Over the next couple of months, Sakura started to grow on Ryu. He didn't know what it was, but there was something that made him want to be around the cherry blossom. Ryu also got a bit of a rush from passing down his teachings to her. When the time came for Ryu to leave the earth, Sakura would be there to continue his teachings. In Sakura, Ryu found a descendent. She would keep the teachings of Shotokan alive. Ryu also started to look at Sakura differently. During the Alpha era, Ryu thought of Sakura as a groupie. She dressed like him, fought like him, even did certain things that he did. Now, so many years later, Ryu didn't see Sakura as a klutzy teenager. He saw a beautiful woman. Sakura was definitely more beautiful than her namesake.

"(Why did I think that just now?)"

Ryu didn't know what was coming over him. Sakura was starting to mean something to him. He didn't think of Sakura as his little sister, he thought of her as a companion. It was almost like they were meant for each other...

Sakura on the other hand, started to lose more and more control as each day passed. Every day, her and Ryu got closer. There was one incident during training when Ryu knocked Sakura to the ground. Ryu held his hand out and offered to help Sakura up. When Ryu pulled Sakura off the ground, she lost her footing and fell into his arms. For the brief moment that she was in Ryu's arms, Sakura had to keep herself from jumping on top of Ryu and having her way with him right there and then. Even though the evil energy was no longer in her, Sakura would still be tempted every now and then to do kinky things to Ryu. God, she loved that man.



Ryu and Sakura were now entering her apartment one evening after some training.

"I almost had you beat!"

You were good, but it wasn't good enough! You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance!"

"Hey Ryu, I have the day off from work tomorrow! Why don't you and I spend the day in downtown Tokyo?"


"That's a good idea. Even warriors need to rest every now and then."

"Great! Then well get up tomorrow morning and spend the day having fun!"

"Very well."

"Good night, Ryu..."

Sakura hugged Ryu like she would never see him again. She closed her eyes and imagined that this moment would last forever. She opened her eyes and looked into Ryu's. They were so full of compassion and understanding. She hoped that those deep brown circles would always look at her like that...

Something was coming over Sakura. She started to feel a warm feeling in the pit of her stomach. Sakura started to admire the rest of Ryu's body. It was perfect. For her...

Sakura wanted to kiss Ryu's lips so badly. He meant so much to her. The only time Sakura had ever kissed Ryu was in her dreams. This time she was wide-awake...

"(This time, it will be real...")

Sakura pulled herself closer to Ryu. She removed her arms that were around Ryu's body and placed both of her hands on the side of his face.

"The moment was coming..."

Sakura pulled Ryu's head down, so that he was looking deep into her eyes. Her eyes slowly started to close as she pulled Ryu's face towards her own.

"(At last...the moment that I've been waiting for...tonights going to be my chance...)"

Sakura puckered her lips up as she prepared to make Ryu hers that night...

Ryu was feeling himself get very hot. He was only inches away from touching Sakura's lips. For a brief moment, Ryu had considered kissing her, but he knew that it wouldn't be right. He wasn't quite sure of his feelings for her. And he didn't want to lead Sakura on if he didn't care for her in the same way that she did for him. She would never recover from something like that. She might even consider...

"(No! I won't allow Sakura to do that!)"

Sakura was only inches away from making her dreams come true. There would be no more waiting, no more fantasy. Only the truth...

Ryu didn't want to deprive Sakura of a kiss, but he knew that giving her a full kiss before he understood his feelings for her would be bad. So he did the only thing that he could think of in that short amount of time...

Ryu wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist. Sakura opened her eyes slightly to see what Ryu was doing. She didn't reject to any of Ryu's advancements. In fact, she wanted him to do whatever came to his mind...

"(Yes! Ryu feels the same way about me as I do for him! This will be the best night of my life!)"

Sakura's eyes started to close again. Her moment of waiting would finally be over...

Ryu pulled Sakura closer to him as he whispered his final words that night...

"Good night, Sakura. Sleep well...

Ryu examined Sakuras face.

"(She's really cute when she is peaceful...)"

Ryu finally brought his lips upon Sakura's forehead. He left them there for a moment before finally pulling them away.

Ryu removed his arms from Sakura's waist. He caressed her cheek with his hand before going to his room to turn in for the night.

Sakura just stood by the front door for a little while. Her dream had come true. Sort of...

"(His lips feel so warm...I wish it were my lips that he touched though...)

