Chapter 12: It's Going To Be Alright
"Do you feel the flow of energy around you Chun li?" Ryu asked patiently.
The Shotokan master had been instructing the beautiful Chinese woman now for the better part of the afternoon. Chun li had indeed found the perfect spot. It was well out of the bustling city. It was a nature reserve of some sort that people came to on the weekends to get away from the hustle of the city to relax.
He was amazed at how fast she had picked up the ability to sense chi. 'This is actually a lot easier than when I was helping Ken learn how to "feel out" the flow of chi back at Master Gouken's.' He thought to himself. 'Maybe it had to do with the fact she already had a very strong chi to begin with. She just didn't know how to "tap" into it.
"Yes! I can actually feel it all around me. Coming from all things! Chun li replied with glee.
She was standing in the grass with arms outstretched. Her head was tilted back towards the sun soaking in the warm rays of sunshine beaming down upon her. Ryu marveled at her lithe form bathed in a golden radiance from the sunlight. In all of his travels, he had never seen anything quite as beautiful as the sight before him.
"That's enough for now." Ryu said as he watched her lower her arms and opened her eyes. She turned to him and smiled.
"Ready for some lunch?" she asked as she knelt and opened the basket that was under a tree by them.
"Sure!" Ryu replied with an enthusiastic smile.
Chun li unfolded a large blanket, which she put down under the tree. She took out various food items that they had picked up shopping earlier before heading out of the city. Making two plates of food, she motioned for Ryu to sit. He walked over to the edge of the blanket by the tree and leaned his back against the tree. She handed him a plate and a jar of iced tea from the basket.
They finished eating lunch and Chun li started to pick up the plates and put them back into the basket. Ryu looked across the blanket at her and asked..."So how did you come to know of this place?"
"When I was young, my father and I use to come up here on the weekends and have a picnic. I would always pack a basket of food and we would just sit up here all day long.
I really loved spending time up here away from the city with him." She said with a rather sad tone in her voice. "When you were young, was there any special place you went to?"
"Ken and I would sneak out of the hut at night and head for a clearing just outside of the forest and lie on our backs and stare out at the stars, wondering what fate had in store for us. Ken would always talk about what he wanted to do once he got back to the states. He would talk about his family and his friends there, and how he missed seeing them. I on the other hand had no family or friends waiting for me. All I ever had in the way of friends or family was Ken and Sensei."
Chun li felt a feeling of remorse coming from Ryu. 'He's never known anything other than what Gouken has taught him, and that was to fight. No wonder he is so naive about the world around him or his shyness around people.' she thought to herself watching Ryu.
"You and Ken seem to have a rather strong friendship. You are both so lucky to have such a strong bond with each other. I envy you both." she said.
"He's as close as a brother to me. There is nothing in the world that I would not do to help him." He replied looking up at the branches above.
"Ryu? Can I ask you a personal question?" She said looking up at him.
"What is your question?" Ryu replied fixing his gaze upon her face.
"In all of your travels since you've left your Sensei, did you ever find anyone else with as close as a bond as you have with Ken? Like?umm? a girlfriend or something?" She said looking down at her feet.
Ryu raised an eyebrow. "No. Throughout my travels, I have meet lots of people from all over the world, and made quite a few friends. As for a girlfriend, I've never really known any girls, except for you."
"I never really had any true friends." She said with a tear starting to run down her cheek. "Since losing my father, I have always been alone, taking care of and looking out for myself. Never having anyone there to console me, and 'tell me everything is going to be alright', when it's not."
"People are so fake with their sympathy. They lie to you just to try and get something they want from you."
Turning her head away from him, she quietly started to sob. "I'm sorry, Ryu. I shouldn't be burdening you with this, after what you've been through."
Ryu watched her silently crying for a second, feeling a pang in his heart. 'It's just not right for anyone to be going through what she has, and not having anyone to share her grief.' He thought to himself.
Chun li felt a strong hand on her shoulder turning, her around. She looked up through her misty eyes to see Ryu looking down at her.
The look in his gentle brown eyes conveyed the purest of sympathy. She fiercely hugged him and buried her face into his chest and openly started to cry.
Ryu returned the embrace and held her tightly to him. Leaning his head down to rest slightly against hers, he softly began to stroke her beautiful long hair.
"It's going to be alright." He whispered softly over and over. "It's going to be alright."