~~Hello readers, a new chapter has arrived.
I do not own Yugioh Zexal.
Only my original characters belong to me.~~
My group of friends and I had just entered our math class.
Many conversations began around us by the other students.
Bronk and i were sitting right behind Yuma and Tori.
Being in class with my friends felt normal for once without Julie's awkward death stare.
I decided to start a conversation with the boy sitting next to me.
"Bronk, I'm so glad Julie is gone. I can finally be myself in class," I said with a relieved smile.
Although saying the ruthless woman's name brought bad memories, I still felt relaxed because of Bronk.
"Yeah I know, that lady is nothing but trouble. You definitely don't need her around," he replied.
"So true," I added.
I listened as Tori and Yuma had a joyful conversation.
Astral silently hovered beside Yuma.
I smiled and waved at him.
"Hello Sioku," he greeted.
My moment of happiness immediately came to an end when I spotted Mira walking through the door.
She sauntered over to my desk wearing a boastful expression on her ugly face.
Bronk stared at her and commented. "Look what the cat dragged in."
I couldn't help but giggle at Bronk's comment.
"Shut up nerd," Mira snapped back.
I straitened up and demanded. "Leave my friend alone! Did you not learn your lesson from our last meeting? What do you want?"
Mira only laughed before she taunted. "Well Sad Sioku, I just wanted to let you know that my mom knows about our fight. Mom will deal with you as soon as she can."
I glared at her and replied. "Mira, I'm not surprised by that at all. You are the type of person who would tattle on other people for stupid reasons."
Mira shook her head and laughed out loud.
"Oh Sad Sioku, you act so bad and tough whenever my mom isn't around. Unfortunately for you, she will make sure that you never do anything else to me. I can't wait to see you cry like a little baby when she does," she said happily.
Bronk glared at Mira and then returned to his workbook.
Suddenly, I saw the purple haired boy named Shark walking toward me.
My mind flashed back to this boy's duel with Yuma at the courtyard.
He didn't have that mean look on his face which put my mind at ease.
I also sensed a peaceful aura around him.
Bronk stared at me and said with a confused expression. "What's Shark doing here? I didn't know he had this class with us."
I then remembered what Yuma had told me at the train station.
"Calm down Bronk, Shark surprised me as well. I don't think he wants to hurt people anymore," I assured.
"I still don't trust that bully," Bronk added with an annoyed glare.
I just brushed off Bronk's comment and looked away.
Shark stopped in front of my desk and stared at me.
His beautiful cerulean eyes shined brightly in the sunlight coming through the window.
I really found his appearance quite attractive.
Yuma and Tory began whispering to each other as they watched us.
Mira smirked at Shark and teased, "Hey shark boy, have you come to rescue Sad Sioku from me? She could use another body guard."
Shark turned to Mira and glared furiously at her.
"I would shut that loud mouth of yours if I were you. You'll be in some deep water if you keep going," he answered roughly.
I couldn't help but burst into laughter in response to Shark's threat.
Mira only laughed before she replyed. "What are you going to do? You can't challenge me to a duel because I don't play that stupid card game."
Shark stood directly in front of Mira and shouted. "I'll report your actions to the teacher, and he'll send you to the principal's office!"
"Whatever," said Mira as she marched away.
Shark then turned to me wearing a softer expression.
"Hey mis, I apologize for making those rude comments and yelling at you in the courtyard yesterday. My behavior was unacceptable," he said sincerely.
Bronk shook his head as he glared at Shark.
"Settle down Bronk," I warned.
I then turned my attention back to the boy standing in front of me.
Shark's calm voice instantly caused a feeling of happiness to wash over me.
There was no possible way I could turn him down.
"Thank you for defending me against Mira, that was very generous of you. I appreciate and accept your apology," I replied with a smile.
"No problem Sioku, I've decided to turn over a new leaf since my duel with Yuma. I promise to help people from now on," he said with a smile.
I happily stood up and held out my right hand.
"My name is Sioku, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said.
