Street Fighter II Victory Fan Fiction ❯ The Story of Lan ❯ Scarlet! The Color of the Headband! ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

STREET FIGHTER: THE STORY OF LAN
A Street Fighter Fan fiction
Written By: Christian "Flashman" Rogers
Street Fighter and all related characters are Copyright Capcom Inc

+ + +
Chapter 3: Scarlet! The Color of the Headband!
+ + +

Lan's body was lying on his futon. He slept, unmoving, save for the
rise and fall of his chest from his breathing. Sakura gently pulled a
blanket over his torso, tucking him in before she brushed some of his
hair out of his face and lightly kissed him on the forehead.

Her son murmured something incoherently, after the feel of his mother's
lips left his brow, shifted slightly, and then drifter into what seemed
to be a deeper sleep.

Sakura stood, walking to the door and looking around Lan's neat and
sparsely decorated room, observed the small, worn and threadbare stuffed
beagle that was the only toy Lan had ever wanted. She clicked off the
light and stepped out of the room, letting only the lowering sunlight
bathe the room with reddish light as she closed the door behind her.

+ + +

Sean swallowed his fifth glass of water, hands still shaking slightly.

This was beyond the realm of weird the Shotokan disciple had dealt with
before. Half red, half blue guys saying they were going to be gods
and kick you butt while wearing a diaper to prove it was one thing...

But a kid not even big enough to reach the cookie jar on the counter
without a chair to stand on, flinging around energy blasts Sean could
barely do after years of hard training was quite another.

He was amazed by how... calm, though he was obviously concerned, Ken
was about all this. It made Sean wonder for a moment if this meant a
Shotokan fighter would be at his best if he was ready for weird things
at any time.

Sean and Ken both looked up as Sakura descended the stairs. She looked
at the two men and raised a hand to pause their comments before they
could be said. She then walked over to the sandbag, which she had
repaired earlier in the day by replacing the chain, and...

"HYAH!"

Her clenched fist sunk deeply inwards as it struck the bag, tearing a
hole in the side. She let some of the sand trickle down her arm before
she pulled her fist free, looking at the pouring hole.

She shook the sand off her arm as she grumbled, "I'm always telling Lan
not to do that."

"Feel better?" Ken asked.

"No!" Sakura snapped, "I'm still frustrated, upset, and wishing there
was just something I could hug or hit to stop all this!"

"I'm still not sure what all this IS," Sean said, scratching his head,
"You said something before about Lan having this whole 'Perfect Hadou'
stuff and after what just happened I THINK I get what you mean but...
damnit, WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

Sakura took a deep breath as Sean completed his rant with a heavy stomp
of his right foot on the floor. "When Dan gets here," she said, "I'll
go into more detail with everything."

"Wait no longer, Number One Disciple! Your Master of Masters has
arrived!"

Ken and Sakura both rolled their eyes, though the blond man's
expression was more pained compared to the light smile that was on
Sakura's face. Sean turned to look at the open door, blinking at the
man in a pink gi, his long, thinning hair pulled back into a pony tail
(though it did not fully cover the growing bald spot) and a wide smile
on his face. His left hand was extended in a thumbs up as his right
helped brace what looked like a big plank of wood with writing on
it (maybe a dojo sign), that was slung over his shoulder. Near his
feet, was a knapsack filled with... something.

"So THIS is the guy everyone says I'm like?" Sean thought, "Jeeze,
yellow's WAY more manly than PINK!"

"Hi Dan," Sakura said, "Been a while. You bring 'em?"

"Yup," Dan replied, "Gimme a sec to put this down..."

It was at that moment that Dan spotted Ken, the sign in his grip
falling to the floor as he spread his arms wide. "KEN MASTERS!" Dan
exclaimed happily, "I haven't seen you since we were both training!
Gimme a HUG!"

"I am DEFINATLY more manly," Sean mentally concluded.

Ken, instead of leaping up to return Dan's enthusiasm, simply looked
down at the dropped sign and asked, "Where's you get that?"

Dan blinked and lowered his arms, pouting as he replied, "Just making
sure something minor doesn't get in the way of something important
enough for my Number One Disciple to need me."

+ + +

Across town, a master and twelve of his best students groaned in pain
as they suffered from the effects of a pink typhoon.

