Street Fighter II Victory Fan Fiction ❯ The Story of Lan ❯ Prologue: The Dragon, The Demon, and the Cherry Blossom / Chapter 1: Awaken! Hadou! ( Chapter 1 )

[ 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

+ + +
Prologue: The Dragon, The Demon, and the Cherry Blossom
+ + +

Ryu was getting old and he could not deny this. The familiar aches
and pains of old injuries began acting up as he stared at his opponent,
the both of them drenched in sweat and gasping for air. Ryu's left
arm hung limply by his side, shoulder dislocated on the last exchange
of blows.

Akuma was old, but he didn't care. He too could feel the small spikes
of pain that shot forth from wounds that had never properly healed.
He leveled his piercing glare at Ryu, keeping his weight on his right
foot, as his left leg threatened to give out from the punishment it
had received over the course of the battle.

Sakura felt old, though she was far from it. She had matured greatly
since the days when she had first met both of the fighters dueling in
front of her, which had been quite a few years ago. Now a young woman
instead of a young girl, her eyes darted back and forth between the two
exhausted fighters, bearing witness to their fight as had been requested
of her.

Silently, the two warriors began to circle each other, Ryu raising his
one good arm into a defensive position as Akuma slid to the side, not
able to fully hide the quiver of his body when he was forced to
temporarily put weight on his left leg.

"They've been fighting for two hours..." Sakura marveled to herself,
"Is this going to be the final blow? C'mon Ryu... you HAVE to win
now..."

Around the bodies of Ryu and Akuma, energy in the form of small globes
of light began to gather. It did not come from within their bodies,
but from the ground and sky around them. For Ryu, the energy globes
were a rich blue color and Sakura could feel the waves of peace and
calm they generated, like a quiet forest grove, or a softly flowing
stream.

The energy Akuma summoned was different, the energy globes were blood
red as they radiated a primal savagery, like a hurricane or tornado
running wild.

"Light and Dark Hadou..." Sakura whispered, "This is it..."

Akuma growled savagely as he charged forward, the influx of energy
and adrenaline allowing him to ignore his injury for the few moments
needed to close the gap between him and Ryu. He pulled back his fist
and threw all that he had into one final punch.

Ryu responded in kind, his own fist flashing forward as the Hadou
around him surged.

For Sakura, the next few moments happened in flashes. A fluttering of
the red headband Ryu wore. The clattering of Akuma's beads. The
sound of Akuma's fist striking Ryu's chest, followed by the distinctive
noise of many ribs snapping wetly. The sight of Ryu's fist striking
Akuma's chest... and then coming out the back side.

The two warriors stood there, both of their eyes widening in pain and
realization. They looked at each other, Ryu's lips, a small trickle
of blood pouring down them, rising upwards in a smile as Akuma's eyes
dimmed, falling to the ground as Ryu pulled his fist away.

Then Ryu fell as well.

Sakura could not stop the cry of horror that escaped her as she raced
down the hill, skidding to a halt next to Ryu and falling to her knees,
tears streaming down her face as she watched the man she had admired,
and even loved, slowly gasp his last, each breath bringing on a fit
of bloody coughing, staining the white front of his gi as it dribbled
downwards.

"Akuma..." Ryu gasped out, looking up at the young woman who wept
over him, "Is... he..."

"You did it Ryu..." Sakura said as she looked over at the body of
Akuma, blood continuing to pool around his still body, "You avenged
your master."

Ryu slowly raised his hand, placing it on the slight swelling that came
from Sakura's lower abdomen. "Sorry..." he choked out.

Sakura shook her head, trying to smile through her tears, "No... I
accepted this as a possibility. I didn't want to... but I did."

"Special..." Ryu said, eyes glassily staring off at the sky as his
hands fumbled behind his head, undoing his headband and not having
the strength to raise it up, "Can feel... the Perfect... Hadou..."

He spasmed once, his entire body straining as he took one more deep
breath. Then he was still, the breath exiting with total peacefulness
as his face relaxed to a look of calm, his fist releasing it's hold
on the headband.

Sakura lowered her head, taking a moment to run her hand over Ryu's
face, closing his eyes. She wiped at her eyes, not caring that they
had been stained with Ryu's blood, thus coating her face as well.

She stood, bowing slightly to the two combatants before moving off
slowly. Akuma had chosen a barren island for the battle field, and
Sakura knew, before she could bury the bodies, before she could leave
this place behind, she had to prepare for the future.

Reaching a cave, she wondered inside, seeing a small, extinguished camp
fire, a small meditation mat and a group of five scrolls resting on
top of a large rock. Taking the scrolls, Sakura opened them and nodded
as she confirmed the contents.

+ + +

The graves had been simple things, just piles of dirt with crudely
fashioned crosses sticking out of them. Sakura had a feeling that
simplicity was what Ryu would have wanted. She patted the small bulge
bellow her belly and sighed, "I'm sorry you won't know your father...
but I'll do my best, I promise."

