MP: Okay, so it's a few days later than I had hoped. But point is...The chapter is finally up! Woo hoo! Thank you for waiting loyal readers. I'm not so sure that this is a great chapter. And to be honest, I think I'm losing my touch a bit. Having a little trouble trying to come up with how they'll get past these stunts. But I'm trying my best and I hope that's enough to keep you all interested. Now then, on with the new chapter. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!

Seal of Fears

Chapter 10

Joey looked at Yami as they both got up. "Okay...now how do we get outta this one?" he asked. The pharaoh didn't answer. He just glared at the monsters. All he could think of was how Takesha had shamed his creature. His most loyal and faithful battle partner. His eyes were on fire with rage. He wasn't going to forgive this so easily.

It was a good thing that Joey managed to snap him out of his angry stare. Otherwise our favorite dueling pharaoh would have been blown away. The Dark Magician fired another blast. The two jumped out of the way, only to meet the flame of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. They barely managed to escape that by falling to the ground. The fire went right over there heads, and managed to singe a few black and blonde hairs.

"This is bad. What are we gonna do?" Joey asked again. "I'm working on it." Yami said, trying desperately to figure out how to get out of here. The two boys stood up again. "Well, if you don't have an idea, I do." the blonde said. "Really? What is it?" the tri-colored haired one asked. Joey suddenly grabbed Yami's hand and hurriedly pulled him off in a random direction. "RUN!"

The pharaoh blinked. He looked at his friend, slightly disappointed. "This isn't a very good plan." And loud explosion rocked the earth. The monsters chased after them. The teens sped up. "Yeah, but it's all I got!"

As they were running, Yami's mind was yelling at him to think of a plan. Anything. Anything at all. Anything that would get them safely away from here! But he couldn't come up with anything.

He tried to think back to Yugi's battle with the giant snake for inspriration. Though the situation was more than a little different. Yugi had faced a giant snake. And it had unintensionally killed itself. While here, he was up against two life-size Duel Monsters. And he seriously doubted that the Dark Magician would attack itself with a spell or that the Red-Eyes would set itself on fire. That's when it clicked. How do you kill two live Duel Monsters? You don't. They do.

"Joey! I have an idea!"

Takesha watched the scene from a distance. He was in the same place as the other two boys. Infact, at times, he was close enough to touch them. But he stayed hidden. Invisible in the shadows.

He smirked contently. This was more fun than he had hoped. Imagine. The big strong pharaoh, running in fear. How he loved the look of terror on his enemy's face. That strong, determined face. Never flinching. Never looking scared. And yet now it was twisted into pure fright. How amusing.

"Hm? What's this?" The man saw that the two boys were still running. But now they looked like they were going in different directions. "Heh. They think they can escape by splitting up? Have they forgotten that there are two monsters?"

As more and more distance separated the teens, the monsters seemed to copy them. Red-Eyes chased after Joey. Meanwhile, Dark Magician followed Yami. The boys ran further and further along, the monsters right on their heels. Soon they were quite a long ways apart. It was then that something most interesting happened. They turned around and ran toward eachother.

Joey ran as fast as he could. He'd been doing that a lot lately. His legs felt like they would snap soon if he kept this up. He had a feeling that, when this was all over, he wouldn't walk for weeks. Anyway, no time for that now. He had to concentrate on the large dragon that was pursuing him.

He managed to look behind him to steal a glance at his friend. Yami was going in the opposite direction. Pretty much running away from him. Only he was being chased by a deadly magician. The blonde wasn't sure which monster he would prefer to have to deal with. Both were bad news. He came to the conclusion that if asked which he'd rather handle, he would answer that he'd rather just sit down and play the dang card game.

Okay...I think we're far enough away now. Better check with Yami. he thought hurriedly. "Hey, Pharaoh! Ya ready?" he shouted. Yami shouted back. "Yes! I'm all set here!" "Are you sure this'll work? I ain't so sure of this plan of yours!" Joey yelled. "Trust me! It'll work!" Yami replied. "And if it doesn't?" the blonde asked. "Joey, please just work with me here!" the spiky haired teen answered.

