Disclaimer: I do not own Street Fighter, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
The characters in this story are the intellectual property of someone else. No revenue was generated from the posting of this story. In other words, it's just for fun.
______________
Ryu's kick barely grazed the top of her head. Sakura Kasugano had seen him follow up a missed Dragon punch with a kick to the face countless times. Since she was a little girl, she'd been watching Ryu compete. After training on her own for years, Ryu finally agreed to take her Sakura on as a student shortly after her nineteenth birthday. The last four years had been the best of her life. She got to spend everyday doing what she loved with her idol.
Ryu proved to be a wonderful master to her. Sakura taught herself to fight by spending countless hours a day mimicking Ryu's fighting style. Her technique was sloppy, but effective. So instead of completely breaking her down, he built on her unique style. Sakura was very proud of the improvements she'd made and the notoriety that her flamboyant twist on the Shotokan style was getting in the world of martial arts.
The only thing she didn't like was her relationship with Ryu. Sure, he was kind and respectful, and that was exactly what she hated. All this time, living under the same roof, sharing a bathroom, staying up all night talking, and he never made a move on her. She'd always thought Ryu was handsome, hell, that's why she began watching him fight. But after actually getting to know him, she'd fallen in love with him.
Sakura's contemplation was broken when she saw Ryu beginning his fireball motion. She leapt in the air with a whirlwind kick, but it was a fake. As Sakura spun through the air right into Ryu's hands. Ryu caught her leg and pinned her to the ground. "Your lack of patience is your weakest attribute," he said with a smile.
"I know," said Sakura, "I'll get it."
"Come on I'll make you some dinner," said Ryu as he helped her up.
**********************
After they finished their meal, Ryu told her that he had a gift for her. He went into his bedroom and brought out a gift box.
"The next World Warrior's Tournament is coming up," Ryu explained, "and I'd like you to wear this when you compete."
"When I compete?!!" Sakura was ecstatic. She hadn't been in the WWT since Ryu began training her. In her first appearance in the tournament, she didn't have the best of showings. In the first round, she was able to beat Karin Kanzuki, one of the few entrants who was around her age. However, she was badly beaten in the second round by Balrog. Sakura's fearlessness actually worked to her disadvantage. The much larger Balrog, a former undisputed heavyweight champion in boxing, knocked her out in just eight seconds. The WW crowd, which is infamous for it's verbal abuse toward fighters who don't give them their money's worth, was was shockingly quiet following her loss. They even applauded when she was able to leave the ring under her own power. Balrog's reputation was well known: he'd killed his last opponent in defense of his WBO title. After his quick win over Sakura, Balrog was quoted as saying, "I ain't interested in whipping on kids. I pulled that hook - just a tap, knowhatimsayin'? I got grown-ass muthafuckas to bury." Ryu knew that it wasn't safe for such a novice fighter to enter such a competitive contest. Now, however, Sakura's skill matched her natural talent. Now, she wasn't just brave, but prepared. He knew she couldn't win, but she was definitely ready to compete.
Sakura opened the box and inside was a white headband embroidered with the word "cherry blossom" in Japanese.
She sat looking at it for a while in amazement. Then, not knowing what to say, she dived over the table and gave Ryu a big hug. Sakura began wearing a white headband to be more like her idol in high school. She'd never told Ryu, but he knew. "You're great fighter and a wonderful person, it's been an honor to teach you."
"This is the most wonderful day of my life," Sakura replied. Her eyes watered as she spoke. "I'm going to make you proud."
Ryu had more on his mind, however. "Now that you have mastered the advanced techniques of Shotokan karate, I feel that you are ready to hear of the great tragedy."
"Your master's death?" asked Sakura.
"Yes. Master Gouken trained myself, Retsu, Ken, and Dan."
"You and Dan trained at the same dojo?" Sakura was shocked.
"Yes, but Dan was dismissed for his interest in the Killing Techniques," Ryu continued, "Master Gouken knew the danger of these techniques first hand. His younger brother, Gouki, used them on their master, Goutsetsu shortly after learning them. My master refused to use the techniques after Goutsetsu's murder. He died for his convictions. When Gouki challenged him, he was unable to defend himself against his brother's demonic power."
"I don't understand. Why haven't you killed him yet?" asked Sakura. "You can't let him get away with that!"
"There is an appropriate time for everything," Ryu replied.