One Way Ticket Time Machine

SSR: Hi everyone! I'm a new author! Excited but scared at the same time.

Runo: Don't be! Fear only leads you nowhere.

Dan: And this is only your first story.

SSR: Not much to say, but this is the first chapter of a story I'm working on, and I think it's a little scary. I must be scaring everyone away already.

Runo: Why don't we get started instead and see how it goes?

Marucho: Agreed! SSR owns the story but not Bakugan.

Chapter One

Accident, Coincidence, Proof

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...

Loud traffic echoed all over the streets of Wardington. The honking horns of cars, the tweeting of crosswalk signals, and the chatter of people everywhere. It was a miracle that Alice could catch up to Shun in this chaos.

"Shun, wait up!"

Shun, standing impatiently at the edge of the sidewalk, turned around to see his girlfriend run toward him. "Seriously, Alice? You're telling me to wait? The only thing I can do right now is to wait."

"I didn't mean waiting for the light to change. I meant waiting for me!" Alice caught up and rested her hand on Shun's shoulder. "We're still going to the shrine, right? Despite all the traffic?"

"You bet. I purposely canceled badminton practice today with Dan and the others just for this shrine visit. Dan also dropped out last minute, so it's twice a good thing."

"How could you say that?! It's not like you deliberately caused it to happen."

"But it's a good thing, though." The traffic light flashed green, and Shun took the first step down. "Hurry up, Alice. I don't want to miss out on the fortune telling."

"What fortune telling?"

"Remember last time when I went to the shrine and shook the container of bamboo sticks? This time, they have omikuji, so I can just get a paper slip rather than a bamboo stick. It's the same either way."

Omikuji...random paper fortunes, thought Alice. I should get one for myself, too. "What kind of fortune do you want told, Shun?"

"I don't know." Shun stopped halfway in the road. She's right. I postponed all my plans just for today, but I still don't know what I'll do. "I think I'll just-"

"Watch out!"

Shun looked up to see a delivery truck driving straight for him, but Alice pulled him to the other side before anything happened. "That was so close. Thanks, Alice." But Alice stared at the delivery truck as it drove off into the distance. "Hello? Earth to Alice? Can you hear me?"

"W-What?"

"Are you okay?"

She looked back and put her hand on her cheek to feel the cold. "I'm fine. I could've lost you forever out there."

"I know. Speaking of 'lost'," Shun took out slips of paper from his coat pocket. "I haven't picked one regarding lost articles or love yet. Do you think I'll get them this time?"

Alice smiled and answered, "Honestly, you don't need to know your fortune on love."

"Sounds about right. But if I get anything else, I'm still content. Let's go."

A few more blocks and streets later, Shun and Alice arrived at the rocky stairs that led up to the shrine. The traffic was still high and loud, and they were glad that finally escape from it.

"Hopefully, I pick something good because all my other slips say 'blessing'. That's very vague." Shun complained. Every time he went to the shrine, all the fortunes he picked said 'blessing' or 'half-blessing.'

"So? It's still a blessing. What were you expecting?"

"Something more than that, like a 'great blessing'. Are you going to pick anything?"

"Sure, I'll give it a try." Alice looked up at the gate and saw a black cat walking back and forth on the top horizontal beam. "What is that?!"

Shun looked up as well. "Just a black cat. Someone should get rid of it, though."

"No one will go up there, you know."

"True. Let's keep walking." Shun walked up first but turned around to see Alice still looking up. What is she still doing here? She doesn't look well today. "Alice, what's going on with you?"

"N-Nothing. I'm just superstitious." Alice ran up to Shun immediately with shivers. He's right. What is going on with me?

The first thing they saw up by the main hall was a long line of people, waiting for a turn for the omikuji. "I guess we have no choice but to line up now because there are more people coming," Shun declared. He raced over to the end of the line and saw a familiar face. "Dan?!"

"Shun! What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing! Is this why you called off badminton practice?"

"What do you think?"

As Shun and Dan argued, Alice came over and apologized. "Sorry about the guys, Runo. I hope you don't mind."

"Well, I was about to yell at Dan for forgetting about me, but since you're here, let's chat! What are you doing here?"

"Now you're asking that question!" cried Alice. "Anyway, Shun purposely canceled all his plans just for this important day at the shrine, and he invited me. I guess we're all here to pick fortunes."

"Really? That's great! Anyway did you hear about the guy at school who broke the school's best cross-country record?"

And the conversations went on...

...

...

"I'll take...this one."

Shun grabbed the slip in the box of the seventh row and column. Alice paid a coin as well but grabbed a random slip. Together with Dan and Runo, they made their way to the benches under a cherry tree and sat down. "What did you get, Dan?"

"Let's see." Dan opened the paper and skimmed. "Just a 'blessing' in 'romance'. I'm serious about needing this if Runo and I are to be together forever."

