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Fairy tales…
These fairy tales, or whatever the people on Earth called them, were one of the things I actually loved on this planet. Not that I hated Earth, I just miss home very much. We are still in battle with the Gundalians, although, we seem to be on the losing side.
I guess I had been really down lately and Shun was the one who took notice of it right away. He said I should do something to take my mind off of things like this terrible war. That was so typical of Shun. He was always trying to help me out ever since that Gundalian, Ren, had betrayed him and the Brawlers and had given me a bad name. So Shun led me out of Bakugan Interspace and into a public library. He said that maybe I could read to relieve myself of all of this stress. I didn't know what else to do, so I went along with his idea.
As I wandered through the library, I found a section about fairy tales. Curious, I reached out towards the shelf, grabbed a random book, and read the cover: The Little Mermaid.
Huh, the picture on the front cover looked like a Sirenoid but I soon learned that people here refer to them as "mermaids." As I read the book, my whole mind went as far away as it could go into another world. The tale was so romantic. A girl living underwater and a boy living above the water; two people from completely different worlds, yet they managed to love each other. And the girl risked everything just to be with the one she loved.
Needless to say, I returned to that library every single day after we had our daily discussion about the war and what plans we had to stop the Gundalians. I've gotten weird looks from Dan since, according to Shun, he doesn't really like to read that much. However, Shun seemed very happy that I wasn't thinking about the war 24/7.
People in the library thought that a girl like me should be better off reading books like Harry Potter or Twilight, whatever those books were. They seemed very popular, but I wasn't interested. I was more fascinated with fairy tales or any romantic book I could find. But when someone had mentioned that Twilight was a romantic tale, I dashed towards the librarian as fast as I could and asked her about Twilight, but she told me that all of them were already "checked out."
Confused, I walked back to Bakugan Interspace and asked what "checked out" at the library meant.
"It means that someone has taken a book from the library to read at home," explained Marucho.
"You mean they stole it?" I asked, still confused.
"No," answered Shun. "You see, in libraries, you can get something called a library card. Once you obtain that card, you are free to take any book you want from the library home. However, there is a catch. You're supposed to return that book in a few weeks or else you'll get fined, meaning you'll get charged a small fee for keeping it too long."
"So basically, you borrow the book," I said.
"Pretty much," replied Jake.
"But what if there's a book you want to read, but someone else has already…er, 'checked it out'?" I asked.
"Simple, you just put the book on hold," answered Dan.
"Wait, what?" I asked.
"What he means is, you ask the librarian to keep track of the book for you," answered Marucho. And before I could open my mouth to ask what he meant, he continued explaining. "So, say you want this book, but someone has already taken it. You can ask the librarian to put your name on a list of people who also want that book. Then, when the book has returned, the librarian will call the first person on that list, and the process keeps going like that."
"Oh," I replied, finally understanding.
"Is there a book you had on your mind but someone else has already checked it out?" asked Shun, kindly.
"Yeah…" I mumbled.
"I have a library card, I could place it on hold for you," Shun generously offered.
"Wow, that would be great. Thanks, Shun," I replied.
The next day…
After discussing some tactics with the Brawlers, Shun took me to the library to place the book, Twilight, on hold for me. And after thanking him, I wandered through the library again to the fairy tales section. Shun didn't give me weird looks like everyone else did, but instead, asked me if I wanted to check out those books or if I needed anything else. I told him that I was fine. Truth is, I didn't really need to check out these fairy tales, since, well, I'd always finish them at the library. Why take it home when you've already finished reading them?
I've read almost every fairy tale I could find, but for some reason, my favorite one was The Little Mermaid. Maybe because it was the first fairy tale that I ever read, but I knew there was a different reason. Perhaps it was because, that sort of fairy tale applied to me. Yes, I, Princess Fabia of Nethia, have fallen in love. Fallen in love with whom? Fallen in love with the last person anyone could expect: Ren Krawler.
That's right, the Ren Krawler, the one who had lied and betrayed everyone and who tried to make me look like the bad guy. Just like in The Little Mermaid, two people, living in completely different worlds, yet they managed to find love within each other. Well at least, I had. I doubt Ren had the same feelings about me as I did for him.
But why him though? Why the enemy? I didn't have an answer to any of these questions that my conscious kept throwing at me.
