FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. I'm not really up to much right now. Sorry. My motivation is low, and life has really knocked me down. I'm sorry. A lot has happened. I won't bore you with the details, but I did want to say I'm sorry. I don't own Yu-gi-oh, GX, or 5D's.

Chapter 15

Jesse wished that he had never picked up that stupid letter. The boy couldn't help it, though.

It had been years since their little high school group had fallen apart. When Jaden disappeared, though, no one wanted to talk to each other. It was too painful. Jaden was their glue, and he was gone-no where on the map where they could find him.

Eventually, their group got to the point where no one talked to each other unless absolutely necessary. And since he, Bastion, Jim, and Axle went to America after school, they were contacted even less than those who stayed in the country.

That was the reason he couldn't resist picking up the letter that had been written from Japan. He couldn't help the hope that welled up inside of him. And the first words on the front made his heart pound.

He's back.

Of course, the rest of the letter made his heart churn and ache, but it somehow couldn't stop the overwhelming feeling that maybe, just maybe, they might finally get him back. They might finally save the boy that they had gone through so much with. They might finally get back to being a happy group of friends.

He smiled at the very thought.

So, of course, he ended up on a plane with Bastion, Jim, and Axle, and they all headed for Japan. If Jesse said he regretted it, he'd be lying. All he wanted was his friends back together. Was that really so much to ask for?

Either way, he somehow ended up on that plane with his friends because of that stupid letter. As the warning lights went on and airbags fell from the overhead compartment, he couldn't help the lurching feeling in his chest.

None of his spirits could help him. He was stranded in the physical world in a plane spiraling down into oblivion. His heart pounded in his chest as Ruby appeared on his shoulder comfortingly. Despite her soothing presence, though, he couldn't help his fear.

When the plane finally impacted the ground, he felt himself jolt forward, only his seatbelt holding him in place. His eyes were wide as he glanced at his friends, watching their reactions seem to mimic his. Then the plane tilted, and Jesse's eyes caught on the bags of cargo on the other side of the shaking walkway. Almost in slow motion the luggage fell free of their barriers and fell toward their side.

He wasn't surprised when it hit him, and boy, did it hurt! He blinked the black spots out of his eyes to realize that the door leading to the pilot's room was spewing fire. He felt oddly winded, too. He blinked in confusion when he realized that he couldn't hear any screaming.

Jesse looked at his friends and was surprised to see them undoing their buckles. He blinked before Bastion noticed him and mouthed something that Jesse couldn't hear. Then Axle was in front of him. The other boy touched his face before pulling back with something dark red and slippery on his fingertips that Jesse couldn't seem to identify. He mouthed something to the others before turning back to him. Axle reached down and unbuckled him before pulling him up.

The boy couldn't help it as his knees buckled. He momentarily blacked out before he realized that he was looking at the floor and someone's back. He realized faintly that there was a hand on his back, holding him to a shoulder.

Taking a glance up to see a burning plane in the middle of a large intersection surrounded by crashed cars, stopped buses, and people rushing away, he felt an odd sense of detachment. As a sudden fiery inferno wrapped around the plane, he felt his consciousness finally slip.

Sweet, blissful darkness pulled him under.

. . .

When emerald eyes opened, Jesse felt a jolt of surprise go through him. He found himself in a huge space that light seemed to radiate from. White marble staircases and doors seemed to entirely make up the room along with a few surfaces that weren't carved into staircases and doors seemed to pulse and move as if the room were alive.

"What . . . . Where am I?" Jesse murmured quietly to himself, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He took a step forward when a wave of energy seemed to slam into him.

"We're losing him!"

"Jesse, please wake up! We need you here!"

"Clear!"

"Jesse, please don't leave us."

"He's lucky to be alive!"

"The plane crash killed a lot of people. It's dumb luck that one of the first injured managed to make it out to a hospital while sixty others couldn't."

"Hey, isn't he one of that Yuki boy's friends?"

"That's the second one to go into a coma like that. There are no physical reason for him to still be asleep, and his brain activity says that he should be awake, but he still shows no signs of waking up."

"Is he gonna die like that?"

"He looks just like he's sleeping."

"Jesse . . . . Don't die. We need you! Jaden needs you!"

Confusion wrapped around him. Jesse blinked, staring upwards where the voices seemed to come from. There didn't seem to be a ceiling, just a void of light and never-ending staircases. "Where on earth am I?"

