Baku: Otouto

When he woke, it was morning. Haru was already dressed, his face pale but calm . For the first time in months, he smiled at Akira.

It was like drinking a bonfire. Akira’s small body arched off the mattress. He saw Haru’s nightmare—no, felt it: the heat peeling his skin, the taste of ash, the sound of a mother calling a name that was not his own. He wanted to scream, but the dream had stolen his voice. baku otouto

“Can you eat Haru’s dreams?” Akira asked. When he woke, it was morning

Akira looked at his hands. They were still small. Still human. But beneath the skin, something with a tapir’s heart and a brother’s love was waking up. It was like drinking a bonfire

But Haru’s eyes said otherwise. The dreams were eating him alive. He stopped eating. He stopped sleeping. The doctors called it night terrors. Their mother called it a curse.