*constructs the biggest apology for Diamond-Girly426 , who's request from a month ago I only saw a week ago*

Please forgive me for this, I felt so bad when I saw the date of your request😭

Although it's kind of ironic considering how on the Ukyo request you commented how I wrote it super fast (a few hours), and then this took a month.

So here it is, your long awaited request!

First off, you are Ken's extremely protective twin sister.

Second, WARNING! You swear a decent amount in the two months later part, and there is a relativley 'hot' kiss from what I was told from the friend I had overlook this for spelling errors.

Anyways, hope you enjoy, and please forgive me Diamond Girly!

P.S If anyone gets the huge Metal Saga thingy I put in here, then you will have my eternal respect.

~xxAvanni Cinders

"Okay, so before we start today, we have couple of new students here with us." Spoke the bubbly dark haired mathematics teacher, who earlier had privately introduced herself as Mrs. Warren.

Despite having repeated this same old introduction countless times, you couldn't help but feel exasperated. Why couldn't you just take a seat at the start of the lesson like everyone else, and then get to know people at your own speed? Instead, you were made to stand up at the front of the room as if you were on show and allow people to gawk at you. Honestly, hadn't they had new kids in their class before?

"I'd like you all to meet Ken and Y/N Midori," Mrs. Warren continued, oblivious of the snickers that were coming from two boys at the back of her classroom. "I hope you'll all help them out if they need it."

One of the two boys bit out a laugh, turning it into a cough as his friend elbowed him sharply, and you couldn't help but emit a soft growl at the dim witted duo. You hadn't even been at the school for a full hour, and already you could see the same, familiar pattern preparing itself to unfold. For years it had been the same. Kids go to new school, some random thug tries to make twin one's life difficult, twin two beats up thug, twin two gets into trouble.

It had been the same continuous pattern for as long as you could remember. Your older twin, Ken, had social anxiety, and struggled to make friends as a result from your families' constant moving. As a coping method, he more often than not interacted with people, using the help of his two hand puppets, a fact that many people often would make fun of him for.

If you stayed out of things, your life would have been much easier, and you would most likely not be on a first name basis with a majority of your past school's receptionists, but there was no way in hell you were going to let your brother get pushed around. You were easily the more confident of the two, as well as the most rash, and as a result, you had no qualms whatsoever about diving headfirst into a fight if it meant making things for Ken easier. Often your parents would reprimand you for such head strong actions, but in your experience, most kids failed to listen to reason. Besides, you knew that your mum and dad were secretly proud of how protective you were over your big brother. That was why you didn't feel a hint of remorse, when your train of thought immeadiently singled out the two males as people you  would most likely need to keep an eye on in the future.

"Is there anything either of you would like to say to the class?" Mrs Warren asked the two of you. Ken shook his head politely, while you mumbled your decline.

"Well then," she continued brightly, unfazed by your lack of response or enthusiasm. "Y/N, why don't you take the window seat at the back of the class? Ken, I think we'll be having you sit next to Ben Azuki. Ben, if you could please raise your hand?"

You gritted your teeth as a mean looking, deeply tanned boy with a pink mohawk raised his hand.

'Of course she puts my sweet, quiet brother with that guy, looks like he's going to end up as number three on my list.'

You looked at Ken out of the corner of your eye, silently asking him if he'd rather you take the seat next to Ben Azuki instead of him. Instead, your brother took a deep breath that went unnoticed by everyone except for you, and made his way between the aisles to his seat. Internally, you felt a sense of pride that he was going to put in the effort, before walking to the back of the room and slouching into your seat.

'Actually,' you mused. 'This is perfect. Now I can keep an eye on him.'

"Alright everyone, now that that's sorted, today we'll be starting on how to solve monoquadratic equations, first off, make a start on writing down these few notes and copying these examples." Mrs Warren instructed the class, beginning her lesson now that the introductions had all been sorted.

