Asa hated winter with a passion.

She hated everything that came with it. Chilly dry breezes, dying landscapes, freezing ankle-deep snow, the flu and other sicknesses that reigned during this time, having to wear many layers of clothes to stay warm, how her car never seemed to want to crank in the early mornings, but most of all…the loneliness.

Always waking up alone. Never having that special someone around to cheer her up when she was down, go out places together, or share secrets and laughter with. Everyone seemed to have somebody except her. And it sucked.

After twenty years of making it in the world by yourself you’d think a person would get used to it. She had tried so hard to push it back to the back of her mind but no matter what, the nagging feeling always came back, clawing at her relentlessly…reminding her of her cursed luck with love.

Today was a Friday, and a chilly one at that. A bundled up Asa slowly made her way up the three flights of icy stairs to her apartment, holding onto the railing for dear life as she did so. Upon finally reaching her front door, she reached inside her jeans pocket and after much fumbling, found the right key to unlock her door. Opening it, she was greeted with a much-appreciated blast of hot air.

Sighing she shed out of her heavy fleece coat and tossed it haphazardly onto the couch before plopping into her favorite leather recliner and turning on the television. She settled down and made herself comfortable after flipping channels to a show she could actually stand to watch.

Before she could fully relax and lose herself in the television though, she heard a low growl. It didn’t sound threatening at first but then grew louder and fiercer the second time. Confused, Asa’s eyes scanned the room and fell upon her coat as a third growl sounded, coming from that area.

Standing up, Asa walked over to investigate, “Snickers?”

Sure enough, without knowing it Asa had thrown her coat over her beloved fat seal-point Birman kitty. Snickers looked up at her with an annoyed expression on his face.

“Awww, I’m sorry.” Asa apologized to the feline; “I didn’t see you there.”

Snickers just glared at her and made himself comfortable once more on the soft couch cushion he was occupying.

Asa sat down on the couch next to Snickers and let her mind wander as she absentmindedly stroked the kitty on his head. Watching the television she could not quite comprehend what was going on while other thoughts invaded her brain. Thoughts of the previous year.

Now it all seemed like a dream. She could almost pass it off as one if not for that annoying armor orb that has since then taken up permanent residence in the apartment as Snicker’s toy. It seemed to irritate the cat just as much because every time it flashed that eerie maroon hue, he’d go nuts tossing it about and chasing after it.

Asa tried hard to forget her time in the Dynasty. It was time to get on with her life. Grow up and get a well-paying job. If it were so easy for the others to forget about this world to live permanently with the Warlords and Kayura, then how come she couldn’t do the same and move on? She knew damn well why she couldn’t.

And it was all his fault.

Leave it to Asa to get hung up on a guy, much less a guy who didn’t give a rat’s ass about her. Okay so it was partially her fault that he couldn’t stand her. But still…he didn’t help matters any. Something had blossomed between them before the girls’ true reason for being sent to the Nether Realm had been revealed. And as training grew more intense so did his temper. One things for sure, he wasn’t an easy sensei.

It seemed as if it were only yesterday when fate took a hold of her life and zapped her to the Dynasty along with the other girls to discover it and everything that had occurred there were actual events. At first her and the others were thrilled and saw it as a blessing. But then after they learned the true reasoning behind their journey to the Dynasty, it was seen as both a blessing and a curse.

It was an honor to be trusted and chosen by the Ancient himself. Though she wondered sometimes what made her so worthy of being a bearer of one of the nine mystical armors.

Frowning, Asa realized she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast and so she stood and made her way to the kitchen to fix herself a bite to eat. There, she rummaged around the pantry for a while before finally finding a cup of ramen noodles to satisfy her hunger.

When she put it in the microwave and set it to warm up for a few minutes, Snickers bounded in meowing, probably hoping to get a taste of what Asa was fixing.

“You’re hungry too?” Asa asked. Snickers meowed a response.

Asa poured dry cat food in Snickers bowl for him and placed it on the floor. When Snickers sniffed at it indignantly, Asa chuckled, “Sorry bud. Kitties can’t have people food.”

Snickers turned up his nose and walked back to the den to reclaim his spot on the couch. Asa looked on amused, that cat never ceased to amaze her.

Her attention turned to the microwave when it started beeping, signaling that her food was ready, and she gratefully took the ramen out and started eating. As she ate she walked back to the den and planted herself in front of the television once more.

Snickers jumped up into her lap, drawn by the delicious aroma, “Snickers, what’d I tell ya? No ramen for kitty.” He just ignored her and kept trying to make advances at the ramen.

After several tries to get him to stop bugging her, Asa gave up and let him have a small nibble and Snickers licked his lips satisfied. “I spoil you too much.”

By this time, the ramen was gone.

Now that she had eaten, she had nothing left to do except get ready for bed. Asa snorted, how pitiful it was to not have any plans to go out on a Friday night.

Begrudgingly she shuffled to her bathroom and closed the door behind her before stripping of her dirty clothes. Stepping into the warm spray of water, she began to let the days events wash away slowly from her mind. Away went her worries over college…job concerns…thoughts of the past…all erased by the massaging jets of soothing rivulets.

The scent of peaches engulfed Asa’s nose as she lathered a small amount of shampoo into her long violet locks. Closing her eyes and allowing herself to unwind a little, the muscles in her arms and shoulders relaxed.

Gone went another stressful week, washed down the drain and replaced by a fresh weekend.

Turning off the water and pushing the shower curtain open, she saw that the tiny room was covered in mist from the heat of her shower and the large mirror on the wall above the vanity was fogged up, contorting her reflection. With the swipe of a hand she cleared off a small part of the mirror and smiled back at herself.

Not having her usual sleep attire in the bathroom, she slipped into her favorite white terrycloth bathrobe that had been hanging on a hook on the back of the bathroom door and tied the matching belt around her waist loosely to keep the robe snug around her body.

Some of the steam escaped its prison as Asa stepped out of the bathroom. The fresh air was a nice change from the stuffy warm air in the shower and she inhaled and exhaled deeply, feeling refreshed and clean.

As she turned to retrieve her usual pajamas, a white fitted spaghetti-strap top with a low neckline and a pair of pink cotton pajama pants with tiny golden moons all over it, a faint noise that sounded like tapping stopped her dead in her tracks. Not believing her ears she listened intently for the sound again. Sure enough she heard it once more. It sounded like it was coming from the front door

A visitor at this hour?

Warily, Asa walked to answer whoever it was knocking on her door. She slowly turned the knob and peeked outside timidly, her breath showing up as small tufts of clouds due to the cold weather. Confused, she saw no one. Maybe both sounds had been figments of her overactive imagination…

Then out of the corner of her eye she spotted him. He was leaning against the railing a few feet away, looking down on the parking lot below. Ill prepared for the wintry weather, his form was trembling and a somber expression decorated his face.

What was he doing here?

“Dais?” Asa asked, not quite believing her eyes.

She saw his expression falter as he turned his head to look at her, surprised at being acknowledged, “I was about to go…didn’t think you were home.”

“Yeah sorry about that, I was in the shower…couldn’t hear you knocking.” Asa apologized.

An awkward silence then fell over the two. Dais’ attention turned to the stars. His eyes swept across the sky, almost as if he were reading the constellations and trying to find some sort of guidance from them. Asa fidgeted nervously with the belt of her bathrobe, making double sure it wasn’t going to come loose. She kept one foot in front of the ajar door, blocking it in case the de-clawed Snicker’s decided to run outside and into harm’s way in the shape of dogs and cars.

Finally, it was Dais who broke the tranquility, “Can I crash here a while?”

“Why?” Asa blurted out, totally taken aback by his request.

He hesitated before answering, “Kayura and I got into a rather large fight.”

