Len tapped his foot in impatience. Usually the Baku was in no hurry, having an immortal lifespan to spend. But tonight was different. Though it was less than three hours since Rin had finished her contract with Gumi, the councilor of dreams demanded for the newest Baku to introduce herself. He extremely would have preferred to spend the night with Rin, kissing her soft lips over and over again. He could still taste them, salty and tearstained, mixed with his fiery passion. A wonderfully intoxicating combination. But he knew the consequences of skipping out on a gathering of Bakus. Unfortunately however, their normal clothes wouldn't suffice. Hence the reason why the pair was at Galaco's, so Rin could get an appropriate dress.

"Lenny! How nice it is to see you again!" the girl had shrieked happily as the blond boy pulled Rin into the store. Rin's body tensed and Len noticed that she was rather shocked.

While on the outside, the building had looked little more than a broken-down shed; a bit of Youkai magic had caused the interior to swell to the size of a mall. Hanging from racks were thousands of dresses, suits and other articles of clothing. Though the store was magnificent, it was no grander than its owner. Galaco was tall, maybe about 5'11, several inches taller than both of the blond Bakus. Add to this height a pair of heeled boots and you had a giantess. Her long hair was blond on one side, while brown on the other. Stripes of red, yellow, and blue, as if a miniature rainbow, ran down the left side of her bangs. Her bright, energetic hazel eyes glimmered, as if the excitement was bursting them at the seams. Her sparkly purple dress matched the glittering crown that sat regally on her head. The storekeeper's interest was piqued the moment she laid her eyes on Rin.

"Um, Galaco." Len cleared his throat. "This is my partner Rin. Tonight is her introduction ceremony and she needs a dress." He barely finished his sentence when Galaco squealed and grabbed the blonde's hand. With abnormal strength, Galaco almost threw Rin into a large dressing room, then dashed about the store grabbing several dresses, each grander than the last. As she arrived back at the dressing room, she turned around and winked at Len before vanishing behind a curtain.

"No peeking!"

Len paced back and forth as the minutes passed by. Occasionally, he would see a dress being thrown over the curtain, apparently being considered insignificant for Rin's needs. He listened to the conversation inside with some amusement.

"Oww, stop pulling!"

"Well stop moving then!"

"Well then, stop pulling those strings so tight! I can't breathe!"

"Fine!"

While Galaco kept Rin busy with the dresses, Len had dove into a closet to grab his suit that Gakupo allowed him to store there. Len dressed fairly quickly, and as a result, he ended up in front of the girls' dressing room now, tapping his foot in impatience, anxious to get going. What could be taking them so long?

Suddenly, the curtain was ripped open revealing the pair of girls. Galaco stood in front of her costumer, hiding her from Len's gaze.

"Yes?" Len said, trying to peek around the woman.

"Pfft. So impatient. Well, it is my pleasure to introduce you— to the one and only— Lady Rin Kagamine!" she announced as she moved to stand beside the blond girl. Len could feel his jaw drop as he took in how lovely Rin looked in her dress. Made of midnight black silk, the high neck line of the dress was countered by the hem that fell across Rin's upper thigh. Her shoulders were exposed by the lack of material, though the rest of her arm was gracefully wrapped in detachable sleeves. The tight bodice had elegant pearls stitched across the cloth, though the skirt of the dress had hoops underneath and filled out with tons of ruffles.

"Do you like it?" Rin's face was downward as she tried to hide a blush. Len quickly crossed the room to stop in front of her. Kneeling down on one knee, he took her hand and kissed it lightly.

"You look beautiful." He smiled as the female Baku's blush spread from her rosy cheeks to the rest of her face and her neck. "Shall we go, my lady?" Rin nodded, a slight smile gracing her face. Len stood up, tucking her arm in his as he turned to Galaco. "Thanks, Galaco," he said as he pulled out a mysterious gold coin from his pocket and tossed it to the girl with the multicolored hair. She deftly caught in her hand, examining it closely to make sure it wasn't counterfeit. When she was satisfied, she carefully placed it in a money box.

"No, thankyou.I had great fun today. Service is normally so boring." With that, Galaco led the couple to the door. As the door closed behind her, Rin couldn't help but look back at the shabby building, wondering what type of magic could cause such a transformation.

