Street Fighter II Victory Fan Fiction ❯ The Story of Lan ❯ Gathering! Preparation for Knowledge! ( Chapter 2 )

[ 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

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Chapter 2: Gathering! Preparation for Knowledge!
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"Man oh man..." Sean said as he, Ken and Sakura approached the nurses
office, "I still can't believe all of this."

Ken replied, "I know the feeling. This IS a bit much to swallow, even
after all the things I've seen since becoming a Street Fighter."

"I don't exactly want to believe it either," Sakura said, "but... the
signs are there. We can worry about it later though... we're here."

Sakura knocked at the door, entering as the female voice within bid her
to do so, Ken and Sean walking in behind her. The nurse inside was an
older woman, her hair was black (though it was obviously dyed so) and
wore a red shirt and black skirt, over which was a white lab coat. Ken
had to stop himself from mentally singing the songs "Hot For Teacher"
or "Legs" as he looked her over. He knew Eliza would be able to sense
his wandering eye even from an ocean away and give him hell for it upon
his return home.

"Kyoko," Sakura said, "It's good to see you again. How's Lan doing?"

"He's sleeping right now," Kyoko replied, picking up a clipboard, "The
poor little fellow just exhausted himself with... whatever happened to
him. It's strange, I didn't think you could start throwing fireballs
until you were in junior high school."

Sakura chuckled a little, memories of the past filling her for a moment
before the worries of the present drew her back. "Can we watch over
him then?" she asked.

"Of course," Kyoko said, looking at the two men with Sakura, "And you
would be..."

"Ken," Ken replied, "Ken Masters. I'm Lan's Godfather."

"Name's Sean," Sean added, jerking a thumb to point at his chest, "I'm
a friend of the family."

Kyoko nodded in understanding, leading the three to a curtain enclosed
area, pulling the curtain back just enough to allow them to enter and
as she passed Kyoko whispered to Sakura, "Don't worry. Hideo and I are
trying to find a way to explain this away so that he can stay and not
be bothered if he wishes to."

Sakura nodded off-handily as Kyoko left and closed the curtain behind
them. Lying on the bed in the enclosed area, was Lan, eyes closed as
his chest rose and fell from his quiet breathing.

Sakura sighed and walked over to the bed side, reaching a hand down to
brush some of Lan's hair out of the way of his sleeping face. "He's so
young..." she said, voice shaking, "Why did this have to happen now?"

"He's your son alright," Ken said with a smile, "A natural prodigy at
these kinds of things."

"Sometimes I wish he wasn't," Sakura replied, "I could enjoy a good
fight, still do sometimes, but... there was always a limit for me, a
point where I decided that I didn't want to pass. I couldn't commit
myself fully to the Fight like Ryu could. I just worry... what if he
decides to take that kind of life before he's ready for it? I won't
be able to follow him."

Sean pursed his lips together into a thoughtful frown as he looked at
the scene in front of him. He was not familiar with the details that
had lead to Lan's birth, it seemed to be something Sakura did not like
talking about with anyone, even Ken. He had even met Ryu himself a few
times before, mostly during the incidents with Gill, and Ryu had not
seemed to be the kind of guy to get distracted from his dedication to
perfecting his Fight for anything.

He kept from asking his questions however, as Lan stirred on the bed
and, with a slight groan, he opened his eyes. Lan looked up from where
he lay and croaked out, "Mother... you're really here."

Sakura suddenly let out a sob and wrapped her arms around the small boy
as he began sitting up, tears coming out of her eyes as she shook with
the force of her crying. Lan hugged back, making soft comforting
sounds as he looked up and noticed the other visitors. "Uncle Ken,"
he said with a soft smile, "Sean. It's good to see you again."

"Hey kid," Sean replied with a small wave of his hand.

"Awww," Ken said with mock dejection, "No 'Unca Keen'? You don't call
me that anymore."

"I never called you that," Lan replied, his face scrunching up in
confusion as his mother let him go, furiously wiping her eyes in both
relief and embarrassment, "Did I?"

Ken sighed and shook his head, "No. You didn't. As literal as
always. Just like your father."

Lan looked down at the sheets, expression unreadable as his hair fell
into his face. "Lan..." Sakura said, placing a hand on her son's
shoulder he didn't mean anything bad by that."

