Here is the new story! This is the sequel to Survival of the Fittest. If you have not read that story first, then I suggest you read that one. Otherwise, this story may not make a whole lot of sense.

Disclaimer: As always, I do not own Bakugan.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: Joy and NIghtmares

Shouts and screams of people enjoying the last bit of the season could be heard in the air. Wardington was enjoying its' last few weeks of summer and was transitioning into fall. On this particular day, everyone was enjoying the last day of the traveling amusement park that had rolled into town several weeks prior.

"Dan, would you stop that! You are going to make everyone sick by just watching you eat like that." The said boy paused in his eating of funnel cake and looked at his blue haired girlfriend, Runo, who was glaring at him. The rest of their friends laughed at the couple. "Look, guys, I think we should ride the merry-go-round next!" Exclaimed Julie as her silver hair bobbed up and down in her excitement.

A short blonde paled as he pushed his glasses up. "Umm, can't we just find something else to ride? I'm not a fan of rides that go in circles." An orange haired girl nodded in agreement. "Julie, I think we are all tired of rides for the time being." Marucho smiled. "Thanks, Alice." She smiled in return.

"Hmph. Ya'll aren't any fun!" She pouted. A sigh behind her made her turn around to look at the raven-haired young man. "Sorry, Julie, but I'm going to have to agree. Besides, I don't know about you, but I can't afford anything else." He emphasized his point by pulling out his wallet that only held a couple of bucks.

Alice walked to him and wrapped her arms around his. "It's ok, Shun. We'll cover for you." She said as she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Runo beamed at her best friend at her little gesture. Alice and Shun had been dating for about a year, ever since he was released from prison.

Shun still had nightmares from his six year stay at the Wardington Penitentiary Prison where he spent his sentence paying back for all of his crimes. He was really good friends with his cellmate, Jin Mariachi, and they occasionally talked once in a while to see what was going on with the other. As soon as Shun had been granted freedom, he immediately let Alice know of his feelings for her and they began to date.

As part of his time out of prison, Shun had to see a probation officer for the first six months. Unfortunately, due to some miscommunication, Shun had accidentally missed a few check-ins and his probation period extended to eighteen months. It didn't bother him though, as long as he could go where he pleased….mostly. Like today, for instance, he used to not be able to go to parks or museums because he could have been caught and arrested. Now he could enjoy his time with his friends without any worry.

"I think we should head back to Marucho's house and just relax." Runo said, before Julie could try anything else on the tired group. It was only mid afternoon, but they were all tired after going from ride to ride. Everyone but Julie agreed with Runo.

Shun pulled out his phone to look at the time and swore. "What's wrong?" Alice asked, noticing his eyes widening. The young ninja looked at her. "I completely forgot that I have to go check-in. My meeting is at 3:30." He sighed as he began to make his leave. "Sorry, guys, I'll meet up with you later." Dan waved at his best friend. "Ok, buddy, see ya."

Shun sprinted out of the gate and made his way as fast as he could to the probation building. 'I knew I should have been paying more attention to the time.' He berated himself silently. He was frustrated because now he had to hurry in order to make the appointment. If he didn't make this one, he would be sent back to jail for another six months. In his opinion, that was unacceptable.

He rounded the corner, narrowly missing a businessman and jumped over a kid who had suddenly stopped in front of him. He yelled apologies, but he never stopped. He glanced at his phone and saw he had three minutes. He made himself run faster.

~S~

A woman stepped out of a building, wearing a business suit with black heals. Her hair was dark brown and pulled tight in a bun. She also had black narrow glasses, which made her look intimidating. Really she was a kind-hearted person who only wanted to help give second chances to people who didn't think they could. She glanced at her wristwatch and sighed. 'I'll give him five more minutes.' She thought as she looked up and down the street.

