#(the other day I bought a t-shirt from the m&s father's day collection because it said 'ace dad' on it and the idea of me | 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