"The realm of choices." The voice from behind him startled the boy. He'd been sure there was no one there a minute ago! However, as much as he was surprised by the voice, it chilled him to the bone. The voice seemed to raise the hairs on the back of his neck and burn into his subconsciousness. Slowly, he turned, eyes wide at the sight he expected but didn't want to see.

She was wickedly beautiful with a soft look in her eye as she stood there in all her glory, the light bending around her. His breathing shallowed. "Yubel."

The spirit smiled softly, and, for a moment, her eyes seemed to flicker a dark brown. "Hello, Jesse."

Jesse couldn't help it as he staggered back a step. "Why-Why are you here?"

Jesse couldn't help the feeling of anxiety he felt looking at her. He figured it was natural for him to feel that spark of fear ignite considering that she did take over his body, even if she did appear a bit softer and more gentle than before. He could feel his heart pounding and hands shaking. However, he somehow felt a bit of surprise when she finally spoke.

"We need your help. Please." She whispered.

Jesse blinked, feeling it as his world turned on it's head. "We?"

She leveled her gaze at him. "Jaden and I."

At that, he felt himself go deftly still. Jaden and her? Since when was she and Jaden . . . .

"What are you talking about?" He whispered, his tone stronger than what he thought it should have been.

"Jesse," She began softly, her eyes turning brown again. However, this time Jesse suddenly understood that those eyes were Jaden's eyes. "after I left your body, Jaden and I fused." Jesse's breath hitched as he suddenly understood Jaden's extreme character change when he returned. Of course, he knew that a lot more than he knew had happened in the other worlds, but he never would have thought that'd be one of them. "We are interconnected. It took him a long time to get used to it. His personality became darker, a bit more obsessive, more like mine. My personality became lighter, happier. We were only just getting used to the change when it happened." A darker look passed through her brown eyes before they returned to their original coloring.

Though Jesse was still reeling from the very idea that Jaden and this duel monster spirit had somehow fused, he managed to swallow his discomfort and sparks of fear for his friend. "What happened? Does it have to do with his disappearance?"

"Yes." She whispered, voice so quiet that Jesse could barely hear her. "It started with a letter-a fake. We thought it was from Alexis. Pharaoh had been living at Duel Academy since our last visit, so we'd been looking forward to seeing him and Banner again. We didn't know it was a trick."

"A trick?" Repeated Jesse, shifting uncomfortably.

"When Jaden was taking a shortcut through an alley, some of their men ambushed him. He tried to escape, but there were too many. After we were taken to the base they told us that Alexis never wrote us that letter. They wrote it so they could find Jaden." She spoke softly.

"So they could find Jaden? Why couldn't they find Jaden?" Asked Jesse, looking a bit confused. However, despite his confusion, he looked determined. Whether or not he knew it, that gave Yubel hope.

"Because of his travels they could never quite get a lock on his location." She answered easily.

Jesse blinked before it hit him. "Right." Jesse had sort of forgotten about Jaden's travels. Well, forgotten wasn't really the word. He had really blocked it out in his desperation to find his friend. When he thought about it, Jesse had been overly stressed trying to find the other boy, pushing the good memories concerning him out of his mind to help cope with the fact that he was missing.

However, it wasn't the time to riffle through all the good memories of his friend. It was time to figure out how to save him. "What happened after his kidnapping?"

Yubel eyed him wearily as if trying to figure out how to answer without making Jesse feel too bad. Jesse just wished she would answer. The silence only made his heart pound more. Finally, she broke the long silence. "They made sure that we had incentive to do as they wanted. They already figured out using Yugi Muto how to control him."

"Like . . . blackmail?" Asked Jesse, hands shaking again. It just didn't feel right. There was no way that Jaden would get involved with these people to protect himself.

"In a way." She stated, a wry, painful smile on her face that didn't reach her eyes. "It's not really blackmail so much as a threat."

"What could they possibly be using as a threat?" Jesse demanded, bewildered. Though the letter didn't hold as much information as he would have liked, it hadn't held any information concerning threats or blackmail. Then again, maybe they didn't know why he was in league with these . . . these people.

"You." She stated. Flabbergasted, Jesse felt his mouth open and close multiple times. Before he could quite get a handle on the new information, she continued. "And the rest of his friends. After all, Jaden would do anything for his friends. Every single one of you is in danger. They have at least one man on you at all times. If Jaden steps out of line they could easily kill or injure one of you. And if one dies it's no loss to them. They have twenty more they still have against him."

