The Dream Shifter

Chapter 63

Saki was suddenly drawn to the window that snapped everything in Yuki breaking his legs making him sprint to the window. The look on Saki had him worried at what she was seeing. When he looked down from the classroom to the grounds below he could see Ayumi surrounded by several boys.

"Ayumi's in trouble!" Yuki turned on his feet immediately followed up by and quickly passed by Saki.

"Aw, come on, don't you want to come have some tea with us?" one of the boys said pushing in on Ayumi as she could only hold her hands up in panic.

She had been unable to say more than a few words to them, but they were not taking 'no' for an answer.

"P-Please…"

"Hey, if you don't like that, we can get a soda."

"Yeah, cutie. Come on. We're friendly."

"Nothing to be scared of."

"…I-I-I…"

Ayumi tried to back away from them, but was held in place with them circling her. The tears in her eyes began to trickle down as she wanted it all to end, but could not take it anymore. The boys grabbed on to her arm still wanting her to come along with them even by force if it was necessary.

"…no…s-s-some-one…"

None of the other students that were watching even seemed to budge towards her. She was alone with no one willing to help her.

"Come on!"

Suddenly, there was a large shadow cast over everyone grouped together. As everyone looked back behind them all they could see was a dark figure with gleaming eyes of a demon staring down at them.

The boys all fell backwards into the grass frightened by what they saw. When the figure leaned in towards them it made them all turn blue in the face with fear.

"What do you think you're doing? The girl doesn't want you bothering her, understand?"

"Y-y-yeah!"

All of the boys said quickly as they turned around and fled on all fours until they were able to get back to their feet leaving only a trail of dirt behind them. The rest of the students turned back to their regular lives no longer concerned by what was happened.

The dark figure leaned in offering a hand out to Ayumi with the shade breaking through revealing the person to be a female student and by the looks a senior.

"They shouldn't mess with you anymore. Are you alright?"

Ayumi cautiously accepted the hand getting pulled up to her feet.

"T-thank you…"

When they were standing up back up Ayumi looked up and up realizing that the girl was very tall. She had very long dark brown hair, held down to her edge of her skirt, working in contrast to her green eyes.

"Umm…"

Saki came charging through the door out into the school grounds, to where Ayumi was, blindly going after whoever it was that was near Ayumi. Yuki followed up the rear trying to get to Saki before she got too out of control, but he caught in a moment that the situation had changed. In the speeding enraged scene that was about to occur, Yuki extended out his arm quickly bridging the gap between them through sheer will.

"Saki! Stop!"

Unfortunately, he could tell that there was no chance of that with the way that Saki was running like a bull. He did the only thing that he could and jumped off into Saki knocking her off her target and coming to a sliding stop on the other side of Ayumi and the senior becoming a new scene of embarrassment and entertainment for the students.

"Yuki! What do you think you're doing?!"

Saki grabbed Yuki by the throat throwing him off of her so that she could get up and do what she had intended to do.

It had been a long time since he remembered being on the receiving end of Saki's hands. He choked through his words to calm down Saki.

"Ayumi's safe now, Saki! Look!"

"Huh?"

Saki looked away from Yuki back to Ayumi and the senior that rescued her, who were now staring down at the two of them a little puzzled by their actions.

"Umm…well…"

"C-can you let go of me?" Yuki said starting to feel his throat really tighten in Saki's hand as she became embarrassed.

"What?! Ah!"

Saki pulled back her hand from Yuki letting him drop to the grass suddenly as he was able to breathe.

"Well…I-I-I…"

The senior bent down and offered her hand to Saki, who was still flustered by everything, accepting the help without thinking. Yuki was given help up as well with everyone finally back on their feet.

Yuki turned and looked at Saki getting the same thought going through them.

'She's tall! I think she's even taller than Seiji! Is she really a student?'

"Uh…thank you senpai!" Ayumi said bowing to the senior with Saki quickly following up, but apologizing instead.

The girl waved them off a little becoming embarrassed by the formality.

"I'm just glad you're safe. No thanks is needed."

"I'm Ayumi Nishimura."

"Saki Furukawa."

"Yuki Hayashi."

"Oh, well I'm Fumiko Terauchi. It's nice to meet you."

Fumiko politely bowed back to them returning the formality that everyone was giving.

"Thank you for helping, Ayumi," Yuki said not even acting with the thought that Ayumi was pretending the entire time not even coming to him.

"She's new to the school and hasn't gotten used to everything."

"I see. Well those boys aren't how everyone is in the school, Nishimura," Fumiko said leaning in to Ayumi to give her reassurance.

There was an almost charming look in her eye that left Ayumi gasping for air and Yuki and Saki stuttering a little themselves.

"It seems you have good friends to be at your side, but if you're ever in trouble I'll be there to protect you."

