I'm sitting on my bed, looking at the phone. Just looking at it, nothing else.

I should call her.

Tell her that I'm still her friend. Tell her that I respect her. Tell her something. I feel really guilty about this.

I've been paying so little attention to her these days, I've been treating
her like she's some kind of outsider, even though we've known each other
since we were kids. She's so *different* from me, but that's what I've
always liked about her. With her around, my life is never dull.

Even when I'd rather have it be.

That night--the night that defined us both--most girls block something like
this out, but for some reason, I always find myself flashing back to it at
the worst times...

We walk out of the cinema, myself next to Sakura. My best friend. We were both barely high-school age then. In fact, we were going to start our first terms at Tamagawa Minami in a week. We'd even made sure that we were both to attend the same school. We were inseparable.

We'd just gone to see a movie, one of those crazy flicks based on some Japanese kids' superhero show. It had been Sakura's choice, of course. Never in my right mind would I *ever* have thought of seeing a movie with a name like... what *was* it again? Raging Cars... Vehicle... something...

...oh, yeah.

Carranger.

Racing Warrior Taskforce Carranger.

God. I almost didn't go at all.

Sakura's awful taste in movies was in full swing even then. Even now, the girl will watch ANYTHING with martial arts action in it. It's nuts. Why would somebody be so obsessed with hurting other people? Still, it was obvious that she'd had her heart set on us being together that night. So I went.

The noisy kids in the theater were the only reason I stayed awake through the movie--a horribly predictable tirade about aliens coming to Earth, and their eventually being driven back by auto mechanics wearing multicolored spandex suits, firing cheap-special-effects "laser pistols" and driving giant racecars that turned into robots. Oh yeah, and delivering a few punches and kicks here and there.

I had a terrible time.

But I looked over to Sakura, and I don't think I'd ever seen her happier. So I didn't say anything.

We're walking out of the theater, and Sakura's babbling about the whole thing, just like those kids... "Wow, did you see all that, Kei? That one scene where Green Racer just laid everything to waste... bam, boom, POW! Which is weird, because he doesn't usually do that..."

She starts punching the air like some fakey martial artist. I do my best not to shake my head. "Yes, Sakura. The movie was... okay."

She turns her head to look at me, with a smile. "Thanks for coming along with me, Kei. It wouldn't have been the same going by myself."

"You're welcome, Sakura. Anytime." Teriffic. Now I'm blushing because I feel like an absolute heel.

"Oh well," she says. "Time to go home. That movie lasted longer than I thought it would." She looks at me again, and gets one of those evil grins on her face. I hate those grins. Whenever she puts one on, I end up suffering somehow. "You up for taking a little shortcut?"

...oh, *heck*, no. "Um... sure."

Best not try and stifle her too much... I may not understand her, but that doesn't mean I can force my will on her. Right? Right.

"Okay. We'll be home before you know it. Heck, maybe we'll be able to score some leftover dinner when we get to my place."

And with that, she turns on to a side street that I've never heard of, and that's quieter than most days in my neighborhood. Our footsteps echo as they hit the pavement over and over again, and I'm getting a bad feeling... like someone's painted a target on us.

My feelings are usually right. They are tonight.

Up in the distance, I see three figures, all of them at least a third again our sizes. And while they weren't stumbling around, they walk at least a little bit like they're drunk.

No problem. We'll just act like we don't see them, and walk past inconspicuously. Why should they care about us, right?

But as soon as we get within their sights, they notice us immediately, and turn to us. "Hey there, cuties," one of them says with the waver of intoxication in his voice. "Why don't you come back to my friend's house with us? It'll be loads of fun."

We don't answer. I look around. There's no one else on this stupid street. Oh no. They're coming this way.

We try to duck into the darkness, maybe their vision will fail them. But no, they're following us, into the dark alley we just ducked into. I look back... it's a dead end.

"I guess that's what we get for asking nicely, huh?" one of the boys says.

That does not sound good.

I try to escape. Being the damn fool that I am, I run directly <i>into</i> them, and one of them catches me and holds me fast. I struggle. No good. Less than good, in fact. The boy pushes me against the wall. He clamps his hand over my mouth. He tears my uniform top away, and moves toward my dress... oh, no,nonononononono...

Then I hear Sakura's voice again. I don't know how she's still able to speak, but I'm preoccupied with other things, of course.

"Hey! Last time I checked, three against one wasn't fair!"

"We know," one of the guys says. "That's the beauty part. And speaking of beauty... come here..."

Out of the corner of my eye (thank god, the guy holding me has stopped to watch), I see the second boy advance on Sakura...

...and then I see Sakura do something INCREDIBLY STUPID.

She rushes toward him. And kicks him. Not one of your usual kicks, but a kind of spinning-around thing.

And it actually works,probably because she ended up hitting his groin from such a crazy angle, but it works. The guy falls to his knees, clutching himself and groaning.

And now Sakura, seeing what she'd done, for a few seconds, starts posing like those damned fool spandex dancers we'd just seen in the theater. I tell you, I want to just pull her ear next to my mouth and scream as loud as I can, "SAKURA! WAKE UP! THIS ISN'T ONE OF YOUR CHEESY HERO SHOWS! IT'S REAL LIFE, AND WE'RE IN VERY REAL DANGER! STOP BEING STUPID!"

Of course, I can't, because we were backed far into a dark alley, nobody could see us, one of the two guys had a knife, and my best friend was too far way from me, standing up to those boys, and about to commit suicide.

The boy lets go of me, and he and his pal start towads Sakura. "No!" I
scream. Like anyone listens. Now even more scared than before, I close my
eyes, and I hear screaming from all three of them.

Then silence.

And then I open my eyes, and Sakura is next to me. Two guys are on the ground. The guy who got kicked in the crotch is running away.

And finally, I can cry.

We never told anyone what happened, and Sakura used what money she'd had to
buy a light jacket for me to hide my toplessness when we'd got to Sakura's
house. I slept all night, trying to block the memory.

But I never forgot. Neither did Sakura.

Just becase of that one little victory, Sakura seemed to feel.. validated somehow. She acted like she had some sort of excuse now to go willy-nilly, training like crazy, challenging anyone and everyone she saw, even people off of the street! She's gotten herself knocked about more times than I can count over the years, and she doesn't <i>care.</i>

"Kei, Kei, Kei," she's often said to me, "if you don't learn to fight back sometimes, how are you going to stay confident? How are you ever going to keep yourself out of trouble?"

Simple.

I can keep out of harm's way.

Do whatever it takes. Make sure everything I do and say is perfect, leave no room for mistakes. Risks are out of the question. Sakura just doesn't see it, but she's taking the riskiest path possible in her life. I'm always scared for her, because she throws herself into danger needlessly, and doesn't give it a second thought.

I've given up trying to convince her to settle down and just be normal.

All I can do now is save myself.

Make sure nothing bad ever happens to me again.

No. Never again.

I catch a slight chill. I shiver.

I look at the phone again. Then I turn away.

Another day was "X"ed out on the calendar as Sakura Kasugano prepared to go to school. She looked at it wistfully, and then sighed.

