For the Fight Ch. 42
By RC

Ryu sighed. He was very tired. Ken had implored upon him as his best friend to help him with the luggage and he had caved in at the pitiful site of a sweat soaked Ken begging on his knees.

He shook his head in wonderment.

"How Eliza gets enough storage space for all those clothes I'll never know." he said to himself.

He walked past the room Ken and Eliza were sleeping in and heard voices.

"But Eliza I'm tired."

"You promised."

"But..."

"You said as soon as we got here we could and I've waited for hours, now do it."

"But Honey I'm bushed and..."

"Don't 'but' me blondie, I said now."

"But Eliza we have guests."

Ryu heard the sound of a woman laughing and then he heard Eliuza say, "Chun Li, Cammy, and Ryu are all on the other side of the house."

"Well...Ryu has really, really good hearing."

"HA, Ryu probably wouldn't understand anyway. He'd think we were having a midnight training session. NOW DO IT."

"Owwwwww..."

Ryu shrugged and continued on past the door. He wondered what she wanted Ken to do.

"Oh well."

**********************

Cammy tossed and turned in her bed. Sweat dotted her brow. The dreams were intense and frightening. She wanted to wake up and would, but she knew there was something important about the dreams. She saw her clones and then herself on an operating table. She saw that old man bent over her head, inserting something in her locks of blond hair.

She woke from the Nightmarer and bolted upright.

********************

Ryu closed the door to the bathroom and stretched. He had taken a shower and It was getting late, but he still had to meditate before going to sleep.

He walked down the stairs and through the kitchen. He opened and closed the french doors quietly and walked across the deck to where the steps would lead to the yard.

He liked to sit in the grass while he meditated. It gave him the feeling of the Earth itself and he liked to think he was closer to it, gathering his chi.

Before he got there a soft voice stopped him.

"Hey there Tough Guy."

Something hit his chest and he put his hands out to catch it. They were his drownish fighting gloves.

"You left those out in the yard when you were practicing this afternoon."

Chun Li stepped out of the shadows and moved toward him. She had bathed as well and the powerful scent of her hair hit him like a Tiger Shot. She was wearing a light blue robe that was wrapped tightly around her.

"What were you doing out here?" he asked.

She shrugged anda gust blew her hair in her face. She pushed it away with one hand while pulling her robe closer with the other. She shivered with cold.

"You're still weak, you should come inside. Winter is coming." he said as he ushered her inside.

********************

Cammy reached behing her head and searched her scalp. Her finger nails "clicked" against something and she went back over that spot. Something metal was imbedded in her scalp in the back of her head. She duck her nails in and wrenched hard.

A fierce pain hit her right between the eyes, but it ended when she wrenched the thing loose from her scalp.

She peered into her hand and there in the center of her palm.

Covered in blood was a small metal object with a green lit up on it. As she watched the dot flashed red and started to "hum" in a very low tone.

********************

Chun Li followed him inside and shivered again after he closed the door.

He looked at her and she smiled.

"You know I was put on this job to make sure you were kept safe and you end up looking after me all the time."

Ryu shrugged and said, "It's all right, you're a friend. I have few, but I'd do anything for them."

She smiled and moved closer to him.

"You know Ryu at first I thought you were a real *ss, but you risked your own rear to help me out several times."

"You did the same." he said remembering when she had helped him when Gouki made a surprise attack on him after his fight with DeeJay.

"Ah, well...you saved me more times than I saved you." she argued.

"Yes, well Vega did have poision tipped claws," he replied.

"I'm an officer of the law. Don't argue with me." she said in a commanding voice.

He frowned and she smiled.

"I'm just kidding. But I do thank you for what you've done. I wasn't too likable in the beginning either. I didn't like you because you defeated Bison when it was my goal in life.

"You may get a second chance." Ryu said with a frown as he looked out the window.

"No, I don't think I really should. I hate Bison with all my heart. It has been my one focus, my life since my father died. If I killed him What would I have? Nothing."

Ryu thought on that. They were very wise words. He had not expected her to say them. Had not thought she could, but they made sense to him.

She leaned in close and gave him a hug.

Ryu backed up against the wall, but she followed as if expecting it.

He looked around. If there was one thing he didn't want it was someone to come along right now.

"We have a lot to do this week Ryu. We should probably get some sleep."

And saying this she stood on her toes and touched her lips too Ryu's cheek softly.

He froze as a warm feeling washed over him from his cheek to his toes. She turned away then and as she walked she said in a whisper, "Goodnight Ryu."

*********************

The small metal object began to emit small "beeping" sounds and she panicked. She launched herself off the bed and toward the window. She tried desperately to unlock the window, but it's lock was rusted solid.

She clenched a fist and smashed the window. Glass bit into her arm, but she ignored the pain and launched the small metal object through the window.

Then as she dove to the other side of the bed it exploded.

********************

"Sir, we have the signal. Her implant has just self destructed." said the lithe woman in the black outfit.

"Good work, move in."