Chapter 26

Leifang closed her eyes as she got out of the plane, lifting her hand to shield them before opening them again and looking over the runway of the Pundong International Airport of Shanghai. She took a deep breath.

It's been a long time she thought.

The Chinese stood there for a moment, deep in revery, when she noticed that she blocked the way for the passengers behind her and continued walking, making her way into the actual Airport building.

Irritation filled her as she had to spend nearly an hour at the various stations before being able to leave and by the time she got onto the magnetic levitation train, that would bring her to the Longyan Road Metro Station, she was seething on the inside.

It was filled to the brim with people, not unlike that one time she was on a Japanese metro tram, and everyone pretty much invaded each other's personal space. Just her luck.

She had this fleeting feeling that the perverted groper she had encountered twice might be on this train as well, gritting her teeth as she felt someone brushing against her butt.

Stay calm Leifang, no use getting angry. It's not their fault. She told herself and endured for the rest of the ride.

At the station she got onto the Metro line 9, sitting down in one of the seats, happy that it wasn't full, and leaned her head against the window. The ride to her destination would take a little over an hour and a half, so she had a little time to think.

Her thoughts returned to her friend, to the kiss they shared, making her lips tingle like every time she had done so in the past days.

Might she actually have feelings for her friend that went beyond friendship?

But how? She asked herself. How could she have feelings for her? Wasn't she in love with someone else already?

That's why she was here, to get some help in finding clarity.

Turning her eyes to the left she looked out of the window and felt a small smile form on her lips. She didn't know how much she had missed Shanghai, the place where she was born and raised.

Her name, Leifang, which meant fragrant flower bud, was a very popular name here and she remembered going into the same class with another Leifang. Sadly she never had been friends with the girl herself.

Chuckling to herself she wondered what her old friends would think of her right now. She hadn't seen them for a long time now, all of them having parted years ago. In a way it was sad; she remembered how they had promised to be friends forever and ever when they were younger.

I guess everyone has to move on eventually she thought.

Not wanting to think anymore on the topic she pulled out her smart phone to occupy herself with something. Out of sheer habit she opened her E-mail account and found about a dozen messages by Hitomi.

Her eyes widened and she felt her heartbeat quicken. A lump formed in her throat as her gaze locked onto the most recent E-mail, her eyes lingering over it, unsure if she should open it or not. She noticed her hand was shaking slightly.

Shaking her head she pressed the button.

Deleting it. Together with all the others.

I'm sorry she apologized in her mind. Leifang knew what she just did was beyond selfish, but she just couldn't do it. She couldn't read what Hitomi wrote, afraid of what it might contain.

Tears welled up inside her eyes and she closed them to stop the teardrops from spilling. A few minutes passed until she opened her eyes again and looked at her phone, before simply shutting it off and hugging herself as if it could simply make everything bad disappear.

She stayed like that for the rest of the ride.

The Chinese got off the tram at Qibao Station of the suburb by the same name, which in turn had been named after the Qibao that had once resided in the area. As she walked down the streets she couldn't help but admire the traditional buildings that gave it the name Ancient Town.

She walked for another half hour before she finally found the correct way she had to go. It had been a long time since she had been here after all. She walked directly along the river, then crossed one of the stone bridges, heading directly south.

Her steps slowed down when she saw the small house in the distance, the house that been a second home to her. And hopefully the place that might help her get some clarity.

Making herself walk faster again, her heels clicking louder with every step as a sign of her conviction, she walked into the front yard and, without hesitation, approached the door and knocked.

She waited for a moment until a woman, only a few years older than her opened the door, giving her a confused look for a second before realization dawned upon her face.

"L-Leifang, is that you?" she asked, her voice heavy with the Wu accent of the region.

"Yes it's me, Bao." she said and presented her with the best smile she could force herself to right now. Tan Bao was the housekeeper of her Sifu, whom he had taken in when she was only twelve; that had been fifteen years ago. "You look good."

"And you look beautiful." Bao said awestruck, making her feel slightly embarrassed. Bao herself was a pretty girl, but more on the petite side, being half a head smaller than her. "Ah how rude, why don't you come in? I'm sure you're here to visit Sifu Ning."

Leifang was ushered into the house by the young woman.

"The Sifu is in garden, why don't you go and join him while I prepare some tea for you?" she didn't give her the chance to answer at all, pushing her already into the direction of the garden.

Shaking her head she simply walked into the garden where a tall, slim man stood with his back to her, holding what looked like a cricket bat. He swung it a few times before dropping it to the side.

"Why if it isn't my best student." he said and turned around, giving her one of his pleasant smiles. Cheng Ning was a man in his mid-forties, not that you could tell by his looks. He could be mistaken for a thirty years old man. The result of a healthy lifestyle combined with the devotion to his art.

His face was as slim as the rest of his body, but in a rather handsome way, always clean shaven and his dark hair was always well kept, growing past his neck only by a small margin and being combed back.

The round glasses he wore were new though.

"Please, you are too kind." Leifang said, falling back into her own Wu accent from when she was younger, and placed her right palm over her left fist, bowing in greeting. "It has been a long time."

"That it has." he said and walked over to her, returning her greeting in kind. "But I'm only speaking the truth. You are my best student."

They stood straight up again and looked at each other.

"How have you been? I heard you've been participating in tournaments these past few years." he asked.

"I've been well, and yes I did, though sadly I didn't win the tournaments." the man simply nodded.

"Shall we?" he asked and held out his hand towards the house. The both of them went into the living room, sitting down at the table. Right on cue Bao came in, holding a tray in her hands with two cups of tea, which she placed onto the table.

