Tales Across the MultiBurst

You're Still Awake, He's in Danger

In which Shu is given a warning about the future, and about Fubuki's safety. (Try to Wake, Try to Escape AU. Alternate continuation set nine years after the You Are Awake trilogy. Inspired by Fran Bow.)

-----

"He's in danger, Red Eye."

Shu gasped, bolting upright in bed and looking around the room. The room was draped in a blood red light, the nightlight itself dripping crimson ooze onto the carpet. It was pooling faster than what was realistic and pooling around the furniture in the room.

Shu's night clothes had been changed into his Snake Pit uniform, the tails of the coat being submerged in red and weighing down on the red-eyed Blader. The air he breathed had become thin, thin like he was on the top of the highest mountain without any equipment to support him. His chest felt heavy, like someone was pressing against it and keeping him from fully expanding his lungs.

However, the most important detail was the masked man standing in the left corner of the room, cloaked in shadows.

"Ashtem?" He called out in a soft voice shaking with apprehension. "Why are you here?"

As Ashtem drew closer, causing ripples in the pool of red that was already up to his knees, Shu pressed into the headboard of his bed and stared up at the man warily. The red-eyed Blader knew that he was still imprisoned in North America, but that didn't make him any less dangerous- or unpredictable- in the Merged Realities.

"I'm here to give you a warning." Ashtem finally answered, crossing his arms and looking down on the young man.

"... You said he's in danger..." Shu mumbled slowly, catching his breath in between.. "Are y... Are you talking about Fubuki?"

"I am. Now that the case has been reopened, that boy you see so much of yourself in... Is in as much danger now as you were in the Requiem Sector."

"No..." Shu whispered, feeling the weight against his chest increase. He wrapped his arms around his torso as he began gasping for breath like a fish out of water, meanwhile Ashtem came even closer to the bed and continued in a condescending tone.

"As you know, Detective, he'll be called up to the stands during the trial. He'll be completely exposed, and no one will be able to save him when he testifies because they won't know that one of those politicians is armed."

"A-Armed?..." The red-eyed Blader wheezed.

Ashtem pulled off his mask. "With guns. Fubuki Sumiye is going to be shot right on the stands, and no one can save him from what they don't know."

"N-No... I-I can be there... I'll... Save him..."

"You can't." The teal-eyed man snarled, shoving a cloth damp with chloroform into Shu's face, completely covering his mouth and nose.

Shu immediately began fighting against Ashtem, clawing at his arms to no avail. Ashtem had his legs and chest pinned against the bed and the headboard, rendering him almost completely useless. The red-eyed Blader resisted to urge to breathe in for as long as he could, until he finally couldn't take it anymore and let the air he'd been holding in, then breathing in more.

It smelled sickly-sweet, inducing a spell of nausea and horror as Shu began to fall under the magic of the chloroform, the world around him melting away and turning black.

"You can't save him, Red Eye. He's going to die."

"FUBUKI, NO!"

Shu screamed and thrashed, fighting his way out of the tangle of blankets and throwing himself upright in bed. He breathed hard for a moment, sucking in as much oxygen as he could until his head stopped spinning. After that he jumped out of bed, yanking on his clothes and getting ready as quickly as he could.