+ + +

Lan only stayed asleep for two minutes after Sakura left the room.
He opened his eyes, grogginess competing with his sudden thirst. The
need for water won out and he crawled out of bed, stumbling with each
step as he made his way to the kitchen.

As he started to go back after getting a glass of water, sipping at it
as he went, he stopped by the staircase as he heard the voices from
downstairs.

"Alright," Sakura said, "Since Lan's still sleeping, I'll need to tell
him about all this later... but telling you guys now should help you
understand and help me find the words to tell him."

"The first thing I want to know," Sean said, "is how the heck a kid
like him gets POWER like that."

"And why does it comes if he doesn't even know the first thing about
Hadou?" Ken added, "When Ryu and I started using it, we'd at least
been LECTURED on the basic principals of how it worked and seen
demonstrations of it in action."

"And why did you need me to bring..." A voice Lan didn't recognize said
before pausing very overdramatically, "... the books?"

Lan heard his mother sigh and take several deep breaths before she
spoke.

"I can answer all of that..." she said, "but I need to start at the
beginning, back when Ryu was still alive..."

+ + +

It was late, close to midnight. The lights of the city burned in the
night sky as a lone figure walked slowly into town.

Sakura swept the floor of the dojo, which she had only just opened two
months before. It had been hard work getting the right papers, finding
a proper building, and checking the neighborhood to see if there would
be people interested in being students, but it had been paying off
fairly well so far.

It had been a number of years since her last Street Fighter tournament.
An incident involving several of the local high schools had taught her
a valuable lesson, that she needed a reason for fighting. While she
could still enjoy the thrill of a pure fight, she had found that she
felt much... stronger when she used her power to help others.

By opening the dojo, she hoped she would be able to help many people
learn how to protect themselves and others, in turn finding the kind
of power that made her feel so strong.

She had grown older, no longer a teenager, and had experienced much
through the remainder of high school and through collage. The
experiences had changed her, making her wiser, but there had been one
thing that had not changed.

Through out it all, she had never even considered dating or even just
looking at men. There would always be only one man that would fill
her heart.

Ryu.

She had not seen him for a long time, and she wondered why her thoughts
had suddenly turned to him now, but she knew that she still loved him.

She was pulled out of her dreamy reflections as she heard a knock on
the front door. Frowning a little, and knowing that the "Closed" sign
was properly in place, she walked over to the door to shoo whoever it
was away.

She stopped as she saw who it was, eyes going wide as, standing behind
the glass door, his gi ruffled and torn, bandages over his left eye,
his right arm in a sling as his left shakily held his knapsack, his
right leg in a make-shift splint, and his ribs heavily bandaged, the
man she had just been thinking about looked at her tiredly.

"RYU!" Sakura exclaimed in surprise as she pulled open the door and
quickly helped him inside, "What happened?! What are you doing here?!
Are you okay?!"

Ryu shuffled in, splinted leg dragging along the floor as he entered
the dojo and dropped into a seat that Sakura offered to him. "Just..."
he said, "letting my feet take me where they felt was best."

"Ryu..." Sakura said, feeling her throat tightening a little.

She had never seen him like this before. She had seen him injured as
a result of battles, but never to this extent. She could see that his
skin near where the bandages covered his eye was an angry red, blisters
forming around it. She then notices there were similar markings on
portions of his chest where his gi was ripped away, no, it was BURNED
away. There were cuts that seemed to have come from razor sharp
objects that dotted what was visible of his torso as well. There was
also something else... something in Ryu's whole demeanor that his
injuries were more than simply physical.

Ryu looked up at the nervous, hovering Sakura and smiled softly.
"Sorry about dropping in unannounced like this," he said, "but... I
needed to talk to you... ask your help..."

"... If you need me, I'll be there in an instant," Sakura said quickly.

"It's something more... you may say no when you hear what it is..."
Ryu said, "Could I have some water please?"

Sakura blinked.

Ryu smiled as he said, "No, that's not it."

Sakura shook her head, smiling a bit as she replied, "Of course."

She quickly raced upstairs, returning shortly with a large glass of
water, which Ryu quickly downed in one swig. "Thank you," he said,
closing his eyes for a moment, "And actually, now that I think about
it, I think I may need several things from you."

Sakura nodded, taking a chair and sitting down, resting her chin on
her hands as she said, "Go ahead."

