This chapter will be about Yori's determination and a promise to protect Yume. Hope you like it. In the beginning of this chapter is still about Yoji telling Yume about him as Ryoji, the eighth nightmare and puppet leader.
Chapter 11: A Reason to Protect Someone
As Yoji finishes his story about himself as the eighth nightmare and the puppet leader, Yume never realizes that someone like him became the eighth nightmare and the puppet leader of the Seven Shinobi of Nightmares led by Megami even his alias, Ryoji.
"That's how it happened back then. Becoming the eighth nightmare with no freedom or turning back. I had no right to change the way I used to be." he explained to Yume.
"So who's Megami?" Yume asked, curiously.
"She's the leader of the Seven Shinobi of Nightmares before she chose me. Then I became the puppet leader when she wasn't here," he answered. "I don't know where is she right now when everything changed because I'm protecting you."
"Yoji-san." she realized.
Yoji became concerned about Yume as the challenger when protecting her from the Akuma Akumu and the six nightmares such as Joyoku and Kuzuri. He knew that he have to be more careful about letting his guard down while protecting her.
"I won't make that same mistake ever again..."
Yume began to wonder about Yoji was ordered by someone. Who ordered Yoji to protect her during the game? She can't tell why and knew something felt amiss. She remembered that Joyoku asked him before he took her to a safe place.
"Who ordered you to protect her?" asked Joyoku.
With a question about someone who ordered Yoji to protect her from harm and danger, she began to asked him.
"Yoji-san," said Yume.
"Hm? What is it?" he replied when he heard Yume.
"Who told you to protect me during the game?"
Yoji became shockly surprised when she asked him a question about someone who ordered him to protect her during the game of the Seven Stages of Nightmares. He never realize that Yume need to know who told him to protect her from harm. He became silently hesitated when he can't answer who. He knew that Kabuto told him to protect Yume, but he somehow realized that something feels suspicious.
"Come to think of it. How did she know Kabuto?" he wondered.
He remembered that Yume told him about she became the challenger because Kabuto used her feelings. With his difficult thoughts, he became unsure about telling Yume who ordered him to protect her.
"Before I'll tell you who ordered me to protect you, there's something I need to explain about him." he explained. "To be honest, I don't trust him at all."
Yume became confused when he told about someone he knew that he don't trust him.
"Why you don't trust him?" she asked, curisouly.
"I don't like him. It feels like that I always hate him so much," he answered.
When he talked about someone he doesn't trust him, the Hyuga's ally began to wonder about him that Yoji mentioned. She realized that something feels familiar when Yoji was talking about someone.
"Can you tell me about the person you don't trust him?" she inquired. "I want to know."
Yoji knew that Yume presumably knew Kabuto before and began to answer her.
"You might know him if I'll answer your question." Yoji explained. "I'm sure that you'll understand."
"I understand. Please tell me," she said as she nodded to him.
As she understood, Yoji began to tell her who told him to protect her. "The one who ordered me to protect you... is Kabuto."
Much to Yume's shock, she didn't realize that Kabuto was the one who told Yoji protect her during the game. She can't believe that he's also the person that Yoji doesn't trust him so much. She can't say a word after Yoji answered that it was Kabuto all along. In her mind, she wondered why. Why did Kabuto told Yoji to protect her during the nightmare game?
Yoji realized as he saw Yume became speechless after he told her about Kabuto.
"Hey. You don't have to tell me how did you know him after I told you that Kabuto ordered me to protect you," he stated. "I understand how you realized."
She half-reluctantly surprised when Yoji told her not explain about how she knew Kabuto. After he told her, she nodded with an agreement slowly.
"It can't be. Kabuto used Yoji-san to be my protector of the nightmare game. Why?" she thought with a difficult feeling.
"You need a rest," he convinced her.
She realized that Yoji convinced her to take a rest after thinking about Kabuto. She began to lay down on the bed and fell asleep. Before she fell asleep, Yoji began to tell something.
"By the way, I'm sorry that I lied to you about Kabuto," he confessed to Yume.
Surprising what Yoji said to her, she knew that Yoji did kept a secret about his relationship with Kabuto. She realizes that Yoji mentioned that he never trust Kabuto. She began to realize that Yoji was somehow the same as hers, never trusting someone they knew. She remembered when Kabuto mentioned to her about someone who will protect her during the game before she entered the door to the seven nightmares.
