All characters belong to their respective owners. I don't own any of them.
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Prologue – 500 years ago, Domino City, Japan:

"Tea! Tea! Open up!"

Tea sat up to pounding at her door and rubbed her eyes blearily looking at her alarm clock. It was 7 in the morning. Who was trying to break her door down this early? Realizing it wasn't going to stop, she got up and quickly opened it to reveal a disheveled Joey.

"Joey?" she asked sleepily, "What are you doing here?"

"Yugi's missing," he said without preamble.

"What?!" she snapped fully awake, "Are you sure? He's not just out wandering somewhere?"

"We were supposed to duel this morning, while the city was still quiet, but he never showed up," Joey explained aggravated, "I went to the game shop to see what was up, only to find him gone. I called his phone and the service has been disconnected. There's almost no sign he ever lived there. Gramps is just as confused. Said Yug went to bed like normal last night and nothing seemed off."

"Come in," Tea said, holding the door open, "Let me get dressed and I'll help you search. Keep talking," she said as she disappeared into her room.

"It isn't like Yugi to disappear suddenly," Joey flopped down on her couch, exhausted from his morning search, "Well," he amended, "It isn't like him to take all his things and disappear."

"Do you think he's been kidnapped?" Tea called, rifling through her closet, trying to find appropriate clothes.

"It's possible," Joey admitted, "But why would they take everything he owns?"

"Since when have kidnappers or bad guys in general ever made sense?" Tea responded.

"Good point," Joey gave a dry chuckle.

"Where have you searched so far?"

"Everywhere I can think. The docks, the park, the school, his favorite restaurants. I went to Tristen's too. Tristen's out searching now as well."

"What about Bakura's or Kaiba's?" Teas asked, coming out.

" I didn't fancy waking up Rich Boy this early in the morning. I enjoy my limbs where they are," Joey replied, "As for Bakura…you don't think the Evil Spirit has anything to do with it, do you?"

"I didn't," Tea admitted, "But Bakura does have the Ring, which can find other Items. Remember?"

"Good thinking, Tea!" Joey leaped up, "Let me call Tristen and have him meet us over there."

Ten minutes later, they were all standing outside Bakura's apartment. Tristen had been pretty close when Joey called and Joey and Tea raced over as fast as they could. Joey knocked on the door, "Bakura! It's us! Open up!"

After a few minutes of knocking and pounding, he tried the door and found it unlocked. "Bakura?" Joey called, "You home?"

The trio stepped inside and stopped. The apartment was stripped of any personal belongings, leaving the bare essentials. "What happened?" Tristen asked, looking around.

"It's just like Yugi's room," Joey commented softly. The group split up and searched the small apartment.

"Not even food in the kitchen," Tristen reported.

"Nothing in the bathroom," Joey said.

"His whole Monster World diorama is gone," Tea commented from the bedroom.

"Not surprising considering the state of this place," Joey said as they convened in the living room, "No note, no nothing?"

"Nothing," Tea confirmed.

"I think it's about time to pay Kiaba a visit," Tristen said, "Early hour or not."

"I agree," Tea said, "He can use his satellites to find them since they took their duel disks."

"Let's go," Joey said, walking out of the apartment.

The trip to Kaiba's mansion was quiet. Everybody was wondering why two of their friends had just packed up and left without saying a word. They had just been together yesterday, laughing and playing together at the arcade. Nothing had seemed out of place.

"You ring the bell," Tristen pushed Joey forward when they got to the front door.

"Why me?"

"We took a vote and you lost."

"Oh come on!" Joey whined.

"Just do it," Tea hissed. The fact that two of her friends had disappeared was making her patience run short.

Seeming to sense this, Joey gave up the fight and rang the bell. The butler opened the door, looking as snobbish as a butler should, "Yes?"

"We want to speak to Kaiba," Joey said, "Tell him Yugi Muto is missing and we need his help to find him."

"Of course. This way please," the butler showed them to a sitting room to wait.

Five minutes later, Mokuba showed up, puffy eyed and miserable looking, "Guys?"

"Mokuba?" Tea asked, not expecting to see the youngest Kaiba looking like this, "What's wrong?"

"Seto isn't here," he sniffed, "He left this next to my bed," he handed them a short note.

Moki-

I am leaving Kaiba Corp. in your control. The lawyers know that you are now President of Kaiba Corp., so you don't have to worry about that. Roland can help you with the transition until you get used to it. He will also take care of the press so you can stay out of the limelight. I know you can take the company to new heights, little brother. Choose your staff wisely.

Love,

Seto

"So Rich Boy is missing too," Joey said dejected, "And it sounds like he's not coming back."

"What's going on?" Mokuba asked desperately, "Why did my brother leave like this?"

"I don't know," Joey admitted, "But Yugi and Bakura are missing as well. Took everything with them."

"Three of the top duelists in the world have disappeared overnight," Tristen observed, "This can't be a coincidence."

"You think?" Joey snapped at him, "And I ranked higher than Bakura in the last tournament, so that can't be the deciding factor."

"Well, what else connects the three of them if not duelist rankings?" Mokuba asked. Nobody had an answer to that so that sat in silence, feeling upset and frustrated that their friends had left without telling anybody and obviously did not want to be found. The question 'Why?' sat in all of their minds.

"Should we go to the police?" Tristen finally asked.

"We can't let it get out that my brother is missing!" Mokuba argued, "It would cause chaos for the company!"

