Even in death, he saw them. His two, most worthy students practicing in the back of Masters-kun's palatial estate. Sensei Gouken saw more than a rivalry, a sparring partner, and a friendship; he saw love between Ken Masters and Ryu Hoshi. It was this same love that allowed him a happy death, despite the fact that he was killed by his older brother, Gouki. It was this same love that allowed him to transcend realities and approach his two students in their dreams, where he spoke to them.

Of course, they shrugged it off to eating pizza the night before, but it didn't matter. He could commune with his two sons, and that's what made it worthwhile. Gouken missed them so much in this realm of silence, to which he had been locked through now fault of his own. Gouki's "Shun Goku Setsu" had accomplished what it had sought to do: acclimatize the man known as Akuma to the attack, as well as dispatch his much weaker, inferior brother who had neutered the Shotokan form.

"Getting a little slow, Ryu?!" Ken shouted as he aimed another split kick towards his partner's shoulder, which he didn't block.

"Damn, Ken! That hurt! And since when did you think me senile?!" He retorted by punching Ken in the corresponding arm. "Masters is down for the count!" Ryu snickered as Ken slumped over onto his knees, rubbing his bruised appendage.

"Owww...no fair, Ryu. You shouldn't be allowed to your strength like that," he was genuinely bummed out that he lost a practice bout.

"I'm just doing what comes naturally, Ken. I apologize if I've injured you." Ryu sat down next to his friend. Gently prying off Ken's hand, he examined the large, purplish bruise that was slowly beginning to take form on the unbroken skin. "Let me see....you know what? I think I gave you a dead-arm for the week. Gomen nasai," he burst into peals of laughter.

"It's not funny, Ryu. It really hurts!" Ken sniffled. Ryu's fingertips gently traced the welt before poking into it as softly as possible. "Aii! What are you trying to do, kill me," he joked, even though his face was twisted into an expression of extreme pain.

"Ken, I think it's a little more serious than a bruise. I think perhaps....." He readied himself for the consequences of what he was about to say. "Your arm might be broken. I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to!" Ryu pleaded, afraid that he'd be cast out by his only love for this small injury.

Ken looked inquisitively down at the small lump in the middle of the bruise. "Yup...definitely bone," he thought glumly, though his mind wouldn't accept that conviction. He tenderly poked at the protruding mass, sending a wave of pain up his shoulder and into his neural cortex. Looking into Ryu's deep brown irises, he felt his heart beat faster with forgiving energy.

"Ah, hell. Forget about it, Ryu. I know you didn't mean to," he sighed. "Though I'll have to go get this set and put in a cast before it pokes out through my skin." Ken tried to raise himself from the ground, but the pain was too great. He bit down on his lower lip and shot an imploring glance at his lover.

"Here, let me help you," said Ryu. Kneeling himself, he slid one arm behind one behind Ken's back and one arm under his buttocks. "Go limp, I've got you." Flexing as if picking up an extremely heavy crate, Ryu stood up, his friend supported on the muscled forklift. Ken lay back, the offending arm draped itself around his lover's neck, the other hung uselessly. The two began moving towards the Masters' estate, in which was a privately-staffed medical facility.

"Since when did you get so strong?" he was referring to the condition of his arm, not the weight of his body, like Ryu thought.

"Since when did you get so heavy? You should really cut down on the sweets," Ryu joked. "Why'd I say that when it isn't even true. He's just as strong as me," he thought guiltily. "And I've already insulted him twice today. Even though they were just jokes, I didn't mean to hurt his feelings. Smooth move, Hoshi Ryu," his mind continue to berate itself for mocking his only love to harshly.

"Heavy? That's muscle. Duh, Ryu." Ken grinned. "I'd let you feel it so I could prove that to you."

"I'd rather feel something else..." Ken's shocked look suddenly made Ryu realize what he had said. "I mean, not your..." Masters' mouth dropped open in surprise. "Ahh, forget the whole thing!"

"After I get my arm looked at, we can do other things, ne?" The laughter from both the men echoed throughout the pool terrace as they continued along the long route to the nurse.

