Later on that night, Chun Li confronted Ryu inside his study. Ryu thought it was concerning the information that Miya had given to her. Instead, it was about something else.
The statement from his wife had caught him off guard. "What?"
"I'm going out," Chun Li stated. "And YOU'RE coming with me."
"Going out where?"
"There's the Sora Lantern Festival in town, remember?"
"Sounds like you're using the both of us as bait," Ryu said, arms folded. "I don't like it."
"Neither do I," Chun Li replied. "But this is the only chance we got."
Ryu groaned.
-Sora Village, later on...-
The resort town of Sora was home to many people of various ethnic backgrounds; Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and so on. Whenever something big goes on in Sora, everyone, regardless of their nationalities, participated.
Paper lanters hung over the streets of Sora as everyone greeted friend and neighbor alike, dressed in their best attire. Chun Li was no different. She was wearing a red Mandarin dress with golden trim. Her hair was tied back with Ryu's red headband and tied into a single braid. Ryu, however was dressed in a black karate gi, the sleeves neatly removed instead of being ripped off and a pair of sandals. His hair was neatly combed back, for once.
Her arm was entwined with his as they took into the sights of the festival. Everyone was dressed in their best attire; from hakamas to kimonos to hanboks and so on. Ryu and Chun Li passed one particular Japanese girl who was dressed in a private school uniform, complete with plaid skirts and blazer (think Gogo Yubari from Kill Bill), and a pair of black boots. In one hand was a slender bundle. Ryu took notice of the black boots that she had on (the same brand that Jill Valentine wore in Resident Evil: Apocalypse) and walked past her.
Miya watched as Ryu passed her with the female Interpol agent, dressed incognito. Satsuki made a slight adjustment to her hair before activating the wireless headset and contacted her partner. "Miya here. See anything?"
Also dressed as a schoolgirl, complete with plaid skirt, blazer and shoes, Marz scanned the area. "Nothing at the moment," she said. "Other than the fact that Ryu and Inspector Xiang are being closely followed by those two MI-6 agents, I got nothing."
Unknown to Ryu, Chun Li had both Cammy White and her teammate Lita Luwanda watch the both of them. Both were dressed as tourists and were following the two fighters at a resonable distance.
"We're being followed," Ryu said after several moments. Before Chun Li could say anything, Ryu dragged her down a small side street in a near-deserted part of Sora. Several moments, two women walked in from behind them. Both Ryu and Chun Li grabbed them both, pinned them up against the wall, fists raised to beat the living hell out of whoever was following them.
"WAIT! IT'S US!" Cammy screamed right before Ryu was about to show the former Shadowlaw assassin her spine.
"Cammy?" Ryu blinked.
Chun Li looked over to the blonde agent, then looked at who she was holding. It was Lita Luwanda. Both martial artists released the blonde women, who dusted themselves off.
"You were following us?" Chun Li asked, obviously unhappy.
Cammy saw the look that both of them were giving to her and backed up slightly. "Your boss told us to keep tabs on you. He said you might try something like this without backup."
Lita looked at Ryu. Eventhough she despised Miya, there was no doubt that he was Miya's sister. The evidence was clear enough. They did both look alike.
Cammy then brought Lita over to Ryu. "You already met Lieutenant Luwanda."
Ryu looked at Lita briefly before turning back to the petite woman. "We have. Back in London."
Chun Li looked at her fiancee. "Since when were YOU in London?"
"Unfortunately, I was passing through when I found out about a martial arts tournament at the docks," Ryu explained. "Following the raid, I was detained by Delta Red, but after inrerrogating me, they let me go on my way."
Cammy nodded her confirmation. "He's telling the truth," she said. "That's where I first met Ryu."
Ryu knew that Cammy was a former Shadowlaw assassin and that she was also Chun Li's friend. 'I wonder how Chun will take it when I tell her about Miya,' he thought.
