Shini: I know, I know, this is a long time in coming. Buuut, a lot of stuff happened. I switched from my dad's house to my bio-mom's for the summer…Annd then I spent a week adjusting and couldn't find my files. Then I got a job and spent two weeks doing a stressful job I absolutely despised. Just today I got let go (two weeks and a day after I got hired). I also wanted to give my pooor beta a chance to go over this (her computer died). But I've really missed this story. Please enjoyyyy!

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Chapter 10

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The next day, Eliora awoke entangled in limbs and long hair. The soft sound of breathing was the only sound in the room. She laid there, quietly listening to her favorite people sleep, until the itch to sit up got to be too much to ignore. Maneuvering carefully, she shifted Clark's arm off of her with one hand and managed to pull herself into a much more comfortable position. Examining the males strewn on the floor-they'd taken Clark's bed and put it into Legolas's room for the night-she was surprised to find they were all as close as they could each get to her. In fact, Alzeid had a hold of her hand and she doubted she'd be able to get him to let go until he woke up. Clark had pulled her against him during the night. Both Nuriko and Legolas each had the bottom of one of the legs of her pajama pants in one fist. Yue had been playing with her hair when she'd fallen asleep. The observation alone had her stifling a fit of giggles.

She was able to wait about twenty minutes before she got bored. Not that watching each male sleep wasn't fascinating. But…she wanted to do something, not sit around and…do nothing. Eliora was not in the habit of rudely awakening people, so she began to fidget instead. After another five minutes, she had the prickling sensation of being watched. She scanned the room and found a pair of blue eyes focused on her. Clark. Of course. Who else would be the first to wake up, and to the simple sound of giggling? She waved at him and got a smile in reply.

It seemed only minutes before everyone was up and moving…except Alzeid. Nuriko and Clark had teamed up to try and save Eliora's hand from the death grip the albino had on it. They had failed. So, Eliora had been sacrificed to the red-eyed god of sleep and everyone else had started making breakfast. Nuriko, upon his trainer's request, had checked outside and reported that it was still raining, although perhaps not as bad as the day before.

Clark was just finished breakfast when Eliora finally devised and enacted a plan that she was sure would wake Alzeid up. She'd whispered something in his ear, probably threatening him with lack of sweets and he'd immediately stirred. He had released her hand as though he hadn't been holding it captive the entire night and she scrambled to her feet and as far away from him as she could in the room. In fact, for the rest of the morning, she hovered by Clark's side, as though afraid the albino would attach himself to her hand again if she got too close.

After everyone had had their cup of coffee-or tea, as the case might be-the group separated. Legolas and Yue departed to practice their archery, Alzeid had disappeared to do who knew what, and Eliora had settled with an umbrella to watch Nuriko and Clark spar. They were having quite a bit of fun, throwing one another into the mud and claiming king of 'strength' when a smaller body flung itself between the two of them. Both males brought their bodies to a complete stop far too soon and ended up back in the mud. Eliora grinned at them, her hands on her hips.

"Now who's the king of strength?"

This started a free-for-all war, wherein the two males half-competed with one another to see who could take Eliora out first. Due to the distracting competition, Eliora ended up remaining the king of strength.

~*~

"How good is your aim?" Legolas was studying the wet trees, looking for a promising target. Both of the Bishounen were dutifully ignoring the rain, having decided to see it as a test of how well they could shoot in such conditions.

Yue glanced at the elf. "Better than yours, I'd guess." He smirked when his companion glanced at him, a challenge in his eyes.

"What're we betting?" The blond was already pulling an arrow out of his quiver, having located a suitable target.

"How about cleaning duties for the next month? And dignity, of course." The suggestion was a pretty good one since Eliora had those who were not cooking take turns cleaning up after meals. Clark did most of the cooking unless their trainer could get to the refrigerator before him. Quite honestly, that was a rare occurrence, because Clark had decided it was a competition to reach the fridge and always cheated by using his super speed.

