The young man leaned against his steed, his eyes glittering with joy. "Wow, Cam, you're the absolute bestest boyfriend in the history of forever!" he exclaimed, enthusiasm shaking his words. He put a hand on his red checkered cap, making sure it didn't slip off as he rode, before looking down at the other. Cam just smiled a bit, his hands slipping into his pockets. "It's too bad Kana only let us borrow one, eh?" He said the words with a loose tone, not even thinking about what he was saying. His brown eyes were trained on Ash, and his slightly sweaty hands were feeling the blue feathery object in his pocket.

The day was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining, and seeing Ash so happy upon the mountain where Bluebell and Konohana met was enough for Cam to fall in love with him all over again. They had been dating for only half a year or so, but it felt so right. Besides, couples from the farming villages usually got married earlier than most modern places. And so, Cam had run straight to the general store to buy the precious object that would bound him and Ash for all of eternity. It wasn't as if they hadn't been close already - the two boys had been best friends for as long as each of them could remember, and probably more, as they had been born in the same town. Now it was time for Cam to make his move.

"Hey, Cam!" The brunette's excited voice snapped Cam back to reality. "Hmm?" Although looking so happy and free a few moments ago, Ash's face was a downcast. "Hey, this isn't really as fun without you. I'm going to get off her now." Cam nodded and replied, "There's actually been something I wanted to tell you." He glanced back to where the Harvest Goddess's pond lay, and his heart seemed to go faster with the nerves and excitement he felt.

"Wait! I want to try something first. Just watch me!" Ash's eyes narrowed with daring and concentration, and he held his hat in place with his left hand. Suddenly, he kicked his heels into the creature, with much to much force. The horse made a loud, surprised noise, and ran straight for the edge of the mountain at full speed. Alarmed, Cam raced after them. "Cam! Help me!" Ash screeched. "Just let go!" the blue capped man yelled back, his eyes wide with worry.

And so he did. He released his hands, bumping a bit on the horse until he finally fell off the front of it. "Ash! Roll over!" Cam called out, horrified. But he was too shocked from the fall to move...

Crack.

The beautiful white horse galloped away and down the mountain, leaving the stunned Cam to discover what had happened to his lover by himself. A feeling of dread washed over him as he slowly stumbled over to the place where Ash lay. "Ash...?" he said softly, a lump in his throat. He wanted to close his eyes, take his brown gaze away from off of Ash's mangled body. Blood gushed out of a wound on his head, while a dent on his back revealed more injuries. His knees and elbows must've been scraped badly, but that wasn't Cam's main concern. He took his boyfriend's hands in his own, dragging the limp body back to town, calling out "Help, help!" every so often, but no one ever replied.

The blue feather still rested in his pocket, probably never to be touched again. He could feel it, as heavy as a brick, resting as he pulled Ash to the safety of Bluebell. Back at home, everyone surrounded them, gasps of shock and low whispers. A girl took a deep breath before saying, "I'll go get Hiro and Ayame." She raced off towards the mountains, a trip that would surely take more than two hours. The two town's feud would take his boyfriend's life.

But that was not what Cam was thinking. He bent over Ash's body, searching for something. A pulse, a blink of his eyes, or maybe soft lips calling out his name again. But when Ayame and her apprentice came to exam the injured man, their faces were grim. Ayame whispered something into her student's ear before he turned back, repeating the eerie words to the world.

"He's already dead."

Jessica's hands quickly covered Cheryl's ears. While Ash's little sister began to scream, tears streaming down her face, his poor mother dragged her away, unable to explain the tragedy that had taken place before them. Cam stared at Ash, the lump in his throat unplugged. Tears blurred his vision, and the doctors looked at him with the purest sympathy in their dark eyes.

"You...You're terrible...Terrible doctors..." he finally managed, refusing to sob or to believe that this wonderful person's death was his fault. Hiro gave him a sharp look. "We're just doing our job!" he said, maybe a bit too roughly. Looking embarrassed, Ayame said in a low voice, "We should go, Hiro." And so they went, leaving Cam and the rest of the townspeople to figure out the rest.

"Ash? Ash, please get up..." Cam said, bending over the corpse. Tears stained his cheeks, as well as Ash's face. "Come on Ash... I'm going to go riding with you!" he promised, lowering his head, too ashamed to show his tears to the other townsfolk. "You can't be dead." It was the first time he dared to utter the word of truth. "You just can't be. I-It's impossible..." His voice wavered as he put his hand into his pocket, taking out the feathery object of his love. He held it up to Ash's face, his hand shaking. "We were supposed to be wed!" he said, his voice shaking with grief.

"Cam, I think we should sort this out in the morning," Laney said in her best soothing voice, resting a delicate hand on Cam's shoulder. "No! You don't understand!" the usually soft-spoken man snapped, turning back to glare at the girl. She stepped back, fear clouding her gaze as she looked at the chef Howard for help. "He's in a state of grief. Don't worry, he'll heal eventually. Isn't that right, Cam?" He shook his head. "I promise it's not that bad!" Laney said quickly. "You never lost anyone, have you?" She shook her head, biting her lip and looking down.

Silently, the brunette moved his shakey hand downwards, toward the pocket of Ash's now stiff shirt. He slid the blue feather under his suspenders, and got up.

"I just want to go."
And that was that.