“We don’t know if this world is real or a dream. Maybe the world until now has been a convenient fake. But magic will probably disappear now. The dream is over.”

The darkness filled the space. It was all dark; no spark of light, not a single glim of white; all black. Maybe they deserved it. Maybe it was meant to be. Maybe fate wanted them to fall in love like this, only to take it away after.  Destiny likes to play like this; it doesn’t matter who you are, destiny will make it happen just the way it wants. Fate is cruel, yes, but maybe that was their purpose in this world; to fall in love so they can forget it all once they wake up from their slumber. The universe where all its forgotten and you embrace the darkness and fall deep in it, where there is no return to this world, in that universe where they found love.

The hospital room was plain white, with the faintly ray of light entering the space. Two beds seated side by side, two youngsters sleeping, almost dying. The air was filled with a smell of passing, the morbid comatose state they were in. The machines beep and showing numbers only those specialized could decipher, a woman crying over a bed, no one there for the other bed.

The two lovers woke up. Where the cold room that was once dark had now two chairs and a table Mirai was the first to sit down, Hoseok came after. At that table neither sad a word, they looked at each other, knowing it was all over; that this is it, that it all ends here. They grabbed each other’s hands; they were cold, like a dead body, only that they were breathing, there was a heart beating in their chests; there was a bond, which warmed up the coldness of it all.

In that silence they stood for a while, watching each other, trying to speak only that nothing got out of their mouths. A paper was placed neatly in the middle of it all, a blue pen near it; maybe that was their last note, maybe it was placed there for the souls to say their last goodbye and come back to life peacefully. But no, this was not the case; the paper served a sadder purpose than what it was meant.

Mirai took the paper and the pen. She looked at Hoseok and with a miserable smile, she let go of his hand and scribbled something on the paper. Then she passed it to the other end for it to be read.

“It’s not over yet. If we don’t end it, nothing can start. Even if nothing at all begins, we must still put an end to it.”

Hoseok shook his head. This was too much, he didn’t want to let go. It was hard, it was painful, and it was worth begging for a second chance. Taking the pen and the paper, he indecipherable wrote something too.

“Let’s ask for a second chance.”

She smiled faintly; as if trying to say it’s okay, that they can fall in love again, that it will all be okay, knowing that it won’t.

That was all they had left, a paper, a dark room and the coldness. When the angel came again, they knew their time was up. The dream was over; it was time to go, it was time to say goodbye. When the table disappeared away and only the two souls where left in the darkness, it was then when the butterflies came again. Flying all over the room, as if dancing to a calm melody, telling them it was about time to let go and leave this world. It all started to shatter away, the darkness was breaking apart, the room began to fill with light, it was all falling apart, it was all over.

Before the white them away, a last sentence could be heard.

“I will love you in the real world too.”

The machines lost it, they had gone crazy, the beeping was off the charts; they were coming back to the sad reality. When the souls came back a breeze filled the room, the machines almost stopped working for a few seconds only to start back again. The woman crying stopped and hope could be seen on her face; her daughter was waking up, her daughter might be alive again.

Mirai woke up slowly, slightly opening her eyes, as if the light was too bright for them to suffer. The bed she was in was not one she recognized; a slight headache made her squint with pain, it was all coming around. Hoseok woke up too, faster than she did, screaming with pain, he had been crying in his sleep sometimes, only that this was reality and they had no idea why.

Their first words were not what the doctors expected, they were at first muttering things, random they thought, but then they became audible, and the doctors were in awe at what was happening. They were asking for pills and medication, but there was nothing wrong with them, they were asking unusual things, like what year is it or the date they are in, thus finding out that they barely slept for three days.

When all the check-ups were finished, they were left alone in the room; they looked at each other and with a feeling of knowing one another, they said nothing. It was as if the dream never happened, it was as if that reality never existed.

But fate likes to play with the destiny of one’s life. One morning, Mirai woke up and saw Hoseok crying in his sleep. Without a word, she got up from her bed and heading towards him, she wanted to sit beside his bed, maybe she wanted to hug him and tell him it will be all right. She remembers the day he asked the doctors to see his mother only to find out she died that day. The cold reality hurts, but maybe this tragedy would bloom in something beautiful.

