#starisia | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

toastnekohime · 6 years

Text

Part seven 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!

By the time Aoi returned to her dorm room, curfew had long since come and gone. Honestly, she hadn't even known they had a curfew until Banner had stuck his head into Jaden's room to point it out, kind enough to not get angry at them for breaking a dorm rule, though still stern enough to remind them they were breaking it regardless. How were they supposed to know being in each others' room between 10:30 at night and 6 in the morning was off limits? She'd never cared about it before, let alone had a male friend!

Though she'd not expected her roommates to still be up, an attempt to quietly slip into her room bringing a stare of blue and grey from the top bunk. A stare that made her jump once she'd turned around, the two boy-crazy duelists reminding her more of lions stalking their prey than actual teenage girls with the way the peered at her from the edge of Kassidy's bunk. “You're back late. Did you find something interesting to do?”

“...Kindda.” She wasn't about to tell them of her new friendship with Jaden or the fact she'd spent the day with him, tucking her binder under her arm as she reached down to undo the straps on her boots and kick them off. The last thing he needed was the two of them all over him like white on rice! “Had a duel, went f' a walk. It's nice out here – Quiet an' got some good scenery.”

“With your cards?”

She glanced down to the binder in question. Not a bit of it was a lie; she had dueled Jaden, and they had gone for a walk after dinner, mostly just circling around the dorm while chatting They'd just gone back to his room to talk and play a game afterwards while his roommates were still out, enjoying the afternoon and evening to themselves. Of course, between Syrus and their other roommate, Chumley, returning and Banner's reminder of curfew, she'd been uneasy enough to leave.. But at least it'd been fun, right?

Stepping around the corner, Aoi tugged open the door to their closet, drawer following so she could slide the thick and stuffed book into it. With her bunk in the middle, she didn't exactly have an 'under the bed' to keep her collection, and under her pillow just made it lumpy. “S' what? I dueled a friend. We traded.” That was a lie.

And it was a lie her roommates picked up on rather quickly, sharing a glance before Mia sat up, giving her a better look at the curlers in her auburn hair. “A male friend? Because I'm not seeing new cards. I'm seeing a glow- you're happy. Something more happened.”

The matter-of-fact tone had Aoi fighting the urge to roll her eyes. “I told y', I dueled a friend an' traded some cards.”

“Male friend.”

“Mia. Includin' us, there's six girls in this dorm. Dunno how many in Ra, an' dozens in Obelisk. Kindda goes without sayin' it's a boy.” Sighing she shrugged out of her vest and grabbed a hanger to slide it onto. “An' n', I'm n' introducin' y'.”

That was the breaking point, it seemed, a huff following her refusal. Honestly, what was it with these two and wanting dates? “Hey... What kindda decks y' two play, anyway? Y' never talk 'bout classes.” It was always boys and makeup, and while she could stand the makeup talk, they were in a school for duelists. They hadn't needed to enroll if all they wanted was a date with a student.

“Prince charming,” came Kassidy's reply a second later, the blonde rolling onto her back and lifting a hand to examine her nails. If there was one thing she'd learned, it was that Kassidy was practically obsessed with her nails, changing their polish and design every few days and constantly admiring it while checking for chips and scuffs. This had to be the thousandth time since they'd arrived days earlier, though Aoi bit the tip of her tongue and tugged her shirt up and over her head, instead, swapping it out for the pale pink tanktop draped over the edge of her bunk.

By the time she'd switched from capris to shorts, Kassidy had examined all of two nails, rubbing out an invisible smudge from the third. She loved a good manicure as much as the next girl, but this was ridiculous! “Prince... Charmin'? Really?”

“Frogs.”

Her forehead connected with the edge of her bunk before she could stop herself, the light thud cocking Mia's eyebrow as she made her way down the ladder. “Frogs. Lemme guess- Y' kiss 'em, they're princes? C'mon, we're here t' duel!”

“And what, exactly, do you play that's so much better?” A petite hand reached out in passing, flicking the ends of one pigtail. The action won a small smile at least, her eyes following her roommate until she'd crawled into her own bed.

“Charmers.” She hadn't meant to let the pride she had in her new deck slip out, though to her relief, it wasn't much. Despite her loss to Jaden, she already loved the setup, tugging the belt free of her pants before tossing them aside. Sliding the attached deck case off, she slipped it under her pillow and tossed the belt aside next, briefly watching it sail through the air. “I run charmers. S' much better than frogs.”

