Hey guys! Before we start, I want to take the time to thank you for spending precious minutes reading my work. It really means a lot to me. This is my first fanfic, so I hope you enjoy it, and forgive me if I'm not familiar with a lot of the conventions of the Fanfiction Community. All mistakes (and I mean it - all mistakes) and mine, so feel free to throw rotten tomatoes at me. Or, actually, don't do that, because that's totally rude.

This story takes place between Season 3 and Season 4 of Yugioh GX!, so after Jaden's return to Duel Academy but before Jesse Anderson returns to North Academy (which technically takes place at the start of Season 4). Beyond that, I have no other frame of reference. Jaden and Jesse are now in a relationship, and if you wish to dispute this, fine, don't read it. But seriously - who would attempt to go through God-knows-how-many dimensions (yes, dimensions) to save somebody who helped get you out of the first alternate dimension by sacrificing himself, and told you to keep safe, especially when you've only known the guy for, what, two weeks, maybe three? just to, once again, save him? If that doesn't say I love you, then I don't know what does, because that is some pretty fine dedication, folks.

I'd also like to take the opportunity to point out that I do not own Yugioh GX or anything associated with it. I do own, however, Blake, Alec, Geri, and Sari and the concept associated with them, which we'll get to further down into the page.

Story Summary: Shortly before his scheduled departure from Duel Academy, Jesse's Crystal Beast cards are stolen, and he and Jaden find themselves being kidnapped. The question is, who would want to steal them in the first place, especially considering Jaden's cards were in the same room and not stolen? Then the boys find themselves rescued, and Jesse is told that he'll need to go after his cards. One problem: he no longer has a deck.

Against Yubel's judgment, and with the aid of the mysterious Oracles, Alec, Blake, Geri and Sari, Jesse acquires new cards and tests his deck. When he and Jaden receive instructions from the Oracle of the Future, they know that their task has just begun, and the two venture back to the modern center of activity, Domino City, for what might just be their most daunting task yet. Love, friendship, and loyalty are the stakes in this dangerous game, and every new clue unearthed sends them stumbling further into the dark as the boys fight the toughest race of mankind: against time.

Rating: Rated T for sexual innuendo, dark themes, and language.

Genre: Expect a mix of action, romance, adventure, drama, mystery, friendship, and much more. Should appeal to readers of many tastes. Beware long chapters.

Time Constraints
A Spiritshipping Fanfic
Chapter 1
Motion

The field exploded as smoke engulfed the arena.

Jesse dug his feet into the ground, trying to retain his balance. It's amazing how life-like these effects were, he mused. They were holograms, but there was nothing fake about this kind of wind and heat - the warm air rushed by so quickly it could have burned off his skin, or his clothes, or his hair, or his cards, or...

He heard a familiar sound, something one normally would expect to hear after an explosion. It was a call fraught with concern. He knew that voice.

After a few seconds, the smoke cleared away to show a blank field, save for Jesse's had a facedown and a monster. His opponent had two facedowns.

The smoke cleared away completely so that Jesse could see his opponent. He looked confused. "What happened?" he asked.

Jesse smiled - getting the best of Jaden in a duel was never terribly difficult. Unfortunately, getting the best of him and maintaining that lead was the hard part, because he always managed to spring back from the jaws of defeat.

"You attacked Ruby with your Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Jesse announced. "I had to save my little friend, so I sprung a trap. G Force!" Jaden's face deflated as the crushing sense of horrible realization settled in. He'd seen this card enough times to remember what it did.

Jesse continued. "So I played Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger to intercept your attack!" He triumphantly pointed towards my left, where a yellowish stone had just formed as a result of the monster's destruction.

Jaden smirked. "Nice one," he said, "but you didn't think I was prepared for that?"

The blue-haired boy dropped his face. "Uh, Jaden, this is you we're talking about. You wouldn't know prepared if it hit you in the face!"

"I'm going to nicely pretend you never said that. Instead, I'll let my Trap Card do the talking!"

"Trap Card?"

He smirked again. "Yeah, and it's a nice one too! Call of the Haunted!"

Jesse bit his lip, but refrained from saying anything.

