A/N:
Kd: Hello everyone! I'm back! And with a bigger and better chapter yet…and I also brought my friend-
Jet: HELLO PEEPS!
Kd: -JetRavenEX -.-;;
Jet: Only the 'J' and the 'E' are capitalized!
Kd: Like it matters. -.-
Jet: *looking around* Where's Masky?
Masquerade: I told you not to call me that!
Kd: Hmmm…hey Masquerade, wanna know the nick-name I gave Jet that she hates?
Masquerade: YES!
Kd: Ahaha, I'm sure you would.
Jet: *looking relieved* phew…can I hug him now?
Kd: Anyways…you all can thank Jet for this story beside there's no way in heck I'd write this of free will, and since it was a long time since I've updated this story, this chapter is dedicated to Jet.
Jet: What? I only get this chapter?
Kd: What more did you want? O.O
Jet: I want the whole story!
Kd: Alright, fine, as of now the story 'A Very Masky Christmas' is now dedicated to Jet.
Masquerade: What a minute, why is my fangirl name in the title?
Hydranoid: Hi, general public! Hey kd, why is it that you always seem to have a writer in the A/N's but you never manage to hook up with Santa?
Kd: God, I can never make everyone happy, can I?
Jet: …
Hydranoid: …
Masky: I just don't like being called 'Masky', wait a minute, YOU MADE IT MY SCRIPT NAME!
Jet: Oh and kd does not own anything in bakugan.
December 3rd Marucho's mansion…
"This is great! Almost everybody's here!" Alice said happily.
"Except Masquerade." Dan said with spite.
"Wait a minute, Masquerade's coming?" asked Billy.
"Try not to mention it but it was Alice's idea." Julie whispered to Billy. Alice frowned a bit as she suspected Julie whispered something about her. Shun put his hand on Alice's shoulder.
"You did the right thing." Shun comforted Alice. She defiantly did do the right thing because Masquerade's never coming, anyways. Shun thought triumphantly.
"Thank you…Shun" Alice said with a smile. The Brawlers decided that they would just have to start the party without Masquerade. And now the secret Santa gift exchange started. Shun was assigned to be Dan's secret Santa. Dan looked at the strangely shaped present as Shun was about to hand it over.
"What…is it?" Dan asked.
"You need to open it before you find out." Shun said impatiently. He handed the small present to Dan who almost dropped it.
"This weighs a lot more than I expected, what is it, a rock?" Dan asked, and to his dismay, it was a rock. "Why did you give me a rock, Shun?"
"It's a pet rock." 'Mr. Hotshot' said rather matter-of-factly.
"Why in the world do I need a pet rock when I have talking bakugan?"
"Well, I think you two have a lot in common." Shun said with a smirk as Dan just continued to stare at the rock. He's trying to tell me something…I just don't know what! Dan thought angrily.
"Shun, I don't weigh that much!" Dan yelled misunderstanding the hidden insult. Shun smacked his forehead.
"Shun, it's not nice to make fun of people's weight." Alice spoke up.
"That's not what I meant to do!" Shun said. Am I the only smart person among the brawlers? Shun thought. Then Marucho saw the message.
"It's not nice to call Dan dumb either!" he said. Bingo! Shun though, At least someone got it!
"Where did you find this rock, Shun? It's starting to glow weirdly." Dan observed but Shun merely ignored the comment and moved toward Alice.
"I got you a gift in case Masquerade didn't show up."
"Shun…you didn't need to do that," Alice said softly.
"I did it anyways." Shun said with a smile. Alice returned the smile as she reached out for the present Shun was about to hand her until—
"Hello everyone." A masked boy said in a menacing voice, a smile that matched his voice was plastered on his face. The room grew silent as the blonde continued to enter. "Sorry I'm late." Masquerade lied through his teeth. He turned to Alice and held out his present, "I believe this is for you." You could see he make no attempt to wrap it as there was only a decorative bow attached to the top of the stuffed animal's head.
"A tiger! My favorite animal! How did you know?" Alice's face lit up as she completely forgot about the present Shun was about to give her.
"A little voice told me."
"And I would be that voice!" Hydranoid said popping out from Masquerade's pocket.
"Oh, Hydranoid! The other bakugan are in the next room over, watching T.V." Alice said as she pointed to the entrance that leaded to the other bakugan. The rest of the room was still very silent, as the partiers had all stopped what they were doing to watch Masquerade's entrance.
