End of a Journey, Ch. 13

If there was one thing Chun-Li could find solace in, it was going out to the town in the evening and enjoying the bright lights that Hong Kong had to offer once the sun went down. While she put on a front of being calm and reserved for her students, there was a fun-loving, wilder side to her that she liked to bring out every now and then. With a city that had as vibrant a nightlife as Hong Kong did, it was incredibly difficult for someone to not find at least something to do once the sky became dark and the buildings turned bright.

However, it would seem that spending the night out on the town had lost the appeal that it once had. No matter how hard Chun-Li tried to wash away the concern she felt towards Ryu, she couldn't get the wandering warrior out of her head. It's already been three days, and I haven't heard anything back from him, the woman thought as looked down at the red headband tied around her arm. I don't know why I'm so worried: Ryu is as tough as they come, and a former Street Fighter champion. If anyone can find a way to defeat Akuma, it's him…

At first, Guile visited Chun-Li to try and comfort her, pretty saying what everyone else was telling her. "It'll all work out in the end, Chun-Li," the Air Force officer said once he heard that Ryu had left the country to face Akuma. "Ryu's the complete package in street fighting: he's got strength, speed, skill, smarts, and guts. I don't know much about this Akuma guy, but whoever he is I can't say I envy him if he's pissed off Ryu. Give him time and Ryu will come back to you."

For whatever reason, Chun-Li listened to Guile's words, taking comfort in them. After all, this wasn't just any fighter they were talking about: it was the World Warrior himself, who defeated the mighty Sagat and helped topple the mighty Shadaloo and its demonic leader Bison. Why should one more fight make any more difference to him? He always found a way to win when the situation was most dire, and there shouldn't have been any doubt that he'd figure a way to emerge victorious against this daunting Akuma.

But what if he fails?, voice in the back of Chun-Li's head asked. What if he can't find a way to win, and he never comes back?

Now that Guile had left Hong Kong, having determined that his target Juri Han was no longer in the city, Chun-Li was once again alone, just as she'd been before Ryu had come to visit her. Before she had been complaining that no one from the tournament came to visit her and her school, and in the past two weeks she had caught up with more friends and rivals than she had in quite some time. And all of it started with Ryu's visit: it was like he was the answer to her wishes. He brought with him friendship, enlightenment…and eventually, love.

Now that Ryu was gone from her life once again, Chun-Li only had one thing in her possession to remember him by: the red headband that was given to her by the wandering warrior as part of his promise that he would return to Hong Kong. Ryu's headband was something that he was rarely seen without, and represented his fighting spirit and determination to become strong. By leaving that headband with Chun-Li, he was telling her that he was willing to put all of that aside so he could go through with this one last fight. To a street fighter, there couldn't have been a greater gift from the one who had been hailed as the Ultimate Street Fighter.

But he's more than just a fellow street fighter to me now, Chun-Li reminded herself as she continued to look longingly into the red handband. During the time he stayed with me, he revealed a side to him that I couldn't help but find attractive. I let him into my life…and I even let him into my bed. I was ready to spend the rest of my life with him…and then he goes off to fight his master's killer, so that he can be with me with no reservations.

Chun-Li knew better than anyone how the drive to bring justice to murderer of someone close to you could overwhelm a person, but the difference between her quest and Ryu's quest is that Chun-Li didn't feel the need to go it alone. She had people like Guile, Ryu, Cammy, and the rest of Interpol to help her topple Bison and destroy the massive Shadaloo organization. Ryu, on the other hand, was running solo into Akuma's waiting fists, possibly racing to his destruction in the process.

I've already lost my father and Charlie to murder, Chun-Li thought as she turned away from her headband and back to the marketplace she was walking through, seeing if she could find something that could help her take her mind off of her troubles from the stands. I don't think I could handle if I lost Ryu, as well. I just need to keep thinking positive thoughts. Ryu will come back alive…he has to!

