Rendering to Emotion Ch. 1
By Silvercane

' in the beginning and end of a sentence means that the charcter is thinking, not saying.

'Ba ba? Are you there?' Why couldn't she feel it? She always felt him around when she needed him. 'Ba ba?' Not expecting an answer, she peered through the dirty window of the double-decker bus. A mother was shaking her child and yelling at him in Cantonese in the middle of the hustling sidewalk. No one paid any attention. Everyone was busy with their lives. As Chun Li watched, she grinned. 'What's more sadistic than seeing a child being punished by his parent?…Stop!' How could she think like that? She never did before, except lately. She was so jealous of that child. She longed for the attention of a parent. But why lately? She had been without her father for more than ten years now. 'Maybe I'm just breaking down' she thought as she looked down at her papers of resignation. 'I need to take a vacation.'

***

Chun Li packed a small bag and prepared to go to Chengtu.

***

"Ni how", said the frail, old, hump-backed woman as she walked by. Ryu ignored her and coldly continued on. 'Always respect your elders', his sensei had told him. But his sensei was dead and he more important things to do. Everyone was so kind and hospitable. Even though it was China, Ryu knew how to get around. He picked up some Mandarin in his journeys.

A low rumple of thunder was heard between the large mountains in view. A few droplets fell and everyone ran for cover into their homes. As the ground under his foot went from crunchy to soft, he began to jog. The rain was hard now. It was hard and rhythmic, as if it intended to never end. The mud splattered and made slapping noises as he rapidly trudged through it. With his head down and eyes averted to the ground- he almost bumped into a group of children laughing and shouting. They ran past him and into their warm homes and loving families. Ryu never felt the warmth of family but he didn't think he was missing anything. 'I don't need family, no one really does.' He lied to himself. Finally! Shelter. He ran into the large temple and shook his head from nature's tears. The inside was spacious and empty. Nothing…no one…a girl? Ryu looked at her- as if silently questioning who she was. She wore a tracksuit and running shoes.

She arched a brow as she looked him up and down 'Why is he dressed like that?'

He followed her gaze down his body. 'What?'

'Oh God, how long do I have to stay in here with this guy?'

'What's she looking at?'

"Looks like we're trapped in here for a while", she said to the beautiful stranger in English; assuming he wasn't Chinese.

"You don't look like you live in the village" was all he replied, in a neutral tone.

"Yeah, I'm sure you do" she said sarcastically, but then decided not to give this stranger a bad impression, so she shut up.

As Ryu sat down against the wall, he noticed that the girl was looking thoughtfully at him. He quickly looked away, as did she. He looked back at her as she stared at the shiny floor. She leaned against a pillar, her arms and feet crossed.

'She certainly is beautiful' He looked back at her constantly, but his attraction to her was purely based on her outer shell, so he closed his eyes and sighed. 'Just want to rest…rest…'

Chun Li glared at the stranger with burning curiosity. She watched as he sat there with his eyes closed. 'A perfect man stuck in here with me…Buddha's playing tricks on me' she smirked to herself. She watched as he breathed and a droplet rolled down his forehead and fell off his brow bone. To her embarrassment, he shot open his eyes and saw her staring at him.

"So where are you from?" she asked immediately. 'Nice save, idiot'

He hesitated and looked at her closer and finally replied. "Japan"

"What are you doing in Chengtu?" 'What's with the third degree, Chun?'

At first, he was reluctant to answer. 'I don't have to answer her' but by looking at her, he decided she was harmless, so to get her off his back, he told her. "I'm looking for someone".

"In Chengtu? Well, I grew up here, so I could tell you where everything and everyone is" she offered kindly.

"That won't be necessary. I'm only passing by" he said as he looked at the floor. 'The faster I find him, the sooner I will avenge you, sensei…'

'Alright, you don't have to be so mean, I was only trying to help' she thought.

Chun Li stared at the rain coldly. 'Remember when we used to run home after school, under one umbrella? Remember when I used to cuddle up to you when it thundered? You left me! You left me to be by myself when it thundered! Nothing is important to me anymore. Lately, you've slowly faded away and yet still remain- as if to say everything matters…Living in a fantasy of you here beside me, is that how my life is supposed to be? I don't remember your voice! She didn't even notice the hot tears that escaped from her eyes and dripped onto her collar. She quickly wiped them away when realizing the stranger was still sitting by the wall.

'Why is she crying? Should I say anything?' Ryu just looked at her in concern. He had never been in a situation like this before. He didn't know if he should appease her.

Thunder roared above the temple- as fiercely as if two angels were fighting in the heavens and Chun Li broke down. She started to cry as hard as the thunder yelled at her. She slid down to the floor, with her head buried in her knees and wept in the blue of her oblivion. Why was she so emotional lately?

After the thunder stopped, after she cried, after her tears mixed with the rain on her clothes, she calmed down. She stared at the floor; her eyes swollen, making everything blurry. She considered the stranger and how uncomfortable he must be, so she apologized for her behavior. "I'm sorry…the thunder is a strong coercion that reminds me of the one I love and lost"

Ryu didn't know what to say, except, "I lost someone like that too".

The softness in his voice told Chun Li that that person must have been really dear to him. 'He knows how I feel'.

"It's days like this, I just don't know what to do. What's gone is gone and there's nothing you can do…I always ask myself whether that day should have taken place- the day my father died. I used to think that everything happens for a reason. Did misfortune happen to me for a reason? Lately, I feel like a different person. Are you ever scared to go to sleep? Scared that the dreams would build painful memories?"

"Yes…the one who killed my sensei always comes into my dreams to laugh and scorn me"

"Your sensei?"

"Yes, he was like my father. He took me in when my family abandoned me as an infant. His death hit me like a thousand punches."

Chun Li's face saddened even more. "Sometimes, I get so lonely that the time passes too slowly and I just space out. I can't find the roots of my soul. Fantasy and reality lie so close together that I pretend he's here, beside me".

"I share your feelings. I plan to avenge my sensei by finding the one who killed him and make him pay" Ryu clenched a fist. After weeks of travelling and talking to almost no one, except giving everyone a cold shoulder, he decided to open up to the girl. She knew how he felt- the only one who knew. Ever since sensei Gouken died, Ryu was never the same. He was angry all the time and hard-hearted to anyone who tried to help. It was like the death of his sensei left a black hole that sucked up his soul, leaving his empty shell and loneliness. For the rest of the night, Chun Li and Ryu talked- mostly about their miserable lives. As darkness turned to dawn, they didn't even notice the rain had died.

"Ryu, would you like to stay with me for a while?"

'He's someone I've known for only six hours, but as I feel I've known my whole life. I don't want to be alone, at least, not now.'

"It's going to be difficult to travel now. The rain must have flooded a bit of the region or at least left the ground unsuitable to cross. Wait till the villagers fix the damage…then you can leave. I'm staying at Kwan Tai's (Mrs. Kwan) house, but she'll be away for a month. I would appreciate the company" Chun Li tried to persuade him.

Ryu hesitated. 'Do I stay or do I continue on?' He looked at Chun Li's desperate and crestfallen face. "I accept your offer" popped out of his mouth before he even thought about it. Chun Li smiled faintly and led the way.