‘And he wants to stay with me?’ Asa thought. Something’s definitely not right with this picture.

As if reading her mind, he frowned, “I can’t remain in the Dynasty. Besides, Anubis and Crimson have their hands full with the newborn, Sekhmet and Venom are always wrapped up in their lab, and I don’t even want to ask Cale...”

Silently Asa cursed the fact that she had forgotten entirely about the whole armor bond deal. Because they shared the same armor, they could communicate telepathically. Unfortunately for her, Dais was more a novice at it and could block anyone from hearing his thoughts. She had yet to learn how. Wait a second…newborn?

“Hold up.” Asa replied dumbstruck, “Crimson had a baby? Since when? And why doesn’t anyone tell me these things?”

He nodded, “Yeah, she had a little girl about a month ago.”

“It’s nice to know I suddenly dropped off the planet.” Asa muttered. Sheesh.

“It’s not like anyone can call you up or write to you.” Dais pointed out, “These are two different worlds we’re talking about here.”

Asa bit her bottom lip. That was true…

“Look, I would completely understand if you didn’t want me to stay here. I can find someplace else if you wish for me to. Maybe Mia wouldn’t mind an extra houseguest…”

Asa held back a chuckle. Mia can barely handle what’s left of her sanity with Oriana, Emi, and Tamara now living there. One more person would probably drive her insane. She pondered whether or not to let him stay. One side argued that he had no other place to go so she should be nice and let him hang around. The other side was totally against it because of all the daily tumult he unknowingly caused in her head.

“Why don’t you come on in?” Asa suggested, “It’s a damn re-creation of the North Pole out here. We don’t wanna freeze to death.”

“You’re letting me stay?” Dais asked, slightly bemused.

“Of course.” Asa hoped she wasn’t making a big mistake. She moved away from the doorway, allowing him passage, and closed and locked the door behind him as soon as he entered. Being charitable was going to be the end of her. Hell, it was Christmas. Why not?

She watched as he took in the room; his eyes scanning the brown leather recliner, floral patterned couch adorned with various cushions, glass oval cocktail table that rested a few feet in front of the couch, gas-powered fireplace, faux-fur rug in the shape and color of a skinned polar bear lying on the floor in front of the fireplace, two hanging stockings on the mantle – one for Asa and the other was Snicker’s, the entertainment center, the many scented candles that sat scattered throughout, sun shaped mirrors on either side of the couch on the wall behind it, the artsy mural that rested between the two mirrors, and her pitiful Christmas tree that she had affectionately dubbed the Charlie Brown tree.

“So,” Dais began, “This is your place huh?”

“Yep,” Asa replied, “My humble abode.”

“It’s nice.”

Asa snorted, “Thanks, I think.”

“No really.” Dais swore, “You’ve done well for yourself it seems.”

“I could do better,” Asa shrugged. Then noticing his lack of baggage, she asked, “Where’s your things?”

“Didn’t pack.” He answered, “Just split.”

“Eesh…that bad huh?” In spite of herself, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’d you do?”

“Nothing I’d like to discuss now.”

Understandable.

Dais was soaked now, the snow that was once on his clothing had melted due to the heat of the apartment and his thin shirt clung to his body. Aware of his current situation, a faint blush crept across Asa’s cheeks as she remembered her own. She was in nothing but a bathrobe. How discomforting.

Shaking the thought out of her head, she reminded herself that even if she threw open the robe and exposed herself; he wouldn’t give her a second glance so there was no reason to fret over it.

Asa was, however, worried he’d catch a cold. “How about you go and take a hot shower? I’ll wash your clothes while you are so you can change back into them when you get out.”

He nodded in agreement and Asa directed him to her bathroom. After he stepped inside, she waited for him to crack the door open a wee bit and hand over his wet garments. He did so and Asa carried the bundle of waterlogged clothing to the tiny room that held her even punier washer and drier. Setting the clothes in the washing machine and pouring in the right amount of detergent, she turned it on and headed to her room to change.

Closing the door, Asa leaned against it and shut her eyes. Biting her lip she wondered how she was going to get through this. She didn’t know what to make of his arrival. She was the last resort he had and probably the last person he wanted to spend his time with…but maybe since he did come here there was a glimmer of hope that he had some feelings for her.

Mentally she slapped herself. Just because he and Kayura had a fight doesn’t mean they’ve stopped seeing each other. It’s normal for couples to have fights. More than likely things will be back to normal in a few days and Kayura and Dais will work out whatever happened.

Pushing herself forward from the door, she walked over to her dresser and pulled out her pajama pants and top, placing them neatly on her bed. Shedding of her bathrobe, she laid it on her bed also and slipped into a pair of fresh panties, her pajama pants, and the white top. She felt much more comfortable now than earlier.

Opening the door and stepping out of her room, she ran into Dais who had a towel wrapped around his waist.

“Are my clothes done yet?” he asked, following her to the room that held the washer and dryer.

Checking, Asa shook her head. “They’ve got to go into the dryer now. In the meantime, would you rather put on my robe?”

“Sure.” He shrugged, and then a bit hesitantly he asked, “Say, you don’t happen to have anything to eat do you? I’m starved.”

“If you like ramen noodles.”

“Like? I live off of ‘em.”

“Good.” Asa smirked, “Cause it’s all I’ve got. I’m in desperate need of a trip to the grocery store.” She grabbed a can from the cabinet, “My robe’s lying on my bed. The noodles’ll be ready when you get back.”

As he left the room, she put the noodles in the microwave to warm up for the recommended amount of time. As if on cue, Snickers made another entrance. Frowning at the cat, Asa said, “Am I gonna have to lock you up somewhere so he can eat in peace?”

She got her answer when she removed the hot bowl of ramen noodles from the microwave. Snickers made a move toward it by attempting to jump onto the table where it was sitting but Asa caught him in midair before he could get up to it.

With the cat in her arms desperately trying to escape her clutches, Asa carried it to her bathroom where she gently tossed him in and shut the door so he couldn’t escape.

“I’m sure the cat appreciated that.”

Asa turned and saw Dais in the robe, his hands casually tucked in the pockets. “You’ll appreciate it too. Unless you want him constantly trying to steal some of your meal.”

He smirked, “You must not feed him enough if he does that.”

“I do too.” Asa protested. “Just look how fat he is.”

“Poor cat, having you for an owner.” Dais joked.

“Ah hush.” Asa pushed him into the kitchen. “Sit. Eat. It’s done.”

Dais complied and began devouring his meal. Asa couldn’t help but stare at him. He ate so fast. She had never seen anyone eat like that before. He wasn’t kidding when he said he was starving, that’s for sure.

She must have looked pretty weird with that perplexed expression on her face because Dais returned her gaze and asked was anything wrong. She snapped out of it and hastily shook her head, standing to go sit in the den and see what was on television hoping she’d catch a Christmas special.

Grabbing the remote and flipping from channel to channel, nothing really caught her eye until she happened upon an old Dr Seuss classic, “How the Grinch stole Christmas”. Satisfied, she settled into her seat and began watching it.

Having lost herself in the movie, she didn’t notice when Dais had entered the room until he spoke up, “Why would someone want to ruin Christmas?”

“He’s depressed.” Asa said, defending the Grinch.

“He looks insane to me.” Dais objected.

“But, you see,” she explained, “He sees all the people in Whoville celebrating together and he’s sad because he feels left out.”

“Why doesn’t he just go down there and join them?” Dais asked.

“He’s scared they won’t accept him and he thinks by stealing all their things that he won’t have to suffer through another Christmas listening to their happy singing.”

Dais stared blankly at Asa for a while, “You sound awfully passionate about it…are you okay?”

Asa blinked, “Why wouldn’t I be okay? It’s only a movie.”