As she was telling herself that, the glare of a television set from one of the stands caught the corner of her eye, causing her to turn around to see Ryu on the screen. With her hopes suddenly raised, Chun-Li quickly made her way over to the television to see the wandering warrior fighting another battle, determination flashing in his eyes just like they always did whenever he was in combat. Is this Ryu's fight with Akuma?, Chun-Li asked herself as she watched Ryu fire off one of his trademark Hadokens. Did someone record the fight on camera?

Chun-Li's hopes, unfortunately, were dashed as quickly as they were brought up, as the camera panned out to reveal Dan Hibiki getting blasted by the Hadoken. Seconds later, the footage of Ryu's battle with Dan was replaced with the Saikyo-ryu's master smiling face as he shilled his school of martial arts, claiming that even a "famous fighter" like Ryu respected the school of Saikyo. "That figures," Chun-Li grumbled as she turned away from the television and went back to looking for something that struck her fancy. "I can't believe that I'm so obsessed with Ryu that I got suckered in to watching one of Dan's lame commercials…"

As soon as those words escaped her lips, the familiar tinge of feeling someone's ki signature ran down her spine and alerted her to the presence of someone who could only be a fellow fighter. What a strange sensation, Chun-Li murmured as she lifted her head and looked around to see where the ki signature was coming from. It's a ki signature completely different from anything I've ever felt before…but at the same time, it feels strangely familiar…

Stepping away from stand that she had been browsing over, Chun-Li carefully walked towards the direction of where she was feeling the ki signature and focused herself. Being attuned to her fellow "subscribers" of ki users was something that had gained a lot of practice with since Ryu came over to visit. Whereas before she would have to close her eyes to pinpoint someone, Chun-Li had been utilizing the ability to sense other fighter's aura so often over the past two weeks that she could just go forward without having to pause.

A few seconds later, Chun-Li found the person who she believed to be the source of the ki signature. He was a tall, slender and handsome young man, wearing a black leather jacket and long red pants with a large Maltese cross on either leg. What stood out most to Chun-Li, however, was the young man's short purple hair with his bangs partially obscuring his face. I know that I've never seen this guy before, Chun-Li thought as she approached the stranger, who was leaning against a building staring off into the evening sky, so why can't I shake the feeling that I've sensed this energy before?

It wasn't until Chun-Li was directly next to the young man who couldn't have been older than twenty years old that the stranger shifted his eyes and noticed that there was a beautiful woman next to him. "Oh…hello there, sinjorina," the young man said with a thin, friendly smile. Motioning his head over to a table sitting several feet away from them, the young man continued. "Would you like to have your fortune read?"

"I was just noticing…your aura," Chun-Li replied after a bit of a pause. "Are you by any chance a martial artist?"

"I do practice martial arts…but I hate fighting," the young man replied before looking down to notice Chun-Li's blue qipao. "You, however, seem to be the type of woman who loves the thrill of battle. Your own aura tells of someone who feels alive only when engaged in combat, whether it be in a friendly sparring session or in a life-and-death struggle against a fiend."

"…Hmph," Chun-Li scoffed as she put her hands on her hips. "You talk a big game, but I'm not oblivious to ignore that fact that I'm pretty famous, especially when I'm wearing this qipao. You could have seen a picture of me in a magazine or on the world news." Looking over to the table the young man was pointing to, where a tortoise shell, old Chinese coins, and a crystal ball were all waiting to be used, Chun-Li allowed herself a smirk. "If you want me to buy your services, you're going to have to do better than that, mister…?"

"Just 'Xaeraph' will do," the young man answered before fully turning to Chun-Li and closing his eyes. With one arm reaching out so that it was hovering over Chun-Li's face, the youth called Xaeraph gently ran his hand down the woman's body until it stopped at the headband tied around her arm. "…I sense a wide spectrum of emotions emanating from this headband," Xaeraph stated without opening his eyes. "It comes from someone who is torn with conflict. On one hand, he is a fighter like yourself and has spent his life gathering strength so that he can meet his destiny…but on the other hand, he is passionately in love and cannot bear to spend a moment away from you. He has given you this headband to satisfy both his urge to complete his journey…and his promise to return to you."