Runo gasped and glared at him. "How could you say that?" She opened her slip and read out loud. "I have a 'curse' in 'romance'?! This is all your fault, Dan!"

Seeing that a fight was inevitable, Shun went to stop Dan, and Alice went to stop Runo. "That's enough, you two." announced Shun. "My fortune says...a 'future blessing'? Categorized in 'expected persons'? I don't get it."

"That doesn't make sense." Runo commented. "Are you waiting for anyone?"

Dan shook his head. "Certainly, you're not expecting your dad's return, and your mom can't come back."

"I know. It must refer to something else. Alice, your turn."

"Okay." Suddenly, a raven swooped down from nowhere and snatched the fortune out of her hands. It landed on a branch on the cherry tree and stared straight at Alice. "Give it back!"

Dan shook his head. "It don't think it's going to give it back to you. Maybe you should get another fortune."

"You can't do that!" Runo snapped. "Here. I'll throw a pebble at it." She may have hit the raven by the beak, but the raven didn't let go. Runo gave up after a few more pebbles. "The raven won't budge. It's like it doesn't want you to see your fortune."

"It's okay, I don't mind. I guess I'll-"

Miraculously, the raven opened it beak, letting the rolled-up piece of paper descend onto Alice's palm. "T-That was weird."

"So what did you get?" asked Shun. Alice unraveled the paper but didn't respond. "Alice, what's-"

She flipped the paper over for Shun to see. "I have 'great curse', categorized in 'lost articles'."

Runo covered her mouth in shock. "No wonder that raven took your paper away. It was going to be a bad fortune."

"Man, that raven is psychic." Dan added. "What else is there?"

Shun took the slip and examined it front and back. "Seeing the severity of your fortune, why don't you tie it onto the pine tree behind the fortune stand? It's supposed to postpone your fortune for a while to prevent it from sticking with you."

"Hmm... Why not? Runo, you want to go with me?"

"Sure! I want to get rid of this bad fortune, too."

Alice and Runo walked over to the pine tree, which appeared snow-white with the many bad fortunes tied onto it. Alice looked at her fortune again. First the black cat, then the raven and the bad fortune. I'm scared of what will happen next. She shook her head and proceeded to the tree.

"I wonder how that raven knew you'd get a bad fortune, Alice. That's bad luck right there already."

"I know. I saw a black cat this morning, too."

"Seriously?! You know, if things come in threes, then you know it's something bad."

"I hope it doesn't come in threes, then..."

...

...

"Shun, we can go now. See you later, Runo!"

"Bye Alice!"

Alice held onto Shun's hand on the way out from the main hall. "Did you tie your slip onto the tree?" he asked.

"I did. I hope this method really-" Alice looked up to see the black cat still perching on the Torii gate. Suddenly, it jumped down on her and left scratch marks on her arms. "Shun, I feel like this is an omen. There's been too much bad luck today."

"Don't worry. As long as you tied the slip to the tree, you'll be fine."

"But I-"

"Great. The traffic is worse than I thought." Shun yelled when they reached the sidewalk. The traffic light just turned red, and many cars waited in the lanes.

"Would you say having crowded traffic today is bad luck?" asked Alice.

Shun looked at her and shook his head. "No. Traffic has always been this busy. You know, Alice. You've been acting really weird today ever since that truck almost hit me." He put his hand on her forehead. "You don't have a fever. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to come with the shrine with me today."

"Don't say that! I know you asked me so we can spend time together, but it was my decision to come with you today, so let me handle it."

"Alright." The traffic light flashed green again, and Shun took the first step down again. "Hurry up, Alice. This traffic light changes fast if it doesn't sense anyone moving."

"I'm coming." By the time Shun arrived at the other sidewalk, Alice still hadn't stepped down onto the road. The crossing signal tweeted faster, and Alice crossed the road right when the light changed.

"Alice, hurry up! Just sprint over!"

"Wait! I dropped something!"

"Forget about-"

Shun turned around to see Alice bent down picking up something, but a car sped right in her direction. "Alice, watch out!"

"What?"

Unlike last time, where Alice was only steps away from Shun, he was all the way on the other side and couldn't save her. A mysterious flash of yellow appeared, delaying Shun's response even more. What was that? "Alice, no!"

Too late.

The car hit and ran off, leaving Alice unconscious and stained in a pool of her own blood. Other people stood by staring at the body. "It can't be," Shun panicked."First the black cat, then the raven fortune slip, and now this. What's going on?"

What intrigued him even more was the item that Alice's hand held onto and wouldn't let go of.

SSR: I definitely scared everyone away, didn't I?

Dan: No, we're still here.

Runo: For certain.

SSR: Thanks again guys. It's only my first chapter, so all the other details will come in later. Leave a review please!

Marucho: Show some support!