And thus, the journey begins! What adventures and battles will await this unlikely duo in the future? Only time will tell. For now, enjoy the chapter!
This was pretty fun to write because i got to explore Ryu's relationship with the Satsui No Hado and his fear of succumbing into it. Honestly, it's because of that duality between his heroic and humble self and his dark side, that Ryu is so interesting as a character and quite frankly, that sets him apart from most fighting game protagonists.
Chapter 5: The Beginning Of A New Journey
Early on in the next morning, Ryu, wearing his upper Gi once more due to the monks having repaired it during the course of the day before, once again stood in the Castle's dojo to train, working on refining his fighting techniques and thinking back about what happened in the two days prior. The recent memories of him taken over by the Satsui no Hado and warped into a cruel and merciless demon still haunted him, even as he practiced his punches and kicks. When he was like that, even slightly influenced by the Dark Hado as he was for example when he slightly succumbed to it upon witnessing Cammy being tortured with such brutality by Crimson Viper, he knew no honor, no reason, no compassion. He was driven by one thing and one thing only: to prove himself to be the absolute strongest and to viciously destroy all who stood before him and and bathe in the pleasure of his kills. But what scared Ryu the most was that deep down, he enjoyed that seemingly limitless power and how that would make him lose himself in the euphoria of battle. As much as he hated to admit it, Seth was right: power only had meaning if it was put into action. And that translated into Ryu's desire to grow in strength, into his almost obsessive drive to improve himself as much as he could and in his love for fighting, which in turn fed the darkness within his soul. And seeing two days ago just how much Juri revelled in the power she possessed and the fact that she once used to be a sweet girl that had been turned into a bloodthirsty and sadistic woman by fate's dark hand made him wonder if he ultimately wasn't that much different from her despite his noble and altruistic self and all the good he had done though the years ever since he first went to Thailand to participate in the local tournament that ended with his victory over Sagat. Could it be, that the one thing they shared, their enjoyment of fighting, ultimately is the one thing that can bring out the darkness within people's souls, if not properly balanced by positive attributes?
Just as he threw another punch forward with a shout, absorbed as he was in his thoughts, he suddenly gasped upon feeling a pair of slender hands touch his broad shoulders, followed by a, now all too familiar voice "My, my, already going through your daily routine, my dear?" back in its seductive and alluring tone.
Faster than a spinning top, Ryu turned towards Juri, who still had her hair down and the bandages around her chest and back and without her sweatpants, in turn startling her and causing her to withdraw her hands away in confusion. An awkward silence settled in for a few seconds before he clumsily asked her with an awkward blush on his cheeks "Uhmmm….. Shoudn't you still be resting in bed, recovering from your injuries?" clearly not expecting to find himself in this situation.
Juri smiled, having realized that for all intents and purposes, the famous "Wandering Warrior" was actually quite shy. With many devious ideas already forming within her prankster mind, she proceeded to stretch her beautiful body and strong legs in front of him, the leggins that covered them showing them in all their glory while she taunted him as she lifted her right leg over her head without any difficulty "What's wrong, handsome? Can't handle a hot girl coming by to say hello? Hehehe, i sure had no idea you were actually as shy as a little boy. Quite the stark contrast from the pure, unadulterated rage you showed me two days ago."
While her little show of her body and legs did cause Ryu to blush slighly more, his expression became a serious one as he pointed out "That creature of violence and evil wasn't me, Juri. You should consider yourself lucky to have-"
"Don't get sentimental on me, handsome." the Taekwondo practitioner interrupted him mid-sentence as she came face to face to him, swaying her hips as she did so "I absolutely enjoyed our fight, wheter you were yourself or not. It was the most fun i've had in ages. And in fact…." she smiled with even more passion as she drew in closer to Ryu's face, their lips only inches apart, entrancing him "I think it made me take quite a liking towards you." she passionately declared as she did so.
Ryu's trance was broken when Juri suddenly threw a right kick, aimed at his left cheek, only for the Ansatsuken practitioner to quickly intercept it with his left forearm and block it, thanks to his battle-hardened reflexes. Satisfied, Juri withdrew her leg and complimented "See? If you're able to resist my temptations and quick enough to block my kick at such short-range then you're definetely much stronger than the darkness within your soul." causing him to gasp slightly upon realizing that this act of hers was merely her own way of telling him how strong his human heart was compared to the Satsui No Hado lurking inside his soul.
"I…. Thank you." Ryu hesitated for a while before telling her "For as long as i can remember, i have struggled with this…. Wickedness in my heart, ever since i left this place for the first time, seven years ago." while looking away in doubt.
"Wait, you're telling me you've lived most of your life here, in this temple far away from civilization? How old are you exactly?" a surprised Juri asked, in turn surprising the Wandering Warrior with the interest she showed.
"Yes, i have. And as for your second question, i believe i'm 30 right now." Ryu replied, taking a moment to gaze upon the steel deities in the chamber, fondly recalling all the memories of his youth spent here before he would begin his travels all around the world "It was Master Gouken who took me here and raised me as if i was his son after he found and adopted me. He would also train Ken alongside me on behalf of his father, whom he was close friends with."
"Ken? You mean, Ken Masters, America's most famous martial artist and heir of the Masters Foundation?" Juri asked again, even more surprised, having in fact heard of him during her time in S.I.N. along with many other fighters, including Ryu.
With a smile, the Ansatsuken practitioner answered "He was the only friend i had for a long time and indeed, i could even go as far as to say we were like brothers, almost." he then turned towards Juri and told her as he grabbed one end of his red headband "He was the one who gave me this headband, as a symbol of our bond. For 10 years we trained here, in this Castle and its surrounding woods. I can still remember the times where we ran from here to the river in the valley nearby to bring Master some water for breakfast and how we often competed to see which one of us could get there first. And you should have seen how cocky he got he day he was able to summon the Hadoken's sphere before i did, hehehe….."