Jesse gagged at the thought before he paused, thinking about the plane. "They couldn't have followed us on the plane, though. I mean, if they're around us so much, then surely one of us would have noticed a familiar face on the plane-"

He cut himself off by the look on her face.

It was eerily quiet for a moment before she whispered, "Jaden was bad."

A chill ran down his spine, making Jesse suddenly feel more alert and much more fearful. His heart pounded in his ears. "What do you-"

"He tried to warn Alexis. He tried to apologize for what he knew he would have to do soon. It's partially the reason that Yugi, Jaden, and Yusei's friends all banded together. When they found out, they punished him."

"How did they . . . ." Jesse trailed off, his eyes widening. "The plane."

He suddenly felt like he understood. Jaden had helped cause a huge gathering that was determined to take down these people that had stolen their friends and take the three of them back. That was something huge that they needed to punish him for. Then, of course, four of his friends planned on going by plane to help save him. It would have been perfect. If they had a man on the inside of the airport, which, if they were as big as Yubel and the letter implied, they most likely had, all they would have to do was wait to see which plane they were getting on. Then, while everyone was waiting to get on the plane, their man would have sabotaged it. The flames spewing from the front of the plane as it spiraled toward earth. And no one would ever guess that the plane crash was only intended to kill four people. Only Jaden and others within the group that took him away would ever know, and Jaden would never step out of line again.

"Yes." She replied grimly. "The plane. He wasn't the only one to step out of line, though."

"Who else did?" Jesse questioned, trying to force the bile in his throat down.

"A girl. Caitlynn Fudo." She replied simply. "She warned one of Yusei's friends, and, as a result, her closest friends all vanished off the face of the earth."

Jesse gagged. "What?"

He couldn't help it. The very thought that these people could take more of those close to him made his blood boil and breathing sharpen. He didn't want anyone else to go missing. He didn't want one more of his precious friends to be stolen and not seen again for years.

"There were five of them. Now they're all missing, their homes left in varying degrees of disorder." Yubel informed him, her eyes pained. "Neither Jaden or the girl will disobey again."

"What-What about Yugi or-or Yusei?" Jesse asked, shaken.

She smiled softly. "Yugi was the first. He knows very well what will happen if he disobeys. The only reason he's alive anymore is for his friends. Otherwise he may have died long ago." Her eyes darkened despite the light, comforting smile. "And Yusei has never been a natural rule breaker. He broke through his limitations for rights and freedom, yes, but whenever there was something more important than his life, he wouldn't put a toe out of line. It's the same now."

Jesse stood there, completely horrified. This was definitely much worse than high school. Any one of them could be killed, injured, or kidnapped at any time. Yugi, Jaden, and Yusei were practically slaves to these monsters that had kidnapped them. Bystanders could be and already had been killed by these people.

A sudden anger swept through him. These people had no right to hurt his friends or anyone else! They had no right to steal any single person from their home, their family, or their friends! They had no right-no right-to ruin so many lives or shorten them!

"What do they even want?" He growled bitterly, his fingernails biting into his palms.

Her eyes sparkled for a moment with tears before they darkened again. Yubel's voice was quiet and dark, reminding him of Jaden after they had returned to their dimension. It made his resolve harden. "They intend to be the first to awaken Agartha."

"The first?" Questioned Jesse immediately. "And who is Agartha?"

A short jerk went through her wings, and it took Jesse a moment to realize that it had been a shutter. "There are many groups out there trying to raise her. The one that kidnapped Jaden and the others is only one. It is the closest to it's task, though. The other closest to raising her is a group called the Light. Of course, there are other groups, but that one is the one that we most meet."

Jesse nodded when she paused to show he understood.

"Agartha is a spirit, a dangerous one." She stated darkly. "Over every dimension is a guardian. Agartha is this dimension's guardian spirit. Every guardian, though, has a secret."

"A secret?" Repeated Jesse, eyebrows furrowed.

"Yes." Yubel replied. "There is a way to bring her into a solid, conscious form. And the one who does that will have complete control. They'll have control over all spirits of this dimension, creatures, and even nature itself. If she were to be raised, then the one who raised her would have complete control of Earth itself."

Jesse's eyes widened at that. Complete control of the earth? That would be more than a dictatorship. No one would be able to rise up against them if they had control of the land and every living creature on it, then no one would ever be able to rebel against them!

"I-I need to tell everyone!" He whispered, voice rising slowly. His heart pounded. He started to walk instinctively backwards despite there being no obvious means of escape. "I have to-"

"You haven't asked me the most important question yet." Yubel's voice seemed to freeze Jesse on the spot. What hadn't he asked? He stood there for a moment, staring at the duel monster spirit before it clicked in his mind.