"I was fighting someone," Ryu began, "His name was Gill. He was
strong. Stronger than Sagat. Stronger than Bison. He thought he was
some kind of new god. I fought him, of course."

Sakura looked Ryu's battered body over. "Did you win?" she asked
nervously.

"Yes," Ryu replied, "Barely. But... during the fight I... FELT
something. Something I had never felt before. I didn't know what it
was until afterwards... when Akuma showed up."

"Akuma?!" Sakura asked, "He's still alive?!"

"Yes," Ryu said, one visible eye narrowing, "He said to me, 'You have
done it. You, like I, have reached the maximum potential of your
Fight. Now, it shall be time for our final battle.'"

"You didn't BELIEVE him, did you?" Sakura asked incredulously.

"No," Ryu said, "Not from his words. That was the feeling I had when
fighting Gill. I... have gone beyond even what I can achieve going
past my limits and can go no further. I can grow no stronger or learn
anything deeper."

"Ryu..." Sakura started, stopping as Ryu raised his hand slightly.

"Please let me finish before you try to convince me otherwise," Ryu
said, "I'm not saying you couldn't. Perhaps you'd even be right...
but... feeling as I do now, I have realized that I have done a great
wrong and wasted something Gouken had given to me to accomplish. His
greatest wish."

Sakura looked at Ryu uncomprehendingly as he nodded to his dropped
knapsack. "Open it," he said, "And take out the scrolls inside."

Sakura did as asked, taking out the worn, aged rolls of paper. She
carefully opened one, not wanting to damage it, and looked at the
contents.

She blinked in surprise as, giving a quick scan to the words and
illustrations that were within, she could see what were very obviously
lessons about how to properly perform many variations of a Shoryuken,
Tatsumakisempukyaku, and various other techniques of the Shotokan
style.

"It is the responsibility of the chosen student to pass those scrolls
down," Ryu said, "From one generation to the next. Each owner of the
scrolls must, when the time comes, refresh the old lessons onto new
scrolls. When he is done with that, he must then write down anything
he has learned that is new. Technique, philosophy, anything of
value to furthering the art of Shotokan."

Ryu took a deep breath, coughing slightly before continuing, "The time
has come for me to restore the lessons of old, as well as to pass on
what I have learned. Sakura... I wish for you to be the next keeper of
these scrolls."

Sakura's eyes became as wide as saucers, mouth dropping open and
hanging that way for a few moments before she managed to find her
voice. "I... I..." she said, "I would be so HONORED... but... why me?
I mean... Ken would be better for something like this..."

Ryu smiled sadly as he replied, "The scrolls can not be passed between
the same generation, unless the protector has died before passing it
on. It's the tradition. Perhaps, someday, Ken would be able to
explain his unique techniques to you so that you could write them
down... but, in honor of Gouken's memory, I can not give him the
scrolls to use directly."

Sakura nodded softly as she said, "I understand... and like I said...
I am very honored that you think I deserve something like this..."

"You're entirely self taught," Ryu replied, "Even after I was no longer
a simple beginner, I never gave you the lessons you desired. I... may
have even forgotten you for a time."

Sakura winced slightly. Yet, at the same time, she felt comforted by
his honesty.

"But," Ryu continued, "Instead of giving up, you found your own way.
You discovered your great inner strength and brought it out. The
techniques you've developed are both effective and unique, and they
would be a great addition to the tradition of Shotokan. Still... I
regret never giving you even one lesson. I... feel like I regret many
things, now that I have time to reflect before it is time."

"... When will you fight Akuma again?" Sakura asked, Ryu's words
causing a tingle to run up her spine.

"When I have both healed and finished with the scrolls," Ryu replied,
"He will not leave his island and he will wait for me as long as
necessary. He, as the Master of Fists of the art of the Dark Hadou,
has his own scrolls to care for and transcribe."

The injured warrior then shifted in his seat, adjusting some of his
bandages and said, "If I win the fight... Sakura, I want you to become
guardian of his scrolls as well."

Sakura recoiled momentarily at the implication of Ryu's words. The
upcoming fight with Akuma would really be their final duel.
Eventually, she nodded slowly. "I understand," she said, "and
please... feel free to stay here to heal and write for as long as you
want."

