By EliadS

Ryu is walking through the forest while carrying his trademark duffel bag, it's slung on his massive right shoulder, dangling behind him as he walks. The nighttime wind blows with great force, ruffling the bangs of his wild hair and Bandana in the process.

Yet Ryu ignores its cold touch, the cool air crashing against his skin, sending small shivering sensations up his spine. He narrows his eyes, but not in anger, rather to be able to see. This because the picks up the sand and dirt and pulls it with it. The small grain aggravating the warrior's eyes and forcing him to do so. Yet his face shows no signs of anger or frustration, his facade is neutral and calm, he instead of letting it discourage him, focuses on his current goal, which is to reach the city Hong Kong.

Soon the wind dies and Ryu is able to scan his surroundings, he turns his head to the left and then the right and smiles. His smile a small and simple expression, yet it lightens his cold facade. Ryu inhales deeply and sighs.

"Oh he I love nature, its beauty never ceases to amaze me. I love the feeling of the fresh and wet dirt after the rain, moist and soothing under my travel worn feet. The fresh and clean air that is like a small taste and remain of Eden itself." He thinks and suddenly catches the sound of the chirping of the birds; he looks up, seeing a group of them fly above him.

The chirping of the birds and the serenity of the woods in contrast of the busy and bustling city, He never could truly adapt to it. He could live there, but he knew it would never be the same, his years in the secluded forest giving him a great appreciation to the simple and small things in life.

He keeps on walking forward and slowly gets lost in thought. His mind drifting to focus on notions he hadn’t thought of for a long time.

"Has it really been so long since We've last met? It's funny, I can knock out guy's twice my size, but find it hard to speak up, and share my heart…Perhaps…this time I'll have the courage" Ryu thinks and sees a blue tulip. He stops abruptly and turns pluck it out of soil. Then he twirls it between his fingers.

A broad smile creeps unto his usually tough facade and his eyes seem to light up with joy and warmth as he looks at it. He brings it up and sniffs the sweet aroma of the flower and closes his eyes, sighing to himself. Bringing up the image of someone he cares for greatly before his eyes.

"It reminds me of you, beautiful, graceful, With an aroma which makes my heart beat fast and mind go wild" Ryu thinks and blushed slightly at his own thoughts. He then opens his eyes and looks up at the full moon. Standing out in the dark black skies, surrounded by the twinkling stars, all scattered like pearls in an ocean of darkness.

He sighs again and walks onwards while unconsciously still holding the tulip, Occasionally looking at it as he goes on. An old occasion flashing before his eyes and making him smile.

"There you are Ryu, why are sitting here all alone? Don't you like to dance?" A sweet female voice speaks to him in Japanese.

Ryu who is sitting on a chair looks up at the source of the voice "I'm afraid Dancing isn't one of my strong traits" He says, looking down at the floor while blushing slightly.

A soft giggle is heard after he speaks "Oh you're so cute when you blush. But honestly don't worry about it nobody will care anyway. Lets go dance, I promise you'll have fun!" The voice speaks again, the voice soft and smooth, yet vibrant with cheerfulness and life.

Ryu shakes his head "No thank you, I'll pass, I am not keen of making a fool of myself" He says quietly, his smile fading and his face turning to it's well known unreadable mask.

Silence is left in the air for a few seconds, Ryu looks up and sees the female before him move her hands to her hips "You can't just sit here throughout the whole party! You’ll miss out on all the fun!" She says her voice whining slightly, etched with slight frustration at his stubbornness.

He shrugs and looks at her passively, "I'll be ok, you go…have fun" he says and gestures with his hand.

"Ryu… you are going to dance, even if I have to drag you to the dance floor myself" She says while giving him an expecting look before moving her hands from her hips and crosses them, looming over his sitting form.

Ryu's lips curl slightly upward "I'd like to see you try" He mutters under his breath in an amused tone, thinking she didn't her him. And holding his calm and demeanor steady, though a smile threatens to break it.

Her eyes widen as she does catch his words "Oh I see…you think you're such a tough guy, eh? You think just because I'm a woman I can't make it eh?" She says while raising one brow, her voice trembling with slight anger.

Ryu gives her an innocent look and shakes his head, that being the last thing he'd ever think about her. She eyes him curiously, her eyebrows ticking as she awaits his answer. A small smirk reaches his lips as her facade is simply too funny to resist "No…It's not that…" he says.

She hmphs and stomps her foot, turning around sharply and muttering "men" in an exasperated tone, faking being offended and turns from him walking a few feet away and facing the wall. She knows he didn't mean that, but messing around with him is just too fun to resist.

"He's too polite and sweet, he's like puttee in my hands." she thinks and holds down the urge to giggle madly. Knowing too well how he's going to react very soon and preparing to execute her plan to make him dance.

