Okay so I wrote another lemon for Miki...I swear my wifey is the only one who can ever get me to write nowadays. I can write almost anything for her xP I'll work on Synchronization next, since it hasn't been updated in awhile and I'm sure people still want it considering the polls. I've got most of the next chapter done and a general plot for the next few chapters I guess, though because of new characters I might change ideas. We'll see how it goes.

The poll is still open on my channel if you are interested in voting ^^

Also this story features two firsts: the first time I've ever written a three-way and the first time I've ever attempted first person POV smut. Hope you guys like it ~

My Unusual Dream

From the second I woke up, I had no idea what was going on. The first thing I noticed before opening my eyes was that I was no longer suspended in my hammock, but lying on the floor...the floor was cold too...made of metal? Come to think of it, my whole body was freezing...why was it so breezy tonight? I moved my hands along my arms, curling up to keep warm, but instead of feeling my sleep shirt, I felt nothing but bare skin. My eyes shot open in realization that I was no longer in my pyjamas. I shrieked in horror, sitting up and curling up in a ball to hide my nakedness, eyes darting around to see my surroundings.

What I saw made me even more confused. I saw strange dark clouds in an equally dark sky, with small glowing orbs floating all around me. It looked awfully familiar, but I couldn't quite put my finger on where I'd seen this place before. I pondered the scene, frowning in concentration as I fought to figure out where I was. Suddenly it clicked.

"Wait...don't tell me!" I gasped, whipping my head around to look behind and below me. My hands went to my chest, feeling for the Ou's Key I usually wore, but I touched nothing but bare skin. I wasn't wearing it anymore...but that made sense because the place I was at now was atop the spaceship inside the Key. The last time I'd been here, I'd been with Astral, bonded with him in Zexal form. A quick glance at my arms told me that I wasn't bonded with Astral – otherwise I'd have those weird green tattoos – but I wasn't sure where Astral was anyway...since this was the Key he should be here...

"Astral...? Astral, are you here?" I called, tentatively, my cheeks flushing as I remembered that I was completely nude. I could already hear Astral's questions on my body...I was not ready for that. But...I needed to know what was going on. Was this his doing? Or was this some crazy dream? I hoped the latter was true...this was weird. Either way, Astral would probably be able to get me out of here...since he knew this place better.

"Sorry to keep you waiting..." Came a voice behind me, which I recognized. It wasn't Astral's though...it sent shivers up my spine in terror. 'Oh no...not now! Wake up Yuuma!' I mentally screamed as I whirled around to spot Black Mist emerging from one of the gaps in the space ship, grinning like a mad-man as usual. His body was the same as when I had seen him last, though his tentacles were already unleashed, dangling below him and poised around him as if they were ready to strike. Though I was terrified, I tried my best not to show it.

"Number 96!" I managed to say, feeling a growing sense of dread in my gut. I needed to get out of here. 'Just find Astral and get out of here...wake up Yuuma come on!' Black Mist's eyes gleamed and I fought hard not to tremble as his eyes took in every inch of my body. I curled myself up tighter, feeling uncomfortable.

"How lovely to see you again...the boy who helped ruin my plans." Black Mist said dryily. I felt a glimmer of pride in that. I had beaten this guy before, so I could do it again, right? All I had to do was Kattobingu!

"Yeah that's right! We beat you and sealed you away...so there's no way you're really here..." I smirked as my confidence rose. That's right. It was all a scary dream. A nightmare. Black Mist wasn't really free, because Astral had locked him up with my help. There was no way he'd escaped. Black Mist looked a bit surprised for a moment, sensing my fear receeding, but then he grinned widely.

"I see...you think this is all an illusion, don't you, Yuuma? Your feeble human mind has made up an image of me as your worse nightmare...how curious..." He crossed his arms casually, pondering my conclusion. I narrowed my eyes in triumph.

"You don't scare me anymore. All I have to do is wake up and you'll be gone!" I was still naked as I spoke, but I figured that it was just like those dreams about people giving a presentation nude in front of an audience...I'd never had a nude dream before though, which was, as Black Mist said, curious. I shrugged it off – I'd probably wake up soon anyway. I didn't even notice that Black Mist's tentacles were coming up behind me, camouflaged by the dark metal of the ship.

"I think you still have reason to fear me, boy...tell me, could a dream do this?" Black Mist said suddenly, as his tentacles slid over my shoulders, tightening around my arms and chest. I yelped from the cold and slimy texture against my skin, then immediately cursed inwardly for showing fear in front of the Number. 'Calm down Yuuma...it's just a dream...' I chanted in my mind, like a mantra.

