Y'know, i often get the impression that most people simply don't understand Juri and her character in general. Yeah, she's chaotic, unhinged, psycotic, loves to fight and revels in the pain she inflicts on her opponents but there's a very good why she's the way she is. And i wanted to both explore that and remind others with this chapter. And i hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 4: Tears of the Spider

As the rays of the sun caressed Juri's face, awakening her from her sleep, she believed that she had finally bit the dust and so, she expected to find herself in a different place from the living world and perhaps, to be reunited with her parents again in the afterlife.

Instead as she rose up into a sitting position, clutching her forehead with her left hand due to the pain of her latest battle still fresh, her eyes were rewarded by the sight of a wooden floor, white walls decorated with traditional, feudal tapestries, a long piece of cloth beneath her and a blanket covering her body.

"What the he-" she mused out loud only to gasp slightly upon feeling that her horn-like buns were missing and that her hair was in fact undone and now cascaded down her back. Then she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest and as she looked down, she saw that her breastplate was gone, several bandages in its place, covering her chest. Her sweatpants were also gone, leaving only her purple and black leggins to cover her legs. Finally, her eyes widened as soon as she saw the deep scar than ran in between her breasts, starting from her right upper abdomen and ending just below her left shoulder, under the clavicle "I don't understand….. Why am i still…." she spoke again, trying to find an explanation…..

Before all the pieces finally came together in her mind and all of a sudden she began to feel unbridled anger and outrage "That bastard…. I came all this way to fight him to the death…. And he had the fucking audacity to help me instead of finishing me off?!" she seethed, her teeth clenched as she promptly got on her feet and began to furiously search the place she was in from top to bottom, hell-bent on bringing a lifetime of pain upon Ryu for what he had done. Above everything else, Juri hated being weak or being made to look weak along with being pitied upon. She had gotten where she was all by herself, she had acquired all the power she had almost entirely with her own hands. He had no right to pity her and help her out when he was mere moments away from killing her. Who did he think he was?

As it turned out, Ryu was in the dining room of the Castle, sitting on the floor and having breakfast with the other monks. Apart from some slight aching all around his body, he had already mostly recovered from the brutal battle he had fought just the night before, though his upper body was now mostly bare save for his headband and his gloves, due to the damage his Upper Gi has suffered when Juri cut it apart with the kick she used to scar his chest and thus it now awaited resewing. Abe and his fellow monks made pots of Ramen this time, with noodles created from wheat and flour they had cultivated and grinded respectively, in the fields around Suzaku Castle. It was an activity they greatly enjoyed, often occupying a large part of their secluded, peaceful lives, far away from civilization. But the only thing they appreciated more than that was the company of a young man like Ryu, with whom they could share the many tales of their long lives.

This morning however, the main subject of the matter was Juri, the first woman ever to defeat Ryu in battle. Sort of.

"I mean, have you even seen how big her muscles are in spite of how slender they are at the same time? I had no idea that a woman could possess such a strong body!"

"How naive of you, Kondo. With just the right amount of determination and willpower, even women can achieve everything. But you have never fought a single woman in your entire life so your ignorance doesn't surprise me in the slightest!"

"Oh, but what kind of man would i have been had i scarred a beautiful lady's face even once? I would have been so ashamed that i woudn't even have looked at my own reflection for the rest of my life!"

Ryu and the other monks laughed at the words of the monk known as Kondo, and the reason why he never fought a single woman in his life "I have to agree with you, Mikawa, since i have had the privilege of facing many female fighters in all my travels. And all of them were quite strong and by fighting them, they helped me grow as a fighter and a person. And i think i have done the same for them." the Wandering Warrior spoke to the other monk Kondo spoke with, named Mikawa, fondly recalling his friendships with Chun-Li, Sakura, Rose and Cammy and in turn, how they all admired him for his strength and courage "But this Juri was….. Different. I had no idea that a woman could have such bloodlust, such viciousness…. Such power. I would even go as far as to say she was one of the strongest opponents i have ever faced." the monks stood silent as he began to recount the events of the night before "Yet in her eyes, i could see that there was more than that. Perhaps….."

The sharp sound of doors suddenly opening up, interrupted Ryu and startled everyone in the room and they all turned to see a downright livid Juri, entering the room. She clenched her teeth and her eyes narrowed as soon as they spotted Ryu, still sitting on the ground, pot of noodles in his left hand and chopsticks on his right one.

