Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Bakugan. Perhaps in an alternate reality though…where Naga has taken over the world but ended up…having the Cores stolen from him…by some random 'psycho'…*shifty eyes*…

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"NO! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!"

"Runo, there's no other way," Alice said tiredly as the bluette kicked the dresser furiously, now thankfully pushed away from the closet door. She continued to wrap the bandage, coarse and rough on her soft skin, around Masquerade's ankle as Julie fluttered behind her, watching Masquerade with interest while at the same time trying to avoid being swept up in Runo's rampages.

"Yes there is! I could push him out the window again!" Runo argued as she edged closer to the window, now closed. "Or we could…I dunno, stick him in the refrigerator! It doesn't matter, I just can't have him in my closet! Don't you know how much that would…would…would suck?!"

"Because only God knows how terrible this experience would be for you," Masquerade said, voice rigid with cold as he glared at his throbbing ankle, obviously working hard to stop himself from wincing. "I mean, actually being the one forced to stay in a closet couldn't compare to the stress you must be going through."

"Shut up! You talk way too much for someone who's just so supposedly 'injured'!"

"Oh, so I get pushed out a window," Masquerade began, moving as though to stand up and confront her properly. Before Alice could stop him, he suddenly flinched and sat back down, shaking his head drunkenly. A bit more grudgingly, he finished what he was saying. "Out a window, I say, and you think that I managed to survive completely unharmed?"

"I didn't say that. I just think that you're making too big a deal out of this!"

Masquerade stared at her for a moment, before deciding that it was absolutely pointless to try and convince the bluette otherwise. "Ah, not so tight…"

"Sorry," Alice said hurriedly, now scrambling to finish up knotting the end of the bandage as painlessly as possible. Most unfortunately, her attempt was in bitter vain as Masquerade sucked in a breath, clenching his fists tighter together. "Sorry, sorry…I think I got this done. Just let me check your head."

"What?" Masquerade drew back the tiniest bit, distrustful.

"If you really hurt your head as much as you say you did," Runo said, still fierce as she paced the room restlessly, "then she's gotta check to make sure that you didn't crack open your skull or anything. Unless you really are just making a big deal out of this…"

He scowled, but surrendered, bowing his head and allowing Alice to inch closer as she looked the back over, flinching as her fingers brushed over. Runo and Julie watched her in silence, Julie still looking thrilled with all of these developments, Runo's face stormy and closed off.

"Can I…?" Alice tugged at the band of his mask gently. She shrieked and hastily backed up as his head suddenly shot up, hand flicking up and nearly hitting hers. It hit the wall instead with a sharp crack. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"Is that answer enough for you?!" Masquerade snarled as he brought his hand up to his chest defensively, practically flattening himself against the back wall. He looked almost like a trapped animal, wounded and furious. Ready to run at any moment. "Leave the mask be!"

"I…I'm so…so sorry," Alice babbled as she scuttled back helplessly, wringing her hands together helplessly. "I…I was just trying to…"

"She's just trying to help you, you creep!" Runo planted herself firmly in front of Alice, squaring her shoulders and giving the masked boy the evil eye. "How's she supposed to see if you got hurt bad properly enough with that mask in the way?! You probably have a concussion or something! That's what you were complaining about earlier, wasn't it?!"

He glared back at her, tense and silent.

"You know what, I'm just gonna go downstairs and help out my parents!" Runo spun around on her heel, grabbing Tigrerra as she stomped towards the door. "GOOD BYE!"

Alice, Julie and Masquerade all started simultaneously as the door was slammed shut, Masquerade still flinching as the doorframe shuddered with the impact, the pain in his head and back flaring up again.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"I can't believe this!" Runo howled as she clambered down the stairs, practically suffocating poor Tigrerra as she tightened her fist. "This shouldn't be happening!"

"Runo, sweetie?" Mr Masaki stood at the bottom of the steps, concern and a touch of fear on his friendly features. Great, just what she needed, more people thinking she was possibly mental. "Are you okay? What's with all the yelling? Weren't you girls going to go to the mall or something?"

"It's cancelled," Runo snapped, shoving past him and stalking towards the kitchen. "I'm just gonna work now!"

"Sweetie, the restaurant's closed on Sundays…"

Runo faltered, standing still for the moment it took her to process this information. "…Right…well then…I'm just gonna go for a walk, okay?!"

"Er…" Flustered, he looked around, as though desperately hoping that the answer to his beloved daughter's sudden fury would just suddenly materialize out of midair. One would think that he'd be used to these tantrums by now. "Well, I suppose that's okay…"

She was already out the door, without a single farewell other than a grabbing her jacket off the coat hanger and a slammed door. Great; it wouldn't be long until he was forced to replace it again…

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"Can you believe this?!" Runo viciously kicked at a small rock in front of her, sending it flying. A bird, pecking at the scraps of a forgotten sandwich on the street, cawed in surprise, fluttering upwards to avoid being nailed. "This shouldn't be happening! I mean, we can't keep Masquerade in my closet!"