"Once you enter the door, you'll find someone and he will protect you during the game."
Remembering Kabuto's words that mentioned about Yoji as her protector, she can't predict about his intentions to use her as the challenger of the Seven Stages of Nightmares. She had to find out about the purpose of this game after thinking about Kabuto's plans. She fell asleep as she closed her eyes.
Yoji sat behind the wall near the bed where Yume was sleeping. After he sat down, he wondered about Yume's relationship with Kabuto. He knew that Kabuto used Yume's feelings into emotionless to begin the game, but there's something bothered him.
Why did he used Yume as the challenger and ordered him to protect her?
His thoughts about protecting Yume made him in a difficult mood when trying to think why. Wondering why Kabuto used her, he remembers that he was told by him to protect Yume before searching the challenger. He knew that he needs to be careful while protecting Yume. If not, he'll let his guard down and Yume might be killed that it will end the game completely.
"Protect the challenger..." he said to himself.
He realized that Kabuto didn't told him who is the challenger which he was keeping a secret about Yume.
"Could it be that Kabuto doesn't tell me who because he knew her before?" he inquired.
With his prediction about Kabuto's relationship with Yume, he continues to watch her in order to protect her at any cost until the end of the game.
Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest of Akumu no Kuni, Yumekui searches for Yoji to make sure that he's okay at some point. He looked around in the forest, wondering if Yoji was here while protecting Yume. However, he knew that they wasn't here in the forest before.
"They're not here just now..." said Yumekui as he became worried about Yoji and Yume at some point.
He's not sure about going to this dangerous land where nightmares became reality. He was also somehow worried if Kabuto knew that he went to find Yoji and Yume without notifying him. But he can't notifying Kabuto about going to Akumu no Kuni alone, he knew that he've entered the door to the Akumu no Kuni.
"I know it's very dangerous although I already came here." the young boy realized. "But... I have to, I need to find Yoji in order to tell him... about Yume-san..."
Yumekui hesitated about telling Yoji about Yume because of Kabuto's schemes to use her as a puppet after the end of the nightmare game. He knew that Yume won't die during the game at some point and will become Kabuto's puppet and prisoner. He recalled Kabuto's words to him as he remembered what he had told him before he went to Akumu no Kuni.
"If my dearest Yume fails to complete the Seven Stages of Nightmares, she won't die during the game. However... once she fails, she won't escape from me, using her as my precious puppet while becoming my prisoner."
Worrying about Yume if she can't complete the nightmare game, he hurried to find them before it's too late. He knew that he doesn't want Ryoji to fail on protecting Yume.
"To be honest... I always eat humans' dreams and nightmares because I'm the dream eater. But things changed since Kabuto-san became the host of the Seven Stages of Nightmares," he thought. "Especially my ability to see people's dreams and nightmares as predictions."
He began to wonder about his vision he had before he came to Akumu no Kuni. He remembered that he had a vision in his dreams about someone who came to Akumu no Kuni to save Yume from the unknown kidnapper, which it was Kabuto. Remembering his vision, he became confused about the person, trying to rescue Yume.
"Come to think of it. I had a second vision in my dreams about him who was trying to save Yume-san. It's been a while ever since I had my first vision about myself who first met Ryoji. But... why that person was trying to save Yume-san?"
Suddenly, Yumekui felt a strange feeling somewhere in the forest and looked around. As he looked around, he began to realized and turned around. When he turned around, he saw eight Akuma Akumu appeared before him as he became shocked.
Meanwhile, Yori and Kazekiri searched for Tsukida and the others, who were separated from them by the black whirlwind.
While searching for them, Yori became worried about what will happen to Yume if he can't find and save her. He couldn't help himself when worrying about Yume after what happened when a Akuma Akumu kidnapped her.
While he became depressed, Kazekiri realized that Yori was worried about his twin sister. She knew that Yume is important to Yori because he always protect her since he first met her. Knowing how Yori felt, she began to say something to him.
"Are you worried about Yume, Yori?" she asked.
He became surprised when Kazekiri asked him all the sudden. He never knew that Kazekiri realized that he was worried about Yume. "How did you know?" he asked.
