Chapter 16

Why Can't You Smile?

North Country: Sion's Home, September 8th 7:52 AM
The buzzing of an alarm clock woke Sion from his sleep. Taking a second to get his bearings, he looked up and smiled, recognizing the familiar ceiling of his room.

"I'm actually home." Smiling at this revelation, he groggily pushed off the covers, cringing when the cold air hit his skin.

He started walking towards his familiar bathroom, memories of the previous night starting to flood his mind; slowly his smile disappeared when he realized just what he was getting into.

"You're worried?"

Sion jumped, startled by Lucia's intrusion.

"I'm never going to get used to this early in the morning, ya know?"

"I'm sorry; you just seemed to be getting really tense."

While his conversation carried on with Lucia, Sion continued about his morning routine, brushing his teeth and getting ready for the day.

"There were hundreds of people there, you know."

"Yes."

"There's going to be tons of press."
"Yes."

"Heck, I bet the government even comes for me."

"We're betting on that."

"What?"

"With your 'magical' reappearance, it only proves that there are forces at work no one really would believe existed. Now that we have all of their attention, it will make getting ready for the war with the Virgo just that much easier."

"I doubt the government is going to let me lead the army into North Korea to capture Virgo's crew."

"It wouldn't matter; they won't be in North Korea anymore, anyways."

Sion sighed as he threw on a shirt and opened the door to head downstairs. Walking into the playroom, he was amused to see Nall and Ruby asleep on the couch together with Jamie asleep on the loveseat next to them, and Kaname asleep on a sleeping bag on the floor. Walking downstairs revealed Jeff, Caitlin, and Amy sleepping around the room. Sion heard noise coming from the kitchen and instantly recognized the smell of his mother making pancakes.

"She never wakes up and cooks in the morning unless there's something she's really upset about."

"I wonder what that could be."

"Sarcasm?"

"I've learned how to act normal, watching your world for so long."

"Guess it would be boring."

"You have no idea."

Sion smiled and walked into the kitchen. His mother was busy at the stove, and didn't notice him.

"Smells great."

"Well it should; I've been up all morning cooking, hun."

Sion smiled when he heard the tone of his mother's voice. She quickly grabbed two plates and loaded them with pancakes, then motioning for Sion to join her. They both sat at the table and started to eat.

"I didn't ask any questions last night because I knew you'd be tired, but today... could you fill us in on what's been going on?"

"Of course mom, but I'm not sure how long I'm going to have. The press is going to be all over this soon."

"Just look out the window"

Sion followed his mother's finger to their front yard. Reporters were camped out all through their yard, even the horse field. Sion frowned as one of the reporters noticed him and his mother in the kitchen and decided to take their picture.

"Now I know how the movie stars feel."

Sion's mother smiled. "My baby is much more than some overpaid actor. Now, how about you start your story and get as far as you can."

"Mom, I'm going to warn you, this isn't the nicest story, and it's going to scare you."

"Sion, I'm your mother; I need to know what you've been through."

"Well... I guess so... if we get over the freak-out thing early, we'll start with this."

Sion held out his hand and concentrated on his palm. He watched his mother's face go from confused to concerned as the blue energy swarmed in his hand. Grasping it, it became a small blue blade.

His mother watched, amazed. "I don't understand."

Sion smiled as he started to tell her about the events after his plane took off and how he learned how to control his powers. He explained about Ruby and Nall, and how they took care of him and trained them. He downplayed the parts in North Korea, deciding to save the gruesome details for later, and when they got down to the part of his recent capture, he left some gaps. He backtracked to talk about the Titanic, which amazed his mother as she was big into history.

"I do have a big problem though, mom."

"I'd imagine, with that Virgo group you're talking about, are you going to be safe?"

Sion smiled. "No, mom, it's a girl problem."

Sion's mother smiled for the first time since they had sat down. "Tell me all about it."

---

Jamie woke up in the upstairs playroom, lying on a small couch near Nall and Ruby. She felt awkward and alone. Looking over to see Ruby being held in Nall's arms brought a pang of jealously as she realized how much she wanted Sion to hold her.

"But I have to let him make his decision; after all, I've had him all to myself for over a half year now."

Jamie remembered where Sion had showed her where the bathroom was and, grabbing her bag, went take a shower.

Meanwhile, Ruby stirred in Nall's arms when the sound of Jamie closing the bathroom door woke her from her sleep. Her movement woke Nall; as he gently removed his arms from around Ruby's waist, he rubbed his eyes.

"We've got a big day ahead of us."

Ruby sighed. "I really hate playing storyteller. I guess we don't have a choice."

"You've got company outside, too."

"Huh? What are you talking about Lucia?"

"Reporters; lots of them."

"Dammit," Nall growled; "figures with that grand entrance we made. I swear, just because of September 11th we had to file that flight plan; couldn't just sneak in here, otherwise the savior of this planet would be blown to a crisp by a sidewinder missile."

Ruby giggled. "So much energy in the morning..."

"I'm going to need it to deal with everyone. Guess we should get to it."

Ruby grabbed his arm. "Wait; I think there's someone who's going to need some attention first." Ruby gestured towards the bathroom where Nall could easily hear water running from the shower.

"She's taking this hard."

"Of course she is; she loves him. Besides, I'm sure she felt pretty lonely seeing us this morning."

---

Downstairs, the other group of people started to stir from their sleep. Jeff had wanted to party and celebrate Sion's homecoming; however with the slew of reporters that quickly swarmed them, and the government officials already breathing down their necks, they opted to barricade themselves inside the house, putting off the government until the day after and the County Sherriff would be out at their house to clear the reporters off the property later. Luckily, Sion's grandfather owned about a quarter square mile of land, so it would give them plenty of privacy. Its proximity to North County International Airport also kept reporters from flying near the house.

