Chun Li, Gen, Fei Long, Yun, and Yang were at the helicopter landing pad. Fei Long had fulfilled his part of the bargain in under an hour. He had introduced the pilot, Wang, who was doing some last-minute checks on the helo. Gen and Chun Li’s belongings were packed away.

“You’re really sure about this?” Yun asked.

Gen glanced at Chun Li, who nodded.

Yun sighed. “All right. Good luck, Grandfather.” He bowed in respect. Then he moved to Chun Li. “I can’t believe you’re actually going to do this…But…good luck. Don’t get into trouble.”

Chun Li smiled and hugged him, much to his embarrassment. She also gave Yang a hug.

“Now, watch these boys carefully,” Gen instructed to Fei Long. “And if Yang lets any chickens loose, make him run after them. He might feel inclined to be lazy since I am not here to order him around.”

Fei Long nodded. “I understand.”

“And make sure they do not take long breaks. They might be skateboarding in the alley without you knowing it,” Gen declared.

Fei Long nodded, smiling.

“I believe that is all,” Gen finished.

Chun Li turned to Fei Long. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“You don’t have to,” he responded. “What are friends for?” He embraced her tightly. “You just take care, okay? And tell Ryu I said hi.”

“I will,” she said.

“If he’s still Ryu…” Yun added.

Yang shot him a look, Gen smacked his head, and Fei Long glared at him over Chun Li’s shoulder.

“Ow! Sorry, I-”

“He’s right,” Chun Li said. “I have to prepare for the worst scenario…”

Fei Long pulled back to study her face. Her eyes were troubled, yet he saw a fierce determination in them. She wanted to fight, regardless of what happened. This he understood. It never failed to amaze him how much she had changed over the years. He remembered her as a cute little pest, and now, she was a grown woman with a great responsibility right now. First, she had to fight a warrior who could greatly cause the extinction of her friends, second, she had to make sure her beloved wouldn’t turn into some fighting demon, and last, after all that, she had to get out of there alive. Quite a lot for her to take on, but he believed she just might do all of the above. Especially since she looked so determined that the look in her eyes would make anyone shudder.

He walked to the chopper and opened the door. Wang greeted him with a smile.

“All set?” he asked.

At Fei Long’s nod, Chun Li and Gen boarded the craft. Fei Long and the brothers watched from several feet away. Chun Li and Gen put some headsets with microphones on so the pilot could communicate with them.

“How are you two doing today?” Wang asked.

“We are well, thank you,” Gen responded.

Wang flicked several toggles and switches on the control panel as the rotary blades began to spin faster and faster.

“We’ll be there in several hours.”

As the craft lifted gently off the ground, Wang began a speech on what to do in case of an emergency. Chun Li looked out the window and waved. Fei Long and the two waved back. The chopper then began its departure from Hong Kong.

“You think they’ll be back?” Yun asked uncertainly.

Fei Long swallowed. “I sure hope so…”

“Hey, check out the sky,” Sean exclaimed as the four men got out of the helicopter.

Ryu, Ken, and Alex looked up. The sky, tinged with orange, red, and pink contrasted with gray.

“I think it’s a sign,” Sean declared. “We’re gonna be up against some competition.”

Ryu turned to pull his duffel bag from the craft. “We should start setting up our camp site.”

Ken, Alex, and Sean began pulling backpacks out of the chopper.

“Does he look worried to you?” Alex asked Ken in a hushed voice.

Ken turned his gaze to study Ryu, who stood tall, surveying their surroundings. Ryu was never an easy person to read. He kept his emotions inside, and he felt no need to express them. Ken remembered the many times he’d try to rile him up. Make him angry, make him laugh, make him frustrated-most of these while sparring-and he succeeded only slightly.

“I can’t tell. It’s always hard to tell with this guy,” Ken declared.

Hours later, the four had just finished dinner. Four sleeping bags were set up in circular formation around a fire. The land of the island was of rough terrain. There were several brushes of trees here and there, but it was mostly a rocky surface area.

Sean spun a white, blue, and red basketball on his index finger. “Now what?”

“I say we fight him as soon as we wake up tomorrow,” Alex declared.

“I’m surprised that he hasn’t hunted us down,” Sean said.

Ken shot him a look. “Will you be quiet? You’ll jinx us all…”

“He will fight us when we are ready to fight him,” Ryu stated softly. “Like ourselves…he sees no need to fight someone who will not give a challenge.”

“All of you act like you’re at a funeral,” Sean commented. “Sure…someone might die here, but no one’s died yet.”

“As I said before…you take this situation very lightly,” Ryu responded.

“Sean’s ready,” Ken stated. “After all, he’s trained under the best street fighter in the world.”

“With that attitude, you are gonna get yourself killed,” Alex responded.

“Hey, I know what I’m doing,” Ken responded.

“Do you?” Ryu asked. “You have a family, Ken. That requires most of your attention, and-”

“Just because I have a family doesn’t mean I can’t fight!” Ken exclaimed.

“Master Ken knows what he’s doing! If-”

“Okay, will everybody shut up!” Alex said loudly. “We’re supposed to get rest so we can fight Gill, remember?”

The tension in the air was so thick that the air seemed too cold. Sean huddled in his sleeping bag.

“My apologies,” Ryu said softly.

“Mine too,” Ken responded.

“Ditto,” Sean echoed.

Alex laughed. “Now if we all get this angry at Gill tomorrow, who knows what will happen?”

Everyone settled into their sleeping bags. They all lay on their backs, facing the sky.

“Hey…” Sean spoke up. “What was it like when you fought Bison? Did you get nervous?”

“We didn’t go after him like we’re doing now,” Ken supplied. “The first time…one of his lackeys drugged Chun Li and kidnapped her to lure Ryu out. It worked, so Ryu and I went against Bison. It wasn’t pretty.”

“I didn’t defeat him,” Ryu added. “Akuma did.”

Sean grew wide-eyed. “And then what?”

“Bison revived himself,” Ken continued. “Ryu fought him the second time. Well…sort of…”

“What?” Sean asked. “I don’t get it…”

“Satsui No Hado killed Bison,” Ryu explained.

“Oh…” Sean swallowed. He laughed nervously. “Will he show up again?”

“I hope not,” Ryu responded.

“If I remember correctly…that’s how you defeated Gill the first time,” Ken said.

Ryu shook his head. “I had a little help from Akuma. Akuma used me to distract Gill while he defeated him.”

Sean shook his head. “You are one of the strangest people, Ryu…”

Then it was silent. It became an unspoken agreement to sleep. Within a few minutes, Alex, Sean, and Ken’s rhythmic breathing filled the air with soft sounds. Ryu stared up at the sky, his hands clasped behind his head.

Give me strength, Sensei, Ryu thought. I know that I cannot do this alone…

In the dark night sky, the North Star twinkled brightly.

Why am I filled with regrets? He questioned. I have spent all my life perfecting the fight. I grow closer and closer to that perfection. Perhaps it takes a lifetime to understand its concept. And if I die tomorrow…at least I will die understanding the fight more than I did ten years ago. Yet…a part of me feels empty. As if something has yet to be settled. But what is it?