Title: From the Inside...
Author: Reine Katashka
Fandom: Batoru Biidaman
Characters/Pairing: Tsubame, Enju, and short appearance of Yamato, Gray and Bull. No pairings for now.
Prompt: 077. Betrayal
Word Count: 1804 words
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own Batoru Biidaman, because if I did, everyone would be yaoi-fied by now.
Author's Notes: This story was generated when I thought about what would happen if Tsubame joined the Neo Shadow Alliance. This is still the prologue of the fic, so I'll still be continuing it next time. :)

Tsubame stretched his arms outward as he tried to take away the remnants of last night's sleep. The others never woke up as early as he did, which gave him plenty of time to do some morning exercise. He took a quick shower and ate a sandwich for breakfast, before facing a new, cool, misty morning. Walking silently, he watched the other's sleep peacefully through the window, before letting out a small smile.

He had never expected to be part of the group saving the world, even if it did mean irregular hours of sleep and sometimes no food for the day. After all, traveling such long distances could be very strenuous for them. It surprised him greatly that none of them seemed to lose any weight, or even looked slightly tired. He mused that maybe it was because of the fact that they have a tendency to land in odd places where they could have whatever fill they would want, or because they were still quite young and energetic.

He pulled away from the window and started jogging out of his house. It was tempting to sleep again, of course, but he much rather spend times honing his skills than sleeping, even if he guiltily admits to himself that's what they've been doing mostly during their journeys. Besides, his father would scold him about his lack of training if he doesn't move now. As he continued to jog, he realized that he was approaching a clearing, the perfect place to start meditating.

Entering the empty space, he slowly lowered himself on the damp soil, looked out for any enemies, before he relaxed and closed his eyes. It was hard for him to relax these days, especially with the Neo-Shadow Alliance prowling around, ready to attack them when they are most vulnerable. It was a tricky twist of fate most of the time whenever they would battle, but he knew their luck wouldn't last for so long. The Neo Shadow Alliance were increasing in numbers, and getting much stronger. Yesterday's battle with Enju was proof of that, and Tsubame can't help but sigh and break his concentration, staring at the cold, hard ground below him. He couldn't help but feel the rush of anger in him at the memory of Wing Ninja's demise. Even after he had gotten Wing Sword, he still couldn't help but feel sadness at the thought of losing Wing Ninja.

So deep was he in thought, that he nearly missed the rustle of leaves on his left. Surprised, he quickly jumped up into position and pulled out Wing Sword, its heavier mass still a bit uncomfortable in his hands. His eyes narrowed as he noticed who it was standing before him, a small snarl making its way to his lips.

"Enju, what are you doing here?" he growled, eyes trained on the red-haired enemy standing before him. Enju's eyes were trained on his, studying him and his b-daman. He lifted his own b-daman, Kahn Crush, and trained it on Tsubame's, as if daring him to start a battle with him. His usual smug smile was not present, but instead an eerily calm expression seemed to dominate his features. Tsubame felt himself falter at the look, surprised to see something other than what was expected.

A few seconds passed as they stood there in silence, b-daman aimed at each other in case the other tried to attack. A while later Enju lowered his blaster, before finally nearing Tsubame and placing Kahn Crush on the ground right in front of him. Tsubame blinked in surprise at this gesture, but he continued to watch Enju warily, trying to anticipate his next move. Enju stood up and raised his arms up in a surrender pose, his body language showing that he was sincere and was not going to attack. For a second more Tsubame stood, before he lowered his blaster just as Enju took a few steps back.

"I need to ask you a favor." Enju said, watching the ninja's lips form a frown at this. His eyes were still flashing suspicion, and he knew that the younger boy was having a hard time trusting him.

"You destroy Wing Ninja, then come and ask me a favor?" Tsubame barked out, before he quickly shut his mouth in fear of waking anyone up. Enju did not seem to be threatening him, and the neighbors would only get in the way. Enju sighed and looked down, a brief flash of annoyance appearing on his face, before it went back to being calm as he faced Tsubame again.

"Look, I joined the Neo Shadow Alliance again to defeat Marda B. I can't do this alone, so I'm asking you to help me." Enju said, his face indicating that he was serious about it. Tsubame's eyes widened at that statement, before they narrowed once more in suspicion.

"I don't know, laddie. You are an awfully good liar. How can I be sure I could trust ya?" he said cautiously, tightening his grip on Wing Sword. He watched Enju as the other's eyes glazed over, seemingly as if he was in deep thought. A few seconds later Enju shook his head and sighed, before speaking once more.

