Chapter Seventeen: Reunited

A/N: OMG! I updated pretty quick! I guess I just felt really bad about making you guys wait SO long for the last chapter that I thought I'd give ya all something more to read. Just for being patient with me. Anyway, here's your update and I hope you like it!

Flashback

Eventually, Kisara and Silver arrived at Kalika's fortress. That was the easy part. The hard part would be actually getting in the castle. That would be a chore in itself.

"How do you suppose we get in? The entire castle is surrounded on all sides. There's no way we'll be able to sneak in without getting caught." Kisara spoke doubtfully. "They'll be expecting a surprise attack from what we did last time..." The priestess than lowered her head in defeat.

"That's exactly what I plan on doing," Silver said in response.

"What? But they..." Before Kisara could finish her statement, Silver charged straight for the wall directly in front of them, crashing into it head in. Hundreds of bricks crumbled to the ground as Kisara ducked down and covered her head with one hand while the other remained clamped onto the dragon's body. When they landed inside the fortress, Kisara heaved a heavy sigh of relief as she jumped down and landed gracefully on her feet. "Woah...that was too close for comfort. Warn me the next time you're about to do something as dangerous as crashing into a brick wall." A small giggle managed to escape the young girl's lips as Silver just smiled in return.

Breaking the quiet and peaceful aura, a wicked laugh echoed throughout all of the corridors in the castle. "Ha ha ha! So you've decided to return I see. Did you bring the Pharaoh's Sennen Puzzle with you as well?" Kisara immediately recognized who that voice belonged to and it wasn't someone who fought for good.

"Yes Kalika. I have returned and I've brought what you asked for...the Pharaoh's Sennen Puzzle. Now release Teana just as you promised!" Kisara shouted, trying to keep her tone and herself relatively calm.

Suddenly a womanly figure stepped out from the darkness of the shadows and kept her eyes locked on her primary target: the Sennen Puzzle, grasped tightly by the young, innocent-looking priestess, Kisara. "All in good time my dear, all in good time. But for now, hand the puzzle over to me," Kalika more or less demanded. The way she spoke, it almost sounded like a threat, not a demand.

Kisara held the puzzle closer to her chest, tightening her grip on the golden object. "No! Not until you release Teana and assure her safety!"

"Very well..." Kalika snapped her fingers and Teana appeared unconscious on the floor, laying before both Kisara and Silver. The dragon gently nudged the princess with his snout, trying to wake her yet did not prevail.

Kisara, on the other hand, was almost outraged by the sight before her. "What have you done to her Kalika! Tell me! What did you do!" This anger, this rage; all of it came from the one person you'd least expect...the kind, gentle and passive priestess who would never even think of raising her voice at anyone.

"I didn't do anything...the girl was just too weak," Kalika replied with a satisfied smirk.

"Like hell you didn't do anything to her! I know Teana and she's not weak! She's one of the strongest people I know. She would never let her guard down, especially to someone who isn't even real!" It's true...Kalika is not real. She even said so herself. When she was banished to the Shadow Realm by Kisara the first time, Bakura the Thief and Graverobber freed her, as long as she promised to find and steal the Pharaoh's Sennen Puzzle, doing away with the Pharaoh as well. In other words, she wasn't really human...only a wandering spirit in search of a body to inherit.

"Maybe your right..." There was a brief moment of silence before Kalika continued. "...and maybe your wrong..." she concluded.

"I know I'm right!" Kisara insisted, refusing to back down.

"Well if you don't believe me then I guess poor, little Teana will have to suffer..."

"You wouldn't..." Kisara knew that Kalika was one to make threats. However, she also knew that she could back them up and that's a risk Kisara wasn't willing to take.

"I would. Unless of course you hand over the Pharaoh's Sennen Puzzle to me. If you do that, I promise that I will set Teana free."

Kisara didn't like Kalika's tone of voice when she said that. It made it sound as though she wasn't going to free Teana no matter what the outcome was. "I don't trust you...but for some reason, I'm going to now. I don't want to see Teana endangered...so here..." Kisara slowly began to approach Kalika, the Sennen Puzzle held out in front of her.

"You made the right choice, Kisara. I guess you're not so bad after all..." Without warning, something or someone came crashing through the brick wall. The force was so powerful that it knocked out the entire wall completely. "What is going on!" Kalika shouted, expecting an answer in return, although she didn't receive one.