"Ah, Mr. Masters. What have you broken today?" A bright girl of about thirty years stood up as the couple made their way into her office. "Mr. Hoshi, if you can just prop your baggage up on that table right there, I'll examine it promptly." Her voice was sweet and concerned, mixed with the tone of one who has seen Ken break a bone, or get a sore throat, or get sent home from school because of inexplicable "illness".

Ryu complied as he bent down and slid his neck out from under Ken's injured limb. Disengaging his arms, he accidentally brushed the inside portion of his friend's thigh. Ryu heard his partner draw in a slight breath, and let it out with a silent sigh.

"Ryu! Not here. Upstairs!" Ken whispered.

"Whatever you say."

"Okay now, what seems to be the problem today Mr. Masters?" Asked the nurse.

"Umm...I broke my arm and it hurts and there's this bruise right here, see?" He gestured.

"Ahh, yes. There it is, all right." She poked at it as if testing it to see if the pus inside would shoot out.

"Owww!" Ken cried out. That was the second time today he'd been jabbed there with a pointy, blunt object.

"There, there, Mr. Masters. I've got some good news for you. Your arm isn't broken," she sighed. She knew when Ken was faking it. "However, it seems that it is dislocated." Turning over to Ryu, who was sitting down in a comfortable chair reading a book, she tapped him on the hand. "Mr. Hoshi, could you please hold Mr. Masters' hand? I'm afraid this will hurt, and I don't want his Shotokan reflexes to wind me like they did the last time.

Ryu folded a corner of the page he was on, closed the book, and neatly set it down on the side table. Standing up, he moved noiselessly over to Ken, who sat there, ashen-faced. His fingers were digging into the table's edge; his brow was sweating profusely. Disengaging his digits from the table, Ryu secured his friend's hand in his own warm, calm grasp. Ken's breathing went back to normal as his eyes engaged Ryu's in an expression of fondness and love.

"Ready Mr. Masters?" He nodded. "On three. One...two....three!" Grasping his other hand, she supported herself on his elbow and pulled the forearm towards her. A loud "criccch, pop!" was heard, following one loud "OWWWWW!" from Ken, who despite his lover's comforting grasp, could still feel the bone snap back into place. "There we are, all better," she said with indifference, as nurses tend to do.

"But it still tingles!" Ken protested. The slightest pain wasn't painful, he just wanted something to take his mind off the dull, aching bone sensation that radiated up his arm and smoldered there like fire.

"I'll get the Tylenol chewable. Wait here a sec while I unlock the medicinal pantry." The white uniform vanished behind a door, which closed with a resounding click; a click that singled the disengaging of Ryu's hand from Ken's.

"What'd I do?"

"Nothing." He pressed his lips to Ken's neck and gently lapped at the column of strength beneath his caress.

"You are just too damn horny today, Ryu," he breathed as he subconsciously moved closer to benefit more from the embrace. "Is there nothing I can to assuage this?" His tone was imploring and yet, the element of one bereft of all touch for a mere five minutes in the nurse's office.

"The fact that you are here is more than enough to keep me happy, Ken."

"I live here, remember?"

Momentarily withdrawing his lips from Ken's jugular, he applied them to his friend's lips, eliciting a squeal of surprise and childish delight. He couldn't stop the laughter that was in the process of manifesting in the antiseptic air.

"Oh hello you two!!" The nurse appeared, small cup of two purple aspiring glinting in the light. She caught them at their little game, and her heart broke the moment she realized the Ken could never be hers as long as he had Ryu.

"Ahhh!"

"Look, I hope to God you two are using protection," she interjected. "Shit," thought Ken. "She's got your number, all right."

Ryu, who was normally reticent when it came time to speak of sex suddenly spoke up in defense of his friend, who was hopelessly caught forever between a rock and a hard place.

"In all honesty, Ken and I haven't had sex yet, miss. And quite frankly, it isn't your position to ask if we have already. Besides, we're careful enough as it is!" Suddenly, Ryu Hoshi woke up and blushed deeply in his own shame when he realized that he'd lashed out at a person. "Gomen nasai," he bowed deeply and respectively, before guiding Ken out of the room.