"YOU!" she seethed in pure fury, clenching her fists upon seeing the one who not only defeated her but had mercy when he had every chance to finish her off for good. Some of the monks were at a complete loss of words: in spite of her enraged state, she looked so beautiful to them, her toned and athletic body perfectly complimented by her beautiful face and long hair.

With a serious expression making its way on his face, Ryu stood up and spoke "Take it easy, you're still hurt. You should consider yourself lucky to have survived against me at my absolute worst." his eyes narrowed before he added "And you owe me some answers."

"I DON'T OWE YOU ANYTHING!" Juri roared as she dashed towards Ryu without warning, throwing a side kick towards his face, which he effortlessly blocked, courtesy of his honed reflexes. She then flipped back to distance herself from him but as she landed on her feet, the sudden sharp pain on her stomach made her collapse on her knees and clutch her abdomen with her right hand.

"What would you know, she's got quite the temper." Kondo whispered towards Mikawa, making both monks chuckle before Abe explained "Three of your ribs are broken and your jaw is probably cracked, young lady." his words making Juri look up towards him and the other monks still sitting on the ground in front of their tables, some of them looking at her with disdain "And you have some nerve attacking the one who brought you here and convinced us to treat your injuries when he could have left you to the wolves around here, especially since you were the one who started the fight. I'd show some gratefulness and respect if i were you."

"HA!" Juri sneered at those words as she slowly got back up on her feet "To a bunch of withering old men spending the last of their days rotting in this boring, decreipt place far away from civilization and to a guy who's so afraid of his own power, he'd prefer getting beaten to an inch of his life rather than using it? You wish!" making the monks glare at her with even more animosity, some of them regretting that they had wasted their time healing her.

As for Ryu, he knew that she was taunting him about the Satsui No Hado and his fear of giving into it which began to make him furious just thinking about it, to the point he clenched his fists. Nonetheless, he remained calm and countered her words by coldly stating "This coming from you, who are so drunk on power, you revel in the suffering you inflict on others, even when your opponent can no longer fight back?" he lectured her as he came closer to her, only a few inches apart "You clearly haven't seen the full extent of how much power can corrupt people, of how it can turn them into heartless monsters, of how it can rob them of their humanity." taking her aback before beginning to walk past her "Those murderous and destructive habits of yours will only lead you down a path of misery. And i presume that since S.I.N. has fallen, you don't take orders from anyone anymore. If i were you, i would search whatever good there is left within your soul and find new ways to better myself instead of keeping on the present course."

Those words left Juri speechless and at the same time, vexed. Almost everyone she had ever face always regarded her either in utter contempt or terror, yet not only did Ryu lecture her without a care in the world…

There was also kindness in his words, hidden by his cold and emotionless exterior. And that made Juri swiftly reach out for his left hand with her right one, making him stop in his tracks and look at her again as she spoke back "Believe me, i know far too well what happens to those without power." there was a hint of acknowledgement in her words, a sign to Ryu that she had understood his message to her. But whatever hope he had for her vanished as soon as she continued, her voice becoming one full of lust and contempt "That's why i wanted to become strong! So that i can crush everyone below me instead of being the one to be crushed! We humans have always costrained ourselves with our own laws to make us civilized but deep down we're no different from the same animals we hunt! Animals who live by the rule of the jungle, survival of the fittest! I have always only fought to survive and gain more power! And for that, everything goes, no matter how cruel and unfair!"

Ryu's face hardened "Then, i pity you." he coldly spoke, making Juri gasp in shock and letting go of his hand. He had some empathy towards her but he could not justify her actions because he was taught and shown different principles in life "You know why i spared your life last night? Because of your tears. Not only did they make me snap out of the Satsui No Hado's hold by making me remember all the precious memories of the friends i made all around the world, who saved myself from the darkness within my soul, but they made me wonder if there was more to you than what you seemed to be. I was wrong. Not only have you fully embraced the darkness within yourself but you blame everything except yourself for your shortcomings and you drag everyone else into your misery. And that does not make you strong. It only shows how lonely you are."

"DON'T TALK AS IF YOU KNOW ME!" Juri roared in fury and denial, refusing to believe that he had read her like a book, that he had understood her. For the first time in ages, she felt mentally defeated and she didn't even understand why being called lonely angered her so much.

Seeing nothing but the murderer of his Master and adoptive father in her, Ryu turned his back on Juri and declared "You're no different from a man i once fought. Just like him, you threw away your humanity for absolute power, not caring what it would turn you into. But then again, whatever happened in your life to make you like this, probably made you forget what it means to be loved, and how important kindness is. Now leave and reflect on what i've said to you."