"Sure it could. But it's still not real!" I exclaimed confidently. The tentacles tightened their grip on my body, but I forced myself not to panic, focusing on controlling by breathing and trying not to flinch at the foreign touch. They were moving, sliding over my chest like snakes and slowly lifting me up until my bare feet were no longer touching the ground. I blushed heatedly, feeling even more exposed.

"H-hey put me down!" I stammered, trying to cover myself futilely – the tentacles were restraining my arms, so I couldn't use my hands to hide my crotch. Unfortunately, Black Mist was now examining my body again, eyes settling quickly on my manhood. He cocked his head curiously.

"I have never seen one of these before...it almost looks like one of my tentacles, though it's much smaller..." I shivered, hating how he was staring at me so fixatedly. Why was I having a naked dream with him? And why the heck couldn't I wake up or put some clothes on? If this was my dream, I shouldn't be so helpless...should I?

"What are you doing? Stop it!" I yelled, embarrassed and confused still. Black Mist's eyes gleamed and his smile widened, revealing sharp and white teeth.

"This is going to be so much fun...even more interesting than Astral was..." My head perked up at the mention of my partner.

"What have you done to Astral?" I yelled, forgetting for a moment that this was only a dream. I knew that Black Mist had hurt Astral before, and I hated it when that happened. I had vowed to protect Astral after all...he was my precious person...my Astral...my heart sunk in dread at the thought of Black Mist getting his hands on my best friend. Black Mist snickered.

"Oh I had some fun with him...he's waiting for us actually...I just let him catch his breath a bit while I went to get you. You're the extra special guest, Yuuma..." He grinned widely. Yuuma's face paled. 'Astral...you can't be hurt! This is my dream!' But then something clicked. Maybe this dream wasn't really about me, but about Astral. This was a fear dream – my worst fear is losing Astral, so Black Mist attacking him could qualify as that...

"Where. Is. Astral." I spoke in a low and commanding tone, anger pulsing through me. I would definitely save Astral and beat this nightmare, no matter what! Black Mist cackled, sweeping me closer to him suddenly, stroking my cheek with a clawed finger, scratching my skin lightly. I felt a shiver run up my spine, a bit intimidated by our sudden proximity, my cheeks heating up again out of awkwardness.

"Patience is never easy for you, is it?" He smirked, before whisking me away before I could reply. He dragged me deeper into the centre of the Key, through the gears, which captured my sight for a moment. I had never been inside the ship before, if this was even what you could call the "inside". I bent my legs as we whipped by, trying not to bang them against the moving gears. They were all moving, but some were moving faster than others.

"H-hey slow down, will you?" I managed to cry, before Black Mist suddenly came to a halt, pulling me ahead of him, despite my protests.

"Here, Astral, I brought you a present!" He called, looking over my shoulder and down. I tried to turn, but Black Mist suddenly released me, tossing me aside as if I was nothing but a rag dog. I cried out in alarm, my turning action causing my now freed body to twist in mid-air, so I could see the ground below me. What I saw made my eyes widen.

I was barely able to glimpse Astral at the base of a large circular piece of the ship, engulfed in black tentacles, lying with his eyes closed on his back. His body was restrained, his eyes closed, and I had a fear for a second that he wasn't breathing. The next second, I realized I was falling right on top of him, squeezing my eyes shut and bracing myself for impact, as there was nothing I could do to avoid hitting him.

We crashed into each other, and I was relieved to hear him groan along with me – it meant he was alive at least. I opened my eyes, head pounding, only to feel his heartbeat in my ears. I had landed right on his chest! I was sprawled right on top of him...and I was naked. My heart skipped a beat, my face turning beat red. 'Shut up, it's just a dream! Astral isn't supposed to be solid anyway!' I mentally cursed. I immediately forced myself up, moving my legs carefully to straddle his waist, and putting my hands on either side of his shoulders.

"Astral! Astral, are you okay? Please answer me!" I said, worried about my partner. He looked even worse up close. His blue skin was slightly bruised, especially around the strange light blue "gems" on his neck and shoulders. He looked exhausted, more so than I had ever seen him. This was worrisome. Thankfully, he groaned, opening his one yellow eye to look at me.

"Yuuma...so he...brought you..." He managed to croak out. I felt my heart pound. He was really hurt...how dare Black Mist hurt Astral like this. I put on a determined look to reassure Astral.