{Six weeks. It's hard to believe that I've been going six full weeks without doing anything beyond pushups, and what light jogging I've been able to do on the way home. Ugh, I don't think I've ever felt worse...}She looked down, patting around her stomach and torso. {I suppose I should thank my lucky stars that I can still fit into my skirts... so help me, if I start to chub out, even a little bit, everyone in this household is dead meat.}

Honestly. The only good thing that had come out of all this was that her grades had risen dramatically. Her teachers didn't even seem to mind having her around the class anymore. Of course, her parents still didn't seem to care one whit. Even after all the commotion they'd raised.

After making sure that she was completely ready, she headed out to school. First she headed to Kei's, but her mother informed her that she left early... which was a little strange, but Sakura shrugged and went on.

She used the time to do what she did every time she had a moment alone--try to think of a way she could get some training in. It never worked, and she'd actually given up on it about three weeks ago, but she always kept her mind on standby just in case something were to pop up.

Nope.

Still nothing.

Geez. Was anything going to break this rut?

Friday.

Fridayfridayfridayfridayfridayfriday.

Friday was good. Friday meant temporary freedom. The start of the weekend, the day everybody lives for!

The old Sakura Kasugano treated every day the same. Silly Old Sak. The new Sakura worshipped Fridays, and with good reason. Free time ahoooooy!

Sakura walked the length of Tamagawa Minami's massive grassy back yard with Kei Chitose, singing a tune to herself. The yard was fairly busy with girls talking amongst each other, and guys playing sports in predictablyviolent ways. (She used to play with them, but whenever she did, she'd had a tendency to, well... hurt one or more of them accidentally. So she kept out of their way now out of pure generosity.)

Yep, yep, yep. Nothing to do right now but make plans for Saturday. The new GaoRanger movie was out, maybe she'd drag Kei--

Sakura's thoughs were interrupted by the sound of a harsh wind, and she looked up.

That wind was coming from... helicopter blades? And the aircraft was heading straight down. What, were they planning to land right in front of her or something?

Yep.

The students in the yard gave the helicopter a wide berth as it touched down on the grass. Kei joined them, but Sakura held her own against the wind generated by the rotors, her skirt and her short hair flapping in thewind as she shielded her face with her hands. Finally the vehicle cut off, and the last person Sakura wanted to see now, or ever, stepped out and stood in front of her.

She was Sakura's opposite in every way imaginable. A red and black school uniform. Long blond hair, and bike shorts which certainly revealed nothing, but god, didn't those things crimp her?... never mind. Still, the stark dress contrast was obvious, and served as the symbol of their mutual adversary status.

And most importantly, said person had no projectile attacks to speak of. Karin Kanzuki was here.

Sakura did NOT need this right now.

Unaware of her original self's rendezvous with rivalry, Sakura Yugure came out of her Ashura Warp still shivering over the implications of her fight with the clone, Sakura Kikage.

{Damn... that was *scary!*} she thought. {I.. I.. I've never been so *terrified* as when I realized what Kikage wanted...}She paused as she realized where she was. {This... this is the yard in back of Oishii
Snack Shop, where I - damn! *Kasugano* used to train with Hinata. I guess it came to mind because of all the thinking about my past I've been doing lately.} She stood there, bracing one arm against a tree, panting and letting her fear drain away.

Slowly.

Finally, out of some vague idea of avoiding observation, she walked slowly over to the back wall of the snack shop and leaned against it, resting her back against the cool concrete wall while she tried to convince herself to stop shivering.

"SAKURA!" Karin bellowed. "TODAY IS THE DAY, SAKURA! TODAY IS THE DAY I--"

"Owwww! You know, you're standing right in front of me, Karin! You don't have to yell!" Sakura said, clamping her hands over her ears.

"...oh. Right. Well, whatever. Today is the day I surpass you! I've trained even harder and I'm ready to face you! Not to mention, if you think you can trespass on my property just to try and get on my nerves and get away with it, you've got another think coming! Ohhh-hohohohohohohoooo!"

That laugh. Sakura HATED that damn laugh. Hey, wait a minute. "'Trespassing?' Say what? I would never go around your dinky old estate!"

"Liar! I have security camera footage that proves it!

"And I can prove that you're a nutcase!"

Karin huffed, and assumed the Kanzuki-ryu fighting stance. "Never mind. Prepare to be bested!"

Sakura assumed her own stance. "Well, all right. But you know this always ends the same way. I mean, really. We fight, and after about ten minutes I decide to stop playing around and-OOF!"

That last was courtesy of Karin's fist straight to Sakura's jaw. The Tamagawa student hit the grass hard. "...lucky punch," she said, rubbing her chin.Sakura got up, and the match began in earnest.

Karin laughed. "OHOHOHO! Luck had nothing to do with my deadly precision-OW!"

Karin got kicked in the face. "Yeah, 'deadly' that, you rich nut!"

But Karin was quick on the recovery, and rushed straight in with three quick palm strikes. "Plebian! I won't simply fall this time!"

Sakura was able to block the first two hits, but the last one tagged her, and tagged her good. "Ow!"

{...oh, right, I'd forgotten that technique hits *three* times...}she recollected. {You know, that really doesn't sound like something I would forget.. aha! An opening!} Forcing herself to come out of recoil,
she grabbed Karin's outstretched arm and used it to yank her to the ground. {Score!}"Oh yeah. I'd say that's a fall," Sakura said with a smirk.

Indeed, the match was going normally. Those in the fight circuits who followed the Kasugano/Kanzuki rivalry knew that whenever the two fought, it was usually an even balance between trash-talk and actual striking.

"Oomph!" Karin grunted as she hit the ground, but... "Don't crow until you're safe, Kasugano!" Using her position to her advantage, Karin swept Sakura off of her feet as well. The blue-skirted girl yelped as she fell.

"Whoa!" And now, Sakura was beginning to panic. {I *know* I shouldn't have fallen for that! What's going on here??}

Karin stood back up, and crossed her arms, taunting her rival. "Hah! As always, you prove yourself inferior!"

"Oh, I'll show you inferior!" Sakura ran and attacked Karin blindly, even though something in the back of her head kept saying that Karin's present stance was just a little too familiar--

"KYAH!"

*SMACK*

Oh, right. It was her counter stance. Sakura went sprawling again.

And Karin was now positively beside herself with mad chuckles. "OHOHOHO! You fool, falling for that! Were you always so weak? I don't know why I didn't see this before!"

Sakura panted for breath as she rose to one knee. {No... I *wasn't*. And that's the problem, Karin just hit it right on the head. I haven't kept up for weeks, but if she's been training as much as she says she has, then... I don't have much of a chance, do I? But I can't let her know that.} After wobbling a bit, Sakura went back to a full stand, and gave off her best sneer. "Okay. You've gotten a little better. But I hope you don't think you're winning this time. I think those ten minutes are about up, don't you think?"

Karin said nothing in reply, but simply blitzed the off-guard Sakura with her powerful Roksuji Sambyaku technique. Multiple palms smacked into Sakura's face, sending her across the length of the yard, and as Sakura fell, only then did Karin open her mouth.

