This one is going to be interesting. I keep having the thought of Jaden and Yugi meeting up and becoming good friends ever since... well for a while. I mean, if you think about it, they're too much alike to not be friends. The only difference is that Yugi would be more wiser, being ten years older than him. There was also a thought in my head of them tag-team dueling. That's where you get this. Oh, and by the way, ANYONE WHO THINKS THIS IS KURIBOHSHIPPING WILL BE BURNED ALIVE ALONG WITH THE PARIDOX BROTHERS MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Review please!

It had been almost a year since Jaden left Duel Academy. Things seem to look up for the former slifer red duelist. Traveling a lot, he met other people and even helped them if things got out of hand. There were a few people who held gifts, but non that were like Jaden's. Jaden held a gift that was very, very unique.

Though, Jaden traveled a lot, in a sense he wasn't alone. There was Professor Banner, Yubel, and Pharaoh. These three kept Jaden company throughout his journeys. They were all together through thick and thine, just like some of his previous friends from Duel Academy. Their bond still held together.

Jaden was walking through a long desert with a cheerful smile on his face. He always had that smile since he left Duel Academy. His friends seemed to be the ones that always gave him a reason to smile, even the one that lived inside of him. Both Yubel and Professor Banner enjoyed this side to Jaden. This was what made him unique from most duelists.

"Man, I guy can easily die of thirst from this hot weather," Jaden said while keeping his smile.

"It's a climate Jaden. It's always hot in a desert," Professor Banner corrected.

"Weather, climate, same thing. I wonder how long it will be until we hit the next town."

"It shouldn't be too long," Yubel assured with confidence.

"Hopefully," Jaden agreed before sitting down next to a cactus and unzipped his backpack to find Pharaoh crawling out. "Time to rest."

"Don't stay in the sun too long, you'll get dehydrated," Professor Banner warned.

"No worries," Jaden grinned before drinking from his water bottle. "I always have this on my side."

Yubel rolled her eyes while Jaden lied on his back to feel the beating heat of the warm sun. Things seemed to be quiet besides the wind and the sand. Pharaoh snuggled up next to Jaden before he laid his hand behind the cat's neck to pet it. The climate heat felt good to Jaden.

All of a sudden, Jaden heard a different noise. There seemed to be some sort of fight somewhere nearby, or at least a disagreement. Jaden decided to check the problem out. He ran toward the location of the noise and found some bandits. One of them was pointing a gun at, what looked to be like, Yugi Moto.

"Aw man," Jaden whispered before he quietly sneaked behind a giant cactus for a closer look.

"Ok tough guy, give us your money and we'll let you go free," the bandit with the gun threatened.

"I told you all, I have no money. You can check if you'd like. All I have are supplies for the desert. If I have something you want, you may take it," Yugi promised.

"Let's check this guy," the second bandit on Yugi's right said.

The two other bandits checked through Yugi's pockets and backpack to only find a water bottle, some food, a sleeping bag, sunblock, and a duel disk. The bandit with the gun found a deck of Duel Monster cards on Yugi's belt.

"Look what we have here, some rare cards. This punk carries Black Luster Soldier. This must cost a fortune," the bandit with the gun grimaced. Yugi glared even deeper. He did not like anyone messing with his deck.

"Put that back, they were given to me by a dear friend," Yugi glared.

"You said we can take whatever we want. Don't tell me you're taking back what you said," the bandit with the gun smirked before loading up his gun. Yugi could only keep his glare as the bandit took the deck he cherished more than his own soul. "How 'bout we beat this punk off and leave him here to rot."

"Great idea, boss," the bandit on the right agreed before being punched from behind by a giant, white duel monster that seemed familiar to Yugi.

"Ah, it's a monster!" The other bandit screamed before the three bandits ran away. Yugi gasped as the white monster flew toward the boss and snatched the deck from his hand.

"Take it! Just let me live!" The boss of the bandits screeched before the duel monster flew toward Yugi to give him back his deck.

"Thank you," Yugi thanked the monster with a smile of gratitude.

"You okay?" Jaden asked from behind. He had a duel disk on his left arm and a Neos card on one of the slots. The young boy smiled. "It can get pretty rough in the desert."

"I'm fine thanks to you," Yugi replied before placing his deck back into his belt. "So, where are you heading to?"

"Nowhere actually. I just go where the wind takes me."

"I'm heading toward Rockland Town. You can come along if you want to," Yugi offered.

"It'd be an honor, Mr. Moto," Jaden grinned.

"Just call me Yugi. Mr. Moto is my grandpa."

"Uh right... Yugi."

Jaden opened his eyes to the moist breeze of the rainforest. He yawned loudly from the dream he just had. Jaden slipped from his sleeping bag and stared at another empty sleeping bag. He smiled and sighed while rolling his eyes. He, then ran toward the nearby lake that was sparkling blue. Jaden slipped the top and bottom of his PJ's to show only his briefs before diving into the clear blue lake.