"I know," Lan replied, "Mother... what happened to me? You've told me
a little about Hadou before... but I wasn't even trying to use it and
it just... came to me."

The three older people looked at each other for a moment, exchanging
glances that gave their opinions on how they should continue. They
seemed to all be in agreement.

"Well..." Ken said, scratching his head, "You've asked one dozy of a
question there."

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The car ride towards home was quiet, Sakura having asked Lan to save
his questions until she could gather all the needed materials to
properly explain.

Ken, one hand remaining on the steering wheel, turned on his cellular
phone with the other and handed it to Sakura. "Mind if I ask who
you're calling?" Ken asked, eyes still firmly on the road in front of
him.

"A... friend," Sakura replied, "He has a big piece of the puzzle that I
trusted him with and now we need it back."

Sakura then dialed in a number, bringing the phone up as she listened
to it ring a few times before she received an answer from the other
end. "Hello?" she asked, "Is this the Hibiki School of Saikyo-Ryu?"

Sean yelped in protest as Ken momentarily lost control of the car.
"DAN?!" the blond fighter asked incredulously, "You trusted something
big and important with DAN?!"

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"Yes?" the nervous student asked as he picked up the telephone and
listened to the female voice on the other end.

"Yes, it is," he replied to the question asked, wincing at the sound
of screeching tires and the intelligible shout of someone else, male,
on the other end of the call.

While he waited for the two to finish the conversation they were
having, he momentarily looked up at what had been holding his attention
before, wincing at the sight and the continual sounds of wood striking
flesh.

"I'm sorry," the student said as the female speaker began addressing him
again, "Could you repeat that? Alright, I'll tell him as soon as
he's done wi-... Now? I'm not sure that's possible. Master Hibiki is
kinda... Alright, if you're sure."

+ + +

Dan pulled himself up from the floor, pink gi ruffled, hair disheveled,
left cheek swollen, right eye blackened, and blood trickling from his
nose. However, he quickly pumped his forearm as he proclaimed,
"Alright! I've been nice to you guys but if you don't give up now, I
WILL be forced to hurt you!"

His opponents were three men he had seen before. All of them, wearing
the black and green trimmed gis of their school, were students of the
rival martial arts school two blocks down from his. Like clockwork,
every tenth day of the month, they would send several of their best to
challenge the Japanese branch of the school of Saikyo-Ryu.

Dan would never let his students fight, instead he always defended the
honor of the dojo himself against the invaders all at once...

So far, Dan has replaced the sign outside seven times in as many
months, with no retaliation of any sort having been made by him or his
students.

The invading martial artists snickered. "Seems to me the only one
being hurt so far is you," the leader of the group sneered, twirling
the bo staff he carried.

The other two, also carrying the same weapon, joined in the mocking
laughter as they closed in, swinging the staffs at Dan's body. Every
blow hit home, Dan's reactions too sluggish to properly defend himself.
Strike after strike crashed into his arms, legs, chest, and stomach.
He fell to his knees, head bowed to the floor. He could hear the small
groans from his students and looked up just enough to see his opponents
moving in to finish him off...

"Master Hibiki?" one of Dan's students called out as he hung up the
phone, "Your 'Number One Disciple' needs you to bring 'them' now."

The leader of the invaders gawked as Dan suddenly lashed out his hand,
grabbing the staff and stopping the downward blow towards his left
temple. The pink-clad warrior smiled up at the first of his opponents,
who struggled to pull his weapon from the suddenly much stronger grip
holding it, and said, "Sorry. This is really bad luck for you, but
I have something important that needs doing! KORYUKEN!"

Dan sprang upwards, fist rising up and crashing into the jaw of the
first invader. The invader rose upwards as well before crashing to the
ground, bouncing on the hard, wood floor before lying still. Dan
looked at the weapon in his hands for a moment before breaking it over
his knee. He then tossed the pieces aside as he curled his arm at the
two remaining opponents and taunted, "Who's next to get whipped?!"

The second opponent, slightly rattled by the sudden change in their
target, rushed forward blindly, staff raised to strike. Dan retaliated
by jumping forward, his left leg lashing outwards, smashing through the
staff and into the side of his opponents head.

"DAH!"

As the first kick completed, Dan's right leg smashed into the other
side of the opponents face.

