A/N: First of all, I'd like to thank all of the reviewers for their kind words and encouragement. Without you, both this story and I wouldn't be anywhere.
Cup of Violet Tea: Alice is the smartest girl, I think, and Marucho and Shun the smartest boys. Both she and Mira have their issues, yup. And… it's not Julie's medicine; it's Alice's. Plus Fabia and Shun have sort of a I'm-using-you relationship. They don't like each other like a couple, more like in a brother and sister way. And... who said Runo really stabbed him... to death? I'm full of secrets myself ;) It adds a more mysterious edge to the story, I think, giving the girls more than only one secret. Because well, you see the summary; you can't possibly get killed for cheating on a test or being sick! That would be kind of rude. I can't wait for a Shun/Klaus confrontation either; I'm just waiting for the good occasion, to be honest. Forbidden desire makes everything sound so much soapy and dramatic...
InnocentDiamond: Ah, that's the cheerleader cliché, what do you want more? I don't know, I'm not the hugest fan of cheerleaders ever; whenever I watch a show with cheerleaders in it, there are always snobby and hateable - ALWAYS. But I swear, I will never ever make Julie snobby or horrible like that. I don't drive, I just have an idea for the continuation of the story; black '69 Chevy Impala is possibly the only car I know sort of well, considering how much I love the TV show Supernatural. I don't really have a clue about the curriculum and education in schools; I'm from a French school so I don't really know how it works in other schools. I figured Runo would be a good student, being a B-straight. Most of the girls have this average mark, except for Alice - when you're in the scientific class and have a scientist for a grandfather, you got to have the top grades. And I'm wouldn't mind failing a test, as long as it's a science/physics/PE test. Those are the only subjects where I'm sure I won't get even the average class mark. Kill a snobby girl? Only for a good reason. If I didn't, I'd have everyone murdered at this rate! Volleyball and badminton? I suck in volleyball, but I'm okay enough in badminton. I signed up for it for my first semester, along with swimming and archery (heck, I can't even swim and don't know how to use a bow!)...*sigh* still, I highly prefer it to gymnastics and running. What's wrong with Fabia? I mean, I'm not her hugest fan, but I'm no hater - even though I believe that Shun and Alice would already be together if it hadn't been with her sticking to him. And... what do you mean, what is she wearing? The outfit I described was Alice's... damn, what is Fabia actually wearing though? I don't know, her Gundalia outfit probably. But I agree, her attitude is disgusting; it's an act, sure, but it's still disgusting. Oh and...yes. Sexy edge all the way, I mean come on, it's Shun! The cheating is definitely sneaky, not exactly original but sneaky. And, like I said to Cup Of Violet Tea, who says it was a crime? ;) I like to play with that fic, I guess.
Maiden Warrior: Oh stop it, you, you'll make me blush ^^ Special shout-out to you for being an awesome human being! Hot, steamy, sexy relationship between teacher and student is the shit, I along with others dig that thing. I hope Kirby gets better btw...Love problems? You bet! I watch way too much soap with my mom, and read way too much Harlequin. Oh well, thanks a lot again, and I'll try to keep the awesome up some more :)
theHuntress101: Yes yes and yes again. You must have skipped Julie's part, because I uploaded it along with the rest. Could have been better written though...Thanks for reviewing also!
Guest reviewer: Hum, yeah? ... I don't really get your review, anon, is it a question or an observation? In both cases, yes, Runo killed. I think... Thanks for reviewing!
S. S. R: 1st review: Yes, Alice is pretty dark in that, her secrets give her quite a lot of responsibility. And about the secrets, I agree that they are hard to decide, I had trouble myself finding the right combination. Just ... Julie and Billy...going hot and stuff... definitely enough said X)
2nd review: Voting is over, but you can still tell me which secrets you like! It might come in handy for later uses. And Runo only killed one person: that dude from the café...or did she? He he I'm so bad. Well, there is nothing alien in the story, really. No fantasy in that story, sorry if it disappoints you :/ Shun and Fabia? I can't wait to break them; I just can't stand to see Shun with anyone other than Alice.