I should be in love with Shun, I thought to myself. I mean, who wouldn't? He's handsome, kind, and uses his brain unlike someone *cough Dan cough*. And it would make a lot more sense, since he was on my side and he was the first person to believe in me. Why fall in love with the bad guy, when you have the boy any girl could want right next to you? I don't know why, but my feelings for Shun weren't as strong as they were for Ren.
I had been thinking about this, for so long, that I didn't even realize it was getting dark. The librarian had to come tell me that the library was closed and that I had to leave. So I did. However, the sky getting dark was a problem for me. It was very difficult to see and before I knew it, I got lost.
"Aranaut," I started, as my Guardian Bakugan jumped on my shoulder. "Do you know the direction to Bakugan Interspace?"
"I'm sorry, Princess, but since I'm not familiar with this place, I have no idea where to go," replied Aranaut.
"Get back in my pocket," I commanded. "I've already lost my direction, I don't want to lose you too."
Aranaut obeyed and went back inside my pocket. I wandered around and around and around, but still could see no sign of Bakugan Interspace.
Suddenly, I accidentally bumped into someone. "I'm sorr-" I started to say, but when I looked up into those beautiful golden eyes, my breath was taken away and I could say nothing more than "Ren."
"C'mon, Princess," he said, grabbing my arm and dragging me with him.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked. I seriously hoped that he wasn't here to kidnap me or anything.
He hesitated a moment before replying, "I'm taking you back to Bakugan Interspace."
"Why?" I managed to choke out. Why was he doing this? He was my enemy! Why was he being…being nice?
Ren didn't answer and continued dragging me with him as he walked. Aranaut struggled to get out of my pocket, but I immediately put my hand over my pocket to prevent him from doing so. I didn't want Ren to know that he was here. If Ren was kidnapping me, I could silently tell Aranaut to go find some help.
We reached Bakugan Interspace after about ten minutes and Ren let go of my arm. Then suddenly, he turned around and crashed his lips onto mine. After lingering there for a few seconds, he broke apart from me and whispered, "That's why." Then he ran off just as someone opened the door.
"Fabia!" cried Shun, as he ran over to me. "Are you okay? Where were you? We were all worried about you!"
"I got lost," I mumbled.
"Well the important thing is, you're safe now," replied Shun, taking my hand and leading me inside. "C'mon."
When I got inside, the first thing that greeted me was Dan's lecture about how everyone was worried about me. Jake did his best to calm "Dan, the man," down while Marucho was just relieved to see that I was okay.
After I assured everyone that I was fine, the Brawlers all went back to their homes while I went with Shun to his dojo.
"Fabia," Shun started as soon as we stepped inside his grandfather's dojo. Shun was kind enough to offer me a place to stay, and this was where I've been sleeping ever since. "The library called. They said your book was ready to be picked up."
"Oh, ok," I replied.
"Good night."
"Night, Shun, and thank you for everything."
Shun nodded and went into his room. After staring at his door for a while, I soon went into mine. The kiss was all I could think of as I lay on my bed. I had finally had the kiss of my dreams, but was it right? Was it right for me to be in love with the enemy? I knew the Gundalians were a hostile force, and they would stop at nothing to gain power. But I knew Ren was different. He couldn't be like the rest of them. He just couldn't. These thoughts ran over my head in circles as if they were ice skaters on a skating ring, going around and around without stopping. Before I knew it, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Over the week, I continued to return to the library to read Twilight. I knew I was allowed to take it home, but I preferred reading in the library. Before I knew it, I even read all the other books in the series such as New Moon and Eclipse.
After I had finished Breaking Dawn, I moved on to Romeo and Juliet. People told me that it had a really sad ending, but I thought to myself, no way. It couldn't have a sad ending, could it? Because, well, if you're in love, you're bound to have a happy ending, just like in fairy tales…right?
Despite what everyone else said, I read the book, and this was the book that captured my whole heart. Why? Because it was about also about two different people who fell deeply in love with each other, but their families were enemies. This was my problem exactly.
Ren Krawler and Fabia Sheen…our names together wouldn't sound right to most people, but it sounded perfect in my heart. I thought about this the whole time I read the book. Then, when I reached the ending, I nearly had a heart attack. Romeo and Juliet were both…dead. No, I couldn't believe it. It was a love story! How could there be a sad ending? I thought all romances were happy endings. It just wasn't right!
"It's not fair…"I whispered to myself, so only I could hear it.
