A/N: This is the first story I've done for Bakugan, and my second story ever posted on . This time, I had the help of a Beta Reader; CloneGirl. And I'm really thankful for her help ^.^
Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan or any of its characters!
Chapter One: Voices
As was expected, he was still at the top of the rankings.
A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as he leaned back in his office chair. A gleaming mask reflected hundreds of names, hundreds of numbers as the picture of his own hidden face was replaced with a coil of dark purple scales, fierce eyes and a snarling jaw; his precious pet, still the most powerful Bakugan.
Masquerade and Hydranoid. The best of the best.
"Everything is going as planned." The air echoed with the sudden statement, ringing off stone walls with no destination, no one but himself to hear them.
Until the stone wall twisted within itself, stretching and groaning as a beaky nose poked out of it, swiftly followed by gaunt cheeks and tangled tufts of 'hair'; Hal-G's mouth opened. "Good. Now get back to work."
The wild-haired boy twisted around in his chair, glowering at his master. "Did you not hear what I just said?"
"Yes, I did," Hal-G snapped back. The haughtiness in Masquerade's voice didn't impress him in the least. "But do you expect things to stay that way if you keep slacking off?"
The boy's scowl intensified, resentful thoughts flying through his head as he stood up from the chair. Stupid old fart…telling me I'm not doing enough, when all he does is sit there giving orders…
His smooth voice revealed none of his spite; Masquerade's insolence was clear enough through the mocking bow that showed respect that was completely undeserved. "I'll get to it then, sir."
Hal-G grunted disdainfully as Masquerade faded away, the bright sparkling colours that hung in the air the only reminders of his presence as the scientist's features melted back into the wall. "Kids these days…"
---
There was a bar of dim light, dingy and blurred as her eyelids were dragged open. It took a few moments of hazy thought for her to realize it was the moon.
Stifling a yawn as she sat up, Alice rubbed the corners of her eyes with the heel of her hand, blinking away the sleep as she stared at the window; she could see the tired dawn, a cloudy shade of orange-pink, leaking through the crack between her frilly curtains.
Her eyes flitted towards the alarm clock; the glowing blue numbers read 4:53. She had time to squeeze in a couple more hours of sleep…but her back refused to fall into the mattress again, and her muscles ached to get up, get moving, get going…the thrill of anticipation.
She knew too well the reason for this excitement; who could ever think of sleeping on such a significant day? In only hours, until she would be boarding the plane to Japan, entering Japan, landing in Japan and meeting them, the Brawlers.
She thought back fondly a few days prior, remembering their ecstatic grins and invitations, asking her if she would like to take a part in this battle against Masquerade. Her extensive knowledge of the game would be invaluable, they had said, as would the support of another special friend.
Finally, she would meet them in person; Marucho, Runo and Dan. The acquaintances, the friends, she had made online.
Alice shivered a bit as she shoved away the blankets and shuffled her legs off the bed; the soles of her feet met the cool floor, and she was hurrying towards the door. She should probably make sure she was ready, after all.
---
It was the usual, everyday routine, accelerated; a diligently eaten breakfast, quick shower, and wrestling her previously laid out wardrobe on.
And then the suitcases were popped open; she rummaged through them, checking to make sure she had all the necessary materials, double-checking, triple-checking. Alice wasn't very keen on finding herself in an embarrassing situation involving the lack of tooth brush or nightgown.
The two suitcases sat side-by-side on her bed, the first one full and obediently zipped and buckled up tight. It was the second suitcase that decided it'd to rebel. Alice sighed as she placed the last item inside, bringing the cover down and reaching around to tug the zipper around; it inched a couple of centimetres around the corner before coming to a stop. She jerked at it again; it refused to budge. Groaning, Alice flipped the top open again and shuffled a few things around.
Second time closing the case was much more successful; in a few seconds it was closed, and Alice was smiling wearily at the clock.
It was time to go.
---
The plane wasn't due for another two hours; clearly, she was a bit early.
Fingers tightened around the warmth of her cup of coffee, freshly ordered from the airport café, as she raised it to her lips and took an absentminded sip, eyes focused on the little book spread out on the table before her, the pencil in her right hand still lingering on the last word.
Dear Diary,
Today I'm going to catch a plane to Japan!