As intrigued as Juri was to hear all of this, she coudn't help but ask something important about him, something she coudn't help but wonder ever since he mentioned that Gouken adopted and raised him "You never knew your true parents….. Right?"
All at once, Ryu's face filled itself with sadness and he lowered his head "No, i never did. All i can remember is me as a very young child, for some reason remembering nothing about them or even if they were still alive. Then, Master took me in and the rest is history."
The moment he spoke those words, Juri felt nothing but pity for him. He never experienced the love of a caring mother and father for their child, unlike her. The irony in that, however, was that it didn't prevent him from becoming the kind-hearted and honorable warrior he was "I… I didn't know. I thought with you being so kind and humble, you had…." she began, her voice filled with empathy towards him, the knowledge of his backstory casting a new light upon him.
"It's okay. Either way, i had the best father figure i could have possibly hoped to have. If i am the way i am, i only have Master and all the things and principles he taught me to thank for. That being said, part of me wonders how things would have been like had i been raised another way. Actually, in a way, i envy you. Being loved and cuddled ever since the day you're born….. I would like to know from you what it feels like, if that's okay for y-." Ryu explained, smiling yet showing a degree of curiosity before all of a sudden, his stomach growled. An awkward silence settled in as he and Juri awkwardly looked at each other before the former sheepishly put a hand behind his head and nervously remarked with an equally awkward smile "On second thought…. Perhaps it's better if i eat breakfast before we continue our conversation, hehehe…"
The Taekwondo practitioner sweat-dropped, dumbfounded to have discovered how…. clumsy he could be during conversations, especially for someone his age. Nonetheless, she folded her arms over her chest and with a smug smile, told him "Heh…. Whoever your master was, he sure didn't teach you how to talk to girls, that's for s-"
She coudn't finish as another growl came, this time from her own stomach, making her eyes comically go wide. And now it was her turn to feel somewhat embarrassed as she put her hands around her belly, turned away from him and sputtered "Yeah, uhmmmmmm…..I may or may not have eaten yesterday while i was coming here to fight you….." her cheeks slightly red.
Ryu smiled, figuring out she must have had quite the appetite for her stomach to have made such a loud growl while also noting how adorable she looked when she tried to keep a straight face even when her hidden perks were revealed. He then turned around and spoke "Then, follow me. Abe and his guys make some wonderful rice. Just what you need to satisfy your stomach for the rest of the day." beckoning her to come with him to have breakfast, which she begrudgingly did, though still somewhat embarrassed to be seen like that.
Thus, he led Juri in the Castle's dining room, where the monks already sat at their respective chairs with the exception of Abe, who was currently serving the rice, mixed with herbs to each and every one of his friends and former fellow practitioners, pot filled with hot water in one arm and scoop in his other hand, when he saw Ryu and Juri enter. With a smile, the monk, easily distinguished by the other bald old men by a long and thin beard that reached to his abdomen, smiled and greeted them "Master Ryu! Young lady! We were expecting you. Please, take your seats and enjoy your breakfast." while all the other monks turned towards them aand watched as they sat on the floor side to side, in their respective pillows, Ryu on his knees and Juri with her legs crossed. And as the latter did so, she noticed that both hers and Ryu's table seats were already set, with a pair of chopsticks and a small, wooden cup filled with a green, semi-transparent liquid and an empty bowl which soon became filled with rice when Abe came towards the two fighters and gave them their share "Is this what you guys eat every day at breakfast?" Juri curiously inquired.
"Yeah, either this or some noodles. With the many carbohydrates it contains, rice is the perfect food for someone like me, since it gives me all the energy i require for my daily training." Ryu explained to her with a smile.
"And, with its minerals, it can slow down aging." Abe added as he went back to his seat, at the head of the table "We may all be quite chipper and energetic but we're still more than 80 years old. Such food is obligatory for us to eat in order to stay in good shape." he then took his cup of tea, raised it off the table and declared "But first, let us enjoy some good tea." the other monks and Ryu did the same along with Juri, after hesitating slightly, feeling quite awkward about her current situation and the surprising hospitality she was given after what she had done just two days ago.
But as Juri brought the cup to her lips and sipped the tea at about the same time everybody else did, her eyes suddenly widened in shock and disgust and she quickly spat it out, taking all the others aback "WHAT THE HELL?! Is this what you guys call tea?! It's so bitter!" she exclaimed in disgust, never having tasted such bitter tea in her whole life.
Some of the monks laughed in amusement at her reaction while one of them, Mikawa explained "Actually, we use the water in which we boil the rice as tea. The herbs we mix with the rice while it boils are all we need to give it its flavour." leaving Juri even more appalled at just how decadent their living standards were. How those men managed to live for so long was beyond her.
With a chuckle, Ryu told her after taking another sip "You'd be surprised at how fast you get used to the taste once you begin to swallow it fast. Try again."
Pleased by his kind smile and cheerful tone, Juri smiled back and replied "Nah thanks, i think i'll just pass and go straight for the main course." as she put the cup back on the table and waited for the others to finish drinking their tea. Then they all took hold of their chopsticks with one hand while with the other, they grabbed their respective bowls by the bottom and one by one, they all began to eat the rice.
And as Juri took her first bite out of it and tasted it, she gasped, blushed and her eyes widened again, this time in joy.
