Sorry for the so late update... I'm stuck 'babysitting' my brother -.-

Bakugan does not belong to me, Syphile. If I did, Master Naga would have won.

Oops, I forgot last chapter: I own Zoen

Syphile: Now that the disclaimer's done, let's torment Kuso more shall we?

Chapter 2

A female, clad in the darkest of garbs, slowly approached the wounded and bloodied body of a boy, who now lay motionless on the cold floor. Anyone would have easily thought that the body was already a corpse, but she knew well that this body, the body of Daniel Kuso, was still much alive, though barely so.

She set her torch in a nearby stand, illuminating the grotesque scenery. A foul odour loomed in the air as the light revealed bloodstains splattered on the walls and floor, but they didn't shake her. Without hesitation, she came nearer and nearer to where the body lay. Reaching her hand out, she emanated a strange energy from her hands and touched Dan's scarred cheeks, waking him in the process.

"Zo-Zoen…?" Dan garbled weakly as he tried to open his eyes.

"What now?" she coldly responded in a mocking tone. "Has these two months been long? Two months without contact to the outside world, or two months without your beloved Runo?"

"Why…are you…doing this?" he asked, coughing up blood. "How…did all…of these…happen…?"

"I thought I told you that the egg contained the fragments of a special Dragonoid Bakugan, and you mistook it was Drago. But now you know that it was Master Naga's fragments. What was left of him when you nearly killed him," Zoen replied with a hint of anger as she ran her hands to Dan's chest, the torn skin slowly regenerating as the energy passed. "Besides, I couldn't betray my own father…"

"Fa...Father?" he slowly repeated, before his eyes soon wavered, the wounds taking their toll on his body. And once again, he slumped to the floor.

******Vestroia******

"Drago?" a white Dragonoid outside the Perfect Core asked in her calming tone.

"Yes, my dear Wayvern…I'm here," the red dragon replied from his prison.

"For the past weeks, I have noticed that you seem…dismayed. May I ask my mate why?"

"So, you have noticed, huh? It's just…I can't seem to contact Dan for the past eight weeks," Drago replied, his voice morose and confused. "He just can't end his connection with me all of a sudden…"

"Maybe he's just busy, like all of the others. Schoolwork and the like," Wayvern murmured, trying to comfort her mate.

"No, he couldn't just forget me that easily. We vowed that we would see each other as often as possible. Tell me, Wayvern…you miss Joe, don't you?"

The white dragon bowed her head, trying to hide the teardrop that had formed in her eye. "Yes…I do miss Joe. But as long as you're with me, I'm happy," she replied with a sad smile. "Thanks to you, I was revived and given a new body."

"It's not a problem," Drago said, with a light blush. "I just…hope Dan's all right…"

******Earth******

It was early in the morning, and Shun sat on the rooftop of the school building, staring at the dark sky and the gray clouds, warning him that rain would soon fall. The cool breeze passing through his face tried to calm his senses, but to no avail; he was still crying deep inside.

When Skyress returned to Vestroia, he lost a good friend. That was followed by the news that his mother passed away, leaving him with his grandfather once again. Although Alice decided to stay with him, it couldn't replace the love he had for his parent.

A few droplets of rain finally started to drip from the sky. Shun felt a drop and promptly jumped off the building, landing at his feet and entered, barely making it inside as the downpour began. He was immediately greeted by his friend upon entering.

"Hey Shun," Dan, who was leaning on the wall with both hands placed on the back of his head, greeted the black haired teen as he shuffled through the doors

"Oh, Dan… hey," he replied in a mumble, shambling to his classroom.

"What's wrong? It looks like you returned to your old self," the brown-haired boy asked in concern, following Shun.

"Don't mind it."

"Oh…alright then, if you say so. Say Shun, um…can you come with me later in the evening? I mean, if you're free. I have something to show you," Dan offered his buddy reluctantly.

"Well…I'll try. I don't have much to do anyways. Can I bring Alice along?" Shun inquired.

