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toastnekohime · 7 years ago

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By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat

Part three 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!

Days quickly turned into weeks, flying by faster than it ever had before. It felt like she'd barely blinked by the time she was on what turned out to be an oversized and somewhat luxurious helicopter rather than a plane, unable to do much more than fidget in her seat. It didn't help she was surrounded by boys – had she been the only girl to pass in the Domino entrance exams? - but so long as they kept to themselves, most of them just as excited and happy to look out the window, she could bury her unease at having any of them so close and try to focus on a book she'd brought with her.

Within an hour, it was becoming more and more clear she couldn't keep her mind on the pages, quickly realizing she'd read the same panel of her comic at least five times over by then. Reading anything aside from a comic book or an action-based novel had always been difficult and boring, but the excitement now kept her from even that... All around her, boys chattered away, occasionally leaning over to look out the window at the ocean below, at one point a pointed out school of dolphins catching everyone's attention. Focusing on anything was going to be difficult, anyway.

Setting the book down on her uniform skirt covered knee, Aoi glanced around at the others in the helicopter with her. Wearing all different sorts of uniforms, they seemingly came from places even outside Domino City, one of the boys she could see from her seat even wearing the uniform of Dice City, half an hour from her hometown by train. Many of the likely came from duel prep schools, others wearing the uniform of her own school, Jaden in his black uniform, another in blue-

Jaden?

Green-blue eyes focused on the bit she could see of the other teen several rows across and in front of her, nudging and joking with whoever sat beside him. He'd won his duel... Then the cheering she'd heard that day... He'd won? Well, obviously, if he was there, but still! How could he have won? And the better question, why was she smiling at seeing him?

'It's because he's so excitable, that's all.' The thought was a quick one, but likely right, too. While most of the soon to be students around her were excited, he still displayed the incredible enthusiasm and upbeat attitude he'd had at the exam, occasionally leaning into the aisle while seeming to be play 'fighting' with the boy that had the window seat. Even she had to admit, someone like him was a breath of fresh air among so many 'polite' teens.

But as the hours wore on, excitement turned to boredom, the Yuki boy even stopping his horsing around and relaxing, if the sight of black clad elbows poking up over the top of his seat was any indication. The boy beside her had taken to staring out the window at the horizon, head propped up in his hand, while Bastion, whom she'd noticed just a short time earlier, still seemed the same cool, calm, and collected guy he'd been right along. And she'd lost any and all interest in her book, still on the same page as she sighed and closed it, setting it down on her lap. They could've offered an in-flight movie or something... Was it so much to ask they didn't bore them to death before-

“Hey, check it out!”

The cry from somewhere in the cabin was all it took for nearly everyone to lean in close to the windows, trying to get a glimpse of the island quickly coming closer. Even Aoi, for all her dislike of strangers, pulled herself up from her seat, leaning over the kid next to her for a better look. Covered in trees with one of the largest buildings she'd ever seen, it almost looked like a tropical paradise rather than an island, sunlight glinting off the dome-shaped roof of the central building.

“Attention new Duel Academy students. If you look outside your windows, you'll see your new home away from home.”

The pilot's voice barely registered in her head, surprise blending with a new wave of excitement. That was Duel Academy?! They'd be staying on an island like that for the next three years of their lives?! It was all she could do to drop back into her seat and stare at the headrest in front of her; they got to live on a tropical paradise and go to school there, and- And-!

“Now now, I know you're excited, but don't shove. Quite a sight, eh? Now then, fasten your seat belts and set your seats back to an upright position- We're going in to land. Next stop: Academy Island.”

Suddenly shaking hands shoved her book behind her back before tightening her seat belt, having been loosened hours earlier for the sake of comfort. A glance ahead told her Jaden hadn't moved, elbows still poking up from his seat; wasn't he excited, too? They'd finally arrived and he was sleeping? He wasn't just easily excitable, he was insane!

