Hey all! I'm BACK! Long time no see! Has it really been five years? o_O I sense an echo. Is anyone still reading this? I am so sorry that I took so long in updating. I really have no excuse.

I really did want to write this fic, but the biggest procrastination spell ever hit me, when I kept thinking about the major duel coming up between Yubel/Jesse and Jaden. I don't know much about duelling, so I thought I'd get a Yu-gi-oh! GX video game, Tag Force 2, to help me figure out strategies and how to use the cards. I found one on EBay, but the version sent to me was in French. I could not stop thinking about this duel, and the aftermath of it, that it become really hard for anything to come to mind to write down. (The idea of this fanfic actually came to me while watching an episode of Yu-gi-oh! GX, where Axel is fighting Supreme King Haou, and says that Jesse would be upset if he saw how cruel Jaden had become. I wonder what would have happened if Jesse hadn't been possessed by Yubel, had seen Jaden become Haou, and what his reaction would be. Like, would he try to get through to Jaden and return him to normal like Axel did? Or would he be upset like Syrus was and leave Jaden, before deciding to support him?) Well, finally these five years later, I realized that before I even thought about what would happen in the major duel, I had to get Jaden to arrive at Yubel's castle first. And that's what this next chapter focuses on.

I am continually surprised that I am still getting Favourites (and a review) for this, considering I take so long to update. But it means a lot. I thank you so very much. You are the reason I got out of writer's block/procrastination to do this next chapter. So, I hope you continue to stick around for the long hull. I can't promise to update as quickly as you'd all like, but I promise to not let this fic die. With that, I hope you enjoy this latest chapter. ^_^

Chapter 11 - A Clue to Finding Jesse

It was quite slow finding a map of the world where they had landed. Hardly anyone in this village was willing to talk to them. After meeting with the fortune-teller, it was actually late in the evening. After trying to talk to a few people, Jaden realized that getting a map would be pointless anyway. They were new to this place, that even if they had a map, they wouldn't be able to tell where on it the "lightless place" was. A map is only a chart of terrain, not really of the landmarks. They had already wasted a good hour, and Jaden was impatient to get a move on to find Yubel's castle. The fortune-teller lady had only told them Yubel's plans, not where she resided. Was she in league with Yubel? It felt now that, in some way, Yubel was just mocking him. She was probably enjoying this game of dropping hints, but with no solid clues to her whereabouts. In a mirror-image place of the Dark World, there were probably several places gripped by darkness where the light never shone.

'But which place is the correct one?' Jaden wondered, staring up at the meteor (which for some reason seemed not as bright on this side of the Gate). 'From what the fortune-teller said, Yubel as already begun to extract the Rainbow Dragon from Jesse's heart. I don't have time to play stupid guessing games.'

His hands clenched into fists and he growled in frustration. "This is just ridiculous! Jesse! Where are you?!"

Alexis sighed. "Jaden, what are you doing?"

Jaden felt himself jolted back to reality. Lost in his inner thoughts, he had kind of forgotten that they were there. "Sorry, I'm just frustrated. Yubel is playing games with me. I know that. But knowing that Jesse is being tortured to call on the Dragon, and that I have no idea where…"

Alexis nodded, giving a sympathetic smile. "I know. But maybe we should stop for the night. We won't be able to find anything, if we're hurrying around while reckless and angry."

Jaden had hoped to continue on for a bit longer. But after seeing that Syrus was starting to fall asleep standing up, he relented. It kind of annoyed him sometimes that Alexis was so accurate in seeing when he was just being reckless. So, they stopped to camp out for the night.

Jaden had a very restless sleep that night. He kept having visions of Jesse being horribly tortured, and the Rainbow Dragon appearing with a loud roar to the sky. He didn't know how the Demon Soldiers were hurting Jesse to call on the Dragon, but the visions did tell him that he was running out of time. For all he knew, the visions were telling him the Yubel had already succeeded or was close to summoning the Dragon from Jesse's heart. Jesse was strong, but he was also only human. Jaden's way ahead was barred by pitch black darkness, that he could hear Jesse screaming, but couldn't tell from where. He reached out his hand into the abyss, and the next thing he knew, Jesse was there reaching out his hand toward him as well. But their hands couldn't touch no matter how far they reached toward each other. Jesse opened his mouth and tried to say something like "Help me", but no sound came out. A trickle of blood flowed down the front of his face, a gaping hole appearing where his heart should be, and his eyes went blank. The roar of the Rainbow Dragon was heard again, and Jaden gave a loud startled cry.

