Beyond the Mask - A Bakugan fanfic

Chapter 10

Amari awoke and dressed early the next morning for their day full of battling. She hurriedly scarfed down a bowl of cereal, stuffing a water bottle and a handful of her foster dad's protein bars into her backpack before hitting the door. Morning commuters had barely pulled out of their driveways by the time Amari started making her way to the park.

Leonidas flew up out of her pocket and landed onto her shoulder.

"Good morning," she greeted him a little too cheerfully, even to her own ears. "You get enough sleep?"

"Hard to sleep when you're shuffled around."

"Sorry," she replied, sheepishly. "We'll be at the park soon. A battle first thing in the morning should wake you up!"

Leonidas grunted, to which Amari took as his approval for a battle first thing. It was still early in the summer, so she hoped other kids hadn't completely blown off their sleeping schedules just yet. She needed at least one good battle to get herself back in the groove after everything that happened yesterday. Leonidas probably wouldn't talk to her again for a while until she fulfilled her promise to him of a battle.

Arriving so early to the park on a day that wasn't Saturday, or Sunday felt surreal. The fountain in the center of the park hadn't even begun to flow. As she approached, she noticed a pair of boys hanging around the fountain, one sitting on the lip of the fountain, the other stood in front of him, showing off something in his hand.

"Alright, Leonidas. How about a quick match to get things started?"

The Bakugan on her shoulder didn't respond, but she didn't wait for his response to begin her approach to the boys. She felt confident, sure of herself as she took long strides towards the group. They had to play Bakugan; what kid in their right mind would be at the park this early in the morning and give up on the chance to sleep in? These were the kind of players Amari was hoping that she'd run into.

Her heart rate picked up as she drew closer, close enough to call out and challenge them –

"Amari?"

She turned to the familiar voice behind her.

"Kumiko?" she asked as her friend came bounding forward. Before Kumiko could notice, Amari grabbed Leonidas from her shoulder and stuffed him in her shorts pocket. "What are you doing here?"

Kumiko carried a basket loaded to the brim with fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. Tucked underneath was a folded receipt. She wore her hair in a delicately woven French Braid that started at the crown of her head and wrapped all the way around her head. She wore a cute blue gingham crop trop and dark blue denim shorts in place of her usual school uniform that Amari had always seen her dressed in. Compared to Amari's plain gray t-shirt and frayed denim shorts, Kumiko looked far more suited for a day in the park.

"I could ask you the same thing! How are you?" she asked, out of breath from making her way over to Amari so quickly.

She seemed genuine enough, but Amari couldn't get the last time they saw each other out of her head. The Bakugan's blood. How it fell to pieces in Byron's hand. The pale look on her face. What was she supposed to say in a situation like this?

"I'm fine," she answered hesitantly. "You?"

Kumiko swung her basket back and forth in front of her.

"Mom's just sent me out to the corner market. Said she needed a few things so she could eat for the rest of the week. Last night she found this new diet that's all about eating just fruit, and apparently tomatoes and cucumbers are considered fruit. Who knew, right?"