“I wasn’t talking about the movie.”

She just shrugged and turned her attention back to the movie; ignoring the looks he was giving her. Asa was happy to get up as the credits started rolling at the end to go check on Dais’ clothes. Surely they were dry by now.

As she thought, they were finally done. After carefully folding them, Asa headed back towards the den to tell Dais. Confused, she didn’t see him where she had left him and turned around to look for him. She found him kneeling onto the floor of the bathroom petting Snickers.

“Getting acquainted I see.” She said.

Dais’ gaze never left the cat as he joked, “Someone’s got to show the poor cat some affection.”

“What makes you think I don’t?” Asa retorted lightheartedly.

He stood and turned to face her, Snickers in his hands, and said in the most serious tone he could muster “He told me so.”

Asa raised an eyebrow, “If you say so. You may want to put him down unless you want cat hair all over your clean clothes.”

“Oh, they’re done?” He asked, seeing them in her hold. They swapped cargo and Dais walked back into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him, to change back into his clothing as Asa placed Snickers back down onto the floor.

She wondered what in the world they were going to do as far as sleeping arrangements were concerned. It was only a one-bedroom apartment. Maybe he wouldn’t mind sleeping on the couch. She had some extra blankets and pillows he could use.

Retrieving a pillow and several blankets from the hall closet, she took them to the den and proceeded to make a bed out of the couch. First she took a sheet and tucked it around the cushions so that it’d make the couch much more comfortable to lie on, then she added another sheet on top and a soft blanket on top of the sheet to wrap up in. Hoping that would be enough cover to stay warm, she tossed the pillow on one side of the couch last. Voila, a guest bed.

Dais took the liberty of walking in at that moment.

“Dost thou approve?” Asa asked, amused at herself.

He nodded, “It’ll be fine.”

“Good.” Asa stated after yawning, “Do you need anything before I go to bed?”

He shook his head, “Nah.”

“Alright,” Asa replied as she headed out of the den, “I’m off to bed then. See you in the morning.”

“Hey…Asa?” He tentatively spoke up.

She turned around, “Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

Asa smiled, “No problem. G’night Dais.”

“Good night.”

With that she headed to her bedroom and climbed under the covers. Snickers was already curled up at the foot of the bed, purring contently in his slumber. She made herself comfortable and before long Asa herself was lost to dreamland.

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The next morning Asa woke up feeling well rested. Snickers had changed positions sometime in the night because he was now stretched out on the pillow next to the one where Asa lay. After a while of lazily lounging in bed awake she sat up and stretched, straightening her back and extending her arms outward. Her stomach growled, and she obeyed its request for food by stepping out of bed and shuffling to the kitchen.

She nearly forgot about Dais until recollections of what had all gone on the previous day registered in her brain. Sneaking a peek at him, she saw he was still asleep. One of his legs was hanging off the arm of the couch, as was an arm over the side, the back of his hand touching the carpet.

Asa searched through her cabinets for food as quietly as she could, so as to not disturb Dais. After rummaging for a while, she decided on cereal and sat down at the table to eat.

It wasn’t long before she was full and so she just sat there, elbows on the table and her chin resting in the palms of her hands. She felt herself drifting into unconsciousness, as her eyes grew heavy and the muscles in her arms began to relax, but she held no objects and was all for letting sleep overtake her once more.

If it weren’t for Snickers the dive-bombing kitty, she would have. He took the liberty to pounce on her that very moment. Asa had come to expect his early morning antics but today he caught her by complete surprise and she shrieked, instantly realizing what she had done and clamped a hand over her mouth.

It was too late; her screaming had jolted Dais from his slumber. He had come running in like a bat out of Hades obviously wondering what the hell was going on. Asa still had a hand covering her mouth as she winced and made eye contact with Dais.

“What…what happened?” he asked, trying to catch his breath as he spoke.

Her hand fell to her side. “I’m sorry about that…” she apologized sheepishly, “Snickers kinda…jumped me.”

“That was it? Phew…you had me worried for a second there.”

Asa was taken aback for a moment at his words. The fact that he cared for her safety really touched her. “Sorry I worried you. I should have seen Snickers’ onslaught coming.”

Dais smirked, “What’d I tell you? You don’t pay enough attention to him. He wouldn’t do it if you fed him more.”

“Nah, he just loves getting in touch with his wild side.” Asa replied, “Anyway, are you hungry? I can whip you up something for breakfast if you’d like.”

He shook his head, “No thanks, I’ve had your cooking before.”

Asa stuck out her tongue good-humoredly, “Fine, you’re on your own. I’ll have you know though, I’ve been practicing.”

“Who has been unfortunate enough to be the taste tester? Your cat?”

Asa sighed dramatically, “No. I don’t let him eat anything but his own cat food.”

“How did he get his name?” Dais asked curiously.

“I found him as a kitten abandoned in an empty Snickers candy bar shipping box.”

Dais knelt down and picked Snickers up, “Sweet cat.”

“He sure seems to be attached to you and you him.” Asa observed, “Maybe you just ought to take him back to the Dynasty with you. I bet he’ll love it there.”

“I could never take him away from his mother,” Dais said referring to Asa as Snickers mom, “Besides…I don’t plan on returning to the Dynasty.”

Asa was aghast, “What do you mean you’re not planning to go back?”

He shrugged, “I just don’t have any desire to.”

“But why?” Asa asked, “I mean, what about Kayura? Aren’t you two gonna be able to work whatever this is out?”

He shook his head and Asa questioned again, “Why not?”

“It’s a lost cause, Asa. She and I…we’re just too different.”

“You’re throwing away a relationship just because you’re a little different instead of trying to work out the differences?”

“It’s not like we haven’t tried. But there’s nothing there.”

Asa was unsure of what to say next. She didn’t even know how she should feel about it more or less. Okay, so her chances with him were growing…but now she felt a little obligated to get them back together.

“What kind of things do you have to eat?” Dais said.

Happy for the change of subject, Asa began to list off the different kinds of cereal, waffles, and pop-tarts she had not even thinking that he had probably never even heard of any of those things before.

“Um…I’ll take some of the Raisin Nut Bran stuff…it sounds good enough.”

As he ate, Asa contemplated what to do that day. There were a few errands she had to run but she kind of wanted to also show Dais around her world…well around the city at least.

“Anything in particular you’d like to do today?” she asked him.

“What do you have in mind?” he questioned back.

“Well, I have some running around to do like grocery shopping and the like.” Asa explained, “But I figured since you’ve never been here before that I’d show you around.”

“Sounds good.” He smiled.

“Alright then! It’s settled.” Asa stated, “But…first I think a trip to the mall is in order.”

Dais blinked, “Why?”

“You don’t seriously think what you’re wearing is warm enough do you?” Asa asked, “I mean, it’s freakin’ freezing out there.”

He chuckled, “I guess not.”

“I was so worried last night that you had caught pneumonia or something standing out in the cold for that long…how did you even make it to the apartment?”

“I wasn’t even thinking about the weather…my mind was occupied elsewhere.” Dais responded, “And, Crimson had given me directions.”

“You’re lucky you even got here.” Asa laughed.

“I’m sure Crimson will appreciate that comment.” Dais smirked.

“Well, while you finish eating I’ll be getting ready and then we can go.” Dais nodded and Asa walked back towards her bedroom to change.

Sifting through her closet, it took a while before she actually found something she wanted to wear. From the looks of it, most of her things needed to be trashed. Her closet was a mess of pants and blouses…half of which she didn’t wear anymore.

She settled on a pair of blue jeans, a long sleeved orange shirt, and a matching orange fleece pullover. Opening her jewelry box, she pulled out a pair of silver hoop earrings and a silver banded ring decorated with a single ruby.

