The gaunt figure of his past self was laying silently on the hospital bed, a feeding tube inserted through his nose. There was an IV and various other bits of equipment on his body, painting a grim sight.
Ken tried to close his eyes, but for some reason he could not. In fact, he was dragged closer to the comatose version of himself, not even allowing him to look away from the sight.
"This is you… Well, us I guess." The figure said, his tone lacking the madness from earlier. "After you overdosed, you entered a coma. If it wasn't for your best friend finding you that night, you would have died."
"Best friend? You mean Daichi?" Ken muttered in disbelief.
The night that he had overdosed, Daichi had won the NPB Championship with the Hanshin Tigers. Why would he have come to see Ken? Especially when all he'd done was push him away ever since getting injured back then.
The figure did not reply. With a wave of his hand, the surroundings began to change briefly. It was now during the day and the sun crept in through the window.
At the foot of his hospital bed, a figure with wide shoulders sat on a chair.
"Why Ken? Why didn't you just talk to me…" The figure's shoulders trembled and tears began to fall from his face onto the blankets below.
"Weren't we best friends? How could you do such a thing to yourself… Damn it!"
It was Daichi. Ken could feel the pain in his voice and saw the tears running down his face unabashedly. His heart began to ache and he tried to reach out to his friend, but he had no arms in this form, he was merely a spectator.
"How am I going to do this without you Ken?" His voice cracked and the tears began to fall once more.
The door to the hospital room opened in the next moment, but Daichi did not react.
"Daichi, it's time to go." A deep voice called out.
Ken froze.
He saw Daichi's body stiffen before he slowly stood up and took a final look at Ken in the hospital bed. Then he turned, heading towards the door.
Ken turned as well, feeling his whole being tremble as he saw the figure who had come to collect Daichi.
It was Tetsuhiro Suzuki, the man who had put them all through hell.
'Why is he here? Did he find Daichi in my past life?' Ken's mind raced. Since they had not adopted Daichi back then, it wouldn't be too far fetched to assume that Tetsuhiro eventually found out about his nephew after he had become famous.
Seeing his dejected best friend leave the room with such a man left him feeling horrible.
"The answer to your question is yes, Ken. Now before you continue your line of thought, I have another scene to show you." The figure of his past self said solemnly.
"No, I've had enough…" Ken replied emphatically. Seeing his brother and best friend Daichi in such a state had rattled him, he did not want to see any more.
"Who said you had a choice?" The figure replied frostily.
Once more the scene began to shift. Two people appeared by his bedside, their expressions causing his heart to ache.
"Kenny… We miss you." Yuki said. Her hand was placed upon his own and she spoke softly to him, as if he was just taking a nap.
His father Chris stood silently, his arms upon his wife's shoulders. The look of pain and sadness on his face was enough to break Ken's heart. He had never seen his father like this before, nor did he ever want to again.
Ken dropped to his knees, feeling despair take root in his chest. Seeing his family grieve for him threatened to break his psyche. If this was really him in the hospital bed, then what had he been doing for the past 7 years?
Had he really just dreamed everything while in a coma? Was the system just a manifestation of his imagination?
'Ai, Daichi, Steve, Grandpa… Was it all just in my mind?'
"Have you realized it now?" His past self asked solemnly.
Ken didn't reply, he couldn't.
If everything was a dream, then what would happen when he finally woke up? Would that world that existed in his dream cease to exist? Would he just lose everything that he had worked hard for all this time?
The thought of losing it all caused Ken to let out a cry of anguish.
He felt a pat on his shoulder. His past self was wearing a solemn expression, as if to console Ken. The situation was bizarre, but Ken had no time to think about this.
"Wake up."
"What?" Ken looked up in question.
"Wake up… WAKE UP!"
"KEN!"
Ken's eyes suddenly shot open and he gasped for breath. For a moment he was disorientated.
"Oh thank god…" A feminine voice called out.
Before he could reply, the figure threw herself onto him, hugging him tightly. The warmth of her body and the fragrant scent of her hair calmed him down almost instantly.
It was Ai.
Ken wrapped his arms around her, as if he was afraid she would disappear if he let go. Warm tears began to fall down his face as he hugged the woman he loved.
The woman who might only exist in his dreams.
Just the mere thought of this caused his heart to ache. If what he had just been shown was real, then this was indeed the case. All he could do now was enjoy it, before it all went away.
How long did he have?
Would he wake up in a few years? A decade?
Or maybe he didn't even have that long. Maybe the next time he went to sleep, he would wake up in hospital after being in a coma.
'I don't understand… Ai feels so real, how could this be a dream?' he thought, fighting back the tears.
'Wait…'