Chun Li’s Christmas Carol
A Street Fighter Fanfiction
By The Headcrook and Ted Hsu
Legal Disclaimer: All characters from Street Fighter, Darkstalkers and Onimusha are the property of Capcom Entertainment, while the story A Christmas Carol is the property of Charles Dickens. After reading A Christmas Carol in which Ryu was the title character, I decided to switch it up: what if Chun Li was in danger of losing everyone she cared about in favor of her job? Enjoy the story.
Chapter One: The Couple and Tara’s Ghost
Hong Kong December 24, Christmas Eve.
Three years had passed since the conclusion of the Second World Warrior Tournament. Since then, most of the fighters had went on with their lives.
Two fighters, however, had decided to take their relationship to the next level.
The couple, a muscular Japanese man with unruly dark brown hair and dressed in a black turtleneck sweater, dark slacks and shoes and a curvaceous Chinese female with long chocolate brown hair done up in twin ox-horns that is, twisted into twin pigtails and wrapped into twin braids on either side of her head and secured with hairpins and ribbons clad in a white blouse which was partially concealed by the leather bomber jacket she wore over it, denim jeans and a pair of tennis shoes, strolled along the sidewalk, her arm interlinked with his own.
They were walking along the harbor path, enjoying each other’s company. They had known each other since they were teenagers, but had been dating for nearly three years.
Since the conclusion of the last tournament, Ryu Hoshi and Chun Li Xiang had grown close, regardless of their long-distance relationship. Ryu had finally returned to Japan and took over the Ansatsuken Dojo, and taken on Sakura Kasugano as his pupil. Sakura was back in Japan, spending Christmas with her family.
“This is beautiful, isn’t it, Ryu?” Chun Li went as she put her head on his shoulder.
“It sure is,” Ryu went as he kissed her cheek. “Maybe my time with Ken, Cammy and Guile got me to appreciate Christmas more. And nothing says that more than spending it with the ones you love.”
“I hope I have better luck this Christmas than I did the last two,” Chun Li said. She felt nervous, even with Ryu. She tried to hope this time would be different. She was with her boyfriend, hoping to share special quality time with him. But real life had thrown major blocks in their way when they connected. “This year I want it to be special. Especially now that you’re here.”
“I hope it is,” Ryu said as he let Chun Li snuggle up to him, knowing the last history she had these last few years. What time could be got they fought hard for, and even then that was no assurance it wasn’t secured.
The romantic moment was wrecked when Chun Li’s cellphone began to ring. Chun Li quickly recovered the item from her jacket pocket and checked the caller ID.
Turning to Ryu with an apologetic look, she said, I need to take this call. It’s my boss.
Ryu nodded as Chun Li activated the phone. Inspector Xiang speaking.
Chun Li, it’s Chow, the voice said on the other end. You’re needed on the Triad case. Leung doesn’t know his way around it if you gave him a road map and a compass.
Chun Li sighed. Lieutenant Chow had a lot of people around, and it just so happened she was the best in the branch. “Are there any others who could do it?” she asked, hearing in her mind the other shoe proverbially falling.
“None who could get the results needed in the window we’re given. I’ve run through the list,” Chow replied. “I need the best in Hong Kong as soon as I can get her to help.”
I’ll get on it right away, sir, Chun Li replied. I’ll start first thing the day after Christmas.
No, Xiang. You start tomorrow.
Tomorrow? Chun Li repeated, in shock. But tomorrow’s Christmas. I’m spending it with friends and family.
And you’re needed on this case, Chow insisted. You know the case better than Leung and if you close this case by the end of the week, then you’ll earn that three-week vacation that you requested, with whatever else I can get for you depending on how well you do on it. When it looked like Chun Li was going to argue, Chow added, Remember that I am still your superior and that this is not negotiable.
Chun Li sighed. Yes, sir. She ended the call.
When she turned around, she immediately noticed the frown on Ryu’s face. You’re working on Christmas again? he asked. The way he said it was more of a statement rather than a question.
For the past two Christmases, Chun Li had worked through them. She had made it up with Ryu (and as she might say “and then some more”), but even his patience was wearing thin. Even though he did not actually celebrate Christmas, he believed in taking some time off from picking fights from various warriors in order to spend time with Chun Li.
And for the last two Christmases, Ryu was alone, while Chun Li was at work. Ryu knew that Chun Li loved her job at Interpol, but she was starting to become a total workaholic. Even though he supported her, the strain on his tolerance was starting to show.