"Don't worry. I'm here to help you. We're getting out of here alright?" I promised him. Black Mist cackled in the background.

"Oh please, boy. You won't be getting out of here now...or do you still believe in that foolish 'illusion' of yours? I guess I shall have to make you break out of that mind-set..." Black Mist cackled, allowing the tentacles that held Astral to creep up onto my arms and legs, pinning me in my position over top of Astral. I pulled, struggling to try and free myself.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" I screamed, thrashing, though trying not to touch Astral for fear of harming him in the process. Astral struggled as well, but weakly. Black Mist laughed at our futile attempts.

"What a team you two are now...helpless beneath my powers! And now, you are both officially my slaves...and I aim only for entertainment." I gaped at him.

"We're not your stupid puppets!" I yelled. I needed to wake up and get out of this, but I had no idea how. Before I got a chance to think, my restrained arms were suddenly yanked apart, forcing my head and torso down on top of Astral. I gasped moments before my open mouth was connected forcefully with Astral's lips. I froze in that position, feeling Astral's warm, moist lips against my own...I was staring right into his mismatched eyes, which were equally as wide as my own. My mind began to race, thinking about how wrong this was, how it could ruin our friendship, how the circumstances of my first ever kiss were odd and whether or not this was a dream or not...I wasn't sure anymore. A millisecond later, my brain stopped, and instinct took over.

Instead of recoiling, Astral and I seemed to simultaneously deepen the kiss. He opened his mouth to kiss back, pushing up against me as much as he was able, while I pushed back. Our tongues danced, brushing each other's caverns, tasting every inch of the mouth. I could feel Astral on a physical level for once in my life, as well as a mental one. I could sense his thoughts – our minds were suddenly open books to the other – and I realized that he felt like I did. He wanted to protect me, and that protectiveness had evolved to something else over time...something so powerful that mere friendship could not define it properly.

The kiss was getting sloppy, but all I could focus on was how soft and warm Astral's lips were, and how perfect everything suddenly felt. I could forget about Black Mist as long as I was kissing Astral...but there was something else happening. A tingling that I hadn't ever felt before apparent between my legs...the way everything suddenly seemed hotter...the way my hips were starting to move on their own accord...I was vaguely worried. I had never done this before. Suddenly something squeezed my slightly hardened cock and I gasped, pulling away in an instant and bucking forward in surprise.

"Interesting...it looked softer earlier..." Black Mist noted, one of his tentacles wrapped around my manhood, which made me shiver and pant. Contrary to kissing Astral, which I internally admitted that I enjoyed, this felt different. I didn't like this at all. I groaned, unable to fight back, chest pressed against Astral's, who was breathing hard as I was from the heated kiss.

"Yuuma...are you...alright?" He managed to pant, noticing the fear in my eyes and expression.

"It all happened when I touched this...thing...what exactly is this, Yuuma?" Black Mist spoke in curiosity. I bit my lip, unwilling to go into that discussion with these two. My cheeks were heated again. 'Wake up, Yuuma, wake up now!' I screamed internally, stubbornly refusing to let go of the notion that I was dreaming, even though I was starting to doubt the theory. Black Mist suddenly stroked it, causing an involuntary whine to escape my lips, the heated feeling increasing within me. I squeezed my eyes shut, overwhelmed by the intensity of this unknown sensation.

"Black Mist, stop it!" I heard Astral say in alarm. I could sense his concern, just like he could feel mine. I tensed as Black Mist rubbed me again, letting out a moan.

"Why should I? I like the way he responds to this..." Black Mist purred, squeezing again and making me cry out involuntarily as my stomach seemed to tense up. I was confused, feeling my body heat up in response to my rapidly hardening cock. It felt so weird! And...not right at all! But since my arms were restrained, I couldn't slap Black Mist away. In an effort to get Black Mist off of me, I leaned down, pressing my body right up against Astral's, my face in the crock of his neck. My nose brushed his neck gems, making him tense suddenly.

"As...Astral...?" I managed to ask, fearing that I'd hurt him somehow. I'd forgotten that the gems were bruised. Black Mist smirked.

"How cruel of me to concentrate so much on Yuuma when Astral should be having fun too..." His hand latched onto the back of my neck, his body suddenly prone on my back, and he still had a hold of my cock...which greatly annoyed me. He held my face next to Astral's neck, forcing my mouth closer to the gem.

