The Quest - Ryu's Journey Ch. 6 - Shin Akuma
By Dragonwriter

"Ready?"

Ryu and Chun-Li bowed to each other, and to the mysterious warrior.

"Begin!"

Ryu and Chun-Li charged each other. They'd been sparring with each other as part of their training, with the mysterious warrior often supervising each bout.

Ryu jumped into the air. Chun-Li followed, grabbed him, and threw him down to the ground.

"Always expect the unexpected. That was you'r problem with Akuma."

Ryu got up quickly and hit Chun-Li with a Shoryuken, knocking her back.

"Wait until your opponent attacks first. Then counterattack and don't stop hitting."

Ryu and Chun-Li's fireballs met in midair, negating each other.

"Fight equally with your heart and mind. Your heart will lead you in the right direction, your mind will pinpoint the location."

Chun-Li juggled Ryu in the air with a Tenshi Ranka.

"There are five mystic energies in existence. You have mastered ki and chi. To become an Ultima warrior you must also master ether, han, and psionic energies."

Ryu sent Chun-Li flying with a whirlwind kick.

"Ether is the force of magic, taken from the world around you."

Ryu grabbed Chun-Li and threw her over his shoulder.

"Han is ether drawn from within one's own body."

Chun-Li dodged around Ryu's fireball, and counterattacked with an axe kick.

"Psionic power is energy drawn from and focused purely by the mind."

Ryu brought his hands to his hips.

Ryu: "Shinkuu Hadouken!"

Chun-Li fell to the ground. Ryu helped her to her feet again, and they bowed to each other.

"Very good. That's enough for today."

***

Ryu and Chun-Li stayed up each night talking, after the mysterious warrior had gone to bed. Chun-Li hadn't been able to tell Ryu about her feelings for him yet, so she was trying to enjoy his company and not worry about it. The time would come, she was certain, when it would happen. But now was not that time, so she would wait.

Ryu enjoyed talking to Chun-Li. She had an opinion about just about anything, and it was fun to listen to them. She often told him things that fascinated him, and caused him much thought, but he enjoyed having something to mull over in his mind.

Chun-Li: "What do you make of the prophecy, Ryu?"

Ryu: "I honestly don't know. I can't make heads or tails of it."

Chun-Li: "I know, I'm just as lost as you are. Why do prophecies always have to be so confusing?"

Ryu chuckled. Chun-Li could act so cute every now and then.

Chun-Li, flustered, threw her pillow at his face. He caught it in midair out of reflex, and she dove at him, determined to wrestle him to the ground and make him apolagize.

They rolled over and over on the ground, each trying to get the better hand, until Chun-Li finally managed to pin him beneath her. She sat on his stomach, her knees pinning his elbows to the ground, and glared at him.

Chun-Li: "Say it... Say it!"

Ryu: "Okay, fine. I'm sorry."

Chun-Li smiled playfully.

Chun-Li: "There now, was that really so hard?"

Ryu stared into her eyes, and noticed his mouth getting dry. His heart began beating a thousand times per minute. He looked into her eyes again and he felt himself getting lost in them.

Chun-Li was feeling the same way. Her heart felt like it was about to explode from her chest, and Ryu's eyes... They seemed to stare into her very soul, piercing into her like arrows.

She gently released his arms, and bent down to kiss him as his newly freed arms wrapped around her, pulling her towards him.

Their lips met, the electricity passing between them seeming to encompass their entire bodies. They held each other close, willing it never to end.

The mysterious warrior, having been awakened by the sounds of their little wrestling match, watched it all, completely silent. For a single second, the raptor-like gaze of his eyes softened as he watched them kiss, and in those eyes was a longing and sadness that threatened to overwhelm him. A single tear rolled down his cheek, and he turned over in his sleeping bag, falling quickly back to sleep.

Ryu and Chun-Li, not having noticed this display, continued to hold each other close as they kissed, enjoying their bliss as long as they could get it to last.

***

The next morning started out like all the others. Ryu and Chun-Li were sparring with the mysterious warrior supervising, when something unexpected happened.

Ryu and Chun-Li had just begun their spar when they mysterious warrior's bracelets took on a blood-red glow.

"Stop!"

Ryu and Chun-Li facefaulted.

The mysterious warrior looked around.

"Someone's coming..."

Chun-Li: "How do you know?"

The mysterious warrior merely gestured to his bracelet's glow, which was slowly intensifying. Suddenly he whipped around, his bracelet's glow changing from blood-red to gold.

"Soul Grenade!"

The golden ball of energy flew into the woods, detonating with a huge explosion. Smoke filled the air, clouding everyone's vision.

When the smoke cleared, everyone gasped in horror.

A man stood there, dressed in a purple gi...

Akuma: "Time to die, Ryu..."

"I don't think so..."

The mysterious warrior's bracelets began to glow gold, and from them gauntlets formed across the baks of his hands and forearms.

"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows..."

Akuma moved quickly, slamming his elbow into the gut of the mysterious warrior while he was distracted.

The mysterious warrior stood there for a second, the breath knocked out of him. After a few seconds, he slowly got to his feet, his eyes filling with rage.

"Okay, demon-boy. You wanna see who can be badder, you got it!!!"

The mysterious warrior's gauntlets took on a black aura. The darkness spread out from them, consuming everything, so that all was dark. Everything was pitch black for a second. Then the darkness slowly began to shrink back.

Everything was the same as before, except that, in place of the myserious warrior, a dragon hovered. A dragon unlike any they had seen before; one made entirely of darkness and shadows.

Akuma gaped in a mixture of surprise and horror. This things power levels were through the roof. For the first time in his life, the demon experienced a stav of fear.

"Darkness Wave!"

A wave of darkness flew from the dragon. Akuma dodged past it.

Akuma: "Shoryuken!"

Akuma's fist passed right through the dragon, doing absolutely nothing. Akuma began to become really afraid.

"Ryu..."

Ryu stared in surprise at the black dragon.

"The time has come for you'r second test. You must defeat Akuma in order to achieve your dream."

Ryu stared into the eyes of the black dragon for a moment.

Ryu: Then let it begin... "Akuma! I challenge you! Do you accept, or yield?"

Akuma thought over his options...

Akuma: "I accept."