"…now THAT is impressive," Chun-Li said with an amazed whistle. Once Xeraph had opened his eyes (which Chun-Li noticed had a very distinct shade of purple), the woman walked over to the table Xaeraph had been pointing at and took a seat. "Just for that, I think I'll let you tell my fortune." Once the young man had taken a seat on the opposite side of the table, Chun-Li held out her hand thoughtfully. "Show me what you can do, hot stuff!"

"I don't think it's your fortune you're interested in, sinjorina," Xaeraph replied before pointing to the headband around Chun-Li's arm. "I can tell from the emotions emanating from that headband that you are worried about the person who gave it to you. I think it would be much more beneficial to you if I told gave you his fortune." A mysterious sparkle flashed in the youth's eyes before he added. "Wouldn't you like to see if the two of you have a…how would you say it…'happily ever after?'"

This guy definitely isn't an ordinary fortune teller, Chun-Li thought as Xaeraph silently asked for the headband. Loosening the headband and placing it on the table, the woman watched the young man take the headband and examine it carefully before carefully flattening it out in front of him. He seems to know an awful lot about myself and Ryu. I wonder if that ki signature I felt from him indicates that he has some kind of psychic power…

Once the headband was flat on the table, Xaeraph reached over for his coins and tortoise shell. It was a method that Chun-Li had seen many times before from fortune tellers in Hong Kong, usually by men who were much, much older than Xaeraph. The coins would be swirled around in the tortoise shell, and then spilled out onto the table, with the direction of the symbols on the coins indicating the fate of the subject. Chun-Li never paid too much attention to the rules as she lost interest in fortune-telling once she "grew up," but this Xaeraph seemed considerably more competent than most other con men in his profession.

Spilling the coins out onto the table, Xaeraph rubbed his chin in concern. "…this is not good," the young man said, causing Chun-Li's eyes to waver. "The fates tell me that your friend is about to engage in a battle that he will not walk away from. Even though his motives are pure, his once-indomitable will has been shaken by the conflict within. Without you, he cannot properly focus his energy to the task at hand, and with the battle ahead of him, that kind of conflict can prove lethal."

"You mean he's going to fail…and die," Chun-Li concluded as she felt despair fill her heart. Despite what Ryu promised her, and despite what all of her friends had told her, the wandering warrior was walking into his last fight just as she had feared. "You have to tell me what I can do to stop that from happening! Tell me, Xaeraph!"

"Please calm down, sinjorina," the young man placed a hand on Chun-Li's shoulder and gently pressed her back down into her seat. "Please know that the future isn't set in stone: I am merely telling you what the fates are telling me. Remember that, if one's will is strong enough, fate can be overcome and a new path can be forged." Xaeraph picked the red headband off of the table and returned it to Chun-Li. "The only thing that is keeping him from winning the battle that lies ahead is your absence. If you are there to provide support for him, and remind him of how much you mean to him…then he can fight without regret or reservation, and focus on victory."

"Can you tell me where he is?"

"…perhaps," Xaeraph replied with uncertainty as he looked down at his crystal ball. With his hands glowing with bluish-green energy, the young man pressed his hands against the ball and forced it to glow with energy. "…your friend is currently…on an airplane, it looks like. He is thinking about the great battle that lies ahead of him, and how he must emerge victorious if he is to ever know true peace. If you know where he is heading, perhaps you can-"

"I found you at last…"

Xaeraph's divining was cut short by the sound of a hauntingly familiar voice coming from behind Chun-Li. Slowly turning her head, and hoping that the source of the voice wasn't who she thought he was, the Chinese martial artist's eyes widened in shock as she gazed upon a tall, muscular man wearing purple-and-yellow matador trousers with a red sash, with black shoes covering white leggings. Despite the man's handsome visage, there wasn't a thing Chun-Li found attractive about the man: in fact, it was the exact opposite reaction. "Vega!" Chun-Li blurted out at the man brushed back his long blonde hair. "What are YOU doing here!"

