Blind Love vs. Blind Justice Ch.3
By Ting-chan

WHAM!
THUMMMP!
PHUMMMF!

The hundred pound punching bag staggered and tottered under the relentless attacks of the female fighter. Her blue body suit clad form moved with lightning agility and precise rhythm as she threw three more enraged punches.

PHUMMMP!
WHACKKK!
POOWWW!

A few of the other training members paused to look in her direction. Rookies or veterans, they all knew who that was.

Inspector Chun Li Xiang. A pair of sharp spike bracelets about her wrists granted her the dangerous essence of a hunting lioness, yet the set of buns which she always wore her hair in bestowed upon her an undeniable aura of classical grace.

She eyed the swinging motion of the sand filled punching sack and shifted her weight in accordance to its motion.

She spun around and slammed the back of her heel in to the bag.

THUMMMP!

The chain which suspended the bag from above creaked in complaint. But Chun Li gave no heed. This was the way she always worked out her emotions. This is the one way in which she always manifested her anger, her frustration, her sorrow, her dreams, her memories...

Still in sync with the established rhythm in her head, she planted two more iron-fisted punches on the worn leather surface then followed it up with a double clutch blow.

WHAMMM!
THUUDDD!
PUMMPHH!

On days like today, when memories flooded back and voices of the past plagued her head, she found both comfort and control of her emotions in long, rigorous work outs.

She leaped into the air then propelled a diving kick at the punching bag. Her kick collided against the bag at what would have been jaw height for a human opponent. Upon contact, she deflected her momentum off the bag and flipped back on her feet just a yard away.

The voices of the past. They've returned again...
~~~~~~
"But Dad! It's my birthday party! And you call to say you can't make it home?"

"I know sweetie, I know and I'm really sorry. But something important has come up."

"Will you be back in time for the party?"

"Probably not. But listen, you know that big case I've been working on for the last four months?"

"Yeah."

"I'm meeting someone tonight that will help me finish it all up. Then I can make up to you by taking you to Ocean Park next week."

"Really?"

"That's my promise darling."

"Okay. Bye dad."

"Bye honey. Happy sweet sixteen."
~~~~~~
Chun Li gritted her teeth together as she recognized the conversation.

Someone "helped" him alright. "Helped" him right off of a thirty story building. "Helped" him plummet to his death. "Helped" completely and utterly shatter her life and all its meaning.

The voices spoke again...
~~~~~~
"Chun Li, awesome party!"

"Hey we're out of dip."

"Can you get me some punch?"

"When are we going to play Truth or Dare?"

"Can I change the CD? Vanilla Ice makes me wanna chafe!"

DING-DONG

"Hey someone's at the door."

"I'll get it!"
~~~~~~
Chun Li forced away her tears as her fists smash unmercifully into the punching bag once again.

The voices... make them stop… make them stop...
~~~~~~
"Hello Miss. Is this the Xiang residence?"

"Yes. I'm sorry officers, is the music too loud? We could turn it down."

"No actually that's not why we're here."

"Huh?"

"Are you Miss Chun Li Xiang?"

"Yes, but..."

"Please come with us."

"What? But my party..."

"We need you to identify a body."
~~~~~~
Now Chun Li found herself inundated with images. Horrible images… lifeless images...

The shattered heap of a body that was to her both father, mentor, and the most dedicated Interpole officer in Hong Kong, laid inert at the base of a thirty story hotel. The area surrounding the body was a mess of yellow tape, police sirens, investigators and reporters.

Chun Li's rage driven sight narrow on the punching bag once more, knowing that if she would simply continued her exersizes she would be able to maintain control of herself. She leaped off of her feet into a brief handstand, expertly balancing her weight on her hands with her legs perpendicular to the ground. Then she spun her body around by the movement of her hands that supported her up from the ground. Her legs shifted from their vertical positions as she began spinning towards the punching bag.

"Spinning Bird Kick!"

Her powerful legs met the leather surface of the punching bag with a barrage of THUMP's, WHAM's, and PHUMMF's.

When she landed back on her feet Chun Li felt her body wracked with fatigue. The voices, however, showed no sign of cessation.
~~~~~~
"What happened? Who did this to him?"

"We're not sure right now Miss..."

"Then you better FIND OUT!"

"Miss Xiang please calm down."

"I will NOT until you tell me who did this!"

"We have no leads right now. There were no eye witness accounts..."

"Find whoever did this to him!"

"Miss please, we are trying."

"Don't just try! Give me some answers!"

"Miss Xiang just calm down."

"I don't want to calm down. I want justice!"
~~~~~~
"Justice," Chun Li whispered as she stared at the punching bag that was her inanimate opponent.

