(Jim/OC, Jesse/OC) Love doesn't really know the difference between "crush" and "true". Justifying the ends, the means of getting there tarnish what's left of a broken heart. Mending a heart that gives it the power to duel, one girl needs someone to be her hero, another wants to be the heroin of someone's story. Two hearts from two very different sides come together in a tag duel that can save the four of them.

(A/N: This is a story for yonie. As per her request, I've installed my OC so her OC can be my OC's friend..... sort of..... GRAWR!!!! read on, readers, read on.....)

She felt a branch whip her across the face, almost digging out her nose piercing. She twisted away from an on-coming tree and her hair ripped passed her eyes, almost obscuring her vision. The flashes of red almost made her stumble, but she grabbed a tree's trunk and spun around, making a quick left turn.

Her black gloves knocked off the bark on the tree as her breath started to resonate off other trees.

She crossed her arms before her and vaulted through a thicket and into a grove again. These blasted trees were making it hard for her to know which way was "out" from this tangled, estranged thing called "a forest" that surrounded the academy she was supposed to be "attending" for these two semesters. She was frustrated now and slowed to a walk.

The sunlight hit her.

A halo of strawberry glowed about her head, dashed by gold in places. Her make-up had been slightly smudged from the sweat and her blue eyes looked back the way she'd come. Her duel disk was in her hand, rather than her arm. She started backing up, rather than running forward. If they came back, she'd have to run them again. But the blasted BioBand made her seriously doubt she could duel properly.

With a hiss, she glowered at it. Until--

"Gyah!"

Another girl came flying from the left. She tumbled to a stop at the red-head's feet. Like the red-head, she wore a dark gray jacket that covered her from head to foot. Unlike the red-head, she wore her duel disk and her deck was in the appropriate slot.

Her hair was black with red bangs and maroon low-lights. Her eyes were amber colored and she had black eyeliner and eyeshadow. She was short, compared to the red-head. Her nails were black with little orange stars.

"What're you doing, Juanita?"

Juanita, the red-head, covered the black-hair's mouth. "Hush, or they'll hear you."

The black-haired girl pulled Juanita's hand away. "They didn't hear me when I broke a tree branch. They certainly didn't hear me when I screamed in pain."

"You're such a wimp."

"Meanie!"

"Shut it!" Juanita covered the other girl's mouth again. "Shut it, Alyse, or I'll strangle you're Adam's Apple out!"

Alyse didn't say anything after that, but she followed Juanita. The duo picked their way through the grove. They made it a few more miles in the "correct" direction. Juanita was about to say something, when the duo heard a loud crash nearby. It wasn't a falling tree, it was heavy falling footfalls.

"Viper," Juanita hissed. She ground her teeth together, looking for another way to split. "Run to the right and curve when you've gone twenty yards. We need to get out of this blasted forest, and soon."

Alyse shrugged. "I don't mind. But how long are we going to be lost in here?"

"Hopefully, if I'm not wrong, then I presume just for a few more hours." Juanita was looking for another bush to dig a pot hole into. She found the perfect one and dug her heel into the dirt, shoving dirt to the left and right. "Now, scat, I'll give you a head start. I'll meet you at the crossroads again. Hurry."

Alyse vanished through the trees. She didn't run like a monstrous Mountain Lion, like Juanita usually did. Alyse sprinted like an antelope through the trees, getting over branches and down logs. Alyse's feet made no sound after about twenty seconds, but her little mass took longer to vanish.

Juanita dug into her pocket and took out her deck. She counted her cards. That was her way of giving Alyse time to slow down and take a breather. After she was done, she tapped them back into a neat pile and stuck it back into her pocket. She touched the birch behind her and scratched her nails along it. It made scratches like the big cats of the wild. She crouched down slightly and launched into the trees.

After a few seconds of getting her bearings, Juanita took the left road. She pushed off the tree and rocketed to the ground. She rolled when she hit, but the momentum gave her a spring for her next kick off. As she ran, Juanita prayed Alyse wouldn't be lost this time. The zig-zag patter they were using was only good so long as neither was stopped.

So long as neither was stopped....

Alyse: YAY! i'm alive!
p3n-stroke: =____=;;
Juanita: *chokes author* YOU'RE MAKIN' ME A MARY-SUE!
p3n-stroke: *dies*
Alyse: who cares? it's only chap 1 =w=
Juanita: write me better!!
p3n-stroke: *shows picture of Jim* |3