DrEaM EaTiNg MoNoChRoMe BaKu

Len knocked on the stately door, and then waited for a response. He watched Rin out of the corner of his eye as he recounted their journey to the Baku Headquarters. Shortly after the pair had left Galaco's shop, Len had brought his student to a tower. Not just any tower, but the Tokyo tower. Carrying Rin in his arms, the Baku leaped several hundred feet, jumping from every hold he could get his feet on. In a matter of seconds, he landed on the observation deck, his breathing light as he gently placing the frightened Rin down, whose body was frozen with fear as she wrapped her fist tightly around his white shirt. Walking up to a wall, Len placed his hand on the red metal which seemed to shimmer with his presence. Slowly, a door of light appeared as Len beckoned Rin to follow.

Inside the tower, the interior had seemed to grow as a long hallway stood before the pair. Now the pair stood in waiting at the door at the end of the hall, waiting for someone inside to allow them in.

"Why are they not here?" grumbled Len.

"Are they supposed to?" Rin asked timidly.

Right then, a voice finally echoed through the hallway. "Who's there?"

"Len Kagane, and his apprentice, Rin Kagamine."

Immediately, the door swung open, revealing a parlor and a roaring fireplace inside. Rin blinked against the bright light as she noticed there were three figures in the room. Standing at the door was a guy that seemed about her age, with blue hair and white highlights. He looked seriously bored, though the slightest fleck of interest dawned upon his face when his eyes landed on Rin. Behind him was a man, tallest of the group, who stood next to the fireplace. His long purple hair fell elegantly in cascades around his face, reminding Rin of a nobleman— but the impression soon disappeared as he directed a dazzling, if not unnerving, smile at the blonde girl. Sitting in a chair was the last of the group, a white-haired girl who sat daintily in a chair as she sipped a cup of tea. When she saw Len, she bolted up, almost spilling the contents of her tea cup onto her lap.

"Lenny! How I missed you! Have you come to see me?" the girl asked flirtatiously, wrapping her arms around the boy— like talons, thought Rin, wincing inwardly. Len sighed as he pried her off of him.

"No, Tei, I came to bring my apprentice, Rin, to her introduction."

Tei's face fell, but she quickly straightened up again, turned and smiled sweetly at Rin. She pulled the blonde girl over, and pressed her rosebud lips to Rin's ear, her hot breath sending goose bumps prickling on Rin's skin.

The first time, Rin did not hear what Tei said.

"Excuse me?" Rin asked, hoping it did not come off as imprudent. Tei's eyes narrowed, and she stepped forward Rin again.

"Keep away… from my Len. Did you hear me that time?"

The harsh whisper sent chills down Rin's back; still, it was impossible for any outsiders to know what Tei just said, for she kept a peaceful, pleasant, or even benevolent expression on her face.

"Y-yes," Rin squeaked.

"You hear me? Keep away. Or I'll make you feel the true power of a Baku!" Then Tei pulled back, the corners of her eyes crinkling up in a smile that looked almost real, and skipped back to her chair, as if Tei had just told Rin a small secret, or maybe a friendship truce. Rin sat gingerly on one of the other five chairs as Len pulled it out for her, her hands gripping the hand rest tightly.

"So your probably wondering why you're here, right?" the blue haired guy began after Rin and Len were seated, his eyes observing the pair lazily. "Well, now that you have completed your first contract, you know a little about Bakus now, don't you?

"Well, just like any other civilization, Bakus have a hierarchy as well. Gakupo, Tei and I, Matsudappoiyo, are all the masters of our own fields. As you have experienced, your job is to bring sweet dreams to those who have nightmares. I am the head of the sweet dream department so you will report directly to me. Gakupo here"—he gestured toward the purple-haired male—is in charge of the nightmare division, while Tei is in charge of the daydream division. You will also find out that Bakus aren't the only type of Yokai that are real."

"I know," Rin said, maybe a little quickly for her sake. With this statement, something flashed dangerously in Matsudappoiyo's eyes.

"You know?" he demanded, looking accusingly at Len. Rin nervously licked her lips, all too aware of the cold air that filled the room.

"Well, on my way to Gumi's house last night, I met a Neko named Miki, and she told me that there were lots of types of Yokai," she conceded. Hearing this, Matsudappoiyo relaxed.

"So you met Miki? She's pretty harmless as a Neko and even got herself into a bad contract, taking away almost all of her powers. But she's right, there are more than just Bakus and Nekos. You should watch your back… you have no idea when a Yokai will arrive, and unless you can put them to sleep, you will be very vulnerable to their element attacks. Do you understand?" He paused, waiting for Rin to respond. "So let's show you the rest of the headquarters, shall we?" Matsudappoiyo stood up, motioning for the others to follow him. Rin turned to take her teacher's arm, but Gakupo beat the blond boy to it.

