Recalled to Life... Ch.3 (Part 2)
By Pearl/Bean

It had been almost two weeks since Chun-Li's life have been saved by only three words. She had never heard those words before… and Ryu had never said them before. He knew it showed weakness of a warrior to love someone as much as he loves Chun-Li, but the warrior side within him and what he felt for Chun-Li were total opposites and required different responses and thoughts toward the subject.

It was night time and they were both around a small camp fire Ryu had created earlier that day from the sun and Chun-Li's old pair of spectacles. She said to just use matches, but she knew Ryu would do things the hard way… that was the only way in his opinion to do things and that made Chun-Li turn her head more toward him keeping her stare at him longer than usual.

She slowly approached him as he started cooking dinner, *I didn't know a guy liked him cooked.* The sun had gone down in the forest making the sky look as if it was a rainbow. Chilly breezes caused the Wushu fighter to wrap a blanket around her when she took her brakes from training on the banks of the lake.

Before she made enough distance for Ryu to detect her she looked up at the cliff. She never went up to the cliff ever again. Ryu didn't either. He spent most of his time either teaching her some of his Shotokan or help her improve her chi, which never came about still. She would also help him fight his obvious fear. They would spar in the middle of the lake. Of course the kicks were banished and it was literally hand to hand combat, but he slowly got over his fear of a non-footing environment.

Every now and then they would dunk eachother or splash water in eachother's faces just kidding around. This would obviously cause them forget about training, Chun-Li's lack of chi, Ryu's phobia of water, and the entire world for that matter.

She gently touched his shoulder. Ryu, knowing she would, didn't jump in surprise. He didn't need his warrior's knowledge to feel Chun-Li's presence. He felt her eyes on him since she stepped out of her hut. He put the last noodles in and stirred.

Then he looked up at her. She wasn't looking at him. She was looking deep into the fire… like it had the answers she was searching for. She snapped out of her state of pensive thinking and looked at Ryu smiling. She saw his light brown eyes. They were the eyes of an energetic child. His body, obviously, another story. Still shivering some-what, she sat down next to him.

She put her hands out over the fire to warm them. Ryu wanted to reach out and hold them. He would do anything to help her be free of distress, but he knew this woman was no helpless damsel. About to reach out and intertwine his fingers w/ her, Ryu was beaten by Chun-Li as she gracefully interlocked her fingers with his first.

His hands were cold even though they were by the fire. She placed both her petite hands over his huge palms and rubbing her hands against his hoping the friction between them would create heat for his hands. This made Ryu look straight at the Chinese woman. He looked into her eyes that were fixed on their hands. They were deeper than oceans, farther than the endless limits of space, and yet piercingly bold.

Most men either found her intimidating or just another girl they wanted to sleep with. Was he the first guy to ever take her seriously? To look at her through her soul first and find a whole new world only he has been endowed to see?