The boy firmly shook my hand and replied. "Same to you Sioku, you and I should have a duel sometime. You looked fierce when you confronted me during that incident."
A surge of hyper energy rushed through my body like a river current.
I jumped and let out a nervous laugh.
Shark's comment left me speechless as I blushed.
Tori and Yuma stared at me and laughed out loud.
I felt my legs begin to shake as I stared up at the ceiling.
The bad thoughts about Julie had been temporarily cleared from my mind.
I forgot all about her attempt to hurt me.
"I'm not playing around Sioku! That crazy look in your eyes told me to watch out for you," Shark added proudly.
My heart raced as I trembled with joy.
"Thank you for the kind words," I said shyly.
"No problem," Shark replied.
I let out a dreamy sigh as I relaxed in Shark's peaceful presence.
"I think Sioku likes him," said Tori to Yuma.
Yuma just giggled in agreement.
I looked closely at the shark's tooth around his neck as I sat back down.
"I love your pendent Shark," I said with admiration.
"It brings me good luck," he replied with a grin.
There was a short period of silence between Shark and me.
I silently prayed that this moment would never end.
Shark decided to speak up as a thought crossed his mind. "Hey Sioku, I couldn't help but watch the action going on with you and Yuma. What was that all about?"
I didn't show any hesitation to answer Shark's question.
I felt brave as can be around him.
"My academic assistant Julie attacked me for getting excited over Yuma. Yuma sent out Utopia to help fight her off since she wouldn't give up. Julie walked away after Utopia slashed at her," I explained.
"I'm surprised that Yuma didn't bring out Leviathan Dragon. That monster would have crushed her," he replied.
I just giggled in response to Shark's comment.
Being around Shark made me feel like Julie didn't exist.
I could no longer hear her intimidating voice.
"I'm going back to my seat now. I'll see you around Sioku," Shark said before he walked away.
"Bye for now," I replied.
Our math teacher stood at the front of the classroom.
"Good morning students," he greeted.
The conversations slowly began to fade into silence.
"You will be working on an independent assignment. Please come to my desk if you need help," he added.
The teacher then dismissed us.
I smiled at Bronk before I turned my attention back to the board.
"Are you still thinking about Shark?" he whispered.
Bronk's question made me chuckle a bit as I nodded.
The teacher had instructed us to solve a series of math problems from a page in the textbook.
All of the conversations began again.
I decided to work by myself and let Bronk spend this time with our other friends.
From out of nowhere, I spotted Astral floating toward me.
"Astral, where are you going?" asked Yuma.
Instead of answering him, Astral just kept his focus on me.
"Whatever Astral," Yuma grumbled.
Mira smirked at Yuma and blurted out. "Oh my gosh, Sad Sioku's little body guard talks to himself too? I can understand why they're friends."
"Shut up Mira!" I yelled back.
A few people laughed and stared at Yuma as if he was crazy.
"That's not nice," I thought.
Astral approached the left side of my desk with a big smile on his face.
I could tell that he was really happy to see me.
"Hi Astral," I greeted cheerfully.
"Hello again Sioku," he replied.
"What brings your royal cuteness over here?" I asked with a wide grin.
"I'm curious about you," he answered.
My face heated up as I blushed at that.
The excitement in Astral's voice made me think of Dark Mist.
I sighed as I stared down at my pendent.
"I really wish Dark Mist could come out," I thought.
"Is something wrong Sioku?" asked Astral.
"I just miss my friend Number 96," I answered.
I unzipped my bag and pulled out a math textbook.
Astral watched silently as I flipped through my book to the assigned page.
I then pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a pencil.
Astral's tranquil presence made it easier for me to stay calm whenever I came across a tough problem.
I would just look into his mismatched eyes and take a deep breath.
"Sioku," said Astral.
"Yes Astral?" I replied with a smile.
"How did you and Yuma meet?" he asked curiously.
"I saved him from collapsing at the train station," I answered.
Astral's smile grew wider at my response.
"You are a miraculous individual Sioku. I'm sure Yuma is blessed to have you in his life," he said.