"Thank you," Ryu replied, "The path of the Fight can sometimes be very
lonely... and I do not wish for loneliness right now."

+ + +

Time passed. A week turned into a month. A month turned into two
months. Ryu first attended to his body, making sure the bones and
flesh healed as best they could as Sakura watched over him, helping
where she could. Occasionally, Ryu would watch Sakura as she taught
her classes. As he began truly healing, he would occasionally help
out as an assistant, using it as an excuse to help his body remain
sharp for when the time came.

Once the healing process was complete, he then moved onto the scrolls.
He wrote as much as he could, Sakura providing him with food and
conversation to keep his mind refreshed from the intense monotony of
the task.

One night, Ryu was finishing up copying the first scroll, which was the
most detailed of the five, as it contained much of the intense
philosophy that a warrior of Shotokan was asked to follow, as well as
notes about it's history and several legends that surrounded the art.
Sakura leaned over his shoulder to watch and silently read along with
the words he wrote. His hand suddenly spasmed from a cramp and the pen
he was writing with fell from his hand.

"Here," Sakura began as she reached out for the pen, "Let m--"

She stopped as Ryu reached his hand out at the same time, causing her
hand to land on top of his. They both paused, looking at where their
hands touched silently. Sakura's stomach felt as if an entire nest of
butterflies had hatched all at once and were fluttering around for
freedom. She turned her head and suddenly realized just how close her
face was to Ryu's. His expression seemed slightly embarrassed, a red
tint evident on his cheeks, and Sakura wondered if he was feeling the
same way she was.

"... Ryu?" Sakura asked, "Do you remember the time you told me about
having regrets about the path you've followed?"

Ryu nodded slowly.

"... I have regrets too," Sakura continued, "Regrets about... certain
things. Opportunities missed. Wondering what would have happened if I
had just gone on and gotten over... certain feelings. Do... Do you
understand what I mean?"

Ryu nodded slowly once more. His hand suddenly shifted, moving around
to that it held Sakura's instead of resting under it. "Yes," he said,
"I... think I do. I... have never really thought of such things
before. Ever."

Sakura felt her heart leap into her throat at the gentle feeling of
Ryu's hand taking hers. She heard the words he spoke and a part of her
tried to say that it meant he was just being kind and not showing any
real interest.

"But..." Ryu continued, "I suppose... that is something I regret as
well."

Sakura leaned in, kissing him lightly on the lips. Ryu started a
little, surprised by the action. He did not resist however, and came
to the sudden realization that this was his first kiss.

Sakura pulled back a little, face flushed. "Then maybe," she said in a
whisper, "we can ease both our regrets."

"... Sakura..." Ryu said, after taking a moment to find his voice,
"This is... important... I... I do not wish to trouble you with my...
desperation..."

"It's not desperation," Sakura said, feeling a sudden strength well up
within her, "It's... completion. I would have waited forever for
you... maybe it was meant to be this way."

"... Perhaps..." Ryu replied, though there was sadness in his eyes as
he spoke that word.

"I'll only go as far as you'll let me, Ryu," Sakura said.

Ryu nodded, his hand gently squeezing hers before their lips came
together again.

That night, as well as several others, they went far.

+ + +

"... And that is all that YOU need to know about that," Sakura
concluded.

Ken, Dan and Sean all nodded, dreamy smiles on their faces.

Lan leaned against the wall upstairs, feeling a tightness in his
throat and a sudden quivering of his lower lip.

"So that's where Lan came from, eh?" Dan asked with a sigh.

Sakura blushed as, from his hiding place, Lan blinked in confusion, sad
feelings fading as he wondered what Dan meant.

"Still..." Sakura said once she'd gotten the redness of her face under
control, "He left me an important responsibility. One I haven't backed
away from. With the scrolls and the ones I got from Akuma after... the
fight, I was able to perfect the normal Shotokan skills I have, as well
as help me further develop my unique skills and... they've also given
me information that's relevant to all that's been happening lately."

"Is that what the books you gave me are?" Dan asked, pulling out twelve
notebooks from the knapsack he had brought with him.

Sakura blinked as she said, "You never read them? Not even in
curiosity?"

Dan smirked as he replied, "Well, if my Number One Disciple tells me
that I should just look after something and not look IN something,
that's just what I'll do! Besides, a Saikyo-Ryu Master has the
strength to resist temptation!"

