... Dream Keeper Yumeko ...
Chapter Nine

Authors Note: Thank you to all who read the last chapter... Naomi Chick, I'm not sure if the two girls will get along, but I'm sure they'll work on it (or at least Yumeko will work on it lol)... I'm sorry to any readers who have been waiting on me to post the next chapter and I hope you will enjoy this chapter!

A little girl laid rolled up and quivering in the extremely tall, darkened grass, until Kasumi strode by and scooped her up. Hopping once, her feet left the ground and her wings took her up and away from the threat.
The night sky was soaked in silvery moonlight and blazing with thousands of twinkling stars... there was a loud cry of pain, and Yumeko popped out of the grassy field, wings pounding as she held her left arm. Her right hand quickly filled with blood as she squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth.

Down below her feet there was loud barking and snarling, and out of the grass an enormous canine jumped, aiming for one of Yumeko's boots, it's sordid mouth full of jagged, razor sharp teeth. It managed to get a mouthful of her sole, and although it sunk into the rubber and not the flesh, Yumeko was pulled down into the field.

"KASUMI!"
Yumeko screamed, fumbling for her scepter that she'd tucked into her obi sash, her heart furiously pounding and her adrenaline pumping with rapid quickness.
The other giant canine started to bound over as soon as it saw the prey had been brought down to feeding level, as the other was too busy trying to tear it's fangs out of Yumeko's boot sole.

She kicked her foot up to get the thing loose, finally getting a hold on her scepter, she shakily threw her aim forward and shouted out "Starlight Dispel!", the beam of pure bright light bursting forth and blasting into the opponent. The once eager enemy was sent tumbling backwards, but the attack would have a paralyzing effect for only a short time, before the creature regained it's awareness. The enemies the two Dream Keepers have been encountering since coming in together have been increasingly difficult and took more than just a couple of hits to defeat...

"Fiery Embrace!"
Yumeko heard a scream from above, her ears and mind telling her to look right.
Kasumi had sent a scorching ring of fire from the tip of her scepter, the ring growing in size as it quickly traveled towards the canine. When the creature looked up, the scorching ring hit it and bursted all over it's black, blood matted fur, catching fire. While the canine erupted into a frenzy, Yumeko quickly scooted away from the creature ablaze.

She rushed to her feet and started running in the opposite direction, as the creature farthest away regained it's sense and started towards her. The canine's wooly fur spiked up perfectly as it ran, forming what looked like black knives sticking out of it's skin. It stopped a few steps short of Yumeko, though she was running, and it's body spammed as it threw it's body into her direction and hundreds of black knives started towards her. She looked back just in time to notice the danger and started to flap her wings in a frenzy. She shot up but a couple of the oncoming knives managed to slice her boot and just above her knee.

She hissed in pain, throwing her scepter in the direction of the canine and yelling out an attack. Though it tried to evade, it was unsuccessful and the hit made the demonic mutt explode in a brilliant light, leaving behind a black gem. She flew down and scooped it up, noticing another flash of light not so far away... Kasumi must have finished her enemy.

Yumeko frowned at her cuts and discomfort, staring at the dried blood all over her hands and dress... the blood would disappear from the dress and her body the next time, but she had to keep the cuts, bruises, and pain with her in reality.

Kasumi strode up, and she looked quite proud despite her red outfit and tights having a few slits and singe marks.

"I finished first again", she said, grinning wildly.
"Actually, I've been waiting for you, I finished first", Yumeko retorted, glaring.
"Meh, who cares... Mo-Chan, are we done!?" Kasumi shouted into the air, as their environment started to melt like wet paint being rinsed off a surface. Yumeko closed her eyes tightly, the change around the two making her feel queasy.

"You two are finished for the night", Morpheus spoke, prompting Yumeko to open her eyes. She was in a large room, surrounded by walls made of striking white marble and adorned with various works of art and two enormous stained glass windows that depicted gorgeous scenes, one of which being a beautiful night sky. The floor they stood on was blue pearl granite, though it had an extremely large carpet rolled over it, blue, black and white and full of poppies and a beautiful woman. Morpheus sat not too far away from where the girls appeared, laid out in a large blue armchair and lazily staring at the roaring fire that was sparked in the large marble fireplace that stood between the two windows.

