I don't believe it...The man that I had come to this tournament for has slipped through my fingers yet again. Damn you, Ryu. You managed to evade me again. But don't worry...I'll find you...I always find you...

But why am I going out of my way to find him? Why do I leave school, my parents, and the sancutary of my home to find this one man? What is it about Ryu that gives me such a rush?

Of course it's the way that he makes Shotokan so interesting. He is so powerful, yet he makes the style look so fluid...almost like a dance.

Perhaps it was the time that he fought Sagat for the first time that first awakened an interest inside me. Although I didn't get to see the fight live, I managed to see newspaper clippings as well as a little bit of the footage.

All of this made Ryu so interesting to me. He gave me purpose in life. I wanted to be like him. I wanted him to train me.

But after all that happened, he still wouldn't train me. The first time I met him, he was a little cold, but I could tell that a part of him wanted to give me what I desired so much...

I managed to do some training myself, and got a bit of instruction from Dan, but it's Ryu that I want to be my master. He's changed since the last time I saw him. He's more open towards me, and he's even willing to fight me next time we meet. I look forward to that, but something inside me didn't want Ryu to leave me again...

I still don't understand what's wrong with me. Whenever I'm around Ryu, I feel so full of life. It's like a breath of fresh air. But whenever he leaves, I want to cry.

I don't get it. I'm a tomboy. I like to street fight. I'm not into fashion and makeup like all of the other girls in my school. But whenever I'm around Ryu, it's different. My body feels hot, and I get a weird feeling in my stomach. But the strange thing is, this feeling that I get feels good. And I only get it when I'm around Ryu...

But it's seeing him leave that makes things difficult for me. Whenever I see him go, my eyes get watery. Now I'm not a crier. At least not from emotional pain. Physical is definite. Learning Shotokan can be painful at times. But it's that other type of pain that I wonder about more. The only time emotional pain will make me cry...is whenever I see Ryu leaving me once again...

But why do I get this way over one man? There are boys at school who I am friends with, but I never cry for any of them. So why is it that whenever I'm around Ryu, I feel my femininity taking over?

Perhaps it's time that I came to terms with things. I'm not confused, I just need to accept the truth...

I'm in love with Ryu...

That's right...I love him...

Even if he never trained me, that still wouldn't stop me from tracking him down. I guess what they say is true...Love makes you do crazy things...

Now that I've acknowleged that I love Ryu, I need to figure out what my next move will be...

But in the meantime...oh great...here come the waterworks...I'm crying...for the man that I love so much...

"Sakura!"

Oh great. Here comes Karin. I hope she doesn't see my tears...

"Hey Sakura...are you all right?"

"Yeah! I'm fine! Never better!"

Thats a load of crap Sakura, and you know it. You're lovesick over a man that doesn't know your true feelings for him. As much as I try to be perky, I just can't play the act off. And by the look on Karin's face, it doesn't look like she's buying it either...

"Sakura...have you been crying?"

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, for one thing, your eyes are red. And your face looks wet. What's going on? You can tell me. Did somebody hurt you?"

I don't know why, but whenever somebody talks to you with a reassuring tone and you are in pain, you cry almost immediately. Today was no exception...

"Oh Karin!"

I feel pretty low right now. Karin Kanzuki, my number one rival, is standing in front of me. And what am I doing? Crying my eyes out like a little schoolgirl.

I can understand if she leaves me right now and never speaks to me again. Karin needs a rival who is strong not only physically, but in spirit. But right now, I seem to have lost all that...

But what Karin does next surprises me. I expect her to leave me here in the evening sky, crying away. Instead, she comes closer to me and puts her hands on my shoulders.

I can't resist. I go to Karin for comfort and cry in her chest. Karin opens her arms up some, allowing me to get even closer before she wraps her arms around my back and pats me.

"Sakura...tell me...what's wrong?"

People say you feel better when you tell somebody about what's bothering you. It's almost like a kind of...therapy. Might as well give it a shot...

"Karin...it's...Ryu..."

"Did Ryu do something to you?"

Karin's soft voice now sounds piercing. I could tell that she was ready to hunt down Ryu and kill him. And with her resources, she could easily find him. Killing him though, is another story...

"No...Ryu didn't do anything to me..."

"Sakura...I'm confused..."

Might as well get my confession out of the way...

"Karin...I just realized...that I love Ryu..."