"It's the little things that matter, that add up in the end, with the priceless thrilling magic found only in a friend," - Elizabeth Dunphy
Drago floated on the lightening side walk, his wings flapping back and forth rhythmically. Miyoko Kuso stood to his side, her hands clasped over her heart as she watched the sky. Her eyes continued to follow a single helicopter as it slowly circled around the city, searching for someone close to her heart. Dan's father, Shinjiro Kuso, had left early in the morning and was unaware of the events that had taken place in the early hours of the morning, even though Miyoko had tried his cell phone several times after reaching the police. The police themselves were investigating the surrounding area, searching for the leader of the Battle Brawlers and or any trace of him. A few were still inside the house, having asked Miyoko to leave so that they could continue their investigation without worrying about her getting in the way.
Drago floated over to Miyoko, landing gently on her shoulder. She glanced down at the Pyrus Bakugan, then looked back up at the clearing sky. The rain had stopped just after six in the morning, when they realized Dan was missing, leaving the world with a clean, fresh scent that deceived everyone.
Drago had woken up at the usual time that Dan did to eat breakfast with the Nethian princess and the other Castle Knights. He had looked down at Dan's bed and was surprised at the teen's absence, wondering if Dan had gone out for a run, or if he had simply gotten up to take a shower. When Drago pointed out to Miyoko that Dan wasn't in his bed, Miyoko had commented that it was odd, and that she hadn't heard the water running. His shoes weren't missing, but Drago realized that Dan's Castle Knight uniform had disappeared. This confused both him and Miyoko, as Dan shouldn't have worn such a strange garment (to humans) out in broad daylight.
They waited a half hour to see if Dan returned, and Drago started to get an odd feeling, one that he knew too well. It was the feeling he got right before a surprise attack was launched on the brawlers, or right before something bad was revealed to them by their enemies. There was no mistaking what it meant. He had told Miyoko to call the police and report a missing person, and Miyoko obliged, trusting Drago. She had been very scared for Dan and before the police arrived, Drago comforted her, saying that it probably wasn't anything serious. But he knew differently.
After being questioned by the police for a half hour, they had sent out teams to search, and even issued airplanes to get an areal view of the town. Drago hoped they would find Dan. He hoped that his feeling was wrong, but as more time passed, he became more and more sure that some outside force had forcefully taken Dan.
But the facts just didn't add up. Dan had grabbed his Castle Knight uniform, which suggested that he had gone willingly, perhaps back to Nethia or Gundalia. However, that seemed unlikely. Dan would have taken Drago with him if Nethia needed more help. Especially so if he had taken his Castle Knight uniform, or all the garments he had. Drago knew that the Castle Knight uniform had properties that made it durable and strong, but it was best suited for battle, and even had technology that helped enhance their skills, like the Baku-Meter.
Drago considered the possibility that a different force had abducted Dan, hoping to find a strong soldier to fight for their side, like Ren and the Gundalians had done with the brawlers from Bakugan Interspace. But the fact that Dan had taken a garment made that seem unlikely as well, and if Dan had had time to grab an article of clothing, he also would have had time to grab Drago.
Miyoko let out a small sound when the helicopter scouting the city started heading in the other direction, toward the airport, and Drago was pulled from his thoughts. He looked up at Miyoko, noticing how nervous she looked. She was biting her lip so hard that it was white and her jaw was stiff, showing that she didn't plan on releasing her lip. Her hand was clasped tight around a string that poked out of the side of her fist, and her eyes were anxiously glued to the helicopter.
"Excuse me. Mrs. Kuso, is it?" Miyoko jumped, turning to face the police officer behind them. Drago looked him over, taking in his dark skinned face. He had dark brown eyes and short brown hair, cropped in a buzz cut. His blue police uniform was crisply ironed and his pants weighed down with his weaponry, however his belt kept them up. Drago eyed the holster warily out if instinct, but turned his gaze back up to the grim expression on the police officer's face.