"Still waiting for him?" She turned to see a man who was in his early thirties, a few years older than her. He had short dark blonde hair and a blue business suit. He was seen as more friendly but he could be intimidating when he wanted to. "Yes, I am, but I have a feeling that he isn't far." She replied while taking up her vigil once more. The man shook his head. "You said that before and he didn't show up that time." She turned and glared at him. "That's true, Sean, but that was months ago." The man, Sean, shook his head again. "Well, I'll believe it when he shows up." The two locked eyes and engaged in a battle of wills.

Suddenly a commotion was heard and a yelled apology came rushing at their ears. The two turned and saw a young man come skidding to a halt in front of them. He leaned over with his hands on his knees and gulped air down. The woman turned and smiled. "I think I win this time, Sean." She said with a smirk. He only huffed and went back inside.

"Well, Mr. Kazami, you are only six minutes late this time." She said once Sean went back in. Shun straightened only when he was sure he wasn't going to pass out. "I'm sorry, Ms. Williams. I didn't mean to be late; I accidentally lost track of time." She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. "It's ok, the important thing is you are here and I don't have to fill out that dreadful paperwork. Come inside and I'll get you some water." He nodded and they both walked into the Probation building.

~S~

"Come here, boy! I'm not finished!"

"Come out, coward, if you want to see your precious girlfriend! Mwahahaha!"

"There is no escape!"

"You are mine!"

He turned in a circle trying to locate the voices, but there was just too many. He fell to his knees, covering his ears to try and quiet the voices yelling from all directions. Suddenly, he was kicked in the chest and he fell onto his back. He looked up, surprised and felt every fiber of his being frozen in place. He saw Vasquez smile and then he pounced toward him with a large knife coming at his throat. He tried to move but was unable to do anything except watch as the sharp blade came arcing across his throat.

Shun sat straight up, hearing the last bit of a scream fade away. He blinked a couple of times and found himself panting loudly as he glanced around the room. He realized that he was safe in Marucho's mansion and that there was no danger. "Just a nightmare." He said out loud as he drew a shaky hand through his sweat soaked hair. He pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them as he tried to calm down. He let his head fall until his forehead rested on top of his arms. "Just a nightmare." He repeated to himself.

A soft knock on his door made him jump. Unfortunately, he did not realize how close to the edge of the bed he was until the knock came and as a result he fell onto the floor with a loud thud. "Shun? Are you ok?" The voice of his girlfriend calmed him down a little as he shakily pulled himself back on his bed. "Come in, A-Alice." He silently cursed at the sound of his stutter.

The door slowly opened and the orange haired Russian walked in. She closed the door behind her and quickly made her way next to Shun. "Are you alright? I heard you scream." He sighed and leaned his head on her shoulder. "I think so. I just had a nightmare." Alice wrapped her arms around his shoulders and placed her head on top of his. "I'm sorry, but you are safe. They will go away eventually. Was it about Vasquez again?" The sudden shudder she felt confirmed her question. "Don't worry, he is far away from here." Shun nodded as he breathed in her sweet scent. That alone helped his racing heart to slow down so it didn't feel like it was trying to pound its' way out of his chest.

He then pulled Alice with him as he laid back down on his back. She allowed him to pull her in the direction he wanted her to go. She snuggled up to him, enjoying his warmth as she felt his muscles slowly release the tension that they had built up. "Thank you, Alice." She nodded as she laid her head on his chest. She knew what he meant. He was thanking her for coming to check on him and not the others. Their friends had all come out into the hallway wondering what the scream was. Alice had quickly told them that it was probably Shun waking up from another nightmare and that she would go check on him. They all nodded and went back to bed. Dan was reluctant at first, but in the end he too went back to bed knowing that his best friend would open up more to Alice.

After a couple of hours of small talk and enjoying each other's company, Shun and Alice both fell asleep in each other's arms.

~S~

First chapter and already the tension is building! Crazy! Hope you enjoy the chapter. Remember to review, please. I love reading everyone's reviews. :D See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*