Alright. Here we go then... Joey thought. He took a few breathes, trying to keep himself calm. One...two... "NOW!" the pharaoh cried. They suddenly stopped for a split second and then turned around. Just barely dodging the attacks of the monsters, they managed to get themselves turned around and started heading straight for eachother.

As they ran closer and closer, Joey looked up at his monster. It was still hot on his trail. Quite literally. It was still blowing flames. The blonde smirked. Dat's right. Come on. Make a nice big fire ball... The Red-Eyes complied with his request. It started to build up a red, glowing ball in it's mouth. Waiting for the right time to fire.

Meanwhile, Yami watched as the magician built up a large black ball of energy for it's own attack. Knowing they had to time this just right, he quickened his pace. Almost there. Just a little further.

The two boys finally stopped running when they met eachother face to face. Well, more like face to shoulder, given Yami's height. But you get the general idea. They stood for a few seconds, waiting for their monsters to catch up. "Ready Joey?" Yami asked. Joey nodded. "Ready."

The creatures continued to rush forward. Their blasts now big enough. Without hesitation, they fired, directly across from eachother, at the two boys. "NOW!" the teens yelled in unison. What happened next occured in a blur. Yami and Joey immediately dropped, clinging to the ground. The attacks missed them. Just passing over their heads. The fire that soared in a stream ran right into the Dark Magician. And the burst of shadow energy collided with the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. There was a loud screeching and roaring, followed by two explosions. And then, there was silence.

Takesha shielded his face from the blast. A great wind blew, pulling along small bits of debris. When he looked at the battle scene again, it was covered in smoke. As it slowly cleared, his eyes widened. The monsters where gone.

Joey opened his eyes slowly. He lifted his head and glanced around. Inches away, Yami was doing the same. When they saw that there were no creatures, they sat up. "Did...it work?" Joey asked.

Yami spotted something behind him on the floor. He carefully picked it up. When he looked at it, he couldn't help but smile. "Yes. I'd say it worked perfectly." He showed the item to Joey. It was a Dark Magician card. The blonde looked behind himself and saw a Red-Eyes Black Dragon card.

He grinned victoriously. "Wow. I can't believe dat actually worked! I gotta hand it to ya, Yami. Dat was a great plan." The pharaoh nodded. "Indeed. I was worried it wouldn't work." The taller teen blinked. "What? You mean you weren't sure about it?" The shorter boy gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah, I kind of wasn't. The Dark Magician has 100 more attack points than Red-Eyes...so I wasn't completely sure that it would be destroyed. Looks like it was though!"

Joey stared off for a minute. He didn't quite like the feeling of knowing how close he had come to defeat. He quickly snapped out of it thoughts. He laughed it off. "Yeah, at least it worked." He got up and helped the other boy to his feet. The spiky haired teen thanked him, and looked at his card. He was still heated with anger at Takesha for disgracing the cards. But he'd have to deal with that later. Because in about three seconds they'd have to face another challenge by the fiend.

The two duelists pocketed their cards. Takesha's voice suddenly echoed once again. "So, you've managed to defeat your own monsters have you? Well, no matter. That just means more amusement for me." "Hey! Why don't ya stop sending stupid monsters ta attack us and come fight us yourself? Or are ya scared of a couple of kids?" Joey challenged the man.

The hidden man only chuckled at the boy's attempt at rattling his cage. "Don't worry. This next fear won't be monsters. Well, not to you. Perhaps they seemed that way to your friend, Tea Gardener." The ancient duelist felt himself burning with rage again, as the name of a lost friend came up. The man's voice seemed to taint it as it passed his lips.

He would have continued his anger, had Joey not tapped his shoulder. "Uh, Yami?" He quickly came out of his silent frustration. "Yes? What is it?" The blonde pointed to the floor, which looked as if it were moving. "Is that suppose ta happen?" Taking a closer look, the crimson eyed youth saw that this was no floor. "No, probably not."

"Hey, you got something on yer back dere." The blonde spied something on his friend's back. He took a closer look, his eyes widening. "Woah!" He quickly swatted away the large beetle. "Where the heck did that...come...from..." The sentence died on his lips as his eyes met the answer. Covering the ground were thousands and thousands of large insects.

They hissed and scurried around. Some tried to run around the boys. Others tried to climb up on them. Joey jumped around frantically, trying to shake bugs off of him. Aswell as squashing as many as he could. But everytime he left one dead, it was covered by another swarm of critters in seconds.

