Under the Mistletoe
Seventeen year old Runo bit on the eraser of her pencil, bored as her aquamarine eyes roamed around the bustling classroom. It was three weeks before Christmas and she couldn't wait until the whole mumbo-jumbo was over with. Girls wore short red skirts like whores, guys carried mistletoe around with hopes of catching an unfortunate girl, kids wrote their wish lists, parents fussed over last minute shopping, teachers forced students to write holiday stories, students exchanged gifts, and all the while Runo just wished for all of them to go away.
It's not them that are annoying you. A nagging voice in Runo's head cried out and she frowned. You miss your friends, don't you? Specifically, a certain boyfriend of yours?
The blue haired girl gripped her pencil tightly, her eyes narrowing at the wall as she felt her face heat up.
Her boyfriend since they were twelve, Dan Kuso, had left yet again for another adventure. Or so she assumed. He had left them right after the fiasco she called Mechtanium Surge (his first one with the Resistance she called New Vestroia and the whole thing with the Interspace she called Gundalian Invaders; honestly, she could write a book about his life), and no one had seen him since. It had been five months, three weeks, and two days. And she missed him so much it hurt.
At first, Runo wanted to hunt him down and beat the crap out of him. He was finally done fighting after five years since the Bakugan first came; he was free at last and she could finally hug him without saying goodbye for who knows how long. Only, he apparently didn't have the same plan as he took a boat and left the city with Drago. God, that boy knew how to get on her nerves.
Then, after the other four Brawlers had restrained her and made her put the hammer down, she had broken down. What was that idiot thinking? Didn't he care about her at all? They had distanced from each other over the years so much that Runo sometimes wondered if they were even a couple anymore. The fact that he willingly left didn't help and she refused to leave her house for weeks, her parents clueless about how to help while her friends simply didn't understand. Julie and Billy were half way across the world from each other and they still kept in contact, having occasional meetings to truly see each other like a couple should. Alice and Shun were so close that they could read the other's mind. Plus, he always apologized with complete sincerity when he returned and she would forgive him because it was never his fault. Dan never apologized, only once when he was leaving with Baron to go back to New Vestroia. They were close, but she felt like they didn't know each other anymore.
Then one day she had spotted an old picture of them from when they were twelve. It was just the two of them, on their very first date. They looked so happy…so in love.
Runo had thought long and hard about her life and everything and everyone in it for a few days. Why exactly was she crying? So her boyfriend indirectly broke up with her. So what? Lots of girls went through heartbreaks. She had two loving parents who had raised her to be strong and proud. She had four best friends that she could always count on, two of which who were like sisters. She got good grades in school and had a job working in her family restaurant. She did what was right, even if it was dangerous. She had helped take down Naga, never backing down from a fight even if it was a lost cause. She was strong. She was proud. She was Runo Misaki and Runo Misaki wouldn't dare cry over a broken heart because some jerk didn't return the same amount of love she gave to him. No, she was much better than that.
At least, that's what she told herself.
The bell rang and Runo looked up, taking the pencil out of her mouth in surprise. The class had flown by. She shoved her notebook in her bag and hurried out the door. There were more important things to do than worry about her ex, like studying for the finals in a few months and finding an apartment after graduation. She was turning eighteen in March, after all.
…
"Daddy, I'm going to my room," announced Runo later, relieved she didn't have to work today. She had too much homework to do to worry about work right now. Her dad nodded at her as he wrote down a customer's order.
"What a pretty daughter you have," remarked the elderly woman there as Runo passed through.
"Ay, she sure is a beauty," agreed Tatsuo, always happy to boast about his precious baby girl. "Pity her boyfriend doesn't seem to realize how special she is though." Runo felt her face heat up as she heard this, running upstairs as fast as she could.
The blue haired girl sighed as she tossed her bag onto the ground, collapsing on her bed. She closed her eyes and took in the coolness of the silk sheets laid out. The room smelled of vanilla, which meant her mother had been cleaning through it again.
The stakes are high, the water's rough. But this love is ours…
Runo sat up, reaching down to the floor and rummaging through her bag to find her phone. She glanced at the screen, her heart skipping a beat while her blood boiled and skin paled. It was an odd sensation, really, and it was all because of the name that blinked on her screen.
Dan Kuso
Hesitantly, she pressed the green call button and held the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hey Runo! What's up?"
