About 8 years ago. 

  

It was quite late at night when Fei Long return to Gen’s dojo. 

  

<  The twins will be very glad to see me.  > Fei Long thought as he took in the familiar scent of the night air that was accompanied by the fragrance of flowers. 

Those flowers Fei Long noted are ChunLi’s favourite, he knew she had gotten them in Japan for it was a rare plant indeed. A white trumpet like lily that carries a blue tint in its heart that when in full bloom, the blue tint streaks outwards. 

<  Even the flowers she grew are blooming to welcome my return. I’m going to invite her out tomorrow, I’ve kept my feelings from her for too long.  >  Fei Long took his bags and headed to his room. 

  

———- 

  

It was late morning when Fei Long got up, he hurried to Gen’s meditation room too greet his Sifu. The twins were meditating with him but the person he was looking for wasn’t here. Fei Long waited a while for them to end their meditation process. 

"Zhou sen (good morning), Sifu." Fei Long said as he bowed. 

"Ah… Fei. I assume you have finish your filming project?" Gen got up. 

"Ah Ye (grandfather) can we go out now. Oh! Zhou sen, dai siheng (elder senior brother)!" The twins said together as if they had not noticed him. 

"Have you finish your homework?" Gen asked. 

"We finished it last night." 

"Then be back before dinner." 

"Alright now we can go see if we can find Li jie and Ryu!" The twins shouted in excitement as they hurried out. 

"Ah. Yes. Sifu shouldn’t Simui(junior sister) be here at this time of the day?" Fei Long asked. 

  

"Ah Li went out with her friend today. He came back with her two days ago. I think they are down at the beach. Ah yes she’s with Gouken’s Dai tuo dai (eldest disciple)." Gen said sipping his tea. 

"Oh….Ryu is here as well, maybe I should go test my skills against him, can’t be so suay(bad) as to lose to him again. I’ll take my leave now Sifu." Fei Long left when Gen acknowledged him with a nod. 

  

  

As he headed down to the beach Fei Long could not help but wonder 

<  Why Ryu is here? And why did that guy choose to come of all times when I’m back. To the twins Ryu is kind of like a celebrity and would always bother him if he were ever here. Wait a minute didn’t Sifu say that ChunLi came back with him two days ago? What the hell are they doing together? And why isn’t Ken with him?  > 

  

Many thoughts flood his mind, he found himself answering some of his questions but some left him stumped. It took Fei Long quite a while for he had to avoid some fans and a few reporters, but he finally found them when in the most secluded part of the beach sparring together. Fei Long could not help but to watch the match between speed and agility versus strength and power. 

  

<  She had grown stronger and more beautiful than the last time I saw her. Her fighting attire shows every curve of her body. How heavenly would it be too hold her slim body next me, to take in that sweet fragrance of her hair, the feel of her hair and soft skin against my skin, our lips touching……… GET THAT THOUGHT OUT OF YOUR HEAD FEI LONG! YOU SHOULD NEVER EVEN THINK of such an act with innocent and sweet Simui!  > 

Fei Long regained his composure and was about to called out to them when he saw they had finish sparring but what he saw next cause his heart to break. 

  

Every innocent little act was like a knife stabbed into his heart and repeatedly twisted within him. He could not help but feel that all hope was gone. After watching them a little while longer Fei Long could take it no longer, he left the couple with a bitter taste in the mouth and a heart that was not only shattered like glass but grind to dust and lost in the wind. 

  

——- 

  

Ryu and ChunLi were sitting under a large shady tree and their actions were too intimate for mere ‘friends’. Her head resting on his shoulder, while he was stroking her head lovingly. Shifting her position a little she was now facing Ryu, 

ChunLi’s hand rested on his chest, then letting her forefinger run around his chest before resting her hand where his heart is. Looking into to his eyes she smiled affectionately at her beloved dragon, Ryu returned her a gentle smile and kiss her eyes. 

  

"Come to Sifu’s place for dinner tonight. It’s only an extra pair of chopsticks." 

