Key leant forward and rested his head against the door. He took in a deep breath and put a hand on the doorknob. Another breath, but made no move to open it. He was back in the hospital where its walls were white and its linoleum spotless. The nurses in their crisp white uniforms watched him from their desk at the end of the corridor. From the corner of his eyes he saw them put their heads together and murmur a commentary on his stained clothes and rugged face. His arm was roughly bandaged with a torn strip of cloth; and one of the nurses rose to ask him if he would like a proper bandage when Key pushed open the door.

Key stood numbly within the entrance. He showed no surprise at the sight of GD, leaning against the window. GD also looked haggard and kept eyeing the goddess near him. Time was seated on a chair, swinging her legs in the air. Key took no notice of them – he was back in the mortal world one last time before he began his new life as a Messenger.

Yuki was tucked in bed, staring lifelessly at the ceiling. No, not yet. Key closed his eyes to gather his smiles before he brightly called out to his son. “Yu!”

“Ki!” Yuki quipped back when he heard his father’s voice.

Key shuffled in and sat in the chair next to the bed. He looked at his boy’s sunken cheeks and traced a finger along the protruding collarbones. He heard the rattling in Yuki’s chest when he breathed. Key placed a hand on Yuki’s chest and soothingly rubbed it. Without breaking contact, he told his son to shift across the bed so he could climb in and lie next to him. He nestled Yuki’s head next to his and matched his breathing.

“Papa?” Yuki asked him when Key had remained silent. He was playing with their caramel brown teddy bear, making it run across and down his body.

“Yu, what do you want to do when you get better?” Key asked him.

“Hmm...” Yuki thought like the innocent child he was, “I want to run in the grass. No! I want to roll down a hill like Kai!”

“Anything else?” Key encouraged him.

“I want to swim in the sea and play with the sea-horses. Papa, do you think the sea-horses are big enough to ride on like real horses?” Yuki shifted in the bed to look up into his father’s face.

“I don’t know, they could be? Should we go and find out?” Key asked and Yuki vigorously nodded his head. Yuki spoke about playing sports (baseball, like on the TV) and going to a dance (the nurse had said she went to one and it was very much fun). Key stayed quiet and listened to his dreams. He made no move to wipe away the silent tears that were tracking down his face.

An hour passed and Yuki grew tired. He had been talking about the other children in the hospital; one friend was going to go back home and he was going to miss him. Key told him that he will be able to go home soon too, maybe tomorrow. Yuki only nodded and asked him for a bedtime story and so Key rolled off the bed and the table lamp. He rearranged it so that the light shone on the wall. With his hands, he told Yuki of a strange world with rainbow grass and magical people who can change into animals. He told him how there was a new magical person who was going to be very sad and lonely because he wanted to be somewhere else.

“No, Papa,” Yuki murmured with half-sleep, “He can’t be sad. I don’t want him to be sad.”

Key watched Yuki breathe evenly in his sleep. Onew stepped away from the wall where he was quietly observing the memory. He asked Key in a quiet voice the ritual words, “What are your last words?”

Key bent down and kissed Yuki’s forehead one last time. He wiped away his tears and leant forward to whisper into his son’s ear. “I want to tell you someday how I want to be with you. My heart is yours...”

The memory faded into nothing and Onew stepped back with Key’s glowing Whisper. “Thank you for your story,” Onew said, “It was a beautiful telling.” He turned away from Key, who slumped, unconscious, to the floor and into Jonghyun’s arms. The battle with the Kuro-yurei was over.

Onew turned to Yuki, his eyes shining with unshed tears and carefully handed him the Whisper. “I wish you could’ve heard it,” was all he said before closing his eyes. He did not want to see it be folded, or hear the echo of Key’s Whisper when the crane was made. 

Yuki held his father’s Whisper in his hand, feeling its weight. He bought it up to his lips and kissed it and murmured a prayer before gently flattening it in his palm. He could feel his heart crack with every fold he made.

Yuki hesitated at the last stage. He shot a glance towards Minho and Taemin, who was painfully holding together the wound in his belly. Taemin nodded his acknowledgement and gave him a faint smile. He glanced at Jonghyun, who was cradling Key’s head in his lap. Jonghyun’s eyes were dark with sadness, but he too gave him a nod. Yuki then turned to Onew, who had opened his eyes and nodded agreement. This was what they were here for. Yuki sat down next to Key and squeezed his hand before returning to the folded crane.

He opened its wings and the flash of light blinded him. When he regained his sight, Yuki found himself alone in the centre of the Main Tent. The others shimmered like reflections on the surface of disturbed water, frozen in their positions. Confused, Yuki stood back onto his feet and looked about. It was when he turned to face towards the entrance of the Main Tent that he came face to face with Death. The god leaned against his walking stick, a bow tie at his neck and a top hat on his head. On eye contact, he solemnly tipped forward his top hat and congratulated Yuki for successfully folding 1000 cranes.

“Now, child; what is your one wish you would like granted?”