A vein on Runo's head throbbed in annoyance, something that hadn't happened in five months. She held the phone in her hands, glaring at the smiling picture of Dan she had saved as she snarled, "What's up? Are you that stupid? I don't care what you're doing Dan Kuso, but I never want to see you again!" She slammed her thumb onto the red end button and tossed her phone back into her bag as she glared at the wall.
After a few minutes, she sighed and reached back down to her phone and dialed a number. "Hey, can you talk?"
…
Runo shivered from the cold, smiling gratefully when Shun placed his scarf around her neck. They walked side by side, snow gently falling.
"Is this about Dan?" he asked quietly, his topaz eyes glancing at her. The blue haired girl nodded numbly, rubbing her arms through her coat. "Not that I mind, Runo, but why did you call me and not Julie or Alice?"
"Because they don't know Dan as well as you do," replied the former Haos brawler. "I need a response from someone who has been there with him and they haven't. And before you ask, I didn't call Marucho because he doesn't understand just yet." Shun nodded.
"So what did you want to ask me exactly?" he said after a moment.
"Why do you think Dan left?" asked Runo. The question had been bothering her for months. "I mean, I know he left that letter saying he wanted other people to have their own adventures but…is there something else? Did something happen while you three were out with the Bakugan?"
Shun was silent for a few minutes before replying, "He's changed. He wasn't some stupid kid in over his head anymore; he was a soldier in a war." Runo nodded. "I think Dan was always like that…even as a kid, he fought for what he believed was right. Even if it wasn't the best choice, he still fought. It's a good thing and a bad thing for him, really; I mean, I know he wasn't thinking about how you or anyone else would react when he left." The blue haired girl colored lightly at the memory of her tantrum but remained silent. "Is that what you expected to hear?"
"Yeah," croaked the female. "Yeah, I knew that about him but…Shun, I need to talk to someone because I don't know how to react. He called me…just now before I called you," she explained and his eyes widened. "What do I do?"
"Well, what did he say?" asked the ninja. He knew Dan was stupid but he didn't think the brunette was so stupid as to call and pretend everything was alright.
"He said 'hey Runo. What's up?'"
Apparently he was that stupid.
"And what did you say?" probed Shun, curious as to how the now somewhat mellow Runo would react to the boy who was the reason she was so hotheaded.
"I called him stupid and told him I never wanted to see him again," replied Runo without hesitation. Shun's eyebrow rose.
"That's it?" he remarked and she nodded. "No curses or burning buildings?" The blue haired girl rolled her eyes.
"Honestly," she muttered. "Was I that much of a terror?" The ninja smirked. "We were kids, and even though it was much different than what you three doofuses, I had to grow up too. I couldn't remain a hotheaded girl who acted without thinking forever." Shun nodded as they approached a small café. "What if he shows up again, Shun? I don't know what I would do."
The black haired young man stared at her for a few minutes, topaz staring into the worried aquamarine ones of his friend. "Just do what you think is right, Runo," he said finally. "I know you follow your heart and even though there have been troubles, you've never regretted those decisions have you?" The blue haired girl shook her head and Shun gave one of his small, rare smiles. "I know you'll know what to do when the time comes to face him, alright?" Runo smiled as he leaned down and gave his sisterly figure a soft kiss on the forehead. "Good luck, Runo."
"Thanks Shun," she murmured before he disappeared. The blue haired girl glanced into the café's window, still clutching Shun's scarf around her neck as she stepped inside. She knew to follow her heart, but her heart was telling her to forgive Dan. Runo had been hurt by him so many times, every time he left her. She didn't want to be hurt again but she knew deep down, a part of her would always belong to the stupid boy.
Runo dropped her head, moaning as she clutched her mug. Someone chuckled as they took the seat across from her.
"Boy troubles?"
She looked up in surprise, blinking at the sandy haired boy with green eyes. A pink tinge formed on her cheeks as she sputtered, "W-what?"
The boy chuckled again, his arm lazily perched on the other chair as he titled back. "It's all over your face; my sister has that same look when she and her boyfriend get in a fight. So am I right?"
"Unfortunately," muttered Runo, sitting up. The boy gestured towards the waitress and ordered a hot chocolate.
"Come on," he coaxed. "Tell ol' Yuto about it. You know what they say, the oldest people are the wisest…so I guess you should be talking to my grandfather instead of a seventeen year old boy but hey."
Shun had made her smile; this boy made her giggle.
