Dreaming in Color

Yume's thoughts drifted as he listened to a young child chatter at him about his mother and what he'd learned that day. Meng, wouldn't be expecting him to talk, just to listen. Certain that his dreamed friend didn't mean anything by his silence. Since of course, dreams weren't real. Which had never been the case for Yume. For Yume, the world the child, and now himself, lived in, was the dream.

Dreams had been all Yume had ever known. Born to parents of a dying race that lived in them. Parents that didn't really care about him one way or another. Other than to show him the things he could do before leaving him on his own as a child. Since he was lonely, he'd wandered, going from dream to dream without confusion. Finding the core dreamer to talk to.

His favorites were generally teachers. Those who loved their craft and were willing to teach a little child who kept popping up in their dreams. Their own little worlds was what he tended to call them then. Since he was unaware there was a reality they all lived in and shared. He smiled at Meng, thinking of how that had changed with one frightened teen mother, and one lonely old man.
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Someone was frightened, drawing him to another place. This flavor of fear he wasn't used to, and he followed it to a teen girl. Curled up around her round belly as much as she could be as she cried. Looking around at the world he was in, he could see the reason for her fear. Having her child alone while living at a half-way house. Not being able to care for the child as it grew. That it would hate her, or worse, that it would die.

He frowned, not liking how this was making her feel. He flicked his hand, exerting his natural control over the area. Letting it flow to a more happy time for her. A different vision of the future. She sniffled and looked up at him as he stood there. He sat down in front of her, the ends of his long purple hair pooling around him. Calm, hazel eyes met frightened green. The catlike color startling from behind the black fringe of her bangs.

"W-who are you?" She whispered.

"I'm Yume. Who are you?" He watched her intently, learning about her even before she said anything.

"I'm..Xiang. How did you get here? How..did everything change?" She slowly got to speaking a little louder, Yume didn't have to try to hear her.

"I just..walked. I can't explain it very well. Changing things is about the same." He wanted to ask about her stomach, having heard about pregnancy but not ever met anyone who was showing as much as Xiang. She smiled, and he settled in to listen to her. Enjoying the sweet smile and soft voice, he didn't leave until he felt the little world start to fade. With a promise to come back, he moved on.
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After the last one, the pale, washed out dream stood out even more. Because despite the content, it had held color and feeling. No one and nothing in this place had any vibrancy. Until he found the person he was looking for. An old man in a business suit, sitting behind a huge desk and watching the pale world go by.

Despite the man's age, the blue eyes that focused on him were sharp and clear. A small smile crossed his face.

"Well, you're a rare bit of color in this lonely dream of mine." The man said, watching him. Yume blinked, then sat on a corner of the desk at the man's invitation.

"Dream? These worlds are the real ones...aren't they?" But it would make sense, otherwise, if his were the only real one, where would all the others come from that he talked to?

The man chuckled, the area around them gaining just a hint of color. "I'm Hui, and no, this is the dream. The one I always have. My life is really this way. So lacking in color and predictable. Family squabbling over who will get my fortune when I'm gone. Thinking I don't see what they're up to. It would be refreshing, to have some more color in my life." When Hui mentioned color, Xiang's green eyes coming to mind.

"I'm Yume. I can introduce some color to you. At least in this dream. I don't know how close the person is to you in..real life?" He said the last questioningly, as if he still didn't quite get the full impact of that truth.

Hui smiled at him. "That would be nice, Yume. I'll see you the next time I sleep I hope." He shimmered as he started to wake, and Yume nodded before vanishing yet again into another dream.
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Yume smiled as he watched Xiang step forward shyly. He knew the girl was feeling awkward about meeting this person, even if it was in a dream. He'd had to do a lot of talking to get her here. She didn't feel right about meeting someone while she was so obviously pregnant. He'd assured her it would be okay, that Hui wouldn't mind.

Indeed, Hui stood up, making Xiang sit in his chair. She was bright red as she sat down and Yume chuckled. He conjured up more chairs, so that they could all sit together and talk. The talk between the three of them was hesitant at first, then more animated as Hui got Xiang to talk about her baby. How excited and terrified she was at the same time. Xiang asking Hui about business and family. Both learning from the other.

When it was time to go, he led Xiang off, but left the door they'd come through so the two could visit in dreams even if he weren't there. He felt good, that he had managed to help the two meet. They could support eachother, and add a bit of something uniquely them to the other's life.
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Time passed, how much of it Yume wasn't sure. Only knowing that Xiang kept getting bigger, much to the girl's embaressment and concern. She'd told him that she was close to having her baby, and that she wished she knew how to get ahold of Hui in real life. Just so that she wouldn't be alone when she had it.

So he'd gone to talk to Hui, to see if it would be possible. And promptly started to panic. There was something very wrong about the dream area, and he found himself shaking Hui who was clutching at the desk as he tried to catch his breath.