"Thank you, you're way too kind to me." Sifu Ning said to her and Leifang noticed that the girl flushed before excusing herself. Interesting

"You should see her during some other days. Sometimes I feel like I'm some henpecked husband instead of her being my housekeeper." he said jokingly, taking a sip from his tea.

I get the feeling she wouldn't mind the husband part Leifang said in her mind and took a sip herself, savoring the taste.

"So," he said, placing his cup back down. "What brings you here? I'm assuming this isn't just a simple social call. Which really breaks your old Sifu's heart by the way."

Leifang resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the man's joke. He always did that, back when she was still his student there were days where you couldn't get a straight answer out of him.

"I...I've come here because I'm in need of counsel." she said and looked down at her cup.

"Hmm." he made and rubbed his chin with his thumb. "Counsel you say. What for?"

"I think I'm at one of these 'crossroads of life' you told me years ago."

"I see. This wouldn't be a matter of the heart, would it?" Leifang's head shot up, her eyes wide, looking at her Sifu.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"The look in your eyes tells me a lot, I know you very well my girl." he chuckled. "Also you said 'I will defeat him even if it's the last thing I do' so many times that I won't forget it anytime soon."

He propped his chin on the palm of his hand and looked at her. "But it's about more than just this young fellow, isn't it?"

A moment passed between them before Leifang told him everything, about Hitomi, how they had become friends over the years and what had transpired between them not too long ago, how it threw her heart into disarray together with her conflicting feelings for Jann Lee.

He listened to her patiently, his pleasant smile for once having been dropped to show that he was taking what she said seriously.

"I won't pretend that I understand everything, after all I haven't experienced it first hand, but I can tell that your friend Hitomi is very important to you." he rubbed his hands together before folding them on the table. "May I also be so forward: from what you told me it didn't sound like you two were very drunk. Could it be that your friend might've always felt more that friendship? She did start it after all."

"I'm...not sure. I'm not sure of anything anymore." she buried her face in her hands. She then felt them being grasped by her Sifu's and pulled away from her face, making her look into the smiling face of the man.

"Well I can tell you only so much, but that wouldn't be your decision in the end. But remember, everything exists with the Tai Chi. Have you tried to meditate on it during your practice?" he asked.

"Yes, but I can't find my focus."

"Hmm, I understand. Then please join me in the garden. I will help you as much as I can." he told her and got up from his chair, making his way into the garden. Leifang followed him.

"Good, now I don't need to explain it to you but I will guide you through your practice, just focus on yourself, the rest will come on its own." He said and Leifang walked into the middle of the garden.

She stood completely straight, holding out her arms in front of her, closing her eyes as she did so and breathed in and out.

Parting the wild horse's mane she thought and took a step with her right leg, bending her knee keeping her upper body straight, pulling her left arm to her side and lifting her right so that her palm was facing her.

"Not only out of focus," Sifu Ning said and she felt him approach her. "But also got a bit lax. No wonder you lost in that tournament a few months back."

"Sifu!" he slapped her against her lower back, straightening her out more and walked away.

"Better. Now 'White crane spreads its wings'." he told her and she pulled her left leg forward as she straightened her right a bit, angling it a bit so that her heel wasn't touching the ground. She pulled her right arm closer to her so that her palm was almost touching her face, while her left arm was held out in a downward angle, palm open.

At her Sifu's instruction she moved through the other forms, trying to find her focus. Did Hitomi really want to kiss her? Wanted a relationship with her? Was she really that important to the German?

The thought warmed her heart. This was more affection that she had gotten from Jann Lee in those eight years that he occupied her thoughts. And the kiss they had shared, she had responded in kind and could have stopped any time she wanted, but only pushed her away when they were caught.

She...liked it, very much so. But was that really enough? What if it was a mistake?

But the look in Hitomi's eyes, she could see so much in them. Maybe...

Suddenly something that her Sifu once told her came to mind.

She moved into the last stance, standing completely straight with her hands crossed, the palms facing her way and from there brought her hands into her starting position and opened her eyes, new resolve shining in them.

I have to do it she told herself. The least she could do was mending their friendship, but if Hitomi wanted to...if she really wanted to be more than friends, then she would try it with her, even if it wasn't meant to be in the end.

She looked at her Sifu, who gave her a reassuring smile and asked. "You have come to a decision?"

"Yes," she nodded and bowed to him. "Thank you for helping me."

"Please, I only guided you. The one that helped you was yourself."

She shook her head. "No. You did help me. Years ago you once told me if something in the past seems to be unattainable one should focus on the options of the future."

"Ah, did I now?" his smile widened. "Then I'm happy to be of assistance. What will you do now?"

Leifang closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then opened them again. "I will look forward to the future. But before that I need to resolve something else."

Cheng Ning laid a hand on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. "I'm sure you're eager to do what you must do, but would you do me the honor of staying a little longer? I'd like to catch up a little more."

Leifang gave him her first real smile of the day. "I'd love to." she said.

"Splendid!" he exclaimed, leading her back into the house. "Then we can watch Strike of the Atomic Cobra together. Recently I've been besotted with old american martial arts movies."

The Chinese chuckled and gave her Sifu a strange look.

And now for something completely different it's Leifang time!

Her Sifu's a pretty cool guy, eh?

These next few chapters will focus on her side of things, so stay tuned.

Oh and for that certain someone asking about a Chun-Li x Cammy story, I'm afraid while I do know a bit about Steet Fighter it's probably not enough for me to make a decent story about these two.

Well see you next week!