Ryu looks at her back "I hope I haven't hurt her feelings. It's be a shame since she simply misunderstood my words, I didn't to imply that. Her face was just too funny. I'll apologize, don't want her to have wrong thoughts about me" He thinks.

He gets up from his chair and arranges the uncomfortable tie, then he inhales deeply and brushes back some Bangs of his wild dark hair. He then silently approaches her from behind, his shoes tapping on the marble floor, giving in his actions.

Chunli then grins and rubs her hands together. He can't see this and she knows it, She hears him approach, but then returns to the task at hand and calms herself down, she sniffs when he's close enough "I Got'cha now Ryu!" She thinks.

Ryu coughs to gain her attention "Chunli I…" he says softly while putting a hand on her shoulder. Before he can think twice she grabs his hands and yanks him forward, her speed and force surprisingly high as she manages to pull him toward her, then she sidesteps and positions herself behind him.

"Got'cha Tough guy, you are so predictable, know move your butt and lets go dancing." She says while putting her hands on his shoulder blades, pushing him gently.

"Oh no you don't I am not going down without a fight" Ryu thinks and allows himself to smile a little more as she can't see his face. After being nudged gently he stops. Chunli pushes him again a little harder this time.

Ryu places his feet in such a position, which makes it nearly impossible to move him, unless you are stronger or heavier. Chunli giggles "You're one stubborn world warrior. But that won't help you, you're way out of your league here…" She thinks.

"You better…come now, before…I start fighting dirty..." She says between giggles. Trying to push him harder, yet he remains steady and unmoving. Ryu shakes his head and doesn't respond "I wonder what she means by fighting dirty" He ponders and awaits her next move.

"Ok...that's it! You asked for it! " She says while now laughing, ignoring side glances from a few waiters who pass by. She then moves her hands from his shoulders and wraps one of them around his abdomen and the other around his neck.

Her body is pressed firmly against back his, and her breath brushes against the back of his neck. He shivers slightly and feels his cheeks heat up, knowing he's blushing now, The embrace very close, and pleasant.

Ryu tries to calm himself down, but he feels lightheaded for a moment and finds himself enjoying being close to her.

“So…What’ca gonna do now, huh Mr. I’m too dance?” She whispers in his ear, in a soft and smug tone as she tickles his side gently with her fingers.

“Ok, you win Chun” Ryu says and laughs nervously. Then he smiles shyly and thanks god for being far from their friends, knowing that if they ever knew, his life would be officially over. He fights himself as he speaks, on one side knowing she's won, on other enjoying it and not wanting to let go. But in the end his mind governs his urges.

"Awww too bad, I was expecting a little more fight, now I have to let go. This was… nice, hugging him like that…" she thinks and her cheeks become slightly red at the notion, she smiles and forces herself to let go. Then steps back and smiles sweetly at him as he turns around.

Ryu smiles and chuckles lightly as she extends her hand, he looks at it for a moment and then holds her hands gently while tilting his head slightly and walking beside her to the dancing floor. His face remains a little red, but he also remains

Chunli is wearing a long silk gown with no sleeves; it has equal cleavage on both sides. The gown is rather tight and tugs to her curves nicely, showing off her graceful frame perfectly. Finally her long brown hair Cascades behind her laying down her back just between the shoulder blades, smooth and shiny, It's long waves brushed neatly and gracefully.

Ryu, after many arguments with all his friends had agreed to wear a sharp looking tuxedo. It lies tightly against his muscular frame. In addition he is wearing an expensive white shirt which Ken lent him. And to finish his ensemble was a tie, which Chunli had helped him tie. His hair is as it was, falling smoothly on his head, leaving only some bangs on his forehead.

His Red Headband is not on him, he had agreed after a night of pleading and threatening by Chunli and Ken to leave it behind.

They reach the dance floor and Chunli leads him to a small empty part of it. Some couples are dancing beside them, but they have plenty of space. They dance together for a few minutes, Or rather Chunli dances and Ryu tries not to step on her feet. But as time passes, he adapts slowly, earning more than surprised looks and whispers by all of their friends.

"Heh now this is something you don't see everyday! Ryu, Mr. the fight is all…Dancing! This is a real Kodak moment! Guess that you don't know nothing but Karate theory isn't valid anymore." Ken jokes and Eliza giggles. Ryu sighs and is about to answer to the wise crack when someone beats him to it.

"Don't mind him Ryu, He's just being an pig as usual" Cammy interjects and winks and motions thumbs up to Chunli while Ryu isn't looking.

"Haha…very funny, where's your date?" Ken asks, What follows next is Cammy blushing and Ken pressuring more, until she smacks the back of his head and storms off.

Eliza eyes him disapprovingly and he sighs "I'm going, I'm going…Sheesh" He says and goes after her to apologize, followed by a quite ticked off Eliza.

