Ryu walked slowly with ease. The next village was another three miles away. He turned his head to admire the landscape. The terrain was full of green brush and trees, and the single dirt path he walked on made the countryside seem lonely, but Ryu was used to being alone. He lowered his eyes and studied the ground, the dying sun rays cast light causing several stones to glisten. Ryu truly enjoyed his long trips training, but ghost whispers in his subconscious would question if the fight was what he really wanted to do with the rest of his life. He would see Ken, his friend and former training partner, happy with his wife and son. Ken was a good fighter. He had not lost any skills just because he had settled down. Then there was Chun Li, his friend, another important person is his life. She had quit Interpol and started her own kung fu school. Last time Ryu spoke with her, she was happy with her life...

"My job is done," Chun Li had said. "Bison is dead, thanks to you, and his evil is no more. I can finally live my life the way it was meant to be lived."

"I see. I'm glad that revenge has not made you bitter, Chun Li," Ryu had replied. "You deserve everything in this world that makes you happy."

She had nodded slightly. "What about you, Ryu? What are you going to do?"

"I will travel the world seeking new challengers," Ryu had responded.

Chun Li had smiled softly. "I thought so. You never change, you know that?"

"The fight is all," Ryu had stated firmly.

"I know it is to you," Chun Li had declared. "Which is why I won't say anything else." Her eyes had taken on a soft glow. Unknownst to Ryu, it was a look she always reserved for him. "Just...promise me one thing..."

"Yes?"

"I know that you're a skilled fighter, and you can defend yourself, but...take care of yourself. If you don't take care of yourself, your skills won't improve."

Ryu had smiled in response. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He had glanced at the clock hanging on the wall of her kitchen. "I should leave now. My flight departs in an hour and a half."

After giving her a promise to write, Ryu left her home and went to the airport to catch a flight to Okinawa.

Ryu looked around and noticed that it was nearly nightfall. He quickened his pace, not wanting to reach the next village at such a late hour. An hour and a half later, small houses appeared on a slight hill in front of him. There were many more residencies than in the last village, and Ryu walked around, looking for a place to stay. He reached one house where several neighbors were having a night barbeque. Their children were playing on the street, directly in his path. Ryu wove around them, and headed to the neighbors.

"Excuse me," Ryu said in his native language after bowing in greeting. "Do you know of any establishment where I may stay for the night?"

A plump Japanese woman stood up and pointed north. "Our family uses all the rooms, young man, but there is a doctor who lives down this road. He is a kind elder man who will gladly give you a place to stay."

Ryu bowed in thanks and headed towards the direction she indicated. A small clinic was on his left and he went to the shoji screen door and rapped on it lightly.

"I will be there in a few minutes!" a man's voice called out in Japanese.

Ryu waited patiently at the door until he heard quiet footsteps. The door slid open, and a man in his sixties stood in the doorway. His weathered skin could not hide the wisdom and kindness that shone in his eyes. They bowed to each other.

"Yes? How can I help you?"

"I am a warrior travelling to perfect my skills. I need a place to stay for the night, if it is not too much trouble," Ryu said.

"No, please come in. I am Doctor Nataka. What is your name?"

"Ryu."

"It is nice to meet you, Ryu."

Ryu removed his shoes while the doctor stepped aside so Ryu could enter.

"Follow me," the doctor said.

The doctor led him up a flight of stairs to the second floor of the clinic. He showed him the bathroom and the kitchen. Ryu spotted a photograph of a young woman hanging on the wall. That same woman was in the other pictures, only she was with the doctor, with her children, he assumed, and she was much more mature looking. The doctor moved to stand beside Ryu.

"She is my wife. She passed away two years ago," the doctor informed.

Ryu responded, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"That was in the past. We met when I was eighteen years old. Back then, I was more concerned with starting my own karate school while studying medicine than to even look at her," the doctor reminisced. "Our children are grown up now, and they work at the airport."

"You look happy in these photographs," Ryu commented.

"We were very happy. Even when she passed away, I still cherish the years we were married. Life is very precious, indeed. I almost never noticed her, so I would have been a lonely doctor."

Ryu smiled. "How did she try to get your attention?"

"Our friend claims that she used to send herself gifts to make me realize how wonderful she was, or she would walk in front of my house dressed in beautiful outfits, but I never noticed. It wasn't until I was twenty-five years old when her dog was hit by a car, and she came to me in tears, wondering if I knew how to take care of the dog. We spent the whole night comforting the dog, talking, and waiting for my veterinarian friend. That is how we fell in love."

"That is a wonderful story, Sensei," Ryu declared, a little wistfully. It was clear that the doctor had lived his life to the fullest. Ryu had yet to discover what the feeling was like.

Ryu told him about his shoulder, and the doctor examined it and applied medicine from his kit.

"Come. Let me show you your room." The doctor led him down a hallway, pausing to pull out linens from a closet, which Ryu accepted.

The doctor opened a door to reveal a small room with a mattress in the center of the room.

"Make yourself comfortable. Call me if you need anything," the doctor said. "And if you are going to stay in town for several days, you are more than welcome to stay here."

"Thank you."

An hour later, Ryu settled in bed after taking a hot bath. His thoughts drifted to the events that had happened in the day. He instantly remembered Kami, the thief.

Poor girl, he thought. I wonder if she takes care of herself...Does she have any friends or family that can help her?

She was young and full of energy. She was also attractive. Someone with such vitality was not likely to stay in one area, just like himself.

"I am certain that we will meet again," Ryu said aloud before falling asleep.