"Hui? What is it? What can I do?" Yume cried, not even noticing the tears on his cheeks. He'd never gotten as attatched to others as he had Hui and Xiang. Hui shook his head and licked his lips and it really hit Yume how old this man was. But he didn't want to lose him so soon, and did something he never had before. And wasn't even sure he could until he took a side step, and ended up staring at Hui's real body on the floor of a lavish home office.

He found the phone, which had only ever been explained to him in passing. He some how managed, calling the emergency number he found. Everything after it had been a blur. People in uniforms and loud vehicles came, barely even asking who he was before he was taken off with him and Hui. There was words that worried him and ones he didn't understand. He fretted when he was seperated from Hui, wanting to know what was going on but no one would take any time for him.

When he finally was allowed to see Hui again, he was relieved to see the old man awake. There was a large number of people he didn't know, but Hui beckoned him forward and he went willingly, sitting on the bed beside him. He was going to vanish into thin air at the weird feeling in the room, and then Hui grabbed his hand. Holding it weakly. Yume swallowed and looked at him.

"Yume, I'll see you again some time. Tell Xiang I'm sorry I couldn't do more." Hui's voice was softer than usual, and Yume whined in confusion.

"Sometime? But..I.." He hung his head, not really understanding. "I'll tell her. I promise."

Hui gestured with one hand, and a young man with a large yellow envelope stepped forward.

"Take this to Xiang. She'll need it, and I want her to have it. Visit her often because she'll need your support." Yume leaned in, hugging Hui before standing up. Sniffling softly, realizing this, was the reason behind some of the little worlds vanishing.

"Okay." He whispered, taking the envelope. Hui smiled softly and closed his eyes, and Yume fled. Taking himself and the envelope in another sidestep, he was back in the world he was used to. Seeking the safety of it, wishing he hadn't learned the reason behind the vanishing of the worlds. He couldn't regret having met Hui however, or helping him as he'd had.

He found Xiang in another hospital, finding her mind after much searching. Stepping into the empty hallway outside her room, clutching the envelope to his chest. He heard voices in the room with her, telling her to breathe. Calling out things that held no meaning to him. He moved into the room unannounced, going straight to Xiang's side. Seeing the relief in her eyes despite the pain she seemed to be in.

"Yume..you're really here." She hissed then, clutching at the bed beneath her. Again, his hand was held as soon as he was near. A painful grip of life being brought into the world and not one of it leaving. Her grip and acknowledgment of him making the doctors let him stay. He had no idea how he was going to tell her about Hui at a time like this.

"Hui said he wished he could have done more." He told her, just loud enough to be heard. Bringing a smile to her face.

"He's a good man." She gasped, her hand tightening a little more around his.

Yume swallowed and nodded. "Yeah, he was." He whispered. Xiang sobbed, and he realized what he'd said.

"He said he'd meet us again, Xiang." She smiled shakily at his reassurance and pushed when the doctors told her to. It seemed like ages before there was a loud wail and the doctors were finishing up. Xiang exhausted on the bed.

"Congratulations, here's your little boy." A nurse said with a smile as she handed the child to Xiang.

"What are you going to name him?" Another asked, wiping Xiang's forehead with a damp cloth.

"Meng Hui." She replied without hesitating.
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They were moved into another room, a small crib for the baby set beside Xiang's bed. He sat on the bed with her, handing her the envelope. Her hands shook a little bit as she opened it, revealing a thick bunch of papers. She looked at them, flipping through them, hands starting to shake as she read.

"He..He did all this..and said he's sorry he couldn't do more? T-that..idiot.." Xiang sniffled, leaning against Yume. He'd been trying to read from beside her, at eleven, he wasn't quite big enough to read over her shoulder.

"What did he do?" He asked, looking as she upended the envelope onto her lap. Two smaller envelopes falling out. One with his name getting his attention. But it had a name behind it he didn't know.

"Yume, Teng? Xiang, why do I have two names?" He looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Because, Yume..those papers, say that you, I, and my child, have all been adopted by Hui Teng. He made us part of his family. We have to go...to the reading..of his will." He swallowed hard and looked at the envelope in his hands, eyes blurring as they teared up. Listening to her soft sniffles as she tried to not wake her son. Neither of them orphans any more.
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Yume was brought back to his so called reality by his nephew. Meng standing up to tap his nose.

"Bye bye, uncle. Visit me and momma." He said with a happy smile. Yume arched an eyebrow and smiled back.

"Hmm? And where am I going, little dreamer?" He asked, ruffling his hair.

"To help clear the skies." Meng murmured, his voice taking on the odd lilt it had whenever he was announcing a future fact. His nephew's prophecies tended to come true, and were never predictable. It kept his mother and Yume on their toes.

Now that his attention was back in his body and not his memories, he could sense what Meng was talking about. There was someone nearby, their dream world calling to him. He kissed Meng's cheek and nodded.

"I'll visit, and I'll bring you sunny skies when I do." He smiled, and vanished. Off to another small world and another dreamer.