“How could I have been so…cold and distant?” he pondered.

At the time, he supposed his head hadn’t been all too clear, so he didn’t realize what he had been doing. He would remember the look on Chun Li’s face as she cried. He sighed in defeat. What was the intention behind showing him his past? He knew that he had loved Chun Li at one time…perhaps those feelings never truly died…but why did Gouken have to show him what happened four years ago? Ryu had tried to block out the memory that when he saw the scene before his own eyes, it came as a shock. What had been his teacher’s intention? Ryu knew that Gouken would not cause him suffering…unless it was for training and discipline…but that was for his benefit. What was he supposed to learn from this visit? It didn’t take a genius to find out that he had lost her…and he could probably never win her back. So what was he supposed to learn?

He lay back, numbly staring at the ceiling. He frowned in thought. Suddenly the room seemed very quiet. Too quiet. Almost as if…He flinched slightly as a soft object was thrown, hitting him square in the face and settling there. Ryu snatched the object, noting that it was a pillow, and sat up. Standing at the foot of the bed was a young man with long bangs, wearing a maroon shirt and black loose pants. In front of him, his sibling wore a similar outfit, only having a white shirt. His long black hair was pulled back into a thin braid.

The man with the braid smirked. “Happy holidays.”

Ryu frowned. “Yun and Yang? Aren’t you two still alive?”

Yun glanced at Yang. “He doesn’t even know if we’re still alive…And oof -!”

Ryu tossed the pillow at Yun with such a force that Yun fell off the bed, onto his back.

“We are still alive,” Yang informed. “But the way this goes…is that the Ghost of Christmas Past obviously…existed in your past. The Ghost of the Present - ”

“Exists in the present,” Ryu filled in. “The Ghost of the Future exists in my future. I understand. But why you two? I…I do not recall any…” he cleared his throat, “…significance in meeting you two.”

Yun crawled back on the bed. “You’ve forgotten what it was like in the earlier days when you fought. You would always learn something from your opponent. Ever since you defeated Akuma, you fought just to fight a stronger person. You didn’t seem to care for the meaning of the fight after that.”

“This is ridiculous,” Ryu mumbled. “My sensei shows up, bringing up mistakes I thought that I had forgotten…and now you two are telling me that I haven’t been acting appropriately.”

“You stopped acting appropriately the day you left Chun Li.” Yun glared at him.

Ryu shook his head, getting up and walking towards the dining room. “I believe that is called a cheapshot.”

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Yun demanded.

Ryu didn’t answer. Instead, he put a kettle of tea over the fire. Yun and Yang materialized in front of him, causing him to step back in surprise.

“Everyone makes mistakes, Ryu,” Yang stated. “What’s important is that you learn from them.”

Ryu’s eyes narrowed. “I am already aware of my mistakes. I don’t need to be reminded of what I’ve done.”

“That’s too bad, since we’re going to remind you, anyway,” Yun dictated.

Ryu stared at the ceiling in exasperation. “I am fully aware of that.”

“It’s nothing personal,” Yun added. “We’ve got a job to do, and we’re going to do it.”

“What is that, exactly?” Ryu asked.

“If we succeeded, you’ll know by tomorrow morning,” Yang stated. “That’s all we can tell you.”

The kettle whistled. Ryu quickly took it from the heat and poured himself a cup of tea. He glanced at the two.

“Did you want tea?” he asked.

Yun shook his head.

“No, thank you,” Yang replied.

“It seems like midnight,” Ryu said before sipping his tea.

“It’s about one a.m. your time,” Yang answered.

Ryu frowned in thought. He hadn’t learned anything yet from his teacher’s visit. What was he going to learn with Yun and Yang’s visit? He was so confused and frustrated. He just hoped that Yun and Yang had something more pleasant to show him. The scene that his master had displayed was not something he wanted to be reminded of. What would Yun and Yang show him? Would he see his friends? Would he see what Ken, Guy, Alex, and Sakura were doing? Maybe…what Chun Li was doing? His brows drew together. Maybe he didn’t want to see what they were doing. In some cases, people were better off not knowing anything. Maybe his friends didn’t really care for him, and they wouldn’t even have a thought for him…

“So…where are we going?” Ryu asked after several minutes of silence.

“We’re going to see the present,” Yang stated.

Yun smiled wryly. “Care to see what your friends are doing this holiday season?”