A/n- So, instead of uploading every single little idea I have, I've decided to update this little 'archive' with short snippets that are long enough to warrant being written, but are only a few pages long. Each story has its own plot; if I think up an idea for a multi-chapter fic, I'll post it as a separate entity. Also, the ratings of each of these ficlets might be different, so if there's any M for you to worry about, I'll be sure to warn ya. By the way, this is dedicated to Jackie Almasy- happy birthday!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Munto

Summary: She was having nightmares again.

1. Safe

Her heart was fluttering against the ribcage that held it; slight and nearly weightless, like a bird's wing. The rhythm was so consuming she was having trouble breathing- swallowing- and her body shook with the pressure of it all.

Her hands, clasped together against her breast, wrung silently.

And he was watching her.

Standing under the arched doorway to his room, Yumemi was a frightened animal, rooted to the spot, standing stalk still. Was this real? Would the scene suddenly change? Would she be falling, falling, fall-

"What do you want?" He snapped.

Now her breath was coming out in round bursts. "I'm sorry… I didn't..." But his eyes, of black and bullion, never left her, even when she purposely tried to avert her gaze.

The velvety drapes rippled in the night air, and Yumemi jumped at the unexpected noise. The man upon the bed in front of her narrowed his eyes.

He knew she was having nightmares again.

When the dreams were horrific enough, she would wrap herself in her bed sheets, curled up against the oversized pillows and wait out the morning.

But on the occasions where the dreams were terrifying, she stole into his room… and those nights were too frequent now.

Before, he had never caught her. At times, Yumemi would simply stand by the door, gazing at him, making herself remember where she was. He grounded her.

On nights when the fear of him was outweighed by the terror in her own mind, she would creep to his bedside and resist the urge to touch him, to have him hold her.

"Yumemi?" He slid the thin sheet off his legs, swinging them over the side. The pools of moonlight filtering in through the vaulted windows dotted his bare chest, and Yumemi was suddenly very aware of her thin nightgown. "What's wrong?" The note of concern was nestled within thin annoyance and veiled wonder.

"I'm sorry!" She said again, a bit louder then was planned, and Munto stopped midstride. "I didn't mean to… I'll go," and she turned, a hand on the doorframe, ready to bolt down the corridor.

"Wait."

She halted, turning partially around; her body shook.

"Yumemi, it's the middle of the night…"

"I said I was sorry."

"Something is wrong."

"N-nothing."

When he reached her, his hand went to rest above hers on the door, and Yumemi was reminded how tall he was. Up close, she recognized the familiar scent of heat and magic and rain upon him. It calmed her nerves, and a rush of breath expelled from her lungs, blooming against his chest.

He didn't wait for her to utter another word, but took hold of her arms. Yumemi stiffened at first, but he pulled her towards the corner of the bed.

"Now," he began, slowly, "Tell me. What was it this time?"

She didn't know where to begin.

Her world ablaze?

Her friends dead before her?

Heaven sinking and heaving into the Earth below?

Him, sprawled out upon her lap, bleeding acrylic cherry down her front?

In lieu of answering, Yumemi simply buried her face in her hands, shaking her head, overwhelmed.

She barely registered Munto's hand upon her shoulder.

Night after night, the horrid images of his war and his pain, given to her through their insuperable connection, brought her to the brink of insanity.

"Yumemi..."

He tore her to pieces.

"Yumemi?"

But he always brought her back again.

A strangled sob bubbled up from within the girl, spilling past her lips. She felt as if her world was collapsing, and in her distress, Yumemi's hands found the thin papery cloth of her nightgown. Trembling fingers began ripping, shredding the velum-thin material.

Stunned by this sudden action, Munto grasped at the girl's hands, trying to pull them away from their destructive pattern. When his skin brushed hers, Yumemi gasped at the flooding emotions now coursing through.

She suddenly whirled upon him and thrust her arms out, as if pushing the King away could rid her of the growing hysteria. The sudden weight of her tumbled them both back against the mattress in a whirl of motion and color and noise-

Silence.

Stillness.

An encompassing, eclipsing hush.

Both were lost amongst the downy softness.

The choking sobs that had resonated within Yumemi's chest subsided almost instantly from the heady embarrassment now creeping pink up her neck.

The heat of his skin radiated against her chest, and she was pressed against him, his arms holding her tightly. Yumemi didn't know why she had wanted to push him away mere seconds before. Her hands were still fisted against his collarbone, but Yumemi forced herself to relax. Her nails made tiny trails down the front of him as she allowed her fingers to loosen. She felt him shiver.

A swift sound, perhaps the beginning syllable of her name, was whispered very near her ear. Munto's hold, which had shifted from her shoulders to around her middle, tightened.

Yumemi snuffed softly.

After another moment, in which she concentrated on the feel of his heartbeat, Munto spoke, his voice pitched low, "What… was that?"

"I'm sorry…" Yumemi blinked furiously, hot tears of exhaustion threatening to break free. "It was… so frightening. I saw… I saw you, Munto." And now the words came rushing out; now, when he held her. "It was on fire… everything burned. I was watching from so very far away… I couldn't do anything."

His hand was tangled in her hair, whispering through the strands to soothe her, "You're safe, Yumemi. You will always be safe."

Pause.

"With you?" She said softly after the silence, peering up from his arms. He was watching her with a carefully guarded expression.

A small smile, if just the hint of one, pulled at the corners of his mouth, and the heartbeat in Yumemi's ears quickened; she couldn't discern if it was his or hers.

Munto shifted, bringing his face down to the girl who was curled up upon his bed. Her bright green eyes blinked shyly as he spoke, "Always with me."

Yumemi beamed, relenting to the softness around her. She wouldn't be making it back to her room that night.

Fin

A/n- So here ya are! More to come! Please review!