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A.N: Some of you might be confused about the timeline, so here it is. This story takes place somewhere after Street Fighter
3. In the first three chapters however, the versions of Ryu and Sakura that I have put in are from the Alpha series. This
chapter will hopefully be the last of the dream sequences. Without further interruptions, here is Chapter 6.
"Ryu!
Ken! Come here!"
"Yes Sensei!"
Ryu and Ken, Gouken's best students of Shotokan, ran to their master as quickly
as they could. There was a sense of urgency in Gouken's voice, so something had to be wrong...
"We're here, Master.
Tell us, what is wrong?"
"Sit down you two, and then I will explain..."
Ryu and Ken sat down on the grass.
"When
I was a pupil like you, my brother Gouki and I learned Shotokan karate from our master Goutetsu. He taught us everything about
Shotokan except for one part. The dark part of Shotokan. Our master warned us to never try to learn this part of Shotokan,
for it would destroy our soul. My brother Gouki was determined to become the strongest fighteer, er, so he set out in such
of the scrolls that taught the dark part of Shotokan karate, despite our masters wishes. Gouki learned how to perform the
most dangerous move of Shotokan, the Shungokusatsu or Instant Hell Murder. When Gouki had perfected that forbidden move, he
needed a victim to test it on. He sought out our master Goutetsu, and used it. The instant he did this, his soul was lost
forever, and replaced with darkness. On that day, my brother Gouki died and was now known as Akuma. Dont attempt to try and
learn this move, for it will cost you your soul, and your humanity. This power is known as the dark hadou. It can be released
in many different ways. If the heart is too focused on a specific task and jealousy and rage starts to enter the heart, the
Dark Hadou can also awaken. Fortunately, the dark hadou is only present in warriors who have practiced Shotokan and in the
offspring of Shotokan warriors...
Ryu and Ken were puzzled to the knowledge that they had just learned. But they figured
that master knew best...
"As you wish, Master Gouken."
"Yeah. ont ont allow ourselves to fall to the dark hadou."
"There
is one more thing that I require of you two however..."
Before Gouken could finish his sentence, a fist went right
through his chest, killing him instantly.
Ryu could only watch in horror, as his master was just put to death. But
who was the cause of it?
The murderer removed his fist, allowing Gouken's limp body to fall to the ground. The murderer's
eyes glowed blood red.
"Akuma..."
Ryu suddenly felt a lot of energy building up inside of him. This energy felt
powerful, yet uncontrollable...
"Yes...give in to that power, Ryu. Hate me with all your might!"
"No Ryu! Don't
give in to that power! If you do, you will become like him!"
"I'm trying Ken..."
"Insolent fool! You shall die!"
Akuma
got into a fighting stance and charged Ken. Ken blocked the attacks that Akuma threw at him.
Ryu could only watch the
scene. The energy building up inside of him prevented him from helping his buddy Ken.
Ken continued to block the attacks
before counter-attacking with a Dragon Punch.
"Sho-ryu-ken!"
For a moment, it looked like Ken had won the match.
But Akuma just landed on his feet as he landed from the ground.
"Damn! This will do it!"
"Tatsu-maki-senpu-kyaku!"
Ken
ran towards Akuma before releasing his Hurricane Kick. Unfortunately for Ken, Akuma teleported through the attack.
"Oh
no! Ken! Look behind you!"
Ken heard Ryu, but he was too late to come up with a defense. Akuma started to glow a blood
red before grabbing Ken. Akuma threw 14 punches and kicks at Ken before finally releasing one last punch, straight through
Ken's heart...
"Shungokusatsu!"
Kens now lifeless body fell to the floor.
"Noooo!!!"
The energy
building up inside of Ryu increased until Ryu could hold it in no longer. Ryu's eyes started to shift color. When he blinked
his eyes, they were blood red.
Ryu threw a beam of energy at Akuma that destroyed him instantly. Ryu allowed himself
to calm down a little as his eyes returned to normal.
"Very good..."
Ryu heard a very familiar voice. When he
turned around, he saw a warrior wearing a black gi. But he also had on a black headband. It was then that Ryu knew who this
person was...