She took special care in applying her make-up, not wanting to accidentally get any on her clothing or smearing it on her face. As for her hair, due to the wind she decided she’d wear it up in a high ponytail. Some of the strands were too short to be pulled back and so they hung loosely in front of each ear.

Looking herself over in a full-length mirror, she nodded satisfied. Grabbing her purse, she was ready to walk out the door. Dais was sitting in the den admiring the Christmas tree with a purring Snickers in his lap, waiting on Asa to get all set.

“Ready?” Asa asked.

“Been ready.” Dais replied with a lop-sided grin as he stood.

“A girl’s gotta look her best, you know.” Asa said.

As they stepped outside and closed and locked the door behind them, they were met by a chilly blast of cold air. Walking down the stairs to the parking lot where her car sat ready, Asa warned Dais to be careful walking down the slippery steps only to nearly bust her own butt going down.

About five inches of snow blanketed the ground from last night’s snowfall. And though it had stopped for the time being, according to the week’s weather forecast it far from over. They had to wipe several stubborn layers of the white fluffy stuff off the windows of her car before they got in.

It took three turns of the ignition before the car would start. When it finally cranked, their ears were nearly deafened by the sounds of Linkin Park that was blasting from the stereo speakers. Wincing, Asa turned the volume down.

“You may want to put on your seatbelt.” Asa advised Dais as she put on her own.

“Are you that bad of a driver?” Dais teased as he heeded her words.

“Every cop within a hundred mile radius knows me.” Asa laughed as Dais paled, “But that’s not why I was telling you to buckle up.”

“Why then?”

“These roads aren’t exactly friendly this time of year.” Asa stated, as she turned left out of the apartment complex’s parking lot and towards the mall.

It was a fairly quiet ride. As Dais kept his attention to the scenery flying by, Asa sang along to whatever song came on the radio while she kept her eyes glued to the road ahead of her. Occasionally she would steal quick glances at him.

She couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle. The palms of his hands were pressed against the front passenger side window and from his reflection she could see his eyes wide with wonder as he watched everything go by. Like a child curiously lapping up the wonders of life.

He hadn’t changed much over the year. Same hairstyle…same build…the only difference was his attitude. They hadn’t gotten into a single argument since his arrival and that was surprising. Of course, seeing his circumstances, he was probably being extra nice because he needed a place to stay for a while. Asa wondered if he’d be acting the same way if the situation were reversed. Or maybe she wasn’t giving him enough credit and he really was being sincere.

Either way, she enjoyed the peace. Not to mention his company. The only companion she’d had before his arrival was Snickers. She loved Snickers to death and all, but cats can’t talk back to you.

They eventually made it to the mall in one piece. Finding an empty parking space proved a huge challenge. And, of course, all the handicapped ones were empty. Go figure right? It’s kind of dumb to have special parking spots for people who can’t even use them. Asa seriously thought of parking in one just for the hell of it, she didn’t figure they would be at the mall long anyway, but knowing the security here they’d have her car towed off the minute she stepped into the building and Asa would not have that. No way.

Finally she found an available spot…it was out of pure luck that it was only a short walk from the front doors of the immense building. Not saying a word, they both headed towards the shopping mall.

A Salvation Army person ringing a bell and standing in front of a red bucket met them at the main doors. Asa felt bad she didn’t have any loose change to give but she knew she’d have some on the way out. She led Dais right past the man and they walked inside together. Their senses nearly went into overload due to all of the different smells that met them head on.

The place was filled with people, most probably doing last minute Christmas shopping. Everyone was rushing about with hands full of bags. Frantic mothers tried to keep track of their hyper children who were nagging them for this and that, impatient males stood outside dressing rooms tapping their feet and holding the purses of their female companions who were trying things on inside the dressing rooms, lines were miles long at check out counters as was the line of kids waiting to see Santa Clause, and a group of carolers were standing on a makeshift stage singing Christmas carols.

To keep from being separated in the crowd, Asa took Dais by the hand and led him to the nearest department store specializing in men’s clothing intent on buying him a few sweaters.

“See anything you like?” Asa asked him.

“Not in particular.”

“How about this?” Asa asked, picking up a navy blue long sleeved shirt. She pointed him towards a mirror and held the shirt in front of him.

“I don’t understand your world’s fashion.”

Asa laughed, “I think it will look good on you.”

“If you say so…” He didn’t look convinced.

“Hold it for a sec.” Asa said handing over the shirt to him as she quickly walked around grabbing various other shirts and bringing them back. “Any of these catch your eye?”

He inspected each one and, sifting through them, managed to find a few he liked. Which included this really cool looking black long sleeved shirt with a blue strip running across the chest and down the length of the arms, a charcoal gray one with double orange strips just going across the chest, and a plain white one.

“How am I going to pay for these?” Dais asked, “I don’t have any of your currency.”

With a wave of her hand she dismissed it, “I’m paying.”

“But--" Dais was about to protest.

“Really, Dais, I don’t mind.” Asa smiled to reassure him, “It’s been so long since I’ve been able to buy something for someone else.”

“You shouldn’t buy all that…let me just choose one if you insist on buying.”

Asa shook her head. “I’ll buy all of them.”

Before he could object any further she was in line at the cash register to purchase what Dais had picked out. Afterward, with a smug grin, she walked back over to Dais who was standing at the front waiting for her with a scowl on his face.

“Asa, really…”

Lightheartedly she stuck out her tongue at him and teased, “Oh when will you ever learn? I never stop until I get my way.”

He smirked, “You are forgetting that I don’t either.”

“Is that a fact?” Asa replied. When Dais nodded she said, “We’ll see.”

As they walked past the indoor ice-skating rink Dais paused and stared. “A frozen pond in a hot building?”

Asa shook her head and followed his gaze, “No, it’s cold down at the ice. I don’t know how they do it but whatever it is it works. Wanna try it out?”

He hesitated, “I’ve never done it before.”

“Come on!” Asa squealed and grabbed him by the hand, pulling an exasperated Dais down the stairs to the rink.

A bored looking employee handed over two pairs of ice skates after Asa paid him the required fees and she thrust a pair into Dais’s hands. They sat down together on a bench and put on their ice skates.

“I’ll make an ass out of myself out there.” Dais declared.

“I already think you are one.” Asa joked, standing up and waiting for him to do the same.

“You are going to regret that.” Dais warned.

“Oh really? What are you going to do about it?” Asa challenged.

“You just wait and see.” He answered evilly.

“Gotta catch me first.” Asa taunted, stepping onto the ice and skating off.

She skated several loops around enjoying the wind in her hair and the music playing from hidden speakers somewhere before noticing Dais clinging to the side for dear life. Chuckling she slowed down and skated over to him to help him get around.

“Want some help?” She asked him, offering her hands for him to grab hold of.

Being a typical guy he shook his head.

“Aw, come on.” She urged, taking his hands in hers and skating backwards so he could go forward. “It’s not that hard once you get used to it.”

“If I bust my butt it will be your fault.”

“You won’t fall.” Asa assured.

Gradually he did get the hang of it and no longer needed Asa’s guidance and they skated together in a set speed. Several expert skaters would occasionally speed past them and pull off all sorts of tricks on the ice. Asa watched them with envy. They moved with such grace as if they were born with ice skates on their feet.

They skated together for some time before tiring out. Asa’s feet were killing her and Dais was plum worn out from all the energy it took just to stay balanced on the blades. Deciding to call it a day as far as skating went, they turned in their skates and walked out of the ice rink.

“That was…interesting.” Dais commented.

“It was fun, wasn’t it?” Asa commented.

“What now?”

“I have to get a baby gift for Crimson and Anubis.” Asa answered. “And after that I suppose we’re done here.”

