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toastnekohime · 6 years

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By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat

Part six of a 2018 Camp NaNoWriMo Yu-Gi-Oh! GX Elementshipping novel. Based on rp’s between myself ( @getyouraoion ) and my amazing, precious Twin’s Jaden ( @kiibx ), By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat tells the story of how Aoi and Jaden met at Duel Academy and formed their incredibly tight friendship, eventually falling into a relationship, and how they handle the various threats thrown at them over their three years of schooling.

There are currently no triggers, but should any arise, they will be tagged.

STILL IN PROGRESS. Please forgive any typos you may find~

Tagging @starisia, as this wouldn’t exist without my wonderful Twin <3

Summary:

Duel Academy is the place to be, the dream school for many kids. Be it through intense studying, duel prep schools, scholarships, or being rich enough to buy their way in, most kids have had their sights set on it for a long time, knowing it to be the perfect place to start towards a career as a professional duelist. Someone has to Dethrone Yugi and take the title of King of Games, and everyone wants a shot!

Except that is, for Aoi Sakazaki.

Falling in love with Duel Monsters when her father bought her several cards in her childhood, she makes the choice to try her hand at the entrance exams, despite having no idea what she wants to do with her life… And just barely squeaks her way in. Her poor exams scores, combined with even poorer grades, land her a solid spot in the Academy’s Slifer Red dorm - The lowest of the low, where students are almost expected to drop out if they don’t advance to Ra Yellow or Obelisk Blue, first.

The rank comes with the rest of the school looking down on them, as well as the worst lodging the furthest distance from the main campus and fewest privileges compared to the other dorms. But it also brings a surprise friend in fellow Slifer student Jaden Yuki, who seems to have absolutely no problem with the hand they’ve been dealt.

It’s not long before Aoi and Jaden find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of an adventure, dealing with exams, classes, ‘evil’ teachers, and somehow still finding enough time to explore the island they now call home. But living on Academy Island isn’t all fun and games; shortly after their schooling begins, things around their home begin to change, and rarely for the better.

Neither friend has any idea what lies in wait for them in the next three years… But is it an adventure they’ll be able to tackle together, or will it end their time at the school - and them - before it’s even begun?

It’s time to put their skills where their mouths are and find out!

Or be miserably left behind in the dust, that was, her legs still sore when she ducked out of her room and made her way down the balcony the following afternoon. It hurt to even walk, though there was no way she was missing this meeting, only releasing her iron grip on the thick binder hugged to her chest to knock on the door at the end.

The previous day's race had brought them to a stretch of beach on the island's southeastern side, water crystal clear and waves far more gentle than what usually hit the rocky cliff behind the Red dorm. With just about everyone exhausted after their first half a week of classes, they'd had the beach mostly to themselves... And like a couple of kids, settled for building a sandcastle until Syrus had caught up.

Sandcastles, jumping around in the surf, checking out the surf shack, nudging each other into waves, crab catching... By the time night had fallen, they'd done it all, Aoi and Jaden dripping wet from impromptu 'swims' in front of a campfire while Syrus took to scolding them and reminding if they got sick from swimming in the middle of October, they were on their own!

But it was a dose of normalcy, of happiness, she'd needed since coming to the academy. It'd been impossible to get too close to her roommates, and there was no way she could talk to Chazz the way she did Jaden, either. Even Syrus she was still guarded towards, keeping a fair bit of distance between them at all times, though he didn't seem to mind despite it all.

Jaden... There was something about him that just seemed to make it all melt away. All the stress, all the worries, her defensiveness and desire to keep her distance – Around him, she couldn't help but laugh and relax. His enthusiasm and grin made the day brighter, for sure, and in a place so determined and full of competition as Duel Academy, it was a breath of fresh air she hadn't known she'd needed until it'd nearly mowed her down – Litteraly.

Even when he opened the door, she could feel the tension melting off her shoulders, tight grip on her binder loosening slightly at the sight of that grin. Whatever it was about him, she didn't want it to ever change.”I though y' would b' out today, honestly.”

Jaden chuckled, stepping aside to let her in. “Nah. I can't feel my legs.” Closing the door behind her, he crossed the room to drop into a desk chair, a hand burying itself in his hair for a gentle scratch. Her laughter wasn't enough to make his grin fade, though it did get him to look up as she came closer after kicking off her shoes, pulling out another chair and setting her binder down on his desk. “What?”

