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Hearts & Fists – The Hardest Part
São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
Having just finished a game of pick-up basketball, Sean was sitting on a park bench and texting with Sakura, a huge smile on his face. They were currently planning on when they would see each other next.
What had slipped past Sean’s notice was the person who proceeded to snatch his phone from his grasp.
“Textin’ who I think you are, little bro?!” Laura, Sean’s older sister, smiled.
“Jeez, Laura, leave me alone!” Sean reached for his phone.
Laura backed away, scrolling through the messages. “Oooh, little brother! A little… saucy with some of these messages!”
“Gimmemyphoneback!” Sean chased after her.
Laura kept dodging him, each time he dove for the phone. She eventually slowed down, intently reading the messages.
Sean stopped. “Laura?”
Laura slowly smiled. “Bro. This girl loves you!”
Sean’s cheeks heated up immediately. “Uhhh…”
Laura gasped, her smile getting wider. “You love her, too!”
Sean rubbed the back of his head, “Uhhhhhhh!”
Laura giggled. “You haven’t told her.”
“Yeah. I mean, no. But, wait, she hasn’t said that. How do you know?”
“Sean, no girl on this planet texts a guy this much she only ‘likes’! She’s head over heels for you! She just doesn’t know how to say it yet.”
Sean sighed. “You think so?”
“I know so. And I know you.” Laura handed his phone back. “You love her, too.”
Sean chuckled a bit. “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”
“Tell her when you know it’s a time and not a second before or after. Got me?”
“I got you,” Sean nodded.
Laura put her hand on her hip, “Gonna move out there or her come here?”
“We’re not there yet. But we’re trying to figure out how to visit, though. But moving? A long way off. She’s still in school and Ryu and Chun-Li really rely on her with the kids.”
“That’s cool.” Laura sighed. “Married to Ryu! Chun-Li’s so lucky!”
Sean’s eyebrow slowly raised. “You have a thing for Ryu?!”
“I wouldn’t say ‘I have a thing’. He’s just super hot.”
“Ew! Gross! No! I didn’t hear that! Don’t ever that say again!”
“Didn’t Sakura used to have a crush on him?” Laura reminded.
“Did you think bringing that up would help?!”
“Nope! I just enjoy your misery!”
Sean groaned and dropped his head.
Laura just laughed. “Ryu and Chun-Li have three kids, right?”
“Now, it’s about to be four,” Sean smiled.
“Four?!”
“Yeah.”
“Okay, gotta break this down,” Laura shook her head. “I know Mei, that’s Chun-Li’s daughter she adopted before her and Ryu even started. They had the first son after that whole mess with that… Guerrilla guy.”
“Ryutaro,” Sean said.
“Then they just had another son.”
“Shanyuan.”
“Okay, so, who’s kid number four?” Laura asked.
“A friend of Mei’s,” Sean answered. “Her name is Li-Fen.”
Laura laughed. “They’re gonna adopt another kid! That’s the most awesome, sweetest thing I’ve ever heard!”
“I think so, too.” Sean sighed. “Just hope they can handle it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ryu’s never been the… ‘home’ type. Master Ken told me that. He said Ryu has a ‘wanderlust’.”
“But he hasn’t left for years, right?” Laura asked.
“Yeah,” Sean confirmed. “Just… I don’t know. I know all that must be hard for both of them. Trusting each other. Chun-Li and Ryu are really different from everyone else.”
Laura stared at Sean then giggled, softly. “You know it doesn’t matter, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“The number of kids, where they live. Those are all small things. They already have the hardest part under control. Chun-Li and Ryu are a team. Yeah, every team takes a hit. You don’t always go undefeated. But that doesn’t mean that it’s a losing team. They already have their love and respect for each other. They already know what they want and they’re willing to work together to get it. That’s it.”
Sean nodded. “I get it.”
“You don’t worry about those grown-ups!” Laura smiled. “You worry about that pretty girl who’s clearly in love with you.”
Sean groaned, throwing his head back.
Laura smiled, warmly. “Sean.”
Sean looked back at her, “Yeah?”
“I’m really happy for you.”
Sean looked away, embarrassment beginning to show.
“Don’t screw it up,” Laura declared. “She’s too good for you.”
Sean’s face screwed up to a scowl. “Gee. Thanks, sis.”
“You’re welcome!”