Chun Li's Christmas Carol
Chapter Five:Redemption
By The Headcrook and Ted Hsu

"NNNNNOOOOOOOO!"

Chun Li sat up, the blanket flying from her bed, having kicked it away. She soon followed, falling off the bed and onto her hands and knees. Her body shaking from the violence of her emotions, the Chinese martial artist grew nauseous and began to dry-heave. She still felt her eyes moist, the tears still pouring as she was still mentally reeling from what the Man In White put her through. She felt the rest of herself moist and clammy as well, the cold sweat from the ordeal still with her.

Once she managed to get herself under control, she saw that she was back inside her bedroom. She wasn't falling into the abyss. She was back home, in bed. And the alarm was ringing. Chun Li looked at the clock. It read 7:15 am.

"I'm...I'm home," she whispered. She then felt her chest and her head. No blood. No bullet holes. "I'm...I'm alive..."

She reached over and turned off the snooze button before flipping the switch to turn on the clock's radio.

"Good morning, Hong Kong and a Merry Christmas to all of you!" the female deejay boomed. "It is fifteen after the hour and..."

Chun Li cut the radio off. Then she winced as she felt her head. It was still sore from where Tenkai had whacked her with his staff, not to mention the pain in her back from where her dead self had tossed her into the wall and where Bison had pummeled her. Chun Li Xiang may have been a rational person, but even she realized one thing.

'December 25...it's Christmas Day.' She walked over to the window and looked out into the Hong Kong skyline. 'I haven't missed it,' she realized. 'The guardians did it all in one night...they were warning me...Tara was warning me...they've decided to give me one more chance. One final chance to prove myself.' She remembered how her other self went from the Strongest Woman in the World to an emotionally broken-down shadow of her former self. 'There is no way in hell that I will meet such a disgraceful end,' she vowed.

She should have been jumping for joy. Instead, as her eyes stopped over a picture of herself and Ryu, taken during her last visit to Japan, she felt a pang of sadness and guilt over what she had done to him.

Her job could wait. That is, if she even decided to continue to work for Interpol by the day's end, given the revelations concerning her boss. First things first, she realized that she needed to find Ryu. She knew where she was at, since the Masters family owned and operated a chain of hotels worldwide, and Ryu would be staying at the Masters International Kowloon.

Knowing Ryu, he would be up for his morning jog in less than a hour, which meant that Chun Li had to hurry, since the hotel was located on the other side of town. Thankfully, traffic would be light, allowing her arrive at the hotel just as Ryu would begin his morning jog.

But first, she needed to clean herself up and pull herself together.

The shower did wonders for her frazzled nerves. Once she was finished, Chun Li returned to her room. Looking at the clock, it was 7:25. Ryu would be preparing for his morning jog in a matter of minutes, so she had to find something quick to put on.

Several minutes later, Chun Li looked at her reflection in the mirror. The Chinese woman had chosen a white sleeveless Chinese peony shirt with red trim, blue denim jeans and a pair of tennis shoes. Deciding that placing her hair in her odango hairstyle would waste time, Chun Li instead pulled it into a single ponytail.

As she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she said to herself, "I will not let you down, Tara. I will take the teachings of the three guardians to heart. They will dwell within me. I will erase the writing on that tombstone. I will no longer be the puppet of anyone. I will no longer let my job run my life and push those I care for away. But first, I need to talk to Ryu."

Knowing Ryu, he would be up for his morning jog in less than a Hour, which meant that Chun Li had to hurry, since the hotel was located on the other side of town. Thankfully, traffic would be light, allowing her arrive at the hotel just as Ryu would begin his morning jog.

Grabbing her car keys and her leather jacket, she opened the door, only to find a manila envelope taped to the door. Curious, Chun Li plucked the envelope from the door and inspected it. It had her name on it. When she opened it, she saw that there were numerous photos of Lieutenant Chow. Pictures of him with his mistress.

There were rumors she'd heard that Chow was cheating on his wife. And the photos verified it.

Along with the pictures, there was a note inside, addressed to her. Chun Li pulled the note out and read it.

A picture is worth a thousand words, Inspector. I trust you can agree.

The choice is up to you. Expose your boss' infidelity or turn a blind eye. You decide. He is not at the I.C.P.O. Offices. He is with the other woman at the Hilton International, room 804, and will be for the rest of the day.

The number of Mrs. Chow is at the bottom of the last picture.

~D

Chun Li left the note on her table and stuffed the envelope inside her jacket pocket. Chow can wait. First things first. She had to find Ryu.

Masters International Kowloon.

Ryu Hoshi groaned as he rose from the bed, one hand slamming down on the alarm clock, silencing it.

Today was Christmas Day. Even though he didn't celebrate the holiday, he did take time out from his fighting to spend time with friends and family.

He was still upset over the fact that today, Chun Li would be at the offices working instead of spending time with him. Sure Chun Li was one of the best inspectors working for the International Criminal Police Organization, but even she could make time to take a break once in a while.

Sighing to himself, he got out of the bed, wearing only a pair of boxers. After a series of stretches and practice punches and kicks, shambled towards the bathroom. Maybe he would feel better after his morning run through the city. After all, today was Christmas and the day was just starting.

Chun Li had made it to the hotel in record time.

With less than ten minutes to spare, Chun Li found a parking space inside the hotel's parking garage and parked her car. Entering the hotel from a side door, Chun Li walked across the lobby, heading for the elevator.

Seven floors later, Chun Li exited the elevator. With the exception of the cleaning lady, the corridor was deserted.

