Firstly I'd like to extend heart felt prayers to the people of Japan. They've just gone through a high magnitude earthquake, a tsunami and than nuclear problems but they're still standing and their display of patience is very admiring. They're not looting and creating more problems but helping one another earnestly. I hope people take example from them and I sincerely pray for them to recover quickly with all the helping hands possible. Once again I extend my prayers to all those who suffered and I pray for their happiness.

Remember, if there had been no Japan we wouldn't have had such entertaining and creative minds on globe. They gave us anime and manga and they gave us Alice and Masquerade.

I pray for their safety and recovery.

As this is the last chapter I'd like to thanks all the reviewers up to date and many many thank you(s) to all those that will review todays update. Millions of thanks to all the supporters, critics and AliceMasquerade fans!

AliceXShunNotFabia, frenchesca, Princess Senshi, Tickliash Angel, Yoshiki ClockWise, enteryournamehere5, Nazrindi, CloneGirl, HisSweetestHoney, eakoandcompany, NotEveryJulietNeedsRomeo, ThePinkRoseAle-chan, , Tex, Silver Jublie, eyye, , Centralion, morphs, Happyfish, SparkDazzleDuez, Lady Avotil, Christina, , angelVluna, Luna Stuart, Wren-chan, Tozase-Murcielago, GakuenAlicafan27, ikmss18, Zedax, Lady Sano, melodyuchiha, randomfan,mwaetht, redydragonfly, numbuh 422, Prickachu, iPurple, Flamaij, prellesjournal, chaos in the sky, MayxDrew917, Shabeeh, Azhmaria, HinaHime2, Dragonwings66NotLoggedIn, yo, daynala, Shooting Star, VampirePrinssess, ShadowQween27, My Heart Beats For Love, JetravenEx, Whatever-My-Name-IsXD, VAMPIRELG, splitheart1120, ALice, whodoyouthinkiam, Black Cat, acg, kyoukochan, fuyuki-sanand all the anonymous (who chose to keep themselves unnamed)reviewers!

Important Point: Alice and Masquerade are not the same here. Alice is not Masquerade. This is their fic so it'll be really weird for me if I kept them like one person… -shrugs- Infact, this fic wouldn't even make sense or exist for that matter if they were still one… We'll pretend that they're two different people with two different bodies and characters…yea… just for the sake of this…

Another point, if Alice and Masquerade and Alice are two different people then that means Alice doesn't have Bakugan so she doesn't play Bakugan here, just the usual advice thing-i she does.

Alice in Wonderland

Chapter 16

Last Strand of Everything

Masquerade had been dumped and Alice had dumped herself. What a pitiful couple they were. Indeed. Actually, they were never a couple to begin with. They just liked each other and were ruined because one person accepted her feelings a day or so too late.

She didn't care if Masquerade toyed with her anymore. She just knew that she wanted him again. She had a selfish wish but she wanted it granted. She wanted her wish in return for every good deed she had done in life. Apparently, she had fallen into the pits of desperation. God, she missed that stupid glass masked face so much. She missed his voice so much. Now she spent hours imagining what kind of face he hid behind that mask, what color his eyes were, and the shape of his brows?

After their last encounter Masquerade had taken things to a whole new level. Now creatures were unleashed from the Bakugan world and were released into their own. What was he thinking? Everyone was in constant danger everywhere. Bakugan wasn't played in parallel worlds anymore; it was played right in front of you now. Every place was a battle ground.

What was Masquerade thinking when he unleashed hell on Earth? There were plenty of things actually but the most prominent thoughts were something like this: How could Dan and his gang of idiots go in and out of the Doom Dimension like some train carried them in and out? How had Klaus pulled out Bakugans from the Doom Dimension? That place wasn't a holiday resort, at least not to his knowledge, so Dan had to have lost a limb or something, but, nooooooo. He not only came out with a much stronger Draco but also got to keep his girl.

If such stupid things were possible than he supposed that Naga's plans might actually make sense. With a little help from Hal-G and himself, a disaster struck and two worlds merged. Welcome Bakugans! This is Earth! Now no one would be flailing in front of his face demanding a ticket to Doom Dimension. He hoped each and every last person here got crunched under a Bakugan's foot. He hoped his brother never saw the light of day. He hoped his father had been killed in a gore accident. He hoped his face had been disfigured from his mother's features. He hoped Dan died an early death. He hoped Alice was suffering.

