Idea: After school Jake, Spud, and Trixie hit the shop just to check in with Gramps before hitting the skate park when they find a black haired boy their age with green streaks in his hair. Ooo, have him arrive before Jake and Gramps mistakes him for Jake only to find out his true identity. He tells Jarod that he can't let his father know about who he really is for fear of exposing his future even more. As to how he ended up there they find in his back pocket a broken half of Chrono's Watch. A circular pendant that lets the wearer travel time. Has two heads facing each other with stars surrounding them and the seconds of a clock surrounding it. Jarod asks about that time of sands (find real name for Gramps to explain that it wouldn't let you stay if it started from this time). For a cover story for Jake, they tell him most of the truth, excluding the fact that he's Jake's son. It takes Fu a day to find a way to send Jarod back, leaving him to crash at Jake's place. Fu finds that an artifact from Dragon Ryujin's castle can send a person into the future, leaving the two dragons to find it (it just happens to be floating in the Magus Bazar according to sources).

Jarod Long

Chapter 1

The doorbell jangled, signaling someone had walked in the front door. Not looking up from his book, Lao Shi said from his stool behind the counter, "Jake, go ahead and get up to the roof."

"Gramps, it's Jarod." A voice said, getting Lao Shi to look up. "Jake's Dad's name."

Lao Shi took in the boy that had sat down his book bag on the couch, stunned. The boy's black hair was slicked back, almost with a windblown look, with green strips highlighting it. He had on long jeans and a green vest jacket over a black long sleeve shirt.

Noticing the old man's eyes on him, he paused on his way towards the back and looked back at him. "What?"

"Fu Dog!" Lao Shi cried out, slamming his book closed.

"Shesh, what? You don't have to…" Fu's voice died off as he looked at the kid standing in front of him. "Oh."

"Did you go time traveling again?" Lao Shi asked, dropping down to his feet.

"It wasn't me this time, I swear." Fu defended.

"Wait, time travel?" Jarod asked, looking around for the first time to get a better look at his surroundings. He put a hand to the back of his neck, his face clearly showing his confusion. "But nothings different." He turned towards Gramps and dropped his hand. "Well, maybe your hair."

"What year are you from?" Lao Shi asked, walking towards the boy.

"Twenty thirty-four." Jarod admitted. "But if I time traveled, then how? I was on my way here to drop off my stuff before going to dragon training like I always do."

"So it didn't skip your generation." Lao Shi said more to himself then to the boy.

"No, you said something about the human genetics mixed with dragon made it so that every four or five generations it might skip, but that hit Grandma, so I'm good." Jarod admitted. "Or, well, you will say something like that. What year is it?"

"Two thousand seven." Fu admitted.

"You trippin' me? Dad's like, what? Thirteen?" Jarod asked.

"Fourteen, but you're close." Fu smiled.

"You mustn't let Jake know who you are." Lao Shi realized.

"Huh, but why not?" Jarod asked, surprised.

"It would only tempt him into asking questions he should not know yet." Lao Shi explained. "We already know too much with just the knowledge that you are his son."

"So what are we going to do with him when Jake gets here any minute now." Fu asked, pointing a thumb at the teen.

"We can tell him everything else, just exclude the fact you're his son." Lao Shi said, staring down the boy from his low point of view.

"Alright, but how did I get here?" Jarod asked. "I remember Dad talking about some hour glass thingy, but I don't have it."

"There are a few other things that could make you go through time, young one." Lao Shi reminded. "Spells, potions-"

"Great, and how do I get back?" Jarod interrupted, sitting down on the sofa only to jolt back up and rub his backside. "What the, something stabbed me in the butt!"

"Sorry 'bout that kid, might've been a cornel that dropped out of my bowl." Fu said, walking over to check out the sofa.

"Or it was this." Jarod said, pulling out a piece of a medallion from his back pocket still attached to a string. He looked at it closer to see a face on the piece of the medallion surrounded with stars. Around the edges were numbers counting through by fives, like on a clock face.

Fu pulled it down to his eye level with a paw, standing on his hind feet, and said, "That's Chrono's Watch, or at least half of it." He looked up at Jarod and asked, "What'd you do, sit on it?"

"I don't know, I guess so." Jarod shrugged, handing it over to the dog. "But how did it activate?"

"It activates by thought." Fu explained. "What were you thinking about on the way home?"

"Some story Dad told me yesterday. About how he and his best friend were undercover in the Huntsclan Academy." Jarod admitted.

"They just got back from that two days ago." Lao Shi realized.

"I didn't know the date, so maybe that medallion did the best it could with what I had in mind?" Jarod guessed with a shrug.

"Maybe so, or it could be that it's only half here." Fu said, looking it over. "Looks like a clean break. Sadly, you used the last of its powers getting here. Until we find something else, you're stuck here in good ol' two thousand seven."

"Who's stuck here in two thousand seven?" Jake asked as he walked into the shop, Trixie and Spud right behind him.

"Jake meet Jarod, Jarod, Jake." Fu said, looking between the two. "Someone here sat on a Chrono's Watch and broke it before using the last of its powers."

"It wasn't like I meant to." Jarod defended, looking at the dog with his hands clenched.