'I hope he's still there,' Chun Li thought as she walked down the hall, stopping at the door with the number 721 emblazoned on the front. She could hear the shower running from inside the room, telling her that Ryu was still inside.

'Can't back down now,' she thought as she knocked on the door once the shower ended. 'I got to make amends and do it now. I can't lose him.'

She knocked on the door again. When she raised her hand for the third time, the door opened, revealing a slightly damp Ryu, naked from the waist up, dressed in a pair of white gi pants, something that he had hastily put on upon hearing the knocking at his door.

Ryu, on the other hand, was not expecting to see Chun Li on the other end of the door. More than likely, he was expecting Ken.

For a full minute, neither person spoke. Ryu, however, was still upset over the events that had transpired between them and it showed on his usually stoic face.

Chun Li spoke first, breaking the ice. "Hey."

Ryu folded his arms across his chest. "Inspector Xiang," he replied curtly. Chun Li flinched slightly at the coldness in Ryu's voice, showing that he was still angry. "I thought you were going to be working today."

"I..." Chun Li hesitated slightly. "I decided not to."

That caught Ryu off guard. Chun Li not working on Christmas Day? After all, she should have been at work at 7:30. Knowing Chun Li, she was very punctual when it comes to arriving on time. Ryu decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, at least for now.

Ryu looked at his girlfriend with an appraising eye. "I'm curious...why are you here, Li?" he asked, one eyebrow up as he studied her.

Chun Li looked around, nervous before turning back to her still-pissed boyfriend. "Ryu, we need to talk."

Ryu nodded. "That we do."

"But not here," Chun Li insisted. "There's a small café nearby. We can talk there. Will you come with me?"

Ryu looked at her for a moment. "Give me a moment," he said, closing the door. Minutes later, he appeared, dressed in casual attire. After reuniting with Chun Li, she led him to the café.

The café was not just nearby. In fact, it was across the street from the Masters International.

The two sat on opposite ends of a small corner booth, sipping their tea. Chun Li remained slumped in her seat, wondering how she could tell Ryu about her change in heart without making it sound like she's crazy. After all, who would believe that her change in heart came from three guardians?

'Yeah,' she thought darkly. 'That's a one-way ticket to the insane asylum.'

Chun Li took a deep breath and began speaking. To Ryu, she was coming clean about her past. It was also to her, a confession.

"It's funny. Most people think that I was born and raised in Hong Kong, yourself included. Remember when you asked me about my past and I kept avoiding the question?"

"I was curious," Ryu replied. "I always thought that you were either embarrassed or ashamed to talk about it."

Chun Li sipped at her tea. "Far from it. I never told anyone about my past, because I didn't want anyone to know." Looking Ryu dead in the face, she said, "Dourai was not my biological father. He adopted me when I was four. Only Sifu knew the truth."

This caught Ryu's attention. Chun Li was adopted? Then he nodded in understanding. "I was wondering why we managed to connect so well. Now I see why. You lost your family, while I never knew mine."

Chun Li nodded. "My real parents were from Beijing, but I wasn't born in China. I've been doing some digging around and discovered that my parents were wanted by the Chinese Communists for their anti-communist activities. From what I managed to find out about them, they both embraced the ideas of democracy and shunned the teachings of Mao Zedong. With the Chinese military police on their trail, my parents decided that relocating was the best option. My mother was pregnant with me at the time."

"So you were not born in either Beijing or Hong Kong," Ryu guessed.

Chun Li shook her head. "I'm Chinese ethnically, but I was born in Kuala Lumpur. My parents had friends in the British Consulate in Malaysia. Once they were safe in Malaysia, then they could travel to Hong Kong and start over."

"But your parents died before they could," Ryu said.

Chun Li nodded. "House fire. I was only three at the time. Since I had no family, I was put up at an orphanage that was run by the British government. Dourai adopted me when I was four, and took me to Hong Kong. None of the other Malay families wanted a Chinese girl to raise. But Dourai did. Like my parents, he was also wanted by the Chinese government and managed to relocate to Hong Kong."

Chun Li looked out the window. "He didn't have to take me in, you know. He had already lost his wife in a car accident, as well as his unborn child. But I'm glad that he did. He took me in and raised me as his own daughter. For that, I am grateful. It was only the two of us, but it was the best childhood I ever had. It was because of him that I decided to follow a career in law enforcement. Instead of becoming a Hong Kong police officer like him, I decided to join the I.C.P.O."

She turned back to Ryu. "Dourai...I mean Baba was so proud of me. Sifu would go on to tell me that Daddy would tell his co-workers with pride that his little girl was joining Interpol." Her expression then darkened. "But he would never live to see me graduate."

Ryu could only guess. "Bison."

Chun Li nodded. "I got the call from Sifu after I graduated. He was killed by Bison himself." She sighed. "And I pushed you away, all because I wanted to snap Bison's neck. Equal payback for what he did to my father."

Ryu nodded. Chun Li had gotten her wish back in the tournament.

Flashback

Miriganka Island, Thailand.

The final match of the Second Street Fighter tournament. The location: the courtyard of a monastery deep within Shadowlaw territory.

The match between the reigning champion Ryu Hoshi and the tournament's host, the Shadowlaw warlord General Bison was slowly winding down. Both men looked liked hell, each looking like they went toe-to-toe with a bear and lost.

Ryu grunted to himself as he ignored the pain. Bison was good. Very good. Even without his Psycho Power, the Shadowlaw boss was very proficient in hand-to-hand combat, a master of the Ler Drit fighting style. Ryu knew that with his injuries, he would be out for several months in order to recover properly if he survived this.