However, someone else had heard it too. "Life isn't fair, Princess," said a voice.
I looked up from my book to see a figure cloaked in black. But when I saw his golden, reptilian eyes and I knew at once that it was Ren. He leaned down towards me and I thought he was going to kiss me again, but he merely whispered in my ear, "Meet me at the park at midnight."
I closed my eyes to take in what he said. But when I opened them, he was gone.
No matter, I would see him again. The only problem I had was, Shun.
Shun had eyes like a hawk, very sensitive ears, and footsteps like a ninja…well that was probably because he was a ninja. And Shun never snores! How am I supposed to know if he's still asleep or not while I'm trying to sneak out of his dojo? Sneaking past him would be as easy as defeating Dan and Drago in a battle.
Well, I had to try. And at five minutes till midnight, I crept out of bed as quietly as I could. After grabbing Aranaut from my bedside table and putting him in my pocket, I walked quietly towards my door and opened it slowly. Luckily for me, it didn't creak, but that was the easy part. The hardest part was getting past Shun's room. I tip-toed as quietly as I could past his bedroom door. My heart was beating so loud, I was almost sure that he could hear it. But I managed to make it past his room and started walking very slowly to the front door. Just as I rested my hand on the door knob, another hand stopped me.
"And where do you think you're going?" It didn't take a detective to find out whose voice that belonged to. Damn Shun and his ninja skills. I didn't even know he was behind me.
"O-out for a wa-walk," I answered. I hoped Shun didn't notice that I was stuttering.
"At this time?" he asked. His voice was slightly suspicious, not that I blamed him.
"Yeah, a midnight walk," I lied. "I had a nightmare and I think walking around the park for a while would help me clear my mind." I felt awful lying to him after he'd been so good to me. He believed me and wanted to hear my side of story of the war, before anyone else did. He even took me in so I would have a place to stay.
"It's dangerous walking alone at this hour," said Shun. "I'll come with you."
"No, it's all right," I replied. "Besides I have some experience with hand to hand combat, remember?"
Shun smiled a little. We both remembered the occasion when Dan and I had first met. Dan was running towards me and was about to crash into me but my reflexes took over and I flipped him over my head, making him land hard on his butt.
I tried to open the door again, but Shun had a firm grip. "That's not what I was talking about. Remember when you were walking from the library and you got lost?"
"Well…" I replied, trying to think of an excuse. "That's because the library was kind of far from Bakugan Interspace. I'll just be taking a stroll around the park, which is very close to here."
Shun locked eyes with me for a moment. Then, he slowly released his hold of my hand. "Just be careful, Fabia."
"I will," I promised, as I finally opened the door. I walked slowly to the park and glanced behind me. I was pleased to see Shun closing the door and smiled slightly. Now I was sure I wouldn't be interrupted anymore.
"Is this a good idea, Princess?" asked Aranaut as he popped up on my shoulder. "What if it's a trap?"
"It's not," I replied. "I know it's not." I couldn't explain to him how I was so sure it wasn't a trap. I just knew it wasn't. Aranaut sighed and went back into my pocket.
When I reached the park, I saw Ren sitting on one of the benches. He looked up as I approached him and asked, "What kept you?"
"Shun," I muttered and sat down next to Ren. It was quiet in the park. It was also dark, but there were a few bright lamp posts scattered about.
We were silent for a moment, until I spoke again, "Ren, how did you know where I was that one day? You know, when I got lost and I was trying to find my way back to Bakugan Interspace?"
"I was sent to kidnap you," answered Ren. "I knew you were always hanging out at the library, so I followed you. Then I waited until you left and got yourself lost. That was when I was supposed grab you and take you to Emperor Barodius." I gasped, but then I remembered he didn't kidnap me. Instead, he had saved me.
"Then…why didn't you?" I asked.
"I couldn't bring myself to do it," he replied looking away. "It didn't feel right."
We became quiet again, and I asked another question that had been bothering me. "Why are you working with the Gundalians? Why do you want to destroy my home?"
Ren was quiet, as if he was searching for an answer. "Because…it was the only way I could escape from my hell-hole."
"Pardon me?" I asked, not really understanding what he meant.
But he became silent again as his Darkus Linehalt appeared on his shoulder. "It's a long story," said Linehalt.
"Well then please tell us why you are attacking our home," said Aranaut, jumping on my shoulder again.
