The Dream Shifter

Chapter 126

Being pressured by Yuki did not help her any in speaking and only made her more flustered. She became frustrated with herself for having come to such a position. Eventually, it was Yuki leaning in closer to her that snapped her back to face him and nearly startled her in the process. "Well you see…I mean…" Ayumi could feel her heart starting to pound and her hands warming with sweat. She turned back away from Yuki. "Nevermind! It's nothing!"

Yuki's head fell down thinking that he was going to get an answer and came up with only more confusion after being strung about. He could see that it was troubling her deeply and it made him even more curious to know what was wrong with her. 'What's she having so much trouble saying to me?' Slow seconds were leaving him with no progress forcing him to act a little more aggressive. Yuki stretched out his hand placing it on her shoulder to ease her nerves. "What is it that you wanted to say?"

She felt a little at ease from Yuki's touch, but her body was still tightening. It seemed as though it was enough to ease her words. "I wanted to say…that it's okay…" Ayumi realized that she was just repeating her rather than making progress. There was a moment of frustration with her before Yuki calmed her again. "I mean it's okay…the way you must be feeling… I wanted to say that I'm not mad at you for running away. Uh…I was mad at first, but not anymore!" She could see that she was not making a lot of sense trying to sort through all of her thoughts and planned lines that she had prepared. Unfortunately, now that she needed them they were all falling apart. "While I was looking for you it gave me a lot of time to think and I realized something. I realized that I couldn't think how I might react in your situation. I could try to say, but I think I realized how scared it must have made you. So I may not understand how it feels, but it's okay. But no one's going to blame you for what happened and they'll understand how heavy a weight it must be for you. So you don't have to hide away from us. Alright?"

There was a moment while watching an embarrassed and shy looking Ayumi that he wanted to laugh loudly, but restrained himself. 'Is Ayumi trying to make me feel better? Is she feeling ill?' Yuki was caught a little off guard by her words. All of it slowly began to sink to the reasons why she was having such trouble speaking to him. It had been so out of character for her that it was probably difficult for her try to comfort someone. Her typical reaction to a problem was to berate; this was so unnatural. However, him hearing it coming from Ayumi, as odd sounding as it was, gave him a little piece of mind. "Thank you…Ayumi…"

Ayumi nodded to him still a little off balance from spilling her thoughts to him. It took her a moment, but a warm smile managed to rise on her face that was neither from the Ayumi façade nor from the cold Ayumi.

"I just didn't know what to do when I saw that news report," began Yuki. Her words made him feel as though he could trust her with his thoughts and feelings. He could not explain it, but it was the first time that being near her made him feel at ease and safe. "I couldn't believe it at first. I didn't think that it was possible for a single person to cause so much damage, for me to be able to do that." Yuki began to recall slowly the past days making the emotions rush back. He jumped up from the bench and stared off into the distance with his voice becoming a little empty. "None of it seemed real. I mean ever since you told me I had this power none of it ever seemed real. I just expected that I'd wake up sometime in class with the teacher yelling at me for sleeping. And that would be it. You know…"

A moment of pause came to him as his memories passed through the last couple of weeks. "Being attacked repeatedly and coming close to death. You think it would have set in, but it still didn't seem to be real to me. I mean I live so much in a fantasy world already." He turned around to look back at Ayumi. "I may dream of a fantasy world away from my own life, but even still…even still I knew it was false. I understand that fact and could accept it. But this power…this power how could it be real, you know? I could never make it work for me and because I…"

Ayumi saw the slow change that was coming over him as he was remembering something painful. She had a pretty good idea what it was. Acting without thinking Ayumi stood up and approached him. There were only centimeters between them as she was nearly inside his eyes feeling the overwhelming sadness that was welling up within them. "It's okay…Yuki…" She reached out her arms cautiously at first, but seeing that he was accepting her, wrapping them around him letting her warmth comfort him.

Yuki had initially been a little caught off guard by Ayumi hugging him, but he quickly leaned his head against her shoulder holding her tightly. "He's dead…he's dead…I…" Tears had fallen before for Kazuhiro, but they had been in anger and rage. These deep sorrowful cold of the tears were different. He wanted to stay feeling Ayumi's embrace that seemed to be the only thing that melted away the pain. It was only something that two that had experienced loss so strongly could understand and share the weight.

There was a slowing of time for Yuki and Ayumi as they held each other. Raw emotions poured between them provide a measure of solace. It was Ayumi that broke first lifting her head a little allowing Yuki to step away.