"IT'S DELICIOUS! IT'S SO DELICIOUS!" she exclaimed happily and with much excitement as she began to eat it with a speed that even took Ryu completely by surprise. He, along with all the monks, coudn't help but smile as in that moment, she looked like a little girl fawning over something as simple as a pot of rice, completely unlike the bitter and wrathful woman she was the day before.
"That's a pretty unladylike way of eating, hehehe." Ryu remarked with a chuckle as he kept eating, not expecting yet at the same time being amused by how much of a big and messy eater she was, as he watched her bringing the pot literally inches away from her mouth as she kept eating faster and faster, while Abe told her "I'm glad you enjoy our rice so much, young lady. The herbs we put in it all come from the fields nearby the Castle which we cultivate so they are all pure and not mixed in with artificial products like most food around the world is."
Juri took a pause from eating the rice to happily tell him, cheeks still full of it "Come to think about it, this reminds me of the rice mom used to make for me when i was a little girl!" before turning towards Ryu and adding "Man, she had a real talent when it came to cooking, i'll tell ya that!"
"And i'm glad this made you remember your younger days." Ryu chimed in before noticing that some grains were still on her cheeks due to the speed with which she had eaten the rice "Oh, hold still you've got some-" but as he took hold of an handkerchief and proceeded to clean Juri's cheeks, he stopped upon gazing into her face and realizing just how beautiful she looked with those light purple eyes not filled with evil intent, but with cheerfulness. Likewise, the Taekwondo practitioner stopped smiling and became entranced by how…. Attractive he looked, especially with that shy and concerned look on his face.
Both fighters remained like that, entranced, for a few seconds before Abe spoke up "Oh, i almost forgot." making both Ryu and Juri snap out of it and turn back towards the monks, some of them being quite amused by their latest interaction "Will you two please fetch me that breastplate and those sweatpants?" he asked two monks on his right who nodded, got off their seats and headed over to a nearby room. Juri was initially confused by this but then she gasped slightly upon seeing them return, this time carrying her breastplate and sweatpants. She was especially surprised to see that her breastplate had been mended back together, as Ryu had split it in half with the Messatsu Goshoryu he had used to defeat her and scar her chest. She watched in astonishment as they came towards her and handed her back her clothes, which she picked up with her hands "We took the opportunity to repair your clothes since they had been quite heavily damaged in your fight, two days ago." Abe explained.
The Taekwondo practitioner was so amazed by their gesture of kindness that for several seconds, she genuenely struggled to find the right words but she eventually managed to tell them "Wow….. I…. I don't even know what to say…. Thanks."
Ryu noticed the insecurity in her voice and asked her "Is there something troubling you?"
"No, it's not that." Juri told him before looking away from him and replying "It's just…. I wasn't expecting all this hospitality and kindness after what i was about to do to you just two days ago….." her voice slowly filling up with shame and self-loathing as she recalled how she had been like just mere days ago. Sadistic, battle-hungry, psychotic even.
Feeling much sympathy for the young and beautiful woman at his side, Ryu placed his left hand on Juri's right one and told her, with a kind smile "Juri, these people are aware of what kind of person you really are. They've helped you because they recognized that you had been through a lot and trust me when i say that they too have. If they've lived for so long, it's because they've always had each other's help. Why is it so hard for you to believe that some people help others, without asking something in return, simply because they want to?"
Juri swiftly turned towards him and sharply told him, with a somber expression "You still don't get it, do you? I'm not a good person, Ryu. I've hurt and killed many who were deserving and many who were not and i enjoyed doing that, drunk with my power as i was at the time. I would have done everything to get my revenge on the ones who killed my parents ten years ago, no matter how cruel and petty the methods i'd have to use." Ryu gasped in shock and his brown eyes widened as soon as the last words left her mouth. So her parents didn't die accidentally. Which begged the question: who was it that took away the lives of two parents whom their daughter still spoke so highly of even ten years later?
He remained quiet and watched as the Taekwondo practitioner turned towards Abe and the other monks before adding "You guys look at me with pity because of the tears i shed yesterday, believing i wasn't always like this, which indeed, is true. But after all the things i've done in the last ten years, i don't deserve the pity and compassion of peaceful and kind old men like you, who probably lived your whole lives like this, away from the hardships and injustices of the civilized world. And judging by how cheerful you are, yours must have been much happier lives than mine." lowering her head as she finished her speech, no longer managing to look towards them.
She was completely unprepared when the monks all began to chuckle before eventually laughing in much amusement while Ryu also chuckled, already knowing what they were about to tell her. She quickly raised her head back up and, in much bewilderment and irritation, asked "What's so funny?! I'm a murderer for crying out loud and you're laughing at me?!"
"How little you know, young lady." Abe spoke up after recomposing himself "You've based your assumptions on us solely on our current states and appearances, without wondering who exactly we used to be many, many decades ago. Tell me…." he proceeded to ask her while stroking his beard "Have you, even for a moment, wondered what Master Ryu's fighting style truly is? Surely, with you being a fighter of such a high caliber to even best him momentarily, you must have realized two days ago, that it is not just any martial art?"
"I mean…." Juri replied after calming down, turning back towards Ryu and joking "Not every martial art allows you to turn into a bloodthirsty monster with red eyes and fangs, so yeah, i definetely found that out the hard way." while also pulling away the bandages around her chest slightly, to show off the scar in between her breasts.
"It's called Ansatsuken." Ryu explained with a look of the utmost seriousness "Originally, it was an Assassination Art first established during the feudal age of Japan that incorporates elements of Karate, Judo and Kenpo. And by its nature as such, its teaching and repertoires are intertwined with the Satsui No Hado which is none other than the power rooted in the darkness of the human heart that finds its expression in the desire to survive, to win at all costs and ultimately, in the inherent desire for power all humans have. And since Ansatsuken practitioners are also taught how to harness and wield Ki, the form of energy contained in all living things, that is how the Satsui No Hado manifests itself in those whose heart isn't completely pure. In short, it's the darkness within a person's heart in shape and every Ansatsuken practitioner must struggle against it in order to master the art."