"Thank you so much, Masquerade! Here's your present!" She said as she handed Masquerade a small rectangular present with an open-able lid. Masquerade looked at it curiously and then took off the lid. Masquerade started at the contents of the box for a while before lifting it up from the box.
"They're…sunglasses…" he said in a weird tone of voice.
"Why don't you try them on?" Alice said slyly.
"Alright then." Masquerade said. He started to slowly slide his mask off. You could visibly see everyone lean toward Masquerade as he slowly exposed his face, it seemed as if even the walls were leaning in. His blonde eyebrows peaked from above his mask and then…"Just kidding!"Masquerade quickly pushed his mask back up and laughed loudly. These guys are too EASY! Masquerade thought as he could see disappointment on everyone's faces, even Alice's. For some reason seeing Alice's face made him stop laughing and after a moment of silence he said, "Thanks for the sunglasses, Alice, but I'm not going to try them on here."
"Sure, I understand." Alice said sadly.
"Hey guys!" Hydranoid said enthusiastically.
"…What's he doing here?" Drago said.
Tigrerra nudged Drago, "He's here as a guest! It's good to see you Hydranoid!" Tigrerra greeted Hydranoid warmly.
Whoa! What's up with Tigrerra? Drago thought as he was thrown back by Tigrerra's warmer than necessary greeting.
"What are you guys watching?" Hydranoid said excitedly.
Who is this guy and what did he do to Hydranoid! Drago thought suspiciously but felt it impolite to speak his mind as such.
"Hello Hydranoid. We are watching a Charlie Brown's Christmas." Gorem tried to explain.
"…Who's Charlie Brown?" Hydranoid asked.
"Come up here and find out!" Tigrerra invited as they were calling down from the top of the couch facing the TV. Hydranoid hopped up the cushions and made it to the top, settling next to Tigrerra.
"Sorry I'm late, guys," Joe apologized as he walked into the party room, though his entrance was not treated with as much attention as Masquerade's. Regardless, Alice greeted him warmly as she did for all the guests, including Masquerade. Joe was not yet aware of this unwelcome visitor's presence so Masquerade took it to his advantage.
"Yo, Joe! Great to see you again!" he greeted his 'friend' with an evil grin.
"What in the world are you doing here, Masquerade!" Joe said in discomfort.
"I came here to, you know, spread some 'Christmas Spirit'" Masquerade said using advantage of the word Hydranoid had taught him.
"Spread Christmas spirit, my—"
"Stop it!" Alice snapped, "How many times do I need to say it! Masquerade is here as a guest and I invited him!"
"A-Alice?" Joe said surprised, Alice has never really yelled at him like that.
Alice looked down and slightly lowered her head, "Why must we fight so near the holiday of peace?" she said sadly.
"Alice…I'm sorry." Joe apologized.
"Hey, I get an apology too, right?" Masquerade pointed to his face displaying a small grin.
"No way in—"
"Joe, apologize to Masquerade!" Alice said seriously.
"But…" Joe sighed, "Fine, I'm sorry…Masquerade." Masquerade's once small grin broadened greatly.
"Apology accepted." He said in an overly prideful voice. Joe was angry, and he could tell. Man, if I didn't know better I'd think Alice was their leader, she has them wrapped around her finger! "Alice, where's the bathroom?"
"Oh, it's through that hallway on the left, keep going until you see the marked door." Alice said unsuspicious.
"Great, thank you." Masquerade said without wasting a minute. If they don't start looking for me, which might happen since they don't give a care about me, then I may be able to do this without getting caught. Yet getting caught wouldn't be the worse thing in the world as long as I've gathered all the data by then. Masquerade thought as he briskly walked down the hallway and past the door that marked the bathroom. He turned right and went down a flight of stairs while taking out a medium seized cube from his pocket. Darn, this thing is bigger than I expected, and square shaped may not have been the best design but if this flash-drive holds as much memory as Hal-G said then it's created from a stroke of genius. Hal-G…I don't really trust you but DON'T FAIL ME NOW!
"At least they get a Christmas tree at all!" Hydranoid said in jealousy. All the other bakugan stared at him. Gorem spoke up.
"You mean you don't have a Christmas tree?"
