The following morning Sagat wanted to take Ryu and Chun Li away from the village to a remote location and begin his training for the power of nothingness. Cammy stayed behind to make some phone calls about the information she found out the day prior. Chun Li was very concerned and was going to stay behind with her, but Sagat was very insistent that she go with them. It made her very nervous to be far away from the village alone with Sagat, afraid he might try attack. Ryu didn't seem to be bothered which helped take the edge off her anxiety.
They came to a clearing and Sagat stopped walking. He asked Chun Li to stand with him about 15 feet away from Ryu. Her anxiety came back. "I want to see how much control you have over the dark hadou, Ryu!" Sagat yelled to him. "How easily it is for you to lose your control?"
"Why would you want to know that?" Chun Li asked. "What is this all about?" Sagat turned his head to her and quietly asked her to trust him. "Are you kidding, I'd never…" Chun Li didn't get to finish her sentence as she was grabbed forcefully by Sagat and he held a knife to her heart.
"Sagat! What the hell are you doing?" Ryu's blood pressure rose. Seeing Chun Li so vulnerable made him extremely angry. He began breathing harder and began to evoke the dark hadou.
"There it is!" Sagat said still holding Chun Li. She was struggling and thinking of a way to get out of his grip. "Calm yourself, Chun Li! I want you to look at how easily he evokes the dark side." She stopped struggling. She understood the point he was trying to make. Sagat put her down. Ryu then snapped out of his rage. "I am sorry I had to do that, I wanted to see what kind of control you have over yourself. I can see you let your emotions cloud your judgment". Ryu, feeling disappointed, slowly walked to Chun Li and Sagat.
"I lost myself not even a week ago…Dhalsim had to stop me," Ryu explained. "But still, I'll do anything to protect Chun Li, anything!"
"And rightfully so, but what if you get so far and don't come back to normal?" Sagat asked. "What would you do if you ended up harming her because you can't control yourself? Or not just Chun Li, innocent people nearby?" Ryu knew he had a lot of training to do.
"Just do me a favor and don't pull Chun Li into anything crazy like that again, ever!" Ryu warned. Chun Li stood by his side and held his hand reassuringly.
"Wouldn't think of it. Again, my apologies. I can see how deeply you care for one another. You are very fortunate to have found your soul mate," Sagat said.
"I would do anything for him. Don't think for one second I'm letting my guard down around you!" Chun Li said. Sagat understood her mistrust. "I'm sure you two have a lot to do. I'll be on my way if there isn't anything else I'm needed for? Like a human sacrifice?" she said sarcastically.
"I'll meet you and Cammy later for dinner, OK?" Ryu didn't want her to leave angry, but he knew it was hard for her to be around Sagat. Chun Li left back to the house.
Ryu and Sagat began their intense training.
Meanwhile…
Cammy was on a three-way call with Guile and Ken. She confirmed that she had once been pregnant and the baby was taken. She also told them of Chun Li's investigation of the missing children.
"I have to find out what happened to my baby. I need to know if this child is normal or if they will grow into a monster like Bison," Cammy said over tears.
"We'll help you any way we can. I think if we follow up on this we may find out there will be many other babies or children that were taken as well," Ken said.
"It's all connected. Bison wanting the kids. I bet if Chun Li had made it to full term with the baby, Dr. Hsu would have tried to take him as well," Guile added. "And speaking of which, you didn't mention anything to her and Ryu, have you?"
"No, nothing. That is also the other thing I wanted to talk to you about. We are in Thailand, and we are actually staying with…Sagat," Cammy wondered what kind of response she was going to get from the burly men.
"What the fuck! Are you three insane? I thought you were in India! What in the world are you guys thinking?" Guile reprimanded.
"It actually makes sense. Ryu was once good friends with Sagat before he fell in with Shadowlaw." Ken gave Guile a brief explanation of their history. Cammy also explained how they came to stay with Sagat and why he left the large crime syndicate.
"I still don't trust that son of a bitch," Guile said. "I should send out a task force out there to take him out."
"Give it a chance, Guile. Ryu needs this. If he can't beat Sagat, what chance does he have with Akuma? He is an excellent fighter, a perfect challenger for Ryu. Let it be," Ken explained. With much hesitation Guile agreed, he knew Ken was right.
"So now, what is our plan? The interconnectedness of this all is alarming. I have a bad feeling Shadowlaw is still involved in all this. We also need to look into this Fang idiot Chun Li dealt with," Guile said.
Chun Li arrived back at Sagat's house and heard Cammy on a phone call. She quickly ended it.
"Ryu training with Sagat?" Cammy assumed.
"Yes. They are a few miles away." Chun Li sat down with Cammy at the table. "How are you feeling? I heard you talking on the phone, is everything alright?"
"Just updating Ken and Guile. Guile just about jumped through the phone when I told him who we're staying with," Cammy explained.
"I bet he hit the roof. I wouldn't have believed it myself, but here we are." Chun Li grabbed Cammy's hand. "How are YOU doing though?"
