A/N: So so sorry it's been a while! I got hooked on a new show and have been watching that for the past few days. But anyway. I'm not really sure how I feel about this. I was distracted while writing it so I don't know how good it is, if at all. Not my best work, but I hope you all enjoy it anyway!

"I'm cold," Umeko complains, pulling her jacket tighter around her small body. Jasmine glances up from her book on the other side of the room.

"Just throw a blanket on," she tells her, shifting her weight so the pillow is resting more comfortably behind her head. Umeko pouts and takes one of her numerous pillows on her fluffy bed and throws it at the other girl.

"Ne!" she exclaims, surprised, as the pillow hits her book, knocking it out of her hands and causing her to lose her page. "Umeko!"

"But a blanket won't help me," the pink ranger whines, leaping over to the other girl's bed and snuggling against her side. "I'm sorry Jasmine-san, but I need something else."

"Well I'm not a pillow," Jasmine says firmly, gently pushing the other girl away. She reaches for her book and riffles through it, trying to find her page. "Go find your boyfriend or something."

Umeko's face lights up. "I bet he's warm!" She jumps off the bed and dashes to the door before turning back to the yellow ranger. "Aren't you cold? You should ask Hoji-san to come!" As Jasmine stutters out a protest, the younger girl is already out of the room. Jasmine sighs and smiles wryly, a blush hinting on her cheeks.

"Sorry Sen-chan," she says to no one, going back to her book. "Ano. Maybe I should get Hoji to come in here."

Umeko rushes through the halls, peeking into every doorway in search of the green Dekaranger. He's not in his room, the main room, any of the training facilities. Umeko frowns as she continues to search. "Where is he?"

The only good thing about running all over the center is now she's sufficiently warmed up more.

"What's wrong Umeko?" Hoji asks as young girl pushes past him. She had knocked some papers out of his hands but he caught them midair.

"Have you seen Sen-chan?" she asks him, a little out of breath. Hoji, trying to think back, shakes his head.

"Gomen, I haven't so far. But wh-"

"Jasmine-san is in our room," Umeko calls over her shoulder, done with the conversation. Hoji watches her leave, a little confused.

"That's not what I was going to ask," mumbles Hoji.

Umeko hurries from room to room, slowing down a little bit to catch her breath. But only for a few minutes before she gets right back up to continue her search.

"Is there an attack?" Tetsu calls out, worried, as he sees Umeko practically run down the halls.

"Where's Sen-chan?" she asks instead, slightly breathless. Tetsu shrugs. Now that he knows there's nothing to be too alarmed about, he thinks it's time to go back to training.

"Don't know. Last I saw he told me he was going to pick something up at a store."

"Kouhai! We were in the middle of something!" Ban's voice sounds from inside the room and Tetsu gives Umeko an apologetic smile, only to see her already walking away.

"Thanks!" Umeko shouts over her shoulder, hurrying towards the steps and she bounds down them, ignoring the strange looks she is getting from other people. "And he didn't even tell me! How rude of him."

She skids to a halt right before the front doors to see the very object she was thinking about coming through them, snow falling from his clothes and hair.

"Hi Umeko," he says casually, shifting the bag on his arm. Umeko is immediately at his side and hooks her arm around his, brushing some snow off as she does so.

"Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere," she chides him as they start to mount the stairs.

"I needed something," Sen-chan answers simply. Umeko shakes her head, annoyed.

"Do you know how annoying it was to look for you all over the center? And you didn't even tell me you were leaving!"

"I was only gone an hour," points out the green Dekaranger as they reach the top of the stairs. "No reason to be alarmed."

"But I was cold!" Umeko pouts, dragging Sen-chan behind her. He raises an eyebrow.

"And?"

"I needed you to warm me up, baka," she exclaims, frowning at him. "Jasmine-san was no help, I needed you."

"How can I help?"

"You're like a human oven or something," explains the young girl matter-of-factly. Her boyfriend is always strangely warm, no matter the circumstance or environment. She loves it because it comes in handy whenever she is cold. Except for this time when she needed his warmth and he was off doing who knows what.

"A human oven?"

"Or something." Umeko rolls her eyes. "Come on, dump that off and be my personal heater! I need something."

"Heaters aren't usually that good," Sen-chan says. "Sometimes the wiring gets all twisted and messed up. What we really need is a fireplace."

"A what?" asks Umeko as her companion drops his bag off in his room. "But we don't have any fireplaces here. Do we?"

Sen-chan shakes his head. "No, I don't think so. But we can always make one?"

"Ohh how? How?" Umeko bounces on the balls of her feet, excited at the prospect of getting themselves a fireplace. Since it's not the latest technology, they have no reason to have it in the command center.

"The simulation room," replies Sen simply. Umeko's eyes light up and before Sen can say anything more, she starts off in search of the mentioned room while he makes no protest.