Jerking awake, Jaden looked around and saw the familiar figures of Syrus and Alexis. Even though they had insisted on coming along and Jaden had agreed, he was actually still unsure if it was a good idea. In a way, they had nothing to do with the fight against Yubel. Why had he gotten them involved? Yubel wants Jesse because he was the Rainbow Dragon's power, and she seemed interested in a power that Jaden has as well. But Syrus and Alexis have no powers. What would happen to them if Yubel saw them as just interfering dead weight? Jaden didn't want to put them in such danger. If the dream was any clue, Yubel was probably close to acquiring the Rainbow Dragon and Jesse was growing weaker. He had to find him soon! Coming to a decision, Jaden reached for his deck at his side.

The next day, Alexis woke up first to discover that their group was now minus one person. Her mouth fixed into a tight frown, as she realized quickly what Jaden had done. She went over and shook Syrus awake.

"Syrus, get up!" she said urgently. "Jaden's gone off without us. We have to hurry after him!"

Syrus sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Again? After we agreed to work together and everything… We helped him get through the Dark Gate too."

Alexis nodded as she gathered their things together. "Exactly. That's why we have to go after him. We can't let him rescue Jesse alone. Who knows what he could get into without our help."

"He doesn't actually think we're useless, does he?" Syrus wondered, worry crossing his face. "Why else would he always leave us behind like this?"

"Worrying like that will get us no where. There are times when we just have to even more stubborn than he is. Now, let's go! He shouldn't be too far ahead."

They had been lucky that Jaden seemed to be in a hurry when he left, because he hadn't bothered to erase his footprints. He had set off westward, so they hurried after him. Alexis was growing more annoyed with Jaden as she walked. She didn't really care about the reasons why he kept leaving them behind, or that he might have left them stranded in this strange place. Just the fact that he had asked for and accepted their aid, only to always leave, was enough for her to get angry. Because Jaden had gotten a good head start on them, they couldn't even see him ahead of them on the path. Alexis could only hope that they would be able to catch up at the end.

Up about a mile or so, Jaden had arrived at the next town. The buildings were broken and rundown, and the people were dressed in ragged clothing. Most of them also seemed to have blank looks on their faces, like they had their souls sucked right out of them. Had the shadow creatures that attacked in the Dark World been here? Or was it something else? Yubel's influence did seem to be strong here, like she was trying to cast a shadow over the land before her wish was even fulfilled. The people here seemed even more unfriendly than the last village, and he wasn't sure how much information he'd get; but being as he only a riddle (a sketchy guide at best) to go on, Jaden decided that he had to try and talk to them. If he was to make any progress at all, he had to find someone who was wiling to give some information. He really had no idea where to start, so he just picked people who looked like they might know something. It was a starting point at least.

"You're looking for a place belonging to the Demon Army? What would you want to go there for?"

"It's of the utmost importance that I find it. A very close friend of mine has been captured by them because of a power he holds, and is likely being tottered to extract it. But all I have is a riddle to go on - 'a place where no light shines, barred by iron'. Following the 'iron' hint has led me here."

"I am sorry to hear about your friend. But anyone captured by the Demon Army doesn't return. Best to give up."

This was how most of the conversations went with the villagers, and Jaden was getting discouraged. Syrus and Alexis finally managed to catch up as he was talking to about his fifteenth person of the day. Having turned up empty again, he sighed loudly and waved to them.

"Jaden!" Alexis shouted, stomping up to him. "What's the big idea leaving without again?! I can't believe you! We're coming with you no matter what. And you'd better not say something like, 'It's too dangerous'."

Exhausted from empty information gathering, Jaden just shrugged and nodded, mumbling a pathetic apology. Alexis was so stubborn once a decision was made, that she would never back down from a promise to help someone. He should have known that they would follow him, no matter what he said or did, which was something right now that he couldn't tell was brave or foolish. The road ahead would certainly be dangerous, but they were utterly determined to come along and provided whatever assistance they could, that he could no longer give a solid argument that would convince them to stay behind.

