Prophecy

Disclaimer: Monkeys are cucumbers in disguise.

"When legend becomes reality,

Three warriors of ancient monsters will rampage the earth,

Of light, dark, and element.

Look to the Heavens,

They will come from there…"

Chapter 20 – The Vines of Seth

The day had finally come and the plan was clear. Jackie, Tien-Xiang, and Seto Kaiba would stay at home planning the hacking into Seto's house through the computers. Once they got the gates open to Kaiba's mansion, Jennie, Malik, and Bakura would be Team 1 (Erica insisted for Bakura to go on Jennie's team), and Erica, Yugi, and Isis would be Team 2. Team 1 would reach the front of the house to create a diversion and Team 2 would go through a secret door to get inside the house. Then Team 1 would defeat the enemies at the front and go through that way. All would have communicators to contact each other and each was given a watch for how much daylight hours were left. The sun was shining brightly with no clouds at all. Now they were ready.

"I'm nervous," Erica bluntly stated when the two teams reached the gate.

Jennie said sarcastically, "We're very happy to be here and potentially walk to our doom. OF COURSE YOU'RE NERVOUS!"

Jackie's laugh frizzled in the earpieces. "You're all scared. Not nervous."

"WELL, YOU'RE NOT HERE!" Jennie and Erica shrieked, causing everyone to wince at the sudden screaming in their earphones.

Tien, Jackie, and Seto, meanwhile, were half deaf since they cranked up the volume to hear everyone's voice.

"DON'T DO THAT!" Jackie yelled back, voice indignant.

Erica ignored the little voice and looked beyond the gates. There was fog, but it was very weak.

"Are you ready?" Isis said, standing next to Erica.

Jackie muttered nothings irritably and the gates creaked open.

"Go Jackie!" Jennie cheered. Then she ran in quickly, the rest of her team following her.

"Good luck!" Yugi called out. Jennie waved as she faded into the fog.

After Jennie, Isis walked into the white sheet. Taking a deep breath, Yugi turned into Yami and he and Erica followed Isis into the fog.

Team 2 walked in the cool mist for awhile until a familiar sizzle buzzed and Jennie's voice arose, though a bit unclear.

"Okay. The purple thingy that we saw the first time we came here is distracted and Malik said the Shadow Realm's attention is on us." Jennie whispered. "It's your cue to go through the back."

Bakura cut in, "Yes, but the Realm is also looking for you and Jackie. Apparently, Lu is at home. You, Erica, are not."

Yami, Isis, and Erica started to jog and the amber-eyed girl said ironically, "Oh, thanks for your concern! I feel sooo loved!"

Tien-Xiang beeped in, "Just be careful. We're in the enemy's territory. Remember that."

The connection cut off and Team 2 reached the hidden doorway that Seto had told them about.

Jennie's team, in the meantime, conquered the purple gooey monster easily and was running through the halls, trying to find the center of the mansion. The Shadow Realm's heart was thought to be there.

The group stopped to take a breather and contacted Kaiba if they were any closer to the center.

"No, you still need to go a little more. Also, get a move on. The others are almost at their destination," Seto said.

Bakura snapped, "We're trying to, you simpleton!"

The connection was cut off in response.

"Wow, Bakura. Great social skills!" Jennie said, scoffing.

The albino replied smoothly, "The only time I use my charm is on Erica. Not on that arrogant bastard."

Malik snickered. Rolling her eyes, Jennie contacted her friend. With a beep, Erica said that they were nearing the Shadow Realm. Closing the connection, Jennie started to sprint with the other two running after her.

Erica slowed down and shivered. Something about this whole no-going-into-a-trap thing wasn't right. From all her experience from watching Yu-Gi-Oh and the time when the she, Jennie, and Jackie rescued the Kaibas, the Realm wasn't this…safe. Not that she was complaining, of course. Running was really nice with no traps around, but…Seto's secret door couldn't have been that secret. They were already in the main halls for Ra's sake!

Apparently, Yami and Isis felt the same way when they, too, stopped running a little after Erica had stopped. Looking around warily, Yami nodded at Erica. With another shiver, she walked forward to the two.

"This is strange. The Shadow Realm is not responding," the yami said with worry.

Isis agreed. "Yes, it is almost never like this…unless…"

"It's a trap," Erica continued grimly.

"Yes," Yami said, "but kind of trap is it?"

The dark-haired girl walked a little forward from the still group and looked around the walls and ceilings. As she wrapped her jacket closer around her body, she wondered why the atmosphere was so cold. Then she felt something brush her ankle.

Reluctantly, Erica looked down.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Jackie jerked off his chair when Erica's shriek pierced the basement room. When he got up, he also saw that Seto and his uncle were covering their ears.

"What…was that…?" Tien-Xiang said weakly. He almost had a heart attack.

Kaiba looked at his computer and saw three green dots going back from where they came quickly. "Erica's group is running away!"