One more, Mia huffed, though this time she couldn't see the other girl. Instead, she focused on untying the ribbons in her hair, the silky pink fabric easily slipping free of its bows. Setting each on her deck, she undid the clasp on the back of her matching choker, draping it over the light colored wood. As much as she loved her hairstyle, it felt surprisingly nice to have her hair down, a quick pass of her hairbrush through the raven locks further easing a light headache she'd barely noticed. Maybe the duel after spending yesterday adventuring was a little too much...

“Hand me that stick on my desk.”

“Orange stick, yeah?” Grabbing the small stick in question, Aoi pulled herself up to the top bunk, carefully balancing herself on the edge of Mia's to pass it to Kassidy. “What shade's that polish? Kindda looks like th' night sky.” A rich, deep amethyst shade, it caught the light and sparkled with embedded iridescent glitter, though not obnoxiously so. Every twist and turn of her hand made her nails sparkle more, obscured only by her other hand and the pointed stick she'd started using to clean out the space underneath them.

Without even looking at her, Kassidy rose both brows. “You know what this is called?”

“Mhm. I like getting' m' nails done. Usually did 'em with m' mom, an' nothin' really fancy, b' I d' like getting' spoiled, t'.”

“....Dark Magic. From the LeFaye line. If you want, I could do your nails for you. I'm sure you'd look good with small hearts on them-”

“E-Er... I'm good on that front, thanks.” Dark Magic... She'd have to see if she couldn't find a bottle next time she was in Domino, or at least write about it in her next letter home. For the time being, she was just happy to crawl into her bed, sliding underneath the already mussed blankets to curl up. When had the old mattress gotten so comfortable?

“You can borrow it, then.”

“Thanks. I've got a pretty blue y' might like in return.”

“You know who likes blue? Aki.”

Mia's chirp from bellow normally would've startled her, coming out of completely nowhere, though she was thankful for the wave of tiredness crashing into her. Jaden made everything more fun and exciting, but also exhausting; she'd sleep well for the first time since they'd started classes! “Mhm...”

“Aki's in yellow. Why would he like blue?”

“It's his favorite. He's so dreamy, Kas! That voice, those eyes-!”

“Dreamy is that upperclassman out on the pier- Right Aoi? Which one's dreamier?”

Groaning heavily, the raven shoved her head inside her pillow case. She didn't care who was 'dreamier', all she wanted was to sleep before her morning classes! Why did this have to be going on now?!

“See? The third year obelisk boy!”

“Aki!”

“Pillow, why aren't y' soundproof...” Why couldn't she just sleep on the roof-?!

#By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat #kiibx #starisia #blackthvnder #part seven #Elementshipping #More with the roommates-#Mia and Kassidy as such dorks #Aoi's already done with them tho XD

0 notes

garekiki-gecko-blog · 12 years

Text

@starisia

moyashi, are you getting my emails? Yahoo won't let them go through... DX I think it's trying to keep us apart again. TT^TT

#starisia

1 note · View note

toastnekohime · 6 years

Text

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:

Except that is, for Aoi Sakazaki.

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

0 notes

toastnekohime · 6 years

Text

By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat

Part five 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:

Except that is, for Aoi Sakazaki.

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

It took a day longer than she'd expected to finish her new uniform, but by the third day of classes, she'd swapped out her red skirt for the more familiar comfort of capris, blazer cut into a comfortable vest over a lighter shirt. As nice as her boots had been, it felt so much better to be out of those heels and into a different, flatter pair of calf-high boots. And though the outfit had gotten some stares and mumbles, it, thankfully, hadn't yet gotten her in trouble.

And yet, it wasn't worry of possible trouble that had Aoi outside her room the morning of their first saturday on the island, but the need for air and peace. Her room still stunk of the perfume Mia had used the night before... For such a petite girl, she wore an awful lot of perfume – Enough to drown a cow, never mind the slender teen. It wouldn't have been so bad if the scent was lighter, kinder to the nose, but a heavy dose of lilac and 'sunshine' definitely didn't help.

At least being outside helped ease the headache, the slight breeze coming off the sea more than refreshing. And it was quiet, to boot. Why was it a dorm with so few people still managed to be so loud? Music helped, although there was only so much it could do when the noise tried to drown it out in return.

Birds and waves crashing into the cliff behind the dorm was better for the time being, though she had to admit, she still missed her music—

Wait… That made no sense. Why was it so quiet?

“Last one there's a rotten fish!”

