Between Hell & Heaven

A/N: This was partially inspired by Gravity's poetry, To Love A Killer (check it out if you haven't, it's awesome), and the male character revolves around one of my favourite gaming characters so they may have similarities. It's a little long...yes, maybe a bit rushed. I hope you'll enjoy reading, anyway :)

P.S. I had no idea for the title.

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Sindell had been asleep—a sleep that felt as though it had consumed hours. Though it was a dreamless sleep, it was still pleasurable to be drawn into the carefree, smug feeling that came with the enchanting drowsiness. Rarely did she receive this kind of rest, not for the last three months at least, but when she did, Sindell rejoiced the feeling and detested anything that was to arouse her from such a slumber.

This time, however, she was unsure what had awakened her. Perhaps it was the soothing heat of the sun’s rays, which felt similar to being wrapped in a warm towel recently brought out of the dryers. Or, maybe, it was the familiar, prickly feeling of grass against her delicate skin. It could even be the melodious song that the birds were chirping, or the sound of rustling trees as a result from the blowing wind.

Her eyes flew open, but immediately squinted at the glaring sunlight, and she raised an arm to shield her face. Without hesitation, Sindell sat up and looked around in an effort to identify where she was.

Sunlight was seeping through the thick branches and leaves of the many trees, which formed together like a canopy above her head, creating patches of sunlight scattered about the green grass. Birds were hidden somewhere high in the trees, chirping a beautiful song in harmony that filled Sindell with peace, nostalgia and discomfort at the same time.

For some reason, she was draped in an elegant, white dress, but was left barefoot. The golden ring on her right hand glinted in the bright sun, whereas the golden foot-bracelet still wrapped loosely around her ankle.

Finally, Sindell built the courage to rise to her feet. She stumbled a bit upon standing, but recovered, and took a few moments to accustom herself to the feel of grass between her toes. Then, she made her way to the small opening between the trees ahead of her, stepping out of the shelter that the trees offered, and into the open field she had yet to explore.

The wind blew strongly as she stumbled out into the open, pushing her dark fringe onto her face and raising her long dress into the air. Sindell tucked away a lock of hair behind her ear and examined the area—slowly widening her eyes with every detail she identified.

To her left was a vast, grassy land, of which at the end only led to another forest. The growing grass swayed in harmony with the breeze, producing a lovely rustling sound in the process, and a small lake was in the middle of the field, blue in colour and shimmering beautifully underneath the sun.

There was a stone path which led from the field to the area adjacent to it. It continued to Sindell’s right side, where it proceeded up a hill. On the top of this hill was a two-storey, modern-looking home, crafted of wood, glass and concrete, strategically placed near the downhill slant so one could admire the breath-taking view from the balcony.

Surrounding this comfortable domain were mountains, and basically just forests as far as the eye could see. The location was a paradise; a romantic getaway which beheld a stunning view, surrounded in undisturbed nature that was still pure in all its beauty. It appeared inaccessible from the outside, unless if brought in by a helicopter.

“Oh…this place…” Sindell murmured, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. She took a few steps forward, looking up at the house. “It’s so familiar…”

‘How did I end up here? What date is it? Why am I here?’ she asked herself desperately.

Her lips were trembling and she felt weak in the knees.

No, she was in Ukraine. Yes, Ukraine—she had manipulated some people as to gain access to the base of an organization. And she remembered looking for him, and how desperately she searched for her husband, Valentin; the man she loved and devoted her life to, the man who disappeared from her life three months ago.

She was well-aware that her husband was an international criminal. She knew that he needed to stay under the radar—but Valentin never left her. He never would, for she knew he loved her. Despite being a ruthless criminal without a conscience, he was different around her, and her only.

Her sisters said that Valentin had abandoned her, but Sindell never believed them. She was determined to find out what happened to her husband, what happened after he dropped her off at her family’s home, why he failed to call her the following week.

And why he didn’t come to pick her up for their anniversary.

Perhaps it was only last night that Sindell sneaked into the base in search of information for her husband’s whereabouts. It was a mere few hours ago that she was in Ukraine, but this location was in Russia, Valentin’s home country. She did not recall coming here…

“Sindell?”

She froze. That voice was one she would recognize from anywhere.

Slowly, Sindell turned around, only to receive what felt like a heart attack when she found Valentin standing a small distance away from her. Her shoulders dropped, the discomforting tenseness faded from her body and relief washed over her, though it did not show on her face.

“Valentin?” she spoke, wincing at her voice’s cracked tone.

Her husband’s expression of caution vanished. “It really is you.”

