The refurbished yacht churned its way through the ocean waters, the setting sun painting a trail of glistening points of light in its wake, with the sky above it painted in streaks of pink, purple and gold. Watching this small bit of nature's light show was Arcueid, seated on the stern railing in a manner that would be considered completely unsafe for anyone lacking a preternatural sense of balance. Over the low hum of the boat's motors she heard the creak of a door opening behind her and, looking over her shoulder, she saw Ciel step onto the deck. "How much longer until we get to that island, anyway?" Arcueid asked.

"No time soon, I'm afraid. Though fortunately for us our target isn't going to go anywhere in the interim."

Arcueid let out a low sigh and turned back towards the ocean. "I still can't get over the fact that the Church still sends people out by boat."

"The security for airlines has been increased to remarkable levels over the years, yet there's been nary a change when it comes to sea travel. When you factor in the equipment that's needed for some operations..."

"You know, I always wondered how you got all those knives past airport security."

Ciel smiled, making her way over to Arcueid's side. "My trade secret is out, I suppose. So," she began, leaning on the railing next to her. "I hear you have a daughter."

Arcueid looked at her in mild surprise before her chuckling to herself. "Oh, right. I keep forgetting that you're still keeping tabs on me."

"So how is she?"

She shrugged. "Well, we tried our best. I think I'm doing pretty good at this whole 'raising kids' thing, actually."

"Does she know?"

"About what?"

"About you and Shiki."

"...oh, that," she said, a bit too casually for Ciel's taste. "Easier said than done."

"How so?"

"Let's put it this way: Have you ever thought about how you'd explain your life story to someone?"

"As a matter of-"

"Your whole life story?"

She faltered. "Well..."

Arcueid leaned towards her. "Including the parts involving Roa and the Church?"

"All right, I see your point," she replied testily, "but you can't keep it from her forever."

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Maybe saying, 'hey, your mom's a True Ancestor and your father can see the death of people and things' will come more easily as time goes on."

"..."

"So how about you?"

"What about me?" Ciel replied.

"Well for starters, are you seeing anyone?" She turned to look at the Mediator, only to be met with an irritated glare. "What?"

"Why is it impossible for married women to understand the fact that perhaps some women define success by something other than getting married and spending the rest of their life being a stay-at-home mother? Perhaps I like working for the Church and perhaps I don't want to settle down just yet."

"Wow," Arcueid replied, taken aback slightly. "I'm sorry I asked."

"No, it's just..." she sighed, running her hands through her hair. "I just hear it every so often and it's starting to wear on me."

"Oh. Well, you know, I figured that maybe you were up to something that didn't involve killing the restless undead in the name of God. It's been pretty slow these past few years."

"I've been keeping busy," she said.

"...I see."

With nothing else to talk about, the two women turned back towards the ocean to watch the sun slowly set on the horizon. It wasn't until several minutes after that Arcueid spoke again.

"So, are you seeing anyone?"

"..."


"Miss Arima is right in here, sir," the nurse said, pushing the door open as she stepped to one side.

"Thank you." Takada gingerly stepped past the nurse into the hospital room and over to Satsuki's bedside. The young girl was lying motionless, an IV tube trailing down to a needle slid into her arm. Thick gauze strips were wrapped around her arms, over her left eye and, Takada presumed, elsewhere on the rest of her body. Her skin seemed unusually pale which, when combined with the pristine white of the room and the sunlight streaming in through the open window, gave the room an almost ethereal feel. Without turning around Takada asked, "could you leave us alone for a bit?"

The nurse nodded wordlessly and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Setting his schoolbag down next to a small table beside him, he reached over and pulled a thin metal chair over to her bedside before taking a seat, leaning forward and knitting his fingers together in his lap. "Hi. Thought I would stop by after school and see how things were going. I remember reading that one of the best things you can do for someone in a coma is to talk to them, so... here's hoping, right?