"Elemental Hero Bladedge!" Jaden called out.

The other boy grimaced.

"Attack Ruby Carbuncle and finish this!" Jaden called out.

Now it was Jesse's turn to smile. "Oh no you don't! Watch this!" he said, pressing the button on his duel disk to reveal his facedown Trap Card - Crystal Pair. "Now by taking one Crystal Beast monster from my deck and placing it face up in my Spell and Trap Card Zone," Jesse said, choosing Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus and placing it in the second slot, "I take no battle damage!"

A blue stone appeared in the backrow as Bladedge leapt forward like a man possessed and was upon Ruby in seconds. The poor catlike creature never stood a chance as Bladedge destroyed it with one fell swoop of its arm. Ruby's image digitized and a red ruby stone formed in his Spell and Trap Card Zone. Three down, one to go, he thought.

"Well Jesse," Jaden said, "You got me this turn, but next turn, you're done!"

"He's right," Jesse thought, "Unless I drew the right card. which means he won't get a next turn."

Jesse was down to 1200 Life Points with only a Crystal Blessing card in his hand. Jaden had three cards on the field - Bladedge, Call of the Haunted, and a facedown. He had 900 Life Points and two cards in his hand.

Fingers crossed, Jesse placed his hand on the top card of his deck and drew.

Graceful Charity. He let out a sigh of utter relief and activated it.

Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth, Monster Reborn, and Rare Value. He smiled as he placed Monster Reborn and Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth in the graveyard.

"I play Rare Value!" he called, placing the card in the first slot of his spell and trap card zone. Jesse sent Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle to the grave, and then picked up two more cards.

Last Resort. Crystal Abundance.

He had two Crystal Beasts in his graveyard and two on his field. He was set to win.

Jesse laughed as he sensed Jaden tense up. "Hey bro," Jaden said, "Mind telling me what's up?"

"Don't mind if I do!" he laughed. "Go Crystal Blessing!" he said. The image appeared and Jaden's face twisted in confusion. "This means I can take two Crystal Beasts from my Graveyard and place them in my Spell and Trap Card Zone, so I choose Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle and Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!" Immediately the red and tawny-yellow stones appeared. Jesse now had four cards occupying his Spell and Trap Card Zone - Ruby, Amber, Sapphire and Topaz.

"Let's go, Crystal Abundance!" he said. "Lemme explain how this works for ya, Jaden. First, I have to send all four of my crystals to the graveyard."

"Wait, why would you do that?" Jaden yelled at me.

Jesse played the knowing smirk. "Because now, every card on your side of the field is destroyed."

"Oh."

Another explosion formed on Jaden's side of the field. and Jesse watched in pure awe as Jaden's Life Point count rose from 900 to 1900.

"I played a Trap Card!" he said. "It's called Elemental Recharge! Once activated, I gain 1000 Life Points for every Elemental Hero Monster on my side of the field! And as it so happens, I had one before your card destroyed it!"

But as far as Jesse was concerned, this wasn't even something at which to bat an eyelash. "And now time for the last effect of my card!" he called, ignoring his small victory. "Since I destroyed two cards on your side of the field, I can bring two Crystal Beast Monsters back from the grave!"

"That's why you sent them there!" he shouted.

"Very perceptive. So come on out, Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus and Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger!"

Just as quickly as the two had left the field, they were back on, this time in monster form. "Sick 'em, boys!"

Topaz Tiger went first, pawing Jaden across the face. His Life Points dropped to 300.

Sapphire Pegasus went second, knocking him backwards with his horn. Jaden's Life Points dropped to 0.

And that was game.

The images faded, and Jaden sat up. He smiled. "That was good! I liked that card!"

Jesse sat down next to him. "Thanks partner!" he said. "You weren't too bad yourself. That Call of the Haunted almost had me worried." Jesse said this playfully, as if trying to say that he was never worried at all.

Jaden got the hint. "Well, I was feeling pretty confident when I destroyed your Ruby. I mean, I was poised to win this one! The only monster in your deck that's strong enough to defeat Bladedge is Rainbow Dragon itself! And I," he added slyly, elbowing Jesse in the ribs, "knew that dragon wasn't going to come out anytime soon!"

