MA: hey guys. I know. You were probably expecting another pearlshipping chapter but I decided to do a nice one shot for bakugan. After watching a ep, I realized there is a couple that would work but since I have a lot of projects, I'd just do a one shot. Hope you enjoy it. I don't own bakugan or the characters. So, without further adieu, ON WITH THE FIC!

DARKNESS ATTRACTS

Alice's eye twitched as the morning sun shown on her from the window of the bed room. She blinked a few times before finally opening her eyes to greet the sun. Alice was a morning person normally. Always up at the crack of dawn to being her choirs and cook breakfast for herself and her beloved grandfather. But lately, she preferred to stay in bed and sleep in. She sat up in bed and stretched herself out, waking up all her sleeping muscles and nerves. As she wiped the sleep from her eyes, her gaze drifted to the person next to her in bed. Like Alice, he was nude, with only the covers on the bed hiding the nudity from the waist down. Even with the light shining in his face, he remained dead to the world, blissfully sleeping the day away. Her eyes scanned over every itch of his well toned and fit body and up to his wild blonde hair. Even now, utterly devoid of movement or voice, he make her stomach tighten and her heartbeats race. She felt so lucky to have such a man in her life and in her bed. To think that she would find a boyfriend, not from her country or even from her world but from another world. Truly, her life changed for the better when the vestal named Keith clay came into her life.

Keith. That's how Alice learned of him. It's the name that mira often talked of whenever she was around the other brawlers. Mira missed her brother terribly but at that time, Keith clay didn't exist. There was only spectra phantom, the pyrus brawler for the vexos, their sworn enemy. She didn't know much about him other than mira talking about the person he was and dan talk about the person he is, as spectra. She had seen pictures of him on monitors and view screens many times. Julia and runo, who hadn't had the pleasure of going to new vestroia and battling the vexos, thought he looked scary and intimidating but Alice say something else in his one visible eye in his mask. She knew that look before. She had seen it many times in her own eyes when she turned in her terrifying alter ego, masquerade. The path of darkness was something the Russian girl know all too well and she saw that in the eyes of the pyrus brawler. It would be a while before she would have a chance to meet him and for the both of them, it would be a meeting that they never would forget.

Alice hadn't met many vestals personally, next to the members of the resistance and lync, but it was something else entirely to meet spectra. Oh I'm sorry, I mean Keith. Yes, after having one last battle with dan and drago, he renounced that name and once again became Keith, mira's beloved older brother. When she finally met him, without his mask, she had to admit to herself, he was very handsome. The mask really didn't help him in terms of his appearance. His hair was less blonde but more golden, like the rays of the rising sun. His eyes were the same as all vestals but his were more piercing, like he was examining her down to her soul. And his smile, oh gods, his smile. It was small and barely noticeable but it was there, almost creeping up like slow moving ghost ship in the fog. Now, Alice wasn't exactly known for ogling boys and the like. Despite her looks, she didn't go flirting around and taking advantage of her looks like julie often did but she did notice boys. Just not in the same way as everyone else.

Keith's thoughts were similarly jumbled. His exposure to humans was limited to battling dan in brawls and his exposure to human girls was all but nil. Up to that point, he had only met two human girls before this moment and he didn't care for either of them. Runo was loud and annoying to him, always fighting with dan about something and julie was too, well, out there in his words. So when he joined the brawlers after his final battle with dan, he didn't have a high opinion of the females of earth. That changed when he laid his alien eyes upon Alice. If he hadn't trained himself to hide his emotions, he would've dropped to his knees and pledge his eternal devotion to the angel that walked into the room. She was utterly breathtaking. Long strawberry blonde hair that flowed from her head and down her back. Her eyes were a mellow shade of brown, that seemed to calm him, even though he was really mad or excited or anything. She gave him a nervous but welcoming smile, which melted him in on the inside. Why didn't he meet her a long time ago?