And with those words, Juri finally lost it.

"YOU DON'T KNOW ME, YOU DON'T KNOW ME, YOU DON'T KNOW MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I WENT THROUGH! AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO LECTURE ME FOR WHAT I HAD TO DO JUST TO SURVIVE!" Juri's voice had devolved into one of uncontrollable rage which only served to mask 10 years of repressed trauma, pushed to the deepest corners of her minds ever since that fateful day. That did not matter to Ryu as he continued to walk to the balcony of the castle in order to begin his daily training routine, leaving the monks alone, who watched in contemptous silence as Juri also took her leave.

However, ten minutes into practicing his punches and kicks, Ryu still coudn't get Juri out of his head. He wondered if he was right to say those words, to have given up on her. Part of him though, still believed that her rudeness and anger was all a facade to mask who she really was. And whatever the case, his words did crack that facade and, for some reason, he wanted to know exactly to what extent. Then, as if on clue, the sharp, nearby sounds of wood being broken and raging screams pulled him out of his focus. He went over the edge of the balcony…..

(OST: "Sadness And Sorrow" = Naruto Soundtrack )

And saw Juri not too far away, in the woods just nearby the castle, furiously kicking and destroying surrounding trees around her, her Feng Shui Alpha beaming brightly as she did so. Ryu could see that this time, she didn't even bother to use any form or tecnique, just pure force. There wasn't even ill intent in her attacks, just rage, bitterness…..

And umberknowst to him, pure, unaldulterated trauma that was finally beginning to come back with full force after being repressed for 10 years.

"DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT, DAMMIT!" Juri screamed at the top of her lungs as she kept kicking and tearing at the trees before eventually beginning to to the same with large rocks, completely uncaring of the pain she felt, even as her feet began to bleed "FRIENDS?! KINDNESS?! LOVE?! I DON'T NEED THOSE! I NEVER NEEDED ANY OF THAT TO BECOME THIS STRONG! I GOT THIS FAR JUST BY MYSELF ALONE!" she continued to scream in denial, the clouds darkening the sky, a sign that it was about to rain very soon. Eventually though, as she kicked a particularly large rock, shattering it to pieces, the pain finally became too much to bear and she fell on her knees, closing her eyes and grunting weakly "I….I…. I…."

And it was at that point that the memories all began to come back, one by one, after being pushed in the deepest corners of her mind for so long. The first one, was of the day she visited the Taekwondo Master who trained her ever since she was 10 years old, Doku, who was a close friend of her parents, a week after their deaths.

Upon arriving, Juri entered the Dojo, wearing her white gi tied around her waist with a black belt. At the time, a white bandage covered her left eye, damaged beyond repair by the single bullet that struck it when her family's limousine was fired upon by Shadaloo Agents. This was after 5 months of hospital recovery, intensive treatment of the injury that nearly cost her life and rehabilitation and after much coping in the aftermath of her parents's deaths.

Doku, a well-built man in his thirties with short black hair and eyes, clad in the same white Gi as her, immediately bowed respectfully and began to speak with much sadness in his voice "I'm so sorry for what has-"

Only for Juri to suddenly yell "Just start teaching me each and every single thing you know about Taekwondo!" completely taken aback by this dramatic change of character in Juri, a 15 year old girl, Doku remained silent as she declared "I'll train night and day and i won't stop until i'll be satisfied that my body is a weapon of death!"

The Taekwondo Master's face hardened upon realizing what her anger and bitterness towards those who took her parents away was about to do to her. Thus, he warned "Juri, revenge will not bring your parents back. The path you're about to walk will only bring you more pain and miser-"

"I DON'T CARE!" she roared once more, silencing her master immediately "ALL I WANT IS TO SEE THE BASTARDS WHO KILLED MY PARENTS SUFFER! I'LL SEE THEM GROVEL BEFORE MY FEET, BEGGING FOR THEIR MISERABLE LIVES AS I BREAK THEIR NECKS! AND NOTHING YOU'LL SAY OR DO WILL PREVENT ME FROM HAVING MY REVENGE! SO HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT YOUR GODDAMN MOUTH AND START TEACHING ME EVERYTHING YOU KNOW ABOUT TAEKWONDO AT ONCE?!"

By the time she finished screaming, Doku had realized that she was already too far gone, too far consumed by her bitterness to be reasoned with. Nonetheless, she had shown great conviction and resolve and he owed his friend Junseo one last favor to honor his memory. Thus, he accepted to continue training her from that day onwards, completely unaware that in doing so, he fully completed the creation of a monster.