Lazily, you scrawled down the pertinent information, and let your gaze drift off towards your sibling's direction. At Beigoma Academy, your last school, you had been in a higher class than him, and as a result you had completed the same exercise about a month ago, so you weren't all too fazed on missing anything just yet. He seemed to be fine for the moment. While his body language was tense, you could tell that he was more cautious than fearful.

You allowed yourself to relax slightly at the small reassurance, but you knew not to get too comfortable. The Dim Witted Duo, as you had mentally dubbed them, were still talking to one another in hushed tones, making you uneasy. They were the stereotypical kids that often seemed to single out your twin, big, tough and mean looking, and you knew that you couldn't afford to let your guard down, not just yet.

The time dragged on, and you had blocked out most of the lesson, answering a few questions here and there, but mostly you were lost in thought, thinking about the old friends Ken and yourself had left behind.

'I wonder what they're up to right now?' You thought. 'I think they should be in science. Valt and Honcho have probably blown something up by now. We should really call them at some point.'

The bell rang, breaking you from your reverie. You shook your head and tossed your pen and notebook back into your bag, thanking God that it had been a double period and that you were now on your lunch break. Mrs. Warren had already left the room, making you the last to leave. Slinging a bag strap over your shoulder, you rose and pushed your chair in, exiting the room, making sure to flick off the lights and lock the door behind you.

You stepped out into the hallway, looking around for your big brother, knowing he would be waiting for you. At first, you couldn't spot him, but then you noticed the Dim Witted Duo crowding a kid against a wall, you didn't even have to look for the green coat to know who said kid was. Shouldering your bag, you stalked up over to where they were huddled, but before you could reach them, a certain pink haired boy rounded the corner and beat you to it.

Quickening your pace, you bared your teeth, not even bothering to hide your growl at this point. Three on one. Sure, you'd gone up against worse odds before, but on the first day you had been hoping to deal with one at most.

To your surprise, Ben grabbed the taller of the two, pulling them back roughly. Even as you approached them from the other end of the hallway, you could clearly telling them both to beat it. At first, it looked like they weren't going to go for it, but a single glare from Ben had them backing off.

"Hey!" You called out after them as they were about to leg it put of there, making them stop and turn around. As you passed your brother and Ben, you shrugged off your school bag and handed it to Ken, not even pausing in your long strides. The one you used when you were about to deck someone according to Ken, but unfortunately for dumb and dumber, neither of them knew that just yet. Meaning that neither of them knew that they should have been afraid.

"If either of you think," you began, punctuating your sentence with a sharp slap to each of their faces.

"That you have the right to mess with him," you continued, punching the one on the right squarely in the nose.

"Then you have another thing coming." Much to your surprise, the second of the two, anticipating your move, raised his arm and batted you away in a block that was actually half decent. But everything about him screamed inexperience, that he had no clue what he was doing. He had left himself open, so you slid forwards and snaked your foot behind his ankle and quite literally swept him his feet.

"This is a warning," you glared down at the two teenagers that were almost twice your size. "Stay away from my brother you pricks, because next time I won't be so nice."

You straightened out your shirt and spun on your heel, walking back over to where Ken stood next to a slightly dumbstruck Ben. You took back your bag and shouldered it once more, pressing a quick kiss to your brother's cheek, ruffling his dark hair.

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I?" You smiled fondly at him, shaking your head as he flushed red.

"Not his fault," growled Ker.

"Yeah," Beus agreed with his blue counterpart. "Those two guys were mean."

"Besides," Ker continued, folding his little paws. "You looked like you were having fun."

You weren't exactly sure how a puppet could manage to look condescending, but somehow Ker managed it. Shaking your head, you glanced over at Ben who was looking at the two of you, confused.

"Thank you," you said, genuinely meaning it as you graced him with a small smile, allowing your own canine tooth to poke out a little, much like your brother's did. "Not a lot of people are willing to help us out."

"No problem," he shrugged.

"You already know this, but my name's Y/N Midori," you reintroduced yourself, offering him a hand as Ken slung an arm over your shoulders. "This one's Ken, my twin brother, he doesn't talk much."

