Thank you to Moonshine Orchids and rokebuto for submitting your OCs! I will do my best to do them justice in this story :)

At the moment, I am still willing to accept a few more OCs if anyone is interested! The current accepted pairings are StellaxKing, NinelxDashan, MarcosxLera, GinxKyoya, ZinaxChris, and AuroraxNile in addition to the pairings I listed last chapter. The application form can be found there; if you're interested, shoot me a PM. I'm also happy to answer any questions you may have.

I realize this chapter has quite a few page breaks, that should change as the story progresses. Chapters will also likely get a little longer as this one is a bit short. For those of you waiting on an update for Starlight Academy, I'm aiming to have that up by Saturday at the latest. Anyway, enjoy!

I do not own Metal Fight Beyblade or any OCs, other than Stella.

Prom? Ninel Morozova mouthed the word to herself as she examined the flyer taped to the wall near the exit of the school.

Ninel hadn't given prom much thought until the flyer was right in her face. Five minutes ago when the bell rang announcing the end of the school day, she was still thinking about class as she put her textbooks back in her locker. The minty green color of the paper was the only reason she'd been drawn to it in the first place.

Ninel's amber eyes looked the flyer up and down, committing the date and venue to memory. She wondered what the prom theme would end up being.

Ninel tightened the straps of her bag over her shoulder as she walked through the double doors out of the school, still thinking about the flyer. Ninel wondered whether she should go. She definitely wanted to talk with her friends about it when she got the chance. Maybe she would even go with someone.

Ninel blushed slightly at the thought. There was someone she would really like to go to prom with, but she wasn't so sure it would happen. She didn't want to get her hopes up just yet.

Ninel pushed the thought out of her head. She needed to get to the pool in time for swim practice. If she was going to improve her times, she had to be completely focused. Prom and the distractions that came with it could wait.

Two hours later, Ninel rinsed the chlorine off her skin in the showers before changing back into her street clothes: a sequined viridian green tank top and distressed midnight blue skinny jeans. She pulled on a black denim jacket and calf-length white leather boots. Ninel looked herself over in the mirror as she put a white leather belt around her waist and slipped her double chain choker around her neck, admiring the small dolphin pendant attached to it.

Now that practice was over, she needed to meet with Dashan at his house to work on homework. Ninel was grateful she'd brought her math book with her on a whim this morning, despite not having the class today. She'd spent a little extra time in the pool after most of the swim team had left in hopes of furthering her ability; there was no way she would be able to get to his house on time if she had to stop home first, even though she and Dashan lived on the same block.

Ninel ran a brush through her dark red-brown hair and was ready to go.

When she arrived, Dashan had already set up a study space for the two of them. They had been close since becoming friends in elementary school, and Ninel was always willing to assist Dashan with his homework when he needed it, particularly when it came to math or art.

Dashan greeted Ninel with a smile. "Thanks for coming over."

"Not a problem," Ninel returned his smile with one of her own. She put her bag down, digging out her math book and setting it on the table.

For half an hour, the two of them worked diligently. The unit they were currently focusing on wasn't particularly difficult. It didn't take long until they were nearly finished. Ninel found her mind wandering back to the mint green paper she'd seen earlier.

Ninel pushed her side bangs out of the way, pretending to be interested in the math problem they were going over. She pointed at it, using her finger to press down the page as she chose her words carefully.

"Dashan," she began. "Did you see the flyer that was posted at school today?"

"The one about prom?" Dashan asked, looking a bit surprised. "I did. There were a few girls talking about it during history. They seemed quite excitable."

"Yes," Ninel paused. "Do you think you'll go?"

"I'm not sure," Dashan admitted. "I haven't really thought about it."

Ninel nodded. "I need a little more time to think about it as well."

They fell silent as they resumed working on math. Ninel smiled faintly, letting her hair fall in front of her face so Dashan couldn't see her expression. He hadn't said he wasn't going. She still had a chance.