"I can tell by your face. You do know that you can't blame yourself," she explained.
He realized that it wasn't fault for not protecting Yume when the wind spirit explained to him about blaming himself. He can't help himself, worrying about her so much after he failed to save Yume from the shadow.
"I know," he replied. "but I can't help myself when worrying about her and blaming myself for not saving her."
"It's not your fault, Yori." she exclaimed. "You can't give up on protecting Yume if you keep blaming yourself."
Yori knew that blaming himself won't do anything good. He promised himself that he'll save Yume although he'd protect her.
"Yeah, you're right." he realized.
Suddenly, he saw a boy surrounded by the shadow monsters and realized that the young boy was in trouble. Kazekiri looked at him and realized that he saw the young boy who was in troubled when he's surrounded by the monsters.
"That boy. What's he doing here?" Kazekiri noticed.
"He needs our help. We have to help him."
Yori went ahead as he was about to save the young boy from the monsters. He used his dark kunai and threw at the shadows. As Yori saved the boy, Yumekui became surprised when Yori saved his life from the Akuma Akumu. Surprising Yori saved him, he realized that he somehow saw him in person.
"It's him... It's really him... from my dreams." Yumekui surprised.
"You okay?" he asked as he checked on him to make sure that he's alright.
Yumekui nodded. After Yori saved Yumekui from the Akuma Akumu, Kazekiri came to them.
"Kazekiri, take care of the boy."
"Understood," she replied.
Kazekiri protected Yumekui while Yori was about to fight against the Akuma Akumu. Yori remembered about the shadows before he was about to fight them.
"Those shadows. They must be the Akuma Akumu that Ayumu-san mentioned." he realized. "Better be careful. She said that they have an ability to transform into a shinobi or an animal."
As he was about to fight against, the Akuma Akumu transformed into a kunoichi which was looked like Yume much to his shock. He became tensed about fighting the shadows with Yume's appearance. He used five Yami Bunshins of himself and began to attack the shadows. Four of them attacked the four shadows while Yori attacked the fifth shadow. His seven Yami Bunshins defeated the eight Akuma Akumu as they disapeared after being defeated. After the seven Yami Bunshins defeated the seven Akuma Akumu, they disappeared, leaving Yori fighting the eighth and last Akuma Akumu.
He fought and dodged its attacks while using his taijutsu. He had a diffcult and tensed feeling while fighting against an Akuma Akumu with an appearance of his twin sister. An Akuma Akumu killed Yori with the katana, but it was a Yami Bunshin. An Akuma Akumu looked around, however Yori was behind it with his technique.
"Hissatsu: Kurai Shogeki Hado!"
He stunned his opponent with his elbow and then a powerful palm heel strike, sending a large amounts of dark energy waves through its body. After defeating the Akuma Akumu, it disappeared as it faded away.
Yori went to Kazekiri and the boy who was protected her by while he was fighting against the Akuma Akumu.
"Is he alright?" he asked.
"Yes," Kazekiri answered.
Yumekui became surprised when he realized that Yori was the one he saw him in his dream vision.
"Hey, you're not hurt, are you?" he asked Yumekui.
"No, I'm okay. Thank you..." he replied.
"What's your name?"
"Yumekui." the young boy answered.
"It's dangerous. You should be more careful." exclaimed Yori.
He understood as he nodded his head.
"So why you're here alone in Akumu no Kuni?"
Yumekui became quiet as he can't answer Yori's question about why he's alone in Akumu no Kuni. He knew that he have to find Ryoji and Yume before anything happens to them.
"You don't have to tell me. I understand." he realized. Suddenly Yori saw Kazekiri became tensed as he looked at her with confusion. "Kazekiri, what's wrong?"
The wind spirit heard Yori asking her about something bothered her in some reasons.
"Hm? No, nothing's wrong." she answered.
She became slightly suspicous when she felt something strange from Yumekui.
"This boy... Something bothers me... It feels like that he has a special power," she thought. "And... it feels like that he isn't human."
Yumekui began to ask Yori something. "Um... can you tell me your name?"
"I'm Yori Yukisaki and this is Kazekiri." he introduced to Yumekui. "Anyway, we have to find a place to hide before the Akuma Akumu finds us in some point."
