Alice

I was walking to the dinning hall for breakfast that morning, and was still in my pajamas. You didn't have to dress up for breakfast, right? I took my usual seat, and scooted my chair up closer to the table. I looked around and saw the chair at the end was empty. I asked, "Is Shun still asleep?" Dan leaned forward to look at Shun's chair, and said, "I guess he is. He didn't look like he felt well last night."

I had to agree with Dan, but then again I knew Shun was getting sick. I sighed when my plate of food was placed in front of me. It seemed like the same old thing everyday; wake up, eat, listen to the same arguments, and then go back to sleep. Rinse and repeat. Don't get me wrong, I loved my friends to death, but sometimes they could be much too predictable at times.

I felt like I needed something different to break to monotony. Dan asked me, "Aren't you going to eat, Alice?" I looked down at my plate. I had only touched a small portion of my breakfast, and didn't want anymore. I shook my head and said, "No. I'm not all that hungry." Runo then asked, "You're not getting sick too, are you Alice?" I shook my head and Dan said, "Well, if you're not gunna eat that, can I have it?"

I smiled and pushed the plate towards him. "Go for it." Dan's eyes lit up, and I stood from the table and pushed my chair back under the table. Runo asked, "Where are you going?" I told her, "I'm just going to run up to my room and change real quick." She nodded her head, and I hurried out of the dinning area before anyone else became a distraction. I kept my word and went straight to my room and changed into a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt. I kept my white socks on my feet though.

When I stepped back in the hall, I could hear the others downstairs laughing and having their routine good time as usual. Normally I would be down there with them and doing the same, but for some reason I didn't want to. Not that day at least. I walked down the hall to return back downstairs, but stopped in front of Shun's closed door. It wouldn't hurt anything if I went in there to check on him, right?

He was sick anyway and might need something. I knocked on the door out of common courtesy, but got no answer back. I slowly opened the door, and stepped inside. Shun was still asleep in his bed, and he hadn't even noticed my entrance into his room. I moved a little closer when he moved and his eyes opened.

They stood out even in the room that was lit up with the morning sun. "Alice?" Since I wasn't expecting Shun to wake up, I was at a complete loss for words to explain why I was in his room. He must have thought that I was stalking him or something. That's what I would have thought if I saw somebody standing in my room while I was sleeping. He sat up and asked, "What are you doing in here? What time is it anyway?"

He looked around for a clock. "It's a little past nine. I was just checking in on you since you didn't come down for breakfast, and I knew you weren't feeling well. Do you need anything?" I was thankful that the room was only dimly lit, so my blush was hidden. I could feel that awkwardness, but it faded when Shun smiled at me.

He shook his head and said, "No, I'm fine. But thanks for making sure I'm alright. I was just going to lay in bed for the day." I didn't get it. He sounded and acted like me being in his room without his ok, was completely normal while it was alien to me.

Then again, Shun was much more calmer than me and didn't freak out over everything. I started to walk back towards the door and said, "Well, if you need anything, just ask. None of us are going anywhere today." He nodded, and I slipped out of the room and shut the door. I felt like I could breathe again, but couldn't help but have the feeling that he was still looking at me somehow.

Shun

I wasn't expecting to wake up and find Alice standing in my room. That was for sure. She had come to check on me and see if I needed anything. I could hear in her voice that part of what she had said was true, but the other half told me something else. I couldn't figure it out though. Not feeling in the mood to think it over, I laid back into my bed and tried to go back to sleep. Pointless. There was no way I'd be able to fall back asleep.

Not with my thoughts waking up and starting to fight again. Inside my mind, I was still debating whether or not to go to Murucho's party, or just go back to the dojo. Right then, I would have consulted a Magic 8 Ball if it meant I got an answer that I didn't have to pick on my own. Sadly, I didn't have one. Like it would have given me an actual answer anyway. Those things were only designed for yes, no, maybe, or try again later.

I turned my head and looked at the little poinsettia that Murucho had made Kato put in all of the rooms at some point. It was starting to wilt from lack of water. It didn't matter. It was one of those that you buy at Wal-mart and that are designed to die after a few weeks. With or without water. So it wasn't my fault that the plant was dying. I sighed and took my attention away from the plant.