Ben nodded, giving your hand a short shake. "You two get into trouble a lot, huh?"

"Ken? Not so much." Beus informed him.

"Girly on the other hand..." Ker trailed off, shaking his head.

You rolled your eyes your brother, who was really quite cheeky, and gave Ben a slightly regretful look. "If it isn’t too much trouble, could we ask you for one last favour."

Ben's only response was to raise an eyebrow, which you took that as a gesture for you to continue.

"We were told this school has a BeyClub," you told him. "Could you show us where they train?"

"You Blade?"

"The two of us, yes." You replied tightly, getting a slight sinking feeling in your stomach, hoping Ben was actually a decent guy and you hadn't made some mistake.

"You aren't one of those guys think girls can't Blade, are you?" Ker snarled.

Ben shook his head. "Just surprised, not a lot of girls like the sport."

You heaved a small sigh of relief, tension draining for you. "Well then could you tell us who the captain is so we can ask about joining the team?"

"You're talking to him," Ben said, giving you a small smirk. "You two can join up, but you need to try out first."

"Piece of cake." Ker scoffed.

"Yeah, they were on the team back at their old school you know." Beus added, puffing up his little chest with pride.

"Then let's see what you've got," Ben nodded. He turned around and began walking back the way you had come. Ken and you looked at each other and shrugged, figuring he wanted you to follow him. Ben led you through the halls towards what you remembered to be the gym from the brief tour of the school you had been given a week before.

"Our class has PE in here next," Ben informed you as he pushed open the double doors, motioning for you to enter before him. "So don't worry about being late or anything."

The three of you stepped inside a large open gymnasium, not unlike the one back at Beigoma Academy. There was a decent sized stadium to the left, situated beside a wooden bench. Currently, two boys were practicing their launches, while a third sat on the bench, watching them intently. It was the third male that first noticed your entrance.

"Hey, it's Ben." He exclaimed, alerting his teammates of your presence. "And he's brought fresh blood."

"This is Raita, Yoga and Sanji," Ben said, pointing to each boy in turn. "And these two are Ken and Y/N."

"You guys are trying out?" Sanji, the one on the bench, asked, tilting his head.

"Hope you're ready for some new teammates," Ker said to the collective group.

"Yeah," Beus joined in. "These guys have some mad skills."

Ben walked around to one end of the stadium, leaving you and Ken to decide between yourselves who would go first.

"I'll go up," Ken spoke to you in a hushed tone, using his regular voice as he whispered. "That way you can analyse his technique."

"I don't mind," you whispered back. "I know how much this all means to you. As long as you get to do this I'll be happy."

Ken gave you an adoring look, and you decided to give your big brother a hug. Surprised at the sudden contact, it took him a moment to react, but he caught on pretty quickly and wrapped his arms around you.

"Love you little sis," he mumbled, pressing a gentle kiss to your forehead.

"Love you too big bro," you returned, giving him a gentle squeeze before detangling yourself and crossing over to Ben.

"So you're up first." Ben observed, and you replied with a single nod, holding up your Bey for him to see.

"Hope you're ready to burn, because Zero Phoenix is about to send you up in flames," you introduced, giving him a grin that could only be described as nothing short of demonic.

"Meet Betromoth," Ben returned, displaying a Bey that was light purple and pink with red accents. "It'll hunt you down and spit you out."

"Just wait," you promised. "Because once we start to heat things up, you won't stand a chance."

"Quit flirting you two, we ain't got all day." Ker growled, and you knew that that was Ken's way of switching into his 'overprotective brother' mode.

The boy introduced as Yugo stepped forward to take the position of referee.

"This will be a basic battle where the first Blader to score a point will be the winner," Yugo decided.

"Ready when you are." Said Ben, and your only response was to get into your starting position in preparation of your launch. You got down on one knee, your dominant leg forward, tightly gripping your launcher.

"3!"

The familiar rush of adrenaline began to pump through you.

"2!"

It had been a little while since you'd done this.

