The two were now left alone staring at each other. Neither of them uttered à word. They were attracting some attention and Noa was starting to feel uncomfortable. Sensing her discomfort, Shijin reached out and touched her shoulder. Immediately the two were brought to the shadow planes. 

Nao looked around alarmed. The place she was in was an expanse of shifting darkness, surrounded by black mist that obscured the horizon and ghostly threads of dark energy weaving through the air. The ground was a mix of polished black stone and scorched earth, interrupted by jagged obsidian formations. The sky was a tumultuous blend of grays and purples, occasionally crackles with ghostly energy. The air was thick with silence giving it à solemn and eerie atmosphere. 

Shijin stood before her in his godly form giving the vision she was seeing before her look otherworldly. She couldn't help but find the man standing there beautiful and it angered her how captivating he looked. 

His hand that was still on her shoulder left à burning sensation making her feel uncomfortable. She swiftly smacked his hand away, as she stepped back glaring at him. 

Shijin looked down at her, his face tense as his gold eyes clouded with emotion. 

"Why did you bring me here?" 

"…There were too many prying eyes. We can have a better conversation here." He said. 

Noa scoffed. "Now you want to talk?" 

"…" 

"Where the hell have you been?" 

"Well definitely not there." He joked. 

"Wow so the god of death got jokes now huh?" She said sarcastically. 

"Seriously, why haven't I seen or heard from you until now? Do you know how worried I was?" She yelled, her voice breaking down with emotion. 

Shijin's face tensed up again as he saw the look of hurt and betrayal on her face. 

"…I needed some time to think." He said in à low voice. 

"Time to think? Why did it have to take you two whole weeks to think?" She asked incredulously. 

"You could not possibly understand." 

"Then enlighten me. I thought we were supposed to be in this together Death. If there's something bothering you, especially if it's concerning me, you have to let me know." 

"…" 

"Were you able to break the bond? Is that why you left?" 

"No, I am still unable to break the bond." 

"Then why?" She asked, now raising her voice.

"Damn human, you are insufferable! I already told you the reason!" He exclaimed. 

"What? When?! All you've been doing is avoiding the question. What kind of god are you if you can't even answer a simple question?" 

"There's another method, okay! I left because I found out there was another method." 

Noa stumbled back. "W-What? There was another way? I thought you said there was only one method?

Shijin sighed. "Yes I thought so as well but Baku informed me of another way and that method is…" 

"What is it?" 

"..Love.." He mumbled. 

"What was that?" 

"Love! I have to fall in love with you in order to break the bond." 

Realization took over Noa's face. "Is that why you left? You were avoiding me?"

"..." 

"I see." Noa was shocked by this piece of information. It was understandable why he avoided her since he would've had to tell her the second option. 

Or maybe he wanted to put some distance because he wanted to avoid any chance of falling in love with me…


Noa felt an intense ache in her chest when she understood Shijin's intention by leaving. The person she  longed for didn't share her feelings. The sting of rejection was sharp, but as she processed the pain, another truth emerged: she had been in love with Shijin all along. The realization hit her with both a rush of relief and deeper heartache. It was as if her feelings had been cloaked in confusion, and now, with the clarity of her heart laid bare, she faced the truth of her emotions.

Shijin, on the other hand, was grappling with a turmoil of his own. He was tormented by the possibility of falling for Noa, despite knowing that a god and a human shouldn't be entwined in love. The notion was both forbidden and fraught with complications. His heart, however, betrayed him. The jealousy and frustration he felt when he saw Noa with another man were undeniable signs of his own unacknowledged love.

As they stood there, confronting the turmoil within them, the ring on Noa's finger began to glow with an otherworldly light. Its brilliance grew, casting an ethereal glow over both of them. The ring lifted from her finger, circling around them like a comet, before settling back onto Shijin's. The light dimmed, and the bond between them was visibly severed, leaving both Noa and Shijin in a state of bewildered confusion.

"What just happened?" Noa asked, still in shock by what she had just witnessed. 

"The bond between us broke since the Ring of Life is now in my possession." He said as he stared at the ring that was back on his finger. 

"Yeah obviously I can see that but why? I-It's not like you're in love with me."

"I guess the ring was aware of my feelings before I was." He said to himself. Shijin then turned to face Noa, his eyes never leaving her.  

He stared at her with so much intensity, that Noa could feel her cheeks heating up. Though she was extremely embarrassed and wanted nothing more but to run away, she still wanted to face the man before her. 

Shijin reached down and gently caressed her cheek as he gazed into her eyes, looking at her as if she was the most precious jewel. Though he still felt confused and conflicted, he couldn't deny his feelings anymore, not when they had been laid out right in front of him. 

He needed to face the facts, he was in love with a human. He was in love with Noa. 

"Though I already know the answer, I still want to ask. What is your surname?"

Noa looked up at him in confusion wondering why he was asking her this now but she still answered him. "Shields. Noa Shields." 