"Lick it." He ordered. I struggled to push back against his hand, which was hard because it seemed my strength was sapped out. Was it because I was so sweaty and hot? What was going on? As my closed mouth forcibly brushed against Astral's neck gem, I managed to turn my head, rubbing it along my cheek. Astral suddenly shivered, groaning and making noises I had never heard him make before...they didn't sound too different than what I was doing moments before...

"Yuuma..." He murmured, his voice practically a mewl. I felt a jolt of excitement pulse through me. I liked that sound...somehow. I wanted to hear it again, but at the same time, I refused to hurt Astral. And I definitely did not want to give into Black Mist. Black Mist frowned at my resistance.

"See? He likes it! Now lick him!" He commanded. I stubbornly refused, trying to shut out the voices in my mind that were telling me to listen and try it – 'maybe you can make Astral sound like that again, Yuuma...'

"No!" I yelled out loud, trying to get rid of those strange thoughts. Black Mist's tentacle suddenly squeezed hard at my cock, tearing a scream from my throat, hips trying to buck forward against my will. I bit my lip, gritting my teeth and tried to suppress these weird feelings. Black Mist leaned closer to me, whispering in my ear.

"If you don't...I will lick them for you, even though I already had lots of fun with Astral...I'm sure he liked it..." My eyes flashed in anger. So the bruises were caused by Black Mist! No way was I letting him touch Astral again!

"Yuuma...do what he says..." Astral said quietly. I looked at him in surprise.

"But...Astral..." I started but he cut my off with a small smile.

"I like it better...when you do it...I want you to..." His eyes looked slightly glazed, with a deep want. I felt my heart skip a beat. He wasn't lying. He wanted me and only me...that was all I needed to win over the small debate in my mind. I stuck out my tongue, licking Astral's neck gem as lightly as possible so as not to hurt him, and Astral moaned again. I could feel pleasure pulsing from his being – he liked this touch. And if he did, then so did I. 'Please him more then...' Came a sneaky sounding voice in my head I had never really heard before today.

I couldn't help but listen, opening my mouth and taking the gem in, sucking it lightly, rubbing my tongue over its surface and base. Astral's neck moved, trying to force me to keep up the motion, rubbing against my body. I could hear his mewling and writhing sounds of pleasure, and his skin was becoming curiously white, I noticed.

Suddenly Black Mist pumped my shaft, making me moan into the gem and buck into Astral, rubbing my manhood on his stomach. I knew this was horribly wrong and didn't want Black Mist to touch me this way – heck I wasn't sure I wanted anyone to do this to me – but at the same time, the feeling of pleasure which I was receiving from my minstrels with Astral was being intensified by Black Mist. I liked the feeling I was getting...but...it was wrong. Why could I tolerate what was wrong? I shouldn't like this!

Astral groaned, moving his shoulder to rub it against my chest – I remembered suddenly that he had another gem there. It was enough to distract me from Black Mist, so I decided that I would do my best to block out all that Black Mist did to me in favor of Astral, though every time he pumped or squeezed my cock made me moan and quiver. I grinded against Astral's stomach and rubbed against his shoulder gems, all the while continuing to suck and nip lightly at his neck gem. Astral was getting so bright that I could barely make out his features, but his mewling was getting higher in pitch. Seeing him and hearing him made me feel even more aroused, and I was making noises too, feeling my throat strain with each pump Black Mist gave me.

That wasn't all he was doing. His tentacles and hands were ghosting over my body from head to toe, trailing my spine with butterfly kisses. He was not restraining my head, since I had decided that I would comply with Astral's wants. I was shivering, sweating, unable to control myself as I kept making noises, moving only to intensify the emotions I felt. Grinding against Astral, being pushed further by Black Mist...it was overwhelming me quickly.

That was until Black Mist's hands went on my butt and everything seemed to jolt awake when he began inspecting that area.

"Well what do we have here...there's a little opening...I did not know humans had holes." I blushed deeply, stopping everything reluctantly. I fought again, struggling weakly because of how aroused I was.

"St-stop...don't..." I panted, feeling Black Mist's tight grip on my cock intensify. He was torturing me, I realized. I wanted him to keep moving, not just to grip me there...but I also didn't want him to do anything more... Black Mist smirked.

"Humans are such strange creatures...I wonder what they feel like from the inside..." He cackled, holding up a pointer finger, preparing to insert it. I screeched in horror as I felt the finger enter my body, pushing up my cavern and rubbing against the walls. In actuality, it didn't really hurt, but it was uncomfortable. I wanted that finger out. My body tensed, shuddering. Astral's eyes were wide, the white glow receding slightly from lack of contact.