"DAH!"

In a manner that seemed almost physically impossible, Dan's left leg
coiled back into place and snapped forward, striking the invader on
the chin and sending him to the floor, unconscious, while still in mid-
air.

"SEIYAH!"

The third and final opponent had no time to react as Dan landed from
his attack and went into a forward roll, his body a whirling ball of
pink before he leapt to his feet, right hand glowing with energy as he
slammed it forward, breaking through the hastily raised staff and
smashing a small ball of energy into his opponent's face.

"GADOKEN!"

The last invader struck the back wall of the dojo and slid down,
crumpling into a heap on the floor. Dan stood there, breathing softly
in the suddenly silent dojo. He turned to look at all his students
before saying, "Everyone go home and think about this. Also, as a
great man once told me, fighting just for pride is pointless! Find a
cause to believe in."

He then grinned and flashed everyone a cheerful thumbs-up. The
students all dropped to one knee and flexed their forearms. "Yes,
Master," they said.

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Lan did not pay much attention to the conversations going on around
him. He only occasionally heard a word or two, mostly Ken's sudden
exclamation and Sean's complaints about Ken's driving after the car
swerved due to Ken's shout.

He dimly heard his mother's voice, switching between talking on the
phone and to Ken. Meanwhile, the majority of his attention was on the
view outside the window. It was mostly the hard concrete and steel of
apartment buildings and the flashing neon of business signs. It was
not anything particularly interesting or new... until they passed by a
small park.

It was a simple thing, and Lan almost missed it as his body tingled
with the memory of the Hadou that had filled him only a few hours ago.
At that moment, his eyes caught hold of the drifting cherry blossoms
falling from their trees and landing in the small, shimmering pond.
"Such a peaceful scene..." Lan through as it started to fade into the
distance as the car drove on, "in-between such Chaos. So beautiful..."

At that moment, the tingling of memory was swiftly replaced by the
burning of reality.

"Uncle Ken..." he gasped out as the globes of blue light began to swirl
around him, "Stop... the car."

Ken slammed on the brakes the moment the first globe floated into his
field of vision, pulling over to the side of the road and flicking on
the warning lights as Lan fumbled with the door handle, the energy
growing so quickly in him he could barely focus on what was in front
of him.

Lan managed to succeed, stumbling out the door as Sean slid backwards
on the seat, keeping his distance because he was unsure of what he
should do.

Sakura and Ken quickly popped open their doors, following the glowing
Lan closely, pushing gawking on-lookers out of the way. Lan did not
notice any of it. All he could see, feel, and hear was the rush of the
Hadou as it filled his small body to it's limits. His body lurched
mechanically, instinctively heading for the park...

Lan made it to within a single block of his goal before he could hold
it in no longer.

"KKKYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The ball of blue energy streaked off from his hands and into the sky.
Pedestrians ducked in surprise, a small fender bender occurring as a
rubber necking driver crashed his vehicle into the one in front of him,
too engrossed by the fireball shooting boy.

"That should be it, right?!" Sean asked, looking at Ken, "Got a few
stared but he got rid of the energy, right?!"

"He SHOULD have, yes," Ken replied, the hair on the back of his neck
standing up, "but there's more this time! A LOT more!"

Lan cried out in pain, tears rolled down his face as his hands remained
extended, the energy gathering once more.

"AAAAAAUUUUGH!"

"GAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"NNNNGGH HAAAAHHH!"

The energy blasts that lashed out from Lan's hands all were sent
skyward, the boy staggering on his weakening legs as the Hadou poured
in faster than he could release it.

Ken and Sean were so mesmerized by the sight they did not notice Sakura
until she was directly behind her son, jabbing the fingers of her
right hand down rapidly onto pressure points at the base of Lan's
neck, then between his shoulder blades and finally at the small of his
back.

At Sakura's precise touch, the energy within Lan dissipated, leaving a
few crackling sparks to play across his skin before he pitched forward
into sleep, energy spent.

Sakura caught him as he fell, taking a moment to check his breathing
before scooping him up into her arms and looking at Ken and Sean.

"How... What did... Why did..." Sean stammered, eyes wide.

"C'mon," Sakura said, "We need to go NOW! Lan... really needs to know
everything."

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To be continued...
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