"Yes?" Miyoko asked, looking up because the officer was taller than she was.
"Will you please come inside? We've found a few things that we'd like to discuss with you," he told her.
"Oh, okay," she obliged, following as he turned and led the way into the house. Drago floated over Miyoko's shoulder, noticing how her gait was similar to Dan's.
"I'm Jefferson, by the way," the officer told them. "I specialize in missing person cases." He stopped and turned, offering his hand to shake. Miyoko took it and he nodded at her. Then he led her into the kitchen, gesturing at the chair. She took a seat and Drago landed on the table among several sealed evidence bags. Jefferson remained standing, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, as his eyes found the small marble-like creature.
"Is that Bakugan?" he asked. Miyoko blinked at him in surprise and Drago glanced back at her.
"I-I'm sorry," she said after a moment of silence. "I'm not used to people recognizing Drago. Most of them that know what he is are Bakugan battlers at Interspace, but you don't seem..." Jefferson shook his head.
"No, I don't battle. My son did, though," he told them.
"Did he?" Drago asked, making Jefferson jump. He stared at Drago in surprise.
"Drago!" Miyoko said, shocked at the rudeness of the normally polite Pyrus Bakugan. "I'm sorry, he's not usually like this." Drago sighed.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude," he apologized, knowing that he shouldn't be nasty even though he was worried about his brawler.
"I-it's alright," Jefferson forced a smile. "My son told me about the talking Bakugan. I didn't believe him until they started to invade Earth all those years ago, even though he showed me that white Bakugan on a video chat... He was always talking about the Bakugan Battle Brawlers." Drago looked up at him, taking in his wistful expression as he ran a hand through his dark hair. "My son told me about this one time when he was in the hospital, and the leader of the Battle Brawlers himself came to visit him—"
"You're Joe Brown's father?" Drago gasped. Jefferson jumped, blinking at the Bakugan that concealed his great powers within a small marble. Drago jumped up, floating in front of Jefferson's face.
"Uh, yes, my name is Jefferson Brown," the officer nodded, crossing his eyes to look at Drago. "How do you know him?"
"Dan is the leader of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers," Miyoko explained. "He told me about meeting Joe, and I've met him before as well. He had a Bakugan named Wavern, right Drago?"
"Yes," Drago nodded. "She had to sacrifice her life in order to save your world."
"Yeah, Joe told me about that," Jefferson said softly. "He was very upset."
"Does Joe live in Bayview?" Drago asked next.
"No, his mother has custody over him," Jefferson told them. "He comes to visit sometimes, and we'll usually talk online. But that aside, we have a few things we'd like to show the two of you."
"Oh, yes, of course," Miyoko stammered, clasping her hands under the table. Jefferson walked over to the table, picking up the larger of the two bags. He held it up and looked at the two of them gravely.
"We found this in the hamper under the sink in the bathroom closest to Dan's room," he announced. "It's a nightshirt, and when we found it, it was completely soaked in what we believe is sweat."
"Sweat?" Miyoko asked, confused. Drago was silent, thinking.
"Yes," Jefferson told them. "And the shower was wet. In fact, when we looked in the hamper, this and a pair of shorts and undergarments that were soaked were the only clothes there. Did he recently come back from a trip?"
"Uh, well, I guess you could say that," Miyoko said, looking away.
"Ma'am, if there is something you're not telling us that could aid us in our investigation, you could be sentenced to up to 12 months in prison," Jefferson warned. Miyoko looked at Drago nervously, and Drago sighed.
"We recently got back from helping resolve a conflict between two planets in another dimension. They were at war, and a sleeper agent from the attacking planet infiltrated Bakugan Interspace to come into contact with the Bakugan Battle Brawlers and seek our aid in the war," Drago explained. "However, the princess from the planet under siege sought help from us as well. She came and exposed the sleeper agent, and then we traveled to Nethia with her to aid her homeland in the fight against Gundalia. We've been there for the past month or so and just returned last evening."
