Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Stranger of the Duel ❯ Calliope Emerges ( Chapter 17 )

Disclaimer: GUESS WHAT… I don't own Yugioh.

Calliope Emerges

"Big brother?"

Mokuba had ascended to Seto's room. He was worried about his brother. He hadn't been acting like this recently. Nowadays, he'd come home from work or school looking… happy.

"What do you want, Mokuba?" At least he was talking. He could never be mad at Mokuba.

Mokuba creaked the door open and slowly entered the room. Seto was laying face up, arms spread open, on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Seto, what's wrong?"

A single tear slipped from the corner of Seto's eye.

***

Cali raised an eyebrow quizzically in that way that she always does, knowing that Calliope couldn't see her anyway.

You've been meaning to tell me what, exactly?

Well, you see… I haven't been completely… well…uh…honest… with everyone…

Everyone? Who, besides me?

All the ancients… the pharaoh, high priest…even Talon and Oten…

And Bakura.

No, Bakura knows.

Knows what? You haven't told me yet.

I wasn't a priestess of Neith.

***

Oten and the others were nearing Bakura's house.

"Quiet!" Oten whispered roughly. The others were growing too excited and loud for this sort of thing. Who knows who might hear them?

***

"Seto…" Mokuba whispered. Seto sat up on his bed.

"Come here, Mokuba." The younger Kaiba obeyed, letting himself be pulled into his older brother's tight hug.

"What is it, Seto?"

"She… she…"

"Who? Cali?" Mokuba asked. Seto nodded.

"…didn't care at all. She…Bakura…"

This was enough for Mokuba to understand.

"I'm sorry Seto; I didn't think she'd-"

"I know you didn't. You were just looking out for me."

"I'll never try to set you up with someone again!"

"Good call, Mokuba," Seto said, trying to laugh away the pain he felt.

Mokuba pulled under his shirt to find the card-shaped locket both brothers owned. He opened it, holding the picture up. Seto did the same. Each boy's younger face smiled away, playing chess as if nothing else would ever go wrong. Seto held his open palm up and Mokuba touched his smaller hand to it. The Kaibas were together and together they could get through anything.

***

Okay, so were you some evil demonic god's priestess?

Not quite. I wasn't a priestess at all.

Wha…Why did you tell everyone that you were?

Heh…I…never actually told anyone that. They just …assumed.

Explain yourself.

It'll be easier this way. Dianemo.

Dianemo. Divide?!

***

Bakura had finished packing his things up and peeked in the door, just in time to see bright lights surrounding Cali almost to the point that he was blinded. Cali wasn't even visible anymore through the light.

Then it seemed to grow wider, splitting in two. Bakura could see the darkness in the middle, getting bigger as the light tore. This has got to mean trouble.

***

Cali was enveloped in yellow and white lights. At first she couldn't see anything but the light, but her eyes adjusted and slowly she could see it move over and begin to form a body out of itself. Initially she thought the body was naked, but she wasn't looking anywhere but the face, trying to decipher whom it was, if anyone she knew. She found herself looking into her own eyes. These were a little bit different though, a little more defined. They were grey, still, but had specks of silver scattered throughout. The lashes were thicker and longer; there were more of them too. The face had the same nose, but an extremely different mouth. The lips were curved into a permanent smirk, and possessed a tan coloration obtained only by a hot Egyptian sun. Her hair was black and straight, and wavy, and curly. It was hard to describe. Certain strands were curly, and some were straight. Cali didn't strain her eyes to look too closely, but she was almost sure that a there were a few braids mixed in, too. Calliope. Cali noticed, finally, that the figure was not naked, but clothed in a tan dress, long and flowing, quietly accentuating the curves of the ancient young woman.

"Hello, Calia." She spoke, and the words flowed out, sounding just like they did in Cali's mind, except they weren't. Calliope's lips barely moved; Cali didn't even see Calliope's teeth.

"Calliope, you're …here," Cali said awkwardly. She had been about to say `beautiful' but changed her mind at the last second. Cali was just Calliope in a later life; she thought it'd be a bit arrogant to call herself beautiful.

Calliope merely laughed.

"Why didn't you do this before?"

"I didn't think you needed it. I thought it'd be easier to explain things to you this way." Cali nodded. "First, though…" Calliope shifted her glance to the door. "Bakura."

He hesitated, and then stepped in.

"Are you sure you want me here?" He asked, looking reluctant.

"Oh, yes, you won't get yourself off that easily." Calliope smiled, though.

"Calliope…Bakura…what's going on?"

Calliope was about to speak when she and Cali heard a twig snap outside. Bakura didn't have the extra perception and didn't know why they both whipped their heads around to the window.

They saw them. Oten and the "others" had arrived.