CHAPTER 4: RUDE AWAKENING

Sakura's eyes finally woke up to the morning sun. She had never slept better in her life. But as Sakura was starting to shake the grogginess away, she suddenly realized that something was not quite right...

For one, she still had her nightgown on. And it was sticky. Sakura placed a finger on her gown to investigate. It was her love juice that had spilled after her workout with Ryu. Ryu? Wait a second...

That was the other thing that hit Sakura. Ryu was nowhere to be found. No trace of him anywhere. Not even a note.

Sakura put all the pieces together. She remembered making sweet love to Ryu, yet she still had her nightgown on and Ryu wasn't present. Sakura was hoping that the answer wouldnt be what she feared it might be, but she finally had to accept reality...

It was a dream.

"Damn! Why did it have to be a dream? Why couldn't it be real?"

Sakura was upset. Her eyes started to get watery. Everything that she had dreamed had felt so real. Everything. From feeling Ryu's delicate lips against hers to feeling Ryu thrust inside of her and make her complete with him. Even hearing Ryu's gentle words of "I love you..." had been a dream. And that's what hurt the most...

Tears started to stream down Sakura's face. She had dreamed it all. Ryu was never there. She never had her way with him. He never knew how much she loved him. And Ryu never said that he loved her back...

But Sakura did love Ryu. That was the only part of her dream that had been real. Sakura first saw Ryu when he delivered the famous Shoryuken into Sagat's chest and scarred him for life. That was when Sakura had first admired Ryu, and wanted him to train her. So she trained. When the Alpha 2 tournament was held, Sakura participated in it, hoping to be able to meet the one man who had inspired her, and get him to be her teacher. But he wouldn't. Instead, all she got was...

*****

"I'm still learning myself. I don't have time for school games. You're on your own..."

Those words had a bit of coldness to them, but Sakura understood. She still admired Ryu though, and continued to train herself to be able to see him again in the next Alpha tournament.

She had managed to advance to the finals, and saw her mentor, Ryu. But something was wrong with him. Ryu was being mind controlled by someone who went by the name of M. Bison. Sakura managed to stop Ryu and take on Bison, but Bison was too powerful. Bison wanted to take over Ryu's body, but Sakura wouldn't allow it. She was willing to sacrifice herself for Ryu. But why was she doing this? Bison wouldn't allow Sakura to be able to finish her thought as he smacked her down to the ground. But then Ryu got up. And he was mad.

"Hm, hm, hm Did you get mad? Do you care for this little girl?"

Sakura remembered hearing Bison say those exact words. Ryu managed to repel the evil intent inside of him and stop Bison. After Bison was defeated, Ryu told Sakura how he was still an unskilled fighter and if she would wait till they met again to fight. Sakura agreed. As she saw Ryu walk off, she came to one conclusion: She was in love with Ryu. It just wasn't about training anymore Sakura knew that deep down inside her heart, Ryu had entered it...

*****

Tears continued to stream down Sakura's face. She hated how her dreams had always come back to mock her. All she wanted was to be with Ryu. But the dreams would always end, and bring her back to reality. Her dreams were not dreams. They were nightmares...

Sakura looked at the clock. It was 9:00 am. She had two hours left before she had to report to work.

Sakura sighed as she got out of her bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. As the shower water ran down her back, Sakura closed her eyes and allowed her mind to go into a moment of reflection...

"(Ryu...I love you so much...How I wish you knew. But one day, I'm going to find you...and tell you just how I feel...and I hope that you feel the same way about me...)"

Sakura opened her eyes. She couldn't allow her thoughts of Ryu make her late for work.

Sakura finally finished her shower and stepped out of the tub. She wrapped a towel around her body and went back to her room. Sakura picked out a pair of blue jeans, and a pink shirt. Since Sakura worked in a sushi restaurant, she could wear whatever she wanted underneath her apron.

Sakura finished getting dressed and walked to the kitchen. She grabbed an apple, got her keys, and went out the door, on her way to the sushi restaurant that she worked at.

