The Dream Shifter

Chapter 132

Yumi was silent for a while like she was thinking or possibly hesitating on answering him. Only through words it was difficult to know for sure until she spoke again. 'You'll laugh…at me…'

'No I won't, Yumi.'

'You will…'

'If it was important to you I won't. You can tell me.'

'It was that…star pendant…that you bought me…'

An image of the pendant came to his mind as he recalled it. It was something that she never went around without carrying it with her either on her or attached to her bag. There was a bit of a childish gaudiness to it, but Yumi did not care. 'I remember…' Yori mind got carried back quickly having not thought about it in a while; it seemed almost willing or eager to do so.

It had been after their father had left them and their mother was forced to work multiple jobs to keep them supported. Yumi had become distraught by the loneliness and stress from having to pretend that nothing was wrong. When she had reached her breaking point Yori helped to cheer her up. The day after, he had asked Yumi to wait for him at school until he was finished with his club activities for the day. 'I had already decided before that I was doing whatever it took to become the brother she needed, but I never figured out what I could do. On that evening I began to understand. So I was determined that day to show Yumi I meant it.'

Yori came out of the hall towards the entrance of the school where Yumi had been waiting. When she saw him coming she jumped up cheerfully to join him. It had been the first time in a while that she had been able to walk with him, especially since he asked her. "Big Brother Yori! All done?"

"I am… You ready?"

"Yup!" she declared with a nod looking a little more honest in her happiness than before. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise!" Yumi acted a little disappointed to him that he was keeping it a secret, but he could see that she was just happy to be able to do something with him. She hung on to his arm following him every step of the way into the downtown district. He had been so used to keeping her at a distance from him that it had felt a little strange for him, but he maintained his determination. While they walked together he felt a warmth in his arm from her that spread through him that seemed to make him want to smile with her.

When they arrived in front of the jewelry store, that they always passed when going downtown, Yumi jumped up repeatedly bumping into Yori a little. Yori had known that she had always wanted to visit. She would stare at the display windows until she was pulled along by their mother. This was something that they could do.

Inside the store Yumi was already becoming glossy eyed at everything shiny that was throughout the store. She quickly leapt in front of Yori looking up at him. "Can I look around?" Yumi seemed almost surprised that she was going to be able to browse when her brother gave her a nod.

He watched her zip around the store entranced by anything that caught her eye. There were not too many customers shopping so her behavior was not too much of an interruption. Yori tried to calm her down a little so she was making less of a scene, but she had too much energy for him. However, the longer that he watched the happier it made him to see her looking more like her old self. When she seemed to have stayed in one place longer than normal he looked over shoulder seeing a cheap looking metal star pendant set on a short length of chain for keys or a bag. It was painted over with a lot of bright colors that seemed to clash with each other a little, but Yumi's eyes could not seem to be pulled away. "You want it? I'll buy it for you!"

She turned back to him for a moment a little stunned. "I couldn't ask you to do that, big brother."

"I have a little saved up. I can see that you really want it." Yori picked it up off the display tray; it was in the fairly cheap shelves so there was no need for it to be behind glass like the rest the store's jewelry. He handled it over to Yumi insisting that she have it. "Let's go over to the lady and buy it for you."

"You sure you can pay for this?" Yumi had hopeful, yet hesitate eyes staring at him.

He gave her another reassuring nod and pushed her a little forward to the cashier. Unfortunately, one of the adults in the store bumped into Yumi knocking the pendant out of her hands disappearing on the floor in the confusion. Yori had been able to catch his sister in the collision and glared back at the woman, who barely paid either of them any mind as she went on. He turned back to Yumi to see if she was hurt and found her crying. "Yumi? Where are you hurt?"

"The…star…it's broke!"

Yori looked down to where she was pointing and saw the star pendant down on the store's floor broken in two pieces. He knelt down picking up the pieces (very cheap plastic painted to look like metal). "I'm sorry, Yumi…" His hand hesitated in showing the broken star to her seeing how much she was already upset. Thoughts flew through him as he tried to figure out what he could do make her smile again. Then something came to him. "Come with me!"

"Where?" sniffed Yumi breaking through some of the tears. Yori did not give her an explanation. She got pulled up from the floor and dragged over to the counter by him. Her mind still focused on the star that she had wanted that she was not paying any attention to what he was doing.

"Thank you!" Yori said politely to the woman behind the counter as he finished paying.