Juri was intrigued and at the same time shocked by what she had been told "Wow. If that's the case, then i guess you and i have a lot more in common than i originally thought. Didn't know your dark side worked like that." she remarked somewhat jokingly.
Ignoring her last statement, Ryu continued to explain, "Those who succeed in harnessing the Satsui No Hado's power, become extremely powerful but at the cost of their humanity and compassion. They only care about fighting, which for them, becomes nothing more than a dark, murderous and even suicidal obsession. One man once sought to surpass his limits as a martial artists many years ago by embracing the Satsui no Hado and as a result, he became a heartless demon." he paused as he looked at his right palm and clenched it into a fist, anger and hatred began to build up inside of him as he remembered once more who was it that took his father figure away from him "That man was my Master's younger brother, Akuma."
Juri shuddered as Ryu spoke that name, known even by Seth and all the people at S.I.N. "You mean…. THAT Akuma?! The so called "Destroyer of the Heavens", the legendary dark warrior whose sole purpose in existence is to find worthy opponents to fight and kill?!" she exclaimed, shocked to have also learned that he was the brother of Ryu's master and adoptive father.
"I take it that even those at S.I.N. knew about him?" Ryu asked as he turned back towards her, purely because he wanted to be sure about one thing, as he already had a pretty good idea why Seth came up with that elaborate plan of his to capture and experiment on him in order to use the Satsui No Hado for his own purposes.
"Yeah. And now i see why Seth wanted you so badly. No matter how powerful he had become after all the power he stole and absorbed from many fighters he captured and experimented upon, he knew that he could never hope to beat that guy Akuma combat, even though he would have been the ideal test subject for him to use." Juri explained, clearing off the last doubt within Ryu's mind. He still blamed himself for what happened just a couple months ago, when Ken's wife Eliza was kidnapped by S.I.N. and used as a bargaining instrument just so Seth could get his hands on the Satsui no Hado.
"Whoever that man was, it's a good thing he didn't succeed in his goals. I have already seen what happens to those who seek power for the wrong reasons. It corrupts them. It rules them. It becomes nothing but an addiction, a void that can never be filled." Abe chimed in before declaring with much sadness "And it still pains me that it took seeing that demon murder his own master, our friend Goutetsu, for us to realize how wrong we all were to never once fear that darkness we all faced during our training, that we thought could be easily controlled." while his friends all lowered their heads down in shame, the pain and regret of what happened that day, 20 years ago still firmly etched in their minds.
Juri's beautiful light purple eyes widened once more in astonishment and as she turned back towards Abe and the other monks, she asked "You…. You were Ansatsuken practitioners too?"
With a nod, Abe told her "Yes, young lady. Back then, 60 years ago, things were different, much different. We were young, arrogant and brash men, bristling with excitement and eagerness to show off the results of our harsh training. And back then, there weren't things such as generosity, leniency or mercy. We used Ansatsuken the way it was originally intended to be used. To kill." Juri felt a chill down their spine as the now elderly man declared "You think yourself not a good person because of what you have done in the past 10 years of your life? Well, let me assure you, young lady, we're no different than you. We've done our fair share of killing and we did so for much more time than you have." he then paused and began to explain some of the most infamous feats each one of his fellow former practitioners did while also introducing them to Juri.
"Mikawa fought and killed bears with just his bare hands."
"Kondo? He once fought one hundred Yakuza armed with all sorts of weapons and he slaughtered them all with little effort."
"Inoguchi? He once killed a man using only one finger to pierce his skull and brain."
The young Taekwondo practitioner simply stared with incredulity as Abe shattered the image she had made of the elderly men before him, revealing to her that they all had their fair share of blood on their hands. But as it could be seen from their faces, none of them were proud of all the extraordinary feats they accomplished in the past, in fact, their expressions told Juri that they all loathed who they used to be, all those decades ago. But the kicker came when he finally told her about him "And Goutetsu? He and i fought at Okinawa 50 years ago with nothing more than our bare hands and feet. The number of american soldiers and marines we slaughtered in those two months of fighting? It's probably as high as the number of stars in the sky if not more. We had become so much of a threat to them that they even had their battleships shoot at us for a whole day with shells so big, they could make craters the size of this castle. And that was in fact, what made us finally surrender because well, can you even imagine that? To be under such monstrously powerful fire for even a minute and survive that?"
After hearing this last tale, Juri was left completely in awe, her jaw agape and her eyes shaking. Such a tale would have sounded ridiculous to a normal person. But after the power she had acquired through the Feng Shui and her fight with Ryu just two days ago, she stopped believing in the impossible. Still, even someone like her, who once blew up a shopping center with her weaker, original Feng Shui Engine's power, found it hard to believe that the one in front of her along with his friend, had survived barrage after barrage of US battleship fire. But just as she thought that nothing could shock her even more than everything she had heard thus far, Abe finally revealed "We were then captured and we believed that the time to meet our maker had come. After all, the americans hated the japanese with a passion at the time after Pearl Harbor and the many other atrocities they committed during the war so how could we expect mercy from them after all their comrades we had murdered? And yet, that's exactly what they showed us. Was it out of respect? Or just out of simple human altruism? We never knew, but that act forever changed Goutetsu and i. It made us realise how important kindness and mercy, two qualities we had always ridiculed beforehand, are and that killing for no reason other than selfish amusement is wrong." he paused and, with an encouraging smile finding its way back on his lips, he told Juri "The point i am getting at, young lady, is that everyone makes mistakes in their lives at least once and eventually come to regrets many things they've done. But mistakes have the power to turn you into something better than what you were before, if you have the courage to accept their consequences and soldier on for the rest of your life. Because right now, you are not your mistakes, you are not the person you used to be, you are here now, with the power and free-will to decide and shape your future."