Pushing off the railing, Aoi tilted her head... Just to press herself back against it half a second later with a squeak of surprise, just barely avoiding a collision with a red blur that wasn't so lucky, stumbling over its own boots before finally catching itself. “Hey- Watch where y' go-”

“Hey sorry, I-”

Both comments came to a screeching halt, green-blue meeting long since familiar honey brown. She'd known he had a room on the second floor, but not that it was so close, or that he was even in it as often as it seemed he was... And for that matter, she couldn't even begin to remember where her voice had gone, or why she'd even stopped in the first place. “Y' couldda run m' over.”

Jaden gave a sheepish chuckle in return, scratching the back of his head. “Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Didn't think there was anyone out here. Aren't ya usually in your room?”

“I'm n' sure how y' know that, b' n' today. Smells like a flower exploded.”

“...Flowers can explode?”

“Sniff m' door an' tell m', 'cause I'm pretty sure it's a scracth n' sniff card.”

To her surprise, the brunette laughed, relaxing as quickly as he'd barreled out of his room. Just hearing him laugh helped her relax as well, but the second he actually did step closer and jokingly scratch at the door, she'd taken an even larger step of her own back and away from him – and that was all it took to make him pause and give her a look like she'd just grown another head. “...Did I step on you or somethin'?”

“...N'. Jus'...” Just what? How did she explain she was uncomfortable with strangers? Or even more so with guys, and that he fell into both categories? The better question, though, was why she felt like she could tell him, shooting Syrus a glance as he finally joined them on the balcony. Maybe it was the fact he was still leaning over and inches from sniffing her door, or the dozens of times in the last few days they'd run into each other...

Whatever it was, it was enough to make her shake her head and tug at the tie of one of her pigtails. “I ah... Don't d' good with strangers. Or guys. Or any combination of 'em,”, she finally admitted, watching his confusion turn into a broad grin. Like always, his bright and sunny outlook seemed to make things easier, tugging slowing until she could finally bring her hands down and shove them into her pockets. “Sorry.”

“Hey, I'm not a stranger, I'm a Jaden! Jaden Yuki.”

“...Aoi Sakazaki.”

“See? No strangers here! We're goin' to check out the surf shop on the beach. Up for coming with?”

On one hand, she wanted to tell him no. Despite the introductions, he was still, technically, a stranger, and she had little interest in being any closer.

And yet on the other, there was something about his grin she couldn't say no to. His cheer was infectious, bringing back her smile in just seconds. It had to be better than sitting by a scratch and sniff door she swore was absorbing every bit of the perfume smell as it was, right? “I'm... N' sure...”

This time it was Syrus who smiled, slipping past her – careful not to get too close, something she'd later have to thank him for – and Jaden both for the steps. “It's gonna be an adventure! There's supposed to be a nice beach and the tide's out!”

“S' we could find some crabs?” The words were out before she could stop them, and by the time she realized she was even moving, she was halfway down the staircase, Jaden laughing behind her with his hands behind his head. “I haven't seen any yet. Have y'?”

“Heard frogs,” the brunette chirped, chuckling at the snort he got in reply as he came up to walk beside her, Syrus leading the trio towards the beach. “Nah. We've been all over, but haven't seen crabs yet. Why, you like crabs?”

“Jay... Girls don't like crabs...”

Aoi shook her head, though she knew Syrus couldn't see it or her smile for trying to derail the conversation, lest it get uncomfortable. “Small ones're cute, b' n' my favorites. That's pigs.”

The blunette tripped over his feet, Jaden slapping a hand over his mouth to try and hide the sputters before he broke down laughing. Was it really so surprising she'd like pigs? “Look here, they're cute an' like t' b' pet.”

“That's dogs, Aoi.”

“Pigs t'! Back home we've got a petting zoo with a big potbellied pig. He loves it when people pat him on th' head. Hair kindda reminds m' of another student's, t'...” She had to bite her tongue before Chazz's name came out. In the last few days, she'd run into the Obelisk four or five more times, each meeting falling into nothing but pure insults and sarcasm flung at one another. She'd come to find it fun, even, getting the chance to be as creative as possible while he kept coming back with the reminder she was nothing more than a 'Slifer Slacker'.

But if either of the boys wanted to ask, they made no indication of it, Jaden even catching her attention again with the most nonchalant shrug. “They're not bad. You don't play a pig deck, do ya? Though I bet that'd be somethin' to watch. A farm duel!”

Her next snort quickly turned into a laugh, winning her a look of surprise from both boys. Maybe these boys weren't so bad after all...? “Mm-mm. N' pig decks. I've got... Don't even have a theme, n' that I think 'bout it. Jus' m' favorite an' some backup.”