Sakura liked her new life now. Ever since she turned eighteen, Sakura was free to do whatever she pleased. Her parents wanted her to go to college, but Sakura didnt want to do that. All she wanted to do was street fight. It was her passion. The sushi restaurant was a nice place to work at as well. It also doubled as a karaoke and sake bar. The work required of her wasn't difficult, and her co-workers and customers were very friendly. Even her boss was extremely nice. Sakura got paid a nice salary, and that didn't even include daily tips, which allowed her to store money for a rainy day. Perhaps one of the best perks about working in the sushi restaurant was that it was only a couple of blocks from her apartment in Tokyo.

Sakura had finished her apple and finally arrived at the Dragon sushi restaurant. It was in the downtown area of Tokyo, which meant lots and lots of customers. Sakura stepped inside the restaurant and immediately saw one of her co-workers.

"Ohayo Sakura."

"Ohayo Hayato."

After Sakura had said her good mornings with her co-worker Hayato, Sakura went to the kitchen to put on an apron. Sakura then washed her hands and got prepared to wash the fish that would be served as soon as the restaurant opened in a half hour.

Around 4:00 pm, three men walked into the sushi bar. The leader of the trio pulled out a knife.

All of the customers and employees moved to the side with the exception of the owner and Sakura, who was in the kitchen, completely unaware of what was going on. The gang leader pointed his knife at the owner.

"You! Put all your money into a bag! And don't anybody try anything funny, or else I'll cut you!"

The owner of the restaurant reluctantly agreed, and started stuffing money into a bag. Just then, a mysterious figure entered the sushi bar.

This figure was well built. He had on a pair of blue jeans, and a black long sleeve shirt. He was also carrying a white duffel bag...

The leader of the trio turned around and pointed the knife at the mysterious figure.

"Since you have no idea what is going on, I'll be merciful. As long as you stand to the side and mind your business, no one will be hurt!"

The mysterious figure set down his duffel bag before looking into the cold eyes of the gang leader.

"The three of you will leave this place and never come back. If you don't go now, I cannot be held responsible for my actions..."

The owner of the restaurant was terrified.

"Please...Do as he says. Don't try to be a hero..."

"You better listen to what the old man says, if you know what's good for you. I have a knife, and I'm not afraid to use it!"

The mysterious figure continued to stare into the eyes of the gang leader. He had heard what the restaurant owner had said, but he was not about to back down...

"Last chance. If you leave these people alone and promise never to return, no harm will come to you."

All three of the gang members laughed.

"So you think you're Astro Boy or Son Goku, huh? Well I've got news for you buddy. This aint manga or anime. This is real. And in real life, people get hurt. And who do you think gets hurt? The person trying to play hero! I'm tired of talking. I'm going to take everyone in this restaurant out, starting with you!"

The gang leader swung his knife at the mysterious figure. After 3 failed attempts, the figure counter-attacked with an elbow to the face.

"Ahh!"

The gang leader fell to the floor. He got up and threw a punch at the mysterious figure. The mysterious figure just grabbed the punch and threw the gang leader through a table. The gang leader wasn't getting up...

"The same offer applies to you. If you leave now, no harm will come to you."

The two remaining gang leaders refused the offer however. Instead, they rushed the mysterious figure, thinking that he wouldn't be able to defend himself against two opponents at once. But that's where they were wrong...

The mysterious figure blocked every attack that the gang members dished out. The gang members thought that they had the advantage, but their thoughts weren't even close to the truth...

The mysterious figure took one gang member down with a punch to the gut. Two down, one to go.

"Last chance. Leave now, or go to jail with your two friends..."

"Never! The Cobras always stand together!"

The remaining gang member took out a bat.

"Now, you die!"

The gang member swung his bat at the mysterious figure. The mysterious figure dodged every swing of the bat swung at him.

"I'm through playing games..."

The mysterious figure elbowed the last gang member in the gut, then grabbed him by the shirt and threw him through a window inside the sushi restaurant. This member was out cold as well.