"A part of me wonders if I even want to find this child…if it's half Bison, what kind of person would they grow up to be? Who is raising the child now? What if the child is being brought up in a horrible environment? And if I found them, what would I even do with a child? I know nothing of being motherly." Cammy put her hands to her head. Chun Li got up and hugged her.
"I can help you look into this. We can launch a full-scale investigation. Maybe I can get back into Interpole?" Chun Li suggested.
"No no. This would take you away from Ryu. You two have waited so long to be together. I'm still deciding what to do about this knowledge. I have Guile and Delta Red to help me as well. Don't you worry, luv." Cammy thanked her, she didn't want Chun Li to worry about anything. "You focus on yourself. Hone your chi, get stronger as well." The girls decided to get out of the house and find a spot to have lunch together. They left arm in arm.
Later that night
Ryu came back to the house late at night. He was exhausted from the day's training. He made his way to the bedroom and found Chun Li meditating. He slowly walked in the room hoping not to disturb her.
"You missed dinner. Sagat came back hours ago. What were you doing?" Chun Li said opening her eyes.
"I'm sorry. I had to focus. I have so much training ahead of me, I wanted to give everything I had today," Ryu explained. Not only was he physically tired but mentally as well. "How was your day? Did you do anything?"
"I mostly spent time with Cammy. She is still very shaken up and confused," Chun Li replied.
"I wonder what she is going to do about it? It's not like she can kick her way back into Bison's old headquarters and demand to know where this child is. If Sagat doesn't even know where they went, I wonder who would? How would you even find the person who does know?" Ryu wondered.
"My thoughts exactly." Chun Li pondered for a minute; an idea struck her mind. "Wait a second…the man back in India! Fang! He might know something! He was after the children in Dhalsim's village. Maybe he has something to do with Shadowlaw as well. It can't be a coincidence. Rashid may know where to find him since he is trying to find his friend, um, what was her name…The Usher! I've got to call Guile and let him know. Ken too, I forgot to call him anyway about keeping him updated where we are, even though Cammy told him already." Chun Li went over to the closet and got out their satellite phone.
"I'll leave you to the call. I'm going to take a shower and head to bed, I'm beat from today," Ryu kissed Chun Li's forehead and headed to the bathroom.
In San Fransisco…
Ken and Eliza were sitting down together eating breakfast. They were also going over the day's events with his assistant. "Pack in as much as you can today," Ken said. He usually liked to keep himself busy if he had other things on his mind, like the whereabouts of Ryu on his travels. He heard his cell phone ring a distinct tone for the direct call from Chun Li and Ryu's satellite phone. Eliza's ears perked up.
"That must be Chun Li! Answer it quickly!" she said.
"Hello, Chun Li?" Ken answered.
"Ken! I'm sorry I haven't called with updates lately, but we're in Thailand staying with Sagat." Chun Li hurried to say.
"Yes, I know. Cammy told me all about it. I need details!" Ken was as excited as a teenage girl getting ready to hear the latest gossip. Chun Li told him the past few weeks' events from her and Rashid saving the children from Fang to the present.
"And this leads me to think that Fang might be working with Shadowlaw. If we find him, we might get a better lead on how to find where other children may be. It's a shot in the dark but it's one of the only leads we have right now," she explained.
"I was sure when Bison died, most of Shadowlaw would die with him, but I'm beginning to think Guile is right. It's bigger than any of us ever imagined. Looks like we have to find this Rashid street fighter. I'll have to brief Guile and I'm sure he'll go charging like a bull finding a lead," Ken said.
"I wish I could do more," Chun Li sighed. She would always get fired up at Interpol when she found something that would lead her to her next clue.
"Keep your pretty little head from thinking of this too much. You and Ryu should focus on each other, you're together now," he didn't want her worrying over things she didn't need to. After conversing a little longer, they ended their call. Ken filled Eliza in on all the details and then made a call to Guile.
A few days later…
Chun Li had joined Ryu and Sagat for their training. They went to nearby waterfalls, the training was to consist of the mental and less focus on the physical. Chun Li admired the beauty of the blue waters, she loved the beautiful nature around her and the sounds of the waterfall cascading down the rocks.
"Control over your mind is key," Sagat explained, "the dark hadou is rooted in your own survival instincts. The power of nothingness must be balanced with the dark hadou for true incredible power. That's why today we are here. I want you to focus on controlling your mind." Ryu sat down near the blue waters and began to meditate. He was very still and quiet. He breathed deeply and calmly. Meanwhile, Sagat went over to Chun Li. He saw her body tense up as he neared. "Old habits die hard?"
"What do you expect? For years I saw you as the enemy," Chun Li crossed her arms.