"Up and at 'em, everyone!"

The group quickly awoke at Sion's voice. He was standing in the hallway with his mother.

"I'm supposing you all want an explanation about where I've been, don't you?"

Ruby, Nall, Jamie, and Kaname all entered the living room through the stairway. Sion's mother had finished cleaning the kitchen and went to talk to her husband about their son, leaving him with his friends to explain.

"Now, I'm going to explain to you what's happened since I've been gone and, trust me, you're going to have to keep a VERY open mind about this, because it's all true. Afterwards, I'll let you ask me some questions, alright?"

No one interrupted Sion as he spoke, and no one seemed to gawk or dismiss his story while he was telling it. Sion figured his plane appearing out of a purple portal probably made them realize they were dealing with something they couldn't understand. When he finished, he took a little time to explain the danger they were all in and the importance of keeping what he had just told them secret from anyone; even speaking about it in public could accidently leak the information to the press.

After his story, he told everyone he'd go ahead and answer their questions. Jeff was the first to pounce.

"Who are those people that showed up with you?"

Sion wanted to slap himself for forgetting his friends. "These two with the weird hair are the leaders of the group I was telling you about: Nall and Ruby." Sion noticed they both didn't like the hair reference. "The other two are Jamie and Kaname; I'll explain more about them later."

Caitlin and Amy both eyed the two girls suspiciously. Kaname smiled at them, but Jamie felt uneasy under their glare. Caitlin took the next question. "Why couldn't you contact us to let us know you were safe?"

Guilt filled on Sion as he searched for an answer. Jamie fought the urge to hold his hand, but she couldn't stop herself from speaking up for him.

"He wanted to, but it would place you all in grave danger. Sion had enough to worry about with our missions in North Korea, as well as his training."

Sion was thankful for Jamie's help and Caitlin seemed satisfied with the answer. Amy picked up the last question.

"So, who's Kaname and Jamie?" The jealousy in her voice was easy to pick up. Sion tried his best to cover his nervousness.

"Actually, that's something I wanted to talk to you and Caitlin about. You see, in order for me to start this journey around the world, finding the dragon's lairs, they have to be awakened. Each dragon's soul was placed in a girl that would be born around the same time I would. Jamie here is the keeper of the Red dragon's soul, and Kaname is the keeper of the Blue dragon's soul. We believe you and Caitlin are the keepers of the White and Black dragons' soul, but we can't be entirely sure which one you're associated with."

Amy grew excited. "So do we have special powers and stuff?"

Sion smiled, thankful Amy wasn't concentrating on the two girls any more. "Each girl plays a role. Jamie's was to help me through the trials, and Kaname is the Oracle; Nall will have to tell you about the other two."

Looking back to Nall, Sion gave him a pleading look to take over, praying he could take a break. Nall sighed and let Sion rest.

"I'm Nall, the White dragon."

Jeff was surprised. "You don't look like a dragon."

Nall frowned. "My soul is sealed in one of those two." Nall controlled his voice as he pointed in Caitlin and Amy's direction. "When I get it back, I can transform into my true form and, trust me, that's the whole deal: with the huge scary body, wings, breathing fire, etcetera."

Nall walked to the center of the room and looked down at Caitlin and Amy.

"Like Sion said, it's impossible to tell which soul you hold. The one with my soul is supposed to be the healer for the Dragonmaster and his helpers. The black dragon soul's holder is supposed to be a warrior and help the Protectorate fight off enemies."

Sitting on the couch, Sion remembered how he had met Caitlin in the hospital, and Amy's fiery personality; with Nall's description, it was pretty easy to figure out. "Nall, Caitlin holds the white dragon's soul, Amy holds the black."

Nall was surprised. "How do you know?"

"The description of their role helped me figure it out. I met Caitlin at the hospital after I passed out, and Amy's always had this way about her that would make me think she would be a good fighter."

Caitlin seemed pleased with Sion's conclusion. Amy had to ponder over it a little longer, but figured Sion was right.

Nall's expression brightened a little at Sion's revelation. "Well, with that out of the way, we've got a few more problems to address."

"Hold on a second," Amy interrupted, still excited. "If I'm a warrior, what kind of powers and stuff do I get?"

Nall grinned. "None yet, I'm afraid. That brings me to our final problem."

The group settled down as Nall got into his briefing mood. Sion smiled as the living room seemed to just turn into the briefing room at the Water Temple.

"In order for you girls to get any 'powers', and for the dragons to be awakened, we thought we had to take the four girls to the Water Temple, have them stand in a specific area in the temple of trials, and then - something would happen to awaken the dragons."

Sion was a little confused. "What's changed?"

Nall sighed. "When you were locked up in North Korea, Jamie and I followed Kaname when she went into this weird trance around the Temple of Trials. When we got to the alter, Kaname moved the podium aside and revealed a fifth spot. We have to find the girl who has the Star Dragon's soul."

North County: North County Mall September 8th 11:14 AM

A young man sat at one of the tables fuming. He gripped his hand around his cell phone threatening to crush the small plastic device.

"I can't believe Sion's actually the one their looking for."

Jealously flooded the man's veins. True, he knew that this meant the million dollars the men he was working for offered was now his, but there was another problem.

"Of all the times to come back, too; if that story had just run a little later, I would have had her."

The young man jumped when his cell phone vibrated in his hands. Quickly recovering, he flipped it open and placed it next to his ear.

"Kyle. I take it you heard the good news?"

Kyle frowned, hearing his boss's voice. "Yes, I did."

"So have you gotten the girl to take a liking to you?"

"We were actually about to kiss until that story played on the news."

Kyle was able to hear a sigh on the other end. "Unfortunate timing; but we still need her. Sion is definitely the one we're looking for."