"Well well…if it isn't the lovely senorita Chun-Li," the man purred seductively as a sinister grin came over his face. While Bison might have been the leader of Shadaloo, Vega had been the organization's top assassin, and was every bit as ruthless and vile as the man he served. When Shadaloo collapsed, Vega managed to evade the authorities, and it was up to the British MI6 branch of Delta Red to try and capture him. So far, all of their searches turned out fruitless.

And yet, here was Vega in Hong Kong, staring down Chun-Li with the same slimy look he always had when dealing with her. Bison may have been Chun-Li's sworn enemy, but only the Spanish ninja assassin known as Vega could be called Chun-Li's nemesis. "I'll ask you again, Vega," Chun-Li said as she lifted her hands and assumed her fighting stance, "What are you doing here?"

"I have no obligation to tell you the specific details of the glorious mission that I have received," Vega replied nonchalantly, as if he were discussing the matter over tea. "However, I do believe that is necessary for a gentleman such as myself to greet a lady as gorgeous as you in a proper manner." Forcefully ripping off his white button-up shirt to reveal the purple snake tattoo coiled around his torso, Vega pulled his trademark mask and claw from his hips and attached them to his face and hand. "It's been such a long time, senorita…I'm curious to see if your blood has aged as well as you have."

An instant after he finished that sentence, Vega suddenly let out a shrill yell and thrust his claw at Chun-Li in an attempt to impale her. Although Chun-Li was able to move her head in time to avoid getting stabbed, the claw did manage to connect with her right hair bun. As a result, the hair bun was completely severed from her head, leaving her long hair to fall down across her back. "You picked the wrong day to mess with me, Vega," Chun-Li growled as she lunged forward and struck Vega in the chest with a ki-infused punch. "Surrender now or I'll send you to the hospital!"

With her left leg shooting out and moving faster than the eye could see, Chun-Li attempted to bombard Vega with rapid kicks, but Vega's near-inhuman agility allowed him to backflip out of the way and successfully evade the attack. Seeing an opening, Vega took to the ground and rolled forward Chun-Li, bouncing off the ground like a wild tire. Realizing the roll for what it was, a prelude to something nasty, Chun-Li jumped into the air and narrowly vaulted over Vega's Rolling Crystal Slash, coming down hard on Vega's head with both her feet being planted into his skull.

Unfortunately for Chun-Li, Vega recuperated much quicker than she would have liked, as he sprang back to his feet as soon as Chun-Li turned back around. With her rage fueling her, Chun-Li sprang into the air with a forward flip, performing a mid-air splits to attempt to bring the full weight of her muscular leg down on Vega's head with her Hazan Shu. Rather than block or evade the attack, Vega instead opted to counter with a flipping attack of his own: a jumping flip kick that struck her in mid-air and sent her crashing back down to the ground on her buttocks.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Vega clicked his tongue and mockingly wagged his finger at Chun-Li as she returned to her feet. "Such reckless behavior is unbecoming of a woman with your beauty and stature." Crouching down like a frog about to make a great leap, Vega took off and soared through the air like a bird…over Chun-Li's head and onto the wall of a building behind her. After bouncing off the wall to jump even higher into the air, the ninja's eyes widened in bloodthirst as he did a swan dive to the woman below him. "You really should learn to work of your manners, senorita!"

"TENSHOKYAKU!

Before Vega could deliver an aerial slash, Chun-Li instead kicked Vega out of the air with her legs spinning vertically to deliver multiple hits: her Tenshokyaku that had saved her many times before. Vega is at his most dangerous with he's in the air, Chun-Li reminded herself as both warriors landed on their feet, though Vega had to take a moment to straighten his mask. If I want to beat him, I need to keep him grounded, or at least make it seem like going into the air is a bad idea!

Chun-Li charged Vega once again, this time leading in with a spinning high kick to Vega's head. If there was one weakness that Vega had, it was his obsession with avoiding hits to the head. One of the ninja's defining characteristics was his narcissism, and he always took extra care in avoiding having his face struck in fear of having his beautiful face blemished. If Chun-Li targeted the head, then it was possible that Vega could make a mistake and give her an opportunity for victory.