"Who took my friend?" His voice was low and dark, but he didn't care. He should have asked this from the beginning!

Yubel smiled grimly. "They call themselves the Black Serpent's Order, but they are known by many names." She didn't specify. Jesse found he didn't want to know. What if it's the IRS? Of course, a moment later, Jesse was glad he didn't voice the thought. It was a bit embarrassing that he'd even seriously considered it.

He took a deep, calming breath. "I need to get out of here."

Her eyes seemed to bore into his soul before she spoke softly. "Jesse, where are we?"

Said boy paused, confused. "What?"

"Where are we?" She repeated. Jesse blinked in confusion, not quite understanding. What was she talking about? He stood there for just a moment before he thought back to the beginning of their seemingly endless conversation.

"The Realm of Choices." He repeated breathlessly. The infinite stairs and doors suddenly made sense to him. Each was a different choice and a different version of events. No wonder there were so many! Everyone made little choices each day that when coupled with others seemed to make an infinite number of chains of events possible. If there were a door for every chain of events for every choice by every person . . . .

"Yes. Everyone comes here at some point in their life, whether they know it or not." Yubel stated, and, for just a moment, Jesse blinked and could have sworn that her image flickered to a human form with pale skin and dark hair. Before he could decide if he'd seen that or not, she continued on. "You have a choice to make, Jesse Anderson. You may choose to sleep on for the rest of your life in a sweet world of happiness and joy that only you will truly be a part of. You may choose to go to the afterlife now. You will be honored as a hero and only have to wait for your friends."

She paused before stating the last. Jesse gulped before speaking. Somehow, he felt like the next one would be much worse. "And the last choice?"

Yubel seemed to glare ominously at him before her gaze softened again. "There is no last choice. There are many choices-choices beyond the ones I give to you." She sighed. "Or you could awaken to put yourself and those you care about and those you may never meet through trials and suffering like you have never known."

Jesse shifted in discomfort. A part of him wondered how there could be anything more painful than having to ally yourself with someone who stole your body to save someone that you'd blamed yourself for going missing for years. However, he swallowed, knowing that she wouldn't like that answer.

He took a deep breath.

"I have to help my friends. No matter what the cost." He finally stated.

She smiled softly. "You have a good heart like that of Yugi Muto's who solely lives for the benefit of others. Good luck, Jesse. May your spirits stay close to you."

Before Jesse could even blink, his surroundings suddenly seemed to close in on him. He took in a shaky breath before white turned to black and he thought no more of the suffering he would have to endure.

. . .

Seto blinked when he heard a loud, blaring noise. It took him five seconds to realize that it was Wheeler's cell and only five more for him to remove it from the snoring boy's pocket. For a moment, he held the ringing phone and stared at the other male in front of him. Joey and he met very rarely, and they generally did not try to meet considering that they were not friendly toward each other.

However, despite these mutual feelings, he couldn't help but notice the messy, sloppy way the other male was dressed and had his hair tossed about. As well as that, it was plain to see the dark purple bruises underneath the shut eyes. It would be plain for anyone to see that he hadn't slept well in weeks, maybe even months. Years. This was not to mention that he looked as skinny as his high school days. To most, that would be an achievement. However, Kaiba knew better. The other male hadn't been eating the way he used to. There was no way he could be healthy.

Thus, he wasn't too surprised when he found himself back in Yugi's kitchen, his cup of hot co-coa left on the coffee table in the other room and Wheeler's cell in his hand. After all, if this phone call was important or had something to do with Yugi, then Wheeler needed to know.

Wheeler owes me. He thought darkly before pressing the phone the phone to his ear. Before he could even greet the other person a storm of swear words were being spat at him. Disgusted, Seto pulled the phone away from his ear, wondering who on earth had called the mutt and why. He scowled as the swear words lowered in volume and pressed the stupid piece of technology to his ear.

"This is Seto Kaiba, head of Kaiba Corporation, speaking on behalf of one Mr. Joey Wheeler. To whom am I addressing?" His tone was cold, and he couldn't help the feeling of pride as the other's voice dropped into silence.

"The brat was talking with a corporate Helminth?" Demanded the voice rudely.

For the first time in his life, he really felt offended. He had been called many things in his life but never before had he been called a corporate intestinal worm within the same sentence as being called an acquaintance of Joey who was also being insulted. He gritted his teeth. If he ever met this man . . . .