“All right.” Dais acknowledged, “So where are we going to find something for the baby?”

“I know just the place,” Asa answered, “Follow me.”

She led him to a small toy store in the mall, it’s aisles even more crowded than the main ones in front of the shop. In one spot a group of women were fighting over a Power Ranger toy that was apparently the last one the store had in stock and in another a child was screaming because her parents wouldn’t let her have a Barbie doll.

Dais grimaced and plugged his ears with his fingers to try and save his hearing from the wrath of the high-pitched wailing, “Exactly why I never want to have kids.”

“Not all act that spoiled.” Asa replied as she scanned an aisle of baby toys, “It’s all in how they are disciplined.”

“True.” Dais agreed, “How do you think Destiny will end up?”

“Destiny?”

“That’s the name of Anubis’ and Crimson’s daughter.”

“Oh. Well, it’s hard to tell. They’ll probably raise her right.” Asa answered, “You on the other hand…I’d feel sorry for your kid if your parenting behavior is in any way like the way you trained me in martial arts.”

“And what’s so wrong with the way I trained you?” Dais asked, “I thought I did a damn good job.”

“Oy, let’s not even go there.”

“I’m not the one who brought it up.” Dais pointed out. “Spill.”

Oh great she was digging herself a hole and probably going to end up ruining the nice day. Smooth move, Asa. “You were never patient and it seemed like the worse I did the more you lashed out.”

He was quiet for a moment taking in her words before speaking up, “Well, you and the others kicked major ass didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then what’s the problem? I did something right didn’t I?”

Asa bit her lip, “Okay…okay…point proven, but still.”

“What’s this?” Dais asked, picking up a really deranged looking stuffed animal of some sort. He pushed a spot on it that said ‘push here’ and nearly dropped it in surprise when a very obnoxious voice coming from the thing said ‘Hug Hugglebug!’. “What the hell is a hugglebug?”

“Don’t ask me.” Asa shrugged, still looking for the perfect gift for little Destiny.

“Get her this.” Dais said, shoving the thing into Asa’s hands.

“Are you serious?” Asa asked, placing it back on the shelf, “It will scare her to death.”

“No it wouldn’t.” Dais retorted as he picked it back up.

“I was aiming for something cuter like this.” Asa said, showing him a pink bunny.

Dais squeezed the unidentifiable stuffed animal’s ‘push here’ spot again and it said ‘I wuv you!’, “Aw, how can you say no to this thing?”

“Easy,” Asa laughed, “Like this: No.”

Dais light-heartedly stuck his tongue out at her, “You just hurt it’s feelings.”

“I think I’ll get the pink bunny.” Asa decided, picking it up off the shelf.

“Poor Hugglebug.” Dais said with mock sympathy as he set it down.

They got in the back of the line of people waiting to purchase items and stood there for what seemed like hours to finally get their turn. Afterwards they had accumulated yet another bag in which Asa promptly handed over to Dais like she had the other one.

“I think that takes care of our needs here.” Asa announced. “Shall we go?”

Dais nodded and so they made their way to the exit leading to the parking lot where the car sat. Asa made sure this time to drop some change in the Salvation Army’s donation can. When they made it to the car, Asa unlocked the trunk so Dais could place the bags there next to the blanket Asa always kept in it for emergencies. He did, but not before taking out one of his new shirts and, after ripping off the price tag, slipped it on over his thin t-shirt.

“Feels much better.” Dais commented.

“It looks good on you too.” He had chosen to put on the charcoal gray shirt with the orange strips going across the chest. “Ready to hit the road again?”

“Yeah.” Dais answered, “But I’m getting a tad hungry.”

“Not a problem. We can stop by a restaurant and grab a bite to eat.”

They got in the car and zoomed off back onto the road looking for a decent place to eat. Asa was craving Mexican food but thought better of it and looked for a place that at least Dais could be familiar with. The clock on the radio read 4 pm. Geez, it really was going to be a late lunch. Well, they had woken up late after all.

McDonalds…no…Burger King…no…Wendy’s…no…Dragon Palace…bingo!

Chinese food, close enough right? Dais would feel right at home there. So she pulled into that restaurants parking lot and parked near the door. Dais’s stomach growled in record time.

After walking in, they were promptly seated and handed menus by an ageing Chinese woman. On the walls were hand-painted murals of ancient China, really beautiful scenes of the native people and the landscape of the country. The music in the restaurant was even sung in Chinese. The place was definitely a genuine Chinese food place. They didn’t even have a single fork or spoon in the building, only chopsticks.

Instantly Asa knew what she wanted. That was because whenever she ate Chinese she got the same thing – sweet and sour chicken and an eggroll. Call her dull and unadventurous but she liked to stick to what she knew as far as food was concerned most of the time. Dais ordered something she couldn’t even begin to pronounce.

Confused, she asked him what he was getting.

“Squid.” He answered. Asa nearly turned green and he laughed, “It’s not that bad.”

She shuddered, “That’s so gross!”

Dais shook his head, “You’ll never know if you like it or not unless you try it. I’ll let you have a taste when we get our food.”

“I’ll pass.” Asa replied, playing with her chopsticks trying to get used to them.

“You’re doing it wrong.” Dais pointed out.

“Huh?”

“The chopsticks…you’re holding them wrong.” Dais repeated, “Here, I’ll show you.”

He took her hand and positioned it in the right way as he placed the chopsticks how they should be. “You hold one stick between your first two fingers and the other one between your third finger and your thumb.” When Asa nodded an acknowledgement, he continued, “And to pick things up all you do is use your thumb as a pivoting point for the upper stick then push down on the lower stick with the area between your thumb’s joint and knuckle.” With his own, he illustrated how to pick up things with them.

“Oh, okay, I see now.”

“I hope so.” Dais smirked, “You don’t want to embarrass yourself dropping food all over the table.”

“Or rather embarrass you you mean?” Asa eyed him.

He held up his hands in defense. “Got me there.”

Their food didn’t take long to prepare and was delivered to them shortly. Asa eyed Dais’ meal with disgust as she dug into her own, her chopsticks barely holding onto her chicken.

“You’re missing out on a good thing.” Dais told her, “Here. Try.”

He held out his chopsticks to her with a slimy looking thing on the end of it. Asa grimaced. “No way.”

“Oh come on,” Dais persuaded, “One bite, that’s all.”

“Are you positive it’s good?” Asa asked.

Dais laughed, “If it wasn’t good then I would not have ordered it.”

“Okay then…”

Dais held the chopsticks out farther to reach her mouth and held a hand underneath her chin in case the food didn’t quite make the target as Asa gingerly took the piece of food into her mouth. He looked on amused as Asa squeezed her eyes shut and swallowed. “Well?”

“Kind of like an oyster…” Asa observed.

“Enjoy?” Dais looked disappointed when she shook her head no.

“I prefer my meal over yours, thank you very much.” Asa said matter-of-factly.

“More for me then.” Dais shot back good-humoredly.

The chicken that had been held between her chopsticks was slipping due to being neglected for the little while as Asa’s finger’s relaxed. Soon gravity took over and the chicken fell into Asa’s lap and she could do nothing but dumbly watch as it dropped.

Dais sweatdropped, “I should have known.”

“Hey, that wasn’t my fault.” Asa said defending herself.

“And who’s was it?” Dais asked, “You were the one who dropped it.”

“Yeah but I was being distracted.”

“By what? Or whom?” Dais asked slyly, trying to be suave.

“Don’t flatter yourself Dais.” Asa smirked, “That squid made me lose my concentration.”

“Blaming it on a dead fish.” Dais shook his head smiling, “Pitiful.”

Asa picked the piece of chicken up from her lap and was about to put it in her mouth when Dais stopped her by placing a hand on her wrist of the hand holding the chicken and making her lie her hand back down on the table with the chicken over the plate.

