Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Some people pitied Jaden Yuki. He was just a fourteen year old kid living alone in that huge apartment. His parents paid for everything, and as long as he stayed away from them they didn't care what he did. He hadn't seen his parents since he was seven, when they'd been scared of something they'd called his “powers”. What those were had never been specified. But ever since he'd apparently frightened them he'd been living alone and not spent much time around people.

His neighbors could certainly say the boy was a little odd. He was always running around and yelling like he had people over, but whenever they came to see what was going on he'd be alone and sitting quietly in a chair in the house, apparently having seen his guests off. No one ever saw anyone go in or out except Jaden himself, but he kept running around and yelling. They couldn't blame him though. He'd grown up all alone without his parents and he'd never really talked to anyone.

Now they all knew that Jaden was a nice enough boy, always willing to help out if asked and usually smiling. He was generally very lazy (or as he preferred to be called, laid back) about the things he was asked to do, but he got them done when they needed to be done. Other than his few peculiarities he'd never really seemed to be dangerous as his parents insisted. He sometimes practiced magic but it seemed utterly normal. In fact the boy seemed just average, or maybe he was lazy with his magic too. There was nothing at all to say that the boy wasn't just a normal teenage boy who lived without his parents and was a bored teenager.

Maybe he'd enter the workforce and be a perfectly average young man with a good life, and marry a pretty young thing and have his own perfectly average family. Surely the cure to his peculiarities would only be a little bit of company. However inside the apartment, during one of his strange rants at running around and yelling (which the neighbors now accepted as perfectly normal after so many years) it was clearly apparent that Jaden Yuki was not perfectly average or normal by any means. In fact, Jaden Yuki was also never truly alone.

It was four o' clock, and that meant that Jaden Yuki's Apartment was full of Duel Spirits, as usual. It wasn't unusual to see so many Duel Spirits, though having so many in one place was a little strange. People could also have Duel Spirits as Partners that lived their lives and fought their battles alongside their partners. However what was unusual was that though all these Spirits had come when Jaden had called them from the Spirit Realm, none of them were his Partner. In fact Jaden Yuki didn't even have a Partner, at least not yet. All of these Spirits were his Contractors, beings who had found they liked Jaden and agreed to come to him when called.

Usually Contractors were only called during a duel and used to help achieve victory, each with special stats and strengths that would help their Spell Caster in battle or use to fight themselves. However these creatures were all Jaden's great friends. Most of them were Elemental Heroes, though other strange creatures could be found wandering around, and some appeared to be fusions of other creatures found here. Those were ones that had to be summoned a very specific way, though his Spirit friends trusted him with it and let him do so then resummon them. There were dozens of them, and Jaden knew them all by name.

At the moment however he was chasing around a playful Wroughtweiler around. This creature appeared to be a mechanized dog with no eyes. It had a blue face bask and black body with blue markings covering him. It had fangs and odd joints that spoke of some machine he seemed to be made of, and he was very friendly. His effect was a very special and very useful one for Jaden. However the creature had once been used by another Spell Caster who had released him from the contract because they wanted to use more powerful monsters. Jaden on the other hand had picked up the creature as it had been mourning the loss of its previous master. Jaden didn't really duel anyway, so it didn't matter. The creature had warmed up to him considerably.

And now he had Jaden's tablet in his mouth, carrying it gently. Jaden fell to the floor laughing after lunging for it and missing, again. He had been trying to catch the creature for about ten minutes now, trying to grab his tablet away from the creature. He did need it eventually because he was supposed to contact his parents to let him know that he still wasn't dead. As much as they were afraid of him they still loved him, he guessed, and they kept tabs on him. However the Wroughtweiler just wagged his tail and let out a playful mechanical growl as he danced just out of reach of the boy's hands. He dropped into a play bow.

“Sparky I need that back,” Jaden cried, though not in an angry way.

“You'd better be faster then,” Sparky, the Wroughtweiler laughed in a machine like voice, making his face mask light up as he spoke. “You haven't told us whether or not you're going to go to that Duel Academy yet.”

Defeated, Jaden flopped down onto his back, making a few of the other Duel Spirits laugh. Some were already leaving for the day and wishing him luck for later. Others were going to stay a little while longer, mostly quiet creatures. These stayed for a few minutes more before they realized Jaden wasn't going to respond any time soon. He remained breathing on the floor and staring up at the ceiling with conflicted eyes.

Soon the only Spirit left in the apartment was Sparky, who walked over and gently dropped the tablet on the boy's chest. This got little reaction. The dog robot then turned in a circle and laid down by the boy's side, laying his head down on his chest. Jaden didn't talk for a while, just staring up at the plaster above his head. Did he want to join Duel Academy? Well his parents had wanted him to go. It was about as famous a place as you could get, and being in Domino City meant he would be going to THE Duel Academy. But it didn't sit right with him.

He'd always wanted to go as well, at least when he was a child. But that was before his dueling had gotten out of hand. He'd been great at it, and he and his Contractors had won Duel after Duel. However one day when he'd gotten angry everything had changed. He couldn't even remember why he had gotten angry. The next thing he knew there were a lot of people hurt and it had suddenly seemed to get really dark.

His old Contractors had left him then, too scared to talk about what had happened. His parents had been too scared to talk about it. Jaden couldn't remember what had happened either, only that it had happened. He had been reluctant to make Contracts with Spirits again, though they had assured him that they wouldn't be scared away. He didn't want to go to Duel Academy for that reason though, one single reason: He was scared to duel.

He was scared to figure out what secret lie inside himself. He was terrified to end up hurting people again and becoming the monster that had changed his entire life in the first place. It was this that made him stare silently at the ceiling. His Contractors had urged him to go, to face his fear and no longer be controlled by it. However that didn't make it easy.

Sparky said nothing as he laid their beside the boy, just laying there. He let his head rest on the boy's chest as he felt him breathe, up and down. It had always somehow amazed the creature. He never breathed, and he was cold to the touch. He could sense hot and cold, but he was never really either. Jaden felt warm to him, full of life, and he could detect that he was strong as well. There was nothing physically wrong with the boy. But there was something wrong with him mentally.

Sparky had been programed to act like a dog, and to be playful. In a way he was Jaden's pet. He was attentive and kind to him, and he often showed up without being called to stay by Jaden's side, though he was by no means his Partner. Even Sparky could sense that something else was his Partner, something far more powerful. However certain Contractors could often become like pets, as he was. Many people had these Pets with them, and they were simply referred to as that. They came and went as they pleased but often kept their humans company.

Sparky knew that there was a shadow in the boy's mind, though even he had never really been told too much what that shadow was. The boy was agonizing over the choice however. He didn't want to let his friends down, and they just wanted him to stop being so lazy and be more like the person that they knew he could be. They wanted him to excel like they knew he could. But they also understood how utterly terrified the boy was of facing whatever it was that was inside of him.

For many years Jaden had kept it hidden. He hadn't spoke of it, and no one outside of his family and his friends who had been hurt knew. None of them were really his friends now, and he couldn't blame them. They stayed as far away from him as possible. His family did as well. He was never alone, but he suddenly felt alone. What did they know of how much a freak he was? He didn't want to have this power.

He felt a mechanical tongue pass over his face. It wasn't wet, seeing how Sparky wasn't actually a dog or really a living thing for that matter. But he gave the creature a smile none the less. No he couldn't really say he was lonely. He had his friends, who had known him for years and never betrayed him. He reached up and ran his hand over the strange creature's head, who wagged his tail at him. He let out a sigh and sat up, and then Jaden smiled.

“I suppose I should tell my parents I'm alright then,” he said. “Since you gave my tablet back. Then how about we go for a walk okay? You haven't gone out with me much before.”

Sparky let his metal tongue hang out and wagged his tail as he sat up, silently watching the boy. He was glad that he was in a much better mood now, or at least distracted from those dark thoughts. The boy was usual in a pretty good mood, so it was no surprise there really. He could be in a bad mood and quickly cheered up. He was laid back yes, but he was the kind of person that could bring someone else out of their bad mood quickly just by being as goofy as he usually was.

The boy quickly pulled up the email page and typed out a note to his parents telling them that he was alright as usual. He then also paused and gave a quick inquiry about their health and how his little sister was doing. His parents had left him alone and had another child. He'd never met her, but she'd be around five now. He supposed it was better for Julia to grow up away from her strange older brother, but he still couldn't help but be curious. Even if he never met the child, he wanted to know about her. He couldn't help but be curious. Before he could change his mind he made himself hit the send button. They'd told him about her before but they'd never really breached the subject.

With that done he tossed his tablet carelessly onto the couch. He supposed that was enough damage for one day. He quickly stood and ran to the mirror to make sure he was presentable. He had brown hair that was cut short and two shades. It was darker on bottom and lighter on top. He also had brown eyes. He was about average height for his age, nothing too fancy to look at. Though he could smile act happy enough, he just looked average. He was anything but average though. He was wearing a simple gray jacket and jeans, nothing fancy. He supposed he was presentable enough. He never really worried much about his appearance.

“You coming Sparky?” He called as he grabbed his keys and shoved them into his jeans pocket, heading right for the door. His answer was nearly being knocked over by an excited Wroughtweiler running past him to the door.

Jaden smiled and shook his head after him and followed him to the door. Sparky dashed out quickly and waited kind of impatiently as the boy followed him out and locked the door. Across the hall one of Jaden's neighbors, an old lady who was also coming out of her house to go shopping paused as she saw the boy and the strange Duel Spirit.

“Hello Mrs. Jenkins,” Jaden called cheerfully.

“Hello Jaden,” she replied as Sparky bounded up to her and wagged his tail as she patted him. “Is this your Partner?”

“No he's my Pet,” Jaden replied with a laugh. “This is Sparky. He keeps me company some times, so I thought I'd let him come with me for a walk.”

“Good to see you getting along so well,” Mrs. Jenkins said with a smile. “It's not good to keep yourself alone like that.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” Jaden replied.

The boy finished locking the door and shoved his keys back into his pocket, walking down the hall to the elevator that would let him go down to the ground level. Sparky bounded off to keep beside the boy in front of him and walked calmly by his side, though his tail kept wagging a little and his tongue hung out of his mouth. The creature was quite happy to accompany the boy somewhere, and he knew that this wasn't something Jaden did often.

Jaden could hear the voices of all Duel Spirits, even if they weren't connected to him in any way. They had a tendency to talk a lot, and that made anywhere Jaden went even noisier than before. It made it difficult for the boy to concentrate and gave him headaches, yet another reason why he preferred to stay inside and away from others. That power also however let him travel at times to the Spirit Realm, where he had met all his Contractors. It usually had to be taught and wasn't exactly a normal ability to just naturally pick up. However the boy now wanted to leave and get some fresh air, and probably to find somewhere to think.

They reached the elevator and quickly went inside. Luckily they were the only ones on the elevator, so the dog like creature sat beside the boy's feet like an obedient pet should and waited as the smooth ride took them down to the first floor. As the elevator doors dinged open to let people on to go up, Jaden already felt his headache threatening to rise.

The lobby was full of people trying to go up to their apartments or saying hello to family members. It was nearly Thanksgiving, and so there were a lot of holiday greetings going around. People were talking and their Duel Spirits were doing so as well. He just smiled as he and Sparky left the elevator to let others on so they could go up, nearly bumping into a little girl. She smiled and called for them to have a happy holiday as she ran to catch up to her parents and he nodded. Jaden had become quite good at this point at pretending that everything was fine and all the talking between people and their Partners really didn't give him a huge headache. He kind of hated living in the biggest and most rich apartments in the city, meaning his parents felt bad about abandoning him and had spent lots of money to get him lots of expensive things. He kind of hated it. He knew they had the money to spend, but he didn't want it spent on him.

Stepping outside into the streets was worse than the lobby. They were right in the middle of Domino City, which was a capital of the world, meaning it was huge. He hurried down the streets as quickly as he could while still looking like he was traveling a somewhat normal pace. Sparky dogged his steps the whole way, careful to remain just behind the boy and within sight of him the entire time. Jaden struck a path towards a nearby park, hoping to find a somewhat quiet place there, but pushing past Duel Spirits and their human Spell Casters on the busy sidewalks was no easy task.

After what seemed like an eternity they finally made it. Of course, this park was full of people and Duel Spirits as well, having picnics or enjoying some time off, but Jaden wasn't discouraged by what he was seeing. He kept pressing on, going farther and farther back through the walking trails until he came across a place that was relatively deserted. He leaped up on a rock that sat in the middle of some grass with a few tall bushes nearby, and Sparky leaped up to join him.

However the robot soon saw that the boy's face had darkened again. He was frowning now and didn't look happy in the slightest. The dog watched the boy's face a moment, wondering what he'd brought him all the way out here for just to resume his dark thoughts again.

“Jaden?” Sparky asked. “What's wrong?”

“Well I,” Jaden said, pausing and looking down, ashamed. “I haven't been straightforward with you guys. I told you there were still weeks to apply to join Duel Academy right? Well I lied. Yesterday at noon was the last day. I know it wasn't right to lie to you guys, but I was just, well I was scared. I don't want to hurt anyone again like before, and I don't understand what it is about myself that would even make that possible. I know you'll all probably hate me for that.”

“Jaden we wouldn't hate you,” Sparky replied instantly, sighing in a disappointed manner but laying his chin down on the boy's knee. “We'd just be disappointed. We know you're scared, but you can't keep running from the past. For all we know you've outgrown it, but we'll never know unless you try, now will we? There's always next year.”

“It doesn't make me feel any better for lying to my friends,” Jaden mumbled. Sparky licked the boy's hand.

“Then don't lie next time,” he replied. “We're your friends Jaden. We understand why.”

Jaden just frowned and didn't say anything else, preferring to stare down at his knee as if it was going to chastize him. He hated lying, it felt like he had betrayed his friends somehow. He couldn't stand to lose anymore friends, since he had driven them all away. It was why he was only friends with Duel Spirits. They weren't really that scared of him because of his powers, seeing as they all had powers too. And with so many of them with such a close bond they could keep him from going out of control probably. But driving yet more friends away was something that he didn't want to do. Never again. So he didn't make many friends.

The dog like creature laid his head back down on the boy's knee, knowing that words couldn't really help the boy now. He was lonely and in pain, as he had been for such a long time. Maybe Sparky didn't really know that well what was going on, but at least he was going to be there for the boy when he needed his company.

For a while they were quiet like that, but then Jaden started as there was a crash in the bushes to his right. He leaped up and looked towards the bushes as someone hissed a curse of some kind under their breath. Or maybe two someones? He was sure he heard a male and a female voice. Sparky turned in the direction of the sound as well, looking quite confused. Jaden couldn't blame him. He hadn't even been aware that there had been anyone there, but it sounded like they had crashed. From where? He couldn't see how they had.

“Hey,” Jaden called. “Are you alright? Sounds like you had a bit of a fall.”

Silence. That was the reward for his concern, just an odd and unnerving silence. Neither voice spoke. Neither said a single word or made a sound. Whoever was in the bushes had just fallen silent at the sound of him addressing them. Jaden just continued to watch the bushes. There was nothing. Trying his luck, he spoke again.

“Why don't you come out?” he asked. “I know you're there.”

At this the bushes shook a little at the sound of something standing. Then the leaves parted and a creature stepped out of the bushes. Sparky just looked even more confused, but Jaden couldn't help but let his jaw drop. If there were demons in this world then this thing had to be one of them. He'd never seen a creature like it.

The right half of the creature was female, while the left seemed to be male. The creature's left half had a muscular arm and leg, though they still appeared to be thin, and even the face seemed rather more like a male with a green eye. The right half on the other hand was female, with a breast, rounded hip and curving waist, sporting and orange eye. It had magenta skin with black markings though the lips appeared to be bluish. The right half of her hair was dark blue while the left was silver. It also had wings and talons on its hands. Its clothes were mismatching and though it covered it, he wasn't sure where to look at it without being rude, or what to say.

“What are you?” he managed in surprise.

The creature's mouth opened, revealing fangs, but to his surprise, the creature's jaw just fell slack as it looked at him. He could only stare back at it, unsure what to do or what to say. What could he say? This thing had shown up out of no where, and he didn't know of any creature that looked like it at all. What was it, and why was it here? Why did it seem so surprised? He couldn't voice any of these questions as they stared at each other like they were foreign to each other.

