Runo
So soft...
And...
And warm...
And...
It smells...
... weird... different...
"Where am I?"
I opened my eyes sleepily to find myself laying out a fresh patch of green grass, morning dew dampening my forearms and my cheek. The place I was in, wherever it was, smelled nice and fresh, yet there was a tinge of danger hovering all around.
It feels so nostalgic, yet it feels so foreign.
Scrambling onto my feet, I looked around me, surprised as a flock of birds flew past me into the vast blue sky. It appeared so peaceful, how the lustrous green trees danced with the slow-moving breeze, how birds perched on the trees gazed down at me and chirped, how... how quiet it was, except from the voices of nature.
Thirsty.
That was the next thing that came to my mind. I didn't know where this place was, and why it was so secluded. Why... why am I even here in the first place? Something feels so wrong, but... but...
I can't remember anything.
There's... There's something missing.
A barren land...
Explosions...
Cries...
Blood...
Everywhere...
?
I felt giddy all of a sudden, and grabbed my head as I tried to block out the strange images which flashed through my mind in a matter of seconds. It was like something was calling out to me, and... that I was supposed to do something important.
But... what?
I had no answers at all, and I hated this feeling.
I hated this feeling of a lack of something, I hated this feeling of being alone, and I hated the face that I was so incapable of doing something as simple as remembering something.
The harsh rays of the sunlight felt like they were piercing into my skin, and my brain started to hurt again.
"Runo..."
What...?
I... I guess that I can ascertain that that is my name after all. At least... at least, that's some progress.
Such remarkable progress, Runo, a voice at the back of my head sneered at myself. I had to sigh at my own inability.
There was... There was somewhere else that I was supposed to be, but I didn't know where, I didn't know why. It was a strange feeling.
But, I can't stick around. I wouldn't be getting anywhere at this rate.
As though without a soul, I made my way deeper into the forest, at least, I think I was going deeper. I couldn't make sense of whatever I was doing, not when my whole mind and body felt so empty.
I soon caught sight of a clear lake, its surface literally shimmering underneath the warm, bright Sun. The water looked so clean and pure, and I hurried over to kneel beside the lake.
Cupping my hands together, I reached my hands into the water to scoop up a mouthful of water and began to carefully sip it. Thirst finally quenched, I felt refreshed once more and let out a happy sigh. I scooped up more water and gently rinsed my face with it, before I finally got to look at my reflection.
I... I didn't know that I looked like that. Is... is that even me?
A blue haired girl, eyes so green, skin so fair. I unknowingly placed a hand on my cheek, feeling a little strange.
Runo.
That is my name.
At least... I think it is.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing in our territory?"
I spun around, only to see a swarm of ball-like creatures standing before me, with a white one hovering above.
Wait...
Ball-like creatures...?
I think they were called...
What...
What were they called again?
"Hey, you! I'm talking to you!" I glared at the creature. I didn't enjoy being bossed around and I definitely didn't like this puny creature.
"It's not like there's a signboard around here saying it's your home anyway!" I argued, unfazed.
The creatures all froze for a moment, taken aback, and I felt accomplished for actually being able to shut them up.
At least... For a while I did.
"Why you little brat!"
Alice
I knew I really shouldn't be out here, not without barely any weapons but, they were burdensome in the first place to carry anyway. I really needed a breath of fresh summer air.
Being alone was a horrible feeling to me. Ever since Grandfather left for Wardington to work for the Marukura Industries, I've never felt lonelier. And I thought, losing my parents in an accident from young was bad enough. Sometimes, taking little walks like this took my mind off matters, and well, I really enjoyed it.
Though... Life would actually be better if there was a partner to be with. Don't get me wrong, I don't mean a partner as a significant other, but rather...
This is confusing you, isn't it? I guess I should start from the beginning. Life on Earth has never been the same since Bakugan landed here, whenever they came. Maybe halfway through the World War, maybe when cavemen and dinosaurs roamed, maybe... Maybe even before we humans were born. Whenever it began, we had never once gotten along. We never could understand each other, and I mean this literally.
Bakugan have always been hostile creatures in the eyes of humans, trying to attack us for barely any good reason, and what's worse is, they don't even say why, which is really saddening because it just puts greater strain on our relationships. If only we could understand each other, we would then all be getting along so much better and our world would be much greater than ever before.
But right now, the possibility of a peaceful Earth where Bakugan and humans live together in harmony just sounds out of the world.