"Har har," said Runo, rolling her eyes.
"You never told me your name, little Missy," remarked Yuto, half smiling. "I can't listen to your love life if I don't know you."
"It's Runo," replied the blue haired girl. "As for my love life, it's a long story."
"So give me the short version," reasoned the blond boy.
Runo sighed, taking a sip out of her hot chocolate. She didn't even know this boy and yet she was about to tell all with him. For some reason, it felt like she was cheating on her Dan.
Yeah, your Dan who didn't seem to give a crap about your feelings when he left you.
Good point.
The blue haired girl rested her chin on her palm, staring at the green eyed boy. "My boyfriend likes to go on adventures with our two friends a lot, especially if it involves saving people. The first one, we-the six people that made up our little group of friends-were all included. It was fun and then we took a break for about three years. A new adventure shows up and he leaves with two of our other friends without hesitation. He comes back and apologizes and then leaves again. He comes back for a while so we can help him plan the next step and then he leaves with his new friends. After he accomplishes that mission, he comes back to relax when something comes up and he spends all his time in a video game-literally, in it. On top of that, he moves to another continent. When he's done with that, I got to visit and help out for a while. And just when everything is calm and he can finally settle down, he leaves with his partner so they can give other people chances to have adventures. Now it's been almost six months and he suddenly calls me like nothing's happened."
Yuto stared at her, eyebrows raised as she had said everything in a rush. "Well," he finally said, sipping his hot chocolate. "If he's attracted to adventure, make one."
Runo looked confused so he continued, "He left you, didn't he? You waited for him and clearly loved him all through it, no matter how much you obviously wanted to strangle the bastard. Now he's back and expecting you to fall back in his arms like you're his housewife. Aren't you sick of doing that? Make him feel what he did to you; go on your own adventure and show him you can be just as adventurous as he is." The blue haired girl looked surprise and Yuto shrugged. "Or you can tell him to piss off because he sounds like he doesn't love you as much as you love him. Why waste your time on someone who can't appreciate a loving girlfriend who's willing to stay faithful to him no matter what?" Yuto winked as he stood, tossing a few bills on the table. "Especially as one as pretty as you are, Runo. Prove to him that he needs you more than you need him because you don't seem like the kind of girl to go down just because of a clueless guy who can't sort out his priorities."
Runo flushed at the compliment as Yuto tipped his hat and left the café.
The former Haos brawler stared at the card on the table, cleverly blended in with the cash he left. On it was his name and a number, along with a scrawled, Dan Kuso doesn't deserve someone like you…Runo Misaki of the original Bakugan Battle Brawlers.
…
Shun stared blankly at his childhood friend, not believing he had really befriended someone so stupid.
"Come on Shun," begged Dan, kneeling in the snow as the ninja had refused to let him inside. "I really need your help! How do I make it up to Runo?"
"You could apologize," stated the Ventus brawler. "Though I highly doubt she'll even take you back, Dan. She was a complete mess when you left, crying and refusing to leave her house…after she had calmed down and stopped threatening to kill you, of course."
Dan felt even worse; he knew he was the main reason why Runo cried. He couldn't remember a time when he wasn't the reason why she was crying, besides when they found out the Bakugan had to return to Vestroia back when they were twelve. "I…" he sputtered as he abruptly stood.
"Besides," continued Shun, his topaz eyes cold. "I heard from Alice that she finally started moving on a few days ago and started seeing this other guy she met." He didn't really feel fond of the Pyrus brawler at the moment but they were still friends and didn't want him to go into this battle without warning. Dan's expression fell, a sadness forming in his eyes. "Dan, you've had nearly two years to make it up to her. She's not the same hotheaded girl that would die for you. A part of Runo will always love you, I know that, but you didn't really think you could just show up and expect her to forgive you just like that?"
From his expression, clearly Dan did expect that. Shun sighed, closing his eyes.
"Look Dan," he said quietly. "Just apologize to her and try to be her friend, alright? I spoke to her a week ago; she wasn't sure if you loved her as much as you loved her…"
"But I do," interrupted Dan, head in his hands. "I do, Shun…I really do…I love her so much but she's so…perfect that I figured she would eventually realize she deserved someone better. I thought that she would try and drive me away if I stayed too close so I left." Shun shook his head sadly, feeling pity for his friend.
"Funny," he remarked, closing the door slowly. "She felt the same way about you."