"The more, the merrier!" he answered, clearly content, before running off. "Okay then, I'll see you two later. My classes are nearly starting."

"Bye…" Shun responded before entering his room and sitting in his chair, mentally arguing with himself as the class began.

'It doesn't seem like the Dan we knew. No, it's just me…I need to collect myself. Maybe what he's going to show us later will help me relax…'

Evening

"Alice, really glad you could join us!" Dan exclaimed, clapping his hands as Shun and Alice approached him.

"Well if it hasn't been for Shun here, I wouldn't have come. But I'm intrigued nonetheless," she replied to the brunette.

...

...

"Now, what did you want to show us? We've been walking in this forest for a few minutes now," the ninja said.

"Well, we're here!" Dan said as he motioned for the lovers to look at the structure before them.

It was a two-storey cottage house, nearly in ruins, giving it a creepy feeling. The wind helped in giving the house its atmosphere by occasionally letting a low howl and a chilling breeze that made some of Alice's hair stand on end.

"Ghost hunting? You brought us here for a ghost hunt!?" Shun asked bitterly.

"Trust me, it's all a façade," the brunet claimed, a small hint of sarcasm in his words. "So, shall we go inside?"

"O…okay," Alice stammered, her hands holding Shun's tightly. "But…let…let's not stay here for long. This place is…giving me the creeps."

The two entered the building, followed by the hesitant ninja; the wind gave one last, strong howl as they walked through the doorway. The door gradually creaked open and the floorboards squeaked as they stepped on them. Instead of a ruined house though, a well-furnished living room welcomed them. Ivory tiles served as the floor; a lit, golden chandelier hung from the ceiling, the light dancing off the green walls in a lively manner. Across the room, there were a few chairs surrounding a table, inviting them to sit.

"Told you it was a façade," Dan said as he took a seat. Alice followed suit.

"Oh, wow…I never thought that this scary house was actually a beautiful home, right Shun?" Alice asked. "Shun? Shun! Where are you?!"

"Strange… I thought he was with us when we entered," Dan said, frowning as he rose from his seat. "We better find him."

The Russian followed his lead, anxious and curious. "I agree…but…how did you find this place in the first place? I mean…"

"Oh, this place?" he said, slowly turning his head towards Alice. Upon meeting her eyes, his brown eyes turned crimson. "It wouldn't matter if you know…"

----------Shun

In the dark dungeon, another boy's body lying on its back lay still and unmoving. His finger twitched groggily. He slowly opened his brown eyes, alert in his surroundings but the darkness impeded him from doing so.

"Uh…where am I?" he murmured as he got up.

"O…okay," Alice stammered, her hands holding mine tightly. "But…let…let's not stay here for long. This place is…giving me the creeps."

Alice and Dan then slowly opened the rickety door and cautiously entered the house.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to enter this condemned house but... I need to make sure Alice is fine. And besides, there's no such thing as ghosts.

I followed them when I heard a howl. I turned around and saw a ghastly being.

Okay, I take the 'there's no such thing as ghosts' back.

She waved her hand and...

"Shu-Shun…" A familiar voice, weakened, pained, drifted from the gloom, causing him to jump. "Is that…you…?"

"Who's there?" he asked nervously as his eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, seeking and recognizing the figure lying on the floor, just a few feet away. "Dan!? But, aren't you… "

He was interrupted as a silhouette, slim and female, approached him from the shadows.

"Who is the most important living female to you?" she whispered in her sweet voice before she did an unexpected thing.

Dan's eyes widened in horror as Naga's laugh, triumphant and maniacal, reverberated throughout the dungeon. She held her hand, covered with some sort of strange fluid, in front of her face before letting her tears flow from her eyes.

Syph: Ah… I feel better now. Can you guess what happened?

Seityrn: (whispers) Sadist…

Syph: What did you say?

Seityrn: Um… nothing?

I'm not after reviews… I just need to release my stress, and anger.

If you do feel like reviewing though, please do so.