It was unusual to be greeted by a cool dry climate in the middle of June, but the arid atmosphere did little to lift Ryu’s mood. He thanked the monks who had taken him into their run-down monastery before journeying on foot to Osaka airport. He had already walked a mile along the straight road, ignoring the exhaustion he felt in his heavy body. Sleep had been difficult. He had been unable to switch his mind off, and he refused the nourishments offered by the kind monks.
His mind was busy seeking a reason. First, the Dark Hadou had returned. Second, Tawnya Blaze was somehow responsible for it. His emotions, Ryu realized, were a minefield of contradictions – the desire for tranquility, the fear of losing control, the sadness of being alone. He felt as though he was trapped in a recurring nightmare. His head spun in answerless circles.
Desperate to locate Ken, Ryu picked up his pace in a jog but the unbearable cramp trembling in his calf muscle forced him to slow down. It had been over seven years since he and Ken met in person. He was secretly hoping that Ken would help him make sense of all this. If anyone could understand, it was most likely to be his best friend.
Ryu dragged his fingers over his face to smooth away the knotted muscles. He flitted the red headband away from his eyes. It was still a little bit hazy for an afternoon, but the chirping of birds roused his thoughts of Gouken lecturing him and Ken about the fundamental similarities between birds and women. It made Ryu blush to even think of such a strange memory, but at least it was a happy one. It was a time when he still had Gouken and Ken as his family.
“Women are like birds,” Gouken had begun, stroking his graying beard. He softly looked at his young students who sat crossed-legged opposite him, with plates of rice and beef curry resting on their laps.
“They are beautiful, graceful, but when you call to them, they will fly away. A gentleman should always be gentle, never menacing; charming, but never brash. No sign of indecency should be found in his approach. His appreciation should have a balance, and a minor mistake should always be corrected without hesitation. Then, and only then, must one advance.
“Think of a spinning arrow if you are at a loss for direction. This arrow will show you your path to a secret fulfillment. Listen to the spirits around you; in the earth, in the water and in the sky, where the purity of the heavens open. Listen with your heart and these spirits will guide you down the right path.
“For birds and women alike come from above. Like birds, women are aware of what men are capable of. Once you have chosen your path, your charms will excel and elicit trust, thus their wings shall open to you. Remember boys, to find the right partner, you have to make the effort to show your true potential, not through speech or physical contact, but with your heart.”
Ken always referred to women as “birds” after Gouken’s puzzling elucidation of how women are attracted. Keen to test the philosophy, he practiced on every female that visited the training shrine, young or old. However, his brash personality soon brought about another style of flirting. Ryu took no notice of the girls that visited. Sometimes, he felt he was the bird who would shy away, not because he had little courage, but because he was never shown the arrow. The arrow had nothing to do with physical combat, but with the internal fights in the heart. Perhaps that was what was missing in his life, and he was now walking in the direction of that spinning arrow.
The chirps of crickets that hid beneath the bushes replaced the songs of the birds. The expression on Ryu’s face changed from confusion to concentration as he picked up the pace into a full-on power walk. The sandals on his feet made wet clapping noises as they tried to catch up to his soles, but even that sound became overpowered by the blur of loud, throbbing beats of music behind him on the road. Ryu couldn’t help but smile at the sudden disturbance.
“Typical Ken,” he murmured aloud with a smirk, turning his head to see a red Toyota Supra speeding towards him.
The car was immaculate. The bonnet glistened with a recently waxed polish, and it was clearly custom-made. Having lived in Japan for over twenty years had encouraged Ken to drive a left-handed car. He most certainly was a proud American and loved to showcase himself in style.
The car jerked forward with a roaring downshift, and the horn beeped over the screaming guitars. The vehicle skidded to a halt, creating a cloud of smoke.
Ken leapt out of the car in one swift movement, then leaned up against the passenger door in almost a model pose. Ryu half-smiled, giving him a “Another car?” look.
