MagicxMusicxMelody: Close enough to a year! Yeah, Shun wasn't expecting any of that, but the finale is really good...in my opinion.

InnocentDiamond: Cool! You might like the other one once I get it out. Sometimes people get that feeling too, having words at the time of your tongue. The last charm will be here soon.

Cup of Violet Tea: The bracelet can only satisfy one person's specific needs.

Cherry-Tree: I might be able to reproduce a similar electricity scene in the future. You should've seen the ripped paper dance.

SSR: Whew! Last chapter of this story that I started published eleven months ago! Can I get an applause?

Everyone: (clapping)

SSR: Anyway, I still don't have another active story, but I will publish something soon.

Alice: Final disclaimer for this story!

Shun: To this day, SSR still doesn't own anything but the plot and OCs.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Past, Present, Future

...

...

Masquerade kicked the clock hand scraps out of his way and picked up pieces that looked useful. "I've had enough with your meddling. No matter how many times I try to kill Alice, you always get in the way!"

"That's exactly what you get for trying to take the person I love the most away from me, Masquerade." Shun pulled Alice closer behind him as she glanced at him. "I used to think it was Celia's fault that Alice got into this mess-"

"And it still is. Look around. Celia's not even here. She's too scared to admit that she caused all this intentionally."

"Celia isn't that kind of person!" Alice argued. "Don't you dare disgrace her!"

"Says the girl who relied on help from the exact person who caused all this suffering. You shouldn't remember anything, especially after she undid everything that was supposed to 'help' you."

"Really?" Shun challenged. After handing Alice to Julie and Marucho, he stuck his hands in his coat pocket and walked toward Masquerade. "Because the more I think about it, the more I realize that it's your fault."

Masquerade pressed the broken pieces together and formed one long, giant clock hand. He held it up like a sword against Shun, who stopped walking upon seeing it. "Scared now, aren't you? I told you that a human like you can't stop me. You're all just dispensable beings in a world that doesn't need you. Once I become the ruler of Time and Space, I decide everything."

Marucho gasped and shook his head. "Masquerade, we've been this already. There's no way that you'll be ruler if both if you can't even become a decent Guardian, nevertheless ruler, of even one!"

"Marucho's right! As Guardian of Time and Space, we're supposed to maintain the balance in this world. You put so many innocent lives at risk because of your selfishness!" Julie added.

"Celia's the selfish one!" he argued. "She's the one who put Alice's life, and later other people's, at risk."

"Enough with your trash talk." Shun continued walking, but this time, Masquerade back up step by step. "Don't tell me you're intimidated by a human like me. At this point, I can only argue back at you since physical fighting won't get us anywhere."

"I will kill you if you get closer, and you'll be nonexistent because-"

"Because you're a Guardian of Space. You can manipulate anything that has mass and volume. Alice had 'great curse' categorized in 'lost articles', and she's already lost her life once—physically and mentally—but won't lose it again. On the other hand," He took out his fortune and waved it at Masquerade, scaring him a bit. "I have a 'future blessing' in people that I'm expecting. This moment right now occurs in the future after Alice got killed last time. This could either mean I'm waiting for her to come back, or for you to appear. Either way, I'll kill two birds with one stone."

Masquerade suddenly lunged forward with his clock hand, and Shun dodged it, but that meant Masquerade aimed right at Alice, Julie, and Marucho. "It's okay! Marucho and I will rewind this really quickly!"

"Shun, help me!"

"I'm a Guardian of Space! You can't stop me!" Masquerade went back a few steps and repeated what he did, this time with Shun arriving in front of Alice to stop him. "You won't be an obstacle to me without any weapons."

"Right. I don't have any weapons." When Masquerade came close enough, Shun grabbed the tip of the clock hand. His sleeve pulled back, revealing the golden bracelet and its final charm. "Except that one."

"Nooooooo!"

Shun twisted his fist and broke the clock hand, shattering it into a million pieces without a single scratch on him, whereas Masquerade's hands burned like fire. "I didn't think this would be lethal to you since it was something you desperately wanted."

"A clover for luck in finally overpowering him. Excuse me, Shun." After swiping the bracelet from Shun's wrist, Celia revealed her face and self again, both hands holding each end of the bracelet chain. Dangling in the center was the clover charm, which glowed yellow as the other charms reappeared again. She loop the chain links through a stiletto sweep hand aimed. "Personally for you, personally from me. Enjoy while you still can, Masquerade."

Celia threw the sweep hand, and the tip landed in Masquerade's chest. He couldn't even pull it out because his hands were still burning. "I did not exist for no reason!"

"Your very existence is the reason why there are laws to maintaining Time and Space." Celia faced Shun and asked, "Would you like to do the honors?"

"How?"

"Your fortune is still unused. Make a wish like last time."

Shun folded the fortune into his hands and prayed. "I wish that everything would return to normal like Masquerade never existed."

"You can't do this to me!"

Shun's fortune flew out and turned into a giant tornado. Suddenly, floating rectangular images of the past appeared. "What are we looking at?"

"Although you made a good wish, it still has to follow logic." Celia explained. "I understand that in your mind, your present-day life is exactly like if Masquerade never existed. But because you wished that, all the events starting from the beach all the way to picking identical fortunes won't exist."

"But I thought-"

"I told you already. All that has to go if you and Alice are to meet the way fate wanted you two to."

