It's so dark… Where am I?

Yumi looked around and could see nothing but darkness. The eerie silence made the atmosphere even more frightening. She shivered from the cold air.

What is this place?

Piping up some courage Yumi started to walk forward, not knowing where she was going.

It seemed like days she was walking. Her view didn't change, all she could see was a never ending darkness. Just when she was about to give up, she walked right into a surface.

Yumi pressed her hands on what seemed to be a wall but it was to dark to see. Just then Yumi heard a fluttering noise. She looked around to see where the noise was coming from. Then she spotted it.

A black butterfly unattached itself from the wall like it was a part of it, light shone through the empty space that once held that butterfly. Yumi watched as the black insect fluttered down towards her.

The princess suddenly felt a little warmer. But then another sound startled her.

Fluttering sounds were heard all over. Yumi turned in circles wondering what was going to happen next.

Suddenly the blackness shattered into thousands of dark butterflies. A bright light shone in all directions, blinding Yumi. The black butterflies flew around the princess. She watched as they circled her body, their soft wings brushing against her skin. She smiled.

Then the butterflies started to close their circle. They flew closer and closer towards Yumi's body. She started to panic, wondering what was happening. The dark insects flew so close together they shielded the light from Yumi.

Yumi felt her body suddenly falling. Her heart raced and she felt dizzy. Then she hit water.

She started to sink into the dark liquid. She gasped for air but swallowed the water instead. She felt the liquid enter her lungs, it burnt her throat.

Yumi's chest ached. She struggled to swim to the top, to try and find air but the liquid was so deep. She swam forward hoping to find an air pocket above her somewhere else. Yumi swam until she felt her finger nails scrape against a hard surface in front of her.

Starting to panic, Yumi punched at the surface, trying to brake through. She felt around her noticing that there was a wall all around her. She then noticed that she was trapped in a small pod.

Her chest burned in pain and her heart raced. Yumi punched and kicked at the surface, trying to break through. Scratching at the wall until her fingers bled, Yumi was running out of time.

I don't want to die! She screamed in her head, screwing her eyes shut.

Opening her eyes once again, she took one gasp of air. Cool, soothing air filled her lungs. Yumi looked around to see that she was sitting in her bed.

Naruto busted through the door with Shino, Kiba, and Sakura behind. "What's wrong?!"

Yumi blinked with confusion. "B-But it felt so real…" She whispered to herself looking down at her hands then clenching her chest. The pain was gone.

"We heard you scream. What happened?" Shino asked.

Yumi looked up to all their worried expressions. They noticed that Yumi was drenched with sweat. "Did you have a bad dream?" Sakura asked.

Yumi was speechless. She tried to forget that awful experience. She tried to hold back her tears.

A large boom of thunder was heard outside Yumi's window. Everyone looked outside to see rain splash against the glass. "A thunder storm?" Naruto asked.

A crash of lighting lit up the room, Shino looked over to see a split second of a terrified face that belonged to the princess. Her eyes were wide and her face pale.

Naruto noticed this as well. He walked over to Yumi. "Yu-" his voice was cut off by another shattering sound of thunder.

A small squeaking noise was heard from Yumi. She screwed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around her body. Another flash of lighting lit up her face for everyone to see.

"Yumi… what's wrong?" Sakura asked.

Yumi trembled all over.

"Are you sick?" Kiba asked. Akamaru jumped onto Yumi's bed and walked over slowly towards the trembling girl. He tilted his head in confusion.

"I-I'm fi-" Her voice was cut off by another large boom of thunder. Yumi quickly went under the covers.

"Are you scared of the thunder?" Naruto asked.

Yumi slowly pulled the blankets off her head. "No. I'm fine really."

"Are your sure?" Sakura asked.

"Yea… I'm okay."

"Okay. We'll leave to go back to sleep then." Shino said while turning around to leave the room.

Yumi quickly looked up with teary eyes, watching the group turn around and start to leave. She held out her hand and tried to speak but nothing would come out. A crash of thunder rattled the room and made Yumi jump right out of the bed and grab onto the back of Shino's shirt. She stared at the ground embarrassed.

Naruto looked over his shoulder at Yumi clutching Shino's shirt. Sakura and Kiba turned around and glanced up at Shino to see how he's reacting to this.

"Um… pl-please don't leave m-me…" Yumi's voice sounded so small and distant.

Shino just stood there silently, his hands in his pockets.

"Yumi…" Naruto took a step towards them. "You are scared of the thunder… aren't you?"

Yumi straightened her posture and slowly released her grip on Shino's shirt. Feeling very embarrassed she looked away from everyone's stare. Shino turned around to face her.

The room became silent. Only the pitter patter of the rain rung in Yumi's ears. She tried to find the courage to speak but nothing could come out. She soon found herself caving in, falling to her knees sobbing into her hands.

All of her feelings crashed into her like a giant title wave. Yumi felt like she couldn't hold it in much longer, the memory of her recent dream made her twitch. The next thing startled her as she felt a comforting hand rest on her shoulder.

She raised her head up to see Sakura kneeling down beside her. She looked over to her other side to see Naruto kneeling down near her as well. "Please talk to us." Naruto said.

"It's better to let things out then to keep them bottled inside like this." Sakura removed her hand from Yumi's shoulder and waited for her to speak.