I was only focusing on it to refrain from thinking about Alice. All I wanted was to know how she felt about me, and if I was wasting my time to try and get her to like me. My door opened back up, and Alice stepped inside. "You're back so soon?" She raised an eyebrow at me and said, "It's been like three hours." I reached for my phone and looked at the time. Sure enough, it was 12 noon.

Three hours had slipped by my without me even knowing. "Looks like I lost track of time…..Are you just going to stand there or what?" She walked in my room the rest of the way, but left the door open behind her. She didn't seem as on guard as when she was in my room earlier.

Alice seemed more calmed down. Then again, I hadn't randomly woken up and startled her. She asked, "I was just checking in on you again." I appreciated the concern she was giving me, but it was unneeded in my opinion. I was feeling fine other than a the phantom ghost of my headache from last night.

I didn't even feel like my fever was still lingering. I said, "I'm still fine." She nodded her head, then asked, "So, are you still debating on whether you're going to the party in a few days?" I thought for a minute and said honestly, "I don't think I'm going to go." Her eyes widened in surprise, and I also saw a glimmer of sadness behind them.

Great. Look what you've done now. She asked, "But why? I thought you were going to go." I bit my lower lip as I thought of my reason to not go. I. Had. Nothing. "I guess I just changed my mind when I thought about it." Alice didn't say anything, and neither did I. I couldn't think of anything else to say or tell her.

She said, "Well, I'll be back in a few hours and see how you're doing then." I nodded my head and watched as she walked out of my room again. I sighed. Smooth.

Alice

I felt like all my efforts were for nothing. Shun wasn't going to the party, and my assignment to make him go was a failure. I didn't care that the others wanted him to go, because I wanted him to go. I wanted to be there at the party with him and talk to him. Why hadn't I just told him that instead of letting him walk? But did him not wanting to go, mean that all of those days were nothing? Meaningless?

Pointless? No. They couldn't be. Murucho had told me himself that Shun liked me, and even Shun admitted he had feelings for me. Murucho wouldn't lie to me about something like this, and I knew Shun wouldn't either. Why didn't he want to go then? I was sure if he liked me back that he would have gone. Could it be that I was wrong? The others were still downstairs, but I didn't go back to them.

Instead, I stayed in the sitting area, and sat down to think. Where had things took a turn without me knowing? I needed some time to myself to think and figure this out. My time alone though, was short lived when I heard somebody walking into the room. I expected it to be Dan or Murucho, but was surprised to see Shun.

I looked at him and said, "You should be resting." I told him that more to get him to leave so I could think than out of his own health and wellbeing. He said, "I just wanted to tell you that I changed my mind again." I looked at him and said, "So you're going to the party now?" He smiled at me and said, "Yeah. I guess it was the fever talking back there." Me and him both knew that was a lie, but I didn't care.

I asked, "What made you decide to change your mind again?" He leaned against the wall and said, "The look in your eyes." I looked at him and was taken aback. "What do you mean?" He said, "Well, when I told you I wasn't going, I saw that it upset you. The only reason I didn't want to go all of a sudden, was because I was starting to get a little paranoid I guess you could say."

I raised an eyebrow at him and he said, "Yeah, yeah. I know. Not the best way to explain it, but it was the easiest." I stood up from the couch and said, "Ok. Let me make sure of this. You are going to the party, right?"

He rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "Yes. Do I have to sign a contract for you to have my word." I laughed and said, "Perhaps. So that way you won't start getting 'paranoid' again." He rolled his eyes and held up his right hand as if he were taking an oath. "I solemnly swear I will go to the party and not change my mind. But only because of you." My face heated up a little.

I laughed and said, "I guess I can accept that. It seemed legitimate enough." He shook his head and rolled his eyes. Dan then walked in the room with the others tagging along behind him. He saw Shun and said, "Hey! Good to see you up and around, buddy!"

Murucho then ran into the room and said frantically, "We don't have time for chitchat! We need to find the numbers of all of the others Brawlers and see how many are going!" Dan rolled his eyes and said to me, "He's freaking out again, and he'll only get worse if we don't help." I giggled and nodded my head.

FREE! FREE! FREE! I'M FREE! lol ^^ no more school till next year! wooooo! dontcha just luv x-mas? well, next chappie will be the party. XP well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~