Despite how much the two were feeling at the time, they didn't really talk much beyond just greetings and words of acknowledgment when they passed each other. Most of the time, Keith had his faced buried in papers or a laptop, always researching and testing out his theories for improving the battle ability of bakugan. It was how Alice found him in marucho's very large garden in his home, which seeing as how it was marucho of all people, the garden was as big as a park. She had come out to relax a bit when she noticed the vestal sitting under a tree, typing away at a laptop. She didn't know what made her decide to approach him or even really speak to him. He seemed like he didn't want to be disturbed or bothered, but something told her to talk to him.

"You look busy." she spoke. The young man looked up at the girl, staring right into her eyes with his clear blue ones. He didn't seem angry or annoyed by her presence. He greeted her with a small smile.

"Quite. I'm working on some new battle gear."

"No wonder you look so busy."

"Yes. It's a lot of data to crunch. Doesn't help with all the chattering in the mansion." he slyly complained, returning his eyes to the screen. She couldn't help but smile at his comment. Despite his complaint, she could tell he really enjoyed the company of the brawlers, not just that of his sister.

"Mind if I give you a hand?" she asked, peeking over the screen.

"Go ahead. I don't mind at all."

To her credit, Alice was a big help to Keith, which amazed and impressed him to no end. Despite her looks, the girl was brilliant. She grasped complex solutions and equations that not even marucho could handle. She was a great help to him in his research. When runo found the duo later that afternoon, they were sitting side by site, looking at the same screen, talking using very big words and phrases that she didn't even want to attempt to understand.

From that day on, Alice became something of a assistant to Keith. She would help him keep track of his research papers and data, aid him in testing out battle gear designs and she even went as far as preparing him meals if he worked too late. She never tried to come between Keith and mira when they spent time together. She knew that was something they both needed. But other than that, she was almost always by his side. Keith in turn was a great companion for her as well. Whenever she went out to buy food, he was right there, a few steps behind her since he wasn't too familiar with earth and its customs. He turned out to be a excellent deterrent to would be suitors. Alice was very popular amongst male bakugan players, many of whom tried to ask her out. Before, she'd politely turn them down but now, Keith would scare them off. Even though he wasn't evil any more, he was still very intimidating, more so than shun. He could scare away people with a glare, which was a godsend to Alice since she wouldn't have to be bothered by would-be boyfriends. Later on, Keith found that his favorite past time was watching Alice cook. He was always amazed by how humans can turn seemingly random ingredients into gourmet works of art. But he liked watching Alice cook. She showed the same focus to it as he did with his researched. Yep, this was their routine and the extent of their friendship. That is until one night.

It was 1:30 am when Alice knocked on his door lightly, checking to see if he was still awake or not.

"Come in, Alice."

The young Russian girl turned the knob and walked into his room. It was very Spartan, nothing much to say about it. It was a simple room with just a bed and a desk, covered with papers and disks containing battle data. Keith was sitting on his bed, typing away at his computer while Helios was on the night stand next to his bed, fast asleep.

"Working late again, I see."

"How did you guess?"

"I know you well enough by now. You always work late when you are stumped on something."

"Very astute."

"You should rest. Maybe sleep will help you find the answer."

"Not yet. I can risk another hour, then I'll go to bed. Promise."

"Ok. One more hour." she said, almost mother-like to him. She looked over at his desk, and noticed the empty plate that held the sandwich she had made him earlier.

"Well, at least I can make sure you are fed. How does another sandwich sound?"

"Sounds great. Thanks."

She smiled at him before turning her back to him to take his plate away and started to head out of the room. Maybe she was tired herself or maybe she was thinking about what kind of sandwich he wanted but for some reason, she didn't hear him stop typing nor did she hear him get and walk behind her. It wasn't until she felt him grab her arm that she finally noticed. She froze in her tracks, unable to move or even breathe as she felt his strong grip or the feeling of his breath on her neck.

"Keith?" she squeaked out in a whisper.

"I cant do this any more."

"Do what?"

"Don't play dumb, dear Alice. You're too smart for that." he whispered in her ear. Part of her wanted to tell him to let go of her and run for the door but that part was being drowned out by some powerful feeling she was experiencing right now. She felt him bury his face in her hair and inhale.