"Well, milady…"

Runo didn't give poor Tigrerra a chance to finish talking as she continued to rave. "He's our enemy! We can't go around keeping them in our closets…"

"Milady, if you weren't so opposed to…"

"What if he gets out somehow? I mean…he gets out, and does…I dunno, something bad! Like…he goes peeking through my dresser! Or…graffiti's the wall! Or maybe…" She suddenly stopped where she was, her eyes widening as a particularly…graphic thought came to mind, causing her lips to tingle unpleasantly in remembrance. "Oh my god! I don't want him anywhere near me!"

"Runo…"

"You support me, right Tig?" Runo turned to the Haos Bakugan, perched precariously on her shoulder, hunched in her jacket as the cold began to set, green eyes pleading for an ally. "We need to find somewhere else to dump him…like a vat of acid…or a furnace…"

"Runo, you have to take responsibility!"

The outburst slipped out before Tigrerra had a chance to even think about it; she found herself regretting as, apprehensively, she watched the begging on her mistress' face turn into disbelieving shock. When a reply finally came, it was dull with confusion. "…What?"

"Well…milady…" Tigrerra coughed softly in her anxiousness, all too aware of the two eyes boring holes into her. One must thank whatever divine being that ruled the universe for not giving Runo laser vision. "You see…you brought this upon yourself. You were the one that pushed him out the window…"

"Because he…he kissed me!" That anger was finally creeping back as it dawned on the bluette to be indignant. "You saw it! You were the one telling me to do something about it, not to let him get away with it…"

"Milady, I didn't think you'd take it so far! And Runo, that isn't even the end of it! We can't very well take him anywhere else, there is no one else, nowhere that we can take him that won't alert Dan and the others! You're the one who doesn't want them to know about this…"

"I don't want them to find out about this! It was bad enough when Dan and Alice walked in on the…accident. I think they still don't trust me after that…"

"Oh, sure! And you didn't mean to kiss him, either! I bet you were the one passing him along all that information!"

It still hurt, to know that Dan would think such a thing…

"Well, Runo, there's no other choice. It's not like he can even be taken anywhere with his injuries. I'm afraid…" Tigrerra paused for a moment as the image of a certain Darkus Bakugan popped into her head, gloating about how he had been right all along, that Runo really was…no, she had to forget about that. Petty pride…there was nothing for it. "That he'll have to stay with us."

* * * * * * * * * * * *

"I'd rather actual medical care," Masquerade grumbled as his arm began to fall asleep, becoming numb from the prolonged contact with the cold little package in his hand. Not like it helped much anyways, not with the band of his mask in the way…a small thought tugged at the corner of his mind, begging for him to see the reason in it. Taking off the mask would certainly make things simpler for himself, it would hurt less…hell no.

Alice sighed, calmly pushing her frustration out of the way as she gently pressed an icepack against his ankle. "I'm sorry Masquerade, I'm doing the best I can…"

"She really is," Julie piped up, lounging on Alice's cot and flipping lazily through some random book. She just needed something to do; staring at Masquerade with a bemused, contemplative expression, though somehow entertaining, wasn't going to satisfy her restlessness. "I think she's doing a good job."

"An icepack and a couple of badly-wrapped bandages," he muttered, a sullen, sarcastic sneer lacing his voice. "Hardly top quality care, a five year old could do better. At least they'd remember to give me a kiss to feel better…"

"Like any of us would willingly give you one, creep."

"Oh, Runo! You're back!" Julie tossed the book aside, sitting up straighter with a strange sparkle in her eye. She looked eagerly between the bluette and the blonde; it was as though her favourite TV show had just come back on after some semi-interesting commercials. "Wow, you weren't gone for very long, were you?"

"It was getting cold," Runo replied in a mumble, sitting down on her bed with a huff, digging through her jacket pocket as she began to shrug it off. Tigrerra rolled down on top of the blanket, watching her mistress with silent approval. "Just needed to…cool off…"

"You so sure?"

Runo paused, glaring at who she considered to be an outspoken blonde. "About what? It getting cold out? If you want, we can hang you out the window again so you can check for yourself…"

"So sure that no one would want to willingly kiss me." Masquerade leaned forward, subconsciously shoving Alice aside as he set down his icepack. Runo shifted uncomfortably under his suddenly intense gaze.

"Yes, I am! None of us would want to kiss a creep like you!"