Learning what had happened on that day, 50 years ago and hearing the advice Abe told her, made Juri finally understand everything. The old monk and former ruthless warrior was right: whoever she used to be in the past, she was no longer that person, not after her eyes had been opened the day before by Ryu and his kindness. Now she had the power to become a better person than she was in the last 10 years of her life, to perhaps return to who she used to be before her parents were taken away from her and she began her descent into darkness…..
But in her heart she knew that the one thing she could never let go of, would be her hatred and desire for vengeance against Bison and Shadaloo for what they did on that day, 10 years ago. Nonetheless, those kind, wise and encouraging words inspired her and boosted up her resolve to become a better person in the future to come and thus, she returned the smile and remarked "It's funny, you know? If you said those words to me yesterday, i'd have dismissed you as nothing but an old fool. But you're right. I'll never be able to erase the things i've done in the past but i'll try to be a better person from now on, that i can promise you. After all, it's what my parents would have wanted."
Ryu smiled, already seeing from the newfound resolve in her eyes that what he said to her the day before had already set her change of heart in motion and that Abe's words served to advance it even more. Now all he could do was wait to see just what she would have done with her life from now on.
But, as it turned out, it wasn't what Ryu imagined it to be as he would find out later on in the afternoon after he returned to the Castle's dojo to meditate, only for Juri to come back to him after putting her breastplate and sweatpants back on, but with her hair still down "Hey…." she greeted the Ansatsuken practitioner, snapping him out of his focus and making him turn towards her as she told him "You said i owed you some answers yesterday and i promised to give them to you today." she then came towards him, sat on the ground with her legs crossed in front of him and declared "And here we are. So sit tight and listen, cause we're gonna be here a while."
And thus, Ryu kept quiet and listened as in the next 20 minutes, Juri told him about her backstory, the kind of person she used to be in the past, how she first began to practice Taekwondo and who her parents were as people and so on and so forth. His expression remained the same throught all her recollection, though he was intrigued to hear that she had been a Taekwondo prodigy and that she had won several junior tournaments ever since she was no more than 10 years old. He knew her mastery over the art was nothing to scoff at when she fought her two days ago, which, combined with the power of her Feng Shui Engine, it made for an frighteningly deadly combination.
But his serious expression changed into one of shock when she finally told him who the culprit of her parents's deaths was "Your parents were killed by Shadaloo? By Bison?" Ryu asked her, shocked to hear those two names again.
With a nod, Juri explained "Yeah. With the new evidence Interpol had found, dad was going to testify against them in court in a bid to finally bring them to justice. He knew that would have made him a prime target for the criminal organization so he and mom decided for me and her to leave Korea for a while up until he'd get things done." her face filled itself with sorrow as she recalled her parents's last moments once more "But we never even reached the airport. A car blocked our way on the highway and out of it came three goons with trenchcoats and machine guns. They….." her voice faltered, not being able even to look Ryu in the eyes anymore "Well….. given that you're already familiar with Shadaloo and their modus operandi, it won't be a hard guess for you to figure out the rest."
The Wandering Warrior's heart sank "Just like Chun-Li's father….." he mused to himself, remembering how much his friend, police officer and fellow martial artist despised Bison for killing her father, Dorai. He had always held the chinese young woman in very high regard, due to her kindness, courage and devotion to justice, ever since he first met her after his first fight with Bison, her being in fact one of several people who rescued him from the warlord after losing to him in their first fight and nearly getting brainwashed. To hear that Juri shared her same tragic backstory yet ended up as the complete antithesis of what Chun-Li was and stood for, disheartened him. Nonetheless, he kept his composure and asked "And that is what led you to eventually join S.I.N. right?"
With a nod, Juri replied "Yeah. Seth was even kind enough to gift me this device here which he was developing alongside the BLECE bioweapon." and Ryu could only watch, trying with all his best to keep a straight face, as she took hold of her left eye with her left fingers and slowly removed it from the socket, revealing that it was in fact, not a normal eyeball as its front showed, but a cybernetic device "This is the Feng Shui Engine. It's a miniaturized version of Seth's Tanden Engine that bestows very powerful Ki to whoever person has it implanted in place of one of its eyes."
Though unnerved as he was by the sight of that cybernetic eye pulled out of its socket along with the still intact optic nerve, Ryu simply remarked "I see. So that is the source of your power."
"Yeah." Juri explained as she placed it back into her eye socket "It grants me extraordinary speed, strength and very quick reaction times, even allowing me to dodge bullets without difficulty." while activating it for a few seconds, the purple glow shining and illuminating the whole room she and Ryu were sitting in before it faded away "Kinda ironic though that he'd give this to me instead of one of his most trusted followers, when he was aware that we were both using each other to further our own goals but hey, you know what they say: the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
"And what would your shared enemy be?" Ryu asked, all too sure that there was no way Juri was referring to Bison, since he, along with Ken, Guile, Chun-Li and Cammy had watched him die in the wilderness of Thailand, preferring to commit suicide rather than surrendering and facing his long overdue trial.
He was proven quite horribly wrong when Juri, with a chuckle, told him "You still haven't realized it, have you? Seth was a spare body of Bison. Everything he did was because he didn't want to be that madman's change of clothes. Why else do you think he rebelled against Shadaloo?"
