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

I have added this update before any reviews could really be made so there is no mailbox today... However I will include a note to the readers at the end of this chapter ... A new decision regarding this fic...


Thief King Returns

Three years had passed since the triplets were born. Though they were growing up strong and healthy, they were far from safe. Bakura had come out of hiding to begin his attacks again. His first raid hit too close to home for the Pharaoh. His father's tomb. They had all been gathered in the main hall. Atem and Lady Phoenix werewatching the childrenas they rancircles around Mana who was laughing hysterically at them. Adais had indeed regained all his strength and aside from his eye color, had all the attributes of his father; in looks and personality. Sanura and Zahara each had their long hair done up in a single braid with ribbons intertwining the sections. Zahara, though looking a lot like her mother, had more of a carefree attitude while Sanura had her mother's careful, calculating personality. Atem and Lady Phoenix looked lovingly at each other and then down at their children. If only things could remain this way, they were both thinking. It was then that the painful vision struck.

"Are you alright?" Atem asked her, taking her arm as she held her forehead. She shook her head.

"No, something is not right." She looked up and motioned to Lady Fear and Lady Star. "Please take the children out of here. I cannot take any chances, yet I must remain here as well." Her friends nodded and hurried to gather the children. Adais broke away and ran quick enough to offer his father one last hug before returning to Lady Fear and taking her hand as they quickly left the hall and returned the children to their nursery. Shortly after they were out of sight, Shimon appeared beside Atem.

"It is time to begin, Pharaoh," he said darkly. Atem nodded. A short time ago a thief had been caught invading the previous Pharaoh's tomb. Today was the day of his punishment ceremony. Atem attempted to mask a yawn as they waited for the criminal to be brought forward. A few moments passed and Lady Phoenix looked over at him to seehis head propped up on his hand,his eyes closed, andhis breathing even. He had fallen asleep.

"Seems someone has spending too many nights up playing with the kids instead of putting them to sleep," she commented lightly as Shimon gasped and shook the Pharaoh awake.

"How dare you fall asleep at a time like this!" he exclaimed. "We are performing a ceremony!"

"I know, Shimon, my deepest apologies, please." Atem again tried to hide a yawn as the priests lined up before him, creating a pathway for the criminal to be led through. A guard appeared followed closely behind by two other guards bringing in the prisoner.

"We are ready to begin, my Pharaoh," the first guard said as he bowed. The prisoner was brought forward and forced to his knees. Lady Phoenix sighed as the charges were read off. Her eyes roamed over the room. Something did not seem quite right to her. Something was definitely not quite as it seemed.

"The Seven Millennium Items will judge your punishment!" Akunadin had announced, pointing at the criminal. The criminal growled at him.

"Just what will you do with me?" he demanded. The Priest Shada stepped forward and held up his Millennium Key. He was going to look into the criminal's soul, to see the true heart of him. He stepped back and glanced over at Akunadin from the corner of his eye.

"There is an evil ka in this man's mind," he announced. Akunadin grunted and stepped forward. His Millennium Eye began to glow brightly as he commanded his eye to release the evil ka from the criminal. As everyone watched, Lady Phoenix cringed inside herself as wisps of smoke seemed to come from the criminal's mouth. In all the time she has been there at the palace, she had never seen anything such as this. The smoke clouded over the man's head and seemed to take shape. Shimon explained what was happening to her when he saw the look of confusion that crossed her face.

"Hatred creates a monster in one's mind. One we call a ka. If the ka is strong, it can control the one who it inhabits and cause him to do acts of crime as it increases the hatred within his heart." She nodded at his explanation and kept her gaze on the sight before them. "The priests are able to drag the ka beast out of the man's mind and seal it inside a stone tablet." As he said this, a stone tablet appeared beside the priests and the criminal. Akunadin focused the energy of his Eye and control the beast as he hollered for High Priest Set to seal the beast within the tablet using his Millennium Rod. Set merely glanced back at Atem with a raised eyebrow as he sized up the beast before him.

"This ka beast is weak and may not interest the Pharaoh," he said as he activated the Rod. But he did as he was told by the elder priest and raised his Rod high with a command f his own. "Go into the stone you evil beast!" he shouted. The monster screamed and began to fade away as its energy began to become absorbed by the stone beside it.

"Well done," Akunadin complimented after the smoke and lights had cleared. Set looked back at Atem.

"The Pharaoh may feel a bit bored, perhaps we should punish this man by separating his body?" Set offered. Lady Phoenix raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Atem who was watching the scene before him through barely open eyes. She had never thought Priest Set to be a gruesome sort in the time she had known him. She now could sense that he was an unforgiving man by nature. The cruelest punishment possible to suit any crime. Akunadin stepped toward Priest Set and stopped him.

"The ka beast is no longer a part of him. Even an evil man can be reformed."