Jefferson was staring at him with his lips parted in a small "o" of shock. He recovered and composed himself, narrowing his eyes at the small red sphere.
"I know that you are Dan's guardian Bakugan, Drago, is it? I believe that you'd want to find him as quickly as possible. But what you have just told me is not possible. It is impossible to travel to other planets with life on them-"
"I can prove it," Drago challenged. He knew that this man was just doing his job, but his skepticism irritated him."About the dimensional transport, have you ever heard of Dr. Micheal Gehabic in Russiah?"
"Yes I have," Jefferson said shortly.
"I am from another planet. The Brawlers aided my cause in Vestroia, where the Bakugan that invaded Earth came from. They traveled through a Dimensional Gate to Vestroia and back to Earth, and later sent is back. I returned through a Gate to find Dan and the Brawlers, since New Vestroia was being invaded by a people called the Vestals, who come from the planet of Vestal in another dimension. At one point, Runo, a member of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers, went to Dr. Micheal Gehabic in Russiah and asked for his help in transporting her to New Vestroia to help. He didn't want to help her because the transporter was unstable, but she sneaked in at night and used it without his permission, resulting in her getting trapped in between dimensions. We managed to save her by going through the Gate again, but we brought back some of the Vestals, both friends and enemies. We can contact them for you, if you wish," Drago said.
Jefferson stared at him, obviously not believing anything that he had just said. He looked at Miyoko, obviously hoping for some other logical explanation, but she could offer none. She just stared at him defiantly, annoyed now that he was challenging Drago's word when it was all true.
"Mr. Brown, this is all true," Miyoko insisted. "I just want my son found. Please, you can call any one of his friends, they'll confirm it. Joe might not know, but I can give the number of Marucho Marakura-"
"Marakura?" Jefferson's eyes widened. Miyoko and Drago nodded.
"Marucho Marakura is a good friend of ours. He's been on ship since the beginning, and he's an original Battle Brawler," Drago told him. "He came with us to Nethia, along with Shun Kazami and Jake Vallory, who lives in Bayview. If you need witnesses, then you can ask them or Julie Makimoto. Now, can we move on?"
Jefferson just stared at him, then sighed. "Alright, even though this seems pretty far fetched, I'm willing to believe you. I wouldn't believe this whole Bakugan business, either, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. But moving on..."
"Why would his shirt be covered in sweat?" Miyoko asked, looking at the bag in Jefferson's hand. They were all silent for a few moments while they thought, then Jefferson broke it.
"Does he ever have bad nightmares?"
"Nightmares?" Miyoko asked. "Not that I'm aware of... but he did just return... Drago, did he have nightmares while you were on Nethia?"
"Not that I was aware of," Drago told her. "But when I woke up, his sheets were all messed up, like he had been kicking in his sleep."
"All of the sheets were dislodged, and one of them was torn, to be exact," Jefferson said. Drago and Miyoko stared at him, Miyoko's mouth open in surprise.
"What?" Drago gasped. "He kicked that hard?"
"It looks that way," Jefferson told them. "We were wondering if someone had broken in and had a wrestling match with him, but because his clothes were in the hamper that possibility isn't looking very likely."
"His Castle Knight uniform is gone," Drago told him.
"His what?"
"His Castle Knight uniform. The uniform he wore when he was fighting on Nethia," Miyoko explained. "Or at least, that's what I understand from what Drago and Dan told me last night."
"That is correct, Miyoko," Drago nodded. "It's almost like a jumpsuit, but with special technology for brawlers. I can show you a picture, if you like."
"That would be... helpful," Jefferson said, at a loss for words. Drago jumped off the table and floated out of the room, Jefferson and Miyoko getting up to follow him. He led them up the stairs and past several investigators, who looked at Drago with wide eyes. Jefferson and Miyoko followed the Pyrus Bakugan into Dan's room, glancing around until they spotted him floating above Dan's backpack.