Seventeen-year old Stella Celatum giggled as she watched Masamune chase King down the hallway. She wasn't sure what King had done this time, but it obviously irritated the black-and-white haired blader enough to elicit a response.

She stopped at her locker, noting with disdain someone had already plastered a flyer to it. She ripped the paper off, crumpling it before tossing it in a nearby trashcan. Stella had already read over the information multiple times.

Ever since the flyer first appeared yesterday afternoon, the entire school had talked about nothing else. The flyer was impossible to miss and now that it had been seen by all, there was no going back. Prom was still well over a month away, and it already consumed everyone. The underclassmen hoped someone would ask them so they could go; the upperclassman worried about who they would ask.

Stella knew for certain she would be going, although she wasn't too sure if she'd be going with anyone. The thought made her nervous, but at the very least she was confident a few of her friends would be going. Even if she didn't get a date, she was still guaranteed to have a good time.

At least ten minutes separated her from the start of class. Stella examined her brown-black hair in the mirror she'd stuck on the inside of her locker, fixing her lime green side bangs and straightening out the ends of her tresses, also lime green. As with every day, her bright green eyes were rimmed with thick black eyeliner and she was wearing a hoop nose ring along with her black studded dog collar, matching studded bracelet, ankh necklace, and silver eye of Horus bracelet.

King suddenly appeared at her locker, breathing heavily.

"Did you finally ditch Masamune?" Stella asked absently, taking out her chemistry textbook, not looking at him as she did so.

"I think," King panted. Stella shook her head.

"Ha!" Masamune shouted right behind them, causing King to yelp. "You can't get rid of me that easily." A strange look suddenly crossed his face.

"What's wrong?" Stella asked hesitantly, not sure she really wanted to know.

"I can't remember why I was chasing him," Masamune answered, looking sheepish.

Stella resisted the urge to face-palm. Hopefully King was smart and wouldn't instigate Masamune any further, but she wasn't going to count on that. She took a cautionary step away from the two as she shut her locker.

"Hey! Prom!" Masamune was suddenly distracted by yet another flyer taped on the wall across from them. King followed him.

While those two were distracted, Stella noticed Marcos Kategawa outside a locked classroom. Standing over six feet tall, he was hard to miss in the crowd of students. Marcos observed the students passing him with what appeared to be a smirk on his round face as he adjusted his glasses. His lank black hair covered part of the left side of his face. He wore a hooded jacket, black trousers, and black gloves.

Stella sidled over to him, glad for an excuse to escape King and Masamune. Being around the two of them for any extended period of time could be overwhelming.

"Having fun?" Stella asked, amused.

"Hardly," Marcos scoffed, narrowing his small dark brown eyes. "This is nothing more than a waste of my time."

"You're just saying that because you're always one step ahead of the rest of us," Stella laughed lightly. "Do you think you'll go to prom this year?"

"And miss out on the most important day of my life ever? I wouldn't dare," Marcos said sarcastically, mimicking a group of girls walking by.

Stella shrugged. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."

His tone changed, slightly more serious. "I probably will go, though. There's no telling what could happen. I'd rather not miss out on something this big. It might be worth my time after all."

Stella smiled deviously. "Think you'll go with anyone?"

Marcos paid her little attention as he continued to survey the parade of students. "That's for me to know."

At that moment, the bell rang, signaling the start of classes once more.

Stella bounded off, leaving Marcos alone outside the classroom. Several more students crowded around him, waiting for the teacher to come and unlock the room. He watched them with mild irritation.

As far as Marcos was concerned, the other students were of no use to him, especially as they babbled incessantly about prom. Still, he had told Stella the truth: there was a good chance that he too would be attending. Prom was not going to be the fairytale night everyone dreamed of; life was never that easy. He wanted to be there in case something of great importance happened. If nothing did, it still gave him the chance to strategize how he would go about with his preparations and provide him a more educated view of the social hierarchy that dominated the school. That information in itself would be priceless.

