The Dream Shifter

Chapter 278

Narrowing her eyes, Saki knew what to expect from them. 'Dodging doesn't work…' She tightened up her fists and planted her feet firmly preparing for the attack.

A little intrigued by Saki's acceptance, he raised his eyebrow looking forward to what she had planned. Flicking his finger, the water launched at Saki.

Saki watched the water as it slowly moved towards her. Her reflexes made it too easy to track. It felt like minutes passed before it came near her. All she had to do was wait. 'Now!' She threw out her fist taking the incoming water head on. Water washed over her fist exploding into droplets. The next already arrived with her other fist ready. 'I just have to meet them head on!'

It was over in an instant. So fast Kallias could not seen anything more than a streak. A failure did not faze him. His hand ran over the rings drawing up nearly a hundred orbs. "Let's test your fists a little more!"

Hardening her resolve, Saki took a few steps forward. She refused to back down to him. "I'll take whatever you got!" Saki stretched out her closed hand to point at Kallias. 'You aren't enough either.'

"What?! Are you sure dear?" Saki's mother said shocked by Saki's out of the blue announcement.

Saki, age ten, stared up at her mother determined and not willing to back down from what she had decided. "Yes! I want to learn martial arts!"

Her mother did not understand what got into her daughter so suddenly. She bent down coming to eye level with Saki. Resting a hand on her head, she tried to comfort her fearing the worst. "But why? This is so sudden, dear. Is there something wrong at school?"

Images of Yuki flashed through her mind. He beat up the kids simply because she begged for him to help her. Yuki always helped her. He always protected her. She did not want to see him doing it because of her. Saki tightened up her tiny hands. "Because I want to learn it!"

A grimace turned across her mother's lips. "I understand that, but you must have a reason. You can tell me, Saki."

"I just want to! I don't need a reason!" Saki threw off her mother's hand and stormed out of the room to retreat to her bedroom. She dropped on her bed. 'I can't tell her it's because I don't want Yuki to protect me anymore! She'll try to do something and we'll have to move again!'

Saki awoke to raised voice. She rubbed her eyes and slowly made her way to the door of her room. The sleepiness blocked out part of conversation, but she knew it was her parents.

"…just a… …reckless…"

"…not a bad…"

"Saki…"

It was the sound of her name that snapped her attention back. Her eyes focused quickly along with her hearing. She poked her head out her door to look down the hall. In the distance, she saw her parents talking. 'What are they talking about?'

"This could be a good thing for her."

"I can't believe you're on her side about this! She's just a child and girl! They'll hurt her!"

"Everyone will get a little hurt, but it is safe. Besides, it'll be a good chance to interact with other kids her age. The only friend she has is Yuki. He's a good kid, but she shouldn't be alone at her age."

She paused in her argument having trouble with his response. "Saki didn't even give me reason! I know she's being bullied again and she's just hiding it from me! If those—"

"Calm down, honey," he begged, already knowing the rest of the conversation too well. He put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her. "Saki's our daughter, I won't let anything bad happen to her. If she is being bullied, learning a little self-defense will be good for her."

"But she's my girl! She's just a girl! She shouldn't be doing such things! Yuki probably put it in her head!"

"I doubt that, dear." He held his next words reconsidering the situation. Trying to comfort her, he continued, "Let's talk to Saki tomorrow. We'll know if she sure about it or if it is just a phase based on how resolved she is to it after sleeping on it."

"She'll be my little girl again…"

"Yes, dear…"

Saki pulled back into her room when the conversation ended. She slid the door back closed and dropped down to the floor. Her back pressed against the wood. Every part of her body shook uncontrollably. A swirling mass confused her head. She did not know what to do anymore. '…mom…'

Images flashed through her mind of her parents. Her thoughts fell on them. She wanted to stay as things were with them. However, thoughts of Yuki blurred over them. More images of him overlapped and covered them out. All she could see was him fighting. He was always fighting for her. He would keep fighting, forever. '…Yuki…'

She lifted her face up. Her eyes sharpened with her old determination. 'I don't want it to be forever!' Saki stood up to walk over to her desk. She opened the drawer to retrieve a pair of scissors. 'I'll show you how serious I am!'

Saki caught herself in the mirror seated atop her desk. She ran her hand down her hair. Thoughts traveled back for Saki. She saw an image of her mother behind her. A brush appeared in her hand as she slowly went through her hair. She took careful measures always insuring never to hurt her and keep a watchful eye for knots.

Smiling to Saki, she started chatting with her. "How was school today?"

A young child version of Saki appeared in front of Saki beaming with a happy glow. "It was lots of fun! We learned about the different places in Japan!" She turned out interrupting her mother's work. "Did you know that Tokyo wasn't always the capital?!"

"Careful, honey," laughed her mother, turning her back around her chair. "If you move around too much it'll hurt."

Saki bounced around in her chair unable to contain her energy. "Did you know, mother?"

"I think I've heard it mentioned before," she replied, humoring her daughter a little.

"Really?" Saki turned around again stopping her mother. "Have you seen it?"

