Here we are my friends! The last chapter! If you've followed the story up to this point, I just want to say "Wow!" and above all "Thank you." It's not everyone who would take the time to read a CabajixOC story. It's been awesome posting this, and I hope you've enjoyed it. (Even if my updating/posting got to be sporadic…I'm really sorry about not always having my chapters organized.)

I'm sorry this last chappie took so long to get to you…I been setting up my dA account. Thanks to me, dA now features AlxCa art! Yay! I'm spreading the love!

Oh yeah…remember how I said you hadn't seen the last of me? Keep that in mind my friends, and no one get mad about the weenie little self-insert.

I own nothing except for my characters and myself. There's a Katekyo Hitman Reborn reference in this chapter. I couldn't get away without mentioning Lambo.

Thank you so much for sticking with me through this story. And now…enjoy the finale of "The Fangirl and the Magical Paintbrush Fairy!"

He was gone.

That was it. He was gone. It was over. Done. Finished. I would never see again, except back in the 2-dimensional world he was stuck in.

I moped around the house wallowing in self-pity and being absolutely miserable. I was a complete wreck. I looked at the toaster and burst into tears. I looked at my i-pod and burst into tears. I looked at the DDR mat and burst into tears. I looked at just about anything and burst into tears.

My picture had been restored. It was no longer blank and remained in the spot where I had hung it the night Miss Goldenweek showed up.

Then there was his scarf. I wouldn't take it off. The simple fact that he had left me with his scarf had stunned me. It was his trademark, he always wore it. How could he have possible left it behind?

Then it occurred to me that he probably had twenty more or so exactly like it in his closet.

Mackenzie called me four times, but I didn't want to pick the phone and waffle about her over-muscled and hairy pictures of Roy Mustang.

"Grace!" she ranted into my answering machine. "I've drawn 51 pictures of Roy Mustang, and nothing's happened, so now I'm going to try drawing some pictures of Kakashi. Do you think Miss Goldenweek will show up for him? Or maybe I should try someone a little younger. How about Sasuke? Only he's got tons of fangirls, so maybe I should try someone else… Hey how about Lambo? Adult Lambo obviously, totally not five year-old Lambo, that would be pervy, only I can't decide of I like fifteen year-old Lambo or twenty-five year-old Lambo better. I'll just draw both. Only why do they call fifteen year-old Lambo Adult Lambo anyway? I mean, he's only fifteen, heck, we're older than he is, but I don't see anyone calling us "Adults." Maybe it's some sort of code the mafia have, you know…"

(I unplugged the phone eventually.)

I dragged myself out of my house to go to the mall, if only for something to take my mind off things.

I walked by the library, thinking morosely of the day that Cabaji had shown up the entire One Piece Otaku Fangirl Club. I couldn't help but wonder what they were doing now.

"Omigawd, that is like, so not fair."

"Totally."

It seemed I was about to find out.

I quickly threw myself into the nearest hedge hoping that they hadn't notice me, as the group of them stalked out of the library doors and flopped down on the steps. I watched them through the leaves realizing what a creep I was being.

"So like, I get kicked out for smoking in the library." I heard Sanji-Fangirl mutter. "What gives?"

She launched into a bout of several hacking coughs.

"You know Britney, maybe you should like, cut back a little bit."

(So they did actually had names besides "Sanji-Fangirl" and "Luffy-Fangirl")

"But, it's part of my fandom!" 'Britney' protested.

"OH LOOK! A PENNY!" Nami-Fangirl shrieked suddenly, scooping the little coin off the ground and clutching it with delight. The other fangirls seemed completely unfazed by this, as they were probably use to Nami-Fangirl picking up loose change.

It occurred to me that there was a new girl among them. She was very goth with a fro and a top hat and she clutched a walking stick. No doubt they'd found themselves a Brook-Fangirl.

"You know, I still like, don't believe you guys." she said. "I mean, come on…this Grace chick sounds kind of sketchy."

I wasn't sketchy! Then again, I was spying on them from the inside of a bush.

"She's not sketchy. She's just like, really weird." said Franky-Fangirl. This coming from a girl who wears spandex hasn't shaved her legs in six months.

"She's a Cabaji-Fangirl? No one likes Cabaji. And you like think this guy with her was like, actually Cabaji? Cabaji's not real, he was probably just a really good cosplayer."

"No! He wasn't just a cosplayer!" said Luffy-Fangirl.