“I can't feel mine either,” she managed out between laughs, sinking into her seat far slower than he had. “Calves, mostly. Y' run t' fast.”

“Need to stay quick on my feet. Can't avoid friends and waves otherwise, y'know.” His eyes practically sparkled, the tease enough to get her to reach out and ever so gently push at his knee. Touching him of her own free will was still slow going; nudges and pushes had been as far as she'd gone, still wary of being too physical with him.

Still, it wouldn't stop her from taking out her deck and flipping open the binder she'd brought. “This is m' entire collection, mister speedyfeet. I'm n' good with homework an' m' grades're 'bout as good as yours, b' I try an' keep this organized th' best I can.” Her fingers ran over the clear plastic sheets, cards set into each of the nine slots. “Monsters, spells, traps. In that order.”

“And a page of charmers,” he pointed out, lifting several of the pages for a look at what lie beneath. “Wait... Is this all of them?! You've got them all?!”

Aoi laughed, flipping over the pages herself. “Mhm. M' charmers are m' favorite. All it takes is one little flip, an' y' can grab a monster off y' opponent's field n' problem. An' then once y' got that, y' tribute 'em both f' th' next form, th' familiar-possesed charmers. They work out a lot better then.”

“Mm, still level fours.” Placing a finger one a copy of Raging Eria, he reached over for the deck set down nearby with his other hand, spreading it out on the desk and nudging out both Eria the Water Charmer and Familiar-Possesed Eria. “See? You don't need the tribute.”

She laid a hand over his, gently guiding the pointing finger to Familiar-Possesed Aussa, letting it rest over the effect text there. “Look again. I don't need it, n', b' doin' it that way? There's extra damage t' b' dealt. Th' tribute grants them piercing damage. An' with an 1850 attack... Could d' some good damage.”

He nodded, glancing between the binder and spread out deck. Though he was still smiling, the look in his eyes had changed; he was more serious, focused, so much unlike the boy she saw in class. As if there was something that just clicked mentally whenever he looked at their cards. “I've never seen 'em myself, but I've heard of the charmers. Attack's good... Your favorites?”

“They are. See-” She paused, the hand still holding his lifting so she could flip the page, “they have three forms, matchin' traps, an' three of 'em have familiars t' match their second form: Jigabyte, Inari Fire, an'...” A groan. “Nefarious Archfiend Eater of Nefariousness.”

The returned laughter brought her grin back. It wasn't her fault Aussa had a weirdly named familiar! “That's why they're all here. Er.. Except f' Eria. She's m' favorite above 'em all.”

“Then we keep Eria.” The moment she released his hand, he set about sliding several other charmers free, pushing them and the water magician up higher on the desk. “Here- It's your deck. What do ya wanna save from this one?”

“Eria... An' this...”

“You sure? What about this one?”

“Mmm... Nah, that one. N' Jigabyte, either. I have an idea. What about this one? Think it could work?”

“Pfft- It could- You've got a better idea going now, huh?”

“Yep- All 'cause y' pointed it out.”

An idea, that was, that would take them both the majority of the afternoon to execute. The sun had begun to set by the time Aoi leaned back in her chair, hugging her new deck to her chest; why hadn't they done this sooner?! “It's perfect! Ah, Jay, y' th' best f' this!”

Both teens paused, sharing a surprised glance. Had.. She just called him Jay? The hours hadn't been just deck talk either, jokes and vague stories of their pasts worked in between cards. He knew her father worked for the power company back home and had bought her Eria, and she knew he'd spent a lot of time dueling with the neighborhood kids in his hometown... And with little, smaller tidbits added in, it'd clearly led to... What, exactly?

Jaden's lips spread into a slow forming but broad grin first. “Hey, no worries- It's a cool nickname! But y'know what would be even cooler?”

“I'm gonna read y' mind an' say a duel.” She laughed, flipping the cover of her binder closed. “Depends. What time is it? 'cause I'm getting' hungry an' Professor Banner's cookin' is amazin'. M' stomach beats out a duel any day.”

As her deck found its way to her lap, his PDA came up from the pouch on his belt, the hem of his shirt tugged aside enough that she could see it. Her own was usually shoved in her pocket; maybe the school's store would have something similar? A holder would certainly come in handy rather than sitting on it every day! “...Six-thirty. Could probably get one in – Though I'm with you! Never miss a meal around here!”

