“Can I ask you something?” Kaien asked with genuine interest. His serious tone made Allen nervous. Allen nodded as a sign that he would listen to anything Kaien would say or ask.
“Allen,” Kaien said the name softly. “Have we met before?”
Allen immediately answered. “Yes, we did.” His cheek flush with red from shyness.
“Really? When? Where?”
“In my dream. Hihihi. . .” Allen giggled. When Kaien did not say anything and looked at him with a serious face, he said, “I’m sorry. I. . . I just dreamt a lot about you lately. I mean. . . I. . . Urm. . . I’m sorry. . .”
“It’s ok,” Kaien smiled. He put his hand on Allen’s cheek and stroked it. “You don’t need to apologize. It’s your dream. You can dream anything you like.”
“O-ok. Hihi.” Allen giggled again. “So, you don’t mind if I dream about you?”
“I don’t mind at all,” Kaien smiled softly. “But, what if it’s not a dream?”
“Ehh? What do you mean?”
“What if it’s not a dream, but a memory from the past?” Kaien mumbled. “Something that sticks to your memory often. Something like odd little fragments that have no beginning and no end. . .”
“You mean we had met before? No, no, no. Hahaha!” Allen laughed. It was hard for him to believe what Kaien had said. “If we had met before, I’m sure I would remember you. No way would I forget someone as hot as you. Hihihi.”
“Haha. Thank you,” said Kaien, a bit embarrassing from hearing what Allen said. “What if I’m not ‘hot’ back then? Like when we were still kids.”
“Oh! Hmm. . .” Allen thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know, Kaien. I don’t really remember my childhood. To be honest, I don’t remember anything about it.”
“It’s ok. Me too,” said Kaien. “I only remember a fragment of it. My childhood friend, my wife. At least that’s what I thought, all this time.”
“What? Wife? You have a wife?” asked Allen, disbelieving. “What do you mean?”

“Yes. My wife passed away a few years ago,” said Kaien. There was a moment of silence before he continued. “I think. . .” Kaien mumbled and he held Allen’s hand tightly. “I think the person in my childhood memory, in my dream, was not my late wife. But, it’s you, Allen.”
“What? H-how?”
“This may sound crazy, but let me show you something. Wait here,” said Kaien before going back to his room and coming back with the diary. He handed over the diary to Allen. “Read this. Maybe you would get what I mean.”
“What is this?” asked Allen and began to open and read the diary without waiting for Kaien’s answer.
“A Diary,” said Kaien. He sat next to Allen and watched him read the diary.
After finishing reading the diary, Allen asked, “Do you think . . . those four kids in the diary were. . . us?”
“Yes, I do,” answered Kaien. “I think in the past, Dominique, Benji, Nathan, you and I had met here. Like now, the four of us had come here before.”
“We did?”
“I think we did. I don’t remember everyone or everything, but I remember someone. That person looked like my wife. Did I tell you that you look like my wife?” asked Kaien and Allen nodded. “I’m sorry. I was wrong, you don’t look like my wife. It’s my wife who looks like you. I feel bad for my wife, for you. I’m sorry.”
“Ohh Kaien. . . Don’t say that. I’m sure what you feel for your wife is real.”
“What I feel for you is real too. This time I’ll make it right. Please give me a chance.”
“Don’t say that. You always have a chance, you know?”
“Thank you.”
Kaien blush brought a shy smile to Allen’s lips. Then he asked, “Kaien, do you think Benji and Nathan know about this?”
“I don’t think they know or remember anything. I think we should let them know too.”
“O-oh.. ok.” Allen looked troubled, and hesitated a moment before asking. “Why didn't we remember anything?”

“I don’t know. . .” Kaien tried to think of the answer but nothing could satisfy him. “Perhaps, because we left?”
“Why did we leave? I think this is a good place to live. We have everything here. Why did we leave?”
“I’m afraid I don’t have the answer to all your questions. I’m sorry. I’m trying to figure it out too. I believe everything happens for a reason,” said Kaien. “But, sometimes reasons are not enough to explain why everything happens. I guess we have a long way to go before we know everything.”
