//------------------------------//
// Let's Have a Battle (Aria Blaze X Lightning Dust) 
// Story: Paul's Friendship Collection 
// by PaulAsaran 
//------------------------------//

The punch had Aria reeling, despite her rolling from it. Her opponent was tough and skilled, to be sure.

That didn't hold a candle to a thousand years of raw experience; her retaliatory strike sent the blonde to the dirt. Spitting blood, Aria straddled her, forearm against throat and fist pulled back. She didn't throw the punch. She might had her foe resisted, but the teen merely lay on the ground, eye starting to swell and blood dribbling from her mouth.

Aria wasn't much better. Her ribs ached from the few kicks that had landed and she was pretty sure blood was seeping from the back of her skull. Both of them were covered in dust from the abandoned construction site, breathing hard in the autumn twilight. Aria's fist clenched, the leather of her glove creaking from the pressure. The scratches on her arm burned.

Her opponent blinked at her in a daze, then grinned. "Damn, girl. You really know how to throw a punch." She shifted her head and neck, but didn't try to get away. "Alright, you got my attention. Wanna tell me why you came at me like a banshee out of nowhere?"

The fist didn't relax. It wasn't thrown either. "Listen up, jerkwad," Aria growled. "You want to be a bully, you be a bully. But you stay away from my sister, or we'll be doing this again."

The girl blinked some more, smile replaced by bewilderment. "Who's your sister?"

Aria grit her sore teeth. She tasted copper. "Sonata. You mess with her, you mess with me. Got it?"

The prone teen's good eye rolled up as she thought. "Sonata? Sonata. Oh! The blue girl with the ponytail, who started bawling just because I—" Aria tensed. "Okay, okay! Yeesh, sorry. Anyone else off limits?"

Aria briefly considered naming Adagio, but quickly concluded she was more than capable of taking care of herself. She stood and backed away, finally allowing her fingers to relax. "No, that's it." She turned and limped for the road.

"Hey. Hey, wait, I'm talking here!"

Aria turned. Leather creaked again.

The teenager sat up and rubbed blood from her chin. "I've seen you around. You're every bit the bully I am. Gotta admire someone who takes as much as she gives." She grinned, teeth stained pink. "I'm Lightning Dust. We don't gotta be enemies." Lightning climbed to her feet with a pained grunt, made a failed attempt to brush the dust off, and offered a hand. "Respect. Wanna retry that introduction? Without the fists?"

"You made my sister cry."

"And now I know she's off limits." Lightning waggled her hand in offering.

Arms crossed, Aria stared at the hand. Then at Lightning's bloody grin. With a scowl, she turned away. "I'll think about it."

"Cool, I get it. You do that. Catch you later... uh, what was your name again?"

Aria saw no reason to answer. Rubbing the back of her sticky head, she found herself smiling. She had no idea why.