"I'm not sure how I can pull this off. I'm sure she's pretty set on getting back together with him, and her friends all hate me."

After a brief silence, the other voice came back. "Perhaps there is a way. According to the news footage, Sion came back with several other people. Two of those other people are young attractive ladies about Sion's age; perhaps he had a relationship with one of them while away?"

Kyle smiled. "I'll look into it as best I can."

"Be sure you do; don't let us down."

The line went dead before Kyle could reply.

"I guess I'll just have to find out what my friend's been up to since he left."

North County: Sion's Home September 8th 1:23 PM

After Nall had finished explaining all the historical background, Sion had talked with his father, and, of course, given a small demonstration of his powers to his friends as they sat once again in the living room, trying to figure out what to do with their day.

Sion's parents had decided to let their son have the day with his friends and they would talk with him later. Sion's father had told Nall he wanted to talk to him in private regarding his son, to which Nall obligated, telling him they could do it after dinner.

Now the problem was finding out what to do. The reporters had been cleared off the property, but Sion was sure they weren't far off. The local FBI office had called looking for Sion, but agreed to wait until tomorrow. Going out was a tough option as well, as both Sion and his friends were easily recognizable with all the news coverage.

The group consisted of Kaname, Jamie, Nall, Ruby, and Sion on the couch and chairs with Caitlin, Amy, Jeff, and now Christy, sitting on the floor.

Amy placed her head in her arms. "This is boring, hiding from the reporters."

Caitlin nodded. "Never thought famous people would have it this tough."

Jeff scooted over to Christy and put his arms around her. "Well, look on the bright side: Sion's alive."

Caitlin and Amy both looked up at Sion and smiled. Sion changed the subject, noticed the current position Jeff was in. "Jeff, since when did you get a girlfriend?"

Jeff smiled. "When we thought you died, we all formed a pretty tight group; even Caitlin and Amy became great friends. Christy and me... well, I guess we just clicked, right babe?"

Christy planted a quick kiss on Jeff's cheek. "Don't ever call me 'babe'."

The whole group laughed. Caitlin's cell phone rang and she excused herself to go answer it. Sion followed her out of the room with his eyes. When she was clear he turned to Jeff.

"Anything big happen with her while I was away?"

As soon as the question left Sion's mouth, Christy, Amy, and Jeff got a solemn look on their faces.

Amy was the only one to speak up. "Look; Sion while you were away…"

Before Amy could finish, Caitlin came back into the room. "Guys we need to get through the woods to the road below Sion's backyard; Kyle's got a way to sneak us over to the mall."

"Kyle?" Sion was clearly confused he turned to Jeff. "Kyle Ross?"

Jeff nodded, but put a finger to his lips, telling Sion to keep quiet about it with a promise he'd tell him more later. Sion sighed, but kept his temper. "Why don't you all meet up with him." Sion looked at Jamie and Kaname. "I think we have some stuff to disguise ourselves, right?"

Kaname didn't understand, but Jamie picked up on the hint.

"Yeah; Uncle Nall, we brought some stuff with our bags, right?"

Nall had already picked up on the situation. "Yeah, I think the disguise kit is with our stuff, but there's only enough for you three. I think Ruby and I will go along with these kids."

Jamie, Kaname, and Sion went upstairs. Nall walked over to Caitlin. "So what's this plan of yours?"

Meanwhile, up in Sion's room, the future Dragonmaster was clearly upset. "I can't believe it! Kyle Ross? It figures he'd try something like this!"

Jamie wasn't sure how much she should try and comfort Sion, but she saw he needed it. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

"No, I know it is. This guy would compete with me in everything. When we were training for our pilots licenses, he had to get his first, he had to make better grades than me, get a girlfriend before me, and everything I had he had to have a better version of it."

Jamie smiled. "Oh, come on, it couldn't have been that bad."

Sion walked over to his bookshelf and took an object off it. "Look: this is the iPod I got a month or two before I left for the Water Temple; pretty nic,e a 30 gig iPod video. I took it to the airport one day and Kyle saw it. Next week I go back and he's shoving his 80 gig iPod video in my face."

Kaname giggled across the room. "Sounds like a pissing contest."

Jamie didn't let her expression drop. "She's right, what's got you so worked up?"

Sion sighed, he struggled in his mind to explain his situation to Jamie without upsetting her. "It's not that he's trying to steal Caitlin away from me. I'm worried he's trying to do it just because he wants to take something from me."

Jamie felt herself become a little jealous, hearing Sion's concern for Caitlin, but she could tell Sion wasn't trying to make her so.

Kaname decided she should step in. "Well, if you're really worried about it, we should get ready and get out of here. The more time we spend here, the more time he'll be with Caitlin right?"

Sion smiled as Kaname threw him a bag filled with clothes and other assorted disguise material. "I guess you're right."

North County: North County Mall September 8th 1:47 PM

The mall food court was only half filled with people, for which Caitlin Turner was very thankful; however, the mall TVs in the food court being tuned to the local news channel broadcasting the miracle story of Sion's return was making it very hard to keep themselves from being noticed, and for that she was not thankful.

Kyle was seated next to her, but Caitlin didn't really notice. She kept looking at the entry door, waiting for Sion to show up.

Jeff noticed Caitlin staring out towards the door in a daze. "What's wrong, Caitlin? Waiting for your boyfriend?"

Jeff smiled as he saw Kyle visibly squirm. The comment caught Caitlin off guard though.

"Boyfriend... is he my boyfriend?"

As if Amy could read minds, she asked, "That's a good question; what are you two now, Caitlin?"

"I'm not really sure. I mean, he left me. I thought he was dead. I guess... that puts us both as single."