“Sounds like something fun to duel with! Hey, wanna see how your favorite is against my heroes?” he questioned, surprise quickly fading back into a smile, as always. She wasn't sure there was a second he could be anything but a ball of sunshine – And had they met for real at the exams, she was sure his cheeriness would've driven her crazy. Probably.

But even that wasn't enough to make her agree, head shaking as they followed the well-worn path towards the other side of the island. So he played a hero deck... “N' way, Jaden. Y' would cream m' in a second. I barely made it through th' entrance exams, an' definitely n' interested in getting' beat jus' yet.”

He seemed to take the rejection well, though she didn't miss the glimmer of disappointment in his eyes, hidden behind his usual grin. He was the kid who beat Dr. Crowler, famous among the school for that feat, or so she'd heard; why would she want to let Eria stretch her legs if all that awaited her was a hero punch to the face? And why did she feel the urge to say yes anyway when she knew he'd win in a single turn against her deck?

The brunette rolled his shoulders, the disappointment gone so fast she wondered if she'd imagined it. Either the idea of adventuring around the beach was enough to bring him back from it, or the sunlight was playing tricks on her... Whatever it was, she couldn't stop her own smile from pulling at her lips. “Maybe after I d' some tweakin'...?”

“Now you're talking my language! Need any help with it?”

“Considerin' I wouldn't know where t' start.... B' y' don't hafta.”

“Nah, it's totally fine. What's in your deck now?”

Her footsteps slowed, reaching behind her to flip open the case on her belt and pull her deck free. No more than half a second later, Jaden stopped with her, neither noticing Syrus continuing ahead without them. “Like I said, m' favorite,” she explained, passing the stack of cards to him as they came to a stop. “Eria th' Water Charmer an' Familiar-Possesed Eria. B' th' rest is jus' backup.”

And by the way he practically became the sun while he flipped through them, she could only imagine the plans he had in mind. “You've got a Luster Dragon in here? I've never seen one in person-! And there's an Aussa... Interested in help?”

“Y' really don't hafta-”

“Nope, I don't. But I want to. What's a friend for, right?”

Friend. They'd met all of possibly half an hour ago, and he already saw her a friend. Despite the fact she shouldn't have been surprised, she was, feeling her cheeks flush a bit. Again, if he noticed he didn't make any mention of it, rearranging her cards with Eria on top. “...Y' jus' met m'. How.. How can y' call m' a friend s' easily?”

“What, you need to know people forever to be friends?” His tone was light, lined with the barest hints of laughter. And when he gently took her hand, pressing her deck back into her palm, she couldn't find any reason to jump away from him. The defensive shell usually present whenever she was around others had melted off, leaving her to watch him run ahead a moment later, stop, and wave at her. “C'mon! Sy's already gone ahead!”

He had a point. What harm would there be in trusting him? He'd not given her a reason to keep her distance – yet, anyway – and even offered help... Her urge to keep away from him physically seemed to have fled, too, especially with how she was running ahead with a laugh to nudge his side. “Last one there's a rotten Mystic Tomato?”

Any surprise he'd had in her touch melted into a wicked grin, waiting for her to slide her deck into its case before replying. “More like does the others' homework for a day- and I'm gonna win that bet!” And in a flash he was off, Aoi giving a whine before following suit, quickly blowing past a startled Syrus. “Cheater!”

“Gotta keep up!”

“I plan on it!” she called back, barely three steps behind him with a laugh. Maybe having a friend in the boy wouldn't be so bad- Though she'd have to get used to his excitement, her gaze drifting to the ground under his feet. Jaden Yuki... Oh, how wrong she'd been at the exams. There was nothing weak about him- though he was easy to lose track of, raven ducking under a branch as their race hit the forest.

“Still back there?”

“Trust m', I'm gonna keep up with y' if it's th' last thing I d'!”

#By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat #starisia #kiibx #blackthvnder #Elementshipping #Part Five #Aoi and Jay finally meet for real <3 #I swear they're dorks agh #Precious butts XD #And a massive thank you to masqueradeandalice for helping with this part's proofing TwT <3 I owe you #<3 <3 <3 <3

0 notes

toastnekohime · 6 years

Text

By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat

Part four 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:

Except that is, for Aoi Sakazaki.

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

All it took was a minute of being inside the school itself to realize Kaiba had gone all out with his funding. The lobby was one grand room, elaborate and beautiful in nature. And containing nature, to boot, small gardens and even trees planted in raised flower beds underneath sections of the roof turned into skylights. Benches sat around each, students dotting the room and the less elaborate halls.

