Street Fighter: Dream Never Ends

by Talyn Rahman-Figueroa

  Fei jostled his leg tentatively, giving Tawnya his final advice. If he wasn’t careful, he was sure she would see through his act with the anxiety he displayed. He felt danger around him, leading Tawnya to something that could possibly damage her. He could do nothing to warn her, despite him wanting to.

  “Talk to no-one but him. That will ensure the full secrecy of this meeting,” Fei said softly, looking into her beautiful face again.

  “How can you be sure?” Tawnya sighed, pressing her pink lips together. “I mean, look at them. They’ve already parked themselves around us like a pack of wolves,” she said, pointing at the photographers who hid behind the bushes. “I have an ugly feeling I’ll end up on the front page again.”

  “You forget, sweetie, you’re a pro.”

  “But I do things I can’t help sometimes,” she mumbled, scratching the back of her neck.

  “Like drop your wine glass by accident?” Fei said, raising his eyebrows in amusement. “You can only control what is humanly possible. And if things do get rough, I’ll handle the media.”

  “And you really think I should play it like that?” she said, hesitantly looking at him from under her eyelashes. Fei felt a rush of feeling. Her eyes were full with meaning.

  “Yes, if that’s what you’re comfortable with. You’re an actress, use what you know.”

  Tenderly, Fei caressed Tawnya’s palm with long strokes, easing her into a false sense of security. Even after all this time, the faint scar of Ryu’s name still brandished her arm, and it made him uncomfortable. He knew Ryu was a danger to her. He had seen too much with his own eyes with the influence Tawnya had on him. She would have never known of Ryu’s whereabouts in Japan if he hadn’t insisted on filming at the Iga location. One way or another, with guilt and remorse, Fei was going to walk away from this nightmare with his reputation intact.

  Shaking off his nervousness, Fei smiled, stroking Tawnya’s cheek just as he always did. He was unsure on what more he could say without sounding fake. He wished that Ryu would hurry up and show himself, so he could make himself scarce.

  The candlelit lamps around the restaurant were bold, creating a majestic feel to the restaurant’s exterior. This particular franchise was tucked away in a suburb that was entirely exclusive to the rich and famous. The owner was widely reputed for maintaining his client’s privacy, a condition that Tawnya demanded. Though her lacerations had fully healed, she still felt self-conscious about her image.

  “You look beautiful, by the way,” Fei whispered, tracing over the diamond-laced neckline of her black dress. “He’d be a fool to walk away.”

  Ryu watched Tawnya from afar. No matter how much he willed himself to move, he couldn’t take a step forward. This evening was a decisive moment. What he would do with the information was beyond him, but at least knowing was better than wondering whether Akuma and Tawnya were indeed one person. Perhaps the appearance of the Dark Hadou tonight would satisfy his curiosity.

  Despite Gouken teaching his students the purity of Shotokan, he hadn’t been able to protect them from Akuma’s revelation of the Dark Hadou. Ryu could never blame his father, his mentor, to have ever failed him, but if he wasn’t careful now, perhaps Sakura could land on the same dark path he walked.

  Akuma was never going to win, Ryu was sure of that much.

  “Dude, what’re you waiting for?” Ken hissed from his car to shake Ryu out of his trance. He had forgotten that Ken was right behind him.

  “Go. I’ll be on stand-by,” Ken said quietly, as if to not distract Fei and Tawnya from their show of affection.

  “Ken...” Ryu said, but Ken had already driven off, disappearing around the corner.

  Unaware of how leisurely he was walking, Tawnya grabbed Ryu’s full attention as she now waited alone by the entrance of the building. He could feel his hands twitch, bracing himself for the Dark Hadou to impale him, but he felt strangely calm. Despite Ken and Sakura’s tutorial about feminine behavior, he didn’t know what to say to her, or how he should compose himself and lead her. How was he to unravel this woman’s deepest, darkest secret?

  As he stopped beside her, he fell silent. Unwillingly, he felt weakened by the way she stared at him. Her hazel eyes had a certain mysterious quality to them, but he was sure he saw a tinge of something indescribable...some strange malevolence.

  Neither of them spoke for a while.

  Then Tawnya broke out, “I’ve heard people say that breaking the ice is usually the hardest thing to do, but I’m sure that’s easy for you. I mean, I can imagine you’ve broken much more than that in your line of work, right, Ryu?”

  Ryu cocked an eyebrow as she cockily smiled. He instantly disliked her trying to be clever. He could sense Akuma’s presence in her - the mind games. Ryu smiled, and opened the door to the restaurant in order to usher her in. He had to try and keep his judgment to a basic level, until she let something more substantial slip. If he was going to get through this evening without obsessing about Akuma and the Dark Hadou, he had to try and practice some of the skills Ken had shown him all his life.

