Ryu had made himself unavailable the next few days. Everyone noticed. Miko had woken up, and she and Chun Li spent several hours talking. They liked each other immediately.

 Dr. Nataka was slowly recovering. He estimated that he would be better in a few more days.

 Ryu’s behavior was beginning to affect several people.

 “He’s been so distant…” Kami lamented.

 She and Chun Li were in the kitchen, fixing lunch. Hideaki and Miko were sitting down, sipping on tea.

“He has not adjusted yet,” Hideaki stated, a trace of sadness in his voice.

 “It would be foolish to think our son will welcome us with open arms…” Miko said softly.

 Footsteps echoed in the hallway. Everyone looked up as Ryu stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

 “Lunch is ready,” Chun Li said.

 Ryu pressed his lips in a grim line and nodded. Within a few minutes, Chun Li placed several Chinese dishes at the table. Everyone ate in tense silence. Ryu refused to speak to anyone, and his family didn’t want to speak for fear of offending him, and Chun Li couldn’t think of a universal topic.

 Kami cleared her throat.

 Chun Li feigned a smile. “So…Hideaki-san…how long have you and Miko-san been married?”

 The couple glanced at each other, love and affection obvious in their eyes. Ryu looked up briefly, awaiting their answer.

 “Forty years,” Hideaki answered.

 Chun Li smiled softly- a genuine smile that softened her eyes. “You two look so happy…I hope one day I will have such a strong relationship…”

 “Our love for each other…and our children…” Miko added hesitantly, “…makes our suffering more bearable.”

 “Why didn’t you just run away from Tomo in the first place?” Chun Li asked.

 “Fear,” Hideaki responded. “We are afraid…that he will come after us…but…now that you and my…you and Ryu are here, we do not have to worry about our safety.”

 Miko studied Ryu carefully. “I remember…when you were very young…you were so independent…and bright…you learned to crawl by yourself…you always wandered around…but you rarely got involved in mischief…”

 Silence.

Ryu pushed his bowl and chopsticks aside. “I’m finished. Thank you for lunch, Chun Li.” He stood up.

 “But…you hardly ate anything…” Chun Li said, perplexed.

 “I lost my appetite,” he said flatly.

 With that, he walked out of the clinic. Chun Li took a deep breath, her eyes narrowing.

 “Excuse me…” She quickly got up and headed after him.

 “Ryu!” she called out.

 He was about one hundred feet away when he stopped. Chun Li jogged after him.

 “What is it?” he asked, turning to face her.

 She stopped three feet away from him. “Hasn’t this gone on long enough? Isn’t it time you accepted that you have a family?”

 Ryu looked away.

 Chun Li sighed. “I know it will take time. But your parents love you. They would never lie to you about anything. You already know why they abandoned you…circumstances. In order to accept them fully…you need to get to know them…”

 Ryu narrowed his eyes. “You have no idea what it is like to live your life a certain way then to have someone change it completely.”

 “If you’re talking about training…your family understands that’s who you are. They’d never inhibit you from training. Just as long as you let them know that you’re alive and well…”

 Ryu clenched his jaw. “I have lived my life fighting and only that. I like it that way. Suddenly, a girl shows up, claiming she’s my sister, then her parents show up…the father being an exact image of me…only to prove that I really do have a family. I cannot deal with this right now.”

 She crossed her arms. “When will you? When you get old and realize that you don’t have anything except Shotokan and your dojo?”

 Ryu turned away.

 “Or are you just in denial?” Chun Li challenged. “You don’t know how to deal with family…that’s why you are running away. Just like you ran away from me…”

 At that, Ryu stopped abruptly to turn around. “What are you talking about?”

 “I used to think that you were just dense,” Chun Li began. “But a man as bright as you are can’t possibly be that dense…”

 Ryu narrowed his eyes slightly.

 “So when did you find out?” Chun Li asked. “Was it before or after Bison’s death?”

 Ryu glanced away.

 “When, Ryu?”

“I realized it after,” Ryu said softly.

 “What made you notice it?”

 “Before my fight with Bison…your behavior…was…different…After…that’s when I knew…”

 “Ever since then…you distanced yourself…you’d only write when you needed help or advice…you never wrote just to say hi…” Chun Li said quietly.

 “I…” Ryu looked at her helplessly. “I didn’t know what to do…so I left…”

 “How do you feel?” Chun Li asked.

 He knew what she was asking. “I…can’t explain. This…is all new to me.”

 “You can’t avoid your emotions forever,” Chun Li stated. “Open up your heart and mind, Ryu…if you let us know what you’re feeling, we can help you…listen to you…give you time when you need it…Running away doesn’t help anything!”

 “I…I’m sorry,” Ryu said simply. “But…I…”

 “Do you want me leave so you and your family can get to know one another?” Chun Li asked.

 Ryu shook his head. “No. I want you to stay. As a friend,” he added hesitantly.

Chun Li released a shaky breath, nodding. “All right…”

 “I’m going to train for a while. Please let them know that I will speak with them later,” Ryu informed. He paused. “As for us…we’ll handle that after my family. Together.”

 It was the first sign of hope Chun Li had in years.