"The sleeping place of Great Pharaoh is that of a place of God. There shall be no mercy for one who dares to trespass in the Holy Place. His body should be separated and bones grinded to make an example out of him." Now Lady Phoenix's stomach turned at the thought. The criminal looked up at Priests Set and Akunadin, begging for forgiveness. Akunadin seemed to take pity on the man. He ordered him to be sent away to hard labor for seven years. The guards nodded and dragged the man out of the room. Set turned on Mahado.

"Are you not the one in control of the guardians protecting the tomb? There have been several attacks recently, how do you plan to deal with this?"

"I am sorry," Mahado said bowing his head to Set. "My Millennium Ring has been feeling strange to me as of late," he explained." We have been sealing so many ka beasts I cannot seem to check them all for their evil."

"There are six of us with the responsibility to protect the Pharaoh, both here and in the future, Mahado," Set countered. Atem had straightened in his seat when Set began his verbal attack on Mahado. He was concerned as Mahado had been helping him work harder on his knowledge of magic as he prepared for future Shadow Games, in hopes of being strong enough to be able to summon a god ka. He was about to step in when Mahado stepped forward and knelt before him.

"Please Pharaoh allow me permission to increase the guards protecting you," he pleaded. Atem sat back and calmed for a moment.

"Do as you see fit, Mahado," he replied. Set had turned and ordered some servants and guards to remove the stone tablet and place it in the Veji Shrine with all the other stone tablets that held different ka beasts. Atem watched but said nothing. His mind had gone off in several different directions. The tomb of his father having been a target, the man claimed there was nothing there when he was captured. That could only mean one thing. Bakura had to have returned.

Shimon had been watching Atem for several moments, taking his silence for worry over the tomb that had been raided. He made an attempt to cheer him up by telling him how he had already begun the preparations for Atem's tomb. Lady Phoenix and Atem looked up sharply at the old man with questioning eyes. Atem listened intently to the old man while Lady Phoenix caught the sense of another power in use near by. She looked around and caught Isis opening her eyes from her trance. She had begun to get the same feeling that Lady Phoenix had noticed earlier and caused her to send the children away.

"My necklace senses a dark presence coming near the palace," she whispered softly. "He has great power." Atem was still listening to Shimon carrying on about the traps he was having placed withinhis tomb to ensure his safety and peaceful eternalsleep. All Atem could think about was going to his bedchamber to go to sleep right then. He was not ready to think about his impending death. His attention turned however when Akunadin spoke.

"What is wrong Isis?" Isis had gone back into her trance as she channeled her energy to try to learn more about the evil that was coming their way. It was almost immediately after Akunadin's question that Mahado's Millennium Ring began to glow and jingle around his neck.

"My Ring can sense the Dark Energy!" he exclaimed. Just then, guards ran into the hall.

"Pharaoh! The Thief King! He has returned and broken through the defenses. He is on his way here now!" a guard cried out. He was sent flying forward as Bakura barged into the hall. He scattered the treasures from theformer Pharaoh's tomb over the fallen guard and yanked a rope beside him revealing the mummified corpse of the former Pharaoh. The Priests took their places before Atem in an attempt to protect him.

"Perhaps next time you will have better traps in the tombs, for I have the treasures and the corpse of the Pharaoh Akunumkanon!" Bakura bellowed with joy. His smiled an evil smile as he glared at the priests. Priest Shada stepped forward pointing his Key at Bakura.

"Coming unbidden before the throne is a crime of which you will not be forgiven!" he shouted. Bakura chuckled and waved his hand over the treasures at his feet.

"You think you can pass judgment over me? Ha! These treasures came from the former Pharaoh's tomb, but they are not what I wish. I have come for your Millennium items," he told them darkly. "Do you really think you stand a chance against a great thief like me?" The priests kept their guard up and Bakura laughed. His evil laughed ringing through the walls of the main hall. "Now I will ask you nicely, just one time... Will you give the Millennium Items to me? Or shall I have to use force?"


Ok here is my author's note:

There have been so many chapters to this fic that I have decided to break the story up into a small series. This is of course part one. Once the Pharaoh is taken inside the Puzzle ( we all know this is coming and I am not about to change it - sadly to my reader's I know- sorry), that will end this part and then I will begin on part 2 - that leads to the puzzle being solved, Marik beginning to notice his darker side ( yes he will be mentioned sooner than in the Battle City series on the show - don't ask, but it all ties in together in a sense), and carry on through just before Duelist Kingdom... I am not sure as of right now if Series 0 and Duelist Kingodom will be together in the next part or separate. Then of course Battle City, to Doma series... KC Grand Prix and finally the Memory Arc (don't worry I won't repeat everything from the memory arc- just go through what I cannot cover here in this part)- yes they will all have parts mentioned in this fic as it grows...I will see how it unfolds and let you all know. The way I see it right now there will be at least an Eternal Love part 2, a part 3, and quite possibly a part 4 before it is all over, so be looking out for it as the story unfolds...