The other day, a few hours before uploading the previous chapter, I just happened to see a Bakugan Battle Brawlers t-shirt in a shop's displaying window. Twice. It looked nice, a male t-shirt, but still nice, it only had the logo on it. Thought of you all when I saw it :) Writing that previous chapter was easily the most hard core thing I've ever done in my whole life, I can tell. But then, I would like all chapters to be that long. Now that the girls have their secrets, it's time for the action to intensify!
I remarked that the story was updated every 4 days, so I might as well try to respect that delay. It's going to be hard though: I have that huge test in two weeks that I have to revise for (seriously, who the fuck decided exams were legit during the holidays?). I should have started revising for it way long ago, but hell, who cares? Chances are I won't even get between fifty and seventy-five percent of the thing. If you're wondering what it's all about, it's a French exam, where you compose for four hours, get a one-hour break and then answer questions for three hours. And I have to wake up early. Holy Mother of God...
Small comment: I realized that you guys are a bit confused about the story. Here's a summary - if you skipped the previous chapter, please get back there, I don't want to spoil your fun:
1) Runo hates Jenny, Bayview's queen bee. With a passion. She did NOT kill her. Yet.
2) Alice is sick. NOT JULIE OR MIRA. And she does NOT love Klaus.
3) Shun is USING Fabia, so to get away from the fan girls AND to try to make Alice jealous. It's pretty selfish, I admit. But it works.
4) Runo cheated on a test.
5) Mira's relationship with Baron is complicated - heck, it's not even a relationship. She had a forbidden relationship with English teacher Ace Grit.
6) Julie suffers of kleptomania. And yes, I DID upload her part along with the others.
7) Runo stabbed a man...or did she?
Anyway, let's go through something more interesting: Secrets Can Kill chapter 3 (or 4, whatever you prefer)! See you lot at the end!
Previously on Secrets Can Kill:
At this point, Runo had exceeded her level of tolerance towards the jerk.
Before she and the others realized it, she took the knife from the plate and stabbed it in his chest.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bakugan Battle Brawlers, as you all know. I only own the fanfic.
Chapter 3: Blood On My Hands
Like many people, Runo Misaki had often wondered what was so appealing about murders that made murderers this stimulated to kill. In her book, "murder" was only killing a person unlawfully; it was taking an innocent human's life by sending him in the other side. It wasn't long before she'd learned that all men weren't innocent, and all men had a corrupted side.
Many times she had felt this desire, an overwhelming desire to shut them up and get them back in their own places, where they originally belonged. She had met many people like that, jerks and machos most of the time, men who thought they ruled the world. The other gender wasn't any better. Women, she'd come to realize, were every bit as cruel as men; possibly more cruel and inhuman, in numerous ways.
Like all the others sophomores at Bayview High, she had philosophy as one of her main subjects. The infinite, endless lectures of her teachers never really explained what there was about the human nature which made them that way, at least not directly. This and they had never approached the subject that was murder. All she could remember from her classes was this: Man is a wolf to Man.
And this man, seating comfortably booths away from her table, was a wolf. Not to himself, but to the others. She could tell from the moment he had entered the café, with his face harbouring a stoic expression, his eyes icy and sending chills down her spine. Bad chills.
Runo had let Alice take care of him, partly out of cowardice, partly because she wanted to help a busy Runo. And she had let her reach the monster. She'd watched as her friend tried to put him at ease and calm him down, yet surprisingly she had little success. Alice hardly ever failed in that area. He hadn't even laid eyes on the pretty red-head. She'd given him a drink and gone to the kitchen, not before sneaking past Runo and whispering in her ear. "He scares the hell out of me", she'd told her. She'd believed her instantly. It took a lot to scare Alice that way.
She sneaked into the kitchen, rapidly whispering a word or two to her mother on the mystery client. Out of curiosity, Mrs Misaki discreetly sneaked out to take a look at him, only to come back with a frightened expression on her face. Seeing the concern on Runo's face, the look faded as fast as it once appeared, replaced by a gentle smile to her daughter. She went back to her work, not before letting his identity slip. It turned out Alice's customer was a renowned critic in gastronomy. Somehow, it didn't soothe Runo in any way. The Misakis had received many critics in their café before him, and none had been this severe until now. Most of the time, they were patient, considering the amount of clients they had every day, and all of them departed from the building satisfied. That was then, this is now, Runo, she thought while getting dishes to the customers. Though she repeated it to herself during the whole servicing, the acid still burnt at the back of her throat. She let the news slip to Alice when she noticed her taking care of him, her friend gave her a nod. Alice would be more careful, but she didn't trust the man at all.
