Three weeks passed. The first semi-final had a buzz cut and bearded Gage winning. No sign of Ryu. The second semi-final saw Ryu emerging victorious but the final was broken up by some overzealous metro-detectives. Ryu and Gage were just about to fight when the S.W.A.T. broke in and ruined everything. True to Walker's word, he let Ryu go as soon as was feasible and then proceeded to chew the metro detectives' asses for interfering with an ongoing Ranger investigation. A day or so later, Walker caught up with Ryu as he was walking out of town.
Ryu saw the silver truck pass him by and felt the same fighting spirit from before when it pulled to the shoulder a little ways ahead. The driver got out and approached Ryu. About Ryu's height. Full beard and a Native American jacket on over a denim shirt tucked neatly into the waistband of a pair of faded blue jeans. Well broken in cowboy boots and a large hat completed the outfit. Ryu said: "You're the Texas Ranger who let me go the other day." It wasn't a question.
Walker said: "Yes, I am. My name is Cordell Walker. I have to say that you have friends in strange places." Ryu nodded and said: "You must be referring to Guile." At Walker's nod, Ryu said: "I've known about him for some time now but he's not the reason you're here is it." Again, it wasn't a question, but a statement of fact. Walker nodded again and said: "Actually I wanted to thank you and ask something of you." "What's that?" asked Ryu.
Walker said: "First, thanks for setting my two officers straight. Remember the first two that you defeated the night of your first big fight here." Ryu pondered for a moment and said, "Oh. Those two. How are they doing now?" he said. "Well," Walker started, Gage is annoyed that he didn't get to fight you when he was ready but he'll get over it. Thanks to your beating him and his partner, they've both, I'm guessing, confessed their feelings for each other. It's good to see them together. I've suspected for a while now that they were made for each other and you helped them get there. So thank you very much. Second, I wanted to ask you for a match."
Ryu thought about it for a moment and accepted the challenge. Walker offered him a ride to his ranch, which he accepted and they were just pulling into Walker's driveway around noon. Ryu looked around the area and saw the things one might see on a ranch. Trees, split rail fencing, a horse corral and small barn off to one side with Walker's home nestled in the center serenely and looking as if it belonged there.
Ryu asked: "Did you build it all yourself?" Walker answered: "Not all of it. I had the help of some friends though. Especially Big Dog." "Big Dog?" Ryu asked. Walker said: "Yeah. Cee Dee Parker but we all called him Big Dog. He taught me a lot of things about being a Texas Ranger, how to go into an operation and come out alive. It wasn't his time to die so I miss him still to this day." Ryu listened, and then said: "Something of a father figure?" "Yeah." Walker answered.
Ryu said: "I too had a father figure. The monk who raised me and taught me. He too was taken from me before his time, murdered by his brother." Walker was silent while both remembered the most important people in their lives. Walker pointed to a field, "You see those hay bales that form a ring? That's where." Ryu looked over and nodded understanding. Walker said: "I'll be right there as soon as I tell my wife not to worry."
Ryu smiled and said: "My best friend is married as well. He says it's the greatest thing next to being a parent." Walker chuckled and said: "I feel the same way. Are you married?" Ryu said: "No. Never made time for it. My path is a solitary one." Walker answered back: "You should. I can tell already that you are a man of great integrity." Ryu thanked him for the compliment and walked to the ring area that had been set up.
Inside, Alex Cayhill-Walker was picking her jaw up off of the floor. "What? You invited a complete stranger to our home for a fight? Cordell Walker, are you out of your mind! Did you spend too much time in the sweat tent or something?" Walker embraced his wife and nuzzled her neck in just the right spot. Alex said: "Stop that." "Stop what?" Walker asked. She answered: "Stop that. I want to be mad at you right now." Walker said: "Don't worry Alex. I trust him. Ask Sydney and Gage when they get here and they can vouch for him." "Oh great. It'll be a rumble-style picnic." Alex said. "Just promise me you'll be careful, okay?" Walker smiled and said: "I will."
An hour later, Sydney, Gage and Trivette were there followed shortly by Guile in a humvee from the local National Guard base. Walker was in his own gi and belt, warmed up and ready to go, as was Ryu. No one asked how Guile knew to be there. They took it on a kind of faith that of all people, Colonel Guile, Air Force spook, would be there to see this. This time, he was wearing a pair of woodland camouflage pants bloused into a pair of broken in combat boots and wearing an olive drab green tank top tucked into his pants and belt, dogtags conspicuously present.
