I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh or any of its characters and plots.

However the following characters (their powers and such) used in this fan fiction ARE mine:

Lady Aurora Phoenix

Lady Natara Fear

Lady Sapphira Star

Blaze

Chaos

Havoc

Well if you read this far then thank you. If not... well then I guess I am just doing this for my own sake and no one else's... But it is all good either way... Now to continue...


An Old and New Threat

Lady Phoenix gently petted her horse as it lowered it's head to get a drink from the spring in the oasis Mahado had mentioned to her. She was tired and worn out from her search. Lady Star stretched and yawned before reaching for the water in the spring to splash on her face. Havoc leaned against a small tree with his eyes closed.

"Havoc, you really should not be here. You need to get more rest," Lady Phoenix said gently. He shook his head.

"There is a lot of ground to cover and we have barely made a dent. We need to find them. Then I will get more rest." Lady Phoenix gave him a hard look. "I promise." She merely nodded before turning to glance around them. So much sand. She thought it would have been easier to find the two missing friends with so much of a clearing around them. Yet there was no trace. Not even a glimmer within her mind.

"Hey, what do you think is going on over there?" Lady Phoenix started and followed Lady Star's gaze out across the dunes. There was a building not far from them. As she looked closer she saw what looked like jewels and gold being placed inside a wagon. Looking even closer, she felt a strange feeling of recognition fall over her mind.

"I am not sure. But I think I have seen those people before." As soon as the words were out of her mouth a blast of blue mist came from the door of the building. Havoc straightened and Lady Star gasped in shock.

"It cannot be! Lady Fear's Starfire Mist!" she exclaimed. Lady Phoenix nodded and leapt onto her horse. The others followed as they raced up to the building. If the Mist was being used, then not only was Lady Fear awake, but she was in danger.

Lady Phoenix yanked hard on the reigns causing the horse to neigh and rear up suddenly. She jumped off and her staff appeared in her hand as she made her way to the door. Her eyes widened only a brief moment as shadow like creatures appeared before her.

"What are they?" Lady Star squeaked out.

"It does not matter," Havoc answered as he his own staff appeared. "We have to get inside to Lady Fear." He leveled his staff and took out one of the creatures before him. Lady Phoenix was still wracking her mind to remember these creatures. Lady Star's staff appeared and took on a red glow and a blast of Power took out two more of the creatures. At that moment, Lady Phoenix realized who they were up against.

"These are creatures of the Pharaoh's nemesis."

"That is great, but we need to get past them," Havoc muttered through clenched teeth. She nodded. The crystal on her staff began to glow.

"Only one way to do this faster," she commented with a deep breath. "Crystal Rose Shock!" she shouted as she aimed her staff toward the army before them. A ray of rainbow light blasted forward and the creatures faded. The team surged forward and headed for the sounds of battle.

"Chaos!" They stopped suddenly as the female voice called out in fear. There before them, Lady Fear was cradling the limp form of Chaos. "Come on, Chaos! Speak to me!"

"Where I have sent him, there is no escape," a dark voice that Lady Phoenix recognized laughed. She tensed up for only a moment as she took in the scene before her. There he was. Wild, white hair about his head and a cross-shaped scar on his cheek just below his right eye; the Thief King had returned.

"You guys get to Lady Fear and Chaos and see what happened. That creature is mine," she told them, her voice dark with her anger.

"Just watch yourself, Phoenix. You anger..." Lady Star warned. Her only response was a curt nod and then her friend leapt in between the Thief King and her friends. He raised an eyebrow in amusement as she faced him. Her dark blueeyes flashed white as he chuckled.

"So we meet again," he replied with his dark voice. "I wondered if we would." His monster stood beside him. "You remember Diabound," he added with a grand gesture.

"I remember," she snarled in response. "What did you do to my friend?"

"Your friend? Well, is that not an interesting turn of events for me," he said with a cruel smile plastered on his face. "Seems he was too weak to face me in a darkness game. His soul was sent to the shadow realm." The calmness in his voice infuriated her. She breathed deeply to steady and calm her emotions. She knew if she used her powers at their full strength, she risked destroying the entire building. There was no way she could allow that to happen.

"You could see that he was weak, you fool!" She growled at him. "He was only in your way as you attempted to continue to ruin the Pharaoh." He shrugged nonchalantly.

"So what if that is true? What will you do about it?"

"The same thing I did the last time. Except this time, I am not as weak as before. I destroyed your monster once. I shall easily do it again." The cruel smile left his face as Thief King Bakura remembered their last meeting.

