NOTE:THIS PART HAS SOME ADULT THEMES IN IT! IF YOU DON'T WISH TO READ IT, OR WISH FOR CERTAIN PEOPLE TO READ THIS, GO BACK TO THE MAIN MKVSF SECTION!

There it was, right before his eyes, and he could not believe it. The bed that Sakura's fragile body had been put to rest on, was now empty! Sakura had died, he knew that when he saw Baraka's blade thrust into her flesh. When it came out, it was stained a gory red!

He thought that certainly, all she had done was to stall the inevitable. Baraka would kill him before he could lift her body from him. Then, fate stepped in, and he was spared!

Chun Li took Baraka back, and then blazed through him with her Thousand Burst Kick. When it was over, Baraka was devoured by one of the trees of The Living Forest!

Chun Li stood by, and looked down at Ryu. He was kneeling in front of the bed, his arms twisted in a defeated manner. She had never taken much thought to it, but slowly, events that had altered both of their lives, and shaped their future, began to piece together in her mind. She was just now starting to realize how much they had actually shared.

She bowed her head, closing her eyes, and wondered if the idea had ever crossed his mind. Then, to her surprise, she noticed that her heart was rapidly beating faster. The more she thought about Ryu, the more her heart went out to him, and the more she knew what it was she felt...

"What..?" she almost heard him gasp.

She opened her eyes, and saw that, somehow, she had put her hand on his shoulder. She had wanted to merely squeeze it in a friendly embrace. However, as her heart began to race, the tension in the muscles of her arms increased, until her arm was like a vice.

She quickly withdrew her hand, embarrassed, as the three were looking at her, strangely.

"Don't worry, Chun Li," Ken said, understanding what she was thinking.

"I, I, I didn't mean..." she stuttered.

"I, and I'm sure Ryu knows you didn't mean any harm, right? You are only wanting to try and let him know that he ain't alone."

"Chun Li..." was all Ryu could say, as he stood up, and looked into her eyes.

Ken, my man, it's a good thing you listen to that wife of yours. She knows what she's talking about. I just wish I had another chance to see her again.

It was only a dream, and yet, it felt so very real. The loving touch from him, his loving personality, and the way he talked to me...it was too much to be a dream. It had to be real!

Eliza had awakened, and was disappointed to find out that Ken wasn't there any longer. She had hoped that he would stay with her. Then, she recalled the one that had brought him there.

Her head felt like it would explode from what she had learned. What bothered her even more was the feeling that there was something more, something dreadful, that he didn't want to tell her. It sent a chill across her spine, and Eliza lightly shuddered, even though it was sometime in the afternoon.

She was visiting some of their favorite shopping plazas, and bought a few things that she thought were cute. Yet, it felt rather empty. It wasn't the same without her husband, Ken Masters. She thought back to their final night, before he went off to save the world.

They had gone to see the circus as it finally came to town. It was "The Greatest Show On Earth!" For the prices they were charging, it had better be! While Ken didn't have a problem spending the money, Eliza didn't like throwing good money away on poor excuses.

Once, shortly after Mel was born, she took him to a new, small zoo. She felt it would be good for her baby to get a chance to see baby animals, but without the noise of a large crowd. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only mother with that idea!

After an hour, she was irate! Nearly every animal was sick, or was still asleep, in it's stall, away from the viewing public. She demanded a full refund.

Ever so professionally, she was told to "Go Fuck-Off, slut!"

She then smashed her fist squarely across his jaw, and to the surprise of everybody who saw it, he went down, and out. Eliza then took it upon herself to get her refund.

Luckily, for Ken, the show lived up to it's hype, allowing him to avoid a very embarrassing situation.

Once they were back, Eliza went to check on Mel. When she returned, she told Ken that she was going to shower before turning in.

Ken nodded, absently, and was finishing up his packing.

The cool, refreshing water, soothed her body as it fell like a gentle rainfall over her being. She felt like she was in another world, and began to dreamily go through her routine.

She began at her feet, and moved in a slow, fluid, yet meaningful way. The red of her nail polish gave the bubbles of the soap a pinkish color.