Chun Li gave Ryu a apologetic look. I’m sorry Ryu. My boss needs my help on this case involving some nasty Chinese Triads.
Of course, Ryu replied. Whenever there is trouble, call Chun Li Xiang. The best Interpol agent in Asia.
Chun Li frowned as she felt the sarcasm in that remark. That was uncalled for, Ryu, even from you. All those times you chose to train and fight I said nothing about it. Why are you so upset about me working on a case?
It’s not the case, Li, Ryu replied. You’re working on Christmas Day. You promised me that you were going to be my date for the Christmas party that Masters is holding. I’ve been going alone for the past two years.
I’m sorry, Ryu. Really, I am. But Lieutenant Chow is my boss, and whatever he says, goes. I promise that I’ll make it up to you later on. He promised me a nice long vacation once this case is closed, and then some.
It’s just not the same, Li, Ryu said, anger evident in his voice. I came to Hong Kong to spend Christmas with the woman I love you. But it’s clear to me you love your job even more. You want to work on Christmas instead of spending time with me? Fine. Have fun at work tomorrow, Inspector Xiang, he finished, pronouncing her title with dripping sarcasm.
He turned and stalked off, leaving a fuming Chun Li behind.
‘Damn it, why doesn’t he understand?!’ she thought darkly. Chun Li knew it wasn’t easy being a cop in a relationship with those outside Interpol, or even with other folks in law enforcement. She knew it hurt her when she had to work, even if Lieutenant Chow made good on those promises in spades. With the results the Hong Kong branch got, which were the best and highest in Interpol, Chow could do anything he damn well pleased.
She also hadn’t liked working those Christmases, either. But it was a necessary evil needed to end the nightmare that evil everywhere possessed.
It had been a driving goal for her since Dourai died at Bison’s hands, and after she and Guile saved Ryu from Bison’s backstabbing treachery at the Second Street Fighter Tournament.
Bison was a sore loser, and decided to make an example of Ryu. Only intervention from Guile and Chun Li had saved Ryu that day.
She hadn’t wanted to lie to Ryu, but Chow had made it so that she had no other choice.
She was now pissed as the romantic mood had a fork and knife driven through it.
‘Maybe I can get started on this,’ she thought as she headed to the offices of Interpol. ‘Maybe I can still make the party yet with Ryu.’
_*(
Ryu was steaming. He had been warned that being involved with someone in the military or in law enforcement had sacrifices that needed to be made, and even then they might not get any reimbursement for it.
‘Damn her boss,’ Ryu thought darkly. ‘She always told me he put her on cases on Christmas. But it’s not the same, even if she makes it up to me and then some. Christmas is supposed to be special, and her job makes it hard for her to see that.’ Ryu closed his eyes as he clenched his jaw. ‘I was hoping to give her a special Christmas present too, but now I’m not sure if I want to.’
Ever since the last Tournament, Chun Li’s star and stock had been taking off like a rocket. She had become the best in Interpol’s Hong Kong branch and one of the “go-to people” when the best were needed.
But even a “go-to person” needs time off, which she wasn’t willing to give up because her job demanded it.
Even with their long histories, Ryu hoped she could put her demons to rest. But one was now called “work” and he feared it might be the death of her.
‘I can’t take it anymore,’ he thought darkly. ‘I can’t give my life to her if she’s not willing to give up even a day of hers no matter what the reason. This is going to be the third Christmas it will happen to me…and the last one, one way or another.’
_(&
Following the near-explosive confrontation with Ryu, Chun Li decided not to go back home.
Instead, she went to her job, located in downtown Hong Kong. Ever since the last tournament, she was promoted from Detective to Inspector, the youngest in the history of the International Criminal Police Organization given her role in Shadowlaw’s destruction.
The building that housed the Hong Kong offices of Interpol was a simple unmarked six-story building complete with a underground parking garage, the building only accessible by identification card and badge.
Aside from the main offices, the building also housed a firing range, several conference rooms, a training area, and a workout room. Currently, Chun Li Xiang was in the former, venting out her frustrations on her second paper target. With the exception of the gun bunny cleaning out the guns, Chun Li alone, unloading her third clip into the paper target, reducing it to Swiss cheese.
Even after venting her frustrations out on the firing range, she wasn’t satisfied. She left the firing range and took the elevator to the fourth floor, where her office was located.