He cocked his head, continuing to stare at Runo with a small frown. Alice and Julie shared a befuddled glance, worried on Alice's part. Suddenly, his lips curved up into a small smirk. "I can think of someone who might…"

Runo looked blank for a moment. Suddenly, Julie's stares were just as intense as Masquerade's her grin identical to his as a deep blush covered the other girl's face in angry splotches.

"You…you know what, you're just a creep! A stupid, perverted creep! And you know what else?!"

"I'm a creep?" Masquerade finished, sounding as though he were bored of this conversation…creep.

Runo didn't have time to think of a retort scathing enough to satisfy just how angry she was with him as Julie suddenly burst out laughing, clapping her hands together. "Oh, this is great! Great!"

"What're you talking about?!" Runo turned on the Australian, hands itching to grab that head of silver hair and beat it against the wall. "What the hell is so great?! Nothing about this is great!"

Alice gave Julie a warning look, blinking rapidly in attempted Morse code in case she couldn't understand the meaning of 'warning looks'. Julie seemed to catch it alright; it still took a few moments for the giggling to subside into a few giddy chuckles. "Aw, Runo, just look on the bright side of this."

Flabbergasted and insulted. That's how Runo looked right now. "What bright side?!"

Masquerade opened his mouth, ready to deliver a cynical comment, then closed it again. Perhaps mentioning that the bright side was getting to torture him was something best kept to himself…

"Just a bright side," Julie said, her voice a high, happy trill that made Runo want to throttle her. "It's no big deal…"

Runo pointed viciously at Masquerade, still glowering at the silver-haired girl. "I have made it clear that there's nothing between me and him, right? You do know he's just being a creep who says creepy stuff, right?"

"Yeah yeah." Julie waved it off, a small, pleased smile still dancing around her lips. "I know, I know. You hate him, it's just by unfortunate coincidence that is seems like you two like each other, blah blah blah, that same old story."

She couldn't think of anything else to say to that, to make the truth any clearer, that wouldn't end up blowing out everyone's eardrums. Instead, she resorted to a harmless scowl, jamming her hand into her jacket pocket and back out, throwing something small and white at Masquerade. He didn't have enough time to duck, could only jump back as it bounced off the glass mask, falling to the floor with a loud clatter. Masquerade stared down at it, dubious.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in doing drugs."

"Idiot," Runo growled, bending down and forcibly shoving the container into his hand hastily. She didn't waste time in getting back up and taking a few steps away. "Tylenol. Some stupid pain reliever stuff, figured it might get you to shut up."

"…Ah. I see." Masquerade stared at it, slowly turning it over in his hand. Carefully, he unscrewed the top, sniffing it suspiciously. "Just what kind of poison did you put in it, and how much."

"OH MY GOD!" Runo threw up her hands as she stalked back out of the room. "YOU'RE IMPOSSIBLE!"

"I could say the same thing about you," Masquerade called out, shaking the Tylenol container absentmindedly, making sure none of the pills fell to the floor. "I'm pretty sure I also need a glass of water with these!"

"I'll get one for you," Alice said as she stood up hurriedly, twisting her hands together nervously. "Julie, you should probably get back to Marucho's…"

"Oh, yeah, sure." With an elaborate, bored yawn, Julie clambered off the bed. She stepped forward, nudging Masquerade with her foot. "OK, you, get back in you closet. Don't want you climbing out the window to escape or anything…"

"Do you really think that I'd try to climb out a window after that?" Masquerade drew back, trying to avoid Julie's foot. "Hey, stop that…"

"Not until you get back in!" Strange how someone so…preppy while forcing a person into captivity.

"What is this, a prison? I have rights, you can't treat me this way…"

"Don't care!" Julie chirruped, finally just stooping down and propelling him inside, shutting the door before he could retaliate or protest. His hand reached and grasped the knob, ready to twist it. He stopped; a loud, scraping noise just outside. Great…just great…he personally found the dresser rather unnecessary.

…And now he was all alone in a dark closet…even better

He groaned again as he leaned his head uncomfortably against the wall as a shock of discomfort raced up his spine and into the base of his neck, gripping the little bottle in his hand tight. As much as he found himself distrusting it, it couldn't hurt to take one…no, he should wait for some water, didn't want to choke on it…

Another flash of pain. Screw that, he wasn't going to wait for some water. With something akin to ferocity, he jammed a few fingers into the container; with some struggle, he managed to wriggle to small, white pills out. Without any sort of dawdling, he dipped his head back and tossed the pills down his throat. He took a deep gulp; how uncomfortable it was, how he wanted to just cough them out…

He swallowed again, and down they slipped. Ugh, disgusting…should have waited for water…