Their train of thought was interrupted when half a dozen men walked into the side street, cornering the Japanese fighter and the three women. From the look of them, they weren't locals.
They were gang members...and former members of Shadowlaw.
The lead member, a burly Japanese guy with tattoos took a step forward. "This is going to be easier than I hoped for," he said in accented English. "Looks like the money that Jack and Dark are paying us is worth it."
A second member spoke up. "The women are pretty. Maybe we can have some fun with them before we kill them." The other members voiced their approval to the second man's comment.
The men moved in...
Ryu and the others prepared for the imminent fight...
...and a Muramasa sword landed in between them, blade first into the ground.
Everyone backed off as they looked up and saw the owner of the sword.
Miya Hoshi had been trailing the gang ever since they showed up in Sora. Hopping from one rooftop to the other, she finally came upon them when they had Ryu and the others trapped. She had recognized them from when she was stationed in Japan as members of a Shadowlaw chieftain. On occasion she would beat the crap out of them for falling out of line with the Shadowlaw imperative.
And now they were going to try and attack her brother and the three women.
As Miya gracefully somersaulted from the rooftop and landed on the ground, Ryu felt some relief at seeing his sister. He still wan't healed and it would have been a shame if his stiches had popped open from the fight before his injury healed.
Miya retreived her weapon and held it in a ready stance.
"You traitorous bitch," the leader snarled. "You turn your back on Shadowlaw to defend the ones who destroyed it!"
This catches Chun Li's attention. 'She's formerly of Shadowlaw? Why is she helping us?'
Miya smiled evilly as she ran one hand through her reddish-brown hair. "I have my reasons. Now then...are we going to do this the easy way...or the hard way?"
"KILL THIS BITCH!" the leader bellowed.
Of course, Cammy and Ryu had seen Miya in action before. But to Chun Li and Lita, that was a different story. Miya had quickly sheathed her Murumasa and tossed it behind here, where Ryu caught it out of the air. She then raised her hands into a combat stance. Chun Li noted that it wasn't the same stance that Cammy used, but something else. She then began to suspect that she knew another fighting style aside from the Shadowlaw style and swordfighting.
Several of the men moved in and attacked. Chun Li moved in to help, but Ryu held her back.
"Let her be," he said. "Miya knows what she is doing."
"You know her?" Chun Li asked. Then she put two and two together. "She's the contact?"
Ryu nodded. "Yup."
"That style..." Chun Li said. "Is that Muay Thai?"
Ryu shook his head. "It's a relative of Muay Thai. It's called Lethwei."
Aside from the Shadowlaw Commando style (which she hardly used while fighting) and Ansatsuken (which she learned from her brother), Miya Hoshi was proficient in the style of Lethwei. Better known as Burmese Traditional Boxing, Lethwei is by far one of the most brutal forms of kickboxing known in the martial arts world. Lethwei is in many ways similar to it's relative, Muay Thai. If Thai Boxing is the science of eight limbs, then Lethwei is the science of nine limbs due to the allowance of headbutts, which Satsuki used with devestating efficency.
The first three men charged towards Miya. Both were proficient in the martial arts, but paled in comparison to Miya. Miya dodged and parried the blows with general ease. Then she backhanded one of the men, sending him spinning to the ground. She followed up with a vicious headbutt to another, breaking his nose. The third, she unleashed a volley of elbows that caught the guy in the face, chest and torso. She then followed with a roundhouse kick that rendered the man unconscious before he hit the ground.
The foruth man, a rotund Japanese man with short hair, stepped forward. Satsuki punched him twice, once in the gut, the second in the torso. The fat man merely slapped his belly and laughed at Miya's attempt to hurt him.
"Alright," Miya muttered as she began to channel her energies into her right fist. When the taller man threw out a haymaker, Miya ducked and performed a move that Chun Li recognized almost immediately.
"Lie down..."
Miya slammed her powered-up fist into the man's side, several of his ribs cracking from the impact. The man coughed up blood.