"Crap!" He wanted to hit his head on the nearest brick wall. As if what he'd gotten from her weren't injuries enough, he was begging for more. He couldn't get the girl out of his head.

-x-X-X-x-

Bakugans went on a rampage and the Bakugan Battle Brawlers tried to help as many people as possible. Alice was worried. A dangerous battle had started. Dan and Masquerade had started a duel in a stadium. She wanted them both to win, she wanted them both to be safe but they were trying to kill each other –speaking here in literal terms. They were bleeding, bruised and tearing each other apart. How had things ended up like this? Was this the ultimate battle?

Runo was anxious for Dan but she was even more concerned for Alice. Ever since they'd retrieved her a few days ago she had lost the light that surrounded her, she'd lost her aura, her glow, her Alice-ness. She wasn't the same person anymore. She was dim and had become very slow. Every move that she made now, she seemed to put so much thought into it. Even if you called her name, she responded after a whole minute, always being –seemingly- absorbed in a distant world.

Runo Masaki wasn't stupid. She might be tom-boyish and rude and a bit ignorant and so many other things but she was NOT, absolutely NOT stupid. Alice had started to like Masquerade. Runo was ready to stamp these words on her forehead and march around and scream them, but it wouldn't do anyone any good. It would only seem antagonistic to Alice. Every time Masquerade took a hit during the fight, Alice would jump in her seat and resume with her prayers. Alice hadn't run away because she was a traitor, she had left to clear her head. Or so thought Runo.

Alice was ready to start crying now. The fight was longer than she'd expected and both combatants were thoroughly exhausted but still raging on. And Masquerade was ignoring her like never before. After everything that'd happened she was at the least expecting a small snide remark about herself or something. Instead, he came directly and demanded Dan, then he started fighting and had expertly ignored her existence. It wasn't fair!

Just when things seemed to worsen for Dan … Masquerade stopped fighting. Dan took it as an opening and his Draco defeated Masquerade. But Masquerade remained in his stiff position. The onlookers started cheering and that's when the blonde's eyes slowly moved towards the stadium's seats and met directly with Alice's dark colored ones. Alice had also noticed and she stared back at him. Among all the happy and cheerful faces, she looked odd with a half-dead silent face. She seemed different than before and somehow … more hollow. It was strange to see a beautiful face in such a glum expression, especially when he'd seen it laughing and talking before. It felt so …

NO!

The ground seemed to shake and illuminations burst from behind Masquerade. A shadowed figure emerged and everyone looked at it with jaws hanging. It was none other than the lost scientist himself. The masked blonde was also looking at the gray man with a somewhat surprised expression, gradually letting his features twist into anger. He looked most likely about to punch the old figure until-

"GRANDFATHER!" Alice ran down the stairs at an amazing speed and cut right across the trashed battle field to her grandfather. The old man also welcomed her arrival by opening his arms to her and displaying one of his best and heart warming smiles. The strange light that surrounded him didn't seem to faze the girl as she crossed Dan on her path to her lost relative. The old man also moved forward. "Grandfather!" She was ready to leap into his open arms –a hand grabbed her wrist and yanked her back. Arms firmly curled around her abdomen and she was pressed into a hard chest. She knew it was Dan but the coolness of a metal at the back of her neck made her think otherwise.

"Not her you sick bastard!" His voice was hoarse from screaming so many orders in the battle earlier. His arms tightened around her. "…not you" he whispered. Alice was shocked, beyond that actually. Her eyes were on brick of popping out and rolling onto the ground, her face had heated enough to fry an egg and her insides were dislocating themselves to make room for the fluttering butterflies. She tilted her head slightly to get a view of his face… God … her breath hitched. The blood from his cuts was pasting onto her but she didn't notice. She lost herself to his feel. The coolness from the armor he wore and the warmth his arms and body gave her.

She looked away from his hidden face just in time to see her grandfather's face distort and she cringed at the horror of it. It changed color from its natural self to an ugly alien one and suddenly broke into a barrage of maniacal laughter. Then it turned back to its original state and pleaded something from her. "Grandfather!" she broke free of the teen's bonds and dashed for her elder but Masquerade caught her and spun her around. His hands thumped on her shoulder and he shook her roughly.

"Are you out of your mind? You insane or something!" He was yelling at her. She whimpered something in reply. "That's not your old man! Can't you see that?" The girl blinked in a confused manner and tried to say something in defense but he broke out first. "Hal-G is not your grandfather! He's a life sucker! You don't have the protection I have! You touch him and you'll die!" the girl's eyes widened further –if even possible- "… stupid girl…" He shoved her aside and let her crumple on the ground. Masquerade took out an ability card and an attack was instantly aimed at Hal-G.