For years Juri trained and learned everything about the style, so overcome by her hatred towards Shadaloo, her bitterness towards her country's goverment, who did nothing to save her father and by her desire of vengeance, that she didn't even attend her parents's funeral. And by the time she left the dojo permanently at the age of 18, all the kindness, compassion and cheerfulness she once had, had been discarded, pushed away. Soon, she surpassed her own master and began to laid waste in various tournaments she took part in, before being eventually recruited by Seth and given the Feng Shui Engine, which augmented her already formidable fighting prowess to heights far above and beyond those of even the most skilled of martial artists.

And yet, it was all for nothing.

No matter how strong she had become, she was still no match for Bison. The discovery of the much stronger Feng Shui Alpha brought her back the confidence and assurance of fulfilling her vengeance after the mad dictator had shattered them….

Only for Ryu to do the same, except he didn't just defeat her physically. He defeated her psychologically. And the initial anger and denial she felt was all due to her refusal to accept that Ryu, someone who didn't even know her until last night, someone who had no idea what she went through, was right. The misery and loneliness he spoke of had always been with her and she never even realized it, due to her having buried those feelings and thoughts with her hatred, sadism and bloodlust for so long.

But now that she had, something within Juri finally began to break. Her purple eyes began to shake, her lips began to tremble and before she knew it, she began to whimper incomprehensibly as tears began to fall from her eyes for only the second time after 10 years. Finally, with her whole body shaking, she hugged herself, shut her eyes, grit her teeth and shook her head several times…..

Before finally throwing her head back, spreading her arms and letting out a cry filled with nothing but grief and anguish, finally releasing all the trauma she repressed for all those years at the same time as it began to rain. A cry so powerful, so filled with emotion, it was heard for miles away.

And as she did, another memory flashed back into her mind.

"And here we have the victor, Juri Han, Taekwondo Prodigy!"

The precious memories of that day came back for the first time in years, no longer buried by her bloodlust and bitterness. And she remembered everything. How the voice of the referee announced the victory of a then 13 year old Juri of the 1982 National Taekwondo Junior Championship of South Korea. How the whole public acclaimed her for her extraordinary victory, decided by her almost unparalled skills in the martial art for someone of her age which allowed her to prevail even against boys 3 years older than her. And most importantly, the proud smiles of her mother and father as they watched her being awarded a pristine silver trophy which she lifted up proudly with a happy and beaming smile, a far cry from what she was now.

As the droplets of the rain began to fall on her body, she wailed in even more grief and sorrow, doubled over and fell with her hands on the ground, her tears now falling from her eyes directly into the earth beneath her as she remembered what her parents said to her that day when she reunited with them after the tournament.

"Juri, that was incredible. Never, in all my years of watching this martial art, have i ever seen someone as astonishingly skilled and with such a natural talent aside from you! You should be very proud of what you were able to achieve today and how all the hard effort you put in having come this far paid off." Junseo, clad in his suit as he almost always would be, happily told his beloved daughter with the kindest smile he could muster.

Her mother, who looked almost exactly like Juri did with her hair down and wearing a blue, sleeveless dress with a pink shawl around her shoulders and neck, giggled and remarked "Hehe….Ever the flatterer, eh, Junseo?" before turning towards her daughter with an even sweeter smile and telling her "But he's right. You were amazing today, sweetie." while tenderly caressing Juri's left cheek.

Heartwarmed by their words, Juri spoke "I…. I coudn't have done it without all of your support. You always believed in me even when i had trouble starting out, especially since Sensei Doku was quite harsh in his teachings, hehehe…" chuckling happily before declaring "But i made it this far all thanks to you, the best parents a girl can ever hope to have!" while putting her hands behind her and giving them the happiest and sweetest smile she could have given them.

Her parents hugged her faster than she could open her eyes and in the warm of their embrace, Junseo tenderly declared "And you're the best daughter we could have ever hoped to have." soon followed by his wife "You are our treasure, sweetie. We love you so much."

Juri was brought to tears of joy by their tender and loving words and she immediately hugged her parents back while closing her eyes and whispering back "Mom…. Dad….I love you too….."

In the present day, Juri continued to cry uncontrollably, her tears seemingly never-ending, mixing up with the rain that fell on her body. And when she opened her eyes, she saw her own reflection in a puddle of water right beneath her, which, for the first time in a while, allowed her to see herself without her signature horn-like buns. Now, with that long, unbound hair, she looked almost exactly like her mother….

