The weather did not improve. In fact, it had gotten worse. And for that, Aster was very thankful. The roads were freezing over and were covered under inches of snow, practically putting the city at a standstill. He stared out the window feverishly, glad he would get a moment to rest. And he was looking forward to another night away from the stadium. His ears sure were thankful for that. Aster was afraid to admit it but he was losing hearing in his ears due to the constant nights of being assaulted by thunderous crowds and explosions caused by the intense duels he partook in.
Bzz! Bzz!
"What the hell does he want now!" Aster murmured. He reached into the pocket of his pajama pants and fumbled through the deep pocket for his phone. Yup. It was Antosson. He muttered something nasty and answered. "What do you want?"
"We need to talk about our schedule for next week," said his manager. "This snow isn't going to let up so we need to fix our schedule."
"We'll do it some other time."
"Some other time? Aster, time is money. And if we're wasting time, we're wasting money. We've got more people interested in using you to advertise their products. Oh, here's a keeper," he chuckled crudely. "Calvin Klein wants the new champion to model the new selection of briefs for their winter catalog."
"Pass."
"Oh come on! Your female fans are gonna love it."
"Pass."
"All right, all right. Oh, this will tickle your fancy. Check it out. Arisawa Industries are willing to pay five hundred thousand smackeroos a week just to get you to use one of their new top-of-the-line Duel Disks."
"No thanks. I'm sticking to Kaiba Corp. They pay me well for using their products."
"Not as much as this deal!"
"No, but at least they let me have some privacy. I don't want to make commercials out of my dueling. We'll talk about the schedules when the storm is over, got it?"
"Aster, baby, you're the king of the world right now and you're still acting like you got a stick up your ass. Damn, man, learn to appreciate life more." He grinned. "So, uh, how's your little guest doing?"
"She's sleeping."
"Ah, I see. Well, don't just stand around and mope, Aster. Make her a nice breakfast to raise her spirits."
Aster paced back and forth and slid his fingers down his hair. "You really think so?"
"I'm sure she'll love it. Who knows it might even get her to stay. There's no faster way to someone's heart than their stomach, that's what I say."
"Heart? Antosson, it's not like that!"
"Keep telling yourself that, baby. Well, you go tend to your sleeping beauty. I'm going to see if I can't fix our schedule. There are so many shows that are going to be canceled."
"We'll talk more later. Goodbye." He hung up the phone. "Breakfast. You've gotta be kidding me."
Aster looked down the water walled hallway. The door to Alexis's room was just up ahead. He shuffled towards the door and opened it just a crack to see inside. Yes. She was still asleep. She looked so calm and seemed to be at peace. The fish tank on the wall above her bed filled the area of her bed in a dark fluorescent blue light. Aster closed the door and slumped against it, gently so as not to wake her.
"All right, all right."
He went to the kitchen and started preparing a meal just for her. "What has gotten into you?" he thought to himself while frying eggs. "You paid a fortune to get her out of that poor excuse of a promotion. You spoil her rotten at the mall. Now you're making meals for her. Come on, get a hold of yourself. You swore you would never have any interest in anyone. Never. Never! You're the Colosseum Grand Champion. We don't have time for stupid things like this. That feeling was just a feeling. You were just a kid. Let it go. It's best for you and it's best for her."
Through the loud sizzling of the pan, and the Christmas music on the radio, he heard the sound of silk rustling and gentle footsteps on the wooden floor behind him. Aster looked over his shoulder. Alexis stepped into the kitchen with a blanket wrapped over her shoulders.
"Good morning," Aster said.
"Good morning," Alexis said, trying her best to smile. She pulled a chair and sat down. "What are you doing?"
"Oh, uh...I making you breakfast. I mean...I made you breakfast...I mean, uh...that is…"
"I'm touched," Alexis said. "Thanks."
"You cold?"
"Yeah, it's probably warmer out there than it is in here," Alexis said. "I was freezing my butt off in there, Aster. How low do you have the temperature in here?"