"Very well," said Linehalt. "You see, there once existed a tribe of ancient Bakugan, who were rumored to possess forbidden powers. I was one of them. Because of these powers, we were all forced to live underground. Over time, our numbers diminished until I was the only one left. These were very dark times. You must understand this."
I couldn't find any words to speak, so I merely nodded my head.
"As a descendant of the Protectors of the Dark Bakugan, I was chosen to look after Linehalt," explained Ren. "But the strange thing is, no one, not even Linehalt, knew what the forbidden powers were. However, the fear about those powers, forced me and him to live underground for years. We never saw a trace of sunlight. Then one day, Emperor Barodius came to me and offered me an escape from that horrible prison. If I were to join him, I would never have to live underground again. Naturally, I took up his offer, but I never knew that I would be fighting against…"
"Against what?" I asked.
"Against the girl I love," he finished. I blushed slightly. That was when I noticed that he had faced me again. We began leaning in closer and closer to each other. Our lips almost met, but then I heard an all too familiar voice.
"A midnight walk huh?"
I gasped and broke away from Ren. I saw Shun leaning casually against a tree trunk, his eyes staring into mine. Then he broke his contact with me by glancing at Ren. "What's he doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," replied Ren, getting up.
"Get away from Fabia," snarled Shun. I trembled. I had never seen Shun this angry before.
"Or what?" asked Ren, walking in front of me, his arm slightly sticking out in front of me, as if he was trying to protect me from Shun.
I could tell this was going to get messy from the looks of Ren's and Shun's eyes. There was pure hatred in both of them. Thankfully, Shun, with great effort, managed to remain calm again. He looked at me and said, "Fabia, we're leaving."
"No, she's not-" started Ren, but I put my hand in front of him to signal him to stop talking.
"It's okay, Ren," I said. I looked at Shun and nodded. Shun turned and began walking back to the dojo. I started to follow him, but hesitated for a moment before giving Ren a quick kiss on the lips. After we broke apart, I whispered, "I'm sorry," and walked back to the dojo with Shun.
I was so glad the walk from the park to his home was short. I couldn't bear the silence between us. As we walked I stole glances at Shun. He didn't look angry but he didn't look happy either. His face showed no emotion, not that I was surprised. He was almost always calm and it was always difficult to tell what mood he was in.
When we finally reached the dojo, Shun opened the door and stepped aside to let me in. I thanked him and sadly walked inside. As Shun entered, I asked him, "Shun…are you angry at me?"
Shun looked at me with that same calm expression. Then, he surprised me by saying, "No."
"You-you aren't? You're not mad or anything? You don't feel as if I betrayed you and the Brawlers because I was talking with Ren in the middle of the night?" I asked, shocked.
Again, Shun replied, "No," but there was a hint of…was it sadness? Hurt?
"Go to sleep, Fabia, you'll need it for tomorrow," said Shun, his voice still showing no emotion.
"Right," I replied. Tomorrow was the day we were to depart for Nethia. Queen Serena needed help to defend Nethia and wanted me to go back to my home planet. But the Brawlers wouldn't hear of it and wanted to accompany me. So of course, I let them. It wasn't like I had a choice anyway. Dan would keep pestering me about it until I let him go.
"One more thing," said Shun as his hand rested on the doorknob of his bedroom door. "Stay away from Ren. I don't trust him. He's...he's trouble."
I didn't want to argue with him so I nodded and went inside my room.
"Are you okay, Princess?" asked Aranaut as I took him out of my pocket and placed him on my bedside table.
"I'm fine, Aranaut," I assured him.
"Get some rest," said Aranaut. "Shun is right. You have a big day tomorrow."
I nodded and climbed into my bed. As I laid down, my mind drifted back to Ren. He was all I could think of. I was reminded of the story, Romeo and Juliet. I felt as if I was Juliet, Ren was Romeo, and the Brawlers and the Nethians were my family, while the Gundalians were my family's enemies. Shun seemed to me like the father in the story, always telling Romeo to stay away from Juliet. Shun couldn't understand. No one could understand how I felt. Everyone would just ask me, why? Why Ren of all people? Because he was…different. I could tell he wasn't power hungry like the rest of the Gundalians.
This was such a complicated love story. I had hoped that my own love story would be like The Little Mermaid's, a happy ending. But would I get my happily ever after just like in fairy tales, or would my story end up in a tragedy like Romeo and Juliet?
