The Dream Shifter

Chapter 145

Akihiro had been waiting and took the moment to make his attack on Haruo, knowing that he could do nothing to Yuki. A large sword blade burst from the earth, but as it reached towards the target it turned becoming horizontal with the ground. He stared confused at it for a moment only to realize that the ground that it had been attached from was bent over. Akihiro jerked back a little suddenly getting a sidewise glance from Yuki that made his blood run cold. It took him a second to pull himself back together and try again managing a stubborn streak somehow. Thinking it would be different a second time another blade thin and jagged reached out for Haruo only to fail to reach.

Katsu took the momentary distraction to force down the pain and make an attack. The desperation he felt fed into his power drawing on more than he had been before turning streams of pale green compressed wind around his body. A struggle for strength of the gales ensued between Katsu and Yuki, but with Yuki's concentration being divided the balance was upset. Most of the buildup had gone unnoticed by Yuki or Haruo. It was not until it was too late that Yuki was alerted to the already developing attack. Unlike before, Katsu was not creating a crescent with the wind, but rather a sphere. When it had reached dangerous proportions Yuki had little options available to him.

In the final moments of the wind sphere being formed Yuki grabbed Haruo to shield him while throwing themselves away from the attack. Using a reckless thrust from his own wind, Yuki tossed them out of the immediate blast radius of the sphere launching. The target of the sphere had moved leaving it to explode on the earth. However, when it released all of the confined wind mini-crescents shot out from the center in a wide spray covering everything except for behind, leaving Katsu and his g**g safe. The blades of wind careened around them and bounced off of Yuki's wind. Despite the wind though, there were too many for him to stop leaving them to be cut up several places over his body with shallow wounds.

Yuki ignored the pain in keeping Haruo protected from harm. He was able to weaken the affect, but the wind was still quite sharp. The two slid over the dirt coming to slow and painful rest. Between Yuki's wind and the force from Katsu they were sent a surprising distance away from Katsu. 'Ugh…I knew I was going to regret that… my body wasn't mean for such crazy stunts…' He struggled to get his body back under his control, but it was having trouble responding for him. All of his senses were ringing still from the ride he had sent them on. It had left a numbed feeling throughout his body making it almost impossible to know if anything was working for him.

Numerous screams and murmurs echoed around the empty field from residents left in terror of what was happening. They were already too afraid to do anything about the gangs outside of their homes, but there was no longer any protection for them. Some had even gathered together for strength and support in numbers.

"You…in one piece…still?" Yuki asked slowly looking down to Haruo, who he was still laid over top of.

A pensive pause from Haruo delayed his response to Yuki. He had not been sure what entirely had happened. His back had taken the brunt of the force during the slid, but despite that he did not feel that he was injured. 'What happened? Why did he protect me? What does he have to gain?' Haruo pulled himself up from under Yuki. He knelt down next to Yuki, still face down in the dirt with his head tilted to the side. "Why did you do that?"

Yuki coughed as he tried to laugh. "I guess…I shouldn't be surprised at this point…" He hesitated for a moment uncertain if he wanted to tempt to try to move his body again. The spare seconds had given him enough to push himself over to lie on his back. "I think Katsu's got a point about you…"

"What did you say?" Haruo said leaning in nearly bordering on breaking his flat tone.

The nerve that Yuki had hit did not go unnoticed. "Guess there's still some emotion buried under there after all. You really are quite naïve…"

"I had all of that burned out of me a long time ago. You don't know what you're talking about."

"I may not have known you for years, but I've seen enough of you today to understand." Yuki tested out his arms and legs while he talked trying to make the most of his time knowing that they were running out of time. Even with Katsu as badly injured as he had been they were not going to stop. "You've seen so much of the bad side of human nature that you've gone to the complete opposite end. You've gone so far to that end that you found your naivety in a new form."

Haruo's eye twitched a little feeling cornered by Yuki. He had seen Yuki as a simpleminded kid that was too inexperienced about the world to understand. However, Haruo could feel him piercing through all of his walls. All he could do was deny it. "You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know me."

"You're cornered and just repeated the same defensive lines." The feeling that had casted blinding hands over his eyes lifted. It meant that he felt the pain in full force and struggled to keep it from overcoming him. "I guess it shouldn't be too surprising that don't understand when someone wants to help you. You gave me that same look the earlier."

It was making Haruo's body churn in frustration listening to Yuki, but no matter how much he wanted to leave it did not seem possible. He was not being allowed to ignore it. There was another will holding him. Haruo had found him curious before for saying the same thing as Mr. Asanuma. He did not like the feeling that he was sensing. "I think the fall must have scrambled your head."

"No, I'm thinking clearly!" asserted Yuki firmly. He locked his eyes sternly on Haruo. "You don't understand do you? You think you have to be alone and even now everything happening is re-enforcing that idea, isn't?!" Harou did not reply to him; he almost looked like he had been pushed back a few centimeters by an invisible force. "You just don't get it! You're not alone! When you can't do something alone your friends support you! True friends forgive and accept you! And they protect each other! You can't do everything alone! You don't need to be anymore!"

Haruo stared back at Yuki in silence questioning him. 'Perhaps he really is simpleminded…' He had heard enough of the ranting from Yuki and stood up. Even though he tried to shut it out from his mind the thoughts still managed to swirl around within him. It made him turn his back to Yuki looking over towards Katsu. He tightened his fists trying to push it out. 'Support…friends… This is my way…' Into his palms light grew suddenly responding to him. Once more white spirit like animals materialized at his side.

A hound stood at his right with a primal stare prepared to leap into action. Taking position on his left was a cougar exposing its teeth like it was ready for a meal. Haruo stepped forward feeling reassured by the company of his pets. It was a strange power, but their connection made him certain.

