The Dream Shifter

Chaoter 205

"You're awake," spoke Fumiko, the nearest to Yumi. She shifted her position a little to approach Yumi now that she woke. "You had us a little worried."

Yumi searched around trying to find her brother. 'I just saw him! I know it! But he's gone…now…' Her shoulders collapsed a little with the hope she had fading away. It took her another minute to sort her present reality and past. "What happened?" she asked, once she felt certain of where she sat.

"You screamed in pain and collapsed. You fell unconscious soon after."

"Unconscious? How long have I been out?" She stood up quickly realizing that the daylight had long since disappeared. All around her, the stars in the night sky surrounded her providing an unfamiliar view. Her legs felt weak a moment after the rush passed away and she stumbled. Fumiko ran to catch her quickly enough before she hit the ground. "Ugh…I feel so lightheaded suddenly…"

Fumiko grimaced a little at the carelessness. "You probably shouldn't stand up so quickly. You're still not fully awake."

"But!" Yumi struggled in the hold wanting to stand back up. She had to keep moving. "My Brother's out there still! I can't stop!"

"You can't rescue him if you're unable to walk!" snapped Fumiko. Her voice got the attention of Yumi and froze her in her arms for the moment. "Rest a little and we'll continue once you're ready. You won't do him any good as you are now."

Yumi wanted to protest further, but between the glare from Fumiko and the loopy feeling in her head, still she relented. "…alright…" Fumiko eased her back down to the grass. Once seated, she pulled her legs up close to her chest. Across from the campfire, Seiji laid back away from the light making it difficult to tell if he was asleep. Chiharu leaned forward with her legs crossed and eyes closed. Her body looked completely still with not even a breath disturbing her. Yumi did not even know if she was alive.

With Yumi settled down, Fumiko felt that she could relax and sat back down at the fire. She saw the distant and unsettled look of Yumi as she tried to figure out what happened. The abruptness of her episode made them all confused and wanting answers. Fumiko leaned a little closer to Yumi, not wanting to bother the others. "Are you in pain still?"

It took Yumi a moment to notice that Fumiko asked her a question. She tilted her head up towards Fumiko slowly. "No, I'm fine now." Yumi thought about it, the scene from before that had her screaming. Each stabbing and ripping felt completely real and yet it did not even feel like it happened. "I… I…"

"Do you know what caused it?"

"No… I'm not sure it really happened." The longer that she thought about it the faster the sensation evaporated. She tried to hold on tighter to the feeling as much as it scared her, but it fled from her. "I don't know if it was me."

Fumiko tilted her head to the side in confusion. She did not expect a simple answer, but the responses from Yumi made less sense than she thought possible. "How could it not be you? You were in pain and screaming. I'm pretty sure that means something happened to you. Was it one of the enemy maybe? We didn't see anyone, but maybe you felt something like before?"

Yumi shook her head. The feeling that she had before when attacked did not have the same feeling. "No, it wasn't the same. I don't understand all of my powers very well, but those I think are premonitions that I have. I feel what will happen if I don't act. This wasn't the same."

"Maybe it was them using their powers to cause you pain."

"But they didn't attack. It would not make much sense if they just stopped."

"Perhaps they wanted to delay us?"

"I guess…" Yumi searched through the remnants of what remained for her. 'I remember thinking about Yori then, but why?' Her brother had come to her suddenly when she felt the pain. It felt like a reaction or instinct to her. She did not understand why she thought of him when the pain hit her. "It can't be a coincidence…"

Yumi's voice barely made it to Fumiko, but she put together the words. She had found something. "What is it, Yumi? I remember something?"

"I'm not sure, but I thought of Yori when it happened." Her mind scoured over the pieces. She recalled the strange feeling she had of being with her brother. The tent came back to her and the people. "I saw that man!"

"Who?"

"He was standing with the other soldiers that attacked us. I saw him with Yori! I know it!" Yumi stood up on her feet feeling energy back in her body. Yori was alive and she stood next to him. She turned over to Fumiko more certain about where he was than before. "I know where my brother is!"

Fumiko rushed to her feet trying to slow down Yumi, sensing that she might run off. She grabbed on to Yumi's shoulders to ground her. "What're you talking about, Yumi? Who did you see?"

"I know, Fumiko! It's clear to me! I was with my brother!" Yumi nodded reaffirming her certainty to herself. The confusion on Fumiko's face did not even process through her head. Her mind completely narrowed to a pinpoint on the connection her made. "He's tied to a chair in a tent. I felt it. I saw it! The soldiers had him. They're trying to get him to talk and he's struggling to hang on! I have to get to him now!"