"...and...DIE!"
The Japanese doll then followed through with her other fist, striking the man in the stomach before connecting with his chin, propelling them both into the air. The man went flying to the feet of the remaining two members, while Miya landed on her feet. They looked at the man holding his side in pain, then back at the former Japanese assassin, who retrieved her weapon from Ryu. Miya slowly drew her Muramasa out from its sheath.
The leader pulled his own weapon out from its sheath and his partner followed suit.
One of Miya's titles back in Shadowlaw was 'The Muramasa Shadow Emperess,' because of her remarkable ability with the sword. Ryu, Cammy and Lita knew first hand of Miya's extraordinary talents with the Murumasa and Chun Li was going to get a live demonstration of the younger Hoshi's skills.
Both the leader and his subordinate attacked Miya. Having the fastest psychomotor reflexes ever seen by Shadowlaw technicians, Miya fought back with general ease. The swordfight had went back to the main street, where thankfully the streets were deserted.
Miya quickly put down the remaining soldier, leaving her and the gang leader. Miya couldn't help but to smile. "Last chance," she said. "You can still get out of this in one piece." She readys her sword. "You know you can't defeat me. My blades knows no equal. Then again, who can equal a former Shadowlaw doll?"
The leader raised his sword and charged.
KA-TING!
Miya's Muramasa sword cleanly sliced through the blade of her opponent's sword, slicing the blade in two. As the gang leader looked at his sword in disbelief, Miya prepared to finish him off before the leader decided that discretion was the better part of valor and took off running.
As he ran off, he yelled, "This isn't over! You're fucking dead! Jack and Dark will see to that! You, your brother and that Chinese bitch!"
Once he was gone, Miya heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked. Looking behind her shoulder, she saw that Lita Luwanda had her gun aimed. Frowning at the blonde woman, her hand holding moved with near-blinding speed, slicing Lita's pistol in two. Lita was shocked that everything in front of the trigger guard was on the ground.
Miya slowly turned around and faced Lita, who quickly took out her knives. "Ready for Round Two?" she asked.
Miya held her sword at the ready. "Haven't you learned by now, Luwanda? You will never win against me."
"That's enough," Ryu said, stepping in between the two rivals. The look on his face showed that he wasn't in the mood to argue. Lita thought that it would be the smart move not to invoke the fury of Ryu Hoshi.
He turned to Miya. "You okay?"
Miya nodded as she placed her sword back into its sheath. "I'm fine."
Ryu turned to Chun Li, who watched this entire exchange with a shocked expression on her face. Seeing that this was a good time as any, Ryu stepped to the side and behind Miya.
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he introduced Miya to his fiancee. "Chun Li, I want to introduce to you to...my sister. Miya Hoshi. Miya, this is my fiancee, Chun Li Xiang."
Miya bowed in greeting as Chun Li looked like she was gutpunched. SISTER? Her fiance had just dropped a bomb on her. Not only Miya was Ryu's sister, she was a former member of Shadowlaw.
Then Marz showed up.
"Miya? Miya, is everything..." She then caught the looks of everyone else. "Oh, boy."
-Ansatsuken School/Ryu and Chun Li's home, later...-
Inside the cottage's living room, Chun Li interrogated Miya, much to Ryu's disapproval. Miya, however, bore the brunt of Chun Li's interrogation with grace as Ryu, Marz, Cammy and Lita watched on.
"Why did you decide to help Ryu?" Chun Li asked, arms folded, still upset about this latest twist.
"I've been helping him for the past four years," Miya replied. "Shadowlaw had certain intrests in him, mainly because of his fighting ability." She looked at Ryu. "Aside from my mother, Ryu's the only family I have left."
"Ryu's mother died in America," Chun Li countered.
"My adopted mother," Miya corrected. "The only thing I know about our mother was the fact that she gave me my name before she died. Maybe I should start from the begining..."
"Humor me," Chun Li replied. "And maybe we can figure out who's trying to kill us."
