Chapter 8
"Maki? Maki? Maki! Pay attention." Maki narrowly avoided the fist to her face as she sparred in class with one of her students with Guy looking on. The student said: "Sensei Maki? Are you okay?" Maki snapped out of her reverie as Guy came into the ring area of the mat. Guy looked her in the eye and said: "Are you still thinking about him?" Maki knew she couldn't lie to her best friend as she nodded her head yes. Guy said gently: "Go home for the night. If you can't stay focused you'll only end up getting hurt in here. You know that as well as I do."
Maki hung her head in shame. Guy said: "Hey there. Nothing to be ashamed of. You remember how I was before Rina and I got married don't you?" Maki smiled and said: "How could I forget. I kept kicking your butt when we sparred." Guy smiled this time and said: "More often as not at the time. Go now. Take a day off and come back. You'll feel much better for it." Maki relented and said: "Okay. I'll see you in a couple of days then."
Maki went to the ladies changing room as Guy returned his full attention to his students and picked up where Maki had left off only to hear the front door open as the bells hanging from it rang. He told his student to practice his kata as he went to see who had come in. As Guy neared the door, he felt a familiar fighting spirit and was only partly surprised to see Terry Bogard standing in the waiting area, dressed just as he was when last they met, with his hat catching the light of the front lobby and a bag over his shoulder.
Guy's face broke out in a huge grin as he extended his hand and said: "Terry! Good to see you my friend! How have you been?" Terry accepted the offered hand and shook it as he said: "Good to see you too Guy. I'm fine. Just thought I would take up the open invitation Maki gave me six months ago. How are things with you?"
Guy said: "Rina and I are doing fine, thank you for asking. The school is doing well. Everything is going great. Though Maki is a little distracted these days. She almost got hit in class a little while ago by one of her best students. I offered to give her a day off if she wanted it. In fact, she should be getting out of the changing room any time now but let me introduce you to my students. I want them to meet the man who defeated their teacher. Hopefully it will help prevent any of them from getting big heads."
Guy stepped back onto the main floor of the classroom as yelled clearly: "YAME! Class, line up. I want you all to meet someone." Every student in the class lined up on one wall by rank, lowest to highest. Terry had dropped his bag by the door and as a courtesy took his shoes off before stepping on the tatami. Guy spoke again: "Class. I want you to meet the man who defeated me six months ago. This is . . ." Before he could finish his sentence, there was an outburst from just outside the room as Maki came running in and shouted: "Terry?"
Before Terry knew what hit him, six feet of beautiful, blond ninja girl jumped into his arms and gave him a big hug that Terry had no choice but to return in kind. There was a pleasant lilac scent coming from Maki's still damp hair as Terry took in the scent and as much as he enjoyed the feel of her firm breasts against his chest, he set her down so as not to make a bigger scene.
Guy stood there with a carefully neutral face as the line up of students broke into quiet giggles. Guy spoke again: "This man is Terry 'The Lone Wolf' Bogard. Always remember class, no matter how skilled you may think you are, there is always, always someone who knows more than you and knows it better. I relearned that lesson six months ago, and I can only hope it has made me a better teacher as a result. Class, return to what you were doing before andplease giveSensei Bogard the same respect that you would give me or Sensei Maki. Understood?" The class yelled out simultaneously: "Hai Sensei!" And returned to their activities.
Guy walked back over to Terry as he gave him a short bow and said: "Thank you for naming me an honorary sensei. You didn't have to though." Guy returned the bow and said: "I wanted to. I can see Maki is happy to see you as well." This said as Guy looked to see that Maki had not let go of her grip on Terry's right hand. Guy said: "Maybe before you leave you would give me a rematch?" Terry smiled and said: I think I can arrange that."
Maki spoke then: "You can have your turn after I get mine Guy. I fought him first so he's mine. Terrydidn't notice the peculiar emphasis on the word 'mine' but Guy did and chose not tospeak of it. Maki said: "How long are you here for Terry?" He answered: "Don't know really. Long enough to see the sights and give you and Guy your rematches. I can see already though, that the city seems different somehow." Guy said: "I'll let Maki fill you in on the details. I need to get back to my students now. Have a nice night you two." Guy turned away and rejoined his class and thought to himself: "She has it bad for him. That's good. She's been unconsciously pouting whenever she sees Rina and me together ever since that trip to Hong Kong when she, Rina and I bumped into Chun-li and Ryu."