Legolas nodded. "Fair enough. See that tree?" He pointed to an old tree that had split in half some years ago; it was about a quarter mile from where they were. Yue nodded. "Whoever can reach the highest part of that tree with their arrow wins."

Yue nodded and the duo nocked their arrows.

~*~

Eliora had abandoned Clark and Nuriko in favor of washing off in a nearby stream. When she returned to the campsite dressed in clean clothes, she found Alzeid sitting before a fire. Taking this in stride, she knelt down next to him, dropping her muddied clothes on the ground. The albino barely glanced at her; his thoughts were far away from the here and now. She could see something in his gaze, something she recognized from the manga. Before she could place a name to it, those red eyes focused and his gaze met hers. Immediately, the brunette turned scarlet and looked away.

"So…you made a fire?" She poked one of the branches he'd used with a stick she'd picked up.

"Yes." He was still watching her, his gaze intensifying. It was though he wanted to crack her head open and examine her thoughts. His gaze made Eliora desperately wish he would turn his attention on something else.

Self-preservation kicked in (her face was burning scarlet) and she focused on the fire. "Won't you go cross-eyed staring at people like that?"

Alzeid snorted in disgust and turned away as well, he glanced at her every few seconds. It was like she was a puzzle and he was trying to figure her out, she hated the feeling. Finally, he stirred the logs and she relaxed. "You really know how to close everyone out don't you?"

"What?" Eliora turned back to him, surprise clear in her voice.

The albino shrugged and poked the logs again, forcing them into a proper fire-sustaining formation. "You never talk about home; you never seem to miss home. It's like you just started existing when you came here. You know all about us, so why don't you ever talk about yourself? It can't be much worse than any of our stories….Stop staring at me, or do you want to go cross-eyed?"

Regaining her sense of intelligence, Eliora snapped her jaw shut and threw her stick at him. Alzeid caught it and snapped it in half then threw it into the fire with a scowl. His trainer rolled his eyes and remained silent. Which only succeeded in further irritating him. Being who he was, he decided that the best course of action was to get up and stomp away. A soft exhalation stopped him in his tracks and then a small hand placed itself within his.

"Look, I didn't think it mattered much. So, I never really brought it up. Homesickness is useless here, right? I mean, if I really wanted to go home, all I'd have to do is release all of you. I can't honestly understand how some trainers can long to go home and yet still feel tied here." She caught his disbelief, but ignored it. "It's not that I don't miss home, but I don't see any point in mulling over it. My home certainly does not miss me. In fact, I no longer exist there. So, I figured I should just enjoy the life I have right now, otherwise I'd spend all of my time being sad for what I have lost."

The red-eyed male slowly sank back down to sit again. "I see. What was your family like, Eliora?" Honest curiosity bled into his voice and the intensity had returned to his gaze.

Eliora thought about his question for a long moment. "Well….Daddy was overprotective, but one of the best dads in the whole world. My mother was a business woman who always set enough time aside to care for her kids, so she was a great example of a working mom. I'm the eldest of four and the only girl…I guess, a typical family? Sort of. Maybe?"

Alzeid continued to stare at her. "A typical family? What does that even mean?"

"Ah…I don't really…know? I guess just…we were kind of just like any other family. There was nothing particularly exciting about us. Except for the fact that now I don't exist and Daddy no longer has a princess…merely a bunch of boys." Her brow furrowed at this thought. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about Superman and Jinx. Since they won't remember me, they'll belong to one of my brothers instead." Alzeid was staring at her strangely, so she explained. "Superman's my dog…Or was. He's a golden retriever, and incredibly beautiful. Jinx is my maine coon…and yes, he's a boy too. They were my biggest regrets since they were my precious babies. Technically, they were supposed to be family pets, but they're both kind of mine and mine alone. Or were."

Alzeid nodded, pondering about this new knowledge. "You have…quite a family…" He sounded completely awkward in his poor attempt to be reassuring.