I won't deny that I haven't thought about having a Bakugan for a partner before though.
On the bright side, at least I'll be moving over to Wardington to join Grandfather in a few days' time. By then, I wouldn't be alone. Grandfather had said that the Marukura family had offered us a place at their house, basically a huge skyscraper in Wardington. I wasn't so keen on the idea at first, and wanted to find an apartment for myself, but Grandfather convinced me that they were hospitable people, and besides, they had a son a few years younger than me, so they understood his pain of having left me behind.
That's not all, actually. The truth is. It wasn't my first time going to Wardington. I'd moved there with Grandfather since middle school and now that I'm in college, I came back to Moscow. Grandfather couldn't get back the same apartment we lived in back then, so the Marukuras were really nice and offered us a place to stay. Oh wait, I just sidetracked a little, silly me. Anyway, back then in Wardington, I'd made a few friends, and well, *blushes*, I'm actually in a long-distance relationship right now. Shun lives in Wardington, and now that I'm moving back for the time being, I'll finally be able to see him again.
Oh my! So much just went through my mind that I didn't realise how deep into the woods I'd actually gone! If Grandfather were still here, he'd be worried sick. Looking up at the sky where the Sun was sinking into a palette of orange, I decided to turn home, until I saw a swarm of Bakugan and a girl nearby.
I dashed towards a tree and hid behind it, peeking out to figure what was going on. A white Bakugan hovered in the air, leading me to my conclusion that it must be the leader of the swarm. The strange thing was, I actually saw the girl speaking to them!
"It's not like there's a signboard around here saying it's your home anyway!"
Dear God... What... What's going on?! Is she actually talking back to the Bakugan?
I watched, eyes fixated on the scene unfolding before me, and gasped when I saw the Bakugan stopped for a brief moment, stunned by the female's argument as much as I was. Nobody had ever spoken to a Bakugan rudely and came out uninjured, and right now, this girl was going to be in trouble! Seeing that the Bakugan now was prepared to unleash his true form, I waited no more and grabbed a branch on the carpeted grass floor.
"Get away from her!" I was really scared, this being my first time facing a Bakugan head-on, but there was no way I could leave another person in the lurch to die in the hands of a Bakugan!
I swung the branch as intimidatingly as I could, but violence and anger, as Grandfather and Shun had said, were not something I could show well.
I saw the Bakugan turn towards me, with their leader staring at me. The girl beside me, now standing up, glanced at me weirdly after a moment.
"You're not gonna argue with that?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow.
I hadn't the foggiest idea what she was talking about, but didn't think any more about it. Rather, I threw the branch on the ground and grabbed the girl's wrist, pulling her along with me as I tried to run as fast as I could.
"Hey! What are you doing?" The girl yelled, completely stunned. She didn't seem to know what to do, and was trying to catch up with me.
"You can't..." I was panting heavily, never being a fit person. "You can't treat them like this! They'll eat you alive!"
I heard the blunette let out a snicker. "Those puny little creatures? I could just flick them off with my finger!"
I was appalled by the girl's words. Did she even know what she was saying? Was she... Was she even human? How could she not know the danger of the Bakugan? Before I could turn around to argue with her, I saw a tall shadow forming before me, and gulped.
There was no way out now.
A tall Saurus stood behind us, arms folded as he glanced down at us. I saw the girl looking more amazed rather than shocked, and it really worried me about how sane she was.
Before I could pull her back, she was already walking up to the Bakugan, looking up at it in awe and raising a finger.
"Wow! I never knew you were so huge! You're actually pretty cool!"
I fell to my knees, both from tiredness and horror. What was she saying? She was going to get us killed in a matter of seconds at this rate!
I saw the Bakugan kneel down before her, and I gulped as I imagined it squashing her flat with just his finger. Oh, no... Dear Alice, you should have remembered when people did say it never pays to be kind! But then, you just couldn't turn a blind eye to an innocent girl, could you? And right now, you're going to die, not in the hands of cancer or some terminal disease, not in an accident, not because of stress, but because of...
"Oh, you're a Bakugan?"
I nearly cried out. The girl still sounded so amazed when she said that. I paused. Hold on a minute...
Did she just communicate with the Bakugan?!
"I think we'll make good friends too! Just don't stop me from getting some fresh water next time, will ya?" The girl laughed heartily and I heard the Bakugan laughing in its deep voice too.
No way...
Runo
I didn't know why this strange redhead grabbed me and ran away, but I didn't think twice about it, especially not when I saw the little ball of creature turning into a giant beast before me!