Maki took Terry out to dinner where she filled him in on the details of how Metro City had changed. "You're right Terry; the city is much calmer now that the Mad Gear Gang is broken. Originally, they kidnapped Mike Haggar's daughter Jessica to try and get Mike to 'look the other way' while he was Mayor. Haggar, Guy and Cody did the first clean up, but missed some leftovers. A couple of years later, the Mad Gear under the leadership of the mercenary Rolento, came back and kidnapped Rina before she and Guy were married. Mike, myself and a mutual friend named Carlos took them that time. That was a tough fight. Even tougher than the first one. Everything was quiet again for a couple moore years when the Mad Gear came back yet again only this time, they had the backing of the Shadowlaw criminal organization. They framed Cody and got him sent to jail but he escaped long enough to find the evidence to clear his name. In the process, all of us, Mike, Guy, myself, Cody and Carlos got into it and we totally crushed the Mad Gear."
Terry listened and asked: "What happened to Cody and Carlos?" Maki said: "Cody had to go back to jail for a year for escaping but got out in eight months for good behavior. He's been out for a long time now. He and Jessica got married as soon as he was free. They still live here in Metro City and they've got two kids. Mike served as Mayor for a couple more terms and then stepped down. He loves being a grandfather I can tell you that. He also runs a small wrestling school on the other side of town. Carlos was from Columbia originally and he was gunned down about a year after that final fight." Terry could see that the memory of her fallen friend was still hard on her as he said: "I'm sorry to hear that Maki. He sounds like he was a good friend."
Maki dried her damp eyes and said: "Actually, he was more than a friend really but on the bright side, the evidence he was able to bring in before his death helped destroy a huge branch of the Shadowlaw organization that was running all of the crime down in Columbia. So, I know he didn't die in vain." The two fighters continued to talk until closing time. When the manager came out and politely asked them to go Maki said: "Oh my gosh. I'm sorry. I didn't know that we had been here so long. Sorry." They paid the check and Terry left a generous tip for the inconvenience they had accidentally inflicted on the staff and left.
Terry walked Maki home as they continued to talk about whatever came to mind. At her door, she bade Terry goodnight and gave him a peck on the cheek after they made plans to meet the next day. Terry walked away with a little spring in his step he was unaware of as Maki closed her door behind her.
She walked into her living room and looked at the pictures of Carlos she kept there set into their own special place with Carlos's katana sword on a stand behind the picture frames. How he had loved that sword. The day that Mike had come over and given it to her was all the proof she needed to know that Carlos was never coming back. The first picture was of her, Guy, Mike and Carlos after they had gotten Rina back, the second was of their whole group after the final fight that finally broke the back of the Mad Gear. The third and final picture set in the middle of the three was of Carlos and Maki holding each other while sitting on a cliff that allowed a spectacular view of the ocean behind them. Their love for each other was plainly visible in their eyes and the joyful expressions on their faces. Maki bowed to that picture and thought to herself: "Carlos, I'll always love you and miss you, but please don't think any less of me if I take a chance for my heart to be happy."
As if in answer, she imagined Carlos's voice saying: "No problema mi amora, you need to live and be happy too." Maki smiled at the imagined words of her dead friend and lover, and then got ready for bed and be greeted in her dreams by a certain blond haired pony-tailed fighter from South Town.
Outside, across the street from Maki's front door,the blue-suited man from South Town, took out his cell phone, dialed the number from before and said: "Mr. Howard, Terry Bogard has a weakness that can be exploited if you want. Her name is Maki Renzabura. Should I eliminate her?" Geese Howard's voice said: "Not yet Hopper. Observe them a while longer yet and keep me informed. I'll send Ripper to back you up for now." The man known only as Hopper said: "Yes sir," and ended his call.