OMG WE SUCK AT UPDATING THIS THING! Lol! We've all been busy...this one isn't christmas themed but read it anyway.

Don't Leave Me: Part 1

By Tela

The blazing Morrocan sun beat down on the two bodies trudging through the seemingly endless desert. There was no wind today to lessen the heat or cool down the surface of the sand. They must have made some spirit angry to have such horrid, dry weather.

As a young thief of only ten, Asira had not experienced such extremes just yet and she felt as if she would topple over any minute. If she did, the sand would burn like hell so fainting was not an option. She wiped the sweat beading on her forehead and felt that her wild auburn hair was damp. If she hadn't gotten caught stealing, she would never have been out here. Looking over to her "captor", as she referred to him, she scowled. He merely smirked and kept walking. "This is the worst day ever." Fay sighed.

"Maybe if you didn't try to steal from me we wouldn't be out here." He replied casually. So maybe pick pocketing an assassin was a bad idea. She was desperate!

"So what, are you gonna kill me and bury me in the sand or something?" She asked. The assassin smiled and pulled the fabric of his mask back over the lower part of his face. Silly thief girl. He had to teach her a lesson and apparently, no one else would be doing it but him since she was obviously without family. He had family once. He had a little sister…once.

"Fearless, huh?" She nodded proudly at his comment. If anything, she was overconfident and proud of it. Mostly, it was the only way she knew how to survive. For more than five years of her life, she had been alone. If she was confident, she could take risks. Those risks let her eat and live.

Early that morning he had been minding his own business in Morroc, about to buy a few potions from a merchant when he felt something shift slightly. His hand instantly shot out and grabbed the slender arm of a thief girl of about ten or eleven.

She stared at him with wide brown eyes until she finally realized what was happening. In that instant she tried to yank her arm out of his grip with no success. Taking his money back from her, he finished his purchase with one hand still holding her arm. He led her away from the merchant and to the north gate where he stopped and looked at her. She indignantly stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms. "Stupid assassins." She muttered.

"Stupid thieves." He replied as childishly as he could. "I should have handed you over to one of the guards."

"Well why didn't you, huh?" She stopped and demanded. He shrugged and pulled her along with him. They left city and walked and walked and walked some more. Now, here they were, still in the middle of the desert.

"Come on, we're almost there." He said and began walking again. After a short time, the most gorgeous things came into Asira's view. A little oasis complete with a large pond of water and huge palm trees. He laughed as he noticed her glazed over expression. "I don't know how it exists in the middle of a desert but it's here."

"Shade!" She exclaimed gleefully and took off running to the little piece of paradise. The assassin followed with a grin hidden behind the mask. The thief plopped down under the shade of one of the large palms and leaned against the trunk. "What'd you bring me out here for?" She asked.

He strode over to one of the much smaller trees and pulled a bag down that he had tied there earlier. "I kinda live here I guess." He pulled an apple from the bag and tossed it to her. "So I'm guessing no family? Guardian?"

"No…" She said, her voice tinged with sadness. "My dad left me after I turned five. He said he never wanted me in the first place. I dunno what happened to my mom." I would have been one thing if he said he was coming back and never did. No, he blatantly said he didn't want her and he was leaving. He even threatened to hurt her if she tried to follow him. "So what's your name anyway?"

"Sabri. How about yours, little thief?" He asked in reply as he sat in front of her.

"Asira and I'm not that little! How come you live all the out here? It's sooo far." Sabri thought for a moment and sighed. It was far from people and no one would bother him. Mostly, he didn't want anyone to disturb his brooding, dark moods.

He too had had a childhood trauma. Only, his family left in a different way. An assassin had murdered them right before his eyes. It was funny that he became the thing he hated most. He never knew why it had happened to them or why he was allowed to live. If he ever found the one responsible for their demise, there would be hell to pay.

"Hellooo? Sabri?"

He looked back at her, snapping out of his daze. "Sorry."

"Life sucks, don't ya think?" She gave a halfhearted smile and munched on the apple. She never really had a good experience in her life so her outlook was, to say the least, bleak. For only ten years old, she knew more than most did about the harshness of life, not only from surviving, but also from people. More often than not, people ignored her and looked down on her for the things she did. Not once did they think that she had no other choice. Not once did a rich couple think that she was in need of a home.

"Yeah, it does. You remind me of my little sister." She had a personality similar to Asira's, he noticed.

"You have a sister? Where is she?" The thief's eyes widened at perhaps having a friend. Even Sabri didn't seem so bad. He was pretty nice actually, unlike many assassin's she had come across. She had had a very bad experience recently and somehow managed to get away with her life.

"She…she's dead."

"Oh…sorry. When?"

"A long time ago. She was only seven. I was thirteen then. It's been six years…" He should've tried to protect her after their parents had been killed but no, all he could do was yell and cry and watch in fear. "It doesn't matter anymore." Asira suddenly turned angry.

"It does too matter! You're still sad…" He shrugged indifferently at her words. She tossed her apple core into the sand and wrapped her small arms around his shoulders in a fierce hug. She didn't really know him but he was kind to her when everyone else was not. He went still as she hugged him but he couldn't help but smile. After a few moments, he put his arms around her skinny frame. She probably needed a little affection more than he did.

"Can…I stay with you?" She asked, pulling away from him. He was a little surprised that she would want to stay around him but how could he tell her no? She did need someone to help her.

"Sure." His answer filled the thief with great relief. She wouldn't have to be alone anymore. He would be like the big brother she wished she had so many times. Suddenly he grabbed her roughly and pushed them both to the ground as a dagger came flying by their heads and buried itself in the trunk of the palm tree behind her.

"Oh no...no, no, no! They found me!" She said fearfully, noting the marking on the dagger. Sabri saw three assassins approaching slowly as if they had nothng to fear.

"Asira, take this fly wing and get away from here. Go back to Morroc and hide." He said, placing the wings in her hand. There was no way he could take on three assassins but he could at least try to protect her.

A/N: Oh noes!