"You're RIGHT!" she crowed. "I do believe it's time to stop playing! And when I go home in victory tonight, your body will be so black and blue that people might think you have a shred of breeding, for surely to be that shade, your very blood must be blue!"

By this time, Sakura's vision was blurring in and out. The attacks were finally starting to take their toll. She still couldn't believe that this was happening. Wasn't this what she'd longed for? A chance to do battle and cut loose again? Yes, it was.

Unfortunately, she hadn't taken into account the possibility of her getting
slower, or losing her combat instincts, or her game plans, her fake-outs,
her power plays, her EVERYTHING. Karin had caught Sakura with everything on
her own side, and nothing on Sakura's.

This wasn't fair.

This.. was not... FAIR!

Stupid parents. This was their fault. All of this.

Now she was about to get bloodily beaten by some rich bitch in a red dress who had a stupid laugh and all she could do was just sit there and take it because she didn't know what else to do and right now she just wanted to HURT something, anything, make it bleed...

Sakura rose and walked towards Karin.

"Hmph. Still haven't had enough?"

{Make it *bleed*.}

"What... why are you looking at me like that?"

{Dent it.}

"What--OW! That's my nose, damn it, that HURT! I'm gonna--"

{Yes. Hurt it.}

"Oof!"

Karin staggered back under the force of one of Sakura's roundhouse kicks to the cheek. Sakura followed it up with several rapid jabs to Karin's already smashed nose.

{Make it feel my pain. You're not getting away from me until you've felt every single *drop*. Do you hear me? Everyone who's turned against me, everyone who's trying to stop me from just living my *life*, starting with YOU, are all going to--}

Sakura snapped.

"SUFFER!" she screamed, and lit into Karin like a match.

It was incredible, really, if quite... grotesque at the same time. Punch after punch landed in just about every place Sakura could think of... face, jaw, stomach, torso, even a misguided blow or two to Karin's chest,causing especially considerable pain. Karin's body--most notably her face--became bloodied, and several small bruises were created under the force of the assault, which Sakura did not give one damn about.

Even after Karin fell to the grass, whimpering and trying to cover herself with her arms in utter fear, Sakura was too busy punching, still punching, punching at everything, yelling at everything, crying at everything, her world now only existing of herself, her fists, her anguished screams, and the piece of flesh on the ground that she continued to hammer away at, without remorse.

If only life itself were this easy to attack.

The students who were watching panicked loudly as they witnessed the brutal beating, some of them wondering if the police should be called. Even Kei tried to stop her friend, but it was obvious that Sakura was already too far gone, and an errant punch grazed Kei's face for her trouble.

Punch after punch after punch, each one fueled by pure rage, frustration and sadness.

And after what seemed like an eternity (but was really just over a minute and a half), Sakura finally--mercifully--stopped, kneeling over Karin's body and taking deep, labored breaths. The yard grew completely silent.

It was a wonder that Karin was still able to move her mouth, let alone speak, even as softly as she did, after finally removing her arms from their protective position in front of her head.

"W-what (cough) is the matter with you, Kasu(kaff)no? I... can't believe... Th-this is more like that beastly (hack) Akuma commoner than you... I... I... may... have (sniff) joked about it, but this... is not... what either of us would... do... ohhhh...

The match "won", Karin Kanzuki fainted, her body motionless on the grass.And Sakura, the "winner", stared at what she'd done--she'd throroughly battered and bloodied a person who she'd at least respected as a rival. What had she DONE? Tears welled up in her eyes. Was she capable of this? Did she really just do this?

And willingly?

"Sakura!" Kei called after her best friend, who had just broken into a
sobbing run towards parts unknown.

{What... what's *happening* to me? What did I just do back there? Why do I *hate myself* so much right now? Maybe... maybe my folks were right. Fighting, martial arts... if this is what happens, I don't want to be a part of it. No more, not now, not *ever*!}

Sakura continued to cry as she ran, not knowing exactly where to yet.

Still leaning against the Oishii wall, Yugure was steadier physically, though a thought had occurred to her that shook her to the core. {What if... what if Kikage had found me while I was dithering around here...? That settles it - I'm saying my goodbyes and moving on ASAP, before I cause any *more* trouble. I've screwed up enough things in my original's life. Akira and that Yurika girl probably think I was her, and...}

Yugure's gloomy thoughts were interrupted by a clamor in the Oishii Snack Shop as someone ran in the door loudly enough for her to hear them from her post outside the back door. "Hey, did you hear? Kanzuki challenged Kasugano again! They just fought, and Kasugano just put Kanzuki in the
hospital!"

Yugure stopped dead. {...*WHAT?*} Forgetting her apprehension for a moment, she stepped in close to the door to listen...

Without knowing it, Sakura actually found herself running towards the Oishii Snack Shop. {I... I just need to forget about all of this now, I think. My brain's spinning... I can't think, I don't know what to do, and I don't know anyone who can help me...!}

And before she knew it, she was there.

{No way. I can't go in there now, I bet they're all talking about me now anyway. But...}

Turning the corner, Sakura headed for an empty lot behind the shop. {Hinata and I used to train right here, but whenever I needed a nice big open space to just lie in, I used to come here, look at the people, the trees, the sky, the... hey, what *is* that?}

Looking into the lot, she saw something that looked... a LOT like her. {...hold the phone. What or *who* is that?}

Curiosity overtaking her, Sakura stepped into the lot and towards the familiar figure.

Yugure, in the interim, had been listening intently to the gossip about her original, and had managed to glean that, for the last month, the Kasuganos had basically barred Sakura from training, and that she'd been seeming further and further out of sorts, culminating in today's debacle, where Sakura had lost control. The Satsu schoolgirl was, to put it mildly, fuming.

"How STUPID Can they get!?" she growled aloud, thought alone not being enough to let her vent her feelings. "I- Dammit, she saved us - them - whatever! She saved everyone! She saved RYU! From BISON! And stupid not-mom and not-dad.. Rrrgh!"

As she paused, however, her senses kicked in, alerting her to the presence of an aura *very* similar to her own. "uhoh..." she murmured, turning around slowly, as if to deny what she was going to see - more than half afraid it would be the clone Kikage...

Which it did look an awful lot like. But no, wait, Kikage knew who she was, while this Sakura seemed bewildered at the sight of her.

Peering ever closer, Sakura continued to walk toward the figure, but took a step back as she realized that she had been noticed. {She looks... just... *like me*. Well, except for that crazy gray getup. But that is *uncanny*. I wonder if she's new, she looks exactly my age too, but I haven't seen her around any of the schools...}

Yugure stood frozen as her near-double approached. "...Kikage...?" she breathed, but then the differences penetrated, both in dress and aura. "No..." she sighed in relief. "Twin Sis..."

And finding the courage to walk forward again, Sakura walked did so until the two was face to face. "Exactly... like..." she could do nothing but whisper, blink, and stare.

The Satsu schoolgirl began to sweat at her creator's reaction. "...uh-oh. You don't remember, do you? Easy, just let your mind drift back... to what happened the last time you visited Ryu's cabin," she finished with a wince. "And... don't freak out, okay? I'm not here to do anything bad..." she added hurriedly.

