Have you ever met someone and thought, "I feel like we've met before" yet you knew you never have before in your life? Some people believe past lives have nothing to do with your present self but he, Sakuma Ritsu, knew it all too well. Past lives were loosely connected to your present self, subtly dictating parts of your life.
For as long as Ritsu could remember, he was able to remember his past lives. And in every past life, there was a person very special to him. Ran Nagisa. In this lifetime he was currently in and many before, he and Nagisa had always somehow find each other no matter how far, grow close to one another and become life partners. Even now as he lied on his deathbed, Nagisa watched over him with the gentlest look on his face.
"You can fight it, Rika... Don't die on me..." whimpered Nagisa, holding his hand tight.
"Don't cry. You know I don't... don't... don't like it when you cry... over me..." whispered Ritsu, coughing harshly.
He had started to fear death less and less as time went on. What kept him going all this time was the guarantee that he'd see Nagisa again in his next life and once more be able to hold him in his arms. However, it was always saddening knowing that each and every time, Nagisa wouldn't remember a thing about his previous life.
"Nisa... promise me something..." he whispered, straining to face him.
"I'm listening." said Nagisa, wiping his cheeks.
"In our next lives... promise... promise you'll come and find me... no matter... what..." Ritsu whispered before finally closing his eyes for eternity in this lifetime.
Nagisa weeped loudly, repeatedly calling out his name and telling him to live. He didn't want to keep living in a world where Ritsu wasn't present. Ritsu was his other half. The doctors led Nagisa away as they prepared Ritsu's body.
Months later, Nagisa's roommate found him passed out by the bathtub. He didn't think much of it and let him be. Later on that day, it was said that Nagisa had committed suicide and was already dead before his roommate had come home. Time had stopped for a moment before slowly warping into a different reality. Montages of the two boy's new lives played out, starting from birth all the way up to the day before they were destined to meet. Nagisa had become a successful actor while Ritsu was the CEO of a new popular gaming franchise.
As usual, Ritsu retained his memory of his past life, how Nagisa cried by his beside as cancer consumed him. He wondered how he'd meet Nagisa this time, what his career was and if his group of friends changed.
"Mr. Sakuma, are you still attending the black tie event tomorrow evening?" his assistant asked.
"Yeah..." he mumbled, feeling the need to sleep.
"Anything else before you drift off as usual?" she asked with a smile.
"The usual." he said before knocking out.
She silently nodded before leaving his office. She and Ritsu had been friends since high school. Never would she have thought she'd end up working for the guy who hardly paid attention in class due to always sleeping. Yet he never failed any of his tests, quizzes and exams. He was a mystery that no one could solve.
•
Nagisa drank water as he scrolled through his social media. He was always interested in what his fans had to say about movies and TV shows he starred in. Most were positive. It was impossible to escape having haters, but they were easily dealt with. Criticism was necessary for someone going down this path. He stopped scrolling and started reading a tweet that caught his eye.
"Mr. Ran! We're back on in three!" a man shouted.
"Got it!" he shouted back, closing up his water bottle. He looked back down at his phone, seeing a bunch of his fans gushing about a new game released by a small company he's never heard of. "Interesting..."