Everyone inside the sushi restaurant was shocked from what had transpired. They were in danger, but a mysterious person saved their lives. Just then, the police arrived.

"Thank you for your assistance sir. We've been after these three men for 2 months now. They have gotten away with every robbery until now, but thanks to you, they will never again see the streets of Tokyo."

"Don't worry about it."

The police took all three gang members and left the restaurant. As soon as the police were gone, everyone inside the restaurant started applauding.

"Thank you, kind sir. Those men have robbed my restaurant 5 times in the past 2 months. If they kept robbing me, eventually I would go out of business. How can I repay you?"

The mysterious figure took out a large amount of yen, and handed it to the owner of the restaurant.

"Nothing is required. You are a very kind man, and you deserve nothing evil to happen to you. Here is some money to take care of repairs. I apologize for the mess that Ive made. Before I go, I would like to order a cucumber sushi to go."

"As you wish. Consider it on the house! And thank you again!"

Sakura had finally finished cleaning up the kitchen. She was totally unaware of what had happened in the front of the restaurant, since the kitchen was all the way in the back of the restaurant. Sakura was finally able to clock out and enjoy the rest of the day.

"whew..."

Sakura took off her apron and washed her hands. She could finally go home. As she walked out of the kitchen, her eyes were in shock from what she saw...

"What happened?"

The restaurant owner was smiling when he looked at Sakura.

"That dreaded Cobra gang came back and tried to rob us again. But a mysterious gentleman came and took care of them till the police arrived. They won't be coming back!"

"What did this man look like?"

"He had on a pair of blue jeans, and a black long sleeve shirt."

Sakura still had no clue as to who this mysterious figure was. She needed more information...

"What else can you tell me about him?"

"He was well built, and is of Japanese descent. He also had a white duffel bag. Why do you want to know so much about this man?"

"I'll tell you when I come to work tomorrow. Good bye!"

Sakura ran out of the sushi restaurant in hopes of finding this mysterious man. There was only one man that she knew of that had a white duffel bag...

"(Ryu? But it can't be...)"

Sakura looked to both sides of the sidewalk, trying to find a man that fit the description of what her boss had given her. Just when Sakura had given up hope, she saw a man in the distance, wearing a black shirt.

Sakura ran towards the man in hope that this was the man she was looking for. As she got closer, she also saw that the man was carrying a white duffel bag.

This almost sounded to good to be true. Sakura decided to try the final test: name recognition...

"Ryu?"

The mysterious figure stopped walking. He turned around. What Sakura saw made her want to cry...

It was Ryu. He had just been there inside the sushi restaurant where she worked. He had saved the lives of everyone who had been there, and she didn't even know it. Now that she was standing face to face with Ryu, she wasn't going to let him get away. Not this time...

"It is you Ryu!"

Sakura grabbed Ryu and held him so tight that he found it difficult to breathe. He managed to get out a few words however...

"Could you please let go of me...I cant breathe..."

"Sorry about that..."

Sakura let go of Ryu and started to blush. She had allowed her emotions to get the best of her...

"It's good to see you too, Sakura. How have you been?"

"I've been fine, Ryu. So what brings you to Japan?"

"I needed to come back home and rest for a bit, but I figured I would at least visit Tokyo before I went back to my dojo."

Sakura felt butterflies in her stomach. But she couldnt let her only opportunity to tell Ryu her true feelings for him pass her by. Not again...

"Would you like me to show you around?"

"Sure."

Sakura grabbed Ryu's arm, and showed him around Tokyo. Even if she only had a day to spend with Ryu, it was better than nothing...

It was starting to get late, and Ryu needed to get back home. But since it was so late, Sakura managed to convince Ryu to stay the night at her apartment. She had an extra room, so Ryu would have his privacy. And it would give Sakura a chance to finally tell Ryu how she truly felt about him...

As the two of them walked back to her apartment, tears started to form inside Sakura's eyes. It seemed that her dreams of Ryu were finally starting to become reality...