Miya looked the Interpol agent in the eye. "I know who's trying to kill you. They're former Shadowlaw members, like myself. I've been tailing them all over the place. Their names are Cracker Jack and Doctrine Dark. Cammy and Luwanda can vouch for me, since I heard that they were hiding out somewhere in London."
"Why are they trying to kill us?" Chun Li asked.
Miya sighed as she leaned forward in her seat. "General Bison was left in the dark about my lineage. That was my mother's intention. She knew that Bison was after Ryu and made me swore to secrecy not to tell him." A sardonic smile crept across her lips. "Imagine the shock that Bison would get if her found out that the best way to Ryu was his own little sister."
"You haven't answered my question," Chun Li said, frowning.
"I'll get to that," Miya said. "I was adopted when our real mother died from the car accident. I met Ryu when I was four and he was eight. Before Gouken could finalize the adoption proceedings, my mother was hired by Shadowlaw and we had to sever our ties with Gouken and Ryu for their safety."
"What was your specialty in Shadowlaw?" Lita butted in.
"Recon, espionage and...'retreival,' mostly," Miya replied. "Retrevial meaning kidnappings. I was partnered up with Marz most of the assignments. "The other assassins were the ones who got their hands dirty with the assasinations and other contract killings." She shrugged her shoulders. "Like my big brother here, I also have a penchant for fighting. Because of my skills with the sword, the other dolls called me the 'Shadow Emperess.'"
"How do I know that you're not lying?" Chun Li asked.
It was Ryu that spoke. "Because I gave her a charm pendant when she and her guardian came here all those years ago. Something I made for her. I carved the Fuurinkazan insignia on it and when she revealed herself as my sister, she showed it to me as proof."
Miya went into her pocket and pulled out something. Handing it over to Chun Li, the Interpol agent saw that it was indeed a small charm bracelet, made from Japanese maple and lacquered in order to preserve it. Ryu and Ken were the ones who used the Fuurinkazan slogan in their Ansatsuken style.
Chun Li began to slowly digest all of this. Maybe Miya was telling the truth. "Okay, Satsuki--"
Miya cut her off. "Call me Miya. It is my real name. I no longer go by that name."
"Miya," Chun Li corrected. "Just how did you manage to make contact with Ryu? Shadowlaw isn't one for secrets, especially when they're being kept by their own members."
"Well, the first time was about the same time Shadowlaw was becoming interested in him. They ordered me to do recon on him while he was travelling. I waited until Marz was asleep before I made my move..."
-Flashback-
Somewhere in Taiwan, almost two years ago. Ryu was packing his clothes into his duffel bag, preparing to catch his flight when he felt the presence of someone in the room with him.
Before he could make a move the voice spoke. It was in Japanese, female and calm. "I'm not your enemy, Ryu. Calm down."
She sounded sincere, so Ryu relaxed slightly. He started to turn around, but she stopped him. "No. Keep your back turned, and listen."
Ryu responded in his native tongue. "How did you get in my room?"
"Never mind about that," she replied. "I have come to warn you abour Shadowlaw."
"Shadowlaw?" Ryu repeated. "You mean that underground crime syndicate I've been hearing about?"
"One in the same. They've taken an interest in you because of your martial arts skills. Including the General. If I were you, I would grow eyes in the back of my head. They will do any and everything to capture you and make you submit to their power."
"How can I trust you?" Ryu replied. "Who are you?"
"Why do you ask a question when you already know the answer...big brother?"
'Big brother?' Ryu wondered. 'The only person that called me that was...'
He spun around. "Miya?"
But she was already gone.
-End Flashback-
"Since then," Miya said, "I've been helping Ryu as much as I could by keeping him one step ahead from Shadowlaw. The other times he avoided, he did that on his own. "The look on General Bison's face was priceless when he kept seeing that Ryu managed to avoid him time and time again."
"And he never found out?" Chun Li asked.
