The Dream Shifter

Chapter 47

Lunch for Yuki was never boring when Hiroshi and Saki were around him. He had a pleasant smile on his face not looking like he had a care in the world. The truth was he was distracted again with daydreams and slowly eating his food.

He stared at the clouds that were slowly moving through the sky picturing what they could be in his mind. They started out simply being only animals like a rabbit or a dog or a dragon but quickly changed into a spaceship and giant robot.

Ayumi had been quietly eating watching the others acting crazy and trying not to stand out noticed Yuki. She had caught the look in his eye has seen it before and then across from them out of sight of most of the students in the grass a modestly sized dragon suddenly appeared. Her eyes went wide for a moment and then narrowed as she knew what was happening.

'He's not concentrating… the i***t!'

Ayumi was quick to expand her field out to blend in with the grass and remove it from the sight of everyone when it changed into a skeleton warrior. The physical image that he was summoning seemed to be changing so fast that she was not able to react to it in time to keep it under control.

"Hey, you hear something?"

Tatsuya said looking over to Hiroshi holding the food that he was about to eat back down to look around. However, there was, naturally, nothing for him to find but the normal grass field to track field.

"Huh? What are you telling me about?"

Ayumi jumped up in surprise sending her mostly empty container of food for lunch flying through the air landing on Yuki's face. Yuki fell back in surprise slamming his head into the ground roughly dazing him.

"Yuki! I'm so sorry!"

Ayumi dropped over to his side picking him up and shaking him to hopeful get through to him. She darted her eye around to his friends that were pulled in and then to the field.

'It's all gone now and they don't seem to have seen anything.'

While she was getting Yuki back to normal as he came around her eye caught someone in the distance looking at them.

'Did they see something?'

"Ayumi?"

Yuki said slowly not certain why she was so close to him. He leaned back trying to get some room from her until she was startled back away to her original seat in the group.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to spill my lunch on you. Are you feeling okay?" she said trying to keep down the red that was bleeding into her face.

The embarrassed look was not lost on the others that had sly and mischievous looks in their eyes. Her eyes looked over her shoulder trying to find the person she saw a moment before, but they were nowhere in sight.

'Disappeared… Who were they?'

Hiroshi leaned into the center that everyone made looking at Ayumi.

"You seem to be getting pretty close to our friend Yuki a lot lately."

"Huh? N-No-no I haven't!"

Tatsuya grinned to himself seeing Hiroshi having some fun teasing Ayumi.

"Like during class this morning."

"Wha?! No, that was an accident!"

Hiroshi laughed a little seeing the innocent girl trying to deny the accusations.

"Yeah! You sure you didn't throw your lunch just now to be close to him?"

"N-No! Why would I? That's ridiculous!"

"Is it?"

"Stop teasing her already, Hiroshi…" Saki said leaning in on the two boys with a glare that they were all too familiar with now.

Hiroshi and Tatsuya were immediate in their ceasing and stared down at their food. Yuki tried to smile it all off and look like he was not involved even though both Ayumi and Saki were staring him at him now as well.

"What?"

"i***t!" the two girls said in unison.

After school was over, they were all walking out of the school together for once. Saki did not have practice today and Hiroshi's club activities were on other days. Yuki was very happy to be able to spend some time with his friends and even Momoko was going to be home early today to be able to take care of Ken and Jun. It seemed like everything was lining up perfectly for him to have an afternoon with his friends.

As they walked out of the school grounds to the sidewalk along with the school they were all stopped by a shout towards Yuki.

"Yuki I challenge you!" the voice said, but no one had any time to react as a fist was already flying through the air towards Yuki's face in a flash.

Ayumi and Saki caught it a moment before knowing that Yuki was going to be flattened in an instant by the sudden attacker.

"Yuki!" they both shouted trying to get to him and knowing that they would be too late.

The flash ended and the arm of the boy was held straight out in front of Yuki, but he was not on the ground. It was the opposite; he was standing his ground with his own hand up having blocked it with his palm.

There was a moment on Yuki's face where he looked different. It caught Ayumi and Saki off guard not certain what to make of what just happened. Yuki changed back immediately afterward lowering his hand as the stranger pulled back.

"Is that… you? Seiji!" Yuki leaped forward grabbing on to Seiji's waist making him spin around.

Ayumi narrowed her eyes in the moments of happiness from Yuki.

'For an instant, he had the look of a wild animal… What was that? I've never seen Yuki look like that before.'

She held back to the outside of the group still trying to sort through what she had seen a moment ago.

Saki had nearly the same expression on her face that Ayumi did, but for a different reason.

'No… It can't be surfacing. All of the fighting that he's been forced to do lately... Is it bringing it back to the surface? For a moment it was like the old Yuki was back.'

She was quick in changing her look at Seiji stepped closer to her.

"Hey, Seiji…"

"Saki…"

"What are you doing here, Seiji?"

Saki words had gone cold in front of Seiji like his mere presence was offending her.

"Yeah! I haven't seen you in like a year, Seiji! What have you been doing?"

Yuki was almost clinging on to Seiji with the excitement of an eight-year-old getting a present. It left all of his friends staring still in shock by the whole thing.

None of them knew what to make of the very tall stranger from another school, judging by his white and black uniform. Seiji stood much taller than Yuki or anyone else around and had his shoulder-length dark brown hair tied back in a short ponytail. His uniform jacket was left open with the dress shirt underneath showing. He had a wild look in his light brown eyes while his face seemed to have a calm stoic appearance.

Hiroshi was the first to recover himself and step around on the other side keeping his distance from Saki.

"Judging from Yuki, you seem to know each other. Did you go to the same middle school together?"

"No, if you can believe it. We're old friends. Though I haven't been in touch for quite some time."

Seiji seemed to gain a softer expression and a smile like he was recalling fond memories. It still was leaving everyone a little confused.

"What's with the fist then?"

"Oh, that? It's just something between us."

"Yeah, Seiji likes to kid around like that. Sorry for the scare guys."

Yuki stood up on his own looking a little embarrassed about what had happened before. Seiji apologized for his misunderstanding earlier smoothing out things, but the uncertainty did not leave the air. Saki remained to stare cautiously at Seiji the entire time that they were talking.

"I was actually hoping to catch up on old times with Yuki, but I didn't mean to interrupt you and your friends."

"Interrupt, you nearly dropped Yuki to the ground with your interruption," Saki said glaring at Seiji not giving him an inch.

Seiji rubbed the back of his head trying to brush it off.

"I said I was sorry already, Saki. Old habits."

…

..

.

In the warehouse with cells, a darkened figure walked around examining the scene. The figure knelt down to the ground rubbing their hand over the surface. Their eyes scanned the room once more before standing up.

"As they suspected. He's dead. Your death was not for nothing though. We know where to look now. It is only a matter of time."