It was a good idea in theory, but she didn't anticipate Vega catching her leg and holding it on his arm. With his long fingernails digging into her thigh, the ninja's eyes narrowed in silent anger. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to damage my face," he hissed before lifting his free, clawed hand. "That, my dear, is grounds for discipline!" With a swift slash, Vega cut through Chun-Li's stocking and left a gash in her trapped leg, eliciting a cry of pain as blood streaked out of her leg.

Using all of her power to pull her leg free, Chun-Li delivered another rapid series of kicks. This time, the flurry hit its mark and Vega was sent stumbling backwards as the kicks rocked his head, chest, and abdomen. With Vega stunned, Chun-Li took the opportunity to check her leg to make sure that it wasn't too damaged. It looks like I broke away just before he could dig his claws in too deep, Chun-Li thought as she looked at the blood dripping from the gash. Still, it's going to be hard to focus with how bad it stings!

"CHAO!"

Hearing Vega's battle cry, Chun-Li looked up and saw Vega lunging towards her incredibly fast, soaring through the air in a straight line like he had just been shot out of a gun. Had she been any slower, the attack would have skewered her and that would have been the end of the battle. Luckily for her, she was able to duck just in time to avoid that grisly fate and turn around to see Vega land gracefully on his feet. "KIKOKEN," Chun-Li shouted as she fired off a blast of ki to where Vega had landed.

Turning around just in time to see the attack speeding towards him, Vega lifted his claw and attempted to slash through the ki like he would cut through a piece of paper. While that might have worked for a lesser attack, Chun-Li put a good deal of force into her Kikoken, and Vega instead got the full brunt of the ki attack in his arm, causing him to let out a shout of pain. "Agh…not bad," Vega said reluctantly as he watched Chun-Li charge at him. "Perhaps there is something to your current state of mind, after all."

"SPINNING BIRD KICK!"

Planting her hands on the ground and spiraling around like a top, Chun-Li outstretched bother her legs in a splits and battered Vega with multiple helicopter-like kicks, hoping that at least someone of them would hit true. Hearing Vega's grunts as the spinning kicks connected with his body, Chun-Li smiled as she flipped back to her feet and prepared to unleash another series of kicks to Vega's body…

…but Vega once again recovered faster than Chun-Li would have liked, and instead delivered a snapping kick of his own to Chun-Li's head. Stunned by the attack, the Chinese martial artist's vision became blurred with stars, allowing Vega a chance to send Chun-Li flying into the air with another one of his backflip kicks: a technique that he had dubbed the "Scarlet Terror." With Chun-Li rocketing skyward into the air, Vega kept his eyes the woman and pursued her, jumping over to the nearest wall and ricocheting off of it to increase his ascent.

Though it would have been impossible for pretty much anyone else, Vega was able to catch Chun-Li in mid-air and wrap his fingers around her waist. "Long have I waited to smell your sweet aroma again, senorita," Vega hummed as he altered his hold on Chun-Li so that both of them were upside-down, plummeting head-first to the ground that was rapidly closing in. "Perhaps absence makes the heart grow fonder, but there is something about you that is even more alluring than before…I wonder what it is."

*THOOM*

With gravity powering them down, Vega and Chun-Li crashed down hard into the earth, with Chun-Li landing on her neck and shoulders while Vega safely landed on his feet. Dazed by the Izuna Drop that had become synonymous with ninjas of Vega's caliber, Chun-Li groggily returned to her feet and resumed her fighting stance…but her equilibrium had been so altered by the drop that she just as soon tipped over onto her side and groaned. "D-damn," Chun-Li cursed as she held her hand to her head. "Not here…not to you…"

Just to make sure that Chun-Li wasn't trying to lure him into a trap, Vega once again rolled forward for a Rolling Crystal Slash. This time, Chun-Li did nothing to defend herself, and as such Vega's claw was driven into her mid-section. "Don't worry, my dear," Vega hummed as he looked up to see Chun-Li cough up blood on his mask. Removing his claw with a sharp tug, the ninja stood back up and watched as Chun-Li grip where she had been stabbed. "I am not going to kill you…just yet, anyway. First I'd like to see what has changed you so much."