The other boy couldn't tell if Jaden was making a joke or not. "Well," he said, feigning insecurity, "the next time you have me cornered, I might just have to whip it out."

Jaden blinked.

Jesse smiled at his confused reaction. "This is one of the reasons I loved Jaden. He's so authentic. He really, confidently believes everything that he says is true. There are no walls. No hints. It's all laid on the table. Of course," he mused, "it also means he doesn't take hints very well."

Jesse put his arm around Jaden and they fell backwards, faces towards the sky. "You know," he said, "I'm glad I have a friend like you, Jaden. You always find some way to put the energy back in me." As he spoke, he rolled over on his side to face Jaden, who did the same.

"Thanks, Jesse."

Jesse responded by briefly kissing him. They were in an open area, and anybody from a quarter mile distance could have seen them. It was better to wait for these kinds of things. Jesse fought back a chuckle as he imagined Crowler - "Students kissing is in direct violation of school policy!" And then he'd been all too quick to point out that I was a visiting student, so the worst he could do was send me back, but Jaden could face expulsion. No, it was definitely better not to be seen.

Jesse knew that Crowler was just being himself, and he pushed those thoughts away. Being with Jaden always felt right.

The scene was dark - it was night, clearly, for the moon shone overhead, and the stars winked in the night sky at any who decided to greet their gaze. The stars were always watching, thought the black-haired girl. She was sitting at a deck in a room with a glass ceiling, writing something. The stars knew everything, and they watched her write, their bright, flaming presence providing all the light she needed. The stars are a product of darkness, for without the darkness, there is nothing for the light to burn away. Could it be possible, the girl thought amongst her scribblings, that the darkness can be as good as the light? Perhaps the philosophy of the world was wrong when it only gave importance to the light. Sometimes she felt she could see more clearly in the dark.

The girl finished writing and put the utensil down on the table. She heaved a sigh, her troubles heavily oppressing her like a weight her shoulders could not sustain. She felt herself faltering in the darkness, stumbling down a path which she could not make out. But did that matter, she asked, when she already knew her destination? The girl was not surprised, for after watching her friends go before her, it was clear that she would be the last one. She was the most insignificant, yet the most potent in times like this. But no amount of knowledge of the inevitable could prevent it from occurring, and by that she was utterly useless. The last she could do would be to write and pray that her message would reach its intended recipients before time ran out. She looked over at the hourglass on his desk. Any ordinary person would say it was broken, for the sand didn't run when turned over, but instead stayed in the top basin, mocking the very person who was foolish enough to attempt to force it to fill a task so trivial as to tell the humdrum time of worldly concerns. The girl sighed as she saw the contents of the bottom were almost full. She felt enveloped by the anxiety, wishing the time would simply come. For she knew, she hadn't much longer. Days, minutes, weeks, maybe even months and years - none of it felt long enough with the task she had been given. The girl sealed her message, closed her eyes, and relaxed in her chair, as if wishing that her languid disposition would make it that much easier for her to succumb.

Please, she thought, be ready for this. Then she chided herself - what use was it, trying to tell someone to expect the unexpected? She had done her best to say as much as she could, although even now, in this weakened state, the restraints placed upon her which mocked her her entire life still held right, and refused to budge, no matter how much she pulled and pleaded. The most she could do would be to ask for an apology. She knew that her words would reach their target, but she could not tell how useful they would be, for that was beyond her last reserves of power.

It felt right, but he wasn't sure what was right anymore. Was Jaden right? Was he right? No, Jesse Anderson was having doubts.

Everything felt off.

Everything had felt off since the Crystal Beast Cards had been stolen.

Jesse remembered that terrible moment. Every detail, every agonizing minutia was branded into his memory. It was an event that he couldn't help but remember, because everything reminded him of the beasts, and every time he thought about the beasts, he thought about this moment. Maybe the more times he relived it, the less torturous it would become. Yes, he thought, go through it so many times to dilute the pain. You'll never get used to the idea, but you can't let it hold you back.