Suddenly alarmed, Jackie went to open up the camera in Erica's headphones. The problem was…

"The camera's not working," Jackie said bluntly.

"What!" Seto and Tien yelled. Desperately, they tried to contact the others to no avail.

In sheer frustration, Kaiba hit the one of computer on the top. Then Jennie's fragmented voice shouted, "Jack—Help!"

Tien-Xiang swore and went under the desk. "There's something wrong with the connection! It keeps cutting off the words!"

"Help!" Jennie yelled again. "There's—chasing—aft—Help! Mal—and B.K. are—and I'm—"

The connection completely broke down after that. Panicking slightly, Seto said that Jennie's team seemed to have vanished since their dots were no longer on the screen.

Jackie kicked the hard drives angrily. As if in response, there was an immediate blackout.

"Well…this is nice," Jackie commented.

Then, out of nowhere, black lightning bolts shot out from the wires around the computers and struck the three, lighting the darkness around them. After that, Seto, Jackie, and Tien slumped to the ground and lay still.

Jennie couldn't run any longer. Tired, she leaned against the wall and tried to recollect her memories from what happened a few minutes before.

Bakura, Malik, and she were calmly running to the center of the house until they heard Erica's anguished yell. She sounded very close. Somewhat worried, Jennie tried to contact Jackie, but there was only a quiet fizz. When Bakura and Malik tried, they got the same thing.

Now the team was very wary. Walking cautiously through the halls, something diverted them into a dead end or so Bakura said. He was very angry that his powers had failed, though it rarely happened before. They were just about to retrace their steps, but when they turned, they faced grotesque, greenish-black roots that were slowly advancing toward them.

Only when Jennie saw that Bakura and Malik were making no movements to move (they were in front of her), she realized they were frozen with fear.

"Bakura? Malik? What's…wrong?" she asked nervously.

The two were usually were arrogant and fearless, but for a good reason. They could practically beat anything. Being scared was not part of their emotions.

"The Vines of Seth." Malik hissed. "They were said to torture the people of the Underworld by reliving their deepest and darkest fears."

"How do we pass it then?" the girl grieved as she was reminded by her almost fanatical fear of heights.

Bakura's forehead glowed with the eye of Horus. "I will distract them. You two go on ahead and see what's wrong with Erica and her team."

Malik nodded and dragged Jennie forward by the wrist. Resisting, Jennie yelled, "What about you! Erica'll kill me if you really get hurt! Not that I care about you, but-"

Suddenly, Jennie was half-blinded by a bright light that made the vines part and recede a bit. This gave Malik and Jennie a chance to run away. Looking back at Bakura, Jennie ran after the Tomb Keeper who was already disappearing into the dark halls.

Shortly after, Malik sensed the vines before Jennie did. As they were passing across another hall, Malik pushed Jennie onto the ground, she barely dodging a wave of the Vines of Seth as it washed over the man, completely engulfing him. Only his hand showed limply outside the mass of green plants. Then, a second later, the vines almost caught Jennie as she was on the floor. Luckily, fear and the will to survive made her shoot up from the ground and run away like the wind…

…Which brought to where Jennie was now.

Angrily, Jennie tossed her headphones away since they were no use now. When she asked for help, no one had responded. Stumbling forward in the darkness, she abruptly tripped over something and crashed onto the floor. Cursing, she rolled over and saw that it was somebody, not something.

"Erica!" the girl said in a terrified yell.

Reaching forward to shake her, she spotted the same disgusting vines from earlier. With a gasp, she also had noticed that the vines had silently wrapped around her own legs. Trying desperately to get out, the roots emitted some kind of gas that made Jennie gag. Then she began to feel very sleepy.

Struggling to stay awake, shaking her head and smacking herself, Jennie began to close her eyes.

"No, dammit, no!" the braided-hair girl whispered to herself, voice laced with tiredness.

Then she fell forward, falling into a deep sleep, the Vines of Seth wrapping itself slowly around the girl.

A/N: DUM, DUM, DUM! CLIFFHANGER! Yes, I know it's a short chapter, but the next one will be really long…So, might as well make this one short, no?

Man, I wish I could revise this story and add Malik to the mix of people liking Jennie (besides Joey, of course). That would've been really interesting…Erica and Malik trying to kill each other with Jennie hiding in her secret corner, trying to avoid the Tomb Keeper…Well, at least she doesn't have to deal with Yami Marik. Dude, I'm not that heartless… (sweatdrop)

Anyway, here's to the reviewers:

Isis the Spinx, Akari Ishtaru (wow. I'm an inspiration? That's really COOL!), Sirenofthenight (chocolate is my god), ElementalDemoness23 (yes, I'm sorry for updating only once a week…but if you kill me, there will be no story, so there!), and candy-animelover600 (Prophecy Beta will have to wait. Now shut up about that stupid Erica comment. Moron.)

NOW I WILL GIVE YOU ALL A PIECE OF VINE OF SETH TO TORTURE YOUR ENEMIES! MWAHAHAHA! See you next Monday.