So I've been obsessed with Bakugan lately, and my brain decided this one shot was a good idea x3

Enjoy!

Shun

It had been a little over a week since we'd defeated Naga, and the Bakugan went back to Vestroia. I was out in the forest near my place, sitting high up in a tree, on a branch one night. I came out mainly because I wanted somewhere to think that wasn't a confined dojo.

In the dead of night, the forest was silent, besides the occasional noises of the nocturnal animals. I stared up at the moon, which was full tonight. I was surprised when I heard footsteps, and the crunching of grass and leaves underneath them. I perched on the branch, my eyes scanning the foliage, which was well-lit by the full moon, until I saw a familiar head of bright orange hair.

"Alice?" When I saw it was her, I jumped from the branch, landing deftly on the balls of my feet.

"Shun!" She seemed happy to see me, which was a sign nothing extremely bad had happened, at least.

"Alice, what are you doing here?" I asked her, raising one of my eyebrows slightly.

"I...I wanted to talk to you." She admitted, seeming almost bashful when she said it. I was a bit surprised at her answer, to be honest.

Why come to me? She could've gone to Runo or Julie, or even Dan, so why me?

My face gave nothing away, and I gestured for her to follow me. She did, and as we walked through the forest back to the dojo, I asked her, "So, how did you get here, anyways, Alice?"

"Do you remember the teleporter Masquerade used to get around?" She asked, and I nodded.

"I assume you still have it then." This time, she nodded, pulling a card from her pocket.

"Yeah, it is pretty useful, if you think about it." She said.

"True enough." I said in agreement.

It was silent besides the sound of our footsteps for a minute or two, before I broke the silence again. "What did you want to talk about, Alice?" I finally asked.

She hesitated before answering, seemingly pondering how to word her answer. "I guess... I just wanted to see if you were ok." She said softly, her cheeks slightly pink in embarrassment.

"Why wouldn't I be?" The words came out harder than I intended, but Alice never faltered.

"Shun, you miss her, don't you? Skyress?"

At her words, I stopped walking, my eyes downcast and my jaw clenched. Alice stood behind me, waiting for an answer.

I let out a humorless chuckle, muttering lowly, "You can see through me so easily...It's a little unnerving, to be honest." I said, taking a deep breath of the crisp, night air. "Ok, yes. I miss her. A lot more than I'd like to admit." I said finally.

I felt Alice's hand touch my upper arm, and when I met her eyes, they had both an understanding, and comforting look in them.

"Do you miss Hydronoid?" I asked her quietly, to which she simply nodded.

"I might not have always been myself, but, when it counted, Hydronoid was there by my side." She looked at me again, and her gaze pierced through me. "Much like Skyress was for you, right?"

"Yeah..." I said quietly, my voice catching. Silent tears ran down my face, and when Alice saw, she did something I wasn't expecting; she hugged me.

After I got over the momentary surprise, I decided that I liked the way her hug felt, and her arms around me. I wrapped my arms around her as well, leaning my forehead on her shoulder.

"I just feel like...a big part of me is missing." I said, my voice still wavering. One of Alice's hands touched my head gently as she responded. "I know. But there is something you need to remember, Shun." She said.

"What's that?" I asked, raising my head a bit so I could meet her eyes. "She'll always be with you, here." Alice answered, putting her palm against my chest, where my heart was.

I was quiet for only a moment. "You're right." I said. "We're always partners, even if we're apart."

"Exactly." Alice said encouragingly, a small smile finding its way to her face. This time, I was the one to hug her.

"Thank you, Alice. I guess I hadn't realized how much I needed to talk..." I said softly, inhaling the calming and sweet scent of pines and winter flowers that she gave off.

"I'm glad I could help." She said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

When we separated, I said, "Come on, let's get back to my place. You can stay the night, if you want."

"Thanks, I'd love too." She replied. I offered her my hand without a second thought, which she took. And she didn't let go for a while after that.

And neither did I.

End~

O yomi itadaki, arigatōgozaimashita!