Dan shook his forearm as Ken rolled his eyes again and said, "Be that
as it may, I really think it's time for answers."

"Right," Sakura said, taking up a red covered notebook and flipping it
open, "When I... became the sole owner of the scrolls, I realized that
I would feel a lot better knowing there would be a back-up, just in
case something ever happened to my copies, so I transcribed all ten of
them down onto notebooks and gave them to Dan to safe keeping."

"Why him though?" Ken asked, "I mean, it's not like he's a great master
of fighting or anything."

"HEY!" Dan objected.

"Maybe not..." Sakura replied.

"Hey..." Dan reiterated, looking hurt.

"BUT," Sakura added, "He DID train with Gouken for a short while, and
his style IS based heavily off Shotokan, so he has the right. Plus...
well, no offence Ken, but if someone was looking for this information
directly, they'd know you'd be the first place to look for it."

"I get it!" Sean said, snapping his fingers, "And nobody would think
Danny-boy here would EVER have a reason to have anything important!"

"HEY!" Dan objected once more, now slightly angry.

"Well," Sakura added, "He's also really trustworthy, despite his
goofiness."

"HE-- Oh, thank you," Dan said, stopping in mid-exclamation and rubbing
the back of his head.

"I guess I understand..." Ken said, a sadness coloring his voice.

Sakura patted him on the shoulder lightly before looking back down at
the words in the notebook she held.

"Okay..." she said, "right book."

She cleared her throat and then began to read.

"The art of Shotokan was once a killing style. The power of the Dark
Hadou that one lusting for strength could attain, in combination with
the Light Hadou one with a peaceful soul could attain, was developed to
be the perfection of unarmed battle. The highest of Shotokan masters,
as a result, bears the title, The Master of Fists."

"Yeah yeah," Sean said with a wave of his hand, "We KNOW that already.
It's the very first thing someone studying Shotokan leans when they're
moving on to the higher techniques."

"There's more though, isn't there?" Ken said, lips narrowing,
"Something Gouken never told me but trusted Ryu with."

He had not meant for it to come out as bitter as it had sounded.

Sakura ignored the tone however, and nodded in response to his question
before continuing.

"What only a few know, however, was that the art of Shotokan was not
developed by man alone. Gouichi, the first Master of Fists, was taught
his art by the God Dragon Shen Long, as a means of defending humanity
from the fits and rages of greater powers. An art with the strength to
slay Gods and Demons alike. This is why the Master of Fists bears the
mark of 'Heaven' on his back."

"'You must defeat Shen Long to stand a chance'," Ken muttered.

"Huh?" The others asked simultaneously.

"It's something Ryu used to say when someone he was fighting would
get nasty and asked how a style so 'pathetic' could beat whatever they
were using," Ken replied, "I guess he was making a private joke."

"... I don't get it," Dan said.

Sakura went back to reading.

"As the age of Gods and Demons moving openly in the world of man began
to end, Shen Long, before he and the other Gods Ascended to the next
realm, left a prophecy.

"'In time, there will come a True Master of Shotokan. Born of two
warriors, he shall be blessed with the knowledge of all who have passed
before, his skills unequaled. He will journey out on a quest for
knowledge and the mark of the Master of Fists will appear before his
eleventh year, shortly after the full power of the earth, the Perfect
Hadou, awakens within him.'"

"... Alright," Sean said, "I'm getting creped out now."

"Does it say anything about what this 'Master' is supposed to do?" Ken
asked, skepticism coloring his voice, "And just what IS this 'Perfect
Hadou'? I get the feeling that it's something more than just being a
lot of brute strength all at once."

"The scrolls are... unclear on that," Sakura replied, putting the book
down, "All I could really find was something saying that many of
Gouichi's students traveled all over the world, spreading the skills of
Shotokan and searching for the 'Perfect Hadou'. Apparently, no one
found it."

"Until now... maybe," Dan added.

"I don't know..." Sean said, "It doesn't make sense. Why Lan? I still
think he's just a natural prodigy like you, Sakura, and he's just
somehow accidentally found the right... mindset to let the Hadou flow in."

