I am Yumi Dragneel #FTWattyAwards

Him Again: Part 2

Mainland
Year x778
Yumi Dragneel
Age unknown

I woke up terribly. My mind was blurred, but all of my memories were still in tact from last night. I met Gray and we talked a bit.

I tried to get up, but someone's weight was on me. It was Gray. I see he was still sleeping. But he was... Hugging me? Closely? While I was sleeping and awake?

I tried to slip free without waking him up. "Don't think you can't not wake me up." I heard Gray say as if he'd been awake for a long time.

I freed myself from his grip and silently screamed. "Don't scare me like that!" I said to him in anger. "You almost made me use my magic on you!"

He sat up and stared at me as if he was about to ask a question. "By the way Yumi," he continued on. "What kind of magic do you use? I've always wondered since you never told me."

I suddenly remembered last night. Gray told me his magic, he even had the guts to show it to me. But when I asked what magic I used, I pushed the subject away, telling him that I was going to sleep. I should tell him. I thought. He really deserves it.

But he would criticize you, make fun of you, bully you. Another voice said. You can't let someone use you, only I can, only I can use you. I was confused at the voice. Use me? For what? I shook the idea out of my head, no, no one would use me. I can trust Gray. He saved my life.

"I use Water Dragon Slayer magic and Water Fairy magic." I said to him. "It's rare now, but I can use it. Fairy magic isn't even on the mainland."

Gray looked marveled by the idea. One side was worried. One was excited. What would he say about it? Was he excited about it? Would be use it? Would I be used? All these questions powered each side to be worried or excited.

"Sounds great." He said. "Never heard of Fairy magic though."

I was relieved. He thought it was cool! Now that I answered that question. I had a question of my own.

"So Gray," I started. "Why were you hugging me like that? I keep wondering."

Gray looked at me as though I was asking what the color of trees were. "What?" He said. "You don't remember? You kept screaming last night. I saw you holding your ears like something was too loud for you. You were curled up in a little ball and kept crying too. I had to do something because I couldn't wake you up. So, I hugged you. That's when you calmed down. Like you've been hugged by a parent or something. I had to stop you from screaming though."

I wasn't shocked at this news. I screamed in my sleep a lot and even cried too. It was all because of that dream. Gray was in it just recently. But other people were in it too, people I didn't know.

"I screamed because I saw people dead." I said. "You were in it too."

Gray was listening, he didn't disturb me like it was secondary. I could trust him. "It all starts with a door." I continued on. "I don't want to open it, because I know what's behind it. And I'm in a little room with a bed, closet, and some room things. I try not to open the door, but it's like my body is being controlled by someone else, like I'm being pushed. The next thing I know, I'm in front of a door, it's locked from the outside so I try to turn around, but everything is gone. The bed, the closet, the whole room. So when I face the door again, it's open and light is darkness is through it. I open the door to see..." I breathe deeply, to try and calm down and not cry. "Dead bodies. I see people who are dead. All with water leading to me. I see a boy with pink hair stare at me. You were staring at me too. I see a destroyed bar and tables thrown around. A girl with yellow hair is still standing, she tries to get off the wall she's on, but she keeps falling while she's holding a huge scratch, straight down her chest to her stomach. Blood mixes with the water leading to me. I see her stare at me, hope still in her eyes. I hear her say, 'Yumi, I know you can remember me and Natsu, please, snap out of it!', but a shadow like thing had stabbed her behind the back. She fell down, dead. I hear the shadow say, 'I can use you again, finally, no more distractions.' And I see blood on my hands. The blood turns into a sea and the bodies are all down into its depths. They all rise up as souls, trying to grab me while I'm in a boat saying, 'You did this, you killed us.' But I didn't! I swear! Someone had framed me. Someone had used me. Someone... Someone..." I started to cry and closed my ears as if I was hearing all those voices. "Someone had made me their personal puppet! I was their pawn! A simple chess piece! They used me as a step to kill people! I'm a monster if I do that! I can't! I just don't want to be a monster!"

I cried harder. No one would come to comfort me like Ledo did. I was alone. Gray was gone, that's what it felt like. I was alone...

I felt someone hug me from the side. It was Gray. He was hugging me from the side. I couldn't see his eyes because they were covered by his hair. I stopped crying. Why was Gray like this? "Don't say that." He said. "Your no pawn or pawn, that's not the Yumi Dragneel I know. The Yumi I know is brave and hopeful. She understood courage and knew what I felt. She was someone I could trust."

Gray hugged me closer. "Don't cry, okay? I'd hate to see you cry." I closed my eyes in relaxation. Gray hated to see me cry? He hated to see me like this? I don't know why, but I felt so close to him. Like he was brother. Like he was the only one who could understand me.

I opened my eyes. It was raining. Gray was still hugging me. "Gray?" I said to him.

"Yeah?" I heard him say.

"Thank you for everything."

"You don't need to thank me."

The rain made me sleepy and soon, I was no longer dreaming of those dead bodies. I was in that same room, except it was lighter because a window was there. I walked toward the door in front of me. Behind it was not dead bodies, but people full of liveliness and humor. Was this... Was this the same place where the bodies were?

I saw Gray, the boy with pink hair, and the girl with yellow hair wave to me. "Yo!" Yelled Gray. "Yumi, come on! Don't want to miss this quest!"

For once, I was happy. For once, someone was helping me. And to be honest, that hug was softening.