It was a reflection of himself.
"No! I wont allow myself to become you!"
"Give up the
fight. You know that you can't hold your anger in any longer. Besides, you have a follower that needs your guidance..."
"What
do you mean?"
Ryu's question was answered as Evil Ryu stepped to the side, revealing a female figure smaller than him.
This figure had on a Japanese schoolgirl outfit, as well as a black headband. But this female figure's skin tone was also
slightly darker than usual...
"Sakura..."
"That's Dark Sakura. Ryu don't try to resist...you know you want me.
And besides, this power has it's advantages..."
"Sakura! you can't give in to the evil intent! The power is destructive!
I will never accept this curse!"
"Well then that's a shame...Cause now I'm going to have to kill you..."
Dark
Sakura teleported in front of Ryu and delivered 14 punches and kicks. Ryu couldnt come up with a defense as Dark Sakura held
her fist back, preparing for the final blow...
"Shun-goku..."
"Time to die, Ryu my love..."
"Satsu!"
Dark
Sakura drove her fist straight into Ryu's heart. Everything started to go black...
*****
Ryu woke up gasping
for air. Sweat was all over his forehead. That dream had been a nightmare. For a brief moment, he was experiencing the death
of Gouken all over again. But then his dream started to become distorted.
"(Why do things always have to be so confusing?)"
Ryu
tried to think about his dream. Some of the stuff in it was starting to make a little bit of sense...
"(Wait a second!
Gouken said that the evil intent could be awakened in many different ways. It awakened inside Akuma because of his desire
to become the strongest fighter alive at any cost. It awakened inside me because of my desire to avenge Gouken's death. But
sometimes rage got in the way when I would think of destroying Akuma. Thats why I possess the potential to become a dark fighter
like Akuma. But I still dont understand Sakura. Why does she possess the same potential as well? She doesn't wish to be the
strongest thing alive. She's not as dedicated as I am. And she isn't trying to avenge anyone, last time I checked. Most of
the time, she trains just to be like...)"
"(Me...)"
The answer hit Ryu harder than a ton of bricks. Somehow,
Ryu was connected as to why Sakura was starting to possess dark hadou. But what was the connection? Did it have something
to do with the dreams that Ryu had a few nights ago?
"(Those answers can wait until tomorrow afternoon...)"
Ryu
looked at Sakura. She was still asleep. Her arms were still wrapped tightly around him. She also had a big smile on her face.
A
slight smile came to Ryu's face as he allowed himself to fall back to sleep. Somehow, he had just figured out a piece of the
entire puzzle...
Sakura woke up about 6:00 a.m. For some strange reason, she felt wide-awake. Maybe it was
the new power growing inside of her that had something to do with it. Sakura got some clothes out of her drawer and took them
with her in the bathroom. She would dress there, since Ryu was currently asleep in her room. She didn't want Ryu to see her
nude. At least, not yet...
After a shower, Sakura dressed and wrote a note. She left it on Ryu's door, before grabbing
her keys and heading out the front door.
Sakura decided that since she had so much time to kill before work, she would
stop at one of the restaurants in downtown Tokyo for breakfast before doing a bit of window-shopping.
Ryu woke up about
8:00. He noticed that Sakura was gone.
"Sakura?"
Ryu called for Sakura a couple of times before going back to
his room. It was there that he saw the note Sakura had left for him
Ryu...
Had to go to work.
Help yourself
to whatever's in the fridge.
Meet me at the Dragon sushi restaurant at 4:00.
We'll talk then.
Here is a little gift
for you.
I know you'll like it.
Until then...
Sakura
"Very well..."
Ryu went into his room and
searched through his duffel bag. He found a watch.
"So that's the gift that Sakura was talking about..."
Ryu
took out a pair of clothes before heading into the bathroom to shower and dress. After he was done, Ryu went to the kitchen
to see what was in the refrigerator.
Inside the fridge was a lot of junk food. But Sakura had also left some fruit
inside.
"(It's amazing how Sakura can eat all this junk and still stay in shape...)"
