The Dream Shifter

Chapter 125

Out in the forest of the Chinen Estates, two figures stood out of sight of the mansion and the perimeter guard. "That's quite the show you're putting on, Tamotsu…" the man said.

Tamotsu looked up flatly staring at the man. "Those three are not the only ones to have discovered strange powers. I don't know why it's happened, but the stage has been set now. Both Clans are weak and ripe for invasion. War shall be coming soon."

"Yes, the end of the Clans will be soon."

"I'm concerned about the power that the Head of the Higoshi Clan displayed. It could still prove a problem to the plans. Be sure to investigate thoroughly any new powers that develop within the Higoshi Clan. We'll need to know everything before the next move can be made."

"Still being cautious… This is our trump card…"

"It's not a trump card if everyone has one though… I will not allow overconfidence and arrogance destroy the plan that we've labored so long for."

"Understood!" The man disappeared from the tree branch he rested on leaving Tamotsu alone once more.

Tamotsu looked back in the direction of the mansion. 'I must see more of her power, it could be problematic… She's still soft though…' He thought back to the previous night from the hidden position he held watching the entire scene play out with his marionette. 'She was unable to kill the men, still missing the fatal points on purpose… I'll have to ensure I control her development…'

It had been three days since the search for Yuki had begun. Little in the city had improved from the chaos that he had brought upon it, but people were starting to become a little more accustomed to their new reality. People were no longer denying or hoping that they would just wake up from an illusion. It was not a dream and they were finally accepting that fact. There were still many that refused to do something, but as it was with most people the idea of doing nothing became too much to handle and so they ventured out into the unknown.

Police, fire and other emergency facilities were running once again at full staffing. Most were not even in their respective buildings due to the high volume of calls being made. The wild animal threat had been discovered leaving injures and fear to spread through a few of the neighborhoods. They were ill equipped to deal with the matter, but it seemed in the desperate times that some were learning the dark secret to what happened. People were developing unnatural powers that seemed to be as impossible and fantastical as what had happened to the country. It spread a new panic through the city as there was no discrimination of who received powers. The wicked misused the new gifts while the innocent were left confused or in some cased tried to play local heroes in protecting against the unknowns. Change was coming quick.

The government did not even know how to respond to such problems. There was no one spared from the new gifts leaving even politicians to deal with the strange and weird. Those that had powers were viewed as possible threats. The entire system was being threatened to collapse as resignations were being thrown around, but with each new day and the reports of more and more outbreaks. The new reality was becoming clear.

For Ayumi, it presented an even greater concern for her than the assassins that threatened Yuki's life. Those that were coming into new gifts fell outside of Ayumi and Yuki's powers. The illusion powers that they possessed only created a reality within a space, but it was not the same for everyone else. They were the reality and could possibly be far more difficult to defend against. When it came down to it even with her abilities, she was still a normal human relying on her mental reflexes and physical training to survive. She could never surpass what was considered within human limitations, however everyone else was no longer confined by such limitations. She feared what that would mean for her.

Her search for Yuki had remained fairly uneventful. She had run into the occasional wild beast that tried to attack, but was able to defend herself without coming to harm. Ayumi hoped it would remain that way until she found Yuki.

Ayumi tilted her head up towards the sun overhead. It was a bit after noon and there was a sense of urgency in her step today. While she had been searching with urgency for three days, it was different today. 'I've got to find Yuki soon… I'm going to be late…' She had made a promise to Saki that she would find him today. It was not something that she was going to fail in keeping this time.

The brief moment of her wandering thoughts snapped as she realized her drifting. A whole block was awaiting her search. Yuki's entire neighborhood had been covered several times each day, thinking that he might wander back in by habit. Afterward, the search expanded into different directions each day. Today was a distant park on the outskirts of the downtown district of the city. Ayumi had already covered the park and much of the surrounding neighborhood. She had one last block neighboring the park before her search expanded further. 'I can't believe we haven't found him yet… I know it's a big city, but even still… Doesn't he know how much he's making the others…worry…'

A thorough yet feverish pass on the street block brought her back staring at the park. The park, or what used to be one, was looking more like the wild plains of the country. Wild grass grew nearly as tall as Ayumi only to be out stretched by massive trees with seemingly impossible spans that should break under such length. In a few places green and brown were painted out by wild flowers normally seen in the mountains, also with some only possible in stories.

Ayumi began to turn back, planning to continue her search, when she noticed an elderly man sitting on a park bench at the edge of the wilds. He seemed to be unaffected or uninterested in what was surrounding him as though he had become used to its presence. If he had been any deeper in she never would have seen him. 'Wasn't he there in the morning when I first arrived?' thought Ayumi trying to recall back into her mind as he seemed familiar to her. It took her a moment, but she nodded by herself in agreement that she had remembered seeing him before. 'Why hasn't he moved since?'

Curiosity and a bit of suspiciousness drew her in making her walk towards the old man. Her eyes turned to the ground for a moment while she approached before watching the resting man. Even as she came closer there was no reaction from him. '…hmm…' Ayumi stopped and sat down next to the old man taking up the other spot on the park bench. She looked forward towards one of the houses waiting out a moment. "I've been looking all over town for you…Yuki…"

The old man did not react to Ayumi's statement. He simply continued to hold the distant nearly departed expression that he had before. It was as though nothing around him was of significance to him. While the man seemed gone her words had made it into his ears. "You seem to be mistaking me for someone else, child."