What the.. what did this girl know?

Sakura stepped back again, this time in shock, fear creeping into her voice. "Who... are you? Why do you look so much like me? How do you know Ryu? How do you know where I've been?" Even given her aversion to fighting as of late, the fear fueled her instincts, and she began charging up a Hadoken
in her hands to combat the unknown with. "Answer me, damn it...!"

Yugure recoiled, a sick feeling washing over her. {Not again, not so soon after Kikage!} "Hey!" she implored, stepping back. "Hey, calm down! I don't wanna fight you!" A sadness in her eyes and voice as she faced another rejection, this one from the very girl who created her, she began to outright plead. "Please... *please* don't make me fight *you* of all people..." she asked with a sob.

It should be noted that after all Sakura had been through, this was not the most stabilizing thing to be happening her right now. Still, the sudden sobbing coming from this girl who looked exactly like her threw her back a little bit. The blue glow died in her hands, as Sakura decided to give her a chance.

"Start talking. Now."

Yugure took a deep breath, as much to let her original calm down as herself. "Okay. I know you took a trip up to Ryu's cabin a few months ago. What do you remember about that?"

She wasn't as collected as she was trying to appear. A tiny voice inside Yugure's mind was crying out that this Sakura wanted to destroy her, that she had to strike *first,* to be the one who survived and was the main being thereafter. It was a familiar voice - a fainter but similar refrain had been echoing in Yugure's mind when she fought Kikage. Biting her cheek, Yugure ignored it, and hoped against hope that Kasugano would calm down...

"Huh?" Sakura asked confusedly. "N... nothing happened there. Nothing... really, anyway..." she tried to recall, but could only bring up vague patches and images. Still, the images began to multiply.

Yugure nodded, recovering a bit of her composure as she recognized her original's struggle to remember. "Are you sure? Think about it. Don't push it, just let your mind drift along the memories... There *was* something that happened, not just there, but after that, before you went home. Let yourself remember..." she said in a calming voice, staring into Kasugano's eyes and calling into herself, {Justice! If I'm reaching you, *please,* help her! Let our memories trigger hers... please...}

She never was sure if her Aspect had answered her prayer or not.

"But... it's like I said, nothing really happened. Except for this one long dream... that almost seemed to last forever..." Sakura's voice was now more laid back, as her mind drifted...

Yugure picked up the thread. "...that had you taking a jet all over the world, and fighting Street Fighters, and other heroes and villains, and...?"

"...yeah. Superheroes, even. They said we were fighting..." Sakura thought some more. "Fighting for the world." Then she laughed. "See, that's how I know it had to be a dream. Anything as fantastical as that..."

Again, Yugure followed her original's thread. "...and as incredible as Ryu throwing a Shinkuu-Hadoken that was like a beam cannon?"

"Yup. And heck, I had powers that I would *never* have. Like this one time, my Haru Ichiban carried Dan Hibiki up two whole stories!" Sakura laughed, but then trailed off again, remembering even more... remembering something that caused her to turn deadly serious. "But then, near the end..."

{Now we're getting to the critical point,} Yugure thought, and said aloud, "...You freed Ryu, and you and he and a few of the heroes were against this giant mechanical villain and..." Unable to control her reaction, Yugure shivered. "..a cyborg Akuma..." A second shiver made her stop talking altogether. "..dammit."

Sakura nodded. "And then... then the really big villain finally got us. Got us good, he took almost all of us down... and then the robot Akuma.. he did take us down." she shivered at the memory. "I remember... we were going to die right there, and Ryu was going to go first..." Sakura hit
a block, and shook her head furiously, her voice growing frantic.. "..no. I don't remember any more. I--I can't! I really can't!"

Tentatively, hardly daring to hope, Yugure reached out with one trembling hand. "Yes you can. I can, and until then I was you. You got an idea, and got mad, and it felt like you'd torn every cell in your body in two... andthen you passed out. Right...?" The Satsu twin's hand came to rest gently on the schoolgirl's shoulder. "It's okay... it's okay. It hurt, and it was bad in a lot of ways... but you did it. You made me, and I saved Ryu and the others... even if I *did* nearly make Ryu hate me..." Yugure said, the last word strangling off into a choked noise as Yugure remembered how Ryu had looked at her in that moment of horrified recognition.

Sakura looked into her double's eyes, and did see something... almost familiar about them, but she still didn't completely believe. It just sounded so... IMPOSSIBLE. "I... made you?"

Yugure managed a tremulous smile. "Yeah. You made me, and you saved me from going nuts like-" a shudder, "-Evil Ryu, 'cause you wished with all your heart to protect your friends..." she explained with a sigh. "It's literally the reason I exist..."

Sakura processed this. {That... *does* sound like me... but... if tihs girl is really, well, *me*, I need to be absolutely sure...}

Yugure took note of the doubt on her twin's face, and sighed. "You aren't sure about me. With everything you saw in the Alpha tourneys, I wouldn't either. We - you - were there when Bison controlled Ryu. We started Bison's body coming apart with a Midare-Zakura, and Ryu's Shin Shoryuken finished the job." Hopefully, Yugure looked at her twin's face, but the doubt was still there. "What? ...Oh. Oh yeah, Bison would know that too... Okay. I remember Makoto's mom and aunt helping us develop the rapid punch we use in the Sho-Oh-Ken." Wincing, Yugure shook her hand as she remembered the pain of scores of minor burns. "Snatching nuts out of an open fire..." she snorted. "Well, I guess it worked..."

Sakura, looking at her own fist, grinned in recollection. {She's right about that. Still... there's only one way to be completely sure. Something that didn't have any spectators of any sort... I hate to bring this up, but it's the only way to be sure.} All right then, here was the acid test. "All right then, other me... just one last question. 'Carranger: The Movie'. Opening night. Details. Now."

That was one night NO ONE with Sakura's memories would need explained, as not only the events of the evening but the days and weeks of her best friend Kei Chitose withdrawing both from Sakura and from society, had followed it. "In one sentence: Three guys who I only *wish* I could see again. Kei-chan's pulled into her shell because of *Them!*" Yugure fumed, her anger building visibly at the street punks that had tried to rape the two girls... building to the point where she noticed a faint aura of Satsu flame around herself and fought to control her temper. {Dammit, not now!}

For at least the third time that day, Sakura was struck speechless. {That's exactly... how I've felt all this time...} Now with ultimate confirmation received, Sakura nodded. "Okay. I'm convinced. The similarities are enough, and I do remember Evil Ryu. Not only do you look like another me, you sound exactly like I... used... to..." That last sentence caused her to remember the day's events, and, remembering just what she'd done only a little while ago, she began sniffling sadly. And even as she tried to compose herself, the sniffles gradually turned to choked sobs. "I'm--I'm sorry..."

"Hey!" Yugure cried as her twin began to break down. Not quite daring to hug her for fear of the merger Kikage had brought to mind, she reached out with both hands and took Kasugano's shoulders, supporting her as well as she could. "I heard about that... stupid folks... dammit, you've saved LIVES with your skills, and they're killing that out of stupid Japanese conformity..." Biting her lip, Yugure kept herself from venting further. {It's not *my* life anymore! I don't have the right to get mad about
it!} she admonished herself.

