Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan.

Enjoy!

Chapter 10: The Opposition

Alice finished putting away all of the produce and placed the canvas bags back in the cabinet. She sighed in relief. She was glad that she was able to get back to the apartment before Shun. She looked at her watch and saw that her boyfriend should be back any minute.

She decided to figure out what to make for dinner and grabbed a recipe book. She plopped on the couch and flipped open the book. Alice flipped page after page, hoping something would catch her eye. After twenty minutes, Alice tossed the book on the couch with a sigh.

"Looks like someone is frustrated." Alice turned around, startled by the voice that came from behind her. Shun smiled and gave her a quick kiss. "Sorry if I startled you." She giggled. "It's ok. You're home sooner than I thought you would be."

Shun walked around the couch and set himself down next to her. "Yeah, work was really slow, so they let me leave early."

"Oh, ok. So what would you like to eat for dinner?" The Russian rested her elbows on her knees and rested her chin in her hands. Her eyes stared into Shun's honey colored ones, waiting for his answer.

They sat staring at each other for several long moments in silence. They both laughed when they realized what they were doing. "I don't know. We'll have whatever you decide."

She rolled her eyes. "That's what you always say." She grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him. He caught with ease as she got up and headed for the kitchen. "Fine. I'll come up with something."

Shun laughed and moved to the window. The sun was beginning to set. He loved watching the sunset as well as watching the moonrise. It was his favorite part of the day. 'If it wasn't for this target above my head, it would be perfect for a walk.'

A knock was suddenly heard. Shun turned his head sharply to the door. He immediately went on alert. "Alice? Were you expecting someone?"

She poked her head out of the kitchen. "No, were you?" Shun shook his head. He moved to the door. "Stay there." Alice nodded and waited to see who it was.

Shun made sure he was properly armed before he even unlocked the door. He left the door chain locked, even though it really didn't do any good if someone wanted to get in. He pulled the door open until the chain was taut.

"Hello, I was wondering if an orange haired young lady lived here. I think she dropped some of her money." A violet haired woman answered as soon as the door was open. The young ninja stared at her. 'I know her. I'm sure of it.' He just couldn't put his finger on her identity.

"Who are you? What do you want?" He demanded.

She blinked a few times, and then smiled. "My name is Shay."

Alice took a step when she heard the name. "It's ok, I ran into her earlier." Shun looked at her from the corner of his eye. One of his eyebrows was raised in a silent question. Alice suddenly felt nervous. "I-I-I went to the nearby farmers market. I was only gone for a few minutes, not long."

Shun returned all his focus onto Shay. He believed Alice, but his instincts were sounding alarm bells. Something wasn't right.

Shay's smile sent a shiver down his spine. "It isn't nice leaving a young lady outside in the dark. It's awfully dangerous out here."

Shun's eyes suddenly narrowed and he gave a low growl. Alice became tense when she saw the young ninja silently pull out one of his shurikens. "Panther." He hissed the word like it was acid.

A silent minute went by, no one spoke nor moved a muscle. Then chaos erupted without warning.

Shun jumped backwards as the door was kicked open. The sound of wood cracking was deafening in the silence. Alice moved back into the kitchen, losing sight of the fight that was happening in the other room. She grabbed the first thing that would be deemed as a good enough weapon: a long kitchen knife. She went back to the doorway and watched what was happening.

As soon as the door was breached, Panther charged forward and threw a punch. Shun easily dodged it and jumped over the couch, trying to put an obstacle between him and his assailant.

Panther was a woman that was attractive and looked to be completely harmless. Shun was no fool. He could tell right away that she could take him out if she really wanted to. He could tell when someone was trained in the ways of the ninja.

She easily leaped over the piece of furniture and used her momentum to launch a kick. Shun blocked it and retaliated with a kick of his own. By the time Alice had returned to the doorway, she was watching the two in the middle of a deadly dance.

For a lot of people that were in a fight, one would be talking trying to distract the other. When two ninjas fought, conversation was pointless. They were busy looking for areas of weakness to use against their opponent. This method was much more effective.

Alice had a hard time keeping up with what was going on. The two combatants were nothing but a blur to her.

'She's faster than the last time we fought.' Shun was barely able to block a kick aimed for his head. He lashed out with a kick-punch combination. Panther easily blocked it, but she was forced to back up a few steps. This left her wide open and Shun didn't hesitate. He pulled out two of his kunai knives and quickly threw them.

Panther saw the flash of metal at the last minute. She immediately back flipped, keeping herself from catching a sharp blade. Unfortunately, she was not quite fast enough. As she was coming out of her flip, one of the kunai went by her, making a deep gash on her right side. She landed and glared at the raven-haired ninja. "You got a lucky shot, but it won't happen a second time."

The violet-haired ninja jumped forward, intent on tackling her adversary. Instead, she found the wall behind her intended target. Shun had dashed to the side and kicked the coffee table toward Panther. "Run, Alice!"

She didn't need anymore prompting. As soon as Shun finishing yelling, Alice left her hiding place, ran out of the door, and down the hallway as fast as she could.

Shun placed himself between the door and Panther, ensuring that Alice couldn't be followed.

"Oh, no, she isn't getting away that easy." Shun dodged a punch that was aimed for his face. Unfortunately, that was what Panther had anticipated.

The last thing Shun saw before darkness engulfed him was Panther's foot making contact with his head.

~S~

What do ya'll think about Panther (Shay)? I had been thinking about her for quite a while and now that she has finally been introduced into the story I'm curious what everyone thinks about her. Ok, here is where ya'll get to participate. Do you think Panther is a good or bad? The answers with the majority of votes will be how this character will be presented in later chapters. If you aren't sure which one, that's ok. This will be going on for several chapters.

On another note, there will not be a chapter until sometime next week. My work is way behind schedule and it's a holiday weekend. :D Everyone be careful, I have already seen a lot of wrecks on the roads. Don't forget to have fun. I look forward to your reviews! See ya'll next time! *SaphirePearl*