"So, have you found out anything?" Syrus asked, changing the subject back to their important task.

Alexis probably still wanted to lecture Jaden a bit longer, but they needed to get back to trying to rescue Jesse. Lecturing Jaden on a lot of his reckless actions could take almost a full day if they let her. Jaden sighed again.

"Nope, nothing. Trying to get information from these people without causing unneeded panic is extremely difficult. I'm almost thinking it'd be more effective to just blurt out the truth about Yubel and her reasons for capturing Jesse."

"I see. But we need to be careful, right? We don't want people to fear or hate us," Alexis said seriously.

Jaden rolled his eyes in spite of himself and nodded. "You're right. But I've been at this all day and it's getting no where. I might as well try asking a wall!"

"Did I hear you say Yubel?" a new voice asked.

Jaden jumped in shock and looked over to see a burly man in a gray tunic come up to them. He didn't expect anyone to approach them being so direct on their own. He was a bit suspicious, but maybe this person was okay to be just as direct in talking with. After all, the man had mentioned Yubel

"Yubel has captured an important friend of mine. She left a riddle for me to find her location before she extracts what she wants from him," Jaden explained, deciding to just get to the point; after all being cautious was turning out to be a waste of time. "She's likely torturing him right now to call on the Rainbow Dragon. I absolutely must find him!"

The man stared at Jaden with unblinking eyes. "The Rainbow Dragon? A riddle?"

Jaden looked back at him, just as unwavering. If there was ever a time to seriously through it all out there, this was probably it. "The Rainbow Dragon is a special protector my friend holds. The riddle she left me was this: 'I reside in a place where no light shines, barred by iron.' Following the trail of iron has led me to his world."

The man nodded, rubbing his chin. "I see. What does your friend look like?"

"He's about my height, with teal-coloured hair and emerald eyes. You sound like you know something. Do possibly know where he is? Please, tell me everything you know!"

"'Everything' may be a bit farfetched. But I did hear about a dungeon east of here. They just got a new group of prisoners, and I think one of them matches your friend's description."

Jaden's eyes lit up visibly, excited at this news. "Thank you! Where is this dungeon?"

"It's a black-stoned building with courtyard along a wooded path, just east of here. You can't miss it."

Jaden thanked the man again, and was off at a brisk run. Alexis and Syrus once again hurried after him. Alexis reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"Jaden, wait!" she cried. "Didn't that seem too easy? Why would someone so bluntly approach us about Yubel? It's probably a trap. He called her by name."

"We cal her by name," Jaden pointed out, smirking a little. "But you're right, we still should be careful."

'So you still intend to go, do you?"

"Of course. Trap or not, this could be the first real lead I've gotten all day."

"And why would Yubel put Jesse in a dungeon outside of her castle? I'm telling you Jaden, this has 'suspicious' written all over it. I don't trust that guy."

Jaden frowned, his eyes blazing in annoyance. "Then stay here! I'll go and be back to report what I find."

Without even waiting for a response, he hurried off.

Because they were utterly determined to always accompany him, Alexis and Syrus quickly went after him. Although she was annoyed that Jaden was acting so reckless, not considering traps, it upset Alexis more at being left behind. She wanted to be of help, whether Jaden really needed it or not.

True to the man's word, the black-stoned dungeon was not that far from the village. Walking at a fast pace, Jaden saw it hove into view fairly quickly. He paused to look up at the high walls, wondering how to infiltrate the place. Maybe Alexis was right on it being a trap. Not only was it suspicious that the man knew about Yubel, but the dungeon being so close to the village was odd as well. Also, how had the man known that a new group of prisoners had been brought to the dungeon and one of them looked like Jesse? Deciding to veer on the side of caution, Jaden scouted around the building and got Air Hummingbird to check the interior from the air. It would do now good to just barge in there, only to get caught by the guards. Luck seemed to be with them, in that there were no guards patrolling the grounds or the ramparts around the dungeon. In the bottom south wall, there was a grate that was partly broken. Maybe one or two of the prisoners had tried to escape at some point, but were caught before they succeeded. However, one bar was now weakened enough, that Jaden hit it with a swift kick and it broke.

