"Okay everyone, we have Aloo parthas made with potatoes and onions, Mughlai parathas filled with eggs and meat, some rice and curry, and my favorite, palak pakora," Aisha said when everything was put on the table. "Dig in."

Rammed took his seat across from Guan and Aisha sat next to him, across from Chase. The meal was mostly quiet and quite tense thanks to the three men in the room until:

"Aisha, what did you say these were again?" Guan asked holding up a little golden brown disc.

"They're palak pakoras," she answered taking one for herself, "deep-fried spinach."

Chase slowly placed the one he was eating down his plate.

"What's wrong Chase? Aren't you going to finish it?" Guan teased taking a bite out of his pakora.

"Why? Your four stomachs not full yet?" Chase replied.

"I was just wondering. That look of disgust on your face made me curious."

"You should know that I only save that look for anytime I see you."

"I don't get it," Aisha said with her hand in front of her rice-filled mouth.

"Chew, swallow, and then speak," Chase reminded her, Aisha rolled her eyes and swallowed her food.

"You should stop trying. I've told her a thousand times and it still hasn't gotten through," Rammed commented mostly to himself.

Aisha pinched his leg, "Stop ganging up on me!"

"What? I'm agreeing with him, isn't that what you want?"

"Yeah but it'd be nice if you weren't agreeing about my faults," Aisha mumbled. "What were you saying Chase?"

"That I don't really like spinach, actually, I loathe it...very much."

"Oh."

"But other than that, you're quite a good cook."

"Thank you. But you didn't offend me, I didn't make the pakoras anyway."

"That's because she doesn't know how to make them," Rammed muttered a little to loudly.

"Papi!" Aisha exclaimed hitting his arm, "Do you have a comment for everything?"

"Just about," Rammed laughed.

The rest of the of Chase and Guan's stay went something along those lines without too many casualties. Chase would talk to Aisha if he wasn't verbally abusing Guan, who was failing at not being bothered by Chase's crude comments. Rammed was trying his best to be on his best behavior as he watched his daughter communicate with one of the most evil people in world.

"Well, I guess I should take my leave," Chase stated looking out of the window at the setting sun.

"Let me show you to the gates," Aisha offered gathering the used dishes and putting them in the kitchen.

"He should be able to find them just fine," Rammed said from his seat.

"No Papi, it's alright, I'll show him," Aisha insisted and left the house.

"That wasn't too horrible now was it?" Aisha asked holding her hands together behind her back walking away from her house.

"No, but it would've been better if Guan wasn't there," Chase answered.

"It would've have been dead silent if he wasn't there," Aisha smiled. "And Papi probably would have kicked you out if he didn't have a guest there of his own."

"Then I just would have brought you with me when I left."

"For my sake, don't joke like that. My father would raise hell to bring me back and accuse you of kidnapping."

"But its such a good plan. We could go through with it right now," Chase replied. They just reached the huge entrance to the gate that surrounded the village.

"I'll see you in two weeks Chase," Aisha said pretending like she didn't hear his last comment.

"Two weeks," Chase repeated and kissed her lightly and disappeared.

TWO WEEKS LATER

The comfortable, pre-winter air was filled with excitement and the sounds of traditional drums. A house not to far from the beginning celebrations was filled with nervous performers getting ready for their parts. Vibrantly colored fabrics dashed back and forth as the pounds of glistening jewelry made sure they were heard.

On lookers encircling the huge ceremonial fire cleared a path for the night's first performers. A dozen or so children, taking their positions in front of the fire facing the crowd, started the festival off with a prayer to the celebrated god and a song. Fire breathers and a few dancers came next, reenacting a religious folklore of one of their beloved gods. A bell tolled and the ornate, sacred shrine of said unknown god was paraded through the crowd and for the next two hours, every one of the thousand people present paid homage to it. The main part of the festival ended with a large group of dancers performing a fast-paced dance to the beat of a few dozen drums.

The moon as at its peak when the food was blessed and served. Many sat in groups around the fire eating and conversing. Others, some of which were drunk, were dancing the night away to a few drums. A rather large tent with a small fire was filled with children and young people intently listening to the man before them. The elderly village leader recited the stories of their gods and their ancestors through age old oral tradition. The listeners, sprawled on colorful floor pillows, paid close attention to his words, hoping one day to continue the tradition and retell these stories to their children.

Among these listeners was Aisha. Being in the last group of dancers, she was thankful for the warm tent and pillows that she could relax on. She was still in her green and purple performing sari, lying on her side with a little neighbor girl resting her back on her stomach. Aisha half-listened to the man's story as she had heard a hundred times before. Her attention was on the children around her, they reminded her of herself when she was their age. She could tell that they were on the edge of anticipation for what in the story would happen next and yet, absorbing everyone of the village elder's words.

The village leader didn't pay any mind to the rustling of the beaded curtain of the entryway as people were constantly coming and leaving the tent. However, one person did manage to break his storytelling for a second. As the beaded curtain clicked(?) back together, he paused in his sentence when he gazed up at the man who just entered. The guest's unusual aura slightly alarmed the village elder. He watched him for a second, but relaxed when he saw one of Aisha's friends turn to look at the newcomer and smile. Thinking that she must know him, the the village leader continued his story.

