Shan sat on the ground, a towel over his head. Though no one could see through his long black hair that hung in front of his eyes, Shan eyed his opponent. He was a Jamaican that had competed in the third World Warrior tournament, and also a sucessful reggae-rap singer, who went by the name of Dee Jay. Shan knew that Dee Jay was good. He�d seen him fight in the tournament. But Shan also knew that he was better.
�Hey champ, are you sure you�re ready for this?� Milo, Shan�s manager, asked. Shan gave no response, not even moving.
�Champ?� Finally, Shan got up, the towel falling off his body and revealing his small, but toned, chest.
�I�m ready,� Shan said, putting on his muay thai hand band. He stepped into the ring, and got into a defensive position.
�Let the battle begin!� the announcer cried.
�Hey, kid, the name�s Dee Jay. I�ll try not ta be too hard on ya.�
�Too hard?� Shan asked as the two squared off. �Your Max Outs are powerful, but it takes you a while to charge them up. Your Double-Dread Kick�s powerful, but it�s easy to anticipate. And your Hyper-Fist only works against someone stupid enough to jump in at you.�
�Huh?� Dee Jay said, cocking his head.
�How the hell d�you know so much about me, kid.�
�It never hurts to study your opponents,� Shan said. �Now, I think you should study this!�
Shan made a few weaves and turns to confuse Dee Jay, then went in for the attack. His first elbow was blocked, as was the second. But Shan quickly attacked again with a back-kick to Dee Jay�s groin. Dee Jay skidded back, but didn�t fall.
�You little punk!� he snarled. �Max Out!� The Max Out zoomed at Shan with great speed, but it wasn�t very big, and was easily dodged by the young muay thai.
�Nice,� Shan said. �Your chi is very powerful. But not as good as mine.� Dee Jay watched in awe as Shan charged up a large ball of fire, he pushed his arms back, then jerked them forward, sending a blast zooming towards Dee Jay.
�Shit!� Dee Jay thought as he dodged the attack. �How in the hell could this kid know how to channel his chi like that?� Dee Jay wasn�t given another second to think as a low blast came in on him. He jumped as quickly as he could, but was still nicked in the foot and fell to the ground. He quickly somersaulted forward and attacked Shan with his Double-Dread Kick, but Shan easily blocked the two attacks, then retaliated. He jumped up, kneeing Dee Jay in the face and crushing the Jamaican�s nose. He landed from the attack, then hit Dee Jay with an uppercut. He then grabbed Dee Jay by his dreadlocks and kneed him in the chest and face area until the Jamaican was unconscious.
�And the winner is Shan!� the announcer said. Shan pushed his hair back with his hand, then gave a thumbs up to the crowd, who in turn roared back at their champion. Except for one young woman who dashed and weaved through the crowd, trying to reach Shan before he entered the locker room.
�I�ve got to meet him!� she thought, pushing through the crowd. Finally, she reached him, but was stopped by two huge body guards.
�Excuse me miss, but the champs locker room is off limits to fans,� one of the huge man said in thai.
�I�m not a fan,� the woman said in fairly lousy thai, leaping over the two massive men, �I�m a challenger!� Sakura caught up to Shan and his manager, called out the muay thai�s name.
�Who are you?� Shan asked, taking the straw from his water out from his mouth.
�What are you doing in here?�
�My name�s Sakura,� the woman said, holding out her hand. Shan shook it, looking at her oddly. �You were awesome out there!�
�Uh, thanks.�
�I was wondering if sometime I could fight you?� Sakura asked.
�Uhm, sorry, but I�m kind of...busy,� Shan said.
�There she is!� one of the bodyguards said. Aburptly, they grabbed Sakura by the arms and dragged her out of the locker room.
�You should have seen him, Ryu!� Sakura said as she returned from the fight at the arena.
�He took down Dee Jay in not even five minutes!�
�Then I guess it means it�s not going to be long before my generation is gone, and yours is the dominate,� Ryu remarked, taking his shirt off and getting into his bed.