“Hey buddy, one of us has to have some style. Speaking of which, you’re looking ‘sharp’ as ever, I see.”
Ken folded his arms with a cocky smirk, shaking his head at Ryu’s general appearance. Ryu’s off-white gi was undeniably old, with the sleeves ripped away at the shoulder, leaving untidy threads to flail. His trousers were two inches too short, revealing strong white ankles that had never seen the sun, unlike the rest of him. And Ken couldn’t believe Ryu still wore the red headband around his head. It was the very same ribbon Ken had once given him as a gift to mark their friendship. Some things just never changed.
“I’d offer you a lift to where ever you’re going to, but judging by your outfit”---Ken waved a finger at Ryu’s martial arts uniform---“I can see you’ve begun training and all. Jeez, take a break, man. You could almost make me look bad...almost.”
Ryu’s face relaxed into a more natural smile. He had almost been anxious that Ken would have acted a little apprehensive, but he should have known Ken not to let his wit down.
“You know me too well,” Ryu said, bumping his fist against Ken’s.
He was relieved to see that Ken made no special effort for him. He was dressed in his usual casual attire, wearing an oversized designer shirt that buried a green tank top and a pair of faded shorts. Same music, same style, same attitude, though his blonde hair was a little shorter than what Ryu was used to seeing.
His reflection was distracted when he felt his arm tapped by a gentle punch. Ken bounced on the balls of his feet, jabbing left and right in quick succession.
“Are you ready to spar, karate man?” Ken winked, warming his muscles with a short kata that Gouken had once taught them. “Just like old times, heh?”
Ryu touched his stubbly face wearily, not having thought of how his appearance might have been changed by dealing with the Dark Hadou.
There was no telling whether Ken had been training or not. His shirt was quite the camouflage, revealing no sign of how physically built he was, but Ryu felt apprehensive by the offer of a friendly match. It was too dangerous. Ken peered at him with suspicious eyes, his arms lax by his side.
“Okay, your spirits a little damp, but we can fix that,” Ken said with a forced half-grin, expecting to see Ryu’s face thin with dark circles under his eyes, just like the last time. His tiredness was apparent though. “I’m assuming you’re still out on the street day and night perfecting your latest moves, right?”
Ryu shrugged nonchalantly.
“Figured. I’ve been trying to get my kid to train. Ain’t easy.”
“How old is Mel now? Sixteen?” Ryu asked, relieved that he wasn’t forced to spar. He would have only embarrassed himself with sloppy mistakes.
“No way, he’s not that old,” Ken said rolling his eyes at the comment. “He recently turned fourteen. Mel’s at the age where he thinks his parents aren’t cool. How crazy is that? Me, not cool anymore? Can you believe it? He was actually embarrassed at how long my hair was, so I had to cut it above the shoulder just to prove a point.” Ken shrugged.
Ryu always believed Mel would grow up to be the smaller version of Ken; a brash young child who wanted to learn the martial arts from his father, wearing the same red karate gi and practicing the same flashy moves. Ryu wondered why Mel no longer epitomized his father. He hadn’t the faintest idea of how children developed.
“For all it’s worth, I don’t think Japan can handle another version of you,” Ryu tried to joke.
Ken grunted. “I hear him punch the
bags in the basement once in a while, but he likes doing it in private, even away from Sean. He’s shy with that kinda stuff. Dunno what the big deal is. Sean tries to get him to train all the time, but I guess that’s all part of growing up.”
Smiling up at him, Ryu said, “I remember you hiding out in the forest after you lost your first match to me.”
“No, I didn’t,” Ken blushed, recalling the embarrassment he had felt when he was defeated by a basic maneuver.
Ryu smiled. “I’m surprised the Brazilian kid still lives with you.”
“Sean? Oh yeah,” Ken said, a little flustered. “He’s become like a brother to Mel. It’s hard to keep them apart. Granted, he’s still struggling with his training, and hasn’t won a single tournament to date. Sean gets easily bored when I can’t coach him, so he picks on Mel, which drives Liz insane.”
