DISCLAIMER: Raebelle doesn't own Vocaloid.

Chapter 8: Shadows

Rin drummed her fingers against the surface of her lunch table, wondering what she was going to do with herself. Usually, she was content with eating only with Gumi, but today, her best friend was stuck at home with the flu – so Rin was forced to sit alone. Of course, Gumi had wanted to come to school, but Rin had sternly refused, commanding her to stay home and rest properly.

Should Rin try to find somewhere else to sit? To be honest, she didn't have that many friends. Piko and Kaito were nice enough – but if they were sitting with anyone else, she would be too shy to try to approach them. And while none of the other girls in class displayed outright hostility towards her as Miku had done, Rin wasn't exactly friendly with them, either.

Maybe…maybe she could sit next to Len?

On second thought, it was a ridiculous idea.

"Hey," said a voice from behind Rin, jolting her out of her thoughts. When she saw who it was, she choked on her drink.

"Um…"Len said hesitantly, holding a lunch tray. "Are you okay?"

"No!" Rin stammered. "Yes! Yeah, yeah, 'kay. I mean, I'm okay."

With his free hand, Len gestured around the table. Besides Rin, it was completely empty. "So…Gumi isn't here?"

"Yeah. I mean, no, she isn't here. She's, uh, she's sick."

There was an awkward pause, in which Len continued to awkwardly point at the vacant seats around Rin. She gulped. Was he finally noticing how socially awkward and unpopular she was? She already knew she had no chance with him; but now that he saw how much of a loser she was, would he even want to be her friend? Oh, if only she could stop stuttering!

"Can I…can I sit here?" Len asked.

"What?"

Len rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean…may I sit next to you? Please?"

"Yes!" Rin blurted out, and then immediately cringed. "I mean, sure, if you want to…I-I don't mind…"

To her delight, Len took a seat beside her and started to eat. For a moment, they didn't say anything else – it was completely silent save for the incessant pounding of Rin's heart. And then Len broke the silence again.

"So…did you have fun at the field trip? Before the Des-monster came, I mean."

Rin covered her face in her hands, mortified at the memory of her hugging him out of the blue. At the time, she had been so worried about him that she had completely forgotten about being nervous. What must he think of her now? Oh, the embarrassment!

"Rin?"

Rin suddenly realized that Len was still waiting for her answer. "Oh! Y-yeah, it was really fun! I hope we get to go on another one soon…"

She inwardly winced. Did that sound too enthusiastic? Did he think she was just trying to get on his good side? But the theme park was pretty fun, though…

To her relief, Len grinned even more enthusiastically and said: "I'm glad you had a good time. So did I!"

"Y-you did?"

"Yep," said Len, lowering his voice. "In fact, let me tell you a secret. That was the first time I've ever been on a field trip!"

Rin's eyes widened. "Really?"

Len nodded. "My father's never allowed me to go anywhere. He's always been really-" And then, he suddenly stopped. "Like I said…it was my first time out." He carefully watched Rin, who pretended not to notice that he had been about to say something else.

Rin smiled. "Good thing you weren't scared by the monster attack, then."

"What?" Len said, snorting. "Oh, that! That didn't ruin anything at all – it actually made it better! We…we got to see Butterfly and Knight in action, you know."

Rin gulped down the last crumbs of her lunch and turn in her seat to face Len. "Oh, I remember now. You're a fan of Knight's, aren't you?"

To her surprise, a light pink spread across the boy's cheeks. "I suppose so…but to tell the truth, I like Butterfly much better."

Suppressing a smile, Rin tilted her head. "You do?"

"Well, I mean, she's a superhero! Vocaloid City depends on her."

Rin felt a warm, tingling sensation spread throughout her body. Len liked her. Len liked her! Of course, she had to remind herself that Len was thinking of her alter ego, not the real her…but it was still pleasant, all the same. "So…what do you like about her, exactly?"

Len smiled. "Well…she's kind. She's brave. She's willing to put herself in danger for other people, and for nothing in return. She does a good job at it, too."

"So does Knight," said Rin. Hearing Len speak so highly of Butterfly brought indescribable joy to her, but somehow…somehow, it felt hollow. Knight was her partner – he deserved every bit of credit that she received, didn't he?

Len's smile faded. He gave Rin an inscrutable look, making Rin feel as though she was being X-rayed. "You know…" he said quietly. "You might think I'm stupid for saying this, but…you kind of remind me of Butterfly."

In an instant, the warmth in Rin's chest turned ice-cold. "W-why would you…I mean, I…I'm not-"

"Rin."

Rin jumped. She had been so focused on talking to Len that she hadn't noticed Luka standing behind her.

"Rin," Luka repeated. The pink-haired girl's expression was somber, yet her eyes carried an urgent, almost desperate look in their depths. "I have something for you."

She held out a small, folded piece of paper to Rin – a note. As soon as Rin took it from Luka's hand, the pink-haired girl turned and silently walked away. Whispers from surrounding tables followed her out the cafeteria.

Rin glanced sideways at Len, who shrugged, looking perplexed. Uneasiness rising in her stomach, Rin unfolded the paper:

Meet me after school. Senbonzakura Hospital, 3rd floor, east wing, room 367. COME ALONE.