Katsu was collapsed to one knee after trying to make it over in range of the two of them still determined to finish what he started. The remaining g**g members were surprisingly moved by their boss's resolve and rediscovered their own fortitude. They stepped up around Katsu getting between Harou and him.

Yuki could not help but look a little bewildered by what he was seeing. 'I guess they aren't as cliché as I said…it's a little weird seeing the bad guys attacking brave and heroic…guess the world really has changed completely!' He stumbled to his feet attempting to shrug off his pain. The effort was starting to work, but he still had a long way to go before he was going to be able to do much more than stand. Yuki noticed Akihiro trying to make his attempt on Haruo once again, but he was able to thwart it quickly as before. 'My mind's still sharp…'

Haruo sent the two animals out ahead of him to clash with the group of six g**g members that still remained. Among them Takaoka had elected to try to take the hound on while another two tried to do something about the cougar. The rest decided to fall back into familiar tactics and charged for Haruo. It was easily read by him and he fell into his defensive position to block them. Fueled by courage and duty they seemed more focused than before providing a tougher enemy for Haruo than before. He was able to still keep up with them, but they were frequently getting in shallow blows. The only thing he could do was buy the time that he needed for the two animals to finish.

The awkward fight between the hound and Takaoka was left with the dog having the advantage. It had managed to score a few bites on Takaoka's leg leaving him bleeding, but still willing to challenge the beast. Takaoka breathed heavily sliding his foot back after the last exchange that he had with the animal. He was being cautious and managed to use his legs to keep it out of reach, however they were starting to lose strength from the stinging pain that was coursing through. The uncertainty of surviving began to rise in his head as another growl from the hound ran his body cold for a moment. 'I've gotta protect tha boss! I can't let this stupid dawg beat me!'

The pause broke with the dog leaping forward at Takaoka. He dodged the first attempt and took a swipe at it, but missed as it quickly turned and counter knocking him back. Takaoka put up his forearm in defense taking the full force of the fangs from the spirit beast. He fell to the earth holding his bleeding arm as the dog slid around recovering for a final strike. "Damn! This can't be it!" The animal did not waste time charging for it final attack. Takaoka raised his uninjured hand up as a last attempt to hold off the animal. He closed his eyes fearing the worst.

Everything afterward for him seemed a blur. It was not until he heard a bit of a whimper that he opened his eyes. At his feet was the bathed white dog surrounded by a flame that worked towards its core. He widened his eyes in surprise and caught a glimpse of a few traces of embers from his hand. "I did that?!"

Yuki stared with narrowed eyes not pleased with the arrival of a third power. 'Fire, can you be anymore cliché?' He saw the kid throwing another fireball at the animal finishing it off. It had all seemed to be instinct. 'Cliché or not, it still can't be taken lightly!' His time for remaining still was coming to a sudden end.

Takaoka turned his new found power on the cougar and managed to catch it in his flames with the first shot. He soon turned his hand on Haruo trying to keep his focus together. "I'll end this!" yelled Takaoka as another fireball grew in his palm for an unprepared Haruo.

Haruo had been focused on keeping himself protected from the three he was dealing with that it had come too late for him to notice what was happening around him. It was not until there was a red glow that lit up his eyes that pulled him away. 'Fire? I can't…' There was no time to move for him as he was forced to accept it, but at the last second the burning cougar leapt forward taking the fireball for him and vaporized instantly. 'It protected me. Again…'

The sight of the animal giving its life for him forced Yuki's words back into his mind. He tried to forget them and focus on standing on his own, but the echo only got louder. 'I-I can't… support…help…friends… No.' Haruo struggled to hold himself against the three boys. They seemed to be getting even stronger than before. 'The animal was a creation of mine. It only makes sense that it would protect me.' It gave him a small sense of peace allowing him to deflect an incoming punch. The next kick was a different story though as Haruo was knocked off his feet and sent into the dirt. He had barely seen the opportunist fireball coming in at him as he lay defenseless. 'Am I so helpless?'

The fireball roared towards him covering him in its fiery glow. It threw away loose dirt in its wake appearing even more intense than any of the previous attempts. Adaptive had proven to be a deadly ally for Takaoka already figuring out his power. There was nothing left.

"Giving up already?!" shouted Yuki over the roar of the fireball as it was impending. He stood between the fallen Haruo and the fire attack that sped towards him. It had only been a few seconds to spare, but it was enough for him to give Haruo a quick grin before being engulfed in the explosion as the fireball ignited upon impact.

Haruo watched stunned seeing Yuki disappear from sight. He did not know what to think. Everything was spinning around in his head so quickly for him to be able to react. 'Why? Why did he do that?' Smoke from the fire's blast blanketed the area blocking out sight. 'He seemed…almost happy… It doesn't make any sense.' Through all the clouds he tried to look for a sign of Yuki. He needed to know if he was alive still.

Inside Haruo's head Yuki's words replayed for him as though to answer he is own confusion. 'You just don't get it! You're not alone! When you can't do something alone your friends support you! True friends forgive and accept you! And they protect each other! You can't do everything alone! You don't need to be anymore!'

As the smoke slowly began to clear Haruo stood up slowly. 'Friends support, huh? Protect… I don't…' He emerged from the blast straightening himself out. All of the g**g members stared on at him looking ready to strike once more. However, Haruo turned his head up towards them locking eyes with them. The stare he returned made them all step back uneasy having never seen such a fierce look of determination and strength from him before. "I don't have to be alone anymore… I don't have to stand by myself…" He threw out his hands tossing dirt into the air that suddenly burst with light. A moment later six massive tigers appeared in a circle around him shining with a divine light brighter than ever had been seen before.