"NO!"

Dr. Michael changed form just in time and easily parried it. He called out creatures from thin air that went on to attack the blonde. Just as they neared him, he vanished. The creatures then proceeded to the Battle Brawlers. Every Bakugan in the locality went clashing into the nearest one of its kind. Everything was messed up. It seemed like the apocalypse!

-x-X-X-x-

Everything cleared. All business was finished. All battles had ended. The order had won and chaos had been eliminated. Naga had been eliminated. The worlds separated and Bakugans left for good. With all the Bakugans left a certain Brawler.

Masquerade.

It had been around a month, or maybe more, she couldn't exactly pinpoint. She had decided to stay in Japan as long as her grandfather was working on some project here. It was almost over and they'd be leaving soon. Very soon. He had called earlier in the day and told her to pack her things because they were leaving tomorrow. Too soon.

The weather was bad today. It matched the mood she felt every waking moment. Grey. Dark. Cloudy. She'd lost weight which alarmed the Masaki's because she didn't have much to begin with. Her eating habits had corrupted and she picked on her food majority of the time. More than half the time she'd be lost in some sort of trance. Her eyes had lost their radiance. Even her male fans had noticed the change in her behavior.

Everybody had his happy ending except Alice. Dan and Runo were finally together, Chan Lee and Joe were together, Billy and –oh just drop a bomb on it! The world was just loads of crap! Definition of life: crap! You turn the pages in a dictionary and you'd find a picture of dung on the word 'life'.

And what more to do on a cloudy and near stormy day than to go grocery shopping? Today it was Runo's turn and the girl was somewhere out with Dan, so Alice automatically grabbed the money and list and left. An umbrella was also placed inside the grocery basket. Of course, now she remembered, it was monsoon.

If she went back to Russia, she'd be sure to join the 'Goth' category of teens. She certainly felt very much goth at the moment and vaguely wondered why she hadn't started applying mascara on her lips and nails because she certainly liked dark colors these days.

The girl started out. The trip to the marketplace was the same monotone one and every time she went a small flicker of hope would rise that maybe, just maybe, Masquerade would pop out of nowhere and something would happen. Anything actually. There were no sides now. No conflicting groups and stuff so something could work out. Something had to. Or depression would drive her to her grave if she didn't move on. I mean seriously, the last thing he'd said to her was 'stupid girl'!

It had started raining and she opened the black umbrella. At least it was black otherwise she was certain she'd have tossed it in a puddle and said it flew away in the storm. Yeah, it wasn't just a downpour, it was a friggin' storm! She was stupid to have stepped out in this weather, and now she had to cover the way back too.

She trekked on the sidewalk beside the main road. If a bus moved past she'd be sure to hitch a ride but just her damn luck that not one form of life moved on the road … except her of course. A wild gust blew away her umbrella and she was instantly soaked. The grocery basket flooded with rainwater and she was sure that the change had also taken a dip. What a great day!

A car moved past her, it either didn't notice her or was too busy to. A loud screech emitted and she turned around to see a truck fall on its side and start skidding down the road, the tanker directly coming towards her. The basket dropped, its contents littering the area around her. Was a wish being granted? She was finally dying, but what a bad way to die.

Headlines: Girl out in Storm crushed under Tanker

She closed her eyes. Finally death. She thought that by getting her grandfather back, she would get back everything, all her lost happiness… she didn't know she'd loose more of what she thought she'd get back. When they said 'you don't know the value of something until you loose it' they were so right that she was pissed at the correctness of it. I love you all.

The tanker skidded and screeched and finally slammed into a tree, missing the red head by inches. She stumbled back from the bang. Her heart was beating furiously and she knew that her cold skin wasn't just because of the rain. She was still living. Was she supposed to feel reborn now?

The rain was still pouring but she wasn't getting wet. She looked up and found herself under the shield of an umbrella. A breath blew behind her ear and she whirled around. The first thing she saw was the reflection of her own face, her own brown eyes blinking back at her.

Her throat dried up and her heart was running a marathon with itself. She opened her mouth trying to say something but nothing came out so she shut it. Then opened it again and tried not to look like a fish out of water.

"Do I get a second chance?"

"Uh…" She finally managed to croak something out of herself. "I'm a horrible person"

His lips tugged upwards. "You're saying my lines" He'd changed. She couldn't point it out exactly but he was somehow … um … different.