"Jaden, can't you be more cautious?" Alexis grumbled. "What if somebody heard that?"

"Who knows," Jaden said shrugging. "I deal with them if it comes to that."

"What?!"

Jaden just grinned carelessly back at her, before crawling in through the grate. He glanced around to make sure no one was there, and then motioned them inside after him. It was oddly quiet. Where were all the guards? This was a dungeon after all, a prison, with captives. Yet there didn't seem to be anybody here. Jaden didn't know quite what to think about it. Were they lying in wait somewhere? Had that man alerted them? Did they know that he would come here? At any rate, Jaden was starting to feel very uneasy. Yubel did like to play games with him after all. But he pushed the thoughts out of his head, putting on a determined frown. Now that they were here, they had might as well take a look around.

There were a lot of cells to check through, that Jaden suggested that they spilt up to cover more ground faster. Alexis and Syrus didn't really like the thought of looking around this dark place alone, but Jaden was in one of his moods to not argue. If Jesse was here, then they had to find him and get him out quickly. Alexis could tell that Jaden was focused solely of this glimmer of hope that Yubel hadn't actually taken Jesse to her castle yet. Maybe the fortune-teller was only hinting of the future, in that Jesse would soon be taken and tortured to extract the Rainbow Dragon. However, if he really stopped to think about the situation properly as Alecis did, then Jaden would have probably figured out that Jesse wasn't here and this was all a trap to waste more of their time.

A lot of the cells were strangely empty, considering the man said that a new group of prisoners were just brought here. Maybe there was a large group prison to put them all and the smaller cells served another purpose, but for what, Jaden had no idea. That there was a dungeon all ready for prisoners seemed quite odd, being as the Demon Army was only just starting to come into power. But maybe it also said that the Demon Army was already well prepared for when Yubel would get her wish granted. Some people seemed to already be defying her that they would be thrown in here. Jaden was starting to get impatient of having looked through what felt like most of the cells, only to find no trace of the boy matching Jesse's description. But finally, in about the third to second last cell, he found him! A teal-haired boy in a gray shirt and dark blue pants was huddled against the back wall, staring through the bars.

Without even really thinking, Jaden blurted out, "Jesse! Jess, is that you?!"

The boy twitched at hearing a sudden kind voice, and glanced over at him. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice coming out in husky whisper. He probably hadn't had water in a long while.

Jaden felt himself sag to the ground in obvious disappointment. It wasn't Jesse. This boy was Jesse's height and had the exact same teal-coloured hair in a similar style, but it was not him. This boy's eyes were a dull-pale blue. He had gotten his hopes up too much in that he would find Jesse so soon. Jaden shook himself awake to the reality of the moment, and then saw that the boy was covered in scratches and wounds. He tried to smile despite the situation, hoping to encourage the boy that help had come.

"My name is Jaden. Sorry, I thought you were someone whom I'm looking for," he explained. "Are you all right? Why are you in here?"

"No one is all right once they're put in these places. Just abandoned here to waste away," the boy grumbled. Despite his complaining, his eyes never seemed to blink or waver, full of strong will. "I was in another dungeon before I was brought here; I think somewhere at a castle. But then a special prisoner was taken in, and several others and I were transported here. For some reason, I was isolated from the others when we came here, put in this cell by myself."

Jaden's attention perked up at this. "A special prisoner? Did you happen to see what he looked like? Or hear why he was brought there?"

The boy shook his head. "No, I don't think so. But apparently, I was put in this isolation cell because he looked a lot like me." He scowled, his voice taking a somewhat bitter tone. "Just because I look like someone, they lock me in here… I did nothing wrong, you know."

Jaden nodded understandingly, flinching at the unfriendly tone that came to the boy's voice. It's not like he could blame him. The boy had done nothing wrong, no crime was committed as far as he could tell that he would be confined. "I believe you. You didn't do anything wrong. Do you remember anything about the castle? What it looked like?"

The boy thought for a moment. "I couldn't really tell. I was in a dark cell in the dungeon most of the time. But, if I recall, the stones of the castle were all black, and as I was leaving to come here, I saw black roses climbing up the centre tower. The tower is the highest structure of the castle, extending up to the clouds."