Even though Nall was rooting for Jamie, he didn't want Caitlin to think Sion was heartless. "You know, he talked about you every day."

Nall's comment easily got the brunette's attention. "Really?"

"Yeah; it took a few days for him to get over his homesickness, but he would still always talk about you."

Caitlin smiled. "So, I guess we both missed each other."

Ruby elbowed Nall in the ribs and talked to him telepathically. "You know Sion's going to eventually have to tell her about Jamie. You're going to make it impossible for him."

Nall tried to defend himself. "At least the girl doesn't think Sion's some heartless bastard now. She'll go easier on him."

Ruby sighed at her husband's ignorance. "Yeah; now she thinks he was thinking only of her the entire time he was at the Water Temple. If she finds out another girl was involved right now she'd blow up."

Nall cringed as his wife's point hit home. "Oops."

Ruby smirked. "Let's not forget just how angry Jamie would be if she found out what you just did."

A nervous smile crept across Nall's face as he saw the girl in question enter the food court. An odd looking Sion Nickson and now blonde Kaname Konishi followed in behind her.

Jeff laughed. "Buddy, I never figured you for the rock star type."

Sion was a little embarrassed. "Yeah, yeah, get it all out." Drawing his attention away from Jeff, he looked towards Kyle, stone faced. "Kyle. Didn't expect to see you here."

Kyle extended his hand to shake Sion's. "I can say the same for you. Glad you're alright."

Sion didn't take his hand. "I'll bet." Caitlin frowned at Sion's rudeness as Sion turned to Nall. "So' what do ya'll want to do. Gotta be careful in such a public place."

Kyle smiled. "Yeah we wouldn't want to say your name now would we."

Both Jeff and Sion glared at Kyle for his threat. Nall picked up on the tension and decided to settle it for him.

"Kyle, I think you're starting to cause some unneeded stress. Thanks for helping everyone get out here without being noticed, but I think we can take it from here."

Kyle took the hint and stood up. Before he left, however, he made a point to whisper in Caitlin's ear, "Call me later, alright? We need to talk."

Sion couldn't hear what was being said, but he noticed Caitlin nod and saw Kyle smile. His temper was starting to boil. He glared as Kyle started to leave.

"Let it go, Sion, I got him out of here." Nall used telepathy to communicate with Sion to keep the others from hearing.

"I don't like it."

"Well unless he becomes a threat to anything more than your ego, we're going to have to let it be."

"I guess you're right."

While talking to Nall, Sion hadn't noticed Caitlin take the seat next to him. He jumped when he felt her hand brush his. Without thinking he took her hand and wrapped it with his. A blush crept across Caitlin's face.

She turned to Sion. "I've missed you."

"I missed you to." The words were out of his mouth before he could comprehend their meaning.

Jamie's jealously was going into overdrive. Kaname noticed and nudged her, whispering in her ear. "Let it be. He's in a weird place right now."

Jamie sighed and calmed herself, muttering a word of thanks to Kaname.

"Well! Shall we have some fun?"

Sion jumped up and joined Jeff, thankful to get away from the girls, but not before Caitlin managed to snag a kiss in which pushed Jamie over the edge. Kaname quickly stepped in and told the group she and Jamie would go off on their own to distract some of the press. Unknown to them, Kyle hadn't left the mall and went to follow the two girls.

Sion, along with his friends, took Nall and Ruby and went to go eat at one of the restaurants in the mall. Kaname had declined, saying she and Jamie would eat later in the food court, and dragged Jamie with her to do some clothing shopping with Nall's credit card.

Popping into an American Eagle, Kaname tried her best to get Jamie's mind off of Sion. Kyle snuck into the store with them and quickly grabbed a set of clothes to change his appearance and a hat to hide his face. As he went off to the changing room, Kaname and Jamie started to look around.

"I can't believe this."

"I know; this stuff is way cheaper than what you'd pay for it in Japan." Kaname knew what Jamie was talking about, but wanted to try and change the subject.

"Kaname, you know what I'm talking about."

Kaname sighed heavily. "Well, can you imagine being in his shoes?"

At that moment, Kyle emerged from the dressing room. He handed the tags of his new clothing to the sales rep, along with a few hundred dollar bills to pay for it. Walking near the girls, he was pleased to find that they didn't recognize him.

"I guess not, but that doesn't make it any easier on me."

"Jamie, I have to ask: have you ever had a boyfriend?"

That question instantly sparked Kyle's curiosity.

"No. Sion was my first boyfriend. I guess that might be why it's so hard on me right now."

Kyle found it difficult to contain his excitement as he left the store with the new information in hand.

Meanwhile on the other side of the mall, Sion felt a cold shiver run up his spine.

"Bad omen?"

If only he knew just how bad.

Caitlin was hanging onto his arm, only causing the young Dragonmaster's mind to get even more confused. He knew their relationship was something they needed to talk about - especially with Kyle now involved. Currently, he was content just leaving things where they were. They were currently inside the arcade standing in front of the familiar DDR machine they had used before Sion had left.

"Gotten any better at this?"

A sly smile grew on Caitlin's lips. "You mean the last time wasn't good enough?"

The memory caused Sion to blush and Jeff snickered behind Nall and Ruby.

"Well, let's see how you do now; but put it on two player mode."

"If that's what you want."

At the song selection screen, everyone was a little confused when Sion set his difficulty level as high as it would go.

"This whole time you've been playing DDR?"

Sion smiled. "Of course not, you'll see."

The song played and the arrows started to scroll up the screen. Caitlin's side looked simple enough, but Sion's side looked near impossible. However, Sion was able to do it with ease, quickly stomping out the combinations and moving so fast people couldn't keep up with him. At the end of the song, the score displayed and Sion had received a perfect score.

"Let me guess: one of your new gifts?"

