A.N. This story may seem slightly similar to Jase's, I'm not sure, I'm just guessing cause we tend to think alike -_- But I hope it's good. Enjoy! ^_^

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, of course.
Chapter 1
A man sat on a throne in the center of an enormous stone chamber, his face hidden under the cowl of a black cloak, but a faint smile could be detected upon his lips. Swirls of smoky darkness shrouded the chamber, hiding everything beyond the invisible bubble that seemed to surround the out of those shadows came the fiery glow of dozens of pairs of eyes, all burning with inhuman light and power.

Two figures knelt before the throne, heads bowed, awaiting their master's instructions. One looked to be about nineteen with long black hair and the other was an older man of about twenty-four with short blond hair. Both were as still as statues, not daring to move in fear that they might displease their master-and bring upon themselves the wrath of the creatures waiting just beyond their sight.

"Here are you're assaignments," the man in the throne spoke with a calm, smooth voice that sent chills down the teen's spine, "Keith, you will seek out those who would join me, those who will not are to be eliminated."

"You on the other hand," this was directed at the younger of his two underlings, "to prove your loyalty, you will find and destroy a certain party, whom I have foreseen will cause me great problems if not disposed of. I will tell you more when the time comes. Now go!"

"Yes Master," they said in unison, stood, and left without hesitation, never lifting their eyes from the floor.

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Prince Yami of the North Kingdom gazed back upon the city where he had lived for most of his life, wondering when he would see it again. The palace, with its snowy white walls and gold inlaid carvings, glowed like a star in the bright morning sunlight. The city below the palace was sprawled in the lush green valley of the Emonalin, the great river that kept the capital city thriving.

"Are you sure you wish to leave? It is not too late now to turn back."

Red eyes turned to meet the lavender ones of his personal guard, "I must go. Our land has been attacked many times in the last few months, the towns burned, our people killed, and I must find the source of these attacks before my kingdom pays the heavy price of inaction. My father has things well under control here, but that won't last long if we can't discern the reason behind these attacks and stop them."

His guard nodded his understanding as Yami turned his back on the beautiful city and walked in the direction of the rising sun, the first step on the journey that would eventually, if all went well, bring them to the source of their problems, or at least someone who could help them solve those problems.

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A young mage clad all in blue walked slowly up to the palace's great, oak front door, staring about himself in awe at the cobbled courtyard with its high stone walls and artfully designed areas of soft green grass. He was greeted at the door by a tall, gray haired chamberlain who asked him what he was doing there.

"I received a notice that said I was supposed to come here for an expedition," he replied, looking up at the man.

"And your name is?"

"Yugi."

The chamberlain nodded, "Follow me."

Yugi followed the man into the palace, large violet eyes darting curiously around the area to try and take in everything they could of this amazing place. The floor was made of white marble with swirls of rose quartz rippling through it, giving the feeling of walking on soft clouds at dawn. The walls were also of marble, but rather than pure white, this marble was streaked with pale blues, creamy yellows, soft pinks, and pastel oranges. Elaborate paintings of birds of all shapes and sizes adorned the walls, their wrought gold frames masterpieces in themselves. But the ceiling was the most awe-inspiring of it all. It was made completely of gold that glowed faintly with a light of its own, and every few yards down there would be a sun-shaped light that radiated light and warmth like the real thing, not to mention the lifelike carvings of birds soaring among the swirling 'clouds' also engraved on the ceiling. All in all, it was like waling in the cloud as the sun rises over the horizon to signal the beginning of a new day.

"Here," the chamberlain opened a door off of the main hall and stepped in with Yugi right behind him. They stood in a room furnished in a similar fashion to the rest of the palace, save that the ceiling was almost completely of glass, revealing the clear morning sky. And sitting on two of the chairs in the chamber, was a pair of people who looked like they'd been waiting for some time.

The chamberlain bid them wait a little longer and left, leaving Yugi to introduce himself to his two new companions.

"," he said uncertainly.

"Here, have a seat," the white haired boy smiled at him, gesturing at a chair near the two, "My name's Ryou, nice to meet you."

Yugi smiled back, glad that Ryou at least seemed to be friendly, and took the offered seat.

"I'm Yugi, nice to meet you too."

They both turned to the last person in the room, a tall blond who hadn't spoken since Yugi arrived. He looked back at them through calm, lavender eyes, appearing to size them up mentally before announcing his name as Malik. Then he leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head, and looked up into the sky, completely ignoring them.

Yugi blinked.

"He's been like that since I came," Ryou said quietly, "Not very talkative I think."

Yugi nodded, but didn't have time to respond as the door opened at that moment, admitting the chamberlain and two more men accompanying him.

"These are the ones you plan on sending?" the shorter of the two men, and by far the more elaborately dressed, asked his companion in absolute incredulity, "Are you serious? Not one of them are over the age of nineteen!"

"They are among the best of their professions my lord, they are not amateurs."

The man snorted then sighed, "Fine fine, I still say you're crazy Shadi, but you've always been right in your judgment. I'll leave you to tell them their quest then."

The man and chamberlain left, leaving the three alone with the tall, white robed figure. He surveyed them with piercing blue eyes.

"You all have been summoned here on account of the troubles we have had in the kingdom. Recently there have been reports of monsters attacking the borders, mainly in the west, but these attacks have had a definite increase in frequency, and it's still getting worse."

"But what can we do about it?" Yugi asked worriedly. He'd heard about the attacks but had thought they were simply rumors, but apparently they were real.

"That's what you're here for. We need to sent a party west to see if you can find the reason behind these events, and, if possible, stop it."

"And we're just supposed to go waltzing out there with no idea of what's going on?" Malik growled, having decided that this announcement at least was worth listening to.

"The point of this expedition is for you to find out what is going on," was the calm reply, "However, we do know that the other three kingdoms have also been attacked, and all raids seem to originate from the same area. This is where you will be headed."

"The area is marked on the map," Shadi handed Yugi a rolled up parchment, then he turned and looked from one of them to the next, "You have each been chosen for your varying skills. Supplies and horses have been provided for you. You are to begin your journey immediately. Be careful, for many lives depend on weather or not you succeed in your mission."

"Oh wonderful," Malik muttered as Shadi left the room, shaking his head, "just come in here, dump a job on us that could determine the kingdom's life and death, and not even give us enough information!"

"We might as well get going," Ryou suggested.

"Yeah," Yugi agreed, standing up and heading for the door, "We won't get anything done just sitting here, and I think it'll be fun."

"Sure," Malik followed his new teammates, wondering what in the world he'd gotten himself into when he'd agreed to go on this mission.

A.N. This story might not update very soon, depending on how my other story goes. I hoped you guys liked this! ^_^