Without classes beginning for another day, the classrooms had proven to be empty- Save one, that was, containing the students who'd been on the helicopter, as well as a few others. All decked out in their uniforms, Aoi couldn't help but feel like a duclking waiting for the mother duck to show up on the massive screen on the wall, displaying the school's logo.

Leaning back, she took a glance at the line students behind her; aside from her, there were only two other girls, one in blue, the other yellow. Even among the boys, there were few who wore red; was it some kind of fashion statement or something? Why were the yellow and blue uniforms so popular? Even better, why were the boy's blue uniform blazers so fancy?

At least Syrus wore red, she noticed, facing front and finally spotting the boy in the front row. A slight lean to the left showed Jaden in a matching red blazer, head bowed and posture slumped, though she couldn't tell why from two rows behind them. They'd had a long flight... Maybe tired? Even if he'd slept through more than half of it, from what she could tell, skimming the rest of the group to find Bastion off to the other side in the row before her.

The screen finally flickered to life, the smiling face displayed one she instantly recognized from a picture in the lobby, prompting her to straighten up just a little more as his lips parted. “Good morning and welcome, my students! I'm Chancellor Sheppard, the headmaster here, and you are the best and brightest young duelists in the world.”

The sound of snoring caught her attention, the barest bit of a lean showing her a still slumped Jaden. Was... Was he actually asleep?!

“Now please, get yourselves settled in at your assigned dorms. I think you'll find them quite comfortable- Depending on how well you ranked, of course!” The laughter that followed had her pouting; what did he mean by 'ranked'? Whatever it was, the chancellor at least seemed kind, easing just a few more of her nerves. “Remember to pick up your PDAs on your way out, as well. They'll be your lifeline- You don't want to lose that!”

The dismissal right after was brief before the feed cut out, Aoi taking the chance to rub her temples while Syrus nudged at Jaden's side. These were her classmates... Confusing ones, too, given Jaden's ability to bolt by her at a dead run within just seconds of waking and being told what to do next. Still, it was hard not to smile, turning on her heel to follow after him once Syrus had passed by, too. Definitely wouldn't be routine schooling with them around, that was for sure.

The steps up to the doors would take some getting used to, reminding her of the university classrooms her father had told her about. For a moment, she caught herself wondering what his university had been like; was it as strict as Duel Academy? Uniforms? Where was it? She'd have to ask the next time they spoke, barely hearing the aide outside the classroom door ask for her name before handing her a PDA.

The bit of electronics had a decent weight in her hand, feeling much like the portable game console she'd packed away in one of her suitcases. Silvery grey in color, it had a stylus tucked into a slot at the top and a clear plastic panel serving as a cover. A cover she wouldn't open until she'd found her way out the school's front doors, either, not wanting to get lost on her first day.

Figuring out the menus meant she barely cast Bastion a glance when he passed by, slowly working out where to find her dorm assignment. Slifer Red... It explained the red of her uniform, at least, but then why was Bastion in yellow? Or the other kids in blue? Or Syrus sitting against one of the decorative stone carvings of duel monsters- Wait. If he was there, she doubted Jaden was far behind, though she could still muster her courage and try asking him for an explanation.

“Well now, let's see here... Yellow sleeves, yellow buttons... I don't think so,” Bastion remarked, his voice stopping her in her tracks. From where she stood, she could see a leg shift into view from the other side of the stone, clad in light grey pants; how had she known Jaden wouldn't be far from Syrus?

“So what?! Ever think I'm colorblind?”

“Well no, actually, I didn't. Are you colorblind?”

“Haha- Nah, but I couldda been.”

Yet again, she felt the need to rub her temples, barely managing to hide a smile. It figured that the bright sun that seemed to be Jaden couldn't stay irritated for long, waving at Bastion's back as he started to walk away. But his sense of humor... Cheesy, silly and something else all wrapped into one, she wasn't sure if she should laugh or groan, and instead turned her attention back to her PDA... Until the yellow clad male jerked a thumb over his shoulder, commenting on the direction their dorm was in.

So colors meant different buildings... That figured, too, though she had no interest in following the boys just yet. The deck case shoved underneath the back of her shirt had been digging into her skin since before the introduction, and all she wanted was to get her bag and stick it back in there until a better solution came up.