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Fairy tales…
These fairy tales, or whatever the people on Earth called them, were one of the things I actually loved on this planet. Not that I hated Earth, I just miss home very much. We are still in battle with the Gundalians, although, we seem to be on the losing side.
I guess I had been really down lately and Shun was the one who took notice of it right away. He said I should do something to take my mind off of things like this terrible war. That was so typical of Shun. He was always trying to help me out ever since that Gundalian, Ren, had betrayed him and the Brawlers and had given me a bad name. So Shun led me out of Bakugan Interspace and into a public library. He said that maybe I could read to relieve myself of all of this stress. I didn't know what else to do, so I went along with his idea.
As I wandered through the library, I found a section about fairy tales. Curious, I reached out towards the shelf, grabbed a random book, and read the cover: The Little Mermaid.
Huh, the picture on the front cover looked like a Sirenoid but I soon learned that people here refer to them as "mermaids." As I read the book, my whole mind went as far away as it could go into another world. The tale was so romantic. A girl living underwater and a boy living above the water; two people from completely different worlds, yet they managed to love each other. And the girl risked everything just to be with the one she loved.
Needless to say, I returned to that library every single day after we had our daily discussion about the war and what plans we had to stop the Gundalians. I've gotten weird looks from Dan since, according to Shun, he doesn't really like to read that much. However, Shun seemed very happy that I wasn't thinking about the war 24/7.
People in the library thought that a girl like me should be better off reading books like Harry Potter or Twilight, whatever those books were. They seemed very popular, but I wasn't interested. I was more fascinated with fairy tales or any romantic book I could find. But when someone had mentioned that Twilight was a romantic tale, I dashed towards the librarian as fast as I could and asked her about Twilight, but she told me that all of them were already "checked out."
Confused, I walked back to Bakugan Interspace and asked what "checked out" at the library meant.
"It means that someone has taken a book from the library to read at home," explained Marucho.
"You mean they stole it?" I asked, still confused.
"No," answered Shun. "You see, in libraries, you can get something called a library card. Once you obtain that card, you are free to take any book you want from the library home. However, there is a catch. You're supposed to return that book in a few weeks or else you'll get fined, meaning you'll get charged a small fee for keeping it too long."
"So basically, you borrow the book," I said.
"Pretty much," replied Jake.
"But what if there's a book you want to read, but someone else has already…er, 'checked it out'?" I asked.
"Simple, you just put the book on hold," answered Dan.
"Wait, what?" I asked.
"What he means is, you ask the librarian to keep track of the book for you," answered Marucho. And before I could open my mouth to ask what he meant, he continued explaining. "So, say you want this book, but someone has already taken it. You can ask the librarian to put your name on a list of people who also want that book. Then, when the book has returned, the librarian will call the first person on that list, and the process keeps going like that."
"Oh," I replied, finally understanding.
"Is there a book you had on your mind but someone else has already checked it out?" asked Shun, kindly.
"Yeah…" I mumbled.
"I have a library card, I could place it on hold for you," Shun generously offered.
"Wow, that would be great. Thanks, Shun," I replied.
The next day…
After discussing some tactics with the Brawlers, Shun took me to the library to place the book, Twilight, on hold for me. And after thanking him, I wandered through the library again to the fairy tales section. Shun didn't give me weird looks like everyone else did, but instead, asked me if I wanted to check out those books or if I needed anything else. I told him that I was fine. Truth is, I didn't really need to check out these fairy tales, since, well, I'd always finish them at the library. Why take it home when you've already finished reading them?
I've read almost every fairy tale I could find, but for some reason, my favorite one was The Little Mermaid. Maybe because it was the first fairy tale that I ever read, but I knew there was a different reason. Perhaps it was because, that sort of fairy tale applied to me. Yes, I, Princess Fabia of Nethia, have fallen in love. Fallen in love with whom? Fallen in love with the last person anyone could expect: Ren Krawler.
That's right, the Ren Krawler, the one who had lied and betrayed everyone and who tried to make me look like the bad guy. Just like in The Little Mermaid, two people, living in completely different worlds, yet they managed to find love within each other. Well at least, I had. I doubt Ren had the same feelings about me as I did for him.
But why him though? Why the enemy? I didn't have an answer to any of these questions that my conscious kept throwing at me.
