Chapter 7: A Plea For Help
The Shotokan fighter was caught off guard for the first time in his life. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes, knowing that if he looked at her directly, he would be lost in those eyes that seemed to look straight through him. With a quick movement, he looked outside the window to see if there was any sign of the crowd that pursued him. As he made his move, the Chinese fighter came closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder.
"Wait! Please don't disappear on me again!" she cried. "I won't tell anyone you are here."
Ryu felt the warmth of her hand against his bare shoulder and felt his knees go slightly weak from actually being touched by her. 'What was this power she had over him?' he thought to himself. Slowly he backed away from her contact a few steps so the shadows claimed him somewhat. He could not figure out how she had managed to find him, let alone approach him undetected. Finally, gathering up his strength, he spoke.
"Why have you followed me here? He asked. He had faced many deadly opponents in times past, who had sought out his death, only to stare back at them with a calm almost icy cold look that unnerved many before the fight had even begun. Yet he was afraid to look directly at her.
"Well, my name is Chun li and.errr... to tell you the truth.... I.... I...I've been searching for you for a couple of years now. She said averting her gaze from him.
"I only saw you the other night. But you say you have been searching for me for a few years" He asked cautiously.
"Yes, it's a rather long story." she said returning her gaze to where he stood in the shadows. "Tell me your tale then Chun li." Ryu replied rather curious
"About ten years ago my father, a highly decorated HK detective was on the trail of a large criminal ring only known as 'Shadowlaw'. The leader of the organization was only known as 'Vega'. Well, one night my father went to talk to an informant who said he had information that would help him crack the case..." The moon's bright rays illuminated her face as she walked over to the window. A tear glistened down her soft creamy cheek.
"He never came back home to me that night." she said with a held back sob. "They found his body the next day at a construction site." She looked away from the window towards him.
Ryu felt his heart drop. It pained him to see her try to hold back such a very powerful emotion such as sadness. He finally knew why he saw the sadness in her eyes the other night.
"I am deeply sorry for your loss. I too know what it is like to lose a father". He said as he looked directly at her, their eyes locked on each other.
"I trained for many years to be strong and learn the trade of an investigator, like my father". She said looking deeply into Ryu's big brown eyes. "I vowed to bring my father's murderer to justice. So when I was 21, I joined Interlope to have the resources to help track down the man who had my father murdered."
"Interpol has lost many men and women trying to bring down Shadowlaw." Some of our operatives, who make it back alive from trying to infiltrate it, say that Vega is not human. That he radiates a dark power, and modern weapons have no effect on him. He searches the world for powerful fighters to join his crime syndicate, by holding tournaments."
"So I went into the fights to try to find out more information on Shadowlaw. It was a one such tournament that I heard mention of you. They said you could conjure a type of power and project it at an opponent.... That you beat the mighty Sagat, who has never been defeated."
"I quit Interpol and spent two years traveling from tournament to tournament trying to find you. Only to find out that I was hours behind your trail. After awhile, it seemed like I was searching for a ghost. I was about to give up thinking you were a myth. Last night while I was at a cafe, I could have swore I saw you standing there looking at me, only to disappear after I went to you."
"And now that you have found me, what is it that I may do to help you?" He asked softly lost in her eyes.
"I want to know the secret behind your power to form energy out of nothing," she asked.
"The power, with which you refer to is the power of Chi...the fighting spirit. Not everyone has the ability to manipulate it." Ryu explained.
"But, you do know how to channel it?"
"Yes." he replied softly. Ryu knew where this was leading.
"Please! You must teach me how!" Chun li pleaded. " I must know so I can take revenge for my father!" Her beautiful brown eyes sparkled with hope in the moonlight.
"I...I.... I.... Cannot.... Teach you." he muttered out, turning away from her.
"But WHY??" she asked lightly touching his shoulder. "I will do anything to learn it!"
"I cannot teach you Chun li, for I am still learning the ways of the fight myself. He replied.
Ryu heard a sob escape from behind him, and felt her hand fall down from his shoulder lightly brushing against his back as she took a step back. Ryu felt as if a part of him was dying when he heard her lightly crying.