"I am better prepared for you this time," he replied darkly. "Diabound, attack!" His monster reared up and came at her with it's full force. Lady Phoenix spun her staff and aimed the rose tip at the monster. Her eyes widened in shock when he was not destroyed by the blast of light in the first turn.

"So you have somehow made your monster stronger. No matter, I will still break it's defenses," she vowed.

"You can try," he taunted her with a sneer. Not looking at her friends, she hollered one final order to them.

"Take Chaos and get out of here! Get to safety!"

"But, Phoenix!" Lady Star called out.

"Get out!" she shouted in desperation as Diabound attacked again. She needed them safe if she was to unleash any amount of Power to get rid of this beast again. They clashed in the center of their battle field. Lady Star gave one final look over her shoulder as Havoc lifted Chaos onto his shoulders and half carried, half dragged their friend from the room. The ground shook with the Power being used by the fighters.

"What is going on?" a concerned voice called out to them as they appeared outside. Lady Star looked up at the group approaching them. The only rider she recognized was the man who had given them the horses they used that day.

"Not entirely sure. There was an attack on our friends when we arrived," she answered as Havoc placed Chaos on the ground.ThePriestesslooked hard at him.

"His soul has been taken, Pharaoh," she told him in an urgent voice. He quickly got off his horse and went to the fallen warrior in blue. Looking up, he realized Lady Phoenix was not with them. At that moment the ground was rocked with another attack.

"I am not letting her face that man alone," Lady Fear stated as she turned back toward the building. "I have to at least get her out of there." Before anyone could stop her, she turned and headed back into the building, a bow and arrow appearing in her hand. Outside, they heard her call. "Starfire Mist!" a few seconds passed before they heard her call out another Power. "Starfire Strike!"

"No!" the Thief King's infuriated voice shrieked from inside. "You have not seen the last of me!" he vowed as he fled the building. Atem hollered at a few guards to give chase as Lady Fear reappeared, helping Lady Phoenix outside. It took all his strength not to move to her side as they approached. His focus was divided between his worry for her, and his concern for her friend.

"What do you mean, 'his soul has been taken'?" Havoc asked Isis. "How can a person's soul be taken from them?" She looked away from his questioning eyes.

"It, unfortunately, is the way we battle here. Our knowledge of magic can be used in many ways. For those like the Thief King, it is used strictly for the harm of others. In a battle should one lose, their soul is relieved of their body and cast away to what is called the shadow realm," Mahado explained.

"Can his soul be brought back?" Lady Star's eyes were filled with tears as she stared down at her friend. Lady Phoenix finally reached the group in time to hear what was happening, her eyes were sharp and hard at the news, but she said nothing.

"I can see what I can do. I should be able to retrieve it from the shadow realm," Atem answered. "I just need some room." Reluctantly, everyone backed away. Closing his eyes, the puzzle began to shimmy and glow on the thick cord around his neck. A golden beam appeared from the eye symbol on the puzzle and was directed at Chaos' limp form on the ground. After a few tense moments, Chaos coughed and slowly opened his eyes.

"What just happened?" he asked in a weak voice. Lady Star opened her mouth to tell him when Lady Phoenix stopped her.

"It does not matter right now, Chaos. It only matters that you are okay. We can explain everything later after you have rested." He nodded and closed his eyes again. Lady Phoenix sighed. Her team was together again, but after her latest battle with the Thief King, she felt drained. She was tired before, but now exhaustion was threatening to overcome her.

"Are you all right, Lady Aurora?" Isis asked her softly. She had tentatively left her spot by Atem and made her way over to Lady Phoenix, a look of concern in her eyes as Lady Phoenix gingerly held her arm which had been injured in her battle. She blinked in surprise but nodded her head.

"We all just need rest," was all she said. Havoc placed Chaos on his horse and took the reigns to lead it across the desert toward the palace. Lady Fear rode with Lady Star. Atem kept glancing over at Lady Phoenix, but said nothing as they rode. Her thoughts were shut down. He could sense her weakness.


The group made their way to the stables to return their horse. No one even noticed the figure dressed all in black watching from the building where the battle had been. No one saw his smile. No one heard his amused laughter.

"So you all survived as well," he commented lightly, with a smooth voice. "We shall correct that error in time. In the mean time, Lord Theron may wish to learn more about the new enemy, Lady Phoenix and her friends face here." There was a whisper of darkness around him, and in wave of dark swirling mist, he was gone.