A/N: I'm tentatively caught up? I have to work on getting some things finished for the beginning of next week or I'll fall behind again, but progress is progress!

Day 15 | Daichi and Ming-Ming | Rated: K

Magical Girl

The longer he talked to her, the less annoying she was. Either Tyson slipped him something before he left or it was part of her whole magical girl shtick. Either way, it wasn't his fault he could tolerate Ming-Ming and he could tell that to Tyson when he got back. That's all that mattered.

With that realization, Daichi could eat his burger in peace.

"Thanks again for agreeing to meet me, Daichi," Ming-Ming said in her usual sugary sweet voice. "It means a lot to be given a second chance." When he looked up, she was smiling over the top of her bubble tea, watching him eat with sparkling brown eyes.

"Yeah well," he answered, shoving a few fries in his mouth and muttering around them, "Strata Dragoon and I are strong enough if you try to pull somethin'."

Hilary always told him not to talk with his mouth full, but Ming-Ming wasn't put off if her giggle was anything to go by. Daichi scrunched his nose as she said, "I don't know about that. Venus and I have been practicing some new material."

"If that involves singing, I'd rather battle on an empty stomach," Daichi said and then swallowed his mouthful in one gulp because he hadn't meant that to come out. The tiny caricature of Hilary in his brain couldn't decide whether to laugh or scold him for being rude.

Ming-Ming sighed, but didn't get up and leave.

"I probably deserve that," she said in a small voice. Her body seemed to physically shrink to match and the ruffly sleeves of her shirt wilted. "I asked you here so I could apologize, Daichi. I don't want there to be any hard feelings between us."

Ha! He knew it! This wasn't a date – he was gonna rub it in Tyson's face later.

Out loud, he said: "What, about the BEGA thing?" It had been a couple of years since then and most of the people he knew were moving past it. "If that Boris creep could make Tala into his puppet, it's no wonder the rest of you were easy pickings."

"Maybe not," she conceded. She was chewing on her straw and it was the most human thing he'd ever seen her do. "I never meant for things to end like they did. Boris promised me everything I could ever want. He said he'd make me a star."

Daichi took another bite of his burger and chewed thoughtfully.

"Grandpa always says: 'If it sounds too good to be true, ask yourself what's in it for the other guy.'"

Ming-Ming smiled, but it didn't look anything like the smile that was plastered on every billboard for a good two-year stretch. Daichi vaguely remembered the press tearing into the BEGA bladers after the dust settled. As their spokeswoman, Ming-Ming had gotten the brunt of it. She wasn't smiling at all on those covers. Kenny actually cried when her record label dropped her.

"I wish I'd had that advice before," she sighed and stared out into the food court. A couple of years ago the place would be swarming with fans trying to get her attention. Now people walked right by them. Maybe they didn't recognize her; Daichi thought she looked younger without so much makeup. "I really am sorry."

"Eh, water under the bridge," he said as he crumpled up the wrapper from his burger. He leaned back into a stretch and wiped his hands on the front of his shirt. "If you ever want a battle without all the cameras or fancy stadiums, look me up."

Ming-Ming perked back up.

"It's a deal," she enthused, looking more like the pop star he remembered already. "As long as you promise not to go easy on me." She finished with a sly smile.

"Never!"

He sat there, staring back at her with a challenging grin, for a long time. It wasn't every day that he found a new battle partner. He was eager to see how she'd improved over the years free of Boris's influence and all the frills of fame. If he could pick, they'd battle out in the woods until only one of them was left spinning.

"Oh, man – I wish we could battle right now!" he said with a clenched fist.

"Hmm…" Ming-Ming hummed thoughtfully, considering it. Then she caught the time on a clock across the room and gasped. Her eyes went so wide that he could no longer see the glitter dusted over her eyelids. "Another time, Daichi – I have to go!"

"Go? Where?"

"Work," she said apologetically as she stood up. She slung her purse over her shoulder and began digging around inside for something. "I'm at the karaoke bar down the street. Not the most glamorous gig, but I get to sing when it's slow."

"Don't tell Kenny that," Daichi advised, more so as a reminder to himself than a warning to Ming-Ming who probably never spoke to him. "What are you looking for?"

She gave a triumphant cry as her answer and held up a CD in a plain, pastel pink sleeve. With a nervous smile, she set it down on the table, slid it over to him and said, "These are some songs I've been working on. I know you aren't a fan of my music, but if you could tell me what you think?"

"Why me?" Daichi scoffed. "I'm no expert."

"Because I can trust you to be honest," she said, laughter lining her voice. He wondered if they were both thinking back to the days where he would cover his ears when she sang. While he was figuring out how to answer that she winked at him and said, "Bye, Daichi. I can't wait for our next battle!"

He watched her walk away, entirely confused.

When he got home, he chucked the CD into a drawer. He had every intention of gifting it to Kenny for his next birthday and lording his perfect present over Tyson. Then one day, while setting up to clean Strata Dragoon, he put it on by mistake.

He froze when he heard Ming-Ming's unmistakable voice sending a ballad flowing from the speakers. It was a sad song about missed opportunity and it couldn't have been further from her girly pop garbage if it tried. When he ended up listening to the whole thing and being completely mesmerized, he figured he could blame that on the magical girl shtick too.

A/N: I didn't intend for this to be overly shippy, but I think there's a whisper of it in there. I do think these two would be cute together, living in a tour bus, going around to beyblade tournaments and concerts. Daichi's lack of filter would help Ming-Ming stay down to earth and humble lol I think she'd like how effortlessly real he is.

Thanks for reading!