I'm going to meet Marucho, Runo and Dan at the airport, where they promised they'd be waiting for me.
Runo says that I'm to stay with her family.
She wouldn't allow me to stay at Marucho's place when he offered, and I think it's because Julie plans to come up there soon and she'll be at Marucho's house, and Runo wants a friend to stay with her too.
It's around a 10 hour flight from Russia to Japan, so I'll probably end up falling asleep at some point and be able to make up for the sleep I missed this morning.
I just can't wait to see the other Brawlers in person!
Satisfied, Alice set down her pencil, closing the diary and picking it up as she set the coffee down—
"Oh!!" Before she could stop herself, the coffee was already released an inch away from the edge of the table; her hand lunged for it desperately, receiving only a spray of hot liquid as the cup collided with her knee. She yelped, her chair grinding backwards as she staggered to her feet, shaking her burnt fingers and pointlessly trying to wipe the coffee off her legs.
Ow! Hey, watch what you're doing, klutz!
"Huh?!" She swivelled around, expecting to find the source of the angry male voice glaring at her; she was rewarded with the curious glances of the patrons that sat scattered around the other tables or were hurrying for their destinations. There was no one close enough to be peeved to have coffee spilled on them.
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she stooped down, peering under the table; no perverted boys hiding under there.
She shook her head as she straightened up, grabbing the napkin dispenser, pulling out the napkins one by one and getting started on mopping up the mess. Perhaps her conscience was had decided to take on a rude tone and was chiding her for the spill. One never knows.
It wasn't long before she was tossing the soggy mess of napkins into the nearest garbage can, hurriedly pulling a spare change of clothes out of her suitcase and running, pink-cheeked, for the nearest ladies washroom.
---
Waiting. Whether it be for the freedom that came with another's unconsciousness, for plans to proceed, or for decisions to answer his proposals, it was something he did a lot.
With waiting came patience. And it was to his advantage that that was something he had. He could be patient as he stood, arms crossed and smirk expectant, before the two murmuring, thrilled boys as they deluded themselves into thinking their choices were for the best and ignored the quietly anxious objections of the girl who lingered behind them.
And that unwavering patience came through as two determined faces looked up, nodding resolutely. No declarations of assent were needed; their expressions said it all.
"You made the right choice." The smugness in his voice and the whistles of two dark cards cutting through the air and into the pair's hands drowned out the girl's worried whimpers; she continued to be ignored as Masquerade stepped back, foot disintegrating into the air. The rest of his body swiftly followed –
– and then he was looking down on them, unnoticed on top of the roof as he watched the boys ecstatically scurry away in amusement, the girl trailing after like a much less enthusiastic shadow.
He watched until they had vanished through the doors. With a restless sigh, Masquerade looked up. The sky was beautiful, clear, enticing…it would be a shame to waste such a lovely day watching the world through Alice's eyes. The flight wasn't due to land for another hour or two, and the world was too self-absorbed to notice the absence of a single, insignificant girl. His mind was already going through all the things he waste the time with; only one idea came to mind.
Getting out Hydranoid and hunting for a brawl.
Masquerade was close to going with that too; he could already feel the orb in his fingers, tingling with anticipation as it was flung onto the field, the sinuous shadow of his precious pet as it rose and leered down at the unfortunate opponent, and he was stepping forward…
He paused; how curious it was to realize that such a scene was watched almost too often, that it was already more real to him than the concrete he stood on, the landscape before him and sky he looked up to now.
As if his entire world was based off of it, and nothing else could possibly exist for him. A notion he regarded with bemusement.
---
"– in ETA in fifteen minutes." That was all that Alice managed to hear of the automated voice's notification as her eyes fluttered open; with a yawn, Alice shifted uncomfortably in the airplane seat and stretched her cramped arms up in the air. She glanced at the watch on her wrist sleepily and blinked her eyes, realizing it'd been at least nine hours since she'd last paid attention to it. Wow, I really slept for that long?
Mind tiredly wiping itself blank, Alice leaned back in her chair, listening to the murmurs of conversation between the other passengers, indistinct and rushed, nothing like the voice from earlier. Her eyes squeezed shut again she remembered the voice; the impatience in it, the frustration, the exact clarity. She could have sworn that it had been real…but then again, there had been no one around. Perhaps it was telepathy…? No, now she was just being silly. She sighed, lamenting over this unsolvable mystery. The most logical explanation would be that she was going crazy, but that was too depressing a thought…
"We are beginning descent; please remain in your seats until further notice." Alice jumped at the chipper voice and glanced up; a flight attendant was walking down the aisle, smiling plastically and nodding to each of the passengers, repeating the message from the intercom until she seated herself at the front.