A smile pulled up on Ayumi's lips as she let out a momentary fit of laughter. "It seems you've truly managed to control that power of yours. It's no wonder no one can find you, Yuki!" She tilted her head over her shoulder towards the old man. Her eyes held a deep piercing stare focused solely on the wrinkled tanned skin of the man seated next to her.

"I'm afraid you've got the wrong person," replied the elderly man slowly.

"You can drop the act already, Yuki. I know it's you." She continued to stare at him intently even though he remained looking out in the distance. The delay prompted her to lift up her hand towards him. "Either you drop it or I'll make you drop it!"

He finally looked back at Ayumi, his head sweating a little knowing that she would not hold back. "Alright! Alright! I already have enough brain damage from you and Saki! I don't need anymore!" A flash of light burst from the top of his head expanding downward as a flat line that made a transition between the old man visage and Yuki's real body. Once it was completed Yuki turned off his power. Yuki ran his hand through his hair checking to make sure everything was normal (had been holding the image for three days straight). He turned a little to face Ayumi. "So how'd you figure it out? I thought I had a perfect disguise."

Ayumi pointed her index finger to the ground for her respond. "You still can't control your field. So I could tell you were nearby with how much my own field was affected. Anyone other than me would have never been able to find you."

Yuki let out an embarrassed laugh. "I guess I still have a long way to go still, huh?" When Ayumi leaned in suddenly glaring at him Yuki winced and then shut his eyes preparing for the verbal assault that Ayumi was about to whip him with along with any physical a***e that she felt like adding. However, when nothing happened to him and it was uneasily silent Yuki cautiously opened his eyes.

She was sitting back normally looking at him as though there was something wrong with him. "What's with the look?"

Hearing her act as though she did not know nearly made Yuki fall over. Yuki straightened himself out quickly and stared back at her in disbelief for a moment. "Well I've been gone for three days without any word causing you and probably Saki to go looking for me because Momoko asked you and or she was really worried. And because of that you're going to yell at me and other stuff for acting so childish to make you all worry."

Ayumi was a little stunned by the accuracy of his guessing, but tried not to let it show. "Well if you understand all that then I don't need to do anything then, right?" She turned away from him while was finishing her sentence acting casually with her eyes wandering about. The surprised expression from Yuki caught from the corner of her eye turned her eyes back to him. "Unless you want to me to hurt you?"

"No!" he said quickly waving his hand as well.

There was still a little something that she could see bothering him. It was confusion buried under the relief. "So what's the problem then?"

Yuki looked away from Ayumi for a moment suddenly being put on the spot by her. The thing he was thinking he was feeling a little afraid to say considering he knew how she might react. Unfortunately, Ayumi was leaning in at him once more glaring at the back of his head intensely enough that he picked up on her. When he looked back towards her he jumped a little taken off guard by how close she was too him. "W-Well…"

"Yes?" Seeing that her being so close to him was not helping him speak up anymore Ayumi backed off and sat back down.

He began to poke his index fingers together fidgeting as he seemed reluctant still to speak. After waiting another minute a fierce glare from Ayumi snapped him out and jump started his words. "W-Well! Uh…well it's not really like to be so forgiving to me! I'm sorry!" Yuki quickly turned into a formal bow hoping to calm some of her wraith for what he was implying.

There was a very long minute that passed for Yuki as Ayumi stared at him while he was waiting to be receiving punishment from her. She waited until he finally dared to lift his head (a small hint of enjoyment at seeing him scared). When he finally looked into her eyes to see he could see that she was not going to do anything to him and she actually looked a little hurt by assumption. "I'm not a violent girl like Saki!" she insisted looking almost like she was pouting a little. She turned away from him for a moment feeling insulted, but caught the disbelieving gaze from Yuki. "Alright! Maybe a little...some…fine! I do, but it's only because I'm trying to toughen you up!" Ayumi leaned over to him looking a little threatening as she insisted that Yuki accept her reason.

Yuki back off from the subject quickly agreeing with her. "Sorry! You're right!"

Ayumi pulled herself away as though she was embarrassed by something that just came to her. She looked out forward so that she did not have to show her face to Yuki. He did not seem to pick up on her self-consciousness. Yuki's silence did not help her though as she felt like he was starting to drift back into the internal world she had found him in. "I-I…I wanted to say…it's okay…" She tightened her hands pressing them into her lap reflecting her internal struggle of whipping herself for being unable to say what she wanted.

The awkwardness coming from Ayumi's words tugged Yuki to look at her. He had become confused to why she was suddenly having trouble speaking when it never seemed to be a problem. He knew her to be sure about everything she had to say without hesitation. 'Why's Ayumi acting so weird? It's not like her?' Yuki dragged in brief memories before of Ayumi when she seemed a little out of character as though he might be seeing a different side of her or possibly the real side under all of the training and order. "…Ayumi? What do you mean?"