How awesome!
I ran up towards the creature, aware of the fact that the redhead tried to grab me but ignored it. Why was she so scared of this creature? I mean, we could always just talk things out.
Still amazed by the creature's huge size, I couldn't help but to gaze up at it and my jaw dropped. I've never seen something so huge in my entire life! Though, that's what I thought. For some reason, I felt that this wasn't an uncommon sight for me, but I couldn't quite understand why I was feeling that way.
Still, it was really cool!
"Wow! I never knew you were so huge! You're actually pretty cool!"
I saw the creature quirk an eyebrow at me in surprise.
"You... You really think so? I mean, haven't you seen other Bakugan like me?" The creature's jaw was agape.
I grinned excitedly. "Oh, you're a Bakugan?"
"Yes, and your're a strange girl."
I couldn't help but to burst out laughing at his remark."I think we'll make good friends too! Just don't stop me from getting some fresh water next time, will ya?"I was overjoyed to see the said Bakugan laugh in reply. These creatures seemed unfriendly at first but I think that they're really friendly creatures in truth! But for some reason, I actually feel... nostalgic when I was talking to this Bakugan... But... why?
"Alright then, little lady. If you ever need any help, you can depend on me. Because we'll make good friends, I'm sure. As long as you don't disturb us in future," The Bakugan gave me a friendly grin.
"Sure! As long as you don't classify a visit from me as disturbing!" I gave the Bakugan a fist punch and we both smiled.
"I'll get going now. Take care then. See you again," I gazed in awe as the Bakugan turned back into its ball form again and flew away.
I just made a new friend upon coming here! Wherever this place was.
"Uh..."
I turned around, having forgotten that the redhead was there for a moment.
"Are... Are you alright?" I frowned, walking towards her.
I saw her blink a couple of times at the direction the Bakugan had flown, before looking up at me. She shook her head, before stammering. "No... I mean, yes... I mean, are you alright?"
"Me? Why wouldn't I be?" I was confused by the redhead. How could she think that I was not alright? I was obviously unscathed.
"... It's alright..." She seemed to say it hesitantly and shook her head again, before getting up. "I think you should get home soon too. It's getting late."
I blinked at her a couple of times, as I tried to recall what a home was. Ah...
"I don't have a home," I said slowly, and felt a pang in my heart. It didn't feel right to say that I didn't have a home, but... but it was the truth, right?
The girl looked at me for a moment, before holding out a hand and giving me a genuine smile.
"Then... well, if you don't mind, you can come with me."
I... I didn't know whether I could trust her when I'd never met her at all before, but then mentally slapped myself again for thinking that way. I'd just made friends with the Bakugan, didn't I? What was wrong with me? I could trust a different species, but not my own? Besides... well...
I looked at her, her messy orange hair bobbing as she cocked her head to one side and her hazel eyes glistened with compassion and kindness.
She did look really nice.
Without a second thought, I placed my hand in hers and smiled at her.
Alice's home was cosy and warm and Runo looked around in awe as she gazed at the vintage furniture and took in the woodsy and warm smell. She hadn't seen anything like that before, but she did like the vibe this place was giving her. It wasn't like anything she'd felt before, but it was homely to her, nevertheless. But... she felt that something was missing, and she didn't like the thought of feeling empty. It was like, she was forgetting something really, really important. And she didn't like it one bit, it was actually making her feeling really fidgety. But no matter how much she tried to rack her brains, she couldn't place her finger on the matter.
...
Why? Why couldn't she remember?
Runo, upset with her own inability, hammered her head with her fist, surprising Alice who was walking out of the kitchen with two glasses of iced tea. The Russian beauty rushed forward and placed the tray on the table quickly, before holding the blunette back.
"What's wrong?" She asked worriedly, sitting beside Runo afterwards when she ascertained that the blunette had calmed down.
The blunette bit her lower lip, and glanced at the floor for a brief moment. Alice handed her a glass, and she stared right into the glass and gazed at her own reflection. A pair of green orbs stared back at her, reflecting sadness beyond description.
"I can't remember anything. I feel that something is missing, and it's really important, but I can't remember what, and I don't like feeling this way."
Alice looked back at the girl, holding onto her wrists. She couldn't quite emphatize with the girl for feeling that way, but either way, she still didn't like seeing how sad she looked.
"Listen, well..."
"Runo."