Bison, however was worse off. Ryu was one of two heirs of the Ansatsuken fighting style, and the damage was present. Like Ryu, his face was battered and bruised. However, given the deadly impact of Ryu's fist, feet and special attacks, Bison knew that there was a possibility that he could lose this match. Several of his ribs were broken, one of his eyes was swollen shut and he was certain that he also had internal injuries. During the match, his hat was knocked off his head and forgotten.

The battle had been raging for nearly an hour. Bison had made a critical error, which allowed Ryu to gain the upper hand. Bison's jaw was swollen, from the repeated impacts of Ryu's Hurricane Kicks. If he was struck again, then he would be sure that his jaw would be broken. He had painfully relocated his arm when Ryu had dislocated it with a kick to the shoulder.

"To think...to think that a little runt like you can take me on?" Bison groaned out, down on one knee, spitting out a wad of blood as he held his side. He then chuckled bitterly as he decided to eat crow. "You...you are good. Now I see why Sagat was so obsessed with you."

Ryu said nothing. His eyes were focused on his opponent.

Bison staggered to a vertical base. "But it's still not enough! Anyone who opposes me will be destroyed! Including you! PSYCHO CRUSHER!"

Bison spiraled forward, his body covered in bluish flames. Ryu, having seen this attack (not to mention being struck by it once already), had it scouted and avoided it by simply jumping upward, legs stretched out in a split as Bison sailed past him, the heat of the flames singing his gi pants.

Ryu was upon Bison once he landed. Bison didn't stand a chance as Ryu went for broke. Bison felt several more ribs break from the monstrous impact of Ryu's fists. His head rocked violently to the side as Ryu unleashed another Hurricane Gale Kick, striking him repeatedly, the final blow sending Bison spinning to the ground.

It was over.

Ryu had won the tournament. The Japanese martial artist strode over to the fallen warlord. He crouched over him and grabbed a handful of his red shirt, his other hand balled into a tight fist.

"Victory...complete," Bison spat out. "Go on...finish it!"

Ryu brought his fist down...and smashed the ground next to Bison's head, creating a nice divot in the ground. The victorious fighter released the defeated general. "I'm not like you," Ryu deadpanned. "I don't want to be like you."

Bison glared at the Japanese man. "You hesitate. That is the ultimate flaw of compassion."

"The flaw of power is your own arrogance," Ryu countered as he rose from the ground. "I won't kill you, Bison. My hands are already stained with the blood of another man. You will not die by my hand."

Ryu turned and walked away. Before he could reach ten steps, Bison rose up with a vengeance and charged. "RYU! NOW YOU DIE!"

As Ryu spun around to put down the Shadowlaw warlord permanently, fate intervened.

"Sonic...HURRICANE!"

The cavalry had arrived. Ken Masters, followed by his brother-in-law William Guile and Chun Li, had arrived on the scene. And Guile struck first.

Bison was blindsided by Guile's attack, the vortex of raw ki that spun around the Air Force commando sucked Bison in, unleashing damage onto Bison's already-damaged torso before Bison was thrown back, smashing into the bell that hung in the temple courtyard before falling to a heap.

Bison knew that the injuries he now suffered were fatal. Not even his Psycho Drive could save him, since he was certain that every single rib was now broken, his organs now ruptured and bleeding internally.

As Ken supported Ryu on his shoulder, Chun Li approached the fallen Bison.

"So...Dourai's little wench of a daughter finally shows her face," Bison sneered, defiant even in the face of his own demise.

"You killed my father," Chun Li stated flatly. "Tonight, you sleep in Hell, Bison."

Without saying another word, Chun Li grabbed Bison's head, and with all the strength she could muster, violently twisted it to the side.

A sickening CRACK echoed throughout the courtyard, the sound of Bison's neck snapping like a twig.

It was finally over.

As Chun Li and Guile looked over Bison's corpse, Ken and Ryu silently made their exit.

End Flashback

"We all had our reasons for revenge, Li," Ryu replied. "I also lost my innocence when Gouken was murdered. You know my story with him, about how he took me in as his son. So I don't really blame you for that. I never told you what happened between me and Akuma."

Ryu cleared his throat. "The first time I found him, he beat me like a redheaded stepchild. But he spared my life because of the Dark Hadou that was inside me. I managed to reject the Dark Hadou and faced him again before the second tournament. The fight was indeed brutal, until he unleashed the ultimate attack on me - the Raging Demon. I narrowly avoided being killed when I countered the move. The only problem with that move is that if you miss your opponent, it will severely weaken you. So I took advantage."

He tapped at his temple. "I struck Akuma in the temple with enough force to rival my Shinshoryuken. And I avenged Gouken. I promised myself that I would never take another person's life in battle. That was why I spared Bison. Even a dog can be given some mercy...if only for five minutes."

"Yeah, I know, but in the end, I still placed my job over you," Chun Li insisted. She swallowed as she tried to make more right with Ryu. "All those times you could have been picking fights with challengers, you wanted to spend time with me. You wanted to spend Christmas with me and I pushed you away."

She felt tears come as some guilt crept in. "I didn't know how bad I was hurting you until I realized that I could have lost you. I was being selfish, not to mention being a total $%@#% to you." Her eyes went sad as another tear or two came down her face. "Can you find it in your heart to give this foolish girl one more chance? Please, Ryu...I don't want you to hate me...I'm truly sorry for hurting you these past few years."

Ryu looked at her long and hard, thinking it over. She was supposed to be working today, but instead, she was here with him, pouring her heart out and baring her soul to him, revealing secrets even he did not know. He was prepared to call it quits with her until she had showed up at the hotel, placing her relationship with him over her job.

