Hey everyone! I've missed all of you guys, and I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. ^^ Mine was alright. I got to sleep... so that's good. Not to mention I got the whole week off! That was like the best part. Definitely not prepared for school though. -_- WHAT KIND OF TEACHER MAKES YOU TAKE A QUIZ THE DAY YOU GET BACK? A cruel one. That's what.

And I'm back with a new oneshot (maybe two... depends on what YOU guys think)! It was supposed to be my Thanksgiving gift... but it seems I'm a bit late, eh? I hope all of you enjoy it. And there will be random grammatical and I'm super sorry if you're that bothered about it. I'm not a perfect writer. :P AND, first time writing an angsty Shurisu oneshot... I like angsty Kusaki oneshots though! :) Dan and Runo are just so... easy to write angst for. I don't know why... ^^

This is dedicated for all of my darling fanfiction friends, who are like my sisters. Except Darin... You're like my bro. ;) I just love all of you, and I wish we could meet up one day.

To be more specific, I dedicate this to: xxfadedscars97xx (Team Gale all the way), shadowwing1994 (Love ya so much~ I wish we could talk more...), RockyBlueDanXRuno (Here's a hug, just for you. :D), DDR326 (Your brother amuses me. ;D), PhoenixTheirin (My dear friend who just hates Nicolas Cage. -_- He's freaking AWESOME), WolfNutterLS (Wanna see you around more. :P), DarkCookie01 (Miss seeing you in the group! D:), animerules96 (You crazy child who spends to much time watching anime. :D Still love ya though), Ava Kaiba (You always make me smile), Ecstatically Awesome (The very first person I video chatted with. ^^), flippy17 (I wish you were on more~), The Scratch Man (Aww... I love ya too!), ddr1228 (Thank you for introducing Fantage to me. :D), ShadowKiss123 (You're so freaking KAWAII~), and DeadlyDarkAngel (You're my little sis who I just LOVE to tease. I'm sure you know that all too well. ;D).

O_o Such a long list... Hehehe... ANYWAY... On with the story!

And if I forgot you... somehow... I'M SO SORRY! D: Please let me know, and I'll add you in with the others in the dedication. I really do appreciate all of my dear friends and I don't want you to feel any differently.

Disclaimer: I definitely don't own Bakugan. Really. I would do so~ many things differently. Like BRING ALICE BACK FOR ONE THING. I'm just happy Runo's there... Despite the lack of Kusaki moments. I also don't own Broken Man by Boys Like Girls, which is one of my absolute favorite songs. Not to mention the small reference to Secondhand Serenade.

I took one big step then I looked away

I thought of all the things that I wanted to say

I'm always too late

You never got your stories straight

I'm always up late

I think I'm everything you hate.

~Broken Man by Boys Like Girls

"Why do you do this to yourself?" Dan stared pitifully at his best friend. Shun glared at him and said nothing. "You're just hurting yourself more than you should. As your best friend, I hate seeing you like this."

"Just shut up. I don't need your lectures."

Both of their gazes were locked onto a scene across the street. It was a casual cafe with nice little tables set up outside. A man was there with a woman, both of them laughing heartily. The male was tall, slim, dark haired, and he was a gentleman.

In Shun's eyes, the female was the epitome of perfect. Angelic. Her wavy orange hair cascaded down her back, while her chocolate brown eyes twinkled. Her smile lit up his world, her touch sent tingles throughout his body. Any word that came out of her mouth was always right, and she had his heart forever in her grasp. Only she could influence him. Only she had the power to make or break him.

"Come on man, we should go. I don't feel right following Alice like this."

"Leave if you want, but I'm staying right here." Dan sighed.

"You KNOW I can't. I'm the only thing preventing you from going over there and kicking that poor guy's ass with your ninja skills."

Shun muttered under his breath. "He deserves it for touching HER."

"You're insane."

"I know."

"You joining Runo, the kids and I for thanksgiving?" Dan asked, putting on his jacket. The couple they were observing left already. Shun ran a hand through his hair.

"Sorry man, not this year." Dan nodded in understanding then left, the bell chiming as the door opened and closed.

Oh how he wished he could get away from all this pain. This agony that followed every moment he was away from HER.