Sakura talked between sniffles. "Heh. Looks like you did your homework before coming here. But.." Sakura nearly choked on the words. "I'm going to listen to them and give up my training for good. I--I don't know what you do, but I just a little while ago found out that I can't live this way anymore... instead of protecting people, I'm just hurting them and myself..."

"Wha??" Yugure asked, holding her 'elder twin' away from her for a moment, staring into Sakura's distraught face. "My god, are you a mess. Did - did making *me* do this to you? I know you were acting sort of strange when Icame home... Or is it the change? Having to give up what's been your
center, and without that, it's all coming unglued?" she asked, concerned.

Sakura sighed and looked down at the ground. "Sort of. A little of all of those. It's a long story, though I guess we do deserve to know each others'... what do I call you, anyway?" She snickered. "'Evil Sakura', or what?"

The Satsu schoolgirl twitched at that, a vein in her forehead bulging for a second. "I've been *trying* to dodge that... Ehh heh heh. Sakura Yugure is the name I've been using," she explained, calming down.

"'Nightfall', huh..." Sakura took a good long look at her double. "Guess it works." Finally, she became aware of their surroundings, and just how.. open they were. "Okay, this is bad. If people we know see two of us.. I mean me, I mean, you, I--oh, if people see us, they're going to freak. And we're in an open lot. If we're going to talk, we have to somehow get somewhere private. If someone like Kei finds us, we're screwed..."

"Tell me about it," Yugure agreed. "Plus you're about ready to snap." There was a pause as the 'younger' Sakura got an idea. "Hmm. Hey, you ever wanted to teleport?" she asked with a small grin. {After all, I did it with Acchan and Kho-Om to get us from Jokuzetsu to the Rindou Dojo, even if I did have to take things in short hops...} she mused.

Sakura blinked. "Teleport? You can do that? ...oh, right, you're Satsu and stuff. Nice.... wait. You were referring to *me*, weren't you? Heh. Sorry, but us normal types can't really manage it. Not that I don't wish I could..."

Yugure smiled, taking one step forwards as she finally put her fear of some spontaneous absorption behind her. "I mean this. C'mere." The Satsu schoolgirl hugged the street fighter, clasping her close...

And in the time it took Sakura to blink her eyes, the two found themselves in the snowy plain outside of the main city where Sakura had met--and fought--Ryu for the very first time, years ago. "Phew. Peace and quiet," Yugure huffed.

Sakura however, simply shivered. "...and cold. Wha..." How had they gotten here? "...you've got to be kidding me."

"I know. Trippy," she said simply. A moment later, she suffered a shiver that was more due to her next comment, and the memories it sparked, than the cold. "I'll tell you later how I learned it..." she said with a blush, then shook her head. "Geez! Anyway, I got us this far 'cause.. well..." She trailed off as she went through a brief internal debate. {This is NOT going to be safe for me. She's already confessed to losing control, just today in fact, and if I screw up we could end up as one being, one way or the other... ...but I've seen the look she has on my own face. Well, *her* face at the time, I guess. It's one of those times where I - she - *we,* needed to fight, to face a challenge, to let go fo what was hurting us. It was the same after Kei withdrew...} Going on aloud, Yugure said, "...I think you need tocut loose. You've been off-center for a while, I'd say, and not being ableto vent or channel your feelings made it worse. So..." she paused for a deep breath. {This will hurt...} "There's nobody here for you to hurt in this fight but me, and..." Biting her lip, she took a firm grip on the little finger of her left hand and wrenched it backwards, breaking it. "OW! Dammit!" she cursed, then held the hand up so Sakura could see the finger unbend as Yugure undid the damage. "...I can heal. (pause again) So... do you think afight, a REAL fight, would do you good?"

Sakura bugged out a little bit at Yugure's finger-breaking stunt. "Well.. I guess. I don't know, I've lost quite a bit. Amazing what just one month of non-training can do to a person." Again, she thought back to Karin's last words, and almost sniffed again, but kept it bottled up. "Okay. A fight it is. You do know, twin or not, I'm not holding back for anything. It's been way too long!" She assumed her stance, as did Yugure.

"That's the point," Yugure shrugged, settling more comfortably into her stance, and noticing with interest that it wasn't exactly the same as Kasugano's anymore. "I - and you too, I'd guess - *need* to let looseevery so often. Whether it's venting or focus through combat, we need it."Beckoning in her elder 'twin', Yugure quoted Cammy. "Come on!"

"Okay!" Sakura ran up to her double... then stopped short, directly in front of her. "Oh, and Yugure?"

"Wha?"

Sakura smiled. "..thanks."

And immediately, Sakura decked her with a fist to the face.

"OW - KONO!! Shun-Pu-Kyaku!" Yugure cried, taking the hit, flipping
back upright, and firing back.

Sakura blocked the spinning kicks, and then the in-close punches started flying from both girls. Some landed, most were blocked, and most of those were Sakura's, whose strikes were delivered much more slowly.

Yugure, noticing this, began to slacken the pace. {I have to remember, this isn't about winning or losing,} she thought. {This is about her, and what she needs... which I'd guess by the story of that fight with Karin I heard is to clobber something, clobber it good and proper, and clobber it HARD, with a 'no harm done' at the end. And maybe if I can motivate her enough, she'll get back to some of the levels we were at during that 'fight for the world' mess....}

With that in mind, she began to make comments during the fight to the original Shotokan Schoolgirl.

"Come on! You're faster than this, I remember that!"

"Quit holding back! Let the Hadou OUT when you throw it, dammit!"

"Stop playing patty-cake and HIT me!"

"Good, now *faster*!!"

...and more in the same vein.

{I'm.. I'm *trying*!} As the match wore on, Sakura began wondering if this was just an exercise in futility, and and considered giving up after seeing another one of her Hadokens fizzle out directly in front of her opponent. Her self-confidence was becoming a casualty of the match. {I don't think... I have what it takes anymore...} She slowed down, purposely this time, and decided to just go through the motions, blocking mostly, throwing a punch or Hadoken whenever to "keep up appaearances." {Maybe I can just wait her out, and just pretend I was happy for this...}

But Yugure was not so easily fooled. And she would have none of it.

*SLAP!*

"HEY! Dammit, *YOU* know how much we hate someone sandbagging duringa fight! Wake up, girl, or I'm going to have to take my temper somewhereelse!!" Yugure roared at her creator, glaring down at her.

Sakura was completely grounded by the sudden blow, and nursed her cheek with one hand as she listened to her counterpart chastise her--and agitate her simultaneously.

{She... she said I was sandbagging. She said I was holding back. ...I *never* hold back! That means... she just called me *weak*.}A familiar anger returned, but this time, she welcomed it. {Oh *hell* no. She is NOT going to get away with that insult! No way!}

Sakura got up, and looked Yugure in the eyes with the fiercest look she could muster. For the moment, the old Kasugano indignation was back.