“You can see me?” the creature asked in a voice that was both male and female, though the female voice came out more than the male's.

“Y-Yes?” Jaden replied, unsure what else to say.

The creature's brows furrowed together as it took a step forward, looking at the boy closely. He just blinked and nervously stood under its gaze, unsure what it wanted with him. Then however to his astonishment, the creature's face changed. It smiled just a little, and it seemed to relax a little. He could only blink at it.

“Finally,” it said. “I found you.”

“You were looking for me?” Jaden asked. The creature ruffled its wings and gave him a sideways glance.

“I was,” it replied. “Because I have a mission. I knew it was only a matter of time before...well it doesn't matter now. I'm here now, and it's my duty to protect you.”

“Whoa whoa whoa,” Jaden cried, more confused than he'd been in a long time. “What is this about protecting me? Why would I need protecting? How do you know of me when I don't know of you? And before what?”

“I can't answer any of those questions here,” the creature replied, giving him another hard glance. “It's not safe, and I'm being followed. We can discus this elsewhere, but I can't tell you everything, not yet. That's not wise. We should go.”

“Followed by who?” Jaden growled, his eyes narrowing a little in frustration. Who was this thing to boss him around? “And why should I do what you tell me to when I don't know anything about you?” The creature snarled at him.

“This isn't the time or the place,” it replied.

Both of them glared at the other. The creature crossed its arms and raised its wings in a way that told Jaden that it wasn't going to back down, and it thought he should do as it said. Jaden on the other hand clinched his fists at his sides. He wasn't going to take orders from this thing. It was rather rude and apparently it knew a lot it wasn't telling. He wanted to know what was going on and why, and it wasn't exactly making itself very approachable. Why would he need protection? He was just some monster to everyone who'd ever met him. What did this thing know? Nothing.

Jaden felt Sparky nudge his hand with his nose, and he turned his glare down to look at him. It soon disappeared though with surprise at the utter confusion that he saw on the creature's face. The dog creature looked around once more, never once looking directly at the creature standing in front of them, blatantly in the open. Slowly the dog turned back to the boy, and Jaden looked up at the creature again, who was also watching the dog. There seemed to be something knowing in the creature's gaze as it looked at the mechanical dog.

“Jaden,” Sparky said with concern. “Who are you talking to?”

Chapter Text

“That thing,” Jaden said, pointing towards the creature. Sparky looked but then looked at Jaden with yet more concern.

“How rude,” the strange creature said with a huff. “I'm female if you must know, and I have a name. It's Yubel, so try using it.”

“Jaden do you feel okay?” Sparky asked.

“Oh come on,” Jaden cried in frustration at the creature. “How am I supposed to know that?” He then looked at Sparky again. “I feel fine, why?”

“Jaden there's nothing there,” Sparky said.

For the first time Jaden paused and blinked, looking very carefully at Sparky. He slowly turned to look at the thing (a girl? Was it sure?) calling itself Yubel and looked at (her?) for a long while. He then shook his head as if to clear it, but when he looked up again she was still standing there just looking irritated with her arms folded across her chest. What was he supposed to do? Was he going crazy? Maybe he did need to get out more...

“I AM here,” Yubel said with an irritated huff. “I DO exist. However you're the only one who can see or hear me. There are other ways to do so of course, but they're few and far between. I'd suggest you stop talking to me unless you want to make yourself look more like a lunatic.”

“B-But,” Jaden began, too confused to speak. “How? What? HUH?!”

“Later,” Yubel growled. “We need to go NOW. Some place far more populated, with higher security. Know a place?”

Jaden could only blink. This day had seemed normal enough to start out with. In fact, far too normal for his regular life. How could he ever think that it was going to just stay normal? He shook his head and turned away from Yubel, looking at Sparky with a worried and scared look in his eyes that the creature's face only mirrored. He sighed then and looked up.

“I think it's time we go home Sparky,” he said.

“Are you sure you're okay?” Sparky asked. “I can get someone to carry you to the hospital if you need it. Maybe you're too stressed out...”

“God I hope you're right,” Jaden said. “If I was going insane this would be way easier to explain.”

Sparky didn't look like that sentence comforted him any, but Jaden took off at a fast walk back the way he had come. Sparky leaped off after him, watching the boy worriedly the whole way. He didn't want Jaden to get hurt, and the boy's strange condition seemed to only be getting worse as he glanced behind him a few times at the invisible “thing” that was following him. Sparky let out a worried whine. What was he supposed to do with the human now? There was nothing about this in his memory banks. He was just a dog!

Jaden on the other hand found himself more freaked out than ever. Yubel was following him, no matter how fast he seemed to run. Sparky was having trouble keeping up now as Jaden went faster. He was forcing himself not to panic. But the “female” demon just continued to follow behind him, flying at a pace that kept her just behind him. She tsked at him as they went, and her talons flexed as she thought of how foolish the boy was making himself look. But she followed him closely as he went along his way.

Jaden went back the way he had come and soon had reached the apartments. He ran right for the stairs, startling several people that he had passed, including a watchful pair of amethyst eyes that had come in with a small gift bag in hand. Jaden kept running until he made it to his apartment. He fumbled with the lock a bit then ran inside, locking the door behind him and throwing the keys to their place. He quickly went and collapsed on the couch, breathing a little heavily as he looked at his tablet. There was a reply on it from his parents. Sparky jumped up on the couch beside him as Jaden forced himself to ignore the steaming demon and read the reply.

Jaden,

We're glad that you're doing well. We're sorry to hear about you not filling out the application in time, but there's always next year. We hope you enjoy the gifts that we'll be sending you, along with something that Julia wanted to give you. She's always wanted to meet her big brother, and she's just thrilled that you're interested in her. We hope you can make it into the academy, and we'd love to see where you'd go after that!

We're still in correspondence with your friends, and they'd like you to know that they're cheering for you as well. We're all very sorry that we can't be there for you in person, but we hope that you'll be able to forgive us for that. We've bought a nice house in the suburb, though we're sure it's not nearly as comfortable as where you're living. We just know you're having a good time within the center of the city. We also hope that your headaches have gotten better.

Your sister is doing well. She's excelling in school and is much smarter than most children her age. She's very driven and works hard, and she loves to write stories already. She's going to be a writer one day, of that we're sure. She's also met her Partner as well. She's a young Maiden with Eyes of Blue named Sylvia. The two are getting along great! We also think it might run in the family for that though, since your father has his Partner, Brash the Blue Eyes White Dragon. He's much smaller than the one Mr. Kiba has of course, but you know how that goes. We hope that you'll meet your perfect partner soon as well.

Wishing you well, and hoping that you have all the luck in the world,

Your Mother

Jaden stared at the tablet for a while, reading over it. Sometimes he felt a little abandoned, knowing that his parents and little sister were living off by themselves and living a perfect family life. Other times he felt relieved knowing that they were safe. Jaden was a little surprised to know that his old friends wanted to keep in touch somehow. He knew they were terrified of him. They'd all just been kids after all. But he quickly began typing out a reply.

Mom and Dad,

I think I might be going insane. This would be so much easier to explain if I was. I don't think you'd believe me if I told you, so we'll just leave it at that.

How are my old friends doing? I hope they're well.

I haven't found my partner yet, and I'm not sure where to start, but my headaches haven't gotten any better.

This day started out so normally but

After that he just paused. What was he supposed to say? Could he tell them about Yubel? They'd just think he'd gone insane. Speaking of which, the demon was just watching him and clicking her fangs at him angrily. Her wings ruffled a moment as she looked at him and then let out a low growl. He just groaned and face palmed, hoping that this was just some crazy dream.

“You're STILL here?” he groaned.

“Jaden you're doing it again,” Sparky said worriedly.

Yubel growled and reached out, running a talon down the dog's back and creating a horrible screeching sound. The Wroughtweiler could definitely hear and feel that, and he jumped up with a yelp. Then however he turned towards the rest of the room, snarling and bristling fiercely.

“What's that?” he snarled. “Who's there? Why can't I see you?”

“Oh my God you ARE there,” Jaden groaned.

“Of course I am,” Yubel snarled. “I told you that you're the only one who can see or hear me.”

“Yeah but knowing you do exist doesn't explain,” Jaden sighed. “And certainly doesn't make me feel any better. What the heck? I almost wish I WAS insane.”

“Whatever,” Yubel hissed. “Call the mutt off before he hurts himself.”

Jaden glanced at Sparky, who was still snarling. He had side stepped so that he was almost touching Jaden, as if to protect him from the strange and invisible threat. Jaden looked up at Yubel, knowing that she was fast. Sparky would just crash into the ground if he tried to attack. The boy sighed and patted the dog's head, making him bristle more.

“Hey,” he said. “Can you give...me a moment?”

“And leave you here with that thing?” Sparky growled. “Not likely.”

“Rude mutt,” Yubel spat.

“Both of you stop insulting each other,” Jaden snapped, making them both jump, though Yubel snarled and crossed her arms. “Sparky, go home. If I need your help I'll call you. Alright?”

“But-”

“No buts,” Jaden scolded. “Go home.”

Sparky gave the room one last glance around, snarling at his invisible foe, then he turned and leaped away, disappearing again into the Spirit Realm. Now Jaden found himself alone in the room with Yubel. The demon flapped her wings a little and settled silently to stand in front of the boy, looking him up and down. She wasn't pleased with what she saw apparently. To distract himself, he deleted the first three sentences of his email and saved it as a draft.

“I can't BELIEVE that this lazy, undriven BOY is the one I was looking for,” Yubel snapped to herself. “Instead of focusing on the problem at hand he is sending an email. But of course you had to make yourself look suspicious because of your running, so we were probably followed. How on earth am I going to ever get you out of here now? You've made my life infinitely harder now, do you understand that boy?”

“Maybe if you tried telling me what's going on,” Jaden said with a growling, trying hard to ignore her insults. “I wouldn't be making it harder, now would I?”

“I doubt you'd be able to wrap your head around it,” Yubel snarled. “If you continue acting this way you're just going to make my job harder and harder. I wish I could go home right now, but I promised mother I'd look after our Prince.”

“Then why don't you just go home then-” Jaden began. He then stopped abruptly and blinked. “Wait whoa whoa whoa. Did you just say Prince?” Yubel rolled her eyes.

“Yes,” she said. “Prince of the Shadow Realm.”

Jaden just stared at Yubel now, making the demon tsk again and click her talons in annoyance. Jaden however just couldn't wrap his head around the idea. For a moment he tried to convince himself otherwise. How on earth could that be possible anyway? But there was no denying she was talking about him. No one else was here after all.

“How is that possible?” he asked. “I mean, I'm human.”

“Oh I doubt that you are,” Yubel said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Haven't you ever done anything strange? Something you couldn't explain? You have powers that no one else has, and you can talk to every Duel Spirit you come across, correct?” Jaden just stared at her. How could she know all that? They'd only just met. He slowly nodded.

“Y-Yes,” he said. “All of that is true. But how-?”

“How did I know?” Yubel asked. “Because you're not normal by any means. The fact alone that you can see me is proof enough, don't you think? Something strongly connects you to the Spirit and Shadow Realms, something that's rarely seen. That's why you can see me, and why you have such crazy powers. You're a Shadow Duel Spirit, reborn in human form. I suppose I should tell you, seeing how you've been born an ignorant human after all.”

Jaden was absolutely confused as to how this could be possible. He was human, he knew he was! Yet Yubel was saying he wasn't. How could a Duel Spirit be reborn as a human anyway? He supposed that this explained all of his weird abilities, but it didn't make him feel any better. From what he knew of the Shadow Realm, those creatures living there were all evil. He didn't want to be evil! But he did need answers. Slowly, he nodded to Yubel.

“Tell me,” he said. She snarled but nodded in return.

“Very well then,” she said. “Listen up. There is a legend among my people of a great and powerful king. For a long time we were at peace with the Spirit Realm because of this king's wisdom. However there were those who were unhappy with this. The two realms had been having a never ending war before this king had come to power. Unable to accept the change, several of the king's subjects tricked the king and split his soul into two pieces.”

“No offense,” Jaden said. “But, I thought that all Spirits from the Shadow Realm were evil.”

“It wasn't always that way,” she said. “And you certainly can't say that all of them are evil. Some are undoubtedly good. Those just don't usually venture beyond the walls of our lands, because they don't want to harm anyone. They are persecuted though.”

“That,” Jaden said with a frown. “doesn't seem fair.”

“May I continue NOW?” she snapped.

“Y-Yes,” Jaden said, blinking in a little surprise. Yubel's wings ruffled a little in irritation.

“Because of the rift between the two sides of the king,” she continued. “A war has been spreading across the war stricken land of the Shadow Realm. This caused tension and as the human realm was opened to both our realm and the Spirit Realm, the war began anew. The Spirit Realm tells of a powerful and terrible king of the Shadow Realm that seeks to destroy all in his path, however they don't know of the split.”

“And the only side they're ever seen is the evil side,” Jaden guessed.

“Exactly,” Yubel replied. “However it seems that now the unending cycle is about to break. The two sides of the king must both exist in unison, but they cannot meet. Apparently though, they have, and the evil side has overtaken the good and upset the already delicate balance.”

“And what happens when that happens?” Jaden asked. “Why does this balance have to exist? Why can't the king just be rejoined if it's that much of a problem? And who are you that you know so much about it?”

“I don't have the authority to answer those questions,” she hissed. “I'm just a guard.”

Jaden found himself even more frustrated than he had been before. He had a whole lot of questions that she just seemed to want to completely ignore. He hardly understood anything that was going on, and she was acting like he was the problem. It wasn't his fault that he had little information to go off of. He had no idea what was going on. But she didn't scare him and he wasn't going to let her think that she did. He crossed his arms.

“Three more questions,” he said. “Answer them, and I'll stop asking questions, at least for a while.”

Yubel watched the boy a moment, a little stunned. He didn't seem to be afraid of her at all, though Duel Spirits who were powerful enough to sense her would grow nervous, knowing that there was a Shadow Spirit near by. This boy wasn't nervous of her at all! She supposed she should have expected something like that.

“Fine,” she snarled. “Three more. That's it. Don't expect the answer to be that good though. There are some things I can't tell you, got it?”

“Yeah yeah,” Jaden said with a slight growl. “I get it. You can keep your secrets.”

“Ask away then,” she said, crossing her arms.

“Alright first,” Jaden said. “I don't understand something. You said that I'm a Prince? And you mentioned that there were two halves of the king.”

“Correct,” Yubel replied. “There are two halves of the king, and so the two halves are called Princes because neither can be the true king without the other. However a war has been silently waging between the two halves since the split, causing other wars to begin. Since you're human, I don't doubt that your other half is too. We'd know him if we saw him. He would look almost exactly like you. That's what makes tracking the two so difficult.”

“Two of me?” Jaden asked. “I don't think that we need that.”

“Probably not exactly though,” she replied. “He's bound to be different than you. You are what's left of the 'good' half, while he is the 'evil' half.”

“Second question,” Jaden said, shaking his head a little. “How is it possible, if I was once a Shadow Spirit, that I ended up here?”

“You act like it's impossible,” Yubel huffed. “It happens all the time. Humans can live in the Shadow and Spirit Realms, though they're hidden in the Shadow Realm because of the wars taking place there. They just get sucked in and live their lives there, unable to return. It's easier for Spirits to travel back and forth. Sometimes Spirits from both Realms are reborn as humans with the help of the gods (as punishment or for a second chance), or because of curses such as yours. Some live completely normal lives, while others, like you, can't keep their existence a secret for long. It's said in fact, that humans with extremely powerful magic have ancestors that are Duel Spirits, or at the very least reincarnated forms of some.”

“That sounds kind of,” Jaden said with a pause. “Unlikely? But I guess I can't really be one to judge. I've done and seen some weird things...”

“Just ask your last question,” Yubel snapped. Jaden paused, thinking. What did he want his last question to be?

“Alright,” he said at last. “I promised I'd be satisfied for a while after this. So why don't you answer this? Who are you, and what do you have to do with all of this?”