As Sakura went to her room to go to sleep; she already came to another conclusion. The only man she would chase after till death did her part was Ryu. Only he was worthy of receiving her love. No other man deserved it...



It was hard for Sakura to sleep that night, because she was thinking of all the things that she would do with Ryu the next day. 24 hours of shopping, eating, relaxing, and just being in Ryus company.

"(Perhaps tomorrow I'll give him the dragon pendant, and much more...)"

Sakura's eyes finally drifted off to sleep...

Ryu was up at 6:00, doing his morning exercises. With the exception of his morning exercises, Ryu wouldn't do anything related to training or fighting. Not today. Today was a special day. A day that deserved Sakura's undivided attention...

After Ryu was done with his morning workout, he stepped into the bathroom and took a shower. After he was finished, he wrapped a towel around himself and walked back to his room. Just as he was about to enter his room, Sakura stepped out of hers and saw Ryu...

"(Oh my!)"

Sakura immediately started to blush. This was the most skin that she had ever seen of Ryu...

"Morning..."

Ryu couldnt help but look at Sakura as well. All she had on was a red bra and a red pair of panties. This was the most skin that he had ever seen of Sakura as well...

"Morning Ryu..."

Ryu's manhood throbbed slightly, making itself known

"Gotta get dressed..."

Ryu quickly opened the door to his room and shut it behind him. Sakura was still blushing from what she saw...

"(Oh god...I dont know how much longer Im going to be able to maintain my control...with each day that passes, Ryu becomes more desirable. If I ever see him again in nothing but a towel, I'm going to just jump on top of him and rip off that towel. The only thing that he will need to keep him warm is me...)



Sakura went to the bathroom and started her shower. She made the water cold, since her entire body was still very warm from seeing Ryu. But the cold water wasn't helping any. After seeing Ryu in nothing but a towel, Sakura's body was as hot as fire.

"(I can tell that he liked seeing me this morning. Even if he won't admit it to himself, his little friend told me the truth. Don't be shy, Ryu. I'm not going to hurt you. Not unless you want me too...)"

Ryu was almost done getting dressed in his room.

"(What was I thinking? How could I allow myself to give in like that?)"

Ryu was scolding himself for what his friend had done earlier, but then he relaxed a little.

"(I guess I shouldn't be mad. My friend was just telling the truth. I do like Sakura...more than a friend. Over these past couple of months, she is all that I've been able to think about. At one time, Chun Li was who I thought about, but not anymore. Sakura is who I want to be with. But I have to do this slowly. I'm not going to rush into this. I'm going to wait until the time is right today, and then, I'll give her the most valuable thing that I own...)"

Both Ryu and Sakura were fully dressed now. Ryu had on a pair of blue jeans and a white t-shirt, complete with a red jacket. Sakura also had on a blue pair of jeans, but she also had on a baby blue shirt and a pink jacket. The two of them looked like a couple...

"So what do you want to do first?"

"Get something to eat..."

Ryu and Sakura went to a restaurant in downtown Tokyo to have breakfast. When the food came, they both ate mass quantities. That was when Ryu started to notice something...

"(She eats almost as much as I do, and yet manages to be able to stay in shape! It's almost like we were meant to be together. Wait a minute! What am I saying?)"

Sakura noticed that something was on Ryu's mind.

"Ryu, what's the matter?"

"Oh nothing."

After they ate, Sakura took Ryu to an amusement park. As expected, the line was long, so that left plenty of time for conversation...

"I never got to tell you thank you for training me, Ryu..."

"It was my pleasure, Sakura. I enjoyed every minute of it..."

Sakura just smiled. Ryu always knew how to make her happy. She wished that there were some way she would be able to repay the favor...



Ryu and Sakura were on a boat ride. As the boat was traveling along the water, Sakura laid her head in Ryu's chest and closed her eyes. Everything felt so perfect.

Unknowingly, Ryu had an arm around Sakura and was holding her close to his chest. Although Ryu was unaware of his actions, Sakura knew everything that he was doing. And she was enjoying every minute of it...

"(Ryu...today has been perfect...but what makes it so wonderful is because I spent it with you...)"

After the amusement park, it was about 7:30 at night. Ryu and Sakura were about to go home, but they sat at a bench at a park to just relax for a bit.

Sakura took this opportunity to take Ryu's right arm and wrap it around her. She also rested her head on his chest. To her surprise, Ryu didn't stop her. She closed her eyes for a bit and just enjoyed the peace that the two of them had.

