~.♦.~

Kris shouldn't have been so early.
 

He knew it the moment he saw a woman stood up next to the dying person whose soul will be his to reap.
 

"I won't let you touch her." she said fiercely. Eyes glaring, voice cracking.
 

His lips twitched. He swears she could have said it to him only if she knew what he's about to do. But then again, it's not directed at him. Those words are meant for the group of men chasing after them. And he is just peacefully watching them on the surface.
He sighs under his breath. This is why he doesn't like being too early. Well, it's because he badly avoided being late too. After all, it's when the moon is rarely full and shone light like this that some lunatic things often happen.

Lunatic thing like love at first sight. Silly. Kris pushed the thought away. But is it really?

Taking his eyes off from his subject, he stares at the woman once again. She's fair with her rich black hair tied up high into ponytail, wearing black tight suits showcasing her curves in details. He stops on her lips. Kris acknowledged she is beautiful.
 

The assailants drew closer, Kris watched as the girl braced herself. She stands firm, collected, vigilant. Her eyes flares fire, technically wise, she looks tiny and weak and someone who'll definitely lose against those men but her fighting spirit says the exact opposite. Where exactly is the girl drawing her confidence from? Kris find himself wondering. In this midnight where the place is horrifyingly quiet and empty and dark and soiled, hopelessness screams in the background. But despite both of them knowing that no one will help her in this deserted back alley, there is a hint of silver lining in the girls eyes. The opponents pushed for an offense. Only when the girl started to lift her feet that Kris knew she's going to send her opponents to hell. And she did.
 

Her cold enraged eyes started to melt, giving off gentle tears rolling down her cheeks. Kris didn't even realize he was holding his breath. She spins around, fell down on her knees as she took the dying person's hands with her own.

"Unnie..." every letter cracks as she utters her words addressing the unresponsive one lying flatly on the ground. Kris can hardly believe it's the same woman who defeated those men just now. Who acted like a death goddess before seems to be so human right now as she continues to whisper hopeful words towards her unnie. After all those bloody fights, Kris still stayed longer to watch as the girl lifts his subject by her shoulders and leans her unnie's back against the wall of the dark alley.

Too bad. He thought.
It's time.

Silently, he moves like an elegy.
Closer towards those human across him. And when he's finally next to them, Kris bends on one knee. He places his hands on the forehead of the person lying on the ground and takes one look at the girl sitting next to him, the one holding his subject's hand. And for a while he got confused when their eyes locked, when he felt the girl trembled a little. No way she can see him. But could it be she sensed him?

His attention focused again down to his subject. The other girl gasps and closes her eyes as she places her cheeks next to her unnie's hands, as if she also knew it's already time. Right then, Kris started his rite.
 

~.♦.~
 

He steps when the girl took another step. He pauses when the girl halts.
It's already been three nights since he first saw her. Two nights since he has been insomniac thinking about this girl. And this night, unable to fight the urge to see her once more, he did look for her... and ended up following her. 
 

He doesn't even know why he's acting this way. She is a queen of pretense, acting tough when she's actually breaking inside. She's a sly fox appearing indifferent and when she thinks no one can see her already then she'll finally cry.
 

He observes as he walks after her. This time, the girl lets her hair down lying loosely around her shoulders. She wears a plain white dress that stops just above her knees as she strolls ethereally around the town. She moves, rather, gracefully. But again, it's not her beauty that draws him. Beauty alone, he already had enough of those in his world where all of them are beautiful creatures so he isn't to be moved by aesthetics anymore.
 

Now what?
 

This is not his style. He never goes around following some girl---- a human to boot!, like he's some creepy stalker. He never gives a care about a thing, a person, or even a fellow death god. But there is something about this girl that pulls him close and he needs to find it out.

He felt something the very first time they met and it won't go away. No matter what kind of distraction he would play, this girl's image, her face, and when she cried, would haunt in his mind.

"There she is!" he heard a man shouted from behind. Kris noticed the girl tensed in her place with her steps beginning to increase its speed, twice from the previous step until she decided to run.
 

He went after her just as how the men run to chase after her too. She run past through the market place jumping over the tables, sliding under some courses until she reached the woods. She run swiftly without stopping, without looking back, without making any noise. She didn't stop running away even though her enemies gave up on her, even though she's no longer to be found.
 

How dreadful must it had been for her that made her run like this? 
 

