The Broken Doll

Alternate Chapter 19

Yuma's friends and family backed up a bit as he started breathing in deeply, color returning to his face. Eventually, he groaned and opened his eyes, staring up at blurry blue skies.

Astral started trembling, unable to process all the thoughts and emotions he was feeling, though it was predominantly joy. That energy coursed through his body, tightening and tightening into a ball until he could no longer hold it in. He shot forward and clung to Yuma, tackling him in a hug. "Yuma!" he cried, feeling the tears threatening to overflow. "You're back!"

The hug was what woke Yuma up completely. He was shocked to see and feel Astral hugging him tightly. He felt nearly crushed in the embrace, but he couldn't help but also feel happy. He hugged his best friend back and patted his hair. "What's with the excitement?" he teased. "I thought that was Dark's job."

"You were dead!" Astral exclaimed, pulling away far enough to look at Yuma's face. Relief flooded him when he saw the color had completely returned to his face.

Yuma just stared at him blankly. Dead? That couldn't be right. If he were dead, he wouldn't be here with Astral clinging to him for dear life. But as he looked around at the faces of his loved ones, at the looks of disbelief written on each and every one of them, he was forced to believe that yes, he was dead for a while. "Then...how did I come back to life?"

At this, Astral finally smiled. "Shing did it. She brought you back."

"Shing?" Hearing her name again brought a smile to his face, and he was about to call out to her, but she was nowhere in sight. "Where is she?"

The two boys looked around until they spotted her, walking away with the velvet sack in her hands. Yuma managed to push his way out of the crowd on unsteady feet, dragging Astral along with him.

"Hey, Shing, come here!" he called out. "I told you before that you're my friend." Yuma managed to catch up and put an arm around her, half for support and half to give her support. "Thanks for reviving me."

Shing twiddled her thumbs and averted her gaze. "How can you say that? I caused you so much misery and pain."

"Because I know you're a good person."

"You don't know me as well as you think you do..." The guilt she felt before now came rushing back, threatening to drown her in a sea of sorrow again.

Yuma, of course, was oblivious to it. "And? I befriended Shark, didn't I?"

Yuri caught up and gently pried Yuma off of Shing. He whispered in his ear, "She needs some time alone."

Confused, the boy couldn't understand why she would need time alone. After all, she looked like she needed company. "Why?" he asked. "She shouldn't be alone when she was the one who brought me back."

"She still feels guilt," Yuri replied.

Yuma looked over Yuri's shoulder and noticed Shing walking off into the woods. He wanted to go after her and bring her back, but he knew that Yuri knew when she needed space, so he reluctantly nodded. "Can she come over tonight, though? I have a feeling that I won't have a moment to myself today and I still want to talk to her."

"I'll try to get her to." With that, Yuri took the form of a panther, something none of them knew he could even do, and chased after Shing to find her.

"Well, you learn something new everyday," Yuma marveled. He turned back to Astral and smiled. "Let's go back. I'm sure it'll be an eventful day today."

"Of course," Astral replied with a soft smile. "We're all happy to see you back."

The boys both giggled and headed back to the group, where Yuma was immediately smothered with love.

~.~.~

Shing found a nice warm spring to bathe in, so she stripped herself of her clothes and dipped in, hiding among the rocks. She remained in there until her hands and feet wrinkled and her lips turned blue. By that time, Yuri managed to find her. He sighed when he saw that she wasn't paying attention.

"You know this isn't going to help," he scolded. "Now please come out of the water before you get sick."

But Shing remained silent.

"Please come out, I can hear you shivering." When he got no response, he took his human form and sat by the water's edge. "Well, I'll just tell you the news from here. Yuma wants to see you tonight."

Shing groaned when she heard that and sank into the water so that only her nose and eyes breached the surface.

"I'm not going to force you to see him," Yuri reassured, "but I will force you to get out of the water."

The girl sighed. Without a word, she came out of the water, and Yuri wrapped his cape around her so she wouldn't get too cold. Still, she was shaking violently. Yuri left her there and scurried all the way back to Heartland city to take something to keep her warm. 

~.~.~

While that was happening, Yuma finally had some time alone at night, laying in his hammock with Astral clinging to him and resting his head on Yuma's chest. Ever since they were alone, the spirit refused to leave Yuma's side, as though letting go would mean he would die again. Yuma didn't blame him; he was sure he would behave the same way if his best friend died and came back to life. As they laid in bed together, Astral was finishing up telling Yuma everything that happened since his death.

"I'm so sorry those things happened," Yuma whispered as he absently ran his fingers through Astral's hair. "I won't be reckless again."

Astral gave a short, choked laugh. "I'd be worried if you weren't reckless again."

"Well, I'll at least be more careful."

"I'd still worry. You wouldn't be the Yuma I know."

"Whatever!" Yuma puffed out his cheeks. To his surprise, though, Astral actually laughed. It was a refreshing sound he hadn't heard before, and he smiled at the innocence and beauty of it.

After that, they remained silent as Yuma drifted off to sleep. So much had happened that day that he didn't even remember inviting Shing over to his house. He just wanted to sleep. Neither of them noticed a black shape wandering into the room briefly before taking a blanket; even Astral had drifted off, mentally and emotionally exhausted.