Alice. The most beautiful person he'd ever known. His best girl friend... Since forever. Literally. Shun smirked softly at the memories.

"Shun-chan!" A tiny redhead skipped towards him. He scowled, but a light tint of red spread throughout his face. Her whole face was absolutely delighted about something, and that was enough to make him pleased as well. As she neared him, suddenly she tripped on a rock. Shun raced towards her and caught her before she hit the ground. Alice giggled. "I'm so lucky to have you as my best BEST friend Shun!"

He rolled his eyes and allowed her to grasp his hand. "You're so clumsy." She poured cutely.

"You're so mean to me!" But she continued leading him somewhere. Shun quickly recognized the path they were going on.

"Alice, what are we doing at your house?" She giggled and opened the door. He instantly recognized the smells of Alice's mother cooking in the kitchen. His stomach rumbled and his mouth watered, just thinking of eating such great food. But he suddenly remembered his lost family.

Just a few weeks ago, Shun's parents got into a car accident. He was never the same. His aunt and uncle were his guardians but they were never there. He longed to be a part of a family once again, but no one cared. Alice eased some of the pain, but even she could never fill the hole the loss of his mom made. He would never train with his dad, be coddled by his mom, or just going out for ice cream with the both of them. He felt so alone.

"W-what am I doing here Alice?"

Alice smiled and squeezed his hand lightly. "You're having thanksgiving dinner with us!" He looked horrified, the last expression she wanted from him. "Do you not like it?" She looked close to tears. "I knew this wouldn't make you happy. But I don't know what else to do!"

Shun shook his head quickly. "No! I really appreciate this Ali, but I can't intrude. Thanksgiving is a family thing."

"Well Shun, you are family." A deep voice cut in. Alice's father stepped down the stairs. Jiro was everything Shun longed to be. Tough, Stern yet caring, loyal, funny; He always had a happy aura around him.

Erika looked out from the kitchen doorway. "Are they here?" When she saw the kids, her eyes lit up. "Shun-chan and my little Ali." Putting down the batter she was stirring, she gave both of them a tight hug. "You guys are so cute!" They struggled to breathe and Jiro sweatdropped. Much to their relief, she released them and ran to the kitchen. A few moments later, she came out with two cookies. "Here you go!" Both the kids happily ate it and she ran back into the kitchen to finish the rest of the meal.

Jiro smiled and entered the kitchen while Alice led Shun up to her room. He's been here plenty of times, but never on Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was a family thing. The Kazamis and the Gehabichs were close friends, and the loss was hard on all of them. Shun was left to the guardianship of his aunt and uncle, but they were never at home. The only person that helped him through this was Alice. He could not be more grateful.

Her room looked the same as it did the last time he visited. Yellow walls, tons of pictures, a green and white bed, light brown hardwood floors; yeah, nothing different.

She sat on the bed and he followed. Randomly, Alice just blurted out. "Ne, Shun. What do you see yourself doing in ten years?"

Ten years was a long time to an 8 year old. But Shun thought about it carefully, and then smirked at her. "I don't know what job I might be doing, but I know one thing for sure. We'll definitely be friends, best friends, even then." Alice grinned and hugged him tight.

"Definitely!"

That Thanksgiving was the best he had in a while. But he hated remembering the happy times. Because that's all they were. Memories.

Such a shame it didn't turn out like what they expected. There's no such thing as best friends forever. Shun thought bitterly. Best friends were supposed to be there, even when the girlfriends or boyfriends come and go. But when you throw in complicated feelings, you don't get the results you want. Your best friend hates you and doesn't want a thing to do with you.

Then you get hurt more than you should because you love her and you just can stand to be without her. I'm not the only one for you, but you're the only one for me. Shun rolled his eyes, of course Secondhand Serenade lyrics run through his mind at this couldn't stop thinking of the very incident that broke his relationship with Alice.

The worst day of his life.

"Shun! Do you think I look pretty?" Shun looked up from the magazine he was reading and scowled.

"You've asked me that a billion times, Ali. Of course you look pretty. Kami knows that if I said anything different you'd bite my head off."