But a step down the walkway with her eyes still pinned on the PDA, searching for where her bag would be, came with very nearly colliding with another. Barely catching a glimpse of blue, she forced herself to a sudden stop, head lifting to find herself far too close and face to face with a raven-haired male flanked by two other students. Her surprise lasted for all of a moment before the defensive feeling jumped into its place, the red-clad teen quick to back off and put some space between them. “Watch where y' goin'. Or d' y' always run int' distracted girls?”

She hadn't meant to snap, but with the way he smirked, she had a feeling it didn't matter. “Look here, fresh Slacker meat, fresh off the boat. Get over yourself- If you think I even care about touching a Slifer Slacker, you've got another thing comin'.”

“Cocky. Mama raised y' real polite, huh?”

“I didn't say you could speak to me!”

“Didn't hafta. As long as I can move m' lips an' produce a sound, y' can deal with m'. N' why don't y' get over yourself?”

Dark eyes narrowed, his smirk going from cocky and sarcastic to downright furious. If he was trying to hide it, it wasn't working, she wanted to note, retreating into her own defensive 'shell' and readying herself for another onslaught of 'insults'. This was the kind of person she didn't really mind snarking at, especially when he snapped back and added fuel to the fire – reasons why she couldn't stand strangers.

“You've got a big mouth for a nothing. You wanna try that again?” His arms lifted, crossing over his chest. “Not worth my time.”

She could say the same for him, though bit her tongue on that one, grip tightening on her PDA. “Jerk-”

“Awww, is the widdle red upset? Gonna go cry to mommy 'cause the better man won?”

“At least m' hair doesn't look like a buzzsaw.”

His friends were on him in a heartbeat, holding him back and pleading with 'the Chazz' to take it easy as his insults in return became nothing more than a sputtering, angry mess. Taking that as her cue, Aoi stuck her tongue out, making a mental note of the name they were calling him and ducking around the three to flee. She'd thought things would be crazy with just Jaden... To be fair, though, if she never saw Chazz again, it'd be too soon!

Finally locating the pile of bags with the aid of the device in her hand, the new Slifer gabbed hers up and headed in the direction Bastion had earlier pointed out. The walk was quiet, at least once she'd left the main campus, and finally gave her a chance to breathe. So much had happened already, and it'd only been a few hours... Duel Academy was already nothing like she'd imagined it.

Tucking the PDA into her bag's front pocket beside her book, she slung it over her shoulder, studying the scenery around her. The island really was beautiful... She'd honestly thought the school would be somewhere else, accessible by car, or walking, and definitely not as colorful as it was. Instead, she got a sea of students in yellow, blue, and red, an island with the most mild weather ever for the middle of October, and a lot of red clothing coming her way, no doubt.

But it wasn't that bad, especially if she ignored Chazz. The Chancellor seemed nice, as did many of the staff members she'd either met or passed by already. And being a Slifer Red meant she'd be sharing a dorm with a kid who honestly reminded her of the sun rising in the morning, eager and bright and lighting up everything around him. Every time she thought he'd be somewhere else and unseen for the rest of the year, he kept getting placed right back in her path... And she wasn't really willing to fight it anymore. Besides, he made her smile – And nobody said they needed to be friends, after all.

Lost in her thoughts, the dorm came up faster than she'd expected for such a long walk, though the building was anything but what she'd though of. Bearing the red roof she'd seen from the harbor, she could spot every instance of peeling paint from where she stood, the entire exterior worn and in desperate need of a bit of TLC. “Kindda looks like a treehouse someone forgot 'bout,” she muttered, pulling her bag around her just long enough to check her PDA for her room number. Maybe it looked better on the inside...

Quickly realizing her room was on the second level, she took the steps two at a time, even pausing when one gave a creak darker and deeper than just being an old, creaky staircase. No wonder there were so few of them that she'd seen; nobody else would want to live in a place like this!

Thankfully, the steps held out without a problem, leaving her to make her way past two doors. The middle room, huh... Not a problem, though the doorknob squeaked a little when she turned it, a match for the equally as vocal door the second it started moving. 'A bit of TLC' might've been an understatement if even the doors complained.

The scent of nail polish hit her nose first and foremost,a familiar smell that gave rise to a pang of homesickness. She'd always loved it when her mother had helped her with her nails, making a big 'manicure day' of it, though she doubted what was going on was anything like that. And when a pair of blue eyes glanced up at her from one of the three connected desks lining the right wall, that thought was proven absolutely true.