I felt like I really didn't deserve that kind of praise due to my past mistakes.
Tears of joy welled up in my eyes as I took in Astral's kind words.
I stared wide eyed at my new celestial friend and replied. "That was one of the nicest complements I've ever heard from anybody. Astral, thank you very much for that."
"You're most welcome Sioku," he softly replied.
A wave of guilt washed over me as I picked up my newly enchanted jewel.
I felt bad about Astral being in Dark Mist's place in this moment.
Mira let out a growl of frustration as she jumped up from her seat.
She glared daggers at me and yelled. "Sad Sioku, I can't stand being in the same room as you! You're nothing but a foolish child who doesn't know what reality is!"
I glared back at her but didn't say anything.
"Do you ever shut up?" Bronk shouted in Mira's direction.
Once those problems were out of the way, I neatly signed the top of my paper.
Afterward, I stood up and walked over to the teacher's desk.
To my surprise, he was nowhere to be seen.
I slipped my paper into the Completed tray.
Not thinking anything of it, I just walked back to my seat.
I looked around to find both Yuma and Astral missing from our group.
"Bronk! We must go find our friends right now," I said frantically.
Bronk quickly jumped up from his chair and replied. "Sioku, where did they go?"
"I have no idea," I answered.
I then grabbed my bag and threw it over my shoulder.
"Wait, what happened?" asked Tori as she approached Bronk and me.
"Yuma and Astral are missing," I answered.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go find them," she replied.
Bronk started walking toward the door.
Tori and I immediately followed after him.
My friends and I exited the classroom and walked down the metal ramp.
The fresh air felt very relaxing.
"Where in the world could Yuma have run off to this time?" asked Bronk.
"Beats me," Tori answered.
"Yuma has a lot of energy," I added before I laughed.
After wandering through a few areas of the school, we split up in order to continue our search.
"Message me if you find Yuma," said Bronk.
"You two do the same," I replied.
"We'll see you in class," added Tori as they walked away.
I decided to look for Yuma in the gym.
The huge empty gym was completely silent.
I would literally be able to hear a pin drop on the floor.
Unfortunately, there was nobody in sight.
The bleachers were empty as well.
I let out a disappointed sigh as I headed toward the locker rooms.
The silence was freaking me out, so I anxiously held the jewel in both hands.
My heart began to race as I breathed heavily.
"You can come out now Dark Mist," I said while shaking slightly.
Before I knew it, Number 96 materialized out of my pendent.
"I'm here Sioku, what is troubling you?" he asked while cautiously floating to my left side.
"I'm terrified of being alone in complete silence," I answered.
Dark Mist comfortingly leaned against my shoulder.
"You made a wise decision to summon me Sioku," he softly whispered.
I smiled warmly at him in response.
His pleasant aura calmed my fears almost instantly.
My heart rate also returned to normal.
"Let's go Dark Mist, we need to find Yuma. He disappeared in the middle of math class. Our other friends are searching for him as we speak," I informed.
"I would be honored to assist you Sioku," he replied.
With Dark Mist floating by my side, I bravely checked each locker room.
There was no sign of Yuma or Astral.
Having no luck, I started walking toward the double doors to leave.
Dark Mist and I exited the gym and headed straight for the dueling arena.
I carefully maneuvered through many crowds of people to avoid getting pushed over.
"Class must be over," I thought.
All was going well until I spotted Julie walking toward me with a male officer behind her.
I heard her rambling on and on about how rude I've supposedly been to her this morning.
"Oh there she goes again. What is Julie doing here anyway?" I thought with an irritated sigh.
I decided to ignore them and continued walking.
Dark Mist began to shiver as he sensed Julie's ominous presence.
I stopped and stared at my frightened celestial friend.
He was hovering behind me with his head down.
Seeing him scared like that tugged at my heart.
Instead of worrying about Julie, I focused on helping Dark Mist relax.
I turned around slowly to prevent myself from accidentally startling him.
Number 96 hovered against my chest in fear.
I felt him shaking violently against my skin.
He had a panic-stricken look on his face.
