'Yumi! No! Please Yumi!' The voice called out to her, the dull pain in her chest worsened, she felt dizzy, light headed. Her vision blurred, her surroundings changed to black. The pain became unbearable, and she couldn't muster up the energy to scream out. She was dieing…

'Yumi! Yumi!'

Yumi gasped, coming out of a dead sleep. Her breathing was uneven, body covered in a cold sweat. She recoiled, pulling the warmth of her blanket back around her. Where was she? How did she get there? When did she fall asleep?

"Yumi!" The voice was hushed. Her eyes adjusted in the dark, her name still not registering with her mind. The blanket she had pulled around her was covered in reds, and browns, and blacks. It smelled like-

"Yumi?" She turned her head. Ulrich. Ulrich, she had fallen asleep in Ulrich's dorm. The storm! No power. Stuck. Memories flooded her mind of the night before.

"Are you ok?" A mess of brown hair and chocolate eyes were in front of her, sitting on the edge of the bed. She wrapped her arms around herself tighter, nodding. A faint memory of pain remained in her chest, the crushing feeling, the slow, agonizing fear.

"Just a nightmare," She whispered to him. A sob racked her body as her thoughts went back to the nightmare. It wasn't just a nightmare. She felt a shiver in her spine. It was a memory. It was real. She tucked her chin close to her chest, making her feel as small as possible. Ulrich moved up farther onto the bed, wrapping his arms around her.

"Yumi, tell me what happened? It's ok, it was only a nightmare, don't cry Yumes." She pressed against him. Drawing in every bit of safety she could. Why, how could this still haunt her?

"Xana.. The tree!" She sobbed out. Ulrich stroked her hair as she clung to him in the dark. Outside, the thunder clattered and shook the school. The rain pounded on the window nearly drowning out her cries.

She had never been so terrified.

"That's all over Yumi, it's all over," He cooed. "You're safe now. I promise. It's in the past." She squeezed her eyes tight, shutting out every bit of light in the dull room. This wasn't the first time. Her near death experience had haunted her for years. Even after Xana had been destroyed. The pain wouldn't leave her, the cold burned her, she felt trapped, helpless. Odd was with Sam, they had called him awhile ago. What time was it? How long had she slept peacefully? Hours? Minutes?

Three am blared in bright green on Ulrich's alarm clock. Hours. Six hours? Her body relaxed slightly.

'That day never happened,' She told herself. 'Ever, it was erased. Let it go. You are alive.' Ulrich pulled away as her sobs stopped.

"You should sleep," he whispered. She nodded, allowing him to lower her back onto her pillow. She slipped her legs under the warmth of the blankets, still clinging to the fleecy one she had wrapped around her shoulders. Ulrich brushed her hair away from her eyes and went to stand up.

"Wait! I mean.. I-I," She couldn't finish a sentence, but her eyes were pleading.

Stay.

He knew it too. Slowly, he lowered himself back onto the bed, slipping under the blankets. She wrapped her arms around her, snuggling her head between his neck and his shoulder.

"Make it go away," She whispered. He snaked an arm around her waist, drawing her closer. He traced his fingers over her back, where it hit her, where it should have hurt. She didn't flinch. That day never happened, she never died.

"It already has," He answered. She smiled a tired smile and fell asleep in his arms. Lightning flooded the room once more. Her breathing evened, she was warm from his body heat, and she slept peacefully in his bed.

Like that day have never happened. Like she never knew what it felt like to die. Because to the rest of the world,

It never happened.

A/n.. I needed to get it out of my system. R&R