Pure horror and shock filled every corner of Ryu's face as the realization finally dawned on him "No…. He coudn't possibly still be alive… We watched him die three years ago in Thailand….. We thought Shadaloo had fallen once and for all….."
"Hate to break it to ya, tough guy but Bison's alive and well. And i should know, because i've fought him seven days ago." Juri confirmed what little doubt the Wandering Warrior still had, making his jaw drop ever so slightly.
"You fought him?" Ryu asked her, his voice still filled with a degree of incredulity but then again, she was strong enough to put up a good fight against him while he was taken over by the Satsui no Hado, albeit for a shortwhile so the fact that she survived against the monstrous leader of Shadaloo didn't particularly come off as a surprise to him.
"Yep, at the ruins of S.I.N.'s headquarters. See, my initial plan was to pit him against Seth and hope that his own spare body would have been strong enough to put him down. It goes without saying that he stood absolutely no chance against him so i had to take matters in my own hands. And obviously, i woudn't be here if i had managed to take him down." Juri explained, her expression becoming one of the utmost seriousness, one she almost never had, as she pointed at her Feng Shui Engine "But that's not even the worst of it. See this? It's actually an improved version called Feng Shui Alpha which is actually more powerful than the original. Bison tore out my original Feng Shui after beating me to an inch of my life. I survived only because this replacement just so happened to be in the laboratory beneath all that rubble but now he intends to mass produce the original in order to empower his soldiers." Juri paused for a few seconds upon noticing the look of sheer terror that made its way on Ryu's face as he put two and two together before finally declaring "Finally beginning to understand, are you? As weaker as the original Feng Shui is compared to the one i have now, if it grants me enough power to almost beat you to an inch of your life, you, one of the strongest fighters in the whole world, what do you think it would allow even ten well-trained soldiers to do? Or for that matter, a hundred of them? Or heaven forbid, even a thousand of them?"
Juri's words chilled Ryu to the core. Bison had made myself guilty of many crimes in the past but all of them, including his brainwashing of Cammy and the Dolls into obedient hunting dogs, paled in comparison to this, his vilest scheme yet "My God…. In the past Bison repeatedly went to great lenghts to capture me in order to to steal the Satsui no Hado for himself or brainwash me into becoming one of his minions….. But this….." he closed his eyes and shook his head, not even wanting to think about the implications of what the Taekwondo practitioner told him. While he didn't know how many soldiers Shadaloo had, the mere thought of even 100 well-trained of them each empowered with a device that could bestow extremely powerful Ki energy terrified him.
"Oh trust me, he certaintly won't be needing you anymore after what he took away from me. It's only a matter of time before he manages to figure out a way to mass-produce the Feng Shui Engine. And once he starts to implant them into his soldiers? Well…. I'm more than willing to bet not even the US Army in its entirety will be able to stand up to Shadaloo once he's done implanting it in every single one of his men. Ever been afraid of the possibility of World War III happening a couple decades ago during the Cold War? Well…. It may not be a hypothetical scenario next year if we don't start doing something about it." Juri grimly declared, revealing just how much was at stake, yet at the same time, making Ryu raise an eyebrow in perplexity.
"I'm sorry, "we"? " he asked her, wondering what she meant when she said that word.
In response, Juri's face softened, her serious expression replaced by one of shame as she lowered her head and replied "Look, it's because of me recklessly facing that madman head-on, blinded by my revenge as i was, that this whole mess began. I know i have no right to ask you this after all the things i've done in the last ten years of my life and after what i was about to do to you two days ago, but….." she remained silent for a few seconds before raising her head back up and declaring resolutedly "I need your help. I want to bring down Bison and Shadaloo once and for all, i want to prevent more people from suffering the same fate i have, i…." her words caught up in her throat as she hesitated once more before eventually letting them out, this time letting her heart speak for her "I want to make up for all the bad things i've done. I want to do things right this time but i can't do that without you. And right now, you're the only one who can help me."
Ryu smiled, heartwarmed to see yet again, how much she had changed in such a short amount of time and he could tell from the resolve in her eyes that she truly meant the words she had spoken "In that case, i will gladly do that." he kindly told her, making her eyes go wide slightly in surprise. She had expected him to hesitate for several seconds, not almost immediately accept her request. It felt way too surreal.
Which made Juri ask him in concern "Are you 100% sure about it? You've already seen for yourself just how utterly ruthless those monsters are. Embarking on this journey will put your and other people's lives at risk and you've already had close encounters with death when you fought Bison in the past before…. You do realize this will ultimately lead you to face him again?"
"I do, but as scared as i probably will be when the time for that battle will come, i won't be alone. I already have you at my side for the time being." Ryu confidently remarked, shocking the Taekwondo practitioner even more.
"Wait… You're joking right? You're not seriously implying you already trust me?" Juri asked him with a sarcastic smile and a half-amused, half-bewildered tone.
"Is there any reason why i shoudn't?" the Wandering Warrior asked her again, he himself surprised at her reluctance to believe what he was saying.
In response, Juri's face hardened and she coldly declared "Ryu, i almost killed you. I've killed so many people in these last 10 years, i lost count! And you say you already trust me? How can you be so forgiving and sympathetic towards someone who nearly took your life and with blood on their hands?" she demanded as she looked away from him, still refusing to believe he was already willing to put his faith in her.