Shun held Alice's hand and said, "You probably don't remember anything that is flying around here now. You only know that Celia was always by your side, but nothing else before she selectively reset your memory."

"At least I still remember you when Runo and Dan introduced us to each other." She let go and hug him warmly. "Celia's right. Otherwise, you would've changed the past, which would change the future. You only time-traveled to save me. That's acceptable, but everything else that disrupts the continuum should go. I won't mind."

"Celia, after all this, can we go back to that moment when we left the shrine again?" Shun asked. "For some reason, if were to forget about these memories completely, I...I want to forget about you all too because-"

"Why?!" screamed Julie and Marucho at once.

"Give me a moment." Celia objected. As the tornado closed in on Masquerade, she walked toward but stayed a safe distance from him. "You disrupted the balance between Time and Space, as well as our world and this world." Masquerade reached out in excruciating pain, but Celia turned around and faced away. "Enough said."

"This isn't the end!"

"Oh, yes it is."

The tornado sucked Masquerade into a dark vortex in the sky. Shun looked up and asked Alice, "Should we start over from that point?"

"I think we should. We weren't meant to see any of this either." Alice walked to Celia and held her hands. "Celia, it was nice meeting you, but now that your problems are resolved, it's about time that we went our separate ways."

Celia sighed and wiped a tear. "I was going to tell you that I had to leave too, but since you proposed it first, then it's settled. Shun, what about you?"

"I agree. I think we should the real present day and live without supernatural interference."

"Well then. Your wish is granted." Celia walked over to the Guardians of Time and bowed. "I don't think we've officially met. I'm Celia, the very first Guardian of Space. I was here when Kato was still Guardian of Time and asked him for help with this. I guarantee that I'm nothing like Masquerade."

"Hello Celia. I'm Marucho. This is Julie. Welcome back then. Now that this 'life crisis' is solved, we're more than happy to grant this final wish." The three of them lit up their fingers, creating a glowing bubble each around Alice and Shun. "We are now sending you back to that event you requested..." Marucho explained.

"Everything about us Guardians will be forgotten, and all you'll feel is a weird, deja vu feeling." Julie added.

"Like nothing ever happened." Celia concluded.

...

...

"Shun, we can go now. See you later, Runo!"

"Bye Alice!"

Alice held onto Shun's hand on the way out from the main hall. "So, did you tie your slip onto the tree?" he asked.

"I did. I hope this method really work." Alice looked up to see the black cat still perching on the Torii gate. Suddenly, a raven swooped down, and both animals chased each other. "Aren't those two the same animals from earlier? What the-"

"You mean your bad omen animals that are now attacking each other? I know that two wrongs don't make it right, but this is amusing. Bad luck chasing off bad luck."

"Let's hope they chase each other away."

Shun reached the sidewalk and yelled, "The traffic looks isn't as worse, but it's not better either."

"For once!" He chuckled and poked her right cheek, and Alice darted back immediately. "Stop it! That bad fortune might foreshadow that I'll lose my sanity or patience someday."

"Don't worry. As long as you tied the slip to the tree, you'll be fine."

The traffic light just turned red, and many cars waited in the lanes. To make things worse, the lights wouldn't change until every car crossed the road. "Would you say having crowded traffic today is bad luck?" asked Alice.

"No. Traffic has always been this busy. You know, Alice. I can't believe you worry about the littlest things" He put his hand on her forehead. "You don't have a fever. Maybe I shouldn't have asked you to come with the shrine with me today."

"Don't say that! I know you asked me so we can spend time together, but it was my decision to come with you today, so let me handle it."

"Fine." The traffic light flashed green again, and Shun took the first step down again. "Hurry up, Alice. This traffic light changes fast if it doesn't sense anyone moving."

"I'm coming." By the time Shun arrived at the other sidewalk, Alice still hadn't stepped down onto the road. The crossing signal tweeted faster, and Alice crossed the road right when the light changed.

"Alice, hurry up! Just sprint over!"

"Wait! I dropped something."

"Why do I even bother?" By the time Shun turned around, Alice appeared right in front from him after a fast sprint. "That was fast. You scared me."

"You told me to sprint."

Shun noticed gravel on Alice's knees and brushed it off. "What did you drop? Judging by that sand, you would've died if you stayed a second longer."

Alice revealed the item in her palm. "I can't believe I dropped and picked my charm bracelet up without any danger. I took it off because it got caught in the tree."

"Alice!" This time, Shun pushed her forehead back with his finger, and she winced. "You're still the most optimistic person ever. Let's go."

"Wait."

Shun stopped and turned, and Alice kissed him gently on the cheek. "Alice, what was that for?"

"For being the best person alive. I'm so glad I met you."

"Me too." Then he lowered his head and kissed her on the lips. "And if you're asking what that was for, then that was for always being in my life ever since we met."

"Sealed with a kiss?"

"You could call it that. Come on. I might be able to go back to badminton practice since we finished early."

"Cool! I want to watch!"

After that, Shun put his arm around Alice's shoulders as they walked back after a short but tiring day.

A kiss to seal fate in a good way, thus together forever without worry...

Let Time and Space do the rest.

SSR: End of story! The more I read over this, the more I wanted to do a sequel, but...no.

Dan: Not that we asked for a sequel.

Runo: Dan! That's rude!

SSR: Rant all you want, but this story is over! I don't know what else to say since I've never finished a story before. so...

Everyone: Review please!

SSR: And I'll publish new stories later on!