Street Fighter Fan Fiction ❯ It's Never Lonely at the Top ❯ Mirror Image ( Prologue )

Sakura Kasugano was just a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl with what others called an "unhealthy" obsession with the world of street fighting. While everyone else practiced their kanji and katakana strokes, she was out in the backyard practicing her best kicks and punches. She was a girl on a mission—to seek out and challenge the legendary world warrior known only as Ryu. On a trip through the outskirts of Tokyo, she found her idol and fought him to a draw in an epic battle. He was impressed with how far her abilities had progressed, but he told Sakura that he could not stay to train her, as he was searching for someone stronger to fight. Sakura refused to give up. She entered in tournaments across the globe, honing and refining her technique in hopes of drawing his attention again and facing him on equal footing. Little did she know that someone else had their eyes on her.

That someone was an upper-crust girl named Karin Kanzuki, who had made a name for herself in the global street fighting circuit, largely through her father's connections with Japanese technology companies and media outlets. The young heir to the Kanzuki Corporation's fortune was no slouch, either—she had blasted her way up the ranks of the 21-and-under age bracket in record time, making short work of her opponents with a self-taught fighting style that few fighters were able to effectively counter. She also had a reputation for brashness and general disdain for the "common man", which made her popular with sponsors, but disliked greatly by those who fought against her. Having brought an undefeated record to the World Championship in Osaka, she faced off against the one girl in the entire circuit whom she had yet to face—Sakura.

Defeat was not an option for Karin. The Kanzuki family motto was "perfection in all endeavors", and she planned to prove it to the schoolgirl in front of a crowd of thousands. Her opponent fought with the ferocity of her idol, Ryu, but she had no need for such tricks. Karin's strategy was to stick close to the street fighting prodigy to limit her use of the powerful spiritual energy wave technique made famous by her predecessor. After a long, hard battle, Karin had beaten Sakura by a narrow judge's decision. It was the first time anyone had pushed the "golden girl" of the circuit to her limit. Even though she came from a far lower social bracket, Karin nevertheless had to give the Kasugano girl the credit she deserved for giving her a fight to remember. Sakura accepted the rare show of kindness, but Karin insisted that they would be rivals from that point forward, and they would agree to continue to challenge each other and push their abilities as far as they could go. They shook hands and blew kisses to the crowd, hoping that they would come to see fights between them in the future.

Several months had passed between their next confrontation in a tournament. They met again at the grand opening of a new arena in Los Angeles, which was sponsored and owned by Ken Masters, Karin's idol and Ryu's longtime friend and rival. He watched the two girls fight again in the final match of the tournament, and later remarked that seeing them out there reminded him of his early days training with Ryu in Japan. They put on another thrilling show for the American crowd, and this time, Sakura came out on top. She expected Karin to be mad at her for besmirching her "perfect" record, but when she got back up for the announcement of the victor, Karin was uncharacteristically serene. She had suffered her first defeat, but she still felt good about fighting. This put her on common ground with Sakura, who also took up her career for the thrill of the fight.

The two competitors learned to get to know each other better on a personal level following the fight at Ken's arena. They began hanging out more with each other after Sakura left school, and Karin managed to integrate herself in Sakura's circle of friends, although it took Kei and the others a while to get used to her larger-than-life presence and piercing laugh. Karin learned to deal with Sakura's tardiness for social gatherings and her occasional bouts of ditziness, while Sakura tried hard not to get annoyed by Karin's near-constant put-downs, which were never malicious, but still grated on her nerves a bit.

Though they had become friends socially, they still found time to sharpen their skills by sparring with one another every month. No flashy moves, no fancy special attacks—just raw, unbridled strength. Sakura had the advantage when it came to controlling her spiritual energy, but Karin insisted that her hand-to-hand technique was better than Sakura's. Their clashes would inevitably end with both fighters sprawled on the ground and gasping for air. This is good, thought Karin. The harder she pushes me, the stronger my abilities will become. I must not be lazy, though. Surely there must be others who are just as spirited as Sakura. If I manage to defeat them, I will become that much closer to achieving my goal.

