A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I have to confess I was amused by some of them… you'll see why. Enjoy!

Yuugi stumbled out of the living room and nearly collided with Ryou, who had just come flying down the stairs. The two of them exchanged a look and Yuugi knew without asking that Bakura had disappeared, too. There was a clatter above them as Jou practically tripped down the stairs in his haste to join them, the expression of shock on his face speaking volumes about Seto's fate. Without saying a word, the three boys turned and sprinted for the library where Malik and Mariku had been looking at the books they'd retrieved from Isis's office. Sure enough, Malik was in there alone, staring open-mouthed at an open book on the floor.

"Mariku…" he said in a dazed voice, the book in his hands hanging weakly from his fingertips. "He was just… One minute he was there and the next he was… gone."

"The same thing happened to Yami," Yuugi said, crossing the room and picking the book up. The temperature dropped sharply in the space around the book and he shivered, his skin crawling as he cradled the book against his chest. "And I assume Seto and Bakura vanished as well?" He glanced at Jou and Ryou, already knowing what the answer would be.

Ryou nodded silently and Jou said, "We were in the middle of… you know… and he just disappeared." He sounded horrified and his explanation accounted for why he was only wearing a pair of haphazardly buttoned pants. Now that Yuugi took a better look at him, he noticed that Jou's golden hair was mussed and there was a bruise in the shape of some familiar teeth marks developing quite nicely on the right side of his neck.

"What the hell happened?" Malik asked, finally snapping out of his shocked stupor.

"I don't know. Wait." A horrible thought struck Yuugi and his head snapped up. "Where are Shizuka and Mokuba?"

Jou didn't hesitate. He raced out of the room at full speed. Yuugi listened to the sound of him taking the stairs two at a time, his voice echoing through the upstairs rooms of the mansion as he called desperately for the two pre-teens, but he had the feeling that he already knew what Jou was going to find. All of the yamis and, he suspected, the guardians had faded away. Gone, like someone had flipped a switch and erased them out of existence. He shuddered and felt strong fingers grip his arm. He looked up at Ryou, who had moved across the room to stand next to him. Ryou's face was ashen and he still seemed to be in shock. He didn't let go of Yuugi's arm as Jou came rushing back in, face flushed and panting.

"They're gone," he said breathlessly. "There's no sign of them. I know they didn't leave the house because Shizuka's purse is still in her room. Mokuba's homework stuff is spread out all over his desk. He'd never leave it that messy; he'd never hear the end of it if Seto came in and saw the mess." He paused, taking a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "They're gone," he repeated weakly.

"Okay, sit down before you fall down." Malik pushed him none too gently into one of the chairs that they'd been using. "We have to think about this objectively. We've already established that Shizuka and Mokuba are gone, so Yuugi, call Anzu and your grandfather. Ryou, call Mai and Rebecca. Jou, you try Honda and Otogi. I'm going to call Nee-san."

Yuugi fumbled to pull his cell phone out of his pocket and held it up with shaking hands. It took him a couple of tries to dial the number of the Game Shop. The sound of the endlessly ringing phone just made him feel worse, though he knew that it didn't really mean anything. There had been times when Sugoroku was particularly busy that he just didn't have the ability to answer the phone and deal with all of his customers at the same time. Still, he tried the home phone and then his grandfather's cell phone. There was no answer at either one. Finally, he sent a text message asking Sugoroku to call him as soon as possible and moved on to trying to get in touch with Anzu. A call to her cell phone yielded in nothing, and there was no answer at her house.

"Nothing," he reported at last, closing his phone.

Ryou shook his head. "Neither Mai nor Rebecca picked up, either," he said, looking worried. "I suppose it could just be a coincidence. I mean, it is almost 10:00pm. Rebecca could be in bed by now and maybe Mai is just busy."

"Yeah, maybe," Yuugi said, though he didn't really believe that, especially after Jou finally put his phone away with an annoyed grunt that indicated he hadn't been able to contact either Honda or Otogi. He closed his eyes and shook his head. "What is going on here? How on earth could all of them have just disappeared with no explanation at all?"

"I'm starting to think that maybe the warning was real," Ryou said in a tiny voice, unconsciously plucking at the bracelet that was still clasped around his wrist.

"You think maybe Amane knew this was going to happen?" Yuugi asked, staring at him. The thought that Hafiz might have had a hand in this made his stomach twist and he felt ill. It made sense but he didn't want to think that it could be true, because if it was then that meant there was a good chance their friends were in a hell of a lot more danger than he wanted them to be.

