Chapter Two
"Danni? Danni!" Julian cried, turning to run after the brown haired girl.
Shuna held onto Julian's wrist with surprising strength. "Don't," she said sternly.
Julian glared at the black haired girl. "Danni needs us right now! She's about to lose one of her best friends! Maybe you don't know how that feels because-"
"Julian, stop," Maru cried. "You don't know what you're saying!"
"I do, very well," Julian snapped, wrenching his hand from Shuna's grip. "You can't stop me from being a good friend, that you never were!"
Julian ran out of the room, leaving a heavy silence in the air.
"This is not going to end well," Ruon said, glaring at the wall in front of him, his back to the door.
"Wavern, I am so sorry about this," Maru whispered, her large blue eyes filling with tears.
"Children can't be trusted with such pressing matters as these," the dragon said in a tired voice, his gaze downward. "I shouldn't have said so much in front of her." He looked at Dragini. "Come on. We have to prepare for departure."
The dragon hopped across the desk and flew out the windows. Dragini looked at the doorway -longingly, perhaps?-but turned to follow the dragon.
"When will you be leaving, Dragini?" Maru asked, her voice choked and high pitched.
Dragini looked at the blonde girl slowly. Dragini admired Maru, almost as much as she admired and cared for Danni; Maru was so caring, and, even if they didn't know it, her friends would be lost without her. "I don't know, Maru," Dragini admitted. "Whenever Wavern is ready."
"Will we ever see you again?" Ruon asked. "Will we ever see Danni again?"
"I don't know… about me, at least," Dragini replied truthfully. "Danni, but, of course? Why wouldn't you?"
Ruon didn't reply.
"We'll miss you, Dragini," Maru said sadly.
"Bye, all," Dragini nodded respectfully towards the kids. "I will miss you too."
With that, the regal Pyrus dragonoid jumped from the window, possibly never to be seen again.
Danni ran all the way home, tears threatening to crash from her eyes. Her cropped red jacket flapped in the wind as she dodged people and shrubbery. She heard the faint sound of someone calling her name. She didn't dare look back. In a few more moments, the sound was surprisingly close. And recognizable.
There was no way that Danni could outrun Julian-but that didn't stop her from trying. She tried to find the strength to pick up the pace. She was already running as fast as she could, and she couldn't hold out for long. They were on the highway now-more of a small town main road, of course-and Danni was encouraged. Almost there. Suddenly, her leg buckled. She shrieked in pain, and before she knew it, was tumbling down the hill and into the water.
"Danni!" Julian called again. Danni could only hold her breath to keep from screaming. The rocks had cut her skin and now she was soaking wet. The striking cold didn't sooth her. She lied down in the water panting and hurting.
She heard frantic splashing draw nearer and nearer. She felt strong hands turn her over, and sure enough, Julian's tanned, worried face was in view.
"Danni, are you okay?"
"Nothing," Danni choked, reaching into her cargo-shorts pocket for her bakugan. Could bakugan get wet? Danni didn't know much of anything anymore.
Julian's worry didn't lessen (not surprisingly). "Let me help you up," Julian said. "Come on, you can do it." Julian literally carried Danni to the shore. He set her down on a patch of grass.
"Just breath," Julian said. Danni broke out into another fit of coughing. Danni didn't realize it before Julian did, but she was crying. All Danni could feel was Julian drawing her into his chest. He rocked her back and forth. They were silent for a few minutes, except for Danni's broken gasps for air.
"Dragini will be okay," Julian finally said.
"Don't lie to me," Danni spat water, pushing herself away from the white haired boy.
"Da-"
"If her world really is in danger," Danni said, feeling dizzy, "then we don't know-and she-it won't be-I will never-"
"Calm down. It's okay."
"STOP SAYING THAT!" Danni screeched again. "It will never be okay, never ever ever-"
"I'm going to help you home. And you are going to cooperate."
Danni looked up at Julian. His aura had suddenly changed-his voice too: sterner, deeper.
"Dragini-" Danni whimpered.
"You will first calm down and dry off," Julian said.
"You can't-"
"Oh, yes, I can," Julian said. "You need my help. I have my conditions."