That itself showed that she was worthy of another chance. And now her baring her soul to him in repentance was more to show she wasn't the same Chun Li from yesterday. But he had to be sure that she was being sincere now.

'Not even she could fake those tears,' he thought. Ryu could tell if she was lying, and so far, she was being truthful to him.

Ryu reached over and gently grabbed her hand, his huge hand covering hers. "I never really hated you, Chun Li. I was just...frustrated that our relationship was going nowhere," he said gently as he used his other hand to wipe the tears off of Chun Li's face.

Chun Li breathed out a sigh of relief. Ryu had not given up on her just yet. "I know. This is going to take a lot of work," she said as she moved from her seat to sit next to Ryu. "And I'm willing to do all I can to make it work," she added as she kissed his cheek.

Ryu then kissed Chun Li on the lips. "Merry Christmas, Li," he said with a smile.

Chun Li kissed him back. "Merry Christmas, Ryu," she whispered before she returned the kiss with her own.

Ryu pulled her close, one arm around her waist while her arms were around his neck.

"Tell me you forgive me," she whispered into the kiss. "I wanna hear you say it."

"I forgive you, Li. I forgive you." With that he kissed her again, and soon they had gotten into each other's arms, letting the healing begin.

The couple stayed that way for several minutes. Just as they were going into another round of tonsil hockey, Chun Li's cellphone rang. Frowning to herself, she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled the small item out. Looking at the caller ID, she saw that it was Lieutenant Chow.

Chun Li answered the phone. "Inspector Xiang speaking."

The voice of her boss was on the other line. "Chun Li, it's Chow."

"Oh, Lieutenant Chow. Good morning and Merry Christmas," Chun Li replied casually.

"It's almost 8 in the morning and I got a call from Leung saying that you are not at the office," Chow said, getting straight to the point. "Where are you?" It was clear he wasn't happy.

"About that," Chun Li replied, "I've changed my mind and decided to take today off. It is Christmas, after all. I'm spending quality time with my friends and family."

"I don't care if it was Thanksgiving. You're needed on the Triad case."

"And where are you, Lieutenant?" Chun Li asked, pronouncing the title with sarcasm. "Are you at the office? Or are you somewhere else? You just can't order me to sacrifice my day off just so you can look good in front of the higher-ups. Besides, the work will still be there tomorrow when I return. Get May or Chang on it. They're bigger workaholics than I am."

"I don't want them on the case," Chang insisted. "I want you on it. And where do you get off on telling me where I should be? I am still your superior officer, Xiang. You will treat me with respect. If not you can kiss that three-week vacation goodbye."

"You're only the commanding officer because you kiss the asses of the regional commanders," Chun Li snidely replied, her backbone now firm. "Everybody in the offices know that. You're not the boss of the Hong Kong offices not by merit or experience, but by sucking up to commanders. You haven't even been out in the field. All you ever did was push paperwork."

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Chow bellowed. There was no way he'd let her do this to him. "I want you at the office, working on that case in ten minutes! If I call Leung and find out that you are not there, then you will deal with the regional commanders when I notify them of your disrespect and insubordination! I don't give a damn if you are some hotshot martial artist, or the fact that you helped in bringing down Shadowlaw, Xiang! Be at the office or you can find yourself another job!"

Chun Li puffed at that. "You want to play it like that? Fine. You can take the Triad case and shove it up your ass! As of this moment, I am tendering my resignation from the I.C.P.O.! Effective immediately!"

"What?! You can't just quit!" Chow objected. He wasn't expecting this from Chun Li. Chow needed her for his next promotion. There was no way he would let his subordinate (i.e., puppet) go.

"I just did," Chun Li replied coldly. "Merry Christmas and have a nice life, Lieutenant." With that said, she ended the call and placed her cell phone back into her pocket.

Ryu was watching the scene with a new-found respect for his girlfriend. "Wow," he remarked. "I guess this is a new Chun Li Xiang I'm seeing."

"Sorry you had to witness that," Chun Li apologized. "Chow was one of the main reasons why I ended up skipping out on the last couple of Christmases. No more."

"So what are you going to do now?" Ryu asked.

Chun Li shrugged her shoulders. "Dunno. I've got plenty of money saved up to last for a couple of months. I can also fight in tournaments. But right now..." she trailed off as she pulled out the photos of Chow with his mistress. "I'm in the mood for a little payback. Turns out my jerk of a boss has been cheating on his wife. I was thinking about dropping these photos off and watching the mayhem unfold. Care to join me?"

Ryu grinned. "Sure." Seeing that bastard who'd made the last three Christmases Hell on him get his due sounded like a great idea.

From the safety of her car, Chun Li and Ryu watched as Chow received his divine retribution.

Chun Li did not call Chow's wife. She did one better. Instead, she visited his wife at their home. Marion Chow, Chow's wife thought that her husband was working on a important case and wouldn't be home until late that night.

What Chun Li didn't know was that Marion's father - who was a high-ranking officer in the Chinese military - and her brother - who was the proud owner of a Kung Fu school in the city - were also present.

When Chun Li presented them with the evidence of Chow's adultery, they were furious. Within minutes, Chow's wife and his in-laws were at the Hilton.

Minutes later, Chow came stumbling out of the hotel's front doors, bleeding and battered, with his enraged in-laws after him. The other woman, a pretty girl just out of university, followed, screaming at the two men to stop beating on Chow.

