Realm-runners was something I came up with where everyone gets ideas. Math class, while I was taking notes from the Virals copy I'd borrowed. (I don't own my own copy and I couldn't keep it) One day, I'm going to make the Realm-Runners thing into a real novel, but right now, screw that.

Enjoy :P

We...are realm-runners.

Given this ability by realm-watchers, we pass the test and the realms are ours. We can go anywhere, do almost anything. Jump realms right, and you can live forever. Time passes differently for us, in the space between realms. It stops.

I came from one of the three realms where the watchers grant this ability. Mine was a spun-off thread of a realm that to most, is a show, an anime. It has a game.

That's right. My realm is one that came, born off of Yu-Gi-Oh.

For those of you who thought Pokémon, I would not sleep tonight.

It is a realm watched by four dragons.

And to those four dragons they were swept.

I was there when it happened. Four terrified teens, eyes glowing gold and fear slowly turning them to more natural shades.

One dragon, a deep, deep, red, looking to be made of fire at the right angles, looked at them, then gave a roar.

Their own realm-watcher, unable to solve what had happened, had sent them here? Here?

They looked at the four towering dragons, then to me, and despite my appearance, scrambled to cower at my feet.

'Bring them, little runner. If she sends them here, we shall help. But they must pass the tests.'

One by one, I pulled them to their feet, unable to think of what to say, for once. I'd only ever dealt with those who had willingly come to become one of us.

I pulled them forward, despite their struggles, and backed away.

To watchers, it's as if the four are gawking at the dragons. But we all knew better. Inside them, the Dragons were testing everything important. Strength, endurance, intelligence, memories, reasoning. To be a realm-runner, you have to be able to adapt to anything, because you never know what a world might throw at you. You had to be open-minded, because every realm was different. You had to have fast reactions, think fast.

Oh, and if you didn't pass, the strain on your body from being tested would kill you. Usually, you'd be put in your bed in your world where you would have died of "indeterminate causes."

I closed my eyes and hoped.

Several minutes later the glow started.

They'd passed. I watched the four begin to glow, be given the power to jump realms and the knowledge they'd need.

I watched. Two fires, an earth, a water. But all tinged with blue. They were used to water.

We have a system based on the four elements idea. It comes from personality, past, and abilities. I myself am a fire-runner.

The elite? They are the shadow-runners. Even the realms of Death and gods are theirs to see.

I watched the glow fade into them, soaked into their skin like water and sponges. I touched the handle of the sword over my shoulder.

And now what?

The watchers turned away.

What? Were they not assigned a runner to teach them? But...

Years from now I'd probably look back and realized I got conned into it. But right now, I looked up my dæmon, something I gained from a realm I stumbled into, circling above.

It was agreed. I stepped to the four.

"How do you all feel?"

"It's like I went Viral," one whispered.

"I know..."

"Well congratulations. You're now realm-runners." I was about to spend half an hour explaining and I knew it. "And I'm the runner who's going to watch your asses the first several months." 'They're so young, Liana. They're not even out of high school in their realm.'

Liana screeched something I couldn't hear.

"What's a...Realm-runner?" one asked. He blinked at his glasses.

I needed a better place to explain than this. I grabbed the girl's wrist, pulling them all to my own realm.

We stood in a field of golden grass.

'Dammit, we're too close to...But it'll do.'

"A realm-runner, my friends, is much like it sounds. We travel between realms. Worlds, you might say. You see, originally, there was a set of worlds. But every time a major decision-whether it looked major at the time or not-happened, a new world was created where a different decision happened. Sometimes powerful or long-thought ideas became their own worlds, like this one. You still with me?"

Apparently, I was dealing with geniuses, because they nodded.

"Some realms can only be accessed through other realms, some are not accessible to us at all."

"Who were the dragons? I thought..."

"They didn't exist? Those are realm-watchers, the ones in charge of making sure their set of realms don't take themselves off to hell. Not the same as gods with their occasional miracles, they just keep balances and let things otherwise wander by themselves." I began to hum without thinking. I'm from a singer clan. Not my fault.

"Any more questions?"

"Can we go back now?"

I shrugged, "Well, yes, but I don't know how long you might stay. And if you go, so do I."

Four packs dropped onto the ground. "Little late, Tim'!"

A roar.

"Those are your packs. Magical, you can fit anything in them, and you'll always find anything you need if you put it in there. They also change appearance depending on where you're at. So a medieval realm won't have some strange 2000s backpack. Also, they weigh practically nothing for the person carrying them." I paused as they picked them up. "Unless someone steals them."

A few nods. "So that's the basics. Let's get you to your realm. In your bags, front pocket, should be a small tag or other item. It's your ticket back to your home realm. I would suggest jewelry application. Makes it harder to lose."

Thirty seconds later, I gave a nod as I looked over their realm. "Well. Nice."

Then Liana dove and landed on my shoulder. "What's your names?"

"Liana..."

They scrabbled away again.

"Sorry."

Slowly, I got the four names from them.

"Shelton. Er..."

"Hi-Hiram."

"Ben."

"Tory..."

I nodded. Over the hill, three men dressed in black came. Bad sign.

"I'm Kimiko, you should run."

And just like that, we were off.

With me as their guide, they'd be fine.

I hoped.

The next chapter actually picks up from my one-shot Alone, so...

Yes, I worked YGO into this for kicks.

Review, my fellow fandomers!