"1!"

But you weren't going down, not without a fight to remember.

"Let it, rip!"

The last word had barely escaped your lips, before you were standing up and lunging forwards, pulling out your ripcord, launching Phoenix into the stadium. The red and black Bey hit the stadium, bouncing a few times on its tip before spinning quickly.

"Strike it!" Before Ben could so much as blink, your Beyblade was hurdling towards Betromoth and hitting it so hard that it made the unprepared Bey skipped back a couple of paces.

"So it's an Attack type," Ben muttered to himself, but the you would not let him use this revelation.

"We're just getting warmed up, go!" Phoenix looped around the stadium and began to chase Betromoth. The purple Bey swerved to avoid your Bey and you frowned at the action. "Trying to run are you? Well that's not going to happen."

Phoenix went in for another attack, but Betromoth just managed to dance out of the way at the last moment, meaning your Bey had no time to backtrack. Now, Phoenix was in front, and it was vulnerable.

"Good job Betromoth, keep it up," Ben encouraged his Bey, as it ran up behind Phoenix and rammed into it a few times.

"You're joking," you curled your lip, thinking up a strategy. "You seriously think you can beat my Phoenix?"

"I'm not doing too badly," Ben smirked, infuriating you.

"That's what you think," you responded with a smirk of your own. Phoenix's speed was almost unmatched, and it was something you had spent countless hours on honing, it was something you relied upon in battle. Phoenix complete another circuit of the stadium, coming up behind Betromoth once more.

"Dodge left," Ben instructed his Bey, but your only reaction was to snicker.

There was a small sound that was felt more than it was heard, a faint pop like when you go up in an airplane due to the change in pressure,  before Zero Phoenix blurred out of sight. Sounds of confusion and shock broke out from the group of males, all except for your brother, who was using his puppets to cheer you on.

"Come on Y/N, you got this!" Beus encouraged.

"Where did it-?"

"Now!" You cut Ben off, and Phoenix reappeared, spinning right alongside Beast Betromoth. Your Bey crashed into Ben's sending it flying across the stadium.

"Ooo, good job," Ker commented appreciatively.

The dull pop sounded for a second time, and just like before, Phoenix blurred out of sight.

"Again?" Ben growled helplessly. "Where is it now?"

History repeated itself, as Phoenix materialized beside the pink Bey, smacking it around the place.

"Can't see me, can't avoid me," you grinned, relishing the familiar feeling of power that accompanied of having the edge over your opponent in a Bey Battle. "How long do you think Betromoth can last against me?"

Again and again like clockwork, Phoenix would disappear only to emerge beside its opponent and knock it about.

"Let's wrap this up," you ordered after a few more minutes had passed, beginning to tire of toying with Ben.

There was a small gasp from Ben, and as Phoenix was about to blur, he gave a command. "Now Betromoth!"

Much to your surprise, Beast Betromoth actually managed to land another hit on your Bey, and then you noticed that Ben seemed to be as equally startled by the knowledge. Your moment of doubt was fleeting, and you realised that Ben Azuki had only managed to find himself one piece of the bigger picture.

"Don't be so sure you've figured us out," you warned him teasingly. "I'll admit you had me for a second there, figuring out the performance tip, but Phoenix and I have more than just one trick up our sleeves. Maybe it's time you saw Zero Phoenix's true power."

"Oh here we go," Ker stated gleefully from the sidelines. "This is gonna be good."

"Make sure you don't blink," you advised your onlookers. "Now!"

Abruptly, a line of Beys identical to Phoenix began to form a chain around Betromoth, accompanying it like an honour guard.

"So smart guy, think you can solve this particular puzzle?"

"I'll just take 'em down one Bey at a time if I have to," Ben declared, and Betromoth lashed out, clearing away a few of the illusions.

"Whoops, looks like you missed," you pouted, pretending to be put out by the occurrence. "Gonna need to do a little better than that if you want to beat us."

