Hi people!^_^ I've read all the MasqueradexAlice stories that there are on and despite the fact that 13 stories is a good number, it's still not enough. So here is chapter 1 of my own MasqueradexAlice story.

For the sake of this story and for this pairing to happen, Masquerade and Alice do NOT, I repeat, do NOT, share the same body. Oh, and also, just because I can't really write double personalities, and Hal-G are not the same person! In fact, in this story, Hal-G is 's evil twin brother. I know, it's poor, but I couldn't think of anything else…-_-'…

So enjoy and please review!!^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan. If I did, then Masquerade and Alice would already be together…This just only proves that I do not own it.

Chapter 1: The Surprise visit

Alice Gehabich was a happy girl. Her grandfather, the scientist Dr. Michael Gehabich, was a nice man and his experiments were always interesting. However, 6 months ago he had mysteriously disappeared from the face of the Earth and no one knew were he was or what he was doing. Then, a few months ago, whilst Alice was sitting in one of the comfortable and cozy chairs in front of the fireplace - holding one of the cards that had fallen from the sky 6 months ago - he had returned.

Now Alice was in her room at her grandfather's mansion where his laboratory was. She was chatting with her 4 friends – Dan, Runo, Marucho and Julie, who also called themselves the Bakugan Battle Brawlers – and they were discussing the new number one player who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. His name was Masquerade and according to online chats he was stealing other people's Bakugan. At the end of their online discussion it was decided that Dan would challenge him and with that the Bakugan Battle Brawlers signed off.

Alice didn't really consider herself part of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers as she didn't brawl, but she knew all there was to know about the game – from ability and gate cards to different combinations. She often wondered what it would be like to brawl and what her attribute would be. Seeing as Dan was Pyrus, Julie was Subterra, Runo was Haos, Marucho was Aquos and Shun, the fifth but recently missing member of the group, was Ventus, it was only logical that to complete the entire set Alice would have to be a Darkus brawler. She always felt a sort of slight tingling feeling in her fingers whenever she thought about brawling with Darkus Bakugan, but Alice had a strange foreboding that if she should try to play she would do something horrible.

Sighing and dismissing yet again the strange sensation in her fingers she turned off her computer, got up from her chair and went to her open window. The land outside of her house was a beautiful green that only happened during the summer in Russia and through the open window she could hear the birds in the forest singing. Yes, Alice Gehabich was very happy today.

Deciding that such a beautiful day should not go to waste, Alice went downstairs, told her grandfather she was going out and walked to the little town near the mansion. Alice's favorite place in town was the park where everything seemed peaceful and almost every time she went there, there were children playing on the playgrounds or playing Bakugan. The game that was created only half a year ago was now very popular and it seemed that every child in every country was playing it or had at least heard about it.

Carefully looking if someone was following her, Alice went into the woods that covered roughly 1/6 of the park. The adults always ignored it and just walked by it and the children were scared to go there because of stories saying the woods were haunted by ghosts. Alice herself had believed those stories until one day, when she was 8 years old, one of her classmates had dared her to go inside. Gathering all her courage she had braved the woods and discovered that they weren't haunted and that there even was a small lake there. She had decided to keep this discovery for herself. She had resorted to her acting skills, which were fairly good for someone her age, and had acted really scared from her experience in the "scary and haunted" woods. Two good things had come from that dare: she had found a place that only she knew about and the children in her school had respected her ever since.

From that day on the little meadow looking out on the lake had become her favorite place in the world. After lying on the grass for a few hours and looking at the clouds fly over her head, Alice realized that if she were to arrive home before the sun set she would have to leave now.

Alice arrived an hour later at her grandfather's mansion just in time. Her grandfather was, yet again, deeply absorbed in his work and didn't even notice his granddaughter enter the house and go up the stairs to her room. As soon as Alice came into her room she closed the door and went online. It seemed that the Battle Brawlers were in the middle of a heated discussion and Alice soon found out why – Masquerade had beaten Dan and nearly sent his talking Pyrus Dragonoid, whom he had named Drago for short, to the Doom Dimension. It seemed that Masquerade used a card called the "Doom card" to send other Bakugan to a Dimension from where there apparently was no return. The Russian girl quickly went through all the cards she knew and realized that this was one she had never come across.

