The Dream Shifter

Chapter 46.3

The jungles of Yuglaovia were not a place for a man to be trespassing, but he did not know fear. The stories of the man-eating plants that grew out of the trees and hanged like vines did not even make an impression on him. Wild beasts that had not been seen by the eyes of humans for thousands or millions of years were only further enticement for him.

As for the ancient ruins where the rumored Yugla people were said to still inhabit due to their god granting them immortally to protect it from anyone that dared to plunder the riches, they were simply an adventure waiting to happen.

However, even all that being said he still had to deal with getting there first. The jungle air and normal plants stood in their way before any of the real dangers would even begin. It was a deep jungle and there was still time before the risks were going to appear. At least that is what everyone thought. He remained alert, but his companions were too relaxed. They were warned to be ready for anything and never let their guard down, but their confidence was their undoing.

The man carrying their supplies disappeared first and no one even knew until the native aiding them called their attention to it. Unfortunately, they were too late and the native was gone to a trap that left him bleeding out from dozens of holes.

He was angry and saddened by the loss of two people already, but there was a hint of excitement tempting him on the edge of his tongue like a sweet perfume. The woman explorer looking for her first adventure and historical find was the next to fall to quicksand. He lunged for her trying to save her before she was completely out of reach of him. The others grabbed on to his legs keeping him from sinking in as well.

She tried to reach for him, but only continued to sink deeper as she struggled more.

"Yuki!" she shouted to him as her hands were just out of reach of his.

"I'll save you, Sarah!"

Yuki shouted standing up from his chair in his Japanese History class.

Ms. Kuniyoshi broke her chalk on the blackboard as Yuki disrupted her class. She turned around immediately flinging the jagged end at Yuki like an arrow hitting him square in the forehead knocking him off his feet and backward into Ayumi sending her to the floor with him on top.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop sleeping in class, Mr. Hayashi!"

The other students in the class continued to laugh at him for his daydreaming.

Both Ayumi and Yuki were lying on the floor for a minute dazed and swirling neither certain what had happened. Slowly, Ayumi came back finding Yuki laying on him becoming flush and panicking. She tried to get free from Yuki, but his weight was too much for her weak body to move.

"Yuki!" she said softly at first and then raising in volume when she saw it was not getting through to him.

Yuki snapped out of his confusion and pushed himself up not realizing that he was on Ayumi.

'There's something soft under…me…'

He looked down expecting to find the tiled floor but saw that it was Ayumi instead.

"Ayumi! I-I…"

Ayumi became alerted and extremely embarrassed discovering a newfound strength to throw her fist up at Yuki sending him flying across the room against the wall narrowly missing the windows. When she came back to her reality she looked down at her hand and then over at Yuki.

"Oh no! Yuki!"

She ran over to the now unconscious Yuki shaking him and apologizing to him. All the while, the teacher was cracking her chalk over the board grinding it into a fine powder trying to control her anger.

The entertainment for the morning was over and lunch had come. Yuki found his way back to his seat after everything that had happened and they were all working on getting together for going outside for lunch to enjoy the late spring air. Hiroshi grabbed Yuki by the back of the neck with his arm slung over him as they went into the hall.

"So who's Sarah?" he said giving Yuki a playful grin.

"What are you talking about?"

"Who were you dreaming about in class? Some beautiful babe, huh?"

"W-What… Wait! Hiroshi, it's not-"

"Yuki's not like you," Saki said appearing in front of the two of them staring Hiroshi like she was ready to punch him. Hiroshi turned a little pale and squeezed on Yuki reflexively as he was being threatened by Saki's presence.

"Can you believe him? He acts like a clown in class and looks like nothing happened now," said Katsumi, one of Yumi's friends.

She was standing next to Yumi staring down the hall from the front door of the class watching Yuki and his loud friends leave. Katsumi had long black hair with straight cut bangs just above her eyes and sat one seat out of the way of Yuki's airborne stunt in the classroom.

"You should stay away from him, Yumi," said Kaede on the other side of Yumi nodding in agreement with Katsumi.

Kaede sat at the front of the class next to the class representative and had shorter black hair held close to her neck and face.

Yumi shyly looked between her two friends trying to think of what she was going to say. She had known them since middle school and they were fortunate to have gotten into the same class. It made a life for her much easier in a new school to know that she had friends nearby.

"He's not a bad person…"

"But he's always causing trouble in class and sleeping," Katsumi said not certain why Yumi was standing up for him.

"Besides, you've heard the rumors haven't you?" Kaede said hoping that she could change her friend's mind.

"What rumors?" said Yumi confused by what Kaede suddenly said. However, she had to admit that she knew nothing of Yuki's past before coming to the school and it had her curious.

They were interrupted by a small group of female students breaking through them charging on mass to the other end of the hallway having been tipped off. Near the end of the hall, where the school widened into the classroom on both sides, a young man walked through with a commanding presence that pulled away some of the girls with love-struck eyes.

The girls that broke through were a part of the 'Official' fan club. The upperclassman came to stop in front of Yumi and her two friends looking directly at Yumi.

"Brother…" Yumi said softly as she looked up at him not certain why he had come up to the first-year halls.

"President Yori Mizuno!" Kaede said a little surprised that the most popular male student in all of the school was standing next to her.

"Yumi…" he said pausing for a moment trying to ignore all of the attention that he was drawing for being seen. Yori was the student council president and well known by all of the female student body without even needing an introduction.

His short medium to dark brown hair and warm light brown eyes made for a perfect match against his tall and well… (he was a good looking boy and we'll leave it at that). He had a very soft and charming appearance that he tried not to portray, but it seemed unavoidable for him.

It made him unusually charismatic and one of the more successful presidents in the recent school history. When he ran for president all of his competition nearly disappeared knowing by his mere presence that he would win.

"Are you free for lunch today?"

"Huh? Uh…I was…" Yumi looked at both of her friends, who she was planning on spending lunchtime with today.

However, Yori was in front of her and she did not want to disappoint him any more than her friends.

"No, it's alright, Yumi," Kaede said seeing the expression that was coming over her.

Yori picked up on it quickly stepping in for them.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you. You had plans with your friends. We can have lunch another time."

He politely bowed to the three of them and departed quickly making the fangirls draw away in waves.

"Yumi?"

"Yori…" Yumi stared at the ground confused by her brother's sudden appearance.

'He had something he wanted to talk about… But what?'

Her friends were starting to stare at her with worry. She turned to the two of them trying to give a pleasant smile.

"I'm sorry."