Kazekiri nodded in agreement. Yumekui wondered that his dream vision did became come true about Yori who was trying to save Yume. Yori became tensed after fighting the Akuma Akumu with an appearance of his twin sister, Yume. Kazekiri realized that Yori became complicated as she looked at him.
"It seems that you felt difficult because of the Akuma Akumu." she realized. "Something bothering you?"
"It's just... I don't know what to say. Fighting against the Akuma Akumu that resemble of my twin sister..." he answered. "But I can't give up yet, I have to find Tsukida and the others and then rescue Yume."
Yumekui became shockly surprised when he heard that Yori was Yume's twin brother. "Yori-san is... Yume-san's twin brother?" he thought as he didn't realize.
Yumekui never knew that Yori was Yume's twin brother and also the one who tries to save Yume. He began to wonder why Yori wanted to save Yume. He knew that Yume was with Ryoji.
"Yori-san..." surprised Yumekui.
"Come on, we better leave before we might encounter the Akuma Akumu again." Yori mentioned.
As they were about to go before the Akuma Akumu appear again, Yumekui became confused about Yori, trying to save Yume. He began to ask him something before they were about to leave.
"Um... Yori-san." he called him.
Yori heard Yumekui and turned around to him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Did you came here to save Yume-san?" the young boy asked, curiously.
Yori became shocked, but completely surprised as he didn't realized that Yumekui asked him about saving Yume. He never knew that Yumekui presumaby knew Yume.
"How did you know... that I was about to save Yume?" he asked, confusedly.
The boy hesitated when trying to answer Yori's answer, but he cannot explain that Yume was chosen as the challenger of the Seven Stages of Nightmares even Kabuto's intentions to use her.
"Well... it happened when I had a vision in my dreams. In my dream vision, I saw you, trying to save Yume-san," answered Yumekui.
"If you had a vision about me and Yume, did you know her?" Yori wondered.
Yumekui continued to hesitate about telling him about Yume although she was his twin sister.
"I just... heard of her," he replied.
"I see." Yori realized.
"We have to leave right now. We can't stay here before the Akuma Akumu appear again." Kazekiri explained.
"You're right. Let's go."
As they walked, Yumekui began to ask Yori something. "Yori-san."
"What's wrong?" Yori asked while walking.
"Why do you really want to protect Yume-san?" asked Yumekui.
He didn't realize as Yumekui asked him why he wanted to protect Yume. He became hesitant on answering Yumekui's question.
"Well... I wanted to protect Yume because... she's very important to me," Yori explained. "I don't want to fail on protecting her just like the last time."
Yumekui became confused when Yori mentioned something about failing on protecting Yume like the "last" time.
"Just like the last time?"'
"It happened when Yume and I were at the autumn trees. Yume confessed that she didn't help me from what happened." he replied. "She said that it was her fault and then I yelled at her that she's not a hindrance, but I scared her and apologized to her. I told her that I promised that I'll protect her no matter what happens until..."
"Until what?" the young boy wondered, curiously.
"Until the Akuma Akumu ambushed us and one of them kidnapped Yume after I defeated the other four. I tried to save her, but... I ended up wounded when that Akuma Akumu crushed my arm when it grabbed me. I failed to protect her and I'm such an idiot."
"That's not true, Yori-san!" yelled Yumekui.
Yori surprised that Yumekui explained that wasn't true that he failed to protect Yume. "Yumekui..."
"I know it's diffcult, but you can't say that you cannot protect her. I'm sure that you can save her!" Yumekui explained. "You can't give up on protecting Yume-san!"
Yori surprised that Yumekui encouraged him not to give up on protecting his twin sister. He also remembered that Kazekiri said the same thing.
"You can't give up on protecting Yume if you keep blaming yourself."
Remembering Kazekiri's words, he made up his mind as he became determined.
"Thank you, Yumekui. I won't make the same mistake like the last time." he complied.
Kazekiri realized that Yori became determined to protect and save Yume as she looked at him.
"It seems like that Yori became more determined," the wind spirit realized.
With Yori's resolution, he knew that he have to save Yume no matter how he won't give up. And also, he needs to find Tsukida and the others while rescuing Yume.
"Everyone, I hope you're okay. Once we're together, we'll save Yume." determined Yori. "Yume, I will find you. I'll protect you at all costs."