"Sean, it doesn't work like that," Ken said, "All four of us had
experienced the existence of Hadou before we tried to use it ourselves.
For me, it came in a moment where I desperately needed it. For Sakura,
her determination to be like Ryu gave her access. For you, it was your
desire to use your strength well. For Dan..."

"To be the strongest," Dan said, narrowing his eyes, "because Saikyo-Ryu
will be number one."

"... Which is why his is the weakest," Ken concluded.

"HEY!" Dan objected.

"Lan just..." Ken continued, "seems able to call it and not control it.
Controlling power like that... involves something from within that can't
be taught by words."

Sakura nodded as she added, "The scrolls pretty much say the same thing.
They can teach someone how to attain the power, but control... that is
something that only the person themselves can do."

"I... really wish Dhalsim was still alive," Ken said, "He helped both me
and Ryu learn a good deal about the power of Hadou and he paved the way
for how we would be able to learn that control."

"... Dhalsim's dead?" Sakura asked, eyes widening.

Ken nodded sadly as he said, "He was one of Gill's first victims."

Sakura and Dan both lowered their heads for a moment, shutting their
eyes as a momentary feeling of sadness passed through them.

"What about Oro?" Sean added, trying to lift the mood up slightly, "He's
a smart guy and I remember him helping all of us learn how to control
our powers better when we were getting ready to fight Gill."

"Oro?" Dan and Sakura asked in unison, blinking.

"An old, one-armed hermit," Ken answered, "That's the problem though.
He wonders around a lot and goes to places where he doesn't want to be
found. And even if we DID somehow locate him, there's no guarantee he'd
want to help. Hermits aren't really known for being friendly and Oro
wasn't the kind of guy to go against type."

Sakura slammed her fist on the floor. "DAMNIT!" She exclaimed, "What we
need is... SOMETHING... someone who might know a way to at least try and
BEGIN helping Lan control the power. If we can't... I don't want to
think what would happen if my little baby hurt himself... or someone
else..."

Lan shifted uncomfortably upstairs, the possibility making him nervous
as well.

"... Wait," Dan said, "I just remembered something I got yesterday...
I was actually going to call you to talk about it, Sakura, but I got a
bit distracted and... yeah... THAT'S IT!"

Dan jumped to his feet and shook his forearm in triumph, the others
jumping slightly at the enthused exclamation of the pink-clad fighter.
"What is?" Ken asked in confusion.

"Well," Dan replied, the smirk on his face wide and true, "So far, all
we've had to go on for clues about all this are the scrolls, right? And
didn't you just say that a part of that whole prophecy was that there
needed to be a 'quest for knowledge'? I think I know someone who may
have found something that would qualify as the kind of knowledge we
could be looking for!"

"Who?" Sakura asked, doing her best to remain seated in her own
eagerness.

"Jimmy!" Dan said as he flashed Sakura a hearty thumbs-up.

Sakura's face fell into a frown as Ken and Sean shared a puzzled glance.
"Jimmy?" they both asked at the same time.

"You'd both know him better as Blanka," Sakura replied before looking at
Dan, "And doesn't he live in Brazil?"

"Wait... Blanka?" Ken asked, "The green, ape-monster, berserker thing?!"

Dan's face took on a serious, angry glare as he said, "JIMMY is NOT a
monster! You must have only seen him during the time those Shadowlaw
BASTARDS were turning him into their little attack pet for their
blood sport clubs!"

"Jimmy really is a kind, gentle soul," Sakura added, "We were able to
rescue him and, with some effort, most of it Dan's, we were able to
bring him back to his real self."

With a sigh, Sakura continued, "But he still lives in Brazil and what
does he have that could help us?"

Dan reached into his gi, ruffling around for a moment before pulling out
a sheet of folded up paper. "Remember that time you just mentioned?"
he asked, "When we were helping him recover? Well, I also helped him
get better at reading and writing and he and I have been sending each
other letters ever since."

"So?" Ken asked.

"SO," Dan continued, "Yesterday, I got a letter from him saying he found
some REALLY interesting ruins really deep in the rain forest, even older
than the Inca stuff he runs across sometimes, and some big stone slabs
there had pictures like these drawn on them."

Dan unfolded the paper and the others gathered around, looking at what
appeared to be several tracings of a man standing in various battle
stances.

"Sooooooo..." Sean asked, "Does this have a point or something?"

