I looked around for Kouya again. If she was hunting me, I wanted to find her in the act, just to show her the stealth wouldn't be worth anything as long as she kept sending me that vibe. Brandon broke off to go to his class. I turned a corner as the bell rang again. I had time to walk leazurly to my next class.
I was grabbed by the back of my shirt and pulled into the girls bathroom. Christina held me against the wall and stared at me. Her brown eyes matched her brown hair. But she dressed to make guys drool. Low cut shirt, showing as much cleavage as she could. I had to comment on that when the opening came.
"What do you know about Kouya?" Christina asked strongly.
I pulled her hands off me and straightened my shirt. "I don't know anything about her. Why?"
"You two are a thing. You couldn't keep your eyes off of each other."
I tilted my head, but kept my composure. "Jealous? Are we?"
"No." She crossed her arms. "I want to know why she's changing. A new boyfriend always changes a girl."
"Maybe she wants better quality in her selection of friends," I hinted.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Quality? Like standards?" I directed my whole expression to her cleavage. "Rearrange the letters in lust. See what you get."
She shoved me back into the wall with full force. "I'm a virgin you ass."
"That's likely." I tried to leave and get on to my next class, but she pulled me back and held me to the wall. She was strong for a girl my height.
"I want to know what you know. Tell me what's wrong with Kouya!"
I wanted to push back, but this was already a slippery slope for me. In the girls bathroom having a one on one chat with a female under eighteen. If I even looked at Christina funny, she could get me into the kind of trouble that involves statements, fingerprints and orange jump-suits.
"I don't know anything, Christina! I already told you that. Will you please let me go? I'm late."
She placed her hand over my mouth and stared at me. I rolled my eyes and let her do her thing. "Were you with her over the summer?"
I shook my head cooperatively.
"Why was she looking at you like that, then?"
"I don't know," I mumbled under her hand.
She let me go and backed down. She breathed heavy in frustration and stared me down. "You're going to figure out what's going on."
"Why?" I shot her a look like she was slowly losing her hold on reality.
"Because she likes you."
My look of shock must have been more than she expected because she started to laugh.
"How do you know she likes me?"
"Because she doesn't stare at guys for no reason."
"That's all your evidence?"
Christina shrugged and straightened my shirt and left. I leaned back and watched her walk away, showing off her tramp stamp.
"Classy," I muttered.
I let a few seconds pass before leaving, just to make sure the coast was clear. When I went for the door, I halfway expected Kouya to burst in and attack me. But that didn't happen. I watched my back for the rest of the day, and there wasn't a single encounter with her for the rest of the day. That is, until I took the bus home.
I usually sat towards the front, and she usually sat a few seats behind me. But this time, she didn't come on the bus. All of her friends sat in their usual spot, but she wasn't with them. I took a sigh of relief that she wouldn't be going home until after I was secure in my home. I looked out the window at the other buses leaving. But our doors never closed.
Kouya slowly stepped up into the bus. Her gorgeous red hair moved with the wind that passed through the windows. Her eyes had that soft glow from earlier. She zeroed in on me and approached my seat. I held my breath as she leaned in to whisper to me.
"Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is taken."
I turned around and looked back. There were available seats all over. But I didn't turn her away. I faked a smile and motioned her in.
"By all means," I replied.
She swung her bag around to her lap as she sat.
"I had an encounter with Christina," I told her immediately.
"I heard about that. She may have said some things about me that weren't true."
I didn't look at her. I wanted our conversation to be as civil as possible. That meant I couldn't let loose any looks of surprise. 'Play the part I need to play,' I thought. "So what was that this morning?"
"I'm not a morning person," she replied quickly. "I was grumpy and you were staring at me. I don't like direct attention."
"That's not what I mean," I said trying to be brave. "You seem to have a darker side."
She placed her hand on my chest. I gasped slightly at her touch. It was odd but I knew better than to fight her. "Your heart is racing, Matt. Are you afraid of me?"