"To whom am I addressing?" He repeated through gritted teeth.

"Joey Wheeler's father, you-" Seto removed the phone from his ear once again as the man threw some very colorful words at him.

It was kind of hard to believe that he had just spoken to Wheeler's father. After all, Joey was a fairly upbeat (painfully so), loyal person with a good hold on his tongue. Of course, he had seen the male act on pure impulse and curse before, but he knew that the other male had a ridiculous sense of control.

Faintly, he could remember hearing that Joey had been left with his father after the divorce, his sister and mother leaving him. He'd shown remarkable courage and bravery (something that Seto would never admit without substituting the words with stupidity, something the mutt definitely had in his arsenal) on numerous occasions by jumping into horrifying situations with no hesitation. He only seemed to show any hesitation when curses and magic without dueling or games were involved-when there was no way to have any control over the situation.

However, even then, he had pushed himself along after Yugi. Seto never really questioned the fondness the blond had for Yugi, but the more he thought about it, the more he thought that Joey identified with the other boy. Yugi looked young and acted a bit childlike, making it easy for Joey to see himself or his younger sister in him. Naturally, growing up in certain kind of conditions would make a person want to protect (or hurt) those they could identify with.

Seto cursed under his breath. In high school it had been only natural for him to see bruises and cuts on the blond, but since Yugi seemed to get beat up a lot, too, he always figured that it was because Joey was defending the younger boy. But now . . . .

"Are ya even listening ta me?" Growled the voice over the phone, obviously angry. "Why, you're almost as bad as that stupid kid! I said I need money!"

Seto growled. If there were two things that Kaiba hated, they were abusive parents and people trying to get money off of him. "You will get nothing from either me or Joey." He did not pause or let his voice lower from it's cold snarl even as the relation to Wheeler began to cuss him out. "In fact, you will not approach either Joey or me, either. You will stay at least thirty feet away at all times. You will not receive any money or pay-off. You will not call here again. If I hear that you do, I will report you to the police and take personal interest in your case."

"You can't do that!" The other man snarled. "I'll have ya know-"

"Be warned, Mr. Wheeler." Kaiba interrupted angrily. "I am the head of my corporation for a reason. If I so choose, your credit, bills, pay, and public and private records may be affected for the worst. And if my friend Joey informs me of anything that I don't want to hear about you, then I may go a step further in getting justice. I do not appreciate this call. I do not appreciate abuse from parental figures, either. This number will be changed soon. Do not call again." Finally, he hung up.

If Seto said he was angry, it would be a lie. He was beyond angry. In fact, he felt like ruining the man's credit scores and leaking rumors about this man already so that he would lose his social life along with any chance of him ever getting a job.

He sighed, running a hand over his face before he moved slowly back to the other room. Once he was back, he slid Wheeler's phone back into his pocket, glad he hadn't woken up. Then he sat back down, picking up his hot co-coa, thankfully still steaming, and staring at the television, lost in thoughts that were much too hard and heavy for his overrun mind.

. . .

Jaden couldn't help it as he fell to his knees, eyes wide at the news just delivered so harshly by the man in front of him. He couldn't see the yellow-toothed smile nor could he feel Yubel's calming hands on his shoulders. He just sat there, shaking with his eyes wide in horror and revulsion.

Sixty-four people died in the plane crash. Over forty were injured, including a pregnant woman that was forced into labor early. And Jesse-Jesse was in a coma. Doctors didn't know if he would awaken-not just soon, at all. They didn't believe in his chances.

If he didn't wake up soon . . . .

Suddenly, a horrid face with gleaming eyes came into his watery field of vision. He might have thought it was nothing if it didn't open it's mouth and speak in a pain-inducing voice. "Well? What do you say?"

Yubel snarled, and Jaden could feel others around him doing similar, but he was in too much of a stupor to be thankful for them or be able to be glad for their supportive presence. He felt like he was drawing a blank for anything that wasn't related to the plane crash.

It's all my fault. All my fault. He whispered in his mind. Mine. All my fault. Those people. It's all my fault.

He felt Yubel's hold on him tighten comfortingly, but he wasn't comforted in the least. Very slowly, he bent at the waist, his hands on the floor by his head. "I will obey." He stated firmly but shaken.

After all, the cost of sixty-four lives at least was much more than a blow to the boy. He would obey.

. . .

FudoTwin17: Yo. I'm done. I was gonna give you Luna's part, but oh well. I don't feel well, so yeah. I'll update when I can. I love you guys and thank you for everything. Please review.