Tidal Florette - A Painted Soul I

Yumi - 62

Yumi feels very small. There's no semblance of control over her limbs. They feel so tight against her, but they start to loosen a little. Still she can't move, not really move. She can only see. Everything seems confusing, helpless, and red.

So much red.

A red she didn't know then, but knows all too well now. It should be warm, very warm, but it's cold,

So very cold.

Screaming is useless, there's no sound here. There's no air here to scream into. Wasn't someone here? Where did she go? Am I alone?

So alone.

Suddenly, she's not alone. Are you still here?

There's sound again. There's air again. There's no more red. It's still very cold. But I'm not alone... You're here now...

Where is she? Is she coming back?

It's warmer now. The only sounds are screams. Why did she leave?

She feels so small cradled close in his arms. She recognizes the face above her. Violet eyes flooded with tears.

Nox?...

Yumi wakes up with a gasp. She nearly tumbles off the ledge, but Sapha grabs her arm. "What the hell?!"

Yumi trembles, she can't catch her breath. "I... He..."

"Would you mind telling your hot-headed friend I don't need friends?" Nox's voice is far more subdued than its usual mischievous tone.

Yumi panics, pulling away from him and the ledge. Sapha just groans, "I really hoped I actually managed to kill you..."

"And here I was going to remark how glad I am you've survived."

Yumi stammers. "It was your MEMORY, you were there and... and I... it wasn't me... TELL ME IT WASN'T ME."

Nox's eyes sadden.

Sapha looks back at her with worry. "What's wrong? What memory?"

Yumi is determined not to believe what she sees in Nox's eyes. "Tell me what I saw. NOW."

Her aura ignites around her as she shouts, but something is different. Shadowy violet tendrils permeate the moonlight and thrash around her in a frenzy.

Nox doesn't flinch. "You already know..."

"NO. That..." Yumi's aura waivers with trembling as she struggles to breathe. "You can't... did she..."

Sapha gets up and tries to walk to Yumi, but she struggles to force her way through some invisible force. "I'm right here, try to..."

One of the shadow's whips out and wraps around Sapha's throat. She collapses and her eyes glow violet. Yumi streams her dream into Sapha. Something in this aura has augmented her telepathy. Whispering words did not feel adequate. See what I see... Know what I know...

Yumi shows her the woman in the tide. How she slit her throat and abandoned a baby to drown. How Nox ran to the baby and pulled her from the water and begged the woman to live. And how the baby's eyes glowed violet as she cried.

The shadow releases and Sapha looks to Nox. "Was that real? Are you just fucking with her again?"

Nox sighs and levitates himself to face them standing. "Yumi..."

"NO. do NOT say.."

"Would you have me lie then?"

"Who was she?!"