong and yet gentle friend. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she steadied her eyes warmly on his. "Thank you for everything. You are a great friend and I would be completely lost without you. I think I will put everything else on hold and figure out what I want. Not what my job expects of me, or what people think I need, but what I want."
"I'm proud of you. I don't want you to worry about anything until you feel that you are ready to face reality again." He answered and then bid her farewell.
As she was leaving, Chun-Li couldn't help but smiling. It was a long time since someone actually sat her down and preached but she deserved it, and appreciated it. He had shown her what she needed to do and now she was ready to do it. No more playing games, toying with her boss or the guys…just focus on her for a while.
"Come on Ken, I'm not in the mood for one of your foolish games. Just leave me be!" Ryu snapped as he stood along side Cammy and Ken at the gate of the arena where Ken was about to practice.
Ken gave his friend a hard slap on the back. "You're never in a good mood these days buddy. I think I liked it better when you trained 24/7, at least then you had a reason for being like this. It's called having fun…ever heard of it?"
Ryu shot him a death glare and Cammy let out a giggle. "Just relax buddy, it's only a girl. Gees, you don't even openly express yourself to anyone so what difference does going on a blind date make to you?"
"But you must remember, she's a very hot girl." Ken answered and Cammy threw a punch into his shoulder. He then counterattacked by grabbing her in the sighed and tickling her.
Arching an eyebrow, Ryu shook his head in disgust. Sometimes he was thankful for his two oddly matched friends and sometimes he wished he never knew them. How could two people from two different sides of the world meet by chance and end up so happily? The thought made his mind reel back to Chun-Li. He had been physically attracted to her though he cared to keep his opinions mostly to himself. Now he saw that it didn't really matter, they were too different for each other.
"Well…" Cammy prompted once she freed herself from the headlock Ken had her in.
"I'm not interested."
Ken slid a warning arm around his friend's shoulder. "Please just tell me this has nothing to do with Chun. She isn't worth it and you beat your brains out trying to sort out your feelings for her."
Removing Ken's arm, Ryu shook his head and gave Cammy a knowing look. "Look you two; I pick my own love life. I'm not even interested in love right now…all I care about is this tournament…forget romance. I'm not here for love, for games, or blind dates, I'm here…to win."
Biting her tongue to keep from laughing, Cammy decided to venture this little topic of Ryu's love life. "Rumor has it that she got pregnant with Guile's baby and they're going to kick her out."
Ken gave her a look of bewilderment and question and Cammy countered it with an amused one. She was only testing to see how firm Ryu really stood on his statement about not wanting romance.
The hurt that flashed through Ryu's eyes was only for a moment but unmistakable all the same. "Chun would never be that stupid, she's too smart for that. Besides, she never showed any real attraction to Guile, he would have probably had to have raped her for her to get pregnant."
Looking up to keep his own amusement in check, Ken gave his most sympathetic look to his friend. "Look Ryu, she's gone out of your life and she's not coming back. I believe that it's time that you moved on."
"Maybe I am Ken, maybe I was only taken by awe with the mere thought of a female version of me. Maybe I discovered that I don't even know what the word love even means."
At that precise moment, a young man came waltzing their direction with his head held high and a mysterious, almost cunning, gleam in his eye. He adjusted his ritzy shirt and looked down upon them with disgusted eyes. "Excuse me but would you mind enlightening me as to where Miss Li may be found. I have not been graced with her presence for a while and I there is a matter at hand which must be worked out with her."
"Well hate to tell you buddy, she's not here. She hasn't been with us for quite a while now. Why don't you move your fancy little self over to Guile's quarters and find her there? That's where she was seen last." Cammy snorted as she perched herself atop the railing of the arena and leveling her cool eyes on his own.
A devious smile played on the man's lips. "Thank-you, for that delightful information. It was exactly what I wanted to hear." He replied with icy venom in his voice then turned briskly on his heel and stalked away.
Watching the man leave, an uneasy feeling settled calmly over Ryu. He couldn't quite place what the reason buy something about that man just irked him. Just the way he spoke of Chun-Li made him want to beat the living daylights out of him.