  “It’s good to meet you too,” Ryu said, his white pearly smile dazzling her.

  Without another word, they were escorted to a table in a remote and private corner of a huge ostentatious room. He felt a little bewildered by the ornateness of these unfamiliar surroundings. The room was ridiculously overbearing, with a string quartet playing, candles everywhere, a highly polished baby grand piano surrounded by period furniture, and an overly attentive French waiter. Tawnya didn’t seem as amazed as Ryu. She distractedly played with her sapphire diamond bracelet in an attempt to avoid his gaze.

  If the Dark Hadou was going to ignite this night, there was no telling what damage he or Akuma could do in such an elaborate environment.

  “Amazing isn’t it,” Tawnya said in a husky tone, “...how influence and power can bring you to a place like this.”

  She smiled at him as she coquettishly rested her tilted head on her hand. She swiveled half a goblet of water as if it was an intoxicated wine.

  “Ever dined with the rich and famous, Ryu-san?”

  “No, not really,” he said bluntly, with Ken in the back of his mind.

  “Well, call it my token of appreciation for coming tonight,” she said suavely. “Let me know if you enjoy this. Give it a chance, sugah, you may like it.”

  Ryu twitched his neck. The stiff collar of the light blue shirt rubbed against his skin uncomfortably, but he smiled. He was trying his best to humor her, as Ken had advised him to.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked, appalled that she was making such a lousy attempt to converse under this façade.

  It was almost too difficult to avoid staring at him. One of the trademark rules of being mysterious was to shun direct eye contact. Her heart thumped harder and harder, louder and louder.

  “Sure.”

  With a click of her fingers, Tawnya prompted their waiter. She was acting like a typical movie star: domineering, sophisticated, and fake. Ryu had his own characteristics to convey: patience, perseverance, and directness.

  “I would like the tiger prawn sashimi with ponzu balsamic dressing, fragrant shoot mixed salad with a hint of lemon and lime. And can you combine the aubergine couscous with the salad, and make sure that there are extra pieces of fish in the main meal? And for you, Ryu?”

  “Uhh, the same. Thanks,” he replied, having paid no attention to what was on the menu. He didn’t care for fancy meals. Her true intentions were his only interest.

  Folding his hands on his lap, Ryu glanced at his dinner companion, trying to soften the tension he felt around his face with deliberate gentle breathing. He noticed her blatant display to avoid his gaze.

  Gouken used to say, “People whom lack the decency to make simple eye contact, often have deep dark secrets with which they would like to conceal.”

  With her fingers, Tawnya now traced the patterns woven into the cream-colored tablecloth. She wished Ryu would
stop staring at her, but perhaps she was misinterpreting his gesture. Coyly, she stole a quick glance at the man who sat opposite her. She hadn’t noticed the crease in his brow or his unblinking eyes that bore through her. Her heart raced tremendously. She suddenly felt hot in the face.

  “Who would have believed that I’m finally meeting the great Ryu Hoshi at last?” she cooed, her eyes glimmering in the candlelight.

  “After all, we have been in the papers together without actually having met.” Now her mind felt clear from any inhibitions. “The mystery can finally be unveiled.”

  “The mystery?” Ryu questioned, keeping his tone even. “I’m simply a man pursuing a passion.”

  “A passion and a great desire.”

  “What might that desire be?”

  “The desire to be better and stronger. Surely that’s every fighter’s endeavor,” Tawnya said rather woodenly.

  “You seem to know a lot about fighting,” he quizzed, burying a smile beneath his calm features. No one could have known his passion to train fervently without direct associations with him. Even if Tawnya had no connections to Akuma whatsoever, a commoner wouldn’t instantly assume Ryu was a full-time martial artist. It wasn’t normal.

  “It’s part of the day job,” she said simply, as if it was obvious.

  “Do you mind expanding on that?” Ryu replied as casually as he could without being abrupt.

  Taking a sip of water, Tawnya regarded him over the rim of the glass. “It’s just training,” she responded just as casually, reflecting on her action scenes with Fei Long.

  “Training,” he mimicked with a gentle nod to the head. He liked what he was hearing. “Impressive.”

  “One gets used to taking orders and simply doing,” she added. This time, she checked her manicured nails that glistened against the tea light candles.

  “Training involves discipline and determination. How do you simply take orders?” Ryu scrutinized, trying to keep his tone controlled.

  “Ever heard of the expression, ‘Practice makes perfect’?” she stated simply.

  “Are reporters your target practice then?”

  Tawnya’s confident smirk dropped away. She had been hoping that the issue of the fight with Sakura wouldn’t emerge, but it was inevitable. Sakura and Ryu were friends, she remembered Fei saying. Tawnya smiled uncomfortably, the role of mysterious enchantress slipping away from her. “Look, this is not an excuse, but I can claim temporary insanity for that. I don’t remember what happened.”