Then Chow's wife appeared and after a brief scuffle knocked the younger woman out cold. Chun Li and Ryu watched as Chow got his ass handed to him by his irate in-laws. Chow's wife even got in several blows.

"I guess they're not going to be sticking together," Ryu mused once the beat-down was over.

"Nope," Chun Li replied as she drove off smiling. "The bastard had it coming."

Ryu looked at the car's clock. "Think we can make it back to the hotel in under 10 minutes? I promised Ken that I would join him and Eliza for breakfast."

"Fair enough," Chun Li replied. "Then I can stop by the Genhanten and pay my respects to Sifu and the boys, as well as drop off their presents."

Inside the Masters International Kowloon's restaurant, Ken Masters took a seat beside his wife. Along with the couple were Ken's brother-in-law and his wife, William and Julia Guile. Guile's daughter, Amy, was back in the States, spending Christmas with her grandparents in Arizona.

"Any word?" Guile asked.

"Nope," Ken replied. "Nothing. It's not like Ryu to miss a meal."

"Maybe he decided to sleep in today," Eliza suggested.

Ken shook his head. "Are you kidding? The only thing that will stop Ryu in his tracks is free food. Trust me. I've known him for a long time."

Guile grunted as he took a long drink from his glass of water.

It was at that moment Ryu walked into the restaurant with Chun Li on his arm, which caused Guile to do an impressive spit-take, spraying water everywhere, shocked to see that Chun Li was actually with Ryu. Even Ken and Eliza was surprised to see Chun Li with Ryu. After all, they both thought that she would be working on Christmas Day, given Ryu grumbled about it last night.

Ryu and Chun Li took a seat in front of the two flabbergasted men and their wives. A passing waiter stopped at their table, allowing Ryu and Chun Li to place their orders as Ryu introduced Julia to Chun Li.

Ken was the first to get over his shock. "You came," he said. "I thought you would be working today."

Chun Li nodded. "Ryu invited me. As for working...I decided to take off today. Of course, my boss didn't take too kindly of that, and when he insulted my integrity and threatened my job, I resigned."

Guile and Ken's jaws dropped yet again. Chun Li had resigned from Interpol? Just what happened to her in the last 24 hours to cause such a turnaround?

"You can say I had an epiphany," Chun Li replied enigmatically. 'And I got the bruises to prove it,' she added as an afterthought. "All I wanted was to make my father proud of me with my job at Interpol. But that changed since the last tournament. I've now seen I've been working too much, and starting to push the people I care about away. So I had to change my outlook in life before it was too late."

As the three couples talked among breakfast, trading stories and the like, Ken looked at his friend. Ryu was a lot more happier when he was with Chun Li, a stark contrast to his usual stoic demeanor whenever he was fighting. He was mostly surprised at Chun Li's turnaround. She had gone from a workaholic to being more...carefree and happy.

Normal for Eliza and Julia, but not Chun Li.

"There's something I have to tell the both of you," Chun Li began as she sipped at her water. Once Guile and Ken had given her their attention, Chun Li spoke to them, telling her about her past. The Pan-American champion and the Air Force commando listened in rapt fascination as Chun Li revealed her past to Ken and Guile. Even Julia and Eliza were shocked to hear about the Chinese female's past concerning her parents and Dourai.

"Whoa," Ken said once Chun Li was finished. "No one else knew that you were adopted?"

"Several people knew," Chun Li admitted. "Ryu found out this morning when I told him." She paused for a moment as she looked at Ken and Guile. "Ken...William...I want to apologize to the both of you about how I acted towards the both of you these past few years. I consider you more than rivals in martial arts. I also consider the both of you as my friends." She bowed her head. "I am very sorry about my behavior, and ask for your forgiveness."

The two in-laws looked at Chun Li for a moment. Guile spoke first. "There's nothing to forgive. We all make mistakes and stumble from time to time." He looked at his wife, remembering how his obsession with Bison and Shadowlaw had nearly destroyed his marriage. "Believe me, I know that feeling first-hand."

Ken nodded at his brother-in-law's comment. "I agree with Will. There's more to life than fighting and working." He looked at Ryu. "I thought I was going to have to pound that idea into Ryu's skull until he told me that he was going to stop traveling and start teaching. I didn't believe him at first, but sure enough, he settled down at the old dojo and took on Sakura as his student."

As breakfast resumed with polite conversation, Ken looked at the reconciled couple. 'Maybe there's hope for those two after all,' he thought.

Before heading over to the Gen's place, Ryu and Chun Li made a side trip to her apartment. After picking up several presents for Gen and his two charges, they were on their way to the Genhanten.

Suffice to say, Gen was surprised to see Chun Li at his doorstep, along with Ryu, the latter holding a bundle of presents in his hands.

Yun and Yang bounded over to the older woman. "Auntie Li, you came!" they both chorused as they nearly tackled Chun Li in a group hug.

A smiling Chun Li managed to pry herself from the two teenagers as Gen approached. Chun Li then bowed to her former master. "Sifu. Merry Christmas."

Gen responded with a nod. "And to you," he replied before embracing the woman.

Ryu had managed to place the three items onto a table. "Master Gen," he greeted, bowing his head in reverence. "Good to see you're well."

"And you as well, young Ryu," Gen replied.

A smiling Chun Li handed Yun and Yang their gifts. "Here you go, boys. Merry Christmas." She then handed Gen a well-maintained book. "I found this inside a bookstore several days ago. I knew how much you liked reading Chinese poetry, and you didn't have this book in your collection."

Gen smiled as he accepted the gift. "Thank you, Chun Li."

