It's been a few years since my mom left to develop the new bakugan project. And today, it was my brother's turn to leave Japan to join mother in Russia to work on the project. I knew he had a natural affinity to the game. I leaned on a pillar arms crossed and my legs forming an 'x'.
"Looks like we are spending our 8th birthday away from one another" I simply said in a casual tone.
"You could join me" Akio tells me although he is well-aware that I am not going to change my mind.
"Bakugan Science is your thing, if you don't pursue this whose is going to develop this technology for the generations after us?" He looks at me, I had a full day yesterday to be a normal family, mother was back but that was it, a day. It was better than nothing, I recalled father's delightment in seeing his wife who could stay for a full day. "I cannot leave father alone" I recalled the sadness that lingered when mother left. And now his son is too, I could not leave him alone.
"I understand" Akio replied looking at me
"Akio, I hope you are ready!" I heard our mother's voice call out to him. I closed my eyes as I felt pain course through me. Yes, this might be the last time I will see my twin and mother for quite some time. And hear their voices not from a screen.
"Here" Akio handed me a small box "Your birthday gift" He shrugs
"You have the teleportation card, we can still celebrate our birthdays together" I simply say as I stare at the box.
"Just in case…" The sentence didn't need to be completed, I understood. In case he couldn't go. I took the box and opened it.
In the midnight blue velvet box was a pair of simple black stud shuriken earrings. I looked up at my brother, took on and handed him the box, he looks at me quizzically. As I removed the small silver loop earring hanging on my right ear and replaced it with the shuriken.
"I want you to keep that, wear it, or make it as a brooch I don't know, as long as you keep it. It's yours." I simply said with a shrug. His mouth opened ready to say otherwise, but I stared at him firmly with a sigh he took the earring and handed the box over to me, it's for me to keep.
"I guess…I will see you?" He muttered. At this point I could no longer play it cool, I ran to him with arms wide open and cried.
"Do you really have to go?" I asked knowing he wanted to, if I wanted to stay because father did not have company he wanted to leave because mom had no company for quite some time. And because our preferences suited who we will be staying with without our other family members.
"I will miss you" He hugged me tight "You better do your Japanese Traditional learning thing properly" He chuckles
"I'm doing perfectly fine in flower arrangement" I say smugly "Kind of" I add silently, he laughs.
"Akio, it is time to go" We hear or mother call out again. We squeeze each other for the last time for a long time. Due to the hectic schedule in the lab we had no time to see each other again for a few more years.
I reached out to hold my father's hand as we watched them disappear from our lives. I was flooded with emotions I felt my cheeks wet.
"Avery, wake up" I hear a soothing and familiar voice bring me back from my memory, my eyes flutter open, my cheeks wet from the tears that had streamed over it.
"Ryuu" I say as I sat up confused. My head leaving his lap, I tried to look forward but couldn't comprehend anything.
"You feel asleep, and then eventually you started crying…" He looked at me worriedly "Should I be worried?" He cupped my cheeks lovingly, I faintly smiled at him as I looked over his shoulder.
"I just dreamt of something that had happened over 7 years ago" I mumbled. He gently touched my hand and intertwined his fingers with mine.
"We should go back soon" I told him leaning my head on his shoulder
"That we should do" He agreed thought neither of us moved
After a few minutes of comfortable silence Ryuu started coughing.
"Ryuu what's wrong? This have been happening more frequently, I am beginning to worry!" I chased after him as he tried his hardest to walk away coughing and struggling. I extended my hands to reach for his arms to support him, he shrugged them off.
"Let me help you!" I said
"No, I am fine"
"Someone, Ryuu isn't feeling well!" I yelled and then some people came rushing to assist him. Everything became blurry after this.
I stayed beside his hospital bed refusing to leave and with a lot of persuasion I was staying with him in the white hospital room.
"Avery, I think you should go and sleep" Ryuu's Pyrus dragon bakugan said. I shook my head sleepily
"Avery, he wouldn't want you to worry" One of Hydronoid'd head said, my mother's bakugan, she had given me her bakugan so that it may look after me my twin receiving Skyriss.