"I'm sorry I hit you. I'm very, very sorry. I swear I've been regretting it ever since that day! I don't know how to make it up to you! It was such a horrible thing to do, especially-"

"I look like the grim now don't I?" She blinked and did a double at his attire. The straps of the mask had changed color. His white had turned to a full sleeved black and even underneath was a black shirt and dark jeans. Maybe it was attire that made him look different. It seems like he had adopted her 'goth' 'punk' look before she got a chance to try it out for herself.

Had he grown taller or had her lack of food consumption just shortened the length of her spine?

She bit her inner cheeks and giggled.

The older teen sighed. "Do you think we can we be friends? Um… Never mind that. What I meant was-"

"I understand" She quickly cut in. "I feel the same way" She didn't know what he was talking about but she wanted in. It sounded good. His face perked up at that. He felt so lovable at the moment. She moved forward and planted a quick kiss on the highest point she could reach –which was his chin. It was a small contact that was meant to show affection and ask for an apology.

"Misunderstandings develop when facts are hidden" He quoted something he'd read a few days back. He couldn't have said anything more random or stupid. After a few mental slaps he came to a simple conclusion –one that can only be reached after experience- Love and fondness makes you do stupid things. That best explained why he'd banished himself to a void. After all the thinking time that he gave himself, the first thing he wanted to do surprised him, and thus, here he was. "So uh …" A hand went to unclasp the buckle at the back of his head as he kept the umbrella steady with the other. He'd been thinking about this for a long time and finally realized some things. He also figured that she might mistrust him because he kept his face hidden. After all, how can you trust a face you can't see?

She pressed her hands to the top of his mask. "You don't have to" Alice gave him a gentle smile, "I understand" She so wanted to see what his face looked like but it didn't feel right at the moment. She never expected him to return. She was hoping he would but those were dreams, and dreams and realities begged to differ. The fact that he had bothered himself with her again was a sign, he'd forgiven her. This was the best thing she could have hoped for many lifetimes to come.

His brows went up his forehead. "But …" Wasn't everyone always curious about his face? Besides, it's not like he had a pretty one to hide. Marks of the work he'd done with Naga had parts of his face scarred pretty badly.

"You can start by telling me your real name"

That had him stunned for a while. Silence. "I can't … remember" Alice blinked. "I like Masquerade though"

"Oh….k"

"You look horrible Alice" The girl pouted. Yes, she hadn't really tried to imagine what she'd look like with her black mascara running down her face. "Anyway" His hand went back to release the clasp, "I want to do this" He let the mask drop to the ground and it cracked at the seam, bits of it breaking away. "I'm going back to Russia. So I want you to see and decide for yourself" He took in a deep breath. "Do you still want to get involved with someone like me?" with his free hand he gestured to his face. "Do you want to be near this face?"

Alice tilted her head to the side. "Your-"

"Yea, kinda lost my sight when that kid punched me. I didn't know it was damaged enough to get blind. I was stupid not to have believed it, I mean, it was glass that'd penetrated it. Tch. I was bleeding rivers that day!" He laughed even though she found nothing funny at the moment. "Naga was a good illusionist. I'll give him that much"

Masquerade was blind with one eye. 'Oh God'. There were some small dark colored lines on his skin around his damaged eye –scars. Permanent marks. The eye itself was also a very faint shade compared to the other one. He was blind with this eye. Oh God. Oh God.

The other was a brilliant jade which kind of changed shades as his face moved. In their dim surroundings it looked greenish, with olive in the middle and a darker shade circling it. There were flecks of grey or maybe blue, she couldn't be too certain. Alice was instantly curious if his eyes appeared a different color in a brighter atmosphere.

She bit her lower lip. The girl raised her hand and her cold finger traced a fading mark on his cheek. She turned the finger and found a healing mark on it. The hand which had hurt him and ended up hurting itself too. When he smiled, her insides churned. The smile felt at place and a bit unusual, maybe because it was the first time she was seeing him smile without his mask. Her lips tugged into a subconscious smile. He had sharp features, a firm jaw, and definite eye brows. If he had both his eyes, no doubt it would have been a normal face and, though she would never admit it out loud, his face was a tinsy bit soft too, a kind of feminine character, but only from a certain angle.

The marks he had gained, probably far back in his history, stood out on his pale skin. No wonder he started a mask … but then again, a glass one?