Time after time, the restaurant emptied itself. Runo's service being over, she went to sit next to Julie and Mira. Along with the girls, she finished her homework and Alice's; after all, she owed her for taking care of such a disagreeable client. She gave her a sideways glance when Alice got out of the kitchen, carrying steak and chips. The man had grumbled something about the waitress' clumsiness and the food's appearance, yet she chose to ignore it. Mira and Julie winced at the harsh comment, and Alice gave her a look after setting down his plate, joining them to the table. She told Runo that her parents had gone out to buy some food for the next day, and wouldn't be back for a few hours. It made Runo groan a bit, seeing her parents leaving her and the others stuck with that monster, yet she understood their behaviour and excused them for it. Gordon Ramsay himself would be scared of the man. God knew if he wasn't the Devil in person.
The girls decided to ignore him, as they got down to their work and munched on sandwiches. It was a small and simple dinner, but the critic made them lose their appetite any way. Not only was he capable of this; he took his time, Runo noticed, and he only thought it fair to keep them waiting. Even the bakugan found it unfair, they declared while nibbling on bread crumbs.
After what seemed like decades, he told them that he was done. At this point, Runo wanted to kill him with a burning desire. Still, she restrained herself for a confrontation with him. She made her decision known by gesturing to Alice. The red-head, along with the two others, gave her a worried and scared look, which the blunette brushed off with a smirk. If there was something Runo Misaki was good at, it was definitely getting people to go back home tail between the legs.
Runo kept the smirk plastered on her face as she went to him. If he saw her expression, he didn't show it. She quickly cleaned the table, putting knife and fork on his plate, covering them with his very own handkerchief - it was repulsive, to look at the stains he'd left, but she didn't complain. She could have done so, though, considering how drunk he was; he'd been served the house's best refined red wine, and had proceeded to empty the bottle. It had been his mistake; getting drunk never got you far, except when your middle name was "trouble". He was on the verge of collapsing, fainting probably, his face fifty shades of red. The obvious tiredness shown on his face didn't keep him from talking. Runo had her hands on the dish, ready to flee to the kitchen, when he muttered: "You know what? Keep it all. I'm not paying for something that bad!" The voice came out dry and low, yet it was audible enough to the blue-haired waitress and her friends.
That was when it happened. Something broke inside of Runo. He'd hit a nerve, the bastard. With his harsh and hard comments, he'd managed to destroy the little tolerance and patience she'd felt toward him.
In the moment she acted out of instinct.
The plate was still on her hand, waiting to be washed. Hatred blinded her, and the rest of the world vanished.
The others watched as she gripped the knife's handle, and pushed it abruptly in the man's chest.
Runo held her breath during the whole stabbing. He gasped out loud, both out of surprise and pain, and slowly brought his hands to his chest. His face was contorted by a grimace, melting the hard mask he'd worn all this time in the café.
Runo watched as the blood came out of the wound, the knife still in place. A red flower blossomed on his expensive blouse; the blood stained his fingers and expensive suit.
For the first time of the day, Runo was truly satisfied by herself. Satisfied at how the act seemed to soothe her, at how good it felt to get rid of him.
It took her a moment to realize that Julie was screaming.
When the sound reached her ears, she suddenly turned her head toward the group, recalling how everyone had gasped when she'd been in her euphoric" state. Julie had her hands on her mouth, a scream still escaping her lips, and Mira and Alice had their mouths wide open, eyes almost jumping out of their socket. The three of them had a horrified look on their face; the bakugan didn't show much, but their silence told millions.
The data had finally reached her brain, and she turned to watch the man she'd just stabbed. He moaned, hurt and pained, so low it seemed he hadn't registered any of what happened. Colour left Runo's cheeks, and the negative chills she'd felt earlier came back. Only they were a thousand times worse.