"Would it not be imposing on them Li?" 

"We have to tell them some how. Now is as good a time as any before we head to Singapore to settle our ‘little business’. You can back out now if you wish." ChunLi teased 

"No. After what we being through in Shadowlaw. Ngo gen wui wai lei shuan dou shan lok fo hoi (I’m willing to go through hell and high water for you)!" 

"Your mastery of my dialect has improved greatly." 

"I have a good teacher after all." 

"Come on. It’s getting late. Let’s go back." ChunLi said and started packing. Arm in arm they headed back to Gen’s dojo. 

  

— 

  

Back at Gen’s dojo, the couple was received warmly by the excited twins. 

"Li jie! Where did the two of you hide. We went out to find you but can’t. We know you and Ryu gor has a lot of catching up to do but let us have a chance to spar with him!" The twins exclamined. 

"Boys calm down you’ll get plenty to opportunities." ChunLi said 

"Like real ah. Jie as if you don’t know your Ryu gor is such a hard person to find." 

"Okay I promise not to hog him myself." ChunLi said. 

"Boys take care of Ryu for me. I’m going to cook up something special for tonight." ChunLi headed to the kitchen. 

"ALRIGHT! COOL! LI JIE"S SPECIAL DISH! Thanks Ryu gor! Li Jie only cooks when her close friends come for a visit!" 

  

  

  

Fei Long headed into the kitchen for a drink of water he was surprised to see ChunLi there. 

<  The last time she was so happy that she cooked was when both Ryu and Ken were here… And she’s cooking for him again….  > Fei Long thought. 

"Simui…er can I talk to you for a moment?" Fei Long asked. 

"Oh! Siheng? When did you came back" ChunLi was surprised but she was concentrating on her dish so she didn’t look at him. 

"Late yesterday night… Can I ask you something." 

"Maybe later okay? I’m kinda busy here." 

"Can I help you in this dish?" 

  

"Aiya! Fei Long ah. Get out of my kitchen! Help? You’ll only mess it up! Shoo!" A middle age lady pushes him out of the kitchen. 

"Oh. Auntie Liu. Can I borrow your kitchen for a while?" ChunLi asked politely. 

"Aiya! Sure can borrow one lah. A-ay cooking for your boyfriend is it? Don’t blush lah. That nice Japanese boy right? Aiyo Ah Li ah. Auntie Liu tell you ah. If I’m twenty years younger I’ll sure fight with you for that nice Japanese boy." The older woman handed some ingredients to ChunLi. 

"Ah Li, you got good taste, this Japanese boy so cute, so polite, so helpful even and much better than that Dai Siheng of Yun and Yang. He’s always so ken cheong (anxious) and chou lo(rough), movie star like him not a good match for a person who values privacy like you. " As Auntie Liu talks, ChunLi just kept smiling. 

  

"You need someone calm and gentle like your Japanese boy. Aiya you’re lucky he’s so honest, I can tell you sure got a lot of girls want him also, but you don’t worry so much, I can tell he has eyes only for you. Aiyo. I talk too much already." 

"Er.. not at all Auntie Liu. Thanks for the advice though." ChunLi smiled. 

"Oh yeah. Ah Li your Batu and the three collies know you come back already. You better go see them ah." 

"Auntie Liu, thanks for taking care of my darlings. But I’m leaving again soon, I hope I’m not imposing on you." 

  

"No lah Ah Li. The three collies are very quiet, your Batu is not as fierce as you say she is. I tell you that Batu is a smart creature. She seems to know what you’re saying, very protective as well. I sincerely hope Batu can get along well with your Japanese boy. You know lah, Fei Long is very afraid of that Batu. Aiya I shouldn’t keep you from your cooking. We’ll chat later." Auntie Liu the resident cook headed out leaving ChunLi to ponder about something. 

  

< I nearly forgot about Batu’s personality! She’s no ordinary dog. Wait a minute, Batu is not even a dog, she’ll understand. > ChunLi thought as she brought the dish to the dining room. 

