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He told himself that he doesn't care when he comes or goes.
Shaka taught him how to make green tea, but Mu can't always distinguish the spices and the taste of his tea is a bit strange. Shaka taught Mu how to swim but he prefers to float. He jumps naked into the river and suddenly comes out from under the afloat leaves, throw some water poppies on Shaka, and swims away.
People have never seen Mu there, and for them, his hair color is even more eccentric than Shaka's, so they watch his every step from a distance, terrified. Shaka realizes that (probably) because Mu grew up in the Himalayas taking care of himself, his body is very athletic and his posture is beautiful. His arms and waist vibrate in the water, and when he comes out of the river, all the bulging muscles are covered with white poppy petals.
The sun reflects the dazzling light on the waves of the water, and again, Mu stretches his torso out of the water with the expression of a mischievous child and rests his head on Shaka's legs. The cold drops get instantly warm to the touch. Mu is smiling, his lavender eyes are full of undisguised desire and he violently pulls Shaka's legs.
They fall into the river together, Mu takes Shaka's grumpy mouth as soon as he starts complaining. The water smells of grass, and from the bottom of the river, it is impossible to tell when the white flowers end and when the clear skies begin.
At the sanctuary, there are no chances of seeing Mu like this, either in the first temple or in bed. At the sanctuary, there are no chances of seeing Shaka like this either. At the sanctuary, they are not like this. The sanctuary is full of rapid glances, fleeting words, and accidental touches that can barely be hidden.
Most of the time, Mu has a strong scent on his body, like forge's ashes and Jamir's tower curtains that never see the sun.
From a young age, Shaka understood that all living beings are equal. However, from a selfish point of view, he feels more empathy for human pain, as humans have a tendency to feel lonely. This is (probably) the reason why Saga always accompanied him like a shadow in the sanctuary.
For Shaka, Mu is unlike any other human being. But when they are together, they eat and make love, like everyone else. They sometimes argue too. They prepare tomato salad and listen to Indian music. They laugh easily so it's effortless to pretend they're normal people and regular adults. Maybe that's why in this life, as they fight for their own destiny, those small gaps (won at the cost of blood and brutality) are so precious.
Mu has repeatedly appeared in Shaka's life. And Shaka always paid more attention to him than others.
“What are you thinking about right now?” Mu asks, sprinkling kisses over Shaka's shoulders and taking him away from these thoughts. The white petals are still glued to their bare skin.
Shaka steals a kiss from Mu's lips but doesn't answer. He returns the question "What are you thinking about right now?"
“That you never got along very well with anyone at the sanctuary, and now here we are. Why me?"
Shaka laughs but doesn't answer and returns the question “You always got along very well with everyone at the sanctuary, and now here we are. Why me?"
Mu laughs and again they kiss "You are unbearable."
Shaka encircles Mu's arms around his body and rests his head comfortably in Mu's chest.
"We are a perfect match. Never believe anything else."
And then, finally, suddenly, that fateful day arrived: Shaka began to look forward to Mu's arrival and hate his departure.
Now he has to learn how to live with this attachment.
❀
In India, the children play barefoot in the streets and the women dress themselves with a piece of cloth. Cows roam around freely and animals emerge from the sugar cane fields. A lot of people are dark-skinned and haired there. They tan in the sun and jump into the river like fishes. The trees by the river are strong-rooted and even their shade is beautiful. Northwest India is relatively close to the Himalayas, and yet, it is a whole other world for Mu.
Shaka told Mu that the trees are also spiritual and have a voice of their own. They often observe the hundreds of birds hidden in them. According to Shaka, the trees in his small courtyard, bloom all year round, Mu thinks it's due to the radiation of Shaka's cosmos. The white flowers' petals fill the sky like foam. Mu never knows what flower emits the summer perfume of Shaka's skin, because there are water lilies, poppies, and lotuses in full bloom throughout all seasons.
It took only one night there for Mu to understand why Shaka always rushes back to India instead of staying in the Temple of the Maiden.
Shaka cooks for them every day, they like to enjoy the afternoon close to the perennial flowers, and during the night, they light shisha and drink homemade wine until they are half-drunk.
Sometimes, Mu thinks that life should be like this, but he knows they won't live long. He dreams about it constantly, and so does Shaka. But Shaka tells him to not be obsessed with it.
Suddenly, Mu wakes up from one dream and falls into another. His mind is not blank anymore and his eyesight focuses again.
Shaka is still there, the wet water plants are sliding through his chest, his skin under the shadows of the trees is golden and shiny, and his blond hair is spread on the brown ground like peacock feathers. He is lying on his back with his eyes closed, and his naked body stretches lazily.
There are still traces of the love they just made between his legs, which reminds Mu of what happened just a moment ago. It's their secret Mass and sweet consecration. The sensorial memories of their bodies rubbing and their voices failing, their brain going deep into ecstasy flooded in an instant.
For Mu, it is pure beauty, something extraordinary, and for Shaka this experience is magical. For both, it’s love and it's eternal.
Mu thinks this is completely different from the pleasure Saga talked about, this is not a pleasure for power and conquest.
Shaka thinks this pleasure can make the two opposites in his body, human and divine, yield to Mu.
Mu stares at Shaka and his sleeping face is peaceful. The rivers have stopped flowing, the insects are silent, and time has stood still. Shaka says that time is an illusion they cannot control. And for Mu, everything is like a gap, and time is like sand between his fingers, it goes so fast that it makes him despair.
Tick Tack and everything passes in an instant and they can never go back.
❀
Epilogue
That night, the nocturne sky in the sala's garden cleared up after the rain. Shaka was just gone and the sanctuary was ruined. Mu had blood on his hands. He was tired, so he closed his eyes ready to face death, but suddenly he remembered the river and the white poppies reaching the clouds.