The Dream Shifter

Chapter 210

"But what about us?" questioned Seiji. He stepped out around Fumiko to approach Chiharu. Their difference in speed was something he understood, but did not plan to let it stop him from try. "We're a group, a team. We should stick together!"

"Weaklings only slow me down."

The response hit the cord on Seiji and triggered his anger. He thought he could get along with her, but she kept pushing his attempts. Lost to his reason, Seiji charged for her. However, she disappeared before him leaving him to stumble around when he realized all he caught was the air. He quickly recovered and spun around in anticipation of a counter, like always. Yet nothing came for him. The silence made him realize. He pounded his fist into the ground making the earth quake a little. "Damn you, brat!"

Closing the distance quickly, Chiharu found the back of Yumi in sight. It put her within hearing of the mutterings that came from her. None of it mattered to Chiharu, just endless words of no meaning to her. She found their sense of team a little troubling with the lack of discipline that they showed. Such weakness would only bring their collapse. Chiharu did not understand it. She focused on her target and sped around in front.

Popping out of the air, Chiharu stood in the path of Yumi's constant pace. She noticed that her feet did not move, but hovered instead. 'Explains one thing. Her mental energies must be greater than her physical ones…' Only a few moments of thought spared Chiharu before she felt a blast of wind. Before anything serious could happen, Chiharu jumped backwards and kept Yumi in her sights. She narrowed her eyes to scan her closer. Working from the theory, an absent sense of awareness did seem present. It provided the amount of confirmation she needed. 'l'll just need to provide enough shock to snap her awake.'

Chiharu lifted her hand up with the palm spread flat towards Yumi. The next anticipated blast came after her. It slammed into her palm before disappearing. Surfacing in front of Yumi, the sudden wind blew at her cloths, but a dull shine along with a ping echoed outline a barrier. 'Damn, her barrier and reflexes…thought that would catch her off guard…' Another round came for her, forcing Chiharu to dodge out of the way. The blasts kicked up grass and ate earth after missing their targets. Chiharu could only keep up with her speed, disappearing with each dodge.

"…I'll find him…Brother…I saw him…I'm coming…"

The futility of offense and defense quickly became apparent to Chiharu. All she accomplished so far was keeping pace with the girl. 'Endless muttering…' She dodged around the incoming blast, still picking up the words between explosions. '…wish she'd stop…can't attack with the barrier…' Chiharu gritted her teeth and sped around the next blast. '…brother this and brother that…' She needed a new approach. The stalemate became boring for her. Chiharu came to a stop in front of Yumi slamming her hand against the barrier and digging her feet. Grass and dirt burst up around her boots from the force. "Enough about your brother all the time. I don't know what's more annoying to watch, your brother complex or your unrequited love for that weakling."

"…I'm coming…he's in pain…"

Chiharu's knees buckled with the strain forced upon them. She tightened her features bothered by the last resort she came up with. 'I'm not really suited to this sort of battle…' Her mind wandered trying to find an angle of attack. The memories that surfaced sent her back to the night in the forest. Images of Saki appeared to her. Her thoughts of Saki rattled her concentration and ripped her away. Chiharu cursed in silence as she struggled to regain control. '…she's the person for this…not me…'

"…I saw Yori…they had him…Brother…"

'…just doesn't stop…' The persistence of Yumi felt a bit like trying to stop a train. Chiharu did not know how to do something that was impossible. However, her confidence in front of that i***t muscle-head would not let her walk away. '…I'd never hear the end of it from him…' She straightened her legs and forced them down into the ground further as she leaned into the barrier. The mocking face of him gave her more determination.

"…I'll rescue you…I won't let them…"

"Can't you say something else? This repetitiveness is getting boring." Her rhetorical question went unanswered, as expected. She did not know why she tried to speak with the girl. Anything she had to say came out empty. She had no significance to her. Chiharu gritted her teeth against the stress that began to build up. "So annoying…"

"…Brother…I can hear you…"

"Talking is not going to work…" commented Chiharu. She pressed her shoulder into the barrier gripping tighter onto the barrier. '…so much for a different approach…' The unyielding train did not seem to have anything to stop it. Chiharu hated the thought of her inability. '…failing…again…is that all…I…' She fought with her body to keep on track and not forced away. She needed someone else other than her. '…this is beyond me…I'm not…' The pressure of the barrier crushed into her body shooting sparks through her muscles. Chiharu pulled her eyes back to Yumi. "The only one you'll listen to is that weakling…"

"…Brother…"

"…isn't that right?" A drop in Chiharu voice came with her words. The constant struggle with the barrier took its toll on her. She did not think she could continue further. Nothing could stop her, she concluded. Chiharu suddenly felt the full impact of the barrier against her in a moment of surprise. She lost all of her strength and legs collapsed. It cast her aside in the grass, broken. Chiharu coughed and panted. She stared at the night sky. "Why him? That weakling? Why did you go so far? Someone that's out of place and scared. Just for him. That…that…weakling…why did I bother? Damn…Yuki Hayashi…"   

Chiharu's knees buckled with the strain forced upon them. She tightened her features bothered by the last resort she came up with. 'I'm not really suited to this sort of battle…' Her mind wandered trying to find an angle of attack. The memories that surfaced sent her back to the night in the forest. Images of Saki appeared to her. Her thoughts of Saki rattled her concentration and ripped her away. Chiharu cursed in silence as she struggled to regain control. '…she's the person for this…not me…'

"…I saw Yori…they had him…Brother…"

'…just doesn't stop…' The persistence of Yumi felt a bit like trying to stop a train. Chiharu did not know how to do something that was impossible. However, her confidence in front of that i***t muscle-head would not let her walk away. '…I'd never hear the end of it from him…' She straightened her legs and forced them down into the ground further as she leaned into the barrier. The mocking face of him gave her more determination.