�Aw, come on, Ryu,� Sakura said. �You�re the best fighter in the world, you�ve proved time and time again. Nobody�s ever going to replace you.� As Sakura went into the bathroom to change, Ryu laid on his mattress, thinking.
�Wrong, Sakura, someone will replace me someday. That�s the whole reason I brought you along with me. So I can finish all my business, and also teach you everything there is to know about the ways of Shotokan.� Sakura entered the room and laid down in her bed, pulling the covers up over her.
�Good night, Ryu,� Sakura said.
�Good night, Sakura.� Ryu turned off the lamp, and the two went to sleep.
�Man, it feels great to be back,� Shan thought as he entered his huge mansion.
�Good afternoon, sir,� one of Shan�s butlers said, entering the room. �The chef has a meal already for you, sir.�
�Great!� Shan said. �I�m starved!�
�Oh, yes,� the butler said as he pulled a letter from his pocket. �This was found on your door step.� The butler handed Shan a small scroll that was tied together with a ribbon. Shan took off the ribbon and unrolled the scroll, as he read, the expression on his face changed to one that seemed to be a mixture of excitement, and loathing. The butler looked over his master�s shoulder, and read the scroll.
�The man�s name sounds familiar to me,� the butler said. �Do you know who it is, sir?�
�Yeah,� Shan said. And with that, the young muay thai walked out the door, running as fast as he could through the wet, stormy night.
�They said he was dead,� Shan thought, his feet pounding across the muddy soil. Shan couldn�t decide if he was happy or angry. True, it was good that he was alive, but then again, he had commited many crimes in the past, and he had always had a hatred for that Japanese boy. Shan stopped in the middle of the wet field, and saw the man he was about to meet.
�It�s been a while, my master,� Shan said. To the boy�s surprise, the man dashed forward and kicked out at Shan, who was just quick enough to block it. Shan rolled to the other side of his master and jumped up, kneeing him in the head. Shan landed from the attack, but when he looked up to see if he�d done any damage, he noticed that his father hadn�t even moved.
�You�re very powerful, my son,� Shan�s master said. �But you still have much to learn. I must finish the training I started with you.�
�True, you were the strongest man in the world at one time,� Shan said. �But why should I trust you? You�ve killed people.�
�Why should you trust me?!� Shan�s mentor roared. �I�m the one that made you what you are today, damn it, and that�s more than reason to trust me!� Shan looked down at the man�s huge feet, pushing drenched hair back from his face.
�My time grows short,� Shan�s master said simply. �You hold serious potential, my son. Possibly even more potential than I, and I want you to exploit it. I want you to follow in my foot steps. I want you to become the strongest fighter in the world. Are you up to the challenge?� Shan stood there for a moment, still looking at his mentor�s feet. Finally, he looked up at his father, a smile across his face.
�Yes,� Shan said.
The next day...
�The phone rang. Sakura stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around her body and long brown hair, and picked it up.
�Hello?� she answered in thai, though you could tell she was a foreigner.
�Sakura, correct?� a voice said on the other line. Sakura recognized it almost immediately from the night before.
�Yeah,� she replied, trying to hold back her excitment. Maybe she was going to get a chance to fight the famous thai fighter after all!
�I�ve been thinking about what you said last night,� Shan said �and I think I�ll take you up on that offer. Meet me on the outskirts of Thailand by the old fighting grounds in front of the statue.�
�I�ll be there!� Sakura said, hanging up the phone. She jumped up high into the air and cried out, �yes!� in Japanese before she quickly grabbed her jacket and put on her head band, then bolted out the door, not even saying good bye to Ryu, who had been meditating for hours now and probably did not even notice her absense. Suddenly she bolted back in, her face beat red.
�Oops!� she said. �I forgot my clothes!�
�Well where is he?� Sakura thought out loud, looking around. She recognized the place. It was where Sagat had fought Adon the the second World Warrior tournament, and where Ryu told her that he and Sagat fought in the first World Warrior tournament. It was an odd sense of irony that she and Shan were about to fight here. Almost too ironic.