Jaden nodded again. "I see. You've been a great help."

"I'm glad I was of use for something, besides a look-alike to another prisoner. I hope… you… find your friend."

The boy gave a weak smile, and then started coughing. How long had he been in here? The dampness was obviously effecting his health, making it worse by that he probably also hadn't eaten or had water in awhile. Although it wasn't Jesse, Jaden decided that he had to save him. He had a feeling that if he didn't, he would regret it. Glancing around, he found a good thick rock to use to break the lock. The lock was starting to rust, so three hard whacks was all it took to break it. Jaden went into the cell and propped the boy up against his right shoulder.

Stumbling out into the main group of cells, he met up with Syrus and Alexis. Alexis opened her mouth to saying something, but seemed unable to. Instead, she pointed at Jaden's companion with a shocked look on her face. Syrus seemed just as shocked, but not so much that he couldn't speak.

"Jaden… is that…? You found him?"

Jaden shook his head, shifting the boy to his other shoulder. "This isn't Jesse. But it seems that he was recently brought here from the castle where Jesse is. He was brought here because they look alike."

"So, Alexis was right? That man lied to us?"

"I'm not sure on whether he lied or not. This boy does seem to brought here, so we would think he was Jesse and come here."

Syrus frowned, shivering slightly. "I am liking this less and less. Let's just get out of here."

"I agree," Alexis said, seeming to find her voice. "We've already helped the other prisoners escape. Is that boy coming with us?"

"No, it would be too dangerous. And he's already injured enough. But I couldn't just leave him there."

"All right. But we've really overstayed our welcome. I don't want to stay in this place a moment longer."

Alexis then went and helped Jaden support the boy, who seemed to have fallen into a semi-coma. His eyes had started to cloud over, and he could barely make out what was going on. Jaden urged them to hurry, hoping they could save him. His heart panged at the thought that the boy could die before they escaped the dungeon. He seemed so strong spirited and yet his body was so weak.

Soon, they managed to make it out of the dungeon to the dirt path. The boy seemed to finally become aware of what was happening, and the fresh air looked to be giving him some life again. He smiled a reassuring smile at Jaden and Alexis.

"Thank you. I think I can walk on my own now."

"Are you sure?" Jaden asked, concerned.

The boy nodded. "I think so. I thought I would be left in there to rot alone. But now, in this air, I feel my strength coming back a little."

"Well, don't push yourself. If you feel sick, tell us."

"Okay."

The boy was starting to remind Jaden of Jesse a lot more, and it wasn't just because they looked alike. They seemed to similar in spirit too. It was almost like Jesse really was there, smiling at him and assuring him that he needn't worry. But no matter how he wished it, the cold reality was Jesse was not there beside him, smiling in his usual way of saying that all of Jaden's worries were fruitless. They seemed to all have that trait in common, even though one of them was ill or in pain, they would act like they were fine in front of the other. And the other would see through the lie, and that everything wasn't all right. Jaden didn't know quite what to make of it. Maybe it was because he and Jesse had grown so close in such a short amount of time, that was seeing him everywhere. Thinking of Jesse, made Jaden hope that he be in time to save him. But the dark forces had other ideas.

It happened in less than a minute. A bolt of lighting came down out of no where, and struck the boy of the dungeon before he had even moved a few feet. Jaden turned at the sudden noise and dashed toward the boy, reaching out his hand desperately. But it was too late. Just like that, he was gone. Not a trace of him remained when the light flashed and stray particles drifted up to the sky. The boy was not Jesse, but even so, it was like Jesse had vanished right before his eyes. Jaden slumped to the ground, and let out a unrestrained yell to the heavens.

"No! No! No! Not again! Jesse!"

"What are you screaming about?" a familiar voice asked.

It was not Alexis or Syrus that had spoken. Jaden looked over the owner of the voice. It was the man from the village that had sent them to the dungeon. But he was dressed differently, as Krai of the Demon Army. He had a smirk across his face, like he was amused at Jaden's anger.

"Was that lightning your fault?!" Jaden cried, his eyes blazing dangerously as he glared at Krai. "Did you do this?!"