Ryu liked junk food every
now and then, but not at the extension that Sakura did. Sakura was a junk food-a holic.
Ryu closed the refrigerator
and looked around the kitchen again. He managed to see some rice.
Although Ryu was no gourmet chef, he knew the basics
of cooking well enough so that he could fix himself something whenever necessary.
Ryu set a pot of water on the stove
before turning on the stove. As the water started to boil, Ryu put in some rice and allowed it to cook.
Ryu also set
a kettle of water on the stove. He would have some green tea with his rice.
While his food was cooking, Ryu decided
to do a couple of push-ups. When Ryu was done with his hundredth one, his food was ready.
Ryu placed his food on the
table before sitting down himself.
"Maybe I should explore downtown Tokyo some more. There might be something nice
that I can find for Sakura..."
*****
Sakura was looking inside a store that specialized in just about everything
Chinese. There were fireworks, candles, and little souvenirs. Sakura managed to find what she was looking for. A little white
dragon pendant. On the back were some words inscribed into the dragon pendant.
Connect me with someone of a similar
nature,
Then two hearts shall become one...
Sakura liked what the message said. And the dragon was just too adorable
for words. So she went up to the cash register and paid for it. Sakura then looked at her watch.
"Gotta get to work!"
Sakura
put the dragon pendant inside her purse before heading to the dragon sushi restaurant to report for work.
It was about
3:30 in the afternoon when Ryu found himself in the same Chinese antique store that Sakura had been in earlier.
"(Hm...what
to get...")
Ryu happened to glance upon little dragon pendants, the same ones that Sakura had been looking at earlier.
He picked out a red one, before paying for it and leaving the store to meet Sakura at the sushi restaurant. The cash registrar
spoke to one of his employees.
"Hey Chow! That woman who bought the white dragon pendant earlier...she said it was
for a friend, right?"
"Yeah. That guy who just bought the red dragon pendant also said that it was for a friend..."
"Chow...I
think those two are planning on giving the dragon pendants to each other. But they don't realize it. They must have a special
bond to be getting those. Only people who have really cared or loved someone have bought these dragon pendants. I wish those
two the best of luck..."
4:00 soon arrived. Ryu found himself back at the Dragon sushi restaurant, the one that he
had saved from the Cobra gang the day before. The owner was more than pleased to see Ryu.
"Welcome back, kind stranger!
What brings you here?"
"I'm here to see a friend."
"Would you like to sit down at a table while you wait for
um..."
"Her. And no, that's all right. I'll just stand and wait here."
"As you wish."
Just then, Sakura
was exiting the kitchen, preparing to leave. She saw Ryu waiting at the doorway.
""
"
Something came
over her. Seeing Ryu brought butterflies to Sakura's stomach. She ran towards Ryu before engulfing him in an embrace...
A
wicked smile came upon the face of the restaurant owner.
"I had no idea that you two were involved in a relationship..."
Sakura
quickly removed her arms from Ryu. Her entire body was blushing bright red.
"It's not like that! Ryu is a friend!"
"What
kind of friend? The way you held him symbolizes more..."
Sakura started to blush again before managing to control herself.
"This
is Ryu. The one who inspired me to fight."
"So you're the famous Ryu that I've heard so much about. Sakura talks about
you all the time..."
"Hey!"
Sakura punched the owner's arm.
"Lets go, Ryu..."
"Have fun you two!"
Sakura
glanced an angry look at the owner before she and Ryu left the restaurant.
"You never told me you worked there."
"You
never asked."
Ryu and Sakura both laughed slightly.
"You'll have to forgive my boss. He can sometimes be a bit
of a pervert. He looks at porno and hentai magazines on a daily basis."
"No problem."
Sakuras eyes started
to water up a little bit as she prepared herself for what she was about to say...
"Ryu...I'm sorry for how I was holding
you earlier..."
Ryu saw the look of hurt in her eyes. It was then that Ryu finally understood something about Sakura.