Ryu remained silent for a few moments before, with his expression becoming a serious one, he explained "If you think about it, fighting is a form of comunication. It can lead to a far deeper understanding than what mere words can let you know. And it is often said that your enemy cannot truly be known until you fight them. When i fought you, at first i only saw nothing more than a heartless monster. But when i defeated you and watched your tears and your face filled with satisfaction and acceptance before you passed out, i already had a feeling that beneath all that sadism, beneath all that violence and beneath all that evil, there was a woman that had lost everything that made her happy. I was proven correct yesterday." making Juri gasp and turn her gaze back towards him. She had never thought of it like that. She had no idead that by fighting could lead you to understand a person better than with words.
"And you're not the only person i know that has been wronged by Shadaloo. Many of my friends and fellow fighters have had people they cared about taken away from them the same way your parents were. It will be a harsh and tough journey, victory will probably come at a high cost, but i cannot allow such evil to prosper in this world, not after all the lives it has taken, not after all the people it has broken. Which is why from now on, i will fight at your side to help you in your endeavor, so that your parents and all the others who lost their lives bringing those criminals to justice may finally find peace in the afterlife. So that you may finally find the peace in your life you've been looking for." the Wandering Warrior finally declared, his face and voice filled with determination to stop Shadaloo once and for all.
Juri was almost moved to tears by Ryu's sincere and staunch words. She had no idea that people so noble and altruistic still existed in this world. It almost felt like speaking to her father again. With her smile making its way on her lips again, she remarked first jokingly "Wow….You're really something, you know that?" then warmingly "Thank you. You have given me hope for the future for the first time in God only knows how along. Only problem is, i don't even know where to start looking for clues about Bison and Shadaloo's whereabouts. Truth be told, i only came here to fight you to see if the Feng Shui Alpha gave me enough power to match Bison's own, hehehe….." she chuckled in embarrassment at her own short-sightedness.
"Well, why not talk to the authorities first? Some of my friends are-" Ryu began to propose her….
Only for Juri to swiftly cut him off "Yeah, right….. I may or may not have made myself a lot of enemies during my time at S.I.N. and many of them are people that just so happen to be in the police or in the military. Since S.I.N. has now fallen, they're probably still hunting after me as we speak, just like all the other former members of the organisation."
Ryu was taken aback, as he didn't take that fact into consideration. But if that was the case and Juri was in fact a wanted criminal, then they had no choice but to avoid the authorities and keep a low profile, at least for the time being. And that meant staying away from people like Chun-Li, Cammy and Guile "Then in that case, we are quite limited in our options, at least for now. And given how many of my friends are in the armed forces they'll probably not take it well finding out i'm travelling with someone wanted for murder. There's only one thing we can do for now." he declared earnestly.
"And what's that?" Juri asked.
"We must visit all the people i know that are not in the military or the police and inform them about Shadaloo and Bison's return so that they may all prepare for the upcoming fight against them. It will only be a matter of time before the authorities will find out either way since they are probably still investigating what's left of S.I.N. and their ruined headquarters, but if they're looking for you, we cannot allow them to stand in our way for the time being." Ryu proposed, seeing no other way.
"Sounds good. And which one of your friends do you want to visit first?" Juri asked him again.
With a smile, Ryu answered "I already know who." referring to the first friend he ever made and, to this day, still his best buddy.
And thus Ryu packed his white duffel bag with the items needed for his travels, such as clothing, tickets, his passport and his money, most of which he had earned from the many fights he had won over the years. Once again, he was going to embark in another one of his travels around the world, this time though with the company of another martial artist.
But before he and Juri could begin their journey there was one last person Ryu needed to visit.
(OST: "Darumadaishi no densetsu" = Street Fighter II Victory soundtrack = https/watch?v=pcJCyosoZ4o )
Juri didn't immediately understand why he brought her with him to a field nearby the castle, but then she saw a single rectangular-shaped tombstone embedded into the ground. And the kanji inscribed in it read
"Here lies
Gouken
Honorable warrior, wise master and dear friend.
May his soul forever rest in peace."
Seeing it made Juri gasp in a harsh realization that only struck her harder upon seeing Ryu sitting before it with his legs crossed, his hands on his knees while sorrowfully greeting "Master…." lowering his head and closing his eyes in reverence as he did so. And with that, Juri finally understood everything. This was the grave of Gouken, Ryu and Ken's master, the one who had raised the Wandering Warrior as if he was his son.
The question was, how did he die?
She refrained herself from asking that question when Ryu began to monologue "What is a true warrior? What does it mean to be strong? What awaits beyond victory?…. Those are the questions you have always asked me, Master, since the days of my youth, the ones which you wanted me to find their answers through battle, struggle and self-improvement…. But now, more questions haunt me…. How long can i keep fighting? How can i keep fighting an opponent i cannot defeat with my fists? How can i win against the darkness that lies within me? Despite all my training, despite all my efforts to deny it, the Satsui No Hado never left me. It only slept. You hoped that my pure heart could have kept it dormant forever but it wasn't enough. When i fought one of my greatest foes….. when i finally faced defeat…. It stirred for the first time…." still remembering how it expressed itself for the first time during his climatic battle against Sagat, giving him the strength to defeat the Muay Thai God. His memories then went to the murderer of his adoptive father "When i returned here after the tournament in Thailand…. and found you, murdered at the hands of Akuma, your own brother, it stirred again….. I wanted whatever power it would take to avenge you and the killing intent answered. To honor you and your teachings, i tried to subdue it by seeking guidance from those who i thought, could help me achieve my goal without yielding to the Satsui No Hado but to no avail. How long will i be able to delay the inevitable? That, i do not know." he reopened his eyes, now filled with newfound steel resolve and declared "But as long as i possess the strength to move even one of my fingers…. As long as my faith in the human heart and in the bonds it can lead to will remain strong…. I will keep fighting. For my future, for the future of others….And for the future of this world. That is all i can do to honor your memory, Master."