I should be in love with Shun, I thought to myself. I mean, who wouldn't? He's handsome, kind, and uses his brain unlike someone *cough Dan cough*. And it would make a lot more sense, since he was on my side and he was the first person to believe in me. Why fall in love with the bad guy, when you have the boy any girl could want right next to you? I don't know why, but my feelings for Shun weren't as strong as they were for Ren.
I had been thinking about this, for so long, that I didn't even realize it was getting dark. The librarian had to come tell me that the library was closed and that I had to leave. So I did. However, the sky getting dark was a problem for me. It was very difficult to see and before I knew it, I got lost.
"Aranaut," I started, as my Guardian Bakugan jumped on my shoulder. "Do you know the direction to Bakugan Interspace?"
"I'm sorry, Princess, but since I'm not familiar with this place, I have no idea where to go," replied Aranaut.
"Get back in my pocket," I commanded. "I've already lost my direction, I don't want to lose you too."
Aranaut obeyed and went back inside my pocket. I wandered around and around and around, but still could see no sign of Bakugan Interspace.
Suddenly, I accidentally bumped into someone. "I'm sorr-" I started to say, but when I looked up into those beautiful golden eyes, my breath was taken away and I could say nothing more than "Ren."
"C'mon, Princess," he said, grabbing my arm and dragging me with him.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked. I seriously hoped that he wasn't here to kidnap me or anything.
He hesitated a moment before replying, "I'm taking you back to Bakugan Interspace."
"Why?" I managed to choke out. Why was he doing this? He was my enemy! Why was he being…being nice?
Ren didn't answer and continued dragging me with him as he walked. Aranaut struggled to get out of my pocket, but I immediately put my hand over my pocket to prevent him from doing so. I didn't want Ren to know that he was here. If Ren was kidnapping me, I could silently tell Aranaut to go find some help.
We reached Bakugan Interspace after about ten minutes and Ren let go of my arm. Then suddenly, he turned around and crashed his lips onto mine. After lingering there for a few seconds, he broke apart from me and whispered, "That's why." Then he ran off just as someone opened the door.
"Fabia!" cried Shun, as he ran over to me. "Are you okay? Where were you? We were all worried about you!"
"I got lost," I mumbled.
"Well the important thing is, you're safe now," replied Shun, taking my hand and leading me inside. "C'mon."
When I got inside, the first thing that greeted me was Dan's lecture about how everyone was worried about me. Jake did his best to calm "Dan, the man," down while Marucho was just relieved to see that I was okay.
After I assured everyone that I was fine, the Brawlers all went back to their homes while I went with Shun to his dojo.
"Fabia," Shun started as soon as we stepped inside his grandfather's dojo. Shun was kind enough to offer me a place to stay, and this was where I've been sleeping ever since. "The library called. They said your book was ready to be picked up."
"Oh, ok," I replied.
"Good night."
"Night, Shun, and thank you for everything."
Shun nodded and went into his room. After staring at his door for a while, I soon went into mine. The kiss was all I could think of as I lay on my bed. I had finally had the kiss of my dreams, but was it right? Was it right for me to be in love with the enemy? I knew the Gundalians were a hostile force, and they would stop at nothing to gain power. But I knew Ren was different. He couldn't be like the rest of them. He just couldn't. These thoughts ran over my head in circles as if they were ice skaters on a skating ring, going around and around without stopping. Before I knew it, I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Over the week, I continued to return to the library to read Twilight. I knew I was allowed to take it home, but I preferred reading in the library. Before I knew it, I even read all the other books in the series such as New Moon and Eclipse.
After I had finished Breaking Dawn, I moved on to Romeo and Juliet. People told me that it had a really sad ending, but I thought to myself, no way. It couldn't have a sad ending, could it? Because, well, if you're in love, you're bound to have a happy ending, just like in fairy tales…right?
Despite what everyone else said, I read the book, and this was the book that captured my whole heart. Why? Because it was about also about two different people who fell deeply in love with each other, but their families were enemies. This was my problem exactly.
Ren Krawler and Fabia Sheen…our names together wouldn't sound right to most people, but it sounded perfect in my heart. I thought about this the whole time I read the book. Then, when I reached the ending, I nearly had a heart attack. Romeo and Juliet were both…dead. No, I couldn't believe it. It was a love story! How could there be a sad ending? I thought all romances were happy endings. It just wasn't right!
"It's not fair…"I whispered to myself, so only I could hear it.