You kinda felt bad with the whole cat and mouse type game you were playing, but you were having too much fun messing him around to stop. Phoenix, the real Zero Phoenix, darted out from its clones and hit Betromoth for what felt like the countless time.

"Stop that!" Ben demanded, growling in frustration as he clenched his fists at his sides, clearly not having the slightest inkling as to what he should do to at least try to gain some semblance of equal footing.

"If you really want me to than I guess I could," you shrugged as if it were no big deal, not even bothering to bite back the smug grin that was threatening to engulf your features. "Attack Phoenix, Blazing Charge!"

A dark aura encased both you and your Bey, as a demonic bird wreathed in flames rushed Betromoth. There was an inhumane sounding shriek, and the pink Bey was swallowed whole and then spat out at its owner's feet.

You raised your hand, closing it around your Bey which you could swear felt the slightest bit warm. Realising Ben was currently semi incoherent at the three pieces of his Bey before him, you turned to Yugo.

"Make the call," you reminded the boy lazily.

"Oh, right." He took a moment to gather his thoughts before making the announcement. "That's Zero Phoenix with a Burst finish, meaning the match goes to Y/N Midori."

"I have to admit I'm impressed," you stated conversationally to Ben, who gave you a look of confusion. "Betromoth's an Attack type yeah? Usually it's only Stamina type Beys that can keep up for so long."

Ben snapped his gaping mouth shut with an audible click and quickly composed himself. "You're on the team."

"Yes!" You pumped a victorious fist, delighted by the piece of news.

"Good job Y/N," Beus smiled goofily. "We're really proud of you."

"But step aside," Ker added, as Beus took out a familiar green Bey and held it in his jaws. "It's our turn now."

"Give him hell for me bro," you grinned, thumping your twin on the back for luck.

Three Months Later

Weeks had passed since your parents decision to move cities for work, and day by day you were coming to enjoy the results of said decision more and more. While your old friends would always be important to you, and you hoped to see them again one day, the hurt inspired by the move was a faint memory. You and your brother had managed to find yourselves another group of people that the both of you found you fit in perfectly with.

After your first day, you had become an official member of the Beasts, everything had started to look. Very few people dared to pick on Ken, and you were quick to sort out the handful of people that did. But there was someone else who became protective of your big brother, and that someone came in the form of one Ben Azuki. It turned out, that the young male with the pink mohawk, was an extremely loyal individual, and that ended up being one of the main reasons that whenever you were around him, your stomach filled with butterflies whenever you were around him.

(I don't usually do mid story Author's Notes, but this next part is a pretty long flashback. Skip to the end of the italics if you want to skip over you beating on the Dim Witted Duo, a cool principal and Ben giving you butterflies.)

Flashback- 16th Day At New School

"How many times do I have to drum it into your thick skulls?" You panted angrily, wincing as something tugged in your shoulder. Realising you had pulled something, you hardened your glare on the Dim Witted Duo, who were sitting on the floor in front of you with bloody noses and rapidly blackening eyes. "You can't beat me, so quit trying and lay off me and my brother.

True to your word, the second time they had tried to go after Ken, you beat the living shit out of them. Very few people asked who was responsible for turning them black and blue. They couldn't exactly tell someone about it, otherwise they would also find themselves in deep trouble for trying to gang up on Ken, not to mention once word got out, they'd definitely be the butt of countless jokes after people realised they were getting their asses handed to them by some unassuming girl who was much smaller than the both of them.

You lifted your hand to wipe away the trail of blood that was slowly running from your busted lip, when there came a stern voice from behind you.

"Miss Midori," came the shocked voice of Principal Cheng. "In my office, now."

To be honest, you were a little surprised that no one had caught you up until this point. Although, to be fair, the two imbeciles had been smart enough to start stuff when teachers and faculty weren't around, which had been working pretty well for you.

You followed Principal Cheng into his office, which was relatively drab and uninspiring, but it was organised and invoked a sense of dull foreboding. You waited for him to take a seat behind his desk, before sitting down in one of the relatively cushy seats in front of him.