"Sorry," Aster said. "I don't get cold too easily. I'll raise the heat up for you if you want." He scooped up the eggs with the spatula and slapped them on a plate.
"That'll be great," Alexis said. She tightened her grip on the blanket. "That is...if it's not any trouble."
Aster shot batter into another pan and started making her pancakes. "No, no trouble at all."
Alexis tilted her head left and right as she sang along to Winter Wonderland, which was playing on the radio. "Looks like it, huh? Wow, hasn't snowed like this in Paradise City in forever. So all the events at the stadium have been canceled huh?"
"Thank goodness," Aster said as he chuckled softly. He grimaced. Remembering the arena seemed to bring pain in his right arm. His dueling arm as Antosson called it. The muscles started to sting as if he was holding his duel disk again.
"You okay?" Alexis asked. A tone of concern in her voice.
Aster rolled his shoulder around. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm glad the arena is closed actually. Today's my birthday. I was hoping to have the day off to have a little peace and quiet."
Aster looked back at Alexis. She beamed at that bit of news. Marvelous! She's a miracle when she smiles!
"Oh! Well, happy birthday, Aster. Are you going to do anything special?"
Aster chuckled again, flipping the pancake over. "Not likely. I haven't done anything special since my dad….nevermind."
"I understand," Alexis said. Aster walked to the table and placed the plate in front of her. "It looks great." She sniffed the sweet smell of the food. "Mmm, if it tastes half as good as it looks, I think I'm in for a treat."
"Heh, it's nothing special. But I do my best. I had to learn to cook a couple of things because all Antosson wants to do is eat outdoors. It's not healthy." He leaned against the table and drummed his fingers on it. "I'm thinking about replacing him."
"What about that one lady who helped you out during our last year of school?" Alexis asked.
"Emeralda?"
"Yeah, what happened to her?"
"A falling out," said Aster. "Stupid stuff and I regret it happened. She was really good. Better than Antosson, I'll tell you that." He waved his hand across the air. "Bah, forget all that. Just enjoy your breakfast."
"Thanks. And I'm sorry to hear about that all." Alexis stood up straight and smiled. "Hey, Aster, wanna hear a joke?"
Aster smirked. "You? Tell a joke? Oh, this should be good."
"All right. A man walks into a restaurant. He orders soup. When he gets it, he looks to the waiter and says: 'Hey, waiter, can you taste the soup?'. The waiter looks at him and says, 'what's wrong is the soup too hot?'. The man says again: 'Can you taste the soup?' The waiter says: 'Sir what's the matter is the soup too cold?'"
"Uh-huh," Aster said.
"The man finally shouts: 'Will you just taste the soup!?' The waiter says: 'Alright, I'll taste the soup. Where's the spoon?'" Alexis lifted her finger in the air and wagged it. "Ah-ha!"
"Oh," said Aster. "I get it. The waiter forgot to give him utensils to eat the — SHIT!" He realized he didn't give Alexis a fork or a knife to eat her breakfast. "My bad!" He sprinted to the kitchen and got her the utensils.
"Thank you," Alexis said and she started to eat. Meanwhile, Aster went to the thermostat and warmed up the penthouse for her sake. She was still clad in her nightgown underneath the blanket. It was made of rich, shiny, silk, but was so thin it was like she was wearing practically wearing nothing. He then remembered the colorful piece of clothing he picked up the night before. He wondered if she was wearing them right now and shivered.
"Hey!"
"Yah!" Aster yelped. "What?
"Nothing. I just wanted to say this is really good, Aster. You're not going to have some?"
"Nah, I just had a protein shake. I'm good."
"Aster, eat some real food." She cut a slice off the pancake and held it up with her fork.
"What?"
"Have some."
"No, thanks."
"You're really going to ignore food being offered by a girl, Aster?"
Aster gave a roll of his eyes and walked towards her. He was about to pick it up with his fingers, but Alexis jerked it away from his reach.
"Ah, ah," she said.
"What?"
"It's not polite to eat food with your hands."
"You never heard of pizza or chicken wings?"