"Yeah, all we have is a fern with some lights thrown on it." Hydranoid said as Drago rolled further away from him. Preyas decided to lighten the mood by singing.
"Oh Christmas fern, oh Christmas fern! Thy leaves are so unchanging!"
"That's not funny." Tigrerra said moodily.
"Awww, is the widdle kitty angry?" Preyas teased. Tigrerra sighed. Hydranoid looked down sadly.
"Masquerade won't let me do anything else…I think he hates Christmas."
"Well, that's too bad." Gorem said in sympathy. Preyas jumped in front of Hydranoid.
"You need to go and tell the man how it is. You need to go and tell him to give you some respect!"
"P-Preyas?" Hydranoid said in shock.
"We may be bakugan and we may call them things like 'master' or 'my lady' or 'mistress' but it's not like that! It's a partnership!" Preyas said with compassion.
"I agree completely, it is a relationship in which the bakugan and human must see eye to eye and stand on the same ground, as equals." Drago joined in.
"Wow, that was kinda deep, especially for you, Preyas." Tigrerra praised.
"You know what, guys? I'm going to Masquerade right now and I'm going to demand equality!" Hydranoid said with a newly revealed passion.
"Good luck, Hydranoid!" Tigrerra called out at Hydranoid who has rolled off the couch and started rolling toward the main party room, full of purpose.
"Thanks everyone!" Hydranoid said as he continued into the main room.
"This is great!" Masquerade said as he watched the giant computer monitor. "If nothing wrong happens I'll have all of Marucho's data on my flash-drive in no time!" On the computer monitor there were file names flying from the bottom of the screen and disappearing under the progress meter, which was now at 67%.
"Hey, Joe!" Hydranoid said.
"Oh, hey Hydranoid." Joe said kind of distracted.
"Have you seen Masquerade?"
"Actually, I haven't seen him in a while." Joe said worriedly.
"Oh, alright then." Hydranoid said sadly while rolling back into the TV room where the other bakugan awaited him. Joe looked at Shun who had overheard their conversation. Shun noticed the worried look on Joe's face.
"Alice." Shun called.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Shun?" Alice asked after she had weaved herself through the crowd toward Shun and Joe.
"Do you know where Masquerade went?"
"He asked where the bathrooms were and I directed him through that hallway." Alice said as she pointed toward the hallway in which Masquerade had exited. Shun nodded toward Joe and they left the room in unison. "Wait! Joe! Shun! Where are you guys going?" Alice called out in curiosity as the other two ran down the hallway searching for Masquerade.
"What a perfect excuse to fool Alice." Joe said in annoyance.
"I know what you mean but it's not like he's above that. Going to the bathroom, oh please! You don't need to go to the bathroom if you don't have any guts in the first place!" Shun said angrily.
"What confuses me is that Hydranoid doesn't know anything about what Masquerade is doing."
"It could be an act."
"Yeah, but that's not Hydranoid's style. He's very blunt and kind of simple minded, plus even if he did know he wouldn't want to alert us if Masquerade's doing anything."
"Then it could be a trap."
"Would you stop over thinking this?"
"Would you stop under thinking this?"
"This is no good, now we're just fighting with each other. Though it does confuse me why Hydranoid isn't aware of Masquerade's location. Isn't he supposed to always be with him?"
"Yeah, that does seem weird."
"Well, I guess bakugan have lives too, you know?"
"Well, the only thing we can safely assume is that he's up to no good!"
"Right!" Joe said in agreement. Just then they saw a white flash travel across where the hallway split in two.
"There he is!" Shun whispered to Joe. Joe nodded. The next thing Masquerade knew was that a black and purple flash had knocked him off his feet and that a nosy brunet had him in a headlock.
"What is the meaning of this?" Masquerade demanded as Shun's eyes scanned him over.
"What's that bulging in your pocket?" Shun asked stoical. Joe used his free hand to reach into Masquerade's pocket and pulled out a bulky cube.
"It's just a cube with a button on it." Joe said somewhat disappointedly.
"And what happens when we press the button, Masquerade?" Shun said steadily.
"It's none of your business! Give it back!" Masquerade growled. Shun grinned as he had found a tender spot.
"I don't think you're in any position to demand things from us, Masquerade." Shun said as his smile widened. "Now, what is this?"
"It's…a game for Hydranoid." Masquerade lied.