"My lady, please let me accompany you."

Taken back slightly, Rin only stammered an apology to Len, before letting Gakupo's alluring smile wash over her. Still not used to him, she shyly paced her hand in his. Leading the way, the blue haired Baku spoke out loud as they passed several doors that had appeared in the hall.

"Now that you have met with us, all of these doors are opened to you Rin," he yawned. "This door on the left leads to a map room, showing millions of possible contractors. The door next to it is the scribe room, where you will account your contracts after they are completed. This door on the right is the tea room; a favorite of Bakus to overcome the nasty taste they require from dream switching. And here is the lounge," he announced as he pushed open the door. The bright light inside the room stung Rin's eyes, temporarily blinding her. When she could see again, she gasped. The room was filled with fancy tables and elegant chairs—a teahouse, maybe? About a dozen Bakus loitered about, conversing and sipping tea from porcelain teacups. When they saw the new comers, they got to their feet, clapping.

"Welcome, Rin!"

Different colors flashed into Rin's gaze as several other Bakus, all with different color hair and outfits, came to personally greet her.

"It's nice to meet you, Rin!"

"You're so lucky to be Len's apprentice!"

"More like Len is lucky to be the teacher of such a beautiful girl!"

"Such pretty golden hair, I feel envious!"

The mixture of voices made Rin's head pound, as each individual tried to be louder than the other. Thankfully, Len saved her, pulling her from the masses and leading her towards a pair of sofas where Matsudappoiyo, a boy with peachy colored hair and a girl with grey hair were already sitting. As the two newcomers had taken over one couch, Rin sat between the Sweet Dream leader and her blond teacher. She blushed as she was concise of the closeness of the two males, their legs pressing against hers. From the corner of her eye Rin could see Len smiling her, her heart beating in her chest quickly, the feeling of his lips pressed against hers, the memory echoing throughout her mind. From her other side though, she could see Matsudappoiyo watching her with interest. When she turned to catch his ruby red eyes, the blue haired Baku turned his face quickly, letting an expression of boredom once again replacing the kinder curious expression that was on his face. Clearing his throat, he turned to look towards the pair at the other sofa.

"Rin, these are the other two Bakus in the sweet dream department," he said, gesturing towards the pair. "The girl is Haku Yowane, while the guy is Yuuma Roro. If you ever need help, these two will be happy to help you…" he trailed off as a commotion by the door attracted his attention. "What the…"

Rin stood up to see better. Apparently at the door, someone or something was trying to get in, though several of the guys were prohibiting it. Suddenly a bundle of red, blue and white pushed past the group.

"Congratulations, Rinny!"

Miki laughed as she came running up to Rin, her cat tail twitching in merriment. Before she could get to the blond, Gakupo and another boy, one with black hair and golden eyes, grabbed her from behind. Miki's claws immediately came out with a ka-ching. "I just wanted to come say hi to my new best friend!" she whined. "Ouch! Be careful, you're stepping on my tail!"

"Stop, you're hurting her!" Rin cried out, confused with what was happening. Matsudappoiyo sighed, gesturing for the pair to release the Neko.

"Let her be, she's harmless. But, Miki…" His expression suddenly turned severe, his red eyes glaring as the cat-girl shrank back. "Miki, if you want to talk to Rin, you have to do it outside." He commanded as he turned around and left the odd group. Miki stuck out her tongue at the blue-haired man's back, before turning to Rin.

"Come on Rin! Let's go have a real party!" Miki grabbed the girl's arm, pulling her towards the door, as she turned her head to address Len. "Are you coming with us, Blondie?" Without saying a word, Len followed the pair out the door and back into the dark hall. As the party went back to normal, Matsudappoiyo stood with his back towards the wall, watching the door that the Neko and the two Bakus had left through. While he stared, deep in concentration, Yuuma walked up to him, waiting for the superior Baku to acknowledge him. After several moments of waiting, the pink-haired man sighed.

"You like her, don't you?" he said bluntly, as Matsudappoiyo glared at him and walked away, leaving Yuuma confirmed with his assumption.

DrEaM EaTiNg MoNoChRoMe BaKu

Please review and let me know what you think! Thanks again, Little Night Sparrow