"Aster…"
"For God's sake." He leaned forward and ate the slice right off the fork.
"Good," said Alexis.
Aster glared at her as he chewed. "I should throw you out in the snow right now," he said with a grin.
"Say, that's not a bad idea. Do you have access to the roof?" Alexis asked.
Aster tilted his head. "Alexis, don't you think you're a little too old to be playing in the snow?"
"I dunno, don't you think you're too old to be playing card games?"
"Touche. Hey! Wait a minute! Well, the jokes on you, missy! You play them for a living, too. Ha! You went to a school just to learn how to play it!"
"We were kids," said Alexis. "That's who the game is for."
"No, no, no. Welcome to the real world, Miss Rhodes. This game may have been marketed to kids once upon a time, but it's a lot more competitive now! I've heard people say playing poker is easier than playing Duel Monsters."
"Good point," said Alexis. "That heartthrob who went after me when I was young, what was his name? Ah, Pierre. He's a poker master. One of the best players around. But when he tried his hand at Duel Monsters, he was an absolute flop. Seriously, a deck based around luck? Unless you're Joey 'Friggin'' Wheeler, I don't think a deck like that can work out."
Aster laughed at that. "You are so right. Well, going back to your previous question, yes. Yes, we do have access to the roof. It's a really cool garden dense with so many trees you could get lost in it. And it's also got a pond, too."
"Cool! Can we go up?"
"You can't be serious."
"Oh, I am. Come on, Aster. If you want me to stay here for a while, the least you can do is show me around."
"All right, all right. Finish your breakfast and we can head up."
"Woo-hoo!" Alexis said, raising her arms.
She finished her breakfast then went to her room to change into leggings and the new parka she bought last night. Aster put on a coat and scarf and led Alexis out of the penthouse to the elevator in the hall, which took them up to the gardens up on the roof. Usually, they would be green and bursting with the color of beautiful flowers. But with the snowstorm enveloping the city, it was indeed a winter wonderland. The best part of it was that there was no one else here. The snow was soft and untouched.
"Oh, wow!" Alexis said. She took off into the garden leaving Aster in the elevator.
"Hey, wait!" he called. "Alexis!" She disappeared into the trees. It was like a forest up here. Thankfully, the Christmas lights were shining brightly through the snow-covered branches, making them light up as they did in those holiday cards depicting those cozy Christmas villages. "Alexis?" Aster called. "Hey, where did you go? Man, if she fell off the roof."
WHACK!
"Ow!"
Something hit him right on the neck. Snow slithered down the collar of his jacket, freezing him. A snowball. Alexis threw a snowball at him. He heard her giggling. Aster turned his head just in time, spotting her dashing deeper into the trees.
"Oh, so it's gonna be like that, huh?" He knelt down and scooped up snow in his hands. "All right, you asked for it." He snuck around from tree-to-tree like a commando, ears listening to each and every sound. His eyes darted from left to right, hoping to see the gold of her hair. "Where are you?" he whispered.
WHACK!
"What the!"
He was struck from behind. Alexis's laughter echoed across the garden. Aster spun around and tossed his snowball at her. He missed. He wasn't even close. Alexis flicked him off and darted into the trees, disappearing again.
"At least someone's enjoying this," Aster mumbled. He made another snowball and went after her. "All these years and you still act like a little kid."
SMACK!
"Aw, come on!"
"Can't catch me!" Alexis said running off.
"Oh, yeah!"
Aster threw the snowball. It smacked her right in the back. Alexis yelped delightfully and fell as though someone had shot her. Just as he was about to check on her, she picked up some snow and threw it at him. As he flinched, she got up — or at least tried to. The snow was so soft and deep.
Aster scooped up some snow and threw it at her. It hit her back and hair. She fell, giggling uncontrollably as she continued her feeble attempt to escape. She grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at him, but it was such a small amount that it turned to powder midflight, barely even getting him. Aster picked up more snow and tossed it at her, hitting her right in the thigh. Alexis screamed and rolled on her back, throwing more snow at him. She flipped back on her belly, trying to crawl away. "This is going to hurt me more than you," Aster said, throwing one directly at her posterior.