She then worked at sending the invigoration through her legs. Her fingers lightly danced over her legs, in a gentle massage, sending a soothing tingle under her touch.

Eliza continued to work on her perfect figure, slowly making her way toward her head.

She then gently rubbed the gel-like cream over her stomach, and `aaahhhed' as it past over her, in a rejuvenating passion. As the water washed it down her, she watched as it past down her entire length, before it past down, through the drain.

Next, she worked on applying her handy-work over her chest. Just as she applied the cream to her flesh, she stopped for a second. For some reason, she thought back to the few short years ago, when they felt a familiar...sensation. She was glad that Mel was now old enough, and that it was no longer necessary for her to breast-feed him.

Finally, she was ready for her face to feel what the rest of her body felt. The loving, gentle, and warmth of her hands massaged her delicate face, bringing a smile to her mouth. The only thing that could make her feel better was Ken...

She finished up the last of her shower, her mind set on getting Ken to bed. However, to her disappointment, he was in a towel, and was ready to have a shower himself.

Oh, well, she thought. I can wait a bit more.

She didn't follow him in, but had been in with him enough times, so that she could imagine the routine he would go through. She wasn't sure whose it was originally, but their routine was nearly identical, except for some minor, and obvious differences. The ways of love are funny, at times, and she smiled at the thought.

Like Eliza, Ken would start down, and work his way up. She also imagined Ken dropping his soap a few times, as he always seemed to. She couldn't tell if it was on purpose, or if he really was fighting a loosing battle with a bar of soap! Either way, it brought a smile to her face.

She imagined his strong, firm hands, as they rubbed vigorously over his legs. She also pictured the muscles that seemed to experience an invigorating shine as the water past over them.

Then, there were the firm, delicate muscles of his abdomen. They were so firm and tight, yet so gentle to her touch, it felt like a dream.

His strong, equally muscular chest would be next, right after Ken fumbled to get his soap back up, maybe dropping it once or twice, before he began. They belonged to an all-around, natural athlete. She laughed, as she thought of comparing his chest to his gut!

Then, she stopped, as she realized the water was no longer running. Ken was now closing the door behind him, covered by his towel once more.

Eliza was up on her feet to meet him, a smile chiseled on her face, with an undying love. Ken also returned the smile to his wife, and took her in his arms, and kissed her deeply. After an eternity, but in reality, was but a few seconds, he scooped her up, off her feet.

"Ken? What are you doing?" she asked, smiling, and giggling an innocent, girlish giggle.

"Unh, Unh!" Ken answered, in his cute, almost boyish laugh.

He set her gently on the bed, before he turned out the light. They then helped each other in the removal of their towels.

He looked down at her, and took in every detail: The dreamy look in her eyes, the way her hair lay, spread over the pillow, her curves, and the warmth of her body.

She also took in each and every detail of her husband: the excitement in his eyes, the flowing of his hair as he moved, the firmness of his chest, and the satisfaction she felt at her hips. The fire of love was lit.

It was what dreams are made of. Their surroundings slowly faded; they were all that was left. It seemed as if their souls were merging. Neither had ever felt it as strong as that. It seemed to last for eons.

Already inside, he took one of her hands in his, and squeezed gently, holding it firmly. With his other, he gently stroked her. It grazed over her neck, sending light tremors through her. He then stroked each breast lightly, sending small vibrations up and down her body, with a refreshing sense of coolness washing over them.

He then moved down, and started to lightly kiss her neck. After a few minutes, he began to rub his tongue over her neck, still firmly holding her one hand, while occasionally fondling her with his other. She took her other free hand, and gently pressed his head closer to her neck, to feel the rush seemingly grow until it exploded.

Ken also, gently, nibbled on her ear, causing a rush of air to escape her lips. He then, while still working on the main part, rubbed his fingers gently over her arm, sending a gasp-like breath of air from deep within Eliza.

"Hey, there's that bitch!"

Eliza suddenly awoke from her day-dream. The look of terror on her face was obvious...for amongst the men in front of her, was the same man that she had KO'd at the zoo a few years back. He hadn't changed a bit. She wasn't sure but, he may have been wearing the same clothes as before.