"Ryu ..."

"Yes Sakura?"

"Have you...ever been in love?"

Sakura opened her eyes now to look at Ryu.

"No...there hasn't been anyone that I've felt so strongly about..."

Sakura felt a little happy, but a large weight suddenly was brought upon her chest. This next question would determine everything...

"What about Chun Li?"

The weight on Sakura's chest became heavier...

"Chun Li...I cared for her at one time...but it wasnt meant to be...she is in love with Vega."

Sakura was mad at herself for asking that question. It seemed to hurt Ryu. She had to do something...fast...

"I'm so sorry..."

"Dont be. It's not your fault."

"Ryu...I have something for you..."

Sakura reached into her purse and pulled out the gift that she bought for him two months ago. She finally placed it in Ryu's hand.

"This is for you..."

Ryu opened his hand and looked at what Sakura had placed in it. It was a dragon pendant. Exactly like the one that he had bought for Sakura...except that this one was white...

"Thank you...but I also have a gift for you..."

Ryu reached into his pocket and pulled out his dragon pendant. He placed it in Sakura's hand.

"This is exactly like the one that I bought for you!"

"Exactly."

"What does this mean?"

"We may never find out till the time is right..."

"I guess..."

Sakura nudged herself closer to Ryu until he could smell her perfume. It was starting to drive him crazy...

"(Man...that perfume will be the end of me...although it smells nice, its nowhere as lovely as Sakura. She's not even wearing any lipstick or makeup, and she looks like an angel from heaven...)"

Sakura started to get that weird feeling inside her stomach again. She already knew what it was. Ryu. Her heart was on fire, and only Ryu's love could cool it down...

"(Ryu...I'm never going to leave your side...I wish to travel with you and start a family. You're all that matters to me in this world...nothing else...)"

Sakura caressed Ryu's chest with her fingers. Her soft touch was sending sparks through his entire body.

Ryu looked into Sakura's eyes. She had a warm smile. Ryu had a warm smile as well. In his eyes, he had that look of compassion and understanding. This was the look that drove her wild...

"(Now's my chance. To make him mine...)"

Sakura leaned up a bit. She removed Ryu's arm from around her. She wrapped both of her arms around Ryu's neck and pulled him towards her. Sakura's lips closed slightly, and her lips left a small opening. She had that look of desire in her face, and only one thing would satisfy that...

Ryu brought both of his arms around Sakura's waist.

"Mmm...yes...thats it...do whatever you want..."

Ryu pulled Sakura closer to him until his mouth was near her neck. Ryu pressed his lips on Sakura's neck. This little display of affection was teasing Sakura. Although she enjoyed what Ryu was doing to her, she wanted to taste his lips so badly. She was tired of the appetizer. She wanted the main course...

Ryu stopped kissing Sakura's neck, and kissed her forehead. After that, Ryu gently kissed Sakura's right cheek. Ryu then kissed the left cheek and almost met Sakuras lips. It seemed that she couldnt wait anymore...

Sakura's eyes were filled with so much need...

"(Ryu...pleasedont tease me...)"

Ryu looked deeply into Sakura's eyes. Although they were partially closed, he could still see her dark brown pupils...

Ryu brought one of his arms from around Sakura's waist. He placed a couple of fingers on her right cheekbone and caressed it. His soft touch was getting to Sakura again...

Ryu took his hand and led it to Sakura's chin. He lifted her head up slightly, and leaned his face toward hers.

"(Yes...the moment that I have waited for...is about to become reality...)"

Ryu's lips were only a couple of inches away from Sakura's. There would be no stopping now...

Ryu could feel Sakura's hot breath on his lips. She had been waiting for this for a long time...

Sakura's eyes completely closed now. She puckered her lips up and waited for Ryu's lips to touch hers...

Those couple of inches had finally been reduced to one inch. The moment of waiting would finally be over...

Ryu's eyes closed as well. He too was ready to end the night with a bang...

DING! DONG! DING! DONG!

Both Ryu and Sakura opened their eyes in shock. The clock tower was ringing. It only did this every hour...

"Oh...Its 8:00..."

"Guess we should be heading back..."

"I guess..."

Ryu got off the bench. He held out his hand to Sakura, which she grabbed. He pulled her off the bench. Sakura wrapped her left arm around Ryu as the two of them started to walk back towards her apartment.

"(Damn! I was so close...)"