  “Of course. You were just taking orders.”

  “I sometimes have no choice,” Tawnya said too quickly, trying to redeem herself, but Ryu only smiled at her. “No, I don’t know what happened that night. Or how I even found her,” she spluttered, hoping that she hadn’t just dug herself a hole.

  “I understand actors have lots of problems with reporters. Even yourself.”

  “I guess--”

  “She must have been a nuisance to actually start a fight with you?”

  “No, it wasn’t like that.”

  “Why did the fight happen? There must be a reason.”

  “Because...I...I felt that...I’m sorry, I don’t remember.”

  “You don’t remember anything?”

  “Not exactly,” Tawnya couldn’t help but admit.

  “Shame, because you were extraordinary,” Ryu marveled, leaning back into his seat.

  Now he had Tawnya’s full attention. The thump thump of her heart was as thunderous as large beaten drums. Her eyes widened in response to Ryu’s apparent praise.

  For a moment, Tawnya reminded Ryu of Sakura. The deep longing and yearning for approval shone on her face at his comment. Her eyes would water with satisfaction, and it melted him.

  “Your moves, tactics, fluidity...you were as good as a true martial artist,” Ryu continued. Now he leaned forward with a small smile etched on the corners of his mouth. He needed to know how she had possessed the dark arts, who had taught her, and how long she had been practicing. Her fighting style was peculiar, strangely familiar, and incomprehensibly frightening.

  “Really?” Tawnya mumbled, unsure whether to accept or challenge his compliment.

  “In all my life, I have seen only one other person fight like you...”

  “Who?” she whispered.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he shrugged. “You said you don’t remember the fight, so it doesn’t apply to you.”

  Ryu smiled openly now. If it weren’t for the waiter’s arrival with their meal, he would have taken the plunge and finished the execution with one swift move. He couldn’t help but smile at how many times Gouken had been correct when he said, “As soon as the disclosure is exposed, reel it in slowly, gentle enough to trap the lie until the true answer is revealed.”

  Tawnya stared back, expecting him to look quickly away, but he gazed with a probing intensity that made her hands shake with sheer nervousness.

  “Food looks great,” Ryu said, breathing in the smell of the hors d’euvres before tucking them in.

  Somehow, Ryu had become talkative, and Tawnya needed to understand how their roles had switched. She was determined to show herself in the best light, candlelit or otherwise, yet she was losing her confidence fast.

  “So, how did you get into your line of work?” Tawnya inquired softly. Her face was filled with a seriousness that he had not expected. Ryu stopped chewing, considering an answer with a look of bewilderment.

  “I meant, what made you become a fighter?” she clarified.

  Ryu’s eyes shifted around the room before he could find his voice again.

  “Training gives me purpose in life,” he started hesitantly. “I honored the man that taught me the arts, so much so that I wanted to perfect the style taught to me. I used to fight to test myself against more accomplished opponents, but it was always my destiny to follow a path.”

  “I didn’t realize just how intricate it can be,” she said in astonishment. “It almost sounds like a lifelong pilgrimage to me.”

  Ryu’s jaw knotted. To hear this said aloud both daunted him and filled him with resolve.

  “It makes me wonder whether you could feel that way about anything else,” she said quietly, dropping her gaze.

  Ryu immediately thought of Sakura. Taking a deep breath he said, “I don’t understand why you ask such questions.”

  “Out of curiosity,” she said, innocently.

  “Why?”

  Tawnya held her thoughts back. He was asking why, a question she didn’t have an answer for. Lowering her head, she stabbed her fish with her fork, disseminating its flesh into small flakes. Her head buzzed, causing a short burst of pain near the temples. Her throat felt caught at the sound of his voice distracting her contemplation.

  “Bring him to the dark arts.”

  “The dark arts?” Tawnya repeated aloud.

  “Excuse me?” Ryu replied, cocking an eyebrow. His features expressed total distrust.

  “Uncover his weakness with your curiosity.”

  “Do you want to know how I train, perhaps? Or how my style has evolved?” Ryu probed, getting deeper into the trap he had set out for her. “Those moments in Japan...” he said almost shaking, “...you were sent to collect information on me.”

  Tawnya muttered in protest, but Ryu wouldn’t stop talking. His tone changed, and he looked at her with a warning.

  “Our style was originally used for killing, the wish to become the strongest of all,” he paused, leaning further forward over the table. “I will not allow that. Understand that once the Dark Hadou enters your fists, an evil spirit will possess you and make you fight out of pride, until your dying day. I don’t want it and I will never succumb to it.”

  His voice was sharp. “...No matter what you may do to me.”

  “Uncover the mark.”

  Tawnya panicked, wondering whether Ryu could hear his voice too.

  “What are you saying?” she asked in alarm, disliking the seriousness on Ryu’s
once gentle face, which had now become tense and irate.