Sion laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Heh, yeah. I guess I did cheat a little."

The group quickly left the arcade, as Sion's performance had started to draw a crowd. Outside Caitlin quickly gave Sion a kiss.

"I missed you."

"I missed you too Caitlin."

"You might want to have Caitlin dial down the PDA, Sion."

Nall's voice rang through Sion's head; for once, Sion was thankful for the telepathic communication.

"I'm not asking her to, but I'm afraid if I tell her to stop, it's going to crush her."

Sion saw Nall's facial expression visibly harden; however, he kept from making eye contact with Sion.

"You noticed Kaname had to take Jamie away from us."

Sion sighed which alerted Caitlin. "You ok?"

"Yeah, just a little tired I guess."

Caitlin smiled and released her grip on Sion, content now just walking beside him.

"Of course I noticed; me and her have already discussed this, though. She wants me to have a week alone with Caitlin and make my decision then."

"I know what she said Sion. That doesn't mean she's ready to endure having to see you and Caitlin acting like a couple. She was on the verge of tears this morning just seeing me and Ruby sleeping together."

A sharp pang of guilt swept through Sion when Nall revealed that piece of news. Ruby, however was privy to the conversation.

"Nall, stop being so harsh; try and imagine what he's going through."

Nall's facial expression softened; Sion tried to reassure him. "I promise I'll talk to Caitlin the first chance I get."

"Thanks."

Sion smiled at Nall's concern. He really did act like Jamie's father and he could tell he was a little agitated with his and Jamie's current relationship.

Looking at Caitlin's smiling face, Sion started to go over his problem mentally. On paper, Jamie was really the only choice he had since their relationship had lasted seven months to Caitlin's three or four days. Normally this would have solved the problem, but throwing in Sion's plunging a jet into the ocean, disappearing for over half a year, and magically reappearing as the savior of Earth, kind of threw a monkey wrench into that stream line logic.

Then there were two other problems: Currently, Kyle wasn't much of a concern. However, if Caitlin found out about his relationship with Jamie, Kyle could easily take advantage of it and Sion knew he'd most likely lose Caitlin.

"But is Caitlin the one I want to be with?"

Lucia then decided to impart her own wisdom, ("Don't forget, you'll have to kiss the girl whom holds my powers.")

"Thanks. Another thing to add to my list of concerns."

Silence filled Sion's head. When he came to his senses, he realized they were in the parking lot ready to go. Looking towards the food court entrance, he saw a visibly irritated Jamie with Kaname eagerly trying to lighten the blonde girl's mood.

Jeff walked up alongside his friend and whispered in his ear, "I think we need to go for a ride once we drop off everyone by your place."

Sion nodded. "Do we ever."

North County: Nickson Property September 8th 5:39 PM

The screeching noise of ATV engines filled the air as two Polaris blue 350 ATV's raced through the fields. Sion was in heaven, feeling the power beneath him as the wind whipped through his face. Jeff, close behind him, motioned him to follow him into the woods. Dodging obstacles at a speed much faster than what was considered safe, the two eventually got to a small clearing in the middle of the wooded area and shut down.

"Home sweet home, huh?"

Sion looked around and got comfortable on his ATV as Jeff did the same lyying down on his seat.

"You're telling me; looks like you've been practicing since I left."

Jeff sighed. "Yeah it was the one thing you had me easily beat at, but ever since we chased down your airplane I got used to riding 'em. I'll admit, it's pretty damn fun."

Silence filled the air for a few minutes until Jeff broke it. "So you went from having no girlfriends to having two. What you going to do about it."

Sion turned to look at Jeff so fast he lost his balance off the ATV and fell over the side of the seat.

"What are you talking about?"

Jeff scoffed. "Oh come on man. That Jamie girl obviously got seriously pissed when Caitlin broke out the PDA on you at the food court. In fact, if Caitlin wasn't so wrapped up in you to begin with, she would have seen it, too."

Sion sighed. "It's actually a whole lot more complicated than you think. You've got to promise not to tell anyone."

"Sure, man."

Sion smiled. "Not even your girlfriend."

Jeff frowned. "I'll do my best, but that girl's got ways of making me talk."

"Good enough."

Sion explained the problems he was going through. His serious relationship with Jamie and why it happened; his problem with Kyle and Caitlin; his doubts over him and Caitlin working out; even the destined girl he'd have to kiss.

"Man, you have it rough."

Sion put his head in his hands, groaning, "To top it all off, I know Jamie's doing her best to let me and Caitlin have our space, but its taking a huge toll on her. If I try and comfort her, Caitlin might catch us and then Kyle's a shoo-in."

"You make plans for dinner tonight?"

Sion looked at him, confused. "No, but I thought you were all staying over tonight?"

"We are; can't get away from that press and I sure as hell don't want them coming to my place, but I think I have an idea."

Meanwhile, back at Sion's house, Big and Rich's song "Radio" randomly blasted from someone's pocket in the kitchen. Caitlin reached into her pocket and took out her cell phone flipping it open and silencing the country ring tone.

"Hello?"

"Caitlin. It's Kyle."

Caitlin excused herself and walked towards a more private area. "Hi Kyle, I was going to call you later."

"Sorry, I couldn't wait."

Caitlin smiled. "That's sweet."

After a brief moment of silence, Caitlin decided she need to let Kyle know how she felt. "Look, Kyle, I know you mean well and all, but now that Sion's back in the picture, I'd like to have some time with him alone to make a decision."

Kyle thought for a few seconds before he responded. "How long?"

"A week, I could let you know by then."

"But Caitlin, can't I at least take you on one proper date before you do this?"

"Kyle you've got to understand; I've been waiting for something like this ever since he left."

Kyle was getting increasingly frustrated. "Caitlin, what would you say if you found out he had a girlfriend while he was away?"

