The Dream Shifter

Chapter 18

Momoko turned part way from facing down the assassin to see what had happened. They were trapped from leaving and every time they moved there were even more obstacles in their way. 'What do I do? I have to protect them, but this man seems to control this area. I-I've…I've got to look forward.' She turned back to the assassin charging towards him not certain what she was going to do. "Leave children out this!"

"Well at least you have more of a spine than him," he said with Yuki over his right shoulder hanging helpless. Momoko slid down in the blood soaking her clothes as the man took a swing at her with his bare hands. She attempted to rise up to hit him from behind, but he was already taking his evaded swing completely around as he rotated his body to face her again.

Momoko did not see the change fast enough to react. The man's fist connected with her face as she was coming in for her strike knocking her to the ground a few feet away. Her lip was cut starting to bleed down her chin with a deep red bruise starting to appear. She pulled herself up halfway sitting in the pool staring back while she wiped away the blood. 'He's fast and strong. The little amount of martial arts I have is not going to help me. I have to keep him distracted long enough to allow Ken and Jun to find a way out.' A moment later she stood up to her feet feeling the blood that she was soaked in dripping from her clothes. She stared back at the man trying to push away the fear and shaking in her legs.

"Not bad. However…"

Momoko body arched forward as her eyes widened in shock. There was a wet dull sound from behind her that left Yuki shaking violently to break free. Ken and Jun turned to Momoko seeing her slowly fall down face first into the pool of blood. Behind her several spikes of blood from the pool that had been hardened retracted back into the pool. "K-Ken…" she said slowly stretching her arm out towards them. Her body would not move for her. "J-Jun…" Momoko gasped for air breathing desperately for one more minute to come. "Yuki…save…your…broth-" Her eyes faded away as the last movements of her body came to a sharp stop. The last ripples from her body pushed out.

"Momoko!!" cried Yuki as tears poured from his eyes. His head dropped down only held in place by his shoulders. The world was fading from his view leaving only his ears to visualize what was happening. He saw the echoed of the assassin's feet marching towards his brothers. His heart was beating harder and louder nearly over everything else. It was pounding in his head. It felt like there was a shutter on his mind only giving him brief glimpses of what was happening around him. His brothers screamed for him. There was the sound of blood being released into the air from a cut. A sinister laugh echoed across the plains of blood. 'He's killing them. Momoko…Momoko…Momoko…' Ken cried out for Jun as another echo of blood rang out stabbing Yuki.

'They're dying because of me…' The void of black sorrow wrapped its warmth around him turning his eyes dark. 'It's my fault. I can't do anything. I'm worthless.' His arms stopped struggling in futility against the chains that held him. 'I-I watched them die. Momoko…Ken…Jun…' His body went limp on the wall with the last of the echoes of the world fading from his ear's sight. 'I killed them…it was me…I couldn't…'

His heart pounded in his chest echoing its beat through his mind as he passed into the abyss. 'I couldn't save them…' He collapsed to the ground crying unable to hold back his tears. 'I'm worthless…' A beat pounded through his mind again. 'If only Saki was here…' The beat pounded again. 'She would have saved me.' The beat pounded again breaking him into a paused hesitation. 'No…she couldn't…' A thump came through his head echoing in the empty world. 'Shouldn't…shouldn't save me…but…' The world grew darker losing what little color it had becoming a gray toned plain. 'Always saving…' Shadows disappeared leaving any definition remaining flat. 'Me…'

The beat pounded, but faded away quickly. 'Useless…I can't do anything…' The sound became softer no longer fighting with fierce determination. 'I should…just die…' Gray faded away from the plains leaving only darkness to surround him. 'I should…death should just come…' The void began to swallow him.

"Yuki! Yuki!" Saki's voice said suddenly in his mind.

Yuki lifted his head up from his hands that had been holding them soaking in his tears. "Saki?! What are you…"

"You going to let them keep bullying you?"

"But Saki I can't…"

"You're a man right?"

"Huh?"

"Stand up! You hear them shouting for you don't you?"

"Yuki!" Momoko and Ken's voices rang out around him as though they had always been there calling for him.

The beat pounded stronger once more returning from its silence. 'But what can I do?' His heart shouted again this time cracks formed along the world he was in. 'I must…I need…' The sound pounded out again growing the cracks as some of the world started to fall down into dust. 'I need to save them.' The beat echoed around fiercer drawing cracks up to the top. 'I need power…I need the strength…' Yuki blinked his eyes cutting off the tears and stood up turning his head above him. "Give me the power to protect my family!" His heart pounded excited sending out shockwaves that cracked the entire world until it crumbled to pieces.

"AH! Give me power!" Yuki screamed through the plains of blood where his family lay helpless at the mercy of the assassin. The assassin turned in surprise to see Yuki suddenly awake again. He was screaming as loud as his lungs could withstand sending waves of vibrations through the wall that he was mounted to and the field of blood. The assassin stared on in full attention in awe of what he was bearing witness to now.

'I don't care what it is just allow me to save them!' Blue waves continued to issue forth from Yuki violently responding to his desire. The walls had come crashing down and the seal was scattered to pieces. Everything that was bound within was being released. The blood wall that shackled him shattered to pieces dropping him to the ground. A bright light exploded from his body as an array of sealing that bound around several times fell to pieces. Once the light had came to pass Yuki stood in the blood pool no longer wearing his school uniform, but a strange gold armor that covered him completely except for his head. He slowed his breathing closing his eyes. A moment later he opened his eyes quickly shooting out a wave from his feet throwing back the blood plains in a massive wave. Behind the wave was a blowing field of tall grass and flowers that spread for as far as the eye could see.

The assassin's face wrinkled in frustration knowing what had just happened. He looked down at his feet to see that the only area of blood that remained now was at his feet. It looked like his feet were emitting blood where he stepped. This changed everything now. "Your powers have awakened."

"Yes, I shall protect my family!" Yuki shouted as he threw out his arm as though to grab something. The wind blew up around him dragging his cape and the grass. The grass was pulled free changing to green energy that gathered at his hand building in length until it shined as a whole. As the light faded away a massive sword appeared in Yuki's hand far longer than he was. "I will end this now!"