Dan was left gaping at the closed door, tears blurring his vision. What the hell had he done?
…
Runo tapped her thumbs nervously as she waited for Yuto, bouncing her leg as she watched him order their drinks at the counter. Why was she so giddy? She jumped when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket, pulling it out and seeing it was yet another text from Julie.
So how's the date going? Is he a good kisser?:)
Runo flushed, glaring at her phone as she texted back. It's not a date, Julie; stay out of my love life! The last time you meddled with it, I got my heart broken by the guy you wanted!
Julie didn't reply.
The blue haired girl huffed as she shoved her phone back in her pocket just as Yuto returned with two mugs. His warm smile turned to a worried one as he noticed her scowl.
"Is everything alright?" he asked. Runo sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose tiredly.
"Yeah," she replied. "My friend's being nosy, that's all." Yuto chuckled.
"No, let me guess," he said cheerfully. "Hm, Kazami doesn't sound like one to gossip and Gehabich is too nice…little Marukuro is too young and innocent so that leaves…ah, Makimato." Runo shook her head.
"Yeah," she confirmed. "Julie has a real habit of being nosy, especially when it comes to me and my love life." Yuto chuckled.
"Did she think this was a date?" he asked and Runo sighed, nodding. "Did you tell her I'm happily in a relationship?" Runo snorted.
"Yeah, like that would convince her," she replied. "She'd probably twist it around and saw I was part of that happy relationship." Yuto shook his head. "I mean, I literally just got over Dan. Why would I start dating right away and who would be crazy enough to date me?"
"Christmas miracle?"
Runo threw a crumpled napkin at him, rolling her eyes. "Honestly."
Yuto batted the napkin ball away, chuckling as he replied, "Come on, you girls are so insecure sometimes. Any guy would have to be blind not to see how…feminine you look."
"Had to think about that one, didn't you?" remarked Runo, having noticed his slight pause. The blonde shrugged, unabashedly smiling.
"You don't understand," he said. "Suzuki has eyes and ears everyone. She's terribly jealous too, and would literally kill me if I had said something else. Actually no, I just didn't want to make things awkward."
"God you talk a lot," murmured the blue haired girl, half smiling. "Thanks though."
"So while we're having a heart-to-heart," started Yuto, leaning on his forearms as he stared at the teenage girl. "I still want to know…why are girls so insecure?"
"Hell if I know," snorted Runo. At his raised eyebrow, she sighed and added, "I never really cared; I knew who I was and my friends' opinions were all I cared about. That should be the case for everyone but…I guess people just want others to like them and girls are a bit more sensitive about that. I mean, I will never be that slutty girl with too short skirts that looks like she's been gang banged by Crayola…" Yuto choked on his drink, laughing. "But at the same time, I will occasionally dress up to prove to people that hey, I'm a girl! I guess that's why girls are so insecure. Guys, with you, all you do is grow and have major voice changes…among other things, I'm sure. However, girls are suddenly not so little and are growing more noticeably than the boys…" Yuto glanced over at her and she threw another wadded napkin, her face tinged pink. "Some girls are more noticeable than others and they're sad, I guess, that the hormone raged guys are not noticing them next to the others."
"Is that how you feel?" asked Yuto seriously. "Because I can vouch that you don't have to worry…although…" This time, Runo kicked him. She made it close enough to make her point and he yelped, leaning back and closing his legs. "Okay, okay." Yuto held up his hands, smirking. "Is this how you felt around Dan? Being embarrassed insecure to wanting to remove his manhood with a rusty spoon and then to grabbing him into a broom closet and kissing him senseless?"
Runo glared venomously at him, leaning over and grabbing his collar before yanking him close so their noses were inches apart. A spark ignited in her aquamarine eyes as she snarled, "Never, ever bring up my relationship with him…ever." Yuto merely nodded, terrified as hell.
The blue haired girl huffed as she tossed him back before smiling brightly. They talked for a few more hours, only leaving the café when nigh began to fall. Yuto grabbed his coat and took her scarf off the chair so he could help wrap it around her neck. Runo smiled warmly, her eyes absently glancing out the window.
And her heart stopped.
…
"GET OUT OF HERE!" roared Tatsuo, waving a broom around in the air. His face was bright red with anger, much like his daughter's, and he was shaking while his wife tried to calm him down. The lunch rush customers looked startled, turning to the nervous brown haired boy cowering by the door.