A bolt of shock coursed through her, and Caitlin had difficulty restraining herself. "Kyle, I understand you don't think this is fair, but you've got to get over it."

"I'm serious, Caitlin; I've got good reason to believe one of those girls Sion showed up with was his girlfriend while he was away."

"Then I'd have to say prove it."

Kyle let a little more silence fall over the conversation to make Caitlin believe he was having a moral dilemma with the information he was about to reveal. "One of those girls he showed up with, Jamie. I stopped in the American Eagle after I separated from you all and saw her and the blue haired girl in there. She mentioned something."

"What?"

Kyle smiled on his end; Caitlin had taken the bait. "She was talking about how hard it was seeing you act like a couple with Sion. She said they took a break to give you two a week together before he made a decision."

The world melted away while Caitlin's heart shattered. The pieces Kyle had laid out in front of her fit perfectly looking back on it. She hadn't thought about it, but Jamie had gotten upset when she had kissed Sion. In fact, so upset she had to be separated from the group - and that was after Kyle left, so there was no way he could have known that unless he did see those two in the store. Caitlin was so caught up in her thoughts she forgot she had Kyle on the phone.

"Caitlin?"

"...Yes, Kyle?"

"I'm sorry to spring that news on you like that, but I'm not asking you to trust me. Let me prove it to you."

In front of Caitlin, Jamie crossed through the room and went towards the stairway to grab a shower in the upstairs bathroom. Envy, anger, betrayal, and jealously all flowed through Caitlin's veins at the same time. However, the hope she had held onto since Sion's supposed death clung to her stubbornly. If he had survived that plane crash to come back to her over half a year later, perhaps this talk of Jamie being his girlfriend was false.

"I'll take you up on that. She's supposed to be going out with that Kaname girl tonight. Pick me up and we'll follow them, but meet me below Sion's where you picked us up today."

"Not a problem; seven alright?"

"Just fine."

Sion and Jeff we're racing each other back. Sion could feel the tears pushing themselves out of his eyes as the wind blew hard in his face. Pressing the foot break, the two ATV's turned sideways on the slick grassy surface and came within inches of the driveway before coming to a complete halt.

The two friends moved into the house. Jeff ran off to find Kaname to launch his plan into motion, and Sion went off to find Jamie. He walked past Caitlin in the living room, who turned away from him as soon as he caught her eye.

Confused but not wanting to deal with it at the moment, Sion continued to look for Jamie and moved upstairs. Still not seeing any sign of the blonde, he moved into his room where Kaname and Jeff were talking.

"Sure, that sounds like it would work; she'd appreciate it. Oh, hey Sion," the blue haired girl smiled, noticing Sion enter the room.

Sion closed the door behind him and nodded to Kaname. "So, are we all set?"

"Yep; Kaname here has the whole deal set up. She'll go take Jamie in your car that you'll so graciously loan to her, and I'll be driving you. We'll meet up at the Fox and Hound over at West Hills."

"My car?"

"Don't worry, bud, Jamie's driving."

Kaname seemed to get a little upset. "What the heck's wrong with my driving?"

"We use the other side of the road, babe, might be a little confusing."

Kaname relented. "I guess. But don't you think an all powerful Orcale would be able to foresee a car-wreck?"

Sion shrugged. "Sometimes it's better to not leave things to fate."

Downstairs, Caitlin quickly walked through the kitchen, grabbing her purse off the table. Amy, working behind the kitchen counter, saw her.

"Hey, girl, where you going?"

Caitlin hated to lie, but knew she couldn't tip off Amy. "Out: my mom's missed me, so I'm going to grab a bite to eat with her."

Amy sighed. "Man, Sion's going out with Jeff, and Kaname and Jamie are going out together. Who am I going to eat with?"

"Sorry, Amy, we'll do it tomorrow; promise."

Amy just waved her off. "Yeah, yeah, have fun."

Nall and Ruby here sitting at the table in the Kitchen overhearing the conversation; Ruby felt a stab of sympathy for Amy. "Why don't you join me and Nall? We'd love to get to know you."

Amy lit up. "Are you going to show me how to use my awesome powers?"

Nall groaned. "That's not until we return to Japan."

"What's the holdup?"

"We have to find the girl that holds the star dragon's soul; then we get to leave."

Ruby smiled. "Maybe you can help us, Amy. You've known Sion for a long time, right?"

"Well," Amy replied, "we went to the same school since the 1st grade, but I never really talked to him."

"But you knew the people he hung around, right?"

"Sure; there were mainly guys, but one or two girls."

Nall smiled. "Maybe you can actually help us, Amy. Ruby, would you start cooking something up for us to eat with Amy? I'm going to go grab one of Sion's old yearbooks."

"Ok hun."

Upstairs, Jeff was calling in the reservations at the restaurant. He also called Christy to bring her along, giving the excuse they 'needed to get to know Kaname and find out what Sion's been up to since he left'.

Sion was in his closet getting dressed enjoying the fact he had more than five sets of clothes to use now. Jamie was drying her hair, oblivious to the plan, and Kaname was looking through her bag, trying to find something to wear. Nall poked his head in the door after a quick knock.

"Is Sion around?"

Jamie and Jeff both pointed at the closet preoccupied with their current task. Nall just decided to communicate with Sion telepathically.

"Sion, I'm in your room and need one of your older yearbooks."

"What for?"

"Amy's going to help us narrow down the list of candidates for the fifth girl."

"Alright; I'll hand them out to you."

Nall walked by the closet and Sion handed him a stack of books quickly before shutting the door. Kaname and Jeff were a little confused how Sion knew what to do without Nall muttering a word. The human-dragon in question winked at the two confused teens and left the room.

"Weird guy...," Jeff muttered.