At this, Yubel fell silent. She suddenly began to bristle violently, a low growl forming in her throat. As surprised and nervous as he was to be alone in a room with a strange creature like Yubel, he stood his ground and met her gaze head on. Yubel paused a moment, watching the boy. There almost seemed to be the shadow of something else in his eyes, something that was hidden but watching just below the surface. She looked away suddenly, reminding herself why she was here. She sighed and fought to keep her temper under control.

“My kind are known simply as the Foresworn,” she replied. “We were once known as Dracopyres, a race of Shadow Beings that took far less confusing and hideous forms. We were loyal to the king however, and for that we were punished. We were turned into these creatures you see, and we live in large tribes near the castle, serving silently. Each family must be split when the children are born evenly to those who serve the good and evil sides of the king, just as we are split evenly between male and female. We have no choice in the matter. My twin brother Gavis serves the evil side of the king. I however was chosen as one of the ones to search for you, and if I found you, I was to be your personal guard. There. Does that satisfy you for now?”

Jaden paused, looking at her carefully. He wasn't satisfied by any means, and he felt like he still had a lot of questions. But he could tell that Yubel wasn't very comfortable talking to him about her old life, and he certainly didn't want to make this any more difficult. Apparently he was making things very difficult for her, and he didn't understand how. But she wasn't' going to go anywhere even though he didn't really understand why.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “I guess I am for now.”

“Good,” she said.

They both jumped however at the sudden knock on the door. Jaden looked towards the door with confusion. Who on earth would have come up here at this hour? Unsure what else to do, he walked over and peered out. The only person he could see was a tall and pale Duel Spirit with short purple hair, in a purple hoodie, and blue eyes. He could tell he was a Duel Spirit by looking at him, and his face was rather expressionless. He paused and opened the door.

“Hello?” he asked.

A second person stepped out, and Jaden could only blink with confusion. The man was around ten years older than he was, around twenty six or so. He was short and had black hair, rimmed with red and with streaks of gold running through it. He gave him a smile, and Jaden couldn't help but stare at his bright and watchful amethyst eyes.

“M-Mr. Moto?” he asked.

“Yugi's just fine,” the small man replied. “Mind if we come in?”

“Um,” Jaden said, stepping back to let them in. “Sure.”

He turned and went back in the direction of his living room, and the two followed him in. However as the Duel Spirit (a rather famous Dark Magician named Merlin) passed Yubel he froze and looked around suddenly. She nervously and silently flew away from him and landed behind Jaden, as if hiding. Merlin looked around with some confusion, then towards his partner, who then paused. Yugi turned to look at Jaden.

“So you live here alone?” he asked.

“Yes,”

“No Partner?”

“No,”

Yugi didn't look convinced, and Jaden couldn't help but be a little surprised why he had become so interested in him of all people. He fought to not sigh. This day just couldn't be normal, could it? He had found Yubel and apparently found out that he was half of a Shadow Spirit king from the Shadow Realm. Then apparently one of the most famous people in the entire world had just come knocking on his door.

“Well,” Yugi said. “we saw you running in here. It looked like you were almost scared of something, or very confused. We didn't have any idea why you were doing that, so we decided to make a stop and see what was going on. We were originally here visiting an old friend of ours.”

“And it's not like we could ignore it,” Merlin said quietly. “I sense something odd here.”

“You and me both,” Jaden sighed. Both Merlin and Yugi paused. Jaden smiled shyly. “Sorry I can hear the voices of all Duel Spirits.”

“I see,” Yugi said. “Well then, who's your invisible friend?”

Both Jaden and Yubel could only blink and look at Yugi with surprise and confusion. How was that possible. However it was clear by the look on both Merlin and Yugi's face that they were completely serious.

Chapter Text

“The same could be asked for you,” Yubel growled, glaring at the form of a young man that Jaden obviously couldn't see.

Now the invisible boy seemed surprised. The young man looked around sixteen, though the man standing beside him looked around twenty or so. The two looked oddly alike, though the invisible boy was tanner, taller, and had more gold streaks running through his hair. He was also wearing linen clothes, sandles and gold pieces on his brow and arm. She crossed her arms defiantly and glared at the young man, who mimicked her. Neither of them looked very inclined to trust each other. The air in the room quickly became hostile.

Yugi couldn't see Yubel, but he could see Yami, who was the boy who looked like him but was invisible. Yami had been able to see Yubel and had reacted negatively the instant he saw her, so Yugi assumed that whatever it was couldn't really be good. Jaden on the other hand, could see Yubel but not the other, so he was utterly confused what she was talking about. He might have thought she was playing some joke on her, except for the fact that Yugi Moto looked as confused as he was, and Merlin as well.

None of the situation was helped by the fact that Jaden could only hear Yubel, and Yugi could only hear Yami. So the two humans were left standing in the room and (appearing to Merlin) to simply stare into space beside themselves. Jaden had to admit that it was probably the most confusing situation he'd ever been in. Yami's eyes darkened as he turned to look at Yugi.

“It can apparently see me,” he said.

“And I can hear you,” Yubel spat back. “It's rather rude to address someone this way. I am female if you must know!”

Both Jaden and Yugi were unsure what to do in this situation. As much as Yubel had already gotten onto his nerves he realized that, for better or for worse he was probably stuck with her. Jadaen didn't trust Yubel, not really. He didn't like how she insisted that he was in the way and continued to insult him. He also didn't trust her. She seemed to be keeping secrets. However she also plainly refused to leave his side.

Yugi on the other hand he felt like he could trust much more. Even though he'd never personally met the man and had never even thought he ever would, he knew that he had saved the world before. It was probably no wonder that he had just figured out what had happened and had come running to investigate. Apparently Jaden's life was even more confusing than he had originally thought, and he wasn't sure what to think of it.

Yugi slowly turned to look at Yami's face. He looked absolutely furious and was even snarling a little at the creature only he and the boy she was standing next to could see. Yugi had never seen Yami glare like that at anyone, and it made him nervous. Just what on earth was he seeing that could make him so absolutely furious like this? It had to be something pretty bad. The closest he had ever gotten to snarling like that was near Zorc.

“Fine,” Yami snapped. “Whatever. What are you doing here with this boy? Creatures like you shouldn't be here in the human realm!”

“Neither should the dead,” Yubel snarled back.

Yami paused, just a little bit surprised. The more and more he talked with this creature, the more surprised he became. Apparently she could tell by sight alone that he was dead? He supposed that she was one of the few creatures who could actually see him like this, so it might just be the most sensible conclusion to jump to. However it still unnerved him. Yami turned his eyes towards the boy, who was nervously blinking up at the creature. It didn't seem like he really knew what to do with her either. Yami's eyes narrowed slightly.

He had caught a glimpse of her as she had been following Jaden past, and he had been very unsure of her presence. Now that they were face to face, he was even more nervous about what he was going to do with her. There was something strange about the boy as well. He could sense powerful magic off of him, so terrible power that made even him shudder a little. He looked into the boy's eyes.

Instead of seeing the sparkling orbs that reflected the light around them, he saw something else. Within his eyes was the hint of something ancient, something powerful. A dark power seemed to radiate off of them and cast shadows that danced from deep within him. It was suppressed, but he could feel an unimaginably powerful darkness within his eyes. Yami jumped a little and shook his head as if to clear it, frowning a little to himself as he crossed his arms.

Yubel blinked as she stared at the young man. He seemed rather wise for his age, even though he had rudely jumped to conclusions about her. Then again, she supposed that with all the wars that had been waging so far, it was only natural for him to have a big problem with her presence. However she could also tell that he was very perceptive. He had looked at Jaden and seemed to see.... Well either way, he was thinking silently now.

Yugi couldn't help but look at Yami too, unnerved. The pharaoh had finished their war, and so had the perfect opportunity to finally pass on into the afterlife and into peace at last. He could have seen his friends, his wife and son (who had gone on to become a powerful pharaoh like his father). He could have seen his partner and many others. Yet he had suddenly returned to Yugi. The man didn't really like it that much. He trusted his friend and respected him, but he'd rather that the poor boy finally rest at last. It had already taken five thousand years.

Still, Yami had suddenly reappeared and warned that something was going to happen. He had warned of the shadow and spirit realms beginning to grow restless. The name of an ancient king was beginning to resurface. However more unnerving than that was how the shadow spirits themselves were acting. They were notorious for attacking and killing those that got in their way, however more and more masses of them had been fleeing from the shadow realm into the spirit and human realms, trying to escape a nameless terror. They didn't fight and they didn't kill, and some of them even had humans with them. It was an odd time all around, and the very mention of this in the realm of the dead had convinced Yami that it was time to return and help all he was able to.

Yami looked up again at Yubel, sizing her up. He wasn't even sure what she was, let alone why she was here. He supposed that he should find out. He saw her own eyes narrow dangerously when she saw the calculating look on his face. For a few more moments there was nothing but silence.

“What are you?” he asked. “You're no creature that I've ever heard of before.” Yubel snarled, bristling at the man. However she glanced at Jaden and sighed.

“I am one of the Foresworn,” she replied. “A spirit from the shadow realm.”

His reaction was about what she expected. He suddenly bristled more and snarled, making her snarl back in response. She was used to how things worked by now. If she wasn't willing to defend herself from these people they'd just attack and kill her without even knowing the reason why she was here. She had cloaked herself to avoid spooking people and spirits too badly. However this dead boy could see her, and her cover had already been blown. She wasn't about to let herself get hurt because he was prejudiced.

“You're from the Shadow Realm?” Yami snarled, making Yugi jump and begin to grow nervous as well. “What are you doing here? And why are you following that boy around? I hope you do realize that I will NOT allow you to harm that boy.”

“My business is my own,” Yubel snapped. “And I don't want to hurt him. Contrary to what you and everyone else seems to believe, not all Shadow Duel Spirits want to murder people. I'm ACTUALLY here to HELP.”

“A Shadow Duel Spirit who is following a lonely boy around?” Yami asked, growling lowly. “One that's here to help? I find that incredibly hard to believe. And I'll fight you myself if you CAN'T prove to me that you're here to help. Got it?”

Yubel snarled in annoyance and continued to bristle at the young man. Jaden was completely unsure what he was supposed to do in this situation, however Yugi also didn't appear to like what was being said. Jaden glanced up towards the man. He had heard tales of the strange ally that the man had fought with in his war. A long dead pharaoh or something? He could certainly see the pyramid shaped gold piece hanging from his neck. That must have been who Yubel was talking to. And it seemed that this pharaoh did not approve of her.

“Fine,” Yubel growled to the surprise of both Jaden and Yami. She laid her hand on Jaden's shoulder, and he paused. “You want proof? I can't tell you much. However I was SENT here to protect this boy. Why on earth would I ever harm him?”

Jaden couldn't help but admit silently that this didn't sound like very solid proof at all. And he still didn't really trust her. He wanted to pull away from her grasp, but a shiver seemed to pass through his body when she touched him. For a brief moment he could sense her mind. He could sense that though she was very easily provoked (and not really good with dealing with people), she truly didn't mean him any harm.

Jaden paused in surprise, wondering why he had been able to sense her mind like that. Yubel however noticed and quickly corrected the mistake. In either case, Jaden didn't jump and didn't try and pull away from her grip. Yami watched the boy for a long moment, searching for any signs of distress. However the boy seemed fine with the creature touching his shoulder like that. He looked up again at her, and he noticed her eyes had turned back down towards the boy. He could swear he almost saw her eyes soften for a moment, almost.

“All right,” Yami sighed. “I believe you. For now. But we can't just let you wander around unchecked like this. It's dangerous.”

Yubel looked up and snarled at him, but she didn't disagree with him. She knew that it was dangerous. Without a doubt it was dangerous, and it was very possible that Jaden and she were far in over their heads. Who knew what creatures and people would be looking for this boy? Yami continued to watch Yubel for a long moment, sizing her up and trying to see if she wasn't going to keep her word or not. However she didn't seem to want the hurt the boy at all. Even though she snarled and spat like a cat at him, her hand on the boy's shoulder remained gentle and didn't so much as snag the cloth of his shirt with her claws. Yami sighed.

“Yugi,” the young man said quietly. Yugi gave him a frown and was quiet for a long time.

“I'm not entirely sure what's going on,” Yugi sighed at last. “but I don't think its safe to just let you...(two?) wander around by yourselves. What's your name?”

“Huh?” Jaden asked, jumping a little. “I-It's Jaden. Jaden Yuki.”

“Well how would you feel about being my personal studen, Mr. Yuki?” Yugi asked with a big smile.

Jaden's jaw fell open and he just blinked stupidly. Him? The most famous of the Big Three that had created the Duel Academy, wanted him as his student? But why? As far as Jaden had known, he'd just been weird. But this one sentence had turned his day from just plain craziness to pure insanity. What was he supposed to say?

“W-What?” Jaden asked. “Why?”

“Well,” Yugi sighed. “We can't have you wandering around with just this Shadow Spirit for company. Besides, I've never seen Yami take an interest in someone like this before. I don't know why, but I get the feeling that you'll be very important in the events to come.”

Jaden just blinked. Him? Important? He'd never really thought of it that way. He'd always just been Jaden Yuki. Besides he knew he wasn't the material of someone who deserved to be Yugi Moto's student. He was lazy and easily spooked. He was standoffish and didn't talk to people, and let's not even get started on his strange powers. And now Yubel? Jaden quickly looked away at the ground, and a sad look passed over his face.

Even Yubel paused when she saw it. This boy had been through a lot more than they had thought. In that instant they all could see the way that the world had aged him, and the loneliness that he felt. But Yubel could see something else in those eyes, a fear. Yubel gently squeezed the boy's shoulder in what she hoped would be a comforting way. He didn't' seem to respond either way. In that single moment, they could all see a sudden shyness in him.

“Jaden,” Yugi said quietly. “I don't know what's going on, but I want to help. I truly do. Look at me Jaden.” Slowly Jaden looked up. The brown eyes that met Yugi's were sad, almost mournful. “I know that you don't understand. Believe me, I know the feeling. But for right now, you're going to have to trust me. Can you do that?”

Jaden was quiet for a moment. Him trust Yugi Moto? Well who wouldn't? He'd saved the entire world from the wrath of the Egyptian gods. It was like standing in front of a guard and asking if he was guarding something. The question in itself was almost comical, seeing how it was obvious that the entire world trusted this man. Slowly and silently Jaden nodded to the man. Yugi gave him a sad smile and took a step back.

“Well okay then,” Yugi said quietly. “You'll be my very first personal student. Though, I don't think staying around here will do you much good...I know. I'll enroll you in Duel Academy. My name is enough to get you right in without an entrance exam. Is that okay with you?”

“Y-Yeah I guess,” Jaden replied. Yugi smiled wider at him.

“Great,” he said. “Then it's all settled. I'll go get the paper work done. You start packing, oh and be sure to tell anyone you need to that you're leaving so they don't panic all right? You won't be seeing this place for quite a while. See you later Jaden.”

With that, Yugi, Merlin, and Yami all quietly left the house and closed the door behind them. Jaden just stood for a while blinking at the door. Yubel said nothing for a while either, simply watching the boy as he turned and slumped down on the couch again. Jaden, too confused to do anything else, picked up his tablet and stared at the unfinished email.

Yubel just silently watched the boy for a long moment. She had never been one to really get attached to anyone. She had learned at a young age that it would only bring heartache later. Yet when she had seen the boy's face earlier she had just wanted to help the poor boy somehow. She knew that kind of sadness well. It was a heartbroken sadness, one that spoke of feeling betrayed, but only because of your own actions. It was a loneliness that couldn't be described in simple words. And for the first time, she felt sorry for the boy.

How horrible must it be, Yubel thought. to be a child cursed with this fate, and knowing nothing of it?

Yubel had no scathing remark for the boy, and she said nothing. Those big lonely eyes stared down at the tablet for a long moment, silent and watchful. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't seen anyone here. She had a good guess as to why. People were probably scared of him, and they had left him. She knew the same kind of loneliness, and she couldn't help but feel little sorry for snapping at the boy earlier. He had no idea what was going on after all.