With her seat belt done up once more and seat checked to make sure it was fully upright, Aoi pulled her book back out and hugged it to her chest. Every little turn of the copter took her stomach with it, a sudden rush of nerves released a flood of butterflies. She'd been so happy when they'd left Domino, but to be descending to land on the island for real... It was still exciting, but she couldn't help but worry on what life would be like once they arrived. There was so much bound to start happening the moment they landed, and for the first time, she couldn't even begin to imagine how it'd go despite daydreaming dozens of different scenarios for weeks. And-

...Was that a volcano?

The sight of smoke as they turned a bit more caught her attention, wide eyes following it from her window to those of the boys on the other side. An active- This school sat at the base of an active volcano?! Were they insane?!

In all her wonder, she hadn't even noticed those elbows vanishing from sight until they were long gone, wriggling boy giving her the briefest glimpse of dual-toned brown hair. He was awake... And they were seconds from landing, the raven swallowing hard. She had enough to worry about without Jaden and those monsters of his constantly creeping back into her mind. With her luck, they'd likely never see each other during the year, anyway.

The helicopter gave an metallic creak as it touched down, the blades above them slowing their rotation until the noise ceased to exist. With the pilot's announcement it was safe, the click of multiple seat belts being undone echoed through the cabin along with eager chatter, doors opening just a moment later. Unsurprisingly, Jaden was the first to launch himself from his seat and all but fly outside, leaving Aoi to slowly rise from her seat and snort. If she saw him at all during the year, he certainly promised to make it interesting.

She shrugged out of her sweatshirt and slipped out after Bastion, tying the thick fabric around her waist. Perfect timing, too; Academy Island definitely lived up to its 'tropical' appearance, relatively mild weather greeting them once they'd stepped off their ride. It was even more beautiful now that she had her feet on solid ground, breaking into a wide grin and slipping past the calm male to spin around and get a better look at their new home.

The helipad they stood on seemed to be on top of another building, albeit one fairly short, in the midst of a harbor. Up a little higher on the horizon, she could see a building with a red roof, the harbor and sea to the right, even the giant domed roof peeking out from the treeline, a pointed column poking up with it... The view this island had was amazing, and while she suspected she'd soon grow used to the sight, for now it was one of the best things she'd ever seen!

But it was the sound of someone clearing their throat that caught her attention next, spinning stopping in favor of looking in the direction of the sound. All around her, whispers started up once more at the mere sight of one of the examiners from the entrance exams, looking between them and a clipboard in hand; was he really a teacher? Couldn't be... Could he?

“My name is Lioside, and I'm part of the staff here at Duel Academy.” Just like at the exams, nobody could see his eyes, Aoi's glance to the side meeting the honey colored gaze of Jaden for but a second. Somehow, she knew he was thinking the same thing she was; did they ever take those sunglasses off, or were they permenantly attached to his face? “When I call your name, you're to get your bag and go inside. Once there, you'll be given your uniform to change into – leave your belongings with the staff there. You'll see them again after your introduction ceremony.”

She had to take a slow, deep breath to calm her nerves. They'd not been on the island for even half an hour, and things were already underway, names called at a relatively quick pace and boys disappearing behind the door to the staircase leading inside. No doubt they'd have more of the uniform given to them later, but for now, she had to focus on keeping herself relaxed. It'd do nobody any good if she let her emotions have control.

“Syrus Truesdale.”

Jaden's laugh once more had her looking in his direction, the small bluenette that'd been with him at the entrance exam nearly tripping over his feet with the shoulder pat he was given. Syrus... He looked even more nervous than she felt, every few, uneasy steps coming with a bit of a stumble until he, too, vanished behind the door with a more than audiable gulp.

“Bastion Misawa.”

It was only minutes before Bastion nodded behind her, meeting her gaze when she turned to watch him go. From what she'd heard among the chatter during their flight, he'd gotten the highest score on the exams, the lifting of his bag coming along with the sound of books moving about inside. A studious type, huh? At some point, she wanted to know how he could read a normal book without falling asleep, though for the moment let him go in silence.

“Jaden Yuki.”

“Heh- Thought I'd never get called!”