Ayumi felt her face become a little red as she was still unable to keep breath inside feeling a strange pounding in her heart.

"…uh…al-al-right…"

"I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time."

Fumiko stepped back quickly letting Ayumi go and bowed politely once more.

"My club is meeting today, so I must be going."

She turned around and rushed off like she was late going off towards the club building of the school.

Yuki and Saki finally pulled themselves together and took up sides on Ayumi, who was still recovering from her encounter.

"Who was that?" Yuki said not sure if he could believe what he saw just an instant before.

"…Fumiko…Terauchi…"

"Ayumi?" 

"Ayumi?" Yuki said looking at the distant almost vacant look in Ayumi's eyes after Fumiko had left them. There seemed to be a reddish glow in her face that Yuki was having a little trouble understanding for a moment. He put his hand out on her shoulder hoping that it would snap her out of the trance that she was in now.

It mostly seemed to work making Ayumi initially blink and then step back a little like she was not expecting to see someone in front of her.

"What are you looking at?"

The softer features of Ayumi were washed away almost immediately to be revealed as the cold calculating expression that appeared under the surface, so easily forgot.

"Well you were zoning out ever since Fumiko was standing near you and even after she left. You feeling alright?"

Yuki stepped in closer to Ayumi, but she backed away from him.

She looked at him a little suspiciously not certain why Yuki was acting in a strange manner towards her.

"I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

When Yuki tried to reach out a hand to help Ayumi she slapped it away looking insulted.

"Just because I let a bunch of immature boys near me, doesn't mean I'm helpless. I can't be revealing myself."

"Yeah I know…"

Yuki thought to himself for a moment remembering her reaction. The image made him think that he might be not seeing the entire picture correctly.

'Is she being defensive?'

A change in his features became almost sly and mischievous making Ayumi's eyes narrow only further questioning his behavior.

"How come your face was so red then if you were just acting?"

"What?!"

She stepped back a couple steps from Yuki being taken off guard by Yuki strange probing question.

"I was just keeping with the moment."

"Oh?" said Yuki becoming even more suspicious of what she had told him before. He was starting to believe her less and perhaps even see that there might be a human being underneath all of that cold manipulating exterior.

"But you were still like that even after Fumiko left. You didn't need to keep the façade up for us, right?"

"Huh? I don't know what you're talking about," she said turning away and crossing her arms.

Saki was minding her own business during most of it, but her hand was up at the side of her face thinking as Yuki was acting like a fool. There was something valid to what he was saying in spite of being as tactless as Hiroshi looking for a victim for his next joke.

"You…were… Were you acting?" She had a more curious tone in her voice than one that was accusingly looking for someone to play with.

"You too?"

She turned back to look at Yuki with her cold stare that would have normally frightened him into submission. However, it did not seem to be working this time as Yuki was grinning to the point of laughing almost.

"If you say another word about this I'll kill you…"

Yuki could not hold back his laughter anymore seeing how seriously that Ayumi was trying to make this just to cover up the issue. The expression that she had was too funny for him. She could not take a joke.

However, Ayumi did not find it amusing and grabbed Yuki by his uniform's jacket collar and tightened her hold quickly to make him choke while he laughed. The glare from Ayumi was firm and unmoving by anything that Yuki did making him cough himself serious in a few moments.

"Alright! Alright! I'll drop it!"

He was released and stepped back to pull down his jacket to straighten it out.

'Ouch…can't take a little teasing…'

He rubbed his neck feeling the rawness that left behind from Ayumi. 'Sort reminds me a little of Seiji.' Yuki finished getting himself back to normal and stepped forward to Saki and Ayumi.

"Still that Fumiko, is something. She was able to scare off the boys with nothing, but her glare. Huh, Saki?"

"Hmm…"

"But speak of…Saki I—"

"I've got practice now. I've got to hurry before the coach yells at me."

She ran off quickly from the two of them returning to the building leaving Yuki with his hand out and speechless.

"…Saki…"

Yuki dropped his arm to his side holding his head down looking at the grass at his feet. The chances that he had been given to speak to her were both stolen away from him.

He did not have any choice in what happened, but even when he tried he could not say what he wanted to her. It felt like the weight would not leave his back no matter how much he tried to strengthen his resolve.

Ayumi walked up around Yuki facing him even if he was not looking at her.

"It's time to go."

She waited for him to make a move seeing clearly enough that he was still held within his own problems. She did not want to waste much time stand around, but it could be afforded slightly. However, he was not moving even with her being patient in giving him the time that he needed to be able to settle his issues.

'If he's this unfocused and distracted… How is he going to be able to control his power…'

Ayumi pushed forward on Yuki getting into his space making him be forced to react even if it was only to fall back. She needed him to snap out of this if he was to move forward.