~Miku

Rin reread the note three times. After she could no longer convince herself that her eyes were playing a trick on her, she looked up to see Len's confused expression.

"It's Miku Hatsune," she explained. "She wants to see me."

Len frowned. "What does she want with you?"

"No idea," Rin said truthfully. "Maybe…maybe she wants to tell me something…"

The furrow in Len's brow deepened. "Look…I know it's not my place to tell you what to do, but…if you don't want to go, nobody can force you."

Rin stared at him.

"And…" Len added, averting his eyes. "If you want, you can ask someone else to come with you."

"Um…" Biting her lip, Rin fidgeted with the note in her hands. "Sorry…I mean, thanks, Len. But…Miku wants me to see her alone."

"So you are going, then?" Len said anxiously. "But what if she hurts you?"

Rin sighed. "Len, this girl was recently attacked by a monster and almost killed. How could I refuse?"

Knock, knock.

Rin cleared her throat nervously. "Um…hello? M-Miku?"

"Come in."

Rin reluctantly obliged and stepped inside the musty hospital room. Looking around, she surveyed the place with a mixture of apprehension and distaste. She had never liked hospitals for this exact reason – they were always too grim and suffocating. How could anyone be expected to recuperate in such a gloomy environment?

"Rin."

Rin jumped. She snapped her attention to the pristine bed in the center and the thin, battered figure sitting upright in it.

Miku fixed her dull, unsmiling eyes on Rin. "You're probably wondering why I asked for you." Her face was puffy and bruised, and her arms were wrapped in bandages.

"Y-yeah…" Rin said slowly, positioning herself at the foot of the bed. "Why did you want me here?"

Miku took a deep, rattling breath. "I…"

Rin raised her eyebrows, trying to conceal her uneasiness. In this state, what could Miku possibly say or do to ruin her day? What could Miku possibly do right now to hurt Rin's feelings? And why would Miku want to hurt someone else in the first place, when she was recovering from her own injuries?

"What…what is it?" Rin asked hesitantly.

Miku paused, gazing up at Rin's face. For the first time, the unwaveringly cold mask of the ice queen wavered.

"I…" Miku said. "I…have to tell you..."

From outside the window, a dark cloud briefly covered the sun. For a brief moment, the hospital room darkened, making the dull, chalky wallpaper look gray. And then it turned light again.

"I-I'm sorry," Miku forced out. "I'm sorry."

Rin's jaw dropped. "What?"

Miku took deep breaths again. An uncharacteristic flush was appearing over her face – this was proving to be much more difficult than she had planned. Who knew that saying one five-letter word would take so much effort?

"I'm…I'm sorry for what I said," Miku repeated. "Will you forgive me?"

Rin struggled to regain her composure. "You're…apologizing?"

Miku sighed in relief. For a second, she had feared that Rin didn't understand her. That she wouldn't accept her apology, or even become upset or angry. "Yes."

Rin bit her lip and frowned. Once again, the room turned dim – but this time, it remained dark.

Miku watched Rin silently. She didn't understand why the other girl was wearing such a grim expression. Miku had just apologized, right? She had truthfully said that she was sorry, had asked for forgiveness, and had admitted her wrongs in the past. And since she'd already apologized, that meant that Rin forgave her, right?

Right?

"Are you serious?" Rin said in a hoarse whisper. She wasn't smiling.

Miku nodded seriously. "Yeah, I'm…I'm really sorry."

Rin didn't say anything. She looked away, chest rapidly heaving up and down. As Miku watched, the shadows in the room only grew darker and darker - almost as if they were gathering around Rin.

"You're…you're not still mad, are you?" said Miku.

"Mad?" Rin laughed hollowly. "Why would I, of all people, be mad?"

"Look," Miku said, impatience rising up her throat. "I said I'm sorry-"

Rin's lips tightened. "Don't waste your breath."

"W-what?"

"You remember everything you did, don't you?" Rin said softly. "How you made my life miserable?"

Miku's eyes widened. "But I…"

And finally, something snapped inside of Rin. A hot surge of resentment rose from the depths of her heart, bubbling from her lips like molten lava.

"Do you remember the rumors you spread about me?" Rin hissed. "The notes and text messages you sent me? What about every time you tripped me in the hallways? What about every time something mysteriously disappeared from my locker or random swearwords were scrawled onto my desk? Do you remember that? Huh?"

Miku's eyes widened. "B-but I-"

"Do you remember how you humiliated me countless times in front of everyone else? How you mocked me and taunted me and bullied me? How you tormented me?DO YOU?"

"Rin, please! I'm-"

"YOU MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL, HATSUNE!"

Miku desperately held out her trembling hands. "But I'm sorry!"

"Sorry? Sorry?" Rin snarled. Her face was white with fury. "All those things you did to me over all those years, and you say sorry?"

Miku stared at Rin as though meeting her for the first time. Rin Akita was famous throughout school for her gentle, sweet, temperament – and infamous for her meekness. Nobody had ever seen her so angry. And nobody – absolutely nobody – had ever met the livid, bitter girl standing before Miku right now.

