Candy Coated || Buddha

Time is Fleeting

The silence is maddening.

Since learning that your soulmate is a God, a notable one at that, you had decided to seclude yourself from Buddha. The entire purpose of your tether to him, in your opinion, is a joke. It makes no sense.

You sit alone in your new room, a comfortable space with a twin-sized bed, resting beneath the covers. It's been at least a day since you arrived in the God Realm.

Buddha has been decent about giving you space, to your relief, even going so far as to ding-dong ditch you once, leaving a bag of Hato popcorn in front of your door just to maintain the distance. You had found it kind, and though you weren't hungry at the time, you ate the entire bag.

Despite this kindness, however, you could not bring yourself to leave the room. Perhaps you are concerned that the tether will bring you closer to Buddha for the wrong reasons. You aren't sure how it works, but in fanfiction, in some cases, the tether brings forth feelings of want and sometimes obsession; neither of these you want to experience for a man you hardly know. It isn't fair for either of you.

This is the best way to do it; to separate from him. At least until Brunhilde gets back to me.

A sudden knock on the door gains your attention. You raise a brow and sit up, knowing the visitor can only be one person. But what does he want? Should you answer? Crawling from the bed with a sigh, you saunter across the room, opening it.

A man with long light-colored hair smiles kindly at you from the other side. You've never seen him before. Perhaps he's a resident of the village.

"Afternoon," he utters. "I wasn't interrupting your rest, was I?"

You shake your head.

"I was just being lazy."

The man laughs, making you raise a brow in question. Is there something wrong with that?

"There isn't much else––"

"Oh no, you are mistaken," the man mentions, raising his hands. "It's just that you remind me so much of Siddhartha; he's always lazing about when I see him."

Siddhartha? He's referring to the Buddha, you assume. This man speaks so casually about him. Is he from the village? His clothes, however, don't seem to fit this assumption. He's dressed in traditional Indian clothes, the type seen on royalty in ancient times.

"What can I do for you... um, mister?" You ask.

"You may call me Jataka; mister isn't necessary," he mentions. His attention averts to the floor, glancing at the red cords around your ankles. "I came by to see how you were settling in. Siddhartha told me about your predicament. It's unfortunate, but it certainly could be worse."

You imagine so. From the little that you've learned about Buddha since coming here; he's a laid-back man.

And hot.

Your face heats up. Is this the tether talking? Or you?

"I agree," you utter.

Based on the things you have heard about certain Gods, he's not the worst one to be tethered to. The kindness he has shown you has unfortunately been wasted.

You feel terrible about it. A thank you is due.

"Do you know where he is?" You ask.

Jataka hums.

"I believe he's in the main hall. Would you like for me to escort you there?"

"If you don't mind," you answer.