Cursed plot bunnies. This is what happens when you watch new episodes of Gekiranger at... 4:30 in the morning. You finally go to bed and the darn plot bunnies have time to multiply in your sleep.

This is my first Sentai fic, so please, constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated.

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Questionable Motives
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Even as Long pulled back from Rio's sleeping body, Mele couldn't control the swirl of emotions that skittered their way through up her spine. The almost soft, pleased expression on his face wasn't helping to ease those feelings either. But… Before she could say anything to him, before her mind could even begin to supply her with the words, he disappeared in a whirl of warm, golden light, satisfied smirk still on his face.

Long couldn't… He – he couldn't want… Not her Rio-sama. But… Still her mind couldn't help but remind her of everything Long had done, everything he had told her. Everything had been to aid Rio. At the time, she had assumed that his interest in the young lion had been… more of a business-like nature, wanting Rio to succeed and surpass Maku-sama. Now though… she couldn't help the way her jealous mind whispered that perhaps his interest in Rio had stemmed from something… more personal. It was amazing how a matter of seconds could completely rearrange the way one viewed reality…

At her words of concern towards Rio-sama's current state of being, Long had slowly turned towards the sleeping lion, his head tilted slightly in the same way he'd been studying her. But then he leaned down, the look on his face changing to something almost indescribable as he carefully brushed back one of his long, blonde bangs. Eyes fluttering closed, he paused with his lips mere centimeters from Rio's, very deliberately, very sensually, licking his lips, almost as if preparing himself.

Mele couldn't control the way her eyes widened and she gasped quietly at the display. Then, almost as if he had heard her, Long hesitated a split second then breathed gently over Rio, sparkling bits of gold escaping his mouth and falling over Rio even as the mysterious young man's eyes fluttered back open. And then he was slowly, almost regretfully pulling away, pausing once, calculating eyes strangely soft, face holding and odd sort of satisfaction, before his mouth curved upwards into a pleased smirk.

All of this replayed through the chameleon's mind in a split second, before Rio was moving, sitting up, demanding why he was wearing the old fashioned clothes she had forced him into earlier, and she couldn't help the delighted way her entire body lit up, so thankful that he was back to normal, back to the old Rio-sama. As Mele prepared to follow Rio, to do whatever he should command of her, she couldn't help the lingering thought of Long. Maybe she was wrong… After all, there had been nothing stopping him from taking what he wanted, had he truly wanted that kiss from Rio. But… there was also the fact that the stance of his body had looked all too pleased as he had interrupted her chance at kissing Rio, demanding if she had thought it was a good time for such a thing, chuckling smugly as she had demanded to know where he had come from. Then he had gone ahead and…

"Come, Mele. We must retrieve the SouJyuTou so they we may return to our own time. We cannot allow the Gekirangers to take it alone or we will surely be left to rot here."

"Coming, Rio-sama!"

She had work to do. She had to serve Rio-sama. But she wouldn't forget Long. Oh no, she would be keeping a closer eye on him from now on. And if he thought he could take the man she had long since lost her heart to, well, he would see the true extent of the power he had helped her discover.

END

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