Disclaimer: Do not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers.
Chapter 4: New Home
Shun was awakened by the shaking of his shoulder. He turned his head to see the officer that had escorted him to the Courthouse standing above him. "Sorry to wake you but I suggest you eat before you are transferred today. It might be a while before you get your next meal." Shun nodded and sat up as the officer left, leaving the tray of food behind. Shun then registered what the officer said. He looked out the small window across from his cell and could see that the sun had risen. He had slept the rest of the day before and all through night without waking up once. 'Wow, I guess I was more tired than I thought.'
He picked up his meager meal and slowly ate half of it. It wasn't all that great but he didn't complain. He just tried making himself get used to the way this food tasted since he had to get used to it anyways. After he finished eating, he laid back down but didn't go back to sleep.
After what felt like a couple of hours, the same officer came back holding a set of clothes. These would be the clothes that he would be wearing for the next six years. Shun took the clothes from the officer along with a plastic bag and was instructed to put his street clothes into the bag. Shun nodded and then quickly changed. He looked at himself once he put everything on and shook his head in disgust. It was definitely not him, but he didn't have a choice in the matter. He wore a white undershirt, dark blue pants that felt similar to scrubs and a light blue over shirt. He had to exchange his regular shoes for dark blue slip on shoes and they had no laces. He had to admit that the shoes were pretty comfortable. He put his old clothes in the back along with his shoes and sealed it. He looked at them for a little while, memorizing the stitching, knowing that he would see them when he got out six years from now.
The officer returned and took the now full plastic bag from Shun and left to put it with the other supplies that would be going to the prison. He made sure that the bag was sealed tightly and labeled to ensure that it would be returned to the rightful owner when the time came.
Another hour passed and the bus that would take its' new prisoners to the prison had arrived. Shun was handcuffed and escorted to where a line with other prisoners were waiting to board. They slowly made their way on board, while an officer asked for names and checked them off his list. When everyone was on board and secured, the bus pulled out and made it's way to the prison.
The Penitentiary Prison was located 20 miles outside of Wardington. Out in the middle of nowhere, so even if prisoners did escape they wouldn't get far because there wasn't anything for miles. As they got closer, Shun could see the landscape and smiled. If he were to escape, he would be able to get away easily. There was plenty of trees and underbrush that he could hide in, thanks to his ninja training. He sighed and leaned the side of his head against the window, trying to enjoy as much of the scenery as he could.
The bus finally arrived at the prison two hours later and it came to a stop to allow its' passengers to depart. The prisoners filed off the bus, names were checked off and boxes were piled next to the building where prison guards were moving them inside. The prisoners were sent through examinations and questioning, given another pair of clothes and a box that held allowed personal items in it as well as extra blankets. Then they were separated into groups then each group was escorted to their section of the prison.
Shun noticed he was being placed in the B wing of the prison. Which was one of the wings that were located in the middle of the prison. Once they entered through several solid metaled doors, they entered a giant room. The wing was three stories high with cells lined in a long the walls except the wall that was right above the security booth. The group was then split into three lines and each group was escorted to each of the levels. Shun was placed on the second level and was the last to be assigned to a cell. The guard stopped in front of a cell and talked into his radio for it to be opened. Once the door opened the guard pushed Shun inside. "Now be sure you two get along. No causing trouble or its solitary confinement for 30 days, got it?" The guard left before there was an answer.
Shun looked at the man who was sitting on the bottom bunk. He was a big man that was well muscled, with both of his arms covered in tattoos. His skin was a light chocolate color, with a clean-shaven head and a full goatee. He sat with his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together. His piercing green eyes were looking Shun up and down as if he was trying to determine if he was going to be a threat or not.
The big man suddenly stood up and extended his hand to Shun. "The name is Jin Mariachi. What's yours?" Shun was surprised at the friendly greeting and set his box down. He straightened and took the offered hand. "I'm Shun Kazami." Jin then gave a full smile. "I think the two of us are going to get along just fine." He then let go of Shun's hand and sat back down. "Why's that?" The young ninja asked, curious as to why the man suddenly thought that.
