The Dream Shifter

Chapter 103

"What?!" Saki exclaimed in panic looking back at the stone mound. '…why Yuki? What's wrong? This isn't like you…'

"You know what's going on don't you?" Hiroshi said stepping up finally addressing both Ayumi and Saki. There was a determined look in his eyes expecting an answer from him. However, Saki only turned over her shoulder with sorrowful eyes.

Ayumi raised up her hand to Hiroshi's face. "This doesn't concern you!" she said as prepared to release her field. An explosion behind her took her by surprise knocking her into Hiroshi and sending the three of them to the grass. The black cloud burst over them covering the entire school grounds. A dull ringing was left in their ears when everything passed. Ayumi turned over to see the stone unaltered. Her eyes narrowed for a moment in calculation.

As the wind blew out the smoke an aged man in a businessman's suit stood on the school ground. Demosthenes had made his appearance and Ayumi remembered his face. She had let out a low tick from her mouth in annoyance at seeing him alive still. "You just don't know how to die, old man…" mocked Ayumi as she stood up. Her snow field was immediately released around her and sword in hand.

"The young woman from last night," Demosthenes mused from memory. His grass field appeared quickly covering a significantly larger radius compared to Ayumi. A spear was held in his hand, politely waiting. He rubbed his chest recalling what had happened before. "I can admire your resolve to a quick battle, but you're not my opponent. I'm only here for the false King."

Saki understood the way their powers work well enough to see that Ayumi was out classed by this new assassin. She ran up alongside Ayumi taking to a defensive stance. There was a momentary look from the corner of Ayumi's eye at Saki. "This one's beyond you. I'm not about to let you do this alone. We'll protect Yuki together!"

"Hrmph…do what you want." Ayumi ran over to place herself between Yuki and the assassin. Her sword was held out challenging Demosthenes. "He's the true heir! He's your King, our King! And I won't let you kill him!"

"Yuki's my friend! I won't let you hurt him!" said Saki joining Ayumi at her side. While her words sounded sure her body questioned their resolve. She did not know what to expect from this assassin. Saki only knew that he was the strongest that she had seen.

Demosthenes closed his eyes briefly carrying a warm smile to his face. He opened them and focused on the two girls that stood in his way. "I commend your resolve and bravery. However…" The words trailed off as he sprinted forward with his spear in both hands. His eyes held firm with no mercy to be given.

'You're safe in here, my son.'

'…mother…' Yuki smiled warmly in the comforting arms of his mother. He was able to feel completely safe with her like he had not felt since his powers had awakened. Nothing would be hurt by him.

'And I won't let you kill him!' whispered Ayumi's voice through the stone dully echoing in the tiny chamber. It sparked a moment of doubt in Yuki's heart.

'Yuki's my friend! I won't let you hurt him!' came Saki's voice weakly.

Yuki turned his head up, his mother's arms still wrapped gently around his shoulders. Painted roughly on the wall was the scene outside. He could see Ayumi and Saki standing in front and between them Demosthenes further away running towards them. "No! He's too strong for you! You can't win!" Yuki tried to stand up to reach out to them, but he was held back.

'…You're safe here…'

"I-I'm safe…" He began to close his eyes once more, but was stopped by the sound of weapons clashing. Demosthenes exchanged several quick parries with Ayumi before he caught an opening in her and ran her through the stomach. Blood sprayed across the stone as she collapsed to the ground struggling to get to her feet. Saki was next with only speed keeping her alive, but only for a moment before she was cut down, a deep gash lining from her shoulder down across her chest. They were both taken down with almost no effort and Demosthenes stared finished in his stance looking through to Yuki. Yuki's eyes were shaking violently seeing them both lying there. "Saki! Ayumi!"

Ayumi fought to get back to her feet unwilling to give up. She coughed up blood that dripped against her sword that shook in her weak hand. Barely able to stand, Saki staggered forward with stubborn determination. "No! Stop you two! P-please…" Yuki struggled against the arms that held him back trying to reach for them. All he was shown was a flash of the spear as blood sprayed through the air with both of them collapsing. "NO!"

'…Yuki…'

"…mother…I-I…" Yuki collapsed to the ground with tears beginning to build in his eyes. The helplessness that he felt grew into a weight in his chest against his pounding heart. He could not look anymore.

'You call yourself a man! Attacking two girls like that!' Hiroshi voice shouted dully through the walls.