"So, you're like, from the future?" Spud asked, looking at Jarod. His surprised face turned into puzzlement as he admitted, "I figured the cloths would change a bit."

"I wouldn't call what I wear, in style." Jarod threw off. "It's just what's conferrable."

"I hear ya." Jake nodded with a smile. He turned to Fu and asked, "So, how long is he stuck here?"

"Depends." Fu said, his mind working out ideas.

"Couldn't we just send him back with the Uchrono Hour Glass?" Jake asked.

"And why does everything have Chrono in it?" Jarod asked.

"Chrono's the god of time." Spud explained, only to get looks from his two friends. "What?"

Trixie shook her head as Jake turned back to Fu for his answer.

"The Uchrono can't send someone somewhen and keep them there. It has to always return back to its proper time with who it took with it." Fu explained.

"Great, in other words I'm stuck here then." Jarod said, it finally sinking in as he lowered himself onto the sofa with his hands holding his head. "Dad is so going to kill me when I get home."

"Well, if we can send you back to your time right after you left, he won't know, right?" Jake offered.

Jarod looked at Jake, raising an eyebrow before looking back down. "Sure."

"Jake, I'll call your mother." Lao Shi explained as he turned to the back room. "Until we can figure out a way to send him back, he can stay with you."

"What!?" Jake exclaimed, turning to the old man. "G! Wait up. You remember what happened the last time I had to take care of someone magical, right?"

"The last few times, actually." Lao Shi said, nodding at his grandson. "Look at him, young dragon. Can you tell he's magical?"

Jake turned to look Jarod over for a moment as the teen stood up before sighing. "I guess not."

"You still have lot to learn, Jake." Lao Shi admitted, shaking his head. "As the American Dragon, or even just a dragon no less, you should learn how to tell if a human is really that or in disguise. Definitely that of another dragon."

"Wait, you're a dragon?" Trixie asked, pointing at Jarod.

The teen nodded his head, holding his hands behind his back.

"That is a lesson for another day." Lao Shi walked into the back room, leaving the five in the front room.

"So, do you have a title?" Spud asked.

"Title?" Jarod asked, surprised.

"Well, Jakie's the American Dragon, Gramps was the Chinese Dragon." Trixie pointed out.

"No, my dad is the…um, well he has a position but I'm just learning." Jarod shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Started my training a few months ago."

"Who's your da-"

"Jake, shouldn't you tell Jarod about the rules of your house?" Fu interrupted the teen.

Jake eyed the dog before looking back at Jarod. "Right, Dad doesn't know about magical stuff, of any kind."

"What?" Jarod asked, surprised. "Why not?"

"It's better he not know right now." Jake shrugged, looking away from the teen. "I don't think he'd be able to handle it. Anyway, that means keep yourself looking human. No fire, no wings, you know."

"Sure." Jarod said, his mind in thought.

"Jake, you and Jarod need to get going home." Lao Shi said, walking back into the store front.

"And I'll find a way for you to get back home, kid." Fu said, watching as Jarod grabbed his school bag and threw it onto his back.

"Oh well, see you tomorrow Jake." Spud said, the four heading out the door. He dropped his skate board on the ground a put a foot on it. "Good luck, future kid."

"See ya." Jake said, waving as the two took off in their direction home. He looked at the teen left in his care and threw his thumb in the opposite direction. "Come on, it's this way."

The two walked in silence for a moment, before Jake found himself wanting to break the air. "So, what grade you in?"

"Seventh." Jarod simply answered, his eyes looking around to find changes.

"You live here, in your time?" Jake asked, almost desperate to have something to talk about.

"Ya." Jarod said, again keeping to one worded answers.

"What's your last name?" Jake asked.

"Uh, Lee." Jarod said, thinking.

Jake sighed, seeing he wasn't going to get too far. "You wanna, um, fly home?"

Jarod stopped and looked at him, surprise written on his face. A smile took over his features before he said, "Sure."

The two ducked into an alley way and in seconds fire whisked through the air. Two dragons, one red and one mostly black with green highlights flew up and over the buildings, the wind blowing their hair back into their scales.

"Whoohoo!" Jarod exclaimed, dropping down and around Jake.

Jake watched with a ghost of a smile on his face. "Still get the rush of flying?"

"You bet! This will always be the cheese!" Jarod flapped his wings harder, pushing himself forwards as he heard laughter behind him. He turned his head to look over his shoulder to look at Jake. "What?"

"The cheese?" Jake asked, laughing.

"Leave me alone, Dad doesn't let me fly much." Jarod said, crossing his arms over his chest as he slowed down to match Jake's speed.

"Why not?" Jake asked, laughter gone for the moment.

"Poachers." Jarod admitted. "If I had gotten my powers just a year ago I would've had some more fly time, but no! Those stupid rich humans, they gotta try and eat anything that isn't human."

"Um, ew?" Jake offered, surprised. "So the humans know we exist?"

"Not totally." Jarod admitted. "They think we're just really smart animals, related to the komodo dragon. A few months before I got my powers, a dragon on the other side of the states got captured and studied." He shivered at the thought. "I still blame those Bigfoot hunters. If they'd never found one, none of this would've happened."