And sure enough, the reflection suddenly morphed into the visage of her deceased mother before the visage of her father, Junseo, whom she had always admired by his iron will and his sense of justice, also appeared besides his wife before both fading away, obviously a vision her mind had unconsciously conjured, which only made Juri cry even more "M-Mom… D-Dad….. I… I m-miss y-you…. I m-miss you so m-much…." she sobbed as she buried her face into her hands. The truth was, Juri had been broken inside for years. Back then, she was the complete opposite of what she was now. And even though, she had hurt her fair share of people both deserving and not in her quest for vengeance, the simple fact was that she was a victim, much like other countless people Shadaloo had wronged and nothing could change that. What once was a sweet young girl had been transformed into a sadistic killing machine by hatred and bitterness.

Yet, all it took, to reveal her for what she truly was, were the words of a man she had only just met. The first person ever to show her kindness ever since that day, 10 years ago.

And as Ryu watched her emotional breakdown unfold from start to finish from the balcony of the Castle, all his initial hostility and disdain for Juri and for what she said just earlier, was gone. His eyes were now filled with empathy and sadness. He knew almost nothing of her and he didn't know what she went through but he was certain about one thing: she wasn't always like how she was now. And her cries of grief, which echoed through the whole woods and could be heard even from the Castle, were the proof.

"You were right, Master Ryu." Abe's voice came, pulling the Wandering Warrior out of his thoughts. The leader of the monks of Suzaku Castle came at his right, hands clasped down at the front and hidden by the long sleeves of his robe as he gazed solemnly towards the crying Juri, a hundred meters away, in the midst of all the trees she had broken with her kicks, likewise no longer regarding her with animosity but with commiseration "Whoever this woman is, there is indeed more to her than the facade she put up. Your words seem to have broken through it, perhaps making her remember what kind of person she was in the past."

"No matter for how long one does so, tears cannot be held back forever. And when people cry with such pain and grief, it can only mean that they have lost everything that made them happy." Ryu monologued as his eyes kept gazing towards her, filling with even more sadness "And i knew it the moment i saw her tears last night, mere moments before i could finish her off, that deep down, she was hurt. They were the same tears i shed when…..Master died." his voice cracked slightly as he remembered once more the sight of Gouken, the one who raised him like a son, dead in his own dojo with a "Heaven" Kanji inscribed on the wall with his own blood, spilled by his own younger brother, whom Ryu soon swore revenge for that but whom he later learned from some of the friends he made, especially from Dhalsim, the yoga master from India, how ultimately pointless it is in the long run, and how it leads to more pain and emptiness.

He felt Abe's hand on his right shoulder and he turned towards to see him look in his eyes with the same sadness he had and much empathy "We shed the same tears when our dear friend, Goutetsu, died. We all vowed never to fight again after that day, 20 years ago. For nearly all our lives we have practised Ansatsuken, never once being truly frightened by the dangers of its dark side. Goutetsu was the only man in all the long history of Ansatsuken to have completely mastered the Satsui No Hado and we all looked up to him ever since we all began to train with him at a young age at around slighty after the start of this century under the same master. But when your Master's brother succumbed to the Dark Hado's influence and killed him with his own hands….. That was when we realized what fools we had been all along, to have played around with a force we never had any chance to comprehend, let alone control. Yet, Gouken sought to change the art as he taught it to you, from one originally meant only to spill blood, into something that could bring about goodness in the world." the elderly monk closed his eyes and sighed in sadness before declaring "And i don't want you to suffer his or Goutetsu's same fate. I coudn't bear to see it happen all over again."

Ryu smiled earnestly at the old man's concern and reassured him "I would have never gotten this far without Ken and all the friends i made in my travels. They showed me the goodness and power of the human heart, taught me how important life is….. And the bonds we make. They saved me from myself when i was at my absolute worst." he then turned towards the view below, the rain having stopped and the rays of the sun beginning to shine around where Juri was, still laying on the ground and expressing her sorrow

"And i think i have begun to do the same with her." he declared, hopeful that this would have only been the start of a new beginning in Juri's life.

(Soundtrack Ends)

Several hours later, Ryu sat on the ground, meditating in the dojo before the steel deities, thinking back on everything that had happened in the last weeks. Just 14 days ago, he was fighting in S.I.N.'s tournament which ultimately ended with Seth's defeat and the collapse of Shadaloo's weapons division. Just a couple days ago, he had bid farewell to Ken, Sakura, Chun-Li and all the others once more.