"I have to say, I am extremely disappointed in you," he sighed eventually. "You seemed like such a lovely young lady."

"A couple of incidents doesn't make me any less of a nice person, sir." You couldn't help but say in your defence.

"Perhaps if this was an isolated event Miss Midori, but this is a reoccurring matter." Principal Cheng pointed out with a raised brow. "However, it seems as though Messrs. Sato and Tanaka's recent injuries have become a steady affliction since your brother and yourself have moved here."

"Okay sure, maybe we have gotten into a decent amount of fights, but it's not like I've been looking to cause trouble." You protested.

"And pray tell Miss Midori, how so?"

You sighed deeply, leaning back into your chair, rubbing your eyes tiredly. "Ken gets bullied. A lot. No matter what school we go to. If he told anyone he'd get beaten up, all because he has social anxiety. I'm not letting him take any shi- crap, for that."

"Wanting to protect your older brother is a noble cause, but you can't be getting into fisticuffs with your fellow students on such a frequent basis."

"I haven't exactly been losing my head and beating them into a red smear on the floor, sir." You countered. "The most I've given them is black eyes each and broken Tanaka's nose. Besides, as childish as it sounds, they started it. They were making fun of Ken all through our first class on our first day here, and then they cornered him afterwards."

Principal Cheng took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, his tone sounding defeated. "Miss Midori, while I will reluctantly admit that I admire your bond with your twin, and that I can understand that going to a teacher or someone else isn't always the best option, I am obliged to reprimand you for these actions."

"What'll it be then?" You asked him. "Will I get suspended, or will you ask me to leave?"

He thought for a long moment before coming to a decision. "A weekend detention every Saturday for the next month, and you must try to avoid conflict with your peers at all costs."

"Is that all?" You wondered disbelievingly, shocked at the light punishment being given to you. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I would like your brother to visit the councillor once a month," he added. "To help try and relieve some of his anxiety. And if you can find someone to vouch for your claims on your first day here, then you won't lose any special privileges and you may keep your spot on the Beasts."

"Thank you so much," you grinned widely. "This means a lot, to the both of us."

"I like to try and understand my students as best I can, help them where it is needed." Principal Cheng nodded sagely. "But I must also say that your brother cannot count as your witness."

You hesitated, trying to think of someone who could possibly help you, but it was useless. Ken and yourself had been alone with the Dim Witted Duo, alone except for-

"Ben Azuki," you provided, as an image of your captain flashed through your head. "He tried to help out before everything happened."

"Very well Miss Midori, please wait outside while I have Mr. Azuki called here."

You did as he asked and stepped outside the office, praying that Ben would help you two out. He had no real reason to, but so far he seemed like a pretty cool guy, despite his relatively incessant growling.

Ten or so minutes later a familiar pinkette approached, stopping upon catching sight of you.

"What have you done?" He demanded, folding his arms accusingly.

"How do you know I had anything to do with it?" You countered, holding up your hands in mock defence.

"You are a magnet for trouble," Ben pointed out with a skeptical look. "Let me guess, you finally got caught out?"

"Yeah okay, you got me." You admitted, hanging your head in defeat.

Before either of you could continue your conversation, Principal Cheng poked his head out the door.

"Mr Azuki," he greeted politely. "Please come inside, you're not in any trouble. Miss Midori, if you could stay here please?"

Ben followed him into the office, while you continued to wait outside. Meanwhile, worried thoughts plagued you.

What if he didn't help out? What if he did help out but wanted something in return? What if he got so annoyed that he kicked you off the team? Or worse, what if he gave Ken the boot too?

Your thoughts were so loud inside of your head, that you didn't notice as the office door reopened after a short while, or as your pink haired captain re-joined you. It took a few minutes, but you finally snapped out of your reverie, to find someone gently shaking you by the arm.

"Huh?"

"It's all sorted," Ben told you. "Cheng said to say we're all good to head back to lunch while it lasts."

"Oh, sweet." Was your only response. "And thanks for that by the way. You didn't have to help me out but you did anyway."

