I wrote this a while back. But not so far back that I can't be asked: You're uploading a one-shot on season one now?!

Terrible timing, I know. I'm always late to things.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.

Asking Her Out

Dan was about to head home after meeting up at the Misaki cafe, where the team usually met up.

He stepped out into the cold night air, pulling the collars of his jacket up to sheathe his neck from the wind and stuffing his gloved hands into his pockets for warmth.

"Hey, Dan?"

He half-turned and noticed the familiar bluenette standing at the entrance of her family cafe. She stepped out, closing the door quietly behind her. She hadn't thought to put on a jacket nor something to protect her hands other than the fingerless standard gloves worn for brawling. In other words, completely unprotected from the cold.

"Hey. What's up?" He asked going back to her, decreasing the distance between them so that she wouldn't have to venture further from the warmth of the cafe.

"I just wanted to tell you something." She began and then shivered, noticing the weather and rubbing her hands together for warmth.

"I'd make it fast because it really is cold out here." Dan informed her, finding it somewhat amusing, not that he would tell her, that she would do something without thinking only to have him worry about it for her.

"Okay.. Well.. Um.." She delayed, still shivering.

He groaned, annoyed at how long she was taking. "Spit it out Runo. You never fail at words when you're shouting at me."

Her cheeks flushed. "You can try to ruin this moment as much as you want Dan! I'm still going to come out with it!" She crossed her arms stubbornly and huffed.

What could be so important to her that she had to freeze herself and probably catch pneumonia just to tell him.

"I.. er..."

It was like she was having an inner battle inside her head, biting her lip and trying to speak at the same time.

She'll never be out with it, Dan thought, as he pulled his right hand out of his pocket to place on the back of his head in a combination of irritation at being curious.

She let out a deep breath at last, which came out as a visible white fog in the cold air.

"You're a really good friend and I like you!" She blurted out before she could think more on it and convince herself to do otherwise.

Dan's hand dropped from his head to his side in disbelief.

The girl who usually whacked him on the head or yelled at him whenever he made her mad. Or refused to talk to him until he apologised for whatever he had done or accidently said wrong. That... That was the girl standing before him right now, telling him that she actually thought of them as friends.

Why was it so important tell him that now?

She had been acting different since her test with Lars Lion.

And she said she likes him...

Dan tilted his head to get a look at her now embarrassed downcast face for any sign that could help him figure out what exactly she meant by those words. Her bangs over her eyes made it impossible to spot any tell-tale hints to what was going on inside her head. "Like me how?"

He was rewarded with another breath of white air as she breathed to calm herself.

She looked up, a very light blush on her cheeks. Barely visible and fading fast from the cold wind blowing harshly at the unprotected skin. Her hands knotted behind her back, fumbling nervously. "That's not the point. The main thing is that I just wanted you to know that I like you. You don't need to know the degree." She said firmly, with a nod of her head for finality on the topic.

"Okay then. Well that was it." She said stepping closer to him and turning him around even as he looked over his shoulder at her. "You should head home now." She gave a light push to get him moving.

He tripped up on his own feet but then stalled and looked over his shoulder. "I like you too." He said, pausing and ending in a soft note. He then charmingly winked at her and began to walk home. He could feel the imprint of her fingers on his jacket when she had spun him around and pushed him away even after she had removed those delicate small hands of hers.

It was like a small fire had lit in Runo's heart, warming her from the inside, the cold wind no longer such a bother.

"Wait! Dan! Like me how?" She called out to him.

He put up a single hand in a wave. "You don't need to know the degree."

'Great.' She thought watching him disappear and reappear in the circular range of the street lamps. 'He used my own line against me.'

But it still warmed her to think Dan liked her.

Even if it was just as friends.

The next time the brawlers got together was in Marucho's mansion.

Dan grinned at her from across the table. She smiled back warmly, once again feeling that flutter in her chest when he looked at her that way.

'Calm down Runo. You have Masquerade to defeat and the Bakugan to save.' She told herself, returning her attention to the genius blonde discussing battle plans and Bakugan weaknesses and strengths.

Dan didn't stay on the billionaire's couch for long as his unspent energy had him up and leaning over the table at the plans. Drago was on his shoulder and the two began going at each other on which strategy would work and was worth trying and whether Daniel was being an idiot for trying to rush into battle too quickly.

In other words, he was being Dan.

"Is everything alright, Mistress Runo?" Tigerra, her Haos Bakugan asked from her position on her shoulder, noticing the change in her.

She smiled. "Yeah. Everything is fine."

We just have to beat Naga."

When Naga was defeated, the bakugan had to return to their own worlds. They turned into their ball forms and began floating up into the sky, towards a portal Drago had summoned with his new found ability from having merged with the infinity core.

Alice was no longer controlled by Masquerade.

Hal-G wouldn't bother them either. He turned out to be the split personality of Dr. Michael, affected in the same way Alice had been.

Runo bid a teary goodbye to Tigerra, knowing Dan probably wasn't taking things too well on his side either. Drago was a close friend, bonded by more than just partnership.

In the commotion of the battle and farewell, the Bakugan Brawlers had been split up or wandered away to do their own things. There were brawlers saying goodbyes, parents saying their share for the toy which had become more than just a game in their households. And somehow in the midst of all this, two people still found their way to each other.

They walked through the park where everything started. That's what he said when he told her to run there for the final battle, right?