Drago had something hooked over his small arm, and he was straining to lift it out of the bag. He leaned back, grunting with the effort. Miyoko hurried over to him and took the thing he was trying to pull off of him, lifting it out easily herself.
It was a gold medal on a platinum chain long enough so that when the medal was hung on someones neck, the medal itself would rest in the center of the chest. The medal itself was about the diameter of an orange, the engraving standing out on the front. Miyoko held it up, taking in the engraving. The words on it were written in a language she couldn't understand, but the engraving was simple enough to comprehend. On the top of it was a peace sign about the size of a nickle, and then a large, cone-shaped building was engraved below that. The words encircled the symbol on the medal, and Miyoko couldn't help but feel proud that her son had earned this as the leader of the Battle Brawlers.
"That's the palace on Nethia," Drago told her. "The medal is made of pure gold, which is very, very rare on Nethia. Shun, Marucho, Fabia, Jake, and Ren all got medals like these, and so did Captain Elright and Linus for their services in the resistance movement."
"Wow..." Miyoko breathed. Jefferson walked over and lifted the medal from Miyoko's hands, noticing the small slip of paper stuck to the back of the prize when it brushed against his fingertips. He flipped it over and looked at it, taking in the English writing.
"The secret to happiness is freedom. The secret to freedom is courage,"(Ancient greek historians and author, 460-404 BC) Jefferson read.
"Princess Fabia translated it for us," Drago told him.
"Hm," Jefferson murmured. "Anyway, where's that picture?" He handed the medal back to Miyoko, who took it from him and held it to her heart. Drago flew back to the bag and disappeared inside, then after a moment poked his head back out.
"The picture is in here, but I can't grab it without thumbs," he muttered. Jefferson stepped forward, lifting the bag with ease while Drago hopped out. He placed it on the chair in front of Dan's desk and rummaged through it, finding a bunch of pictures after moving the camera out of the way.
The first showed a very happy Dan Kuso leaning on Shun, who was smirking at the camera. A girl with blue hair was laughing at them with her eyes closed, but her face tilted toward the camera. A short, blond teen was struggling to get out of Dan's grip, but he was smiling as he did so. A tall, well muscled boy was watching with a hand on his hip, laughing, while a dark skinned, silver haired boy grinned at Marucho's struggles from the girls left. Above all of their shoulders or heads floated a Bakugan, each of a different color. In the background of the scene was a light blue cone-shaped building, whose shape Miyoko recognized from the medal.
"That's Nethia," Drago told them. "In the back is the palace, and these are our team. Ren is the boy with dark skin, Princess Fabia is the one with blue hair. Marucho is the short one and Jake is-"
Just then, they heard a commotion outside. Jefferson blinked, looking over to Dan's window. Miyoko and Drago followed his gaze, startled by the yelling and bangs coming from outside.
"Hey, stop, this is a restricted area—whoa!" Jefferson jumped over to the window, trying to see what was going on, but due to the position of Dan's room, he was unable to perceive anything helpful. Then a voice filtered through the house.
"Hello? Mrs. Kuso?" Miyoko and Drago jumped, Jefferson turning in confusion.
"Jake?" Drago asked, floating away form the picture and toward the doorway. Miyoko and Jefferson winced at the thunder of footsteps as they sounded on the staircase, and then a large, tall teen appeared in the doorway.
"Hey Drago," Jake smiled, then looked past him at Miyoko and Jefferson. As he made his way into the room, he began to speak. "Dan The Man's mom, what's going on? Is Dan here?"
"Jake, what are you doing here?" Miyoko asked, confused.
"I was coming over here to find Dan since he wasn't responding to Maruch's calls," Jake told her. "But then I saw the caution tape and... well, I wanted to see what was going on." Just then, more footsteps thundered on the stairs, and several officers appeared at the doorway, holding up their batons and pointing their guns at Jake.
"Hey you! Kid! What do you think you're doing?"