�Shan, are you here?� Sakura asked.
�No,� a deep voice, too deep to be Shan�s, boomed. �But will his teacher do?�
��Teacher�?� Sakura repeated, turning around and facing her opponent. When she saw him, she gasped.
�Sagat!�
There was a knock on the hotel door, and Ryu called out, �come in,� to the visitor. The door clicked (Ryu didn�t feel the need to lock it) and Shan entered.
�Ryu, right?� Shan asked, entering the room and pushing his dripping wet hair back. It was raining heavily, as it had for the past three days, and the forecasters said it would be a couple more days before it let up.
�Shouldn�t you be fighting Sakura?� Ryu asked, not even moving a muscle from his meditation position. The position was unbearably painful to the inexperienced Shotokans, and Sakura could not hold it for more than half an hour. Ryu, on the other hand, had spent half of his life in that position, and had grown accustomed to it.
�Damn, he knows,� Shan thought. �Uh, we finished early.�
�Then why has she not returned?� Shan knew that he wasn�t going to be able to talk his way out of it. So instead, he took off his trench coat and attacked, hoping that he would be able to fight his way out of it. But Ryu was more than ready for it, and he attacked with a vicious Super Fireball, then followed it up with a Dragon Punch. Shan landed with a loud and painful thud. Ryu then grabbed the young fighter by the neck and hefted him up by the neck, pounding him against the wall.
�Where is she?� Ryu growled, tightening his grip. �Where!?� Shan�s eyes narrowed and he brought his knee up into Ryu�s arm, nearly busting it. Shan landed and attacked with a Tiger Shot, blasting Ryu in the face, then knocking him down with a Tiger Genocide. Ryu fell to the ground, even more of a bloody mess than Shan.
�You don�t seem too tough,� Shan said, spitting out a little blood that was caught in his throat. �I don�t see how my father had such a hard time defeating you. Either that or you�re getting old.� Abruptly, Ryu was up to his feet again, and he dashed at Shan crying out, �Shin Shoryuken!� and hitting Shan with a Super Dragon Punch, knocking the muay thai fighting through the ceiling and into the hotel room above. Without another word or resting for even a couple seconds, Ryu opened the window and exited via the fire escape and ran down the wet alley topspeed, hoping he could reach Sakura in time. Wherever she was.
The statue was hard. Really hard. Sakura felt her back go numb as she slammed into it, and she fell to the ground in a heap. She looked up and saw Sagat�s foot coming down right above her, and she rolled towards him, punching his shin and knocking the huge muay thai fighter down. She jumped to her feet and stripped off the top of her gi. The rain had drenched it and made it heavy on her and difficult to fight. It was much easier with only her sports bra on. Unfortunetly, she had decided not to bring her briefs, and had a difficult time manuevering around with her baggy, wet pants.(That and the fact that they were white, and the rain made them transluscent. But this was no time to think about modesty.) Sagat got up to his feet and fired off a rally of Tiger Shots, and Sakura was surprised by the speed and power that Sagat had gained since she last met him. Sakura dodged the projectiles as best as she could, but Sagat still managed to blast Sakura into she was a singed, bloody mess.
�Though you are nothing compared to your mentor, Ryu,� Sagat said, �you still are quite powerful, girl.�
�Sagat,� Sakura said, getting to her feet, �you don�t know the half of it!� Sakura pulled her arm back then slammed it forward into Sagat�s massive chest and face, sending him flying into the air with the most powerful Dragon Punch Sakura had ever performed. Sagat fell to the ground, a bloody mess. He was soon followed by Sakura, who was so spent from the Dragon Punch that she could barely stand.
�Urgh, an admirable effort...girl,� Sagat said, struggling to his feet. �But all you�ve managed to do is make me angry!� Sagat got to his feet and sloppily kicked Sakura in the stomach and face. But it didn�t matter, Sakura was too drained to even dodge the attacks, and soon she was unconscious.
