Chun-Li charged into Vega's hacienda, heedless of the warnings she received from the staff. One unfortunate porter tried to block her way and promptly received a boot in the face for his efforts. For the first time since her father's death, Chun-Li was furious. Furious with Vega for treating her first like a concubine and then like a child. Furious with herself for succumbing to his whims. And furious with Bison, the great ringleader, for playing them all like pawns in a chess game

She remembered the way to the chamber where she had spent the night, by reversing her steps from earlier that morning. This time, though, she made no pretense of being a genteel guest. She was going to find Vega and beat his handsome face to a pulp if she had to, to learn what Bison had up his sleeve.
Chun-Li threw open the doors to the bedroom chamber angrily, her hair flying loose in several directions. Her eyes darted from one corner of the room to the other. She clenched her teeth and actually felt the rage boil up into her throat.

The room was empty, and made. The only evidence that she had been there at all was her dress from the evening before, lying on the bed, laid out as if she was supposed to put it on. "Vega!" She shouted. Her hands, which were balled into tight fists, shuddered next to her thighs with barely-controlled fury.

"I didn't think you'd come back."

Chun-Li spun around. Vega was leaning against the wall nonchalantly. She immediately realized that he was in his fighting garb; even his claw was strapped to his arm. The only thing missing from his image was his mask, so she could see the smug look on his face. "You had no right!" She took a measured step toward him, much as she would move in a fight.

Vega stepped toward her, too, closing the gap between them with two strides. He extended his claw-less hand to her face, as if to caress her cheek. "Ah, amante..."

Chun-Li backed away from his advance, but only a step.

Vega actually looked shocked at her rebuff. He cocked his head at her and quirked an eyebrow. "Do you truly understand the arena, mi muchacha? I think not." Vega walked toward her, causing her to retreat further into the room. After a few paces, he had cornered her against the edge of the bed, where she promptly sat back against the mattress. He grinned cruelly.

"It is a contest of death." He brought his claw up to her face, and while she didn't flinch, she did arch her chin away from it. He leaned into her and whispered throatily: "A dance between hunter and prey." He poked at the skin beneath her ear with his claw.

Chun-Li drew a sharp breath as she felt the point of the claw pierce her skin. It didn't hurt so much as unsettle her; Vega hummed appreciatively and licked at the punctured skin. Then he grasped her neck with his free hand and pulled her face toward his; he pressed his lips to hers forcefully, and Chun-Li revolted at the taste of blood on his tongue.

She tried to push away from him, but he was strong. Finally, she managed to get one fist between them, and she struggled away. She touched the patch of skin beneath her ear and brought her fingers to her face; there was a little blood on them, a streak of red on her fingertips. She looked up at Vega with equal parts revulsion and indigence.

Vega stood up straight and licked softly at his lips. "Delicious," he muttered softly.

Chun-Li shoved herself up from the bed with a shout, and she lunged for him with arms outstretched. There was nothing calm, calculated, or even practiced about her moves, so Vega easily blocked her. He grabbed her collar and swung her down to the mattress again as if she were a rag doll.

Vega laughed as he looked down at her. "You still have your spirit, if not your technique, little one." He grasped her ankle and yanked her toward the edge of the bed again, so that her legs were splayed on either side of him. He put his hands on her knees. "No kicking," he instructed, leering at her.
Chun-Li sat up quickly, knocking her head against his forcefully.

"Ai!" Vega cried. He stood up, clutching his forehead. He looked down at her, eyes flashing. "Muy malo," he muttered through clenched teeth. He lunged for her then, in a sudden, snake-like movement. He pressed his forearm against her throat and held down one of her arms.

"Vega!"

Vega half-turned toward the still-open doorway, from where he had been called, and shouted: "What?!"

Chun-Li looked toward the door and, if she hadn't already been breathless, the sight of the master Thai kickboxer Sagat would have been enough to still her. As it was, she ceased struggling against Vega and waited for the shadowed man to speak again.

"You should know better than to keep Lord Bison waiting," Sagat said quietly in his heavy accent. Above her, Vega swiftly composed himself. He stood up from the bed and brushed at his pants fastidiously.

"We shall speak of this later," he said softly, though Chun-Li couldn't be sure if he was speaking to her or to Sagat. As Vega turned for the door, Chun-Li sat up. Sagat pointed straight at her. "She will stay here."

Vega turned to look back at Chun-Li, then bristled at Sagat. "She is my guest."

Sagat turned his one eye on the Spaniard. "She will stay here," he repeated menacingly. Sagat was a good head taller than Vega, and Vega was not small. Still, he had to angle his head up to look at the kickboxer directly. "You cannot order me in my own hacienda, señor."

Sagat glanced briefly at Chun-Li, and then he swung his arm out and took Vega by the throat, lifting him up off the ground. He throttled Vega for a moment, muttering, "You forget yourself, whelp." Then he tossed the smaller man aside and turned back to Chun-Li. "Watch your step, woman."

Vega coughed and rubbed at his reddened throat as he trained his eyes on Chun-Li one last time before Sagat picked him up again and threw him into the hall like a disobedient puppy.

Chun-Li started forward at a quick pace, but Sagat closed the doors behind him quickly, and she was left staring at a wall of wood. She touched the door with her blood-spattered fingers, gingerly. She closed her eyes, but she could still see that haunted look on Vega's face. She had never seen Sagat so close before, but it was not a memory she would treasure.

Despite Vega's assault against her, she worried. Not because he was one of Bison's own - he could go to hell for that and she wouldn't blink an eye - but because, if Bison could order that kind of treatment of his own men, what could that devil do to the other fighters, like Ryu and Ken? To the innocents of Shad? To her? Chun-Li slid down to the floor, lost in thought and purpose.