Do you believe in reincarnation?
They say that the favorites of God are given the chance to live again—that they are reborn into another life—while the less favored are sent quietly to heaven or hell.
I don't believe in reincarnation.
I never have.
To me, it has always sounded like a foolish idea—something humans invented because they are afraid of reality.
And yet—
Tears suddenly slid down my cheeks.
I frowned, instinctively lifting a hand to wipe my eyes.
Huh?
Why am I crying?
I sank to the floor without realizing it, my knees giving way as if my body had decided before my mind could catch up. My chest tightened painfully, my breath coming out uneven. No matter how hard I tried, the tears wouldn't stop.
What am I supposed to do?
Then, out of nowhere, an ache bloomed deep inside me.
I missed someone.
Someone I didn't even know.
The feeling was overwhelming—grief without a face, longing without a name.
"Why is this happening to me?" I whispered hoarsely. "Who am I? Who am I really?"
I squeezed my eyes shut—
And suddenly, I wasn't alone.
Cold arms wrapped around me, familiar and gentle, sending a shiver down my spine. I could feel his presence as if it had always belonged there, as if my body remembered what my mind could not.
"Promise me you'll never forget me, okay?"
His trembling hands cupped my cheeks as he cried. His touch was warm, desperate—like he was afraid I would vanish the moment he let go.
I smiled weakly, already knowing I couldn't make that promise.
Because every time I disappeared…
my memories disappeared with me.
"I'm… I'm sorry, Sailor," I whispered. "I hope you can forgive me."
Blood spilled from my lips as a violent cough wracked my body. His face crumpled in agony at the sight.
"No," he said fiercely, shaking his head. "We'll meet again. I'll wait for you, my love. Please—just hang in there."
A broken laugh escaped me, filled with nothing but pain.
"Sailor…" I murmured. "Can I ask a stupid question one last time? Won't you… won't you find someone else when I'm gone?"
His hands moved to my forehead, shaking so badly it felt like fear itself had taken form. Tears fell freely from his eyes, landing on my skin and mixing with the blood on my lips.
"I'm not leaving," he said, though his voice shattered. "Even if they take you. Even if you forget me. I'm not leaving."
My vision blurred as the world around me began to thin, fade—like mist dissolving in the morning light. The sound of his sobbing was the last thing that stayed clear.
"I'm scared," I admitted weakly. "I don't want to disappear… I don't want to forget you."
He broke down completely, the sound of his crying like something cracking open inside his chest.
"If you forget," he said, forcing a smile through tears, "then I'll remember for both of us."
With what little strength I had left, I lifted my hand and touched his cheek, mirroring what he had done to me earlier. My fingers were cold.
"Sailor… when the day comes that I no longer recognize you…"
I took a painful, shallow breath.
"Please… don't hate me."
He shook his head over and over again.
"I could never do that," he cried. "Even if you forget me… even if you push me away… I'll still love you. I'll love you in every lifetime you have."
A single drop of blood fell onto my hand.
I smiled—tired, fragile.
"Thank you," I whispered. "Thank you for waiting for me… even though you know I'll disappear again."
His arms wrapped around me tightly, desperately, as if he were trying to stop time itself.
"Please," he begged again and again. "Please… don't go yet."
But it was already too late.
Darkness slowly swallowed my vision, and before everything faded completely, one final whisper escaped my lips—
"I love you… even if I forget."
I jolted back into the present, collapsing on the floor as sobs tore out of my chest.
It felt like something had been stolen from me.
Like someone had died—
Even though I didn't know who.
"It hurts…" I whispered, clutching myself. "Why does it feel like I left someone behind?"
Somewhere I couldn't see—
A man stood alone in the darkness, holding onto an old memory that only he carried now.
"It's okay," he said softly to the emptiness. "Even if you forget me again…"
He closed his eyes, and for the first time in hundreds of years—
"It still hurts."