"Sandbagging? Is that what you thought? Listen, I don't care if you're a Satsu me or not. I can take whatever you throw at me. If I'm sandbagging, then you, little miss, ARE A SANDBAG! EAT THIS!!" She rushed towards Yugure, and laid into her, completely in a berseker rage, her body a blur of fists and feet. "Graaaaaaaah... MIDARE-ZAKURA!"

Caught completely off-guard by the sudden resurgence, the Satsu schoolgirl ate the entire move... which, instead of the nine hits of the orignal Shoryu-Reppa adaptation, was the twenty-plus of Yugure's own favored variation of the move, the last six of those being a rising uppercut that sent the unlucky twin airborne to land with a thunderous *CRASH*. {Oboy. Well, Yugure, you asked for it and you got it, now you have to survive it... and heal *her* spirit,}she thought, and kippuped, feigning rage. "Is that *all?!* TRY MINE! MESSATSU GOU SHORYU!"

Yugure, though using the Shin Shotokan variant of the move, was also trying something she'd never *done* before with that variant.

Holding back. {The point's to get *her* going, after all, not to beat her senseless...}

Unprepared for Yugure's quick rise, Sakura took the entire thing. Though it wasn't enough to put her down, she rose slowly. "Oh.. that.. is it..." And she was glowing now, a faint white aura covering her entire body, as she rediscovered a power she thought was long lost.

Recognizing the signs of powering up for a Super, Yugure thought, {Oboy, I remember this. Holding back time just ended.} Leaping into the air, she cocked her hands at her hip and yelled, "TENMA... GOU..." as she prepared to directly counter Sakura's rising fireball barrage variant of the Shinkuu-Hadoken.

Sakura, while still glowing, ran forward as fast as she was able.

"..ZANKUU!" Yugure cried, unleashing her barrage... and looking startled as she dropped to the ground afterwards, having hit only an unfortunate tree that was now a large amount of jagged debris. "...wait a minute. She's not *there?*"

"Nope!" a cheerful voice answered from behind her. Yugure turned around, upon which Sakura gave her a quick jab to the face, and then immediately after...

"HARU ICHIBAAAAAAAAN!"

A hyper-quick spinning kick attack which carried Yugure darn near into the clouds, with the final ax-handle sending her plummeting like a rock.

A *weighted* rock.

"Gnnn!" Yugure managed as she turned her head to regard her impact point...

...which was squarely in the middle of all the jagged debris she'd just created.

"CRAAAAP!" she howled, the thoughts of a multiple impalement and the absorption which would most likely follow sparking her to a single massive effort. Straining, she managed to shift to her Aensland form and pull out of her headlong plummet into a streaking swoop over the field. Fear sparked through her a second time at the thought of what her original would think of that, and she shifted back as quickly as she'd first changed, converting her swooping flight into a headlong tumble across the field until, finally, her momentum wore out and she stopped.

After a long moment, she managed to sit up. "Whew! I'm not planning to merge just now... close one," she mumbled to herself, shaking the dizziness out of her head. Looking up to see Sakura still descending from her Super, Yugure muttered, "I wonder how much she saw... This'll be tough to explain," she finished with a cringe. Cracking her neck as Sakura landed, she waved and yelled, "Hey! I bet you feel better now." {Damn, that was *so* lame - *great* topic change, Yugure...}

Sakura smiled as she landed, panting to catch her breath. "Yeah. You might say that... by the way, it looks like when we get down to talking, your story's going to be even longer than mine, huh?"

"...eeep," the Satsu twin groaned. "OK, mine's longer, you first... um," she finished as the wind made her shiver, "Hang on." Reassured by how easy it had been to bring Sakura here, Yugure walked up, hugged her creator again, and Ashura Warped, this time landing both of them in Morrigan's Venice penthouse, which was unoccupied at the time. (Whether this was fortunate or unfortunate for the girls depends largely on your point of view.) "...There. *much* warmer." Yugure nodded, then blinked. "I usually can't take people that far, must be because you're me or I was you or whatever..."

Sakura wasn't paying any attention to Yugure's words. "Oh yeah! Thisis more like it. Turn that thermostat all the way up! Whoo! Wow, being able to be anywhere in the blink of an eye must be absolutely awesome!" she babbled, flopping down on the king-side bed in the middle of the main room.

"Though... it *does* take energy..." Yugure replied, flopping to the bed herself in the wake of the discovery that between the fight and the teleporting, she'd used up a *bit* too much of her reserves. "So... yours is shorter, you first..." she panted.

"All right. Well, it all started last month.." Sakura proceeded to recall how her parents forbade her to practice martial arts, and how she, by some strange coincidence, couldn't find any other places to practice, and how the family cracked down on her, and how she felt about the whole ordeal. "...I mean, I think I understand what they're trying to do, but they've just completely stifled me. Cut me off. From the one thing I love most... and then, just before I met you, Karin challenged me. You remember Karin,
right?"

"Oh, *Do* I," the Satsu Sakura groaned, then blinked. "Hang on. This was about, what, you taunting her security...?" Guilt made her cringe where she lay limp on the bed. "My fault, gomen gomen gomen..."

"Not entirely," Sakura responded with a giggle. "She also thought that she'd improved enough, and formally challenged me. All honorable and stuff, like Ken does with Ryu all the time, you know? But.. it was my first fight in such a long time, I kind of turned into something... not myself. It's the best way I can explain it. I wasn't fighting to test her skills, or even fighting because I liked it. I was fighting because... I wanted to to just *hurt something*, so badly... oh god, all that blood... I really hope she's all right, I didn't mean to do any of that..." And the sniffles began yet again. It was clear that Sakura felt horrible about everything that'd happened, and had been mentally beating herself up since it had taken place.

Yugure wasn't any too sanguine about it herself. {That sounds like... me...} she thought uneasily. {Was it because I'm made from her Satsu energy? Am I making her worse... or better?} Leaving that unspoken, she chose to reassure her creator instead. "Ah hah. I *was* right. You'd been uncentered by all this and hadn't had a chance to vent it. Good," Yugure went on, slumping deeper into the mattress. "I'd hate to take lumps like that for nothing. Good ax-handle, by the way!"

Sakura grimaced. "Oh, right. Sorry about that." But now, hercuriosity needed to be sated. "So. I create you. Then I go about my life as if nothing ever happened. But what about you? What did you do? And I take it those.. wings you had had something to do with it?"

"Ehh heh heh!" Yugure chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of her head. "Well, I came back home a few days after you did, and found you were there already, and..."

For the next half-hour, she recounted her trials and adventures since her first return 'home,' from her shock at finding another *Her* (she'd thought then) to her journey to Ryu's hut, to her meeting with the mystic Rose and the battle with the impostor Demitri in an alley not far from the very building they occupied.

"... and that's where I met the... um, person... who explained the mostabout what I am to me..." Yugure went on, trying to minimize her blush at the thoght of Morrigan. "This is her penthouse, she just said I'm welcome..." The blush deepened substantially. "..anytime..."

Sakura didn't miss the blush, but dismissed any hunches. {Nahhh...} "Really? All right then... what are you? I mean, even after making you I barely know how I did it, or what I've even created, or...