"Ryu, what was all of that about? It was hardly like you," Ken's eyes burned holes into his friend's, searching for an answer which the man couldn't deliver.

"I don't know....I guess I'm just a little too sensitive to that type of conversation."

"I understand," placing one hand on his lover's shoulder, Ken wheeled out in front of him, shot him a "come hither" look and planted a quick kiss on the startled face of Ryu. "The question is how much longer until we..."

"Until we what?"

"Oh, come on Hoshi," thought Ken. "Like you're the innocent one, what, with Sakura and all?" He grinned as he waved the only imperfection that Ryu had committed in the face of his spotless record.

"Then explain to me why your virginity is worth it," his lover stopped moving and folded his arms across his chest and waited for his reply. Ken laughed and walked on. "I'm serious, Masters-kun." His departing friend spun around on one heel and gave Ryu a long, hard look.

"He is," Ken brooded miserably. He knew what Ryu wanted, but he just wasn't ready to give it to him yet."

"Because.......there are many reasons why I don't...." He was stopped by the long, passionate kiss that pressed itself on his lips, and the tongue that snaked ever-so-gently into his own mouth. He sighed deliriously and leaned forward into Ryu's embrace, savoring the penetration slowly, exploring his own tongue.

Ken was the first to pull out, gasping for air to refill his empty lungs. Ryu was the straggler; he had greater breath control. "That was....incredible," his long, steady breaths were matched by Ryu's slower, more controlled ones.

"You are too perfect, Ken," whispered his friend, clutching his burden tightly.

"Uhn-un, you are the dedicated one."

Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling coming from somewhere nearby. It happened again, and Ken felt a small bubble travel up his friend's stomach before popping at the opening valve.

"Let me guess, you're hungry?" Ryu nodded miserably. He hated putting his friend out, but if his stomach was left to his own devices, he'd be thinner than Sagat.

"I gotta eat soon, Ken. I guess it's the way Sensei brought me up; remember his rice-vegetable carbo gruel? I was the one who always went back for more," Ryu sighed as Ken shuddered. It was that same gruel that was responsible for Ken's mono outbreak five years ago. "Remember how I nursed you back to health?" Hoshi whispered into Ken's waiting ear.

"Vaguely...I only remember seeing you once or twice, but I'd always felt your presence nearby." Ken clutched a handful of the white fabric of Ryu's gi and closed his eyes.

That experience was five years ago, when Ken was training with Ryu.

" Hadouken!" Masters went flying across the room, before slamming into a padded bamboo wall. "Okay, Ken, quit fooling. You normally get right back up and counter me. Come on, we have to get on with this training, else Sensei doubles our chores for tomorrow!" Ryu walked over to his friend, and peered at him cautiously. Alarmed at the sight of his friend's shallow breathing, colorless face, and the beads of cold sweat the dripped off his forehead, Ryu called for Sensei who was a master of the herbal arts.

"Ryu, your partner has the 'sleeping sickness' it seems. He won't require the province's hospital, just needed rest. I am going to gather a few elements I need to make a cure, but in the meantime, if his condition changes, I want you to observe it and try to calm it with the ice water. If that fails, call for the medics."

"Hai, Sensei Gouken.'

The old man was gone, and Ryu sat on the floor, with Ken a heartbeat away, feverish under a simple sheet of cotton.

"Ryu....?" He asked. As Ken sat up the sheet slid down to expose his powerful torso, which was hot to Ryu's arm when he slid it around his shoulder and pulled his lover close. "I'm freezing."

"I know. Sensei said it will pass soon enough. He went to go gather some herbs to make you a remedy," he replied. "In the meantime, just rest." Ken's eyes traveled up to Ryu's dark brown pools. In that instant, he became transfixed on that region of Ryu's face, studying the eyes carefully, as if they held some sort of inner meaning with that soothing gaze directed at him. Leaning his head on the crook of his friend's arm, he started drifting off into a feverish dream.

The dream was like any other dream: the old dojo there, Ryu and Ken kneeling before Sensei Gouken, awaiting instruction. As the wizened old man departed, Ryu broke his meditative stance, leaned over, and quickly kissed him on his lips.