The twins licked their lips in anticipation awaiting ChunLi’s dish. 

"Ohh Ma-yao-gei (Chicken in black sesame sauce)!" The twins exclaimed. 

  

ChunLi scooped out some for Gen and Ryu, while the twins fight over who gets what. As Ryu picked up a piece of chicken wing Fei Long’s chopsticks pick up that piece of chicken wing as well, causing a mini tug of war. A short moment later Ryu won that piece of chicken wing and he gave it to ChunLi, he knew she loves chicken wings. 

Fei Long’s face was dark and long through out dinner as Yun and Yang flood Ryu with a ton of questions. They seem to have forgotten him, he wanted to tell them the things that happened while filming and the locations he went to, and he wanted to tell them about his new movie that he will soon be shooting in a month’s time. Everybody seems to have forgotten about him, their attention focus on Ryu, a total stranger who crush into their little circle. 

  

ChunLi looked at Ryu who patted her hand, she stood up. 

"Everybody. Ryu and I have something important to say. We are getting engaged!" ChunLi announced. Fei Long’s jaw dropped, he never had a chance to tell her how he felt about her. 

  

<  Why? Why must it be that when I decided to love her, she had to love another?  > Fei Long thought. Nobody noticed when Fei Long left the table. 

"Alright! We’ll have more chances of sparring with Ryu gor!" Yun said 

"Yeah I bet he can whack Dai Siheng and still have time to help Li jie wash the dishes!" Yang said. 

"Ah Li, I’ll clean up. You go accompany your Japanese boy." Auntie Liu said. 

"Thanks." 

  

"So I assume you met your Father in Shadowlaw. So what did he say about this?" Gen asked. 

"He’s agreeable." ChunLi said. 

"Then what about that ‘little business’?" 

"We intend to go to Singapore settle it." 

"Good. I’m sure you kids have plans to talk about." Gen left the room and headed to the courtyard. 

  

—— 

  

Fei Long was working the punching bag hard. The laughter from the living room made him angrier. 

<  Their laughter is like a taunt  > he thought. 

"Sifu? Why was I never given a chance to be love by her?" Fei Long asked when Gen came in. 

"She does love you." 

"Yeah like she loves Yun and Yang. Like a brother. All the things I do for her never once had I even see a shadow of a smile. But a wildflower from him and she beams like the sun." 

"Fei. Their love is predestined. This jealousy is bad for you. It would affect your relationship with her. Fei, it was once said that anyone who attempts to break them up usually suffers a lot and gets nothing but pain." 

  

"I wish I could let go, Sifu. But seeing them together is like yi duo xian hua cha zhai nui fen shang!(a fresh flower upon a pile of cow dung)" Fei Long growled as he kept punching the sand bag. 

The rustling of leaves from the bushes distracted them. Three glowing pair of glowing yellow eyes stared at them, a forth pair of glowing blue eyes appeared. 

  

Three beautiful brown and white rough collies came out of the bushes. A large male collie flanked by a smaller male and female. Behind them a pure black dog about the size of a large wolf followed, Fei Long cringed a little and that slight movement caught the black one’s attention. It stared at him coldly, baring it’s fangs a little. Gen nodded slightly, the four responded with a slight dip of their heads. 

"Sifu that black one doesn’t look much like a dog. It’s ears are sharper, it’s eyes larger, it’s paws as well and it has such a bushy tail." 

<  If this black one does not like Ryu then I may be able to convince her to leave him.  > Fei Long thought 

  

"Wait here while I call ChunLi." Gen left the courtyard. Fei Long noticed that the black one actually has brown eyes. When it stared into his eyes. Fei Long cannot help but feel that it was studying him, searching his soul for weakness and secrets. The eye contact was broken when ChunLi came in. The black one growled a little as the twins approached it. 

"Batu! Don’t be rude!" ChunLi called out. It looked at her and gave a wolfish grin and wagged it’s tail, it seem to look slightly guilty. 

  

The four dogs swarmed around her, welcoming her return. When she squatted down to hug them she was lost in all that fur. A short while later ChunLi got the four of them to behave. She pulled Ryu over. 