She sighed again, looking at the red headband clutched in her hands.
She would need to contact Ken, who would be able to contact all of
Ryu's other friends. She knew Ryu would not have wanted a big
production made of his death, but she could not see him objecting to a
small gathering of mourning friends, remembering his victories over the
likes of Sagat, M.Bison and Gill.

Through it all though, there was something bothering her about his
final words...

What had he meant by "Perfect Hadou"?

Ten years quickly slipped away following that day.

+ + +
Chapter 1: Awaken! Hadou!
+ + +

The sign outside the modest building read "KUSAGANO SCHOOL OF SHOTOKAN
KARATE".

Inside it was what it said it was, a karate dojo. Like most dojos one
side had a wall of mirrors, for students to observe themselves as they
practiced. A few minor tapestries containing pictures of waterfalls,
bonsai trees and a setting sun hung from one of the side walls. Unlike
most dojos, since Shotokan was a style devoted completely to the art of
unarmed combat, there were no weapons, mock or real, anywhere. Near
the back, there was a sandbag hanging from a chain, currently being
attacked by a child.

"HAI!"

The cry of the young boy cut through the air, along with his foot,
which slammed into the side of the sandbag.

The child could not have been more than ten years old, the sandbag
being much larger than him. However, his punches and kicks struck
with an incredible amount of power. The bag formed momentary, deep
dimples as it was hit, just barely molding back into place before a
new assault was launched upon it.

The boy was clad in a powder blue karate gi with the arms ripped off
and a black belt tied around his waist. His hands were covered by
brown, fingerless gloves and he wore no shoes. His deep brown eyes
were furrowed in concentration, his head shaking a little to work the
sweaty brown hair that fell to around his ears out of the way of his
view as he made another charge.

His offence was withering, his blows crushing into the bag again and
again before he leaped upwards, extending his leg and spinning to
strike the bag once, twice, three times as he rose upwards, the
final blow being too much and breaking the chain, sending the bag
flying into the far wall.

"SENPUKYAKU!"

The boy landed from his attack, wiping sweat off his brow as he took
a deep breath. He stared at the crumpled sandbag with a small amount
of satisfaction.

He then jumped in the air as a female voice from upstairs shouted,
"Lan Kasugano! Have you broken the sandbag again?!"

He blushed slightly as he called out, "Yes, mother."

There was the sound of footsteps coming from the floor above and then
from the stairs that lead from the dojo to the private apartment
upstairs. The woman who appeared there, while no longer quite so
young, still had much of her vitality left. Her brown hair had grown
out and down to past her shoulders, framing her face and sparkling
brown eyes. Though she had never been able to fully lose the weight
she had gained from giving birth (and her Achilles Heel addiction to
Chocolate Goo Bars), she was still a fit figure dressed in blue jeans
and a red t-shirt, all too representative of the beautiful "Cherry
Blossom" that was her name sake.

Sakura stared meaningfully at her son, hands resting on her hips as
her weight shifted from one foot to the other. "You really need to
be more careful," she chided, "It's not expensive to fix but if you
keep doing it so much it'll never be there for the other students."

"I'm sorry mother," Lan replied, bowing formally, "It won't happen
again."

Sakura smirked as she said, "Yes it will. You're just that good.
Now get your little butt upstairs, wash up, get changed and have some
breakfast. You've got school."

"Yes, mother," Lan replied before he walked upstairs.

Sakura watched him go and shook her head as she thought, "How does a
little goof like me raise such a well-behaved child like him?"

+ + +

Lan always got bored at school. His uniform was too tight around the
collar. He could never focus on the work or lectures without supreme
concentration because of the view of the school gardens that was
teasingly just outside of the window next to him. Ever since he'd
been able to walk and had observed his mother practicing, all that had
interested him had been training in Shotokan.

He had a few friends, though they weren't really close and being with
them couldn't equal the feeling he got when he mastered a new
technique. The first time he had successfully performed a Shoryuken,
at age seven, and after long months of training (involving a lot of
time where he fell on his butt and back) he had felt an awakening
within himself. THAT was what he was meant to do with his life. He
knew it probably was rather strange for someone his age to be so
interested in the martial arts, but he couldn't help that feeling of...
rightness, that flowed through him whenever he practiced.

He was jarred out of his thoughts as a ruler slammed down on his desk.
He looked up at the scowling, gray haired teacher who met his gaze.
"Mr. Kasugano," he said, "If my lessons are too boring, please let me
know and I'll try to make sure they interest you personally."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hideo," Lan replied, bowing his head, "I'll concentrate
harder."

Hideo continued scowling as he walked back towards the front of the
class. "Just like his mother," he thought, "Limitless potential, zero
concentration on the here and now."

Lan did try his best to concentrate, managing to focus for a few more
minutes before his mind began to wander again. What caught his
attention this time was the beauty of the flowers in the garden as the
sunlight overhead shone down on them, lighting up the blossoms so that
they almost glowed.

He could not draw his gaze away from the scene. It was so peaceful
looking, so calm, it was if he was doing more than just looking at it.
It was like he was a part of it and if he tried hard enough, he could
simply melt away into the blissful peace of nature.

