Over the next few days, Ryu set about tidying the dojo. Hauling water in traditional wooden buckets, he cleaned the wood floors of the dirt they had accumulated. Weeds had sprung randomly over Gouken's grave and Ryu diligently removed them one by one. The many cobwebs in the rafters attested to the spiders that had taken up residence in their absence. Wiping his brow with his forearm, Ryu surveyed his old home and satisfied that he had sufficiently restored the dojo to its rightful state, he sat cross-legged on the floor and began to meditate.

At first it was extremely difficult. Thoughts of Chun Li and the unfortunate circumstances of their last encounter were difficult to banish, but after some time, his mind sank into a deep trance and he began to explore his inner depths. A deluge of emotions flooded him. Sadness then anger, pain of all types, happiness, a joy he thought that he had never experienced prior to meeting Chun Li. The distinct feeling of no longer being inside his body crept into his consciousness and he opened his eyes to see a small remote town in Japan. The few cars that were parked along the roads revealed that this was not the present day. A young boy's laughter caught his attention. Looking in the direction of the noise, he observed a little boy of approximately 4 years holding hands with a beautiful young woman in a pink and yellow yukata. Her smile radiated her love for the boy and his deep attachment to her was unmistakable from the sparkle in his eyes.

"Ne ne, ka-chan!" he bubbled.

"Nani, Ryu?" Her voice was sweet and melodic. With a shock, Ryu realized that he was remembering his mother for the first time in his life.

The boy hopped up and down. "Ka-chan, let's go see To-san."

She let out a peal of laughter. "Ryu, kawaii des! Your Papa is still at work, and we must wait for him to come home.

Pouting, the boy looked up at his mother and said, "But I miss him! I want him to carry me on his back and swing me around!" He spun in circles and beamed at his mother.

Patting his head, she cooed, "I know, you love to play with your Papa. Don't worry, He will be home soon."

He tugged at her sky blue obi. "Let's go home so we can wait for him!"

"Picking him up with a swoop, she tickled him and as he giggled said, "Sa sa, ikkimasho."

"Chu-shteh?" he said playfully.

"Hai, hai!" she laughed, pecking him on the cheek obligingly.

"Ka-Chan…" Ryu whispered as he saw her leave with his younger self. The scene suddenly shifted to inside a house where the women, the boy and a man were all seated around a kotatsu. Sandwiched between his parents, the little boy happily stuffed mochi into his mouth.

"Ryu," his mother laughed, "you must slow down!"

"Iyah!" he said, shaking his head. "I want to see how many I can fit in my mouth!"

"Shall we have a contest?" the man said to him, with a smile.

The boy shook his head again. "To-san would win! Someday I will be big like you and then I will be able to beat you."

"So-so," his father laughed as he looked lovingly at the boy's smiling mother.

Ryu studied his father's face. He saw that he had his mother's eyes and lips but his father's strong jaw and chin. Her hair was jet black, but his father's was a light brown. "Oto-san," he said, wishing his father could hear him.

He reached out to touch the man, but his image slipped out of focus as the setting changed yet again. This time, the scene was not a peaceful nostalgic moment. People were screaming and running in terror. Some lay on the ground with their necks broken or covered in their own blood. In the foreground, a young Gouki was throwing people left and right. Ryu's head reeled. He had seen Gouki before? The little boy was standing on the sidewalk, with a frightened expression on his face.

"Ka-chan! To-san!" he called to them.

"Ryu!" his father called, "Hayaku! Get inside with your mother!" His father was running towards him when Gouki grabbed him and threw him along a brick fence.

"To-San!"

Bleeding and bruised, Ryu's father turned his gaze upward to see Gouki raise a car high above his head. Laughing demonically, Gouki launched the car at his helpless father.

"NO!!" he heard his mother's scream.

Her cries attracted Gouki's attention and he leered at her as she ran to her son. Shielding him with her body, she sobbed, "Why are you doing this?"

Ryu was still staring at the wreckage that marked where only seconds before his father had stood. "To-san?" he whispered.

"Why?" Gouki's laugh boomed in Ryu's ears. "There is no reason."

"Bakkemon!" she cursed at him. "Leave us alone!" Suddenly, Gouki grabbed her by her waist. His hand was so large that the fingers met around his mother's abdomen. Desperately trying to free herself, she called to her son, "Ryu! Run!"

"Yes, little one," Gouki sneered. "Run. Or if you cannot, stay and watch as your mother dies simply because I wished it." With that, he began to clench his fist.

She cried out in agony as Ryu heard her ribs collapsing under the crushing pressure of Gouki's fingers. The boy stood paralyzed as his mother writhed in agony. With a cruel smile, Gouki closed his fist and with a scream, she slumped over his hand, a stream of blood trailing from her lips.

Casually tossing her body to the side, Gouki walked towards the boy. Each thunderous step shook the child until he was staring up at the monster. "Do not worry, child," Gouki said ominously. "You will not be separated from them long."

A familiar voice broke the erie silence. "Gouki!"

Gouki turned to see a much younger Gouken standing behind him. "Oni-san. I wondered when you would come."

Gouken stared angrily at his brother. "You would kill a child?"

A smirk curved over his lips. "I would kill anything if it gave me pleasure to do so," he said without remorse.

"You are mad," Gouken shouted. "The satsui no hadou has corrupted you!"

Turning back to the boy, Gouki said offhandly, "I do not care. What I do know though is that this power is marvelous, tsugoi-yo!" He loomed over Ryu. "I can do anything I please and no one can stop me."

"You are wrong, brother," Gouken disagreed. I will stop you."

Ryu watched as the two giants fought each other. The force of their blows was so great that the aftershocks caused nearby windows to shatter. They battled for what seemed like an eternity until a bright flash of light engulfed Gouki. When it had cleared, he lay unconscious on the pavement.

Ryu dashed over to his mother's body. "Ka-chan!" he cried, shaking her, "wake up!" Her eyes slowly opened and she looked at her son.

"R-yu," she whispered. "Aishteryu…" And she was gone.

"Ka-chan? Ka-chan!" he wailed.

"Are you alright, little one?" Gouken asked Ryu. The boy simply stared mutely at the body of his mother. Taking him into his arms, Gouken promised him, "You will stay with me from now on."

Screaming, Ryu's focus collapsed and he was alone on the floor of the dojo, covered in sweat. Slammiing his fist into the ground, he began to sob, the floodgates of so many years of repressed anguish now torn open. "Ka-chan, To-san, Sensei, why?" He wished he had never undertaken the meditation – the pain that the knowledge of his past brought was unbearable, outstripping any physical injury he had ever experienced. Feeling as if he had been orphaned by the world, he curled into a fetal position and blacked out into the oblivion of a dreamless sleep.

Outside the door, from within the vast darkness of the mountain forest, two scarlet eyes glowed brightly. "Ryu…" a familiar voice snarled.

*************

yukata: traditional Japanese summer dress, usually made of lightweight cotton, dyed in bright colors, held in place with a long belt called an obi

ne ne: hey

ka-chan: mother (informal)

to-san: father (slightly less informal)

kawaii des: so cute

ikkimasho: let's go

chu-shteh: kiss, please

kotatsu: short table with a blanket built into the underside often with a heater built in, used in the winter.

hayaku: hurry

aishteryu: I love you