"Yumi! Get a hold of yourself! You're not making any sense!" Fumiko found that she needed to use her strength to keep Yumi from moving. She struggled in an absent sense with her, as though not really seeing Fumiko. "Yumi?"

"He's waiting for me! I have to go now!"

A solid wind pounded into Fumiko knocking her off her feet. Fumiko did not know what happened in the next moments with her head reeling. She looked through blurry eyes from the grass to see the feet of Yumi march off from the camp. It took her even longer to pull herself back up to her feet, the pain in her stomach still lingered. 'What was that? What got in to her?' Fumiko turned over to Yumi in the distance. "Yumi! Come back!"

A white square room surrounded Yori with a simple white table and chair. He sat before it with his hands resting in his lap. All of the pain disappeared, but he did not know when it happened. Yori searched around the empty room seeing no windows or doors. It was a solid seamless room and even the bright light of the white made the table blend with the room. He was not certain where the table began or ended. He was not even certain if the table was still in front of him. 'Where am I? I am still being interrogated?'

'This is the beginning,' stated a woman's voice.

Yori flipped around trying to find the voice came, but saw no one behind him. When he came to look forward a woman stood before him that he knew had not before. He narrowed his eyes trying to understand where she came from. "You're…" The longer he stared at her the more familiar she became to him.

"Yes. And I have already accessed everything within your mind." The white room suddenly flashed and hundreds upon thousands of panels displayed around the walls. Images played in motion clustered one on top of another. Each one housed a memory of Yori's. Everything that made him stood completely open. He already had lost.

A white square room surrounded Yori with a simple white table and chair. He sat before it with his hands resting in his lap. All of the pain disappeared, but he did not know when it happened. Yori searched around the empty room seeing no windows or doors. It was a solid seamless room and even the bright white light made the table blend with the room. He was not certain where the table began or ended. He was not even certain if the table was still in front of him. 'Where am I? I am still being interrogated?'

'This is the beginning,' stated a woman's voice.

Yori flipped around trying to find the voice came, but saw no one behind him. When he came to look forward a woman stood before him that he knew had not before. He narrowed his eyes trying to understand where she came from. "You're…" The longer he stared at her the more familiar she became to him.

"Yes. And I have already accessed everything within your mind." The white room suddenly flashed and hundreds upon thousands of panels displayed around the walls. Images played in motion clustered one on top of another. Each one housed a memory of Yori's. Everything that made him stood completely open. He already had lost.

His eyes darted around the room trying to take in the deluge of information. He did not know if it responded to him. The sight of each memory placed out before him unfiltered made him feel n***d. He wanted to hide in a corner or under the table. Yori did not expect to face his defeat so quickly. 'What does she know? How much has she already taken from me? Does she know everything?'

'You've already revealed everything to me.'

Yori jumped a little hearing the voice in his head again. 'You can hear my thoughts?'

'Of course.'

The room suddenly grew warm quickly for him. It felt like someone stared at him from all sides and looked inside. She pierced through him knowing his thoughts. He had no safety. He tried to bury his thoughts deeper into layers beyond her with subtle touches. 'I just have to distance myself more…'

'It doesn't matter how deep you try to go. I'm already there. There's no part of your mind that I'm not already attached to.'

He wanted to say that it was impossible, but knew better than to say anything. Her powers made everything possible, even what she claimed. Yori saw no escape or freedom. The room she stuck him in had no exits, even without the restrains. He did not know what he could do. He could not protect Yumi in such an absolute control. His eyes flipped around the room trying to figure out his situation.

"You've no escape." The woman pulled herself free from the bleached light of the room as though the air concealed her. Split from the room to become an individual, she appeared bathed in luminescent blue cloth draped over her body in a complex woven dress. The glow gave the material a soft furry like appearance despite being smooth. A windless breeze kept her dress in constant motion. She stepped within a meter of Yori stopping near the table. "Now let's talk about your sister, Yori Mizuno."

The moment that he heard his sister mentioned the walls changed their images. Everywhere he looked he saw Yumi displayed before him. His memories varied from recent to far into the past for him. The sight of her around him made him sweat. '…Yumi…' It might not have been his real sister, but all of the eyes felt like they stared at him in judgment. His actions hurt her and he already gave them everything. He did not even know how or when it happened.

Yori turned his head away from the walls, but even the floor held captured memories. He could not escape it. She would not allow him a moment of reprieve. His eyes slowly pulled up, no longer knowing where to look. Once level with the wall again, his eyelids widened sharply catching a large image of Yumi staring back at him. She seemed to focus on nothing but him. Yori jumped up startled by her presence. The chair fell over in his haste bring him to look back down. It was enough to snap him out of his gaze with Yumi and turn all of his stored confusion and guilt into fear. He ran for the opposite side of the room hoping to put as much distance between them as he could.