Ryu blushes slightly. “I hate it when people do that…It’s not like I’m some kind of freak” He thinks and sighs silently, the music hiding his slight exasperation.

Chunli smirks at the sight of Cammy shouting at Ken and waving her fist, and him backing off and flashing an apologetic smile. "Those crazy two will never change, eh?" She muses to him.

He nods and his face turns passive again, the silent joy now washed out. And his old self resurfacing. He continues dancing with her, She eyes him and exhales through her nose.

"Ooooh d*mn you Ken! I was so close! He was actually being warm for a change" She thinks and sighs, vowing to give Ken a good whooping later.

The current song turns to a slow and soothing tune, all the couples on the dance floor change their positions for the dance. Chunli looks at him, raising a brow. He looks at her brown eyes. He nods "She wants to dance…I can see it in her eyes, who am I to disagree to my...my...friend's wishes?" He excuses his action to himself, still denying he has feeling for her but also not feeling right with seeing her as a mere friend, he knew she was something else, something more, but was just too shy and afraid to admit it.

Meanwhile she smiles broadly and approaches him a little shyly; she wraps her arms around his neck, her cheeks slightly red and places her head gently onto his broad chest.

Ryu blushes, and is a little was taken aback, his heart beats fast and his forehead is adorned by sweat. She looks up at him for a second, hearing his heartbeat become faster and smiles "He's nervous…and blushing…Maybe I'm getting through to him at last" She thinks.

He looks around and sees the other men putting their hands on their partners' hips. He inhales and mimics them, placing his hands gently on Chunli’s hips. She smiles and feels her heart also beat faster, she then looks up at him.

Suddenly he trips on a stone and drops the tulip. This pulls him out of his daydreaming state. He shakes his head and sighs.

“That night so nice…she was so beautiful…she still is” He thinks and smiles at the thought. But then he remembers the look in her eyes when he left the following morning. He continues walking. Slowly the sun begins to set, and a soft evening breeze caresses his face gently.

It’s a soft as silk just like your touch..." Ryu thinks and blushes slightly yet again. But then his happy thoughts are cut short by a different memory, the memory of her sad and disappointed eyes, as he left her behind again. He hated himself for hurting her and decided this time, he's do it, he owed her as much after all the kindness and attention she gave him.

I'm a coward, I was so close to her, I could've let it out in the open then, now I've only hurt her more." He thinks and his face becomes sad.

He continues his trek towards the city of Kyoto, from there he would book himself an accommodation on a boat or plane. He reaches it a day later, after stopping to rest fort a few hours, late in the night.

He groans and stretches as his body aches for rest. Ryu ignores his body’s urges and continues. He walks through the city, People who pass by him, gave him curious looks, His fighting attire attracting quite a deal of attention since it was far from normal to walk in a fighting Gi in the middle of Kyoto. Some stare and whisper, others even throw rude remarks.

He ignores it all, already accustomed to it after all his years of traveling. He navigates through the city. He ignores the profane remarks sent towards him. Yet some were kind and made him smile, others rude which made him sigh. But Ryu always the patient man, he saw no reason to lose his temper on such a trivial matter.

He reaches the harbor around 2 hours later. He sees many people as he walks towards a large ship. Some seem to be tourists, other's fishermen who are bringing their daily catching.

Ryu scanned the people, "So many people...Each one a whole and unique world. I wonder...will my path someday link to another's...to Chunli's…am I worthy of such happiness and joy? And will fate allow it? Or will I just falter and fail again, and keep walking on my path, left alone in eternal loneliness?" Ryu wonders and sighs. Suddenly feeling the immense disadvantages of being a vagabond, as he yearns for the sight of his friends.

But he also knows, he can not rest, not until Gouki is brought to justice, the justice of the fist, the same justice which he had brought upon so many in the past, and the same he would probably give to many in the future.

Ryu suddenly feels compelled and responsible for the fate of those many. He had proven he was strong enough, he had now beaten the demon twice, He can't help but feel that his own happiness wasn't as important as saving the lives of Akuma's foes and avenging the souls of his victims.

As he remembers his burden a heavy weight slams onto his conscious, feeling his path of the warrior sit on his shoulders like a heavy stone, one which will keep him down until the day he breaks free from it.

"How can I even think of endangering Chunli for my own selfish desires?" Ryu thinks as he knows what Gouki will do should Ryu and Chunli ever become a couple. Ryu thinks and his mood darkens, his optfrbefore, being exchanged with fear for Chunli, His mission for excellence and victory over his foe, now more important than ever.

"No Gouki…I won't let you harm her, or anyone else, even…even if she chooses someone else instead, she will be safe from you and anyone else. This I vow" He swears to himself before he stops beside the ship he was looking for.