However, someone else had heard it too. "Life isn't fair, Princess," said a voice.
I looked up from my book to see a figure cloaked in black. But when I saw his golden, reptilian eyes and I knew at once that it was Ren. He leaned down towards me and I thought he was going to kiss me again, but he merely whispered in my ear, "Meet me at the park at midnight."
I closed my eyes to take in what he said. But when I opened them, he was gone.
No matter, I would see him again. The only problem I had was, Shun.
Shun had eyes like a hawk, very sensitive ears, and footsteps like a ninja…well that was probably because he was a ninja. And Shun never snores! How am I supposed to know if he's still asleep or not while I'm trying to sneak out of his dojo? Sneaking past him would be as easy as defeating Dan and Drago in a battle.
Well, I had to try. And at five minutes till midnight, I crept out of bed as quietly as I could. After grabbing Aranaut from my bedside table and putting him in my pocket, I walked quietly towards my door and opened it slowly. Luckily for me, it didn't creak, but that was the easy part. The hardest part was getting past Shun's room. I tip-toed as quietly as I could past his bedroom door. My heart was beating so loud, I was almost sure that he could hear it. But I managed to make it past his room and started walking very slowly to the front door. Just as I rested my hand on the door knob, another hand stopped me.
"And where do you think you're going?" It didn't take a detective to find out whose voice that belonged to. Damn Shun and his ninja skills. I didn't even know he was behind me.
"O-out for a wa-walk," I answered. I hoped Shun didn't notice that I was stuttering.
"At this time?" he asked. His voice was slightly suspicious, not that I blamed him.
"Yeah, a midnight walk," I lied. "I had a nightmare and I think walking around the park for a while would help me clear my mind." I felt awful lying to him after he'd been so good to me. He believed me and wanted to hear my side of story of the war, before anyone else did. He even took me in so I would have a place to stay.
"It's dangerous walking alone at this hour," said Shun. "I'll come with you."
"No, it's all right," I replied. "Besides I have some experience with hand to hand combat, remember?"
Shun smiled a little. We both remembered the occasion when Dan and I had first met. Dan was running towards me and was about to crash into me but my reflexes took over and I flipped him over my head, making him land hard on his butt.
I tried to open the door again, but Shun had a firm grip. "That's not what I was talking about. Remember when you were walking from the library and you got lost?"
"Well…" I replied, trying to think of an excuse. "That's because the library was kind of far from Bakugan Interspace. I'll just be taking a stroll around the park, which is very close to here."
Shun locked eyes with me for a moment. Then, he slowly released his hold of my hand. "Just be careful, Fabia."
"I will," I promised, as I finally opened the door. I walked slowly to the park and glanced behind me. I was pleased to see Shun closing the door and smiled slightly. Now I was sure I wouldn't be interrupted anymore.
"Is this a good idea, Princess?" asked Aranaut as he popped up on my shoulder. "What if it's a trap?"
"It's not," I replied. "I know it's not." I couldn't explain to him how I was so sure it wasn't a trap. I just knew it wasn't. Aranaut sighed and went back into my pocket.
When I reached the park, I saw Ren sitting on one of the benches. He looked up as I approached him and asked, "What kept you?"
"Shun," I muttered and sat down next to Ren. It was quiet in the park. It was also dark, but there were a few bright lamp posts scattered about.
We were silent for a moment, until I spoke again, "Ren, how did you know where I was that one day? You know, when I got lost and I was trying to find my way back to Bakugan Interspace?"
"I was sent to kidnap you," answered Ren. "I knew you were always hanging out at the library, so I followed you. Then I waited until you left and got yourself lost. That was when I was supposed grab you and take you to Emperor Barodius." I gasped, but then I remembered he didn't kidnap me. Instead, he had saved me.
"Then…why didn't you?" I asked.
"I couldn't bring myself to do it," he replied looking away. "It didn't feel right."
We became quiet again, and I asked another question that had been bothering me. "Why are you working with the Gundalians? Why do you want to destroy my home?"
Ren was quiet, as if he was searching for an answer. "Because…it was the only way I could escape from my hell-hole."
"Pardon me?" I asked, not really understanding what he meant.
But he became silent again as his Darkus Linehalt appeared on his shoulder. "It's a long story," said Linehalt.
"Well then please tell us why you are attacking our home," said Aranaut, jumping on my shoulder again.