Oh God. What have I done?
"What you have done? I'LL TELL YOU WHAT YOU'VE DONE, YOU IDIOT! YOU JUST FUCKING STABBED A MAN, FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" A loud voice yelled in her ears. Normally yells made Runo angry. Right now they made her shiver. She hadn't realized that she'd spoken out loud, until Julie's voice echoed in the dead silence. She turned to her and to the others back again. Alice and Mira had somehow managed to calm down, yet they still breathed heavily, with a look of shock on their face. Julie, on her side, looked ready to faint. Her face had lost all colour, her knuckles whitening and her nails pressed so hard inside her fists that it could have drawn blood from her palms. Another time she would have yelled back at her friend. She was too shocked and taken aback by her act to do so. She understood Julie so well at this moment that it hurt. Wouldn't she feel the same, after all, if Julie herself had done it in front of her? In cold blood, and without the slightest hesitation?
Of course. Of course she would.
"I-I-erm, I mean..." she started to say. But hell, what was she supposed to say? What did she want to say? Hey, this guy was pissing me off, so I killed him? How subtle.
Alice's quiet voice stopped her from adding any nonsense to her stuttering. She spoke in a low, calm voice, so deadly calm Runo thought she was dreaming. "You missed the heart."
Hang on...wait, what?
She wanted to slap herself, to see if she wasn't really dreaming. Julie and Mira felt the same, too, it seemed. The three of them watched the red-head quizzically. Alice was watching the man intently, as if she was inspecting him, and turned to Runo.
"I said, you missed the heart. You hit a rib when you stabbed him, probably. We might have time to drive him to the hospital."
Was she serious? Drive him to the hospital, by night? When her parents could get back anytime, and see them gone?
Drive him to the hospital...when he had been such a jerk to them?
"Sure," Julie said in an almost hysteric voice, "and then? What are you going to tell them when you get there? Hi, I just stabbed the guy 'cause he was being an ass? And what do you mean, by WE? I don't have anything to do with this!"
One would have interpreted her words as cruel and selfish, unfriendly. Still, they all got the message. Julie was scared. To death. And so were Alice and Mira and Runo.
"I hate to admit this," Mira added, "but Julie's right. We can't just go there in the middle of the night; we don't have a legit alibi. But we can't leave him like that! I mean, look at him! He's practically dead now!" She pointed at him in distress. She was right. The stab and drunken combination made him seem living dead, his skin reminding Runo of a zombie's.
"Yes, but...we can't just leave him like that!" Alice said. At this point, she had some moisture in the corners of her eyes, and was on the verge of crying. The girls fell silent, unsure of what to add. The silence was deathening in the room. They had to make a decision, and quick, Runo thought. Possibilities were infinite, though.
There was one that tempted her, yet. One single possibility that could change the course of their lives. One single possibility that could get her in trouble.
"Alice," she whispered suddenly, breaking the silence, "are you sure that I missed the heart? Positive?"
Alice gave her a funny look which might have made her laugh hadn't the situation been so critical. She thought for a minute, and then nodded. "Yes, I'm positive. You didn't touch the heart. Only between it and the stomach. You probably hit a rib or a lung, though." She took her look at her watch. "Yeah. You did so about five minutes ago. Give him, say, twenty more minutes to go without care, and he'll - "She suddenly stopped. Realization hit her like a hard slap on her cheek. She gave Runo a look again, and the blunette nodded gravely. Her eyes widened.
"Runo, you don't possibly mean - "
She nodded again." Yes, Alice, I mean it. If you don't want to, then it's fine. I won't force you into anything against your will."
The red-head looked down, her cheeks several shades paler. She swallowed a bit, not quite getting it. Then she lifted her head again, muttering. Runo only got that she was okay with the idea.
Alice took her hand and held it tight, her knuckles white from their small pressure on her fingers. "You're not doing this. Not without me." She was grateful to hear it.
Meanwhile, Mira and Julie had stared at their interaction, confused by what they said. "Hum, girls", Julie said in a smaller voice than usual, "what do we do?"
Still holding Alice's hand, Runo turned to her two remaining friends. In a calm voice, she said:
"What do we do? We're going to kill him. For good."