After a short reunion with Ryu, he stood in the center of the impromptu ring and said: "Well folks, since I'm the only one who can be objective right about now, I think it only fair if I officiate this party. Ryu already knows but for the rest of you, there are a few things to keep in mind. This is a street fight, plain and simple. No rules, no laws, and no interference from anyone else outside of this ring. I've known Ryu since he was 17 or so, so I know he can be trusted. I also know that you may feel the need to come in on Walker's side. If you do though, you answer to me. This is a one-on-one fight."
Gage snorted at this last comment which did not go unnoticed by Guile as he said: "That's the second time you've done that kid, this is the only warning I'm gonna give you, so stow it." Again, Gage snorted and Guile turned to Walker and said: "Is he always like that Ranger Walker?" Walker said: "Not usually." Guile looked over to a deadwood tree that hadn't been felled yet and said: "Do you need that tree?"
Walker looked over and said: "No. Why?" Guile answered not with words, but with action. Facing the tree in stance Guile stretched both his hands back from his torso and said: "Sonic Boom!" The yellow disks of ki energy flew straight and true at the tree and with a loud splintering crack, the tree was obliterated. Pieces of it flew all over the yard as Guile looked back to Gage and said: "Have I made myself clear kid?"
Gage just stared at what was left of the tree and nodded speechlessly. Guile looked to Walker and said: "Are you ready?" Walker nodded. Turning to Ryu he said the same thing: "Are you ready?" At his nod, Guile brought one arm high and dropped it as he said: "Let's get it on!"
Ryu and Walker edged towards each other. Both of them defensive, measuring each other's willingness to commit to an attack. Both fighters moved forward quickly and threw right punches that sailed past each other's defense, connecting at the same time and sending both their heads back. Walker spun into a left spinning back knuckle but Ryu had already ducked low with a left elbow smash to Walker's gut which set him back a couple of steps.
Walker then tried a left outside crescent kick that Ryu barely avoided. Walker stepped in and did a right outside crescent kick that Ryu parried, thus opening Walker up for a low left uppercut to the gut, right punch to the face, one-two combo that couldn't be blocked.
Both shots connected forcing Walker back another few steps. With little more than a small cut on the cheek to show for damage so far, Walker jumped into a helicopter kick. Ryu was barely able to bring his arm along his head in time. Not so much to block with as to absorb the power of Walker's kick which was incredible. Now it was Ryu's turn to be knocked back a step or two, but the respite Walker had gained was gone an instant later as Ryu threw his spinning heel kick.
Walker ducked but thought to stay low too late to avoid the last two hits of the hurricane kick that Ryu had just performed. The first hit rocked Walker's head in the opposite direction of the impact, just to recover and get hit again, this time spinning Walker completely around and by then it was too late to even consider blocking. "Shoryuken!" yelled Ryu as he landed from his hurricane kick. The punch of the Rising Dragon caught Walker unprepared.
As before when Ryu had used the punch on Sydney, Ryu only spiraled up about three feet to land from almost the same spot he had launched from. As Walker was getting up from the last hit, Ryu brought both hands to his waist as he channeled the ambient ki energy of the environment into a tight ball of blue energy: "Shinku . . . hadoken!"
The ball of condensed ki energy known as the Hadoken flew from Ryu's outstretched palms and struck Walker at the center of mass sending him flying back three feet into the hay bales that marked the boundary of the ring. There was a flicker of residual energy on Walker's inert form as he lay still. Trivette was the first one to Walker's side. Checking his pulse and breathing, he looked up to the expectant faces of Sydney and Gage. He said: "He alright. Don't worry. He'll be fine." Gage and Sydney let out the breath that they didn't know they'd been holding.
Walker awoke with the help of some smelling salts two minutes later as his wife tended his cut. That done, he walked over to Ryu and said: "Thank you for the match. It was exhilarating." Ryu bowed in return and said: "You fought well, I was honored."
The match done, everyone was invited to a large dinner. After that was done and cleaned up, they sat out on the porch of Walker's home. Gage had his arm around Sydney's shoulders as she leaned into him on the porch swing. Walker and Alex sat together with their daughter and on a third side were Trivette, Guile and Ryu.
Everyone was laughing and enjoying the company. Ryu said to himself: "This is indeed a meeting of equals. No grudges, no anger, no resentment." Walker turned to Ryu and said: "So Ryu, any idea where you're headed?" His answer: "Don't know." Would you like a ride?" Walker asked. Ryu answered: "Rather walk."
The next morning, it was so. Ryu was gone but his sheets were all folded neatly at the foot of the bed he used. Walker saw where his tracks started but they were gone after only a few steps. Walker said to himself: "So long. See you again, my friend."
He was walking this day. The same as every other day . . .