"What? But it's just a cube with a single button." Joe pointed out. Once they press the button, Masquerade thought, they'll know what it is because the button reveals the UBS port on the cube, I have to discourage them from pressing it without sounding too obvious.
"Hydranoid won't be happy that someone else was playing with his game." Masquerade said stealthily but he decided to give up that series of lies as it seemed it had no effect on Shun.
"Really?" Shun prodded.
"Alright, fine, it's a bomb that actives when you press the button." Masquerade said convincingly, pretending to be defeated. Alright, maybe that wasn't the best choice but at least I was able to lie about it, plus, there's no way they're going to press the button now.
"What do we do now, Shun? It's a bomb!" Joe said excitedly.
"I say we should take out the trash." Shun said confidently.
"Which one, the bomb or the villain?" Joe asked.
"I'll ask Marucho to disarm the bomb while you can do with Masquerade as you see fit." Shun decided.
"You know, Alice will be very disappointed when she finds out that you two held the guest she personally invited against his will and stole one of his things from his pocket." Masquerade said with effect. Shun flinched at the thought of Alice being disappointed.
"Alright, that's enough Masquerade! I'm about to put you in your place!" Joe said with dignity.
"Wait, stop." Shun commanded.
Masquerade snickered, "What? Are you going to be a good boy for little Alice?"
"I still don't know what this thing is for sure but if Alice can come to trust you…so can I." Shun hesitated, What if it really is a bomb? Though I think he was kidding about that, Masquerade has a sick sense of humor. The next thing Shun saw was Masquerade swiping the cube out of his hand with a nasty grin on his face.
"Why, thank you very much." Masquerade said as Shun looked toward Joe who was laying passed out on the floor.
"I think you should go now." Shun glared at Masquerade.
"Happily." Masquerade said as he took out his dimensional transporter, purposely forgetting Hydranoid.
"Hey Shun!" Hydranoid rolled toward the entering ninja who was shouldering Joe, who was half-awake. "You guys were looking for Masquerade, right?"
"Oh, Hydranoid…well, ummm, he kinda left already, I'm sorry, he must have forgotten you."
"Masquerade isn't the kind of person who just forgets things, he's smarter than that." Hydranoid said sadly. Shun felt a twinge of pity for the small darkus bakugan.
"Don't worry Hydranoind, you can stay at the party with us, right, Joe?"
Joe looked at Shun dizzily, "Huh?"
"Ummm, never mind…" Shun said unsure.
"Well, I guess now I can just stay with the other bakugan!" Hydranoid said trying to disguise his happiness as he rolled back to the TV room.
"So, how did it go?" Preyas asked.
"How did what go?" Hydranoid asked blankly.
"You know, with demanding Masquerade respect."
"Oh, that." Hydranoid remembered gloomily.
"So, you failed, right?" Preyas asked trying to predict the outcome.
"He left the party without even telling me!"
"Awww, that's ok Hydranoid, Masquerade was a party pooper anyways." Tigrerra comforted Hydranoid. Preyas sighed.
"Well…I'm bored, who wants to help me with a…little project?" Preyas offered.
"I will." Drago said without hesitating. He just wanted to leave the awkwardness of being with Hydranoid.
"What kind of project?" Wyvern said with suspicion.
"Just, comon'!" Preyas tried to convince her.
A little later Gorem decided to leave Hydranoid and Tigrerra alone while he looked for Julie. She wasn't in the main party room so he asked Alice where she went. Apparently she left through the west hall with Billy, somewhere. Gorem rolled down the long, empty hallway as he searched for his mistress. He saw a closed door to a storage closet but there was light seeping through the bottom crack. The crack was high enough for Gorem to roll under it so he did so to investigate. The next thing Gorem saw would probably scar him for life. He saw Julie and Billy in each other's arms, kissing passionately.
"Mistress Julie!" Gorem said in shock.
Julie broke her kiss with Billy, "Gorem?"
"Julie, what are you doing!"
"Ummm, I'm making out with Billy?"
"That was a rhetorical question! I mean…how could you do this to me?" Gorem scolded, sounding heartbroken. "How could you run off kissing guys in a closet while an innocent Christmas party is being hosted by your best friends? And aren't you two a little too young to be doing that."
"Ummm, well, you see, me and Billy were talking and then we noticed we were standing under mistletoe and well…" Julie tried to explain.
