The Dream Shifter

Chapter 86

Jun's melting stare was working on Yuki in tandem with the girls. Hiroshi and the others did not seem to mind either leaving Yuki looking like the bad guy. "Alright…Let's all go together!" he half shouted trying to get back in the mood, which seemed to work well on Jun.

The large group of students, plus two elementary students, winded their way through the town. After school hours made the sidewalks their usually busy selves with students. It did not help that Hiroshi's directions forced them to travel through the busiest and most difficult areas to walk through to reach their unknown destination. Yumi's friends were the first to complain about the walking and soon by Saki. Both of them seemed to doubt that Hiroshi knew what he was doing until everyone besides Yuki and Jun wanted to leave becoming hungry from the trip.

"This should be the last turn…" said Hiroshi as he checked a paper he had been referencing frequently. He turned his head side to side looking at the alley that they were in left with two directions to take.

"This guy's been sayin' that for the last twenty minutes!" Ken said kicking a bottle on the ground into the adjacent wall.

Ayumi sighed heavily developing a pouting lip on her face from being so tired. "I'm so hungry…"

"We're almost there, guys…" Hiroshi said looking at the paper for a second time. 'I think…'

"Come on! Hiroshi said we're almost there!" Yuki said with his never ending excitement.

"You're the only one still excited…" a long voice said from Katsumi.

Kaede's eyes were half closed with her eyebrows pulled down in stress. "Where does all of his energy come from…"

No longer able to wait with his excitement, Yuki took a turn and charged down the alley. Saki reached out for him, but had no strength or will to make a real effort as her arm fell limp. The group turned to look around at each other, but mostly at Hiroshi with an implying glare. Sweat dripped down his head as he tried to back away from the frightening looks he was getting. However, they were all interrupted by Yuki returning scream with excitement. "I found it!"

No one seemed to be looking at Yuki as they held their gaze on Hiroshi. "See he found it! I knew we were close, right?" Yuki waved at them before getting a dumbfounded expression on his face confused to the reason for their still sad emotions.

Jun was quick to take Yuki's side and ran over to him followed by Ken. Kaede and Katsumi's eyes were turned towards the two boys and they took to Yuki as well. The rest were quick to fall in place as Yuki eagerly directed them to the place that he had found. Yet when they reached the building that they had been looking for everyone just stood still in disbelief. No one could say a word for what they were looking at scattered their preconceptions of what was thought to be possible.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Yuki said oblivious to reason for their reactions.

"…right…" Saki finally said as though she was struggling to pull it out from her mouth.

"…I didn't think it was possible…" replied Tatsuya as he tried to pull himself away from the sight.

Kazuhiro nodded slowly still wide eyed by the building. "…unique…"

"…is that a skeleton?" Kaede managed still trying to take everything in.

Being called a nightmare of design would still be understating the appearance. The building if all of the decoration was pulled away turned out to be a simple two floor structure large enough for several rooms to fit inside on each floor. Drawing the eye though was the single marble column near the door next to the fake skeletal remains of a bizarre winged lizard like animal. Following opposite of the column and door was a clay surface with Arab designs and a metal wire mesh. All coated in the worst possible color combinations of purple, pink, red and orange. The door seemed almost embarrassed to be present among the rest as it was a simple Japanese wood sliding panel door.

Yuki pulled back by the building lifting his arm up in a presenting manner still ignorant of his friend's reactions. "Ready to go inside?" All of them stepped back uneasy, including Hiroshi.

"I wouldn't be caught dead inside that place!" Katsumi said as she hid behind Yumi with Kaede behind her.

"Must be the wrong place, Yuki!" Hiroshi quickly said pulling up his sheet of paper to look at it again. The others were nodding in agreement with him or whispering similar words.

Amongst the discordant voices and distracted eyes the door to the shop opened and a woman in a beautiful green kimono stepped out. She went ignored by everyone other than Yuki, who was politely bowing to her. The students continued to leave her unnoticed until she finally spoke up in a soft traveling voice that managed to be heard clearly to everyone that it shut them up. "Welcome to the Mi Hana Shop!"

She was quick to gain everyone's attention, especially Hiroshi and his friends. "Woah-um…I mean it would be rude to leave now that we're here," Hiroshi said quickly trying to turn the decision, but only becoming suspicious from the girls. The young woman that was greeting was filling out her kimono very well making it difficult for them to ignore or turn down.

Saki was still trying to get over the storefront and looked over at the storekeeper. Yuki had left them in the dark about what the place was they were visiting. "So what sort of shop is the Mi Hana?"

"We specialize in making your fantasies come true!" the woman said with a soft greeting tone.

"We specialize in making your fantasies come true!" the woman said with a soft greeting tone. The woman motioned with her arms towards the door inviting them into the shop. Her straightforward respond to Saki's question was almost jarring as though there was no hidden meaning intended with her words.

Hidden meanings however were not something that Hiroshi could stay away from. A vacant glow in his eyes appeared like he was checked out while still managing to look like he was getting excited about something. The same looked was quick to appear across Tatsuya and Kazuhiro, even Yuki. However, it was only a quick moment after Saki recovered from her stunned state that she turned and whacked the four of them in the head.

