Fan Fiction ❯ The Dreamer ❯ Where am I? ( Chapter 2 )

The Dreamer

Last time….

The last thing she saw was her younger sister running towards her yelling something, and tears coming down her face. "WAIT!!" she yelled, but it was too late, Yume had already disappeared, and Ume was left at the base of the tree clawing at it yelling for her sister.

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A bloody corpse was lying on the floor. "I don't think we killed her fast enough" a man's voice said. "I think she might have had time to call the Dreamer. We should have been quicker. Now we will be punished" said a cowering voice. "Who cares? The Dreamer will surely die without her help. Now help me carry this corpse to the river." the man said. "Hai, Shogun," the coward said, as the two men carried of the body of the Summoner.

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Chapter 2

Where am I?

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`My head really hurts.' "Ume turn off the lights it hurts my eyes!" Yume yelled to her little sister. …no reply. "Ume! Come on, you're not one for games, answer me!" Yume yelled. ….still no reply. `Where is she?' Yume wondered. `I'll just have to get up and find her!' Yume thought. Yume sat up from what she had thought was her bead, but in reality she was laying on the hard ground with the sun hanging high in the sky. "Wait?! Where am I? What Happened?" Yume yelled.

She stood up and looked around. She had been lying under the protection of a huge tree, but by the position of the sun it was now a little past noon. The sun had awoken her. The ground where she had slept was covered in a light grass, and a gentle breeze was blowing across the fields in the distance. Her silver hair played around her face as she stared at the unfamiliar territory. There were no houses nearby. No sheds or even smoke rising from chimneys. It was a strange sight to see wide-open uninhabited land. It felt lonely, being the only thing moving in such a huge expanse. "Really I wonder what happened…" Yume said aloud. "All I can remember is sitting in the bough of the shrine tree…and… "GAH! My head! It hurts so bad!" Yume yelled as she fell to her knees in pain. `I don't know where I am, or how I got here, but I can't just sit here trying to remember! As soon as my head stops throbbing so bad I'll go off to find someone to help me.' Yume thought in her usual optimistic way. `No use thinking of what happened, thinking to much hurts my head right now.' She continued to sit there and wait for her head to stop throbbing.

A little while later she stood up and dusted herself off. She took another look around to see if there was any movement in any direction. She looked for a bit before she saw a road that she had missed earlier. `It had to lead to a town or house somewhere right?' So she took off down the road at her usual happy trod. She wasn't worried about food or water, for she was too mesmerized by the beauty of the unspoiled land. She just walked down the road further and further on looking at the wildflowers and noticing all the little bees buzzing around. "I'm really not alone!" she said as she watched the bees busily get the pollen and nectar. She continued walking after a while and soon it began to get dark. `I really don't want to be outside at night. Though I haven't seen anyone yet, who knows who could be out here at night, or what kind of wild animal.' She thought wearily. "I am starting to get a little sleepy." She said as she searched for a place to sleep. She had just crossed the hill's crest when she saw a tree. For such a wide field there hadn't been any trees other than the one she had slept by and this one now.

She hurried off toward the tree ahead of her never realizing that all noise had ceased. She continued running until she reached the base of the tree. "Let's see… Yes! There's a limb here that I can use to climb up!" She said as she hoisted herself up. She climbed on until she reached a bough that suited her. She settled into her new `bed' and looked up at the sky. It was a full moon. "Wait? Wasn't it a full moon last nIIGHT!!!!! ARG!!!!! God! My head is killing me!" Yume screamed as she thrashed about with the pain in her head growing every second. The pain was so intense that she soon blacked out.

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"AHHHHHH!!!!!!" Yume screamed as she sat bolt upright. She was covered in a cold sweat and she was shivering terribly. "What just happened?" she asked. "Wait… Thank God! My head doesn't hurt anymore! YES!" she said as she felt her happiness return. She began to look at where she was and she realized she was still in the tree where she had fallen asleep last night. Hmmm.. she thought as she looked up at the sky. The sun was just coming over the horizon, making the sky a beautiful shade of pink with a little bit of blue. She continued to stare at the sky for a little while before deciding to get down from the tree. `If I don't start out now, then I won't find anyone today either.' She thought as she nimbly climbed down the tree. When she reached the bottom she heard birds chirping. "I won't be alone today!" she said as she joyfully listened to the birds sing their morning greetings.

