Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! Or anything related to it what-so-ever. The only characters in this fic that are truly mine are:

Lady Aurora Phoenix, Lady Natara Fear (Cooper), Lady Sapphira Star (Raine), Dorian "Chaos" (Stanson), Bryant "Havoc" (Westbrook), Sanura, Zahara, Adais, Shadow, Panther, Lord Theron (all the characters beginning with Lady Aurora Phoenix are copyrighted to me- don't use them, don't claim them… they are mine and I don't share these guys with anyone…)

A/N: I understand many will not agree with a lot of what is written but that is why this is in the fantasy genre and not in just the general one. This is purely a concoction out of my own head and I am just going where the ideas lead me. I wanted to give Atem a family and have a way to keep an eye on him even while he was nothing but a spirit in the Millennium Puzzle... This way I could do just that. This is my first fan fic so forgive me if it is not to your liking.

note to previous readers of this fic: please see the edit note following this chapter as I try to explain what is going on and why I have begun to repair each chapter...

"A Stranger in Their Midst"

"Pharaoh! Come quick!" Pharaoh Atem stood from his throne and, along with his priests, followed the guard who had called him. Things had gotten tense between his people and a new rival in town. He readied himself for yet another duel to remain Pharaoh of Egypt. But he was not prepared for what he saw. A fiery ball of light was quickly falling from the sky and was headed for the palace grounds. The Pharaoh's eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, no! What is that?" he asked. His priests moved to protect him.

Help me… Please.

"What the…?" The voice was weak in his mind, and he could tell by the way everyone was acting around him that he was the only one who had heard the woman's voice calling for help. "Stand down, all of you," he commanded the priests.

"But sire…" one priest began to protest.

"I said 'stand down' Set!"

"Yes, Pharaoh, as you wish." The priests moved to allow Atem to come forward. Quickly, he raised his hand and the Millennium Puzzle around his neck began to glow. A golden light flowed from his hand and up toward the fiery ball.

So weak… I cannot stop this falling...

There it was again, that voice. Atem pushed his power harder to slow the fiery ball's descent. "I will help you," he promised, not sure if the owner of the voice could even hear him.

"It is getting closer, Pharaoh. We must retreat to the palace to avoid the impact," a priestess pleaded with him.

"No, Isis. I will not. But you may leave. All of you."

"Pharaoh, no!"

"Go, Isis, now!" The priests and priestess all fled leaving Atem as he continued to attempt to slow the ball's decent. His eyes widened in shock and fear as he realized, "I cannot stop it! It is still going to crash!" All he could do was brace himself for the impact. The explosion was great and the ground shook violently under Atem's feet sending him flying backward. Raising himself up on his arm he could hear his people shouting for help and horses. Holding a hand to his head, he remembered the voice and quickly pushed himself off the ground.

"No!" he exclaimed as he gazed at the crater before him. Racing forward, he reached the edge and looked down to see a white figure lying motionless on the ground. Fearing the worst, Atem leapt into the crater, sliding down the side till he landed onto firm ground. "Hold on!" he called out to the figure on the ground.

Back at the palace, a girl named Mana cried out as she saw the Pharaoh racing toward the edge of the crater. "No, Pharaoh! Do not go!"

"Come on," Set ordered as they went after him. When the smoke cleared, they could see Atem down by a motionless figure, holding it in his arms.

"What is it?" a voice asked.

"A girl," Mana breathed in disbelief.

"Is she all right, sire?" Another priest called out to the Pharaoh, but he did not hear him. His entire focus was on the woman in his arms. She was slender with a flawless face, dressed in a white dress with a long white cloak. Her long golden hair had brighter red tips that reminded him of the flame of a candle or torch. She wore white gloves on her hands and white boots on her feet. Or rather they had been white once. From a choker around her neck, a heart-shaped diamond pendant hung and glimmered in the sunlight. She wore a silver ring with a lapis lazuli heart-shaped stone on her right index finger. Three tiny diamonds sparkled on each side of the deep blue heart. Brushing a lock of her long hair away from her neck, he noticed a long and faint scar at the base of her neck. Aside from that scar, she was perfect to him. An angel who had fallen from the heavens; fallen to him. Maybe she was the answer he was seeking to help his people. Maybe…

No, he thought. She cannot be… She could not have survived that crash… yet here, faint... yes! She breathes. "Impossible!" He leaned his head to her chest and could hear her heart faintly beating beneath her skin. As he looked closer he could almost see the faint white glow surrounding her. "What is this magic?" he asked. He was so intensely focused on her, he failed to notice as Set reached where he was and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sire, a horse awaits you and the lady. A room is being prepared for her so her wounds may be attended to. That is if she is still alive," Set informed Atem. The Pharaoh nodded.

"Yes, barely, but she lives. We must move her as little as possible to ensure no more internal damage is done to her." Atem scooped her into his arms and followed Seto out of the crater the easiest way they could find. In his chariot, he cradled her close to him to ensure she was still breathing. Murmurs began among his priests and servants, but Atem heard none of it. Her weak voice echoed in his head, Help me, please… He was certain he was the only one who had heard it. He was more certain than ever that he had to do everything in his power to save her from her injuries. If she could survive that crash at all, there had to be something about her.

"Pharaoh, shall I take her from you and take her to her room?"

"No, Set. I have her." Set nodded with a weary look in his eye, but he turned to lead Atem to the room prepared for their guest. Isis and Mana looked at each other. Their Pharaoh had never been this way before. They wondered why he had taken such interest in this stranger from the sky. They wondered if his heart had anything to do with it as they watched him gingerly lay her on the bed. Servants instantly began to gently wash the dust and grime from her face. Atem found himself more and more taken with her as more of her face was revealed to him. A small nose and lips which looked as soft as rose petals. Two sets of earrings were in her ears. Diamond studs on top of silver chandelier type earrings that were unique to his land. He wondered who she was. Where she came from.

"My Pharaoh, I am afraid we must ask you to leave while we continue to clean her up and examine her for more damage," Isis informed Atem. Her voice startled him out of his thoughts long enough to realize she was right. Seeing his helpless look at the stranger's direction she felt a pain of sympathy for him. "I will come for you when we know more about her condition, sire." He touched her shoulder as she bowed her head.

"Thank you, Isis. I will be in the main hall. I do have some things to return to and see finished anyway." With this he turned, and left the room.

"I am sure she will be all right sire," another priest assured Atem as he caught up with him.

"Thank you, Mahaado. I pray that you are correct."

edit: I have gone through with the advice of some of my reviewers and decided to repair some damage done during the posting process... I am hoping all the errors are now fixed. Grammer errors I know are repaired now. However sometimes I have noticed chapters in which words suddenly lose the spaces between them. That I am not in control of, but I do continue to attempt to fix them. I apologize for any errors after this correction goes up...

-LadyPhoenix99