"I know that this may seem too weird for you, but you have to trust me. Yamato has helped me realize the true joy of bda-battling again, and I can't thank him enough for that. So I feel as if I owe him a favor by defeating Marda B. I know all of you think that he could defeat Marda B on his own, but all of you are wrong. I've met Marda B, and he's much more powerful than Yamato. If you have to face him, not even Yamato could defeat him. That's why I'm asking you to help me, Li refused to help me and you're the only other person I could trust for this." Enju stated, staring at Tsubame once more. Tsubame carefully studied the other's eyes, looking for any signs of lies. However, all he found was sincerity, and he couldn't help but feel as if the other was telling him the truth. However, one thing still bothered him about Enju's appearance.

"Why would you think I'll be of any help to ya? You're the one who told me I was weak, and I'm not exactly better than Yamato, as you may know." he said, watching the other intently for any hesitation in his answer. There was none.

"Because you're a ninja." Enju said with a smirk, and Tsubame had to wonder what his being a ninja had to do with Marda B's defeat. However, an answer had already struck him before the question was formed.

"You're planning on using me as a scout..." he half-said, half-whispered in awe at Enju's plan, which he could finally see right in front of his own eyes. Enju nodded in response, glad to know that Tsubame could pick up ideas easily and wasn't as dense as Yamato.

"Right, that's the idea. I need you to help me find Marda B's weakness, seeing as that's what your kind is good at. It would help all of us, you know." Enju said, a small but familiar smirk starting to appear on his lips. Tsubame pondered on this, knowing that Enju had a point, but at the same time not wanting to believe that Yamato could not defeat Marda B. Noticing his hesitation, Enju had to sigh and give him a firm look.

"I know you think Yamato can take him on by himself, but you have got to realize that Marda B ain't easy pickings. We've got to take the risk in order to defeat Marda B." he said softly, making Tsubame sigh and nod in agreement. He lowered himself down and picked up Kahn Crush, before giving it to Enju.

"Fine, I'll go with ya, laddie. However, how am I going to explain to Yamato and the others that I joined the Neo Shadow Alliance?" he looked up at the taller youth, his eyes questioning him, expecting him to give an answer. He couldn't help but feel that he was betraying Yamato's trust by going with Enju, but he knew that what the older lad said was true. If they wanted to defeat Marda B, they would have a better chance at it from the inside, if only to find out what his weakness is. Enju thought for a moment, before looking off to the side for a while. His eyes seemed to have caught sight of something, before he let out a shadow of his usual evil smirk. Quickly, he grabbed Tsubame around the neck with his arm, hoisting him up in the air as if he was taking him hostage.

"Hey! What are...?" Tsubame choked slightly, before Enju bent down to whisper in his ear.

"Shh... I've got it covered, don't worry. Just start calling for help." Enju said, before letting his usual, evil expression take over his face. Tsubame stayed quiet for a while, before he started to scream and struggle.

"Let me go, Enju! Let me go!" he started crying out, trying to kick at the older boy, who just raised an eyebrow at his attempts and dodged. Suddenly, Yamato, Gray and Bull burst into the clearing, trying to see what was going on. Their eyes widened as they saw Tsubame in a headlock, done by none other than their worst enemy, Enju. Yamato growled at him, eyes narrowed in anger.

"Let him go, Enju!" he cried out, pulling his b-daman out of his pocket and aiming it at the older red-head. Enju just let out a laugh, which sounded much more frightening to Tsubame seeing as he was pressed against the older boy, so he could hear the sound much clearer than them. It made him shiver slightly with fright, before he started kicking again as he realized what Enju was planning to do.

"Enju, you can't do thi---!"

"Shut up, Tsubame. I'm taking you back to the Neo Shadow Alliance whether you like it or not!"

"So is kidnapping your Alliance's new game?" Gray said angrily, his eyes trained on Enju, before he swept a worried glance in Tsubame's direction. The younger boy had to will himself not to look away in shame; instead, he continued to act as if he was being kidnapped as Enju started walking back.

"What are you going to do, Yamato? If you shoot me, Tsubame's gonna be your target." Enju said smugly, making Yamato growl in frustration at the realization that he was right. All of them stood there for a while, before Enju smirked at them and started to back away from the clearing...

"I knew you would see things my way."

... And then, they were gone.