He and Jaden had been sleeping in his room, having just finished the night's usual activities. It was raining, and there was thunder. The clouds blocked the moonlight. It was the bad kind of storm that even the ducks took cover from, for no creature, however agreeable the water may be, was game to leave shelter in this kind of weather. It was a torrential downpour. The heavens were crying with anger.

They each left their cards on the night tables on the respective sides of their beds. It was for practical reasons – they had tried to leave everything in one place, but that cost them precious seconds. In the case of an emergency, their duel disks were there too. They would still need to change into their regular outfits, thus the reason for separating their cards. It wasn't always like that, no, of course not. The older, singular location was symbolic. It represented their one being. One being from two. Or from three, since Jaden was technically two beings. Or whatever. It meant something to them. It was Jesse's idea, but of course it was. Jaden didn't understand the symbolism; he didn't understand the finer points. Jaden was a man of action – he wasn't defined by what he said or planned, but by what he did in the heat of the moment. Jesse was more calculated, more analytical. The two completed each other, just as Jaden helped Jesse complete his Crystal Beast Deck. Just as Jesse's Rainbow Dragon card helped Jaden complete his struggle against Yubel. They needed each other. They were a part of each other. Together, they were whole. Separated, they were more vulnerable. Jesse wasn't so sure Jaden understood that.

That's what Jesse was thinking that night of the falling rain. He was unable to sleep, although Jaden had drifted off immediately. He remembered staring out the window, thinking, are we falling? Are we like the rain?

Soon, Jesse thought he smelled some weird. Some fresh, like lemons. Nobody was cleaning the building this late at night. He thought he should open the window, but it was raining. He didn't have the strength anyway. He was too tired. Jesse lay down and yawned before turning over to face Jaden. He didn't even have the energy to kiss him before he drifted off to sleep.

He was jerked awake by a bump. Or at least, it felt like a bump. Bumps meant movement, and why would he be moving? He opened his eyes. He was sitting upright, his head resting on Jaden's. He was groggy, but from the looks of it, he and Jaden were in a car.

Cars were bad. Cars meant other people. Cars meant movement away from Duel Academy.

Movement away from Duel Academy by other people meant kidnapping.

Especially while they were sleeping. What a cheap move.

Jesse also noticed he was wearing his duel disk. Weird. One look told him that his deck was gone.

His deck! Where was it? Had whoever kidnapped him taken his deck? It was all too much. He tried to focus his energy on calling out to the Crystal Beasts and to the Rainbow Dragon, but it was no use. He couldn't sense their spirits. That had never happened before, except for when he was trapped within the Rainbow Dragon card by Yubel's magic. Either the cards were destroyed, or something magical was blocking their spiritual link. Things had officially gone from bad to worse.

He felt Jaden stir next to him. That was a good sign – Jaden was waking up. Jaden always made things better. If anybody knew what to do, it would be Jaden.

He yawned and stretched his arms. "Good morning!" he said lazily, keeping his head on Jesse's shoulder. The two were about the same height, although Jesse had a few inches on Jaden. Maybe not even a few. Sometimes, depending on what shoes they were wearing, Jaden was imperceptibly taller.

"Jaden!" he said. "Get us outta this mess!"

Jaden looked around, confused. "What mess?" he stated, as if waking up with your boyfriend in different clothes from what you went to bed in and with your empty duel disk strapped to your arm in a car with a destination that you didn't know that was being driven by strangers was the most perfectly natural thing in the world.

"How're we gonna get outta here? Jaden! This is bad!" Jesse was whispering. Although there was a screen blocking them from the front half of the vehicle, he didn't want to alert them.

"Well," Jaden said, thinking, "We must still be on Academy Island. So I say we just call for help."

Okay, maybe Jaden didn't always know what to do. "Uhh, Jaden," Jesse said, "We don't have phones."

"So we'll just ask the guy up there for his!"

Jesse considered. "I could hit you right now," he said. "I'm seriously considering it."

Jaden was about to say something, but stopped for a brief second. "Hey," he said, "did you feel something?"

"No, like what?"

"Like a tingle in the back of your head."

"No I – yes, I just felt it."

"Do you have any idea what it means?"

Jesse shook his head. "No idea."

Jaden grimaced. "Well, it looks like we'll find out soon."

Sooner than we thought, Jesse remembered. That tingling feeling was actually something tapping into their physical beings. Something very powerful. Could it have been Yubel? No, this was an outside force, and Yubel didn't have this kind of power anymore. She had been turned benevolent, but remained much less powerful than her former, evil self.

The next thing Jesse remembered was being blinded. In the movies and television shows, everything would go white. This was the opposite experience – everything was dark. Pitch black. He raised a hand, but couldn't see it. "Jaden!" he called out. "You there!"

"It is me," a voice answered. Female. Not Jaden's, but familiar. Yubel. "I'm sorry Jesse, but I had to protect Jaden from them. Protecting Jaden meant protecting you. For that, I am sorry."

What? Jesse had never been terribly fond of Yubel – being possessed and having your soul locked away was kind of a big thing to get over in a couple of weeks – but he never thought she'd say something so piercing. "You're sorry for protecting me?" he asked, incredulity dripping through his voice.

"Yes," her voice came. "You see, they are a good force. A force of light. They wanted to help you. But I couldn't let them take Jaden. They sensed two souls and didn't know which one to target, so they went for you both. I had to hold them back. Going with them would put Jaden in more danger."

But he's already in danger! Jesse wanted to scream. And that doesn't make any sense. Why would she protect Jaden from the people who wanted to help him?

But he didn't ask that. "Where are we right now?"

Although he couldn't see her, he could feel her shrug. "I don't know. My guess is that my magic interfered with their magic and transported us somewhere else. It will only be a matter of time before they find us here."

Oh, great. So this was for nothing.

"Why can't you just let them help us?" Jesse yelled at her. "And where's Jaden right now?"

He heard her laugh. "Jaden's right here - I'm speaking through him. He can hear every bit of our conversation." Once again, Jesse sensed her cock Jaden's head to the side. "Have I never spoken directly to you before, Jesse?"

"Just answer the question," came his dry response.

"Very well. They are an old magic. A highly sought-after magic. As old as I am, although both our existences are shrouded in mystery. At one point, they wanted to stop the Supreme King. They predicted that his power was too great and would eventually fall into the wrong hands. They feared the destruction of the twelve dimensions." Her voice dropped. "As you know, that almost happened. Jaden gave into the power of the Supreme King and I was on the verge of using that power to destroy everything. And you were the means to both ends."

"So you just wanted to save face? Is that what this is about? My cards were stolen! Some of the most powerful cards in the universe! Do you have any idea what kind of destruction they could unleash in the wrong hands?"

"You must let me finish," she said, sounding irritated. Or maybe because she was speaking through Jaden, it was a he. Or whatever. Yubel was speaking.

"Everything in magic has balance. What is set in motion must be completed or stopped entirely. Otherwise, the scale will tip, and the harmony will be thrown off. Just slightly, but just slightly is enough to carry much bigger ramifications than any of us are willing to deal with."

Although she couldn't see him, Jesse nodded. Who knows, maybe she could sense him. "So," he began, trying to make sense of everything, "Jaden gave into the power of the Supreme King, but they're now united, so that's been stopped, correct? And you were on the verge of uniting the twelve dimensions, but you were stopped. So what's left?"

She sighed. "That's right. You wouldn't know. Jaden and I never finished our duel. We were united. The game never ended."

Oh.

"So somebody's out there trying to reunite the dimensions? How?"

"Jesse, do you really think it was coincidence that, out of everybody who was in Duel Academy, I chose you to possess?"

"I thought you did that because I was the only one on the platform."

She chuckled, an impish laugh. "Not exactly. There was also your friend Adrian. And you forget: my power was strong. I could have had anyone, except the Supreme King himself. No, I chose you because of the power of your Crystal Beasts."

"Because you needed Rainbow Dragon."

"Yes!" she cried. "The amount of energy within that card is enormous – I've rarely seen anything like it. You must recover it."

"So why did you hold us back?"

"This isn't Jaden's battle to fight. It isn't mine, either. We will only end up upsetting the balance even more." She paused. "Jaden must be protected from this. He can have no part. Yet."

"Yubel," Jesse said. "You're not making any sense. You can talk to these people, right? Explain your case to them, not to me."

"Jaden does not want to listen to me," she said. "But he is dealing with things beyond his comprehension. So are you Jesse. If you both are wise, you will listen to me. Otherwise, I will have to intervene." Although it was dark, Jesse could feel her stare. "I do not wish for us to become enemies, Jesse Anderson. I simply must do what I can to protect Jaden's spirit."

Jesse felt another tingle. "Here they come. Let us go, Yubel!"

"I can't!" she cried out.

"Then I'll make you!" Jesse ran, blinding, in the direction of the sound of Yubel's voice. He knocked into something – Jaden.

"Jesse! This is not a good decision!" Yubel cried out, right next to Jesse's ear.

"Yes it is!" Jesse said through gritted teeth. A minute later, everything whirled out of control. More wind. And then Jesse and Jaden landed on their bottoms, roughly shaken, at the feet of four people not much older than they we're – two boys and two girls. One of the girls, with lush, sable hair, winked at them cheerfully. She looked like some combination of Asian and Brazilian. "Guess you decided it was time to drop in!"

Jesse smiled ruefully, taking in his surroundings. They were sitting on dirt, and it was hot. Really hot. He looked up at the four figures. The first thing he noticed was that they all had different hair colors. One boy had dark brown hair, bronzed skin, and deep blue eyes. The other boy's hair was blonde, and his skin was also bronzed. His eyes, too, were blue. Jesse thought they must be brothers, because they both stood at about the same height – much taller than both him and Jaden, as they were both pretty short as far as boys went. The girl standing next to the black-haired girl had hair like fire. It was crimson, and hey tawny eyes blazed against her fair skin. Out of them all, she was the only pale one, as if she hadn't been underneath the sun long enough to acquire a tan. If anything could have intimidated Jesse, it was her. The girls were shorter than the boys, with the sable-haired one being the shortest.

They called themselves the Oracles. As in, people who predicted future events, or something like that. You remember the one at Delphi, or in Things Fall Apart? They were Blake, Alec, Geri, and Sari.

Everything had felt off since they showed up and zapped him and Jaden somewhere else to help them find the Crystal Beast Cards. Those cards were the closest thing he had to family - no, they were his family. He could talk with their spirits. He knew they were alive. They chose him. They were family.

Jaden was loving the attention he was getting from them - saving the world, again. But Jesse wasn't. Yubel's warning words echoed in his mind - this should have been his show. He needed to rescue his own cards. How could he ask Jaden and these strangers to go after something for him? No, it wasn't right, he concluded. Jesse Anderson would have to do this on his own.

But first, he needed a deck.

And he knew how to get one. Better that Jaden wouldn't know. Better to leave quietly so Jaden wouldn't follow. Wouldn't be in danger. Jaden would be safe with these strangers – the Oracles. They saved him for some reason: they'd protect him.

Jesse Anderson was on a mission. He was going to save his family.

He was going to keep Jaden safe. Like Yubel said, Jaden must have no part in this. His battle would be later.

Jesse looked around, but didn't see anyone. Strange, he thought, for they were here a minute before. However, it was better like this. And so, Jesse Anderson began to walk - Heaven knows where, but he began to walk.

He had only gone a few feet when a voice commanded, "Stop!"

Jesse whirled on the spot.

It was the dark brown haired boy. "My name is Blake," he said. "I am the leader of the Oracles. My domain is the near future."

Jesse nodded, not sure of why he was being spoken to.

"By the way," Blake said, you might want to get back under the roof. It's going to rain in a few minutes."

Jesse scowled.

He shrugged. This guy was very easy-going, it seemed. "Fine, have it your way, but don't say I didn't warn ya."

"What do you want with me?" Jesse asked. He was angry and frustrated and about to do something about it.

"To warn you. You lost your cards – they are a great power. You will not be safe without one of your own."

Jesse didn't consider this for a second. "But I must go," he said. "I must protect this world from them."

He left out the part about somebody trying to destroy the twelve dimensions, or whatever it was that Yubel meant.

"Then you must be protected," Blake calmly stated.

"No!" Jesse said with much more emotion than Blake. "No, I can't allow you to risk yourself!"

Blake gave a knowing smirk - that meant he knew something. Jesse hated knowing smirks, unless he was the one who was doing the smirking. "Who ever said I would?"

Jesse was caught. "What do you mean?"

"Oracle of the Near Future!" Blake stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I know what will happen before it happens."

Jesse blanched. "Yeah, right. I suppose it's going to rain in a few minutes too, right?"

As if on cue, a raindrop splashed on Jesse's cheek.

Blake laughed. "No, I'd say that it's raining right now. I also believe you're feeling quite stupid."

Jesse didn't dare admit that he was right.

Blake's expression changed to one of concern. "Look, I don't want us getting off on the wrong foot. You're a duelist, and an exceptionally powerful one at that. Your cards were unjustly seized from you and are could be used for any number of dangerous and threatening undertakings. You hold the key to getting them back, and although you do not have a deck, you do have one small advantage."

"What's that?"

"In order for their full power to be realized, you must be defeated in a duel while holding those cards. No tricks allowed. Until that happens, their true power will not come to those who hold them." He paused. "I believe this gives us a fighting chance."

Oh.

"I have something for you," Blake said. "Normally, you would have to duel me for it, but since you conveniently don't have a deck, I can just give it to you." He winked. "But you should probably come out of the rain. I don't think you want this to get wet."

Jesse didn't even realize there was water falling on him until Blake mentioned it. He sprinted forward, under the cover of the roof. "What is it?"

In response, Blake held out a Duel Monster's card.

Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle.

"When we tried to yank you and your friend out of that car, I sensed more spirits than I had intended. There was a large, powerful one—"

Yubel, Jesse thought.

"—and two smaller, strong ones. We pulled on these small ones. One of them was Winged Kuriboh, and the other was this." He smiled. "I suppose Ruby is your spirit partner?"

Jesse delicately took the card and shrugged. "You could say that all of the Crystal Beasts are my spirit partners."

Blake said nothing to this, as if weighing what Jesse had said. Finally, "That is good. It gladdens me to know that the Crystal Beasts have such a strong connection with you."

"Why's that?"

"You're going to need it," was the grim answer.

Oh.

Blake continued. "Now, I suggest that you wait until we can get you properly outfitted before you go off chasing everyone. We'll have to go somewhere else for that."

Jesse looked around, noticing the absence of Jaden and the others. "Is that where they all went?"

"More or less."

"You realize that that doesn't tell me anything."

Blake laughed, a real laugh this time. "I know," he said. "I'm just messing with ya. Yes, they're all gone. And we should go too."

Jesse blinked in confusion. "How?"

Blake extended his hand. "Take it," he said, "and let your mind wander."

Jesse reached out and took Blake's hand.

He was going to see Jaden and the other Oracles.

Maybe it wasn't so wrong to include them in his quest after all. They obviously had reasons, although he wasn't quite sure what they were.

"Relax," came Blake's soothing voice.

They took a step forward.

Yeah, yeah, cliffhanger, sorry, but I had to end it here. If it fancies you, please review! I'd love to hear what you have to say about the story, to critique my writing, and to tell me how absolutely bewildered you are (remember, you don't know anything about these "Oracles" yet - they're all original characters, all an original concept (or at least, not one I've encountered before)). Of course, I can't actually explain anything before it's written, but all of your questions (that I am aware of) will be answered in due time, I promise. Some of them should even be answered by the careful reading of this chapter. Like all good first chapters, if you make the right connections, you can form a pretty good idea of how the rest of the story is going to form. I just hope I didn't do too much...

With that, I thank-you again, and until next time. If you're reading this after the publication of Chapter 2, go back and reread the last few lines, then skip right to Chapter 2, because the story continues right where it left off. Yes, this could have been one mega-long chapter, guys.

- JakillNearBeg
Hobey ho, let's go.
(Yes, that was a reference. Pendragon. Ten points if you knew it.)

/Edited Sunday, October 16, 2011