"This is a crime scene," one of them shouted, and Jake yelped at the sight of the guns, backing away.
"H-hey! I was just curious about my friend-"
"Hey, hey! Lower your weapons," Jefferson cried, and the officers did as they were told. "What's going on here?"
"This young man broke through our line of caution tape and attacked our officers," an officer reported, glaring at Jake. Jefferson sighed, turning toward the well-muscled Sub-Terra brawler.
"Listen, young man, are you aware that you can face charges in prison for assaulting an officer?" he asked, rubbing his forehead.
"Huh? I could go to jail?" Jake yelped, looking horrified. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't realize-"
"It's alright, I'll let it go this time," Jefferson muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Given the unique circumstances of the situation..."
"Huh? For real? Oh, thank you so much man!" Jake gasped, grabbing Jefferson's hand. "Really, thank you so much! I won't forget this! I promise!"
"Hey, hey, take it easy, will you?" Jefferson grumbled, annoyed as he ripped his hand away from the teen. Jake straightened up, rubbing his head and grinning like an idiot. "Alright guys, go back down there and fix the tape. I'll be down in a little while."
"So, uh, what's going on?" Jake asked after the police officers—and their guns—had left. Miyoko and Drago looked at Jefferson, who sighed but nodded as he turned back to the photo.
"Dan's... disappeared," Miyoko said softly.
"What?" Jake asked, confused.
"I woke up this morning and he wasn't in his bed," Drago told him. "His Castle Knight uniform is gone, and he kicked so hard in his sleep last night that he ripped them. His pajamas are in the hamper. He took a shower, or at least it looks that way since the shower is wet. It looked as though he went out for a run, but he hasn't come back, and the police officers are searching the city but can't find him."
"So... he's..." Jake softly said, looking from Miyoko to Drago, looking nervous.
"He's just disappeared. We don't know where he went," Miyoko murmured, her eyes sparking with worry.
"You don't think he got called to go save another planet, do you?" Jake asked, looking at Drago. "I mean, he told me about how you guys save Earth and New Vestroia, and now Nehtia. Do you think someone asked for his help again?"
"He would have taken me if that were the case," Drago said gravely. "My guess is that he would have told all you as well."
"Well... I guess that explains why he wasn't answering his Baku-Meter," Jake sighed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"If you tell the others and let them know whats going on, I think it could help a lot," Drago told him. "Maybe they'll be able to help in the investigation."
"Alright Drago," Jake nodded to the Pyrus Dragonoid.
"Oh, and make sure to tell Runo, Julie and Alice. They won't want to be left out of this," Drago told him. He nodded again, then looked at Miyoko seriously. She had turned away and was pressing Dan's medal to her chest, her lips pursed tight. He put his hands on her shoulders and she blinked at him, tears making their way down her cheeks. He smiled at her reassuringly.
"Don't worry Mrs. Kuso," he told her. "Dan can handle himself. He's proved it over and over again, and I'm sure that we'll find him. I promise you he'll be okay."
"Thank you... Jake," Miyoko whispered, wiping her eyes. Jake smiled at her, then turned and thundered down the stairs again, heading for Bakugan Interspace.
Miyoko and Drago turned to Jefferson again, who was leafing through several papers on the side of Dan's desk. There were two he held in his hand, both of which were in envelopes Drago recognized. He felt a chill course through his body and nervously landed on Miyoko's shoulder while Jefferson turned to them.
"Might his disappearance have anything to do with these letters?" he asked, holding up one that Princess Fabia had given them, and one that Dan had written the night before.
"Well, the one that's addressed to him is from Queen Serena, thanking us for our services," Drago told him. "And the one addressed to Runo..." He fell silent, and Miyoko blinked at him. Jefferson narrowed his eyes at the small Bakugan and walked over to him.
"And the one addressed to Runo...?" Drago hesitated, but then looked up at Jefferson.