When Asa raised an eyebrow he spoke up, “I’m not going to let you take the easy way out. Pick up those chopsticks young lady.”

Asa rolled her eyes and joked, “Yes, Father.” She did pick them up and attempted once more to grab a piece of chicken with them…but to no avail.

Dais chuckled, “Am I going to have to feed you?”

“I’ll get the hang of it…eventually.”

Again she was unable to properly keep a hold of the chicken and groaned, stabbing a piece with the chopsticks frustrated. She then reasoned that chicken kabob would be the only way she’d be able to eat. If Dais persisted that she use the chopsticks…well, here was a way.

Yet, she wasn’t at all surprised when he stopped her again, “Here, allow me. Say ah.”

Asa opened her mouth to protest only to be silenced by a mouthful of chicken. She couldn’t do anything but mumble garbled words as she chewed. After swallowing she was able to repeat herself, “Don’t do that. I can manage without the chopsticks.”

“Nonsense.” Dais stated, putting another mouthful in her mouth.

Asa let him continue for a little bit until it registered in her mind what this looked like. She could feel her cheeks getting warm and she prayed that they weren’t pink. Dais feeding her certainly didn’t seem right to her but boy it sure felt right.

The next time the food was brought to her lips; Asa gently took control of her chopsticks back and replied, “You need to eat your own before it gets cold.”

Dais could barely keep a serious tone as he said, “It’s already gone.”

“What do you mean? You were--" Asa looked at him puzzled and then it dawned on her, “You didn’t!”

He burst into laughter, “I did.”

“Ewwwww!” Asa screeched, “I ate squid? Nasty! Nasty! Nasty!”

“Oh come on and admit it,” Dais urged with a twinkle in his eyes, “It does taste good…kind of like…chicken.”

Asa eyed him, “That was a dirty trick. I think I want to go puke now.”

“Before you tasted it for the first time you were prejudiced against it and had convinced yourself that it was gross,” Dais explained, “And then when you ate it again you thought you were eating chicken so it didn’t taste any different. So, now you see it is good.”

She wouldn’t dare admit he was right and pushed her eggroll and remaining chicken in front of him, “Eat the rest of this.”

“Ew no!” Dais responded, imitating Asa, “I hate chicken! It’s so gross!”

He chuckled when she crossed her hands in front of her chest all pouty-like and ate what was left of the meal she had ordered as she had requested.

Only after they both had finished eating did the old lady come back by and place two complimentary fortune cookies on the table along with their bill.

Without question Asa tore into hers while Dais was more reserved in his actions and calmly opened the plastic that held his prisoner. They both snapped their fortune cookies in half at the same time and pulled out the messages held within each. Their reactions to their messages were quite different. While Dais looked pleased, Asa eyed hers with revulsion.

“Stupid thing.” Asa muttered, crumpling it up in her hand.

“What’d it say?” Dais asked.

Asa snorted, “Some shit like ‘Danger looms in your future’ or something along those lines.”

“Never mock the cookie.” Dais warned, “Let me take a look at it.”

“What’s it going to do?” Asa laughed as she handed it over, “Spank me?”

“I’m serious.” Dais replied as he read her fortune, “So it says ‘Advance with vigilance for the path ahead may be deceitful’, huh? Ouch…”

“What does yours say?” Asa asked Dais, placing her own into a pocket of her purse.

“Happiness comes not to those who wait, but to those who go out and make it.” Dais read.

“Sounds interesting.” Asa commented.

“I think I’ll heed its advice.” Dais replied softly.

“You’re going to do what some little slip of paper is telling you to do?” Asa asked, slightly baffled.

“I’m telling you Asa, these things aren’t to be taken lightly.”

Asa shrugged off the notion and stood, leaving the exact amount they owed on the table. “Ready to go?”

Dais stood as well, placing his fortune in the pocket of his pants, “Sure.”

And once again they were on the road. Snow had begun its descent upon the earth yet again and fell to the ground in crazy zigzag patterns. Asa had to turn the windshield wipers on to keep the snow from sticking to her windshield and obstructing her view of the road. The headlights were also switched on due to the rapidly retreating sun.

“Where to now?” Dais asked.

“Grocery store.” Asa answered, turning up the flow level of the heat, “Gotta get some food before my stash runs out completely.”

“Almost out of Ramen noodles?”

Asa laughed, “You could say that.”

It wasn’t but a few minutes later when they reached the grocery store and stepped into the automatic sliding doors only to be met by a chilly breeze equaling that of outside. Grabbing an available shopping cart, with an annoying squeaky tire, they walked to the nearest aisle. Asa removed a list from her purse and studied it for a second to refresh her mind on the things she needed to purchase.

“Milk…eggs…bread…sugar…Corona…flour…bacon…hamburger meat…ramen noodles…cat food…” Asa continued to read off all the items on the list as Dais manned the cart beside her.

As they walked past the shelves holding the items they needed, a simple swipe of the hand was all that was needed to get the items into the cart. They didn’t stop the cart much at all and walked down every single row in the store, careful not to miss anything on the list.

Dais didn’t ask many questions about the items they were getting but Asa could see the pondering expression on his face as he pushed the cart and looked down at everything in it. On a few occasions he nearly rammed the cart into the shelves from not paying attention to where he was going.

After studying a box of Fruit Roll Ups not on Asa’s ‘To Get’ list he found on a shelf, he could no longer hold in his curiosity and asked, “How do they fit the fruit into these tiny things?”

“Real fruit isn’t put in them.” Asa explain, “It’s only flavored like the real thing.”

“Then how come they are called Fruit Roll Ups if there is no fruit?”

Asa shrugged, “No clue.”

“It seems as if they should only be called Roll Ups.”

“But then the company wouldn’t be able to sell them.” Asa replied, “I guess they call it what they do to get people interested in buying their products.”

Dais was silent for a second, “Can I try it?”

Asa giggled, he sounded like a child begging his mother for a quarter to get gum, “Sure.” He started to open the package but Asa was able to stop him in time and say, “Wait until we buy it.”

His pouting face was adorable, “Okay.”

Soon their grocery cart was filled to the top with food products and they headed straight to a cash register to buy everything and be on their way.

With that out of the way, Asa decided she’d give Dais a tour of all the houses with the best Christmas decorations on the outside. Since most of the residences in town were mainly apartment complexes, she had to drive to the way outskirts of town to where all the regular neighborhoods were. To get to most of them you had to exit the highway and drive down winding poorly lit streets. Though the nice houses were few and far between, the drive, she knew, would be worth it.

He sat in the passenger seat beside her clutching his precious box of Fruit Roll Ups. One of them had been opened and was being devoured happily.

The snow hadn’t let down any and was falling more furious than before. Asa ignored it and drove on damned and determined to see those houses. Finally a beacon of light pierced through the darkness, leading them to it almost like the Star of Bethlehem leading the shepherds to Christ.

It was a house, whose fence surrounding the property was wrapped in a string of colored lights, a spotlight on the front door showing off the wreath hanging on it, and a waving animatronics Santa on the front lawn waving back and forth. Not bad.

Dais was freaked and pointed in the direction of the Santa as they slowly passed by, “What the hell is that?”

“Robotic Santa Clause.” Asa answered, picking up sped to get to the next house.

The next one was super tacky. Lights were strung anywhere and everywhere they could possibly be.

“Looks like a giant spider’s web.” Asa commented

Dais, of course, was happy at the comparison. “So many lights!”

“Makes me wonder how much their electric bill is every December.” Asa pondered aloud.

The occupants of the next house down the road had a weird sense of humor. For in their yard, lit by a spotlight, were three hay bales stacked one on top of the other and spray-painted to look like a snowman. It baffled Asa to some extent because she couldn’t understand why they did that when they could make a real snowman.