Sean stopped in mid-nose thumbing as Ken placed a hand on his shoulder
and asked, "Don't you recognize those stances? That's DEFINATLY
Shotokan."

"Shotokan?! In ancient Brazil?!" Sean asked, "That makes no sense!"

"I agree..." Sakura said, "but the scrolls DID say that Gouichi's
students went all over the world... and Jimmy wouldn't lie about
something like this. If he found these, they're out there."

"Still..." Sean said, "Brazil ain't exactly like a trip across town to
another dojo... Who would go? And how would we get there?"

"The second part is no problem, if we do go through with it," Ken said,
"I can get tickets easy."

"And I'd go because Jimmy knows me and I can translate," Dan added.

"You'd go too, Sean," Ken said with a light slap to his student's back,
"A trip like this would be excellent training. I'd go too, but Eliza
would be made enough for her to ask Mel to perform his Special Punch on
me if I ran off on another big trip so soon."

"I want to go too..."

The group turned as one to look towards the stairs, where Lan stood on
the bottom step. "Lan," Sakura said, getting to her feet and going over
to him, "You should be in bed! You need to rest after today!"

"Mother," Lan replied softly, "I heard you talking... all of it. I...
need to go."

"NO!" Sakura exclaimed, dropping to her knees and placing her hands on
his shoulders, "Absolutely NOT!"

"I need to know..." Lan said, "You could come too. Uncle Ken could buy
enough tickets."

"No, I can't," Sakura said with a shake of her head, "There are classes
to run and bills to pay... I can't just run off on a carefree adventure
anymore."

"Mother..." Lan said, "This is something I need to do. I... need to
learn..."

"We can do that HERE!" Sakura said, "Or let the others go and send the
information back! You don't have to leave! You can't leave!"

"But what if the scrolls are right?" Lan replied, "If they are... then
the only way for me to learn... is to go..."

"Lan, you're only ten years old!" Sakura exclaimed, tears shimmering in
her eyes, "You're not supposed to want to be independent and go off on
your own things until you're fourteen! You're a CHILD!"

"I'm a child," Lan said, reaching out a hand to wipe away the two lone
tears that had fallen during Sakura's speech, "but I can't act like one.
If I don't learn what I can... get strong and smart enough to control the
Hadou... I could hurt someone. Bad. Maybe... when I do have what I
need... maybe then..."

Sakura sobbed, tears and weeping coming out fully as she tightly
embraced her son. "My own little Monkey King," she said between heaving
breaths, "On his Journey to the West."

Lan hugged his mother back as she looked up at the other men. "Ken,
Dan, Sean," she said, her red-rimmed eyes narrowing, "If he comes back
with so much as a scratch on him, I will beat all of you so hard you'll
never be able to practice Martial Arts ever again."

The three men were suitably intimidated as they stepped backwards.

Sakura looked back down to Lan, reaching out and brushing some of his
hair out of his eyes. "That keeps getting in the way," she said before
standing up, "Wait right here."

Sakura walked upstairs, the others watching her go and then listening to
the sound of her footsteps as she traveled to a certain place, the
sound of some drawer being opened following. For a few seconds there
was silence and then the footsteps headed back for the stairs, Sakura
returning with her hands held behind her back. "Turn around," she said
to Lan, a smile on her face.

Lan did as asked, standing perfectly still as his mother kneeled behind
him and, after pulling the hair back from his forehead, she carefully
pulled a red headband across, making sure it was tight in the front,
holding the hair back over his forehead and out of his eyes, before
tying it with a solid knot at the back, two long strands trailing out
behind it.

"Hey," Ken said, starting a little, "isn't that..."

Sakura looked up at him and nodded. Ken smiled sadly as he said, "I
can't think of a better place for it to go."

Lan reached up, running his fingers over the cloth of the headband
before looking up at Sakura, his eyes questioning. "This belonged to
your father," Sakura said.

"Father..." Lan said to himself, a single tear escaping his eye before
he and his mother embraced each other once again.

Dan and Sean both sniffled, Sean trying to hide his eye wiping with
quick flicks of his thumb as Dan simply stood, arms stiffly at his side
as the tears flowed down his cheeks.

Ken watched the scene, sad smile still in place. "He looks just like
him now," Ken thought, "Ryu..."

+ + +
To be continued...
+ + +