“Tell m' 'bout it.” The tease was soft and gentle, widening her own smile at the sight of his nonchalant shrug. “What can I say, I'm a growing boy-”

“Y' got th' same endless stomach I d' is what y' are.”

“Heeey, no fair-”

“Wanna get back at m'? Get y' duel disk an' let's g'! I jus' gotta grab mine from m' room- Meet y' b' th' stairs?”

“Deal.”

All but bouncing out of her chair, Aoi sipped her deck back into it's case; while it wouldn't stay there for long, it was better than accidentally dropping it while she tugged her boots on, making it a point to do so while leaning against the wall by the sink. The angle gave her a chance to watch him prepare, too, shrugging out of his uniform jacket and tying it around his waist. She'd never seen him without the blazer before...

Making sure the colored tongues of her shoes were straight, she stuck her tongue out at him and ducked out the door. She could always go back for her binder later, but for now she needed to get past her roommates and ignore the challenge called out by her friend for teasing him. She'd already agreed, what was the point of a formal challenge, anyway? If she'd agreed, it wasn't needed – Except for the dramatics of it, which she was quickly learning came easily in their newfound friendship.

Thankfully, it took all of three seconds to sneak past Kassidy and Mia and grab her duel disk from beside the sink before she was out again, sliding the device onto her arm. The familiar feeling of the wide metal band slowly tightening around her arm was almost comforting, relaxing; why was it just the idea of a duel of late eased a lot of tension? Taking her deck from the case and sliding it into the disk's slot ranked up there with it, the click of the band settling into place and deck held tight in the device's grip bringing a smile to her lips.

“Having fun without me?” Jaden questioned, stepping out of his room with a quick tug to close the creaky door behind him. Blazer still tied around his waist, he'd donned his own disk, deck already set and a wide grin on his lips. If she didn't know better, she'd think him a three year old on his way to the candy store, not a 15 year old headed out to duel!

She waited until he'd joined her to turn, the pair making their way down the balcony together. It was amazing how much more comfortable it was to have someone to talk to! “N' way. Y'know... Nothin' on this island's as fun as y' make it. Y' even made a walk t' th' beach fun.”

He bowed his head with a broad grin, gesturing to let her down the stairs first, to which she bowed in return with a laugh. “You've never had fun at the beach before? C'mon, Aoi, you make it sound like nothing's fun here!”

“It's n'. All th' studyin' an' th' homework... I fell asleep on that Spell Theories paper we had t' write. Pretty sure drool doesn't count as a theory.”

“...We had a paper?”

“Jaden!”

His grin faded into a sheepish smile, then a laugh shared between them, honey meeting green-blue. Settling his hands behind his head, he took up the lead, guiding her down the slope towards the cliff bellow. The red dorm had the fewest privileges of all the dorms, students even looked down on to the point of being expected to drop out, yet they had the best place to duel – a small, rocky bit of cliff the waves constantly crashed against, and this afternoon was no different.

“Gotta admit, this view's the best on the island,” Jaden blurted after a few moments, stopping by the line of large rocks making up a bit of a barrier on the cliff's edge. The breeze ruffled his hair, hands finally coming out from behind his head, smile falling to one of contentment and peace. “'Specially from our dorm. Yellow and blue don't get anything like this, I bet.”

Aoi sighed, biting the tip of her tongue right after. There it was, the reason he kept dragging people in; his boyish charm and optimism knew absolutely no bounds, the desire to see others happy and smiling as wide as he did harder to stop than a cockroach. He could bring in even the coldest, hardest soul and make them smile, of that she had no doubt... And she now suspected that smile had caught her a month earlier, when she'd first seen him at the exams.

“I wouldn't doubt it. They're nowhere near th' sea like we are – I mean, blue's got th' lake, right? They... would... Jay?” Just mention of the lake had turned his sunkissed cheeks a pale shade of red, stance shifting to reflect his sudden sheepishness. What in the world could've been wrong with mentioning the lake? It wasn't that far away and- Oh, for goodness sake, it was a lake! “Y' got issues with th' lake? I know y' can swim, s' what's wrong?”

All he did was shake his head, pressing his lips tightly together. The gesture was enough to make her laugh, but not eliminate her concern; what could've happened between him and the lake that would result in this? Everyone on the island already knew how he'd happily tell a story if it meant getting a smile or helping someone out, but this was a little on the ridiculous side, wasn't it?