Jaden just continued to stare at the screen. She could guess that it was the only link he had to his family and friends now. Maybe it could be viewed as terribly cruel what they had done to this poor boy, enough to make him even fear himself. But she knew too that humans and duel spirits were often scared of powers of the shadow realm. It made Jaden nearly as feared as she was. With a soft sight she watched the boy for a while longer, then bared her teeth.

“If you want to send an email,” she growled. “you can. I'll keep a watch for you.”

Jaden jumped at the steel in her voice. Yubel found herself angry at herself suddenly and snarled a little. She hadn't meant for it to come out like that, but she couldn't help it. She wasn't good near people, and Jaden was actually the only person she'd come into contact with in years that wasn't try to kill her on sight. She quickly turned her back to him, both a little embarrassed and hoping that he didn't hate her anymore because of it. She'd already made him mad at her.

There was silence however, and she chanced to glance over her shoulder at him. She saw him blinking up at her in surprise. Jaden realized that she had been trying to comfort him in his own way, though he knew she'd never admit it. However those words, even growled at him in that matter, did indeed comfort him in a way that he couldn't quite explain. Yes, maybe things were going crazy and he didn't understand what was going on, but he wasn't alone. Even if his only company was a rather cranky Foresworn. Jaden gave her a sad smile, and his eyes softened a little as he looked at her. He could almost swear he saw hers do the same. Almost.

“Thanks Yubel,” he said quietly. Yubel pretended like she didn't hear but secretly smiled at herself when he wasn't looking.

Jaden turned instead to look at the tablet again. He opened up the draft he had saved earlier and stared at the screen for a while. What was he supposed to say? What could he say to sum up this crazy day and all its insane events? Better yet, what the heck could he say to keep his mother from panicking or worrying about his sanity? Finally after some time he typed out an email.

Mom and Dad,

How are my old friends doing? I hope they're well. Take care both of you, and Julia as well. I'm going to be going away from my apartment for a while. I'm not running away or committing suicide or anything like that, so you don't have to worry.

I haven't found my partner yet, and I'm not sure where to start, but my headaches haven't gotten any better. I'm pretty sure they're only getting worse. Or maybe I'm just really confused from what just happened since I sent my last email. I swear it doesn't seem like one single day...

This day started out so normally but it quickly became obvious that it wasn't. I met a strange new friend today. I wouldn't call her a friend to her face though. She doesn't seem like the type to enjoy company much, but she can't really go elsewhere.

I'll be going to Duel Academy after all this year. On my way home from the park I ran into Yugi Moto. He seemed really interested in me for some reason and then after we talked about several things he decided to take me in as his personal student and enroll me at the academy. I'm sorry for not explaining more, but I'm still trying to sort it all out in my own head. I'll tell you later, but not now. It doesn't make much sense and you might think I'm insane if I tried to tell you what was really going on.

Anyway, this will probably be all over the papers soon. I just wanted to let you know before you found out another way, and the reporters blew everything up out of proportion. I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen, but I hope you can give me some luck.

I get the feeling I'm going to need it.

Jaden.

Jaden sighed and quickly sent the email. It was no where close to a full account, and it was probably just going to confuse his parents. Even so, they probably deserved to know what was going on. He wondered if they'd be proud of him for becoming Yugi's first student. Either way, he was going to be on his way to Duel Academy soon, and he hoped he could find a way to make all of this work out. Right now though, he just felt mentally drained.

Yubel watched over her shoulder as she saw the boy close his eyes. She blinked silently as she watched him. He certainly was a strange boy, but he was a good one. She gave herself another secret smile and allowed her wings to relax just slightly. He got on her nerves, but there were times when he could be sweet too.

Though of course, she'd never admit that to his face.

Chapter Text

Jaden felt his stomach doing tiny little flips as he smiled (though grimaced might have been a better word for it) and waved out the window of the room at Yugi. The cruise liner was slowly pulling away from the port, leaving the man smiling and waving encouragingly at him. Jaden knew that he'd be seeing him very soon. He was one of the founders of Duel Academy after all, and he'd definitely be seeing him at the opening ceremony. He hoped Yugi didn't announce him as his student in front of everyone. He didn't need anymore attention.

Soon the port was far enough away that he couldn't really see Yugi and Merlin much more, and he stepped away from the small window with a sigh. Everyone else had been on the top deck of the ship waving goodbye to them as they had set sail. Heck, Jaden wasn't even sure why Duel Academy was in the middle of the ocean on a lonely island. He thought it would be much more convenient to have it in the middle of Domino City. However Jaden didn't have anyone else to wave bye to with tearful eyes. It had been so sudden he couldn't have invited his family to see him off if he had wanted to. He wasn't sure they would have come anyway though. Besides, he wasn't keen to have reporters hounding him every five seconds anymore.

Jaden Yuki sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. Two days, it had already been two days. The press had been all over trying to figure out about him, but Yugi was keeping his identity a secret. He was grateful for that at least. All of this was weird enough without having reporters trying to sneak onto the ship for an interview. Besides, Jaden hardly knew Yugi and it seemed kind of weird to him that he had been chosen as his student.

He had been so utterly confused and freaked out about it, that he hadn't even called his contracts in all that time. He knew that his friends in the Spirit Realm were probably really worried about him, especially if Sparky had told them all that there was some invisible thing hanging around him. But he was still trying to make sense of all of this in his head. He supposed he'd find a place to let them all loose for a while though when they reached Duel Academy. They were still his friends after all, and it wasn't right that he was ignoring them.

Jaden sighed and glanced up, noticing Yubel standing there. She had her arms crossed into their favorite position and was giving him a thoughtful scowl as she sized him up. He couldn't exactly tell what she was thinking at the moment, but he wasn't as freaked out by her anymore. She didn't seem to want to leave, but she let him have his privacy when he needed it. Other than the fact that no one else saw her and would think he was insane if they saw him talking to her, she hadn't really seemed to affect his everyday life very much. He was getting used to her, though she still got onto his nerves a lot. He was sure he got on hers though too.

“Well Yubel,” he sighed. “Looks like we're on our way.”

“Indeed,” she growled, sounding irritated (as usual). “Though I'm not entirely sure what this Academy has to do with us. What's the big deal anyway?”

“It was built by three Powerful Spellcasters,” Jaden explained. “Yugi Moto, Seto Kaiba and Joey Wheeler. When they were my age, magic users were feared, especially those with powerful music. However after an ancient war between the gods of the Egyptians broke out, they managed to stop it. So they founded Duel Academy to train other young Spellcasters. That way, the world will be better prepared for these disasters.”

“They're trying to prepare?” Yubel asked. “It seems like Yugi must have sensed something about you then. Our fates are entangled in a battle much bigger than they know. Yet he's sent you here to train...What an odd man.”

“Yeah I guess it is kind of odd,” Jaden said thoughtfully, frowning a little to himself. “Then again, he's one of the so called 'big three' for a reason. Anyway, Duel Academy is the only school like it in the world, and no others have been built, though I'm sure they're planning on it. Its likely we'll meet people from all over the world because of this.”

Yubel glanced over at Jaden, noticing him frowning in thought. She found herself angry that he had just brushed off even the little bit of knowledge that she had already given him about their war. A snarl touched her face as she watched him. What a lazy boy! He didn't have time to be day dreaming like that! The fate of both of their worlds hung on their shoulders, yet he didn't seem to care! With an irritated huff, she turned her back to him again.

Jaden didn't miss it, and looked up with a glare of his own. He hated that she continued to do that, and continued to act like this was all somehow going to end badly because of him, when she was the one that hadn't told him anything! He was getting tired of all of this secrecy! Didn't it matter to her that he was confused and unsure about everything that was happening? Did it matter that there were too many things going on too fast? Apparently not, and it was driving him mad!

“You don't have to treat me like I'm a little kid you know,” Jaden hissed. Yubel bristled at him.

“Well you should try to be more serious,” she snapped in reply.

“Serious?” he snarled. “I'm a sixteen year old human who's just apparently had the whole world thrust onto his shoulders. You could ATLEAST try and understand. I'm freaked out enough as it is, without you treating me like this the whole time!”

Yubel paused when she met Jaden's flaming eyes. She could see that he was probably as stressed out as she was, and unlike her, he wasn't prepared for the situation. Yubel quickly looked away, her wings falling a bit. Maybe she did forget, then again, she'd never had a normal childhood like he had. In a lot of ways the two of them were polar opposites. She silently turned her back to the boy again, staring instead at the door.

Jaden silently fumed as he continued to glare at her. How dare she ignore him like that! He was attempting to explain what was going on, and she wasn't even listening! She was really starting to get on his nerves. They knew hardly anything about each other at all. Yubel had said practically nothing, and Jaden had been far too freaked out to. Now once again, he was glaring out the window as the sea glided by outside.

However a noise outside his door soon grabbed his attention. It sounded like several people yelling and laughing, however the tone of their voices didn't exactly make Jaden think that they were saying any particularly nice things. Yubel looked towards the door too, her interest now gained by whatever was happening outside. Jaden stood and crossed the room to the door, which would lead to a hallway and eventually outside of the ship.

“I wouldn't bother,” Yubel said. “It doesn't concern us.” Jaden raised an eyebrow at her as he turned the doorknob.

“Yeah well,” he said. “I'm not the kind of guy to just let that slide. I don't know what they're doing, but I'm not just going to let them get away with it either.”

Yubel blinked as Jaden opened the door and stepped out into the hallway to peer around for any sign of the disturbance. She was surprised to hear that from someone like him. Maybe he wasn't all that lazy after all. He was driven by a sense of justice to help those around them, no matter who they might be or what might happen to him in the process. She supposed then, that he truly must be the good half of the Supreme King.

Jaden looked around the hall and spotted three young men about his age. They appeared to be throwing rocks at something that was in front of them, but as he looked down at the floor he was both a little surprised and slightly terrified. Sitting on the floor about three feet away, facing its antagonists and hissing with its mouth open wide, had to be the biggest crocodile he had ever seen. It had to be at least ten feet long, and it was by no means a small creature. It was a livid green color, kind of surprising since most were darker colors to blend in with their natural environment, and its eyes were a bright yellow color.

Still, even though it was a crocodile (and he wasn't even honestly sure how it had gotten in here) he wasn't just going to let them keep trying to hurt it. He didn't even know if they were hurting it, but if he didn't stop them, then they would only get themselves hurt. He was pretty sure it would only take one bite from that thing to seriously hurt them.

“Hey,” Jaden called. The three teenagers looked up in surprise, and the crocodile turned slightly to eye him suspiciously. “What the heck are you three doing?”

“What does it look like?” the first asked irritably.

“This crocodile's running up and down the hall,” the second said. “We don't want someone to get hurt.”

“Why don't you mind your own business?” the third growled.

“I'm pretty sure you guys bit off more than you can chew,” Jaden said with a sigh. “You're lucky that thing hasn't bitten any of you yet. That's what's going to make someone get hurt. I'm pretty sure it belongs to someone on the boat. I mean, it seems pretty calm don't you think?”

The three boys turned again to look at the crocodile, probably wondering what they were going to do about the situation. Seeing them looking again, the reptile opened its mouth and began hissing again loudly. The three nervously stepped back, but the creature didn't follow. Once it felt secure enough again, the creature turned its calculating eyes back to Jaden.

“I don't think its a danger to anyone,” Jaden continued. “Look if its bothering you that much, I can just move it into my room until I can find out who owns it. There's no need to go throwing stones around.”

“And you think you can move it?” the first asked, nervously eying the crocodile.

“Sure I can,”

Jaden definitely wasn't sure that he could move the crocodile, but he wasn't going to let them know that. He didn't want them deciding that the only thing they could do was to continue angering a massive creature designed to kill. With a smile Jaden motioned towards the crocodile, ready to call it if it didn't cooperate.

However by some miracle, the creature decided to do so. He was surprised at how fast the reptile turned and shot into the open door behind him, quickly entering the room. Jaden just raised his hand in farewell and went back in as well, shutting the door behind him. When he turned, he saw Yubel blinking at the creature. He looked up and noticed the Crocodile on his bed. Last he had checked, Crocodiles couldn't really jump in a way to let them up on beds like that.

“She just jumped right up,” Yubel noted. “She seems rather comfortable with this situation too.”

“You're not a normal crocodile,” Jaden said with a small smile as he watched the crocodile. “Are you girl?”

He didn't ask how Yubel knew, but he assumed she was correct. Instantly the crocodile's huge head turned to survey him as he spoke to her. She seemed to be eying him more carefully now, but she definitely seemed more careful in his presence than those boys outside. Jaden was kind of surprised. She was faster than she could be, and apparently she could climb. She was obviously very intelligent too. Jaden looked around for his bag.

Might as well try and stay on her good side since they'd be sharing the room for a while. The initial travel to Duel Academy would have gone by plane, only there were too many accepted applicants. So they had instead taken the Academy's cruise liner. It would usually be used for other activities, which is why beds and other such comforts were added when the trip only took a couple of hours.

Jaden however pulled his bag over from the edge of the bed, carefully watching the crocodile in case she would snap at him. He then opened it up and pulled out several strips of beef jerky, which seemed to instantly gain the crocodile's attention. She growled at him, but it didn't sound threatening, only nervous. He opened one of the packages and took a bite of it, then tossed the rest of it onto the bed with her. She quickly snapped it up without tearing the blanket.

“You're pretty hungry huh?” he asked as he tossed another. “Have you not had much to eat girl?”

The crocodile of course, didn't respond. However Jaden just continued to toss the jerky to her. She greedily would snap them up and eat them, then look at him for more. Jaden just continued to smile and toss them to her. Eventually she seemed to get over some of her shyness of him and came down to the floor where he was sitting. Slowly she seemed to inch towards him, closer and closer, until he realized he could reach out and touch her if he dared.

Jaden suddenly got a crazy idea. He didn't have many of these things left, but he wanted to test his theory. He peeled the wrapper away and just held it out to her in his hand. She eyed him suspiciously as he continued to smile at her. He continued to silently offer her the treat, though he was also silently praying that he didn't lost his hand. This was probably the stupidest thing he'd ever done. Yubel jumped a little in surprise.

“Jaden what are you doing?” she demanded. “Do you want to get hurt?”

However as she said it, the crocodile suddenly reached forward and clamped her whole mouth over his wrist. Jaden continued to smile as she watched him again, wondering if she should take that wrist off no doubt. Yubel bristled as she watched the creature, unsure what was going on or what she was supposed to do. Jaden couldn't help but fear what the crocodile was going to do next.

However she backed away, pulling her mouth gently over his hand until the jerky was in her mouth and his hand was unscathed. There wasn't even so much as a scratch on his hand, though it was a little slimy now. She continued to chew on the jerky as he sat there, blinking in surprise. He laughed a little then, in surprise and relief.

“Guess that means I pass the test,” Jaden said, more to Yubel than himself.

The crocodile turned and curled her long body just behind Jaden's back then, sitting calmly and quietly, even letting her eyes droop closed a little. Jaden couldn't help but smile as he looked at her. She seemed like a perfectly gentle and friendly creature, and he couldn't help but wonder who owned her. He was pretty sure that they would be really worried about her, because she was probably more than just a pet, but someone's good friend. He thought silently for a while, absentmindedly peeling away the wrappers on the last of the jerky and letting her pull them out of his hand at her leisure.

Yubel could only shake her head as she looked at this. Just like that? That creature had trusted him just like that? She couldn't really understand it, or knew what to think of it. What kind of person was Jaden then? The crocodile really seemed to have warmed up to him though, and looked like she was almost standing guard over the distracted boy. She saw Jaden bite his lip as he thought, drawing a little blood as he did so.

“Jaden,” she said quietly, making him look up suddenly, to the crocodile's surprise. “Maybe we should go looking for whoever owns her. They'll want her back.”

“Hm,” Jaden said aloud. “I guess...Well come on girl. Let's go find your owner. Bet they'd want to see you huh?”

The crocodile's intelligent eyes seemed to bore into the boy as she stood, tossing his bag back onto the bed. However when he made his way over to the door, she quickly followed, dogging his steps. Yubel followed in the air, and soon the three were outside in the hallway. Jaden turned and made his way towards the back deck of the ship. The crocodile followed silently and easily kept up with his pace. Soon he had pushed the door open and the two of them had walked outside, Yubel following silently behind as always.