The breeze had picked up a little bit, and seemed to direct her on her way down the road. She purposefully avoided thinking of how she came here, because she felt that it caused her severe headaches, so she just thought of what a town would look like when she arrived. She continued on until noon when she began to feel thirsty. "I really do need some water" she thought. "And maybe some food too." she thought as her stomach growled. "I hope that I can reach somewhere tonight." She thought a bit anxiously. She hurried her pace a bit, then she broke into a run. She ran as fast as her short legs would carry her, hoping that it would help her reach her destination quicker. It didn't seem to make a difference, other than making her even more tired and thirsty. She rested on the soft grass on a hilltop and looked around for any water or berries. She saw nothing, but she knew that if birds lived here, then there must be water somewhere near. She continued to search around, but found nothing, so she continued her long journey across the endless hills feeling as if she wasn't making any progress at all.

By nightfall she hadn't found a tree, and she was stumbling along too thirsty and tired to care. She walked on and on with all her thoughts on reaching a house or a barn. As the moon began to rise, she thought she was walking in her sleep, and she dreamed she saw a light. All was quiet like the other night, but this time it seemed a bit more pronounced. The light came toward her, and she kept walking. She had walked into a forest that she hadn't noticed before, and she still walked on. Her feet hurt terribly, and she knew she wasn't dreaming now, the light was coming closer, but she was in such a haze that she couldn't make out where it was coming from. She didn't care who it was, she just wanted rest, and as she thought this, her legs gave out and she fell. The ground was coming fast, and she couldn't catch herself. The light came fast, and before she hit the ground someone had caught her. Yume looked up into the face of the person who had saved her. It was a young man in hunting attire, all green. He had a concerned look on his face, and his long black hair fell in his face as he looked at her face. She couldn't say a word, and he seemed to understand. He picked her up and carried her off down the road. Yume wasn't afraid. He didn't have the feel of someone evil. As she thought this she snuggled closer to him to get warm. He jumped at the sudden contact, but relaxed when he realized the young girl was already asleep.

`Where did she come from?' he thought as he headed through the forest to a little house hidden by the dense greenery surrounding it. The Hunter placed her on his bed and covered her in his blanket. He sat at his table thinking about how strange it was that a girl was out at the `forbidden' time. It seemed like she was lost, but that still wouldn't explain why the Watchers hadn't caught her and immediately disposed of her. They didn't make an exception for anyone, not even a child like her. He looked over at her peaceful sleeping form, and noticed that she had a smile on her lips. `I hope she's having sweet dreams, not many of us have them now.' He thought solemnly. `I guess the Watchers weren't paying attention to her, or maybe she avoided there detection by being in a dream-like state. I know how to keep them at bay, but a child shouldn't know…unless her family is one of the Anarchists. That would explain a little. Ah! She might have been left to die after the siege at Larinth, and she stumbled down this road for that long with no one to guide her. The poor thing, she must be tired and lonely.' He thought sadly. He continued to watch her sleeping form as his thoughts changed to what the next day held for them both.

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"Okasa! Okasa! Where are you? I wanted to show you my new drawing." A little girl with silver hair ran down the hall of a house. "Okasa!" she yelled again. "Yes, Yume, I'm in her." called a womanly voice. "Okasa! I made a new drawing! Look look!" young Yume said. "Oh I see," said her mother as she accepted the little piece of paper. "Ah, It's a drawing of all of us near the shrine tree! How wonderful Yume!" When dad gets home we'll show him and Ume. Then we can all go down to the river. I know that you really want to swim today right?" her mother said happily as she resumed her stitching. "Yeah! I can't wait till they get back from the doctor's. I hope that Ume will be ok. Do you think she will?" Yume asked her mother. "Oh, it's just her monthly checkup. She'll be fine. She's strong like you Yume." Her mother comforted her rubbing her hand lightly over the little girls head. "I love you okasa!" Yume said as she climbed up into her mother's lap. "I love you too, and remember that we'll always love you and Ume." "Hai! I'll always love you too!" Yume said as her surroundings faded and all went black.

Yume opened her eyes to strange surroundings. She was in a house of some sort, not very big, but comfortable enough. She rolled over wanting to cry remembering her dream and her mom. `It's been awhile since I've dreamed of her' she thought. She was saddened by the dream yet happy because she was able to see her mom after so long. Her words `I love you' still rang in Yume's ears. She sat up and wrapped the blanket around her trying to figure out where she was, her memory still fuzzy from last night. She looked around and noticed a small table and a stove on the far corner. The bed she was sleeping on was the only one in the house, and it was tucked into the corner farthest away from the stove. She looked over at the table and noticed that there was a man in the chair. His green hunting clothes a bit ruffled from being slept in, his head hung down on his chest, and his black hair was a little disheveled. She recognized him as the one who had caught her last night. He was nice enough to let her sleep in his own bed while he slept in an uncomfortable chair.