A second later, he turned to face her, arm raised to show off his duel disk. “It's nothin', I promise. We came out here for a duel, right? Time to get your game on, Aoi!”

“M' game's always on, Jay, jus' y' wait!” A quick movement of her arm to match his activated both duel disks, the electronics starting up enough to get her even more excited than she had been before. Several large steps put a decent amount of space between them, fingers all too used to the routine quickly drawing their starting hands, plus an extra for the barely quicker raven. “Ladies first- M' draw!”

This was already going to be easier said than done, and she knew it. She'd at least drawn a monster she wanted in her first go, but the rest wasn't quite as helpful... Pulling a card from her hand, she set it down on the disk, grinning at the charmer that appeared. “Aussa th' Earth Charmer, in attack mode! An' I'll set a face down,” a pause, sliding another card into the spell and trap zone, the hologram of the set card appearing between her and the brunette monster, “an' it's y' g', Jay!”

Aussa's 500 attack wouldn't get her too far, a thought that hit her harder than an 18-wheeler once her friend grinned at his hand. She knew his deck; full of elemental heroes, it was a challenge to anyone who faced it, with him being currently unbeaten on the island. Just like she knew he'd get rid of her face down – a tactic confirmed a second later when he held out a spell to show her before sliding it into his disk, the larger hologram easier to see.

“Mystical Space Typhoon destroys your face down! I helped you build that, I'm not risking it!” His chuckle was the only thing she could hear over the winds, sharp gusts forcing her arms up to shield herself and cutting through her set spell. That wasn't good... Book of Taiyou's effect would've needed some specific timing, but she'd hoped to protect Aussa by using it to flip his monster face down. Without it, she was defenseless, waiting for the gusts to ease before removing the card and sliding it into her disk's graveyard, with Jaden following suit a second later.

And he wasn't done, either, slapping a monster down before she could even try to guess what he held. “Elemental Hero Burstinatrix! Sorry, but I've gotta take down that charmer of yours – Attack Aussa with Flare Storm!”

She barely had a chance to shield herself from the heroine's flames, focusing instead on the life point counter on her disk ticking down. The drop to 3300 was one she could easily say she'd expected, mumbling an apology to Aussa while sending her card to the grave. It was still a new deck, one she was still learning, and things like that were going to happen, especially against the top duelist of the Slifer Red dorm. “Y' n' gonna get away with that one!”

Still completely at ease, her friend shrugged his shoulders, practically beaming. “Then c'mon, it's your draw! Show me what you've got!”

Why was he so bright and happy? Just like when they'd been building her deck, the spark in his eyes was less 'Slifer Slacker' and slightly more serious, focused – and overall like a kid with a brand new bunch of balloons. She couldn't say it wasn't cute, either, his clear excitement putting her at ease with her next draw. “Y' got it! I hope y' ready f' this one!”

Her eyes widened a fracture at the sight of her drawn card; if he wanted to see her best, he was about to get it! “I'm settin' two cards and throwin' down a monster in defense mode. Y' might have helped m' build this, b' I don't think y' gonna guess what I have in store f' y'!”

“Why would I want to?” He paused, two fingers set on his deck. “This duel's a blast! If I knew what was coming it wouldn't be any fun!”

“...Y' th' biggest dork I know.”

“I'm gonna take that as a compliment-”

“It was one, s' good.”

Any confusion he'd shown melted away with his draw. His stance shifted just slightly, showing more confidence than before, though she wasn't quite sure how that was even possible – Either he'd drawn something good or he was bluffing to throw her off... And worse, she was ready to believe a bluff that good!

“I'll throw down a face down myself, and summon Elemental Hero Avian!” The winds whipped up again with the hero's appearance on the field, but it was the face down card that appeared seconds before him that had her attention. For all she knew it was Polymerazation, though if it was, wouldn't he have used it already? To be fair, with a spell and trap left in her hand, she should've played her own, and.. Hmm...

So lost in her thoughts, she nearly missed the movement of his arm, a dramatic sweep to point at her face down monster. “Go, Brustinatrix! Attack that face down!”

In return, she lifted her own, one of her cards raising with it to reveal her trap. “An' I'm activatin' Unpossessed in return! On top that...” Aoi grinned; he'd fallen into her trap, the hologram of her monster flipping in reply to Burtinatrix's attack and bringing with it another charmer, hiding behind her staff and deflecting the fire thrown at her. It couldn't have worked out any more perfect! “Meet Hiita th' Fire Charmer! Her 1500 defense beats out Burstinatix's 1200 attack, s' y' get 300 damage from it!”