"Keith, what are you..." she started.

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Please...s-stop..."she attempted to say. I say attempted as there were no conviction in her voice. She did little to nothing to stop the vestal from holding her. He felt her body shiver with each exhale of his lungs on her skin.

"This has been a long time coming, Alice. I cant hold back any longer."

The Russian girl might as well have been drunk, since her head was getting fuzzy, her vision was blurring, and her legs were turning into wet noodles. It was like Keith knew exactly what to say and what to do to turn her into a mess of a girl. She could feel the hotness of his breath on her neck. It was exciting. Scary a bit but damn exciting. Her sense of logic and reason tried one last time to get away from him. She tried to speak but all that would come out of her mouth was a moan. Moan? She didn't moan. At least not like that. Sadly, that was the last stand for her reason as her instinct and lust was now in full control.

"Just tell me to stop and I will. Tell me, Alice." he spoke in a low, husky tone that drove her into a even higher state of arousal.

"Alice...tell me."

That was like a signal that opened the floodgates. She quickly turned around to face him, both of them panting like dogs in heat. They stared in each other's eyes, the overwhelming attraction reflected in their eyes. They met in the middle with a smashing kiss, no longer bound by the confines of their reason and logic. There was no place for that in this situation. The weeks of raw built up sexual energy was now in charge. What followed was a frantic session of hot passionate love making between them. Clothes were ripped off. Desks were cleared. Boundaries were crossed. There was no stopping them from giving into everything they wanted to do. She was his first, as was she to him, which was the only reason they took it slow at first. For Alice, the pain of losing her virginity was nothing compared to the amount of pleasure Keith gave her for the next few hours. There was nothing that existed for them in that room. No brawlers. No vestals. No plot to kill all bakugan. No plans to create the ultimate bakugan. No masquerade. No spectra. Nothing but them. Keith and Alice. Human and vestal. Boy and girl.

From then on, their relationship had change but not that anyone else could tell. To the other brawlers, Keith and Alice were pretty much the same as always: she being his every present assistant and he being her bodyguard from suitors. But to them, and their bakugan, it was a different story. When ever they sat together, to discuss some data he was working on, they hooked their pinky fingers together. When ever no one was looking, he stole a deep passionate kiss from her lips, even in the middle of a conversation. Probably the boldest example of this was once when Keith was visiting runo's family's restaurant, where Alice worked part-time. The two girls were talking about something or other. Keith didn't really understand what the subject was. He agreed to help out, since Alice was the one to ask him and he was going back and forth between the kitchen and the storage room. As he was passing through, runo turned her back to Alice, still chatting away, while she was seated. Keith came up from behind her and engulfed her in a hot, deep kiss. He was even so far as to grope her breast as he did. It only last a few seconds and he broke it and on his way before runo turned back around. Alice didn't make a sound or lose her composure. She knew how to hide her feelings well and no one was the wiser.

Which brings us back to the present. The young beauty was now standing up at the window to the room, taking the morning sun like a flower blooming from the rays of morning light. Her body a road map of hickeys, scratches, and teeth marks from her lover. Keith was a intense lover but lucky for him, so was she. She never thought that could do such things to someone else or let alone allow someone to do those things to her. Maybe it was the strange reaction that they had with each other, since both were of different races. Or maybe, it was the fact that they both had been to the dark side and that dark part of them emerged when they were together. Whatever the reason, it didn't matter to her. The nights of sexual ecstacy were all she wanted, regardless of why or how.

"Not exactly the sun but it is a great sight to see first thing in the morning."

She turned her head to be greeted by the welcoming gaze of Keith, his hand propping up his head.

"Good morning to you too." she said to him with a smile. God, he loved that smile.

"Are you hungry?'

"Yes, but not for anything in kitchen."

"Don't you ever stop?"

"Only if you tell me to and I have yet to hear that word from you."

"Charmer. Seriously, are you hungry? Want me to make breakfast."

"Maybe later. Come back to bed. I'm not ready to wake up yet."