She looked over at her fallen partner, watching her wipe a spot of blood from her mouth. However, there are times when I wonder if I've pushed her too far. I'm just starting to enjoy being in her company. It would be a shame to see someone as spirited as her fall at the hands of someone as beautiful as myself. The circuit doesn't deserve to lose a talent like that so early in her career. I'll spare you for now, Sakura Kasugano...but mark my words. This rivalry of ours will not end until one of us—preferably me—is recognized as the most powerful street fighter in the world.

Karin extended a hand to the schoolgirl and helped her get up off the ground. Sakura's body was covered in tiny bruises, but they were expected to heal up in a short amount of time. Sakura looked back at Karin, amazed at how the young aristocrat managed to maintain her dignity even when having been battered and beaten in a practice duel.

Life became more interesting for the duo as time passed on. Their relationship had evolved from a strictly-business partnership to that of a genuine friendship. They spent more time hanging out with each other after both had finished their days at work. During the summer, Karin would even invite Sakura to take trips with her to New York and Madrid on her family's private airline, to show her things she probably would have never experienced in person if she had gone on living her life the way she did when she was in school. Sakura was happy to see the sights of the world outside the rising sun, and she kept pictures in a scrapbook for herself to preserve those memories eternally. She didn't keep a journal, as she was still very forgetful when it came to taking notes. Karin took it upon herself to keep an account of their travels for the two of them to help alleviate the stress on Sakura.

Five years had passed since that fateful encounter. Both of their lives had been turned inside out by the events of the World Warrior tournament, but given the situations they found themselves in now, it was arguably for the better. Karin was once again a rising star in the 21-to-39 bracket in the global street fighting circuit, and the influence of her father's company had spread to seven different countres in mainland Asia. Sakura was now twenty-one years old, and the top student in Dan Hibiki's Saikyo-ryo dojo. He himself had undergone a transformation in that time frame, going from laughingstock to serious competitior, though he never gave up his flair for the dramatic.

Sakura and Karin's friendship had grown immensely since their first encounter, to the point where their meetings had gone from a monthly basis to a daily one, and the initial tension between the two of them had all but disappeared. Indeed, when Karin came to visit Sakura at the Saikyo-ryo dojo after an evening investors' meeting, she noticed something different about the way Sakura presented herself. She no longer sported the white headband that had once been a staple of her costume, allowing her short-cropped brown hair to flow freely. Gone also were her usual blue miniskirt and white cut-off top. Instead, Sakura adopted a more grown-up looking white shirt and blue jeans, which did more than enough to accentuate her trim figure. It made her look much more sophisticated, more dignified, and more—dare she say it?—beautiful.

"Karin!" said Sakura. "I'm surprised to see you down here. Are you taking some time out to see the city or something?"

That beaming smile caught Karin off guard every time, but even now, it was more radiant than she previously remembered it. How could anyone be so cheerful all the time? "Yes," she said, clearing her throat. "Well, I, um...I wanted to stop by earlier, but I had things to do. Are you finished for the day? If you'd like, I could take you home."

"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Karin!"

Karin took a look around the dojo. Several wall scrolls with inspirational messages were placed in every corner of the dojo, but there wasn't a single student inside. "Um, where is everybody?" she asked.

"Dan-sensei dismissed them a few hours ago," said Sakura. "I came back here by myself so that I could meditate and practice my moves on my own. It's not quite the same when you don't have a sparring partner. My butt's still sore from all of the times I've messed up on my kicks."

"You certainly are determined, Sakura. That's one of the things I've always admired about you, even if you are too stubborn to know when to quit. Now, grab your bags and let's get out of here. It gets dangerous in this part of town after dark."

"Got it. Wait for me by the front door. I'll catch up with you."

Sakura went off to the dressing room to fetch her belongings, while Karin stood by the door and made a quick phone call to her house. "Hello? Father? It's me, Karin. How soon can you have the limousine parked outside the Saikyo-ryo dojo? I need to do a favor for a friend. No, I'm just taking her home, that's all. What's that? Yes, I'll come straight home after I'm finished. All right. I'll see you soon. Goodbye, Father."