"What was that for, Saki?!" Hiroshi said bravely in the brief moment that he forgot who he was staring at. Tatsuya and Kazuhiro were still recovering themselves from Saki (Hiroshi had a little resistance built up from repeatedly being hit by Saki).

She stepped into a lean against Hiroshi as he leaned backwards. "Because I know what thoughts were going through your head!" Hiroshi tried to deny it, but Saki was not being fooled by a faux innocent face.

Yuki rubbed his head walking over near Saki, oblivious to what she was doing. "Why'd you hit me, Saki?"

"Because I know what you're thinking!" she said turning her head over to snap back at him.

"But I bet Hiroshi was thinking something dirty! Why didn't you hit him too?!"

Everyone around could not help but sweat in disbelief. Saki wanted to hit him again, but all she could do was raise up her arm before realizing the futility of it. She dropped it back down to her side sighing heavily.

Hiroshi tilted his head down relieved that he was saved by Yuki's distraction. 'Hard to believe he was someone to be feared with how clueless he is…' He turned to check on his friends after Saki's assault. It was not their first time, but they were still not used to it. "You guys doing alright?"

"…Yeah…"

"…I'd hate to be on her bad side…"

"Yeah, well it's something you get used to…" Old sores and bruises suddenly spiked dull pains of memories through his body from the more recent run-ins with Saki. He coughed feeling the choking in his throat from his thoughts. "Well…you ready to go inside?" Tatsuya and Kazuhiro both nodded eagerly to Hiroshi dragging over Saki's attentions once more.

"We aren't going in there! I can't believe you thought this was a smart idea." Saki grabbed up Hiroshi by the collar of his uniform's jacket glaring at him. "You've taken this joke too far! What did you tell Yuki to get him to go along with this?"

"S-Saki!" Panic stricken was an all too familiar feeling for Hiroshi as he was on the balls of his feet with Saki's demon eyes glaring down at him. Sweat poured down his face as he trying to get words out to calm down Saki. The choking in his throat made it difficult for him to speak clearly. "Y-You…got the…wro-ng i-i-idea!"

"I'll tell you who's got the wrong idea!"

Saki started to make a move, but Ayumi suddenly spoke up in a clear yet soft voice that interrupted Saki. Yumi had been trying to get her attention for a while, but her quiet voice was barely enough to leave her lips with Saki having turned violent. "Saki! Yuki's gone into the building along with Jun and Ken."

"What?!" she exclaimed dropping Hiroshi. Her eyes scanned the area trying to find him, but the place he had been standing was vacant. When she thought of how Yuki would react and that it was Hiroshi's fault all she could do was raise her fist tightly as a vein popped from the back of her hand pulsing with frustration. 'I can't believe Hiroshi! How could he take a joke so far!?' She looked around at the rest of the group. "Everyone wait here! I'll go grab Yuki and his brothers!"

As Saki ran into the shop, everyone looked around at each other pausing for a moment. They all looked over at the woman still with the same warm greeting face inviting them all in. Her fine long black hair was pulled in the breeze that passed through the back alley as silence held everyone.

Inside the Mi Hana Shop, Saki was looking around the front desk reception area for Yuki. While Saki was not taking note, the interior of the building looked far more normal and easy on the eyes than its exterior. There was a large wood counter with a stack of brochures advertising their product protecting a middle aged woman dressed in a more subtle kimono of dark green. She pleasantly smiled allowing Saki her moment to franticly search around the room.

Once Saki, exhausted, came to a stop and walked over to the counter giving into the failure. The woman looked over at her speaking in an even tone that held an old fashion and refined accent that threw Saki off. "Greetings young child. You appear to be seeking something."

Saki pulled back trying to work with the old Japanese and stiffly nodding. 'I can't believe anyone still talks like that…' The woman waited patiently for Saki's answer, but silence grew in pressure until it was a weight on Saki demanding her to act. "W-Wel-Um…" There drew out another long pause as Saki stumbled over words needed to speak. "…Have you seen high school boy come through with two younger boys?"

"Yes, he said he had brought friends. I had my younger sister show him the rooms available. How many are in your party?" The woman looked down at the counter pulling something out from under the surface. "Is this the rest of your party?"

Saki tried to wave her hand to decline the woman, who had the wrong idea. "No, we aren't—" She turned around quickly picking up on what the woman had said. The rest of their group stood inside the room with the young woman sliding the door closed. "What're you doing here? I thought I said to wait outside!"

Yumi stepped forward with her hands held together in front of her looking nervous. She kept her head hung down toward the ground as Saki stared at her expecting her to say something despite nothing ever being said. Ayumi leaned to the side around Yumi getting into view. "Hiroshi explained it to us, Saki."

"Huh? What's there to explain?" Saki turned her head towards Hiroshi wanting an answer from him to explain, but he disappeared behind the girls. Tatsuya and Kazuhiro made themselves invisible as well only frustrating Saki even more.

Ayumi walked around Yumi approaching Saki. "The way he explained it, this place is more like a karaoke shop. Except that instead of songs they have some sort of virtual reality machine that creates whatever you want. Sounded like a game…"

Katsumi popped up around Yumi interjecting her vote. "But if its real sounds like a lot of fun!"