"I don't know. But she was trying to warn us about something," Ryou replied. He would've said more, but at that moment Malik made a startled sound that had all eyes swinging in his direction.

"Aunt Edina!" he exclaimed, followed by a rapid exchange in a language Ryou and Jou didn't understand. Yuugi knew enough to recognize it as Arabic, but Malik was speaking so quickly that it was nearly impossible for him to follow. He shrugged helplessly when his friends looked at him and crossed his arms, waiting impatiently for Malik to hang up. Judging by the distressed look on his face, the news was not going to be good. It was several minutes before Malik finally ended his conversation, and then he just stood there for a few seconds, his shoulders slumped and head hanging.

"Well?" Jou said finally, impatiently. "What's up?"

"That was my aunt," Malik said, swallowing hard. He looked back at them. "She said that she was speaking to Isis, Honda and Otogi when the three of them just disappeared. They were trying to figure out what had happened when Isis's phone started to ring. Edina recognized my name and answered it. She doesn't know what happened but she said they're going to try to find out. She also said that before the three of them vanished, she felt a wave of darkness."

"Darkness?" Yuugi repeated, stiffening slightly. "Does she mean the Shadow Realm?"

"She didn't say. She told me she would get back to me."

"Right." Yuugi fell silent, putting his thoughts in order. It was harder than he was expecting. There was a knot in his stomach that was starting to hurt. "Well, I think it's safe to assume that if Honda and Otogi are gone, the other guardians probably are, too."

"What do we do now?" Ryou asked.

"We keep looking," Yuugi said when Jou and Malik failed to answer. He opened the book that he was still holding and glanced down at one of the pages. It had been written in a language he didn't recognize and he frowned, suddenly realizing that this search might be more challenging than he'd originally hoped. "We don't have a choice. Until we know what the Scroll of Shadows is or what it can do, we won't know what's happened or why. Jou, Ryou, grab a book and let's get to work." He shot a look at the stack of books still left to go through and concealed a grimace, realizing that it was going to be a very long night.

STGY

The sound of people moving around the house was what eventually woke Ryou. He opened his eyes, squinting in the brilliant light that was flooding the room, and held a hand up to shield against it as he looked around. He was sitting on the ground beside Seto's desk, a book open on his lap. Malik was sitting beside him, head bent forward at an awkward angle against his chest that couldn't be comfortable. Yuugi was leaning against the wall opposite, and although his head wasn't visible, the steady rising and falling of his chest indicated that he was definitely sleeping. Ryou sighed and looked down at the book he'd been flipping through, belatedly realizing that there was now a large spot of drool on one of the pages.

"Oh, nice," he muttered, too tired to even be embarrassed. He vaguely remembered sitting down at some time around four in the morning and figured he'd probably dropped off not long after that. It was now just after eight. No wonder he was still tired. Going back to sleep didn't feel like an option, though; his dreams had made him restless and he knew that it would only be more of the same if by some miracle he managed to fall back asleep. Instead, he shut the book and stood up, wincing as a variety of aches instantly made themselves known.

The cooks had been hard at work in the kitchen and there was fresh coffee and tea, as well as French toast, cereal, bacon, eggs, plain toast with jam, and fruit for breakfast. He sat down with a cup of tea and sighed heavily. Their situation looked no better in the stark light of the morning, that was for sure. What were they going to do now? Any mention of the Scroll of Shadows that they'd found had been scant at best, and it didn't help that some of the books had been written in old foreign languages that even Malik was having a hard time interpreting. It all seemed so hopeless. He swallowed hard against the urge to cry and took a sip of tea.

As he moved his hand the bracelet glittered and Ryou looked at in surprise. He'd almost forgotten that he had asked Bakura to put it on. It sparkled in the early morning light and he sighed, wishing that he knew how to get a hold of Amane. He was almost positive that she knew more than she'd let on. But he had no idea how he would go about doing that, considering that the first time he'd seen her was in the Shadow Realm and she had sought him out. For all he knew, she'd vanished as well. The thought was depressing. He took another drink as Jou wandered into the room.

"Hey," he said sleepily, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"I didn't think you liked coffee," said Ryou, pushing the milk and sugar closer automatically.

"I don't usually," Jou said. "But after a night like that, I need something to keep me going." He pushed a hand through his disheveled blond hair and sighed, adding copious amounts of sugar and milk to his coffee until it was pale gold in color. "I kept dreaming about Seto being trapped somewhere."