Jaden cast a quick glance around, however his eyes landed on the clouds. They were turning dark and ominous, and he couldn't help but frown. Last time he had checked, there hadn't been any rain in the forecast, but that looked like a full blown storm brewing. He shrugged it off though as he turned to look towards a group of people. There was a girl and a boy standing there. He supposed he'd better go and ask them.

The girl was shorter than average, and she had long brown hair that hung far down her waist. Her hair was parted neatly on either side of her face, and her eyes were brown. She was carrying a frying pan in her hand, though he wasn't entirely sure why, and her eyes looked severe. The boy looked like he wanted to melt into the ground and disappear right then and there. He was short and had messy light blue hair. His eyes were blue too, and when he saw Jaden making his way over to them with a crocodile behind him, he looked ready to bolt.

“Hey,” Jaden called with a smile as he came closer. “Have either of you seen-”

Jaden was interrupted by the sound of a heavy clang. Pain coursed through his forehead and he stumbled backwards over the crocodile, who was hissing but let him tumble over her. There was another, softer clang, and Jaden curled up into a ball as if to ward the pain away. The crocodile continued to hiss at the girl, who had wisely taken a few steps back. And from the sound Yubel was making, he didn't think she was happy either.

“Y-Yoko,” the timid boy gasped. “What did you do that for?”

“Aha,” the girl, Yoko cried. “I've caught you! You're the one who stole Shirley aren't you?” Jaden dimly acknowledged that Shirley was probably the crocodile's name. He slowly sat up, cradling his head in his hands.

“How the heck,” he managed. “would I steal something as big as I am? Hell, if she didn't like me, why would she have been following me around? Also I'm pretty sure she would have bitten me if she didn't like me...”

“Huh?” Yoko asked. “You mean you didn't steal Shirley?”

Jaden continued to massage his temples as he looked up again. Yoko and the timid boy had backed up several feet from the snarling Shirley, who was still planted firmly between Jaden and the girl. He noticed that she had the frying pan between her teeth and didn't look like she wanted to let go any time soon. Jaden also noticed that Yubel was bristling apparently angrily, but he was glad that she hadn't attacked anyone. That could have gotten messy and hard to explain.

“Who in their right mind would try and steal a crocodile?” Jaden groaned in pain. “I saw three guys throwing rocks at her and had to stop them.”

“Oh,” Yoko said quietly. “Sorry then. I didn't hurt you too bad did I? Please don't be mad at me.” Jaden just sighed.

“I'm not mad,” he said. “Just not exactly feeling the greatest now. I'll live. Its going to bruise though...”

Jaden winced as he touched his smarting forehead. Shirley and Yubel both seemed to starting to be calming down a little bit though, which he couldn't help but be relieved at. He didn't want either girl attacking anybody. Three other people came out of a door to their right, no doubt looking to see what the commotion had been about.

One had dark skin and was a little shorter than average height. He had dark brown eyes and dark black hair. He was thicker and more muscular than the other guys there, and his eyes were more severe. Another was tall and had a darker shade of blue hair and dark blue eyes. He was very pale in comparison to the other boy. The last was wearing a hat and bandages over his right eye. His hair was black and spiked oddly, and his skin was a darker shade somewhere between the first and second boy's. He smiled a little at Shirley, and the crocodile let out a growl of greeting to the boy. The second boy however just shook his head.

“Yoko did you seriously hit someone with that?” he asked. “Its no good to go around hurting people on your first day.”

“I said I was sorry,” she cried in defense of herself.

“Are you alright?” the dark skinned boy asked.

“Yeah I'll be fine,” Jaden sighed. “Its no big deal.”

“Well I guess we found Shirley then,” the third boy said. “I was getting worried girl.”

“Oh yeah,” Yoko said suddenly. “He said he saw some guys throwing rocks at her, so he helped her out.”

“Thanks for that mate,” the third said, his accent becoming suddenly prevalent. “The name's Jim Cook. If you can't tell by now, I came from Australia. Shirley here's been my mate ever since we were both little.”

“I'm Yoko Fuji,” Yoko said kind of sheepishly.

“My name is Axel Brodie,” the dark skinned boy said. “I'm from America.”

“My name is Jesse Anderson,” the tall blue haired boy said with a smile. “I'm also from America.”

“M-My name is Syrus Trusedale,” the short blue haired boy said when Yoko jabbed him in the side with her elbow. Jaden shook his head a little as if to clear it.

“Jaden Yuki,” he managed somewhat quietly.

Jaden rubbed his head a few more times before he looked up and noticed that Shirley had turned her long body to face Jaden again. Everyone else had paused and was now watching closely, especially Jim. Jaden reached forward and took the frying pan from her mouth, which she then released to let him take it. She didn't snap at him either as he looked it over.

“It doesn't look too bad,” he said. “I'll give this back as long as you promise to not hit me with it again.”

Jaden stood, which again put his arm right next to her enormous mouth. However she didn't even so much as growl at the boy as he stood. Jaden stepped over part of her tail and walked over to Yoko. The rest of the group was utterly surprised that Jaden hadn't lost his leg to the huge crocodile. He handed it over and smiled to Yoko, but backed up before she could think about hitting him again.

“Jaden,” Syrus said, seeming to be the first to find his voice. “Shirley didn't bite you!”

“I didn't expect her to,” Jaden shrugged. “I already fed her by hand. If she didn't bite me then, why would she now?”

“You fed a crocodile by hand?” Axel asked, seeming more surprised.

“You're either crazy,” Jesse said in surprise, “or the bravest person I've ever met.”

“Probably just crazy,” Yubel chimed in quietly behind him. Jaden ignored her as usual as to not look insane.

Jim on the other hand turned and walked away, they all just watched him with perplexed faces as he went back into the room he had been. Within a minute he had come back out with an uncooked hotdog. Shirley raised her head expectantly, and Jim tossed it to Jaden. Jaden caught it and gave him a perplexed look. Jim just crossed his arms and gave Jaden a calculating look.

“Do it again then,” he said simply.

“Jim I don't think that's a good-” Yoko began.

“Sure,” Jaden replied.

The others all froze as they watched, and Jim's impassive face watched the whole time. Jaden fearlessly turned to Shirley and held out his hand. She turned and nearly stood up on her back legs to grab his hand in her mouth again. The others let out scared gasps, but Jaden didn't even so much as wince. Shirley again pulled her mouth off of Jaden's hand and the hotdog out of it. She began quite happily munching on it as Jaden smiled and held up his hand with a slight laugh.

“Check it out guys,” he joked. “Five fingers.”

The others all let out relieved sighs as Shirley turned and made his way back over to Jim. He smiled and bent down, letting her crawl up onto his back. Her tough claws gripped gently at his hips and shoulders, and her thick tail wrapped around his waist. Her head turned at an odd angle to survey everyone else. Jaden realized he must have been right when he assumed that this wasn't an ordinary crocodile. Jim however smiled at him.

“Well I'll be,” he said. “I've never seen Shirley take to someone like that, let alone that fast. You're fine to hang out with us anytime mate.”

“Thanks I guess,” Jaden said, looking at the two. “I don't exactly think she's a normal crocodile is she?”

“She's not,” Jim sighed. “She was an experiment. My dad managed to save her, and the two of us became good friends after that. She's a lot faster, a lot more flexible, and a lot smarter than any other crocodile you'll ever meet.”

“I believe you,” Jaden said with a sigh.

Jaden looked over and spotted Yubel out of the corner of his eye staring at Jesse. Jaden let his eyes follow and found himself surprised to see that Jesse was staring at him. He wasn't entirely sure why he was looking at him like that, but he wasn't entirely sure how he was going to bring up the subject. Jesse saw him looking and a bit of awkward silence passed between them. However they were both relieved when Yoko suddenly spoke.

“Hey Jim,” she said suddenly. “I thought you said you hadn't seen your parents in a long time?”

“That's right,” Jim said with a sigh. “I kind of ran away from home when I was younger?”

“What?” she asked. “Why?”

“I'd rather not talk about it,” Jim replied quietly. Shirley let out a quiet growl.

“If it makes you feel better,” Jaden offered, seeing the dark look on his face. “I haven't seen my parents in years either.” he glanced at Yoko. “And I don't really feel like saying why either.”

The group looked at the two boys, the taller with the Crocodile, and the shorter who every now and then kept rubbing his head. They seemed like perfectly happy young men, but both now had a sadness on their faces that no one else really knew what to say to. A silence seemed to fall between all of them suddenly.

Thunder rumbled dangerously close, and they all looked up towards the approaching wall of clouds. They could see lightning sparking within it, and they weren't sure they wanted to get any closer. However they seemed to be drawing only nearer, and the boat began to rock a small amount in the waves. They all nervously watched it.

“That looks bad,” Syrus said nervously.

“I thought there wasn't supposed to be rain until this weekend,” Yoko sighed.

“Well weather can change quickly on the ocean,” Jesse offered.

“Not that fast,” Jaden replied. “I don't like it.”

He got a bad feeling about all of it. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, and he certainly didn't want to find out. Yubel was bristling a little as she looked at it. It was clear that she got the same impression as he did. There was something not right about this whole thing, and they didn't exactly like it. Another girl joined them, letting out a low growl as she did so, and alerting Jaden to the fact that she was a Duel Spirit by the deep sound.

“There's something wrong about that storm,” she said.

She was a tall young woman with white hair pulled into a neat bun behind her head and eyes that seemed to change hues as she stood there. Jesse laid his hand on her shoulder, staring up at the sky with her. Jaden suspected that she might be his partner, though the others didn't look like they knew what to make of her either.

There was yet more silence between all of them as they watched the clouds above them. They looked suddenly so much more sinister than before. Even Shirley had begun growling at the sky nervously. Jaden's eyes narrowed. He wasn't an expert or anything, but he was pretty sure that clouds didn't approach that quickly. However at about the same time as he was thinking that the boat gave an awful lurch as it was struck by a wave.

Jaden nearly toppled over with everyone else (except Jim who was counterbalanced by Shirley's weight on his back). However Yubel, who wasn't standing on the ship, quickly caught his shoulders and balanced him so he didn't fall. Everyone else but him and Jim quickly fell to the ground. A second wave crashed into the boat which sent a wave crashing onto the deck. Rain was soon pouring as well, dousing the kids standing outside. The boat began rocking back and forth badly.

The girl who had come to Jesse leaped up and became a huge snake like dragon. She was white with a golden crown like formation near her head and yellow eyes. Her face was black and her jaws seemed almost incapable of closing. Her fangs were long and white, and she had huge bird like wings on her back. She roared and spread her wings, carefully keeping balance. Many of the kids reached out and grabbed her long body to steady themselves so they wouldn't fall again. Again the dragon snarled up at the storm. Jim, Syrus, and Jaden were the only ones not holding onto her.

“E-Everyone alright?” Jim called, holding his hat on with one hand.

“I think so,” Jesse called back.

“What heck is with this storm?” Axel asked aloud.

Any farther conversation was cut off as a third, larger wave hit them. The dragon snarled and braced herself, so the kids clinging to her were alright. This time Jim fell, making Shirley hiss. Yubel balanced Jaden though she had to fight harder to do so and was practically clinging to him to keep him from being thrown off. However Syrus went flying through the air and right towards the side.

The others gasped and called out Syrus' name, and the poor boy looked terrified. The dragon snarled, knowing that she couldn't save him without leaving the others to that fate. However Jaden raised a hand and closed his eyes. He'd reached into the spirit realm hundreds of times now, and he knew his friends were probably still really mad at him. However he needed their help right now. He hoped they'd answer him.

“Summon Magic,” Jaden called to the surprise of the others. “Wind Elemental Contract!”

Apparently his call was urgent enough that the spirit he called to answered with no hesitation. The air was rent suddenly with a loud crack as a tall creature appeared behind Jaden. He appeared to be wearing a strange suit made of feathers. It was green, though his chest appeared ripped and purple in color. He wore a green head piece and red mask, with red claws over his left hand. He had red bird like feet and green spines ran out of his back. Red jewels sat in the joints of those, which soon became white feathers for his wings.

He was one of Jaden's many contracts, an Elemental Hero Avian named Striker. The Elemental Hero asked no questions as to where Jaden was, why he was there, or even what was going on. It wasn't in the nature of an Elemental Hero to ignore a distress call. He spotted Syrus as he disappeared over the edge and was after him in a flash. Within seconds he had returned with the terrified and tiny boy in his arms. Again the boat shook with another onslaught of water.

“What's with this storm?” Striker gasped. “Jaden you're going to need more than just me to keep everyone from falling off!”

Jaden just nodded and again concentrated, reaching for another mind. He sent another distress call through the spirit realm to one of his many friends. However Axel noticed instantly what he was doing and looked up with wide eyes. He didn't know how strong Jaden was, but he certainly didn't want him to hurt himself by summoning more and more spirits. It took a lot of magic just to summon one contract. How many was he going to summon.

“Jaden stop,” Axel cried. “Don't keep summoning spirits like this! You're going to hurt yourself.”

“Summoning Magic,” Jaden called, ignoring him. “Fire Elemental Contract!”

Instantly there was another crack. This time a female spirit appeared, an Elemental Hero Burstinatrix named Flare. She had long hair that was gray on top and white on bottom. She had blue skin and blue eyes, and a golden helmet with a long sharp piece on top and blue gem in it sat on her head. She wore a red mask with a red line that ran down her face.

She also wore red gloves, red boots (though the right one was longer, almost to her hip). Her costume almost appeared like fire on top, mostly covering one breast and mostly revealing the other, and a small mark between them. It was low cut on the right side and revealed most of her side while the other was nearly fully covered. There was also a piece that connected her neck piece to the rest of the cloth.

Again, she asked no questions, and instead turned to look at the situation. Though she didn't exactly know the full situation, she jumped over and grabbed Jim's shoulders to steady him, completely unafraid of the large reptile on his back. She didn't like rain, or getting wet, but she could tell that this wasn't exactly something they could have avoided in this situation. She glanced over at Jaden worriedly though.

“Be careful you don't fall in Jaden,” she warned.

Jaden again realized that they couldn't see Yubel, and as grateful as he was for her help, it was going to look suspicious if he didn't at least fall. Another, smaller wave hit them, and he quickly reached again into the spirit realm, calling to yet another creature. Now the others were beginning to grow worried about him as they watched, wondering how many he was going to summon.

“Summon Magic,” Jaden called. “Water Elemental Contract!”

This time it was an Elemental Hero Bubbleman named Torrent that answered the call with a crack. He was a buff man that wore a dark blue under suit and lighter blue armor on top. Two gray cylinders sat on his back, which connected to a water gun on his right arm. More gray straps like the ones that connected the gun ran down his right leg to his boot. His helmet had two ridges on the sides of it, and you couldn't see his eyes. He also had a white cape, and lighter blue gloves and boots.

Again, he didn't ask any questions. He quickly looked around and realized the situation. Yubel leaped out of the way so he wouldn't realize she was there, and he grabbed Jaden's shoulders, even bringing him to a kneel as both Burstinatrix and Avian had done to keep the other two from falling and losing their balance. Jaden let him steady him this way, knowing he wouldn't calm down until he was sure Jaden was as safe as he could get.

Another wave slammed into the boat, making it rock badly. The dragon and the three heroes all braced against the impact, and the humans all weathered it well enough. It seemed though that the strange storm wasn't nearly done with them yet. Lightning began streaking overhead, making thunder boom closer and closer.

“If that knocks out the boat's main systems we'll be stuck in this storm,” Jim called loudly. Jaden frowned thoughtfully, and Axel saw it.

“Don't even think about it,” Axel growled. “You're gonna kill yourself like this! It takes way too much magic to summon all of these spirits!”

Jaden again ignored him, raising a single hand enough to summon another monster. Again he sent out a distress call to one particular spirit, knowing that he needed his help now. He only knew of one duel spirit who could make that lightning not a threat anymore, and he hoped that he was in a mood to help like his other friends had been.

“Summon Magic,” he called. “Light Elemental Contract!”