"Whoa, I've never seen him before," said friend whispered to Aisha.

"Who Aarya?" Aisha whispered turning her head toward the door, trying to see past the people behind her.

Aarya placed her head next to Aisha's, pointing and looking at the tent's entrance, "Tall, dark-haired, and hot."

"I don't- Oh! He came!"

"But who is he?"

"He's Chase," Aisha explained picking up her drink and getting up. "Aarya come get your sister. Excuse me Kriya."

Kriya, the little girl who was resting against Aisha, leaned forward so she wouldn't fall over when Aisha got up. Aarya picked up Kriya from the floor and sat her in her lap as she watched Aisha approach the unknown man, beaming from ear to ear.

Their gazes locked and Aisha took his hand in hers and led him out of the tent. Once outside, like magnets in close contact, their lips met automatically.

"Have you been drinking?" Chase asked her with raised eyebrows when they broke the kiss.

"Of course. But only a wittle bit," she answered slightly swaying in Chase's arms.

He cupped her chin in his hand and kissed her again, "It taste's more like a lot."

Aisha just shrugged, "Who cares, I wasn't doing anything. And its not like I'm drunk."

"Are you positive?"

"Yes, believe it or not, I can hold my liquor very well."

"Let's hope for your sake you can."

"I already did. Now come, I'm hungry."

After going through the buffet and picking up one of everything there, the two sat together at a secluded spot.

"You know, I'll refuse to kiss you if you keep eating all that spinach," Chase stated.

"I'm sorry but I've had ridiculous cravings for it since I came home. It's all I ever eat."

"Speaking of, how are your blood cravings?"

"They aren't as strong as they were before, but it seems like the less blood I drink, the less energy I have," Aisha answered, leaning her head on Chase's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Then what do you do?"

"If I can't get to any blood, I'll sleep or eat some spinach."

"Substituting your craving isn't going to work forever."

"I know. But you have no idea how good spinach is Chase. Here, try it," she replied holding a pakora in front of his face.

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"Never."

"Chase..."

"Aisha...no."

"C'mon, just a nibble."

"Why are you so persistent?"

" 'Cause I want you to try it."

Chase blew fire on the pakora and it crumbled into ashes, "No."

"Why'd you go and waste it like that? You could've a least taken it and-"

"My, my, my. Look at how you've grown Aisha Katar," an unknown voice said from behind the two.

Chase and Aisha turned to see a man, a little darker than Aisha with short black hair and brown eyes, smiling down at them.

"What? By that look it seems like you don't remember me. I'm hurt," the man said jokingly.

"Fareed!" Aisha exclaimed jumping up and hugging him. "Why didn't you send word that you were coming back?"

"I thought I did, Aarya was supposed to tell you...I came back to marry her."

"What?!" Aisha shouted in shock.

"Aisha! There you are," Aarya said running towards the group. She too wore a green and purple performing sari and was around Aisha's height. Her eyes were a dark hazel and her black hair was in two long braids beneath her head covering.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Why didn't you tell me that you were getting married...and to Fareed!"

"It was supposed to be a surprise. I thought we were going to be together for the rest of the night and was gonna tell you when we met up with him," Aarya explained breathlessly. "But you met up with this guy...it's Chase right?"

Chase, who was now standing, bowed to Aarya and she bowed back.

"Nice to finally meet you," she continued as Fareed bowed to Chase.

"Wow, you still move on quickly don't you Aisha?"

"Fareed!" Aarya said elbowing him in the side.

"Its alright. But congratulations guys!" Aisha replied landing a hard punch on Fareed's arm.

"Ow!"

"I warned you about your tongue..." Aarya mumbled crossing her arms and looking away from her fiance as he cradled his bruising arm.

"Let's celebrate with some drinks!" Aisha exclaimed.

"But you've already had 6."

"Make that 11, she's downed 5 since I've been with her," Chase added.

"Well I've lost count. What's one more gonna do anyway?" Aisha said casually.

HALF AN HOUR AND 5 DRINKS LATER

"Where'rwe goin' Chase?"

They were in a dark and fairly deserted street.

"I'm taking you back to your house."

"But the party isn't over yet," Aisha replied turning in the opposite direction.

"But you're border lining roaring drunk right now," Chase explained catching her by her waist and walking her in the other direction.

"See, that's where you're wrong," she smiled. " 'm jus' a little tipsy 'n the world is just tilted off to the side a bi'. Whoa!"

Aisha tilted her head to the side and the rest of her body followed as she lost her balance.

"Just 'a little tipsy'...sure," Chase mumbled when he caught her.

"...Why're your eyes filled with so much hatred?" she questioned when she stood back up. "Do you hate me?"

Chase gave her a small smile and shook his head, "No. You never need to worry about whether or not I hate you because I never will. Okay?" Aisha nodded her head.