"Dang it! Stupid bugs!" he shouted, flattening a cockroach. Immeadiately, a large group of ants and crickets crawled over it. "Man! It doesn't matter how many we kill! They just keep comin!" Yami wasn't having the best time with the little buggers either. Infact, he was doing worse. The insects had already made it to his knees. Apparently ancient kings aren't exactly the best bug exterminators.

"Cursed insects! I command you to get off me!" the pharaoh shouted, quite irritated. He tried to shake them off. It would be a pretty comical sight, were they not in serious danger. With Yami preoccupied, Joey would have to solve this one. As he shook a few spiders off his foot, he started trying to think of a way out. How do you kill thousands upon thousands of bugs? Well, usually with bug bombs or simply calling in professional exterminators. But those options weren't really available at the moment.

While he was brushing a centipede off his hip, he noticed a lump in his pocket. Curiousity overwhelming his panic for a moment, he stuck his hand in and dug out a small red lighter. What the? Why do I have this? Oh, wait. I rememer. I took this from da house ta make sure my dad didn't accidently set the place on fire. he thought. Then he got an idea.

He kept flicking the switch, trying to get it to light. Stupid thing! C'mon! Light up! Light up! He struggled with the device for a few minutes, giving the insects enough time to make it up to his stomach. Finally, the fire came on. Joey grinned.

He brought it down to where the bugs were, being careful not to set his clothes on fire. The insects hissed and scurried away from the heat. Yes! It works! he thought triumphantly. He used the small flame to scare away the bugs around him. Once he was clear, he looked over to his friend. Who was...not so well.

"Off! I command you! Release me!" The pharaoh was jumping around, yelling at the pests. Which now covered a little over half of him. "Yami, hold still!" Joey said as he rushed over. The teen did as he was told. He didn't enjoy it though. The feeling of hundreds of little critters crawling all over your body is not pleasant.

Joey held the fire close, again, trying not to turn his pal into a human candle. It took a while, but eventually all the bugs hurried away. The two boys made sure to stay close to the lighter, while holding it near the ground. They knew, however, this wouldn't work for very long.

"Joey, we have to think of another plan. This lighter isn't going to hold them off forever." Yami said, squishing an approaching beetle. "I know! I know! But I'm a little busy here!" Joey stated, trying to keep the flame going. The lighter was hot from the fire being on for so long. Not only were his palms beginning to burn, but they were also sweating. Quite a lot, apparently. Because the lighter suddenly slipped right out of his hand.

"Yah! The lighter!" the blonde yelped. It hit the ground. Before flickering out, it managed to set a cricket that had dared to get closer, on fire. It made a strange hissing and screeching sound. Quite peculiar. Of course, you'd scream too if you were a living match. It frantically hopped around, trying to find relief from the heat. While jumping, it came in contact with several other bugs, setting them ablaze aswell. Soon, the flames were spreading to each insect, forming a miniature field fire.

Joey stared in amazement. The fire seemed captivating. Fascinating. Something about watching the red and yellow glow sent him into a hypnotized state. Luckly, Yami snapped him out of it. Good thing too. He was just barely able to pull his pant leg away from the fire. The two teens watched as it grew across the floor.

That's when a thought came to mind. "Um, Yami, how are we gonna get out of this fire?" Joey asked. Yami stared up at him, with a look that basically said "...oh shoot." Clearly, neither had any idea at all. The blonde looked back to what might be the end of him. He couldn't help but think up an old saying. Out of the frying pan...and into the fire.

Takesha gritted his teeth as he watched the field of bugs burn. Those stupid kids had outsmarted him again. How was it that their friends fell in the face of fear, yet they stood tall? And not to mention defeated them! Was that stupid power of unity thing he had always heard true? No. The two were just lucky. Friendship, togetherness, it was nothing. Strength came from one's own will and power. Luck was simply on their side. That was all it was.

He drew his foot back as the flames came closer. How he would love to watch them burn in this mess. But if he left it, he'd suffer the same fate. He had to choice but to banish the flames. With a swipe of his hand, the fire went out in the blink of an eye. Leaving only a smoking floor.