"In case you're worried, your father's alive. They found him lying outside the emergency room door of all places. He was pretty beaten up from what I understand, but he's doing fine for now. He still hasn't woken up, though.

"People were asking where you were today, so I told them that, uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I told them that you were in a car accident. I hope you don't mind. Katsuya was pretty upset about it... must be nice to have someone who cares about you that much, huh? I really hate having to lie to them, but I didn't think that I could tell them what really happened. Not that they'd believe me... heck, I don't know what really happened. The only people who do are..." He trailed off, lowering his head.

After a long silence he swallowed on a dry throat and muttered, "I kept telling you to think about your future... some future this turned out to be..."


Katsuya stopped just outside the school's main gate, shooting an irritated look over his shoulder at Nanashi. "Is there a reason you're following me?" he asked.

"I wanted to ask you something."

He stood there for several seconds waiting for her to speak before turning around and looking pointedly at her. "Well?"

"Your girlfriend is hospitalized, and yet you refuse to visit her. Why is that?"

"Just what are you implying?"

"I'm implying nothing, only stating a fact and asking a question."

Katsuya glanced to either side of him at the students trickling past him and out the gate. Reaching out, he gripped Nanashi's arm and brusquely escorted her off the school grounds and to the side, smiling and nodding politely to a passing gaggle of girls as he did so. Nanashi made no effort on her part to resist. Only after he was a good twenty feet from the front gate did he speak. "For your information I have visited her, all right?"

"Once, by my count," she replied, pulling her arm from his grasp.

"I didn't realize that I'd have to be standing by her side every waking hour. Is that what this is about?"

"The Youichi boy visits her daily, you know."

"Probably jerking off over her like the little creep he is," he muttered. "Why are you asking me this, anyway? There's nothing I can do for her at this point; I'm not some miracle worker."

"I've not known you as one to give up so quickly..." She regarded him with an inquisitive expression. "Been having second thoughts about your masters' ambitions?"

"Don't you dare speak of me as if I'm some sort of slave," Katsuya growled, waving a finger in her face. "Just because nobody expects anything from you doesn't mean you can act like I'm less of a person for-"

A low chiming sound emanated from Katsuya's pocket, interrupting the beginning of his tirade. Growling, he withdrew his cellular phone from his pocket, flipped it open and brought it to his ear. "Yes, what do you-" He winced. "...no, sir," he said, turning his back to Nanashi as his voice started to waver. "Of course not, sir. I was talking to- no, sir. It won't happen again, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir, I have. No, sir. No, sir... but sir, she's in a coma. How am I supposed to-"

The long stunned silence that followed was almost palpable.

"...y-yes, sir. But sir, her friend is- ...yes, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir, good day." He slowly lowered his arm, looking down at his phone with an expression somewhere between shock and abject fear.

"It's nice to see that he's so concerned about you," Nanashi remarked.

Katsuya looked at her but said nothing as he turned and hastily made his way down the sidewalk.

"...truly a thing to be pitied," she said softly to herself.


The hospital room was deathly still, with the only sound being the slow, rhythmic beeping of the EKG. Takada had long since fallen asleep by Satsuki's side, with his head resting on the side of her thigh and both arms draped across her legs.

Satsuki's eye fluttered open and she slowly sat up in the hospital bed, blinking repeatedly in an effort to bring the room into focus. She made an effort to shift her legs, only to notice that Takada's upper body was holding them in place. He stirred slightly and raised his head, looking out the window before pushing his glasses up and rubbing his eyes. Stopping suddenly, he lowered his hand and slowly turned to look at Satsuki in abject shock.

"Y... you're awake?"

She nodded, not quite knowing what to say. "Yeah?"

His eyes began to tear up slightly before he reached out and wrapped both arms around her, nearly knocking her back onto her pillow in the process. "Don't do that!" Takada said. "Don't you dare scare me like that again! You're always running off and doing things without thinking, and, and..." He let out a low sob and squeezed her tightly as tears began streaming down his face. "You could've died, Satsuki!"