"It's nothing," Ben shrugged, giving you a small smile.

And that was the first time. The first of many times where those cursed butterflies would choose to erupt, making your heart go all a flutter.

End

"Y/N? Hey, Y/N?" You were pulled from your memories, as a slim hand waved in front of your face. You glanced up, only to see that Yaita was trying to grab your attention.

"Sorry," you apologised, standing up from the bench you had been sitting on and stretching. "What's up."

"We got a situation," he explained, beginning to walk off, giving you no choice but to follow him.

"Of course we do," you sighed. Surprisingly, Ben's confident attitude and demeanour had rubbed off on your big brother, and coupled with the councillor’s visits, Ken had changed for the better. Sure, he was still adorable and shy at times, but now he was much more self assured than you had ever seen him. Ironically though, whenever Ben or Ken got into trouble these days, you were the one expected to pull them out of it.

"So which one is it?"

"Both of them," Yaita said, and you quickened your pace.

Your mum and dad had only agreed to let you and your brother travel back to your old city, under the promise that you would stay out of trouble. Even though you had been the one they had made promise to be on your best behaviour, already it was Ken getting into trouble

"I swear to God, when I get my hands on them I'll..." you trailed off, mumbling obscenities under your breath, making Yaita supress his laughter as you made a violent strangling gesture.

The two of you stopped, when you met Sanji and Yugo waiting for you.

"Good, you're here." Yugo worried.

"Where are they?"

"Over there," Sanji said, pointing down the brightly lit hall. You followed his finger, and saw Ben standing in front of a stressed out looking Ken, growling at some unknown person. You were about to intervene, when a familiar voice stopped you in your tracks.

"-just chill out dude."

"It isn't..." you mumbled, making the others strain to hear you. "Is it?"

Teetering on your tiptoes, and holding onto Yugo for balance, you gazed past the three involved in the altercation, and caught sight of a heart- achingly familiar group of boys. As soon as you saw them, your suspicions were confirmed, and you took off down the hall at a full sprint.

"Valt!" You exclaimed, shouldering your way past your brother and Ben, launching yourself at the smaller teen hugging him tightly. "It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too Y/N," Valt laughed, squeezing you back with equal enthusiasm.

"How've you- hey!" You broke off indignantly, as you were pulled off your old friend, knowing it could only be one person. "What the hell Ben, let me go."

His only response was to growl, and much to his surprise, you growled back at him, E/C eyes flashing dangerously.

"Calm down you guys, everything's cool here." Beus intervened, the light brown puppet and his blue friend coming in between you and Ben, pushing you apart.

"Yeah," Ker agreed. "Besides, it's all a misunderstanding. Valt's an old friend of Ken and Y/N's."

"Exactly," you nodded along with his statement. "Speaking of which, how've you been, and why are you here?"

"Uh, good I guess." Valt said, sounding a little awkward. "We're here to participate in the team battles."

"So are we," Beus told him. "But we're on Ben's team now."

"And that means that we're enemies now," you grinned, your happiness negating the grim sounding statement.

"It looks like it," Valt nodded, pretending to sound serious before breaking out in a wide smile that was identical to your own. "Hey, I gotta go, but it was great seeing you guys again."

"You too-" you barely had time to finish your sentence, before a tanned hand snatched up your own in its grasp, and was dragging you down the hall in a manner that was strong but not unkind.

"Oi, again, what the hell?" You demanded as the pink haired male pulled you away from the scene, growling softly to himself. "Benjamin Azuki you let me go right now!"

"That's not my name," he reminded you roughly.

"Oh forgive me Pinkie Pie," you sneered, trying to dig your heels in but with no avail.

There was a loud snarl from Ben as he spun the two of you around and roughly slammed you against a nearby wall in the abandoned hallway you now stood in, somehow managing to hold his hand behind your head as to not injure yourself.

"What the fuck is wrong with you today?" You hissed, writhing against his grasp as he used his hands to pin your wrists to the wall on either side your head.

