The hospital lights were soft, but the air was heavy.
Aiden sat up in bed, pretending not to hear the doctor's words again and again in his head.
> "You may only have weeks left, Mr. Elric. I'm sorry. The heart is giving up."
He smiled as Yuuto entered the room with coffee, even though his hands trembled.
Yuuto sat beside him, his expression unusually quiet.
"I got your favorite," he said. "Caramel latte. Extra warm."
Aiden took the cup, sipped, then placed it on the table. "Thank you."
They didn't speak for a while.
Yuuto just sat there, watching Aiden's tired eyes.
Then, softly— "Let's go somewhere."
Aiden turned to him.
"Anywhere. Away from all this. No doctors. No beeping monitors. Just us. One last memory."
---
Two Days Later
The car hummed down the winding road toward the hills. Soft music played in the background.
Yuuto leaned against the window, the breeze ruffling his hair. He looked peaceful… but his hand stayed locked with Aiden's the whole time.
Aiden stole a glance at him and whispered, "Are you scared?"
Yuuto shook his head. "Not of this."
Aiden smiled. "I'm glad."
They drove slowly — not rushing. Stopping for snacks. Taking photos. Laughing over old memories.
Every smile they shared felt like a countdown.
---
As they climbed higher into the mountains, fog curled across the road like silk.
Yuuto reached out and turned off the music.
He looked over. "Promise me something?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Anything."
"If… something happens," Yuuto began, eyes shining, "and we don't make it... let's promise to find each other. In the next life."
Aiden tightened his grip on the wheel, voice low. "I was about to ask you the same thing."
They smiled at each other through the soft gray light.
A perfect, quiet love.
---
But fate was watching.
As they rounded a sharp curve, headlights appeared from the opposite direction.
Blinding.
Too fast.
Too late to stop.
"Yuuto—!" Aiden shouted.
The crash wasn't loud.
It was sudden.
Sharp.
Final.
Metal crushed.
Glass exploded.
The car tumbled—
off the cliff.
Down, down, down…
And then—
Nothing.
---
Silence.
Cold.
Stillness.
And then—
Darkness.
---
Three hearts stopped that day:
Aiden's, wrapped in love.
Yuuto's, tangled in hope.
And the driver's — a stranger who never meant to take a life…
but had loved Aiden quietly for so long…
and never got the chance to say it.
---
Somewhere beyond time...
A whisper lingered:
> "If we meet again… I'll find you.
I'll remember you.
I'll love you again."