The Japanese warrior couldn't help but let his own mind linger while she silently massaged his hands. Ryu remembered the first seeing her after his many years of training in the deep woods of Japan… at the tournament with Bison.

~~~

She was practicing alone on top of a hill in the sunlight. The sun fell around her like it pointed her out to Ryu. Ken, who was walking with Ryu, stopped too. His jaw dropped open. This was the first time Ken and Ryu saw a woman fighting at these tournaments.

He saw Ken examine her head to toe… and back. "She looks like she'd be a good challenge," Ken said. Ryu knew Ken wasn't meaning about fighting challenge. "She looks like a worthy warrior," Ryu commented flatly to remind Ken of the reason they were there. Ken nodded totally oblivious of Ryu's words. "Ken, your drooling," Ryu aside to his infatuated bestfriend as he walked ahead.

Chun-Li noticed the blonde male still staring at her and decided to pump up the skills to show him she was an opponent only there for the fighting. She accomplished her hurricane kick into an apple tree sending the apples flying everywhere. Ken and Ryu saw this and ducked from the flying fruit.

They were embarrassed to be ducking from food. -But at the speed they were flying, as if you threw them off the Empire State building and gravity treated it like a two ton boulder weapon. They both looked up at the female fighter once the fruit had stopped their airborne trip. She was smiling and eating an apple. She walked off the other side of the hill. The last the two men saw of her that day were her two buns and ribbons flying in the wind.

Ryu looked at a few apples infront of him. He picked one up, dusted it off and turned around approaching Ken who had remnants of apples all over him. Ryu took a huge bite.

He nodded pleased with the taste, "It's a good apple." He picked another one off the ground. He held it out for Ken, "Want one?" Ken looked at him finally taking his eyes off the empty hill. "Now if she can only do that with apples, imagine would she would do to me?" He took it smiling.

Ryu sighed annoyed. He never learns. "What a woman, eh?" A tall man wearing a long red cape said behind both of them. They both turned around quickly not sensing him until he spoke. Ryu noticed his eyes were too dark to scan for a soul, "Y-Yeah, I guess. I mean it was just fruit." "It'd be a shame to let a woman win a world wide tournament. Especially her." "Who is she?" Ken asked still infatuated with her and the apple incident. "Chun-Li Xiang," the cape man said, "She's here because of me."

"Oh, so is she your woman?" Ken asked crunching an apple. Ryu looked serious and almost angry. He already knew the this man and him were and forever life long enemies. Bison laughed, "You must not know who I am." Ryu noticed his ego in that sentence and watched him walk away tall and proud.

Ryu later remembered him and her in their first and duel. He remembered she was the girl that Gen trained. He could tell by her style. He also saw her thirst for vengeance was much more powerful than her skills. When she lost to him, she felt she let someone down more than herself. She wasn't a sore loser, she didn't cry.

She instead lowered her head and walked off to a sparsely populated place where her gym bag waited. The viewers didn't expect her to win because she was a girl. Over half the observers were male. One of the males took this as an opportunity.

He followed Chun-Li to her area. She picked up her sparring bag and rental car keys. She was banned from the tournament that could of led her to Bison. *-And I was so close,* Were her exact thoughts before she was cornered by this one man named Zangrief. She was worn out from the fight.

Zangrief knew of this and attempted to use it to his advantage. After all, he saw the apple scene too. Chun-Li didn't scream. She didn't need another male to see this and, gawed forbid, rescue her. She didn't need a knight a shining armor.

Ryu didn't care. She spit in Zangrief's eye. He grabbed her neck and began lifting her up against the wall. "You'll going to lose something else today you little whore!" Zangrief yelled boldly about to knock her unconscious.

She was already weak from the fight with Ryu. She struggled trying to kick him, punch him, even her kikoken wouldn't work. "Shoryuken!" -And Zangrief was down on the ground rolling away. Chun-Li fell from her spot on the wall. She hated being the shortest at these tournaments. She saw Ryu standing between her and Zangrief. *Gouken taught you well old friend,* She thought.

She remembered Ryu, she noticed he increased much more than her due to his positive motivation obviously brought out more skills. "A true warrior respects all people as equals. -And a gentleman would never treat a lady anywhere near what I saw seconds ago," Ryu said with strength and power in his tone. Chun-Li didn't smile, yet inside she knew Ryu didn't change.

"Come on Ryu, let's go. This man obviously isn't at your fighting level and doesn't deserve the same air as you," Chun-Li spoke getting and placing her small hand on his muscular arm. Ryu saw Zangrief still on the ground in pain. *She was beyond correct. This man had so much to learn.*

He turned around and escorted her to her rental car. "Did he hurt you?" "No, nothing I wasn't prepared for… or used to get." Ryu was some-what shocked at her answer. He was silent for awhile. "I hope I didn't hurt anything permanent," Ryu spoke about their previous duel. "Same here," She replied knowing she barely scratched him.

"Your chi… it's very powerful," Ryu nervously let out. Chun-Li sighed frustrated, "Obviously not powerful enough to beat Bison… and even a life long friend like you." Ryu paused as she opened her door, "I'm sorry you aren't in the tournament anymore. I know, it sounds odd, but I know what it's like to lose someone close to me and wanting revenge."

"No you don't," She coldly shot back. Ryu couldn't help, but stare deep into the worthy woman's eyes. Chun-Li kept her fixed stare on her old friend, "It's not what you think of every second of every day, it's not what you breathe, sleep and sweat for every day, it's not waking you up in the middle of the night because you see flashbacks of your father's reoccurring death or his killer's laugh. Trust me, if you know exactly how I feel..." she stopped herself, she didn't feel going into a monologue of her past year thoughts and have this man pity her.

She sat on the driver's seat still facing Ryu. "If there is anything I can do-" She was glad he asked this, "Stop him!" "What?" She stood up re-energized as if she were battling the next duel instead of him. "Make him pay for the lives he's killed with his own death."

Ryu was startled finally seeing her unexpressed anger. "Chun-Li…" He gulped in total shock because of her words and tone. "I'll… I'll try my best," Ryu stuttered. "Ryu, I know if there is any person in this world that can bring this son of a bitch down, it's you." "Your anger, hate, and rage doesn't end with him, mine does… When he's gone, I'll have the life I've always wanted to have."

She looked at him with so much emotion, it made him buckle under the stress. Chun-Li could easily manipulate a loyal mind unconsciously. "I'll stop him for you…" He said slowly. He said sternly and nodding. Chun-Li smiled a weak smile.

She slammed her driver door and hugged Ryu for the longest time with all her strength. Ryu hugged her back knowing she needed comfort now. -But he was thinking about what he just said… *What if I don't put Bison away? Will I die trying?* He couldn't think of that now. He had a promise to keep. Just then, Ken came from his last duel, an obvious victory seeing how he was only slightly limping. He saw Ryu and Chun-Li. He stopped stunned.

Ryu and Chun-Li were hugging so tight that not even a lightning bolt could separate them. His physical pain went away, "What's the hell!? How'd Ryu get the girl? He never got girls! He never tried! Damn!" Then he saw Chun-Li kiss his cheek. Ryu was shocked and blushed so hard, he looked like the apples Chun-Li kicked off the tree earlier.

He saw Chun-Li whispering something in his ear. Ken noticed Ryu's whole body had become tense. Every muscle was flexed. Ken chuckled silently and decided to embarrass Ryu some more. He slowly walked toward them. Chun-Li finally let go of Ryu and opened her car door. -Or tried to. It was locked and her keys were sprawled out on the passengers seat. Shocked, she looked seeing the driver door was lock. Ken laughed silently, "Women and cars…"

Ryu looked in the window seeing the keys, his redness has toned down a bit making him only look hot from the sunny weather. They both were trying to find a way to get in the car. "Hey," Ken said and opened the front passenger door. "Are we all going out for a victory dinner or something?" Chun-Li got an angry face.

She walked toward Ken. Ryu motioned to Ken shaking his head no. Ken learned too late. "Excuse me," She forcibly said pushing Ken out of the way. She climbed to unlock the driver door. On her hands and knees, Ken stood away getting a nice view of the back side of Chun-Li and smiled nodding approvingly. Ryu's eyes widened glaring at Ken.

Chun-Li got out. Ken's hand was still on the passenger door and his arm was blocking her path. "Hey… you looked like you had a good work-out," Ken said smiling. Chun-Li, still angry at him, slammed the passenger door. Ken almost lost his balance as he fell forward.

Chun-Li walked back over to the driver's door and opened it. She turned toward Ryu's face being only one or two inches away and whispered something. She quickly and softly kissed his cheek again, "Good luck," She said, "I'll be back by the end of the week."