It wasn't the grand attack she'd wanted to, but there was something about seeing him take the hit that did wonders for her confidence. She'd actually dealt damage to their dorm's ace – and it she had her way, it wasn't the only damage he'd take, either! “An' that's n' all, Jay – Flippin' Hiita activates her effect! She grabs Burstinatrix from y' field and brings her over t' mine!”

Even with the distance between them, she could tell his eyes were on her rather than Hiita's grin, or Burstinatrix switching sides, slowly floating down to a stop beside the spellcaster. That feeling of being watched sent a shiver down her spine, but... Were his lips moving? Was he talking to himself? They were the only ones there - “My turn's over, then. That's a pretty good move there.”

“Thanks. Y' b' amazed what y' learn from listenin' t' y' friend durin' deck buildin'.” Whatever that had been, she wasn't going to question it, drawing her next card... And bursting out into laughter right after. “Remember when I first got t' y' room? An' I had t' tell y' 'bout th' charmers?”

His expression fell, shoulders sagging some. “You didn't-”

“I did! I'm tributin' Burstinatrix an' Hiita t' special summon her more powerful form, Familiar-Possesed Hiita! An' t' top that off, I'm activatin' m' other face down, Brain Control! This lets m' take y' Avian, t', f' this turn only!” With the continued slumping of her friend's shoulders, Burtinatrix faded from the field, leaving behind a rush of flames to consume the charmer. By the time Avian had switched sides, the fire had rolled away to reveal the far more powerful Hiita, twirling her staff around as an entrance. The perfect entrance, in her opinion, stifling a giggle with a lightly closed fist at his clear pout.

Like before, he was back to grinning and confident in no more than a heartbeat. “Attack?”

“Attack, definitely! Hiita, Inferno Rage! An' Avian, follow it up!” But this time, the attack was less satisfying, even if it did still give another confidence boost. Watching him shield himself from Avian's quills was one thing, but Hiita never held anything back, launching an oversized ball of fire at him. The connection forced him down to one knee, rubbing at the chest where the brunt of it hit in a reminder that though they were just holograms, the technology had advanced enough since the days of the Battle City tournament years ago, now coming just solid enough for the duelists to feel some of the damage they took.

And it didn't matter if Jaden was her opponent for the time being, he was still her friend. Hurting him was the last thing she wanted to do, concern hitting her hard at the sight of his shoulders trembling. “Hey- Y' okay? Didn't t' hard, did it?”

With the end of her turn, Avian returned to his side of the field, bringing with him the faint sound of laughter. Well, that explained the shaking shoulders... “I'm fine! Didn't expect that- This duel just got a lot more fun!”

Nuts. The kid was nuts.

His next draw had her shaking her head, more than amused; was there anything that could bring down the energetic boy before her? Even down to 850 life points compared to her 3300, he didn't seem fazed in the least-

“Now you're gonna meet one of my best heroes! I'm activating Polymerazation, fusing the Sparkman and Clayman in my hand!”

Though that could be why, Aoi realized, turning her attention from the brunette to the clouds and thunder rolling in above them. If that wasn't enough to make her nervous, the giant that descended from the storm was, the sparks coming off his hands and body the perfect match for Jaden's brilliant smile. “Aoi, meet Elemental Hero Thunder Giant! Hiita, too- 'Cause when he's summoned, his effect activates! It destroys one monster on the field whose original attack points are lower than his! Thunder Giant, blow Hiita away with Static Blast!”

“Kindda good thing I'm n' afraid of thunderstorms, huh?” Enough so that she only flinched with the loss of Hiita, Thunder Giant's electricity zapping the spellcaster like a lightning bolt in the midst of a real storm. “B' y' forgot 'bout m' trap!”

“What about it?”

“B' destroyin' one of m' monsters, once per turn I can replace 'em with a spellcaster from m' deck, s' long as it's of a different attribute an' has 1500 or less defense! An' since all I can d' is play defensively, I'm gonna summon out Gemini Elf in defense!”

As if on command, the requested card popped out from her deck, letting her switch Hiita for her replacement. The twins weren't exactly the sight she wanted to see, but at least they were a shield between herself and Thunder Giant-

“Avian, attack Gemini Elf! Thunder Giant's Voltic Thunder's coming right for ya, next!”