"But you decided to run off and take it to the next step! What were you guys going to do after this, strip each other of your—"
"Stop it, Gorem!" Billy lashed out, cheeks burning red. "Me and Julie have known each other for years, and now we've been dating for three months, can't you give us some room, already?"
"If I see you touching her like that ever again, I swear I'll…"
"You'll do what?" Billy asked in a flat voice.
"Uh…"
"Just give it up Gorem." Julie said in annoyance.
"Alice, I need to talk to you." Shun motioned to Alice to come toward him. Alice followed him. "Masquerade was carrying a suspicious object that he claimed was a bomb."
"What?" Alice blinked in surprise.
"I highly doubt it was but he was definitely up to no good."
"Shun, stop being paranoid." Alice accused as Shun furrowed his brow.
"I'm not being paranoid."
"I invite one guest and you guys go and try to accuse him of holding a bomb, Masquerade's a brawler not a terrorist." Alice said while crossing her arms.
"He said it himself that it was a bomb."
"But you said it yourself, it probably wasn't."
"He deceived you, he didn't go to the bathroom at all, he went somewhere to do something he wasn't supposed to do."
"He didn't say he was going to the bathroom, he just asked where they were."
"It's the same thing."
"No, it's not."
"If he asks where they are then it's implied that he's going there."
"Yeah but you just can't assume things about other people, like how you assumed he was up to no good." Alice said with a hint of venom. Shun was surprised. Joe, fully recovered now, walked up to the arguing pair.
"Wow Alice, for someone who doesn't like to fight, you sure are biting Shun's head off." Joe said jokingly.
"Joe, is the reason you two bolted was because you guys thought Masquerade was up to no good?" Alice questioned.
"Well…yeah, I doubt Masquerade's done a nice thing in his life, to be honest." Joe said.
"I see…" Alice said sadly but in a thoughtful tone. Though Joe wasn't here yet to see it Masquerade did give me a present. She thought as she looked over at the stuffed tiger that she had placed on the table. She wanted to defend Masquerade but deep down she felt that he had used her, and she let him do it. And now she's yelling at one of her best friends because he was trying to be reasonable. What do I do? Alice thought desperately, If deep down I knew he was going to use me, then why did I do it anyways? Alice thought intensely as she squeezed the bottom of her shirt in frustration. I wonder if this is how Masquerade feels about Naga, is there a quality that humans have, a quality in some people, that makes them not mind being mutilated? She thought deeply.
"ALICE!" Shun yelled at Alice after he had called her name for the sixth time.
Alice blinked a few times and slowly turned her head toward Shun, "I'm sorry, Shun! It's just that…I was deep in thought."
"It's alright, maybe you should take a break." Shun suggested as Alice walked out the party room. She was looking at the tiger, why would she be thinking so hard about Masquerade? Well, he is an interesting character, I'll give him that, and I am curious to what that cube thingy was. Shun thought now deep in his own thoughts. He turned to Joe and said, "I think I'll turn in for tonight."
"What? Why? You shouldn't let Masquerade rain on your parade!" Joe said cheerfully.
"I'm just…tired." Shun said trying to make up an excuse.
"Alright, fine, but I'm telling you, you're going to miss out on the party!" Joe said as Shun swiftly left the Mansion.
"Project COMPLETE!" Preyas yelled triumphantly. "Every open doorway and archway has a strand of mistletoe hanging from the top!"
Wyvern sighed dreamily, "Isn't it great, Dragoroonie?"
"W-wyvern, I told you not to call me that in front of anyone else! And what exactly is great?"
"You mean you don't know, Dragoroonie?" Wyvern teased, "Why, it's the power of love!" Preyas was close to laughing at this point.
"Man, I do not get girls, I'm glad I'm single!" Preyas said matter-of-factly.
"Haven't you two noticed anything different with Hydranoid?" Wyvern asked.
"Well…yeah. He's, kinda less…evil…" Drago said blankly, as if he couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth. Preyas joined in.
"And he's acting really close to Tigrerra." Preyas said in a blank tone similar to Drago's.
"Then isn't it obvious, guys? Hydranoid and Tigrerra are dating."
"WHAT?" Drago and Preyas said in unison.
"Really, you guys are so clueless."
After the party Alice swept the ground traveling from room to room.
"Alice, you don't need to clean up, I have hired staff to clean up." Marucho pointed out to Alice.