About ten minutes after she placed the phone call, a white limousine pulled up in front of the dojo. Karin's butler, Ishizaki, stepped out of the front seat of the vehicle, opening up the back door for the young lady and her guest. "Good evening, Karin-sama," he said. "We are ready to leave when you are. Just say the word."

Karin nodded, and led Sakura into the back seat. "Take this limousine to Sakura Kasugano's apartment," she ordered, "and be prompt about it."

"As you wish, Karin-sama," the butler replied.

The limousine pulled off shortly after Karin took her place next to Sakura. She pressed a button next to the armrest to roll up the partition between her and the driver's seat. As the car made its way through the streets of the suburbs, Karin put in a pair of thin-framed glasses and looked over her ledger to assure that her personal assets were in order. Even when she wasn't on the job, she had to stay on top of everything, as the financial market was tumultuous, like the ocean.

Sakura didn't have anything similar to do, so she sat silently in her seat, occasionally gazing at Karin out of the corner of her eye. The shimmering brown eyes, the distinctive blond curly hair—somehow, they became more apparent to Sakura now that the two of them were alone in the limo. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else to Karin that made her feel warm inside whenever she looked at her. Sakura knew that she never experienced this feeling when she was younger, but now that she did, it made her feel happy.

Karin noticed Sakura staring at her, and she stopped what she was doing to rest her fingers on Sakura's outstretched hand. "Is there something that you want to say to me, Sakura?" she asked.

"No, not really," Sakura said nervously. "I was just, um, admiring how good you looked in your business suit."

"What?" said Karin.

Aw, man! Why did I say that?, thought Sakura. Now she thinks I'm trying to hit on her.

"No! I'm sorry...I didn't mean anything by that. I mean, um, you look very nice tonight, Karin."

"Gee, Sakura...you really need to get into the habit of saying what you mean. I appreciate the sentiment, though. Oh-hohohohohohohoho!"

The vehicle pulled up to its destination—a several-stories tall apartment building right next to the video arcade. "Your stop, madam," said the driver.

"Thank you," said Karin.

Karin and Sakura stepped out of the vehicle and stood in front of the apartment door. "Hey, Sakura," she said. "Do you know what tomorrow is?"

"Of course I do," said Sakura. "It's White Day."

"Have you made any special plans for tomorrow? Is there a special someone you're expecting to get you a gift?"

Sakura sighed. "Sadly, I don't."

"Cheer up, Sakura! You're a famous street fighter now. I'll bet you'll have a bunch of guys just clamoring to get you gifts. I know I will."

The limousine driver sounded the horn, notifying her that it was time for her to return home.

"Shall we meet again tomorrow?" asked Karin.

"Sure," said Sakura. "I'd like that a lot."

Karin turned around and walked toward the limousine, but Sakura grabbed her hand before she could step off the sidewalk.

"Karin?"

"What is it?" asked Karin.

"Thanks for stopping by the dojo tonight. I really appreciate your help."

"Think nothing of it. It's what friends are for, correct? Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to--"

Karin was interrupted again when Sakura surprised her with a hug. She was in a hurry, but she felt confident enough to stop for a few more seconds and return the hug, running a pair of fingers through Sakura's hair. For a split second, she thought she felt Sakura's lips on her neck, but she didn't want to say anything about it to shock her friend. The two girls waved to each other and went their separate ways, with Karin re-entering the back of her limousine, and Sakura walking up the stairs to to her room on the second floor.

Sakura unloaded her bag from her shoulder and placed it next to the bed. She changed out of her work clothes and slipped into a pair of fuzzy pajama pants, using a long blue robe to keep herself warm. When she flopped onto her bed to go to sleep, her mind was flooded with thoughts about Karin. What happened back there? Did I really almost do what I think I just did? I know that Karin and I are friends and all, but why is it so hard for me all of a sudden to tell her that? Could it be because...no. I'm probably worrying about it too much. If she didn't feel comfortable with it, she would have raised an objection on the spot. Maybe things will clear up tomorrow and start making sense.