It’s a large fishing boat. A Japanese man is standing near it and throwing aboard some nets. "Ah Ryu-Dono, How are you?" The man asks Ryu in Japanese.

Ryu tilts his head slightly downwards in an honoring gesture. "I've been better Daikurou-San, I need to sail to Hong Kong, can you spare another passenger" Ryu asked.

Daikurou smiled "Of course we can, If you can pull your weight and help us fish, you are aware it'll take a week to get there, right?” Daikurou asks just to be sure.

Ryu nods and Daikurou smiles “Well then…Hop aboard then Ryu, We leave in several hours" He says cheerfully.

Ryu bows his head once more and hops onto the ship.

Ryu is now walking down the streets of Hong Kong. He is sweating under the furious rays of the late afternoon sun. He inhales deeply and feels a wave of pain course through him. The sea air hasn't been kind to him, the salt slowing down his healing, as it burned the wounds open all the time.

"Perhaps I was hasty to rush out like this...I should have healed up properly first...Oh who am I kidding? I wouldn't have stayed knowing What I've done to her" Ryu thinks and sighs to himself. He coughs and shakes his head, then he rubs his eyes, which itch and burn, with the back of his hand.

He looks forward, recognizing the area. He is a few dozen miles from Chunli's apartment. He continues walking when suddenly her hears a man bump into someone behind him. He shakes his head, and doesn't register the thought until he hears footsteps behind him and stops.

He averts his gaze slightly trying to see what was behind him. But to his disdain he can't see a thing as the sun’s rays blind him, He winces and turns back. The he shakes and rubs his eyes again.

He mutters under his breath "Nevermind…"and keeps on walking, more worried of getting to Chunli at the moment.

A few minutes later, the footsteps are starting to annoy him and worry him. His face twists with thought.

"Odd...I can sense someone following me...But who would follow me? It isn't Sakura...nor Akuma...I'd recognize their Auras. Then who is it I wonder?" Ryu thinks as he continues on his way.

He keeps on walking, an annoying feeling of danger bugging his thoughts. He spots a side alley and turns towards it, am idea hatching in his mind.

He enters it and lies against the wall, "If someone is following me, I shall soon find out" He thinks and waits patiently.

Around a minute later a hooded figure enters the alley. Upon seeing Ryu it stops. Ryu's eyes narrow angrily "Who are you? And why are you following me?" He asks impassively. The man remains silent and turns to leave.

But Ryu is quicker and he grabs him by the arm, His hands gripping around cloth and limb alike. The man struggles to escape, surprisingly strong, but not as strong as Ryu, who keeps his grip steady and strong.

Then He finally gives up his futile attempts and turns around while extending his arm, trying to punch Ryu. Ryu catches his fist in his open palm. He winces upon the contact of his fingers on the man's skin. His hand is greet by sudden great heat, so hot he feels his skin burn.

He then immediately lets go and waves his hand as his skin is now burned. “Ow! Hot! Hot! Hot!” Ryu thinks.

The man's hood falls off during yet another desperate struggle to escape. Ryu raises a brow and looks extremely surprised, the man's entire left face was forged out of metal, his left eye made of what seemed to be green colored glass and tiny yellow words and numbers ran upon it.

Suddenly his eyes seem to glow and the writing in his eyes reads “Transmitting location”

"A monitor cyborg? Here? What's Bison up to this time? " Ryu wonders.

Suddenly the Cyborg head butts Ryu as he lingers on the oddness of the situation. Ryu lets go of the cyborg's arms and steps back. It in turn moves to escape. Ryu shakes his head "Oh no you don't..." He thinks and cups his hands, before moving them to be near his waist.

"Shakunetsu...." He mutters. Then orange wisps of energy swirl into his shaking palms; slowly a sphere of orange fire amasses and glows between his open palms. Ryu he throws his hands forward with a cry of "Hadouken!". The shadowy side street is illuminated by sudden bright light as the fireball is sent forward.

The sphere of fire sails forward and slams into the cyborg’s back. The fire projectile hits his inner fusion system, and melts through it. The monitor cyborg never knew what hit it as it explodes with a flash of orange flames.

Ryu then leaves the alley, looking back at the remains of the cyborg grimly. Then he continues on his way, rubble and chunks of wall falling off the now burned surroundings. Then he suddenly stops again his eyes wide, and reflecting worry and horror as realization hits him.

"Wait a second…If Bison sent a cyborg to look for me...Then he's probably sent one after...Chunli! I must reach her quickly before it’s too late!" Ryu thinks and purses his lips as he pushes down his exhaustion and breaks into a sprint. Navigating toward Chunli’s apartment now fueled by his worry for her safety.

He had forgotten about the Mad Dictator, having beaten him a long time ago, and seriously broken his hold on his minions. Now he is forced into remembering the Villain, and he doesn't like the way he is reminded, not a single bit.