Chun-Li lashed out at Vega with a snapping kick, but the ninja easily dodged and attacked the leg with another slash, eliciting another cry of pain from the woman. I can't…let it end like this, Chun-Li thought as she continued swinging at Vega, hoping that at least one attack would get through. However, Vega had timed his stab well: it was the type of move that wouldn't kill her, but slow her movements down to the crawl so that he could take his time with her. Every time Chun-Li's attack missed, Vega would counter with a kick or a slash that would cause her immense agony. I can't go down to him…not before…I…ACK!

As Chun-Li felt her reflexes slowing down, Vega once again launched her into the air with a Scarlet Terror and vaulted after her. This time, however, instead of pursuing her with another Izuna Drop, Vega instead lunged at her claw-first, slashing her clothes as he passed by. While that drew a streak of blood and another scream of pain from Chun-Li, it did little but to fuel Vega's lust for blood as he pressed his legs against the building opposite of the one he jumped from and went after Chun-Li again. Again and again, Vega bounced from building to building like a pinfall, with Chun-Li getting caught in his ricocheting as more and more pieces of bloody cloth was ripped from her body.

Finally…mercifully, Vega landed on the ground with his claw now soaked with her blood, while Chun-Li crashed down to the ground with her stockings torn, her midriff exposed, and half of her bra hanging out with slash marks all across her body. Lifting his mask above his face, Vega held his stained claw to his mouth and stuck his tongue out, gently running it across his weapon. "Mmmmm," Vega moaned in ecstacy as he turned back around to see Chun-Li somehow trying to return to her feet. "I know what's different about you now: you've had a man in bed, haven't you?"

"H…HCK," Words seem to be stuck in Chun-Li's throat as bloody saliva dripped out of her lips. "…How…would you know about that, slime? Have you been spying on me?"

"There's no need: I can taste him on you," Vega said with a sadistic grin as he once again licked the blood from his claw. "There is nothing more beautiful in this world than a woman in love…barring myself, of course." Walking over to Chun-Li as casually as he would approach his car, Vega cupped his hand around the woman's chin and held her close to his face. "Tell me, senorita, who is the fortunate one to have enjoyed your body and given you pleasure?"

"Drop dead, Vega," Chun-Li hissed. "I'd rather die than let you get your slimy hands on him!"

Even as Chun-Li was yelling at him, Vega was silently staring at her lips, taking a deep whiff of her breath and pondering what was different about it. There were always horror stories about how brutal Vega was in combat, but Chun-Li had traded fists with the ninja more than enough times to know that the horror stories were being too generous to him. Above all else, perhaps even above his narcissism, Vega was a creepy sadist who got off on the suffering of others, especially those that he deemed worthy of his time.

"…I smell the breath of a vagabond," Vega said as he let go of Chun-Li and let her fall down to her knees. "I had heard rumors from my contacts that Ryu was in Hong Kong staying with you, but I didn't think he'd sample the…house special, as it were. Still, it's too bad that you sent him to his death, just like you have every other man that meant something to you in your life."

"S…shut up, Vega," Chun-Li sputtered out as she returned to her feet, Vega's words igniting a rage within her that gave her a second wind. "Don't talk like you know-"

"It's YOU who knows what horrible thing you have done, my dear," Vega responded as he picked up Ryu's red headband from the ground and held it up for Chun-Li to see. "You were close to your father, and he was killed. You were close to your partner, and he too met a premature end." Dangling the headband in front of him like a toy in front of a cat, Vega pulled his mask down and watched the agony drift away from Chun-Li's face in favor of a shocked expression. "By growing close to Ryu, you have sealed his fate. You are a siren, luring men to their deaths with your song and then finding someone else to play your game with."

"I said…SHUT UP!"