Yun, in the meantime had gotten a brand-new skateboard while Yang received a new pair of rollerblades. "AWESOME! THANK YOU, AUNTIE LI!"

Ryu grinned to himself as he watched Yun and Yang nearly tackle Chun Li again in another hug.

'Family is a wonderful thing,' he thought. 'And I'm glad I've got her as part of mine.'

The next stop was a bittersweet one. Chun Li made a visit to a shrine, where she said a prayer for her father. Ryu remembered that Dourai's body was cremated, the ashes thrown into Hong Kong harbor in accordance to his will.

Following that stop, Chun Li took Ryu back to her apartment. The early morning activities had worn the pair out. Right now, they needed a break.

Ryu sat down on her couch, while Chun Li scooted next to him. "So what are you going to do concerning your former job?" he asked.

"I'll go up there and clean out my desk tomorrow," Chun Li replied. "Right now, I just want to relax for a while. When is the big Christmas Party?"

"Eight tonight."

Chun Li looked at her watch. "It's nine now, so we got plenty of time." She snuggled closer to Ryu, who wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

Ryu nodded. "Fair enough. Can I ask you something, Li?"

"Shoot."

"Well," Ryu began nervously. "We've been seeing each other on-and-off since the last tournament, and I was thinking something of a long-term commitment now."

"How long-term?" Chun Li asked.

Ryu dug into his pocket. After a moment, he pulled out something and held it in his palm. Chun Li looked down at the item and gasped.

It was a ring. A simple gold band with a row of five diamonds inside the band. From the look of it, the ring was custom-made.

An engagement ring.

"I was thinking about twenty, maybe thirty years," Ryu suggested. "A house. Maybe run a dojo together. A couple of kids. Maybe a family pet."

Even though Chun Li knew this was coming, she was still shocked. "Is...is this your way of proposing to me?" she squeaked.

Ryu nodded. "I'm not that big of a traditionalist. But I do believe in marrying someone that holds a special place in your heart. So what do you say? Can this Dragon have you as his Spring Beauty forever?"

This he asked as he looked into her eyes, which were wide but not sad.

Chun Li then proceeded to put her boyfriend, now her fiancé, into a bear hug, smothering his face with numerous kisses. "Yes, Ryu," she whispered. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Once she managed to peel herself off of Ryu, he slipped the ring on her finger. It was a perfect match.

"Even if I don't know where this life will take us, I know now I want to be with the man I love and who also loves me," Chun Li said as she looked at her ring. "This is beautiful. It must have cost you a lot of money."

"It was worth it," Ryu replied. "It was worth anything."

Chun Li smiled as she gave him another kiss.

Several hours passed.

Inside Chun Li's apartment, the reconciled couple were inside her bedroom, lying in her bed.

Ryu was pressed up against Chun Li's back, having shed the sweater, revealing his T-shirt underneath, whereas Chun Li's shirt was slightly undone, but with the exception of her socks and shoes, was still fairly clothed, despite the ensuing make-out session that occurred when they entered the bedroom.

After the couple's near-erotic activities, they decided to take a nap. Chun Li had woken up first. Ryu was still asleep, one hand wrapped around her torso protectively. She looked at her ring and smiled. She was happy. Happy that she was being given a second chance. Happy that Ryu had not given up on her.

The knock on the door interrupted her chain of thought. Curious as to who would be visiting her and Ryu, she gently untangled herself from Ryu's embrace, stepped out of bed and walked to the front door. Opening the door, she saw that there was no one on the other side. Poking her head out into the hallway, Chun Li saw that there was no one in the halls either.

Then she looked down.

There was a box at her doorstep. There was also a folded note on the lid. Chun Li unfolded it and read it. It was short and to the point.

Something for the party tonight. Knock 'em dead, Chun Li. You can change at the hotel. Your British friend has a room which is two doors down from Ryu's room on the right. Change there.

~Tenkai

She read the note again and smiled. 'Tenkai...thanks,' she thought as she picked up the box and closed her door. Looking at the clock, she realized that the party would begin in two hours.

Rushing back into her bedroom, she gently shook Ryu's shoulder. "Ryu! Get up! We need to get to the hotel!"

Ryu stirred in bed. He was still a hard sleeper. "Five more minutes, Sensei," he muttered in his sleep.

An evil thought came to her mind at that moment. "So you wanna play like that, huh?" she said as she ran out of the room. Minutes later, she returned with a glass of cold water in her hand. Without giving it a single thought or the consideration of giving her fiancé a warning, Chun Li upended the glass over Ryu's head.

"GAH! COLD!" Ryu shouted as he sat upright. He looked at Chun Li who looked rather innocent, despite holding an empty glass in her hand.

"Was that really necessary?" Ryu asked as he used the blanket to dry his head.

"What ever do you mean, husband-to-be?" Chun Li asked innocently.

"Your halo's crooked," Ryu remarked.

Chun Li rolled her eyes upward and adjusted the imaginary halo. "Really? Damn horns, always tilting my halo," she mused playfully.

She then squealed as Ryu grabbed her and threw her onto the bed, pinning her down. Chun Li wasn't resisting. "You know, we could skip the party and stay here," he suggested with an evil glint in his eyes. "They say that making up is fun to do."

"As much as the idea is so tempting," Chun Li replied, "I want to go to the party. I want to see the look on everybody's faces when I show up on your arm." She wiggled out from under him. "Get your clothes on. We're leaving in five minutes. That should give you more than enough time to prepare once you're back in your room."

Ryu nodded. After Chun Li placed the box and several items inside an overnight bag, she and Ryu left the apartment and returned to the Masters International Kowloon.