~~~

Ryu's old memories were interrupted when Chun-Li kissed his cheek again. He came back to the present and his slightly jumped and looked at her shocked. "Finally I have your attention. I've been calling your name forever. Do I really give that good of a massage?" Ryu looked down feeling his hands were warm.

He was warm all over and got up from the fire. He held his hand out to help Chun-Li. "Sorry," he said, "I was thinking…" Chun-Li nodded and went to pick up a basket that was inside her hut. She practically hopped back to him. Ryu was curious what was in such a huge basket. She held up a dark red apple, "Want one?" she said smiling. Ryu didn't expect this, "W-What?" He looked surprised at the woman. She smiled holding up the basket. "You know me too well, Chun…" he said taking one.

Chun-Li all of a sudden went soft inside, she giggled. "What?" He asked his mouth already full. "You called me Chun." She set down the basket and threw some apple slices she sliced earlier in with the noodles. "It is your name," he said. She stood up smiling, "So is Chun-Li, and Chun-Li Xiang and-" "I like Chun," Ryu said quickly. It's kawaii and fast… *Like you.* He wanted to say aloud, but that'd be pushing it.

"Say it," Chun-Li said knowing those words also described her. "Eh?" Ryu asked. "Say what I know you want to say," Chun-Li said. "-Or I won't let you call me Chun again." "Oh really?" He asked sensing her playful tone, "I'll fight you for it." She knew he'd say that and wrapped her arms around him gracefully from behind. "In the middle of the lake," She added tugging on his bandanna forcefully causing it to fall off his forehead. She shrieked playfully and ran toward the waters.

"Hey!" He quickly said running up and grabbing her around her waist. "Put it back," He ordered truthfully wanting to feel her touch again, but in the most innocent way possible. Chun-Li wrinkled her nose, "Your a grown man, do it yourself."