Sindell’s lips broke into a grin. Without hesitance, she rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around him, trapping him in a tight embarace, burying her face in his shoulder. She felt like melting into his arms when he returned the hug—and he hugged her back with zeal—and she nearly broke into tears at the immense ecstasy and relief which pervaded her frame.

They broke off the embrace, and Sindell put a hand on his cheek, smiling brightly. His dark hair was still trimmed and uncombed, the slight bristle on his jaw pricked gently at her skin, his fair complexion seemed to glow underneath the sun, his lips were curved into that gentle, rare smile, and his eyes…

How she missed gazing into those eyes. His left eye was blue, whereas the other was green, due to the rare Heterochromia Iridium disease. They were so beautiful. It was his eyes that drew her to him in the first place.

Valentin tilted his head into her hand, putting his hand on hers in the process. “You look so beautiful.”

His thick Russian accent sent tingles down her spine and caused her to giggle. She missed hearing him speak, as well, in his unique accent and deep voice, which was as smooth and rich as velvet.

“Where have you been?” she asked, frowning slightly in concern. “You didn’t call, or write, or show up for our anniversary…you just disappeared…”

Valentin also frowned. “That’s a long story. First, do you remember what happened before you woke up?”

Sindell nodded. “I was in Ukraine, looking for you. Nobody from the organization would tell me where you were.”

There was some silence. She looked at him inquiringly, and when Valentin realized that was all she could remember, he sighed and took her hands into his. His eyes flickered with some kind of sadness and his expression was grave, causing the discomfort to return to Sindell’s chest.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, gently squeezing his hand.

“This place,” Valentine whispered, looking up at the house. “Do you remember it?”

“Of course,” The smile returned to her face as Sindell answered, following his gaze. “This paradise was where we first met, and where we celebrate our anniversaries.”

She returned her gaze to Valentin, but he was still staring at the home, his lips curved into a small frown. Sindell’s happiness crumbled a bit at his expression.

“This may be hard for you to understand, my love,” Valentin finally sighed. He stared into Sindell’s round, brown eyes, returned her inquiring gaze with a stern stare, and squeezed her hands. “I’m dead.”

Sindell was silent for a while. “What?”

“I was killed by a special force during a meeting,” he told her. “On March 23rd, three months ago. This was why I didn’t contact you, Sindell…I couldn’t.”

“What do you mean, you’re dead?” Sindell stared at him disbelievingly. She took a cautious step back, and tried to pull her hands away from her husband’s grasp. “Wait, doesn’t that mean—if I’m here with you—“

Suddenly, painful flashes of memories came crashing back to her. The burning feeling of somebody grabbing her hair, how somebody shouted she was trespassing into a place with sensitive information, how tears were streaming down her face, how she begged for mercy, and how cold the barrel of the gun felt against her forehead…

“No…” she muttered, eyes widening. The loud gunshot as the unknown man pulled the trigger sounded like an explosion to her ears.

It was then she really struggled to get away from her husband, using all her force to break free, ignoring his attempts to calm her. “No! No, it can’t be true!”

“You were killed, Sindell!” Valentin shouted, clamping his hands on her shoulders. She froze, breathing heavily, as he continued, “You and I are dead! And we’re here, neither in hell nor heaven. Maybe somewhere in between, I don’t know, but—we’re here, together…”

He loosened his grip, but did not let go. Amid her confusion and disbelief, she noticed the tears gathering in her husband’s eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, his serious expression not changing, but his voice trembling. “In the end, you died because of me…you travelled to Ukraine in search of me, and was killed in the hands of my accomplices…it’s my fault, my love. I never should have asked you to marry me. Perhaps, agreeing to marry me was your first and fatal mistake.”

The whirlwind of emotion in her chest was softened entirely by her lover’s tears. She ceased her struggles and wiped his face, delicately moving her fingers across his rough cheek, subconsciously whispering words of comfort. Her husband was just like a fragile child at times, and she was always there to help him.

“I love you, Valentin,” she murmured with a smile. “You’re the first man I loved, and the last man I ever will love, my dear. It’s not your fault that I’m gone from the real world. I brought it upon myself.”

Valentin smiled weakly. “The consequences of loving a criminal…”

Sindell smiled in return, and moved forward to give him another loving embrace. It was very brief, however, and once it was broken off, she excitedly held his hands and glanced at the shimmering pond.

“Now, my dear, how about we go to the lake? Remember how we used to stare at our reflections and throw pebbles into the water?”

Valentin’s expression brightened. He used to do that a lot with Sindell, nine years ago, when they were young, unmarried and fools in love…

He laced their hands together. It was still fresh in his memory, the surprise when he learned that the spaces between his fingers were where Sindell’s fit perfectly.

His lips curved into a winsome smile as she led him towards the lake.