Chapter 2: The dream
Ren's plane flew above the clouds. Yoh and Anna sat together, holding hands. Ren and Horo stood behind them and Tamao stood on the seat behind Horo, feeling like a stranger.
She was looking out the window, trying to ignore her fear. Her heart was beating faster than usual and her cheeks had taken a bright pink color.
Horo turned and looked at her.
"Tamao, what's wrong?"
Ren turned around and noticed her change too.
"Are you OK?"
She blinked two times and answered.
"I'm fine"
"Are you sure? You look..."
"I'm fine!" she repeated.
"Are you upset?" Ren asked
"What for?" she asked back, a bit surprised.
"For being there alone, and…"
"I don't mind sitting here alone with my thoughts. And I'm not upset"
"Good"
They sat down on their seats again, Ren throwing her one last concerned look.
Tamao closed her eyes to get some sleep. She knew they still had two more hours left until the arrival at the airport.
[Tamao's dream]
Tamao was walking through a dark forest, every tree taking a monstrous shape as she passed by; she couldn't see anyone, anything familiar and she didn't know where she was going, but her instincts told her to keep going ahead.
"Tamao"
She stopped, hearing her name called by a familiar voice.
"Yo-Yoh-sama…?"
"Tamao…save me…free me!" the voice asked her.
"Yoh-sama? Where are you?"
"Right here" the voice echoed through the forest.
"Yoh-sama, keep talking…I'm coming…"
She started running through the endless forest towards a light that she could see. She thought she had been running for hours. Her powers were leaving her; every muscle of her fragile body was tired. All she wanted to do was collapse in the grass, but she knew Yoh-sama suffered and needed her help.
Eventually, she found herself in front of a fountain. She looked inside to see his face; his eyes looking at her with sadness.
"Tamao…"
"Yoh-sama…what happened to you? What is this fountain?"
"It's a gate to the other world"
"You're dead?!"
"Yes"
Tears fell on her cheeks.
"Don't cry, Tamao…"
"I failed you" she whispered between sobs.
"No, you can still help me!"
"How?"
"Take my soul out of the fountain. You're the only one who can do it"
She touched the silver liquid, the barrier between her and the one she loved, but as her fingers went deeper, she felt a lot of pain, as if a million knives stabbed her all over the body at the same time.
She quickly removed her hand.
"I can't" she whispered. "It hurts!"
"Yes, you can!" he encouraged her, smiling. "Try again!"
"Yoh-sama?"
"Yes?"
"I…"
"I know" he answered. "And I feel the same"
She looked in his eyes and finally found the power to do it. Her fingers passed through the barrier and took the spectral image of Yoh, her feelings for him defeating the pain. She released him with a last cry and then collapsed on the grass.
[End of dream]
"Tamao! Tamao! Wake up!"
She opened her eyes and looked around. Ren, Horo, Yoh and Anna stood near her chair with expressions of concern on their faces. She was pale and sweating. Her forehead was cold.
"What is it?" she asked
"You started screaming and contorted weirdly…you scared us!" Horo said.
"What was it? A vision?" Anna asked
"I hope not. I think it was just a nightmare, a very exhausting one" Tamao murmured. "Sorry I disturbed you guys"
"Are you OK now?" Yoh asked her
"Yes, I saved…" she said, stopping just in time.
Yoh frowned.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing" she answered quickly, looking out the window.
Of course that dream was just a dream. He will never love her. Because of Anna…"Nothing at all"
Ren sat on the chair next to her and placed his arm around her shoulders.
"I'll stay with you for a while, to make sure you're all right. Here, drink some lemonade" he said, handing her a glass with the yellow juice.
"Thank you" she answered, taking a sip and then she placed it back on the table.
"So?"
"I feel better"
"Good. I hope it didn't happen because of this situation. You've been nervous ever since we took off. Are you afraid of heights?"
She didn't answer.
"Do you honestly think it was just a nightmare? It seemed very intense, almost like a vision"
"So that's why Anna asked me…"
"You kept repeating: "I'll save you". Who were you talking to?"
"I just…it doesn't matter"
"You can trust me, we're friends"
"It was Yoh-sama"
"Oh!"
Ren smiled. Maybe it had been just a nightmare. Everyone knew Tamao cared about Yoh more than she cared about herself.
"Come on, get some sleep. You still look tired" he murmured
"I don't want to…I don't want any more nightmares"
"You won't get any more nightmares, I promise. I'll protect you from them."
She leaned her head against his chest and fell asleep again while he was caressing her head.