Yume continued to look around as the sun came up. "I seem to becoming a morning person," Yume thought amusedly to herself. As she stared out the one window the cabin had the young man stirred from his sleep and opened his eyes. He seemed a little dazed as he tried to regain his composure from his unique sleeping position. Yume just stared at him as he straightened his shirt. He looked up after fixing his shirt and stared right at Yume. Their eyes met, and Yume became embarrassed by his gaze and turned her head. He must have noticed for he turned his gaze away thinking what an odd color her eyes were. `Crimson…' She had turned her face and still held the image of his green eyes on her face. She blushed deeper as he got up and came towards her.

"Can you understand me?" he asked in a gentle voice. "Yes I can understand you sir." She said as she looked down at her hands in her lap. "No need to call me sir, I'm not old enough to be called a `sir', but you can call me Saerion. And may I ask what you're name is miss?" he asked politely. " My name is Yume." She said shyly. "Ah Yume! So may I ask where you are from?" Saerion asked her. "A little village, that's nowhere near here. This place is too beautiful to be near our village. People desecrated the land and had no thoughts of preserving nature. People had little regard for nature and it's beauty. So I know it's not here, it was called Raiton. Have you heard of the town?" Yume asked him fervently awaiting his answer. "I'm afraid I don't know of this village, but I'm pleased that you enjoy nature so much… How then did you get here?" he asked questioningly. "I …can't remember. Every time I try to think back to that night I have a huge headache and I can't remember anything." "I see," he said.

"Well little one, would you like some water and some food?" he asked her kindly. "Little one?" she asked. "Yes, you can't be much older than ten, so do you want some?" Yume nodded her head in agreement as he went to get the food. She was going to have to tell this man that she wasn't a `child'. In her town she was old enough to be an adult and make her own decisions. She didn't want to be rude to him though. He came back quickly with two plates of food, and set them on the table. Yume got up and went to the table standing there waiting for him to sit so it was proper for her to eat. He looked at her obviously waiting for her to sit down. An awkward moment of silence passed before Yume motioned for Saerion to sit. He shook his head and told her that it wasn't proper for him to take a chair when there was a girl without one. So she sat and he stood at the table eating quietly. The breakfast passed slowly, as they both ate with their own thoughts to occupy their minds.

Yume was done first, and she sat patiently waiting for Saerion to finish. He noticed that she was staring at him again and he asked, " Are you that interested in my face?" Yume blushed a deep red as she turned her face away, and Saerion laughed good -naturedly. `He must think I'm a giddy child too intrigued by him to think straight!' Yume thought. "By the way Saerion-san, thank you for catching me last night. I was completely exhausted. I tried to find a tree to hide in, but by the time I reached this forest I was too tired to climb one. Thank you very much for your hospitality." Yume said quietly. "I just did what anyone would do when they see a child alone wandering through the forest." He said happily. "Saerion-san,….I'm not a child. In my village I'm old enough to make my own decisions and I'm old enough to marry." Yume said respectfully. "They must marry you young then." He said surprised. "Saerion-san, I'm not ten, I'm nearly seventeen." Yume responded almost in a whisper, not wanting to make him upset.

"WHAT!!" Saerion yelled as he sat back from the table. "I was sure you were only twelve at the oldest!" "I'm sorry for making you think that, but I'm just very short for my age. Everyone thinks that I'm younger than seventeen, and I don't wish to upset people by contradicting their thoughts so I usually let it go, but you seemed to make it clear that I was a child. I couldn't think of any polite way to tell you, so please don't be mad. I just wanted to correct you." Yume said while bowing politely.

"Here I was treating you like a little kid! I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. I'm glad you told me before I made a terrible mistake. Thank you for putting it politely for me, and no I'm not mad at you." Saerion said apologetically while blushing a bit. "Well, I guess that we have an understanding now." Yume said as politely as possible. "Still I'm in awe! How did you ever get to work or make your own decisions if you look like a child?" Saerion asked. "My parents were killed in a river accident a few years ago, and all the responsibility of the household went to me. My younger sister helped me as much as she could, and now I believe she's the more productive in our little family. We have grown accustomed to our fate, and have never questioned what God has given us. We are thankful to just be together, and since everyone in my village knew my parents, they knew how old we were. It was no problem to get jobs. Though they have been somewhat taxing. We are both good in our chosen fields, and we both aim for the best. I hope that answers most of your question Saerion-san." Yume finished. "I'm sorry about your parents, I wouldn't have asked that had I known." Saerion said apologetically. "Living in the past won't help me move forward. I am always trying to look on the bright side of things, and that has helped me through everything I've encountered." Yume said enthusiastically.