It took longer to convince Mira and Julie - to be precise, it took longer to convince Julie. But in the end they gave up and accepted to help. There was no way Runo was getting into this alone. From now on, they were all in this together.
By the time they decided to get into action, the man was already in between life and death. His heart still beat though, Alice said after examining him closely. The bastard definitely didn't want to die, Runo, thought bitterly. The previous shock was gone, replaced by worry and, she admitted quite gloomily, a bit of excitement.
She removed the knife from the wound with a swift movement, the fast gesture made them want to vomit. Alice, however, took it rather calmly, and Runo gave her the knife. Fresh blood dripped from the blade, a few red drops fell on Alice's apron. She chose to ignore it, where all the others made a face. She was the scientific mind of the group, it was only normal for her not to be disgusted by the sight of blood. But then, it was uneasy for her to stand here and watch this man suffer. Okay, she admitted that he'd scared the life out of her, but what they were doing was bad. Really bad.
She put it in the sink, scrubbing consciously. The blood washed away with the soap and water, disappearing quickly, yet she washed the knife over and over again. If something were to happen, at least no one would find Runo's fingerprints or hers for that matter.
This step done, she walked back inside to see Runo and the others trying to lift up the body. While Runo and Mira commented his weight - the animal was well nourished - , Julie complained about the stains he had left on her clothes, disgusted. Alice joined them and held the corpse at the front. Holding his head and guiding him with as little damage as possible, she could swear she heard him mutter something about his condition. Crap. This meant they didn't have too much time.
They got him inside of the kitchen. Runo got out a black garbage bag, the king of plastic that was so big a bear could get in without much problem. Alice, her, got some rope, and wrapped it around his body with the others' help. By the time they were done, there was no more thread, and the middle-aged man looked like a chicken. Ready to roast, Runo thought bitterly. And may you roast in hell for good. She placed the bag on his head, sliding it down so to cover his roundish form completely. Before closing it, she made sure there was no extra air left inside. Feeling him move slightly, she exchanged looks with the others. Upon seeing them agree weirdly, she closed the bag tightly with a knot. Don't worry, sir, we're making this easier for you.
They were almost done now. They proceeded to carry him outside, to the café's garbage bin. With all the force they had remaining, they threw the bag among the other black bags in the bin. Exhaling deeply, they closed the lid.
The dim light lit them as they went back inside, panting heavily, hurrying to clean up the mess in the kitchen and at the table where the victim had been.
Correction, Runo thought, as she stopped at the door, letting her gaze divert itself to the bin. He was not a victim. In her book victims were innocent and represented a high loss. She closed the door behind her, making sure it was well locked.
He hadn't been innocent. And no one would miss him.
Her thoughts had distracted her. So distracting that she hadn't heard the flick of a camera close to her.
A/N: Remember when I told you that I had this exam to revise for? Well, it's not the only thing keeping me from going on the computer to write. Since I'm half a Muslim, I have to do this funny diet most Muslims do: it's pretty much fasting, I guess. I have to wake up at 5AM to eat and drink something, and then I don't have the right to eat or drink until the afternoon at an exact hour. It implies not only no eating or drinking, but also sacrifice. Or, as my parents say, NO COMPUTER AND NO INTERNET. Great. This means that I'll try to write well the following chapters as fast as I can. I'll update, yes, but I might not do it regularly. I have every intention of continuing and finishing this story.
Also, do you guys know good Bakugan Battle Brawlers fan fiction in Spanish? Preferably not too long and complex ones with Alice/Shun in it? I've only done Spanish for three years, and I'm still bad at it. If you know any, please send me titles! And, would you guys be interested by a Bakugan Battle Brawlers/Vampire Diaries crossover? Just saying, I thought that it might be cool to do something like that? With Shurisu of course ^^
Last but not least, do you know any website where I could download wattpad stories? I know that there's a mobile app for this, but I don't have Internet on my phone and I'd like to have a pc app. For the moment, I'm downloading stories from , and the quality is great.
If you ask me: yes. Yes I already know what I'll write about in the next chapter. I'm not giving you spoilers. I can just say that things are getting complex ;)
Opinions?