I needed to call Shun's Grandpa "Grandpa Kazami", because "Mr. Kazami" sounds too much like Shun's Dad :P
Grandpa Kazami is so mean! He doesn't let Shun play Bakugan! D: Or go out on dates with Alice! Wait... what was that? Read on and find out!
Disclaimer: Bakugan's not mine. If it was, there would be a lot more Shun/Alice in it. Sadly, TMS Entertainment insists on putting hints of Runo/Shun and Dan/Alice in New Vestroia.
kids; n. a child; a young person
"See you, Grandpa! I'm going out for a date with Alice." Shun called, poking his head into the living room.
"Dates, Bakugan… it's all you kids ever do these days," Grandpa Kazami glanced up from the newspaper that he was reading and shook his head. "Back in my day, we would always finish our homework as soon as we got back from school and do chores around the house."
"I know, Grandpa. You've told me before." He sighed.
"Before you go, Shun," Grandpa Kazami folded the newspaper away and looked at him. "With all the time that you've been spending playing Bakugan and hanging out with that girl… the one with the orange hair, what's her name again?"
"Alice."
"Yes, Alice. I'm concerned about your ninja training. I hope that you're not falling behind. That's why for today, I want you to stay at home and practice your ninja skills."
"Today? But Alice is waiting for me!"
"I'm sure whatever it is can wait until tomorrow. Now go, I'll be watching you."
...
Shun stormed outside and faced the training dummy. He considered using his ninja skills to run away, but he knew that wherever Grandpa was, he was probably watching him.
"Might as well get this over with." He muttered, and kicked at the dummy's body. He jumped backwards, and as he spun around ready to strike again, his arm connected with someone's face, sending them reeling backwards.
"Huh? Alice? Alice, I'm so sorry!" Shun exclaimed, rushing over to her side. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you?"
"No, no! I'm fine, really!" She replied quickly, brushing herself off.
"What are you doing here? Grandpa will kill me if he sees you!"
"Oh don't worry. If he doesn't kill you, I'm sure Runo will do it herself!" She answered with a nervous laugh. "She didn't think that it was right for you to forget about our date, so she said that she was going to kill you the next time she saw you. But I knew that you wouldn't leave me hanging unless you had a good reason, so that's why I came here."
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that; I should have called you. But I was also given short notice."
"What happened?"
"Grandpa thinks that I'm spending so much time playing Bakugan and hanging out with you and the other brawlers that I've neglected my ninja training. So he's grounding me for today so that I can catch up. And I'm sure you wouldn't be interested in ninja training, so you can go if you want."
"No, I want to stay here with you. I don't care about what your Grandpa will do to me, so it's fine."
"You sure you're not going to get bored?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I know! I can help you train!"
"Alice… do you even know what ninja training involves?"
"Nope! So tell me, what can I do to help?"
Shun closed his eyes, thinking of all of the training drills and practices that Grandpa had put him through.
"There is one drill that you could help me with. It's one that I've always enjoyed. Think of it as a game of… Cat and Mouse." His amber eyes flickered with excitement as he said this.
"Cat and Mouse?"
"Yep… it's simple. You run, and I'll chase."
"That's it?"
"That's it; so are you ready?"
"I guess so."
"Okay, I'll even give you a head start."
Alice nodded, and sprinted towards the trees. Underneath the thick cover and shrub, Shun would never find her here. She ran, dodging branches and roots as she went deeper into the forest. Stopping for a second, she listened to the soft murmur of the wind, for a sign of movement. If she knew him, he would be using the overhead branches to search for her.
Her own eyes glinted with mischief as she devised a way to trick him. He would be searching for her in the forest, but little did he know that she would already be out of there. Going back the way she came, she soon found herself back at the entrance of the forest outside of his dojo. Suddenly, the wind picked up, and a figure dropped out from a tree.
"Gotcha." He wrapped his arms around her waist and chuckled, kissing her on the cheek.
She giggled, and struggled to get out of his grasp, but he wasn't about to let go of her.
"Shun! Let go!" She laughed.
"Why? So you can run away from me again?" The corners of his mouth lifted into a smile, and he kissed her on the cheek again.
"Alright, you win." She giggled, and kissed him back.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Kazami watched Shun and Alice from the window, shaking his head as he did so.
"Kids these days…" He muttered to himself and walked off.
But then again, what did he expect? They were just kids, after all.
The next chapter will be L for Love. I'm almost halfway there!