Being an Inspector had its perks. One of which was that she had her own private office, located inside the squad room. Chun Li entered her office, looking at the mountain of paperwork that was on her desk, and frowned.
Her boss, a paper-pushing bureaucrat by the name of Chow, had ordered her to work on a case involving the Chinese Triads. He was also the main reason as to why Chun Li missed the last two Christmases with Ryu, and possibly, a third if this keeps up.
She sighed as she sat down at her desk. ‘It’s days like this I wished I was still working in the field,’ she thought.
Even though she was no longer a field operative, she found joy in her work as one of Interpol’s finest. Unlike Chow, who was a complete and total blowhard, she commanded the respect and admiration of her peers. Her actions during the last Street Fighter tournament had boosted her popularity.
She loved working for Interpol. Despite the occasional mountains of paperwork, Chun Li enjoyed her job. Even though she was no longer a field agent, she also enjoyed training the new recruits in marksmanship and hand-to-hand combat, which were part of her duties as Inspector.
The squad room was nearly empty, since most of the agents were at home for the Christmas holiday. One of the agents was going over his report while earing leftover ramen, his radio blaring out Christmas music in Chinese. Chun Li leaned back in her chair, hands behind the back of her head, thinking about her confrontation with Ryu.
‘We’ve been through this already,’ she thought as she looked at the ceiling. ‘I didn’t say anything to him when he was picking fights with fighters all over the world. So why is he so worked up about spending Christmas with me? It’s just another day. He’ll understand. I’ll make it up to him.’
She turned from the ceiling and looked at the pictures on her desk. One was of her father and herself when she had won her first junior martial arts tournament at fifteen. The second was that of herself and her former partner. The woman in the picture was a combination of Chinese and Ukranian ancestry, with short dark hair and lively brown eyes and a curvaceous frame.
Tara Chen was Chun Li’s first and last partner. She was older than Chun Li, a ten-year veteran of the I.C.P.O. Most people said that she looked like the American actress Natassia Malthe. But that wasn’t the case. Tara had taken Chun Li under her wing when she first started in Interpol, showing her the ropes. As a result, Chun Li grew to deeply admire and respect the older woman.
Ironically, the day before, it was the anniversary of her death.
Tara was killed in the line of duty, a casualty in the war against crime two years earlier. She had been a liaison to the Hong Kong Police Department and was participating in a raid on a drug house. Chun Li was away at the time, visiting the Paris world headquarters, attending a law enforcement seminar there when she received the news of Tara’s death.
She returned just in time for the funeral.
Chun Li felt her eyelids getting heavy. Yawning, she realized that she had been awake since six in the morning, buying gifts for Gen, Yun and Yang, not to mention meeting Ryu at the airport and spending the day together.
Before she knew it, Chun Li had dozed off, her head slumping forward.
*&+
By the time Chun Li had woken up some two hours later, the remaining agent was gone. It was late at night, but the offices were safe, since no one could enter without an ID card and even those were hard to copy by the world’s best forgers.
Looking at her watch, she saw that it was almost 11 p.m. Yawning to herself, she decided to head back to her apartment, where she could get some sleep and prepare for the following day.
As she closed up shop, in the back of her mind, she sensed that something was very wrong. It was as if something was out of place, but she could not put her hand on it.
Walking out to the main corridor, Chun Li poked her head out, hand at her side. Then she mentally cursed as she realized that she had left her gun at home. Looking to the left and the right, she saw that the hall was deserted.
‘Hmm…I must have been working myself too hard,’ she thought as she stuck her head back in the office.
When she turned around, she found herself face-to-face with the person she least expected. A woman, with short dark hair, dressed smartly in her Interpol uniform.
Chun Li was looking into the face of her deceased partner.
Boo. Tara deadpanned.
WAAHHH! Chun Li screamed as she retreated to her office. After slamming the door and locking it, she turned around and sure enough, Tara was inside with her.
Before Chun Li could scream again, Tara acted. She grabbed Chun Li and tossed her into her chair.
Chun Li swallowed audibly. T-Tara? Impossible! You’re…you’re…
Dead as a doornail? Tara inquired.
Chun Li nodded. I think there was something in the eggnog I drunk earlier, she muttered. I’m talking to a ghost.
No, there was nothing in the eggnog that Leung brought, Tara replied. Although on occasion I’ve seen some people spike it for the hell of it. This is not a social visit, I’m afraid. I’m here to warn you.