Asa and Dais’ tour of the decorated homes continued quite a while until the two started to get sleepy. The yawning got to be really contagious to the point that the minute one yawned the other followed and so on.

“Want to head back to the apartment and call it a night?” Asa asked Dais.

“Yeah, we’d better,” Dais responded looking at the clock, “It’s getting late.”

So they drove on down the road, windshield wipers on to keep the windshield clear of falling snow and heater on full blast to keep the inside of the car comfortable. Instead of turning around and retracing steps, Asa thought there was another much quicker way to get back to the main highway so she kept going in the direction she was driving. Pretty soon it was nothing but them, the road, and enveloping darkness. The beams of light from the headlights, the only light aside from the full moon, nearly obscured by the snowfall, Asa drove slower and with much more caution.

Quite some time passed and Dais was getting a little nervous, “Shouldn’t you just turn around and go back that way?”

“I’m sure there’s a quicker way out this way.” Asa replied.

“But going back in the other direction after that last house, it would have only taken thirty minutes to get back on the highway.” Dais pointed out, “We’ve been driving around for almost two hours looking for this other way.”

Asa sighed, “I could have sworn…ah, okay then. I’ll turn around.”

After finding a safe enough place to do so, she did. Unfortunately the road was starting to ice over and she found herself trying hard to keep the car from sliding onto the other lane and in the ditch.

Attempting to stop a car from sliding was futile; once it started all you could do was pray you could take back control before you hit something. Asa learned this from experience with large water puddles on roads after immense rainfalls back when she was first learning to drive. The only difference is that over water puddles, your steering locks up until you get away from the water and with ice nothing locks up…you just can’t make the car do anything until after you’re off the ice.

She was able to keep moderate control over her car; the only problem was that there was limited sight distance due to the millions of snowflakes. She wouldn’t be able to see if she was about to hit something until it was too late. Slamming on ones brakes would not help because doing that is just asking for your car to slide and hit whatever it is you’re trying to avoid with more force. Definitely not a winning situation either way you’d try to evade it.

Unfortunately she was more prepared for sliding than she was of what happened next. Her car began making noises as if it were dying on her, the engine putting on a grand show of coughing and sputtering. It was as if the car was accidentally knocked into neutral because no matter how far down Asa pushed the gas pedal the car would not pick up speed…only coast slowly down until they were moving at a snail’s pace. Confused, Asa pulled over onto the side of the road.

“What’s the matter with the car?” Dais asked.

“I’m…not sure.” She answered honestly, turning on the hazard lights in case any good samaritan happened upon them and would pull over to help.

“You think it’s the fan belt?”

“If it were the fan belt you’d hear a—" Asa went on to imitate the sound of a snapped fan belt.

“You’re right...” Dais agreed, “How do you know what one sounds like, anyway? I didn’t think you were into cars.”

“I’m not.” Asa smirked, “You just tend to pick up on things when your father is a mechanic.”

Dais leaned over slightly, scanned the instrument panel, and responded in a skeptical, “Uh-huh…”

“Uh-huh?” Asa inquired, “What do you mean by ‘Uh-huh’?”

“If you picked up on anything you certainly didn’t pick up on the importance of fuel.”

“Huh?” she shrieked, following his gaze to the fuel gauge, “Oh no…”

“Oh yes,” Dais confirmed, “We are out of gas.”

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened and her head met the center of it, causing the horn to go off. “Crap.”

“You can say that again.” Dais muttered.

“Cr—"

“I didn’t mean that literally Asa.” Dais sweatdropped.

“I can’t believe I forgot to fill up the gas tank today…” Asa frowned.

“Well, it happens to the best of us.” Dais responded somewhat cheerfully. “At least we have a way to get back.”

Asa’s mind drew a blank, “Which is…?”

Dais looked at her as if she were stupid, “The armor orb of course. We can use it to transport back to your apartment.”

Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, evident in how white her knuckles were becoming, “…I don’t have it.”

Dais choked on his latest strand of fruit roll up, “You what?”

“I don’t have it.” Asa repeated, biting her lip. She braced herself for a lecture.

“What the hell do you mean you don’t have it?!” Dais spat, eyes ablaze, “You are supposed to carry it with you at all times! Damn it, of all the irresponsible things you could have ever done this had to be it, huh? Shit…”

“I didn’t think there was a need to—" Asa offered meekly.

“Didn’t think? Of course you didn’t think, you never think!” Dais spat, interrupting her.

“Am I supposed to be paranoid for the rest of my life? Talpa is dead Dais! He’s nothing more than a rotting corpse now!” She shot back.

“That’s what you’d like to believe.” Dais growled, “You should know better, he’s a demon for God’s sake.”

“Just because he’s a demon doesn’t mean he can’t die.”

“Oh really?” Dais asked, narrowing his eyes, “The Ronins thought they had killed him but they were wrong weren’t they?”

Got her there. “He’s dead Dais, I’m sure of it.”

“Yeah,” he snorted, “Like you were sure you wouldn’t run out of gas and strand us out in the middle of nowhere. I always thought I’d die peacefully at a ripe old age…not frozen to death in a snowstorm.”

Obviously angry and hurt, without a word Asa opened her door and stalked to the back of the car, unlocking the trunk to retrieve her emergency blanket. She returned shortly with it in her arms and slammed the car door shut after she sat down.

“You can go right on ahead and freeze, I certainly won’t miss you. As for me, I’m staying warm.” She snapped at Dais before leaning the seat back and lying down, her back to Dais with the blanket covering her.

She was trembling, but not from the cold. ‘This is what you get for being charitable,’ she scolded herself, not caring if he could read her mind or not. Screw the bastard. She had been a fool to think they could actually get along…and an even bigger one to have fallen for him. A tear found its way to her cheek and she brushed it away annoyed. Her action was in vain because more followed suit, like a river flowing down the side of her face.

The minute they got out of this mess, she would be certain to kick him out and send him back to the Dynasty. That is…if there was a way out of this situation. Asa sniffled.

He must have heard her sniffle because he acted as if he had suddenly grown a heart and placed a hand on her shoulder, “Asa…”

“Fuck off.” She snarled, slapping his hand away.

Dais withdrew his hand hesitantly, “I didn’t mean—"

”I don’t give a damn what you meant.” Asa huffed, hastily wiping a hand across her face again, “Just leave me alone.”

Sighing, Dais plowed onward, “I didn’t mean to go off on you like that.”

“Whatever.”

“Asa, please look at me.” Dais requested quietly.

She turned onto her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows, head turned to him and eyeing him crossly, “What makes you think that you deserve my attention right now?”

“You’re here in this world alone…without any of the rest of us to help if anything goes wrong.” Dais stated, ignoring her previous question, “And it worries me...a lot. Especially more now knowing you don’t carry the orb with you.”

Asa rolled her eyes and lay down on her side, her back to Dais, “I’m a big girl, Dais. I’ve already proved I can hold my own in a battle.”

“The orb’s purpose isn’t just for fighting.” Dais responded, “You could use it to do a bunch of other useful things…” he laughed ironically, “Like teleporting.”

“What a time to be told that now.”

Dais took a deep breath, “I’m sorry for allowing my temper to get the best of me.”

She eyed him, “You’re just saying that because we might die, right?”

“No,” he shook his head, “I mean it.”

She considered his words for a long time before saying, “Apology accepted…but I’m still going to kick your ass later.”

“We’ll see about that,” Dais challenged, “I’ll bet you haven’t been practicing.”