Noticing the familiar fire-like spark in his eyes, Ken clicked his tongue and shook his head. "I just don't like that guy. He makes me feel unsettled…like I want to jump him or something."
"What could he possibly have to 'settle' with Chun? Better yet, why does everyone seem to be so fascinated with her? She isn't that special, no one is."
Shrugging, Cammy rested her eyes on Ryu. "I could think of a few reasons but I have no real guesses. Guess guys just like something about her, you did too at some point in time."
"I wish she would come back, Ryu here was always happier and fun to be around while she was here. Now he's all gloom and doom. Nothing sparks up his life the way Chun did."
Having had enough, Ryu grabbed Ken's arm and twisted it behind his back. "She is of no concern of me or my moods. I suggest you drop it now before someone really gets hurt. One day, my friend, we will have to battle and only one of us will be left standing. I'd hate to see you fall before then."
Ken eased out of the hold and crossed his arms over his chest. His fun loving eyes danced over his friend before the finally settled on the bandanna around his head. "Just remember who your best friend is before you try to lay me flat. We've always been friends Ryu that will never change. But if you will excuse me, I have a match to attend in only a few short hours and do wish to train some before then."
Cammy slid off the rail and looked at Ryu with questioning and wondering eyes. "What are you going to do now? There are many choices to be made."
Not knowing what he was going to do, Ryu shrugged. "I'll figure it out when the time comes." Then he departed.
"Ken, I'm really starting to worry about him. Has he ever been like this? I can't exactly pin-point the emotion but it's not normal."
"Well, don't worry too much. Ryu is the kind of guy that always lands on his feet. He knows what's important right now, and that's the tournament. Soon, he'll forget all about Chun-Li."
"Oh, ok."
"Now come on, help me practice."
Seeing Guile's dorm come into view, Chun-Li sighed heavily. She really didn't want to go in there nor did she want to talk to him. All she wanted was to be alone, to figure out how to tell him that she was only leading him on. Wow, that was going to go over great. "Guile, I'm back!" She called as she very slowly opened the door and allowed the sunlight to eliminate the darkness, casting a shadow over her own body.
Guile, however, was not on the pleasant terms. "It is about time. You've been gone all day and you didn't even tell me where you were going. I thought you wanted to help me train but you never came back therefore, I never trained. I demand you to explain yourself at this very instant."
Chun-Li perched herself on the edge of his bed and looked up with shaking eyes. Biting her lower lip nervously, she cast her eyes to the floor. "I'm ever so sorry Guile. I was visiting a friend and lost track of the hour. Do forgive me."
"This time, I will. You're not wearing that old outfit to the match are you?"
"I don't think I want to go tonight Guile…you understand don't you? I mean, I'm tired and I just need to sort some things out for a while. The peace will do me good." She answered looking at her jeans and t-shirt.
Walking over to her, Guile bent down in front of her and kept narrowed eyes on hers. He moved his head and his dog tag jiggled around his neck. "What's wrong with you? You never want to go to my matches, but you expect me at all of yours. You NEVER want to spend time with me unless it's your convenience…am I missing some sort of signal? Is there a neon sign somewhere that I didn't see?"
"It has nothing to do with you. I just need some time for me, can't you understand that? You need time to be alone and I do too."
"Well, I guess it's probably best that you stayed here anyways." He replied kissing her and then giving her a chilly smile that sent a shiver down her spine.
"How come?"
"I'm facing Ken Masters. He's one of the guys that you used to always hang around. It's going to be an easy win for me and I don't think you'd want to see the blood shed or him laid flat looking up at me. That would be slightly uncomfortable wouldn't it be?"
A sinking feeling pressed down on Chun-Li's heart. Did Guile really plan on hurting Ken? She couldn't even bare the thought of that. True, she had hurt them all emotionally but never physically. "You must be mistaken, I never met Ken Masters. I don't even remember the people that I used to hang around." She lied keeping her eyes leveled on his.