Ryu had been running around in the rain for almost half an hour, and he was beginning to think that maybe he�d never find Sakura. Then it hit him. The statue. It made sense. Sagat always liked to give things a twist of irony. Ryu just hoped he could make it there in time.
�Sakura?� he called out. No answer. He ran around the statue twice before clenching his fist and punching the huge statue in frustration. A glimpse of red caught his eye and he looked to the left. He saw a message on the statue. Written in blood.
�Damn you, Sagat,� Ryu thought. �Has your rage consumed you so much that your capacity for violence has no limits?� Ryu read the message. It gave him exact directions as to where he was to go if he ever wanted to see Sakura again. He knew it was a trap. He knew he was the one in danger, not Sakura. But he didn�t care.
Sakura finally stirred. She�d been unconscious for quite some time now, and when she regained her wakefulness, she wish she would�ve stayed knocked out. Her body ached from the battle she had fought with Sagat, and her body was criss-crossed with cuts that stung severely. But, luckily, they were only flesh wounds. She looked around, and found herself chained to the wall of the top story of an old building. The roof and every side except the one she stood on were destroyed, and she was soaking wet. Luckily the weather was fairly warm, so she did not freeze.
�I see that you are awake,� Sagat said. �Good. I want you to watch your master die by my hand.�
�What...won�t this be, uh, like the twentieth time you�ve...fought Ryu and lost?� Sakura said as defiantly as she could in her condition.
�You dare mock me?!� Sagat roared, backhanding Sakura and sending her flying. Suddenly, Sakura came to a painful stop as the chains pulled her backward and knocked her down. The pain was unbearable, but Sakura did not let in to it.
�He�s coming, father,� another voice spoke from the shadows.
�Good, my boy,� Sagat said.
�Who...?� Sakura said, recognizing the voice.
�Oh yes, I believe you�ve met my son,� Sagat said. The other voice stepped forward.
�Shan!?�
This was it. Ryu looked up at the huge building before him. It was condemned as a result of not being very sturdy. From the signs on it it looked as if it were about to be torn down in a day or so.
�He doesn�t want to make this very easy, does he?� Ryu thought. He busted open the front door and entered. He readied for an attack, but was met with nothing. Sagat had probably taken Sakura all the way up to the top. So that was where Ryu was headed. Without even thinking twice Ryu bolted up the stairs, which just barely held his weight.
�You traitor!� Sakura yelled, pulling at the chains with all her might, trying to break free so she could strangle Shan. �How could you do this!?�
�He�s my father, Sakura,� Shan said. �I had no choice.�
�Sagat!� Ryu cried out. �I�m here. Let Sakura go.�
�I�m glad you could make it, Ryu,� Sagat said, jumping down from the above story. �After all, it�s only fair a man should be present for his own death.� Ryu�s eyes narrowed, and he got himself into a battle position.
�Fine, Sagat,� Ryu said. �I�m sick of you hunting me down. If you want to end this now, then let�s.� Sagat smiled, then squared off with Ryu. The floor boards creaked loudly as the two circled around each other. Ryu couldn�t see Sakura, so he guessed she was on the floor above. The floor was soaking wet from the rain above that easily seeped through the cracks, and Ryu made a note to be careful of that.
�Tiger!� Sagat exclaimed, firing a Tiger Shot at Ryu. Ryu met it with a fireball, and the two were cancelled out. But Sagat had followed his up, and he charged at the unsupsecting Ryu, charging up a deadly super attack.
�Tiger Raid!� Sagat roared, pummeling Ryu with his fists and feet with blinding speed. Ryu tried to block the blows as best he could, but it was no use. Finally, Ryu broke away from the attack, falling to the ground with a loud thud. A board broke under his hand, and Ryu couldn�t break it free. He looked up, and saw Sagat charging at him, ready to attack Ryu again.
�Shoryuken!� Ryu cried, breaking his fist free and slamming it into Sagat�s jaw, knocking the mountain of muscle through the air and onto the ground. Ryu was certain that the boards would not have held Sagat, but, unfortunetly, he was wrong.