"Alright then, Runo, I think you're suffering from amnesia, but don't worry, I'm going to help you." Alice said with strong determination.
Runo looked up at the Russian beauty. They'd only just met, but why was she determined to help her? For all she know, Alice was probably just saying all these to assure me.
"I mean it, Runo."
Runo smiled sadly at her. "I.. I guess... Thank you..."
"I'm Alice, by the way."
Runo gazed at the redhead who was smiling at her brightly. Somehow, she knew that she and Alice would make great friends. And she could tell it just from how she'd supposedly save her on her first encounter (we all know the truth though), from the first time she placed her hand in hers when she offered her a place to stay, and from her genuine smile right now. Runo wasn't sure she'd ever seen anyone this nice, but she wasn't complaining about it, that was for sure.
"I do have a question for you though, Runo," Alice gave the blunette an inquisitive look as she fiddled with the straw in her glass. Runo simply looked up at her, still sipping on the iced tea (she did find it really delicious and it was a new and funny taste to her) and making a "hm" sound. "Back then, you told me 'You're not gonna argue with that?' when we were with that Saurus, what did you mean?"
Runo blinked back at Alice. "Saurus?"
And Alice blinked back at Runo. "That creature earlier, its name is Saurus."
"Isn't it a Bakugan?" Runo asked, confused.
Alice bit back a giggle. "Well... They are Bakugan, but different Bakugan have different species. It's just like how animals are grouped into dogs and cats, that Bakugan earlier was a Saurus."
Runo made an "O" shape with her mouth, surprised. She placed her iced tea on the table and clapped her hands together happily, before the smile almost turned into a frown almost immediately as she cocked her head to one side. "Didn't you hear? That Saurus was saying how bad of a fighter you are, and how unintimidating you are."
I was right. The thought crossed Alice's mind triumphantly, while Runo stared back at the redhead, confused.
"You see, Runo, right here on Earth, Bakugan and humans have never gotten along. Not in the past, not now, and I don't think we ever will in the future either."
It took a while for Runo to process what Alice had just told her. It couldn't be right, not when that Saurus earlier had actually made a pact of friendship with her.
"Why not?" The blunette asked slowly.
"I don't know how you're doing it, but... you can talk to the Bakugan?"
"Can't you? I mean, you can speak," Runo frowned even deeper.
"I... I don't mean it that way, but... it's just that, we humans don't understand what the Bakugan are saying. Runo, how is it that you can?"
Dun dun dun! And that is the first chapter for all ya folks out there! I know the story might seem a little confusing right now, especially when you don't know what's going on with Runo now, but I promise, things are bound to get really, really interesting. (; Though, actually you can think of this of an alternate story line for Bakugan Battle Brawlers, which I do admit it's pretty awesome. It's still one of my favourite seasons. :D Basically, Runo is supposed to be the hope for humans and Bakugan on Earth alike, their form of bridge, if you get what I mean. You might not understand why now (and I'm not gonna tell you now either muahahahah) so you'll have to read on :D
There'll be quite a few changes to this story as compared to my past stories. I often try to write Runo as in sync as I can't but I do understand that she often ends up seeming OOC, and to be honest, I personally feel a little disturbed by it too hahaha... *sweatdrops* I'll be writing from the perspectives of different Brawlers now just so that I can involve more Brawlers and make it seem not so DanXRuno oriented. To be honest, I often tell myself "I'm gonna write about other couples too" but I can't really fit them in and it just turns out weird. ._. So now I'm gonna include more ShunXAlice, RenXFabia (you'll see why in later chapters ;D) and maybe, no promises, BillyXJulie. Of course, being the huge Runo and DanXRuno fan, I'm not gonna leave them out hahaha! I'm actually pretty excited about making this story, and I hope you guys will actually like it too! :D
By the way, the Brawlers are typically 17-18. To be more precise, Marucho will be 16, Dan, Runo, Julie and Billy (if I even include him) will be 17, and Shun, Alice, Ren and Fabia will be 18. Apart from Runo, Julie, Alice and Billy, all the other characters live in Wardington, and Julie and Billy, who live in Australia, will come into the picture later. Given the fact that I don't understand how the brawling system even works, please don't expect me to write about brawling. Yes, humans and Bakugan will become partners, but I'm still going to say no to brawling. I'd rather eliminate the whole process rather than to ruin it by writing in the way I feel is right.
So anyway, that's all for now! Yay or nay for this story? Let me know what ya think! Hope you've all enjoyed it so far! :D