Once the smoke cleared, a bright red dragon with similar features to that of the legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon could be seen with a female figure standing beside it. Her attire consisted of a long-sleeved, beige, peasant-like dress accomodated with a simple pair of shoes of the same colour. The outfit matched perfectly with her long, golden brown hair and stunning chocolate brown orbs. "So, did I miss all the fun?" The girl glanced over at Kalika, Silver and Kisara, whom she stopped at to examine further. "Huh? Could it be?"

Kisara was confused. First some stranger that no one recognizes comes crashing into the castle and now she can't stop staring at her. "Um...can I help you?" the young priestess finally piped up.

"Of course you can...sister..." With those words spoken, Kisara eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"Wh - what did you call me?" Kisara stuttered.

"Don't you recognize your own family?"

"What are you talking about? I don't have any living relatives. Both my mother and father passed away and to my knowledge, I never had any brothers or sisters," Kisara explained in simple terms.

"Well you're wrong about that because I am your sister. Call me Subaru." The girl, now known as Subaru, extended her hand outward as a sign of friendship.

Kisara accepted the endeavour and shook her "sister's" hand. This all seems so new to me. I mean, neither my mother nor father ever told me that I had any siblings. As far as I know, I was an only child. But Subaru calls me her sister. I don't understand. Could it be that my parents lied to me at a young age about having a sister? "Hi..." A light brush swept across Kisara's face when she looked into Subaru's eyes.

"Lady Subaru," the red dragon spoke, nudging its master's shoulder.

"Yes? What is it, Eldor?" Subaru asked, turning to face the massive beast.

"I do not believe that Priestess Kisara knows of the relationship between the two of you," Eldor informed.

"I know..." Subaru swung her body around to face her sister. "Listen Kisara. I know mother and father never told you this, but I am your sister; twin sister in fact. I would of told you sooner but I had yet to find you until now. That and I never got to see you when I was younger. Father took me away from home where mother was left to raise you on her own. I never knew anything of you until he told me that a year after we left. Then, when I turned ten, he had mysteriously disappeared in the night and I never saw him again. That was when I devoted my life to finding my parents and discovering the true identity of my twin sister..." Subaru took a deep breath, waltzing over towards her sister. She threw her arms around her in a warm and comforting hug. "...and now I have..." A few tears of joy rolled down the side of her cheek.

Kisara smiled. "I'm glad I found you too..." She paused for a moment. "...but I just wish that mother and father would of told me this sooner. But they didn't. Why? It just doesn't make any sense. Throughout all the years of my childhood, I came to the conclusion that I was an only child. I wished and hoped for a sister or brother my own age to play with but that wish never came true. At least, that's what I thought. If they had only told me..." Her eyes began to fill with tears, not of joy but of deep and inner sadness.

Noticing this, Subaru massaged her back in calm and soothing manner. "It's all right sis. I'm here now so there's nothing you should be worried about."

"I know it's just...I can't help thinking about it..."

"Neither can I, so you're not alone," Subaru assured, withdrawing from the hug and holding her sister within arm's reach. "Just don't forget that I'll always be with you, if not in body than in spirit."

Kisara's smile widened. "Thanks...sis..."

"Hey what is family for?" Subaru grinned.

"Ahem..."

Both Kisara and Subaru looked over towards Kalika who was tapping her foot in impatience. "What do you want?" both asked in annoyance.

"I'm still waiting for Kisara to hand over the Pharaoh's puzzle. She was just about to before you interrupted..." Kalika shot a deadly glare in Subaru's direction.

"And just what are you going to do about it?" Subaru taunted, folding her arms across her chest.

Kalika thought in silence for a moment before replying. "Plenty..."

Kisara didn't like where this was going. This was one of those times where Kalika made a threat and didn't hesitate to back it up. "Subaru...be careful..."

"Heh, don't you worry my dear sister. I can handle her. I've faced way tougher opponents than this!" Subaru boasted. It was true though. When she left home with her father, they would train day and night, occasionally fighting off some unwanted strangers. From this intense training, Subaru grew up to be a skilled fighter, always learning new tricks and combos to fool her enemies. This time would be no exception.

"Okay..." Kisara hesitated. She believed in her sister's abilities, that was a given, but she was also worried as well. She knew Kalika possessed certain powers that were unknown to many. She didn't want to see her sister get hurt. Plenty of her family and friends had suffered enough already and she couldn't bare it if someone else's life was put before the face of danger.

END OF CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

A/N: Ha ha! Cliffy! Aren't I just so evil? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that chapter and from now on, I will try my best to update as quick as possible. Don't count on it though. I may get strung up with school work. You know how that is. Anyway, please review! Luv ya! Ja ne!