In a wave of passion, everything came together: Ken sliding onto his back, his friend on top of him, returning the caress. Gis flew off in a blur of white and red; heated flesh grinding slowly against it. Ryu's mouth separated from his lips and slowly traveled down, over the chest, lapping gently at the right nipple before continuing their southward journey. Just as Ryu was about to lick the concentration of all his energy, a loud scream was heard. Pulling on their pants, they ran into the next room, to where the body of their beloved master lay on his back, head twisted completely around, blood slowly leaking out of the blown eardrums. A large, insanely strong man clad in a black gi stood above the fallen Sensei, a scarlet aura licking his flesh like the fires from a thousand hells. Ryu rushed forward to attack the man, when a bright ball of red flame enveloped his form, reducing it to that of a charred skeleton. His scream echoed throughout the decrepit place as the man named Akuma vanished in a flash of red light.

"Ryu...I'm really hungry," Ken whimpered.

"Sensei left something brewing. I'll go get you some of that," his friend was neither put out nor angered at Ken's demand.

Returning with a steaming bowl, he propped Ken up on his chest and spoon-fed him what had to be the most vile stew ever concocted by a man.

Shuddering, Ken released his grasp from Ryu's gi. Casting his arms about his neck, he angled his head up and kissed his lover's chin. "Yeah, I remember. You never did leave me when I got sick, did you?"

"Of course not, silly! Because I was the one who finished off the pot!"

"Ugh! How could you even think of eating that!" A growl from the chiseled stomach was all he got in response. Tracing his fingertip around the back of his neck, he lowered his voice to a deep-throated whisper. "Let's see if we can't fill you up, mmm?"

Guiding Ryu into the kitchen, he sat him down on one of the stools on the counter before raiding the immense refrigerator. Wheeling about, arms filled with more food than he could possibly carry, he slammed the door shut and dumped the food out before his waiting lover.

"Eat!" He instructed as he picked up a large cold chicken's leg and began chomping noisily on it, ignoring Ryu's shocked expression at his consumption of such an item of that magnitude.

Ryu picked up a carrot, and, eyeing Ken, slid it deep into his mouth and closed his lips about it. A loud snap was heard as he bit into its orange flesh and swallowed it. Finishing off the vegetable, his hang groped for a piece of the bird his friend was eating. Ken merely laughed as he wolfed the thing down, got up, and opened the fringe. Withdrawing one of the many bottles of sake Mr. Masters was so fond of, he popped the cork off and set it down on the counter. Reaching above Ken, Ryu's hand returned with two goblets.

"O.K., Masters-kun," he grinned wildly at his friend, who was still picking at the chicken's limb. Ken's eyes fixed themselves on the two crystal glasses, and gulped loudly. He knew what Ryu's challenge meant for him: losing. "Let's see who can hold the most sake."

"I'm not going to lose this time," Ken thought as he poured himself a small amount. "You're on, Ryu!"

"I knew you couldn't resist me," Ryu whispered as he matched Ken's amount, and raised it a little. Bound by tradition, his friend was required to raise the level of sake in his cup.

Two hours later, and he was smashed. "Ryuuu, you know, I think I'm...," Ken slurred, his mouth felt like cotton had been stuffed in it.

"Looks like I won again, Ken. You're tanked!" Ryu laughed heartily as he finished off his tenth cup of the sake. "We'd better sober up, else you're going to be terribly hung over tomorrow."

"Okay...."

Ryu took the goblet from Ken's inert grasp and set it down on the table. Standing up, he walked around behind his friend's stool and spun it around. Ryu bent over and scooped Ken in his arms before gently carrying him upstairs, into the private bathroom. Sitting Ken on one of the chairs within that room, Ryu made his way over to the large, porcelain tub which, to his surprise, had jet nozzles, indicating the piece doubled as a jacuzzi. Turning the rightmost spigot, he sent forth a gush of hot water, which began filling up the bath.

When he returned to Ken, he found his lover all but asleep. The bandanna which had bound his hair had come undone, and tendrils of blond-red splayed out all over Ken's shirt. Ryu reached over, and smoothed the hair back, savoring the sensation as the silky strands strung over his hand.