And just as he returned only the day before to his home, this seemingly psychotic and sadistic woman had violently entered his life. But in that fight to the death, not only did he discover more about himself, he also saw a glimpse of what Juri truly was and whom he had made her remember with his words.

Just as he was about to wonder if this was all part of some kind of strange machinations of fate, he heard that voice again "Hey, ummm…." which made him turn around, still in his meditative pose and spot Juri leaning on one of the columns of the entrance to the Dojo, holding her left upper arm with her right hand.

Taken aback, he merely remarked "Oh, you're back." and as he noticed how her posture and expression were now meek and hesitant, hardly resembling the confident and taunting ones she had the night before, he added "And i see that you took the words i said to you to heart."

Surprising him even more, Juri smiled as she looked away from him. But this wasn't the psychotic and unhinged smile she had the night before. It was a tender and sympathetic one, a smile that had been absent on Juri's lips for ages "Yeah….. I suppose you saw it all. Me, a 25 year old woman, cryin' my eyes out like a lil' baby…. hehehe…" she joked before finally declaring "But you were right. I never truly realized how lonely i had been ever since my parents died…." Ryu's eyes and lips widened as soon as he heard those words. The pity he had towards here immediately skyrocketed as soon as he learned that.

"Juri, i…." he called out, feeling a degree of guilt for some of the things he said earlier. She was definetely right for telling him he had no right to lecture her for the things she had to do since he didn't even know her.

"I wasn't always like this you know." Juri interrupted him just as he called her name "I used to be the sweetest girl you could think of. And my parents, heh….." she chuckled upon remembering all the fond memories of what still ultimately were the best years of her whole life "They sure were something, let me tell ya. Actually, my dad was a lot like you, strong, determined yet kind and compassionate. And mom….." she sighed, a single tear falling from her left eye "Her smile never left her face every time she talked to me. She used to call me "Pumpkin", hehehe….."

Seeing that single tear, shed both for the fondness of recalling those memories and for the sadness that she will never see her beloved parents again, made Ryu realize that, whatever the timeline of events that led her on the dark path she took, she was a victim "You were right too. I should have never said the words i said earlier, ignorant of your past as i w-

"Don't be." Juri bluntly and suddenly interrupted him as she finally turned towards him, her purple eyes now looking into his brown ones as she began to walk towards Ryu, her expression now becoming a serious one "If you hadn't, i would have never realized how far i had actually fallen all this time. If anything, i should be the one to say sorry. I was just refusing to believe that you, somebody i've known for not even 24 hours was able to read me like a book, to fully understand me in spite of my chaotic exterior. But you were right." she explained as she came to a stop just before him and as she did, her face softened again as she finally told him "And i thank you for that. For finally making me remember who i used to be after all these years." while giving him a heartfelt smile.

Heartwarmed by her words and by how serene she looked now, with that smile and unbound hair, Ryu rose up on his feet, turned towards her and with his own smile, told her "I may not have known you and i did not know what you went through until now, but i knew from the tears you shed last night that you had suffered. I'm glad i was not mistaken, and i'm glad to have spared you. And i can only hope, now that you have discovered yourself again, that you may now finally begin to find the peace you've been longing for so long."

Juri did not expect his words to warm her heart as much as she thought. But the kindness with which he spoke them was all it took, due to how it reminded her of the same kindness her father was capable of, balancing his impunity and iron fist against the enemies of justice. She smiled, this time nonchalantly as she declared "Yeah right, i think i'll just stay here for a while. Got nothing else to do for the time being anyway." while turning away from Ryu and walking near one of the deities statues.

"You sure?" Ryu asked her, somewhat perplexed by her decision. He thought she would have left later in the day.

"Yep. Either way, S.I.N. and Seth are gone and i got nowhere else to go. And i'm sure you want some answers concerning my involvement with that piece of junk so don't worry: you'll get em' tomorrow. For now…." Juri declared, smug smile still on her lips as she turned back towards him, sat on the ground with her legs crossed, placed her right elbow on her right knee and placed her head on her right palm "I think i'll just sit here and watch how the famous "Wandering Warrior" trains."

Ryu smiled, having already noticed a change within her, seemingly for the better before sitting back down in his meditative pose once again. He was already looking forward to see what the future had in store for her now that she seemed to be just about to take a new path.

Little did he know at the time, how intertwined with his own it was already.