"Get it...out!" I grunted, trying to move, to fight this foreign invasion. Astral looked worried, beginning to struggle again to try and help me. I felt Black Mist withdraw his finger, about to sigh in relief when suddenly I felt a second being added. This time it hurt, and I screamed, renewing my fight. Black Mist chuckled.

"Oh look...I can make it wider..." He said nonchalantly, ignoring my cries completely. I bit my lip, feeling him stretch me, my ass seemingly burning with pain. This couldn't be natural...this was horrible pain. I was used to being beaten, as I was bullied as a kid, but this was worse. This pain was on a whole new level – it was inside me, and I could do absolutely nothing to stop it.

"Black Mist stop it now! You are hurting him! Leave Yuuma alone!" Astral yelled, and it was only then when I realized I was actually tearing up from the pain. I didn't like crying, because it made me feel weak, but that didn't change the fact that it really hurt. I did my best to bite back my tears, but suddenly Astral, who looked sad like I did, sealed my mouth with his, kissing gently. I was shocked for a moment, but then I realized his thoughts – distraction. It was exactly what I'd been doing before to block out Black Mist. Astral was trying to help me in the only way he could.

So I kissed back, forcing myself to ignore Black Mist's antics in favor of Astral's soft and gentle kiss. To help get it out of my head further, I deepened the kiss, turning my head to get better access and becoming more aggressive, which Astral never complained about. Black Mist was cackling, still adding fingers, which made me tense, pulling away for a moment with a choking sound, until Astral quickly took my lips again. I groaned into his mouth when Black Mist finally pulled out all his fingers after what seemed like years.

"That was interesting...now let's try this..." Black Mist cackled, inserting a slimy tentacle into my stretched cavern. The tentacle was bigger than any of his fingers, making me scream in pain, closing my eyes to stop the tears that threatened to fall. The tentalce was moving, flexing, pulsing inside of me disgustingly. I felt sick, pain, faint...all of it. It only got worse as he decided it would be a good idea to start thrusting, pulling his tentacle out then forcing it back in, further than before. I could feel my insides being torn apart, almost certain that I was bleeding, and I could not do a thing to stop it. Astral kept trying to kiss me to stifle my sobs, but I was disoriented and unable to focus on anything other than the pain.

And then suddenly Black Mist found my prostate, and everything changed. I felt a spark as he thrust there, letting out a cry of ecstasy, bucking my hips. The intense pain was replaced by intense pleasure, even more so than when I was kissing Astral, or when Black Mist had been pumping my shaft. And all I knew was that I wanted more. Black Mist kept thrusting continually, hitting that spot over and over, making me scream and moan in delight. I began attacking Astral's neck gems again, overcome by emotion and pleasure, sense being knocked out of me. Astral's mewls mixed with my own as we writhed over each other, grinding our lower regions – Astral was trying to get his hip gems some touch and I was somehow agitated by the lack of attention my cock was getting. Black Mist began to pump me again, thrusting in deeper and harder, picking up the pace. He was grinning, liking the feeling he was getting, feeding off of the energy emitting off of Astral and I. He trailed kisses down my back, nipping at my shoulders as he thrust, grinding his own gems against my body in random places.

This continued for what seemed like forever – Astral was glowing bright white again, Black Mist was moaning in delight, and I was enjoying every moment of it, completely absorbed in the pleasure that was making my head spin. I sucked on Astral's neck gems, no longer caring about being gentle. Astral suddenly sucked in a gasp, the white light intensifying more than ever before as he cried out my name. His body went more limb, no longer responding to me, the white receding until there was nothing left but his usual skin color. I felt a tightness in my stomach and lower regions, suddenly about to explode. I felt something cold and wet shoot out of Black Mist's tentacles inside of me. Driven to my limit, I came, letting out a cry as I did, seeing stars.

And with that, the energy I had previously seemed to be gone. I slumped, going limp with exhaustion. My butt was sore, my cock and knees were wet with my own semen – I came all over Astral's stomach, with my knees close enough to be hit. Black Mist pulled out of me, letting go with his body, but holding us both with trembling tentacles, as if he could barely hold me up above Astral anymore. I could feel something inside me still, trailing down the back of my legs. I breathed heavily, tired, sore, still unable to believe what was happening...what had happened. Black Mist panted, giggling to himself in excitement.