Ryou bit his lip. "I had the same kind of dreams about Bakura. Only he was mad at me because I couldn't pick the lock on the door of the place he was locked into."

Jou chuckled. "That sounds about right," he said with a shake of his head. "I just… god I have no idea what the hell I'm supposed to do now. Seto was only just beginning to get Kaiba Corp back under control. If he's not around then Mokuba is the one who steps in. Now both of them are missing and I can see this turning into a nightmare so easily if people find out that they're gone. He doesn't really trust anyone else from the company and with good reason. I'm pretty sure his board members would love the opportunity to get rid of him once and for all." His hand was shaking as he sipped from his coffee and Ryou looked at him sympathetically.

"I don't know what to tell you," he said apologetically. "I never thought about Kaiba Corp. At least Bakura didn't have anything like that."

"He had an uncle," Jou offered.

"I know." Ryou nodded. Bakura had mentioned that much, at least, though he didn't have the slightest idea what the man's name was or where he would be found. He didn't even know if Bakura ever spoke to him, since as far as Ryou could tell Bakura seemed to pretty much live at the mansion.

"We're going to have to decide whether we want to get into contact with everyone's families," Yuugi said as he walked into the room, closely followed by Malik.

"It seems pretty cruel not to," said Ryou.

"Yeah but what are we going to tell them?" Malik asked, stealing Ryou's cup. He sipped at the tea inside and made a face. "Eww, Ryou. Try a little honey or sugar next time."

"I like my tea the way it is, thank you. There's a pot right there for you to have your own prepared just the way you like it."

Malik sighed, looking rather put upon, but retrieved his own cup and poured some tea in. "Like I was saying, what would we tell them? None of us really know their families, especially Anzu. It would seem pretty odd for random strangers to suddenly tell them that their kids have gone on a long trip or something like that. I agree that the alternative doesn't sound too great, but…" He trailed off and shrugged helplessly as he added honey to his tea.

"This is going to be a nightmare," Yuugi said glumly, putting his head in his hands. "What are we going to do?"

"I know one thing. I'm not going to school today," Jou said. "I know we missed a ton of time already but I don't care if I have to repeat the year. I'll call in for Mokuba and Shizuka, too."

"You can call in for all of us while you're at it," Malik told him. "If they think it seems weird too bad. We have more important things to worry about. I've got to get back on the phone with my aunt. Maybe she found more information last night."

"I have to go to the Game Shop," said Yuugi. "Make sure it's securely locked up. Really, I should have done it last night. Jii-chan might not have had the time to close things properly." He looked distressed.

Ryou patted his shoulder. "It's okay, Yuugi. It's not your fault. I think we were all in shock last night. While you guys are doing that I guess I'll keep looking through the rest of the books." The thought didn't thrill him. He was starting to think that the books were going to be a lost cause, but it didn't hurt to make sure. He drank the rest of his tea and stood up, gingerly massaging the back of his neck. "Just be careful, Yuugi. Maybe I should go with you. It might not be safe for you to be out on your own."

Yuugi looked at him for a long moment and then shrugged. "I'm not sure how it would help for us both to be kidnapped but sure, why not? Let's go."

"I'll call one of the cars to take you," Jou mumbled, downing his coffee in one long gulp that made him shudder. He looked like he felt sick to his stomach and Ryou didn't blame him. The thought of facing Kaiba Corp was intimidating at best and truly frightening at worst. Still, there was no one else who could do it and Jou must have realized that because he stood up. "You can drop me off at Kaiba Corp on your way over."

STGY

The Kame Game Shop, fortunately, looked just the way it had when Yuugi had left the morning before. As he'd suspected, though, the doors were indeed unlocked, the Open sign still visible, and when he and Ryou went inside it appeared as though Sugoroku had just been starting to close up when he disappeared. There was a broom lying in the middle of the floor with a set of keys beside it; only some of the glass displays were locked. Yuugi picked up both the broom and the keys and immediately finished locking up, switching the sign to Closed in the process.

"He didn't get very far. I think it's safe to assume he disappeared at the same time as Yami and the others," Yuugi said, half-heartedly sweeping at the floor. Ryou, who had helped to close up a few times, was wandering around with a bottle of glass cleaner and a cloth cleaning the top of the displays, looking at the duel monsters cards inside as he polished. "Thank god no one came in afterwards. We could've been robbed."

