One for Three

Chapter 43

I felt trapped in a dark nightmare as Mamoru led me to the basement. A deep emptiness permeated my being. I followed him, desperately hoping that Seiya would show up any moment and convince me with a cheeky remark that this was all just a terrible joke.

But with each passing second as we followed the signs to the autopsy department, my hope dwindled further. I felt powerless and defeated. Mamoru's hand rested heavily on my shoulder as he held a small black chip in his other hand, which he had already used to open the door to the operating room.

"Are you really sure about this?" he asked with concern.

No, of course, I wasn't sure. If this were truly real, it would knock the ground from under my feet. But I had to see it with my own eyes to truly grasp it. A nervous rumbling intensified in my stomach as I nodded to Mamoru, and he unlocked the door.

He gestured for me to wait for a moment and disappeared behind a clinically white door. When he returned, an elderly man accompanied him.

"I'm sincerely sorry for your loss," he said softly to me.

Loss. That one word etched itself indelibly in my memory. Suddenly, my legs felt like heavy anchors, keeping me firmly rooted to the ground. The older gentleman before us opened a sliding door to the left. After a second attempt, I finally managed to move my legs towards him. Mamoru stood behind me, his hand comforting on my back.

The man before me switched on the light, revealing a metal table in the middle of the room. Under a blue cloth, the contours of a body were unmistakable. The gray-haired man read from a note: "Seiya Kou, Age 31, passed away at 0:49 am on December 09."

I practically slumped forward, and Mamoru barely managed to hold me up. His words reached my ears muffled: "Bunny, you don't have to put yourself through this. We can go back."

I forced myself to stand on my own feet. "No..." I managed to say with a trembling voice. This short word felt like a burning fire in my throat. With a gentle push, I moved Mamoru back a bit. I had to take the last steps alone.

Finally standing before the table, the elderly man pulled back the cloth, revealing Seiya's face. "I'll leave you alone now. Take all the time you need," he said softly. I didn't look up at him; my eyes were still fixed on Seiya. He looked so peaceful, as if he were gently sleeping. Slowly, I lifted my trembling hand and gently caressed his cheek, but there was no reaction. His skin felt cooler than usual but still warm. Tears welled up in my eyes again, blurring my vision.

I clutched his shoulders and shook him gently. "Seiya, wake up! Come on, wake up! You can't leave me alone!"

My words echoed desperately and filled with pain throughout the room, but Seiya remained motionless. A deep pain coursed through my body as the truth became clearer. He would never wake up again, never be there to make me laugh or share my worries.

A heart-wrenching scream escaped my throat as grief washed over me with full force. My voice trembled with despair, and my heart felt like it was breaking. "Seiya..." My voice broke into a soft whimper.

I lowered my head to his lifeless chest, where once his familiar heartbeat pulsed but was now silenced. My hand searched for his, and even his fingers felt cooler than usual. I didn't know how long I stayed there above him; my back was already aching, but that didn't matter. I couldn't let him go yet, couldn't leave him here alone. I gently traced the contours of his face with my finger, outlining his lips, and listened again to the now silent sound of his heartbeat.

Suddenly, I felt two hands firmly gripping my shoulders, pulling me away from Seiya's lifeless body. I tried to hold on to him, but I was already enveloped in a warm embrace. I had completely forgotten about Mamoru.