“Sean never liked me dropping by, did he?” Ryu paused, reflecting the time when he first traveled to San Francisco. “Remember how he used to trick us into sparring one another?”
“Yeah, I remember,” Ken grinned. “And I kicked your ass.”
Ryu smiled back.
“Not easy juggling business and pleasure, my friend.”
“I can’t imagine you training the kids the way Gouken Sensei trained us.”
“You got that right,” Ken said, grunting. “Master Gouken had way too much energy. I don’t really have the time to bury myself in all that the way he did. To be honest, Sean was just an excuse for me to train once in a while, keep some loose ties with competitive fighting and all.”
Ken rolled his eyes to the steering wheel, quickly switching his music track from Atreyu to Pantera. He failed to tell Ryu about the promise he had made to his wife, the decisive sacrifice to abandon his fighting habits for a steady domestic life. Falling under silence, Ken continued.
“You see, it’s not easy being a father and a husband...the master and the entrepreneur. Eliza is more demanding than Mel, if you know what I mean,” he chuckled nervously, nudging Ryu as he did so. “I’m like the cuter version of Godzilla in bed. She loves it, really.”
Ryu laughed but the complex look he gave Ken was a mix of amusement and embarrassment.
“Women are complicated though,” Ken felt himself say glumly. “You’d think quitting the fight would be enough to keep the family together. It’s not like I need to work for money or anything, heh, not when I’m the only son of the Masters. Isn’t that adrenaline rush a wonderful thing, when in the midst of battle, Ryu? You can’t find that anywhere, heh, not even in bed. That great feeling of knowing you’re in control, relying on your strengths alone.”
Ken looked at Ryu almost searchingly, letting his cocky smile drop a bit. He still felt raw about Eliza’s behavior. She shouldn’t have kicked him out of the house, just because she had overheard his conversation about leaving for Japan. Sometimes Ken wished he had Ryu’s life, having the freedom to roam around the world for one purpose. It seemed unfair that he had to prioritize his time around his family and all the other humdrum that life threw at him. Ryu did nothing but train to become stronger, with no interest in women or having a family. Perhaps leading a solitary life was better than focusing one’s energy on a family. Or maybe that was more pleasurable than winning against a difficult challenger. Ken turned to his friend, watching Ryu return the gaze with similar sorrow in his eyes.
Lowering the sound on the stereo, Ken forced a wavering smile. “You’re all muscles, dude. Ladies love that,” he boasted, pinching Ryu’s relaxed triceps. “I don’t understand how you can ignore all the beautiful ladies that walk by you. At least you have the freedom to choose.”
Ryu wanted to laugh, feeling fortunate to have roused the memory of Gouken’s bird philosophy earlier.
“I’m just not interested,” he answered matter-of-factly.
“What about this hot chick that’s been on your case? Surely, she’s caught your eye one way or another. Unless you made her up to lure me back to Japan. I mean, I’m flattered that you’ve been missing me and all, but Liz would get jealous.”
Ken snickered, shaking his head.
Ryu couldn’t look at him anymore. Despite Ken’s obvious tact to lighten the mood, he instantly felt nervous. He had no idea how to start talking about her. He took a deep breath to calm his anxiety. Ken was content to be silent, to let him take the opportunity.
“No, she’s real all right,” Ryu said disappointingly, unfastening his red combat mitts. The veins on his hands were large and throbbing. “Her presence that night felt frightfully peculiar, as if Akuma was there, enticing me to embrace the Dark Hadou against all my strength and desire. It’s taken me this long to get over what I did to him. In complete isolation I’ve repented my actions, to the point where fighting someone makes my stomach curl.”
Staring at Ken, his voice faltered. The red veins in his eyes grew intense, and he suddenly grabbed Ken by the tuft of his shirt.