'We won't let you hurt our friends anymore!' Kazuhiro declared standing next Hiroshi.

'This stops here!' Tatsuya added standing opposite Kazuhiro.

"No! Guys stop! W-why?!"

'I-I won't let you hurt Yuki!' Yumi bravely said suddenly joining them.

'Right!' said Katsumi smiling.

'Yeah! Yuki's our friend!' Kaede announced jumping in beside them.

'You're violence ends here!' Fumiko roughly spoke standing behind them and still being seen. They were soon joined by others from Yuki's class and other students. All of them gathered in front of the school standing to protect Ayumi and Saki who had fallen with Yuki behind them.

Yuki did not know what was happening anymore stunned by the sudden surge of classmates that were standing up for him. Everyone that he thought just ignored him was standing to defend him. They were protecting him. He could not move. "W-What should I do, mother?"

Demothenes outside narrowed his eyes seeing the changing situation. He pulled back his spear letting it rest at his side. Then he closed his eyes taking a long moment of pause. Those around him waited uncertain what was going to happen next. The tension in the air slowly built as the man remained ever still. "Time's up…" he said softly snapping his eyes back open staring into the crowd. "For the King!" He had thrust up his hand into the air bringing attention to it before he snapped his fingers together echoing a pulsing sound through the crowd. Suddenly, the charm on Kazuhiro's bag that hung at his side lit up before exploding violent in the crowd.

"NO!!!" Yuki screamed in horror.

"NO!!!" Yuki screamed in horror. He was unable to do anything, but watch as his friends and classmates were all consumed in the explosion. His hands began to shake violently. The view was too much for him to look at and he turned his head away burying it his knees. "W-Why?! They were innocent…"

At his side on his left appeared a faint image of him from a year ago. 'I killed her! It's all my fault! I killed mother!'

Yuki dug his face further into his knees not wanting to hear the truth any longer. The images of his mother on her dead bed haunted him making him want to close his eyes even more than they were already. Wrinkles along his eyebrows grew with the pain of hearing screams of his friends. "I killed mother! And now I killed my friends too!"

'Everything's my fault! I'm the cause of everyone's pain!' The ghost of himself was becoming frantic throwing his arms out. There was nothing it could do to save itself.

"I don't deserve to keep living when all I do is take…" A slow resigned breath escaped his lips as he let the thought sink in. He had thought that he was living for his promise, but it had become so heavy. All he brought with him was sadness no matter how much he smiled. It had to end.

'That's right!' Another partial image appeared by Yuki on his right as a child from when he was younger.

The view of the outside faded away from him leaving him in darkness with only the two selves to be with him. In the blanket of the void that he hid his heart only sank further with each thought only reaffirming his own worthlessness. "They'll be better off without me…"

'Yes, they can stop protecting you!' the boy said to him again.

"Protecting?" said Yuki dully having to think. As he recalled with each assassin that had come after him someone was always protecting him. "Always protecting me…" The portal to the outside returned shining a bright light on Yuki forcing his gaze up towards it. However, unlike before there was no view of the school grounds with his friends. When the light faded away he could see a scene from his memory; the first assassin that attacked him had him cornered and would have killed him.

The man charged in with his sand surrounding the high jump mat and pole quickly staring down Yuki. Yuki did not try to flee. He drew up his sword from the sand once more pulling it back with both hands to thrust through Yuki for the final blow.

Yuki closed his eyes waiting for the blade to strike. It was over. The blade came in for the kill and time passed on. Yuki winced in pain, but he then looked around to see someone in front of him. Someone had actually come to save him. It took him a moment for him to stare at the person's back to realize who it actually was.

"You?!" Yuki eyes widened in surprised to see that it was her that came to save him. He did not think that there was anyone near that saw them. "Ayumi…why?" Ayumi struggled with the assassin's strength using a sword of her own to hold back the attack that would have kill Yuki. While she held her ground against the attacker she divided some of her attention to Yuki. "I told you before that I will be here to protect you. While I'm here no more harm will come to you."

Yuki nodded to himself as the memory faded away leaving the portal empty. "Ayumi saved me that day. She's always saving me. It's her job…" Seeing the memory did not help him making his mind feel heavy still. He wanted to turn away, but there was something new playing for him. It made his eyes widen in shock and pain. "That night…NO! Don't show it to me!" The night that the second assassin attacked and hurt his family began to run for him. Momoko was forced to stand up for him that time fighting the man that threatened them because Yuki was unable.

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. 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.