She raised her hands in front of her with the palms turned inward to face each other.

"Daddy, I'll finish where you started. I'll continue your legacy."

That silent promise ran through her head as blue streaks of energy crackled from her fingertips and a blue hued sphere of chi materialized between her palms.

"For justice, Baba (Daddy). For justice and for you. I'll find out what happened."

The sphere of energy between her palms grew in brilliance and intensity until its aura of flashing, crackling blue luminescence reached its full capacity. "If I have to spend the rest of my life tracking down your murderer… I will gladly do so."

"KIKOSHO!" Chun Li screamed as she launched the chi from her hands. The energy left her palms and collided violently into the bag. The chain from the punching bag was attached snapped with a CHINK sound and the sack itself flew some 100 feet across the training hall before it crashed noisily into a treadmill and finally came to a halt. Chun Li continued staring after the bag as thin trails of smoke escaped from the abused surface, carrying with them the scent of burnt leather.

She didn't notice the other officers staring at her in alarm. Nor did she notice some of them fearfully inching towards the door.

Her head was still preoccupied with the voices...
~~~~~~
"Do you at least have some possible suspects of whom might have killed my father?"

"I'm sorry to say this Miss Xiang but your father had a lot of enemies. Every crook, thief, and lowlife in Hong Kong has it in for him." "But no just any lowlife would have been able to kill him."

"We have our suspicions."

"Who?"

"Understand that we lack sufficient evidence..."

"Just tell me who."

Pause.

"Dang it, tell me! I have a right to know!"

"...Shadowlaw."
~~~~~~
Shadowlaw. A word synonymous with evil... and yet... Evidence. They still lacked sufficient evidence to prove the crime was committed by the sinister syndicate said to be ruled by the almost mythical Lord Bison.

As long as they lacked proof, the case would remain unsolved and the truth would be unknown.

"Truth is always the first step to justice," Dohrai Xiang had always said.

To lack the truth would mean to deny her father justice; the very man who had devoted his entire life to that very cause.

Still staring across the training hall, Chun Li noticed her vision blurring as her eyes glazed over with tears.

She took a deep breath in a futile attempt to calm herself. She had to keep training, she can't let herself cry...

It was too late.

Fatigue nullified all else. She stood tired, panting, dizzy and helpless to control her emotions as...

First one... then two trails of tears streamed down her cheeks. She furiously wiped them away with the back of her hand. But no sooner had she done that, more tears flowed from her eyes. For every drop that she wiped away, two took it's place and soon...

Her face twisted into an expression of emotional torment as she once again came under the attack of the unyielding voices in her mind.
~~~~~~
"Shadowlaw..."
"Daddy..."
"Justice..."
"Bison..."
"Evidence..."
~~~~~~
The voices jumbled in her thoughts. Chun Li staggered as the deafening and yet silent words engulfed her usual rational state of mind.

Her tears continued streaming even as she whispered in frustration, "Make them stop..."

Some officers stared with concern as they all noticed her disoriented state.
~~~~~~
"Bison..."
"Shadowlaw..."
"Evidence..."
"Daddy..."
"JUSTICE!"
~~~~~~
"Voices... Make them stop..." Chun Li half whispered and half sobbed as she weakly sank to the ground, clutching her head. The world seemed to crumble around her as the voices enshrouded her coherent thinking.

"Stop... stop..."

Chun Li felt an arm wrap gently around her shoulders and hug her with reassurance. In that instant, she felt warmth... comfort... and most importantly, control...

Almost as if retreating, the chaotic words in her head slowly died away into incoherent nothingness, allowing her peace of mind once more. Wiping away her tears, Chun Li looked up.

"Jason??" She squirmed away and stood up, trying to retain as much of her composure as she could manage.

"You alright?" He looked on at her with concern, his face devoid of its usual tone of jesting sarcasm.

"I'm fine," Chun Li replied curtly. Having finally regained control of her thoughts, she quickly wiped her cheeks again to brush away any remaining tears.

"If you wanna talk..."

"No thanks."

"Maybe take lunch break now and..."

"No thank you Lieutenant." Chun Li didn't give him a second glance before she began walking away, all the while trying to avoid the worried stares of the other officers in the gym.

"Inspector," Jason called after her.

She continued walking.

"I really think we should talk, Miss Xiang."

She reached the exit door.

"I once knew your father." Chun Li's hands froze as she reached for the door. With more than a hint of curiosity flickering in her red teary eyes,

she slowly turned around and stared at Jason.