Kaname smiled as she found the outfit she was looking for. "Yeah, but he saved my mom and me."

Jamie had finished drying her hair and put on a pair of casual clothes consisting of a pair of blue jeans, tan colored shoes, and a black fitting shirt. Leaving the bathroom, she was surprised to see Kaname and Jeff in the room. Jeff whistled when he saw Jamie, and Kaname gave her a thumbs-up.

"My, girl, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're going to play hardball to get Sion's eye."

Jamie looked shocked. "Kaname, you can't say anything like that now, Jeff's here."

Jeff put his hands up. "Easy there, Sion already filled me in. I'm here to help."

Jamie looked around the room. "Where is he, anyways?"

"Right here." Sion emerged from his closet in a pair of blue jeans, sneakers, with a red button down dress shirt open at the top revealing a white undershirt underneath. The leather arm band the pope had given him was around his wrist.

Now it was Kaname's turn to whistle. "Wow, Sion, you look great for this."

Jamie got confused. "For what?"

"Hun, I'm really sorry about what I let Caitlin get away with in front of you."

Jamie turned away from Sion. "It doesn't matter, Sion, we're not together anymore."

"Jamie, I'm trying to make sense of all this right now. I'm like a fish out of water here."

Jamie smiled as Sion tried to get through to her, but she kept her back to him. "So what do we have planed?"

"Kaname's going with you out to a restaurant near here and I'll meet you there with Jeff. You and I will dine alone and Jeff's going to let Christy meet Kaname."

"What about Caitlin?"

Sion spoke up. "I'll find out; one second."

"Nall, is Caitlin still downstairs?"

"Nope; she left about ten minutes ago to eat dinner with her mom."

"She's gone to get dinner with her mom, so she's gone for now."

Despite the girls' nonchalance, Jeff was starting to get a little freaked out. "Ok: first that Nall dude came in here and somehow you just knew to give him that stack of yearbooks, and now you know what's happening downstairs while were up here?"

Sion smirked. "I can talk to Nall and Ruby telepathically. I can sort of make it work with Jamie."

"We're working on it."

"You better teach me that too, Sion," Kaname informed him, very interested in such a development.

"Don't worry; all of ya'll will have to use it eventually. Let's just get to supper I'm starving."

North County: West Hills Fox and Hound Restaurant September 8th 6:48 PM

So far, the plan had gone off without a hitch. Kaname and Jamie entered the restaurant a few minutes before Sion and Jeff. Christy was already inside with a table waiting and Sion took Jamie out of view to their own booth. The waiter had taken their orders and the couple waited patiently.

Meanwhile, another couple entered the restaurant. Kyle couldn't believe his luck when he saw Sion sitting with Jamie alone. Caitlin quickly spotted Jeff; she recognized Kaname even with the blonde hair, as well as Christy. The trio seemed to be enjoying a nice conversation, but she got confused when she didn't see Sion.

"Caitlin, I don't want you to get upset, but Sion's over there with Jamie."

Caitlin followed Kyle's finger and felt the rage building up in her. She managed to suppress it, wanting to find out for sure without any doubt that Jamie and Sion were in a relationship.

"Alright, Kyle, let's get in the booth behind them."

The two moved around using the sports bars wilder patrons to block their view from Sion's table. Positioning themselves in the correct booth, Caitlin had her back to Sion's and was able to easily listen in.

"It was really nice of you to bring me here, Sion."

"No, it's alright. I wanted you to get out of that house for a change. Easy on my name, though; it's going to attract attention."

"Ok, Roger."

Sion smiled; his old cover name from the Titanic mission brought back memories. "So, what do you think of North County?"

"It's really nice. I'm glad I got to see it with as much as you talked about it."

Caitlin smiled; they were talking like they were just friends.

"Look, Jamie, I've been wanting to talk to you about-"

Jamie cut him off. "We already set the ground rules for that."

Sion sighed. "I know, but I can tell it's wearing down on you."

"I'll be just fine; it's just a week."

Caitlin felt a sharp pain in her chest, but it wasn't enough to prove anything yet.

"Honestly though, Jamie, I don't want you to be getting so upset by everything. I'm trying to make sense of it all. I was Caitlin's boyfriend for all of three or four days. You and I were together for over half a year."

Now Caitlin knew the truth. She kept her temper, though, and made sure Kyle didn't notice her pain. The conversation, however, continued.

"Sion, that doesn't matter; you still care about her, and I care about you. I don't want you to rush to either one of us."

"I know, but it bothers me, too, with Caitlin kissing me and everything. I wish I could explain the situation to the both of you. She deserves to know about our relationship."

Caitlin felt the pain easing at Sion's concern.

Jamie sighed. "I know she does, but I mean, how well could she possibly take it? We got together about a week after you arrived at the water temple."

That did it. Caitlin couldn't stand it anymore. Kyle noticed the rage in her eyes and quickly started to think of a quick exit, but before he could open his mouth Caitlin opened hers, and the whole restaurant heard her.

"WHAT!?"

With their cover blown, Kyle stood with Caitlin as she stomped over to Sion's table. Jamie's facial expression was stern as she was ready to defend herself and Sion. Sion, however, looked like a cornered mouse.

"Not only were you her boyfriend, you got together in less than a week after you left me!?"

Patrons in the restaurant were amused by the scene, but some were pointing at Sion and whispering to their friends. Jamie was getting concerned that someone might recognize them, but Caitlin soon put away any doubts to the famous young mans identity.

"Sion Alexandar Nickson! I will never be your girlfriend, not when I have someone ten times better standing next to me!"

Caitlin grabbed Kyle right in front of Sion and kissed him. Kyle, although enjoying seeing Sion suffer, quickly pushed Caitlin towards the exit. A few seconds later, Jeff, Christy, and Kaname ran up to Sion's table.

