The God of Life

The winds danced like poisoned thorns on his skin. His breaths, unsteady and quivering from the deathly cold of winters. His room looked no more than a box, the walls packed too closely. Only a window to let the moonlight in. There weren't many belongings scattered around in mere haste. Tattered books kept aside in a corner, the tools sat in a smaller wooden box which he used for this work at the iron mill. A thin rug made of coarse wool was wrapped around his body as he huddled against the wall to protect himself from the biting cold.

The tips of his nose and fingers had turned pink out of the frostbite, his lips chapped and dry as sand, his raven hair textured like dry weeds as he laid in one of most under-privileged category in the society, that was the labourers. Blowing over his hands for warmth was all he could assure himself with till morning arose. This was one of the 'normal' nights spent by people like him. The walls of his home had several holes in them, which he had mended temporarily with bundled up grass and moss. 

His thin, pink lips quivering out of cold, he couldn't feel the tips of the fingers for a moment or two before he rubbed them together for warmth. "I...I should do..something...I..can't die and rot here forever..."

With the last ounce of determination left in his body, he pulled himself up. The frail composure made him limp for a moment before he pulled himself together, the rug wrapped tightly around himself.Maybe...maybe he could find something to eat in town...even a cup of warm water would feel as heavenly for him right then.

...

What an atrocious luck. Not only was he thrown out of the pub but he was drenched too of the pungent drink that was thrown on him by the owner. He just wanted a cup of warm water...Why this indifference...He didn't even touch anybody...Limp...limp..limp..He could see his end approach soon as his steps took him to the edge of the town, crossing the borders into the black woods.The moon was peeking from behind the clouds to light his path faintly. The blizzard was growing stronger than before as he pulled his rug tighter against his torso. He didn't know how much time it had been as he had walked. He was somewhere he had never been before. His vision was growing fainter and fainter when something caught his eye.Was it a tree?...a person?...no...He walked closer, the moonlight rose from behind the clouds to let him have enough light to see.The unnamed path had brought him somewhere where common man didn't tread. It was the beast zone. He walked closer and closer, it looked more like a person standing still.Why wasn't the person moving?...and why was he there in the first place in the middle of nowhere?...was he someone like him?...Forgotten and trampled?...

He stood right before the person, watching closely.Oh..it was a statue. Not a person. The cold had made him think otherwise. The Hetero-chromatic eyes of crimson-azure dwindled at the beauty before him. What a sculpture...It felt so lively but why in the middle of the woods.His curiosity and hunger was making his thoughts blunt by the moment as he started talking to the statue even,

"How heavenly you are. I might not be the only one likely person to witness your beauty...but I'm blessed that I could see such an unearthly beauty before I leave his world..."His bare hand, reached out to take a hold of the statue's face for the last time, he broke into a cry but no tears fell as they had dried up years before.

...How long has it been since he breathed? How long has it been for him to feel the pain of a mortal? He couldn't remember. Akemi. Akemi was his name. Long forgotten among the humans, the god of life. Once walked among them all, healing, creating. He breathed. He felt. He hurt. But now it had been too long. His body was stiff, his mind was trapped in an empty hole. He saw no life, he saw no death. All because of one stupid thing he did, one thing he knew not to do, but did it anyway. He brought her back. He made her breathe again. But it was all for nothing. To be trapped in a hole, a prison of his mind and body was his punishment. A punishment so cruel that the deed seemed more trouble then it was worth. Akemi missed humans, their liveliness, their petty endeavors, their feelings being mixed up in a pot and thrown around at any given moment. Yes...he missed that dearly. 

But on one cold night, he felt. He felt someone touch him. Akemi felt the stone-like skin crumble away from him, while his body shot out a bright light. This was it...he was alive. He took in a deep breath after falling to his knees in the snow, feeling the sharpness of the cold air. Grasping the snow underneath him to feel the bitter coldness. The curse was lifted. Moving his eyes up he saw a man in front of him, one of the most beautiful he could've ever seen...or remember. He looked almost dead, decaying. Akemi's eyes shot open, quickly wrapping hid arms around the males head and pulling his face into his chest, allowing his warmth to spread to the almost-dead human. Holding onto the human tightly, he slowly started to chant in an ancient language that sounded rustic. Just then, tears started to spout out if the ground, lifting them high up into the air while wrapping them in a transparent shield. Creating a thick barrier between them and the elements, all while keeping them dry and warm.

He was either dreaming or already dead as he saw a statue come to life by itself. He was frozen perplexed at the miracle and was praying in his mind that death had come to him sooner than he thought and painless too.The statue turned into a man with clothes that glowed so softly upon the white snow. The man's hair was just as snowy white with the same enchanting face of the statue. Their eyes met for a split second, he was bound speechless as he took a step back from the man.

...?!It happened to quickly that he didn't have the time to react as he felt the warmth embrace around him. The warmth...felt addicting amongst the chilling blizzard as the he couldn't feel the chilly winds anymore on his skin. He didn't flinch, nor moved a muscle as he felt this dream might break too soon as he held onto the man's back as he was kneeling before him. He could feel the heartbeat of the other, beating slightly faster than usual, the body scent felt strangely alluring as he breathed in softly. 

"Are you...my death angel?"He asked in a whisper as he pulled his gaze upwards, looking up at the man."Are you?..."

Akemi let out a soft sigh, pulling off his kimono. Allowing his upper body to be exposed while his lower half was still covered by some sort of pants that blended in seamlessly with his kimono to begin with. Wrapping it around the human, he knelt on his last two limbs. Grabbing the human's hands and planting them on his chest, made him gasp softly from the sheer coldness off his touch. 

Pulling his head in again to tuck it underneath his neck, gently rubbing his back as he held him. Chuckling at his words, he shook his head. "I'm actually the opposite of death. I used to be a god of life, then I was cursed. You...you lifted the curse." He spoke softly into the human's ear, holding onto him gently before huffing a bit. "Gods above I've missed humans...I missed feeling...everything. Thank for setting me free, human."

His eyes still half-closed, he felt something soft pressed against his hands. So warm...He was pulled into an embrace as he clung onto the other's shoulders out of physical weakness. It was the first time in such a long time that he felt someone's touch, as being to the untouchable category, no one dared to even touch him as if he was impure."God of life.."He breathed in slower as he heard the words, a tingle running down his body as he felt the other's breath brush against his ear. He was so close to him...No one had talked to him in such a kind tone, it was such a rare occasion that he felt his heart might burst...The other was so close to him, it made him feel strange. A pink hue rising from his cheeks to the ears upon the shell white skin. His hands were still clung upon the other's shoulders, his grip tightening a little as he pulled himself away from the man, looking down. 

"I...don't deserve your kindness, whoever you are. I don't even fall as someone who could be given a cup of water to quench his thirst...I'm...I'm grateful for your words but I.. don't deserve them..."He said in a whisper, facing down on the ground, his hands pressed on his own folded thighs. He didn't want to meet the other's gaze...it made him feel uneasy, strange...

Being shocked by the male's behavior he sighed, gently making his hand into a fist, letting his fall down gently to slightly caress the male's head. Moving his hands forward to gently place his hands on the others, pulling them up to his chest again and smiling at him. 

"Dont be stupid, everything deserves kindness. Everything deserves a life to live and someone to love. So stop feeling so bad for yourself and let me help."He said with a stern yet kind tone, chuckling a bit before sitting down on his bottom. Grabbing the male's shoulder and pulling him over himself, laying underneath him before reaching up and grabbing him to pull him down onto his body. 

"Let me help you. I'll be with you until your end, even till your afterlife."