"I can see that she has a good heart" Saerion thought as he looked at her serene face. "Where can I wash these dishes?" Yume asked him. "Huh? Oh… uh the basin is outside next to the creek." He said while thinking of all that she had told him. He didn't realize that she had taken his plates that he had neglected to wash for a few weeks. Yume was busy outside washing the last few dishes when Saerion came outside and saw that she had already cleaned almost all of his dishes. "You don't have to do that!" he said startled that she had taken all the trouble to wash all of his dirty plates. "I don't mind. I stayed in your bed last night, and you saved me from sleeping out in the forest so it's the least that I can do for you." Yume said politely. `I hope he appreciates these clean dishes! He doesn't seem to care about housework.' Yume thought. "I don't want to scare him off with my forwardness, so I just have to continue to be polite for a little while until I get to know him better." Yume thought as she finished the dishes.

"I would like to take a bath, do you mind?" Yume asked Saerion as she put up his dishes. "O..of course! Go right ahead, I'll be in here ..uh… reading" Saerion said as he picked up his battered book. "You better not be a peeping tom!" Yume Yelled back to him while she walked toward the creek. `She seems to be more outspoken already!' Saerion thought amused by her comment.

"Ah.. it feels so good to get all this grime off of me! It's been three days since I had a bath! What luck!" Yume said as she washed herself in the cool creek. She scrubbed her clothes clean and hung them to dry as she finished her bath. "Shoot! I don't have a towel…" Yume thought. `I guess I'll just have to dry off out here, I hope that Saerion doesn't come out here! He'll have the beating of a lifetime even if he did save me!' Yume thought apprehensively. `I'm already starting to show him my true colors. Well, I guess it's always best for someone to know that you aren't miss polite all the time. I think I would die if I always had to be that polite. I just don't want to make him uncomfortable, because I'll need his help if I'm ever to get back to Ume.' Yume thought as she dried herself on a boulder near her clothes.

`Two hours is enough for a bath! I think she should be done by now! I wouldn't mind taking my own bath then we can discuss how to get her back to her village.' Saerion thought as he headed outside. He stopped short as he noticed that Yume was just getting off of a boulder near the creek. She stood up, and her long silver hair flashed as it blew in the wind. She turned around at just that moment and noticed Saerion standing there mouth wide open. "PERVERT!!!!" Yume yelled as she quickly grabbed her clothes and rushed behind a bush. "You know that you shouldn't sneak up on someone when they are drying themselves, especially a member of the opposite gender!" she continued to yell as she got dressed in her almost dry clothes. "I…I'm sorry! I thought that two hours was long enough for you to take a bath. You should have told me you were sunbathing." Saerion stated as he turned his back to her and blushed.

Yume emerged from behind the bush with her clothes on and a blush plastered on her face. "Alright! You can look now pervert!" Yume said as she stood there waiting for him. "Look, I told you I didn't mean to come out here and see you naked, there wasn't much to see anyway." Saerion states amused by the look she gave him. "How dare you! You know very well that there was plenty to see, and you got a world class look!" Yume spouted as she fumed. Saerion looked amused by the death glare she gave him. `He seems to enjoy pushing me!' Yume thought as she saw him try to hide a smile. "Anyways, I would appreciate it if I could have a turn taking a bath now. Afterwards we can discuss your problem, and maybe come to a mutual agreement." Saerion said with an air of sophistication. I suppose you are right, but don't you dare take long! I want to be back home soon, Ume won't know what to do without me! Yume stated good -naturedly as she headed into the house.

Thirty minutes later Saerion came in completely clean and dry other than his still damp hair that laid limply on his shoulders and down his back. Yume's hair was still wet as well, but much better now that she had decided to clean the cabin. It was spotless when Saerion came in. He couldn't understand why she had done something like this when she was the visitor. He guessed that she still felt like she owed him.