"NO!" Alexis cried out. She threw another handful of snow at him, striking him in the face.
"Ack!" he grunted, falling backward.
Alexis saw her chance and dashed away.
"Come back here, you!" Aster called out.
They chased each other around all morning until the mid-hours of the afternoon. When they were cold and exhausted, they went back to the penthouse to change into dry clothes. As Alexis treated herself to a warm bath, Aster put on his pajamas and made popcorn and hot chocolate so they could enjoy a movie together. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. The scene was absolute perfection. There were white Christmas lights around the screen, making the wall glow in a warm golden color. The fire was snapping right beside them and the candles on the coffee table in front of the couch perfumed the air with pine and peppermint. Outside in the night, the snow was still blowing viciously. But the two didn't care. They were nice and warm inside the penthouse.
Aster looked at Alexis. She sat on the other side of the couch, knees up like a table to keep up her mug of hot chocolate. She looked so blissful and seemed to be at peace with herself. Aster could tell he brought warmth back into Alexis's life. Maybe not a lot, for there were some horrible demons she was keeping contained inside, but it was an improvement over the demeanor he found her in the night before.
"I could watch this movie a thousand times and never get bored of it!" Alexis said, now dressed in a long, white wool sweater with shorts underneath. But the sweater was so long and bulky, it was invisible. "Oh, oh, I love this part!" She said, pointing at Clark Griswold spraying some prototype spray on his sled.
Aster found himself sniggering. Just like Alexis, he knew what was coming. And it got funnier and funnier every time he saw it. They burst out laughing when Clark sped down the hill at the speed of light, rolling and tumbling on his way down the mountain until he crashed in front of a store.
Aster and Alexis clicked at the same time. "Bingo," they both said and laughed together.
It suddenly hit Aster like a monster attacking him directly. Nirvana. It was just too perfect. For the first time in a long time, Aster felt warmth. He felt calm. He felt like there could be nothing in the world that could harm him. That was...until he got a text from Antosson. It was the right dose he needed to be brought back to reality. Once the storm was over and Alexis departed, it was back to dueling and constantly going from one place to another, always on the run to keep up with the insane schedule Antosson made for him. What a horrible thought. It started to make his hand quiver again.
No, he thought. Not now. I can't let her see me like this. "Will you excuse me for a minute?" he said, getting up.
"Aw, but the part with the squirrel is coming up."
"I'll be back. Don't worry." Aster went to the kitchen and searched for the pills Antosson gave him to help him with his anxiety. As he held the unmarked bottle in his hands, he felt guilty. Alexis would be heartbroken to know he was taking these things. The thought of her knowing filled him with dread. What if she damned him for it? What if she couldn't bear to live with someone who did things like this. He could lose her forever. "I'm sorry, Alexis." He shook the bottle, dropping two pills on his palm. He plopped them into his mouth and filled a glass with water to help him swallow them.
"Aster?" Alexis said, looking over the couch. Thankfully it was dark in the kitchen and she couldn't see what he was doing. "Hey, you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said. He went back to the living room to continue watching the movie with her.
As the movie neared the ending, Alexis found herself scooting closer to Aster. "I, um. This was...this was really great, Aster. I had a really good time today. I..just wanted to thank you for getting me out of there."
Aster shrugged as if to tell her don't mention it. "Well, I couldn't just leave someone so sophisticated in a place like that. Knowing who you once were back in the academy. It was undignified."
"Are those the only reasons?" Alexis wondered.
Aster gulped. Maybe this was his chance to tell her why he did what he did. "I mean, you've got skill. I want to see it utilized in a place deserving of your talent."
"I see," Alexis said. There was a tone of disappointment in her voice. "Well, I can't wait to duel in a proper setting again. I look forward to working with you, Aster. Thanks."
"Me, too. And you're welcome. Enjoy your few days of rest. Once the snow melts, the real work begins."
Alexis gave a confident nod. "Do your worst. I'm ready."