"Forget about all that today, can you?" he asked. "Why don't you meditate with Ryu. From what he told me you are seeking to become stronger as well?" Chun Li scoffed, she didn't want to take any advice from Sagat but she did want to increase her fighting skill abilities. She walked over to a spot near the water's edge and sat down. "Close your eyes. Listen to the sounds around you. Listen to the water, feel the energy coming from the life around you." Chun Li focused on the sound of the waterfall; the whooshing sound it made as it fell over the side of the mountain, the hard crash into the pooling vortex at the bottom, the constant roar of water's energy. She found herself going into a trance. She began getting images in her mind…a bamboo hut by a flowing river, her father's face, her garden in Hong Kong, children playing in a dense jungle. A phrase then came into her mind, "exquisite suffering". Chun Li opened her eyes and a feeling of dread came over her. She sensed something wasn't right. Sagat noticed her alarm.
"Is there something wrong, Chun Li?" Sagat asked. Ryu opened his eyes and looked over to his wife.
"I just got the weirdest feeling right now, like something is wrong. As I was meditating right now the words exquisite suffering came into my mind. I don't understand." Chun Li couldn't shake the uneasy feeling. Ryu walked over to her and helped her up, he could sense her unease.
"Did you say exquisite suffering?" Sagat became alarmed. "There is only one person I know who would say that in his battles." Ryu and Chun Li wondered who he was talking about. "Chun Li, tell me, do you ever have vivid dreams? Dreams of people who have passed? Or have visions of things that have yet to come? Words or phrases that come into your mind?"
"Dhalsim mentioned something about a spiritual awakening," she replied.
"I can sense an unease as well," Ryu said looking into the distance. "Sagat, I think we should head back to the village." A distant smell of smoke came into their noses. All three fighters rushed back to Sagat's house.
When they arrived, they saw part of his house engulfed by flames. People in the village were already working to put the fire out. Sagat rushed into his house to check if his mother was inside. Chun Li and Ryu ran after to grab important things from the room they were staying in. All three made it back outside and began helping the other villagers in putting the flames out.
"I've got to find my mother," Sagat cried out. He left to go look for her. After 10 minutes, the fire was out. Chun Li and Ryu were relieved the rest of the house had been saved. They wondered if Sagat had found his mother and went to go look for them.
"I don't see them anywhere," Chun Li said.
"Wait a second, there is something going on over there," Ryu pointed in the direction of a large group of villagers. "Maybe that's them". As they got closer to the group, they saw a very familiar face standing in the middle of the crowd, a face Chun Li didn't want to see again. His long blond hair, his signature claws, the accent of a Spaniard…Vega, Chun Li thought. Her heart began to beat through her chest, remembering the time she fought him and almost died. "What is this asshole doing here?"
"We can't be seen, Ryu! He might not know we're here," Chun Li cautioned him. "Let's split up." Ryu nodded his head and Chun Li walked in another direction. In the center of the group, Vega was holding Sagat's mother hostage.
"Donde esta Sagat?" he asked angrily. "Alguien me dice donde esta o mato a esta mujer!" The villagers didn't understand his words but understood his mal intentions.
"Vega!" Sagat roared through the crowds horrified to see his mother in the arms of a sick and twisted person. "If you don't let her go I will smash your face in!"
"There he is," Vega evilly chuckled. "Your betrayal has earned you this glorious day. You have pissed off quite a few people in our little organization," he said with a nefarious smile.
"Your issues are with me, don't involve my people," Sagat tried to plead.
"It's much more fun for me this way. To tease and taunt your prey before skinning them alive." Vega held his claw to Sagat's mother's abdomen. He saw Sagat getting ready to attack. "Ah, I wouldn't do that if I were you. One slice and you'll see what the insides of mama look like." Sagat was overcome with fear, he didn't know what to do seeing his mother so vulnerable.
"Fine, what is it you want?" he asked.
"Just to see you suf…" Vega's claw was suddenly shot out of his hand. He let out a cry of pain. "Who did that?" He looked around and demanded to know.
Chun Li stood tall on a small structure and aimed her gun straight for Vega's forehead. "Praying on the innocent is pathetic. Let her go and I might let you live long enough to have a rematch with me. How was that fall out the window by the way?" She taunted. Instantly Vega became enraged. He readied himself to slice into Sagat's mother, but a powerful force knocked him over to the ground. Vega looked back up to see Ryu standing in the crowd in a fight stance. Sagat made a quick move to grab his mother away from Vega.
As he pulled himself up, excited by a challenge, Vega said, "Not only a traitor but you made friends with the enemy, Sagat. I don't remember you being so soft."
"Sagat, get your mother someplace safe. You may not want her to see this next part." Angered, Ryu was ready to fight Vega. "You come here to disrespect the villagers but now you deal with me! You have tried to hurt people I care about and that is not okay." Ryu rushed him. A battle ensued.
Chun Li ran over to Sagat and his mother and checked her over as she looked faint. She began to collapse. "Quick, we need to get her to a hospital!" Sagat panicked and froze for a second, fear overtaking his body. "I need you to do everything I say, do you understand?" Chun Li yelled at him. Sagat shakily nodded and followed Chun Li's instructions.
The battle continued between Ryu and Vega while Chun Li continued to take control of the situation around her. Sirens were heard as the villagers scrambled in the area of the chaotic scene.
To be continued…