They both sat down Yume on the newly made bed, and Saerion on his chair. They sat in silence for a little while until Saerion broke the silence. "Do you know what Watchers are?" he asked her. "No.. what's that?" "Well at least I know you aren't from anywhere even remotely close to here. You won't need to know what they are unless you plan on meeting one." He stated thoughtfully. "Is there anyone we can ask that can tell me how far it is to my village?" Yume asked him concern in her voice. "Yes… that's what I was thinking, but it will be a three day journey, and I don't know if you `trust' me enough now to accompany you." He said with a smile playing across his features. "You know that I still trust you!" She said playfully, But you better not try anything funny, I know how to protect myself fairly well!" Yume stated as she told him how she had trained every morning with Sensei Yokiko and all the things he had taught her. He nodded clearly noting that she wasn't a little child after all.

"We will ask the village elder of Damscie. She will know how you can get back to your place. She might even know a shortcut." Saerion said as he leaned back in his chair. "When can we leave? Tonight?" Yume asked clearly wanting to get there as quickly as possible. "We won't leave until daybreak tomorrow. That will give us time to rest and prepare food and water. I hope that you don't mind walking a bit!" he said as he looked at her noticing that he would have to walk fairly slow to accommodate her tiny steps. "I can walk far in one day if I set my mind to it, and I'm fast enough even though I'm short as you've noticed." Yume said looking at his amused expression. `She has some spirit to her' he thought as he saw the sparkle in her crimson eyes. `Still what unusual eye color' he thought as he continued to stare into her eyes. He seemed to be lost in them seeing a void, then a meadow filled with clover. Then his parents? `How were they reflected in her eyes?' Saerion thought as he continued to gaze into her eyes not realizing that he was.

"Hello?! Are you going to stare at me all day? Am I that captivating?" Yume asked as she waved her hand in front of his face. He suddenly snapped out of whatever trance he had been in, and quickly got to his feet. "I'm sorry Yume-chan, but I need to start collecting some food for our trip could you please fill both of those leather canteens for me?" he asked as he headed outside leaving Yume inside to wonder at his weird behavior. "What was that? And Yume-chan? Ok I know that he's obviously lost his mind now." Yume thought as she did what was asked of her.

Yume waited for awhile, and Saerion didn't come in. Yume went outside to look for him, but couldn't find him anywhere and it was starting to get dark. `I'll head inside and fix a little bit of the food he has left in the cupboard.' She thought as she headed into the house to prepare the dinner. It smelled really good, but Yume refused to eat until Saerion came in, and the later it became the more Yume worried. It was nearly midnight and Yume was asleep in the chair when Saerion came in. He saw the table set for two, neither bowl seemed to have been touched. The smell of the stew still filled the room, and Yume was there asleep in the chair with her head on the table. `She must have waited for me.' Saerion thought as he gently shook her awake. "What?" Yume asked sleepily as she rubbed her eyes. I just wanted to ask if you wanted to eat. "Yeah sure.." Yume said as she uncovered her bowl. They both sat and ate quietly, and when Yume was almost done she fell asleep again. Her head lying gently on her arm. `She looks so peaceful like that.' Saerion thought as he picked her up and laid her in his bed. She mumbled something as he placed the blanket over her. Then he saw it. Her tears. She was crying in her sleep. `She might put on a happy front, and maybe that's her way of being strong, but she's obviously afraid and doesn't want to show it to anyone. She's still crying, soaking the pillow she's laying on. I wonder what her dreams are showing her. I know that I would want to cry if I had lost everything, but I have actually pushed everything away.' He thought sadly as he watched her sleep.

The next morning Yume woke up sad yet somehow relieved. `I must have released my tears as I slept.' She thought as she looked over to the side of the bed. Saerion was lying there, his face was lying on the bed while he sat in the chair. `He must have fallen asleep while watching me. He looks sweet this way… not at all like the pervert he is! Looks can be deceiving though.' Yume thought as she continued to look at his sleeping form. She got up and fixed some breakfast for them, and the scent woke Saerion. He yawned sleepily noting how the table was laid out for both of them to eat. It was delicious like supper last night. `She was definitely a good cook.' Saerion thought as he happily ate his breakfast. They both finished, and prepared to leave. The pack was filled with food and extra water as well as some essential survival instruments. They were ready. They were going to Damscie to talk to the elder. Yume for directions, and Saerion, for information regarding what he saw in Yume's eyes. The day was just right warm with a cool breeze blowing from the north. They shut the door and headed off down the road toward Damscie.

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I hope that you liked this chapter. I know that I have a lot of Dialogue in this chapter, and that's something I'll have to work on. I haven't had to work too much on that part. I tried to keep it interesting. I might have some typos too so please don't kill me over that! I would appreciate being alive to make the next few chapters ^_^ Please send me reviews or constructive flames. It will help me out a bunch!

Ja-ne,

Musume