Her eyes swollen from crying, Yumi looked up to see Kiba and Shino staring down at her sympathetically. Not knowing how to start, the trembling girl could only think of one thing to do to calm her nerves.

"Guided by dreams and the warmth in your skin…"

Everyone was shocked to see Yumi start to sing, her eyes closed and her voice still shaky.

"Growing and fighting to brake free from within
Once you break free child, reborn from the dead
Wings of your colours you will soon spread
The mark of your birth, of the moon above
Will fill your soul and embrace you with love
But tonight child your still in first state
Unclear of your destiny, your story, your fate
Don't fret child and rest your head
Eyes of lavender and green thread"

The room became silent as the storm outside started to calm down. Yumi blushed slightly, a little embarrassed of what she just did. "My mother would sing that to me every night. I never really understood it but every time I would hear it… I would just feel… warmer… for some reason. Some nights like this when it was storming out… I would cry out to my mother and she would come in and sing the song again. Then I would no longer be as scared."

Everyone blinked at her, trying to think of something to say.

Yumi's cheeks flushed pink. "I know its sounds weird… maybe a bit corny buts its true." She rubbed her eyes thinking that she should be feeling better but a knew pain came into her heart. An aching pain of loneliness. This was strange to her because there were friends surrounding her.

Then an image of her mother came to mind. She shrugged it off. No… seeing that would only make me feel worse.

"What a strange song…" Yumi glared up at Kiba who was looking out the window. He sensed her glare and looked back down at her. "Well it was."

"Yuki thought it was strange too, but I don't care I like it." Yumi quickly noticed what she just said and mentally slapped herself.

"Yuki?" Naruto tilted his head confused.

"Her brother." Shino said blandly. "Am I right?"

"Y-yes… how'd you know?" Yumi looked up at the mysterious ninja.

Shino shrugged. "Common sense."

"Oh right, you have a brother… why haven't we met him yet?" Kiba was looking out the window still. The storm was finished and it was lightly raining.

"Wait… how did you guys even know I had a brother?" Yumi studied everyone's… guilty faces? Why do they look guilty? She asked herself.

"Well…" Kiba began.

"Kiba listened in on your conversation with sensei Toruh!" Sakura blurted out.

"Hey!" Kiba snarled at Sakura. "You tattle tale."

"Well you had no right to." Sakura snapped back.

Yumi blinked in confusion. "When was this?"

"During your training." Naruto said chuckling at the dog-boy and pinkette arguing.

Yumi thought back to the conversation she had with her sensei. She nodded. "So you eavesdropped?"

"N-no… maybe… a bit." Kiba laughed nervously.

Yumi rolled her eyes.

"Wait…" Naruto thought for a moment. "You said 'had' a brother…"

Yumi looked up at Naruto then quickly looked away. She pulled her legs close to her chest.

"Oh…" Naruto frowned. "I'm sorry."

Yumi looked up at everyone again. "No it's not that he died… it's just that…" She paused. "He ran away."

The room became silent again. Yumi sighed.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

Yumi shrugged. "He was always quiet and mysterious. He never let any into his world… He disappeared one night without a word and never came back." She struggled to keep back the tears starting to form on her lashes.

"Crybaby."

"I am not!" A young girl protested. Her green hair tightly pulled back into two pigtails on either side of her head.

"You cry for the silliest things." An older boy said flatly. His hands shoved into his black jacket pockets.

"I-do-not." She said between sniffles.

The black haired boy just rolled his eyes. "I stepped on a beetle."

"B-but the beetle didn't do anything wrong! He didn't deserve to die." She glared at her older brother.

The boy shivered slightly under the glare of his sisters violet eyes. "Crybaby." He repeated.

"Stop picking on your sister Yuki."

The children looked up to see who spoke. A fare woman walked towards them. She tucked her silky black hair behind her ears and smiled.

"Sorry mother." The boy looked to the ground.

The little girl giggled at her brother. Not so tough now when mother comes around.

"Shouldn't you be in bed resting?" The boy added.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine." The woman said, still smiling warmly. "Besides its so boring being cooped up in my room." She said while ruffling the young boy's hair.

"Yay! Come play with us mommy!" She smiled down at her daughter innocently tugging on her arm. She patted the child on the head. "What would you like to play?"

"Let's play ninja again!" Her eyes were bright with excitement.

"Alright. Who will be it today?"

"You! You!" The little girl was pulling down on her arm now.

"Okay." There mother chuckled.

The little game on ninja went on for 10 minutes. The little girl was being chased around by her mother. "Ha can't catch me!" She cheered.

The woman slowed down to a complete stop. Her breath labored, she clenched her chest. The little girl noticed this and turned back around. The boy came out of hiding as well.

They rushed over to aid their mother. "Are you okay?" The girl asked.

"I-I'm fine." She said with a smile. "I just need a nap."

They watched as their mother slowly walked back into the castle. The young girl looked up at her brother. She noticed the blank expression. "Mommy has been taking a lot of naps lately hasn't she?" She blinked up at her brother.

"Yes. She has been." Taken a bit by surprise, the girl heard a hint a worry in his voice.

Smiling, she took her brother's hand in her own. "Don't worry, she'll get better and we will play ninja all the time, right?"

Her older brother nodded. "Right."

Oh how Yumi wished that was true.