  “I shall command.”

  His head snapped up. He felt a sudden heat rush to his face as he examined Tawnya with cold eyes. There must be something there, anything, he thought in a panic. Her pink lips, her delicate nose, her unusually beautiful eyes...Tawnya bore no resemblance to Akuma at all.

  “Hold him there. It is working.”

  “Do you know anything about the Dark Hadou?” Ryu said through clenched teeth. His fists were shaking on the table. His sudden movement caused his fork to clatter to the floor.

  “The Dark...Hadou?” Tawnya gulped, stunned that Ryu knew what was happening to her.

  “Evil power poisoning you...” He looked up with his eyes red, watching Tawnya’s lips move slowly. Her voice was mute, she was responding to a sound that also penetrated him. A shadow of darkness fell over him, and he heard screams of when Akuma performed the Raging Demon - Shun Goku Satsu – the method of an instant kill. Ryu felt something force his head to lower. He squeezed his eyes shut to draw out the eerie sound, the screeching and the buzzing. Failing in a frenzied effort, he tried to outrace his pain, but the stirring of the Dark Hadou within him was taking over his senses. The more Tawnya talked, the more his fists shook. He knew at that moment that she was trapped by Akuma’s entanglements. He didn’t care how. It didn’t matter.

  “Ryu, are you okay?” Tawnya’s voice slithered into focus. “You look pale.”

  With an uncharacteristic lunge, Ryu grabbed Tawnya’s left arm and pulled her towards him, pinning her hand tight under his large one. Plates smashed to the floor, candle wax was flung onto the tablecloth, and the fire in the little pot died. He turned her wrist over and examined it with probing eyes, his trembling fingers hovering over the tattoo 天. The horrifying Japanese symbol ignited a terrible memory that Ryu wished he could leave forever. Her tattoo was the very same as the writing that was left behind Gouken’s dying body. He could see trickles of blood roll down the kanji, a message that splashed over the dojo wall written with Gouken’s blood.

  “The scar was an accident,” she blurted, panic stricken from his ill-mannered move. She tried to wriggle her hand free, but Ryu was too strong.

  “He’ll kill me if I don’t obey him,” she squealed, shameful tears leaving her eyes. She sensed pure hatred from Ryu, perhaps even a hint of vengeance.

  “Ten,” Ryu breathed, almost choking on his words. “The sign of Akuma.” He stabbed his thumb onto the tattoo below her scar. Tawnya shrieked with pain. The pressure of his thumb was enough to cut off her blood circulation and leave eternal bruises.

  “It’s a Japanese character that means ‘heaven’ or ‘sky’,” Tawnya moaned in miserable terror. “It doesn’t...doesn’t mean anything else.”

  Ryu bit his lips, feeling a sharp pain chase down his spine. For the first time, he felt pleased to have the Dark Hadou kick him. The Akuma within Tawnya was the trigger to his insane power. The mark of 天 was proof enough. Beads of sweat dripped down his face, and he felt himself slowly losing control. The muscles in his body stiffened and the shirt on his chest tightened until the buttonholes stretched. Now it was Ryu who moaned. The power taking over within him was burning, stinging, tearing at his heart. His pain was audible.

  “Do you ever feel like...like someone or something is possessing you?” he asked Tawnya, writhing in anguish. “While you fight, do agonizing thoughts flow through you?”

  Terrified, Tawnya turned her head left and right, in search of a way out. Her hair unraveled from its bun. She wrenched and squirmed under Ryu’s full-powered grip on her.

  “Let me go,” she demanded, finally pulling away from him.

  “Akuma...” he moaned, burying his fingers into the muscles of his thigh. He closed his eyes, breathed heavily, and more beads of sweat burst out on his forehead.

  “Akuma,” the voice in her head laughed. Tawnya squeezed her eyes shut. The unwavering laughter echoed, pulsing through her brain and down her spine.

  “I was right about you all along...the Dark Hadou...” The panic was clear in Ryu’s voice. He opened his eyes to see Akuma staring back at him, and he shook with fear. Akuma’s evil eyes glowed, as if congratulating him for his feeble efforts. The dark fiery aura from his dark impure body made Ryu shake with endless pain. Akuma’s face burned with a menacing tenderness as he drew closer to his sweat-drenched victim.

  “Noooo!” Ryu finally screamed, swinging his fist into the demon’s square face.

  Guests in the restaurants shrieked, sending dinnerware and gourmet meals flying. They hurried away from the scene of destruction.

  Alone in the midst of the splattered detritus, Tawnya was cringing against a wall, holding her bloody face with two trembling hands.

  “Your fate is now sealed,” Tawnya heard a soft whisper beside her. The strong smell of musk helped identify her instantly.

  Rose smiled.

  *****

  Chapter 23:

  LIKE KEN