The next crack sounded like thunder as the Elemental Hero Sparkman named Thunder appeared. He was a tall creature in dark blue, with a full blue face mask with golden wings coming off of the back of it. The armor on his chest and shoulders were gold, and wing like structures appeared on his back. These were blue and rimmed with golden lines. Orange gems decorated his sides and arms and boots, and his dark blue armor had golden lines running through it. Two more wing like structures appeared off the ankle rings on his boots. Two lighter blue circles on his palms were usually where lightning sparked off his palms.

Thunder quickly looked around, obviously confused, and he turned to Jaden. Jaden was sure that if he could see his eyes widen he would have. Another wave crashed into the ship, making them all lurch, and the other three Elemental Heroes snarled at the sky in defiance. The Sparkman however looked up as the lightning streaked by, apparently closer than ever.

“This storm is not natural,” he growled.

“Can you stop the lightning from hitting us?” Jaden called to the hero. Thunder turned his head to him and nodded.

“I can take care of it,” he assured.

With that, the Elemental Hero leaped forward and raised his hands. The lightning was suddenly conducted towards him like he was a lightning rod. It struck the lighter blue disks in his palms and was suddenly absorbed harmlessly into his armor. No matter where the lightning struck from it struck his upraised palm and was no longer any danger to them. The group couldn't help but sigh a little, though they also cast the sky nervous glances. What kind of storm was this? They'd never heard for one that apparently aimed to hit a ship. Maybe they were reading too far into this.

Yubel flew just to Jaden's right, watching him carefully. He seemed to be holding up perfectly, but she supposed that even though he was only half of the Supreme King he would have had no trouble with it. He had a lot more power than he probably even realized. But she was glad suddenly for his friendship with these creatures. If not, she probably would have lost her hold on him in a few more seconds and lost him somewhere in the sea. Where they were however, the heroes were holding their own. She couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief at his resourcefulness and power.

It seems he's not so lazy after all, she thought to herself.

For several long minutes, the waves rocked them and the lightning struck. However the heroes were known for their endurance and weren't budging an inch. Jaden had created a wall of defenses that even this mysterious storm couldn't hope to defeat. It didn't stop it from trying however. For thirty long minutes the storm kept pushing against them, testing them. However before long it appeared that the storm had apparently given up. The storm passed suddenly and the seas calmed again.

As everything became calm the new students all looked around quietly at the now glistening sea again. Jaden couldn't help but let out a sigh as the rather over protective spirits finally released the children they were holding and returned to Jaden's side. Thunder put his hands down and also returned to Jaden, and those whose smiles were visible gave him smiles. He couldn't help but give them smiles as well as the other kids righted themselves.

“Thanks for coming on such short notice guys,” he said. “You really helped a lot.”

“We're friends Jaden,” Flare laughed. “You expected us not to come for a cry like that?”

“Besides,” Torrent added. “We're not called 'heroes' for no reason. We're here to help.”

“It looks like the storm's cleared for now,” Thunder noticed, looking up at the sky carefully. “I don't think we should go just in case now though.”

“I agree,” Striker added, glancing at Jaden. “Though I do have to wonder why you didn't call us for so long, and then ended up getting in trouble out at sea.”

“I'll explain later,” Jaden replied with a smile. “I promise.”

Axel however leaped up and ran over to Jaden, grabbing his shirt collar and glaring down at the slightly shorter young man. Jaden blinked, but his contracts also just blinked in surprise at the young man. He wasn't being threatening in anyway really, but he did look mad.

“What were you thinking?” Axel demanded. “You could have killed himself you know.”

“I've summoned more of them at a time,” Jaden assured him. “I've got at least a dozen friends in the Spirit Realm, maybe more. I've summoned all of them at the same time, for a lot longer. Besides we needed the help.”

“You've summoned more than these four?” Axel gasped in surprise.

“Yeah,” Jaden replied. Then he rubbed his smarting forehead again with a sigh. “That...did not help my headache.”

Slowly Axel released the boy and stepped back from him. The others were all staring at him too with wide eyes. Jaden quickly looked away. They didn't seem to know what to say, and the Elemental Heroes all blinked down at Jaden too. However, Syrus finally stepped forward.

“Hey Jaden,” Syrus said. “thanks. That was...kind of cool...”

“Don't thank me,” Jaden replied with a smile. “These are my friends, all Elemental Heroes. This is Elemental Hero Burstinatrix named Flare, Sparkman named Thunder, Bubbleman named Torrent, and Avian named Striker.”

The students quickly seemed to shake out of their surprise and came over to greet the heroes. Thunder crossed his arms silently, and the others all smiled at them patiently. However the small group had seemed to open up considerably to Jaden. After a few minutes however, the mood was made more somber when Jesse looked up again.

“What was that though?” he asked. “I've never heard of a storm that seemed to...well aim.”

“It was really strange,” Jim said thoughtfully.

“Its a good thing Jaden thought so fast,” Yoko said with a sigh.

“And that was some impressive magic,” Axel said, giving Jaden a pointed look. “Which dorm are you in at the academy?”

“Uh,” Jaden said thoughtfully. “I think they said Slyfer Red.”

“What?” Yoko gasped in indignation for her friend. “I'm in Ra Yellow, and I'm not nearly as strong!”

“That's odd,” Jim agreed. “I'm in Obelisk Blue.”

“I'm an Obelisk too,” Jesse said, and Axel nodded.

“Same here,” he said.

“I'm in Slyfer,” Syrus said quietly. Yoko paused thoughtfully.

“Well,” she said. “Duel Academy does have procedures for changing classes. You can always work towards another dorm while you're there.”

“Duel Academy?” Flare gasped in surprise for all four of the delighted Elemental Heroes. Jaden just smiled and nodded to them.

“Why did they put you in Slyfer Red if you're so powerful though?” Jim asked aloud. Jaden silently thought for a second.

“Probably how I got in,” he admitted. Seeing the confused looks on everyone's faces he sighed. “I'll explain later. Better yet, you'll probably see later. Let's just go inside and warm up now guys.”

“Oh I can help with that,” Flare said happily, volunteering her services. Jesse smiled.

“That would be helpful thanks,” he said. Everyone else blinked. “Oh sorry, I can hear all Duel Spirits.”

“Really?” Jaden asked, intrigued. “Me too.”

“I doubt this runt can hear me,” the dragon snarled, making the heroes bristle at her.

“Hey I didn't insult you,” Jaden called, eying the dragon fearlessly. The dragon blinked as Jesse gave him an apologetic smile.

“Sorry,” he said. “This is my Partner Glisten, a Rainbow Dragon. She's not very tactful, but she can be really sweet.”

The other students looked between each other, at the odd group that they had assembled here. Only at Duel Academy could you meet such an odd group of friends. However they were definitely friends. They couldn't just ignore everything that had been going on and pretend that they weren't. They'd just literally weathered a storm together. If that didn't make them friends they weren't entirely sure what was going to make them friends.

“Let's just get inside,” Jim sighed, looking over at tiny Syrus who was shivering from cold.

The group quickly agreed and made their way inside to a quiet room on the cruise liner. Most people were talking about the odd storm that had been happening, hardly glancing at Glisten, now in her human form, the crocodile on Jim's back, or the four Duel Spirits openly in the room. Such sights were not completely uncommon (though Shirley was probably a first for most of them) and they hardly glanced back at them.

Once they got inside comfortably Flare smiled and motioned all of the freezing students nearer. They formed a circle around her, all sitting on the rug beneath him and shivering a little. She closed her eyes and when they opened small balls of fire appeared in her hands. More fire appeared to dance around her feet, and soon the hot flames were warming them quickly and they found the temperature to be much more comfortable. They all smiled and let out contented sighs.

The other three heroes watched the group of humans silently, though they also smiled. Elemental Heroes loved to be of help to others, and they had always been friendly towards humans. They were glad for their friend to have finally made it, though they were confused. They trusted he would explain later though, so they didn't complain. They were glad to see the strange group of human children smiling happily then.

Yubel too watched silently, and she found that (though she would of course never admit it) Jaden wasn't all she had thought he was. He was kind and caring, and he would do anything to help others. Maybe he did get on her nerves, but she wasn't really helping the situation. She had to admit though, these heroes truly seemed to fit his personality well. She wondered, as broken as she and her kind was, if she could ever be considered a hero.

However when Jaden wasn't looking she let a small smile touch her face. Yes, maybe things were hectic, and maybe they didn't get along. But they were going to have to be a team, and she was going to have to try harder to be so. She couldn't deny though she would be more than happy to see land soon. She'd had enough of the sea.

Chapter Text

By the time they had finally reached the island, the boat was about an hour and a half behind schedule, and Jaden had sent his Spirit friends back home so it would be less cluttered. Everyone had already gathered up all of their things and were waiting on the deck of the boat, watching as the island grew ever closer. Once or twice different Duel Spirits flew overhead, and as Jaden looked out at the Island, he wondered if the entire student body had already come out to greet them (the newest arrivals would start classes a week after those who had already been here a few years, and would be placed in classes according to their age and skill levels. That meant too that some of the new arrivals that Jaden could spot were no older than ten or so).

He had to admit though, that everyone on the shore looked kind of relieved. He supposed that they had been gone a lot longer than anyone had thought, and he could tell that a lot of people here a Duel Academy looked out for each other. In fact, he'd received a sort of notice telling him to ask any upperclassmen for help if he needed it. Duel Academy was a close knit society of students. However as Shirley (who was still on Jim's back and Jim was standing beside him) nudged his face with her snout and he reached up to pet her, he thought he understood why.

They had hardly just met, but he couldn't deny that he, Jim (and Shirley too of course), Syrus, Axel, Jesse and Yoko had already started forming a close friendship. He supposed that surviving a storm together might just do that. So Jaden stood with the group as they all smiled and waved to the students and staff greeting them warmly from the shore. Yubel silently watched this all unfold from somewhere above the crowd but just behind him. She was watching silently as usual, taking in the scene. She couldn't help but wonder if everyday was going to be as hectic as this one had already turned out to be? Then again, from what she'd already heard from Jaden about the school itself, she expected this was going to be one “interesting year”. Yubel let out a quiet sigh that even Jaden couldn't hear over the noise and instead looked up.

She scanned the crowd several times, but couldn't spot Yugi anywhere. He was supposed to be teaching Jaden (and admittedly keeping an eye on her) right? She couldn't see him or Yami anywhere. Then again, he seemed like a fairly important person in this world, she doubted he would have wanted to come out here and get mobbed by the masses of people. Besides, Jaden had been given very specific instructions as to where to meet him before the opening ceremony, so she guessed there really wasn't a reason for him to come meet them. It still annoyed her though.

The boat had mercifully reached the dock, and the new students were finally let off. Yubel had to fly over the rest of the crowd to avoid touching anyone and there fore bringing up any awkward questions. Jaden glanced through the waiting crowd, looking for a chance to make a break for it and go to where he was supposed to meet Yugi. Maybe he didn't understand why he was the man's student, but he certainly didn't want to make himself look bad on his first real time table. However the new students were quickly swamped by the wave of upperclassmen and students who had been there longer than the new arrivals.

Nearly instantly they were getting questions thrown at them left and right, from simple ones such as “where did you come from” to ones that Jaden really didn't feel like answering such as “what happened”. As it was though, everyone on the entire ship now knew what had happened and who had saved them all from worse disaster, so Jaden was quickly surrounded by curious students. Luckily Shirley could tell he didn't really like it, and a growl from her made most of them back off. Jaden let out a deep and tired sounding sigh.

“I don't have time for this,” he told his nearby friends. “I really don't. I've got to go meet my teacher.”

“Your teacher?” Yoko asked. “You mean you have a private tutor?”

“Yeah sort of,” Jaden shrugged. “If you could really call him that. I don't even really know why he picked ME out of so many others.” His new friends just blinked in confusion at him.

“Is that how you got in?” Syrus piped up. “Because of your teacher?”

“Yeah,” Jaden sighed. “I didn't even take the entrance exam. I was accepted just because of him.”

“What kind of person could just get you straight into Duel Academy?” Axel asked.

“Well they obviously saw something special in you,” Jesse said thoughtfully. “I mean, you've got some really impressive magic.”

“Either way,” Jim said with a small smile. “You can't really be hanging around here, can you mate? We've got you covered.”

Before Jaden could ask what they meant, his new friends gave him big smiles and then started pushing a hole through the crowd for him. Quickly seeing what they were up to, he ran through the opening. After a few long minutes of pushing and shoving they managed to make a hole all the way to the outside of the group. Jaden smiled and gave them a thumbs up, then ran as fast as he could away from the crowd before someone else tried to stop him. He certainly didn't want to be any later than he already was.

Jaden quickly ran down the path towards the side of the campus he was supposed to meet his teacher at before the opening ceremony for this year. The entire school would be gathered in one place to accept all the newest students and get the ground rules. Luckily the large campus was labeled with signs pointing new students in the right direction. Yubel was flying quickly just behind him, and both were staring with wide eyes up at the campus itself.

Duel Academy was one impressive piece of work. It took up the entire Island, which was too small to be considered large, but was definitely the largest Island Jaden had ever come across. If he had to guess, he would say that it probably took roughly two hours to walk through the center of the campus from one point in the Island to the one on the opposite side. In fact, it might take longer, considering a large portion of the Island was made up of a forest. Even passing on the paths next to this forest, he could see students and their partners having mock duels and contests to test their skills (which he had heard was a normal occurrence here) and taking classes there.

There were several tall buildings spread out across the Island (some within the actual forest itself), all of which were decorated with red colored domes closest to the ground, yellow colored ones in the middle, and blue colored ones farthest up the side of the building. Jaden got the feeling that was going to be a complete theme around here, but shrugged it off. As far as he was concerned, they were just colors.

Each building was built differently from the last, some large and some small. The largest building however was was the main building, where he got the feeling most of his classes would be held anyway. This one was absolutely huge and several stories tall. He didn't care to count, but if he had to count, he guessed that nearly fifty would probably be about the right amount.

Jaden turned his eyes from the large building and began to notice small pedestals that framed out large areas on the ground. Some of these were on the beaches, near small lakes, in the forest or on grassy open areas. The reason why though was soon evident as he spotted one being used for one of the various duels that were always going on around campus. Two huge dragons were colliding in the center of the field, nearly making him fall from the force of it.

Remembering why he was here though, he quickly turned his attention away from the mammoth beasts and back to the problem at hand. He continued running until he neared the main path of the school, so named because it was well paved and large enough to fit several dragons size of those that he had just seen fighting abreast. He could see that, even now, the path was being used by various students and staff, all running off to do various business. Jaden slowed to a walk and let his eyes wander over the area until he could see his teacher.

It wasn't very hard. He just had to look up until he spotted a group of people clustered together. With as famous as Yugi was, there was pretty much no doubt that he was within that group. This was soon confirmed when he saw that familiar head of hair step out of the crowd and glance around. Upon seeing him, the man waved him over. Jaden paused however, blinking at him. He was pretty sure that Yugi wasn't that tall, and he'd never seen such a serious and fierce gaze on his face. Had there always been that many streaks through his hair? The man seemed to pause, and his amethyst eyes were watching him closely. They then traveled to the space beside Jaden where Yubel was standing. She crossed her arms as she looked at the man.

"That's not Yugi Moto," she said. "I believe that is the Spirit known as Yami, the one you mentioned in your history."

"You mean the dead pharaoh?" Jaden asked in surprise.

"You said that he and Yugi were rumored to switch places," she reminded him. "Besides, he looks exactly like the boy who saw me when Yugi could not, the one that I could see but you could not."

Jaden just sighed and made his way over to the man. This man seemed a lot different from the man who had asked him to trust him. He seemed way more serious, way more dangerous. He had known that Yugi Moto had been strange, but he hadn't been aware just how strange. Then again, he couldn't really talk. He had powers he couldn't remember and a spirit from the Shadow Realm following him around. Jaden made his way silently over to the group under the gaze of his teacher's now far more serious eyes.