Warn me? About what?
This is what, the third Christmas you got to work through now? Tara inquired. You’re following the same path I took back when I was alive.
What do you mean ‘the same path?’ You were one of the best agents.
Tara smiled sadly. True, but the price I paid was too damn high. She sat down in the chair in front of Chun Li’s desk. There are some things you don’t know about me, Li. One of which was I had a fianc back in Macao. However, I was placing my job before him and one day, I found him in bed with another woman, three weeks before our wedding day.
I…I didn’t know, Chun Li said. You never told anybody about that?
Tara shook her head. No one knew. Not even after I pistol-whipped both him and the other woman. As a result of that, I was transferred to Hong Kong. That was where I met you. You were still green, but you turned out well. But you’re in danger, Chun Li. I never told anyone this, but after I came here, I threw myself into my work, hoping to bury my pain. And it worked. I did become one of the best agents. But I also alienated my closest friends and family in the process. When I died, no one cared. Not one person from my family showed up to my funeral. And now, you’re in danger of walking down that same path I took.
In danger? From what?
Yourself, Tara replied. I’ve seen your boyfriend. The Japanese guy. He’s a bit rough around the edges, but you got good taste in men. I can see he only has eyes for you. But if you work this Christmas Day, he won’t be around for long.
I’ve worked the last two Christmases and he didn’t dump me, Chun Li pointed out. And Chow promised me that three-week vacation next month, so I can always make it up to him.
Dammit, Li! This is not a game! Tara shouted, causing Chun Li to jump in her seat. I’m trying to help you, but you’re acting too damn stubborn for your own good! This job is not worth losing your boyfriend or your friends over! She calmed down somewhat. I hope the guardians will get through to you better than I can.
Guardians? What guardians?
Tara grinned. You’ll be getting a visit from three guardians tonight. First one’s at one a.m. I suggest you listen to them, Li. Otherwise, you won’t like the alternative. I’ll see you around, kiddo.
+(*
Chun Li’s eyes snapped open.
She was still inside her office. The guy who was working there was still at his desk, the empty carton tossed in the trash, the radio still blaring out Christmas songs.
She looked around. Tara was nowhere to be seen.
‘I’ve been working too hard,’ Chun Li thought. ‘I think I’ll go home. I should feel better once I get a good night’s sleep.’
Gathering her jacket and making sure she had her car keys, Chun Li exited her office. Down the hall, and an elevator ride to the parking garage later, she approached her car, a used, but well-maintained gray Toyota Camry.
The ride from her job to her home in a quiet section of Hong Kong took about 45 minutes, given the Christmas traffic. After finding a parking space, Chun Li went inside. She said her greetings to several other tenants as she walked over to the elevator.
Her apartment was on the sixth floor, room 611. She was fortunate to grab an apartment that was already furnished, thus sparing her from looking for furniture. The apartment was small, but efficient, complete with a scenic view of the Hong Kong skyline. Her apartment consisted of a dining room, a kitchen a living room, two closets, a bathroom and a bedroom. Perfect for one person.
Chun Li locked her door and opened it. She tossed her keys on the counter and her jacket over the sofa. After making a stop in her bedroom, she entered the bathroom with a towel and several items in her hands.
The shower was refreshing, but as she allowed the water to rain down on her, Chun Li remained troubled by Tara’s words.
‘Myself? What does that mean? And what did Tara meant when she said that I was in danger of following the same path as she did? All I want is to become the best operative. All I want is for Baba to be proud of me.’
She cut off the shower and stepped out. After drying herself off, she gotten dressed; a blue tanktop, and a pair of panties. The last thing she slipped on was a pair of pajama pants. She dried her hair, combed it out, braided it and wrapped it in her traditional ‘ox-horn’ style before securing it with several hairpins.
‘Regardless, that was one strange dream,’ Chun Li thought as she walked into her bedroom. The Chinese martial artist climbed into the bed and set her alarm for 7:15 a.m. She tried calling Ryu at his hotel room, but she received no answer.
‘Probably hanging out with Ken again,’ she thought, yawning.
Slipping under the thick duvet, Chun Li turned off the lamp, allowing the darkness to engulf the room. Within minutes, Chun Li Xiang was fast asleep.
Little did she know she was going to be in for one wild night. One she will never forget.
Good stuff! :tup: