Disclaimer: I don't own American Dragon Jake Long.

Chapter One – one step closer

"Seriously, Jakie. You tell us if something is bothering you. We can handle it," Trixie said, eying her best friend. Jake's eyelids drooped and he had dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't spoken to his friends pretty much all morning, especially not about what had happened the night before. He knew they deserved to know, but didn't want them to start nagging him like his grandfather had the night before. There was no danger of that from Spud, but Trixie was sure to try to correct his wrongs.

"Yeah, seriously. It's no fun when you don't even crack about Rotwood's hair in class," Spud agreed as they sat down at their usual table.

"Sorry, guys," Jake said, looking down at the food on his tray. He wasn't hungry. "I was just kept up a lot last night...You know, Grandpa. He keeps me busy with those dragon training sessions." He smiled and laughed as best he could. He caught Trixie looking at him, and Spud shrugging his shoulders. Why couldn't Trixie be more gullible at times like these? Anyway, he wasn't even lieing. When Jake appeared at his Grandpa's shop (not of his own choice), he had been paraded with questions about why he was out in dragon form at three am ("Out for a fly...you know, like a walk, but your flying!")and how he could be so careless, which Jake just entirely ignored. This had, in turn, gave Jake a few hours of extra dragon training("Since your so excited about taking a fly, why don't we settle with a bit of rigorous training?").

Trixie just shook her head and looked at her food. Jake felt bad about it, but he couldn't tell her why he had been out. Anyway, he didn't want to think about it anymore. He had been betrayed by Rose. She had called him there, just them. Why had he trusted her? 'I need to see you, Jake. It's important.' And then she had been too cowardly to even finish him? He gritted his teeth and pushed his tray away from himself, getting up and turning around. "Bathroom," he muttered slightly to his friends before he took off at a brisk walk toward the door of the cafeteria. He saw his friends for one second watching him go, and then turning to each other with concerned faces.

He didn't know where he was going. He just felt like he needed to do something, or at least get away from his friend's sad faces. It was a bit too dramatic for him, like he was going to just suddenly just give into the pressure and spill to them everything that had happened. And then they would look at him and Trixie would tell him how he needed to tell his Grandpa, to clear things up. But Jake knew that his Grandpa would be dissapointed in him for bringing the matters into his own hands first, and being even more foolish as to go out and meet Rose like that. Why had he done that?

His thoughts were intterupted by a voice. "Jake," it said, and he looked up in strange realization. There Rose stood, smiling. Jake smiled back.

"Rose," he said, not thinking. But then he sighed. He backed away sadly and looked at her, and spoke with a different, less casual tone of voice. He knew how he spoke to her; he spoke to her as if she was the huntsmaster himself. "What are you doing here, huntsgirl?" He asked her, still a bit of sorrow to the way he formed the word huntsgirl where he should have said Rose.

She frowned and looked past him, like there was actually something to see other then lockers behind him. "I'm sorry, Jake, really. Just please don't call me that." Jake suddenly felt sorry for what he had said, but he ignored the feeling in his stomach.

"Why not? You are a huntsgirl now. That's what you've decided your going to do."

"I don't like it! My name is Rose, not huntsgirl."

"My name is Jake, not dragon. But all you see me as is something to please the huntsmaster with. I'm just a dragon to you." Jake frowned. "And your just a huntsgirl to me."

Rose watched Jake leave, distraught. "Please don't say that," she said, almost to herself. She thought he hadn't heard, but he had.

***

Jake entered his grandpa's shop, letting his backpack drop on to the couch and lieing himself down as well. Was he being stupid about this? Unfair? Rose had once been nice to him, was he being cruel? He knew hi grandfather would side with him, but his grandfather always wanted what was best for the world, not the heart. He never took any risks. Maybe Jake was slowly starting to turn into that.

Opening his eyes, he was greeted by fu dog's face. "Ugh!" Jake said, pushing him off his lap and sliding off the couch.

"Agoo goo," Fu dog said, rubbing his head that had been hit with his paw. "Someone's not in the best state of mind." Shaking it off, fu dog clambered cautiously back to Jake. "So, kid. Tell me. What really happened last night?" Jake waved him away.

"I don't know what your talking about, fu. Your making things up now...Nothing happened last night other then me taking a nice fly. You know-"

"'A walk, but your flying.' I get that. But I want to know what," he glanced around, "Really happened. Come on, Jake. You can trust me. Look, I'm cute. And I'm your animal gaurdian. Double Package! Don't you just love it?"

"I'm telling you, that's what happened last night! Nothing else. My life, believe it or not, is...boring, kinda." He said, walking out of the room. Fu dog laughed.

"Your the american dragon! What else do you want, princess?"

Ignoring fu dog's wise cracks, Jake grabbed a mop as he heard the shop door open and close. Starting to wipe it all over the floor convincingly, his grandfather walked in and grinned as he walked past him. "I do love a good butt kisser," he mused. Fu dog looked at him, giving him a strange face that stated 'whatever.' Jake ignored him.

***

Jake looked out of the window, bored, and eavesdropping on whatever he could find. He had been using the ear of the dragon for an hour and a half now to listen to randomly picked up conversations across a few miles from his house. At first it had been somewhat interesting, but it started to fade in it's level of 'excitement.' He was just about to call it quites when he heard something that was interesting.

"I know of him, Huntsmaster," he heard Rose's voice. "He's my age."

"The american dragon?" He asked. Jake perked up. Of course it was Rose, betraying him. He had to stop it, before his identity was revealed. What was Rose doing?

Quietly sliding out of his window, he landed in a branch. "Dragon up," he said, ignoring the pain from the drop. Before long, his ear matched the rest of his dragon form as he flew toward the source of the conversation.

He stopped when the voices stopped abruptly. He looked around-he had been close to the source, but he had lost it now that the voices had been lost. Had he gone the wrong direction and went out of range? It seemed impossible, seeing as how the voices had been getting clearer, sharper, until he could definetley tell it was Rose and the Huntsmaster discussing him.

The voices had stopped right in front of one of the many abandoned factories taking residence in New York. Cautiously, Jake flew around the perimeter of the factory, but to no avail. It was as if the two had just-teleported? Maybe, but Jake didn't think so. Even quietly teleporting would make some kind of sound, and with so close range and so sensitive hearing, Jake would have been able to pick it up.

"Back for more, American Dragon?"

Jake spinned around to the rooftop to see the Huntsmaster standing with a grin plastered on his white face. Jake frowned, and cautiously rose, higher then the rooftop. "You really have a thing for rooftop battles, don't you?" He asked, noticing the pattern. The Huntsmaster laughed.

"Why, yes. More action that way, don't you think?" Jake opened his mouth to answer, but suddenly he was hit full force in the chest with another beam of energy, like the night before. Taken by surprise, he was hurled into the trees surrounding the factory. Catching himself on the ground, he flew back up, a less casual look on his face. The huntsmaster shrugged, and evil grin twisted on his face. Behind him, he saw Rose regaining her position of her staff behind her. Her face showed no recognization of who he was, only a look of hatred. Jake felt pained, more so then when he hit the trees.

"Rose?" He said slightly.

"Huntsgirl!" She corrected, sending another energy beam toward him. Easily dodging it this time, the Huntsmaster held up his hand.

"Wait, Huntsgirl," he growled. Reluctantly, Rose put down her staff, although she looked completely ready to aim and fire at Jake again. The Huntsmaster stepped closer to where Jake flew.

"Good luck trying to reach me," he said, grinning.

"Don't be so cocky," the Huntsmaster snapped. "Your not in the best position, Jake Long."

Jake's eyes widened. 'So much for being careful,' he thought to himself. "Pcht, what kind of name is that?" He said, laughing. "My name is not Jake Long."

"If you remember," the Huntsmaster said, "I hate playing games." Jake's mouth opened, but then closed.

"Yeah, so what. You know my name. You don't know what...I look like." Maybe, Jake hoped, this would be a good factor. The huntsmaster laughed.

"True, dragon. But this can soon be found out. And I want you to know, that when I do find out, that I will not kill you. No, I intend to draw out your life, and only kill you after you've suffered your share." The huntsmaster then waved his arms as if to dismiss him. "You may go," he said with a smirk on his face.

Not knowing what to do, Jake felt odd. That was it? Had he lost this one? It had seemed so. The Huntsmaster jumped off the side of the building, Rose soon jumping off in his tracks; although, not without one more look toward Jake. This one showed no emotion.

-------------

Thanks for the ones who reviewed the Prologue, didn't know how it would turn out but I think it was pretty good. I kind of realize that theres no defenite pairing in this whole story, unless you want to count the strange situation between Rose and Jake. Although from my point of view it seems their slowly fading apart, I say opposites attract, right?

Haha. I ramble on about a lot of things. Anyway, thanks! ~