"So: hun, when were you going to tell me we were coving for Sion's little affair here?"

"Sorry, Christy, I'll explain, but right now I think we need to… ah shit."

The entire restaurant had gathered around the table.

"Hey, that is Sion! And that girl with him was on the plane last night!"

"Yeah! The other one, too; she just dyed her hair, see?"

Sion, although depressed, quickly started thinking. Jamie jabbed him under the table with her foot and whispered to him.

"Why not use that trick we did at the pub near the Titanic?"

"Too risky to use any weird power here, it'll freak everyone out."

The restaurant patrons kept edging closer. "Sion, can I get your autograph?"

"Can you tell us what you've been up to this whole time we thought you were dead?"

"Can you make one of those portals pop up again?"

By this time, the area around their table had gotten so crowded, Jeff, Christy, and Kaname were forced to sit in the booth. Sion stood up on the table and addressed the crowd.

"Look, everyone, I'm really grateful that you missed me and all, and I'll be the first to admit that my disappearance and reappearance was really weird. But you're all going to have to wait on those details. I'll be on the news and everything and all of you will get to hear my story. Right now, I'm trying to get things straight with my family and friends, and as you can see, I really just upset one of them. So can you please let us out?"

A few of the restaurant employees and understanding patrons cleared a path out of the restaurant. Sion and his group left as quickly as possible. Jamie threw Sion the keys to his car and left with Jeff and the others. Sion heightened his senses and ran as quickly as he could to his car and drove off.

North County: Sion's House September 8th 7:34 PM

"We've been doing this for at least an hour now. Aren't there any girls Sion used to hang out with that are still around here?"

Amy looked in the oldest year book, scanning through the class list. "Let's see... Katie Foote, but she moved up north."

Ruby put her hand on Amy's shoulder. "Don't worry; we know you're doing your best."

"Hmm; there was this girl Amber, but she's all the way in Australia now."

Nall grabbed the year book. "What about her?"

"Hm, no, she never really talked to Sion at all. Plus, she's not around here anymore, either."

"Her?"

"Casie? No she moved to California two years ago. Sion never talked to her either."

"I give up." Nall put the book down and it opened to a large picture of the Christmas pageant. A very young Sion was dressed up in a white robe as an alter boy and another girl was dressed up in a costume as Mary.

Amy picked up the year book and studied the picture even harder. "Hey, she would work."

Nall and Ruby startled out of their thoughts excitedly. "Who?"

Amy pointed to the girl in the Mary costume near the manger. "Her."

North County: Pullen Park September 8th 9:12 PM

Sion walked around in the dark park, trying to collect his thoughts. It was a little cold, and the young Dragonmaster buttoned up his shirt and stuffed his hands in his pockets. But the chill was helpful. If he suffered a little, maybe he could make himself think through what he'd done.

He wasn't sure now what he should do. If he got together with Jamie now, it would look like it was forced, and how would Jamie feel if Sion came to her now that he had no other choice?

"What now?"

Sion's silent partner then decided to look in on her charge. "She didn't call Kyle her boyfriend."

"No; she just said he was ten times better than me and kissed him right in front of me."

"She was angry."

Sion sighed. "That's half the problem. I know inside she didn't mean all she said, but that doesn't take back what I did. I honestly wanted to tell her about Jamie, but in a much more delicate way then she found out."

"Kyle probably had something to do with it."

"It doesn't even matter now though, Lucia. If I try to go after Kyle, it'll just make Caitlin despise me even more. I didn't think he could do it so easily, but then again, Kyle always finds a way."

The path Sion currently walked on seemed to lead to nowhere. He didn't realize he was approaching the borders of North County University until he heard the sounds of a wild party in the distance. He was about to turn around and head to his car when someone spoke up.

"Wows! Itsh Sions Nickson!"

Sion quickly turned around, hoping to keep the drunk female from shouting his name too loudly, when he realized she was vaguely familiar. "Do I know you?"

"Heh, silly." The girl wrapped her arms around Sion's neck and looked up at him; the liquor stench was overpowering. "It's me: Karen."

"Who?"

"Awws, yous don't remember mish?" The girl removed her arms from Sion's neck and pointed at herself before tripping over nothing. Sion moved quickly and caught her.

"Karen Mills. Remember? We went to school together when we were younger."

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End Chapter 16

Wow that's actually the first chapter I've written in awhile. This one's been in the works since beginning of June, but I'm sure the next one won't be so hard to write. Most of this I had to spend catching up and checking all my content since I had forgotten a lot of my own story since its been so long. This story is now over 4 years old! So I'm planning on finishing it within a year so I can start part two.

Many of you have signed up at the forum and I encourage you all to continue. Post messages, reply to my blogs, harass me about updates, get into the members only section and see my video interview on YouTube. The possibilities are endless and I'm enjoying interacting with my fans.

And thanks so much to Calistar Heir for her continued BETA work this wouldn't have been possible without her.

GD: Well that's another one down, sooo many to go

Nall: Well I'm all set up at your place ready to slack away

GD: Oh we'll be moving out before long.

Nall: Yea right nothings going to make me move from this couch

Ruby: Oh Handsome! (Ruby appears in the distance down the hall in a skimpy bathing suit)

Nall: Hot Mamma! (Nall runs to grab her)

GD: Nall there a…

Crash

GD: There's a mirror

Ruby: Haha that's the second time he's fallen for it, how many years of bad luck is that.

Chapter 17 Preview

"State your name please."

"Sion Alexander Nickson."

The department of defense had taken a keen interest in Sion. However the group had made it clear. No tests, and he could not be held against his will. Sion, unfortunately, was beginning to think the DoD had no intention of honoring that promise.