Author's Note: One more to go after this chapter! I'm excited. Are you excited? As always, thank you to EVERYONE who left feedback! If you like this chapter, please leave a review as well!

Five: Mira

Mira padded through the Bakugan Battle Brawler headquarters in her sock feet. It was late, and she was dressed in a simple night shirt and pants. She held two cups of hot chocolate, both steaming and milky. One was for her, but the other was for the one she sought.

The dojo doors stuck out like sore thumbs in the midst of the headquarters, but Mira knew the room beyond them was even more out of place.

Shifting the cups to one hand, Mira pushed open the door and stepped into the room. As the door closed behind her, she paused. Sitting in the centre of the somewhat bare room was Shun. He sat on his knees with his hands folded on his lap. From this angle, Mira couldn't tell if his eyes were closed or not, but the relaxed nature of his shoulders betrayed his deep meditative state.

"Hello, Mira," said Shun. Mira smiled and shifted the cups back to separate hands. She padded across the room and crouched in front of Shun, setting down the cups between them.

"Hello, Shun," she replied. "It's late, I thought you could use something warm." The long sleeves of Mira's night shirt kept her somewhat warm in the dojo, but it was still one of the coldest rooms in the house. Shun, who was so fond of his sleeveless outfits, had to be cold. Even if he wasn't showing it.

Shun opened his eyes and picked up one of the mugs. He sipped the hot chocolate before resting the mug and his hands in his lap again.

"Thank you," he said. Mira picked up her own mug and sipped at it. The heat spread from her throat all the way to the tips of her toes. She hummed.

For a few moments – perhaps a minute, perhaps more – neither said anything. Shun stared at his mug, his gaze distant and shoulders relaxed. Mira stared at Shun, her eyes narrowed and her brow furrowed.

"Are you all right, Shun?" asked Mira.

Shun looked up at her. "Hmm?" The noise was curious, if distant, and he frowned slightly at her. "Of course," he said. "Why do you ask?"

Mira sighed. She traced her fingers across the rim of the mug. "Well, the Brawlers have been through a lot lately. With Wiseman and the Mechtogan wreaking havoc, I thought you might be a little stressed." She left out the part about the strained tensions between the Brawlers. About the way Dan and Shun barely spoke to one another anymore. About how worried Marucho was after hearing Shun had tried to take on a Mechtogan by himself and was saved in the nick of time.

"Really?" asked Shun. He raised an eyebrow at Mira. She ducked her head. Watched her reflection in the dark liquid of her hot chocolate. Of course he'd know she was hiding something.

"Mira, I'm all right," said Shun. Mira looked up. The warmth and concern in Shun's eyes was almost alien. She'd rarely seen him look so… human. Sure, she knew he was. After all, she'd been friends with Shun for years. But he guarded his expression more closely than most.

"You're sure?" asked Mira.

Shun nodded. "We've saved the world before, we'll do it again. I'm not terribly concerned about Wiseman. Yes, the Mechtogan are a new threat, but not one we haven't dealt with in Interspace." He tilted his head – it was slight, but Mira noticed the way his eyes narrowed.

"I have a feeling we're missing something about all this," he said. "Something important."

Mira nodded. She frowned tightly and tried not to let her exhaustion show in her eyes. "So do I, but I can't imagine what that is. And with all the new technology I'm working with, I don't have time to solve any more mysteries."

I'll see what I can do," said Shun. "Maybe your brother will have some insight. He usually does when it comes to supervillain motivations." There was a dryness in his voice that made Mira laugh. The sound startled her. It bubbled out of her throat and exploded into the dojo. She put a hand over her mouth to quell it. Took a few deep breaths and then managed to calm herself.

"That's so terrible," she said, unable to hold back a grin.

Shun smirked. "Is it?" he asked, and there was that half-cheeky half-teasing tone of his. The one she loved so much. "I'll remember that."

Mira shook her head. "You are something else."

"I try," said Shun, still smirking.

Mira bit her lip. Now that she was thinking about her brother, there was something else she wanted to tell Shun. "You know," she said. "Keith and Gus are getting married."

Shun's eyebrows shot up. A warm, quiet smile broke through his smirk. "Really? That's wonderful," he said. The warmth in his voice matched the rest of him. "When is it? Are we invited?"

Mira couldn't help but smile broadly at Shun. It was rare to see him so excited about something. So unabashedly happy.

"Actually, they're currently arguing over who gets you for a best man," said Mira. "The loser gets Dan."

Shun snorted. "Oh, he'll love that," he said.

"Apparently, they believe you are the main reason they're together," said Mira drily. "You wouldn't know why that is, would you?"

Shun's ears pinked. "I may have threatened Keith into telling Gus," he said slowly.

Mira's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"No," said Shun, shaking his head. "I, uh, I told him I'd throw him off Marucho's roof if he didn't tell Gus." He rubbed the back of his neck. The gesture was so like Dan that, for a moment, Mira saw Dan sitting across from her, not Shun.

"Quite the negotiation skills you have, Shun," said Mira. She studied him closely. At the small smile on his face. At the way his body language was already shifting back to its usual state.

"So," she said. She hesitated. But then, she knew this was her best shot, so she pushed on ahead. "What kind of threat would it take to get you to tell Dan?" she asked.

Shun grimaced. "We're really going to do this tonight?" he asked.

"Yes, we are," said Mira. "And you're not surprised, which means you knew I knew."

Shun snorted. "A lot of people know," said Shun. "You're hardly the first to figure it out."

"Who else?" asked Mira. She frowned, her head tilted to one side. Surely not everyone but Dan had figured it out. Shun was hardly transparent. But then, once you knew Shun liked someone, it wasn't hard to figure out who that was. Dan was the only person Shun was close to. The only person Shun had ever dedicated himself to. Knowing Shun was in love took away 99% of the mystery.

"Alice, Julie, Fabia." A pause. "Your brother."

"Keith knows?" asked Mira. Her voice was sharp and incredulous. Her eyebrows flew into her hairline. "For how long?"

Shun winced. The pink was returning to his ears. "Since he joined the Brawlers," he said in a tiny voice.

"That was three years ago!" said Mira. She shook her head. "That's… So Gus knows, then. Because Keith tells him everything. Which means I was literally the one person in my family not to know."

Shun nodded, his lips pressed into a tight line. "Yeah," he said simply.

"You're something else," said Mira. She set down her mug and rubbed her hands over her legs.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" asked Shun, raising an eyebrow.

Mira sighed. "I don't know." She fiddled with her hands, studying the scars she'd picked up over the years. After what felt like an impossibly long time, she looked Shun in the eye.

"You should-"

"Don't," said Shun sharply. "Everyone always says that, so just. Don't."

Mira nodded. "Okay." She reached out and rested her hand on Shun's knee. "I'm here if you need me, though."

"Thanks," said Shun. He sighed. "I'll figure this out eventually."

"I know you will," said Mira. And she did. She had all the faith in the world in Shun.