"Bath's full, Ken. Time for you to sweat all that sake you drank," Ryu continued stroking the flaxen tresses of his best friend.

"Do'n wanna go in....," he mumbled in weak response. "Wanna go....bed."

"You're going to wake up with a hangover. We're supposed to go to your parent's house for brunch tomorrow and they're going to think me irresponsible for letting you drink yourself into oblivion!"

"Jus' five minutes, Ryuu?" Ken begged. He didn't want to get wet. He just wanted to get under the covers of his bed. His nice, soft bed.

"Not this time." Taking the initiative, he knelt and pulled the T-shirt over his lover's head. Picking him up, he supported him as he barely managed to tug Ken's jeans off. Seating him back down, Ryu managed to undress himself to his boxers. "Ken...we're going in."

His hand gently slipped under the elastic of Ken's boxers before sliding them down. Removing his own, he pulled his friend into the steaming waters before leaning his body against his own. Gently leaning his lover forward, Ryu started massaging the tense flesh, working his fingers deep into the tissues around his spine. Ken started to moan quietly when Ryu's deft hands moved around to his chest and clasped the left nipple between two fingers. His breathing became heavier, more labored as Ryu continued his assault.

"Don't stop....," he pleaded as his blood began to boil and percolate within his libido.

"You're so much fun to torment, Ken," Ryu whispered as his left hand slid around and grasped the thick organ, rubbing the head gently. His own breathing rate sped up when Ken's cock became harder and thicker in his grasp.

Ken's hips arched up off the ground to benefit more from the sensations. Ryu began to stroke faster and harder as his lover placed his hands onto of his thighs and used them to support his trembling frame.

"Don't ever stop....Ryu......," his eyelashes fluttered as he came violently into the waters; releasing his essence onto his lover's waiting hand. Passing out from the extreme pleasure, he sank back into Ryu's strong arms, savoring the musky smell of his friend's body. Gently smoothing the whiteness over his own erect organ he nibbled Ken's earlobe.

"Ken.....," he sighed deliriously.

"You don't have to ask if you wanted to do that," came the sobered reply. "You never needed to..."

"But you're still a virgin."

"I'm so sick of being labeled that. Ryu, please do it now...because I want this....for both of us."

"Arigato, Ken.....I love you......you are too good to me."

"Mmmm.....never let me go."

"I won't."

Gently hoisting Ken onto his lap, Ryu eased his throbbing cock into the tight passageway, lubricated well by his partner's previous emission. Looking down, he noticed he only pushed one-fourth of his organ into his friend, as if going slowly to spare him the pain he was already experiencing.

"Be gentle," his lover pleaded as he bit back a squeak.

"Feels so good.....you're so tight!" With that, Ryu Hoshi pushed in farther, savoring the clenching around his cock, pulling him deeper into his best friend. Easing into the hilt, he gently withdrew to the head before pushing back in again. Ken screamed with pleasure as he felt Ryu's frantic thrusting.

Leaning his head onto Ryu's shoulder, Ken felt his lover's tongue caress his neck, drawing him further into passion. Licking the warm, supple flesh of his jugular vein, Ryu pushed in deeper than he thought he could go, and released his pent up orgasm deep within his best friend before sinking into oblivion.

Ken was the first to awake. Bound tightly to his lover by two extremely strong arms, he craned his neck around before kissing Ryu deeply. Realizing his setting, he roused his lover by running his hand down his chiseled torso.

"Ready for bed?
"Uh-huh. I'm tired."

Drying each other off as slowly and sensually as possible, the two made their way into the bedroom before sinking down into the warm covers. Snuggling into Ryu's arms once again, Ken faced Ryu's comforting eyes and felt an inner happiness consume him.

"Promise me you'll never leave me," he whispered.

"Never. Now sleep and dream, we have to get up early tomorrow."

"Yeah....g'night."

"Pleasant dreams."

But to the contrary, Ken did not. He had that same nightmare he had eight years ago: the man in black incinerating his lifelong friend, laughing as that scream precluded his exit in a blur of red auric flames.