"To the human known as Noa Shields, I have one thing to say. I Shijin, god of death, am in love with you," 

Noa's breath hitched as Shijin continued. "I have always believed that as a god who brought death, I was incapable of feeling love. I thought love was an emotion that only humans were allowed to feel and so when I found out that in order to break the bond I needed to fall in love with you, I went into a state of panic. I acted like a coward and ran away instead of facing things head on. I am a disgrace of a god but I now realize why I ran away. It is because a part of me already knew that I liked you Noa. I knew and so I disappeared in order to ensure my feelings for you would not grow stronger." Now both of his hands cupped Noa's face as he brought her closer to him. 

"I now realize how foolish I was. Instead of keeping a distance from you, I watched you from afar. I watched your interactions with others, I watched you laugh and smile and live your life without having me by your side. And although I was glad to see you look so happy, a part of me resented you for being able to live your life happily without me. I wanted more than anything to run to you but I held myself back because I believed our love was destined to fail. I started to regret having met you because had I not, I would not be in such a complicated situation." 

Shijin paused as he brushed the hair on Noa's face. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. Noa's heart swelled as she took in the surprising warmth of his lips and his intoxicating scent. 

He let out a low laugh "That is why love is such a scary thing. You cannot help who you will end up falling in love with. I cannot believe I am now remembering that god of love's words now." 

Noa was taken aback by Shijin's confession; she had to pinch herself in order to make sure this wasn't an illusion. Was Shijin really admitting all of this to her? The same god who acted all high and mighty, refusing to even acknowledge her was now telling her he was in love with her? 

Shijin's hands moved to her waist as he brought Noa closer to him. "Your answer?" 

"D-Death I—" 

"Shijin. You can call me Shijin." He said. This statement was all it took for Noa to break down in happiness. For the first time in a while, Noa was ready to accept another person in her life. 

"I love you too." She said, Her words carried every emotion she had locked inside. Her trust, loyalty, patience, forgiveness, fears, anxiety and loss could be felt through those four words.

Shijin smiled as he leaned down, planting his lips on top of hers. Shijin's lips met Noa's, soft yet firm. As he moved his lips against hers, Noa found herself letting go of her defenses, completely surrendering herself to him. 
She was no longer in control of her body and although she was still hesitant, she allowed herself to be immersed in the moment. All thoughts left her mind, all she could focus on was the intoxicating feeling of his lips against her own. 

Time seemed to slow and it felt as though they were stuck in their own little world. Shijin breathed slowly, savoring the taste of her lips, craving and wanting more of her. Noa, still hesitant, tried her best to match his pace. A smile formed on his lips as he deepened the kiss. She could feel a jolt of electricity course through her body causing her to shiver. She felt immense pleasure feeling the warmth of his lips. 

After a few moments he pulled away as she caught her breath. Looking up at him, she could see his golden iris turn dark with desire causing her to tremble slightly. As he leaned down to kiss her again, they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat. 

The two turned around and saw Baku standing there with his arms crossed as he watched the scene unfold before him. Noa's face turned a dark shade of scarlet as she realized that they had been seen, and Shijin's eyes turned dark as he glared at Baku. Normally his glare would've scared Baku but he didn't have the time to be afraid. 

"Apologies master but I am afraid things have become urgent upstairs." He said, referring to the spiritual realm. 

Seeing the grave expression on Baku's face, Shijin could guess the transfer ceremony was starting soon and he was nowhere in sight. 

He sighed as he nodded his head. He then turned to face Noa, his previous tense face now softened. 

"I am sorry to have to do this but Iooks like I will have to head back." He said with a dejected look. 

Noa was a little upset but she knew that it was his duty to head back. He was a god after all. 

She grabbed his hand giving it a gentle squeeze as she looked into his eyes. "It's fine. You go do what you gotta do. I'll wait for you here." She said. 

"Are you sure? Although it would only be a few weeks up there, down here you would have to wait at least a year." He said. 

Noa shook her head. "I waited for you for the past two weeks, Shijin. What's a few more?" 

Shijin smiled at her, extremely thankful that the person he had fallen in love with was Noa. He planted another kiss on her lips before embracing her one last time. 

"Wait for me. I will be back." He said before transporting her back to her apartment. 

Noa was left in her apartment all alone but she didn't feel anxious this time. She knew that Shijin would come back for her and she was willing to wait as long as possible to see the love of her life again. 

"Are you sure it was okay to leave things like that master?" Baku asked him as they traveled through the shadows. 

"I am sure. If I had stayed there any longer, I am not sure I would have wanted to leave." He said. 

"I trust that she will wait for me just like she trusts I will come back." 

Baku looked at his master and couldn't believe his eyes. He smiled warmly as he thought of the human he had left behind. Not once had he seen such a genuine smile on his face and Baku couldn't help but feel moved. 

Good for you master. You finally found someone to love. 

The End.