By the time he finished speaking and retreated to his silent mourning, Juri was heartbroken. Ryu shared her same pain, even though Gouken wasn't his true father. And his death led him down a path similar to hers. A path of vengeance that led him to struggle against the darkness in his heart. But what really hit Juri like a truck was the realization that unlike him, she never tried even once to keep her hatred and bitterness from consuming her. Perhaps that was simply because she was much younger than Ryu when she lost her parents, while Ryu was barely in his mid 20s when he lost Gouken and thus, she was simply too young and completely unprepared to cope with such sudden and devastating trauma. But even that was no excuse for all the crimes she committed in her quest of vengeance. Now she knew that all she had to blame for becoming the sadistic and bloodthirsty woman she was just several days ago, was herself and herself alone, for having never tried to be a better person than those who murdered her parents in all those 10 years.
She instinctively walked towards Ryu and after placing her left hand on his left shoulder, she softly spoke "Ryu…. I'm sorry…. I didn't know your Master was murdered…. I didn't know just how alike you and i actually are….." her heart, for the first time in all those years, feeling compassion for another person, one that had been through the same pain as hers.
Heartwarmed by her compassionate touch, he slowly placed his hand on Juri's and spoke, his voice matching Juri's in terms of gentleness "Juri…. I need to ask a favor of you." making the Taekwondo practitioner raise a brow "Hmm?"
"You're just as strong as i am if not more. Should the Satsui No Hado overtake me completely during our journey as it almost did during our fight….. Should i pass the point of no return…..Should i end up beyond saving…." he got up and turned towards her, his brown eyes meeting her light purple ones as he declared "I want you to kill me."
"Why?" Juri asked, her expression quickly becoming a concerned one.
"Every time i've given into it, even slightly….. i almost hurt people i cared about. With time, i became better at suppressing it, deluding myself into thinking i could control it…. But after what happened two days ago, i'm sure that it's only a matter of time before i'll eventually succumb to it. And i don't want any of my friends ever to have my death on their conscience." Ryu explained before gripping her wrist and begging her "Promise me, Juri. Promise me you won't hesitate should that time come. I'd rather die with my humanity intact rather than keep on living as a heartless monster like Akuma."
Juri didn't expect herself to hesitate so much in her answer. Here was a man she only knew for a couple days so in theory, even if she were to kill him right now, she shoudn't feel anything. But it was thanks to Ryu that she had now begun to change as a person, to let go of the past, to regain the goodness in her heart that had been missing for so long. Plus, hearing about his backstory, made her heart for the first time in all those years feel pity towards someone, since he had been through the same pain she had. Eventually though, she steeled herself with resolve and as she gripped Ryu's own wrist with her hand, locking both fighters together, she firmly swore her oath "You have my word. I promise you that i won't hesitate to put you down should you lose yourself completely."
Satisfied, Ryu nodded followed immediately by Juri doing the same, thus finally intertwining their destinies in the journey they were about to undertake.
"Leaving so soon, Master Ryu?" Abe asked as he and the other monks stood outside the castle, before them, the two martial artists about to embark on their journey across the world.
"Yeah. I guess you were right after all. Fighting Juri two days ago allowed me to discover depths that i didn't know i had. And i've agreed to help her stop the villains who have wronged her and so many others like her. Perhaps in this new journey i'll finally find the enlightement i've sought for so long." the Wandering Warrior replied with a kind smile.
"Plus, the guy really needs some company. Can't just keep travelling around the word all by himself, know what i mean?" Juri joked with a smug smile as she elbowed Ryu on his right arm, making him feel somewhat embarrassed.
He put his right hand behind his head, scratching it as he nervously replied "Well, truth is…." looking away in shyness "I've always been quite inexperienced in that kind of socializing." making the monks chuckle in amusement.
"Mmmmm, honest on top of being strong and in good shape. I like that." Juri hummed as she licked her lips and told him flirtatiously "And don't you worry, tough guy. There will be plenty of time for me to teach you all those things." as she placed her right index finger on his chest, moving it on circles, making him blush in even more sheepishness. He recomposed himself just enough to chuckle nervously and reply "I'm sure you will. One can never stop learning after all, hehehe…."
Abe chuckled as well before telling them "Well, off you go then. I'm sure there will be plenty of adventures and fights waiting for you two out there. But whatever you do, take care of yourselves and never stray off your path."
"Don't worry, Abe, we will. " Ryu bowed respectfully towards them but before he could turn around and begin to take his leave, Juri spoke to them "Same goes for you, old fellows. And thank you, for all the hospitality and kindness you showed me, even in spite of all the things i did in the past." likewise bowing in respect.
"The feeling is mutual, young lady. It's not too often that we are graced with the company of someone as beautiful as you these days. And i'm glad you took my advice to heart. But please, try to stay out of any unnecessary trouble from now on." the old monk told her, making Juri smile kindly once more.
"I will, i promise." she declared before coming alongside Ryu. The two fighters looked at the old monks one last time as Abe saluteD them "Farewell, young warriors. May you find what you're looking for in this new journey of yours."
(Soundtrack Ends)
Ryu and Juri nodded before likewise bidding farewell to the monks and setting off towards their endeavor. The Wandering Warrior had a feeling this new journey would have been completely different from all the ones he undertook before. For the first time, he was going to travel with another fighter and this timewith the goal, not of improving himself as much as he could, the one he had for all his life but to stop the evil men who had wronged countless people, Juri included. Could this have been the true path of his destiny? He didn't know for sure. All he knew for now, was one thing.
That the answer to that question lied in the heart of battle.
And that there will be many battles to come, ones which he will be eagerly waiting for.