She looked down at him with no small degree of consternation and lightly embraced him in kind, trying to recall the events that lead her to this moment. "It's alright, Takada. See?" She gently cupped his chin and tipped his head upward to meet her gaze. "I'm still here," she said, smiling softly.

"I know, but when you didn't wake up I thought that... that..." He tightened his hold on her, as if to assure himself that she was still there.

"'Didn't wake up?'" Satsuki was certain that she didn't want to know what that meant, but knew she had to ask. "How long was I out?"

He grimaced slightly and said nothing, turning away from her.

"Takada, how long?" she asked, a bit more forcefully than before.

Hearing the urgency in her voice, he finally relented. "...nine days," he mumbled, looking up at her in regret.

Satsuki felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. "Nine days? It's been nine days since I..." She trailed off as the night came back to her in scattered bits and pieces: Her, running down the road and up the steps to her house. A figure carrying her father disappearing into the darkness. The pained struggle for her, now cut and torn, to return to safety.

Her father...

"I've gotta save dad!" she shouted, pulling herself free from him. She made a move to get out of the hospital bed, only to stop with a sudden jerk as the various wires connected to her body pulled taut.

"What are you talking about? He's-"

"Dad's still out there," she said as she hurriedly pulled the IV needle out of her arm and the EKG sensors off of her body. "Someone's got him, some-" She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and went to stand up, only to have her knees buckle and give way. She let out a yelp as she stumbled forward onto Takada, who found himself in the unenviable position of trying to hold her up and back at the same time.

"Calm down, your father's fine."

"The hell he is," she retorted, struggling to reach the door. "Some weirdo in a cape ran off with him when I showed up and-"

"He's in the hospital."

Her struggles came to an abrupt end. "...what?" she asked, visibly confused.

"I don't know how he got there, but the doctors found him just outside the hospital doors. He was beaten up pretty badly from what I gathered."

Satsuki lowered her head in thought as her left hand slowly drifted up towards the bandages over her eye. "Is he... dad's awake, right?"

He shook his head slowly.

Her expression hardened. "Let go," she said, resuming her efforts to push past him.

"Now where are you going?"

"After whoever tried to kill my dad."

"You need medical attention."

"I need to stop whoever's doing this. If you think I'm just going to sit around while some... some freak is attacking innocent people..."

"The police can take care of it."

"Have they caught him yet?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Then I'll take care of it."

"You can barely stand up."

"Let go." She firmly pushed Takada back, swaying back and forth a bit before steadying out. "See? I'll be fine. I just need to stretch my legs, that's all."

"Are you sure? I mean, you still look a little pale. You've lost a lot of blood and-"

"God DAMN it, Takada," she exploded. "Lying around on my ass isn't going to make me feel any better, it isn't going to stop that maniac and it sure as hell isn't going to bring back my damned eye! Now if you're done trying to babysit me can we please just-" Her anger quickly faded when she realized just how shaken up Takada was by her outburst. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered, covering her face with one hand and turning away to hide her embarrassment. "It's, it's just been a bit of a shock to me and I, uh..."

"No, no," he hastily replied, holding up his hands. "It's okay, I understand. You've been through a lot and, um... I shouldn't be trying to tell you what to do like that."

"No, you're worried about me, and I appreciate it, but... it's just something that I have to do."

Takada looked at her for several seconds before smiling slightly and shaking his head. "...you're too stubborn."

She smiled back at him in kind. "Yeah, I am." With that, she carefully made her way past him towards the door.

"But there's one more thing."

"Yeah?" she asked, stopping and looking over her shoulder at him.

"Your father. Aren't you going to go see him?"

Her smile faded as she turned away. "You know, when I was growing up dad was always there for me. I mean, mom was there for me too, but I guess the things they say about 'daddy's girls' are right, huh?" She wiped her eye with the back of her hand. "He's always been so strong and calm and I guess... I guess I just can't stand to see him otherwise."