Krai laughed. "Are you angry that I killed that boy? Why? It's not like he was that close friend of yours. You just met him."

"Doesn't matter!" Jaden spat, unable to control himself. "I decided to do what I could to save him. Jesse would have wanted me to!"

"Let me tell you something good," Krai said, smirking again. "I was the one who caught your dear friend, Jesse, and took him to Yubel. That boy you're freaking out about now was not him, and you know it. His purpose was to tell you about Yubel's castle, because she doesn't want to wait any longer. He fulfilled his role."

"If you didn't need him, then you could have just let him go!"

"If his death is making you this angry, then he served his purpose better than expected."

"What?!"

"A message for you, 'Your problem is that you keep worrying about others. If you wish to save your friend, then you should remember what's most important and forget the rest.' Yubel is getting impatient. I'd hurry if I were you."

Krai tossed what looked like a glowing blue gem at Jaden's feet, and then was gone. Jaden picked it up and looked at it closely. It was the same colour as the meteor, like it had broken off, but was still giving off the same bright glow. The jagged shape of the stone reminded Jaden of the crystal of Sapphire Pegasus and its glow when Jesse summoned him with the gem on Ruby's tail. Had Krai actually given him Pegasus's crystal? And if that was the case, why wasn't it with Jesse? Weren't they supposed to always protect him? An uneasy feeling growing in his stomach, Jaden suddenly looked like he might be sick.

Alexis ran and caught him before he almost keeled over. "Jaden, are you all right? Just what did he give you?"

She tried to offer her arm to support him, but Jaden just shrugged her off.

"I'm fine," he snapped, somewhat harshly. "It's a glowing blue crystal, and I think it's the crystal of Sapphire Pegasus."

"But why is it glowing? I thought those crystals only glowed when summoned using the gem on Ruby's tail."

Jaden shrugged, gritting his teeth together. "I don't know. Maybe that's only when Jesse summons them. In summoning the Rainbow Dragon from Jesse's heart, maybe they have a different effect."

"Like what?"

Jaden just shrugged again. He honestly had no idea. Maybe the crystals glowed when Jesse's life is threatened to extract the Rainbow Dragon from his heart. But then why had Krai given him this one? Didn't all of them have to be present for the ritual to work? Just what was Yubel planning? Jaden was starting to get really annoyed that all of the leads to find Jesse (and Yubel) were just weird riddles. But even so, it seemed like Yubel was telling him straight out that it will all lead him to her castle.

'Krai had said Yubel was through waiting. And that fortune-teller lady said that the Demon Soldiers had started torturing Jesse to call on the Rainbow Dragon,' Jaden thought, an irritated growl escaping his mouth. 'So this was mostly to waste my time. She had no intention to wait for me to arrive before she did anything. I have to get to her castle and rescue Jesse quickly.'

Without even a word back to Alexis and Syrus, Jaden set off at a run down the path, staring at the crystal in his hand. Yubel was impatient, and now so was he. If she was revealing the way to her castle so openly with this glowing crystal, then he didn't want to wait any longer. He really had no plan whatsoever for what to do when he got there, but with time running out, he decided to trust his skills and wing it. A little far behind him, he could hear footsteps, and Alexis give an exasperated groan. She was obviously annoyed that he was running off without them - again - but he did not stop.

And there I think we'll leave it for today. I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I originally planned to also show what Yubel was up to, but after thinking it over, this seemed like a good place to end it. I didn't really know how to give Jaden a big clue on finding Yubel's castle. The map idea was useless, so I decided to play around with the Jesse-look-alike from the third arc of the third season of the anime. I don't even really know it worked out well, so you can be the judges. For all of Jaden's running around angrily in this chapter, maybe it should have been called "Reckless and frustrated hopes".

Anyway I hope you all still enjoyed this chapter, and will be back to continue reading in the future. I want to continue this fic, no matter now long it may take. I have decided that if I can finish writing this, then I can complete anything I'll ever write. So, please continue to stick with me! In the next chapter, I hope to have Jaden arrive (finally) Yubel's castle, where we will see what has happened to Jesse and the reveals of her plans, as well as the start of the major duel I was talking about earlier. Cya then! ^_^