He remembered that that was where he had witnessed her battling for the very first time, up close, even if it was against his own opponent.

And even if he didn't remember that they had met there when he was seven and she had just moved in, Runo had after her battle with a younger Dan in the Lars Lion test.

And now it was in that very same place that the Bakugan's troubles against Naga had finally come to an end. The story of Bakugan on Earth would end with that and though it was sad to not have those friendly and some not so friendly, ball form pals with them, the brawlers own stories continued on Earth...

Dan and Runo walked side by side down the park walkway. He was thinking about everything that had happened and the one conclusion he had come up with for the present time, at least.

"Would you go out with me?" He asked. Now that the world was very much saved, he would have to concentrate on the other things that he had put aside till then.

"You mean, like on a date?" She asked, tilting her head at him.

He put his hands behind his head and trained his eyes forward to hide the hot feeling in his face. "You can call it what you like. I don't really mind if you say no."

She stopped and glared, her temperature changing and a fire quickly taking up the outside of her body, flickering dangerously. "What do you mean you don't mind?!"

Dan took a step back, eyes widening as the flaming aura continued its fiery path incredibly close to him. "I meant you don't have to feel forced to go out with me. You can say no if you don't want to. I'll..."

The flames receded back into her. He managed a weak smile at her, knowing all too well how close he had been to a beat down. She weakly smiled back at him, embarrassed at how quick she had over-reacted. They took up their walk again.

After a minute, she asked again. "Where would you take me?"

Dan couldn't help but feel amused. She definitely wasn't an idiot. But neither was he, no matter how many times she liked to call him that. She hadn't given a definite answer. "You don't need to know if you're not coming."

She sighed in frustration. Why did he need her to be so blunt about it? Why couldn't he just go with the flow and just.. just... what was she supposed to say now?

She caught him glancing at her from the corner of his eye while she was in her thought process and turned a few shades red. "Stop looking at me!" She blurted out from embarrassment before she could stop herself, regretting it straight away knowing Dan would be all too ready to tease her about it.

"So I can't look at you now either?"

"No. I mean yes-no?.." She refused to look at him, turning her head completely away, and trying to clear her head from the dizziness that was taking over from her nerves.

"Yes." She said quietly.

"Yes, I can look at you?"

Runo sharpened her eyes at him, wondering how he teased so easily. He just loves driving me up a wall, doesn't he. She thought. And replaced it with a fond smile.

"Yes. I would like to go out with you."

A warm smile spread on his face. "Great. We can go to the movies..."

Runo nodded in acceptance even though she hadn't been expecting that exact venue.

Since you don't want me looking at you." Dan finished on a teasing note.

Runo sighed. Same old Dan. "Jerk." She muttered, rolling her eyes even if she was mildly amused.

They separated at the park entrance and Runo watched him go, holding back until she saw him round the corner. Then turning her back in his direction about to head her own way, the events repeated themselves in her head and she stopped. Unable to hide her giddy excitement anymore and leaping into the air repeatedly, yelling "Yes! Yes! Yes!", pumping her fists in joy.

Instinct told her to turn around.

Sure enough, there he stood, watching her with an amused smile etched on his face and eyes twinkling. "I'll meet you at the park. 1:00?"

She nodded as her cheeks once again caught fire.

He went off shaking his head in amusement and Runo groaned at how she could have embarrassed herself like that. At least he didn't tease her about it this time.

'But hey. This is Dan we're talking about. He's embarrassed himself way more than I have.' Runo reassured herself, smiling as she went off.

And then we all know what happened on their date...

Dan sped to the park on his bike, the wind rushing through his hair and his red jacket flying behind him and skidded to a halt at the meeting place. The reason? He was late.

She had her back to him so he didn't see her roll her eyes or the way it turned into a warm smile, first at the commotion and second that he'd finally made it. "You should know better than to keep a girl waiting."

"Jeez Runo. I never thought of you as a girl before." He said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly after his embarrassing fall and then grinning as he ran up to her. His bike in the abandoned heap on the park floor.

She turned and it would be an understatement to say he was caught off guard.

"Woah-" Mouth agape and taking her in from the feet upwards. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she waited for him to say something.

She was wearing a white dress that reached above her knees and had a light pink ribbon around. Paired with non-matching black socks. And even if she had let her hair down for once and dressed amazingly girlish, the socks sure told him she was still the same tomboy at heart.

"Cool hat." He commented at last, pointing out the creamy beret.

Was that really the compliment he was going with?! Her hat?

"I don't know why I bothered!" She yelled, whacking him on the head and storming off in the direction of the cinema. His ouch turned into a grin, already used to her reaction and he ran after her, only pausing when Drago's familiar voice was in his head, asking him to take care.

"Aren't you coming Dan? The movie is about to start." She called, looking back at him and he snapped out of his thoughts.

He ran up to her, catching her hand and running and she had to hold on to her beret with her free hand. Probably having second thoughts about accessorizing with this at the moment.

He pulled her back into the frame of the park photographer's camera and she wrapped her arm around his left arm, smiling.

And as Dan's words were on that day after his signature nose flick and winning smile. "Everything is perfect."

Click.

Not entirely sure there is enough fluff to save it.

You can always tell me otherwise. ;)

Also on a side note, I love when he says he never thought of her as a girl before. It's both a compliment and an insult but in a sorta funny kind of way. LOL. Way to go producers for that. [Fist pump]