Jaden looked up to survey the group. Most appeared to be various students, all in red, blue and yellow. One man was tall and rather fat, bald with a black beard and mustache. He had large steel gray eyes and smiled as he saw Jaden. He was wearing a dark red uniform with black stripes. Yami reached out and laid a steadying hand on Jaden's shoulder, guiding him over to the man. Jaden didn't try to pull away, but he was certainly kind of freaked out about it.

"Ah," the fat man said. "Who might this be?"

"Chancellor Sheppard," Yami said with a confident smile. "This is the young man I mentioned earlier, Jaden Yuki."

Chancellor Sheppard smiled widely and reached out, taking Jaden's hand and shaking it. Something about the way his eyes just sparkled as he smiled made Jaden smile back at him. He seemed like a good man, one that he could trust. The man laughed a little, a fully belly laugh that seemed to shake him with the mirth. The smile never left his face.

"Ah I see," he said. "Nice to finally meet you young man. We'll be expecting quite a few things from you, I'm sure."

"I don't know about that sir," Jaden said kind of sheepishly. The man just laughed again.

"No need to be modest," he said. "Remember boy, everyone is powerful and special in their own way. It's my job as the principal of this school to find all of that hidden potential and bring it out to its fullest. You just promise to do your best."

"I can do that sir," Jaden said with a smile.

Jaden looked around, noticing the older students seemed confused and kept pointing at him and whispering to one another. He couldn't blame them. He'd probably be just as confused as they were if he were in their shoes. Merlin was standing just to Yami's left, and when he saw Jaden looking his way, he gave him as calming a smile as he could manage. Yubel on the other hand, was floating just behind the magician and watching the crowd with some interest. Yami's hand on his shoulder again gave him another reassuring squeeze and Jaden felt himself calming a little despite himself. Yes, maybe this was all strange and new, but he felt like he could trust both Yami and Yugi.

"Come now," Chancellor Sheppard suddenly called to the other students. "We've got places to be. The ceremony will be starting soon and I still need your help."

Reluctantly the students followed, leaving Yubel, Yami, Merlin and Jaden all behind. Slowly the main road was emptied of the students (since the others would all be entering the main building another way). Yami's silent and serious eyes turned again to look at Yubel, and Jaden couldn't help but turn and blink at him. Yubel on the other hand, growled her displeasure and crossed her arms, giving him a clear glare that made the man's eyes narrow. He quickly saw Jaden looking though and gave him a reassuring smile.

"This is the first time we've actually met, isn't it Jaden?" he asked. "I'm sure you're aware, but I am Yami. Yugi and I decided to switch places for today's events. He's brilliant, but he's still a little timid. Its easier for us this way. I'll be helping as your teacher, along with Yugi. I'll give you this warning though, I'm not nearly as easy going."

"Um," Jaden managed. "Sure."

Yami just chuckled a little and released Jaden's shoulder, taking a step back. He glanced again at Yubel, but he just frowned in a confused manner. It seemed he wasn't entirely sure what to think of her anymore. He had wanted to keep an eye on her and Jaden, and neither of them could blame them. Even if this was far closer to normal in the Shadow Realm, having a Shadow Spirit and a human in such close proximity wasn't normal for anywhere else. Yami had warned Jaden to be careful, but it seemed that she truly didn't want to hurt the boy.

Even though this appeared to be the case though, Yami wasn't going to take back his promise to help train the boy. There was something far deeper than this than just the Shadow Spirit. There was something else, the thing he had seen hiding in his eyes. There was a darkness in the boy's eyes, one that even he, with all of his experience, had never come across before. Yami glanced back at Merlin, who only shrugged. They were both as clueless as to what to do with the boy and his strange self appointed guardian.

"Hey Yami," another voice called, making Yami turn in surprise. Jaden, Yubel and Merlin all turned as well. "Been a while hasn't it?"

The faces that Jaden was greeted with made Jaden even more surprised than he already was. The man who had been talking was waving with a huge grin on his face. He was a tall young man with dirty blonde hair cut short and bright blue eyes. Beside him was a young man with dark black hair that hung down to his chin and into his face, blood red eyes, wearing a black hoodie and jeans. This was a Red Eyes Black Dragon, who was busy glaring behind him at someone else. These two were Joey Wheeler and Slash, yet another spellcaster-partner pair of the so called Big Three.

Behind those two were another two set of faces that Jaden wasn't sure what he wanted to do in response to them. The man was tall and held himself with an important and confident bearing. His hair was brown and cut short, and his eyes were blue as well as icy. Unlike Joey, his eyes were fierce and gave Jaden a clearly challenging look.

Beside him was a tall young woman with long white hair that hung down nearly to the floor, even though it was braided into a thick mass behind her head. Her bangs were swept into the right side of her face, and her eyes were a bright blue color. She wore a white dress and white heels, and she walked confidently in them. Jaden of course, knew these two anywhere as well. This was the last pair of the Big Three, Seto Kaiba and the Blue Eyes White Dragon Eirwen.

Jaden was, quite honestly, now a little bit floored to have met the Big Three, and barely into his first day here at the academy. Then again, Yugi had wanted to be his teacher. Every year the Big Three had come to attend the opening ceremony, more or less to encourage the students as they worked through their school years. However now Jaden would be joining them up on the stage (in front of thousands of students and staff). He wasn't exactly looking forward to it. However, he was in this mess now, and there wasn't much else he could do.

"Oh," Yami said, giving him a small smile. "Joey, Kaiba. Its good to see you again."

"I heard about that whole mess with the new students," Joey said as he reached them. "Sounds like it was a bit of a hassle. From what I heard though, this kid here managed to stop it, and in a pretty impressive way. This your new student?"

"Yes," Yami answered for Jaden. "Jaden, this is Joey and Kaiba, along with their partners Slash and Eirwen."

"Hello," Jaden mumbled quietly.

"Joey I think you're missing the point," Kaiba said in a dangerous voice, giving Joey a clearly annoyed look. "That kind of thing doesn't just happen. And from the reports we heard, it certainly wasn't a normal storm."

"Right," Joey growled as he turned to look back at Kaiba. "And what was it then? Who would want to attack a bunch of kids?"

"I don't know," Kaiba said, glaring now at the slightly shorter man. "But its not something we can just ignore either. We NEED to get to the bottom of this."

"Enough both of you," Yami said in a quiet but commanding voice. The two men glared at each other but were silenced and looked away from each other. "Right now we only need to concentrate on the next few hours for the opening ceremonies of Duel Academy. There will be plenty of time to split hairs over this later. While I agree that we don't know what's going on, we also can't just ignore this. For now though, lets just take it a step at a time."

"Fine," Kaiba growled.

"All right, all right," Joey sighed. "I get it."

Yami nodded to the two, and the conversation was ending as quickly as the subject had been breached. A somewhat awkward silence suddenly fell between all of them, and Jaden had to admit that he wasn't entirely sure what to do in this situation. He glanced back at Yami, who only smiled and shook his head a little, assuring him that this was completely normal. Jaden still couldn't help but feel a little bit overwhelmed though. He reached up and touched his forward (which was still smarting). He winced, and the three men quickly noticed. Yami reached up and brushed his bangs out of his face to get a good look at his forehead.

"Where did you get this bruise from?" he asked.

"Its a long story," Jaden sighed. "But it involves a crocodile and a frying pan." The three men and their partners just blinked at him in confusion.

"What?" Joey managed. Jaden kind of smiled a little.

"Lets just say I won't forget meeting Yoko Fuji for a long time," he laughed a little.

"Already made some friends huh?" Joey asked, laughing at the boy with a huge grin. "Sounds like you had one interesting journey here, even without that storm."

"Yeah you could say that," Jaden replied, dropping his hand from his forehead. Yami moved his hand too but still sighed.

"It always is rather eventful around here isn't it?" he asked.

"You expect it not to be?" Kaiba asked in return, glancing at the man.

"No I suppose not,"

Jaden paused as he took the three of them in. They certainly seemed like an odd trio to be a bunch of friends. Then again, look at the friends he had already made here at school. He supposed that the best friends were often those that seemed to have nothing in common. Yubel was also watching all of them, and she couldn't help but give a small smile when she saw the one that Jaden was giving the three older men. As much as she was confused about everything that was going on (since she had never had a life that could have been considered normal) she couldn't deny that seeing the boy smile made her just feel a little better.

Yami caught the slight smile that she was giving out of the corner of his eye. He didn't turn his head to alert her to the fact that he had seen it, considering the fact she'd probably go back to snarling at him again. However he was sure this time that he had seen her eyes soften. He was completely sure this time. He couldn't help but be a little surprised. She seemed to be very quickly getting to a state where she liked Jaden. He wasn't entirely sure what would happen then, but he was fairly sure that things were only going to get more complicated. They had before.

"Hey Yami," Joey called suddenly. "We should get going shouldn't we? We're already technically an hour and a half behind schedule."

"Oh right," Yami said. "Oh and we need to get you into your new uniform. Which dorm are you in?"

"Slyfer Red," Jaden replied.

"What?" Joey gasped. "With as much magic as you have?"

"There were probably quite a few people jealous of the way he entered," Yami sighed. "Still, that was a little drastic."

"Its no big deal," Jaden shrugged. Kaiba gave Jaden a hard look.

"You do realize what that color represents here don't you?" he asked. "The Slifer dorm is the lowest on the totem pole, those who are supposed to be the worst. I don't doubt that they're not treated well by some of the students and staff."

"Its just a color," Jaden said with a small laugh. "The way I see it, there's no difference between any of us. If someone tried their hardest to get into the school, then what does it matter what dorm they're in? This school was set up with the idea of bringing people together and making sure that the world was prepared, wasn't it? There's no need for segregation like this then, don't you think?"

Jaden continued to give them the big goofy grin that he was most known for, but the three men and their partners couldn't help but blink a little in surprise. As lazy as Jaden seemed, as goofy as he acted, the kid was a lot more mature than he seemed. He was more powerful than they had even guessed in the beginning, and he just had the kind of personality that made people like him. Yubel just blinked at him a moment, then allowed herself another smile and amused chuckle. She didn't even try to hide it when he glanced over his shoulder at her.

It seems this kid is MUCH more than he first seemed. She admitted to herself quietly.

"I agree," Kaiba said with a small smile, the only one Jaden had ever seen on his face. "I think it IS rather pointless. I think its about time we starting fading the three dorm levels out, and redo the Academy."

"You're the one who wanted to set it up like that in the first place," Joey pointed out, annoyed.

"And I've changed my mind," Kaiba replied, completely unphased by this. "Anyway, we should go. We're going to be late."

Kaiba turned then and began walking towards the front doors of the Main Builiding on the Academy, Eirwen close behind. As he passed Jaden, he reached up and ruffled the boy's hair a little gently, the smile still on his face. He continued walking, completely unashamed, and Eirwen purred to him and laid her hand on his shoulder a moment before following after Kaiba. Jaden blinked and then turned to look after the two of them, surprised and confused as to what had just happened. The other five blinked a little as well.

"Strange," Yami said. "It seems Kaiba likes you Jaden. He doesn't usually like anyone."

"He's planning something," Joey mumbled. Slash mumbled something along the same lines behind him, low enough that even Jaden couldn't quite hear.

However the two men and their partners began to walk forward as well after Kaiba, and Jaden glanced over at Yubel. She had her arms crossed again, but her face was a very thoughtful one. Jaden just sighed and ran a little to catch up with the three men. Soon he had caught up with Yami, who had fallen back a bit to wait for him. Merlin again gave Jaden a smile as he turned to look at him. He knew well by now that Jaden could hear him, and it was no secret that Duel Spirits rather liked people who could talk to them whether they were their partner or not.

"Nervous?" he asked.

"Yeah a little," Jaden replied with a nervous smile.

"Just remember you're not alone," Merlin said encouragingly. "You'll have your friends, and you'll have us if you need it. Sometimes, the greatest strength isn't found by standing your ground, but knowing when to give way just a little to allow others to help you."

"And you're stuck with me, whether you like it or not," Yubel reminded with a soft growl, hoping she could be a little more friendly towards the boy for once. Though she growled as usual, Jaden could hear the different tone in it.

"Thanks," he said quietly to both of them with another small smile.

All other conversations fell quiet though as they reached the front doors of the massive building. They were held open for them by several students, who gave Jaden interested looks. Yami's gaze quickly sent them scurrying back to help in other areas, and Yami went to a table in front. Within a few minutes he had returned with a red blazer, black shirt and jeans. He smiled as he handed them to Jaden, who quickly went to change.

Within a few minutes Jaden had re-emerged from the bathroom in his new school uniform (of which he would later be given several different sets). Yubel blinked a little as she looked down at the new color. Somehow she couldn't find herself imagining the boy in the yellow or blue she had seen around the school. This bright and lively red color fit the boy much more, though she couldn't be entirely sure why this was.

"That color truly does seem to fit you," Yubel said quietly. "Its strange that way."

"You seem more friendly than usual," Jaden noted.

"J-Just hurry up," Yubel suddenly said, surprised that he had even heard her. Jaden just gave her a small smile as he returned to the others.

Jaden paused beside Yami, peering up at the closed doors that led into the campus' massive auditorium. He could hear a speaker booming as the Chancellor happily introduced himself and welcomed everyone to the Academy. An enormous wave of sound washed over them from the cheering out thousands of students, and he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. He had to go out there? In front of all of them? Yami laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder and smiled at the boy.

"Ready?" he asked.

No, Jaden thought. But there was no going back now, and the entire student body awaited.

Chapter Text

Yubel was watching Jaden with a slight frown on her face. She'd never seen the boy so worried about anything, or well, she supposed she should call it stage fright. It was almost amusing for her to think about. Half of the Prince of the Shadow Realm, afraid of standing before people? With all of his power, it seemed almost laughable. But she couldn't deny the fact that, as the ceremony began and cheering could be heard, that he looked scared to go out there.

Seeing how he wasn't paying attention, she tore her eyes away from him and listened carefully to what was being said. It was mostly a general welcome to the school and rules. However there was also information like where to get their schedules, dorms, and other such important information that she knew Jaden was going to need later.

It wasn't until Yugi, Kaiba, and Joey were introduced and brought up onto the stage through the door in front of them that Jaden even seemed to move at all. Chancellor Shepard was smiling and began to introduce them, though Yubel got the feeling from the hushed and awed silence that it wasn't really needed. Slowly Jaden shifted and looked up at her with a rather helpless look.

“What's that look for?” she asked, crossing her arms and raising a brow. “How can a person like YOU be afraid of people?” He looked away quickly, turning to stare at the ground in front of him.

“I...” he said quietly, almost so low that she couldn't hear him. “I haven't been around people that much. Last time I was I...well I lost control of my powers, whatever those are. I haven't seen my parents or talked to my old friends since then. I'm scared...what if I lose control again?”

Yubel almost jumped at the thought. Alone? She supposed it made sense. She hadn't seen anyone around Jaden except for the odd friends he'd made, and his Duel Spirits. He seemed friendly enough, but she realized that he probably didn't have much experience around other people. She could relate in a way, having grown up in her own small little world. She supposed that this kind of thing would be scary for him.

But to be afraid of himself? Her mother had often warned her that the prince she found could be scared, that he could be confused. She'd written it off as first as him being a human, not knowing anything about anything. But the more she got to know him, the more she realized that she was beginning to enjoy his company, and respect him for a person. He didn't have control over his powers, and that scared him. But she wanted to help him.

Her frown deepened as she watched the boy stare ahead. He obviously didn't expect any help from her. What kind of guard was she? It was her job to watch over this boy, and she evidently wasn't doing a very good job. Yubel flew forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, silently hugging him a moment.

She'd never done much hugging, and she wasn't one for physical contact. She wasn't sure if she was doing this wrong or not. She'd been raised to be a warrior, though she'd seen others do this to comfort others. She wanted to let him know he wasn't alone. Jaden, surprised, reached up and laid a hand on her arm, as if wondering if this was really happened. He blinked and looked over his shoulder at her two different colored eyes.

Her eyes softened as she saw him looking, and she gave him just a slight smile. She hoped it was enough to pass. Jaden on the other hand could tell that she wasn't sure what she was doing. Jaden knew though that she wasn't really the affectionate type, and she was trying to help. He could feel that she was tensed and awkward. Even so, he did feel better. He managed a small smile back.