"If I don't clean up after my own party then I'm being a nuisance." Alice said while wiping the imaginary sweat from her forehead.
"Alright, if you want to." Marucho said while siting back down on the sofa and stared at the TV which was now showing Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer.
"Marucho? Do you know why Shun left all of a sudden?" Alice asked in curiosity.
"I dunno. Maybe he kind of feels like Rudolf."
"The reindeer?"
"Who else?"
"It's just that…why are you comparing Shun with a reindeer?"
"It's not just that, I'm comparing their situations, I think Shun felt left out, a loner."
"But, why? I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
"Well, maybe not, but I think it was mostly Masquerade's fault…which is kind of indirectly your fault since you're the one who invited him."
"Hmmm…" Alice mumbled while leaning against the side of the archway that connected the party and TV room.
"Well, I'm hitting the hay, you should probably go home soon."
"Alright, thanks Marucho for letting me barrow you house for the party!"
Marucho yawned, "It's alright Alice…good night…" Alice was expecting Marucho to go up to his room but, to Alice's surprise, he fell asleep on the sofa.
Alice sighed, "Good night, Marucho."
"Ah, so the little bugger's asleep, but at this time? I didn't know he had such an early bedtime." An unexpected voice snickered in the darkness. Alice whipped around to see a blonde leaning on the other side of the archway.
"M-masquerade!" Alice said in surprise. Masquerade grinned. Alice was confused, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to pick up a rather annoying bakugan, hope he was good." Masquerade said the last part jokingly.
"Actually, he was the best behaved of all the bakugan." Alice said, she saw Masquerade flinch at this reply. "Hey, Masquerade."
"Yeah?"
"You didn't really bring a bomb to the party, did you?"
"Well, I didn't really need to bring a bomb to have my idea of fun."
"Is that so?" Alice asked teasingly. Masquerade was surprised by this.
"Alright, Alice, what's up?"
"The ceiling." Alice answered with a grin.
"Ha-ha, very funny, but really, why'd you invite me, anyways?"
"It's just that…Christmas is such a wonderful time, it's the time when people try their best to get along," Alice giggled, "even the Brawlers! I want to spend Chirstmas with everyone I know, whether they get along together or not, it's just that, Christmas is the time of year when even world peace seems closer to reality."
"Is that what you desire, Alice? World peace?"
"…yes." Alice said with some uncertainty.
"Do you believe this is possible?"
"Yes!" Alice said with a hidden tone of determination. Masquerade couldn't take it anymore, he laughed right in Alice's face. Alice's face turned red at someone mocking her dreams. She was about to snap at him but then she remembered something she wanted to ask Masquerade. "…Masquerade…"
"What is it this time?" Masquerade said somewhat crossly.
"Do-do humans…do humans have a quality…a trait, that makes them want to be controlled by someone?" Alice asked in a semi-quivering voice.
"Yes." Masquerade said without hesitation, as if it was the only truth he knew, yet he was still surprised to see this side of Alice. "But not all people. There are some who have the desire to control, whether they have the ability to lead or not, and there are others who want to be controlled, and do you know why, why these people want to be controlled?"
"…W-why?"
"It's because they are cowards, they do not want to face the truth so they hide behind a leader, a leader they put all their trust in. They are scared of their own world, their own fates! They hide behind those who aren't scared to face the world, to face the truth!" Masquerade said slowly gaining in volume through his speech.
"Then which one are you?"
"Why, I am the one who controls people."
"No you're not."
"What?"
"You let Naga walk all over you."
"I thought this talk was currently about human nature, not powerful bakugan."
"Why…why do you do it, Masquerade?"
"Why do I need to tell you?"
"Because…because…well…"
"Because of what?"
"Masquerade, you're making a mistake by following Naga." Alice said clearly.
"And maybe I am."
"How can you call yourself the controller if Naga's controlling you?"
"A hundred-and-twenty-three."
"What?"
"That's the current number of my henchman."
"It's doesn't matter how many minions you have, you still hide behind Naga, your leader, because you will not accept the truth about him!"
"And what makes you think that?" Masquerade said angrily.
"You said it yourself! People hide behind their leaders because they are too scared to face the truth!"
"Why you…" Masquerade said but stopped himself, I'll just show her who is the easier one to control.
"W-why do people fight? Even me?" Alice said with tears in her eyes.