Hideo paused, feeling that familiar sensation of awareness that he got
when he knew one of his students wasn't paying attention. He also had
a pretty good idea which one it was as he turned back around, looking
up at his target. "MR. KASU--" he stopped mid-yell at the sight before
him.

The boy was GLOWING. Literally.

Small blue globes began to rise in the air around Lan, who didn't seem
to notice as he continued to look at something out of the window.
However, when one of the globes burst into a small crackle of energy
that played over the skin of Lan's hand, he blinked rapidly and then
turned his head to notice what was going on around him.

"... What?!" the young boy thought. "What is this?! This... I feel..."

The other students looked on wide-eyed, several of them backing away
in fear, falling out of their chairs as the energy, once Lan noticed
it, seemed to begin being absorbed into his body. Lan, for his part,
grunted in surprise at the sudden influx of strength and energy that
began to fill him...

And then he bit back a scream as the energy quickly passed the
threshold of empowering and reached painful. He worked his way to
his feet unsteadily, the power continuing to flow into him as he began
to walk, slowly placing one foot in front of the other towards the
door. The other students moved out of his way, Hideo, still slightly
amazed by the sight in front of him, yelling out, "Mr. Kasugano! Where
are you going?!"

"That... place..." Lan managed to force out between his gritted teeth,
"Have to get outside... to it... have to..."

Hideo opened his mouth to shout again, but couldn't find the words,
unsure if he should stop the glowing boy, old age and married life
taking away a good deal of his old skills. Finally, he lowered his
head and let Lan stagger out the class room door.

+ + +

Lan had no trouble reaching outside. Everyone was too afraid of him
to stand in his way. Lan, however, did not notice this, the pain
from all this energy gathering within him blocking out everything in
a sea of glowing blue. Each step into the garden drew grunts and
groans of pain from his body.

Finally, he raised his head and shouted, "WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME?!
This power... WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?!"

"It comes from the very earth itself."

Lan blinked, certain he had heard his mother talking, focus temporarily
returning as he tried to zero in on it's source. Sakura was nowhere
in sight as she spoke again. "Lan," she said, "I'm communicating to
you through the Hadou that is around you. Somehow, you've summoned
it. You're using it."

"H-Hadou?" Lan cried out, feeling the energy welling towards some kind
of peak, "B-But... you never showed me that... I... I never even saw it
when I saw you training in private... what do I do?!"

"Lan! Concentrate!" Sakura admonished, "Focus that energy you feel
within you. Draw it to your hands. Draw it all there and then push
it away as an energy wave riding your fists."

Lan closed his eyes, trying to regain focus, the pain incredibly
overwhelming as he tried to picture himself in his minds eye, the
globes of blue energy floating around chaotically until his will began
to draw them towards his hands. He held his hands outward, the palms
beginning to glow as the energy within began to radiate out.

"An energy wave..." Lan whispered to himself, "riding... my...
fists..."

And then, his eyes snapped open, the energy crackling to full force as
it erupted from him and shot off as a ball of light from his extended
hands as he screamed.

"RRRRAAAAAAAAUUUUUGH!"

The Hadoken rocketed into the air, pulsing with energy as it traveled
upwards and finally sputtered out more than a good distance away.

Lan collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, the sudden exertion
leaving him feeling utterly exhausted. "T-the power... of... Hadou..."
he muttered as his eyelids grew heavy, "So... that's... it..."

And then he fell into a dreamless sleep.

+ + +

Sakura opened her eyes from where she sat in the lotus position on a
meditation mat. She sighed deeply, knowing that she was probably going
to have to hire a private tutor for Lan from this day forward... and
she'd also need to scold him about spying on her during her private
self-training sessions.

She looked up as she heard the chime of the front door opening, two
people walking in.

"I take it that sudden surge of power wasn't you, was it?"

She smiled up at the two men, particularly at the taller, fair skinned
one with long blond hair streaked with gray and clad in a red and black
business suit, who had been the one to speak. His partner was a
smaller, yet stockier looking black man, hair done up in dreadlocks and
dressed in a yellow and black karate gi.

"Hello Ken. Hi Sean," she said, "And no, that wasn't me. What brings
you two here?"

"I was taking Sean here back from a tournament when I remembered you
and the kid lived around here and so I decided to check up," Ken
replied, "So what happened?"

"How'd you do, Sean?" Sakura asked, ignoring Ken for the moment and
looking at the other man.

"I won," Sean said with a smirk and a thumbs-up before perfectly
mimicing Ken's concerned look, "So what happened?"

Sakura sighed, looking down at the ground forlornly. "It was Lan..."
she said.

"... The KID did that?!" Ken exclaimed in surprise, "But... but how?!
I thought we agreed we wouldn't teach ANYONE those kinds of techniques
until they were at least old enough to shave!"

"I didn't teach him..." Sakura said.

"Then how..." Ken started to say.

"Please... sit down..." Sakura interrupted, indicating two meditation
mats near her, "I... need to talk to you about some things."

+ + +
To Be Continued...
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