I looked down at her hand, then to her eyes. The bright blue shades were brighter. "For someone who doesn't like direct attention, you're giving a lot of it right now."
She curled her cheek up and let me go. Chills shot through me when she looked at me. I turned away and took a deeper breath.
"You really are afraid," she whispered.
"There's no point in denying it. You already know. And if you don't, you'll find out anyway."
She gave me a discerning look. "And you're wise? I knew you were smart, but this is profound, even for a young adult."
I turned back to her with a grimace. "How old are you again?"
She gave a clumsy smile and answered, "wanna guess?"
I slowly shook my head. "I don't like to guess." In my head, I wanted to say 16.
"I'm older than you," she replied softly.
I looked out the window as we left school grounds. "How old is your boyfriend?"
"Also older than you," she replied plainly.
"Not that it's any of my business, but how much older?"
She paused and replied very precisely, "early twenties."
I turned and gave her a look. "You like 'em young, huh?"
"Cute. I like playing twenty questions, but when am I going to get a turn?"
The bus jumped over a bump in the road and I heard Brandon shout "look at dem titties bouncin".
I stared out the window and rolled my eyes.
"Are you homosexual?" she asked.
I gave her another look. "No."
"You just don't like looking at breasts?"
My look shifted to confused. "I do on occasion."
"So you just don't find me attractive?"
"I think you've hit your question cap. May I have a turn?"
"Answer my last question and you can."
"Why do you want to know?"
"Curiosity."
"You have a boyfriend."
"I have a few."
I paused at that. I didn't know how to reply.
"That makes you uncomfortable?"
"It's not my business."
"But you're curious."
"Force of habit."
"I have an appetite. Call me a sinner."
"Again, not my business."
She kept staring at me. She didn't reply. She didn't move. She just looked me over. I turned to her with a slightly annoyed look and said, "please stop doing that."
"Doing what?"
"Staring at me."
"I like you."
Once again, I couldn't respond to that.
"And I think you like me, too," Kouya whispered.
"What makes you think that?"
She gave a sarcastic smile. "Call it a hunch. I can't quite put my finger on it. You're the only one I feel like I know without having known you on a personal level."
"This is our first conversation. Ever."
"Like I said, call it a hunch. The point is, I would like to get to know you. But only if you want to know me, too."
I didn't know how to reply or even what to think. I had never heard of this approach on a friendship. It was new and different, and I was tired of walking through the motions day by day. I had already decided, before she even sat next to me, that I wanted to get to know her. The question was, would I tell Christina what I found out?
"Christina is trying to find something that isn't there," Kouya said out of nowhere. "If you want to act as her agent, that's your choice. But you won't find anything unusual."
I leaned in close to her and whispered, "staring at me the way you did was unusual. Teeth like an animal and glowing blue eyes is unusual. Telling me you're older than me and then saying you like me and a few others and expecting me to go for it is unusual. But what I find extraordinary is that you trust me even when you seem to know everything about this is out to get you."
"Who said I trust you?" she replied getting closer to my ear. "You saw something today. Something you shouldn't have. I only have two options. Let you in on the secret, or keep you from spilling what you think you know."
I smelled her hair. I had never known intoxicating until that moment. Damn, I wanted her. "Then you already know, I'm not saying a word to anyone."
"So you're more than curious," she replied.
"You bet I am. And I can take anything you can dish out."
"Don't be so sure. I have a horrible eating habit. You don't want to be around me for that."
"Is that the worst you've got?"
"An out of control diet is very unattractive."
"By appetite, I thought you meant dating. I didn't realize the girl can eat." I backed up and looked into her eyes. "I don't think I can back down now."
"Feeling confident?"
"Competition, more like."
"I guess you'll just have to beat the odds."
"Freaks don't normally beat the odds." I motioned my head to the back of the bus. "Jocks and beautiful people get everything they want. And, from what I see, you're pure desire."
Her eyes flared again. I stopped questioning that. "I am a freak," she replied. "Skip the foreplay, tell me you want me."