"You got a wolf as a pet?" Ryu asked seeing Batu. 

"Er…she’s not exactly a pet. Ever since I met her in Shadowlaw, she’s being following me around." ChunLi said 

Fei Long moved a little closer, causing Batu to growl and bared her fangs. 

  

"You better be careful. This one is very protective of her." Fei Long said with mock concern. 

"I love animals. It’s not everyday I get to be so close to a wolf." Ryu said as he squatted down. 

"This one is Peng-Ba," referring to the big male collie. "The younger male is Yat-ba and the female is Ma-li-on." ChunLi introduced. Ryu let the three collies sniffed his hand, the three collies took to him well. 

"You have good taste in animals Li. They have this special intelligence in them. Kind of like the Siberian Husky Ken has. Even Ken’s Doberman doesn’t match up to that Husky." Ryu noted. 

  

"I’m glad you notice." ChunLi smiled. Ryu’s hand remained outstretched as the Batu walk over and sniffed his hand. Fei Long was kind of waiting for a growl and the wolf to savagely attack Ryu. It looked into Ryu’s eyes studying him, Fei Long expected Ryu to flinch but he was steady. 

The creature was not looking for any secrets or weakness this time, she was looking for potential, the potential that shows this man can protect her mistress. It found what it was looking for and something else as well. It suddenly seem to recognize him, it then put its paw in Ryu’s hand as a sign of trust. ChunLi breathe a sigh of relief. 

  

"She likes you! Oh Ryu!" ChunLi exclaimed, flying straight into Ryu’s arms, hugging him tightly. 

Fei Long left sulkily for his room. 

  

"Come on Ryu. Let’s go back to my place, It’s kind of late. Come on guys." She called her dogs as well. Ryu and ChunLi walked back to her apartment arm in arm while the four dogs followed behind. 

  

——- 

  

"I don’t care. You’re sleeping with me tonight. My bed is large enough to hold the six of us and the couch will give you a bad back."  ChunLi insisted as they were strolling back. 

"Li We should not sleep together like this, it’s improper." Ryu said, slightly blushing. 

"Besides it’s not like we never shared the same bed before, Back in Shadowlaw you weren’t so shy as to share more that. I don’t believe that you’re the kind of guy who would take adavantage of me. I still remember that time when you.." she left it hanging. He knew full well what she meant. 

"But…" 

"Ryu. I’m going to be your wife soon, get used to having me around. We’re not exactly alone." pointing at her dogs. Their debate continue for some time …… 

  

——— 

  

Late that night, Ryu woke up with the urge to answer nature’s call. He chooses not switch on the table lamp, so as not to wake ChunLi up. Gently he moved ChunLi’s head from his chest, she mumbled something before drifting to sleep again, Ryu inched slowly out of bed. But before he could even get to the door, he stumbled upon unfamiliar terrain and lost his balance. 

  

Batu felt a sharp pain in her side and some noise. Instincts kicked in, causing her to ignore her pain and intercept the intruder. Her mind was not even fully awake when she pounced upon the fallen intruder, growling and baring her fangs waiting for her mistress to give permission to attack. 

Ryu realized that it would be a better idea to remain still than to struggle. He knew the animal was quicker than he was and it would do neither of them any good to start a fight. 

Sleep was gone from her mind, she recognized the scent of the one she had pined down and got off him immediately. She nudged Ryu as if asking him if he was fine. 

  

Ryu realised something when ChunLi switched on the table lamp. 

One, he saw that the three collies were sleeping on the floor the whole night and were now eyeing him curiously from the floor. 

Two, which meant that for the whole night they were alone in one bed, assuming Batu slept on the floor with the collies. 

Three, ChunLi gets whatever she wants one way or the other. 

  

Ryu look at her in askance, she giggled a little and gave him an apologetic smile. 

"I never said they would stay on the bed the whole night. After all they have a mind of their own." ChunLi answered. Ryu said nothing but headed to the toilet.