His heart pounded rapidly as he panted.
The intense fear that Dark Mist was feeling reminded me of Yuma's reaction to Julie whenever he saw her.
"Hey Dark Mist, are you all right? What's bothering you?" I softly asked with deep concern.
"Sioku, look out! Julie is back! I don't want to see this woman hurt you for real!" he shouted protectively.
My mind flashed back to the nightmare I had about Julie a while ago.
"I'm sure that won't happen," I smoothly assured.
I then sang another song to him.
My soothing voice calmed Number 96 down enough to help him breathe easier.
I remained still and allowed Dark Mist to pull himself together.
His heart rate slowly returned to normal.
A few minutes later, Dark Mist lifted his head and stared at me.
"Sioku, please promise me that you will stay on your guard around Julie. I don't want you to get injured," he said worriedly.
"I promise," I whispered lovingly.
I gasped as Number 96 quickly disappeared into my pendent.
"Dark Mist? Will you be okay in there right now? I asked."
"I'll be just fine," he telepathically replied.
"Rest well Dark Mist," I whispered.
I started making my way to the dueling arena when I felt somebody grab the back of my shirt and drag me toward Julie.
I had no idea what was going on, but I suspected that Julie had something to do with this situation.
I found myself standing next to Julie who was throwing me a piercing glare.
Startled, I whipped around to find the male officer gripping my shirt tightly.
My eyes widened in surprise as I straightened myself up.
"Let go of my shirt right now! What do you want with me? I didn't do anything wrong!" I demanded.
"You know what you did Sioku," Julie answered.
I looked up as Julie unbuttoned her sweater.
She then lifted up the bottom of her blouse to reveal two large bandages covering her side where Utopia had slashed.
"I did not do that to you Julie," I protested.
"We found you trouble maker, you're coming with us. Keep quiet or else you'll end up in a world of hurt," the officer threatened in a wicked tone.
As much as I wanted to protest a second time, I just did as I was told in order to prevent his threat from becoming reality.
The officer then released my shirt and walked over to Julie's other side.
His eyes were still fixed on me.
Without warning, Julie furiously placed both hands on my shoulders and squeezed them.
"Hold on, what was that for?" I asked while trying to maintain my composure.
Unfortunately, my body reacted quicker than I expected.
I jumped and flinched at the stinging pain caused by her tight grip.
"Tell me Sioku, did you really think you could get away with letting your pathetic little friend attack me?" she asked with an evil grin.
"It's all right Sioku, please remain calm. I'm still here," said Dark Mist telepathically.
Hearing that soothing voice gave me a new feeling of encouragement.
"Thanks for your help Dark Mist," I thought.
I put on a brave face to suppress my worries.
"How else was I supposed to defend myself Julie? He was protecting me from you! You slammed me against a wall for no reason," I snapped back.
"That's enough little girl! Didn't I tell you to keep quiet?" the officer shouted in my ear.
"Yes sir," I answered timidly.
The officer's loud voice caused me to flinch again.
Julie roughly shook me before she continued. "I heard that you punched my daughter in the face! Who the heck do you think you are?"
"Mira deserved it," I replied boldly.
The officer lowered his head down to my level and screamed. "Hey! I ordered you to be silent!"
I felt my body start to shake uncontrollably under Julie's firm grasp.
My intense fear was uncontainable at this point.
The courage that Dark Mist had given me before vanished instantly.
I held my stomach tightly as a feeling of nausea washed over me.
"Hands to your sides!" yelled the officer.
I slowly lowered my shaking hands to my sides.
"I'm so glad they have me instead of Yuma," I thought in relief.
"Why would they go after Yuma?" asked Dark Mist.
"Yuma's monster is the one who attacked Julie in order to set me free," I answered telepathically.
Tears threatened to sting the corners of my eyes as I imagined Yuma getting captured by Julie and the officer in my place.
I immediately forced them back to prevent myself from attracting more negative attention.
Sweat dripped down my forehead as I stared at the floor.
"Did I give you permission to look down? Keep your eyes forward!" he yelled again.