Danni allowed Julian to carry her wherever he wanted to take her. When he was at her doorstep, Danni realized that he was at her house. Danni hardly heard her mother screech in surprise, or felt Julian's muscles tense as he climbed the stairs and finally set her down in her room. "Change into dry clothes, then go and talk to your mother. She's probably worried sick. I'm coming back tomorrow to check on you-just stay and rest, okay?"
Danni didn't respond. She didn't notice the hurt in Julian's dark blue eyes. He finally turned around and left.
Danni sat on the floor for who knows how long. Finally her mother came and yelled at her and forced her to change into clean clothes. She fed Danni warm soup and sent her to bed. When Danni's mother turned out the lights, Danni's mind became alive. You think I'm just a damsel in distress? She thought to Julian, feeling rage bubble in her. Think again! Check on me-I don't need checking on, not me! Danni sat up slowly as to not creak the bed. She changed her clothes again, found sneakers, and finally snapped her goggles into place atop her head. Ready! She thought, winking at herself in the mirror. She opened the window, the sudden cold surprising her. She stepped onto the roof, shivering in her black tank top and signature red cropped jacket. Dragini, I'm not giving you up without a fight!
The meeting had broken up awkwardly. Ruon suggested that they continue it with school gossip-sarcastically, of course-but it wasn't received with much praise. Neither was his comment about Danni usually overreacting to things.
"That's how much you know," Maru snapped, turning on her heel. "All of you are dismissed from my property!"
"Permanently?" Ruon asked.
Maru sniffed, not looking at him. "We'll see!"
Ruon grinned at the small blonde, flicking her hair. She stepped away from him sharply, her sky blue eyes glinting with anger.
"You know you love me," Ruon grinned at her. He was literally kicked out of this house after that one.
The blue haired boy decided to find somewhere to lick his wounds. As odd as it sounded, their Brawler meeting wasn't the weirdest thing that happened that day-to him. Ryon reached into his pocket, his fingertips brushing the five small balls-he knew they were pearly white with yellow designs etched into them; he felt a pang of sadness at the lack of a bakugan. He had lost it in battle today. He didn't know what happened or how it happened or why or - just that, apparently, his Wulferio was gone. Forever.
His lips were in a thin line at the thought. No wonder you aren't even ranked! Other taunts like that ran through his mind. He hadn't even realized that his hand was clenched in a fist. Droplets of blood sprang from the middle of his palm. He cursed and wiped the blood on his shirttail. I am ranked. Just so far that no one has the patience to scroll down that far!
Ruon was now creeping around the town in the cool moonlight. He didn't feel like going home, but couldn't really go anywhere else. His parents wouldn't notice his absence anyway, he noted with bitterness. He dug into his pocket again, and searched for a bakugan. The one he was looking for was different, even in touch. He brought it out. The white marble like ball glinted in the moonlight, the yellow and silver marking striking against the sheen. Will you talk to me? he asked his Haos Tigrerra. Or do bakugan only talk to… special people?
Speaking of special people…? Ruon was surprised to find himself on Danni's street. He felt a rush of disgust-at whom, he wasn't sure-so much so that he was about to sprint off the street. But something stronger-curiosity, perhaps?-brought Ruon to continue down the street. Which is Danni's house? Ruon asked himself. It was almost a rhetorical question; he knew it quite well. A loud twack soared through the previously silent night, into Ruon's ears. He froze in fear, even though he was in plain sight if someone were to come sweeping with a flashlight. Burglars? At Danni's? Ruon immediately thought. Or worse? He ran, but tried to keep his footsteps silent. He put his back against Danni's house; he hid beside the generators. He crept forward, keeping close to them. He saw a figure on the roof, making its' way slowly down.
Is that Danni's room? Ruon wondered. Does the burglar have a bag to stash his hoard? The figure was slim though-not a hulking oaf like you'd expect. Suddenly, Ruon realized it was Danni. What the heck is she doing? He was about to call to her… A thought made him smirk. What would she be doing in the middle of the night? … He watched her climb down the ladder and disappear behind the corner. He took long silent strides behind her, his excitement climbing. I guess I'll have to find out!