Holding her book behind her back with both hands, Aoi turned to look at the grinning boy. There was just something so bright about him, be it his enthusiasm or smile... Or even just simply in the little chuckle he let out on grabbing his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. Where she and the remaining boys seemed and looked tense with nerves, he was the perfect picture of a little kid on a vacation to a theme park, leisurely making his way across the helipad.

Or he could've lost his mind during the flight, she reminded herself, fingertips digging into her book. As soon as he'd hidden away behind the door like all the others, she couldn't help but forcibly remind herself of just how big the island was with a quick glance around. If she saw him again, she doubted it'd be from much more than a distance, and that was fine by her. Doubly so if she never had to get too close to any of these boys again.

“Aoi Sakazaki.”

The minutes had almost seemed to drag on after Jaden's departure, so to hear her name was a relief. So few of them remained on the roof, but at least she'd be able to leave, crossing over to pull her backpack from the remaining bags, shoving her book into the unzipped front pocket. The moment she'd gotten it on her shoulder, she nodded to Lioside, quickly passing him for the door and, ultimately, the staircase behind it.

Finally alone in the stairwell, Aoi heaved a sigh of relief; why was it keeping herself together was so much harder right now? She could deal with strangers, but... Maybe it was knowing she was likely hundreds of miles from home and dealing with everything utterly alone that was doing it. As it was, she had to stop after a single step and compose herself, lest her knees shake more than they already were and send her crashing down the dimly lit flight of steps. She was a 15 year old Domino native, one of the more famous cities thanks to Yugi Motou. If she could survive Domino, she could survive boarding school.

Thankfully, her knees held at least somewhat strong, letting her down the steps without incident. A right turn from there led into a large garage, sectioned off into booths by metal racks and curtains, with a long table close to the stairwell holding more boxes and papers than she'd ever seen. Somewhere behind those boxes sat several staff members, both male and female, in varying versions and colors of the same uniform Lioside had been wearing, some filling out paperwork while others sorted through boxes and others yet set the bags the student had brought in off to the side.

Tearing her gaze away from the sight of Jaden's bag, she stepped up to the table, forcing her best smile. “I was called in- Aoi Sakazaki?”

One of the women pushed a paper across the table, other hand holding out a pen, with a matching smile “Just sign here, dear. We'll be giving you your first set of your uniform here to change into, and the rest will be sent to your dorm room. Aside from the girl's uniform, you'll also get a single one of the boy's blazers, to cover up in cooler weather.”

“S'... It's gonna b' sleeveless?” she questioned, plucking the pen from her hand and leaning over to sign. If the sleeveless top the elder wore was anything like the uniform the girls got, then she could see why they'd cave and just offer the girls a blazer, too.

“It is, yes. Sometimes things get drafty, and we had extras of the blazers this year. If we don't use them, they get stored away until someone in the right size comes along. We thought it best to go this route, instead.”

Made even more sense, she figured. It cost money to make clothes, and if they couldn't be put to use, wasn't that just a waste of the school's funds? She'd studied enough fashion in her down time to know that much, sliding the paper back. “If it's drafty at night, n' doubt it's gonna g' t' good use, s'... All signed.”

“Ah, good. If you'll leave your bag here, Miss Sakazaki, we'll make sure it's safe until after the ceremony and you can change in one of our booths here.” With the paper collected and slipped into a folder, the woman lifted a bag from a box on the floor beside her, holding it out. All it took was a brief glance to find 'A. Sakazaki' on a label attached to the bag; so this was why they'd wanted clothing sizes at registration!

Trading her own backpack for it, she bowed her head in thanks and ducked into the closest booth. They'd a least left a chair and mirror in there, though otherwise, the curtains did little to make it feel like anything less than a garage. And as she untied the sweatshirt from around her waist, she swore she could smell oil, albeit incredibly faintly. They'd tried to clean it up, it seemed, and she could at least appreciate the effort.

Unbuttoning her old uniform's blouse, she tugged open the plastic bag. Red and white fabric greeted her upon peeking; it wasn't purple or navy or even plum, like those of most of the faculty they'd seen, but at least it was something. And the top was white, to boot, set aside so she could tug off her knee-length skirt with one hand and pull out the folded bit of red, next.