"Hi, Marcos," said one of the girls next to him.

"Good morning," Marcos smiled pleasantly. It wasn't often he let people see his more calculating nature. He much preferred to present himself through a self-assured, enigmatic persona. It allowed him to gain a better understanding of those around him, and how useful of an acquaintance they would make.

The teacher finally arrived. As Marcos entered the classroom, he pondered what his next step would be for the upcoming occasion.

Madoka was walking into the computer lab, just as Sophie suspected she would be. Sophie had study hall this period, and planned to make the most of the free block. An idea was forming in her mind, and she wanted to spring it on Madoka before anyone else to gauge her reaction.

"What are you doing here?" Madoka blinked in surprise, nearly dropping the books she held.

"I don't have any homework," Sophie shrugged. "There's no point sitting around doing nothing. Anyway, I knew you'd be here. We need to talk about prom."

Madoka sat down at one of the computers. She took out a few notebooks and opened them up before logging into the computer. "I'm kind of busy at the moment. Can it wait?" She opened her documents folder, digging through it for the file she was searching for.

Sophie sat down in the empty chair next to her. She playfully rolled her chair into Madoka's, pushing the other girl away from the screen. Madoka protested, but gave in almost immediately. Sophie opened the Internet and typed in a website.

"Sophie," Madoka said in an exasperated voice. "Prom was announced yesterday. I think it's a little early to start looking at dresses."

"Hardly," Sophie fluffed out her long light blue hair so it didn't get stuck between her back and the chair. "We barely have enough time as it is. What if the dresses need alterations? Seamstresses are going to be crazy busy soon. Plus, if we wait too long, some of the best dresses might already be taken. We need to get on this as soon as possible."

Madoka sighed. She took the mouse from Sophie and started scrolling down the website. She paused on a short red dress.

"No way," Sophie shook her head vehemently. "You can do so much better than that. Prom is your one chance to go all out. Well, other than your wedding, I guess." She took the mouse back from Madoka.

The two of them scanned the website, giving each other opinions, approving and rejecting the possibilities.

"I really wish Hikaru was here right now," Sophie said suddenly.

Madoka looked at her inquisitively. "Do you really think she'll go?"

"I hope so, but I don't know for sure," Sophie confessed. "If all of us go, I'm sure she won't want to be left out. I was hoping going dress shopping might get her excited about it the way the rest of us are."

Madoka nodded. "Okay. We'll make plans to go shopping the next time we have a free weekend." She glanced over at the clock. "But I really have a few things I need to get done for class now. Do you mind?"

Sophie laughed. "I should probably get back to study hall, too."

With that, she picked up her things and left the classroom. Once Madoka was positive Sophie was gone, she reopened the prom dress website and peeked at a few more dresses before finally returning to her schoolwork.

Mei Mei turned around to see Ninel sitting in the desk behind her. Ninel was busy writing in a notebook, but she glanced up when Mei Mei softly called her name.

"Are you going to prom?" She whispered while the teacher was distracted writing on the board.

"I think so," Ninel confided. "I've been thinking about it a lot this week. A few of my swim team friends are going, too."

Mei Mei nodded. "Sophie is going for sure. She's still trying to convince Hikaru, but I think Madoka is also going. We're planning on going dress shopping downtown soon. Would you want to go with us?"

"That sounds great," Ninel responded. Sophie was part of another group Ninel was friends with, along with Wales, Julian, and Klaus. The two knew each other well and could frequently be seen hanging out together. "I'm busy the next two weekends with practice, but after that I should be free. Thanks for the invite."

Mei Mei gave her a quick smile before turning back to face the front of the classroom before their instructor noticed them talking. The teacher was now giving directions on an upcoming assignment.

Now certain she was going to prom, Ninel wondered what kind of dress she would wear. Long? Short? There were bound to be hundreds of styles to pick from. She had to pick one in a color she liked, too.

With prom inching ever closer, there was still quite a bit to be done.