That same icy smile remained on Guile's lips. "That's good, that's what I had hoped you would say. I wouldn't want you to get second thoughts about me because I can hurt so easily. Tonight is going to be a fun night…which brings me to my next order of news."
"Now what?"
"Do you have dinner plans tonight?"
"Not at the moment, why?"
"Ah, well, you do now. Some man came by here earlier inquiring of me your whereabouts. He could not find you and neither could I so I took care of everything. He will pick you up this evening and you are to dress decently. None of this casual look or foolish child braids. I expect you to be your best behavior and I expect you to please him, what ever his desires may be. Is that understood?"
"One question. You say, 'please him', what do you mean by that? I won't do just anything for a guy and you know that by now. I don't even know who this man is. Please do not get me into a situation that I can not get out of. That wouldn't be pleasant, for me or you."
"Just don't make me look bad. Because if you do, and he complains, you will be sorry. I will become your worst nightmare."
Questions flooded Chun-Li's mind as she searched Guile's read less and emotionless eyes. "You won't hurt me, will you Guile?"
"Not if you're a good little girl. Now, it's time for me to go so give me a kiss for good luck."
Chun-Li stood up and just stared deeply into his eyes. "You would hurt me Guile? Because I make you look bad, you hurt me? That doesn't make sense to me."
"Don't worry about it. Now, I want a kiss." He replied and forcefully pulled her up to him, kissing her hard.
"Bye." She mumbled as he turned and walked out.
He said nothing and continued on his way.
In wonder, Chun-Li sat back down on the bed and allowed her mind to wander. "Why did he say that? I would never make him look bad in front of one of his guests…he knows that. And what possessed me to say that I never met Ken? I know Ken, Ryu, and Cammy…that isn't something that I could hide. I know all of them better than I know myself. WHO AM I?" she cried in exhaustion and threw herself back on the bed allowing the silence to answer her.
Just then, her cell phone rang. Scrambling to get it before they hung up, she got tangled in the bed spread and fell to the floor, knocking the phone with her. "Hello?" she mumbled in a hushed and quiet voice.
Before he even spoke, Chun-Li knew it was her boss. "Miss Li, I am getting agitated with your behavior. You have yet to report back to me with any useful information on Bison and it's not looking good for you. You've had plenty of time."
Realization struck Chun-Li suddenly like a lightening volt. "Sir, I am doing the best that I can…Bison is not an easy man to chase down. I have to actually become one of the regular warriors so he doesn't suspect me when I go snooping around his property. Please be patient with me and give me just a little more time."
"Time is running out Chun, and I know that you can sense it too. Either you get me some solid ground on this guy or you hand me your badge. It's one or the other and there's no way out. I am not paying you to be up there frolicking around and having fun. You are on a mission, we were counting on you."
"I know that sir and I am sorry. I am so close to Bison that I can feel his presence embrace my body…and it is evil. And I will prove it to you that I am what I used to be."
"You'd better kiddo. What's gotten into you anyways? You used to be the best agent on my field, and the youngest. I don't even know who you are anymore. You had better not let me down."
With that, he hung up and Chun-Li, too confused to anything, listed to the dial tone for a moment. Had she really changed so much that her boss lost all faith in her? No one knew anything about her anymore…her friends, her boss, she didn't even know. She felt so lost so alone that she curled up in a ball and allowed a few tears to trickle down her cheeks.
As Ryu walked aimlessly through the woods, he allowed his mind to venture out to its' own little world of thoughts. He still couldn't help but to think that Chun-Li was around and still wished to be with him rather than Guile. But now this new guy, proposed a new threat. He wanted her just as badly as anyone else and that scared Ryu. Not in a physical way but in a way that made him wonder what he would do to her. And the thing that he was completely certain about was that Chun was running away…but from what?
"Didn't your mommy ever tell you not to walk through the forest all by yourself? There are some sick and crazy people that live out here…you could get yourself hurt." A sudden chilly voice rang out from all directions.