"Tatsuo, darling," started Suki, her hand on his arm. "Stop it. You're frightening the customers."
Tatsuo let out a growl. "Suki, this…boy," he spat "broke our daughter's heart, in case you've forgotten."
"I remember quite clearly, dear," replied the blue haired woman as she glanced at Dan, who took a small step back. His hand was on the doorknob. "Let's hear what he has to say first." She gave him an encouraging look while tightening her grip on her still furious husband.
Dan swallowed hard as he gathered his courage, stepping forward. "S-sir, I know you've never really liked me and this…probably doesn't help me, but I really do love your daughter with all my heart and soul. I never meant to break her heart, honestly. I always thought I didn't deserve someone as smart and beautiful as her…I thought that if I pushed her away, she would realize that too…"
"I always thought that too," gruffed Tatsuo, obviously reluctant to admit they agreed on something. Dan nodded slowly. "Continue boy."
"I left her and our other friends a few months ago," continued the former Pyrus brawler, shifting nervously. "I though maybe this would help her realize, as I could never bring myself to break up with her. It would be easier if she broke up with me, so it would hurt her. I was wrong, sir. Very, very wrong. I love Runo with every ounce of my heart and the only thing I will regret in my life is ever letting her go. Please…may I have permission to at least speak to her…and possibly date her, if she will take me?"
Tatsuo was silent, as was everyone else in the restaurant. Finally, he said almost silently, "Damn." He looked up at the seventeen year old, shaking his head. "That's cute, boy. You think I have any control over my daughter, especially about things she's determined about." He tossed the broom into the corner, turning back to the kitchen. "You break her heart again, and I'm not entirely sure who will break your face first. My daughter, her friends, that Yuto boy, or me."
"Y-Yuto?" asked Dan, confused. However, Tatsuo was already gone. As the murmurs returned from the costumers, Suki walked over and gently squeezed his shoulder as she gave him a motherly smile. "Who's Yuto? How badly have I messed things up?"
"Badly," she replied. "As for Yuto…well, I'm not entirely sure. Julie says that he's her new boyfriend but with that girl, you never know. The best advice I can give you is to go and find her and hope you are not too late. Tell her what you told us, and she will eventually forgive you." Dan nodded as she glanced back at the kitchen. "Don't worry about my husband. Tatsuo will never admit it, but he likes you." His eyebrow rose in surprise and a skeptical look formed. "Yes, he likes that you can ignite that spark in Runo that makes her who she is. She's been so calm and though that's normally a good thing with people…we know our daughter and she enjoys the feeling of getting worked up as much as you do." Suki leaned down and kissed his temple before nudging him towards the door, smiling. "Now go and get her, Dan."
The brunette nodded, turning the knob and running out into the cold air. It never occurred to him that it began snowing or that he was wearing a thin jacket with already slightly wet jeans from kneeling in the snow earlier at Shun's. All that mattered to him was finding Runo and fix their broken relationship.
Three hours later, Dan was leaning on a lamp post as he huffed. He was freezing. The snow had fallen hard and his clothes were drenched. The fact that he had tripped five times and face planted in the snow each time did not help.
He was exhausted and just wanted to go home and scream at the world, but he couldn't do that. He had to find her, had to make it up, had to see her again.
Dan let out a low curse as it began snowing again, noticing for the first time that it had gotten dark. He really, really didn't want to but he had to head him soon or his mother would worry. The brown haired boy forced himself off the lamp post and began walking down the icy sidewalk, rubbing his arms through the wet, thin jacket. His eyes flickered to the window of inviting and warm café before returning to the sidewalk.
Time froze.
Dan backpedalled, oak colored eyes wide with shock. He had found her; he had found his love…who was being wrapped in a scarf by some guy with sandy blonde hair.
She was smiling, the smile falling as her eyes widened when she noticed him. The boy, too, glanced over and a confused look crossed his handsome features. He said something to Runo and she only nodded numbly, eyes stuck on his.
Dan felt his heart break and he suddenly turned and ran, wiping his teary eyes. He thought Shun had been kidding and he hadn't really paid attention to what Suki had said. His love wasn't his anymore. What could he say to her now?
"Dan!" he vaguely heard her yell. Her voice sounded broken, angry, and happy at the same time. He could tell she was in tears, from her beautiful melodious tone. Yet again, he had made her cry. "Dan, wait!"
He ran, not paying attention to where he was going. Then…there was nothing but black.