"He wouldn't like it if you stayed late because of him" Another said, I shushed the two bakugans
"Kalinth and Hydranoid, please calm down…" My eyes started drooping and eventually I fell asleep my hand holding his.
And then the next few days became hectic. I got kicked out from his room and every time I tried to visit he would make sure I couldn't. What was happening, I was so frustrated. Eventually he got discharged and even then it was difficult to reach him. He would make sure he was too busy. Every time I came over for lessons he was nowhere to be found. It was starting to hurt.
I walked back home my back slumped in worry, disappointment and sadness. What was he not telling me?
"Avery?" My father's voice echoes inside the house as I entered.
"Yes, father?" I replied as I enter the dining room where his voice came from, I stopped dead on my tracks. There on a seat in front of my father was my brother, who had blonde hair in comparison to my jet black hair.
"What are you doing here?" I asked coldly, his caramel brown eyes looks at my violet eyes.
"Mother and I will be staying here from now on" He simply states with a smile. I had nothing to say.
"As people would compare me to father, they would say: Avery have developed her father's personality when he was younger. Therefore, I have nothing to say to you" I cocked my head towards my father. "I don't see mother"
"She will be catching up, she is staying over at Marucho's due to interspace but she will be here" His eyes sparkled with happiness and I shrugged
"Have you been to interspace? Talked to Dan Junior or maybe Marucho's daughter? I have heard thanks for your mother and brother's and everyone else's effort on the interspace project, her health had become relatively better." Shun acknowledge this happily
"No, I haven't seen them as of the late, I have been busy with school and all. I have heard of that news, and that the launch of the interspace project was a success. It's all around the world and all." I gravely looked at my twin "Congratulations." And then I walked away.
I had no time to deal with my brother, I had a plan in my mind and I wouldn't let his and my mother's arrival get in the way. I guess they were right when they say I had developed Shun's introverted ways in some sense. Ryuu was the only one I regularly talked to since I had started going to his home to learn. And now we have started dating, and I want to find out what exactly is happening.
I know something hasn't been right about interspace recently. And this had affected him in a way that was incomprehensible, and the problem was unknown. And it looks like the problem had escalated and he won't tell me the details. I suppose I have to find out—tonight.
I snuck out of my house with my ninja skills. I have improved in both Ninja training and my Traditional Japanese training. But in turn my best friend was the heir of the Masashi School of Japanese Tradition. Who eventually became my boyfriend. The children of the brawlers of my parents circle were unimportant.
I was not interested in playing Bakugan, and as far as I know so was my brother. I liked the idea of strategy but I never applied them yet. And my brother fancied bakugan technology, but he plays more than I do.
I slipped into his home, which was easy. It was the middle of the night and the moon was full and shining brightly. I walked with no sound towards Ryuu's room. This wasn't the first time I snuck in, but it was the first time I had snuck in this late.
I opened the sliding door and called out his name in a low whisper. When I got to his futon he was not there. Worry sparked from within me
"Ryuu?" I called out
"I knew you were eventually going to come" Ryuu walked out from the other room that was adjourned from his. He looked so pale and sickly, my knees shook as I soundlessly ran to him and cupped his cheek.
"What is happening?" I asked, he shook his head
"At some days I feel better, and others I feel this bad…" He says
"Is this that thing?" I asked
"I do not know…" He shook his head and then swayed a little making me automatically hold on to him with care. I help him settle down on his futon. "I do not want to hurt you"
"You won't" I said confidently.
We talked for at least an hour his head on my lap. And then suddenly a portal appeared out of nowhere, right in front of us. A girl with burgundy hair tied in a lose ponytail over her right shoulder appeared.
"I finally found you!" She exclaimed, in an instant I was in my battle stance shuriken and kunai in my hands. I glared at he.
"I am not the enemy!" She says, I quickly glanced at Ryuu, asking if we could trust her
"Who are you?" He asked
"I am Irile, from a distant place, I have been looking for you" She points at Ryuu which I was not happy about.
"You see, you are sick…and I came to help you" We eyed each other and I lowered my weapons.