Some hours later, Ken and Ai were sitting in a restaurant in downtown Detroit. Ken had had enough of looking for houses after being shown 8 places today.
He reached across the table and grabbed Ai’s hand, it was soft and slightly cold. Though spring was just around the corner, there was still snow outside.
“What did you think?” Ken asked plainly.
“I still think the first apartment was the best.” She replied promptly. “I can see us raising a family in that place.” Ai’s cheeks reddened slightly, causing Ken’s heart to skip a beat.
“Y—Yeah, me too.” Ken replied, feeling a little embarrassed. They had spoken very little about starting a family, but he could understand why Ai was bringing it up now.
If they were going to settle down in Detroit, it was better to get a place for the long term.
“Is it something we can afford?” Ai asked with some concern. “If not, there were a few smaller houses that we can look at that are still close to downtown.”
Ken couldn’t help but smile. “We can afford it, don’t worry. Once I sign my Major League contract we’ll have more money than we can possibly spend in this lifetime.” He said squeezing her hand gently.
“Ken… Are you sure? We don’t need anything overly expensive. I wouldn’t want you to be stressed about such things, especially when you should be focusing on baseball.” Ai said sincerely.
Suddenly, Ken felt a warmth deep inside him.
“Nonsense. My number 1 priority is providing for you and our future family, baseball is just a means to that end.” Ken said.
As he said this, Ken heard the sound of shattering glass in his mind. His vision began to swim and he started to feel light headed, his face instantly turning pale.
“Ken!? What’s wrong.” Ai shot up to her feet in panic, her arms reaching out to steady him.
The feeling persisted for a moment before he recovered. However, a bone-deep tiredness appeared.
“I—I’m just a little tired.” Ken said, giving her a small smile. “How about we head back to the hotel to get some sleep? It’s been a long day.”
Ai didn’t seem convinced, but since Ken didn’t want to speak about it further, she just nodded. Linking her arms through his own, she walked him out of the restaurant and down the street towards their hotel.
The two walked in silence, and Ken struggled to keep his eyes open.
‘What is happening to me?’
His thoughts were sluggish and he struggled to walk properly. If it wasn’t for Ai leading him all this way, he probably wouldn’t have made it.
By the time they arrived at the room, it took all of his focus to make his way to the bed and collapse into it. Ai was speaking to him throughout, checking if he was okay.
“Just going to nap for a while…” He muttered.
‘M—Mika…’
Ken tried to call out to Mika to use sleep protocol, but it was too late.
Things went dark and the familiar sound of beeping entered his ears once more. Ken was scared, worried that it would be exactly like last time where he couldn’t move.
The murmurings began yet again, unintelligible, as if they were coming from beyond the walls of his consciousness. He could hear crying, the sound wrenching at his heart.
‘I don’t like this…’
‘I DON’T LIKE THIS!’
Ken screamed, but no sound came out.
“This is the result of your own doing, Ken.” A voice spoke out, startling him.
“Who is it? Who is there!?” Ken yelled, his fear palpable.
“Who am I?” The voice replied, before letting out a harsh laugh. “I am you… Well, the you that has been cast away and left for dead.”
Suddenly within the darkness, a figure appeared. He was dressed in a black suit, clutching a suitcase in one hand. He was tall but skinny, and his sunken cheeks made him look sickly.
It was Ken from his previous life. Looking at the figure now, it was almost unrecognizable.
“What do you mean…? Why are you doing this?” Ken tried to back up, but he couldn’t move.
A frown appeared on the figures face. He dropped the suitcase and began to massage his right shoulder, “Have you forgotten what you did to me? What you did to your so-called family and friends?”
“No… You’re not me. You’re lying!”
The figure grinned, yet it was tinged with madness. “You think that you can just go live out your dreams after what you’ve done? This isn’t a fairy tale Ken, you don’t deserve a happily ever after.”
Just as he was about to retort, Ken felt his right shoulder flare with pain. He let out a groan as the agony spread. Just when he thought that he couldn’t take it anymore, the pain relented.
His eyes darted to the figure who was still wearing the same smile as earlier. All he could feel was dread when looking at this person who used to be himself.
“Come, let’s see how your actions have affected those you call your loved ones.”
The darkness which once clouded his vision began to disappear, like the fog clearing. Before long, a scene appeared in front of him, haunting him to his bones.
He saw a hospital room with the curtains drawn, the familiar sounding beep playing rhythmically every few seconds. A feeling of dread overcame Ken, and he wanted to do nothing more than leave this place.
The figure of his past self walked forward and turned to him, letting out a smile.
“I don’t think you need to guess who is behind this curtain, do you Ken? Deep in your heart you know exactly what’s going on.” He said, raising a hand towards the curtain.
“No… That isn’t me. You aren’t me… This is all a dream.” Ken said, shaking his head.
“Hehe. Oh how I wish it was.” He replied, drawing back the curtains in one swift motion.