“Tell me he’s alive, Ken,” Ryu demanded, desperately. “Tell me I didn’t make it up...that the Dark Hadou has returned because of him and him only...”
Ken’s face went blank, and he was speechless at Ryu’s ill composure. Ryu and Akuma attracted one another like electrically charged chemicals that constantly battled. He had witnessed with his own eyes the attack that killed Akuma. The flash of the deadly Metsu Hadouken was still emblazoned in his mind. Briefly, Ken considered his response.
“He’s gone, Ryu, indefinitely,” Ken responded softly. “You survived because deep down you fought with a pure heart, a purity that made you stronger than Akuma could ever dream of. And the Dark Hadou...” he paused, “consumed him to the grave.”
Ken watched Ryu breathe in hungrily, as if what he said was fresh air.
All at once, Ryu felt drained.
“I destroyed an entire village with my bare hands, Ken. That isn’t normal,” he admitted in a low tone. “I felt an overwhelming sensation to destroy without a care for whether I lived or died. Something about her didn’t feel right. It felt almost as if she spurred the Dark Hadou to rouse in me. Before her, Akuma was the only person who had control over me that way.”
“Does this ‘she’ have a name by any chance?” Ken interrupted jokingly, feeling uneasy that Ryu was visibly tense. “I’m starting to get her confused with Liz.”
Ryu shook his head in response, deep in thought.
“I don’t know anything about her except that she influences my actions,” Ryu continued, his voice cutting. “I see her when I close my eyes. She makes me feel excruciating pain and relief at the same time.”
Ken watched Ryu’s hand tremble before slipping his fingers through the red glove.
“I remember as a child thinking how being a martial artist would be the perfect choice for me. It was the only thing I had ever known and it’s the only way I can keep Gouken Sensei alive. The intense pleasure of exceeding my mental and physical limit to new levels felt so gratifying. I’d wake up before dawn thirsty to taste more,” Ryu paused, suddenly smiling at this distant memory. “But that adrenaline rush is fogged over by darkness and uncertainty. She reminds me that I’m not normal and am a danger to you and anyone around us. If Sensei was still alive, he would have exterminated the Dark Hadou out of me by now.”
Ken appraised him, his eyes betraying worry he chose not to express. He was perplexed as to why Ryu was still stuck in the past.
“Think of the Dark Hadou as a cold,” Ken offered, his voice indifferent. “You need to fight it off.”
“Colds come back, Ken,” Ryu frowned, having anticipated a solid answer. “If anything, the last few days have taught me that training cannot keep the Dark Hadou at bay. It’s embedded within me, not my fighting style. How many more years must I train with fear that my physical strength will kill someone else? You said so yourself, my natural powers are too strong.”
His patience on edge, Ken yelled, “You just don’t get it, do you?”
Now Ryu leaned against the car
, releasing the exhausting cramp in his trembling calf muscle.
“Look at you, man,” Ken continued, his voice gentler. “You’re in your gear, out in the middle of nowhere, ready to train just like when we were younger. Seriously, nothing’s really changed, has it?”
Stunned, Ryu’s first impulse was to rebuke the issue, but he held his tongue, sensing the harsh realization.
The road was empty and the sky had cleared from dusky gray to a clear light blue. Ken sat on the hood, twiddling his thumbs, desperate to open Ryu’s eyes to other possibilities. They lived completely different lives and because of that, he knew it would be a challenge to convince his old friend to adopt another life.
“The only way a true fighter can suffer is by not fighting,” Ryu said, barely audible and only half-believing it.
“That’s bullshit and you know it,” Ken laughed, putting his arms over Ryu’s shoulder in a tussle. “Don’t you see, you are moving forward,” he said softly. “This is just another chapter in your life and Master Gouken would have been proud to see that you haven’t given up the arts.”
A smile flickered from the corner of Ryu’s mouth.
“What you need is some time to kick back, pal” Ken continued encouragingly. “Come back to America with me.”
*****
Chapter 6:
DAY JOB