Once again, the pharaoh and his friend were lucky. But the next task would not be as easy as a snake or insects. No, this would take far more effort. They had been lucky before. But their luck had run out.

In an instant, the fire was out. No more than ashes remained. Yami and Joey stared. They hadn't exactly registered what happened. "Woah, what the heck happened?" Joey finally asked. Yami blinked. "I..guess the fire went out..." While the two where wondering how that had happened, neither was complaining. It was strange, but it was indeed appreciated.

"So, you two think you're pretty clever, do you?" Takesha's voice suddenly boomed. He didn't sound pleased. And though the two knew what he was capable of, the mischievous blonde couldn't help himself. "Nah," he said with a mocking smirk, "Yer just stupid."

You could practically hear Takesha's patience snap. "Oh, now you're funny." he replied, trying to force back a growl. He didn't want the idiot to know that he was rattled. "Well, let's see you laugh at this next fear. I can tell you that your pathetic friend Tristan didn't."

Joey felt anger pulse through him. "Why you.." he growled lowly. Yami glared into the darkness, but was keeping himself restrained. He had to be incase Joey failed to do so. Which happened all too often.

"Yer gonna pay! You hear me ya eyepatch wearing freak? I'm gonna beat you to a blood pulp! Just wait!" the blonde threatened, shaking his fist. Takesha laughed off the seemingly idle threat. His voice seemed to get further and further away. Finally, it disappeared altogether, and the two were left in an ominous silence.

Joey stared with fire in his eyes for a few moments longer. "Joey." Yami suddenly said. Joey blinked and turned to his friend, temporarily forgetting his anger. "Huh? What?" The egyptian gazed intensly at him. "We must be very careful. As much as I despise this man, I must admit that he is powerful. You should be more cautious. Pick your battles and save your anger and energy for these obsticles." Joey blinked. He nodded, understanding. "Right. Sorry." "Don't apologize. Just keep calm." Yami replied. Joey nodded again.

They might have talked a little more, but they were interrupted. By what, you may ask? A loud stomping sound. The two froze, knowing they would soon begin their next fight. As the booming footsteps got closer, a large figure came into view. It's piercing red eyes shown through the darkness. It's talons gleemed, reflecting an unknown light source. As it came into view, it was recognized as a demonic creature that burned into the memories of the teens, from days long past.

"Is that...Zorc?" Joey asked, eyes wide in fear and disbelief. Yami shared his stare. "I believe it is..." he answered. Zorc roared loudly, making the ground shake slightly. It was then that the pair knew they were in serious trouble.

Honey brown eyes glanced to crimson ones. "Any ideas dis time?" he asked hopefully. He was met with disappointment, when the pharaoh looked like he had the same question. Joey sighed, looking up at what just might be their doom. "Well, let's see how we make it outta this one..."

MP: Bum bum bum! Yay! Cliffhanger! Don't hurt me! Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now I just gotta figure out how to get past Zorc and wrap this up. Heh. I probably should have thought more of this up before. Oh well. Anyway, thanks for reading! Until next chapter! Oh, and please don't forget to Review!

Preview for Chapter 11

Before the discussion could carry on further, the loud booming footsteps returned to their ears. The two looked up to see Zorc walking toward them. Joey winced slightly, trying to hide the fact that he was, regretfully, scared out of his mind at the evil creature.

As the monster advanced on them, the two backed up as far as they could. Soon, they found their backs against an invisible wall. "Uh oh...not good." Joey muttered. "Nowhere left to run." Yami stated. And indeed, there wasn't. Zorc came closer and closer. It finallly stopped mere feet in front of them. They were frozen, unsure what to do.

The monster suddenly lifted it's fist up and shot it right at the two. Joey yelped and tried to get up, only to find his leg slipping out from under him, pulling him back to the ground. Zorc sent out a growl as the fist swiftly came at them. Joey squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the attack.

He suddenly heard a noise like footsteps in front of him. Daring to open his eyes, they widened when he saw what was going on. Yami had run in front of him and was standing defensively, ready to take the full force of the hit. "Yami!" Joey shouted. The pharaoh stood unflinching. Joey tried to get to his feet to pull his friend back, but the fist hit first. Suddenly, there was a loud booming, a bright flash of light, a roar, and a short scream.