I answered without hesitation, "I want you. Now what?"
"Be a man and make a move."
It was an invitation and I wasn't ever going to let it pass. I closed my eyes and leaned in to kiss her. It was completely euphoric. Everything about that kiss was natural and unique. I didn't want it to stop. When I sucked in her bottom lip, it was like sucking a sweet and beautiful venom. I knew this girl wanted to hurt me, and for whatever reason, I wanted her to hurt me.
She pulled away with a happy grin. "You give me urges, Matt."
"Likewise, ma'am. Very seriously weird urges."

They stared up at the Sockling night sky. The Ropens were dancing together along the low clouds. The silent bird-like creatures’ chests glowed a bright red. The two Driads lay holding each other, watching the luminous figures soar above. The Ropens began to screech in excitement, as the two Driads joined their lips together and touched each others’ faces.
“Are you ready?” Odin asked.
Jade nodded as he touched his forehead to hers. Their minds meshed together and all of their thoughts were unified. Jade was overwhelmed with thoughts of Odin's love. She knew what he felt and shared in that feeling with him. Intimacy had never known bonds such as these. It was perfectly balanced, perfectly matched, perfectly fixed. Jade dug further into his thoughts, wandering through past events he had faced. Battles, conflict, accomplishments, creation, pain and joy. Odin had fought his brother, nearly killing him, and encased him in a labyrinthine realm. All of this for her; so they could be together. All of this for His home.
Odin held tight to Jade as she rested in his arms. Her body rose as she breathed in. The feel of her skin, the warmth of her chest; it was all intoxicating.
“All of this is for me?” Jade thought out loud.
Odin kissed her neck.
“But why? Why me?” She asked. “What makes me so much more important than your life with your family, or the life of your brothers and sisters? More important than your own ascension?”
He turned his whole body to her and answered thoughtfully, “This moment that we're sharing right now is what makes my family envious. None of us have crossed those boundaries of emotion, until now.”
“But you won't be able to ascend,” Jade replied.
“It doesn't matter. I'd rather have this for a lifetime than spend an eternity without you.”
“Won't they hate you for that?”
“Jade, I’m not letting go,” Odin whispered.
Her light brown hair fell on his chest as she clung to his tattered pale shirt. “I know. I just don’t want to lose you again,” she replied.
He kissed her again and held her tighter. “I’m not going anywhere,” he told her softly. “I’m never leaving you again.” She looked up at him as he placed her hand on his heart. The desperation in his eyes for her to understand the depth of his feelings for her engulfed her attention. “I promise,” he whispered.
She felt his heart pound like a steady battle drum under her fingers. She closed her eyes, which were like dimonds under the light of the stars. She had never felt such a love. She had never felt such an appreciation. She was precious to him. No other person or object would hold more value than she would to him.
They held close to each other. Odin looked up and saw a shooting star trail across the sky above the Ropens. Odin thanked the Father for blessing the two Driads and for bringing them together again.
In an instant, the ground cracked and broke and up through the cracks, little demons hopped out as fire erupted from the ground behind them. Smoke and reflections of fire burned from the ground. Odin jumped to his feet. Demons were never a good omen. He drew his sword, and twirled it for battle. They were pigmies, almost as tall as Odin's knee, but they had a powerful jump range. The entire body of a pigmy demon was on fire. Odin's heart pumped at double time. His focus trippled. He counted how many came up and calculated their attack. The group jumped as one for him and Odin sliced through them in the air, blocking each one from him and Jade.
Two arch-demons climbed up from the ground. They stood about the same height as Odin and Jade, but their arms were much longer and their hands dragged by next to their feet. They wrapped their arms around Jade and took her captive and waited as Odin continued warding off the pigmies. She screamed as they grabbed her and fought hard against them. She took demons even more seriously than Odin did. She knew who comanded this particular company, and she hated that they had found her. She didn't want to go back.
“Release her! I command you! Release her! Now!” He pointed his legendary blade towards them as he shouted.