"I can't see anything wrong with your face"

Masquerade let out an exasperated laugh. "Who're you trying to kid here?"

"No, honestly. What's wrong with your face?"

He tapped her forehead. "Did my separation madden you?" Well, at least his sense of self-importance still lingered. "Alice, I'm … argh!" He slapped his forehead this time. "If you were Dan, you'd be poking fun at me"

"No" She quickly defended her friend. "Dan isn't like that at all!"

"To tell you the truth, I expected you to have forgotten me by now. And you were supposed to feel revolted about my face" He sighed.

She wondered if he had issues like inferiority complex or something, but then again, if you damage your face you're bound to feel weird. "There's nothing wrong with you" And just to prove her point she curled her arms around his neck and stood on her toe tips in an attempt to peck him, unfortunately, he was too tall for her. The blond dipped his head and finally their lips met. There was a bit of nostalgia but this time, she didn't pull back, rather, he did.

"You don't have to do this just to keep heart. It's like taking advantage you" He mumbled close to her lips but she heard him clearly. Yes, he actually came for a final rejection. Just to prove to himself that when a person puts his whole piece, people don't really like it, they don't like it at all actually. So why was she ruining his theory? He didn't plan on any kisses this time, but when she went for one …well… he kinda had a tini-mini desire to. P.S. her lips weren't warm like he remembered, they were ice cold at the moment.

"You're saying silly things" She laughed.

"So … if I confess, will you hit me?"

She giggled. "No"

Actions speak louder than words.

He released the umbrella and it dropped to the side, he wrapped his arms around her. His head went for a dip and heat met with cold. It was fiery this time and she was trying to keep up with him. He was doing as he willed, doing whatever pleased him and maybe that's why the kiss was full of feel. She didn't know if it was his first time but goddamnit he was doing so well. Her thoughts were jumbled up. She couldn't think straight trying to put effort into their moving lips while trying to decipher other things.

So here was the oddest couple in the worst weather. She had her makeup running down her face, her hair was sticking to her in the wetness and she was bony as a decomposing corpse- in other words, she looked like something that had crawled out of its grave. And he stood towering over her, all the dark clothing matching the weather, his face a reflection of his misdeeds and his pale skin looking unmatched with the build muscle underneath –a grim's frame.

Their lips parted and met so many times and when she started laughing at the bizarreness of the situation, she realized they were both out of breath and panting.

-x-X-X-x-

When Alice entered the family restaurant, she was dripping wet and shivering. The Masaki's instantly ushered her into a hot bath to keep her from catching a cold. Later in the day, all her friends came to give their farewells, despite the horrible storm. They all saw the change in her behavior. They should've guessed that she was homesick all this time. She was so happy now that she was even laughing at bad jokes that Dan pulled.

-x-X-X-x-

Despite the destruction the previous day, the next day was rather peaceful but still cloudy, so minimum flights were delayed. All Alice could think about was home. She was finally going back to her friends, and her homeland. And who knew Masquerade was Russian too? Her mind continuously replayed the scene that occurred yesterday. Her last day in Japan was truly memorable.

"Come on! Let's see the others!"

Masquerade seemed hesitant at her request. "I have some important things to take care of before I do anything else"

She frowned. "Like what?"

"Well" His fingers gently traced her jaw line. "You were one of them"

She was scarlet as she was and now her face practically inflated from all the embarrassment. "Absurd!"

He laughed. "Don't worry, I'll come see you when I'm done. You'll have to wait a while" He paused. "Can you do that for me, please?"

"Do you know where I live?"

"I know where Michael does" He smiled. "You live with him don't you? So, will you wait?"

She nodded.

They didn't need words to flaunt the affection they felt, they just felt it and followed it and showed it. Words can never describe anything completely. Words aren't always enough.

Alice was a bit apprehensive about what the blond had said to her but she held onto her faith. She held onto him.

She could wait.

She would wait.

Alice in Wonderland

The End

This is the official end of Alice in Wonderland! I now declare the story, closed and completed!

Thank you once again to all readers and reviewers. Thank you very much for all the support and reviews!

Hahaha! I'm a sucker for happy endings so I guess it kinda had to happen XD They're my favorite couple from this anime and I'd be damned if I didn't pair them up in my first Bakugan fanfic!

Thanks for staying till the end! Feedback is appreciated. Lots of love!

Even though the story has been declared 'closed' reviews will be welcome till the end of time! Hahaha!

~iEXIST

So appreciate my existence! :D