She'd not expected roommates, though that had been stupid on her part. The other girl seemed harmless enough; light, almost ashy blonde hair pulled back into a high ponytail, pale skin, watching her while blowing on her nails.. Oh yeah. Definitely harmless, but it still wouldn't lower her urge to be defensive, anyway. “Sorry. Shouldda knocked- I'm y' roommate.”

The girl simply blew on her nails once more before leaning back in her chair. “Hey Mia, the third bunk's getting filled up after all.”

A second girl stuck her head around the ladder from the bottom bunk faster than anything, Aoi biting her tongue to keep from laughing at the thought of her as a meerkat, popping up out of nowhere-

“...6. Dated hairstyle, nails aren't done, uniform's not showing off enough.”

Though it was a desire that quickly faded, expression falling. Really? They were rating her appearance? Was this beauty school or Duel Academy? “...I'm fine jus' th' way I am, thanks. Name's Aoi.”

Mia crawled out from her bunk, tugging at her uniform once she was on her feet to fix what Aoi could only imagine were imaginary wrinkles. The only creases visible were from the fabric being folded, considering her own still bore the same. “I'm Mia, she's Kassidy.” She waved a hand at the blonde now blowing on the nails of her other hand, using the first to give a half-hearted attempt of a wave. “The middle bunk's open. You can have that one... Do you really wear your hair in pigtails like that all the time?”

She swallowed the urge to ask if Mia kept her auburn hair tied up in curlers all night for the light wave and curls she had going on like her grandmother usually did, choosing instead to close the door behind her and remove her backpack from her shoulder. “Mhm. I like m' pigtails,” she managed out, kicking off her boots and stepping fully into the room. It wasn't all that large, the beds and desks taking up most of the space, but it'd be enough for the three of them to live comfortably and not be constantly running into each other, at least.

Shoving her bag onto the middle bunk, she looked back to the door, ignoring the quick flash of by now familiar brunette hair passing by its small window. They had a sink and small stove, already decked out with a kettle and one cup, though she assumed there'd be more in the cabinets underneath. The doors to the right of it had been opened, too, one side containing a closet, complete with small drawers and just barely enough room for her clothes among those already hung up, the other nothing more than a toilet. At least they didn't need an outhouse for a middle of the night 'nature' run...

Only then did she realize Mia'd lost interest in her, turning to find the petite and pretty girl leaning against one of the desks, watching Kassidy carefully brush a layer of clear over her nails. “Did you see that Obelisk boy earlier? I think his name was Hideki...”

“The black haired one by the big tree? C'mon, Mia, everyone saw him. He's absolutely dreamy – nobody would want to look away. I didn't.”

“I wouldn't mind even five minutes alone with him~! I hear his father owns his own company. Cute and rich!”

By the time they'd both looked back to her, Aoi had taken to simply staring at them with a blank look. Just the thought of going on a date was unsettling... Not as much as actually being that close to a guy for 'fluffy' reasons, but unsettling all the same.

“What about you, Aoi? Anyone here catch your eye yet~?”

The question snapped her from her daze, unable to stop a slight shudder. “N' way. N' interested in a romance. I'm here t' duel, n' get close t' boys.” Lifting the back of her shirt some, she slipped her deck case out from where it'd been pressed into her back. If they wanted boys, that was their thing, but she had more important things to worry about.

“Oh, c'mon. There's gotta be someone. This island's filled with cute boys! So many dates to be had!”

Another shudder slipped free, though she covered that one with pulling a belt from her backpack and loosely wrapping it around her hips. The case slipped onto it, thin belt sliding through the loop on the back, and in no more than a few seconds, she had the buckle done up and case pushed behind her, where it belonged. Having her deck just made things feel a little.. Better, kindda. “Why d' I hafta b' interested? I'm n'. I'm workin' towards bein' a duelist.”

Thankfully, the girls shared a glance and a shrug just as she spotted her suitcases near the closet. Another quick root through her bag produced a small music player and earbuds, quick to pop the headphones into her ears and hit first the power button, then play. Her PDA had made mention of a welcome dinner for the dorm, but it wasn't for another two hours- just enough time to get unpacked and ignore the conversation at hand!

Or rather, enough time for her to completely forget the meaning of unpacking,one of two suitcases done while the second lay on the floor,half unpacked and the remaining contents a complete mess. Armed with a needle and thread from a travel sewing kit, Aoi had taken instead to cutting off the sleeves of the blazer left for her as promised, carefully hemming the arm holes to make a vest from it. She'd brought three sweatshirts of her own; it wasn't like she'd be cold.

