Bruce stood at the entrance of the Gardens, his eyes closed as he caught his breath, stilled his rapidly beating heart, but did not bother changing his form.
Bruce strode into the Gardens, fully intending to find his sister and demanding an answer out of her.
Fortunately or unfortunately, she wanted to be found. She was at the center of the Gardens, sitting on her throne of beautiful, everlasting flowers. But mixed in the blossoms were a variety of poisonous plants: hemlock flowers, nightshade branches and berries, gorgeous oleanders, and small white snakeroot flowers.
Love sat on her throne, gently stroking her flowers, and under the black veil that covered most of her face, Bruce saw her smirking.
"Why, little brother," she said in a sweet, sultry voice. "How kind of you to visit me. And in a human form, what a surprise," she purred.
Bruce glared at her. He crossed his arms and pinned Love firmly with his scowl. "What did you do to me, sister?" he asked coldly.
"Not even a hello?" Love asked, feigning hurt. "You do not come see me in a few centuries, and now you show up, demanding I give you information you do not even know I have?"
"Stop it, Love," Bruce said. "This is not a game. What did you do to me?"
Love laughed, loudly and cruelly. "Oh, baby brother, I did exactly what I've been planning for close to a couple millennium now."
"What?!" Bruce hissed. "What have I ever done to you, sister? Have I not given you space? I do not meddle in your business, and you do not meddle in mine!"
Love stood. Her long, dark red dress pooled down around her, hugging all her curves just perfectly. When she walked towards Bruce, every step was perfectly balanced, and she moved with grace and elegance.
"You do not meddle in my business?" Love asked, tauntingly. "Now, it is not like you to lie, D."
Through gritted teeth, Bruce asked again, "What did you do?"
"Oh, since you asked so nicely," Love said. "I put a little spell on you, bro."
"A spell?"
"I am rather fond of spells," Love said. She circled around Bruce. "And it looks like it is working very well, seeing that you came running here so quickly. Alas, I wish it had taken you longer to figure it out."
"Remove your spell at once," Bruce demanded. "I did not ask for these… these feelings."
Love's lips curled up in a sneer, revealing teeth. "You do not understand, do you? I cannot just remove a spell. Once I plant the seed," Love waved her hand, and in her palm, a small ball of red smoke appeared. "I have no control over it. Sure, I may provide a little water, a little sunshine," The ball of smoke started sprouting tendrils of smoke. "But in the end, it either thrives and blooms on its own, or throttles itself and dies." The tendrils grew, becoming a beautiful rose, before being wrapped in its own thorns and dying.
"Don't you see, baby bro," Love said, leaving the rose hanging in the air. "I cannot simply remove the spell for you. You will either learn to live with those feelings, or they will consume you from the inside out. Hm," Love's smile turned even more cruel. "I wonder if Death can die."
"What have I done to deserve this, sister?" Bruce asked. "Please, see some sense."
"You've killed all my lovers!" Love snarled. "You took their lives way before their times!"
"I do not decide who is to die!" Bruce yelled. "That is Fate's job! I just reap the souls and oversee the deaths!"
Love laughed coldly again. "I highly doubt that. All of my most successful lovers? Romeo and Juliet, Cleopatra and Antony, Paris and Helena, Pyramus and Thisbe…" She trailed off. "And that is only on Earth. But I do find it ironic. Death shall meet his match on that damned planet. He certainly cannot kill himself, can he? And when he realizes that love beats death, how could he ever bear to kill dear Clark Kent?"
Bruce's fists clenched. "Sister… do not do this."
Love reached up and slowly lifted her veil. "Have you forgotten, sweet brother? Love may seem beautiful, but her ugly side is always hidden until the right moment," she said. Bruce glared into Love's misshapen face.
Her nose was crooked, and there were ridged skin like her face had scarred over and over again. One of her eyes drooped lower than the other, and they were both pitch black. She had course black hair, thick, but sparse. She was mostly bald. Love smiled fully this time, revealing all her needle sharp teeth.
"Forgot what I looked like, brother?" she growled, the sound coming out raspy now. "Need you a reminder?"
Bruce did not flinch and glared at her. "Sister."
"Yes, Death, my good brother?" she hissed.
"I do not give up without a fight."
She laughed out loud, throwing her head back. "I was hoping you'd say that," she chuckled darkly.
Bruce spun on his heels and walked out, disappearing the moment he stepped outside of the perimeter, leaving the Gardens of Love behind him.
He went to the Courtyard of Life.
Bruce practically runs inside, glancing around wildly for his brother. As he ran around a corner, Bruce runs straight into him.
"Death?" Life asked, catching his brother in his arms. "Are you okay? What is wrong? Brother, speak to me!"
Bruce had to take a moment to catch his breath. Life's pale and worried face hovered in front of his eyes, both of Life's thin hands clasping Bruce's face.
Life, too, was in his human form. Life loved the humans, and often wore their form. His true form looked exactly like Bruce's, except well, much paler.
Life's sharp green eyes always surprised Bruce. Then again, it may have made Bruce uncomfortable if Life had white eyes.
"I'm fine," Bruce managed. "I just- I just need to talk."
Life, relieved, stepped back. "Then come. We will go somewhere private." He took Bruce's hand and started leading him away from the center of the bright sunlit courtyard, into one of the rooms built around it.
"What happened?" Life asked as soon as they sat down.
Bruce took a deep breath and started explaining. "Love, she put a spell on me, and now she refuses to remove it."
"Our sister? Why has she done such a thing? I thought we had an agreement."
"As did I," Bruce agreed. "But she claimed to hold a strong grudge against me."
Life frowned. He took Bruce's hand in his. "But brother, you have done nothing wrong. Oh, what is this spell? You are not hurt, are you? Has she done anything despicable?"
Bruce shook his head. "It will not hurt me physically. But… But she cursed me to fall in love. With a man who will be dying soon." Bruce's voice cracked. "And I planned to take his soul. I do not know if I can take his soul now. I do not wish to, brother." Bruce looked at his twin brother pleadingly. "Is there any way you can help me?"
Life shook his head sadly and pulled Bruce into a hug, which Bruce gladly melted into.
"I am sorry," Life said softly. "You know that my powers and your powers cancel each other out. We are not more powerful than one another. I cannot undo what you do, and you cannot undo what I do. We are also bound by the rules, have you forgotten?"
Bruce shook his head sadly. "No, I remember. I just wish…" he sighed heavily. "Thank you, brother, for being here for me."
"Of course. But if I may ask, what do you plan on doing now?" Life inquired.
Bruce was silent for a while. "I do not know."