Title: The Start of Trouble... (Chapter 3 of a series) Author: Karissa (formerly known as Charissa) E-mail Address: clotielc@nethere.com Disclaimer: I don't own street fighter, this is just a fan-based fanfiction. (I know that sounds screwy.)
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*** Exhaling boisterously, Chun Li fidgeted with the diamond-studded necklace given to her as a gift from her aficionado.

She stared into her bathroom mirror, and slowly and tentatively, unfastened it.

*flashback*

Chun Li came face to face with him, the one in the navy blue matador, a warrior, working for Bison.

'A beauty, a seducer, a murderer. Satan's human form. He killed him. The light, the purity, the advisor. The number one. And for that, could she ever forgive him? The battle wounds, physically would heal. The mental wounds, the hurt, the insanity from it all, would it heal? Medications would fix it, but would it ever FIX it? Suppresses the depression, the doctors had stated. Suppress it? Why not just cease overpowering the mental imbalance? It would be easy...to do that.

Run away from this hell... Tokyo. Damn Tokyo. Damned Tokyo. Leave it alone. Never come back. Move elsewhere. Get a new identity. And leave the past behind. Lead a happier life. It would be much easier...to lie to yourself and face fantasies than to tell the truth and face reality. But that would never work. How long would it take to run from yourself. After a while, whatever you did would end up taunting you.

At any time of day, just remotely remember where you had came from. And a rush, much like an energy rush, the rush of a bullet, in the blink of an eye, the pain, overwhelming pain of solitude and abandonment. Then a flood of tears.'

Blue eyes, cerulean eyes, azure eyes. Different blue hues but hazily combined. An ocean of feeling, of emotions. Who is that mysterious figure? Staring through the glass...staring through her Life? Talking to her doctors, asking questions? Sapphire eyes unpealing her past.

Chun Li had come face to face with him. Damn perpetrator.

He had sauntered over to her bed, pulled up a chair, and sat next to her. She rolled over and faced the pejorative occulses. She could feel his eyes, probing her mind, feeling her anguish, her mind-set anguish.

"Stop it! Stop it!" she shook her head, and looked over and out the window.

He was very motionless.

"Don't you dare ever look at me again. Damnit! I'll slay you if you risk it!" her voice was hauntingly low.

"Then I shall risk it. Is it my eyes?" his voice was soft.

She looked at him, a glimpse of pain. "Yes! Yes! Please don't do it! Don't!" she pleaded.

"I believe you've gone, not insane. But faced the-" he was cut off by her.

"If you ever state I'm insane to anyone...I'll..." she attempted to threaten.

"You'll do nothing. You can't. You wouldn't. I've seen the look in your eyes, when you were supposed to slay me. You saw you in me. We are alike. Similar in a tribulations of pain, different in the outcomes of the situations-"

Her eyes watered as she, to no avail, covered her ears and began shaking her head. "This isn't happening! This isn't happening! I know! This is just a dream! I'm dreaming all of this! I'm just safe in my bed! Safe and secure in my Tokyo bed for the last time! I'll be running away tomorrow. Away from-"

"Away from reality because that is the very thing that is trapping you?" the blond-haired stranger began toying with his braid.

She closed her eyes painfully, and her eyelids began to burn as transparent tears traveled a path down her pale face to her chin, where they wavered, then fell, screaming what she was constraining. More followed, humiliated her face grew a crimson, she buried her thin, frail face in her hands and sobbed. She sobbed as of a small child who knows it can get nothing from sobbing, but continues to do so anyway.

He stood, staring at her, peculiarly and out of the window to the lights embellishing the Tokyo sky.

She continued to sob, her sobbing shaking her frame, in poor health and pallid. She cried wishes of death and to be eradicated from a hellacious life.

"But, you must've known all of what I have said. You see, you can never fully procrastinate your feelings." he stated quietly, then he handed her an ebony handkerchief.

She took it gratefully, and blew her nose. "Why do you spend your time with a senseless female suffering from physchosis?"

"I've came to apologize. I never in actuality acted contrite toward yourself."

"I knew...even with your expressings of death for yourself and life towards me that...you never wanted to slaughter myself." she stated quietly tears still falling silently.

"Please, do not attempt to be brave and hold back the soft tears that are still forcing their way out. Sob in front of me, greive in front of me. I am responsible for what you are going through. Since I...was the head of Shadowloo, I deserve anything I get from your greivances. I killed someone that was obviously everything you lived for and everything that stood for the happiness in your life."

She sobbed into his chest, "Why didn't you kill me? Why didn't you kill me? I have nothing! I had nothing after he died! Kill me! Kill me now!" she ended, supplicating him.

"I've killed enough to fill many lifetimes. You don't want to die. You want to live. You just don't know how to move on. You fill most comfortable in your past. But that is also the place where you feel less secure and vunerable. A contradiction of sorts."

"You're right. I don't know what I want anymore. Or who I want. Or why I do anything anymore." she wept.

"You just need love. You want a love. A love that replaced all of what you've lost." he concluded and stood up.

"Thank you, for talking to me. I've wanted, for so long to be able to talk to someone anyone. Therapists and counselors don't do as good as someone who knows remotely why."

*end of flashback*

'Damn memories!' Chun Li gripped the necklace, and held it over the toiletbowl.

'I wish memories could be flushed and damned to a void nothingness never to be eradicated again.' she felt a tear drip down her cheek and into the latrine.