Ignoring the pain she was in, Chun-Li charged Vega with such speed and ferocity that even he was intimidated by her rage. "SENRETSU KYAKU!" Lifting her right leg as she slid across the ground, Chun-Li bombarded Vega with an even more rapid flurry of kicks than she had been using to keep the ninja at bay, while at the same time still rushing forward. As strong as Vega was, even he couldn't defend himself from being barged through like the bulls he fought in Spain, being pushed back as Chun-Li continued raining down heavy kicks all across his body.

With one final kick, Vega was sent crashing into the wall that he had grown so fond of using, the back of his head bouncing off of it as he fell back to the ground. This time, it was Vega who was dazed, being unable to defend himself as Chun-Li once again took to the air and came crashing down on Vega's head with her Hazan Shu, driving him body into the ground with such force that it shattered the ninja's mask.

"My…my mask," Vega stammered as he slowly stood back up and looked down at what remained of what was covering his face. Feeling something wet on his cheek, Vega slowly ran his finger across his face and looked down to see what the wet sensation was…and then shrieked in horror when he noticed that the liquid was red and sticky. "You have damaged my flawless features, you cow! Just for that, I'll…I'll…oh no…"

As horrifying as a nicked face was in Vega's book, in paled in comparison to Chun-Li's scornful glare as blue energy most pure and fierce gathered around her hands, which were as far behind her back as they could go in preparation for an attack that Vega had no interest in seeing. "Gokuuu…" Chun-Li growled as Vega scrambled to make an escape, realizing that there wasn't anything he could possibly do to defend or counter what was coming next.

"…KIKOSHO!"

The Kikosho was a technique that Chun-Li constantly refined and perfected, trying to discover how she could utilize it in a way that would do great damage if connected but without leaving her drained. The Kikosho Goku, however, was what Chun-Li used when she was pulling out all the stops: there would be no "if" in its effectiveness. When it was used, as it was here against her nemesis Vega, it created a huge globe of bright blue energy that completely engulfed everything around her, like there was a storm going on and she at the epicenter. Windows shattered, tables were tipped over, and bystanders struggled to keep from getting blown away as Chun-Li poured all of her ki into this breathtakingly powerful attack. I'm not a siren, Chun-Li told herself as she tried to increase the size of the Kikosho. I'm not a siren!

Finally, after feeling completely exhausted, Chun-Li exhaled and let her attack fade, looking to see if it did the job. I don't see Vega anywhere, she thought as she scanned the area, hoping to find her attacker. Where did he go?

Feeling something brush against her hair, Chun-Li looked up just in time for the red headband to gently fall across her face. "I clearly underestimated the wrath of a woman's scorn," Vega's taunting voice called out to her, telling Chun-Li that Vega had already ascended to the top of one of the rooftop. "Apparently, not only is a woman in love beautiful, but immensely powerful to boot. Seeing this power is almost worth the blemish on my face…so for amusing me, I shall give you back that headband, as well as some information."

"Information?" Chun-Li repeated.

"Go to Suzaku Castle. That is where you will find your lover," Vega shouted back, though he was still outside of Chun-Li's view. "If you think you can save him from the fate of your siren ways, then I suggest you hurry. Goodbye, senorita…I look forward to seeing how powerful you are after you've either saved your love or watched it get run through the dirt with his death…"

He's retreating, Chun-Li thought as she turned around to check on Xaeraph…only to see that he too was gone, along with his entire table. She couldn't even sense his ki signature. Looks like Vega wasn't the only one: I can only imagine how terrified that young man had to have been to see such a monster.

Looking at the headband in her hand, Chun-Li stared at it pensively…and then pulled out her other hair bun to let the entirety of her hair go down. With her hair now free, Chun-Li unfurled the headband and tied it around her hair to give herself a ponytail, being held together by the one thing that bound her and Ryu together. Even as her body begged her for rest, being damaged and wounded, her fighting spirit only grew as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a number. Just as Ryu had someplace he had to be, now she did, as well: his side.

"Po Lin? It's me," Chun-Li said as she looked into the night sky. "I need you to help me get to Japan as soon as possible…"