On a Rainy Day...

Chapter 1- Seeing you face once again...

It was a cold and rainy day in October where any sane person would be inside drinking some hot chocolate or reading a nice book beside a blazing fire. But there was one person who dared to blaze the elements. Jaden Yuki, was the only person in the cemetery who didn't seem to notice the rain falling around him. The rain soaked through his Slifer red jacket and drenched his skin. Jaden didn't seem to notice as he approached a familiar grave, a smile began to spread across his face. Nothing was going to ruin his day and all that mattered to him was being with his best friend. Looking down at the granite headstone , Jaden smiled.

"Hey there Jesse. Sorry its been awhile."he says taking a seat in front of the headstone. Like Jaden, the headstone was drenched by rain and the raindrops slid down the name carved into the granite stone. Without really thinking, Jaden began to trace the letters with his index finger. The granite was cold and uninviting but Jaden didn't care. As his fingers traced out the name Jesse, Jaden froze. It was hard to believe that his best friend was no longer with him. What as even harder to believe was the fact that Jesse had died protecting him. Jaden pulled his finger away and brought his chin up to his knees. He sat there in silence for a moment before slowly looking up into the sky. The rain pelted his skin and Jaden could feel the pain in every drop.

"Are you crying for me Jess?"Jaden asked to no one in particular. Closing his eyes , Jaden tried to picture what his best friend would say.

"No I'm not cryin..."Jesse would say placing his hand on his hips and looking away from Jaden. Jaden smiled and continued to play the conversation out in his mind.

"If you aren't crying then why are you ignoring me?" Jesse turned to glare at him. Jaden smiled and waved his hands out in front of him to ward of Jesse's glare.

"Okay, okay. You weren't crying." Jesse seemed happy with this response and smiled.

"I knew you'd see it my way"he said walking over to Jaden and patting him on the back. Jaden smiled and wrapped his arm around Jesse's shoulder.

"What can I say. You're very convincing." Jesse smiled and mimicked Jaden's action.

"I know I am." Jaden smiled at Jesse's cockiness and punched him in the shoulder. Jesse chuckled and slowly turned his attention up towards the sky. Jaden followed Jesse's gaze and frowned when he saw what Jesse was staring at.

"Don't tell me you have to go already??" Jaden said turning to face Jesse, who was still staring up at the sky. Jesse didn't respond and Jaden felt a lump began to form in his throat. Without thinking, Jaden threw himself in Jesse's arms and buried his face into Jesse's chest.

"Please don't leave Jess I need you!" he cried. The tears began to form in his eyes and Jaden couldn't help but let out a sniffle. Suddenly, Jaden felt Jesse wrap his arms around him and place his chin on the top of Jaden's head.

"Don't worry Jay. I'll always be there for you pal. Even if you can't see me." Jaden looked up at Jesse with sad eyes and allowed the tears to flow freely from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Jesse. Its my fault that you're gone. If it wasn't for me..."Jaden was silenced when Jesse laid a finger over Jaden's mouth and smiled at him.

"Don't even talk like that Jay. You know as well as I do that I'd do anything for ya..."

"But..."

"No buts Jay. What's done is done. You can't change the past. Besides, being dead ain't that bad." Jaden couldn't help but chuckle and he could feel Jesse also laugh. The two stood in comfortable silence for a moment before a golden light engulfed the two. Jesse looked up and smiled.

"Looks like I gotta go Jay..."he said gently pushing Jaden away from. Jaden watched as the light grew brighter and he had to shield his eyes from the bright light. When the light subsided, Jaden slowly lowered his arm and gasped when he saw Jesse was no longer standing there. Jaden felt his spirts drop and the tears began to fall again. Shaking his head, Jaden snapped back into reality and found himself still sitting in front of Jesse' grave in the pouring rain. Jaden looked around as if expecting Jesse to appear out of now where and after a moment of silence, Jaden knew that Jesse was never coming back. Sighing, Jaden stood up and put his hands in his pockets. He looked down at Jesse's grave for a moment , before taking a card out of his pocket and setting it down in front of the granite headstone.

"You better take good care of this Jesse. It means a lot to me.."Jaden said smiling. He then bowed his head and said a prayer before walking away from his best friends resting place. As Jaden walked away, a gust of wind blew around Jesse's grave. Jaden stopped in mid step and slowly turned around. What he saw, made him smile once more. There, standing at Jesse's grave was Jesse in spirit form. He had a smile on his face and in his hand was the card Jaden had given him. On his shoulder was Ruby and by his side stood the Winged Kuriboh. Jesse showed Jaden his Winged Kuriboh to let him know it was in safe hands and in the blink of an eye, Jesse disappeared along with the two duel spirits. Jaden smiled and brought his collar closer to him. Turning around, Jaden shivered and made his way back towards the Slifer dorms.