Raekkuno Stories

The End (Short Story)

AN: While the last one was short and cute, this one might be a bit heartbreaking, but it has a happy ending, I swear.

Warning: Some slightly serious themes incoming.

Sykkuno's POV: (January 8th, 2077)

"Happy birthday to you!" All four of us sang to Rae as she sat in the hospital bed laughing at us, occasionally letting out a slight chuckle or a cough here and there. I was right at my wife's side, staring down at her smiling heavily and tearing up over her current condition.

Rae is... well, she's seen better days that's for sure. Not too long ago she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and the day she was diagnosed was one of the worst days of my life, as it truly felt like she was slipping away from me more and more, day by day. I'll still love her though, even till the day that she inevitably does leave me for good.

"We got you this present Rae!" Imane had told Rae extatically, almost like how Rae would sound all those years ago before her mind began to dwindle. Imane pulled out a photo and handed it to Rae. It was a group photo of the day, somewhere around 50 years ago where everyone in OTV and friends had officially quit streaming to pursue their passions in life. So many familiar faces in the photo. Hey it was even when John and Jodi had their first baby, evident by Jodi cradling their child in her hands. Good times. I recognized the four of us. The amigops, all positioned off to the side with Rae and I in between the other two cuddling as this was when we first truly started to commit with our relationship. Toast was smiling, just as wide as he was now, and when my eyes landed on Corpse, my smile was instantly replaced with a frown. God I miss him so damn much. The photo in of itself was enough to make a grown man cry, but what really got to me was Rae's response to this picture.

"Is that me...?" She asked us as her wrinkly, boney, wobbly hand pointed to herself on the picture and the four of us in the room all smiled at one another.

"Yes! That's you Rae!" Tina reassured Rae as Rae herself smiled and let out a laugh.

"Damn! I was hotter than I thought it was back then! Do I still look so beautiful..." She said as she looked up from the picture and looked at our faces for answers and I couldn't resist laughing. She truly was incredible, even with her deteriorating mind.

"Not a second goes by when you're not beautiful Rae!" I spoke my heart to my one true love as she smiled wider and looked back down at the photo, now with a perplexed looking expression. Almost as if she was figuring something out all by herself.

"That's Imane. That's... Toast. That's....... Celine! That's Celine..." She slowly but surely listed off people in the photo surrounding her as she pointed them out to us, allowing us to nod along and confirm to her whether she was right or wrong, and so far she was on a hot streak. Though she hadn't named me just yet, so I just wanted to nudge her in the right direction.

"Who's that Rae?" I asked her as I pointed right at the man cuddling up to her in the picture, that being her husband, also known as me. As I continued to point and looked at her face, she just gave this blank and almost thoughtless stare before delivering a response that truly shattered me.

"I don't remember that guy..." She said as she shook her head no and continued to stare at me in the picture blankly. I felt the tears coming and I didn't even bother to hold them back. Out of all the things that have slipped from her mind the past couple years, why did I have to be one of them? Now I'm just 'that guy' to her... my wife doesn't remember me...

"You don't know? He's your-"

"Shh! I'm thinking! I'll tell you when I remember!" Rae was insistent on sparing herself the explanation from Toast as Tina came up behind me and comforted me.