She frowned at his tone. "Hey, what's your issue?" He rolled his eyes and looked back at his magazine. My issue is probably that you're going on a date with some douchebag and you don't even see the mistake you're making. A small voice in the back of his mind whispered. You don't even see how much I love you. Shun shook his head and told her that nothing was wrong.

Alice still had a stern look on her face, but she sighed and let it go. She looked at the clock and smiled. "Kaito's going to be here soon!" The doorbell suddenly rang, and she jumped in surprise. "He's here early! Bye Shun! Let yourself out when you're done." He nodded; refusing to look up despite the fact that he knew that she wanted one last glance to calm her nerves. Shun heard her sigh once more and once the door shut, he finally set the magazine down.

"What am I doing?" He put his head in his hand and groaned. Stupid. His mind said bluntly. You know you can't stand seeing her with other guys. And yet, you refuse to say a single word. You're too much of a coward to tell her you love her.

And it was right. He was a coward. But that was okay, because at least she wouldn't leave him. And that's what mattered most.

He wallowed in his despair until she got home. After Alice set down her bag, she looked around and was surprised to see Shun there. "Hey, I thought you would've left." He shook his head and lied down on the bed.

"So, how was it? Did he leave you with a kiss? Or were his eyes on another woman during the date? Did he order cheap food and make you pay?" He blurted out, unable to stop his scornful words. Her eyes welled up with tears and she stalked towards him. He rose and towered above her.

"How dare you! How can you say such things to me? You have no right!" She slapped him. "Who do you think you are?" He raised a hand and lightly touched his cheek. She slapped me. But the shock soon turned into pure fury.

"Me? I think I'm your best friend who just wants the best for you. But you never see that! I'm just being protective, dammit. Why the hell won't you let me?"

Tears ran down her face, but she didn't notice. "Because this is my life Shun. I get that you're looking out for me, but you can't just do this! You can't say those kinds of words to me and expect me to feel grateful. You're not my father and you're not my boyfriend."

"Then what am I? What the fuck am I supposed to be then?"

"You're supposed to be my best friend. And that means you're supposed to ask me about my date, then make judgments about him." He chuckled bitterly at her words.

"I get it. You're pissed because everything I said was true." Alice looked indignant and opened her mouth to say something, but Shun cut her off. "He also said that he was going to the bathroom, and then spent over twenty minutes there. Then he came back looking disheveled." She refused to say anything. "You know what that means? It means he was off with another woman. He'd rather be with that woman that you because you won't bend to his will. He can't get into your pants, so he got into another's."

She slapped him again. "Just shut up! You know what Shun? I hate you. I'll never forgive you. Get out of my house right now. And get out of my life forever." He snarled and slammed the door as he was walking out. He ignored the sobs he heard. He ignored the emptiness in his heart and he ignored the pain in his very soul. He ignored everything.

Because nothing mattered anymore.

He winced, relieving every emotion he felt that day. Why couldn't I just shut up? Because he knew that being separated from her would kill him, and he was right. He couldn't stand being out of her life completely. At the very least, he would make sure the guys that she dated wouldn't hurt her.

"Shun?" A voice he hadn't heard in a long time broke through his reverie. He snapped his head up; meeting those big brown eyes he yearned for. She smiled nervously, and played with her hands. Alice hadn't changed one bit. Still the most beautiful person he's ever known.

"How have you been? Still eating healthy?" She let out a laugh that sounded forced. Shun decided this was now or never. He was getting his chance to rekindle his friendship with Alice.

"I've been good. You?" She visibly relaxed after hearing his voice. Her smile seemed more genuine and she took the seat Dan was in earlier.

"Could be better." Suddenly she looked uncertain again. "I saw you earlier when I was leaving the café across the street. And I just had a crazy idea." Alice paused and took a deep breath. "I was thinking that we could spend Thanksgiving together. Like old times."

He felt all the burdens of surviving without her lift off his shoulders; and Shun smiled for the first time in a long time.

"I'd like that."

Oh dear. I think I lost control of this story by the end. I hope all of you still liked it though! If you want this to be a twoshot instead, please tell me. Because I kinda like this open ended thing. It lets the readers have the freedom to pick whatever happens after.

Anyway, please review! ^^ I love hearing from all of you. Thanks so much~

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Love, Peace, and lots and LOTS of Huggles...

Rose~