“Hey, Hope!” She yelled from behind. He turned while wiping away his tears and then smiling like a fool he said,

“Oh, hey there, smiling girl.”

“Mirai.” She said, blushing a little at his remark.

“Hoseok, nice to meet you.” He replied with the same smile.

It was strange they thought, it seemed rather familiar, this conversation they had, seemed new and yet it felt as if this happened before.

“Don’t cry, it’s gonna be fine.” She said finally siting down beside him.

“Yeah… I can manage a bit of loneliness.” He said skimming his usual smile.

“What do you mean lonely?” She said grabbing his hand. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“You shouldn’t say that to a stranger.” He replied coldly.

“Stranger, hnn?” She said looking a bit at the ground, as if pouting, “I feel like I know you…”

“That’s a strange thing to say. I never saw you before.”

“I wonder about that…”

The room fell silent; they sat like that for a while, until Mirai, bolder by nature Hoseok came to realize after some days spent with her, took the initiative again.

“Hey let’s get out of here.”

“Where do you want to go? We can’t leave the ground.”

“Hmm… What about the roof?”

“The roof?”

“Yeah, I heard some nurses talking about the night sky being beautiful. Let’s go watch the stars together.”

Hoseok was quiet, he didn’t know what to reply; they barely knew each other, he felt odd being with her, she reminded him of things he didn’t know before. He dreamt of memories he never had, he remembered things that never happened, he remembered a pain he never felt before. It was contradictory, but just because it’s illogical, that doesn’t make it necessarily wrong.

“Okay, let’s go to the roof tonight.”

“Then it’s set. We sneak out after the visit and in case we get caught we can just say we are sleepwalking.” Mirai said laughing.

Hoseok just laughed along. She was a nice girl he thought; she was funny and her smile was something one could fall for, when she looked out the window, it seemed as if she was taken out from a fairy tale. He might fall for her, again.

When the night finally came and the doctors left the room, Mirai smirked and with a hop from her bed she was at his side, smiling coyly and giving him the stare that it’s time to leave the room and enjoy their night.

“Let’s go.” She said as she was bouncing on his bed. Hoseok was amazed at how fast she was healing, his wounds were still like fresh, and it was inexplicable he thought but he just blamed it on his physic.

They left the room and somehow they arrived on the roof without anyone noticing.

“Lucky aren’t we?” Hoseok said.

“Yeah we are.”

They sat down on a blanked they snatched from their room. It was getting chilly lately, as October came to an end; the night was young, but the stars were out already, it was nice, watching it like this.

After some time, they started talking, small stuff at first; they just wanted to get to know each other. It was just small talk, but then Hoseok asked something he shouldn’t have.

“Do you see them too?”

Mirai didn’t answer, she waited for a more specific answer; and then it came.

“Do you see the black and white butterflies too?”

Hoseok waited for an answer that never came that night. Mirai was silent, she was not going to answer that, but the answer was yes. After 2 days, the butterflies came; the room was full with butterflies, then when her memories began to kick in it was all clear for her. She was no way scared of what was happening, she was just happy somehow that she was here with him, that they were in the same room. She didn’t know if any of it was real or if any of it really happened. She didn’t know if the crucial headaches Hoseok experienced were real, she didn’t know if the never healing bruises really happened, she didn’t know if the warmth she feels for him is real.

Thinking about it, Mirai fell asleep on the roof. Hoseok had long forgotten about the stars as he found Mirai’s sleeping face more fascinating than little glittering lights in the night sky.

“Is this a dream too?”

They woke up in their hospital room the next day. Some nurses must have found them sleeping on the roof; they forgot about the night shift that has to check on them at certain hours. They were scolded as soon as they woke up, getting a nice punishment of not leaving the room without supervision again.

It was rather odd, they were doing fine, so why was there any need for supervision. In fact, the strange thing was why they were still not released from the hospital. Mirai almost fully healed, while Hoseok had a few scratches here and there.

Days passed fast; October ended and November came. They were friends, too close some might say, but they didn’t care. They asked a few times when they could leave, but no answer was given. Mirai’s mom was there almost every two days; she had work so Mirai understood, and as for Hoseok, he was left completely alone in the world, quite sad she thought.

“Hey, let’s play chess in the cafeteria today.” Hoseok said once.

“Hey, let me see you dance for me.” Mirai said another time.

