Amisha was hurting. She knew that for Shiuli's well-being, she had to let her go. But she loved her dearly like a sister and it was really difficult for her to part ways with her. Life was a terrible book. When she almost lost Shiuli to that wretched car crash, she had never thought that their life would be enmeshed together. Shiuli was already family to her, but after the accident, she legally became her sister. And it was all going to end, soon.
"How do we do this exactly?" Shiuli's tear-filled eyes looked at Death.
"I've located a place that can be safe for us for the time being. Once you've packed all your essentials, we will both head to Australia where we will meet Time. He is on our side and is the wisest of us creatures. He will then decide further."
"You mean, this Time is in charge of both of your safety?" Amisha frowned, "How can you be so sure that you can trust him? I mean, when you cannot trust your own mother and brother, how can you trust someone who is a far relative?"
"As I said, Time is wise and he understands that Shiuli is no threat to me or the universe itself. My mother is blinded by her love for me and she is not thinking rationally."
Amisha looked at Shiuli and then Death. They both looked extremely tired and worn out. She knew that if she didn't stop them now, they would continue discussing and not rest. The plan was made and no further discussions were required. It was still late and they had 24 hours more to pack and send them away.
"Guys, I think you two should rest. You both look worn out."
"I'm not human, I don't get tired nor do I require to rest," Death sighed.
"But Shiuli is human," Amisha rolled her eyes, "She still needs rest to function."
"I still need to pack, Amisha… I'm not resting…"
Amisha sighed in annoyance. Health came first no matter what and in this case, Shiuli was emotionally not stable and physically worn out as well. She had to rest, no matter what!
"Listen Shiuli, I don't know when I'll see you next and I'll be worrying about you for the rest of my life now. It is true that Death promised me that he will try to get me to meet you every once in a while, but it is still very hard." Amisha sighed and continued, "Both of you, head to my room and rest! I don't care if one of you isn't human, but if I'm asking you to rest, you'll do so!"
"But…"
"Shut up, Shiuli. I'll pack the rest of your essentials here. You two head to my room! Now!"
"We will do as you say," Death turned to Shiuli, "Let's go. She's right, you need to rest."
Shiuli slowly walked up to Amisha and pulled her into a loving embrace. Tears streamed down both the sister's eyes and Death's heart ached to see his love suffering like this because of him.
"Hey, Death man! No funny business while you are sharing the room! I will kill you otherwise!"
"You cannot kill me, Amisha. But I get what you mean… I won't touch her."
***
Death rested on the floor while Shiuli was sound asleep on Amisha's bed. Even though Death was a creature and didn't require any rest, it felt good to just relax for a while. Since he had met the love of his life, he had started to feel more and more human every day and he loved every bit of it. He loved how she had changed him and made him a one less lonely creature.
Lost in his thoughts, Death heard faint snores from the bed and a smile crept onto his face. He slowly got up and sat down on one edge of the bed. He'd promised Amisha he wouldn't touch Shiuli, so he just awkwardly sat in one corner and stared at her while she slept. It did seem really creepy. Imagine one sleeping and someone else just sitting in one corner and watching. Now imagine that someone being Death himself. But then again, around Shiuli, Death wasn't just a creature of the dead, he was a lover and a protector.
He saw Shiuli mumble something incoherent in her sleep and he slowly moved his ears closer to her face. But then he turned his face slightly and realized how close his own face was to hers. He wasn't touching her yet, but the tip of his nose was just an inch away from hers and his heartbeat quickened. It's so foreign to have my heartbeat like this.
Just as he was about to move away, Shiuli's eyes opened abruptly and he froze. Death's eyes widened like saucers as he realized how weird his position was. But instead of being shocked or creeped out, Shiuli slowly moved forward until the tips of their nose were touching. They stayed like that for a solid ten seconds until Shiuli brought her hands to the back of his head and rested her head on the pillow again. Death's eyes were still wide, but they were no longer looking straight at Shiuli's eyes. They were staring at her lips.
"Kiss me," Shiuli whispered.
Heat covered both their cheeks and breathing became labored. Death's eyes had now relaxed, but his heart still continued its mad beating. Without a second thought, he gave in to what he wanted to do for so long. He kissed her.
As their lips met, it was slow. They were both inexperienced and it was both their first kiss. But the meeting point erupted with tingles. Death had never felt so good in his entire existence and his heart filled with excitement and sheer joy as he moved his lips passionately against hers. They kissed and it felt like time stopped. It felt like they were the only ones that existed in the whole of this universe and that they had no worries at all. All problems, hurt and dread were forgotten and only love and joy made sense at that moment.
Shiuli pulled away slowly and rested her forehead against the man who held her heart. She felt so full at that moment that she didn't want the night to end. She had forgotten about all her worries when they'd kissed and she just wanted her life to be like that.
"I love you." Death closed his eyes, "You are my everything and I will protect you, I promise."
Shiuli smiled lovingly. She pulled him closer to her and he lay down next to her. She cuddled closer to him until her face was pressed against his hard chest. Death encased her in his arms and dug his nose in her hair. Her shampoo smelled like grapefruit and he loved it.
"You know, I don't believe that it should always be the guy who protects the girl. Think about it, in our story you were the damsel in distress." Shiuli loved the warmth his chest provided, "Before me, you were a broken, dark, and brooding man who didn't know what living meant. You just existed. You followed rules and kept yourself locked inside the darkness your brother forced you into. But then I came in like the knight in shining armor and saved your little distressed being."
Death moved a little so he could look at Shiuli. Her beautiful face held a smirk that was teasing him. Death let out a soft laugh and kissed her forehead lovingly.
"That's very true, my love." His eyes shone with admiration, "You're a strong woman and you need no protection from me. But everyone needs support. I will be that, exactly like you've been for me all this while. We will fight whatever this is side by side. I will guard your back while you guard mine, okay?"
"That's more like the boyfriend I want!" She pecked his lips, "We will look out for each other, and so don't just keep crying about how much you need to protect me. I need to protect you too, but do you see me crying about it all the time?"
"Sorry," Death laughed yet again, "I won't "cry" about it again."
"Good boy. Now let me rest… Amisha was right, I need sleep."
With that Shiuli cuddled closer to Death and buried her face in his chest once again. It was so comfortable that in no time, she was sound asleep.
After what seemed like hours, someone knocked on the door. Shiuli woke up from her sleep and tried to get up. Death asked her to rest some more and got up to check who was at the door. When he opened the door, he wasn't expecting Time.
"What the hell?" Death seemed shocked, "What are you doing here?"
"There is no time for acting shocked. We need to leave. NOW."
Time looked very uneasy and he walked in pushing Death aside. His eyes immediately landed on Shiuli who was now sitting on the bed, looking terrified. Time felt bad for barging in when she was resting, but they needed to move quickly for her sake. A sad expression took over his face and he bowed apologetically.
"I'm sorry for barging in like this, Shiuli. But things aren't looking good and we need to leave immediately. I hope Death has informed you about the whole "relocation" thing."
Shiuli frowned and got out of her bed. She knew that the creature standing in front of her was Time. It didn't take a genius to figure out that much. Also, looking at the wisest creature in the universe looking uneasy terrified her even more than before. She knew that listening to him and doing as he says was the wisest thing to do.
"Then we will leave. I trust you." Shiuli added, "However, I need to say goodbye to my sister before leaving."
Death walked up to her, "Let's go to her quick."
The tension was obvious and the uncertainty of the situation was gripping her. But Shiuli knew that as long as she had Death with her, she had the strength to face anything. Her life was about to change yet again since she had met Death, but she loved him and that meant that she'd do anything to be with him.