He looked beat, and the both of them knew he'd been out as well... it was difficult work, considering all the dreams that occurred every single night and how hard it was to defeat enemies (at least for the two of them).

"Tomorrow please meet me at the Amano Hospital where I will introduce you to two of your new team mates... I just met them tonight, but I'll need to meet them in person... luckily for us they both happen to be in the same place", Morpheus explained, laying his head back.

Yumeko nodded and gave a squeaky little reply, but one blink, and she was laying in her own bed. She blinked a couple more times, looking around the room... her blinds closed out the daylight, and her clock read ten in the morning. She stretched out, before sitting up and surveying her wounds.

Under her sleeve she had a scabbed wound, and the cut above her knee was also scabbed... she also had a bruise on her forearm. And although she felt a little worn out mentally, she was otherwise fine. Morpheus explained that while the Dream Keepers did sleep through the fights, their minds could end up feeling a little exhausted working , and that wounds received in dreams seemingly materialized out of nothingness... even death could be possible in dreams!

After a quick bath and some breakfast, Yumeko told her parents she'd be meeting Michiko at the library, before skipping out and starting for the hospital all the while she wondered who her new teammates would be, if she would get along with them more than she got along with that annoying Kasumi? She caught the bus a few blocks down from her building and grabbed a piece of rail before the vehicle sprang into motion, jerking her body slightly before she resumed a stable stance. As usual on the weekends, the bus was crowded with passengers, and with Yumeko's luck there was only standing room.

"Hey, Yumeko!", called out a voice.
Yumeko turned her attention from the passing scenery and to the back of a male. She craned her head to peek beneath his uplifted arm and noticed a slightly familiar face.

"Oh, hi, um...", Yumeko muttered timidly, knowing the face but not quite the name.
"Heh, Takeuchi, Kazuo", he answered, grinning.
"AH, Kazuo, I'm sorry I forgot your name" she told him, truly embarrassed.
"It's cool, we did only meet once, after all... where are you headed?" Kazuo asked.
"Oh, um, just down to the library... you?" she wondered, noticing a medium sized duffle bag resting in his lap.
"I'm just headed to a class" he replied, sticking out his tongue and making a goofy face that said something along the lines of "ugh, CLASS". She smiled at him and was about to ask what type of class but was shook alert by the loudspeaker, a pleasant female voice speaking out to the passengers, they were coming up on the street that the hospital was on.

"Oh, my stop", she muttered, leaning over to tug the cord and alert the driver.
"But the library isn't for a few more stops" Kazuo said, lifting an eyebrow.
"Oh, but Michiko... she wanted me to meet her for lunch!" Yumeko answered, feeling relief that she'd thought up such a quick answer.

"Oh, well that's cool... see you on Monday!" he called out to her as she turned to exit.
She made a quick turn and gave him a wave before thanking the driver and stepping off the bus. Waiting until the bus was a little farther ahead, using her cell phone as a prop, she quickly started forward towards Amano Hospital.

It wasn't long before she was walking through the automatic double doors of the quiet hospital lobby, surveying the room slightly as she made her way towards the front desk. A few people sat on either sides of the large room, silently drinking coffee or chatting lightly. The tapping of Yumeko's shoes came to a stop when she noticed a familiar face in the corner on her right side. Kasumi sat, completely off in her own little world as she texted away on her faux diamond encrusted cell phone, ear buds firmly in her ears. Yumeko rolled her eyes, walking over, and wondering where Morpheus was.

"Brat Princess" Yumeko said quite clearly, a smile on her lips. Kasumi's eyes darted up, though she didn't quite hear what Yumeko had called her, and a simple smile was exchanged, even though Yumeko figured it wasn't genuine.
She fished out her Ipod from her pocket, turned it off, and finished her text before dropping everything back into her purse and leading Yumeko away from the lobby seating.

They stopped at the front desk and Yumeko overheard Kasumi ask for a certain name, the two of them were soon given visitor tags and Yumeko was yet again following Kasumi's tail, though she was slightly dismayed having to FOLLOW Kasumi instead of lead.

A few steps, turns, and an elevator ride later, the two girls were soon closing in on the room, a room occupied by a young girl by the name of Anzu Fukunaga.