Two men grabbed her firmly from behind, and dragged her down a long alley.

Oh my God! Eliza's mind nearly exploded. This can't be happening to me! Please, if there is a God, anywhere, please let Ken come to my rescue...

"Ken, you are needed!"

"Just hold on, Alpha-Omega! There are a lot of things that we need answers to! We will have our answers, NOW!"

"I'm sorry, Ryu! You will have to wait, for the moment! Know that Sakura is safe. However, if I don't take Ken at once, Eliza won't be!"

"What? What's wrong with Eliza?!" Ken asked, his voice trembling.

"You will know soon, Ken Masters!" and the familiar glow engulfed Ken, and sped him off across the Cosmos!

"Damn You! I expect answers!"

Ryu," Chun Li spoke softly into his ear, "Alpah-Omega spoke in Sakura's voice..."

What had taken them several minutes, was explained to Ken in just as fast a manner as was explained to Eliza what had occurred to Ken.

"Shit! What the Hell..!"

Ken took in the scene in a second, and sprang into action. A Hadouken brought a fire escape down, taking down half of the opposition.

One guy came in, swinging a mad series of punches, never once coming close to hitting Ken. A brief second to focus, and the man was burned in the fury of his Dragon Punch!

The remaining three men dropped Eliza, and ran in to drop the dork in the karate outfit.

"Shippi-Jinrai-Kyaku!" yelled Ken.

Instantly, the men were caught in a series of kicks, and were getting blasted from all sides. Then, they flew up into the air, and Ken continued the assault, finishing with a series hook-kicks, causing the bastards to crash to the ground.

"Attack me if you dare, I'll crush you!"

"K, Ken?" Eliza stuttered.

"Eliza! Oh my God! I'm so glad I was able to get here in time, baby! Thank the Heavens!"

As if in reply, they were instantly whisked to their mansion.

"It, it is true. I didn't have a dream?" she said, more questioningly than anything else.

"Yes, honey. I'm back, though, to fulfill one of our many vows--to protect you."

How long they talked, it didn't matter, for what was important was making sure that they could each get over what had nearly happened. Finally, Eliza had to ask Ken what he had avoided before, when he had visited her last time.

"Well, do you recall me mentioning that there was a...dark-side that Ryu was battling? Well, as we learned in this tournament, I also have an equally bad dark-side. He was completely without mercy. Then, for a while, we each, I guess you could say merged, with our darkness. All of my deepest hates, jealousies, and arrogance consumed me. I felt like I was trapped, and watching some one else control me!"

Eliza's eyes widened in fear. Never once did she doubt him. It wasn't even required for the Alpha-Omega to tell her, she just knew. It scared her.

"Finally, it was Sean who had helped me. It was him, with the memories of you, and our boy, Mel. You are my guiding light, Eliza. You are what makes this fight all that more important to me. Love can be what makes the world, no matter who it is! With your spirit in my heart, I will win in the end!"

"Yes, my love, I can feel it. I know that you can...I feel it! Do it, and keep our world safe. Before, I hadn't really wanted you to go back. That is why I was put to sleep. I understand that now. Now, I can let you go, back to the fight, so that you may return all the sooner."

"I promise, I will. When I return, we'll all go on a nice, fun-filled vacation! We'll have the times of our lives, I promise!"

"You had better put that thought on hold, at least until Thanksgiving! I won't have our boy missing any school! If you would like to, you could teach me, as you said you would be willing to before. I would--like to learn."

He smiled, and hugged her tightly, before he passionately kissed her.

"Uuunnhh!" escaped gently from her throat, as they bent into a deeper kiss.

Then, the portal appeared, and Ken stepped through, and their smiling faces were etched firmly in each others minds.

"Master Ken! You are back! What happened to Eliza?" asked Sean.

"I think Ken needs to spend some time, by himself, with his thoughts. Come with me, Ryu," Chun Li spoke gently, leading him by the arm, out the door, and into the moonlit night.

Ken went into his room, and shut the door behind him, and fell onto his bed, his mind in a whirl.

"Hey, what about me?" asked Sean into the void, but never got a reply.

©2001