"Very well," said Linehalt. "You see, there once existed a tribe of ancient Bakugan, who were rumored to possess forbidden powers. I was one of them. Because of these powers, we were all forced to live underground. Over time, our numbers diminished until I was the only one left. These were very dark times. You must understand this."
I couldn't find any words to speak, so I merely nodded my head.
"As a descendant of the Protectors of the Dark Bakugan, I was chosen to look after Linehalt," explained Ren. "But the strange thing is, no one, not even Linehalt, knew what the forbidden powers were. However, the fear about those powers, forced me and him to live underground for years. We never saw a trace of sunlight. Then one day, Emperor Barodius came to me and offered me an escape from that horrible prison. If I were to join him, I would never have to live underground again. Naturally, I took up his offer, but I never knew that I would be fighting against…"
"Against what?" I asked.
"Against the girl I love," he finished. I blushed slightly. That was when I noticed that he had faced me again. We began leaning in closer and closer to each other. Our lips almost met, but then I heard an all too familiar voice.
"A midnight walk huh?"
I gasped and broke away from Ren. I saw Shun leaning casually against a tree trunk, his eyes staring into mine. Then he broke his contact with me by glancing at Ren. "What's he doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," replied Ren, getting up.
"Get away from Fabia," snarled Shun. I trembled. I had never seen Shun this angry before.
"Or what?" asked Ren, walking in front of me, his arm slightly sticking out in front of me, as if he was trying to protect me from Shun.
I could tell this was going to get messy from the looks of Ren's and Shun's eyes. There was pure hatred in both of them. Thankfully, Shun, with great effort, managed to remain calm again. He looked at me and said, "Fabia, we're leaving."
"No, she's not-" started Ren, but I put my hand in front of him to signal him to stop talking.
"It's okay, Ren," I said. I looked at Shun and nodded. Shun turned and began walking back to the dojo. I started to follow him, but hesitated for a moment before giving Ren a quick kiss on the lips. After we broke apart, I whispered, "I'm sorry," and walked back to the dojo with Shun.
I was so glad the walk from the park to his home was short. I couldn't bear the silence between us. As we walked I stole glances at Shun. He didn't look angry but he didn't look happy either. His face showed no emotion, not that I was surprised. He was almost always calm and it was always difficult to tell what mood he was in.
When we finally reached the dojo, Shun opened the door and stepped aside to let me in. I thanked him and sadly walked inside. As Shun entered, I asked him, "Shun…are you angry at me?"
Shun looked at me with that same calm expression. Then, he surprised me by saying, "No."
"You-you aren't? You're not mad or anything? You don't feel as if I betrayed you and the Brawlers because I was talking with Ren in the middle of the night?" I asked, shocked.
Again, Shun replied, "No," but there was a hint of…was it sadness? Hurt?
"Go to sleep, Fabia, you'll need it for tomorrow," said Shun, his voice still showing no emotion.
"Right," I replied. Tomorrow was the day we were to depart for Nethia. Queen Serena needed help to defend Nethia and wanted me to go back to my home planet. But the Brawlers wouldn't hear of it and wanted to accompany me. So of course, I let them. It wasn't like I had a choice anyway. Dan would keep pestering me about it until I let him go.
"One more thing," said Shun as his hand rested on the doorknob of his bedroom door. "Stay away from Ren. I don't trust him. He's...he's trouble."
I didn't want to argue with him so I nodded and went inside my room.
"Are you okay, Princess?" asked Aranaut as I took him out of my pocket and placed him on my bedside table.
"I'm fine, Aranaut," I assured him.
"Get some rest," said Aranaut. "Shun is right. You have a big day tomorrow."
I nodded and climbed into my bed. As I laid down, my mind drifted back to Ren. He was all I could think of. I was reminded of the story, Romeo and Juliet. I felt as if I was Juliet, Ren was Romeo, and the Brawlers and the Nethians were my family, while the Gundalians were my family's enemies. Shun seemed to me like the father in the story, always telling Romeo to stay away from Juliet. Shun couldn't understand. No one could understand how I felt. Everyone would just ask me, why? Why Ren of all people? Because he was…different. I could tell he wasn't power hungry like the rest of the Gundalians.
This was such a complicated love story. I had hoped that my own love story would be like The Little Mermaid's, a happy ending. But would I get my happily ever after just like in fairy tales, or would my story end up in a tragedy like Romeo and Juliet?