The Dream Shifter

Chapter 68

Yuki shouted from around the school building as he came running towards the two women, but quickly coming to a stop seeing that there was a battle in progress.

"Another assassin?! Ayumi, you've got to listen to me quickly! I think there is a little girl around this school that is an assassin looking for you. You need—"

"I already know."

"What?!"

"This is her."

Yuki began to walk closer watching the assassin carefully knowing that he did not have a kasou-ryoko out or prepared. It was Ayumi's words though that confused him as he looked at the young woman standing at a safe distance away from Ayumi.

"Huh? I said little girl, not an adult. If you just let me finish—"

Ayumi drew her sword over to Yuki making him stop while keeping her eye on the woman assassin.

"The little girl you saw was this assassin. She used her powers to make you think you were seeing a child while she was hiding behind that illusion."

He came to a stop seeing how serious Ayumi about what she was saying and knowing that she had to be wanting him out of her way. She had to protect him from the assassin and he did not have anything to help her.

She pulled her sword back in front of her and began to step forward cautiously.

"Take the girl and stay back."

Ayumi focused on her strength pushing her field back a little on the pool field that enveloped her. She had to be at peak concentration if she expected to even have a chance.

Yuki did not know what she was talking about until he remembered that Fumiko was with the assassin as well, but he had not seen her standing anywhere. He looked nearby to Ayumi noticing Fumiko lying in the snow passed out with a large pool of blood around her body.

"Fumiko!"

Yuki ran to her side immediately reaching out to touch her hoping that she was still alive while the back of his mind was spinning fears out of control.

"…is…she…"

"Get back now! It's only been a minute. She should still be alive. I'll finish this quickly."

"Quickly? Not as you are…" said the assassin watching Ayumi.

"Why?! Why did you do this to her? She just wanted to help you! She did nothing to you!"

Yuki was having trouble holding back the tears that were forming in his eyes as he stared at the woman. The kind expression on the woman's face jarred him expecting to see a cold calculating face like the past assassins. He did not know what to think, but Fumiko was dying.

"I just met her today. She has nothing to do with me! If you wanted to kill me you could have done it without her!"

"Yuki! Control yourself!" Ayumi said snapping at him trying to get through his emotions.

The assassin looked calmly at him looking almost sympathetic.

"I'm not interested in you. I've seen your skill. I could kill you at anytime. You're no threat to me."

"Yuki! Get out of here with her now!"

"But!"

"Save her! And let me protect you!"

Ayumi stared at Yuki knowing that she had to face him if she was going to get through him to him. Unfortunately, his emotions were running high for him making it difficult to speak to him rationally.

It seemed that she was getting through him and so she gave him the final push by making her snow form a wave in the ground pushing Yuki and Fumiko away. She turned back to the assassin knowing that she had to focus.

'Ayumi…she's fighting to protect me, but Fumiko… What should I…'

Yuki watched as Ayumi initiated her attack on the assassin echoing the clash of blades through the school. He lifted up Fumiko's body feeling her awkward height giving him trouble as he staggered to his feet trying not to drop her or lose his balance.

'Ayumi's right. I have to save her!' He ran off around the school getting out of sight of the battle. 

He bent down letting Fumiko rest on the ground. When he pulled his hands back he caught the sight of her blood that coated his palm and then to his uniform.

"Blood! She's bleeding badly!"

He was sent into a panic standing up and backing away no longer certain what he was doing.

'What am I doing? She's dying because of me! It's my fault!'

Yuki drew his hands up to his face feeling the fear that was building starting to pour out into him. He looked through his fingers at Fumiko wishing, hoping, that she would be alive.

'Why does this have to happen? It's always me. I'm always hurting them! Why can't I stop it?!'

Fumiko suddenly coughed spilling blood from her lips as she began to shake. It snapped Yuki out of his fears for the moment drawing him towards her.

"…is…she…safe…"

She was barely able to speak in a low voice as the blood from her wound began to seep into the ground now.

Yuki leaned close to her trying to understand what she was saying, but not certain who she was talking about.

"Do you mean Ayumi?"