Alice was finally in Japan.
---
"Alice!"
She blinked at the enthusiastic sound of her name as she took a faltering step through the mob of people; she turned around, just in time to see two pairs of arms waving wildly in the air. A head of electric blue bobbed through the crowd, long ponytails carelessly slapping the occasional annoyed passerby as blonde, white and blue darted around legs anxiously. With a small smile, Alice turned around and wormed her way against the crowd.
"Runo! Marucho!" Her smile grew wider when she had finally reached them, examining the two of them gratefully until she realized something was missing. "Where's Dan? Wasn't he supposed to be with you…?"
The blunette 'hmph'ed as Marucho let out a nervous laugh.
"He kind of…got left behind," the younger boy explained sheepishly. "He decided that he was hungry and had to buy himself something to eat…"
"Oh…"
"This is Dan we're talking about," Runo said, annoyed.
Alice giggled, but swiftly cut herself off when the other girl gave her an odd look. "Sorry, but it really sounds like him to do that. So…um, should we find him before we leave…?"
Marucho nodded vigorously, glasses slipping off his nose until he pushed them back up. "Yes, good idea."
They had expected to find Dan wandering about the airport, or perhaps still in the café, shovelling down as much food as he could before the world ended.
They didn't find the fiery brunette. They did find a battle.
"Get out of our way." Alice glanced at Runo nervously as the other girl balled her hands into fists, snarling at the pair of boys that stood before them with eager grins. "We don't have the time to deal with twerps like you!"
The first boy just raised his chin the air, crossing his arms as the other boy sniggered. "No."
"Guys…" The word was soft, barely audible; Alice looked around the boys to see the girl. Her face was pale and nervous, her hands wrung together.
The second boy disregarded the girl. "We challenge you to a brawl!"
Alice turned her attention back to Runo, only to find herself stepping back. The feral grin on the other girl's face was rather terrifying. "You know what? We accept!"
"Runo!" Marucho hopped from foot to foot, trying to catch her attention. "I don't think…"
"Marucho, back me up!" Marucho tensed up as Runo whipped a card out of her pocket, reluctantly following the action. The boys were fervent in following suit, sneers matching Runo's in ferocity.
"Hey, I don't have a good feel–" Alice wasn't given the opportunity to finish her sentence; four voices rose up simultaneously to drown her out.
"Field open!"
A soft gasp escaped her lips; the world was frozen.
It was only a brief seconds, but no mistaking it; Alice could glimpse everyone, everything, around the small group of children slow down, halting until it was all like the most perfect photograph. The moment soon disappeared as swirls of colours, red, black, blue, yellow, brown, such a magnificent swirl, churned around them. It was dizzying, it was beautiful, and soon it had eaten everything else in sight.
"Doom Card, set!"
The two young voices rose up in synchronization, tearing Alice away from her wonder and back to the main scene. Runo growled, hands fisting up again as a rectangle of violet washed over the field as Marucho moaned in horror.
Four cards and three words sliced the air, settling on the ground, growing larger, echoing. "Gate Card, set!" More words followed, accompanied by the arc of brightly coloured spheres that clattered onto the cards, popping open. "Bakugan, brawl! Bakugan, stand!"
Alice could only watch in awe.
There was a battle going on before her. A raging battle with sentient, dangerous creatures that she could only watch from the sidelines…but she could feel it. The rush, strange and addicting, the adrenaline. Despite not being part of the action, it pumped through her veins, demanding that she…be a part of it.
And like that, she knew; she wanted to know what it felt like. She wanted to set out the cards, use her own superior Bakugan, and with them at her command, utterly destroy her opponent…!
It was a wild feeling, so powerful and exciting and enticing – she couldn't succumb to it.
Alice couldn't want this. It wasn't her. She was afraid of it…
She had to wonder why.
A/N: And there's the end of my first chapter! I hope you like it .
Getting the second one out might take a while, so please be patient ^.^"