-He's good. He's using cards that even I don't know about, she told the others

-Well, he ain't gonna get away with his crimes that easily. He has to pay for taking away three of my favorite Bakugan! , Runo angrily added. The mysterious player had brawled her earlier that day and she had lost.

After agreeing that something had to be done the brawlers logged off and Alice soon followed suit. Alice slowly leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms and started thinking of any possible way there could be to stop him. Scenario after scenario went through her head like a movie, but each one had some loophole and she quickly dismissed it. After half an hour of brooding over the Brawler's dilemma, Alice still hadn't come up with a plan.

-He is….virtually unbeatable, she slowly and reluctantly realized, No matter what strategy I think of, he could easily counter it if he found the loophole and from what I know, he could easily do that.

-I'm glad that someone has finally realized that, someone said from behind her, a slight echo at the beginning of his sentence.

Alice quickly whirled around on her chair and there before her was Masquerade himself, calmly sitting on her bed with a small smirk on his face.

-Y-You m-must be Masquerade, Alice said, stuttering – the surprise visit of the Darkus brawler had shocked and frightened her.

-Yes and you are Alice. Why are you so scared, Alice?

-I am NOT afraid!

The Russian girl gasped at her sudden animosity in her voice but the masked boy's smile slightly grew at her sudden outburst. She would have seen his eyes widen and then shine with a strange gleam if it weren't for his mask.

-Really? You know, I've always wondered ever since I started carefully watching the Brawlers a few weeks ago, why you don't play Bakugan, Alice. Care to tell me?

-I-I don't really…know…Alice reluctantly admitted.

-Well, why don't we find out? I challenge you to a brawl…unless you are too chicken to accept, he challenged her, taking out a card and holding it up to his face…uh…mask

-Don't you DARE call me a chicken, Masquerade! I accept your challenge!

Alice informed him and lifted her hand, holding up a card, but then she stopped and looked own, a light red tint to her cheeks. Meanwhile Masquerade was slightly confused by the girl – first she was angry and looked ready to open the field, then she lowered her hand and…blushed?

-Well? Aren't you going to get ready? he impatiently asked her.

-Uh…well….I accept your challenge but I don't…uh…have any Bakugan….

If Masquerade hadn't known how to keep his face calm and stay composed his mouth would have been open and his eyes wide. 'The girl wants to brawl me and has cards but no Bakugan?', he thought to himself, looking at the girl that seemed to confuse him to no end..

-I…see. Here - 3 of my Bakugan. Now can we finally get on with it? , he demanded whilst throwing her three black and purple spheres he had picked at random from his pouch of Bakugan on his belt at the back of his waist.

Alice skillfully caught the three little balls and looked at them – they were of the Darkus attribute. Well, Masquerade was a Darkus brawler after all, so why wouldn't all of his Bakugan be Darkus? Ignoring the tingling feeling in her fingers that seemed to grow stronger as she held the Darkus Bakugan in her hand, the Russian girl lifted her hand, holding a card, to the level of her face, as did Masquerade, and they both shouted at the same time "Field Open!". A blinding bright light surrounded them and time seemed to stop.

Landing carefully on the playing field, Alice looked around herself. This was her first time in a battle field and the different array of colours around her fascinated her. 'So this is what the dimension of the battle field looks like', she thought to herself.

-If you are done admiring the view, can we finally start? Shouted Masquerade from across her, throwing a gate card which grew bigger as soon as it hit the ground in front of Alice.

-Since this is your first battle I'll go easy on you and I won't use the Doom card. Now, will you finally begin?

Alice was surprised by his offer, but quickly put on what she imagined was her "game face".

-Alright.

Taking one of the cards she had she briefly looked at it, turned it back face down and threw it, watching as it landed opposite Masquerade's and grew in size as well.

-Good. Now the fun can begin, said Masquerade, a small, slightly evil grin on his face. He took out a black and purple sphere and threw it…