"No sir," I timidly answered.
I lifted my head and faced him.
The officer quietly walked forward until he was standing directly in front of me.
"You may release this girl now," he said to Julie.
Julie removed her hands from my shoulders and stepped aside.
She watched proudly as the officer secured heavy chains all over my body.
The sound of those chains caused my heart to race with anticipation.
I shivered violently as the metal came in contact with my skin.
He then clipped a separate chain onto the front of my shackles like a dog's leash and handed the end to Julie.
"You have the honor of dragging her around. I'll keep this trouble maker in line," he said.
The officer's words sent chills rapidly crawling up my spine.
He then pulled a metal whistle out of his pants pocket.
I was tempted to look down at those shackles, but I didn't want to get yelled at by the officer again.
"Sioku? What's happening to you?" asked Dark Mist.
"I'll explain later," I thought.
I yelped in fear as the piercing whistle rang in my right ear.
"We've waisted enough time here! Let's go!" yelled the officer.
I began to run at a fast pace as Julie yanked the chain on my shackles.
She relentlessly dragged me through the walkways.
Many people watched the three of us as they walked by.
My face heated up with embarrassment as I continued running.
I panted heavily as a wave of dizziness washed over me.
My legs felt very weak from the strain that Julie was forcing me to put on them.
"Sioku! Please tell me what's going on!" Dark Mist called out.
I could tell that he wanted to set me free.
Unfortunately, I didn't have the strength to answer my worried celestial friend.
Julie pulled even harder every time I tried to slow down.
"Don't stop little one! Keep going!" the officer yelled again.
I was about to lower my head until the whistle rang in my ear a second time.
I groaned in pain as I forced my shaking body to keep up with Julie and the officer.
My heart pounded rapidly in my chest.
Tears poured from my eyes as the pain became unbearable.
Loud sobs escaped me, and I had no control over them.
"Oh quit your crying Sioku! You need to toughen up!" shouted Julie.
My legs eventually gave in, and I flopped to the ground.
Julie continued to drag me regardless of the horrible condition I was in.
To make matters worse, the officer repeatedly blew his whistle in my ear and demanded me to get up.
"Please hang in there Sioku! I'm still here with you!" cried Dark Mist.
Hearing my celestial friend's panic-stricken voice tugged at my emotions.
In the midst of this chaotic situation, the duel disc inside my bag began to glow.
This was my perfect distraction from the shackles.
"Dark Mist! My duel disk is glowing," I thought.
"I wonder what it could be," Dark Mist replied thoughtfully.
"I'm serious Dark Mist! You mean you don't know?" I telepathically questioned in confusion.
Before Dark Mist had a chance to respond, I heard another male voice enter the space. "You'll be free very soon Sioku. I will activate a Barian sphere field!"
My expression almost instantly changed from pained to relieved.
This was totally unexpected.
I jumped with excitement at the mysterious voice.
It definitely sounded more pleasant than the officer's.
"Sioku, who is that?" asked Dark Mist.
"I'm about to find out," I answered.
With the strength I had left, I rebelliously fought against the shackles.
The officer repeatedly blew the whistle in my ear.
I put up a brave face to pretend like it didn't phase me.
"Stay focused! We haven't stopped yet," he demanded.
Instead of obeying him, I decided to peer behind me.
I spotted a male figure wearing a dark purple cloak flying after me as Number 96 normally would.
He immediately stopped Julie in her tracks by zapping the back of her neck.
Julie growled with irritation and dropped her end of the chain down on the ground.
She then walked away to join the officer.
The officer stood still with a stunned expression on his face.
He didn't understand what was going on.
I breathed a sigh of relief knowing that I wasn't being dragged by her anymore.
The officer stared at Julie with confusion.
"You're giving up? What's the matter with you?" he said with a disappointed look.
"Are you kidding? I just got zapped," she snapped back.
Their argument made me chuckle under my breath.
I shifted my eyes from the officer's to the cloaked being hovering beside me.
My new visitor had purple eyes with black outlines.