"Stay away from them," he growled, bearing his teeth at you.

"Why the damn hell should I?" You bit back, forgetting proper decorum and bearing your teeth back at him, almost as though you were a pair of wild animals, or maybe wild beasts would have been a better term. "Like it or not, Valt is my friend, and so are the other guys on his team. I don't care if your my captain or the president of the United States, you need to get the hell over whatever it is because I am not letting you tell me who I can and cannot spend time with."

"Watch me!"

"Why should I?"

"Because I said so!"

You rolled your eyes. "Real mature Azuki. Give me one decent reason why I shouldn't knee you where the sun doesn’t shine and make you sing soprano for a week, right now."

"Because they'll take you away," he snapped, his pink eyes looking as they were on fire.

"You're a fucking idiot," you spat. "What does that have to do with anything."

"Because I don't want to lose you," he flung back, slamming his mouth against your own.

You weren't exactly experienced when it came to kissing, never having kissed anyone before, but then again, neither was Ben. A fact that you had found out about a week ago in a late night game of truth or dare, when the team had held a sleepover in the school hall to get in some extra training for the tournament.

Despite the evident lack of experience, the chemistry between yourself and the Betromoth owner was more than enough to make up for it. In short? It was perfect.

Ben's lips were brutal and unforgiving, nipping at your own, surely leaving them swollen and bruised. After the initial shock at the unexpected gesture, you began to return the kiss with equal fevor, feeling yourself give in to the all consuming fire that had engulfed you.

As suddenly as he had started it, Ben pulled away, resting his forehead against your own, the need for oxygen having made itself apparent. For a moment, everything was silent, with the exception of the slight panting noises emitted as you struggled to catch your breaths.

"Like I said, you're a fucking idiot," you finally managed to say a few minutes later. Ben's eyes widened in what he mistook to be rejection, and began to back away, but was stopped as you gripped him by the soft material of his orange cotton hoodie, keeping him in place. "What have I told you before about not letting me finish talking?"

"Not to do it," Ben muttered.

"Exactly," you said brightly, still not letting him go, fully aware that if you did you would turn and flee. "So if I may?"

Reluctantly, he nodded, waiting for you to continue.

"You are a fucking idiot, because instead of talking to me, you growled and snapped and acted like a moody teenager." You reprimanded him relentlessly, tightening your hold even further just in case. "But I'm an idiot too."

"Wait, what?"

You gave him a narrow look, and he realised his mistake and fell quiet once more.

You sighed and continued. "I am also a fucking idiot, because I never talked to you about how you manage to make me feel."

Ben gave a jolt of surprise, but you powered on, refusing to give him even a second to interrupt, lest you lose your momentary burst of confidence and fall silent.

"You however, are an even bigger idiot, if only for the reason that you seemed to suffer from the delusion that you could lose me."

Finished saying what you had to say, you stopped speaking and waited for some sort of response.

Ben did nothing, aside from blink dumbly at you, even when you released his hoodie, and let your hands fall to your sides, fiddling with your fingers, growing for and more nervous at the prolonged silence.

Finally, he spoke. "You love me?"

"Not yet," you shook your head. "I've known you for three months now and we're only sixteen."

"Oh," came his reply, stepping back.

"But I'll learn," you added, and his gaze snapped back to you. "The start of it's already there, and I know that I like you much more than I should like a friend."

"I like you more than a friend too," Ben admitted.

"How much more?" You were unable to prevent yourself from teasing him. You felt a shred of remorse for it when he flushed, but his reaction was just too damn adorable to not taunt him.

"A lot."

"Good," you nodded decisively. "Because now your stuck with me."

"I'd like that," Ben said, giving you that small smile of his that was simply so honest and sincere, that it never failed to make you melt just a little on the inside.

This time, it was you who made the first move, tilting your head back softly and giving him a look. Ben, taking the hint, leant his head down, pressing you back against the wall and kissing you so sweetly that your knees would have given out had he not been there to support you.