Red that made her nose scrunch up in distaste, too. The skirt seemed short when she unfolded it, holding it up in front of her. Well... At least it wasn't the pleated mess she would've had at Domino High, a mental reminder that nudged her into putting the skirt on. A bad choice, since it seemed even shorter on than it had in her hands, but if this was the uniform, what could she do?

A minute later, she'd pulled on and zipped up the top as well, fastening the button on the collar with a sigh. She'd have to find a shirt she could work with later to wear under it... The fit wasn't bad, almost seeming to be tailored to fit her body just right while hugging each and every curve. For the first time, she was glad she was relatively thin, glancing over herself in the mirror; the size was still just a bit big on her, keeping the fabric from being too clingy and too irritating, though she still hated the feeling of the cotton against her torso. Who'd thought the snug fit look was a good idea, anyway?

At the least the colors were nice shades, red skirt falling no longer than mid-thighs, offset by a white sleeveless top she figured could've been a vest with few minor edits. The buttons on the wide red bands around the neckline and the bottom of the top would ensure it wouldn't come open, at least, finally steady fingers tracing the red lines running a good quarter of the way down her chest before moving inward to meet at the middle. Had to be her favorite part, honestly, though it didn't make up for the skirt.

Another peek and reach into the bag produced a pair of red fingerless gloves and heeled short boots. Those she could come to like, the sneakers she'd been wearing kicked off and dropped into the bag with the rest of her old uniform. Just like her new outfit, the boots were a comfortable fit, the wide top folded over just below her calves. The gloves matched, running halfway up her forearm, though flaring out a quarter of the way from the top for a decorative design.

All in all, the look wasn't a bad one, Aoi decided, glancing into the mirror one last time and adjusting the ribbons serving as the ties in her pigtails. She hated the slightly snug fit and short skirt – it definitely wasn't her – but still not bad. And with everything perfect and the bag closed up with her old clothes inside and in hand, she stepped out of the booth, smiling to the woman who'd given her the bag in the first place. “What d' I d' with this?”

The woman quickly rose from her seat, walking around the table to take it from her. “It'll be sent to your dorm room, as well. Does the uniform fit all right?”

“Jus' barely t' big, b' it's roomy. Can't stand t' snug of a fit.”

“Ahh, good. Now if you'll take your deck and step out that door over there, you'll be escorted to your introduction ceremony.”

She tilted her head, looking to the pointed out door on the other side of the garage as she took her deck case from the woman. So that was the way out... Bowing her head again and ignoring the fact they'd had to remove the case from her bag themselves, she stepped away, trying her hardest to ignore the click of her heels against the floor. That was going to get really annoying, really fast. “Gotcha. Thank y'!” But it'd have to be ignored for the time being, raven jogging across the room to slip outside.

She'd barely gotten in a deep breath, loving the scent of the harbor in general, when another man in sunglasses approached. It took everything in her to not roll her eyes – What was with the examiners in this school and their sunglasses? And why were they all the exact same pair? “T' th' ceremony?”

Another step closer from him had her stepping back, making sure to keep him just out of touching range. She could force herself to deal with and even be nice to strangers, especially those who worked for her new school, but it didn't mean she had to let them close enough to touch, distracting her own hands with locating a spot on the waistband of the back of her skirt to awkwardly set her deck case. It was built for belts, not waistbands, though she was still able to secure it by tugging her top down over it, pressing the case into her back.

He seemed to understand, at least, giving a small nod of his head and a step back of his own. “My name is Dean, a proctor for the academy. May I be the first to say welcome to Duel Academy, ma'am. Now if you'll follow me, I'll take you to the school.”

Dean didn't give her a chance to reply, long, quick strides taking him away from the garage and helipad before she even knew what was going on. Everyone in this school seemed to be in such a rush-! “H-hey, wait up!” How was this the start of her time at the academy-?!

#By The Pulse Of A Heartbeat #kiibx #starisia #blackthvnder #Elementshipping #Part Three #Pom Does Nano #Kind of a long part #But welcome to the academy get your uniform?#Kindda technical stuff #And Jaden being an adorable Puppy XD #Like always~

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