Whipping Girl

Chapter 21: Never Another Like This

We make it home in barely a few breaths. Death looking close to being about ready to smack the life out of me.

"You ruined the moment!" She bellowed.

"What moment?" Xiang asks from behind us. His hand quickly behind my waist holding me in place to face Death.

Her face turns a light shade of pink.

She whispers, "Family bonding."

Xiang waves her to the house saying nothing, but not disagreeing either. Like he knew something. I too stay silent but for a different reason. The art, family had a different meaning to her. Instead I shoot her a heart symbol with my hand from behind.

When I hear a small chortle I know she saw it. 

"Have you had enough of this suffering outside?" Xiang comments. 

I turn my gaze up into his expecting a glare of sorts or maybe a whisper of the time that passed which I had left him in his rage but like last time all I was met with was the look of the future. We stepped inside together. 

I questioned, "Are you not mad with how I left things?"

"Time brings reflection... I overreacted."

I let go of him. 

Spitting, "You pity me."

"Your successful killing of the intruder has no bearing on the truth." He responds. His voice calmer but stiff as he followed my steps going toward the kitchen where Death was. My ears burned with a tinge of painful heat at him reminding me more in depth on what I'd done. Images of the body playing over and over again in my head once more until a memory of one of Death's drawings suddenly took its place. The rabbit. It calms me. 

We reach the kitchen and I turn back to him. Death is already listening in on us. My thoughts suddenly wander back to why I'd had us run here so fast.

I try to sum up my feelings quickly to stop another fight.

"My emotions are a bit of a whirlwind right now Xiang. I'm actually happy to see you. I was and am a bit defensive. Hopefully our flaws will work better in the future." 

At hearing my words he grabs my hand nodding.

Death rebutts, "Or you'll work around them," shoving some food into her mouth that she'd already located. I nod at her, interlacing my hand in Xiang's for a quick second before walking over and stealing some of the food. It's one of the gentle earth fruits. Golden in color and tangy. Coveted in Devaleon because it can't grow there. 

As I'm about to place it in my mouth it get's snatched from above me by Xiang. His obsidian wrists beautifully contrasting the warm bluish brown of his palms giving away exactly that it was him. 

Outside the night is still hiding the sun, but the moon lights through the window perfectly. Giving me just enough sight to be able to catch the movement of him getting behind Death to steal more directly from the source. 

He grabs some. She grumbles. 

Xiang throws a piece my way. 

I give him a small smile and catch it. We play around like this for who knows how much time. As if this could be the most entertaining thing of our night. 

Sleep surely wasn't.