“Why don’t you draw me a portrait?” Hoseok said this time.

The days passed and Mirai’s birthday came. Hoseok danced for her, the hospital staff telling him not to, but even so, he did it.

After a week, the pain started. Mirai didn’t know what was happening, bruises began to show here and there. It didn’t make any sense. Hoseok had nosebleeds, severe ones too. Sometimes he would pass out from them; sometimes they happened excessively many times a day. It was all piecing together.

The butterflies disappeared a bit, and now they came back. Mirai saw them again, Hoseok played dumb this time. They were silently seating on her bed, Hoseok humming a low tone and Mirai playing with his fingers; Mirai said what she shouldn’t say this time.

“I see them too.”

“Do you remember?”

“No.”

“So you do.”

“The cherry tree where the butterfly danced between us.”

“The times you were lonely and I came to you.”

“The mornings we shared.”

“The warmth of the night in winter.”

“The butterflies we saw together.”

“The first time you danced for me.”

“The first time you hugged me.”

“The first kiss we shared.”

“The first time we shared.”

“The love we thought it was real.”

“But it’s not.”

When that was said it was all clear; they remembered it all with a purpose. It  was the end; this was it. The time loop they shared was coming to an end. The room felt cold again, but this time, the time stopped and no butterflies were seen; it was they and the angel, or should we call it, the ripper?

“So this is it huh?” Hoseok said, hugging Mirai, as if never wanting to let her go.

“Seems like it.” Mirai replied, knowing her time has come.

“Are you ready to end this?” The ripper said.

Hoseok looked in her eyes, he knew it, she knew it, it was time. Hoseok raised her chin up, placing a kiss on her forehead, smiling and then placing another one on the tip of her nose, and then, softly placing his goodbye on her soft lips. Mirai was cold, freezing cold, just like a corpse; her lips were the only thing warm, her eyes glimmered with tears, slowly Hoseok began shedding his too. One last hug was shared and then it was all over.

“You knew from the start you will be the one to die, didn’t you?” Hoseok said.

“Sad isn’t it? To know from the beginning you will die.”

“Why did you kept silent.”

“I loved you, even if you hate me, being able to die with the knowledge that the one I love will never forget me… there is no greater happiness a girl could desire.”

Hoseok didn’t want to accept the cruel reality; he never saw this coming, he always believed it was him, he always thought the butterflies were foreseeing his death not hers.

“Mirai.” The ripper spoke again. “It’s time.”

Mirai kissed him for one last time before she rose from the bed and with a simple yet sad and heart-tearing smile; she turned around and whispered slowly.

“I will always be here to hug you, so you won’t ever be alone.”

Hoseok couldn’t utter a single word, nothing came out; the pain was insupportable, it was as if his world was breaking apart. When Mirai fell to the ground lifeless, and all the nurses and doctors came in to try and wake her up, their efforts being in vain, Hoseok looked at the ceiling and said,

“The golden butterfly took you away, the golden butterfly that was supposed to save you…”

The doctors thought it was because of the shock, the just helped him and made him go to sleep. He cried that night; the pain he felt was no match with the inhumane pain he had in that fake reality, there was no one here to end his pain.

“Why don’t you take more pills?” A raspy voice was heard in the room.

Hoseok knew that voice, Mirai.

“You came back to me.”

“Did I?”

“You’re here aren’t you?”

“No.”

“So you came for me too?”

“Seems that she can’t go on without you.”

“To lose the woman you love, not even being able to grieve… If not a tragedy, what is it?”

Hoseok rose from his bed and took a few steps towards the spirit. When he was in front of it, the spirit stretched its hand, Hoseok grabbed it and then without any problem, he faded away.

A butterfly came after him, the room was lit up, and Mirai was waiting at the end of it. Hoseok smiled and took the road forward; the butterfly guided him towards her. It was happening again. A loop in time they couldn’t escape from; a new dream began.

                       “Butterflies have always been said to carry souls of the dead or to bring bad omens.”

A/n: So this is it… the end… I have no idea what I just did. Some quotes are from an anime I love and well I had to use them because as you can see they blend well with the story. I hope this won’t be too heartbreaking and thank you for reading it. I’m anticipating some comments, so you silent readers, please let me know what you think. Also if this is somehow too vague and some might not get the ending please say so and I will explain it ^^