"He like, had the scars from the fight with Zoro."

"He like, pulled a sword out of his throat!"

"He was real! He had to be!"

"Okay, okay, if you say so." said Brook-Fangirl, but she didn't seem to actually believe them.

They were all quiet for a moment, save for hacking coughs from Sanji-Fangirl and giggles from Nami-Fangirl as she examined her new penny.

"How do you think it happened?" said Robin-Fangirl eventually. "How could it be possible someone like Cabaji to show up in our world?"

"Surely if Cabaji can turn up here, other characters can too." said Usopp-Fangirl.

"You think?" said Zoro-Fangirl eagerly. "That like, Zoro could turn up here?"

"Or Nami?"

"The question is how though." said Robin-Fangirl sagely. "Maybe we could talk to Grace."

"Not if Cabaji's lurking around her! He'd kill us!"

"And I somehow doubt Grace would be too inclined to talk to us."

"Yeah, we've been total bitches to her, just 'cause her fandom is like, weird. I feel kind of bad. We should make it up to her."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Were these girls really the One Piece Otaku Fangirl Club?

"I don't know." said Luffy-Fangirl. "But if there's a way to bring our favorite characters here, we have to find out. Anyway, like, tonight at my house then?"

"I've got like, the DVDs."

"Sweet. I'll like, bring my box set to watch afterwards."

"Alright, let's get going."

They stood up to leave. I wondered how subtly I could manage exiting a bush without them noticing. Crawling out, I decided I would take the opposite direction to the mall in the hopes they wouldn't see me.

"Oh! Grace!"

Apparently my "bush-exiting" skills weren't up to par, as they had clearly seen me. Muttering a word I had learned from Cabaji under my breath, I turned around the face the crowd of fangirls.

"Hi." I said awkwardly, not looking at them.

They were eyeing my apprehensively as if they were afraid that Cabaji was 'lurking' nearby about to attack them. Brook-Fangirl was looked totally freaked out by me.

"He's not here." I managed to say, willing myself not to burst into tears for the seventh time that morning.

The fangirls seemed to take heart in this fact because they brightened considerably.

"Is that like, his scarf?" asked Nami-Fangirl.

I nodded, because I knew if I said something I would start crying.

"Uh…listen Grace." said Luffy-Fangirl, smiling broadly as I tired not to gape at her cleavage. "I'm like, having a bonfire tonight! Would you like to come?"

"What's the bonfire for?" I asked apprehensively. My imagination sent me a horrible mental image of them throwing me into the bonfire screaming "Burn the degenerate fangirl!"

"Well, like, Emily here," Luffy-Fangirl said, gesturing to Usopp-Fangirl. "She found a whole ton of the 4kids One Piece DVDs at discount price, and we're like, going to burn them! And then we're going to watch Cathy's latest box set of Enies Lobby and eat lots of meat and drink cola."

"Yeah, everyone like, chipped in the handle the shipping." said Zoro-Fangirl.

I thought about it. As much as I didn't want to admit it, it did sound like fun, not to mention highly satisfying. (The idea of burning Cabaji's ridiculous Greek/Russian/French/German/Italian voice actor was highly appealing.) I couldn't help but wonder if they were just trying to figure out how Cabaji had turned up, or if they were in sincerity. I wanted to think they were in sincerity.

"I'll think about it." I muttered.

"Okay!" said Luffy-Fangirl brightly. "It's like, starting at six, so just show up if you want! And wear your scarf!"

"Thanks." I said, with a half-hearted smile, and walked away before the conversation could turn anywhere else.

I eventually made it to the mall, only to wander aimlessly among the masses of people. How on earth could there be happy people in this world actually having a good time shopping? Who the hell cared about shopping when there was no more Cabaji?

I wandered into some random clothes store and flung myself down on a chair outside the dressing room. A girl about my age was sitting in another chair opposite me and surveying me with interest.

"That's a really nice scarf." she said, smiling and pointing.

I gave her the dirtiest look I could manage.

The girl looked taken aback and looked away somewhat awkwardly. Then I felt really guilty, but it wasn't as if she could have possibly understood how I felt, how special it was, or what it meant.

Suddenly, the curtains of the nearest dressing room flew open and the most stunning woman I had ever seen stepped out in a sparkling red dress. She had jetty black curls that swung about her face, bright green eyes, a flawless figure and…almost unnaturally perfect skin.

My mind seemed to freeze.