"Can you program it?" she asks once they reach it. "I'll go get some pillows or something." She skips out of the room without waiting for an answer and Sen smiles at her retreating back and shakes his head.

He starts to punch buttons on the control pad, programming it to resemble a place with a fireplace. It's been a long time since he's seen a real, actual fireplace. And even though it won't be entirely real, the heat from it and the feelings it brings are very much real.

After it is complete, he opens the sliding door and waits for it to activate. Soon enough, the white walls around him are replaced with dark, shiny wood that hints at being a cabin or some sort. The floors match the walls and are covered with small rugs here and there. A couch is a few feet in front of him, facing the fireplace-the reason they're doing this in the first place.

The fake windows show it's evening time outside, if the darkening sky means anything and it shows falling snow through the frost-covered glass.

"It's so cozy!" Umeko squeals, opening the door to join her boyfriend. He turns at her voice to see her with an armful of pillows.

"Aren't those Jasmine's?" he inquires, tilting his head and gesturing to a yellow and white one.

"Only a couple," sniffs Umeko, tossing one to him. Even with the velvet couch, it had come without pillows but surprisingly has a blanket underneath it.

"I don't think she'll like that," Sen states, kneeling next to the fireplace. Umeko shrugs, flipping her ponytail.

"She's too busy with Hoji-san anyway to notice," protests the pink Dekaranger. Sen decides to let it go. He doesn't want to spend this time talking about his friend's love life, he wants to experience his own.

While Umeko makes herself comfortable, Sen tends to the fireplace, poking at the logs and such. Being a simulation and all, everything he needed to start it was already there and it was do-it-yourself, no electric ones where one had to flip a switch or something.

Soon enough, there's a cheery fire going and filling the small room with the sounds crackling and the feeling of warmth.

Sen settles on the couch, and Umeko immediately snuggles close to him. He smiles and puts one arm over her shoulder, holding her to him and uses the other to pull the blanket closer around them.

"This is nice," she murmurs a few moments later, curling her legs under her. Sen nods, feeling her auburn hair brush the bottom of his chin.

"It is."

"Why haven't we done it before?" demands Umeko. How could she have gone throughout the whole winter without this? She could've done this every day. Every single day of winter. Why had she never thought of it before?

"Because you've never brought it up," Sen replies, pushing her gently in the forehead. She laughs and pushes his forehead back, the blanket falling down some.

"You still should've suggested it," she pouts, leaning her head once again on his chest. She feels him breathe in and out. It's a comforting sound. That, coupled with the sounds of the sparks from the fire is making her feel a little drowsy. "I can't think of everything. You're the genius here."

"Am I?" Sen sounds pleased. He already knew it, of course, but to be reminded of it feels good all the same.

"Obviously, baka." Umeko rolls her eyes, smiling widely. "You and Hoji-san but you more so. If not, I wouldn't be sitting here."

"You only like me because I'm a genius?" Sen asks, insulted.

"What else? You only like me because I'm cute," Umeko points out. Sen sighs and smiles, tapping his fingers on Umeko's shoulder.

"That's not all of it."

Umeko turns her head to be able to have a better view of him. "Really?" Sen nods, crossing one leg over the other.

"Of course."

"What else?"

"Are you looking for compliments?"

Umeko looks scandalized. "Enari Sen'ichi. Do you know me at all?"

The green Dekaranger gulps. She used his full name. "Of course not," he stutters out, trying to reverse the damage. "Of course not."

"Well then what else do you like about me?" She looks up at him with wide eyes, the firelight dancing in them. There's something about it that makes her look unearthly beautiful, silhouetted by the fire with her already sparkling eyes.

"For starters, you are incredibly cute."

Umeko beams, cuddling closer to him. "I know." Sen smiles gently at him. Some people may think Umeko is being bratty when she says such things but Sen knows better. She doesn't mean for it to sound conceited. It's just a part of who she is. She may be childish sometimes but that's what makes her so lovable.

"You give the best hugs."

"Really?" Umeko pipes up. Her smile grows wider as she wraps her arms around him, giving him one of her amazing hugs. It's a little tight but a good tight, the tight where he can feel he's really loved by her.

"You're very outgoing and perky."

"I do try," she giggles as he trails his fingers up and down her arm, causing chills to erupt on her skin even with the fireplace.

"You have a good heart."

"And it's all mine," Umeko reminds him, watching him watch the fire with a mild smile curving at his lips. It dances, red and yellow and orange in front of them, crackling with every step of the way. "Do you know what I like about you?"

Sen tilts his head, tearing his eyes away from the firelight to look at her. She grins, gestures to the fireplace and pecks him on the lips, a sweet, swift kiss.

"You set my heart on fire."