"Oh yeah, so you can pull it down again right after I have it on," He prided himself for thinking so quickly and cleverly. Chun-Li sighed and let go of her blanket. It fell at her ankles showing a pair of striped high cut navy blue shorts an only a sports bra. He was shocked she was wearing something that showed so much… skin.

She was showing almost everything: her muscular legs, flat stomach, well defined arms… her sports bra also helped define something else… *No! Don't think in such an immature manner!* He thought quickly.

Chun-Li decided to tie his bandanna facing him. Their faces were at most an inch away. He could feel her hot breath on him. She was finished and looked straight into his eyes. "Is there anything else, big boy?" She smiled purposely saying that while her arms were still wrapped around him.

Ryu knew this was an invitation, but there was one thing he didn't quite understand about Chun-Li. Chun-Li waited long enough, more like10 seconds, and decided that she was to make the first move and went in to kiss him. Ryu moved his head causing her to kiss his cheek. She knew he purposely did this and let go of him.

She was embarrassed and turned to go back to her hut until dinner was ready. *Why the hell did I just do that?* Ryu asked himself. "Chun-Li!" He called. "I-I guess your just as confused about us as I am," she spoke starting to walking away.

Ryu looked up seeing her ribbons flowing in the wind, "Chun…" he said slowly. She turned around quickly at his command hoping he would say he loved her again. She did love him too. She would always love this man that ended her hatred and quest for revenge and opened up a whole new world to her. "What are we?" He asked, "Are we just really close friends that kiss when the mood is right?"

Chun-Li was shocked. She was shocked not because he asked such a question, but because she really didn't know the answer. In a pinch, she just looked at the fire and sat down silently wrapping the blanket around her. She closed her eyes and lowered her head because she knew she didn't have an answer. "I… I want to say we're more than that, Ryu. I really want to. -But…" she wanted to pour her heart out to this man, this warrior, the most powerful warrior in the world to be exact.

Ryu sat beside her and put his arm around her shoulder. "You don't have to answer me now. I can wait for you, Chun. I can wait for the rest of my life, even longer," he said as he reached get their dinner. Chun-Li was carefully thinking, she knew she loved him. Then why was such a simple answer hard for her?

She thought this over. Her new life in general was hard for her. She had new reasons to wake up every day: her friends, family and now her new love of her life. She used to wake up with one thing on her mind: Killing Bison. That emotion wasn't needed anymore. She then made a huge decision that would definitely pave a new road in her life. She decided to stop looking in the past. She stopped comparing her new life to her old one.

She looked up at Ryu and thought to herself, *This man has chosen to love me over all the other women in the world. He chose me… and I chose him. I shouldn't be afraid of emotion that are new that I can't control. I can't control love. I won't fully posses it then.* She, then, stood up.

Ryu turned around seeing Chun-Li standing in her semi-skimpy work-out uniform. He accidentally dropped her noodles. "Dammit," he quietly said as he quickly picked up the bowl. Chun-Li walked over and put her hand on his huge shoulder. "It's ok, Ryu. I'll take you over food any day."

Ryu didn't expect her to say that. He looked at her carefully and stood up close to her. "Chun? Are you ok?" He felt her forehead. "I did some thinking…" She said softly. *Quick thinking* Ryu spoke to himself.

"I'd first like to thank-you for putting up with someone like me. My whole life has been lived through vengeance, hate, and pain." She paused, "You… you made that disappear when you killed Bison. It was hard to start over. My strength, speed, skills… it's all weakened and I feel I don't deserve the title to be the strongest woman in the world." "Chun, you'll always be the strongest woman in the world in my heart," Ryu said smiling, "I just want you to be happy."

Chun-Li almost melted in a puddle of joy. She became nervous… what she was going to say would effect her life forever, "I didn't realize how much all of those emotions controlled me until they all vanished leaving nothing… -but… -but you." She couldn't help but blush, "You also gave me a new purpose in life and I'll always be grateful to you for that." Ryu didn't know how much of an impact he had been on this woman, until now. He was just being himself, he grinned as he began to foreshadow an answer on a question.

Chun-Li let a tear go down her cheek in happiness, "To answer your question… There is no way we can be friends," Ryu was shocked and got tense. Chun-Li hugged him, "You are so much more than a friend to me."

Ryu, looking down at Chun-Li, paused from her answer, calmed himself down and wrapped his arms around the woman that he had recalled to life. She also recalled his own life by giving him the love Ryu never thought he would attain in this life. Now, as more than friends, the couple knew their adventures were just beginning.