No way…it couldn't possibly…

The girl leapt out of her seat with a "squee" of delight that could have only belonged to another fangirl.

"Alvida nee-san!" she cried, her enormous eyes pooling up with tears of delight. "You look beautiful! Beautiful!" She threw her arms around the woman, practically sobbing happiness.

"Of course I do, Scarlet-chan." said the woman, patting the girl on the head as if she was quite used to this.

"I'm going to buy it for you, Alvida nee-san! It's perfect! Absolutely perfect!"

"Oh really Scarlet, you're such a sweetheart." the woman said, planting a kiss on 'Scarlet's' cheek. Scarlet turned bright red and looked as though she could have fainted with joy.

I stared at them.

I could only stare.

Until they caught sight of me. I tried to look as unnoticeable and uninterested as possible, which I epically failed at.

"That's a really interesting scarf." said the beautiful woman, giving me a calculating look.

"I know, isn't it familiar?" said Scarlet, clinging to the woman's arm.

"It is indeed, Scarlet-chan." said the woman, her eyebrows raised at me in a very significant look.

I muttered some unintelligible word of thanks and turned away so as not to be interrogated further.

I watched them buy the dress and waltz happily out of the store chatting happily about what else they were going to buy. I saw the girl named Scarlet link her hand into Lady Alvida's and stare up at with admiration, delight, and simply sheer happiness.

And it was then that I realized that not only had I just met the most beautiful woman on all the seas, but that the girl I had just met did know, and would know, exactly how I felt.

I walked home, pondering over the scene I had just witnessed.

So there really were others like me.

It was an odd feeling, but there was something fulfilling and somewhat satisfying about it. It was a good sort of feeling, to know that I wasn't alone in harboring obscure fandoms for obscure characters.

Miss Goldenweek had said there were others, others who loved the characters no one else did with just as much fangirl zeal as your everyday fangirls, but seeing for myself had really made something click in my mind. It was quite incredible, and I wondered how many more of these "obscure fangirls" I would find, if I looked.

Then suddenly it occurred to me what I wanted to do. I wanted share the experience. There were other obscure fangirls like me, who needed to know.

I would recreate Miss Goldenweek's blessing, and share with as many One Piece fangirls as I could reach out to, whether they would appreciate my fandom or not. Because there were others like me. I knew that for certain now. And I would find them. I would tell the whole story and truth of being in love with a character like Cabaji, and how I had been given the experience of falling in love with him, in the real world. They could believe me or not, it didn't matter, all I wanted to do was make what had happened to me known.

Suddenly I was racing down the sidewalks home. I knew exactly what I wanted. I made up my mind.

I tore into my house and sat down in my room with a notebook and a pencil. It was 3:30. That gave me plenty of write before I would go to Luffy-Fangirl's house and have a fantastic time burning 4kids DVDs.

It had been awhile since I had written a fanfiction.

Even if this wasn't really "fiction."

I put my pen to the paper and began to write.

"Have you ever been in love? Okay. Yeah, I know. You're probably thinking, "Oh god, how cheesy is this story going to be? Why am I even bothering to read it?" But bear with it, just for a minute. Like I said…have you ever been in love? Most of us have, in some way or another. But have you ever been in love with someone you couldn't have, because it was impossible? I'm not talking about some famous movie star you might have a crush on, or that tall boy next door who's six years older than you and has no idea you exist. Unattainable and impossible as these romances may be, they are a very different sort of impossible.

Have you ever been in love… truly, truly in love with someone who wasn't real?"

The End

Well my friends, that's it! The End! I truly hope you have enjoyed reading "The Fangirl and the Magical Paintbrush Fairy" as much as I enjoyed writing it!

(Especially because I got my own little cameo with my own favorite character.)

Just a fun fact on this story for anyone who's interested, believe it or not, this story was almost a Naruto fic. I wrote the first drafts back when I was still a Naruto fan, and I had it pegged that Sai was going to play the Magical Paintbrush Fairy, and Sakon/Ukon was going to be the character brought to life for Grace. There were just two big problems with this. One, I had decided that Grace was in love with Sakon but it became highly difficult to have romance of any kind because Ukon was always around. Two, Sai was a very boring Magical Paintbrush Fairy. He wouldn't wear the clip on wings.

Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed my fanfiction, and please, in light of the final chapter, tell me what you thought of the story as a whole! (It's your last chance people, make it count!)

Again, I thank you all for reading "The Fangirl and the Magical Paintbrush Fairy."