"I…" Miku cried. "I am sorry. I'm serious!"

"And you expect me to forgive you, just like that?" Rin said, fighting back tears. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but sorry doesn't cut it!"

Miku gave an exasperated sigh. "What else do you expect me to do, Rin? Write an apology letter? Get on my knees and beg for your pardon?"

Rin made a sudden movement toward Miku, who flinched, expecting to be slapped or punched. But at the last second, Rin stopped and stepped back, breathing heavily.

"I know what this is about," Rin said quietly. "You don't really care about what you did to me or my friends. You're just…out of it. You're in shock. I'm sure that when you get better, you'll…you'll go right back to how you were before."

Miku's stomach clenched as though Rin had actually hit her. "No! That's not true!"

"And why would it be otherwise?" said Rin.

"You…" Miku stared at her. "You really hate me, don't you?"

Rin merely gave her a cold, twisted smile in response. Then, without another word, she swept out the door. A dark, ominous shadow trailed after her, rippling as if it had a life of its own.

"If you value your life, I suggest you cooperate."

A boy covered in bruises and cuts stirred on the ground like a wounded animal. His sword, a bloodstained katana, lay out of reach – at the feet of a tall, hooded figure, half hidden in the shadows.

"Tell me," the figure continued. Its voice was cold and devoid of kindness. "Tell me where he is."

Slowly, the boy lifted himself a few inches off the ground and looked up. He was wearing an ivory mask painted to resemble a fox's face. Long violet hair, sticky with sweat and blood, tumbled down his back. His once elegant robes were torn and filthy, and his skin was riddled with cuts and bruises.

"Never," said the boy.

For a moment, everything was silent – so silent that the boy could hear his heart pounding frantically against his chest. Then the figure lowered the hood of its cloak and swept towards the boy. It grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at its face, where a pair of malignant eyes glinted hungrily.

"Do you think that I, the king of nightmares, am any less than that accursed Dreamweaver?" it whispered. "Do you think that, just because the Key-bearer is on your side, I am not capable of making my own servants?"

"I'll never help you," the boy spat. "You'll have to kill me!"

The figure laughed, sending chills down the boy's spine.

"My dear little Mask," it chuckled. "Unfortunately for you, you have no say in this. You are at my mercy."

The boy tried to free himself from the figure's clutches, but it grip was unbreakable. Grunting in pain, he struggled to break eye contact, to look away from the cruel, distorted face, to reach for his katana…but to no avail. It was too strong.

Its eyes held him captive.

They were glowing brighter and brighter, casting everything else in shadow. They pierced through his mask and imprinted themselves into his mind, making the rest of the world fade into blackness...blackness that engulfed him, devoured him, swallowed him up…

Vaguely, the boy felt his mask being removed from his face. He heard the sound of something being shattered to pieces – but the noise was muffled and distorted, as though he was underwater.

"I will repeat myself one last time," Nightmare said softly, finally releasing the boy. Immediately, he collapsed to the ground, face slack and expressionless. "You will find the Key-bearer and kill him, and bring his key to me. You will cut down anyone who stands in your way, especially the other three. Is that clear?"

"Yes," the boy said blankly.

Nightmare's face stretched into a cruel, leering grin. It placed its gaunt, skeletal hand on the boy's bare forehead, and his wounds instantly faded. His ripped, filthy clothes mended themselves. The only thing amiss was the glassiness in the boy's eyes.

Carelessly, Nightmare kicked aside the shattered pieces of the boy's mask. It was close to its goal now…very, very close. It could almost smell it in the air.

There were less than a hundred Masks in the world, only four of whom were powerful enough to pose the slightest threat. Only three of whom were left standing. And among those three…only one Mask was aware of its existence.

So close…so very close. Soon, the Key of Dreams would fall into Nightmare's hands. Soon, the Dreamweaver would meet her downfall.

And soon…Nightmare would plunge the world into darkness.

First, there is something I would like to clarify:

Umine Mizuko pointed out an error in the last chapter (that I fixed): Len mentioned an "accidental visit" to Rin's house as Knight. Originally, I was actually going to have him do that, but I decided the incident conflicted with both of their character arcs because it was too sudden and left little room for more growth in their relationship, so I deleted the whole chapter. I guess I forgot to delete the reference to it in Chapter 8. Oops XP

But if you guys want, I can upload it as an extra, once the whole fic is finished of course. BTW, thanks for pointing it out! :)

Umine Mizuko: Yeah, I guess so XD Again, thanks for finding my blunders! :)

RandomMudThing: *bursts out of coffin* WHO SAID RINXLEN WAS DEAD? (JK) Lol, I'm glad you like it.

mdmpinkie9088: Aww, thanks :D Miku is probably the hardest character to write in this fic, actually.

P.S. Rin was originally supposed to forgive Miku right away, but after putting some more thought into it I realized that wasn't that realistic, even if Rin's nice. What do you think?

Also, who do you think the other Masks are? ;)

Thanks for reading, everyone! Stay tuned for Chapter 9! Happy (early) Halloween! *noms on candy*