"Hoo boy," Yugure replied, sitting up. "Tough and complicated question. Simplest answer: I'm like Evil Ryu or Shin Akuma - a being made of Satsu no Hadou energy. I'm not crazy like them 'cause you wanted more than anything to save your friends when you made me, so that *protective* influence
balances the Satsu's *destructive* one and I'm, well, sane. I can do a lot of stuff because I'm energy, though... like the teleport and all." She let herself flop limply back to the bed, partly for emphasis and partly out of real fatigue. "And more, but the..." The deep blush returned. "...wings came later..."

Sakura could only gape as she took this all in. "...wow. I didn't think I could actually do something like that, but..." she sighed wistfully. "You must... live a really exciting life, huh?"

Yugure snorted. "It's possible to have too much excitement. There are times I've wished for normalcy and peace back... but there are also things and people I wouldn't give up for anything." Seh paused to draw a deep sigh. "Can't have it both ways, you know." Taking a deep breath, she gathered her
courage - {This might spook her,} - and went on: "As for the wings and stuff... well, you remember Morrigan from that whole 'battle of the heroes' thing?"

"Sort of, yeah." Sakura shivered, and then rolled her eyes. "She was... scary. And just a little, um... loose..."

{Oboy,} Yugure thought, and went on, "...well, she really does exist, and lives in the human world a lot. I kind of met her in that fight - where else?" she added with a sheepish grin, "-and she brought me... well, here. She's the one who taught me about what I could do... and, well, she was kind of lonely - for family sort of lonely. I guess her folks weren't much for affection," she noted with a shrug. "I'm her adopted little sister now. Heh," the Satsu schoolgirl finished, timidly grinning at Sakura as she
awaited her original's reaction.

Sakura blinked. Repeatedly. "You're Morrigan's... sister."

The 'younger' Sakura shrugged. "...adopted, yeah. Seems she *had* a younger sister a long time ago but, well, lost her..." she explained with a sigh. "One more reason why we protect, huh?"

"Yeah, I can see that, I guess. So, okay, Morri's little sister. Then what?"

And so, Yugure's obligatory exposition continued...

"Ewww, vampires. Though I guess he and that succubus were made for each other..."

"Oh my gosh, all those poor people! So does this "Jokuzetsu" even *exist* anymore?"

"Yeah, like a robot of *Kei* would *ever* be of any use..."

"...Akuma is your WHAT?"

"Now *there's* a mental patient waiting to happen if I ever heard of one. Hope this Akiko knows what she's doing."

"Um... you wouldn't happen to know where Bison is *now* by any chance, would you? No, really! Can we warp over there so I can kick his face into the wall? Pleeeeeease?"

Until finally...

"Well, that was a mouthful, I bet. See? I knew it. Ultra-exciting life. Nothing at all like mine..." Sakura sighed again.

"Mmm hmm," Yugure nodded. "Though I don't know if you want *some* of it. Morri - um - I went back to Makai after that, 'cause I owed Morri for saving Akiko.That's where the wings happened." Tentatively, she explained to her creator the trick Morrigan had played on her with the Aensland Ring, which she held up for Sakura to see.

Sakura listened.

Three minutes later, Sakura was practically bouncing, her eyes now lit up like mini-bulbs. "Hey, lemme see! Lemme see your other form. Come on."

Giving her twin an odd look, Yugure warily nodded. "Ooookay... but, well, keep in mind, what with the empath thing, I *feel* like a succubus even if I'm *not* really one..."

And she changed. The grey-furred wings sprouted from her back, the hair turned blue, she grew slightly in both height and curves, and the *fuku* became a leather top-and-skirt ensemble.

"Yiiiii!" The schoolgirl scooted back on the bed. "That is craaaaaazy!" {I'm almost... *jealous* though.} "And you can fly and everything?"

Yugure quickly returned to normal. "Mmm. What's scary is how... *natural* that feels." An idea struck, and she gave her creator a mischievous grin. "Hey, wanna stay here tonight?"

Sakura looked around the vastness of the suite. "...in *this* place? Sweeeeeeeeeeeet! But.. oh, nuts, the crazy folks don't know. And I didn't bring any changes of clothes or supplies or anything..."

The Satsu schoolgirl smirked. "'Sokay, there's enough here, and tomorrow's Saturday," she replied with a giggle. "I'll just eat something to get my energy back up, then warp us back to Tokyo and you can call home." Her grin turned sly. "Say you're sleeping over at Makoto's!"

Sakura nodded. "Okay, sure! Provided Kei didn't already spill the beans about my fight..."

THAT made Yugure doubletake. "*Kei?* She's blabbing on you to your folks??" she asked, moving for the kitchen and grabbing some fruit, which she proceeded to stuff her face with. Displaying the manners she'd inherited from Sakura, she mumbled, "mmi cnnt b'lve tht..." before swallowing and going on, "...are you sure??"

"She's not one to do so, usually, but these days, I just don't know. Today just might have been too much, you know?" Sakura answered with a sigh.

"Point," the Satsu twin conceded. "I have *got* to think of some way to help you out here... and for all my power, I don't know what *good* I can do." Gulping down a glass of juice, she wiped her mouth before saying, "Okay,c'mon!"

Another grab and Ashura Warp, and the two girls were on a street corner not far from Tamagama Minami High School - the first payphone in Tokyo that Yugure had been able to think of. "Now we can make the call," she said.

"Well, here goes nothing." Sakura popped in a few coins and dialed. "Hey, Tsukushi. Pop there? Okay. .... Hi Dad. Anything new? Oh, I'm fine. Listen, mind if I stay over at Makoto's tonight? Yeah, I'll make sure I get some homework done. Great! Thanks, don't wait up dinner. Bye!" She hung up. "All set! Looks like Kei didn't rat me out either..."

Yugure sighed in heartfelt relief. "Whew. I just can't picture it getting that bad, you know?" With a sigh, she hugged her original again. "Okay, back we go," she stated, Ashura Warping back to the bedroom in the Venice penthouse. "Eeesh... energy all gone - well not quite but almost..." the Satsu schoolgirl groaned, flopping onto the bed again. With a weak wave of one hand at the bedside dressers, she said, "There should be nightclothes in there. And don't stub your toes, there's stuff set into the carpet hereabouts - you know, mountings for..." she paused, blushing, as she worked out her word choice; "...furniture and stuff."

Sakura, growing concerned, stood over her twin. "Hey, you okay over there? You look pretty bad. Anything you need?"

"Just give me a minute. We'll fix up some dinner after - I *know*Morri keeps some food in the kitchen," Yugure replied, grinning. "Then we can check out the bathroom! You won't *believe* what Morri's got in
there..."

"Ooooooh, the bathroom." Sakura said in a mock-awed voice. "Sis, we're in Venice! Can't we, y'know... go see it?"

Yugure blinked in recollection of the fact that the original Sakura hadn't spent the afternoon before meeting Morrigan strolling the Venetian streets. "Oh, true. Though you've been here before - it's not far from whereyou - we - Arrgh. I'm just saying 'we' for when I wasn't separate yet -from where we fought Rose. Remember her?" Yugure asked with a grin.