When they didn’t move, he dug his heels to the soil and was about to attack them.
Another figure emerged from the ground. He stood taller than the rest. Odin held his sword ready and true, as the figure opened his cloak into the wind and stood on solid ground.
“Magnus,” Odin muttered.
“I have returned.” Magnus growled, opening his hands to present himself: long and wavy black hair fell past his shoulders. All other features seemed to match Odin's. Magnus' dark shaded tunic was battened down by his large black belt. He grinned and nodded at the arch-demons. They nodded back and took the screaming Driad back  under ground.
“You have a debt to pay, Odin, and I’m calling on you to settle it now."
Odin glared at Magnus. “Leave Jade out of this affair. This is between you and me.”
“No! You brought her into this. You committed the sin. By the authority of our father, your atonement is either death or her. The redemption from this sin is simple enough. You confront me in my courts, fight me to keep what I'm rightfully stealing back, and I will relinquish your obsession.”
Odin sheathed his sword, “And what of the titans?”
Magnus smiled. “Reading my thoughts, are we? They are still in your prisons. But even now, my agents work to release them.”
“You can’t do that! If they get free, they’ll lay this entire world to waste,” Odin the god, shouted.
Magnus laughed now. “Odin, my brother. This land is no longer yours to save-”
“And it’s not yours to destroy!” Odin replied.
Magnus scoffed and continued. “And the shame is that you gave up your place in the family just to save the lives of the Socklings. You had the powers of the Elders themselves in the palm of your hands and you wished it all away, embodied yourself as a Driad, just so you could keep this planet. You are a fool. And what would you do for this young love of yours? Give your life no doubt,” he finished.
Odin scowled at him. “I would go to the land of Lucrid and back for her. I assure you, I will meet you in your courts, and I will fight you, and I will kill you this time.”
Magnus circled Odin laughing to himself.
“You would face the monsters that were born of our own father? You would go to the armpit of Galarah and back? And even face the Brants and Crullies of my world and that before mine just to save the life of this girl?”
Odin glared at him.
“I would make friends with death itself if it meant keeping her.”
“Again, I say, you’re a fool! If you take this journey, you do it alone. The Elders will not help you. I will make sure of this: you will make friends with death.”
And as rapidly as he came, Magnus dropped through the ground. Odin drew his sword and followed him head first through the ground. Magnus laughed and was engulfed by a flame and instantly, Odin appeared back on the grassy plain that he and Jade were lying on. Odin reached up and sheathed his sword once again, and shouted to the skies. Tears fell down his face and he uttered in agony, “I’m not letting go.”
The wind howled, and rain poured. The signs of Jade’s sadness struck the ground and Odin pained with her. A conversation subtly echoed in his mind.
“If we're ever separated, I'm giving you control over the weather on this world.“
“So you can find me?“
“So we'll never really be apart.“
Trudging back to his home village, all inhabitants were inside their shelters, hiding from the rain. Little huts were staggered along the street and a temple was under construction.
Odin opened the door to his small barn and found Sashi the centaur sleeping there. Odin closed the door and opened his armor case under the mattress he slept on. The smell of battle polish and oil escaped the container. Metallic boots sat to one side, each with a dagger on the side. He fitted them on his feet, reminiscing the last time he wore them. A small plate of steel with a strap was his breastplate, and gloves were all he wore.
Sashi yawned. “Where are we going?” He asked.
“You don’t. You stay. I go,C Odin replied.
“No. I’ll go with you. If this is your average adventure, you’ll need me. You always do.”
Odin turned to the brown coated steed-man.
“Magnus has taken Jade. I’m going south, to his construct. I’m going to bring her back. You stay. I go.”
Sashi drew his swords. “I’m ready. I’m going with you and you can’t stop me. It’s best you climb on and we both go, rather than fighting me until I win… physically,” he said with a smile.
Odin smiled back, “You arrogant beast,” he said climbing on.
Sashi kicked the door open and darted out of the village.