The store clerk seemed a little reluctant to accept it. "Are you sure? It's broke, we have something else to replace it."

"No, this will be perfect. Thank you for helping me." He turned back to Yumi holding out his closed hand towards her. "Hey Yumi could take a look at this?"

"Huh?" She looked up towards him confused until he opened his hand. In his hand was the broken star pendant the two pieces lying next to each other with a chain attached to the other broken half.

Yori handed one of the pieces over to her putting it in her palm. "Here this one is for you." He held the other from his fingers suspending the broken half from its newly attached chain. "What do you see when you look at it?"

"…a broken star?"

He smiled back at her warmly. "I see a whole star without even the slightest hint of a c***k. You know why? Because you have the other half. So long as I have this and you yours it'll never be broken. No matter how far away I am it'll always be whole because I'm your brother. You'll never be alone." There was a delayed reaction from Yumi taking in what he had said before she starting crying and thanking him for the gift. She promised that she would never let it leave her sight. 'I made a promise with myself that I'd always do what I could to have her smile again, an honest real smile that she did not have to pretend to wear…'

Something tapped Yori on the head breaking his concentration of what he was thinking. He broke the link from Yumi to look around trying to figure out what had happened. It did not hurt, but he knew that there had been something that felt like it had fallen on him. "Just my imagination?" Once Yori decided to let it go he returned back to Yumi making sure that she was still with him. 'How are you feeling, Yumi?'

'…brother…I'm scared…'

Yori's eyes had widened as he tried to keep his body from reaction too strongly and panicking. The fatigued voice of his sister was getting even worse than before. There was something wrong with her and he could not do anything. 'What's wrong?'

'…I…feel…so…tired…brother…'

'Yumi stay with me!' He grabbed her hand tightly hoping that she might feel him. Another poke on his head turned his gaze up. Around the room there were several more light dull echoes of small rocks hitting the ground. When Yori focused on the ceiling of the room dust sifted through pouring across his face like sand. Yori shook his head trying to clear his eyes; however at that moment he felt a vibration through the entire room that made his whole body run cold. "The dome's collapsing!" He turned back down to Yumi only able to think about how she was going to be crushed under everything in seconds if he did not do anything.

Yori squeezed on to Yumi feeling the hopelessness begin to replace the empty cold sensation. "I'm her brother and yet… Why does it have to be like this?! I can't do anything for her… Yumi's going to…" He could feel the distant glow from his sister that he had been able to sense before start to vanish. Larger pieces of rubble broke through crashing into the ground. Despair was the brush that painted the tears on his cheeks. "…Yumi…"

A light burst from Yumi's hand trying to escape through the narrow slits in her fingers. From underneath Yori's shirt a glow bathed the room in a pulsing red light. The two glowing sources began to resonance together shining bright enough to appear faintly through their shields. Two halves of a star could be seen burning out.

Yori suddenly felt as though he had a new inner strength within that pushed him to his feet. He could not explain it, but it gave him the sense that there was nothing that could stand in his way. The rocks before him were mere toys to be thrown about. "I can save you, Yumi!" He raised his hand free hand towards the wall in front of him concentrating on it feeling warmth passing from Yumi into him building in strength. "Ah—"

Everything stopped for him interrupted by the sun shining down on him. All was gone and he could see the students in the distance running towards him. He blinked confused feeling as though his moment had been stolen from him. Yori turned back behind him sensing something. Coming into focus was Yuki stepping out of where the school used to be, until he made it all disappear with his field. Carried in his arms was an unconscious and blood soaked Ayumi. Yuki was equally covered in wounds and blood staggering out of the epicenter towards Saki that sped towards him. He collapsed into Saki passing out almost immediately.

Yori had taken the time to move before the school and debris was restored. He stood next to Saki looking down at Yuki developing an annoying pang in his chest. It quickly disappeared for him when he felt Yumi moving in his arms. "Yumi!?"

Yumi slowly opened her eyes with her sight coming into focus. "Brother?" She blinked a couple times feeling confused about her situation, but soon relieved seeing that Yuki had made it out.

"Are you feeling better?"

"…yeah…much, but…" Seeing all of the students gathered around her started to make her a little self-conscious about being in the center of the attention (though a lot of was directed to Yori who looked very heroic walking out with Yumi in his arms). It was about the moment that she realized how close she was Yori and that he was holding her. She began to flail about in his hold trying to get lose. "Wah! Why are you so close to me?! Please let me down!"