The next two and a half hours were spent answering the nurse's various questions (no, she wasn't allergic to anything; yes, aside from some slight pain she felt fine; no, she didn't smoke or do drugs), signing stacks of forms and undergoing a final physical wherein the doctor prescribed an assortment of painkillers, antibiotics and ointments for her injuries. Following this, Satsuki and Takada - the former now dressed in a pair of faded khakis two sizes too large and a long-sleeved Yakult Swallows shirt - were finally permitted to leave the hospital.

"Whoever did this could have at least kept my uniform intact," she said, self-consciously adjusting the collar of her shirt. "I must look like a tourist in this outfit."

"It's not that bad," Takada replied. "You should be grateful that they had them on hand, actually."

"At least it covers up the bandages." She stretched her arms overhead, wincing slightly. "Aah, I just want to get home, take a bath and get into some decent clothing."

No sooner did she say that than a long, low growl emanated from her stomach.

"Or we could get you something to eat," Takada suggested.

"...or we could get something to eat. What time is it, anyway?"

Takada looked down at his watch. "About twelve thi- ...aw CRAP, I'm late!"

"Late for what?"

"It's Saturday!"

"So?"

"School?" he said pointedly.

"Takada, it's only half a day." A small smile crossed her lips. "Besides, considering what you've been doing after school, I don't think that they'll hold it against you if you miss a few classes. Come on," she said, grabbing him by the sleeve and gently tugging him behind her as she walked. "I think I know a place around here."


"You know, when you said you knew of a restaurant in the area I didn't think that you meant a chain..."

Satsuki glanced up from her beef bowl at Takada. "Wha'd you think I meant?" she asked, scooping a wad of meat and rice into her mouth with her chopsticks.

"I don't know; some out-of-the-way mom-and-pop place, I guess."

She gave a dismissive shrug as she raised the bowl, shoveling the last bits of rice into her mouth before setting it back down inside her first bowl and gingerly wiping her mouth with a napkin.

Takada wanted to ask how it was possible that a girl her size could eat two beef bowls in under ten minutes but decided against it. "Have you figured out just what you're going to do?"

"You mean about the killer?"

He nodded. "How do you plan on finding him? Or her?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure that whoever it is is a girl about my age, so that helps narrow it down a little... hmm..." She rested her head on her hand, staring into space for a moment before looking back at Takada. "Have there been any more killings in the news?"

"Not that I've heard. Whoever it is may have stopped."

"Or they just aren't finding the bodies," she said in a low voice, her thoughts drifting back to that fateful afternoon. "Probably isn't even human... but what I don't get is why she didn't kill dad. She had plenty of time..."

"Unless... she didn't plan on killing your father." He leaned in towards Satsuki, gesturing with his index finger. "What if she wasn't after him?"

"But she wasn't, why would she attack him?"

"To get your attention and draw you out."

"Why?"

"Because she knows that you're the only person..." he began.

"...who can 'see' what's going on."

"Right." Takada shook his head. "I still can't get used to that, though. The whole clairvoyance thing, I mean." Lowering his voice, he added, "as if the walking dead were normal."

"It all sounds alright, but... why me?"

"That's, uh..." After a long pause he shook his head. "I have no idea."

"Well, what about that guy in the cape? He had dad when I saw him, so he must've dropped him off at the hospital... but, why?"

"Maybe they're working together."

"So she tries to kill my father to get my attention, then-" Satsuki fell silent as she looked down at her hands, realization dawning on her. "...he was the one who attacked me. He had to have been!"

"You mean you don't even remember?"

She shook her head. "Most of what happened after I got home is a blur, but I definitely don't remember seeing another girl there. Maybe he was covering her retreat or something." She leaned back in the seat and sighed. "Great... I have some vampire zombie queen and her bodyguard trying to kill me and everyone in town for God knows what reason and I don't even know how to begin to stop them." Reaching into her pants pocket, she pulled out her knife and flicked the blade open, holding it up in front of her. "Still... if they do show up, I'll be ready for 'em."