He had not realized entirely what had happened until Ayumi's movement snapped him out of the trance. Several dozen thoughts flew through his mind in the instant that he was staring at Ayumi still holding to her loosely. Yuki quickly turned deep red through his face with embarrassment along with a little blue for the fear that was creeping in. He was scared that Ayumi was suddenly going to hit him for touching her in such an intimate manner. If it was going to happen Yuki made his attempt to get out of range by jump away from her. "I'm sorry, Ayumi!

Ayumi's eyes narrowed for a moment more annoyed by Yuki's reaction assuming that she was going to hurt him over it. "I'm not going to hurt you, Yuki! But I will if you keep acting like that around me!" She leaned over towards him with a serious glare in her eye that made certain he understood her feelings on the matter.

Nodding quickly, Yuki tried to agree with her, but still felt awkward by it all. The time that he had known Ayumi might not have been long enough to see everything that was to know about her, but even still she had made it very clear to him how serious and calculated she acted. For him to see this side made him start to question what he thought he knew about her and where the real Ayumi was underneath all of the masks.

Yuki worked on improving his emotions so that he would stop offending Ayumi. "I'm sorry. It's just…I'm not used to seeing you like this."

She understood the problem, but it did not change the fact that it still bothered her. Her hands rested at her hips while she pressed forwards closing the distance between them. "Just because I'm a soldier doesn't mean I don't have emotions or empathy too!"

The situation for Yuki was becoming more stressful the longer he continued to make mistakes when he spoke. Sadly for Yuki, that was not going to be changing soon. "You're right! You are a girl!"

An alerted ping went off from Ayumi as she picked up the last thing that Yuki said. It quickly turned her face dark leaving only glowing white eyes to pierce at Yuki. "So…because I'm a girl…I'm supposed to be weak? Is that what you're saying?!" Ayumi was starting to fume which soon turned to burning flames as she pressed in towards Yuki making him look small.

The terror he felt from Ayumi's presence was unlike anything he had experience before. She did not even need to hit him to make it feel as though he had been left a bruised lump of black and blue. Yuki was left a sobbing liquid mass in the dirt as she walked away. '…I liked other Ayumi better…'

After Yuki had recovered from the visually induced beating he joined Ayumi, who was looking a little more serious than before, walking away from the park. When they came to the former intersection of the neighborhood Ayumi took a different direction away from where Yuki lived. He rushed over in front of her when he realized what had happened. "Hey Ayumi, our houses are back that way!" he said pointing over her shoulder to the proper direction.

"I know, but we aren't going home just yet." She began to walk around Yuki resuming her pace until he caught back up to her once more standing in her way. "We'll be late if you keep this up."

"Late? Late to what?"

"There is somewhere we both need to be soon."

"Which is?" Yuki pressed still confused by Ayumi's vagueness. It seemed to be clearly intentional on her part, which left an unsettled feeling in his stomach.

Ayumi stepped around him continuing in spite of his interruptions. "You'll learn when we get there. Now hurry up!" The deeper rough tone came out in her voice echoing it as an order that Yuki could not ignore.

The mysterious walk through the abandoned neighborhood streets of the city left Yuki plenty of time to think about what it was that they were going to be doing. None of it proved to be helpful for him, but since Ayumi had remind quiet the entire time there was little left for him to do. He was not certain if her silence was from what he had said as lingering anger or something else related to where they were heading. However, the confusion that Yuki felt suddenly became intensified the moment he saw where they had stopped. It mixed with uneasiness and a slow unwanted feeling of clarity.

Yuki looked over at Ayumi narrowing his eyes at her in a question. "Why are we are at a cemetery?"

"You're smart enough. I think you can figure it out." Ayumi took a couple of steps forward entering the threshold of the cemetery. She paused and waited knowing that Yuki was not following her.

It had been a while since the last time he had visited a cemetery. The images of the past from when his mother and father had died echoed through his thoughts. He could not keep the past away from him as much as he wanted to forget at that moment. This was a different cemetery, but it did not make a difference to him. The memories were linked. Yuki wanted to back away and run, yet the reason for what it meant today appeared. It froze him immediately from being able to retreat or even advance. "I'm sorry, Ayumi, but I'm not ready to see him."

"No one is ever ready." Ayumi kept her back to Yuki looking forward through the rows of headstones. "It doesn't matter how much anyone prepares themselves for it…you're never ready…never…" The fading echo in her voice was piercing as though it came from inside holding a deeper understanding of the word's meaning.