"…the little…girl…"

His eyes grew widen when he heard her worrying about the safety of the little girl that was the assassin in disguise. He tightened his fist that rested against the ground feeling the shaking pain in his chest knowing that the Fumiko had been completely fooled by the assassin and was still worrying about her when the assassin did not care at all. Tears from his eyes were streaming down his cheeks uncontrollable.

"…Yes…she's safe now…"

"…good…" she said with a weak smile forming on her face.

'…why…she did nothing and yet…I have to do something! I have to save her! I can't let this keep happening and doing nothing, but cry!'

Yuki rubbed his sleeve over his eyes to get the tears out of his face and stood up. He looked down at Fumiko knowing that she did not have much time left. There was no time to wait, but he feared if he would be able to do what he wanted.

'There's no time to second guess myself. I know what I want…that should be enough.'

Yuki closed his eyes concentrating on his Kasou-ryoko and Fumiko. There was only one thing that he wanted from his power right now. Nothing else mattered to him.

'Give me the power to save her life!'

The wind suddenly blew up around him as waves pulsed out of his feet making the grass blow away from him. All around him light began to appear from the grass and cement around him gathering at his hands.

When he opened his eyes he looked down to see thin strains of energy being drawn towards his hands. He knelt down at Fumiko's side not completely sure what he had to do, but instinctively placed his hand on her wound.

The strains of light flew up into the air blowing in the breeze digging into the skin and wound of Fumiko. All around the injury green light shined between Yuki's fingers. Yuki held tightly to Fumiko as more strains grew up attaching to Fumiko slowly closing up the wound from the inside until the skin was sealed up.

Yuki pulled his hand away looking through the cut in the uniform to see that there was nothing but blood left where the wound was. He smiled in relief and fell back on his legs. Fumiko groaned and coughed as she opened her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Huh?"

Fumiko pulled herself up looking around no longer certain what was happening. The cold feeling of the void that she had felt was no longer surrounding her. A warmth carried through her giving her the reassurance that she was still alive in spite of what she was certain had been her final moments alive.

"How am? Is this heaven?"

Yuki laughed a little wiping away the newly forming tears in his eyes.

"No, you're alive still."

"But how am I alive?"

She looked down at her uniform seeing all of the blood that had soaked in her clothes and around her. It confirmed for her that she had not dreamt the injury. She remembered feeling the blade going through her and yet now it was no longer even a scar on her stomach.

"It's gone!"

"Yes, I healed you."

"Healed? How?"

"I don't have time to explain now. I need to go back. You stay here and rest. I'll be back."

Fumiko watched him stand up and start to run off away from her. She saw a different side of him that she had not seen before. The last time he seemed like a raging maniac that she could not control and before he seemed like a kind friend.

She did not know what it was that was true about him. All she could see from him now was worry and kindness.

'He saved me…I don't know…but…'

Fumiko stared at him a moment longer trying to figure out what was going on and what she had to do.

'Saved me…he's worried…there's something he needs to do…'

She stood up narrowing her eyes in determination feeling a stiff almost soreness coming from her stomach only helping to affirm the notion that she used to be injured, but no longer.

"I'm coming with you!"

"What?!" said Yuki as he turned seeing Fumiko walking towards him.

'She needs to stay there. She can't see this…'

Yuki stopped and rushed back to her looking at her straight.

"You need to rest! I'll be back shortly, it'll be fine."

"No! I'm going!"

"But—"

"I…I misjudged you. I'm sorry… I thought that you were trying…I didn't know that you trying to protect me. That's all you wanted to do. I can see that look in your eyes right now. You want to protect someone. Let me come with you so I can return your kindness."

'That doesn't make any sense!'

Yuki stared at Fumiko seeing the look in her eyes and getting a feeling that he had felt before. It was something that he was going to lose. He could not beat her determination. He was not going to understand it, but he had no choice.

"Fine, just stay behind me."

Yuki ran off to where Ayumi was fighting with Fumiko following up behind him.

As he turned the corner of the building a piece of a sword flew past him making him stop. He looked towards Ayumi seeing her sword broken and the assassin standing behind her wearing a red short skirt and shirt one piece over the gray suit. The assassin's sword was coming back for another swing with Ayumi completely defenseless.

"Ayumi!" he shouted as he charged around the corner towards Ayumi.