He also had bulbous spiked grey hair with bangs curled outward around his face.
His black wings were adorned with pink gems.
My heart rate started returning to normal as I stared up at him.
"Oh my gosh... he's beautiful," I thought with a bright smile.
Despite not knowing his name, I strangely felt secure around this guy.
I sensed another peaceful aura around him.
"Hey! You're supposed to be looking at me little girl!" screamed the officer.
"Get over here Sioku!" continued Julie.
I defiantly shook my head.
"Sioku won't listen to either of you! You no longer have control over her!" the mysterious being shouted back.
Hearing that new voice again made my heart flutter a bit.
"This new guy sounds just as wonderful as he looks," I dreamily thought.
From out of nowhere, a massive pool of energy began swirling around my body.
"Wo, is this the Barian sphere field that he just mentioned? Where did all of this energy come from?" I thought.
I gasped in awe while watching my shackles break and fall to the ground.
All of the pain that I previously felt started to fade away as well.
"Oh my gosh, I'm finally free! How did this happen?" I said out loud.
I remained still as the pool of energy grew even bigger.
"What is the meaning of this?" the officer yelled as he angrily charged at me.
"Sioku! Did you do this?" added Julie as she followed her partner.
I just shook my head at her and smiled.
The officer blew his whistle in frustration.
I fearfully slumped down into the swirling energy pool to shield myself from another attack.
My body began to tremble again as I panted heavily.
"Don't worry Sioku, you're safe now. I won't let them hurt you anymore," assured the unknown male.
My new visitor's words of reassurance calmed me down enough to focus on his aura.
I slowly lifted my head to look at him.
"You're okay Sioku, I'm still here. Nobody will hurt you as long as I'm around," he said softly.
Julie and the officer tried to charge at me again, but they were shocked violently by the mysterious shield.
I watched happily as my two pursuers fell to the ground.
They looked unconscious from a distance.
"That was close," I thought.
"Sioku, are you all right?" asked Dark Mist.
"I will be thanks to our new savior," I answered.
A few minutes later, the mysterious pool of energy around me slowly started to disappear.
After setting my bag down, I carefully tried to stand up even though my legs were still way too weak.
However, I lost my balance right away.
Luckily, my unnamed hero caught me before I could fall.
"I've got you Sioku," he assured.
"Thank you for saving me," I whispered.
I looked down to see him holding my severely weakened body close to his chest.
His warm embrace was what I've been waiting for ever since I left the gym.
I let out a yawn as I snuggled into him.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" I softly asked.
"Sioku, my name is Vector. The hidden power inside you has reached out to me somehow," he answered.
I stared up at Vector in utter shock and said. "Vector, what in the dueling world are you talking about? I don't have a super power."
"Are you sure about that?" he asked with a smile.
"I seriously don't know where you got that insane idea," I answered before I laughed out loud.
"It's true Sioku," Vector insisted.
"Listen Vector, my older sister Kara would never tell me if I was born with a special power. She has a hard time trusting me," I explained.
"I see," he replied.
Vector carefully adjusted his position.
"Don't worry Sioku, I understand that you're exhausted right now. We can discuss the subject later," he said gently.
I laid my head on Vector's shoulder and closed my eyes.
Before I knew it, my body gave in to the exhaustion.
I drifted off into the darkness after a few seconds.
Vector remained completely still and observed me as I slept peacefully in his arms.
To Vector's surprise, Number 96 materialized out of my pendent.
Vector looked up to see my celestial companion hovering in front of him.
"Hello Dark Mist," he greeted.
"Good afternoon sir," Dark Mist politely replied.
Dark Mist paused at the sight of my sleeping form.
"Are you the one who saved Sioku?" he asked gratefully.
"Yes Dark Mist, please be very careful around her. She has already been through enough," Vector softly answered.
Dark Mist continued staring down at me as a train of thought raced through his mind.
He took a deep breath in relief knowing that I was in good hands.
"Thank you very much Vector," he said with a smile.
"You're most welcome Dark Mist," Vector replied.