She loved him. At first, Ryu thought that it was just obsession that Sakura had for him, but as they got older, Sakura started
sacrificing herself more for Ryu. And the way that she acted towards him yesterday was anything but simply friendship. Sakura
wanted Ryu to stay in the room with her because she felt that Ryu would protect her. She wrapped her arms around him to be
warm and close to him. But it was the last act that Sakura did that made everything start to make sense. The kiss on the cheek.
Sakura didn't do it out of kindness. She did it out of love. Love for him...
Although Ryu had figured out the answer,
he didn't want to let Sakura know that he knew, or else she might be emotionally hurt. Instead, Ryu decided to tell Sakura
when the time was right...
"Don't be sorry Sakura. There was nothing wrong with what you did. In fact, it was quite
nice."
Sakura immediately started blushing after hearing Ryu's comment. She was hoping that Ryu felt the same way about
her as she did for him, but that would have to wait for now. There were more important things to deal with at the moment...
Ryu
and Sakura finally reached Sakura's apartment. Before they went inside, Sakura reached into her purse.
"What is it?"
"I
have something that I want to give you..."
Sakura reached into her purse some more before finally pulling something
out. What she was giving to Ryu meant a lot to her...
Sakura pulled out a key and put it inside Ryu's hand.
"This
is my spare key. If you ever want to go out and I'm not home, you'll be able to come back inside with this key."
"Thanks."
Sakura
then got out her key and unlocked the apartment door. When they got inside, Ryu told Sakura to change into a pair of clothes
to spar in.
When both of them had changed, Ryu took Sakura to a nice peaceful part of Tokyo. Ryu had taken Sakura to
an area that wasn't surrounded by technology and was also close to Sakuras apartment. There was just grass where they were.
"Pretty
peaceful out here, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"This will be perfect for training."
Ryu tightened his red bandanna
before getting into a defensive stance.
"Okay...attack me..."
Sakura obeyed. She ran at Ryu and threw various
punches and kicks. Ryu easily blocked all of them before using a foot sweep to take Sakura down to the ground.
Sakura
got back off the ground. Ryu was in a more offensive stance now. Sakura got into a defensive stance and managed to block all
of Ryu's attacks before going offensive herself.
It was hard to say who was on the offense and who was on the defense.
Both warriors would block and return the attack given.
Sakura then ran towards Ryu.
"Sho-ou-ken!"
Sakura
attempted a Shoouken attack, a modified version of the Shoryuken. But since she was running before execution, Ryu saw the
attack coming a mile away and was ready to counter- attack it...with a Shoryuken...
Ryu sent Sakura into the air with
his version of the Dragon punch. As Ryu landed on his feet, Sakura landed on her back.
"That's a nice variation of
the Dragon Punch, but let me teach you how to perform the normal version."
Sakura felt butterflies in her stomach.
What Ryu was about to do for her was a dream come true. Sakura had wanted Ryu to train her ever since she first laid eyes
on him. And now, he was going to do it. He had kept his promise.
As Ryu was performing one, energy started to build
up in both of them. While Ryu was in the air, energy started to build within Sakura's fist. When Ryu landed, Sakura did a
Dragon Punch, this time, looking identical to Ryu's.
"Very good."
After Sakura landed however, black ki started
to surround the two of them.
"What's going on, Ryu?"
"I wish I knew..."
The black ki continued to get
stronger before it formed a beam of energy and just disappeared into the sky.
"Maybe we should get some sleep. We are
probably both tired."
"Good idea."
As Ryu and Sakura walked back to her apartment, two black shadows were watching
the two. It turned out that these two shadows were no other than Evil Ryu and Dark Sakura.
Evil Ryu: (So they seem
to be getting closer and stronger. But no worry. When the time is right, Dark Sakura and I shall make ourselves present to
those two. They will have to fight for a much deeper fight than usual. The fight for their souls...)
Dark Sakura: (So
she thinks that she can forget about I w I will make her lose the bond of friendship that she is starting to form with Ryu.
I will hurt Ryu not only physically, but spiritually)
Both: Sleep well Ryu. Sleep well Sakura. The time shall come
when you will have to face us...
Both teleported away...
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