The Path of the True Warrior Ch. 12
By Ryu-san

Ryu and Chun-li leave to eat and they meet up with Ken, who is in front of the line.

“Took you guys long enough! Look! Guy’s right there! Let’s go sit next to him,” Ken suggests. The trio goes next to Guy and they begin talking.

“Hi Guy!” Ryu says.

“Nice meeting you again,” Chun-li adds.

“Hello again, everybody. So, will you be ready for tomorrow’s match?” Guy asks.

“Yes, I will be fine, with a little meditation.” Ryu tells him.

“Meditation?”

“Yes, I can channel my chi so that my body increases the speed of natural healing that my body does,” Ryu expounds.

“Interesting because in Bushin, we also utilize chi to heal others,” Guy answers.

“By the way, that technique you used, the senpuu-kyaku, how did you learn that?” Ryu asked.

“Ah, well, my sensei, Zeku-sama, taught me that while he was studying with a friend of his, Gouken-sama. They were friends but they had to part as they had their own paths to follow,” Guy explicated.

“What! You’re the legitimate successor to the bushin-ryu that master Gouken talked about!? Any friend of master Gouken is a friend of mine,” Ken says.

“The same goes for me,” Ryu acquiesces.

“So Guy, you’re fighting tomorrow?” Chun-li asks.

“Yes, I have met the man. His purpose for entering the tournament is honorable, which is to discover the whereabouts of a little girl named Juli. I have agreed to help him after the tournament if he fails to locate her,” Guy tells him.

“You’re a regular hero, aren’t ya?” Ken asks.

“No, it is simply the way of the bushin,” Guy replies. “Ryu…I understand that you will be fighting one of Bison’s henchmen tomorrow…His name is Balrog,” Guy tells him.

“I know Balrog,” Chun-li states, “He’s an ex-championship boxer who got kicked out for excessive violence. Watch out, Ryu…With his gloves on, he once shattered a man’s skull in one punch,” Chun-li warns him.

“Thanks for the warning,” Ryu tells her.

“It doesn’t matter, right buddy? After all, you’re so devoted to the fight, ‘the fight is all’ Ken says in a mocking tone, “that it’ll have to take someone as good as me to defeat you.”

“Um…right…so, anyway, where’s Fei?” Ryu asks.

“They took him to the infirmary…he should be ready for his next match in three days,” Guy tells them.

“RYUUUUUU!!!”

“Oro!? AHHH! How did you get here!?” Ryu demands.

“I was invited! After all, with you as my sensei, my techniques have improved!” Sakura yells him.

“…Sakura, that was just a few times…you’re a natural fighter but I can’t take you under my tutelage because I am yet a student of the fight myself,” Ryu says wearily.

“Huh? There you are Sakura! What’s my number one pupil doing here?…Ryu! Hey, it’s a surprise to…no wait, it’s not. Mr. ‘the fight is all!’” Dan tells him sarcastically.

“…You too? I’m just seeking for the meaning of the fight, and the eyes of a warrior do not stray from the path of battle,” Ryu says.

“…See Ryu! That’s just it! You’re doing it again and you don’t even know it! Man, that’s it, after this, maybe I’ll introduce you to a girl or something,” Ken says, as he raises his eyebrows and nudges Ryu with an elbow.

“Well, it’s time for me to go, I’ll see you at the arena tomorrow,” Guy tells him.

“Uh, yea, us too, bye Dan, let’s talk later, it’s been awhile,” Ryu says as he goes to the couch. Chun-li soon follows.

“I’m a little tired too, good night,” Chun-li says.

“Wait a minute…why that woman following Ryu-san?” Sakura asks Ken.

“Oh, they’ve been sleeping together for the last two nights,” Ken says.

“EEEK! Siketsiyo (That’s dirty)! Taritamo (How awful!)!” Sakura screams.

“Oh, no, it’s not like that at all!” Ken says. “Wait, I wonder, would Ryu…nah. This is Ryu, we’re talking about after all, don’t worry Sakura.” *Hm…maybe with a little meddling here and there, those two could…nah. But it’s worth a shot, Ryu needs to remember what sensei taught us that one day…*

Ryu and Ken at age 14…

“Hyaaa!” Ken screams as he jumps at Ryu with a kick.

“Hup!” Ryu says as he defends the oncoming blow by crossing his arms. Ken follows up with a sweep kick, which Ryu jumps over, then a series of punches and kicks, ending with a roundhoues, all blocked by Ryu’s arms.

“Hey! Why don’t you fight back!” Ken says as he gets Ryu in a headlock and gives him a noogie. Ryu throws Ken and Ken lands on his feet.

“Good, good you two, let’s take a break,” Gouken tells them.

They walk to a lake located on the top of the mountains. Ken immediately jumps in swims for a little while before joining the two. They all sit together, watching the sunset.

“Listen Ryu…” Gouken asks. “What do you see beyond your fist?”

“Beyond my fists…?” Ryu asks, looking down at his fists. “The grass.”

*WHACK!*

“Anta baka (Are you dense)!? I did not intend for you to take the question so literally!” Gouken says as he whacks Ryu on the head.

“Literally? Oh…Wakateri wa (I understand)…nothing. The fight is all,” Ryu replies. Ken shakes his head and he lunges at Ryu, giving him another noogie.

“Ryu! I’ll make you see life beyond the fight if it kills us first!” Ken declares as he continues to noogie Ryu.

“AAAAH! Ken, iie! Iie (no/stop)!” Ryu says as he throws Ken into the lake.

“Oh, you’re going to pay for that,” Ken says with a smile, throwing Ryu into the lake as well. They both smile and laugh…

“Ryu! That’s it, no matter what, I’ll make sure you get with that girl!” Ken declares aloud. He feels a strong aura coming from behind him. Sakura burns with a flaming rage.

“Keeeeennnn….Shi-neeeeee!”

*CLOBBER!* *BAM!* *MAIM!*

“Oro!”

Room 210

“Hm…I feel like something bad’s going to happen…a premonition, perhaps,” Ryu says to himself.

“RYU-SAN! Siketsiyo!” Sakura yells as she runs into the room. “It’s not true, is it? *sniff*”

“Is what true?” Ryu asks.

“You’re not sleeping with that woman are you!” Sakura accuses as she points at Chun-li.

“Well, we couldn’t help it, they assigned us a room together, what should I do, sleep outside?” Ryu says.

“AAAAAHH! So, it’s true then?” she asks, hurt.

“Well, don’t tell anybody, but there’s another girl who’s sleeping with us too,” Ryu whispers.

*SLAP!* *echo…*

“RYU! I can’t believe you! Two women!? Taritamo!” Sakura wails as she runs out of the room.

“Uh…Chun-li? What’s with her?” Ryu asks. Chun-li’s face hangs down in resignation as beads of sweat drops from her, with a slight tint of red in her cheeks.

“She thinks that you and I…uh, that you and I…”

“That we…?”

“Cammy, help me out here!”

“Listen, luv, basically what she’s saying is that the young one believes that there is some promiscuity and wotnot going on here, which is absolutely untrue,” Cammy clarifies.

“Oro!? Aiya, what a misunderstanding! I can’t have my pupil thinking I’m some lech!” Ryu says as he runs after her.