The Dream Shifter

Chapter 166

Yuki did not like the feeling that he had from watching the man approaching them. He wanted to do something, but knew that Ayumi insisted on keeping to her plan. "We need to move."

"They're too many of us to move. We'll wait it out."

"I'm getting tired of waiting," Saki impatiently declared raising her voice a little. She leaned up from being crouched. Her fists pressed together looking ready from action. "These guys are pretty weak. We should all be able to handle them without breaking a sweat."

"Yeah! I'm with Saki on this!" Seiji agreed.

Ayumi glared at Seiji narrowly hardly surprised by Seiji response. "Of course you are…" she spoke flatly. When Seiji made a move to stand up to join Saki Ayumi grabbed his wrist tightly. "We're staying right here. You're not ruining all of my planning with your hotheaded ideas."

Yuki tapped Ayumi on the shoulder to break her out of her reprimanding of Seiji. "I'm afraid Saki's already doing that." He pointed to where Saki used to be a moment before. She disappeared from their sight only for a blur streaking across the field where she barely could be seen.

An uncontrollable squeal came out of Ayumi as she had no other reaction left frozen. The rest of the group gathered around hearing the noise. Before a minute had passed Saki returned standing in the light away from the shade of the forest. She seemed very pleased with herself. "It's done! I cleared out everyone I could find in about a kilometer around us!" No one knew what to say surprised to know that she had just defeated the entire search party in the area.

"How did you do that?!" Yuki asked puzzled standing out from the brush. "I couldn't even see you!"

"That's my ability. Speed and strength!"

"Huh?! Since when did you have that?"

"You should know that, Yuki. This isn't the first time I've used it in front of you, you know."

"Huh?!" Yuki's mind flashed back trying to figure out when he might have seen Saki's speed. She always had speed from being on the track team so he never thought too deeply about it. Then his memories came back to him to reveal what she said to be truthful. "That day with the street g**g's leader!?"

"Yeah, but even before then." She saw that he looked confused. Even that day it had confused her. The awakening she had was sudden and not until later did it fully make any sense to her. In the moment of when it happened she had no thoughts just instinct. "It was a rough day on you. I'm not surprised you didn't realize it."

The way Saki talked to him went around the truth while leading him forward stirred up something familiar. The reluctant memories surfaced for him making him understand. He eyes widened in shock when he knew. "The first day?! At the school!"

"Yeah." Saki looked down at her hand held loosely together. "That was how I was able to break Ayumi's barrier and send him flying. The speed and power of my fist shattered him forcing him to retreat. That's why he left. He was gravely wounded by me even though I saw him trying to deflect me. I think it ended up being just enough to save his life…sorry I never told you Yuki." She hesitated to see how Yuki looked. 'I stopped the fight and stole it away from him… But I couldn't watch him die… I've been afraid of what he might think if I ever told…'

No words came from Yuki. He stood still as though frozen unable to think. Everyone around him did not know how he would react. The truth seemed to have a deeper impact on him than they thought. They waited to see what he would say rather than forcing him.

Yuki pulled his head up and focused his vision back on Saki. "I thought it was just a comedic gag being played. I didn't know it was for real!" He laughed at himself looking sheepish and embarrassed.

"Huh?!" shouted everyone before they fell over in surprise. He smiled appearing like it did not mean anything more to him. He seemed more embarrassed to be clueless up until then.

Saki dug herself back up from the deep pit she made from her shocked reaction of him doing the opposite of what she planned. The sight of him looking like he did before all of the trouble began made her feel a little better. She missed seeing the carefree attitude that he used to have, even if that was a cover. Saki gave him a wide smile pleased to see Yuki. "Yuki…"

Against the collapsed friends Ayumi leapt up with most of her face darkened out, but two glowing circles for eyes pierce through the mist. She staggered over to the two carefree souls. The air from her breath had an opaque quality almost like it could surround and choke the life out of someone. "How can you two…just stand there…laughing?!"

"Oh hi Ayumi!" Yuki replied with a mere wave of his hand. The fact that Ayumi's face was the scariest he had ever seen it went completely ignored by him. "Now that Saki's taken care of the patrol we don't have to worry anymore!"

"…Yuki," questioned Saki drawing out her words slowly, "How blind are you right now?"

"Huh?" He looked around confused by Saki's question. The riding heavy pressure from behind him threatened to completely enclose him.

"He's so afraid he's blown completely past terror and passed into denial," commented Yori. Along with the rest of the group, he had recovered and maintained a safe distance away from the volatile situation.

Everyone else nodded in agree and a little surprised. They all chimed in together, "Impressive."

The last few restrains on Ayumi's valves snapped the longer she watched Yuki. She reached up behind Yuki making long shards of ice appear around her floating. The intent from Ayumi became so overwhelming that even ignorance held no chance against her. "Yuki!" Ayumi throttled Yuki's chest and neck all in one move pinning him to the ground. "You can't even bother to follow the plan!"

While Yuki got choked and stretched out by Ayumi Yumi rushed over to try to put a stop them. The anger and frustration that Ayumi had could not be calmed by words. Yumi's efforts fell to deaf ears. However, Yori came up from behind calmly. "If the enemy's gone we should probably start moving again, right?"

His words somehow snapped in Ayumi bringing her back to reality. She discarded Yuki and stood up making like nothing happened. "Yes, we have to keep moving. All that this has done is confirming to them that there's a threat they must hunt down. Your efforts were wasted." Ayumi stared over at Saki hammering down with the weight of her criticism.

For a moment Saki knew that what she did caused them all problems. However, she did not let it crush her down like Ayumi wanted. "It's not like they didn't already know that. I'm not the type to go about hiding. We face them head on and crush their will to follow us!"

Seiji came up around Saki and slung a heavy arm around on her shoulders grinning with pride. "I knew there was something about you that I liked Saki! You've got the right idea!"

"Yeah overwhelming power will make them turn away in fear!" cheered Yuki, fixed back up from his near death encounter already.

"It's a simple tactic, but it can be the most effective," added Chiharu. She appeared serious for once, a bit of surprise to the other. "From what I've seen our goal is much further in. Running and hiding will only cause us to be slowed down and have numerous small battles along the way. Strike hard and fast so they can follow seems like the best course of action for us."

Ayumi saw the winds changing against her. She knew none of them agreed to her plans, but they followed because they lacked one of their own. 'If they have their own plan I'll lose any control I have left. We can't delay.' The system that laid out over them was something that only she understood. It had to be her. They do not have all of the information. "We don't have the time!" She made her voice rise over everyone and to a volume none of them had every hard from her.

"Huh?!" said everyone pausing from Ayumi thunderous declaration.

She calmed down with a deep breath. She had their attention. "We are on a deadline. With all of the time spent we only have eleven days left before Yuki is unable to claim himself the rightful heir to the throne of Atlantis. I know those greedy politicians have already found someone to take that seat. They just have to wait out the time and then everything will have been in vain! Everything will crumble!"