“It's a good thing you're not alone now then,” she said. “I'll be right by your side, whether you like it or not. And...” she trailed off, looking away. Why was she doing this? Would he think she was just using him or something. She decided to add something else, quietly, almost like she was afraid to hear his answer. “If you want...I can help. Help you get in control of your powers. You know, because I'm from the Shadow Realm, so I'll understand them.”

Jaden blinked as he looked back at her. He wasn't entirely sure why she acting this way, almost completely suddenly. When had she started acting so friendly towards him? He realized too that he'd probably not really been paying attention. She wasn't too much more sure what to do in this situation than he was. He didn't know what was going on, but she wasn't sure how to act around him. She'd been a warrior her whole life. She obviously didn't know how to act around someone who wasn't one of those people. He smiled again.

“Thanks Yubel,” he said quietly. And he really did mean it.

She seemed to shift nervously, as if unsure how to respond. He couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever heard someone say something in that kind of tone of voice. Her wings rustled suddenly, then she released his shoulders and backed up quickly. Jaden let her do so, still smiling a little. He couldn't help but feel better though. She was right. He wasn't alone, and he'd have to count on his friends and mentors to help pull him through now.

What really cheered him up though was her promise to help him learn to control his powers. He was scared of them, and he didn't even really know what they were, only that he had them. Even so though, he was glad that there was a chance he'd never hurt someone else again. Yubel couldn't help but feel a little better as well when she saw him smile. She had to admit to herself, that she did prefer him with that kind of face.

“Yes,” Kaiba said after his introduction, bringing them back to the present. “however we've decided that there's no longer any need for the dorm system. Once the preparations can be made, the red, yellow, and blue dorms will be removed. Students will go to this school as it was designed to be, to help the world face any threats that appear.”

There was some murmuring at this, as if the students and staff couldn't believe that such a thing would ever happen. Joey on the other hand shot Kaiba a glare that the man obviously ignored. Yami's eyes flashed as he glanced at Joey, quelling the man's rage. There was something in those eyes that just made people go silent whenever he looked at them. Some sort of authority that could only be held by the Ancient King he really was.

“As a young man we met said,” Joey said, still glaring at Kaiba and not wanting to be outdone. “'It's just a color. There's no difference between any of us. This school was set up with the idea of bringing people together and making sure the world was prepared'. This made us decide that it was time the dorms were done away with.”

Clapping started slowly, as if people were wondering if it was okay if they agreed with it, or didn't agree and were afraid to not agree with three such important people. However soon it became thunderous applause and the three men and their partners glanced over at Jaden, who was waiting at the wings. He gave them a sheepish smile.

“However,” Yami said, his booming voice drawing a hush over the crowd as he spoke. “that is not the only announcement we have to make. This year, I have decided to take a personal student under my wing. This young man has...some odd characteristics and abilities that drew my eye. I don't doubt that danger follows in his steps, as it did mine.”

There was silence at this. No one was really sure what to make of it. Did he mean that there was something else going on? Something like the battle between the gods? What were the odds that something like that was going to happen again? Jaden had to admit though, that he was right. There was definitely something big going on.

“Jaden Yuki,” he said, holding out his hand and pointing it towards Jaden.

He turned and met Jaden's eyes with his own steadfast one, as if assuring him that it was all right, and he could come out there with him. Jaden felt his uneasiness threatening to resurface as he sat there, until he felt Yubel's claw tap him on the shoulder. He took a deep breath and then walked out to join his teacher, Yubel just behind him as always.

When he reached Yami's side he turned to face the crowd of students, feeling kind of dizzy when he saw the sheer number of them. They were all watching him, sizing him up no doubt. Yubel laid her hand on his elbow, just reassuring him that it was okay. This gave him the strength to smile broadly like he'd done this his whole life and give a little salute to everyone else. It made him look like the kind of laid back but silly young man that his other friends knew he was. He couldn't have made them out in the crowd if he had tried, but he was pretty sure their jaws had dropped by now.

“Jaden will be studying along side you at school,” Yami continued, as if daring anyone to say anything. “as well as taking personal lessons from me.”

“Isn't this exciting folks?” Chancellor Sheppard asked, grinning broadly. “Let's all welcome Jaden!”

He began clapping, and the whole crowd of students seemed to be startled out of their confusion. They began clapping as well, soon drowning him in their applause. He knew though that not everyone was happy and was only clapping because they felt they had to. He could manage this though. As long as he didn't have to say anything in front of them, he'd be fine.

Yami seemed to sense this, and motioned for Jaden to follow him back off stage again. Jaden gratefully did so, and following behind Kaiba, Joey, and Yami as they left. Chancellor Sheppard just smiled and continued on with the opening ceremony. Yami however had Jaden, Kaiba, and Joey follow him back out into the main hallway of this building. Here he finally paused and turned to look at all of them, just simply watching them. There was something almost unnerving about being under the gaze of those ancient eyes.

“You'll be starting classes here this week,” Yami told Jaden. “I hope you were paying attention to everything.”

“Uh, no not really,” Jaden said, scratching the back of his head in a confused manner.

“Lucky for you then that I paid attention,” Yubel said, floating just behind him with her arms crossed and giving him a sideways smirk. “Seeing how you weren't, I thought you'd might as well be prepared. You're too lazy for your own good.”

Yami's eyes instantly flicked up to look at Yubel. Neither Joey or Kaiba, nor any of the Duel Spirits present questioned the fact that he appeared to be looking at thin air behind Jaden's back. The two dragons and their partners appeared to have some confused looks on their faces, however they simply waited to hear what Yami was going to say. They all seemed to have a great deal of trust in this man. Yubel's warrior nature soon became prevalent again as she met Yami's eyes with a clear challenge in her own. His eyes narrowed a bit.

“You two seem to be getting along rather,” he paused a moment, as if looking for the correct word. “well. With your personality Yubel I would have thought that was impossible. What happened to change that?”

“We got to know each other,” came Yubel's response. Yami's eyes narrowed father.

“That I can see,” he replied. “Jaden's the only person I've seen you relax around.”

“I told you,” she hissed in defiance. “I'm his guard.”

“And you've still not told me from what,” he reminded.

Finally Joey, Kaiba, Eirwen and Slash all seemed to wake up and look at the man. They were obviously confused and knew that he wasn't having a conversation with Yugi since he was looking behind Jaden and not beside himself where they knew he would be standing to his eyes. Slowly they looked between the two, then finally towards Merlin, who only shrugged. He was just as clueless as to what was being discussed as them.

“Yug?” Joey asked. “Who are you talking to?” Yami glanced towards his confused friends.

“Ah,” he said. “I haven't explained yet, have I? Jaden has a...well an invisible guard. She claims to be female though honestly, I can't really be that sure.” This got a huff from Yubel, that Yami ignored. “She goes by the name of Yubel.”

“His partner?” Kaiba asked carefully.

“No,” Yami replied. “Yubel is a Duel Spirit from the Shadow Realm, something called a Foresworn.”

Jaden was sure that if he'd had a pocket knife, he'd be able to cut the tension that was in the air at this. Eirwen and Slash looked to be on a much higher alert than before, and both Kaiba and Joey were looking at Jaden with their eyes narrowed. It was no secret that they'd had to fight several creatures from the Shadow Realm when they had been in their own war, but Jaden couldn't help but feel a little self conscious now under the gaze. He knew that none of them trusted Yubel, but he was already feeling like she was someone he could trust. It would be difficult to explain to them when they obviously didn't understand it. Yubel gave them a warning growl.

“Though,” Yami reluctantly admitted. “I can sense no ill will from her. As long as she continues to not act as a threat I cannot try and force her to leave. I can't help but worry, that if she truly does have to act as Jaden’s guard, what would happen if she was gone.”

“Why does he need a guard at all?” Kaiba asked slowly, looking at Jaden closely. Jaden found his shoes to be very interesting suddenly.

“He doesn't seem like the kind of person to well,” Joey said, obviously afraid of finding a way to offend him. “need a guard at all. Let alone one from the Shadow Realm.”

“That's what I thought as well,” Yami said, pointedly glaring at Yubel.

The demoness growled at him, obviously not liking the fact that he was so blatantly challenging her and not trusting her, though again she supposed she couldn't really blame him on this. She didn't exactly look like the most comforting creature, and there was always the fact that she was so warlike all the time. However she did want to help Jaden, even if she wasn't too keen on the idea of having Yugi and Yami watching her like hawks. She roses her arms again and let out an annoyed hiss.

“I can't say why,” she growled reluctantly. “But I can give a hint. If you want an answer, look into the history of the Shadow Realm.”

“The history of a whole world?” Yami asked, raising a brow.

“No,” she hissed back, forcing herself to remain patient. “It was a more peaceful time. The legends and stories surrounding one event may lead you to part of the answer.”

Yami’s brow did not go down, and in fact, his perplexed face only grew more confused. His regal face would have made almost anyone want to simply answer his question. However it was clear that Yubel only had respect for one king only. Jaden realized almost with a start what that really meant for him. He glanced up at his ever mysterious guard and just slowly shook his head. Luckily he didn't look too insane right now. That only brought up a question though. How washe supposed to act normally with her hanging around? Obviously the answer really was, he wasn't.

“Well,” Yami reluctantly sighed. “I shouldn't keep Jaden too long anyway. We all have schedules to keep. Both of you, don't get into trouble. If you need anything, Jaden, my number will be programmed into your PDA you receive for school. Give me a call if you need to.”

“Will do,” Jaden said with a grin.

Secretly, Jaden was glad to run off down the hallway towards the main entrance, where the assembly was finally being let out. He didn't want to be under the gaze of his rather attentive teacher, or at least one of them. He knew Yami and Yugi were two different people, and he hoped he could one day be as good at pretending he didn't have an invisible friend as he was. Yubel visibly relaxed as well out of his sight, and he let out a sigh Ashe paused just outside the building. Things were already pretty crazy.

“Hey,” someone called, making Naden force back a groan. And now things were worse. “You're that Jaden kid, right?”

Jaden looked up, seeing a stranger standing in front of him. The young man was about average height with dark black, spiked hair and dark blue eyes. He was wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform and appeared to be sneering down at Jaden already like he was better than him. Behind him were his two cronies, one with light brown hair down to his shoulders, and one with darker and shorter brown hair. The young man wasn't bad looking, but Jaden hot the feeling his attitude wasn't going to score him any points with the ladies, especially considering the way Yubel was bristling.

"That's me," Jaden replied.

"I can't see what made Yugi Moto so interested in a slacker like you," he growled, his two friends sickening behind him like he'd told a hilarious joke. "Really. A Slyfer Slacker? He'd be much better off with someone like me as a student. I wouldn't disappoint him at least."

This made Jaden angry. Who was this kid, pretending he knew so much? He hadn't even met him, and assumed he was horrible because he was in red? He wanted to say something, anything. Yubel was also mad at his words, but she noticed Jaden's eyes flash a dull golden color for a moment. Remembering that he didn't know how to control his powers, she forced herself to calm and lay a steady hand on his shoulder. Jaden forced himself to relax.

His eyes returned to their normal brown color, and he stopped bristling. Yubel let out a soft sigh, glad that he was calm now. What kind of guard would she be if she let him blow this kid away and frighten himself and everyone else with his powers. Besides, she knew a much better way to get the boy back, one he could never expect. She smirked a little at the thought of her plan. She'd said she would stay out of trouble, not that she wouldn't cause a little. Besides, not even Yami could blame this on her when she enacted her plan.

"Back off Chazz," another voice growled.

The two looked up in surprise as they looked for the new voice. It belonged to a young man around Jaden's age, a tall and slender young man. He was handsome, with a longer face and kind blue eyes, though they were flaming now. His hair was black and shaped oddly like a crab. The kid who had been insulting Jaden, Chazz, turned in surprise when he heard his name. He scowled as he saw the second Obelisk.

"What do you want," Chazz snarled. "Fudo?"

"If you recall," the second young man said icily. "the dorm systems are going to be removed. You can't hide behind that color forever."

"Whatever," Chazz snarled. "You aren't even fit to wear the same uniform as me. Hang out with the loser for all I care."

Chazz stormed off, with this second young man glaring at him the whole way away. Chazz's two cronies quickly hurried off after him, seeming unnerved by his gaze. He then turned to Jaden and smiled kindly, all malice now gone. Jaden blinked, but found he rather liked him. He seemed so down to earth. Yubel was highly interested in this young man.

"Sorry about him," he said. "The name's Hakase. Hakase Fudo."

"Hey," Jaden said with a smile. "Nice to meet you."

"Still trying to act cooler than you are," another male growled. "It's a really annoying habit of yours, Fudo."

They turned to find another young man glaring at Hakase as he passed. He had long hair that hung down past his shoulders, though part of it was spiked up almost like a crown in the back, also with two strands hanging over his shoulders. His eyes were blue, and they never left Hakase until he passed. Hakase just rolled his eyes dramatically to purposely annoy him and shook his head. This young man growled as he passed. He was wearing an Obelisk Blue uniform.

"And that would be John," Hakase sighed. "Really, you'd think one Princeton or one Atlas would be enough, but I have to deal with both. Anyway, not all Obelisks are like them." 

"I believe you," Jaden said with a smile.

"I've got to go," Hakase said, looking at his watch. "See you around Jaden."

Jaden didn't even have time to say goodbye before the teen went speeding off. Jaden just blinked after him in surprise. He didn't stay there for long though, because soon another energetic shape slammed into him. Jaden winced, glad his headache was gone now, as Yoko giggled. She was now in Yellow. Jim, Syrus, Axel and Jesse and Glisten all joined him, smiling a little as well. Syrus was in red and looked rather shy, though everyone else was now in blue (except Glisten of course). Jim however still had Shirley clinging to his back, who growled in a greeting way to Jaden. 

The group was getting quite a few stares and whispers, though Jaden wasn't sure if they were directed more at him or Jim. He patted Shirley fearlessly on the nose, and she made a content rumbling noise in the back of her throat. Axel just shook his head, though he was smiling a little. Glisten on the other hand was glaring at anyone who looked towards the group. Jaden suddenly felt a wave of gratefulness towards the dragon, even if she didn't really seem to like him at all.

"So Yugi Moto is your teacher?" Yoko gasped. "That's so cool!"

"Guess we know who could get you right into Duel Academy," Axel said with a small smile.

"Good on you mate," Jim said with a grin. "You're way too strong to have anything but the best."

"School's going to be lively this year," Jesse said thoughtfully.

"It certainly will," Glisten said. She turned her brilliant eyes towards him, giving him a pointed look. "Stay out of trouble."

"I will," Jaden laughed, managing to untangle himself from Yoko's embrace. "Promise. I think."

"Congrats Jaden," Syrus said shyly.

Everyone seemed to turn to look at him. He was so small and unassuming that you would think that he wasn't there half the time. Jaden knew it wasn't fair to him, and he just looked so discouraged right now. Obviously he didn't think too highly of himself, but he didn't like being in Slyfer Red. If possible, he looked like he had lost even more confidence. Jaden didn't care. To him, it was just a color. But Syrus had obviously needed a boost. Jaden knew he'd stay by his side as long as he needed it.

Jaden threw his arm over the shorter boy's shoulder, grinning down at him and laughing in a good natured way. Syrus looked surprised and unsure how to react to him. Yubel face palmed, though no one else could see he at the moment. It seemed like absolutely the wrong approach to take with someone like that. Then again, Jaden never did anything the way she would expect. Despite herself, she began to smile, and she could see she wasn't the only one who was now.

"Hey, Sy," Jaden said, already giving the boy a nickname. "Think we could try and be roommates?"

"Huh?" Syrus asked in obvious confusion. "Me? U-Uh sure I guess."

"Sweet," Jaden said. "We should all probably get going to our dorms now."

Yubel couldn't help but smile more as she noticed them all wearing smiles. Jaden dragged Syrus off, hopefully in the right direction, and the others were quick to follow their example and head towards their own dorms. Her smile quickly faded though as she once again thought of the trials Jaden would soon be facing. That she would be facing. She hurried off to follow after him.

They truly had no idea just how lively Duel Academy would soon become.