“Ok. But, try not to think too much, ok?” said Allen, a bit worried about Kaien. “And please don’t hide anything from me. Ahh, please rest well too. You look so tired.”
“Thank you for worrying about me. I’ll let you know if I find something.”
Knock! Knock! Knock!
A series of knocks at the door had interrupted them. They looked at each other, unsure whether to answer the door or not.
Without waiting for an answer, Benji came into the room followed by Nathan. Since they met on the first day, it looked like they became attached to each other and inseparable. Benji noticed that Kaien and Allen were looking at both of them like they were waiting for them, but he ignored the feeling and greeted them as usual.
“Morning, Kaien, Allen,” greeted Benji, almost shouting. “How are you feeling today, Allen?”
“I’m good. I think I’m ok now. Kaien had been taking care of me all this time. He is a great doctor, you know.” Allen gave a warm smile to Kaien. “How are you two?”
“We are great as always,” snapped Nathan.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
“Ahh. . . I’m sorry,” apologized Nathan. “Actually Benji was not feeling very well.”
“I’ve just had a cough. Cough! Nothing serious. Cough! Cough!” said Benji, trying to look fine but failing.
“Ahh. . . I’m sorry. You must get it from me. I’m sorry,” Allen apologized.
“Don’t say that, hyung. Cough! Cough! You can’t control when or who would get sick. Cough! Cough!”
“Kaien, do you have some medicine left for Benji?” asked Nathan but Kaien did not respond.
Kaien was lost in his thoughts. He started to remember some parts of the diary.
'But they start to get sick.
One by one.'
What Kaien feared the most started to become reality? All this time he was worried if what happened in the diary would happen again. To them. Right now. What if they really would get sick? One by one.
Soon, they are going to die?
“Kaien?” Allen called and shook Kaien’s hand.
“Urm? Yeah?” asked Kaien and he just realized that three pairs of eyes were looking at him with worry. He must have had a scary or weird expression just now.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!” Benji coughed again.
“Ahh. Yeah, sit down Benji,” asked Kaien and offered his seat to Benji. “If you don’t mind, I would like to examine you.”
“Examine? Cough! Cough! Cough!”” asked Benji, uncomfortable. “You won’t do anything weird, right?”
“Anything weird like what?” asked Kaien. “I just want to take your body temperature and look at your throat. Open your mouth.”
“Nothing, sorry. Cough! Cough! Ok.” Benji obeyed.
“You have colds. Your temperature is still low, so, take this medicine, drink lots of water, warm water would be much better, stay in bed and then you would be fine,” said Kaien in his doctor tone. “I’ll check your temperature from time to time. So, you could avoid having the flu.”
“Oh! I thought colds and flu are the same,” Nathan amused.
“Many people think like that. But, they are different. They have different symptoms. To make it simple, you could say that if you have a low grade temperature, it means your body temperature is still low, you have a cold. If you have a high body temperature, you have the flu. Of course, there’s other symptoms to take note of,” explained Kaien. “But, both could be very dangerous if you didn’t get treatment fast. People like to take this issue lightly. Sigh. . .”
“Ohhh. . .” Allen, Benji and Nathan agreed in unison.
“Ok! Let’s go back to your room, Benji!” snapped Nathan and dragged Benji away. “You need to stay in bed!”
“Cough! Cough! Thank Kaien. Take care, Allen,” waved Benji as he had been dragged out of the room by Nathan.
“Sigh. . .” Kaien let out a deep sigh after closing the door and unaware that Allen was watching him all the time.
“Kaien. . .?” Allen called. “Are you ok? You look pale.”
“Hurm? I’m ok,” convinced Kaien. “Just a little tired.”
“You should rest too.”
“Yeah. I guess so. I’ll be in my room if you need me,” said Kaien and Allen just nodded with worry. ‘We need to get out of here fast,’ thought Kaien as he lay down in his bed. Soon he fell asleep.