Hello all! I've been on a writing streak lately, I'm writing fanfiction and poetry on-end, so I'm expecting Chapter 8 up soon. If you think I should update more slowly, you can just let me know. :D
Anyway, this chapter is largely dedicated to Masquerade's story, because I'm sure we all wonder what happened to him when he left. Or at least I do. XD

Me: Crap, I forgot the disclaimer the past few times! Anybody feel like it?

All: NO!

Me: Anybody? Please?

Klaus: I-

Me&Masquerade: Shut up Klaus, let Alice do this.

Alice: Okay then... MysteriouslyMystery does not own Bakugan or any of its characters. Everything belongs to its rightful owners, except this plotline and story. They do belong to her.

Me: Thanks, Alice. On to Chapter 7!


Chapter 7

Only when the sound of running water ceased did Masquerade manage to force himself back out of his state of shock. Quickly crumpling the paper back up, he dropped it and dashed back to where he had been sitting. He adopted a bored look just as Alice entered again. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.

"I knew it wasn't a dream." Her hair was still slightly damp and it curled more than usual.

"Why would it be a dream?"

"Oh, it… It's happened often enough…" she blushed and looked away. To fill the awkward silence that followed, Masquerade decided to comment on her hair.

"You should leave your hair like this more often. I like it curly."

"Thank you," replied Alice, beaming. She moved over and sat down next to him. A slight frown suddenly crossed her face.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I was just wondering… How did you get here?"

"And I honestly thought you'd never ask. I'm going to warn you now- It's a long story and some of it won't make sense, but it's all I can remember. That okay?"

"Yes."

"Good. It started a while back, I'm guessing about four weeks but there's no way to be sure. Up until that point, things had been rather boring. Every day was the same: Wake up, walk around, look for entertainment, watch the stars, go to sleep. Nothing ever changed. No, I didn't eat; I wasn't really alive. More like… In limbo. I was hanging somewhere between life and death, wishing to be able to just pick one. There was nobody else besides me and sometimes I wondered if it was some kind of punishment.

"Anyway, I was beginning to think I would die of boredom soon when I felt that something was changing. These small noises began to resound now and then, replacing the previous silence. They weren't loud enough for me to distinguish anything, but just loud enough for me to hear. As if that wasn't enough, I kept seeing these random blurs of color from the corner of my eye which vanished when I tried to look at them. I swear, somebody was trying to haunt me.

"In the beginning the weird things happened only rarely, but as time went by, they happened more frequently and without reason. One day I asked myself what I had done to deserve it. And don't give me that look, I know I make mistakes that tend to lead to the misfortune of others, but I'm not perfect. Besides, during the time I spent in "limbo", I didn't do anything, I just existed. Yes, I know it sounds unbelievable, but I really didn't harm anybody. Like I said, I was all alone.

"Sometime recently I began to have these dreams about the past. Often figures showed up, but the only ones I could distinguish were Hydra, Naga, Klaus, Chan, Komba, Julio, Dan, sometimes Hal-G, and of course you, Alice. You came up most often."

"As I was saying, you lot kept popping up, each time trying to tell me something but never quite managing. It wasn't just one dream repeating itself though. There were countless varieties. Sometimes everybody would show up, sometimes only one person, sometimes three people, sometimes only my old crew. But almost every time you were there, and almost every time you were the only one who said nothing. You just stood there and stared at me, your eyes brimming with tears, stretching your hand out to me. I never managed to reach you, try as I might.

"Once, I was in what looked like the Doom Dimension and I could hear Hydra in the distance, roaring in agony. Following the sound, I ran through a small plain and over three dunes. When I was standing atop the forth, I saw Hydra. All three of his heads turned in my direction and they ceased to roar when they spotted me. For a moment, I forgot it all; being stuck in limbo, the boring routine my life had turned into, having left in the first place, everything. In that moment, I was back in the past, having just won a battle with my partner. That's when I saw you.

"You were quite a ways away and yet impossible for me to overlook. Without thinking, I sprinted towards you and managed to actually get really close to reaching you. Only about five meters of distance remained between us, but before I could cross them, a thin line appeared between us. A huge rip opened up on the ground where the line had been less than a second ago, taking up the five meters that had separated us and barricading my way to you. It happened so suddenly I was barely able to stop in time. The sudden appearance of the gap had started several small earthquakes, one of which knocked you off your feet and as you slipped into the gap, I could do nothing but stand by and watch. Thankfully, you had the sense to grab onto a part of rock and find a foothold. Even from my position, I could see that you were trembling. In a shaky voice you called out my name.

"I tried to find some way to reach you. When I looked to the left, I saw that the gap was thinner a couple of meters away, maybe two, three meters wide, and ran over. Without hesitation I stepped back two paces, then charged forward and jumped across to the other side.

"Upon reaching where you were I noticed that you had climbed up far enough to cling to the edge at the top close to where I stood. I crouched down and held my hand out to you, but in the same moment your grip slackened and you began to fall so quickly, it was a matter of luck that I managed to grab your hand in time.

"Just as I was about to get you onto the ledge, you lost your foothold and almost slipped from my grip, but instead of letting go of your hand I gripped it tighter. Time held still for a second, but then I tipped forward slightly too much and we tumbled down together.

"As we hurtled downwards, you grabbed my free hand and whispered to me. "Masquerade… Don't leave me…" When I promised I wouldn't, the wind rushing past us seemed to quiet down as you continued. "Things are changing. You won't have to stay where you are for much longer. Our paths will cross again soon. You will find your way back to me and we will see each other face-to-face. I promise." With that you vanished. Seconds later, I woke up, reality returning much too fast for my taste. It took me a moment to figure out why I felt so weird, but when I did it suddenly seemed obvious. See, in my dreams there was always somebody to accompany me, but in reality I lived in solitude. No people, no Naga, no Hydra, and worst of all, no Alice. I was all alone. I shouted into the endless silence, shouted at the top of my lungs about the twisted force that kept me here and the unjust punishment I had been dealt. Though I denied it at the time, it was the loneliness getting to me, mixed with the shock of losing you again, that had caused my outburst.

"It didn't take long for the promise you me made to come true, judging by the fact that we are sitting face-to-face right now. How did I get out of limbo? That's where the confusing part starts."

And Alice listened to Masquerade tell the exact same thing as had happened in her vision with a look of utter astonishment on her face.


Oooooh, the loose ends are slowly coming together! Any comments accepted. Oh, and before I forget, let me know if you think I should put a brawl in a coming chapter, because if yes, then I'll make sure to make it epic. The majority wins on this one, so if you say no but three others say yes, then don't think I am ignoring you. :D