"Because, you don't look like someone who wants to cause trouble." Shun nodded at the man's observation. Jin pointed above him, "You can have the top since you seem to be much lighter. " Shun agreed and got himself settled. He pulled out his picture that showed all six Brawlers after they had saved New Vestroia from the Vestals. He climbed up onto the top bunk without any difficulty and just stared at the picture. 'Those were such easier times.' He mused as he looked at the faces of all of his friends. Shun then found his thoughts going to his old Bakugan partner, Skyress. He sighed and thought how disappointed she would be if she found out what he had got himself into. He loved all of the Bakugan partners he had, but Skyress held a special place in his heart. Maybe it was because his mother was the one who gave him his first Bakugan partner and she would talk to him as if he was her child.
"Friends of yours?" Jin's question made Shun jump a little, not expecting to be talked to. "Yeah, they are my closest friends. I can't wait to see them again." His cellmate nodded. "By the looks of them, they seem to be really nice." Shun smiled. "They are the best. They promised me that they would meet me when I finally was released from here." Jin placed his big hand on his shoulder. "That's a wonderful promise." Then the big man disappeared from view. Shun felt the bunk move a little, alerting him that Jin had gotten onto his bunk. "Well, Shun, keep that promise in mind. Until that day, welcome to your new home."
~S~
Elsewhere in the same wing, yet in another cell found a man lying on his bed. He had short light brown hair, sharp cold blue eyes; he was pretty well muscled but he carried a little bit of weight on his belly. He had tattoos along his arms, neck and chest. On one hand was tattooed the word Blood and on the on the other was the word Raven. When he made a fist and put them next to each other, one could see it as Blood Raven. That was the name of his gang. This man's name was Vasquez. He was someone that no one should ever cross. He was cold hearted and ruthless. He enjoyed pain that others were put through as well as killing when necessary.
His cellmate was from his gang, his right hand man. He was not as muscled as Vasquez, but he could still hold his own. He had short red spiky hair with brown eyes and small stubbles showing that his beard was coming in. He was skinny, but tall and he was very smart.
"Travis, I think it's time to gain some recruits, don't you think?" Vasquez asked his cellmate. Travis looked at his boss for a moment. "If we are going to recruit then we need to move fast. The newbies just got here and it won't be long until they are all taken." His boss smiled his predatory smile. "I agree. It shouldn't be too difficult." There was a sudden loud buzzer and all of the cell doors slid open. Vasquez sat up, still smiling. "I suggest we get started." Then the two made their way out of the cell.
~S~
Shun sat up straight, heart pounding and eyes wide. Jin had stopped in his stretching to look at him with bewilderment. "You ok?" Shun made himself calm down, not realizing that he had dozed off at some point. "Yeah, that buzzer just startled me." Jin chuckled. "That buzzer always scares everyone who first gets here. Don't worry you will get used to it." Jin grabbed his over shirt and put it on and walked to the door. He turned to Shun, "You coming?"
Shun looked at Jin, "Go where?" He was confused on what was going on. Jin turned around and leaned against the doorframe. "Every day the guards open all the cells to let us walk around and be able to get out of these stuffy cells. It only last a couple of hours so I suggest take advantage of it." Shun nodded and jumped down to the floor and he too grabbed his over shirt and slipped it on. He followed Jin out of their cell and placed his hands on the railing. He could see everyone walking out of their cells and talking to one another. He could also see quite a few of the prisoners glare and argue at each other, but they never escalated into a full out fight.
"There is quite of few people here." Shun observed, mostly talking to him self. Jin chuckled, "Yeah, and believe or not, this place is almost completely full." Shun was shocked to hear that. He didn't think prisons were that full, but apparently he was wrong. "So, are there others that you hang with?" Shun changed the subject, still processing this new information. Jin shook his head as he leaned his back lightly against the rail. "Not really, most of the men in here I don't want to affiliate with." Shun nodded in understanding. He didn't see anyone he was interested in getting to know either.
"Hey, boss, you will never guess what I just found." A voice called out. Shun's eyes widened and he stood stock-still. He didn't dare to breathe or turn his head. He knew that voice. "What did you find, Travis?" Suddenly a hand grabbed his left arm and spun him around until he was face to face with Vasquez.
The cruel man's eyes widened then he gave a big grin. "Well, well. I haven't seen this rat in ages." Vasquez's grip became tighter and Shun could start to feel his arm to tingle from the loss of circulation. He kept on a blank expression while he was screaming in horror on the inside. 'That isn't possible. How is it we ended up in the same place?'