"Some future." Jake turned to look down at the world passing underneath him, oblivious for the time being of his life.

"It's not all bad." Jarod said, trying to lighten the mood. "I've meet you in my time and you've become a great first American Dragon. You've even convince the Dragon Council that because of how big the states are, you need more dragons to help out in your job."

"So do each state have its own dragon? That must be your father's job, right?" Jake asked.

"Ya, my dad works in all that." Jarod went with. "Though each state doesn't have its own dragon, most states do. And they all report to the American Dragon. It's one of those things where it counts on how many magical beings live in the area for how many dragons there are in charge."

"You know, that actually makes sense." Jake said, thinking it through. "I was wondering how I was going to take care of a country this big. Gramps was the Chinese Dragon so I always figured I had to do it alone."

"Times change, and with that so do some rules." Jarod shrugged. He lost his rhythm for a moment, gravity dragging him down, before recovering himself.

"You ok?" Jake asked, remembering the dragon next to him didn't have as many flight hours as he did.

"Ya, just learned you can't shrug and fly at the same time." Jarod said, trying to laugh it off.

"Ya you can." Jake said. "Hey, while you're here, why don't I try and teach you some flying moves? Don't have to worry too much about poachers. Just the Huntsclan."

"That'd be great." Jarod said, smiling.

"Hey, we better land. We're getting into my neighborhood." Jake informed, starting a circular pattern to lose altitude. Jarod fell in rhythm behind him, keeping wing stroke for wing stroke. The two landed in an alley way a few buildings away before fire signified their transformation back to human. Jake led them out to the sidewalk before asking, "So what do you do for fun?"

"Surf." Jarod admitted. "And video games."

"Ha, if you saw the ones that came out today, you'd probably be calling them old school!" Jake laughed, knowing how rapidly video game graphics change.

"I don't know. Retro's in right now. Er, well, you know." Jarod shrugged. "There's a game that came out a few weeks ago that's 8bit."

"Really?" Jake eyed him surprised. "I figured you'd be at the point of hollodecks. You know, from Star Trek?"

"We could've had them years ago, but think about it." Jarod started, gripping his bag's shoulder strap. "If you could program it for anything you wanted, you'd never leave. Defiantly if they could fix the food processers to create stuff that tasted good. Some comedian joked around with it, saying he'd have four Brit Cunninghams feeding him grapes on a throne and he'd never get out."

"Oh shoot." Jake stopped at a set of stairs, "I forgot to ask Gramps what he told Mom."

"Doesn't she know about me being a dragon?" Jarod asked.

"She should, but I don't know if he told her anything for your cover story to tell Dad." Jake informed. He sighed before walking up the stars. "I guess it's a normal night winging it."

"That's how it's always done, isn't it?" Jarod joked, following the teen inside the house.

"Jake is that you?" Susan's voice called from the kitchen.

"Me and Jarod." Jake called, dropping off his school bag and skateboard by the bottom of the stairs.

"Come in here real quick, will you?" Susan asked.

The two walked into the kitchen, seeing her preparing dinner. She wiped her hands on her apron, leaving some chopped carrots on the cutting board. "Your Dad's picking up Haley from her after school practice for their spring play so we've got a few minutes. Jarod is it?"

"Yes ma'am." The teen nodded with a smile. "Jarod Lee."

"Has Jake gone over the house rules?" Susan asked, looking at her son.

"He has, don't worry. I'll stay as human as can be." Jarod said pleasantly.

"I've already called Jonathan and told him you were the son of a friend of my father's visiting him. As for your lack of cloths, you can tell him it got sent somewhere else. Happens all the time." Susan ran through, trying to fit in everything before her husband got home. She stopped when she saw that Jarod had a backpack on and said, "What future items do you have in there?"

Jarod took a few moments to realize she was talking about his bag and took it off, his face almost worried. "Not much. Just my school tablet and cell pod." He pulled out said items and sat them down on the table before looking through the rest of the bag. He looked up at the two and asked, "Colored pencils are around, right?"

"It probably would be best if you kept everything in your bag for while you're here." Susan said, looking over the thin screen and circular devices. She turned to Jake as Jarod put them away and said, "Jake, get Jarod settled in the guest room and see what of your cloths can fit him, please."

"But the guest room's all shoes again." Jake whined.

Susan eyed her son for a moment before the boy gave in, giving a whine of "Aw man." She turned back to her preparations, knowing her son would do what she asked.

"Come on, Jarod." Jake said, walking out of the kitchen. Jarod quickly threw his bag back on his back as he turned to follow Jake up the stairs and to a room lined with shoe boxes. "I guess I'll get these boxes down to the basement so you have some space."

"Don't bother, empty spaces weird me out." Jarod shrugged. "As long as there's a path to the bed and back, I'm good."

"You sure?" Jake asked, not wanting to get in trouble for not clearing out the guest room.

"Ya." Jarod made his way to the bed and dropped off his bag before getting back to the hallway. "Just like home."

"Replacing the shoe boxes with cloths, boards, and maybe a computer in all of it, sure." Jake smiled.