"Are you okay with leaving the shop if we have to go somewhere?" Ryou asked.

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Yuugi replied. "If we have enough notice I guess I could ask Rebecca's grandfather to come check on it every once in a while." He stared down at the floor and then looked up at Ryou. "You think we're going to have to go to Egypt, don't you?"

"It does make the most sense," Ryou said quietly. "The clan seems to be the only people around who have any experience with this kind of stuff. Malik knows a little but you saw him. He couldn't even translate all of those books. We need help, Yuugi. I don't think we can do this alone."

Yuugi took a deep breath and let it out in a slow sigh as he rubbed a hand over his face. This was too much. It was hard to believe that this time yesterday he'd been happily anticipating spending the night in Yami's arms. "Where on Earth are we going to get the money to send four of us to Egypt? Including air fare and hotel accommodations and meals for gods know how long, that's going to cost a fortune. I don't have that kind of money, Ryou. Neither does Malik."

Ryou sprayed a bit more cleaner onto his rag and rubbed half-heartedly at the display he was leaning over. "I could…" he began lamely.

"No, Ryou, you couldn't," Yuugi said immediately. "I appreciate the thought but the money from your father and the estate is for you to live on. You shouldn't waste it."

"It's not a waste," Ryou said hotly. "Not if it means I have the person I want to live for actually comes back!" He had to turn his face away when Yuugi looked at him to hide the sudden swelling of tears that threatened to break free. Without Bakura, he felt like he was treading on dangerously unsteady ground, and he had no idea which way was the right one. He took a moment to get himself under control before speaking. "I'm sorry, Yuugi. I didn't mean to snap. I know that we're all upset."

"You're right, and I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean to imply that Bakura… that all of them aren't worth it. I just…" Yuugi trailed off and shook his head helplessly. He just wanted Yami back but he couldn't say that, not without crying, and that wouldn't help anyone. "I just don't want you to make any rash decisions. I think we've made quite enough of those. That money is going to have to take you through university and if you can't prove that you can support yourself..." Yuugi trailed off.

Ryou sighed and hooked a strand of hair behind his ear. "I know," he said quietly. He'd met briefly with the people from Social Services along with Seto and a Kaiba Corp lawyer. They hadn't liked not sending him into care, and it had only been the lawyer's quick talking that had saved him from a foster home or worse. His bank account would be carefully monitored for the next few years and the officials had reserved the right to step in if it looked as though he was being frivolous with the money left to him by his father. He supposed that four plane tickets to Egypt would probably be counted under "frivolous", considering that he would be unable to explain why it was so important that they go.

"But we'll keep it in mind," Yuugi said with an encouraging smile. "If we can't get there in any other way, we might have to take you up on that." He paused. "Provided we have to go, of course."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Ryou asked, watching his friend with a knowing look. "You love Egypt."

"I do," Yuugi admitted. He set the broom down and moved to sit in front of the cash register. As he'd expected, Sugoroku hadn't even had the time to cash out and the machine was still full. He would need to take the funds to the bank before returning to the mansion. It would be best to leave as little incentive lying around as possible, just in case it was a while before his grandfather returned. "Jii-chan's told me so many wonderful stories that I would love to visit. Just... not under these circumstances."

It would indeed be difficult to enjoy a vacation when their other halfs were missing, Ryou knew. He nodded silently and turned back to his task, pausing to straighten a few of the games on the shelves before he moved on. As he was cleaning the next case, he looked down at the cards inside, and that's when he saw it. His eyes widened. "No way."

"What's wrong?" Yuugi didn't look up from where he was briskly counting money.

"It's the Scroll of Shadows!"

"Eh?" That got Yuugi's attention. Swiftly he set the money down and hopped off of the stool, hurrying over to Ryou's side and peering into the case. A moment later he fumbled for the keys, unlocked the display and pushed the glass cover up. He picked up the card and looked at it. The picture depicted a scroll made out of old-fashioned, dark colored parchment. It had Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics written across the front in shimmery gold writing. It was a magic card, and Yuugi's mouth went dry when he read what was at the bottom. "You may be right about that trip to Egypt after all, Ryou."

"Why? What does it say?" Ryou demanded.

"It's a field spell card. I've never heard of it before. I don't know how we ended up with a copy, but according to this it changes the whole field to Ancient Egypt," Yuugi said, looking up at him with dawning horror. "If this is the card that Hafiz stole and activated with the power of the Shadow Realm, then I have the feeling I know where everyone has gone."

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