…
Runo didn't even bother saying anything to Yuto as she ran out of the café, her heart hammering in her chest. Her main focus was on finding Dan before he did something stupid in his emotionally wrecked state.
The snow seeped through her jeans and boots, soaking her skin with the cold but she didn't care one bit or even notice for that matter.
Her Dan's face. It had been broken, a bit blue from the cold, a bit red from obvious physical exhaustion, and it had been white from the shock. Most of all though, his oak eyes had been filled with just one emotion. Usually, it was filled with fire and determination. All she had seen was desperation, desperation to find her, desperation to apologize, desperation to save himself from heartbreak.
Runo huffed at the cross light, out of breath. There was no sign of him anymore and she punched the pole. "Dammit, where is that idiot?" Then it hit her.
The tree. Their tree.
She spun on her heels and began running in the opposite direction, swearing under her breath for her own idiocy.
The oak tree in the park, the park they had first met, was where they had their first kiss. Where they had first said their 'I love you's. Where they had their final battle, where she had thrown the ball at age seven. Where it all began.
Runo skidded on drenched shoes, sliding a little as she spotted the red and brown lump in the snow near the said tree. She couldn't help it. A choked laugh was let out, along with a shuddering sob as she raced over to where Dan laid. The stupid idiot that had stolen her heart had run straight into the tree, if the purple lump on his head was of any proof.
She kneeled in the snow, ignoring the cold as she held his head in her lap. His eyes were closed but she could hear him breathing, if a bit shallowly. His moppy brown hair hung over his face and she gently pulled it back, enjoying the feeling of it in her fingers as she noticed the dark circles under his eyes.
Runo rubbed his cheek as she muttered, "Dan, you idiot. You're mine, okay? I love you, and I always will. So you need to wake up so I can hit you for thinking otherwise."
It was silent but she felt it. She felt his body shake and could tell he was both crying and laughing. Finally, he murmured with still closed eyes, "I love you too." Runo leaned down and kissed him gently on the forehead, grasping his hand and stroking it. He sat up and grabbed both hands in his own as he stared into her teary aquamarine eyes. "I'm sorry I made you cry. I'm sorry I can even make you cry; I never want to see you cry again or see tears streaming your beautiful face. I'm sorry I left you; I didn't deserve you and thought you would be happier with someone more deserving."
Runo stopped his idiotic rambling immediately, grabbing his collar and pulling him closer until their lips met in a passionate and tender kiss. A moment later, Dan rested his chin on her head and they sat there for a few moments.
"Dan," she said after a while. He lifted his head and looked at her to find her smiling, on the verge of soft laughter. She glanced up and he did as well. He almost broke out in laughter.
There, on the branch directly above them, hung a piece of mistletoe with a familiar blue ribbon that had gone missing from a certain now short haired Ventus brawler.
Dan lifted her chin with his finger, smiling as he said softly, "Well, who are we to defy the matchmaking ninja?" Runo grinned as they kissed, the moment broken by a giggle and snowball hitting the back of his head.
They looked up and saw a flash of orange, silver, blonde, and a small glimpse of black all vanishing. Dan and Runo exchanged looks, grinning as they stood and grabbed a clump of snow.
"Merry Christmas Runo," said the Pyrus brawler. She grinned.
"Merry Christmas, you idiot," replied his girlfriend before hurling the snowball directly into his face, causing him to stumble back. "You ever do something so stupid again, and I'll break every bone in your body."
Dan wiped the snow from his face and merely grinned as Runo began yelling at Julie for her misunderstanding on Yuto and her love life. He didn't plan on leaving her ever again.
…
AN: Well, I don't think this is very well written (I don't write in one sitting so that's probably why some or most of my work seems rushed. I lose the train of thought when I sit back down) but I wanted to write a little romance with the holiday feel.
AN 2: To my readers of The Unknown, I will not lie. I have major writer's block. I know what I want to do but I don't know how to put it into words. I hate that because that happens a lot. Then there's school and…yeah, it's mostly school and writer's block. I have a C in history and that class is pretty straightforward and fairly easy. It's the stupid pop quizzes and the whole pressure of high school. Anyways, you probably won't see a new chapter for The Unknown until the New Year.
AN 3: I hope you all have a happy holiday and are grateful that the world didn't end yesterday, like all those idiots said it would. (No offense if you believed that.) I mean, we survived over thousands of years already. I think we can survive one more.