She smiled at Saki, nudging her back around. "Once."

"I heard it's full of really, really, really, really old stuff! And important…stuff?"

Laughing a little, she kept brushing. "That's right. It's a very beautiful city."

"Can I see it?"

"If you're good."

"I'll be good!"

Saki pulled her hair around in front of her. It fell down over her shoulders nearly reaching her waist. She grew her hair out for as long as she could remember. It was something that both her and her mother spent time tending. They always spent an hour brushing it and cleaning while talking. Saki cherished those moments with her mother. It felt like one of the few times nothing bad could happen to her. She was safe from everything. She never wanted to give it up.

She lifted her hand up hold the scissors. Her hand shook from the memories coming back to her. Saki placed her other hand on top to stop the shaking. The decision she made felt like it was empty to fall apart after only seconds. Hesitation filled up her in mind. 'I've got to do this! For Yuki…'

An image floated around the mirror of her mother. Saki fought with her hand to keep it from shaking. She closed her eyes trying to keep it from weakening her resolve. 'I promised myself! I have to…'

Drawing a deep breath, Saki drew out her hair in one hand so that she could see it. The scissors hovered in the air near her hair. She tried to move quickly, but hesitation crept back inside her hands. Each second she waited the easier it became to turn away. She bit down on her lip. 'I must…'

Saki forced the scissors in putting her hair to rest on the blade. It was only a small clump, but it felt like all of her hair. 'This is my proof to them!' She closed her eyes and took another breath. 'It'll be quick!' While she kept her eyes closed, she started to close her hand slowly drawing down the blade of the scissors. Her hand still shook and begged for her to stop, but she kept pushing. She could not stop anymore. She had to keep pushing forward. All her mind's eye saw was Yuki.

The cutting sound of the scissors jerked her awake and forced her hand to finish faster than she was ready. Saki opened her eyes to see the cut strains of hair in her free hand. Both edges hung in her small hands lifeless and disconnected.

A drop of water splashed on her hand. She blinked trying to figure out where it came only to see more rain down. It only took another second for her to know she was crying. The tears could not stop. She tried to wipe her eyes and sniff it all back up, but nothing helped. Tears streamed down her cheeks ceaselessly.

She had only started.

A thin stream of blood broke from Saki's skin on her hand. The blasts she took already numbed it to pain long ago. It required her to see the small droplet of crimson fall to the water field for her to realize. She stopped a hundred orbs, but it finally cut her skin. "This is nothing!"

Saki tightened up her fists. She pushed her feet into the water preparing to charge for Kallias again. She struggled to find an opening against her unassailable foe. 'I cried out all of my tears while I cut my hair. I couldn't stop, but when I finished I had nothing left in me. I was ready to change myself.'

Saki watched the water as it slowly moved towards her. Her reflexes made it too easy to track. It felt like minutes passed before it came near her. All she had to do was wait. 'Now!' She threw out her fist taking the incoming water head on. Water washed over her fist exploding into droplets. The next already arrived with her other fist ready. 'I just have to meet them head on!'

It was over in an instant. So fast that Kallias could not see anything more than a streak. A failure did not faze him. His hand ran over the rings drawing up nearly a hundred orbs. "Let's test your fists a little more!"

Hardening her resolve, Saki took a few steps forward. She refused to back down to him. "I'll take whatever you got!" Saki stretched out her closed hand to point at Kallias. 'You aren't enough either.'

A thin stream of blood broke from Saki's skin on her hand. The blasts she took already numbed it to pain long ago. It required her to see the small droplet of crimson to fall to the water field for her to realize. She stopped a hundred orbs, but it finally cut her skin. "This is nothing!"

Saki tightened up her fists. She pushed her feet into the water preparing to charge for Kallias again. She struggled to find an opening against her unassailable foe. An opening had to exist in his defense. She believed she would find it eventually if she kept trying. Nothing he did to her could stop her. No water could keep her down.

Kallias ran his finger through the rings of water. The disruption did no damage to the shape, returning to the original form after he finished. A single water sphere pulled away from the ring, the same size as previously used. "I'm thinking it's time to increase the stakes." Grinning, Kallias launched the orb at Saki.

The water suddenly disappeared from Saki's sight. "What?!" Her eyes widened in surprise, but did not have chance for any more of a reaction. Something heavy and sharp hit her shoulder knocking her back. The force caught her off guard and nearly put her to the ground. Only a bracing leg, from preparing to run, managed to save her.

After the impact, Saki clutched her arm to her shoulder. 'It hurts…It hurts!' It surprised her. All of the beatings she took from the water before numbed her, but her shoulder still hurt. Saki pulled her hand away to look at her shoulder. Something red distracted her before she examined her shoulder. 'Blood…on my hand?' It was not a lot of blood, but it was clearly from her shoulder. Another round of shock hit Saki as she realized the significance of the blood.

Her eyes panned back to her body. The tan canvas of the tunic darkened around a crimson hole in her shoulder. Saki brushed her fingers over the wound. Stings from the open flesh bit through her body. It was shallow still, but Kallias wounded her with a single attack. 'Damnit…'