Constellation

Kenji fell to the ground on his bottom, exhausted from the intense wrestling match with Koat.

"You have way too much old man strength." He said, breathing heavily.

Koat chuckled and dusted himself off, although there was no point. His clothes were already tattered and worn from years of wear. The rest of his body was in no better condition. His hair and beard could be classified as their own species of shrub, and his nails were cracked and long. To Kenji, this was a part of Koat's charm. He couldn't imagine him being any other way.

"You already knew that before you tried, Kenji. You'll need a decade or two to match me."

Kenji groaned. He didn't care about being beaten at first, but now that Koat was boasting about it...

"We don't have that long to decide that, do we? I bet I'll beat you by the end of this week." Kenji said, trying to sound as confident as he could.

Koat smiled, hiding the pain he felt from Kenji's words. Kenji was just a child, so he wasn't expected to understand. But still, Koat couldn't pull his mind away. Even as Kenji poked and prodded at him, trying to goad him on to fight him again, and as Koat put on his fake smile, his mind seemed to wander away.

Koat had known Kenji since he was a newborn baby. He remembered the day that he was brought home, a small bundle of potential. Would he become a doctor, a lawyer, maybe an astronaut, or perhaps the president? Those thoughts flooded his mind when he first laid his eyes on Kenji. Koat was aware of his responsibility. He was to help raise this boy to his fullest potential.

And here he was, 12 years later, a child nearing his teenage years. He was a bit smaller than others his age, but he had aspirations larger than anyone else. When everyone was fast asleep late at night, Kenji would sneak outside to speak with Koat under the dark, starry sky. Koat would sit on the soft bed of grass with him, listening throughout the years as he told him fantastical stories of who he would be when he was older.

Koat had loved the boy since the moment he saw him, and he grew to love him even more as he learned who the boy truly was. But this was as much as he would know. Kenji's life story, to Koat, was like a book with all the pages ripped out. He would never be able to watch the story end. And in that moment, watching Kenji still attempting to get a wrestling match out of him, he began to tear up. Kenji didn't notice at first until a teardrop landed on his face.

"Koat?"

Kenji looked up at Koat, shocked. He had never seen Koat cry before. Koat knelt down to hug him. As he wrapped his arms around Kenji, Kenji hesitated to reciprocate, but after a few moments, he squeezed Koat tight.

"Maybe the doctor's wrong, Koat. If you try hard, you can win and keep living." Kenji said through his tears.

Koat smiled and shook his head. He knew these were his final days. He could feel his body slowly deteriorating from the inside every day. As the two continued their embrace, they heard the backdoor slide open.

"Why are you two hugging? And also crying?"

A young boy and girl identical to Kenji stepped out into the backyard.

Twelve years ago, as thoughts of Kenji's future overwhelmed his mind, something even more overwhelming became apparent to him. There wasn't just one silver-haired baby, but three. These children grew up as identical triplets, but their personalities differed significantly.

Yuji and Mirai walked over to Kenji and Koat, seeming to grasp the situation quickly after not getting a response. They wrapped their arms around the two, staying quiet as they did. Koat was a loved one to them all, and they would miss him.

"Thanks, you three. Now, let's get on with our day."

They all released their arms and looked at Koat with a melancholic expression.

"Come on, guys, we made a lot of fun memories together. There's no reason to waste time crying when we could be laughing together."

The sun began to set below the fence as the four stood outside in that familiar setting. The light shone upon them as a group one last time, as when night finally fell, Koat was free of his duty.