A pair of black boots sat beside her while she worked, red magic marker resting on top of them while the freshly colored tongues dried. This idea would probably get her into trouble, but if Jaden could wear a t-shirt and light grey jeans with an open blazer when everyone else was mostly uniform with turtlenecks and dark pants, why couldn't she change up her uniform, too? As long as she wore her dorm's color, what was the problem? She had the sewing skills; it wasn't like she was going to look horrible with it!

She'd barely finished one arm hole when Kassidy plucked one of the small purple buds from her ear. “Hey. That dumb welcome dinner's starting in a few minutes. You coming?”

A glance at her PDA and the window said the other was right; the sun had nearly set in her distraction, 7 in the evening no more than a couple minutes away. And there was no way she was missing dinner when none of her group on the helicopter had gotten lunch, either, though she did lean away from Kassidy once she realized how close the other teen was. “Er.. Yeah. Never had lunch...”

“Great way to work on your figure-”

“N' really.” Setting aside her work, Aoi forced herself to her feet, ignoring the aches of having sat in one position for far too long. She'd had the perfect platform to work on between her lap and suitcase, though instantly regretted it on the first step towards her red boots by the door. “I'm starvin'. Wonder how th' food is.”

Her roommate shrugged. “Dunno. Didn't want to try it for lunch. I've been here since this morning- Mia was here sooner. Went ahead, too.”

That explained why they were the only ones in the room, at least. Her boots were a quick slip on, and in less than 30 seconds she'd gotten the creaking door open and body back outside. The weather had cooled with the setting sun, albeit it to just barely a chill. Compared to the already freezing weather back home, this was paradise!

But Kassidy didn't seem to think the same, crossing her arms over her chest and making a grand show of shivering once she was outside. “I'm gonna g' ahead,” she managed out, quickly making her way down the balcony and connected stairs, lest the blonde notice the incredibly hard roll of her eyes she couldn't hold back. The school was worth dealing with her boy-crazy roommates.

Spotting several boys headed to the other side of the relatively small dorm, she followed after, not at all surprised to find their cafeteria set against the main building. But that said nothing for the shock of finding it to be hardly larger than two or three of the dorm rooms put together, tables pressed to the walls to make two rows with four stools to each, two on each side and a tray for each seat. It was crowded, for sure, but so long as nobody touched her, she could deal with it, just like everything else.

Grabbing the first seat she saw, she cast a smile to the three boys already at her table, careful to adjust her skirt so it wouldn't ride up. There was no way she was wearing that thing for an entire year-! Though... On a quick look around, there were only three girls aside from herself and her roommates, the rest of the small group made up of boys making faces at the trays set out. Not surprising; dueling had always been ruled by men, even she knew that... Though she'd never seen anyone make a face at their food-

Or lack thereof, she realized, finally looking down to her own tray. 'Meager' didn't begin to explain the few small fish and rice, and.. What even was that with it? This was their welcome dinner?

“Check out our headmaster- It's a cat!”

She snorted, leaning towards the table and propping her head up on her hand, elbow set by her tray. “Story of m' life... An' definitely par f' th' course.” Figured her bad luck would follow her to the academy... “B' th' cat's cute.”

The boy sitting across from her matched her snort with one of his own, waving a hand. “'Least we won't have much homework,” he joked, winning a grin from the pigtailed teen before the the kitchen emptied itself, admitting a new, far older face to the room with a broad smile.

“Hello, children! I'm Professor Banner. Now, before we eat, I'd like you each to tell us something about your-”

“Mm, this stuff's good!”

Aoi sighed, turning on her stool for a glimpse of Jaden several tables back, already shoving food in his face. Somehow, she'd expected that, stifling a giggle with a lightly clenched fist. If the one thing he had to say about himself was that he was starving on Syrus's note, then she knew all she needed to about the brunette!

It was even harder to hide her giggles as Banner passed by, resorting to biting her finger to hopefully stop them. But it was the announcement they could just dig in that finally broke her, the student's silence further broken by her own quick cry of “finally!” and Jaden's resulting laugh as she grabbed a fish to shove in her mouth. The stares from the boys around her did little in the way of bothering her; how could they when they finally had food!? And good food, to boot!

Maybe this academy wouldn't be so bad after all!

#By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat #starisia #kiibx #blackthvnder #Elementshipping #Pom Does Nano #Part four #These parts are long? @w@' Sorry for that #But another 'hey this is what happened during timeskips in episode 2' part #More of the introduction ceremony that wasn't- XD #And some new 'friends' >w>#ENTER THE CHAZZ-#And Aoi's roommates XD

0 notes