Masters International Kowloon, 30 minutes later...

Ryu looked at his reflection in his mirror. Instead of his gi, or even a formal men's kimono-hakama combination, he was dressed in a dark business suit and a pair of expensive dress shoes. The suit was obviously a Christmas gift from Ken, custom-made to fit his muscular frame. The suit was black, the shirt gray with the top button undone. His dark hair remained undone. Ryu was debating on whether or not to put the black-and-gray necktie on when there was a knock at the door.

"Alright, Masters, I'm coming," Ryu grumbled, still holding the necktie in his hand, assuming that the person in the hallway was his friend and sparring partner.

When he opened the door, his jaw practically hit the floor.

Chun Li stood before him, dressed in a black cheongsam dress with a red imprint of black cherry blossoms from top to bottom. The dress hugged her curvaceous frame ending several inches below her knees, showing off her shapely calves. A pair of stiletto heels were on her feet, the heels bringing her up to Ryu's height. Her hair was done up in her in a single bun and held in place with a pair of black lacquered chopsticks. She wore a little red eye shadow around her eyes and lip gloss, which enhanced her appearance. In one hand was a folded fan.

Ryu quickly recovered. "You...you look amazing," he said.

Chun Li smiled. "You cleaned up pretty good yourself," she replied, entering the room, closing the door behind her. She looked at the necktie in his hand. "You don't know how to tie a knot?"

"I do, but I'm debating on whether or not should I wear the tie."

Chun Li answered that question for him by plucking the necktie from his hand. Turning the collar upwards, she wrapped the two ends of the tie around his neck and began to expertly tie the knot.

"Let me guess, Dourai taught you how to tie a Windsor?" Ryu asked.

"Nope. Co-worker. I always hated tying these things."

"So why am I wearing this?"

Chun Li finished tying the knot. She then buttoned the top button and pulled the collar down before adjusting the tie. "Because it looks good on you," she replied. "And I told you already I want to see the look on everybody's face when we show up to the party."

"You think that will shock them," Ryu replied, "just wait when we tell them about our engagement."

The Christmas party was in full swing by the time Ryu and Chun Li had arrived at the ballroom, arms linked, a smile on both their faces. Of course, with the exception of Ken and Guile, most of the guests were indeed surprised when they saw Chun Li on Ryu's arm. They had expected her to be working through Christmas...again.

Dan Hibiki's niece, Ran, was there taking photos of the couples, having been hired by the Masters family for the occasion. Ryu and Chun Li were among the couples who had their picture taken.

Following the photoshoot, the couple ran into Ken and Eliza. Like the other guests, the host and hostess were dressed to impress, Ken also in a suit while Eliza was wearing a slinky black dress. Guile and Julia joined the two couples moments later, Guile smartly dressed in his formal Air Force dress uniform complete with rank and Julia in a more conservative evening dress.

Ken grinned at his brother-in-law. "You owe me fifty bucks, Will. I told you she was going to show with Ryu."

"Put it on my tab," Guile replied.

It was at that moment, Ken noticed the ring on Chun Li's finger. Ryu quickly saw Ken's expression and silenced him with a stare, while Eliza barely managed to restrain herself from squealing.

"Isn't that..." Guile began, blue eyes wide at what Chun Li had on her finger.

Chun Li nodded, her eyes shining. "He proposed to me this morning. I said yes."

"Congratulations to the both of you," Guile said, shaking Ryu's hand. "You've finally decided to take my advice."

"That one line about becoming a family man?" Ryu guessed.

Guile nodded. "Promise me that you will cherish her. If I find out you're doing her wrong, then I will come looking for you."

Ryu returned Guile's leveled look with his own. "Chun Li means a lot to me, Guile. You know that."

Ken slapped Ryu across the back. "Good work, man! I didn't know you had it in you! Of course, I'm the best man, for the wedding, right?"

Ryu shushed him. "Keep it down, will you? Chun Li and I are going to tell everyone later on tonight. No one finds out until we make the announcement."

The two couples nodded in the affirmative.

The party went on late into the night. As the Christmas party started to wind down, Ryu and Chun Li were seated at a table with Ken and Eliza when Chun Li turned to Ryu. "It's time," was all she said.

The engaged couple rose to their feet. "Everyone, can I have your attention, please?" she called out. Once the crowd was silent, Chun Li began to speak. "Ryu and I have an announcement to make. First, as of this morning, I resigned from the I.C.P.O."

Whispers and murmurs were heard throughout the crowd. They knew that Chun Li lived and breathed Interpol. It was a miracle in itself that Ryu wanted anything to do with her.

At that moment, Chun Li dropped the bombshell on the crowd.

"Second," Chun Li continued, raising her hand so that everyone can see the engagement ring, "this morning, Ryu asked for my hand in marriage. As you can see by the ring on my hand, my answer is yes. Ryu and I are now engaged."

The ensuing reactions from several of the guests were indeed priceless.

"Nani?!" went Guy, Rena, Dan Hibiki, and Edmond Honda. They'd never thought Ryu would have it in him to do this.

"No way!" sputtered Cody Travers after recovering from the spit-take he'd done as he heard the news.

"What?!" said 'Rainbow' Mika Nanakawa and Zangief in disbelief.

"Bloody Hell! Ryu's finally proposed to her!" said Cammy White with a stunned grin on her lips. 'She finally wised up and bagged Ryu!' she thought, then added, 'It's about bloody time you wised up, girl!'

"You owe me 200 bucks, Travers! I told you Ryu was going to propose to her!" whooped Maki Genryusai.

