“Pappa!”

Akira woke with a sob. She burried her face in her blanket wrapped arms and sobbed more brokenly than she had ever sobbed before. She heard footsteps coming towards her but she didn’t care. She felt utterly bereft. A hole had opened in her chest and was slowly draining everything from her. She needed answers. Only answers would fill the black hole that had opened where her heart used to be.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to flinch slightly. These days, any touch on or near her back burned her skin. Her lash marks ached constantly with the severe cold but touch lit them on fire.

“Sorry, I forgot how much that hurts you,” the person told her.

She couldn’t tell exactly who it was due to her sobs.

“Can you stand?” they asked.

Akira barely managed to shake her head at the person.

“Ok I need you to uncurl yourself and give me you hand.”

Akira slowly did as she was told. The cold had made her joints stiff and limbs uncoorperative.

“There,” the person said as they pulled her to her feet and promptly swept her up bridal style.

Whoever they were, brought her inside and gently laid her on the bed. Akira shivered.

“I’ll stoke the fire for you,” he said, for now that her sobs had subsided somewhat Akira could definitely tell the person was male.

“W…w…where issss K…Kair…ros,” she stuttered through chattering teeth.

As if her words had summoned him, the black wolf-dog padded into the room and lept onto the bed. Akira turned on her side and wrapped herself around him.

“There, that should warm you up soon,” he sighed in satisfaction. “What in heaven’s name were you doing outside in such weather, Akira?”

“I needed to see the stars,” she mumbled into Kairos’ fur.

“What?”

“I needed to see the stars to clear my head,” she said turning her head so her mouth was no longer pressed against Kairos’ flank.

“Are you mad?!?” the man demanded.

“Probably,” Akira mumbled drowsily.

“Probably?” the man asked again.

“I blame the nuns,” Akira muttered as she drifted off to sleep.