Masquerade hesitated, She's braking down, now's my chance! "People fight because people are individuals."
"What do you mean?"
"People fight because they have different ideas, beliefs, morals, wants, needs, desires, points of view, hatred and love for different things."
"So you think being an individual is bad?"
"Well, I didn't say that but what I do want to say is that I don't want to fight with you anymore." Masquerade said as he got stepped closer. I'll just pretend to be interested in her, if I play my cards right I might get my 124th minion…hehe.
"You don't?" Alice asked surprised.
"Of course, all anyone ever received from fighting is an earful from the other person."
"I guess…" Alice trailed off as Masquerade took another step closer. I've underestimated Alice before, but not anymore. I did not see what value she could be of me, in the beginning, but not only does see things clearly see is also the moral support of the Brawlers. If she comes to me, the other Brawlers may follow. YES! But I can't get too excited, that nosy ninja is on my tail, I can't capture Alice physically so I'll do the next best thing…I'll capture her heart. Masquerade grinned as these evil thoughts flooded his head.
"Ummm, Masquerade. Why are you looking at me like that?" Alice said defensively.
"You mean you didn't notice it? The mistletoe?" Masquerade said pointing up to a strand of green leaves and white berries.
"I—" Alice said with cheeks bright red, cutting herself off as Masquerade closed the gap between them. "Ummm, you know, I'd kiss you on the cheek to get it over with but you're always covering your cheeks with your mask." Alice said slyly.
"Stop it with the mask already, you're not getting away with a peck on the cheek." Masquerade said as he leaned his arm against the wall Alice had her back on and he closed the distance between their faces and lips. After a while Masquerade pulled back with a wild grin on his face. "Glad we could talk." He lied as he pulled out his dimensional transporter and vanished before Alice could reply. Alice stood there in silence, cheeks burning and lips still tingling.
Her eyes widened as she realized something important, her lips barely moved as she whispered the dreaded truth, "…he forgot Hydranoid…"
Shun opened the door loudly but did not enter his room.
"So, ummm, how was the party?" Skyress asked sensing that her master was not doing well.
"He showed up…he actually showed up…" Shun said as if he was still in shock.
"Who showed up, Shun?" Skyress questioned worried about Shun.
"Masquerade." Shun mumbled, the sound coming out barely audible.
"Really, child, you shouldn't mumble when someone asks a question."
"It was Masquerade." Shun said looking up at Skyress who laid perched on his night-stand.
"Oh yeah, you mentioned that Alice invited him."
"He showed up and ruined everything."
"What exactly did he do?"
"He showed up, what else?"
"Shun, it's rude to reject someone's company."
Shun walked into the room half-way to his bed, "Yeah, but I just wish he wasn't there." Shun said while holding up his present to Alice, a red and white one with an open-able lid.
"Weren't you supposed to give that to Alice?"
"He ended up giving a her present, himself."
"But you could still have given her your present anyways, right?"
"That's not really the point, it made me like second best."
"But it's not about being second best."
"Darn it, Skyress, you don't get it!" Shun snapped as he threw the present to the wall on plopped down on his bed.
"…I'm sorry Shun…" Skyress said as she watched the present's lid fall of revealing a necklace. The heart shaped locket made a metal clink noise as it hit the ground and opened showing a picture of Alice and Shun together.
A/N:
Kd: Yay! My biggest chapter, yet!
Jet: How many words was that? O.O
Kd: Not including the A/N it was 5,230 words long =D
Masky: Why did you make me do that? And why did you use my fangirl name for my dialog name?
Hydranoid: And why haven't we seen Santa, yet?
Jet: Santa doesn't come until December 25th.
Hydranoid: WHY MUST HE MAKE THE WORLD WAIT THAT LONG?
Kd: Hydranoid…HYDRANOID, calm down!
Hydranoid: Well, it seems like Christmas flys by so fast, anyways.
Masquerade: Christmas is being too slow for me.
Jet: *looks between kd and Masquerade* Can I hug him, now?
Masquerade: What?
Kd: Not until after the A/N
Jet: That's not fair!
Kd: Plus you'll have to fight with Alice for him now.
Jet: He's not with Alice yet.
Kd: Not yet ;D
Jet: I just want to hug him, that's all.
Kd: Sorry, not in my A/N.
Jet: Foey…