"That...was amazing! Humans are excellent pleasure tools..." He spoke, pulling me off of Astral and pressing my back to his chest, holding me close in his arms. I was too tired to resist – in fact, I was slowly falling asleep. All I could manage was a groan. My lower half was so sore. I wasn't sure I could move my legs. I tried to force my eyes open, but I was slowly losing. Black Mist licked my cheek.

"Yuuma...you are delicious..." He hissed, and I barely managed to shudder. He continued licking my face, like I was some sort of ice cream cone. I didn't like it, trying weakly to resist. I was too tired to really fight, but I did my best. The licking was surprisingly soothing, its constant rhythm against my skin was almost lulling me to sleep. But how could I sleep...if this was only a dream? Or...was it...?

As I pondered, my eyes closed, almost asleep, I felt Black Mist jolt, then cry out in alarm. A loud whooshing noise was heard, whipping my hair around. I forced my eyes open just as Black Mist's grip seemingly vanished – the next second I was falling. I did not fall for long – suddenly warm tentacles wrapped around me, cradling me in their grip, which I thought was odd, because usually Black Mist was not gentle like this. He liked to grab and cling, digging into your skin. But these felt different. I managed to turn my head to spot their color – they were blue. My eyes widened in surprise.

"What...?" I asked.

"Yuuma." A voice cut me off, and I turned weakly to the voice. It was Astral, floating a few feet above me. He was bruised and battered looking, but still surprisingly strong. His right hand held a card, and his left...was made of tentacles. I realized in that second that these tentacles were Astral's, not Black Mist's. 'Since when did Astral have these...?' I thought, dazed and confused. Astral floated down to the ground again, carrying me with him carefully. He laid me down in his arms, wrapping his newly discovered tentacles around my body protectively.

"I put him away." Astral said, showing me the card. It was Number 96, all locked up and sealed again, as he had been before. I stared at it, wondering whether or not he'd get out again.

"I promise I won't let him hurt you again like that...I am sorry Yuuma. It is my fault this happened. If I had been strong enough to defeat him earlier, then you would not have been involved." Astral spoke apologetically. I turned my attention to Astral, noticing that he looked guilty. I smiled.

"Astral...I don't blame you for this. I'm just happy...that you're okay..." I spoke, being completely honest. I supposed we beat the nightmare together. I paused, realizing something.

"This...isn't really a dream, is it?" I asked carefully. It just seemed far too real, but at the same time I couldn't believe it. Astral didn't quite understand what I meant by 'dream' but shook his head anyway.

"This is not an illusion, Yuuma. I am solid in the Key and always have been. After you went to bed, I came in here to get some rest, but was intercepted by Black Mist. I was unable to fight him off as he restrained me. Then he decided that he would bring you into this, even though I begged him not to. I am not sure how he got you here, but he did...you know the rest..." Astral trailed off, telling the story. I sighed.

"I knew it...it seemed too...real. But, wait...Astral, why do you have tentacles?" I asked, looking at the new appendages that cradled me. Astral smiled.

"It seems to be something I had all along, but I did not know it. They are strange, I admit...though I feel I am able to protect you better with them. I can easily stop using them, if they bother you, Yuuma." He replied. I shook my head. They really didn't both me, since I knew that Astral wouldn't hurt me with them like Black Mist had.

"They're okay...just...different..." I yawned, unable to finish my sentence. Astral looked at me in concern.

"Are you alright, Yuuma?" I smiled.

"Yeah...just sleepy...somehow..." I said, allowing myself to relax in Astral's arms, trying to ignore the pain in my butt.

"I can take you back to your room then, for you to sleep." Astral offered, but I immediately bolted upright.

"No! I..augh..." I groaned, the sudden movement causing pain to shoot up my spine. I took a deep breath to relax myself before continuing.

"I don't want to go back...I want to stay here with you...just for a while...if that's okay..." I said softly, snuggling up to Astral, blushing slightly. I didn't want to leave him, because I was afraid that if I did, Black Mist would come back and hurt him...or me. Astral seemed to understand, gently holding me closer and wrapping me up in the tentacles loosely for warmth.

"Very well Yuuma. Sleep well and I will look after you." Astral gently brushed a hand on my cheek, and I leaned into the touch, relaxing fully in his arms and closing my eyes. Astral carefully rocked me and I felt even more sleepy and safe – it was like what my mother did to me when I was a kid and had a nightmare. She would hold me in her arms, safe and warm, then rock me and shush me until I forgot all my fears and pains. I would always sleep peacefully after that.

In Astral's arms I smiled.

I would have good dreams from now on.

END