"Shaddup, Genryusai!" Cody snarled at the Bushin trainee as he was going to have a hard time explaining this to Jessica and her dad. He had thought given their track records that Maki was making a sucker bet. Little did he know he was the 'sucker' who made it with her.

Fei Long was munching on a piece of shrimp when Chun Li made the announcement. Of course, the piece of shrimp went down his windpipe instead of his throat. One forceful whack to the back of his throat from his date, a well-known musician and singer by the name of Eden Choi, freed the lodged piece of seafood from its prison.

"Thanks," he croaked out.

Once the shock had passed, the gathered audience broke out into polite applause, congratulating the newly-engaged couple.

Once the applause died down, Ryu spoke. "So far, we haven't decided on a date for the wedding. Chun and I have to talk about that once she relocates to Japan."

Once again, the audience - Ken and Guile included - were shocked by this revelation.

Chun Li smiled. "Ryu is correct. I'm moving in with him. We talked about opening a dojo together, and I needed a change in my life. I enjoy teaching, so I will co-own a dojo with my husband-to-be."

"You know what that means, do you Ryu?" Dan called out from the audience. "No more wandering the world."

"I've long since stopped that, Hibiki," Ryu replied. "I've been training my own student in martial arts for the past two years. I'm local now. I didn't plan on fighting forever. Like Chun Li, I also enjoy teaching martial arts. Of course, this doesn't mean that I will cease fighting altogether. I will, however, be much easier to find."

That got a laugh from the guests.

Ken then rose to his feet. "All right, everyone." He turned to Fei and his date. "Fei, can you talk your date into singing a song for our guests?"

Fei turned to his date. After a quick conversation in Chinese, Eden turned to the host. " I will sing," she replied in English. "Not because you requested that I do." She turned to Ryu and Chun Li. "But I will sing for them."

Ken shrugged his shoulders. "Fair enough."

Ken was smart enough to have hired a live band. As Eden took to the stage, the couples took to the dance floor, the song Eden requested began to play. A slow, romantic love song Eden sang in English.

As Eden sang, Ryu and Chun Li danced. "I'm glad you decided to come with me," he said.

Chun Li smiled. "So am I. So what are we going to do about a wedding date?"

"We'll worry about that later on," Ryu replied. "The moment at hand is what matters right now."

"You're right about that," she replied as she felt Ryu cup her face with his hands.

They kissed as Eden continued her song. By this time, Ryu and Chun Li had stopped dancing and were pretty much enraptured with each other.

As Eden started on her second song, Ryu and Chun Li departed from the ballroom. Their absence was noticed by Ken and Eliza.

"I think things are going to be okay," Eliza said to her husband, smiling. "Ryu was so upset last night. I'm glad to see that they have reconciled. Those two are very alike in many ways."

"I think they're not going to wait for a honeymoon," Ken teased. "They are going to reaffirm their love for each other. And perhaps tonight we might do that as well?" He said with a wicked glint in his eyes. "William just might do the same with Julia."

Eliza stared at Ken. "It's Christmas, honey," Ken said at the look she gave him. "They're full of Christmas spirit, and I for one think they should share with each other. Just like we all could."

Eliza smiled. "Just as long as you keep that in mind, buster," she said as she goosed his behind. "'Cause I want some too." Then it was Ken's eyes that went wide.

The party had lasted well into the night. It was nearly 2:45 in the morning when Ryu and Chun Li decided to retire for the night. It was late and Chun Li had decided to retire for the night. Instead of going back to her apartment, Chun Li instead decided to stay with her fiancé.

As they entered Ryu's room, Chun Li was thankful that she had packed some undergarments, just in case something like this ended up happening.

Once the door was locked, Ryu turned to face his fiancée, only to have her grab his necktie, pulling her close to him. Ryu got the idea and decided to take it a step further.

He gently pinned Chun Li up against the door, right before kissing her passionately, the Chinese martial artist returning the kiss with equal passion.

"Remember what you said earlier about making up?" Chun Li asked after the kiss as she continued to play with Ryu's necktie in one hand.

"You want to get started?" Ryu grinned as he had an idea of what she had in mind. His hands went to the chopsticks in her hair and down came her bun, the black tresses coming down.

"Yeah," Chun Li smiled wickedly as she undid the necktie. "Let's unwrap our 'presents,' Ryu," she added as the tie went flying, one hand now at his pants.

After a furious 'unwrapping,' Ryu and Chun Li ended up between the sheets. Soon the dragon was enjoying the soft, female confines of his spring beauty as they went from human mind to primal rut. If anyone saw the two of them, it could be argued they had a lot of sexual frustration from the last 48 hours that needed to be let loose.

And after about two hours of sex where Chun Li found out how much of a horny her future husband was (and Ryu finding out how high and loudly his spring beauty could sing orgasm notes), it might even be argued that the two of them could rival Ken and Eliza.

But then they embraced each other warmly.

"My beautiful wife-to-be," Ryu said, his eyes now warm. "I love you so much."

"And I love you so much to, my handsome husband-to-be," Chun Li said as she kissed Ryu's lips.

Pulling the covers over each other, Ryu and Chun Li drifted off into sleep, happy for the first time in ages.

They dreamed of cloudless climes and starry skies together, where a dragon could soar with his spring beauty.

They dreamed of a wedding most folks thought would never take place until now.

They dreamed of a wedding night most hentai wished could come true sooner than expected.

But most of all, they dreamed of a life together. No longer apart as two fighters, but as one.

What fate joined, let nothing or nobody tear asunder.