"He wrote that last night... saying that he thought they should... break up." Miyoko's eyes widened and Jefferson's narrowed as he stepped back. Miyoko took Drago from her shoulder and cupped him in her hands, staring at him in shock.
"He's breaking up with her? Why?" she asked.
"He knows she'll get upset with him over the whole Nethia thing, and the fact that they live so far away from each other doesn't exactly help their relationship," Drago told her uncomfortably. "He thinks that if they're going to be in a relationship, they should at least be near each other, that way they can tell that they're being faithful. And besides, it would be easier to be in a relationship if he lived closer to her."
"Oh..." Miyoko murmured.
"Runo is going to be very mad at him for leaving for Nethia without telling her. She got very upset when he went to New Vestroia without her. He intended to send that letter today, explaining his reasons for leaving without telling her, and then telling her that he was breaking up. But I don't think it should be sent while he's not here. It's not a good idea," Drago said quietly.
"... Alright," Miyoko sighed. "She's going to take it hard."
"Exactly."
Three hours later in Bakugan Interspace...
"Dan's disappeared?" Marucho asked. Shun walked over from where he had been leaning against the wall, sinking into a chair around the glowing table in the center of the room. Jake nodded, looking troubled.
"Yeah, I went over to his house to find out where he was," he told them, "and there was caution tape surrounding the place. The police were there, and reporters were trying to get in to see what the commotion was about. Dan's mom was in his room with an officer and Drago, and they told me that Drago just woke up and Dan was gone. He must have had one heck of a nightmare before he disappeared, though, since he kicked so hard he ripped the sheets."
"He ripped the sheets? Really?" Julie asked from where she was standing with Runo and Alice.
"That's what Drago said," Jake reported. "But the strangest thing is that there isn't a trace of him! He took his Castle Knight uniform and just disappeared."
"But that doesn't make any sense," Marucho exclaimed. "There's no need for a Castle Knight uniform here, and if he needed it, wouldn't he have taken Drago, too?"
"Marucho's right," Alice agreed. "There's no real need for his Castle Knight uniform in Bayview, especially not if he didn't even bring his Bakugan."
"You don't think he sleepwalked, do you?" Runo asked, unable to come up with another answer.
"He doesn't sleepwalk, though, does he?" Alice asked. "And if he sleepwalked, how could he have put on his uniform, taken a shower, and then vanished without a trace without waking up?"
"I think that we can all agree that this wasn't just some freak thing," Shun spoke up, and everyone's gazes snapped toward him. He opened his eyes and looked at them all seriously. "Someone lured him. It's obvious."
"But how could they have gotten a message to Dan to lure him without waking up Drago?" Julie asked, confused.
"That's just it. They must have sent it to him in the form of a vision," Shun reasoned. The team's eyes widened. "Think about it. Dan's been prone to visions a lot. He had a vision of Masquerade when he was challenged to the brawl that sent him to the Doom Dimension. He had a vision with the rest of us about our Bakugan evolving due to the Attribute Energies. He also had a vision about the Gundalian Bakugan invading Nethia before Fabia showed up. And also, when he snapped Jake out of Kazarina's hypnosis, he told me that he had a dream where he was shouting to Jake."
"Really?" Jake asked. Alice, Julie and Runo exchanged glances.
"That's really bizarre," Marucho exclaimed.
"But how would someone know that Dan has had enough visions to trust the invitation?" Alice questioned.
"Yeah," Julie agreed.
"That's just it. We don't. Kazarina might have been able to get that out of him while he was captured by the Gundalians and then erased the memory, but she's dead now," Shun eliminated the possibility. He met all of their gazes in the silence that followed his statement, and then he straightened up from his position over the table.
"I think its time we get some outside help."
Please review you guys! Sorry it took so long to update, I had to work on Searching for Spectra. That story should be finished within the next month or so, so then I'll be working on this one only. I can't wait, since I've got this all planned out... I spend hours and hours thinking about this story, I just love the idea. So, please tell me what you think of it.
Review!