"I can't run away! I can't run away!" she chanted, gripping the necklace and staring into the mirror once more. "A fugitive from my own mind. I knew I shouldn't of been taking off those anti-depressants! I've gone crazy. That's it! I've gone crazy!" she giggled psychotically. "I'll just hide from myself! Because dreams can never hurt you! They can't. Zyprixin, Haldol. Too many names to count. Anti-depressants to give me a joy I could never unlimit myself to."

She closed her eyes, knowing she had not gone crazy but only wanted to hide, hide from reality and herself. A tear cascaded from her occulses, then another and finally, another.

"Who am I kidding. I'm only hiding from myself. Hurting myself. But why?"

***

Vega sighed, and remembered the way Chun Li smiled at him, the first time she had truly smiled at him. Not smirked or taunted him, as she did when they were enemies.

He sat, on a mahogany stool, with silver plated stands at a lavishingly furnished kitchen. One of the three in his seventeen-bedroom mansion. He picked up a medium-sized intricately decorated cup filled with russet-colored coffee. *flashback*

Vega stood next to Chun Li, upon her most recent release from the psych ward of the senatorium.

"I'm glad you are...feeling better, Chun Li." he nodded pleasantly.

"Yes, well thank you for being so nice as to talk to me during my stay here, and to take the time out to listen attentively." she placed her hand on her heart. "I...shall forgive you for...doing all of what you've done for me. Father would've wanted me to be happy and to move on with my Life."

"I suppose you're right." he smirked.

Her lips parted and for the first time, he saw her set of fully white teeth, sparkling, and charming. He felt the beauty radiating from her as of a red rose during the love season.

*end of flashback*

'She was hurting, yes. But I managed somehow to get a smile from that face of hers.It is healthy to have someone to cling to, during times of grief. It must help to have someone to talk to.'

"She must feel lonely attempting to be valiant for herself." he sighed and gripped the phone." She must go through periods of wondering and greif, despite the girlish giggles and blushes and what so she does, that occupies her time."

He dialed various sets of numbers on the dialing pad.

"Buenos dias." he greeted the agent on the other line.

A feminine voice answered. "Yo le puedo ayudar."

"I want to send blanco roses to someone. I also want another type of rose. ¿Me puede recomendar algo?"

"Me parece que un that rojo roses would also do good with the blanco ones." she laughed.

"I want to send them to ..." he gave the agent the address and soon hung up.

'Chun Li...'

***

A series of chimes with dissimliar resonances resounded in the silent house. Chun Li put down her small shot glass and the bottle of expensive winery she had purchased a few hours ahead.

Her voice slurred, she stuttered. "Who's there?"

"Here are flowers, for a Ms. Chun Li." a masculine voice quietly responded.

She stumbled for the door and opened it. The man curiously peered at her bloodshot eyes, and generously gave her the boquet of flowers. She took them slowly and then turned aroud and shut the door.

Hiccuping, she laid the flowers on the table, and before actually knwoing what had just occurred. The door rang again.

"What?" her voice was soft, and susceptible.

"Chun Li...?"

Staggering towards the door, she opened it. Vega blankly stared at her. Not at all expecting to see Chun Li with bloodshot eyes, her face made up with make-up tiredly, and her cheeks wet with fresh tears. Small strands of hair gently framed her exhausted pallor.

"I'm okay." she found her voice, her cheeks crimson with embarassment. He looked striking with his white tailored shirt with the cuffs unbuttoned. His collar was also unbuttoned and he had classic black slacks on, with leather black shoes. All she had on was a navy tank top and extremely short white jean shorts.

"I'm going to assume you've drank quite the amount this evening." he smirked.

She nodded and fell before him. He kneeled down.

"Are you feeling alright?" he interrogated.

Chun Li, mortified, buried her face in her hands. Vega, obviously concerned, bends over and hugs her.

"I, j-just real-l-ly need s-someone to t-talk -t-t-to." she coughed, harshly.

"I really think you need to re-evaluate what you do to yourself." he whispered into her ear.

She nodded like an obedient child. "I want to talk to you. You're the only one that understands me."

He nodded, then stood straight up."We can talk more when we arrive at my house. LEt's pack your things."

She stood shakily, and wiped her tears. "Yes..."

He followed her to her room, where the bed was hastily unmade, and half-burned pieces of paper lay around. Clothes were on the light beige floor. The closet was opened, and her desk chair was toppled on its side. Her books from her shelf were somewhat disheveled. A few books were charred and laying carelessly on the floor.

But unnoticed to Chun Li, she immediately took out a travel bag, and began to throw clothes in it. Jeans, halter tops, tube tops, formal shirts, sexy dresses, skirts short and long, half shirts, sandals, boots, high heels. A couple of jackets. She stopped abruptly and made her way, stumblingly to the bathroom, which was strikingly clean and spotless. She threw a multitude of make-up into the luggage and an assortment of hair accessories and products, along with skin and face products. Something that glittered caught her eyes. She took it, and gave it to Vega.

"Please, hold this." she smiled, fatigued and weakly held it out to him.

He took it, and put it in his pocket. Then wordlessly he picked up the heavy luggage bag with ease and was behind Chun Li after she had turned out the lights and stepping into the hall, she locked the door. ***

Chun Li was seated in the limousine with Vega. Her head span ferociously and hesistantly she rested her head on Vega's shoulder. Her arms cushioning her head. Seized by her affection and need, he wrapped his right arm around her waist, comfortably.

"I must be going insane. I'm apologize for my shortcomings, and I cannot express my indebtedness enough." she whispered, calmly.

"You are not. You have just been seized by your memories as bittersweet they are. But I promise I'll make you feel better." he whispered back, sincerely.

'I will make you better, Chun Li.' he promised staring out at the busy street ahead. ***