“Mmmm…” Asa mumbled sleepily, comfortable all wrapped up and sheltered from the cold now seeping into the vehicle. Then she thought of Dais who didn’t have any way of keeping himself warm. Her charitable side won another internal battle, and, patting the excess part of the blanket in front of her that did not cover her, said, “Slide in.”

Dais shook his head, “One of us needs to keep watch for help.”

“I wonder why I didn’t think of that…”

Dais poked her on her forehead, “’Cause you don’t think.”

She tossed the comment aside, “Just because you’re on watch doesn’t mean you can’t relax.”

“Oh? And how come I get first watch?”

“Simple,” Asa reasoned, “I’m tired.”

“By all means, go to sleep.” Dais shook his head amused, “I’ll wake you up in an hour or so for your turn.”

She patted the excess portion of the blanket again, “In. Don’t wanna freeze do ya?”

“Well, it is getting colder…”

Asa closed her eyes again after freeing her hair from the rubberband that had held her hair prisoner, “I won’t bite…too hard.”

Dais laughed as he climbed under the blanket, “Sleepy yet you still have a sense of humor.”

Her whole body began to relax, melting into the seat cushion and pushing all the days’ tension back to some unknown corner of the universe allowing sleep to seep in.

Sometime later in the night she awoke, finding herself in a different position than how she was when she had first fallen asleep. She was lying down facing Dais this time, their bodies’ only millimeters apart and her head nestled on his upper left arm, his left hand resting in the curve of her waist above her hip. He was still awake, eyes trained to the ceiling of the car and his head resting on the palm of his right hand.

To get his attention, Asa pinched him lightly on his side. He writhed, turning his head to look at her and say, “So you’re awake, huh?”

She nodded, “How long have I been out?”

“No clue.” He shrugged.

“No one’s driven by?”

Dais shook his head, “Afraid not.”

Asa frowned and averted her eyes, “I’m sorry, this is all my fault.”

Her eyes widened when Dais turned onto his side and pulled her into a tight hug, “You know, sometimes shit happens and nothing can be done about it. Truthfully, I don’t mind being stranded with you.” He then chuckled softly, “As long as it won’t happen too often.”

His choice of words for his last sentence floated around in her head and she wondered for a while the meaning behind them. She pulled away from him slightly and was about to ask him what he meant, halfway hoping her interpretation was it and halfway hoping against it, when he spoke up again.

“I’ve been thinking about those fortunes we got at the restaurant.”

“Oh?”

“I believe that yours was a warning about the fuel.” Dais explained.

Asa scrunched up her nose, “It sounded a little bit more profound to me to be talking about that.”

“Well,” Dais asked, “What do you think it meant?”

She shrugged, “I don’t think it meant anything. It’s just some silly message stuffed into a cookie by some factory.”

“Every cookie’s fortune is unique. And I believe fate to be involved in which message makes its way to which person.” Dais stated.

“You don’t think it could just be a coincidence that I got the one I did?” Asa asked, and then challenged, “What about yours? It doesn’t warn against anything. All it is is a quote by some guy that’s probably dead.”

“Mine was a suggestion.” Dais responded. “They don’t all have to be warnings.”

“And what do you think it was suggesting?” Asa prodded onward.

Without a word Dais closed the distance between them with a kiss. Asa’s heart nearly leapt through her chest as their lips made contact. It felt as if an electric current had passed through her body as thousands upon thousands of emotions swept through her at lightning pace.

As quick as it had begun, it ended. Dais pulled away from her slightly and, smiling, replied, “That.”

Asa was too stunned to say anything. All she could do was lie there and wonder if she was dreaming or if it had actually happened. She pinched herself to see and found it to be the latter. Asa couldn’t decide how she felt about it either. She had wanted this so badly…but it was wrong…so wrong…yet felt so right.

“I have wanted to do that for so long.” Dais admitted.

“Do I…” Asa timidly began, remembering his fortune, “Do I make you happy?”

He nodded, “Yes, you do.” She then placed the palm of her hand on his forehead, checking for a fever, which caused him to laugh, “You don’t believe me?”

Asa bit her lip, “No.”

He moved her hand from his forehead and kissed it gingerly, “Well it’s the truth.”

“Does…Kayura make you happy?”

Dais closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering, “Yes, yes she did…but I believe it was a false sense of happiness.”

“What do you mean?”

“After you left it was like I had lost a part of me.” Dais explained, “I clung to her thinking I could forget about you.”

“Do you love me?” she hesitantly asked. When he nodded she replied, “I always thought you hated me.”

“I did too.” Dais laughed, ”Just comes to prove how you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone.”

“I always had a thing for you,” Asa admitted, “Even if we did butt heads all the time…”

“We’re both stubborn.” Dais said with a lop-sided grin, “But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“Dais?”

“Hmm?”

“I think…I think you should try to fix things with Kayura.” She said quietly, pushing aside her feelings for him. Knowing he didn’t hate her was enough; she could be satisfied with that.

“What?” He gaped, “Asa I—“

“What do we have in common, Dais?” Asa pressed on, “Besides the armor there’s really nothing. And I don’t have to remind you of all the times we fought. From the moment we first met that’s all we ever did. Hell, we even had an argument tonight!”

“What about the rest of the day Asa?” Dais pointed out, “Being together at the mall shopping and ice skating, eating out at that restaurant, grocery shopping, looking at the decorations adorning several homes…we didn’t bicker at all those times. The one teensy blowup tonight shouldn’t overshadow the rest of the day. I had a lot of fun with you today and I was hoping there could be more days like this to come.”

“Kayura deserves you more Dais,” Asa replied, “You’ve known her the longest and, besides, you’re both from the same world.”

“Being from different worlds didn’t stop Sekhmet and Venom or Anubis and Crimson.” Dais reasoned. “And what makes you think Kayura wants me back? The woman’s so far impaled on Cale she couldn’t give a damn about anything else but him!”

Asa gasped, her mouth hanging open in shock, “You didn’t tell me—“

“I wasn’t going to.” Dais interrupted, groaning, as he rolled over onto his back. After a long pause, he continued, “We had had a big fight and I walked out, intending to cool down a bit. When I returned later I found them…together.”

“I’m sorry.” Asa said, at a loss of anything else intelligent to say.

He shook his head, “Don’t be. It’s probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me.”

He was talking in riddles it seemed. He was clearly upset over Kayura’s infidelity, with a friend of his of all people, yet he tries to act unaffected and nonchalant. And he says his happiness with Kayura wasn’t real. Asa found it hard to believe. Sure happiness can fade and minds can change but you don’t put yourself in a relationship that you’re not happy in to begin with. And he’s trying to move on too fast, almost seeming desperate for companionship. She didn’t doubt any feelings he may have for her, but it was just so sudden.

Maybe it was worth it to take a chance with him. After all, he had come to her for comfort…tough manly Dais who didn’t like to rely on anybody but himself. That in itself was mind-blowing and it had to count for something. And why was she trying to kid herself anyway? She had always dreamed of being with him. Here was her golden opportunity.

Finally finding resolve, she took a deep steadying breath to collect herself and spoke, “Dais?”

His soft gaze met hers once more as he turned back onto his side to face her, “Yeah?”

“No illusions?” Asa asked nervously, looking down at her fingers which were toying with the material of her shirt.

Lifting her chin gently with his index finger so that he could look deep into her brown eyes, Dais smiled and softly replied, “No illusions.”

Ever so slowly, her lips were met once again by Dais’s. Light fleeting butterfly kisses. A question, Asa realized. He was leaving it all up to her. Did she want this? Smiling inwardly, she gave him her answer by deepening the kiss.

And then nothing else mattered but the two of them. The freezing snowstorm brewing outside became nothing more than a distant memory as they held onto one another in the dark kissing, caressing, whispering sweet loving things to one other, and savoring the moment of having finally found love.