HELL AND HEAVEN

Chapter VI

Chapter VI

Summer had come early to Twice land Heaven, the Jewel of the East. Spring had passed by quickly. Mina and Chaeyoung were now always seen together, and the residents of heaven no longer looked on the two friends curiously. Of course they still looked, because the two youths were exceeding lovely to behold. The nymphs and besotted mortals still followed Mina  around. But with Mina no longer flirting with them or entertaining them, and Chaeyoung  glaring at them whenever they got too near, Mina's  circle of fans now kept a distance from the two companions.

They were contentedly strolling through the gardens at the edge of the city, with the warm summer sun pouring its rays down upon them and little bluebirds chirped little joyous songs in the trees. The sun's rays seemed to envelope Mina - she had a soft golden glow about her. Chaeyoung kept glancing at Mina , admiring her beauty. She kept getting distracted by the golden glow, and it was difficult to focus on what Mina  was saying. But the last few words from Mina's  mouth caught Chaeyoung's  full attention.

"Pardon? I didn't catch what your last words were, Mina " Chaeyoung  muttered sheepishly.

"Eh, Chaeyoung, you-" Mina  turned to admonish Chaeyoung lightly when the words halted. Mina's  eyes looked at how Chaeyoung  seemed to absorb the sunlight around her, leaving a shimmer of darkness, like a faint wavering shadow at the edges of her lithe body. Mina reached out slowly, fingers trying to touch the shadow. The shadows seemed to dart away from her fingers, like little black fishes.

Chaeyoung peered into Mina's  eyes, puzzled at Mina's  uncharacteristic pause in speech. Her friend was normally so eloquent in conversation. "Mina? Are you all right? Is the sun too hot? We could rest in the shade…" Hearing the note of concern in Chaeyoung's speech, Mina  felt a smile threatening to burst forth uncontrollably on her face. She had been having these odd feelings for the past few months, which tended to intensify whenever Chaeyoung drew near. Like the soft warm feeling in her heart, or the quickening of her heartbeat when she had thoughts of Chaeyoung, and the longing that seemed to eat at her when Chaeyoung was away.

She was lost in the depths of Chaeyoung's light brown irises when the realisation dawned on her. It hit the brunette like a bolt of lighting from Zeus himself, shaking her from top to toe. For a moment her world seemed to come to a standstill.

Chaeyoung… is someone important to me. She is… precious to me. She is… my most precious person.

Mina remained quiet as she revelled at her self-realisation. Chaeyoung gently brought her companion into the shade, seating themselves on the grass. Mina  tore herself away from her thoughts, not wanting to worry Chaeyoung with her silence. She continued her conversation with Chaeyoung. "I was saying- do you know… you share the same name as the Goddess of Death herself? I heard she is beautiful beyond words, but possesses an aura so fearsome and so cold that no gods dare to approach her for her favour."

The dark-haired youth was speechless for a moment, and decided that there was no underlying meaning behind her companion's words. It was another of Mina's random thoughts. She coughed to hide her awkwardness. "Perhaps my parents liked the sounds of the name Chaeyoung. It is not that uncommon a name." Chaeyoung unclasped her cloak and spread it on the yellow-green grass underneath them. The black silk cloak fluttered in the breeze before covering the grass. Mina sat down gracefully on it and Chaeyoung  grinned. "Marvellous things, cloaks are. Very versatile."

Mina  did not stray from her conversation topic. "Uncommon enough. Your parents are certainly… unique to name a child after the Goddess of Death. She is feared by mortal and immortal alike. It is she who gathers the spirits of mortals into Hades and has powers to subdue the strongest Immortals, save the great three- Zeus, Poseidon and her father Hades. Despite her great beauty, all fear to hold her gaze." The brunette spoke of the Goddess of Death in hushed and fearful tones, and Chaeyoung felt a prick of unease at Mina's  expressive description, even though she knew Mina  didn't know she was the immortal spoken of. "Why do they fear her so? It is not as if she would misuse her powers!"