Superhero and Supervillain

Chapter 7

Rin was pretty sure her brother had lost his mind. Okay, maybe he wasn't all there to begin with, but this was different. Rin could tell something was bothering him. Ever since Teacher Megurine's weird speech, he had been obsessing over something. He had checked out all the books on Japanese legends from the library, especially the ones on youkai. He now reads his class history book over and over, when in the past he never studied. He asked about Teacher Megurine and Miku frequently, often making efforts to interview them. (That hadn't been very effective, as Miku would just say "Mm-hm" and Teacher Megurine kept getting lost in thought.) However, even when he failed, Len had been taking notes on Miku and Teacher Megurine's condition. What could he possibly be up to? Rin wondered.

That evening, Rin peeked into one of Len's history books when he wasn't looking. To her surprise, the page was on Baku, the very youkai Teacher Megurine was obsessing about. "A guardian spirit that feeds on the bad dreams of humans, huh..." She'd heard of the creature when she was little, but she wasn't sure if she had ever used the chant before. Despite the monstrous depiction, it actually seemed harmless, even helpful. Maybe Teacher Megurine had a point. Still, that didn't explain her brother's odd behavior.

"If you leave your window open at night when the moon waxes, he'll come to you..."

Rin glanced over to her window. It was slightly cracked open to let in fresh air. For some reason, night air always helped Rin sleep better. Would it really hurt to try this thing out? It probably wouldn't work, seeing as youkai were just legends. With everything she'd been through, she deserved something good to happen, didn't she? It would be better than having to worry about Len yet again...

She slid her window open further, wide enough for a person to come through (well, a person as small as Rin). Then, taking a deep breath, she popped her head out the window and said:

"Mr. Baku, come for my dreams"

This is stupid.

"Mr. Baku, come for my dreams"

It's not going to work.

"Mr. Baku, come for my dreams"

Is Len awake yet?

The relief Rin had felt before turned into doubt and worry once more. She sat down on her bed and curled up, hoping that no one had seen her.

Except someone had.

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Rin couldn't move. She was paralyzed by fear and worry, thinking of Len's mistakes. Why was all this pressure on her? Why did she have to keep protecting him? Even though she was awake, the nightmare came back to her again and again. She had seen the burning building, the screaming child...

Except this time, Len hadn't made it.

Gumi began to mew, startling Rin out of her worrying. Her eyes scanned the room nervously, until she saw a shadow standing in the corner. Without thinking, she turned on the light, seizing the nearest object (a hairbrush) and holding it up protectively. "YAAAAH! IT'S PETER!"

The shadow advanced toward her, then stopped. "Peter?"

"PHANTOM THIEF PETER! I HEARD ABOUT YOU ON THE NEWS! I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE REAL..."

The shadow froze. Then they began to laugh. Their laughter was sweet and melodious, which was oddly calming despite the fact that they were clearly breaking and entering. Then again, Rin HAD left her window open...

"Look, if you're going to steal anything, you won't find anything here! I'm just a fourteen-year-old girl, there's nothing you can steal from me!"

The shadow kept laughing. "Haha...oh, little miss...You really think I'm just a thief? That's horribly rude for someone who called me in the first place..."

"What?" Rin was confused. "How do you 'call' for a thief? They just show up and steal things! Well, Peter supposedly leaves messages..."

The shadow was still laughing, as if they found her confusion amusing, or perhaps adorable. "No, no, little Miss Kagamine. I'm no thief. I'm here to help you. Didn't you call me to help you tonight?"

"Help me? What are you talking about? I didn't call anyone, all I did was do the...baku...chant..."

"Would it help if you could see me?" the shadow continued. He (well, his voice seemed male) stepped over to Rin's nightstand and turned on the light, and Rin finally got a look at the intruder. It was... Len?

But it couldn't be. Len hated formal clothes, and this boy was dressed as if he had just stepped out of nineteenth-century London. Only there was something...different about him. The bright yellow vest, the diamond-patterned socks, even the animal-shaped head of his cane. It was a mixture of formal and whimsical. He looked like a cross between Peter Pan and a Victorian gentleman.

"You look like a phantom thief" Rin blurted without thinking.

To this, the other "Len" chuckled. "I already told you, I'm no thief. I am a Dream-Eating Monochrome Baku, at your service, miss."

If Rin hadn't been confused before, she certainly was now. "You're a baku? But..but..I was expecting a tapir! Not some magical boy!"

"Would you prefer me as a tapir?" asked the "Baku". "Because I can certainly do that, but I don't think it would be very personal. For one thing, I wouldn't be able to talk"

Rin looked closer into the Len replica's face and noticed no, he wasn't exactly the same. For one thing, he was a lot paler than the real Len, and his ears grew to a point. Then there were those eyes... They were completely grey, just like Miku's. But unlike Miku's, they shined in the moonlight, giving him a mischievous look.

"Uhh...so you are a baku, then... Are you going to um...eat my dreams?" Rin asked.

"Well of course! If you want me to, that is." said Baku.

"Um...well, I guess I want you to. I did call for you, after all."

Baku sat down next to her on the bed. "So what seems to be the trouble, little miss? Is there anything you want me to help you with?"

Rin thought for a moment. "Yes."

"I see. Then let's do it." He extended his pinky finger out to Rin.

"What's that for?" Rin asked.

"Just a pinky promise. That I'll help you with your troubles." Baku replied.

A pinky promise? That struck her as weird. But kind of cute, too. She remembered when she used to make such promises with Len. Back before he decided to don the cape for real. Was this guy really a baku? Rin had her doubts, but something about his smooth, sweet voice made her feel oddly relaxed. She trusted him, even if he looked a heck of a lot like her brother.

"Okay, I'll do it." Rin extended her own pinky and wrapped it around Baku's. His grin widened.

Baku stood up in front of Rin, tapping the top of his cane. "All right then, Miss Kagamine. What do you wish?" Baku asked.

"Just...get rid of this nightmare. I don't really want it, so you can have it if you like." said Rin.

Baku's smile grew wider. "A nightmare? What's it about?" he asked.

Rin found herself telling the entire nightmare to Baku, even though he was technically a complete stranger. It was strange, but she felt oddly comfortable around him. Perhaps it was because he seemed kind and harmless, if a little mischievous. Or maybe it was because he reminded her so much of Len before his little superhero obsession became too real for her liking.

When she had finished, Baku smiled a little. "I see. I'll gladly get rid of this nightmare for you, so don't worry. Just go to sleep, and leave everything to me."

Rin wasn't really tired (actually, she was more confused and freaked out), but she obeyed. After a while, Baku's cane started emitting a strange sort of mist, purple tinged with yellow. She began to feel sleepy, and dropped off to sleep without a sound...