"…I'll rescue you…I won't let them…"

"Can't you say something else? This repetitiveness is getting boring." Her rhetorical question went unanswered, as expected. She did not know why she tried to speak with the girl. Anything she had to say came out empty. She had no significance to her. Chiharu gritted her teeth against the stress that began to build up. "So annoying…"

"…Brother…I can hear you…"

"Talking is not going to work…" commented Chiharu. She pressed her shoulder into the barrier gripping tighter onto the barrier. '…so much for a different approach…' The unyielding train did not seem to have anything to stop it. Chiharu hated the thought of her inability. '…failing…again…is that all…I…' She fought with her body to keep on track and not forced away. She needed someone else other than her. '…this is beyond me…I'm not…' The pressure of the barrier crushed into her body shooting sparks through her muscles. Chiharu pulled her eyes back to Yumi. "The only one you'll listen to is that weakling…"

"…Brother…"

"…isn't that right?" A drop in Chiharu voice came with her words. The constant struggle with the barrier took its toll on her. She did not think she could continue further. Nothing could stop her, she concluded. Chiharu suddenly felt the full impact of the barrier against her in a moment of surprise. She lost all of her strength and legs collapsed. It cast her aside in the grass, broken. Chiharu coughed and panted. She stared at the night sky. "Why him? That weakling? Why did you go so far? Someone that's out of place and scared. Just for him. That…that…weakling…why did I bother? Damn…Yuki Hayashi…"

"…Yuki…"

"…urgh…losing to him…" Chiharu hated the thought that someone so small and weak held such importance to someone. She did not understand him. She saw how he acted. He relied on others. He dwelled heavily on decisions with regret. He hesitated when acting. He needed others to do things because he was not strong enough alone. He used people. She hated it. She could not stand it. It made her lost emotions bubble to the surface. Chiharu bit her lip annoyed in the situation.

"…Yuki…"

Bothered by the thought of losing to him, it forced strength back into Chiharu's body. She felt her muscles responding to her and feeling returning to her fingers. Chiharu pushed on the earth, still feeling a sluggish action from her limbs. It took everything she had to stand on her feet. Her arms hung over her shoulders as her upper body leaned against her hips to keep from collapsing. "Damn him…I won't lose to you…" A tinge of energy flowed through her. It put her legs in motion and turned to find the girl a short distance from her. "…I'll show you…my strength…" Chiharu threw her body up to straighten out forcing away all of the fatigue and soreness. She forgot it all and sprinted over to put a stop to her.

In front of Yumi, Chiharu appeared with her hands out ready to hold down her barrier once more. This time she did not plan to let her past until she snapped out of the trance. She did not care what stood in her way. She would not lose to him. She was no weakling. Her determination built her resolve and channeled her strength. Chiharu felt better and focused. She still did not know how to stop her or get through, but none of it matter. It would happen she decided.

The next thing Chiharu heard was a squishing sound and an odd feeling in her hands.

"Huh?" asked Chiharu, confused. She focused her attention forward to see how the situation had changed. No barrier existed and the girl's face looked very red. Chiharu still did not understand.

Yumi hesitated in managing her words. She suddenly woke up not really certain of where she stood. The first she felt was Chiharu's hands. "W-w-wh-w-w-what's…Chi-Chi-Chi-C…"

Everything came flooding upon Chiharu at once. She realized that Yumi was awake already, but did not know when it happened. She realized that she did not need to do anything anymore. All of her efforts suddenly felt useless. Her resolve seemed unneeded and pointless. Worst of all, she did not know why her hands were holding something warm and soft. Chiharu let out a strange ticking sound from her lips before her head tilted stiffly. Her eyes turned to blank fuzzy white circles and her mind ran completely blank.

"…already lost…" Chiharu collapsed to her knees no longer having the strength she built up. Her mind remained clocked out.

"Chiharu! What's wrong?"

After the ordeal of recovering and calming down, Yumi and Chiharu sat on the ground a comfortable distance apart. Yumi still became a little unsettled with Chiharu after what happened. Equally so, Chiharu fought her instinctual reactions every time she noticed Yumi become even slightly embarrassed. A few minutes of uneasy silence were enough for Chiharu. She crossed her arms and turned away as she stood up. "You need to control your powers better…"

Yumi stood up and bowed deeply to Chiharu's back. "I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!" She barely remembered anything that happened after speaking with Fumiko. The connection with Yori became stronger she remembered and everything after she just saw him. None of the rest of the things that happened from what Chiharu told her sounded familiar. A pause between ran out again with Yumi's uncertainty. "…if I could have controlled my powers…Brother wouldn't…"