Not for long, anyway, her elf gone mere seconds before the lightning followed. That she could do without in the future, the attack reminding her just how hard the monsters could actually hit – and how realistic it could feel in some cases, knocking the wind from her and leaving her knees trembling. It was a reaction that passed rather quickly, but it was still frustrating none the less, especially knowing it'd dropped her down to 900, just 50 points higher than Jaden.

Pulling another card from her deck, she barely gave it a glance before throwing it down on her disk, following it up with another spell. “Last ditch effort- I'm summonin' m' favorite, Familiar-Possesed Eria! An' with her is Magician's Right Hand- as long as this's in play an' I have a spellcaster on m' field, y' can't use spells! Eria, attack Avian!”

“Sorry, can't let you! My face down activates- Hero Barrier!”

How had she forgotten about that? Eria's wave formed from the tip of her staff, spreading and growing as it raced across the field, just to disperse on hitting the barrier protecting Avian. She'd been banking on his face down being a spell, not something that could protect his heroes from attack. And as long as she only had her one monster, she couldn't even try again, waving a hand to Jaden with a slight bow. “Then it's y' move. An' speakin' of moves, that was a good one.”

“Thanks, I try.”

Their shared laugh at least made things even better, her eyes drifting closed. “'M sorry, Eria. I kindda failed y' this time.” And it meant she didn't have to see Thunder Giant destroying her favorite monster on his duelist's call, or watch Avian follow it with his attack, though not knowing when the quills would hit made the sting that much worse. Letting the pain roll off as fast as it'd hit, Aoi sunk to the ground, sighing softly and turning her gaze back up to her companion just in time to see him point with two fingers and grin, lips parting for the now familiar call of “That's game~!”

Slowly, her duel disk deactivated, the cards sitting in the graveyard ejected and carefully removed before the disk itself returned to standby mode. A loss was to be expected when testing a new deck, sure, but... A loss was still, and always would be, a bummer.

“You okay? Here.”

Jaden's voice pulled her attention away from her deck, cards returned to it, just to stare at his by now familiar red boots. Green-blue followed the curve of them to his jeans, then further up to his wast, stomach, chest... And finally the warm smile he wore, hand extended to help her up. “That was a seriously sweet match! We've gotta do that again!”

This time, placing her hand in his lacked the usual awkwardness she normally felt, replacing itself with warmth. Warmth from a friend, from his smile, the easy and careful way he helped her up, having an opponent who respected her, knowing he meant every word of his praise – she couldn't find the source of it, but it was by far nicer than the wariness she'd always felt around others. “Y' want a rematch? M' charmers're n' match f' y' heroes, y'know.”

“You kidding? I thought you had me with Hiita! I just got lucky with Polymerazation-” He paused, his stomach growling just loud enough to interrupt him and make her fight to hold back laughter. “Maybe we can get that rematch after dinner.”

“I'd say y' thinkin' with y' stomach, b' t' b' honest, I am t'. Dueling really makes y' hungry, huh?” She gave his hand a little tug before releasing it, turning for the slope they'd taken earlier. As adorable as his pale pink tinted cheeks were, she didn't feel the need to comment on it, especially not when they were both clearly starving! “C'mon. Let's get some food in y'.”

In a heartbeat, the brunette was right beside her, sniffing at the air. Gods above, did he ever remind her of a puppy sometimes! “I think I smell soy sauce- And fish! There's always fish! Er.. No wait, it's pineapple- ...Peas?”

“...Fried rice?”

“Nah. Banner's specialty is fish. I think.”

“Right now I'd probably eat a horse.”

“Not alone you're not! I'm hungry too!”

“An' y' sniffin' th' air like a dog! I can tell y' are!”

Jaden laughed, nudging her side with an elbow. “Pigs don't do that?” he teased, running ahead to avoid the playful swat she aimed at his head. “Gotta try harder than that! C'mon, Aoi, we've gotta get our dinner on!”

She shook her head, pace picking up to a jog. He had a point, and dinner did smell good, so... “What're we bein' s' slow f'? Dinner waits f' n' puppy!”

#By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat #starisia #kiibx #blackthvnder #elementshipping #Part Six #I don't like writing out duels #They're too long and difficult to make interesting #But a longish part with one regardless!#And a bunch of cute dork friends #Because Aoi and Jay are adorkable seriously <3

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