"We should hurry before the sun rises."

"We should or else we won't have time to have any fun," Chase smirked. Aisha smirked too, understanding what he meant, and gathered up the bottom of her skirt and sprinted toward her house.

"You move too slow," she heard in her ear when she reached the door to her house.

"Shut up!" Aisha laughed as she felt Chase's fingers dance on her bare back and stomach.

Aisha gripped the wall for support as she entered the dark house, still laughing hysterically while Chase continued to tickle her. When they reached the door to her room Chase stopped tickling her and began placing soft kisses on her and shoulder. Aisha's laughs subdued to giggles as she slid the door to her room open and they entered her bedroom. When the door was closed, she turned around and kissed Chase full on the lips...

THE NEXT MORNING

Aisha's eyes opened a bit, but immediately closed again when she felt the sun's bright yellow rays from her window.

'Ugh, I woke up late again...Oh well, Papi won't mind if I sneak in an extra hour,' she thought turning on her side away from the window toward a warmth near her. She tried to go back to sleep but she couldn't block out the sounds of those annoying-ass birds outside her window and the random persistent drumming in her ears. After a few minutes she gave up on trying to go back to sleep and slowly turned on her back, rubbing her eyes and yawning. She then did her morning routine of looking around her room to make sure everything was as she left it. It was a simple enough room; the dresser and mirror were still at the opposite wall ahead of her and her bed, the maroon curtains (that should have been drawn closed) were still hanging in front of her window, and her dozen or so color-clashing pillows were still lining the walls of her room.

Aisha could make out a part of her purple and green sari from the night before thrown on the floor, along with some unfamiliar black articles of clothing nearby. She stopped and wondered what the black fabric could be and where it came from, but shrugged it off as just seeing things because she just woke up. She turned back to the window and moved to that side of the bed to get up. The next thing she knew, she felt a weight around her waist and was pulled back across the bed to the where she was.

'What the hell?' she wondered and looked down to see a muscular porcelain arm around her waist and followed it up to a muscular porcelain man next to her.

"Chase...Chase!" Aisha called remembering the night before. If it was midday and Chase was still here, things would be catastrophic if her father walked in the house and saw them together...in bed...

'Holy crap, I'm naked!' she realized and quickly wrapped herself in most of the sheets and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Good morning Sunshine," Chase said a little too cheerfully.

Aisha turned to look at him with a look of disbelief, "What the hell is your problem?"

"Nothing, I'm completely fine."

"No...I mean...heh you really are but...Why are you so happy?"

"Because I got to share a wonderful night with you, my Soo Yun."

Chase was now sitting on his knees behind her, his placed on her shoulders. He moved her hair to one side so he could kiss her bare neck.

"Perfect lotus flower..." Aisha smiled, to which Chase responded with a silent nod. They sat like that in silence for a few moments when Chase murdered it by saying:

"Why do you cover yourself up, it's just me and you."

"...Get dressed Chase," Aisha replied standing up abruptly and walking to her dresser, dragging the sheets with her.

"Not until I get my breakfast," he smirked falling back onto the bed with his hands behind his head.

"There is no way on God's great green and blue earth that you're gonna walk around my house half-naked with the chance of my father walking in at any second," she said without turning around to face him as she looked for some clothes.

"I don't fear your father."

"But Ido. And I'm the one who's gonna hear it if he sees you here like that. Chase? Are you even listening?" Aisha turned around. "Chase!"

"Stop hogging the sheets," he mumbled and pulled on the ones that Aisha had. She stumbled alittle from his force and let go. "Ugh, you still have on underwear."

"Don't sound so disappointed," she commented back and put on a red skirt that matched the shirt she had on. "Chase, get up."

The flustered young woman threw Chase's abandoned clothes at him, "Do you enjoy messing with me?" and left the room.

"Yes!" Chase called through the door.

"See, nothing went wrong," Chase commented. After half an hour, he finally heeded to Aisha's request and got dressed.

"You just got lucky," Aisha smiled as she cleaned up the breakfast dishes. She walked out of the kitchen to get the rest of the dishes, "You probably jinxed it by - Chase?"

No one was in the room.

"Chase where'd you - Chase, this isn't funny!" she heard the chickens cluck agitatedly outside and looked out the window; her father was home.

"Keya! I'm home," Rammed called upon entering the house with bags of miscellaneous items.

"Papi, let me help you with those," Aisha said nervously after giving the room a quick glance and diving for a bag that was slipping out of her father's grasp. "What is all of this stuff?"

"Just some things I picked up from my trip, I thought that you might find them interesting."

"Yeah, but what are they?" Aisha asked looking into one of the bags and pulling out what looked like a statue of a green dragon tail.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Rammed cried running over to Aisha and taking the tail from her hand, "You mustn't touch anything in that bag. Dashi wanted me to give this bag to Deja. Supposedly she knows what to do with it."

"Okay, okay. I'm stepping away from the weird tail thing," Aisha replied with her hands up defensively backing away from the bag. "What else did you bring?"

It took a while...but I made it back.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!