He is even scared to see her face right now. Scared to see her crying while running aimlessly.
At one snap, his thoughts were shut into silence by the next scene that followed.
 

The girl accidentally slips off the cliff.


 

~.♦.~

He has golden blond hair and cold dark eyes with a touch of ring in its pupil, the real color is mysterious under those lashes, slicing as he stares. Her hand slides down against his silk black suit. That instant Mikah thought he is the most beautiful person she has ever seen.

For a moment, she felt like they're floating. Seriously. How else could he catch her falling midair and land her unharmed on the ground?
 

"I...rr--" she stammered. She realized she has been holding her breath since she saw him.
 

She let her heart calm down, looking at the man once more as if calculating his moves, his brows haven't yet eased from frowning, he stands with royal composure, moves with certain smoothness, his fair skin glitters under the moon's radiance and most of all his lips has the shape like it hasn't known how to smile for a very long time, for ages, for almost centuries. It wasn't a question if he's dangerous.
 

He took away his hands that were holding her arms. She stepped back in return. Enough space so she can breathe. Gathering all her introspection she asks with the obvious, "What did you do?"
 

He looks like he didn't want to answer, more of he's darn lazy to give a response. She hates him. She hasn't encountered a man so gorgeous she wanted to throw herself at him yet such a bastard she wanted to slash his neck.

With an unforgiving stare he finally says, "Nothing."

His voice. She notes. Is the most dangerous, almost lethal.
 

"No... you did something. You were... flying just a while too."
 

"Oh. Yeah. I did." He answered with a flat tone, Mikah could even mistake it as a joke.
But she knew well enough that this man never jokes.

Did he just admit he can fly?
 

"You can fly? What are you exactly? A fairy price? A vampire? A grim reaper? Some kind of a death god?!"
 

"Soul Reaper."
 

Great. Did I just hear something absurd?

"Eh?"

"You asked me what I am. I'm a soul reaper in simple words." He says it leisurely like he's just discussing the fluctuations of the stock market one Sunday morning.
She narrowed her eyes at him searching a verification on his joke but unsurprisingly, he doesn't look anywhere joking.
 

If it's not a joke, then it's probably a lie. Either that or he is just good at making a poker face. 
"... heh, then why don't you reap mine too?"
 

"I won't reap your soul... I can't..." He answered with full sincerity. Mikah could die in a heartbeat, until he continues, "Your name was not yet on my list."
 

Oh. Of course.
 

What is she thinking?! That this self-proclaimed death god would spare her death due to some electrifying connection she felt with him assuming he felt the same thing towards her?
It has to be with a logical reason like that.

She won't die. She won't let her be killed by this man.
 

But her expression was probably betrayed her. The said reaper is obviously amused. His eyes gave a different light as if it was sparked by something beyond amusing. Uh-oh, was that a fledgling smile forming on the corners of his mouth?
 

Indeed.
He smirks at her.

What should she do? This isn't how she pictured out love at first sight.
 

"What are you thinking?" He asks as if reading her thoughts. And my, the smirk promising to last longer.
 

"I... none. What are you doing?"
 

"I don't know. I'm thinking about it too. Way back when I was still following you."
 

Oh.
 

Oh my.
 

Did gorgeous man just say he was following me?
For a second, her mind had a debate on whether to consider it as sweet or to think of it as creepy. Sweet.
"Creepy."
 

Why she didn't feel alarmed that he is probably one of the pursuers running after her life is a mystery to her. After her unnie died the night they escaped from the Dark Industries Laboratory, she was unsure where to go from that point. She considered ending her life too but it would always flash in her mind--- the reason she and her unnie were running that night. They were running to live. They were fighting in order to get back their lives that the Laboratory has stolen from them. So she would honor it with all her might. She won't let her unnie's fight go to waste. She would be the master in her own life and she won't let anyone try to hurt her again. She will continue to live for her unnie. And looking back to this encounter, sure this man is oozing with danger but she's not a bit scared of him. She knew he won't do anything to harmful her.

There is warmth behind those deep dark eyes.

His eyes. Again. She wanted to know its color.
Back when she was falling, she thought she saw his eyes glow crimson for a split second.
 

"Is what you said true?"
 

"Huh?"
 

"That you are a reaper..."
 

"Yeah."
 

Mikah stepped closer. When she lifts her hand to reach for his face, he jolted in place. From his jaw, her fingers trailed up to touch the corner of his eye. She's about to tip her feet to meet his eyes with her own but Kris reluctantly pulled away.
 