A smile appeared on Jaden's face as he freely did backstrokes and even swam underwater. As soon as his head popped up, he spit a fountain of water from his mouth. A chuckle was heard from behind him. Jaden turned his head to meet a pair of bright violet eyes and a smile you'd only find on a two-year-old, but this was on a 28-year-old male.

"Jaden, must you choose your swimming lessons while I'm bathing?" Yugi grimaced with a slight smirk.

"You're just as guilty, so don't complain," Jaden replied before being splashed by huge chunks of water.

"Kiss my naked butt," Yugi teased before diving into the water.

"Oh, it's so on," Jaden smirked before diving underwater.

It had been five months since he and Yugi started traveling together. They quickly developed a bond and decided from now on to always travel together. It was common for the locals to mistaken them as father and son or brothers since they were always found side by side. Though, in reality, Jaden and Yugi just enjoyed each other's company. The person who was once Jaden's idol, was now Jaden's close friend.

After the boys had finished their swim, they dressed in their regular clothes. Jaden built a fire while Yugi got out a pan and two dead birds. When the fire was starting to grow stronger, Jaden took one of the dead birds and plucked the feathers off, and then skinned it. Yugi gently blew against the fire for it to grow stronger. It had to be strong for the pot to cook. Once it was strong enough, Jaden gave Yugi the pan with two skinned birds and he placed the pan by the fire.

"I hope you brought the goodies," Jaden said before Yugi threw his companion a bag of chips. "Thanks."

"You're worse than Joey. You'll eat anything," Yugi teased before Jaden stuck his tongue out. "Anyways, we'll be heading to Domino City tomorrow."

"Sweetness," Jaden said with a mouthful of chips.

"There's a thing called swallowing."

"Whatever you say, Dad," Jaden replied sarcastically while Yugi rolled his eyes.

"Technically, there's no possible way for me to even be your father. For one thing I'm 28 years old and if you were my son, I'd give you away to an adoption center."

"As if. I'm just way too loveable to be given away."

"Yes, you're lovingly eating away my potato chips!" Yugi smirked before snatching the bag from Jaden's hand.

"Hey, no fair!" Jaden complained with his mouthful.

"How 'bout this for not fair? You eating my food and wasting our money," Yugi teased before whacking Jaden on the head with the bag of potato chips.

"Hey, you can't blame me for having a craving for fast food."

"And video games."

"You're just as guilty. Most men in their twenties are looking for a job or going to college."

"I graduated five years ago and you don't have a job either."

"Yes, but I'm still awesome," Jaden grinned before Yugi grabbed his nose.

"Oh and I'm not? At least I don't have pictures of me still on my bedroom wall!" Yugi smirked before pushing Jaden to the ground by his nose.

"That was... uh..." Jaden defended while trying to count back to how long it had been since the last he was at Duel Academy. "Last year sometime?"

"Nerd."

"I AM NOT!"

"I know you are, but what am I?"

"The guy who still wears his school uniform from six years ago."

"You wear one too, slifer slacker."

"Fine, you win."

"As always," Yugi grinned before Jaden rolled his eyes. He then took the pan from beside the fire to serve their dinner.

After Yugi and Jaden finished eating, they continued their travel toward Domino City. Yugi hadn't been to Domino City for several years. He felt it would be nice to return to the place where he was once raised. Jaden, on the other hand, was not raised in Domino City. He did, however, enjoy hanging around with Yugi and he was family to Jaden. His real family never hung around with him often and his old friends from Duel Academy were off with their own lives.

Yugi knew about Jaden's family or at least as much as his young slifer duelist knew. Jaden's mother and father were so busy with their jobs, they never spent any time with their son. Jaden would often go to nearby neighbors and play Duel Monsters with them. They didn't become close with Jaden, but did bring a smile on his face. Every friend Jaden had ever made usually brought him a smile. Yugi loved this side to Jaden, the part where he always smiled and enjoyed playing Duel Monsters.

Yugi played Duel Monsters against Jaden plenty of times. Not with the Battle City deck, but the deck Yugi and Atem built together after Battle City. Because of this, Yugi cherished his deck and enjoyed every battle against Jaden. Jaden became stronger through every duel to find a way to beat the King of Games while the King himself enjoyed playing against someone who held true passion in his heart for the game. Jaden was someone who truly played with the Heart of the Cards even without knowing what the phrase meant. He thought it meant to trust in yourself, but Yugi knew it meant way more than that. Jaden had shown it through his strategies.

Up down the road, there was a large city and in front of the boys a sign read "Welcome to Domino City." Yugi smiled brightly as the wind blew against his face. He took a deep breath, and then looked at Jaden who held a bright smile. Yugi loosely brought an arm around Jaden like an older brother's arm around his little baby brother. Jaden leaned his head against Yugi's upper waist before sighing deeply and holding a smile.

"Welcome to Domino City, Yugi Moto," Jaden muttered.

"Indeed," Yugi agreed before ruffling Jaden's head and heading out to the city with Jaden running after the Duelist King.