Eliora laughed. "Yes, I did. But…the one person I think I might miss the most is my cousin. Lia. She'd love this place." She stared at the surrounding forestry wistfully.

~*~

"I don't see any other option. Clark, can you super speed us in one direction?" Eliora stared up at the kryptonian.

Clark frowned. "Well, I wouldn't suggest it. My reflexes are good enough, I suppose. But what if I run us straight into the heart of a city? We wouldn't be allowed to leave." Yet, when his trainer's eyes turned pleading, he couldn't resist and ended up giving in. "Alright, alright…Everyone into their bish-balls."

The others disappeared, leaving Eliora, Clark and the backpack. Camp had already been disassembled, because the brunette had decided that they were going to leave, rain or no rain. Now, the kryptonian pulled the backpack out of Eliora's arms and pulled the straps over his shoulders. Picking his trainer up, Clark turned in the direction that had been chosen and took off. He knew he'd gone too far when he tripped. Having not been paying attention, the young man had caught a foot on a prone form. Eliora disappeared from the safe grip of his arms and he went flying. Of course, it was probably a good thing his trainer wasn't in his arms for Clark just happened to slam into a tree. It didn't bother him much, but between him and the tree, the girl would have been crushed. Dusting himself off, the kryptonian stood and searched for his trainer.

He found her in the arms of another man. A man that smiled pleasantly at him. A man that Eliora obviously recognized, if the shocked and incredibly happy expression on her face was anything to go by. Before the stranger set her down, Eliora popped a bish-ball off of her belt and pressed it into his side. She landed on her feet lightly, clenching the trembling ball. After a moment, the ball clicked and her dex vibrated in her pocket. Releasing the dark-haired male again, the brunette pulled out her dex and pushed a button. Clark stepped closer to peer over her shoulder.

Johnny Rayflo. Stage – Sama. A very old vampire from the series Vassalord. He is mysterious and does not appear to like to reveal a lot about himself unless it is required. His favorite person is 'Cherry' whom he is rarely without. He gets along very well with children and is quite knowledgeable about the vampire community. He appears to flirt with everyone, but he hates having females in his bed.

Nickname? Y/N

Eliora grinned. "Yes. Rayflo." The vampire's lips curved into a more defined smile, almost amused this time. As he finally got a good look at the girl, his expression changed into one of complete joy.

"You are adorable!" Without warning, Rayflo tugged the small girl against his chest, arms wrapping tight around her. Clark automatically reached out to stop him, but the slightest flicker of the man's eyes his way stopped him. That glance had spoke volumes. Those eyes jumped to the surrounding forestry and Clark's eyes narrowed in response. It wasn't until Eliora squirmed in the vampire's grip that the unspoken conversation ended.

"That…That's the first time a bishi has every glomped me. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around?" The girl glanced curiously between the two tall figures.

The vampire's arms spread welcomingly. "You are most welcome to glomp me, although the price is allowing me to dress you properly." He fingered one of her curls gingerly, eying her practical hiking outfit critically.

All three froze when the bushes rustled. A second later and a blond man stepped out. Both Eliora and Rayflo's faces brightened in recognition. "Cherry!" The double-voiced call startled the blond and he froze, seeming to ponder the idea of hiding in the bushes again for a split second.

Before the thus-dubbed 'Cherry' could move, Rayflo was on him, chattering at him about his new trainer and how he'd been caught unawares. Eliora was pondering the idea of catching the fetching blond, seeing as he was obviously the Cherry that belonged to her Rayflo when the bushes parted again to reveal another, smaller figure. Eliora froze, her jaw dropped in utter shock and her hand, which had been holding a bish-ball, went limp. Clark, quick as he was, caught the ball before it fell far.

"Ah, Eli? What's wrong?" Concern began to sweep through him.

"LIA!" For the first time that day, Eliora glomped someone.

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Bishi-dex:

Rayflo & 'Cherry' – Vassalord

I'll get to work on the next chapter after my friend puts up her first chapter.