"You're right. This is seriously creepy. I must be out of my mind." Kris mumbled.
 

"Yeah, me too."
 

"Well, I hate to break this to you honey but I need to go now before this gets out of hand."
 

"Do.not.call.me.honey."
 

"Honey, why?"
 

"Mikah."
 

"I see... you're Mikah." he utters her name like he owns it already breathing every letters under his deep smoky voice.
 

"And you are?"
 

"Kris."
 

He answered and immediately pulled her close, pressing his lips against her softly until his name escapes from , "Kris..."
 

~.♦.~

Since then, Mikah coincidentally meets Kris just in time she misses him. She misses him the moment they part ways. Kris is on the same dilemma, he finds himself missing Mikah like crazy when he's not with her. They can't resist the urge to meet each other. There are even times when Mikah is in danger that Kris is shockingly just there to save her, but even all those coincidences, the thought of Kris' true nature didn't cross Mikah's mind.
 

Kris, too, didn't push the thought on her He suddenly felt like he didn't have to really tell her about it. He doesn't want her to know. She doesn't need to know. Afraid that when Mikah learned the truth, she'll say away from him. The least thing he need to happen is to make Mikah scared of him.

There would be nights when they would be so close but neither of them tried to cross the invisible line they created between them. It's too risky. Too dangerous. Too scary. Mikah can't afford to consider another person into her someone-she-can't-live-without list. She's scared of what will become of her if she gets too close and eventually they'll need to part. Kris knows there is no chance for them to be together. They don't belong in the same world. He is night. She is day. He is darkness. She is light. He can't imagine the thought of inevitably hurting the girl one day. He is immortal without a beating heart. She is mortal with a beating heart. And he knows her soul would be immortal in his mind.

So she kept the words she wanted to say. He pushes the things he wanted to take. They suppress the emotions they wanted to show though they can never fight the feelings wanting to grow.

Until another one full moon night when Kris is in the middle of reaping another dying's soul. He was utterly shocked when he saw Mikah subtly standing just a few steps across him. Thinking no one is around, he didn't bother to make himself invisible that time. Basically, he's caught in the act.

He made his scythe vanished in the air as he locked his eyes with her. She looked speechless, indifferent, and millions of questions caught inside. She is literally trembling in her knees.

This has finally come. He thought.

He swallowed and he tears away his gaze. He pivots one foot away.

Mikah never saw this happening. Not while she was just roaming around down town after losing the group chasing after her. Not while she thought she saw Kris' silhouette pass along this dark alley. Not while she was just making sure she's not seeing things.

But all of this is real. Her initial impression of Kris as being dangerous creature is for real. But what scared her the most is when she saw Kris took a step away from her as if he'll never show himself at her anymore for forever. She can't imagine a world without him anymore. With that, she rushes towards him and grabs him by his arm to spin him facing her.
 

"You.. you're not lying back then... about the reaping... about souls..." she asked the moment Kris held his gaze at her once more.
 

"Yeah. I'm a broken soul, you know. Someone you need to stay away from. I can never be fixed in any way."
 

"No one is going you fix you. You don't need to be fixed. You're not broken."
 

His eyes widen. How come she knew exactly what he wanted to hear? Because it's her.

"And in case you're overthinking about it, I'm not scared of you. Well, I am but not because of what you think you are; but because of the thought that you might run away from me. I don't know what to do if I never get to see you again. Those are the worries about you that I have in mind." she added.

He sighs and smiled as he runs his long elegant fingers through his hair. He shifted to properly face Mikah and say,
"Wo shi huan ni."
 

"Huh?"
 

"I told you before that I'm from a Chinese household."
 

"Oh. Tell me more..."
 

"Wo ai ni." He leans closer and whisper next to her ears.
 

"What does that mean?"
 

"Not telling." She felt his smirk against her skin.
 

"Hey!"
 

"I'll just show you what it means instead."
 

He bends lower and kisses her.

Like he never thought he could be fine of having nothing at all just to have the universe permit him to reach for this girl he feels the most precious of all.

Like she never thought she could be fine of being hurt and all just to have the universe protect this man she feels the most warmth.

~.♦.~

big thanks for reading until the end. please let me know what you think ^^ and of course lots of hugs and kisses to you lovely people xoxo

ps credits to the real owners of the images used in this fic. i never owned them ^^

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