The two of them remained silent as they watched over me.
Dark Mist decided to break the silence and spoke up. "Vector, where are you from?"
"I come from Barian World," Vector answered.
"Barian World? I recognize that name," Dark Mist thought.
"Are you okay Dark Mist?" asked Vector.
"Don't worry about me Vector," Dark Mist answered nervously.
Dark Mist quickly took a deep breath to clear his mind before he continued. "Vector, can you tell me what happened to Sioku?"
"Of course Dark Mist, but her situation wasn't good at all. I found the poor girl restrained by heavy shackles. Sioku was being incessantly dragged around by a woman. A man also blew his whistle in Sioku's ear to make her obey his commands. I stopped them by creating a Barian sphere field in order to destroy the shackles on Sioku's body. The two people tried to go after Sioku again, but I was too quick. I zapped them into submission," Vector explained.
"I still feel guilty about not being there for Sioku during her time of need," said Dark Mist as he lowered his eyes.
"Don't blame yourself Dark Mist. I'm sure Sioku appreciates you for being here with us right now," Vector smoothly assured.
"Thank you Vector," Dark Mist replied.
In the midst of their conversation, I began to twitch in my sleep.
Vector tightened his hold on me and said lovingly. "Calm down Sioku, we're right here."
His attempt to sooth me didn't work at all.
My body went from twitching to shaking almost instantly.
Vector became startled and placed his hand over me.
"Sioku? can you hear me?" he called out.
I was unable to respond to his voice.
"Hold on Vector, I can help you. I understand that a situation like this is new to you. Please remain calm," said Dark Mist as he cautiously approached us.
Vector let out a sigh of relief.
"I'm glad you're here Dark Mist," he whispered.
Dark Mist gently placed his hand on my forehead and said to Vector. "Sioku is having a nightmare about that frightening event from today."
Vector stared at Dark Mist and replied with a worried expression. "I don't like seeing Sioku like this! Is there any way to wake her up?"
"No Vector, we have to let Sioku wake up on her own. It's the only way she can safely come out of it," Dark Mist answered.
Vector leaned over me in a protective manner.
"Sioku, Dark Mist and I will be here when you wake up," he said softly.
A few minutes later, I started panting heavily as my eyes shot wide open.
My body continued to shake violently in Vector's arms.
"Sioku! I'm so glad to see you again," said Dark Mist as he hovered beside me.
I showed no reaction to his voice which was unusual.
"Sioku? Are you all right?" asked Vector.
Instead of answering him, I nervously looked around.
My heart pounded rapidly in my chest.
"Where am I? What's happening to me? Please tell me that I'm not still chained up!" I hollered.
Vector's facial expression changed from worried to confused as he asked. "Dark Mist, what's wrong with Sioku?"
"Sioku's nightmare has her disoriented. This was clearly a traumatic event for her," Dark Mist answered.
Vector didn't know how to help me since we had just met.
"Have you ever helped her out of this? What should I do?" he asked frantically.
"Vector, you cannot get worked up! Freaking out will only make the situation worse," Dark Mist replied sternly.
The high pitch in Dark Mist's voice caused me to perk up a little.
I glanced up at him and smiled.
I then turned my attention to Vector who looked scared.
"Is he all right?" I thought.
Vector took a few deep breaths to calm himself down.
"I understand you Dark Mist," he said softly.
Vector continued holding onto me as I slowly started to relax.
"Dark Mist, what did you do whenever Sioku had a bad dream?" he asked.
"I usually stay by her side," Dark Mist answered calmly.
The three of us stayed silent for a few minutes.
Vector smiled as he watched my condition improve.
"Sioku, this is Vector. Do you remember me?" he said soothingly.
"You're doing well Vector," praised Dark Mist.
Vector gave him a friendly nod before turning his attention back to me.
"Yes Vector, I remember you. I'm sorry for scaring you," I answered remorsefully.
Vector pulled me closer to him in a comforting way.
"It's all right Sioku," he smoothly replied.
Dark Mist happily observed as Vector and I relaxed together.