�You bastard!� Sagat swore. �Tiger!� Ryu was not expecting such a quick retaliation, and was hit dead center in the chest. Ryu croaked out a breath, and gasped for air, hoping that Sagat would wait at least a few seconds more for Ryu to be ready to attack. Sagat didn�t wait.
�Rising Tiger!� Sagat cried, smacking Ryu in the face with his foot and flying into the air. But amazingly Ryu was able to keep his footing, and he was waiting for Sagat when he landed. He flip kicked around, hoping to knock Sagat across the room. But Sagat managed to grab Ryu�s shirt, and slammed Ryu into the ground. He readied to throw Ryu onto the floor again, but when pulled on the shirt again, he found that Ryu wasn�t there.
�Shinkuu Hadoken!� Ryu cried, hitting Sagat with a Super Fireball, point blank range. The violet flame engulfed Sagat, and the immense thai roared in agonizing pain. When the flames died, Sagat was on the ground, burned. But the real fire was in his eyes.
�You...will die...boy,� Sagat said, looking up through blood filled eyes. Ryu stood in a fighting stance, frowning at the man before him. He spit out a little bit of blood from his mouth, then swung his foot at Sagat. The pain was unbearable, but Sagat rolled out of the way and jumped into the air, crying the words �Tiger Uppercut!� Ryu was hit with the attack, and he fell to the ground, a bloody mess. But Ryu had more stamina that Sagat suspected, and he flipped back up to his feet and shot a Red Fireball.
�Raaaghhh!!!� Sagat roared, running straight into the Fireball and taking the hit. But to Ryu�s astonishment Sagat kept coming, and he slammed his fist into Ryu�s face, launching across the room. Ryu looked back and saw that he was headed straight for the wall. He just hoped that the boards weren�t too rotted to not be able to stop him from falling to his death. Ryu closed his eyes, hoping that they could hold him. They didn�t.
Ryu grabbed frantically for something to grab, and caught a piece of cloth, he looked up, trying to see what had saved him from certain. It was his shirt. Ryu quickly pulled himself up and threw the shirt down to the ground. It was too ripped to be of use to him anymore. He looked around, but couldn�t find Sagat anywhere.
�The roof...� Ryu jumped up the hole in the cieling, and found himself standing in a room that had only one wall, and no cieling. The rain poored down, and he couldn�t make out any details.
�Ryu!� It was Sakura�s voice. Ryu looked around for her, and found her being dangled over the edge of the building by a chain, which was held up by Sagat�s huge fist.
�Move one more step I will kill her,� Sagat said. �I won�t be robbed of my revenge again, Ryu. You will die, one way or another. I don�t care about honor anymore, all I want is vengence. Shan, kill him.� Ryu looked to his right and saw Shan stepping towards him, his soaked hair in his face, hiding his face. The young thai clenched his fist and attacked.
�Tiger Knee!�
�Like this is what we need during breakfast,� one of the thai police said, looking at the bloodsoaked body in the middle of the street. �This guys looks familiar, who is he?�
�His name�s Sagat,� one of the other officers replied. �He was a World Warrior champ a couple years ago before some kid beat him a while back.�
�Well all he is now is a stain on the wall,� the other officer said. �Let�s get him out of here.�
�You did the right thing, Shan,� Ryu said, who was held up by Sakura beside the boy, who looked down at the street below at his dead father. �Your father was beyond reason. It was the only way.� Shan said nothing, starring down at his father�s body. Finally, he turned and left, leaving Ryu and Sakura alone.
�Come on, Sakura,� Ryu said. �We�d better go.�
�Is Shan going to hunt you down like Sagat?� Sakura asked, helping Ryu down the stairs.
�No,� Ryu said. �He�s not like his father. I could see it in his eyes.�
�So do you mean he�ll forget this in time?�
�No,� Ryu said. �Something like this is never forgotten.