Alright second chapter WOOOOOO!

Thanks so much to everyone who's reading this fic. So without any further ado here's the second chapter. This time it's with Shin-Ah.

Elie leaned back against the tree and let out a long sigh. Today she had been forced to stay back to guard the campsite while the others entered the town for supplies. It was punishment for what had happened last time she'd gone with them.

It hadn't been her fault. She had been walking with the group, bringing up the rear, when a lecherous louse had decided to cop a feel of her butt. Instinctively she turned and gave the bastard a nasty roundhouse kick to the face. The force of the impact would have made even Jae-Ha proud.

The problem was that while Elie was surprised with the invasion to her personal space a loud shriek had escaped her lips. An unintentional shriek that, thanks to her inexperience with her dragon's power, caused everyone around her to cover their ears in pain. It had also happened to knock back a few carts and debris to clutter the small street they were on. Numerous villagers had stood staring at the pinkette in shock and amazement at the feat they had just witnessed. Needless to say, Hak and Jae-Ha quickly got everyone out of there. It was then decided it was best if Elie didn't go into any villages after that… at least for the time being.

Hence, her current predicament –though it wasn't all bad. Elie still had the Seiryuu with her for company. She had to concede with his habit of being silent; he wasn't the best of company. He'd been forced to remain behind too, because the village was small, and Yun feared his mask would draw unwanted attention. Poor guy. Maybe if he had something smaller to cover his eyes, such as a bandana, he could get by with just the excuse that he was blind. Elie quickly reasoned that even if they did that the Seiryuu would stand out regardless.

It's a shame he keeps his eyes covered, Elie thought while looking at the Seiryuu. I really would like to be able to see them. Those eyes of a dragon.

When she'd first joined the group, Elie had wondered why Shin-Ah hid his face behind a mask. Later when Yona and her were alone, Elie had asked the former princess. She had then learned that Yona had seen his eyes, and asked what they looked like. Yona had told her they were the most beautiful eyes she'd ever seen.

Ever since then, Elie had wanted to see those eyes. She had seen Jae-Ha try only for Shin-Ah to desperately prevent the Ryokuryuu from removing his mask. She knew there was no way Shin-Ah would let her see them, and Elie wasn't as forward as Jae-Ha was either. Elie also didn't want the Seiryuu feeling as if she didn't respect his personal space. Elie knew all too well how that felt.

As it was, she felt the incident at the last village had put her back at square one with the others. Even if the whole fiasco had helped to break the ice, Elie was still new to the team. She was still trying to find out how she fit into the group's dynamic. Elie kept telling herself that in time everyone would become used to her presence. Since this was the first time she was alone with the Seiryuu, she was taken aback when Shin-Ah suddenly got up and took off into the forest.

"Shin-Ah wait for me!" Elie cried out from behind as she ran after him.

Elie was worried now. Had Shin-Ah happened to see something advancing towards their camp grounds with his eyes? Elie knew he wasn't the type to just run off without a reason; while she followed Shin-Ah, she made sure to be prepared. What she wasn't expecting was for Shin-Ah to stop abruptly inside a clearing.

"Shin-Ah why did we stop here?" Elie asked as she continued to survey their new surroundings. "There's nothing out here."

Without answering, Shin-Ah went to a nearby bush and began searching. Curiosity taking hold of her, Elie followed suit she glanced over Shin-Ah's shoulder to see what he was doing. After a few minutes, Shin-Ah pulled back a few branches to reveal a very thin and very wounded lynx cub.

"Oh," gasped Elie in surprise looking down at the small animal. Once it became aware of them, the cat stared at them intently mewing. "Is this what you saw Shin-Ah?"

The Seiryuu nodded and watched the tiny cub before them. Elie noticed that the lynx appeared to have a terrible injury to one of its hind legs. The wound prevented the cat from moving very far; it must have stumbled into the brush recently for comfort and protection. Elie's heart immediately went to the small feline.

"Hey Shin-Ah," said Elie looking at the blue haired man beside her. He had taken one of his free hands and began stroking the cub. "Let's take it back to the camp, and nurse it back to health."

That was exactly what the two dragons did. Shin-Ah gently carried the wounded cat back to their camp. As soon as they arrived, Elie quickly rustled up some blankets and placed them near the fire pit. She instructed the Seiryuu to place the lynx on them. Without skipping a beat Elie appeared with the spare medical bag that Yun had created for an emergency. The pinkette knew she'd earn herself a tongue lashing for using it without his permission, but right now that didn't register in Elie's mind. At the moment, Elie bandaged and treated the cub's wounded leg.

Shin-Ah must have been able to read the cat's mind. Once Elie was finished with the bandages, the Seiryuu returned with a small amount of mashed food for it. The lynx seemed to be happy with its dinner, and it let out a loud continuous purr as it wolfed down its food. Elie smiled at the sight knowing that since the cub was eating it should have the strength to recover from its ordeal.

The two dragons fell back into comfortable silence as they both kept vigilant eyes on the cub. Eventually, the young cat nodded off into slumber. Elie couldn't blame the cat since it had been through a lot today. Nnow that her furry patient was sleeping happily, Elie became aware of the silence once more. Elie looked over at the Seiryuu only to notice that he still seemed to be absorbed by the lynx. Perhaps if she attempted to talk to Shin-ah, they could carry on a conversation. Elie doubted it, but anything would be better than this unbearable silence between them. Even if it was the sound of her own voice that broke it.

"Shin-Ah," called Elie to alert the Seiryuu to her presence. She waited a moment and then continued when Shin-Ah gave no indication that he had heard the Shinjuryuu. "You really like animals don't you?"

Elie knew she was most likely talking to herself. To be honest Elie didn't expect him to respond anyways. Yet she still waited for Shin-Ah to say something. Elie sat patiently next to the Seiryuu staring at him hoping for some kind of answer. Elie didn't know how long she waited, but eventually she let out a sigh and returned to watching the injured cat considering this attempt a failure.

"I like animals."

Elie's eyes widened as she registered those words. She sat frozen just gawking at the Seiryuu in disbelief. At first Elie thought she had imagined it. She doubted that she would have even heard him that if it wasn't for the silence that surround them. His voice was barely audible and sounded slightly unused. It was deep and soft at the same time. The Seiryuu's voice had an underlying tone that hinted at his gentle and kind nature.

"Yeah animals are amazing right? I like them too!" Elie exclaimed as her initial shock subsided only to be replaced by unbridled enthusiasm. She smiled at Shin-Ah.

That was the end of their conversation, but that was okay with Elie. It wasn't on the same level as being able to see his dragon eyes; that was for sure. However, that one small sentence was the first thing the Seiryuu had said that was directed only at her. It was a small step she knew, but to Elie it felt like a giant leap. Elie was a patient person, so she didn't mind waiting for the day that she'd be able to see his dragon eyes.

So what did you think? Don't forget to review and tell me all about it.

Oh, if you're wondering about Elie's dragon ability its sound manipulation. Basically, when she took on the power of the Shinjuryuu she inherited the dragon's roar. Unfortunately, as you can see she doesn't have the best control over her found powers. After all, she wasn't born with it as the others.

Anyways, stay tuned, because next chapter it's all about Zeno.