"Well, what if we just told them that Yugi and Bakura are missing?" Tea suggested, "Maybe they're all together, and if they can find Yugi and Bakura, maybe they'll find Kiaba too."

Joey nodded at this logic, "Good plan. Let's go. Wanna come with us, Mokuba?"

Mokuba shook his head, "I'll stay here," he said, "You guys are welcome to come by at any time," he invited, "It gets pretty lonely in this big house and I would appreciate the company."

"We'll visit as often as we can," Tea promised and they head to the police station.

It took a while to convince the police that Yugi and Bakura really were missing. But once they did, the force became active. "Don't worry," the chief told them, "We have as many available officers we have out looking for them. We'll find them. If we can't find them in a week, we'll expand our search to all of Japan and then ask for an international search. We'll keep you updated."

Weeks went by without so much as a clue. Tea, Joey, and Tristen visited Mokuba every day, eventually moving into the mansion with him and helping him run Kaiba Corp once they graduated.

Weeks turned into months turned into years, and still no sign of the missing duelists. Those years turned out to be rather dull. Without Yugi or Kaiba around, Joey became the next King of Games, winning tournament after tournament in hopes that he would catch a glimpse of his missing friends at one of them. But he never did. The excitement that usually surrounded the group all but disappeared. Sure people still showed up and tried to take the title from Joey, but nothing like the end-of-the-world chaos they were used to.

The case closed after ten years when the police declared them likely dead due to the amount of time they spent missing and the lack of clues to lead them to them. The gang never gave up hope though, knowing somewhere in their hearts that they were still alive, but it hurt that there had been no attempt at any contact. Eventually, they grew old and died, never knowing what happened to their friends.
_

500 years ago – Egypt

"Bakura!" Yami called, "Are you nearly done with those protective spells?"

"Just finished," Bakura smirked, stepping into the room with Yami, "Just set up the last Shadow entrance and anybody who tries to get past the front entrance will wind up wishing they were dead."

Yami nodded his approval, "I don't like it, and Yugi downright hates it, but we agree it's necessary for our protection."

Yugi also joined them in the room, "I wish we didn't have to leave without telling our friends. They must be so worried."

"It was a necessary precaution," Yami comforted his hikari, putting his arm around his shoulder, "Both for our safety and theirs."

"I know," Yugi sighed.

"I have the surveillance and satellites set up!" Seto called, "We'll be able to keep an eye on the world from here."

"Thank you, Seto," Ishizu set a plate of food on the table, "Malik should return shortly with more food."

"Where's Ryou?" Yugi asked Bakura.

"He was tired from last night so he's sleeping right now," Bakura explained.

Yes, all of the Millennium Item bearers were hiding underground. Next to the tombs in Egypt to be precise, including a hidden entrance all the way near Kul Elna. They had been planning this for months, once Seto came to terms with his ancient past and they all realized that none of them really knew how to fully control their items. So they decided to go into hiding to practice without the eyes of the world on them. So with Seto with the Rod, Malik with the Eye, Ishizu with the Necklace, Bakura and Ryou with the Ring, and Yugi and Yami with the Puzzle, they planned their disappearance. Shadi was always elusive, so they didn't worry about him.

They had to take everything with them, as to not leave any clues behind. Yugi was sure their friends would be frantic when they found out, but it was impossible to tell them where they were going. Using the Shadow Realm, they were able to take all their things and move halfway around the world within a couple of hours. Within just a few hours, there was no trace of Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba, or Ryou Bakura except for a short letter Seto left with Mokuba explaining he was now president of Kaiba Corp.

Ishizu and Malik had prepared their underground labyrinth that would serve as their new home, fortress, and training grounds. A few weeks before arriving, Yugi and Ryou underwent a ritual to allow the Pharaoh and Thief King to form their own bodies for a short amount of time. They were very careful to not let their friends know. They couldn't know. As they gained more control over the Shadows, they would be able to maintain their independent forms for longer periods of time.

Bakura's protective spells went off, alerting the bearers to someone entering the caverns. "Hey guys, I'm back!" Malik called, entering what would become the common area laden with food. "I see Bakura got those security spells up."

"Damn right, Ishtar," Bakura replied, "Now no one without an Item can enter."

Malik nodded his approval, "Good, that takes a lot of pressure off. We start hard core training tomorrow," he said, earning nods from all those present. Bakura woke Ryou up through the mind link and the bearers gather for their first dinner as a new family.
_

Present day –England

"Professor, surely you realize you are chasing a myth!" a red head exclaimed.

"I understand your doubt, but I have done my research very thoroughly, Bill," the professor replied seriously.

"But the Shadow Mages can't exist!" the redhead, Bill, argued, "Generations upon generations have searched the world for them."

"Yes," the professor agreed, "But with Lord Voldemort back, I am desperate," he admitted, sitting back and looking drained, "As a curse breaker, you have the best chance of finding them."

Bill stood in shock for a moment, understanding where Dumbledore was coming from now. Bill sighed in defeat, "Alright, Professor. I assume you want me to take some of the Order with me?"

"Only a couple," Dumbledore said, "I'll send Remus and Alastor with you. All of my research points to Egypt, near a ghost town called Kul Elna."

"Kul Elna?" Bill questioned, "That place is practically buried underground from thousands of years of sand storms. It's a miracle we can still find the place, not that we can enter. There are ghosts there that guard it well."

"I am aware," Dumbledore said, "But I have every faith that you can find the elusive mages. Meet at headquarters tonight to go over details with Remus and Alastor so you can leave in the morning."
_

Thoughts?