Ryu immediately looked around himself and then took a deep breath, prepared for any attack from any direction. "Show yourself, only a coward hides in the forest."
"Not afraid are we? But then, why should you be? You have nothing to live for, nothing to die for, nothing at all. If you were to die, no one would notice. That is why you search for answers the questions that are unsolvable. You are a fool, a childish fool that has no idea what he wants in life. Or should I say who?"
Ryu closed his eyes and sighed. Mind games…he was expecting a physical battle. Slightly disappointed, he gave a crooked grin. "This game of yours will never work on me. My mind is not your playground and you cannot persuade me otherwise. Now that I have you figured out, show yourself…if you dare."
There was a rustling of leaves behind Ryu. He turned around and watched as a tall and slim man emerged from above him in the trees and landed in the shadows, lurking about him. "You figured me out did you? Ah, you spoiled the fun Ryu! We're supposed to play a few games and then I attack you when I have you at your lowest."
"Who are you?"
"That is of no concern to you. Your mind is almost as advanced as mine, but you are not what I want. Chun-Li's mind is already torn and confused; it will make a fine prize. Mount her and put her on mantle, a wonderful trophy…a poor innocent girl that lost to the hands of me. Wouldn't be the first time and she is swept off her feet."
"Leave her out of this! She does not deserve to be treated like a game, she is not a toy. No matter what you think of her, she is wonderful. She is an angel of mercy."
The man remained lurking in the shadows as his eyes pierced right through Ryu's heart. "You see Ryu, this is where we differ. We both want power, we both have high goals to reach before we die, and we both take a fancy to Miss Li. You want her so you can protect her, care for her, love her…whatever that means. I want her because she is innocent, she is pure, and she is unlearned. I can give her things that she only dreams about while you only offer half way. Listen to me Ryu, she has no feelings for you…I have made certain of that. And me, well, she is swept off her feet."
Anger and fire sparkled in Ryu's eyes and he took a leap for the man. Missing him, he fell to the ground and hit his side hard.
"Temper, temper, must it always end it violence?" He replied as he moved away from Ryu and stared down at him with a sickening smile.
Ryu scrambled to his feet and did his dragon kick, sending the man to the ground. "You've crossed the line, no one refers to Chun that way."
The amusement was gone as the man returned to his feet and tackled Ryu around his feet, then rolling around on the ground until he had him pinned under him. "You foolish idiot, you will pay for this." He said then punched him.
Wiggling a leg free, Ryu, kicked the man from behind and got to his feet. He looked down and aimed his ball of electric ki right at his heart. "Go to…"
Before he could finish, something sharp was drove deeply into his right side and blood now seeped through is white shirt. "Sorry my dear ole' fellow, but it looks like the better fighter always wins in the end."
Ryu grabbed his side in pain and couldn't believe he had been so foolish as to not expect that the mad man had something like that. He tried to get to his feet but found that any movement only caused more pain. He felt the womb and realized that he had holes in him as well as slashes.
A shrill laugh escaped the man as he kicked Ryu repeatedly in the same side until he fell hopelessly to the ground and stopped moving. "Have a good after life." He said giving him one final kick as hard as he could and then brought the weapon across his face. "And don't worry, I will personally see to it that Miss Li is well taken care of any way that I please. It will be my 'pleasure' and her misfortune."
Letting out a cry of agonizing pain and defeat, a million thoughts ran through Ryu's mind as he dropped his head into the dirt. What on God's green earth did he hit him with? What was going to do to Chun? How could he possibly stop him when he couldn't even move?
With all these thoughts racing, Ryu watched as the world began to spin faster and faster moving farther and farther away. Until finally, he gave in to the darkness that was gnawing at him and he closed his eyes.
End Chapter Ten
Author's Note: CLIFF HANGER !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ba ha! I am EVIL EVIL EVIL! laughs I hope the LONG LONG wait was well worth it. You read so please go review me now. Tell what ya think is gonna happen to them next. Thanx a whole lot to all of reviewers! I LOVE YOU GUYS! Errrr….yeah
Manda