Vasquez pulled Shun closer. "I'm going to make you pay for what you did, you little rat. No one walks out with out paying the price." Shun saw his fist pull back and he closed his eyes, bracing for the pain that was going to come. After several moments, he cautiously opened his eyes and was surprised to see a hand was holding onto Vasquez's wrist. He turned and saw Jin had stopped Vasquez from moving any further.
"That's enough. I don't care what your issue with him is, but you are not going to fight here. Now leave, before I get angry." Vasquez growled then jerked his arm out of Jin's iron grip. Then he gave one more painful squeeze on Shun's arm then pushed him away. "Let's go." The gang leader said gruffly as he turned with the rest of his posse and left.
Shun sighed in relief when they were all gone. He put his hands on the rail and used his arms to try and keep him from falling to the floor. He noticed that his entire body shook from a mixture of adrenaline, pain, and terror. 'Out of all places, why was I placed in the same place as that lunatic?'
A hand was placed gently on Shun's shoulder and he looked up to see Jin looking at him with concern. "Are you ok?" Shun nodded. "Yeah, I just need a moment." He concentrated on slowing down his breathing and willed his body to stop shaking so much. After a couple of minutes, Shun felt like he had calmed down enough to be able to walk back into his cell without falling over right away. He slowly let go of the railing and carefully but quickly retreated to his cell. Once inside, he clumsily climbed onto his bed where he fell onto his side and drew his knees up in an attempt to calm him self down even more.
Jin had followed behind the young ninja, watching how he quickly retreated to a corner and curled in onto himself. The big man couldn't help but be reminded of his nephew who adored him. He slowly walked to the bed and looked at Shun. Jin suddenly saw him struggling to keep tears at bay, but not realizing that the big man was standing right in front of him. He felt sorry for the young man, he could just imagine the terror he felt when Vasquez confronted him. Jin had no idea what made him a target to that heartless man, but it apparently wasn't good in that cruel man's eyes.
Shun was lost in his own world; one that was filled with pain and terror. He thought that this was behind him, but now he realized that it had only begun. He suddenly realized that his chances for survival just got much slimmer. Shun figured he would have to stand up for himself against other prisoners, but instead he found himself up against the man he wished he would never see again. The same man that swore that he would get revenge because he had not only walked out of the gang but he also turned in Vasquez to the police so that he would be arrested and locked up. Of course, he did it as an anonymous tip at the time, but Vasquez still had figured out it was him somehow. He unconsciously touched the right side of his chest, remembering the pain that a bullet caused.
"Shun!" the yell as well as the rough shake of his shoulder brought Shun back into reality. He looked up and saw Jin standing in front of him with worry written all over his face. "Are you ok? Did he hurt you?" Shun was surprised that his cellmate was caring this much about him. He assumed that he was going to have to fend for himself. 'I guess I was wrong in that assumption.' He slowly sat up careful to not accidentally hit Jin. "I'm ok, just shaken up a little bit." Jin nodded then patted Shun's arm, where Vasquez had gripped it. Shun let out a hiss before he could stop himself. Jin was all over him in a second, commanding him to remove his outer shirt. The young ninja did as we as told, figuring that it was probably better to not argue with the big man.
After a moment of Jin looking at his arm, he muttered, "It could be worse." Shun looked down at his arm after his cellmate let go. A giant bruise was forming; it started from right above his elbow and ended about two inches below his shoulder. It was also in the shape of a handprint. Shun sighed and put his outer shirt back on. "Don't worry, I've had worse." Thanks to his Grandfather's training, a bruise was nothing compares to some of the injuries he got during training.
Jin reluctantly nodded, "Ok, but if it get's worse, you better tell me." He warned. Shun couldn't help but give a small laugh. "I'm sorry, but you sound like the way my Grandfather would threaten me if an injury got worse." The big man suddenly gave a small laugh of his own when he heard that. "Well, I guess you can say that you aren't alone in this forsaken place." Shun nodded relieved that at least he had one friend in this entire place.
~S~
This chapter was longer than usual but it was necessary since key characters had to be introduced and their relationship with Shun. A big shout of thanks to srtikedeathkd53019 and Copperpelt for their reviews! Hope you enjoyed it! Remember to leave a review! *SaphirePearl*