She couldn't deny him. Not after everything that's happened between them. Wordlessly, she walked back over to the bed and crawled back under the covers. He pulled her close to his chest, taking in her scent. Did all humans smell like this up close or was it just her? Did he want to know? No, not really. Alice was all the scent that he wanted to smell.

"Mmmmm you're right. Not time to wake up yet." she said, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

"Told you. Breakfast can come later."

"Only if I feel like getting up. I wonder what Klaus would say if I knew what I was doing."

"Let him say what he wants. As long as he just sticks to words and not actions."

Alice smiled at this comment. She knew that a fellow brawler named Klaus had a very obvious crush on her and Keith knew it as well. He was a elegant person, the personification of German nobility and grace and he made it a point to show it off when it concerned Alice. He would make grand gestures of affection for her that didn't go unnoticed by the pyrus brawler. There were many a times she caught him staring daggers at him. Sometimes she would be afraid that he would sick Helios on him and blow him and his castle into oblivion but she could always talk him out of it.

"Never knew you were the jealous type."

"I'm not jealous. Just protective of what's mine."

"Oooh. So you own me?"

"Just as much as you own me."

As strange as this sounded, Alice found it very sweet of him to say something like that. And indeed, she was his, to do with what he wanted, when ever he wanted and vise versa. They belonged to each other in ways no one could understand.

"Keith..."

"Hmmmm?"

"...our time is running out, isn't it?"

"Alice, we can stay in bed for a while longer."

"No. I mean...our time."

"Oh. You're right. We are."

He wasn't going to lie to her. That would be a insult to her intelligence. He knew that the battle against king zenoheld and his group wouldn't last forever. Either they would win or the brawlers would be successful. Either way, he and the other vestals would have to leave and return to their home world. They had talked about it a few times. It was a hard subject for both of them to deal with. They had found each other across space, time, and dimensions and soon they'd have to say good bye to each other.

"I can't stay."

"And I can't go." she said, clutching him even tighter than before, as if she was trying to negate the reality of what was going to happen soon. She tried not to cry but it was nearly impossible.

"Shhhhhh. Its ok."

"It isn't. You're gonna have to go back and I'll never see you again. I don't know if I can handle that, Keith." she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You will see me again, Alice. I will make sure of it."

"B-b-but what if you-"

"Alice, look at me." he ordered, tilting her head up so that she was looking at him.

"There is a legend on vestal that says that everyone is born without only half a soul. It is said they will never be complete until they find the other half of their soul. I've known many people, including my father, who were never happy with anyone else but their other half. I knew from the moment I saw you that you were it. You are my other half, Alice. I'm not complete without you. I don't care how far we are from each other. I will come back to you, my dear Alice." he spoke, drawing her close to him as he spoke.

"Oh Keith...I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too, Alice. More than you can ever know."

"But what about when you have to leave?"

"We will deal with it when it comes, but right now, in this place, in this time, let's only focus on us. Just us."

Silence consumed the couple as the minutes ticked by like hours, as they took in ever little moment, every little touch and movement. They weren't going to fool themselves. The conflict was coming to its climax and one way or another, they will have to say good-bye to each other. But even with her sadness over what will happen in the near future, his words were somehow comforting to her. She believed him when he said he'd come back. She knew him well enough to know that he's not gonna let something as small and pathetic as a dimensional barrier keep him away. He was right. She belong to him. She was his and his alone and he'll be damned if anyone or anything tell him otherwise. She of course felt the same. He was hers. She wouldn't even allow him to think otherwise. As they held each other tight, their mind sets seem to shift as their respective dark sides seem to peak out. He was thinking like Keith right now. He was spectra phantom. And she was thinking like Alice right now. She was masquerade.

She is mine! No one else have her! NO ONE!

He belongs to me! He's mine and mine alone! MINE!

Well that was my first bakugan fanfic. Don't know if I'll do another one but if I get enough good reviews, I might. So I hope you enjoyed it and given some thought on this couple. That's all for now.

LATER FICCERS.