"Well, yeah, but if you remember, after that, I couldn't move for a week. Took all the fun out of the trip." Sakura took her twin by the arm, half-dragging her towards the door. "Come on! Let's go! I wanna see what real Italian cuisine tastes like-" She stopped short. "....crap. They don't take yen here, do they?"

Giggling, the Satsu schoolgirl let herself be hauled up. "Okay, okay! And we'll visit the hotel moneychanger on the way down.."

In a nearby restaurant...

"Okay, I think we've gotten our orders across," Yugure sighed. "We know a *bit* of Italian and Rose was a refresher, but I'm still not good at it." Checking her pockets, she went on, "I've got enough of my Circuit winnings to cover dinner, so it's on me." A pause. "So... now what? I mean regarding your life, not for sightseeing."

Sakura sighed forlornly, drooping her head. "Well, what's the point of training if I'm not going to get to use it anymore?"

"Hey," Yugure replied. "You know you're almost age of majority, right? I mean, we're - you're - what, seventeen and a half? Maybe it's time to decide what *you* want." There was a brief silence. "I know, it sounds awful, but..." With a somewhat wistful sigh, she went on, "I managed it..."

Sakura sniffed. "Easy for you to say. You've led a much freer life than I've been able to. Or at least, so I've gathered from what you've told me you've been up to ever since... that day... I don't think I have a choice. At least not yet."

The Satsu Sakura shook her head. "You have a choice, my sister... you just don't find the price acceptable." She let out a breath in a long sigh. "That's okay. I might not have either, except that I couldn't take away what was yours." Plopping her head down to rest her chin on her hands, she paused for a few minutes in thought, then asked, "Mom started this promise thing, right? I wish she were more like Mrs. Rindou was. You remember her? She was cool - didn't think there was anything wrong with a girl for wanting to know martial arts..." Something occurred to Yugure then. "...Hey. Did you ever *tell* Mom and Dad about those punks?? You know, the ones who attacked you and Kei??"

Sakura shook her head. "No, I never did. Think about it. She wouldn't have ever let me out of the house again. Which is why we had to take matters of defense into our own hands, remember? And yeah, Mrs. Rindou *was* cool. Now I'm not saying I'd trade or anything, but it *would* be nice to have someone around who understood..."

"Yeah, I know," Yugure replied despondently. Then the thought of Mrs. Rindou brought an idea to mind, and she blinked. "Hey! Mom knows we're friends with Makoto, right?"

"Well, yeah. Whether or not she remembers is a different story. Why?"

Yugure smirked. "Oh, do I have a surprise for you. There's this woman I met at Jokuzetsu, Akiko Tendo..."

A short explanation of the redheaded warrior's identity and situation followed, during which their orders arrived and the twins began to eat, ignoring the stares two near-identical Japanese schoolgirls attracted in a Venetian eatery. Yugure swallowed a mouthful of pasta and finished, "... and boy, could she *ever* help! She's staying at the Rindou dojo right now, and I bet she'd help you train if you asked. She's *incredible!* Like Ryu, Chun Li and Rose all in one package." Stopping, she sweatdropped in embarrassment. "And damn near impossible to out-spar...."

"Really? I'd *love* to meet her! ...but I'm still stuck at home," Sakura answered, brightening briefly before becoming depressed again.

"Who says?" Yugure replied, getting her creator's attention. "The dojo's in Tokyo too, remember? That's part of why we went there in the first place! Just tell them you're visiting an old friend and hop the subway across town.!"

For the first time all day, Sakura's expression brightened in earnest. "Hey, you know, that... that might work!"

Her Satsu twin let out a snicker in reply. "Hee hee! It's all about getting around your limitations! Just remember to have a cover story for what you were doing there, like playing tag or working out, or Mom'll start to wonder what's up when you keep coming home all sweaty."

Yugure paused for a minute before going on. {I hate to spoil her good mood, but...} Aloud, she said, "And about what you said before? 'Not getting to use it'?"

"Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, like I said, you're almost eighteen. Pretty soon, if you keepbeing a homebody and don't go out to make your own way..." Yugure sighed. "I remember Mom and Dad. Does the term 'Omiai' ('marriage meeting') ring a bell? You need to decide if you're gonna go that way or your own way... and decide
sometime in the next year or so, too." Stopping, she let out another sigh. "I'm sorry, Twin Sis... I don't mean to make things worse, but... I had to remind you, you know?" she explained, shaking her head. "And anyway, if you do decide to make your own way, well... then the Circuit's open to you again, isn't it?"

Yugure's first few statements struck Sakura like a dart to the heart. She'd tried to just ignore the facts, but... "Aiii! I'd almost forgotten, they've been looking for 'suitors' for me forever! But yes, if I were to somehow just strike out on my own, I'd be back on the Circuit in a heartbeat. Maybe have an adventure or something. There is no *way* I'm staying cooped up in a house forever! I'd go insane!" Sakura's voice went soft. "You know, a choice like this would seem to be so easy to make, except that..."

Yugure picked up the thread. "...you love them, even with all their faults. Sighing, she looked up at her original, who was staring at her wide-eyed. "What? I was you, you know, I feel the same way... well, no I don't. Not anymore. I guess I *am* changing... I mean, I still care about them, but I remember how they acted and I just feel *stifled*..."

Sakura clenched a fist in frustration. "Yeah, you *felt* that way. I'm *still* feeling it..."

Shaking her head, Yugure replied, as much to herself as to Sakura. "I can't tell you how to live your life, Twin Sis. We're different people now, shaped by different events. I know what *I'd* do in your place, but I don't know what's right for *you* anymore. You have to make your own choice." Gritting her teeth, she thought to herself, {No matter how much I think she should leave, I can't push her to it - like I said, this is *her* life, I can't screw it up!!}

"You're... you're right. But I need to think... and anyway, I'm full. Check?" Sakura replied, looking down at her half-full plate.

{That was awfully quick,} Yugure thought, then said, "Sure... Like I said, i'll get it. Are... are you okay? You eat more than that normally..."

Sakura's voice was crestfallen, to say the least. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... tired. can we go back?"

"Okay," the Satsu twin replied, moving around the table to give her original a hug. Waving at a waiter, she called, "[Check, please!]", then went on, "Good thing they understand English here."

Back at the hotel...

As they came back into the suite, Yugure announced, "I'm gonna grab a shower. You want a bath or anything? I swear, Morri even has a *hairdresser's stall* in there..."

"Mind if I take mine first? Sleepy. It'll be short, I promise," Sakura replied.

Her Satsu twin grinned at her. "No it won't. Wait'll you *see* that!" she announced, waving Sakura in first regardless.

Sakura surprised Yugure by staying true to her word, and being out of the shower stall, in a pajama outfit and in her bed in ten minutes' time. {I guess two fights in a row took more out of me than I thought,} Sakura mused sleepily as she snuggled in under the comforter. {I just want to forget today ever happened... most of it, in any case.}

Sakura was sound asleep faster than even she'd expected to be.

~To Be Continued~