Siruba Tsubasa presents...

The Origins of the Innocence...a Bakugan Battle Brawlers and D. Gray-man crossover fanfic

Siruba Tsubasa does not own Bakugan Battle Brawlers or D. Gray-man...if she did, Skyress would still be Shun's guardian bakugan

Please R&R

"That's it. I guess we know who's responsible."

The laughter and cheers stopped abruptly at Shun's statement. "So it's Webmaster Joe then," Dan said.

"Yes, it has to be him. He's the only one who has access to our website and all of our communications," Marucho confirmed.

"Joe…?" Runo sounded disappointed and sad.

Alice looked up at the night sky. "Hm…I wonder where he is right now…"

Everyone was silent as they thought about the new revelations. Finally, Marucho broke the silence. "C'mon guys, let's go back to the plane!" he chirped. "Since Dan defeated Chan Lee, we have to celebrate!" Dan, Runo, and Julie cheered in agreement. Alice, ever the considerate one, asked if he needed help, while Shun just smiled. They'll never change…

The walk back to the plane was full of laughter and cheers as Dan recounted his battle against Chan Lee. Shun trailed behind the group, content with just listening most of the time and throwing in a sarcastic comment every now and then. Shun let a rare smile to curve his lips, something which didn't go unnoticed by Skyress.

"What are you smiling about?" Skyress asked.

"It's just perfect. The laughter, the cheers, the bickering… Sometimes I wish things can stay like this forever…" Shun said softly.

"Yes… this is perfect in it's own way," she agreed. Shun walked quietly behind the group, enjoying the ever-familiar scene of Dan and Runo screeching at each other and the others trying to calm them down, feeling somewhat sentimental and peaceful, when, unfortunately, Skyress began glowing green in a way that Shun had grown to associate with the presence of 'those things'.

"Oh no…" Shun whispered. "Here too?"

"That appears to be so," Skyress replied.

"Where?"

Skyress turned towards the direction from which they had come. Shun thought for a moment, weighing his options, before calling: "Hey guys, head back to the plane without me, alright?"

"Why, Shun?" Dan asked.

"I just noticed something strange, I thought I'd go check it out." The lie came easily. It was, after all, not the first time he had to conceal where he was going. His grandfather had, on several occasions, questioned him on his whereabouts, and he had been forced to lie, since he highly doubted that his grandfather would believe the truth.

"I'm coming with you!" Dan declared. Shun winced. Not a good idea. If it started firing off those bullets… Shun could barely manage to dodge them sometimes, and he had training. For Dan, who had no martial arts experience whatsoever… No, it was best to go alone, even though having Drago along might help.

"Dan, you just suggested that you come with me, walking in a canyon in the middle of nowhere at night. Are you stupid? Who knows what could be out there! I can take care of myself, Dan, but you can't." It was the cruel truth. Dan wouldn't be able to take care of himself if he caught the attention of one of those things, and Shun's skills just weren't good enough to make sure they both made it out alive.

Dan's temper flared at Shun's words. Shun had not said it directly, but Dan knew he was calling him 'weak'. "Fine! Go! And take your time coming back!" With that, Dan ran towards the direction of the plane, and the rest followed, leaving Shun standing there. Shun closed his eyes and headed where Skyress had informed him that thing was.

Shun stared at the smoldering scraps of metal. It was easy, dealing with the thing. It had become something so routine, he didn't even need to think about it. Skyress had guilt-tripped him into destroying a few more of those things after his first encounter, and after a while, he took it upon himself to vanquish them as soon as possible.

"Should we tell them, Skyress?" Shun asked. "If the other bakugan could also do something like this, it would be a great help."

"It would. And you wouldn't have to lie to them, like you did today."

Shun sighed. Dan's furious words echoed in his ears. "Would they believe the truth? Sometimes I barely believe it myself."

"It's a risk you'll have to take, Shun. I can't tell you what to do. It'll have to be your own choice."

Special Sankyus to: Misutii Hi No De, The Flea, Panda-Hiroko, and Wolfi-Chan! I appreciate your comments and reviews!

I will post a poll on my profile that is related to this story. Please vote!

TRIVIA TIME!

In Gundalian Invaders, Shun's battle gear is...?