"I would be dead if he found out," Miya replied. She then continued her story. "Once the Second Street Fighter Tournament was taking place, Mom and I thought that now would be the time to make our escape while Ryu was dealing with Bison. I was sloppy, however, because after Shadowlaw was destroyed, both Jack and Dark had several of Shadowlaw's backup files. They came across some DNA strands of myself and Ryu and knew that he was my brother."
"So they tried to first kill both you and your guardian," Chun Li surmised. "But you weren't in the area, right?"
Miya nodded, her face grim. "Yes. We were hiding in Yokohama when it happened. It was about the same time when Ryu was recovering in Hong Kong. I came back home and found her in a pool of her own blood. She was beaten, raped, and stabbed numerous times..."
-Flashback, six months ago...-
Miya walked up to the small flat that she shared with her mother. Balancing the bag of groceries with one hand, she fished for her keys from her pocket, only to find that the door was already open. Upon looking inside, she saw that the place was ransacked...
...and in the midst of it was her adopted mother, beaten and stabbed.
Miya dropped the bag of groceries, and rushed over to the dying woman. "Mom! MOM!"
The woman opened her eyes. "Miya..."
"What happened!" Miya demanded. "Who DID THIS!"
The woman coughed. "They know...about you and your brother."
"Who?" Miya demanded. "Who knows!"
"Jack and Dark," the woman whispered. "They found out that Ryu is your brother! They're going to kill him. Stop them, Miya...he is your only family left..."
She went limp in Miya's arms. Kita screamed into the uncaring sky.
Several days later, in Tokyo...
The only people that showed up at the funeral were Miya and Marz. Once the coffin was lowered, the undertaker took his leave, leaving the two women alone. Both women were dressed in black and wearing frons on their faces, but Miya's was more grimmer than her German partner's.
"Cold blooded bastards," Marz said in German. She then addressed Miya in English. "They killed her because of Ryu?"
Miya looked up. "You knew?"
Marz nodded. "Yes. I was wondering why Shadowlaw couldn't catch Ryu, so I followed you one night when you went out and warned him. I decided for your sake and for our friendship that I would keep your secret."
Miya sniffed. "Thank you, Marz. You really are a good friend to me."
"So now what?" Marz asked. "Are we going to let them get away with this?"
Miya reached into her back and pulled out a knife. Gripping the blade with one hand, she cut herself, making a shallow gash into her hand. Holding her hand over her dead mother's grave, she let several drops of blood fall into the open tomb. "I won't stop until her death is avenged. This I swear...by my own blood." She looked at Marz. "Will you help me?"
Marz looked at her and cocked her head. "There's no need to ask me that, Miya. We watched each other's backs when we were in Shadowlaw, and I'm not going to stop now. Those bastards will pay for this."
-End Flashback-
Miya looked at her hand. There was a scar from where she had made her oath. Looking at it made her remember what they had done to her mother. Chun Li saw the scar as well. Chun Li turned to Ryu. "Outside. Now."
Ryu followed his fiancee outside.
Standing in the courtyard, Chun Li faced her Japanese lover. Her gaze bore into his for several minutes before she sighed and said, "I believe her."
"Miya had no reason to lie to you," Ryu stated. "She's brutally honest with people, just like I am." He shrugged his shoulders. "Hoshi family trait."
"So what do we do about her and Marz?"
"Give them some room and spend more time with Miya," Ryu suggested. "She will become your sister-in-law when we get married. She's been through a lot, just like us."
"You would make a good Interpol agent," Chun Li said. "Are you sure you don't want to join up?"
"I like my present job, thank you."
"What job? You call beating up martial artists a job?"
Better than nothing," Ryu pointed out. "I'll leave the criminals to you."
"But what about Satu--er, Miya?" Chun Li asked. "What do we do with her when she finally gets her hands on Jack and Dark?"
Ryu's expression became somber. "We don't interfere. We let her take her revenge for her sake."