The front door slowly opened and Satsuki stepped into the entryway, shedding her shoes. "I'm back," she called.

There was a series of soft thumps above her, and a few seconds later Takada descended the stairs. "Thank God. Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"What happened to your arm?"

"What?" Satsuki followed his gaze to her shoulder, only now becoming aware of the rust-colored blotches on her jacket. "Oh... it's not my blood."

"Weren't you worried that people might see that?"

"I didn't... I wasn't really paying attention. I just wanted to get away as quickly as possible."

He looked her over. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

After a second of silence she replied, "No. I'm kind of worn out, actually... I skipped lunch, so..."

Takada glanced up at the clock. 2:24. "No wonder you're tired," he said. He gestured towards the table as he walked into the kitchen. "Sit down, I'll make something for you."

She forced a smile. "Thanks." Pulling a chair out from underneath the table she fell into the seat, peeling off her jacket.

He pulled the refrigerator door open and stared into it, letting out a disapproving "hm." "Is a sandwich alright?"

"Yeah, that's fine." She drew her knife from her pocket, slowly turning it over in her hands. After a few moments of silence she finally asked, "Do you remember how I said that I saw cracks on everything?"

"Yes." He knotted the end of the bag of bread. "Why, did they disappear?"

"No," she replied, staring down at her knife, "they're still there. But I saw them on the zombie and... I don't know how to explain it, I just... I just felt like I had to cut them. I don't know why, it just seemed like that was why they're there. And then..."

"...and then?"

"...and then it just... fell apart."

Takada looked at her. "How? Did you cut off its arms and-"

"No, it... it's like if something was broken, and then you put it back together with glue but then you pushed a knife into one of the cracks and broke it apart again, only it's already in one piece and the cracks are where it's going to be broken later on..." Satsuki looked up at him. "Does that make sense?"

He stared at Satsuki for a second before slowly shaking his head. "...no."

Her head drooped. "I don't blame you. For all I know some of this could just be in my head." She looked up again to see him holding an apple from the basket on the counter.

"But if it is real," Takada said, "could you show me?"

She stared at the apple for a second before saying, "alright, but not on that." She pointed towards the sink. "Pass me the bottle."

"Why?"

"Plants don't have lines on them."

He looked at her oddly but said nothing, replacing the apple as he walked to the sink, returning and setting the glass bottle on the table in front of her. Satsuki winced as she pulled the eyepatch away, flicking her knife open with her other hand. Poising the tip of the blade over one of the cracks she hesitated briefly before sliding it in, the knife effortlessly passing through the glass as it sank into the side of the bottle. There was a faint scratching noise as she pulled the blade through it, and a second later it split neatly into several pieces, falling apart on the kitchen table.

Takada recoiled, his wide-eyed stare flitting between her and the remains of the bottle. "How...?"

Satsuki closed her knife. "I just cut along the cracks," she replied, replacing her eyepatch.

He carefully picked up one of the pieces of glass, turning it over in his hands as he inspected the edges. They looked too smooth to simply be broken. "...and the cracks are on everything, you said?"

"Not everything. They're on buildings and cars and... and people, but not on plants or the ground. I don't know if she chose what I see them on and what I don't, but..." She trailed off, lowering her head as she fell silent again. A few seconds later she caught some movement at the edge of her field of vision and looked up to see Takada holding a sandwich on a plate in one hand and a small plastic waste bin in the other, himself setting the former down in front of her. "Thanks, but I'm not really that hungry anymore."

"Just try to eat as much as you can," he replied, scooping the cut glass towards the edge of the table with his hand. "I don't want you getting anemic and passing out in class."

"'In class?'"

"Yes." He gave the glass a final nudge, dropping it over the edge of the table into the bin. "We have school tomorrow."

She stared at him in disbelief. "My father is in the hospital, there's a vampire running around killing people and turning them into zombies, I'm the only person who can stop her and you want me to go to school?"

"Well... it- it's still important..."

"Takada," Satsuki said, leaning forward. "I think there's more important things to do than go to school and pretend that everything is alright."

"What are you going to tell the administrators? That you're hunting vampires?"

"I don't have to tell them anything! They don't care!"

"So what about your future?" he shot back.

Satsuki shot to her feet, leaning forward over the table at him. "The future can wait!" she said loudly. "That's why it's the future! I have things I have to do now!"

"What are you going to tell Katsuya, then? Or Akira and Ran, or... or Nanashi? They've been worried sick. Are you just going to let them keep worrying about you?" Satsuki's anger faded as she looked away guiltily, and he paused to compose himself. "If nothing happens tonight, would you at least consider going to class in the morning? Just to let everyone know that you're still all right after what happened."

After a moment of thought she sighed. "Okay. I guess you've got a point." She gave him a weak smile. "Someone needs to act responsibly around here, right?"

The moonlight glinted off the night sea as the raft crossed the still ocean waters, the low rumble of the motor and the wind the only sound to be heard. At the bow of the craft sat Arcueid, watching as the yacht pulled away and slowly disappeared over the horizon behind them. "Couldn't we have come a little closer?"

"We can't risk drawing their attention," Ciel replied, guiding the craft towards the island. "It's for the best that they not know we're coming."

Arcueid shrugged and faced forward on her seat, watching as the silhouette of the island grew closer. Even as "in the middle of nowhere"

went, this went above and beyond what one would expect. "It's really out of the way, though."

"I'm sorry?"

"I said it's really out of the way." she repeated, a bit louder. "Whoever it is that's out here really doesn't want to be found."

"They should have done a better job of hiding, then."

"I'd like to have seen them try." Pausing, she added, "just as long as I didn't have to travel there by boat."

As they neared the shore Ciel cut the engine, letting the boat drift up onto the sand before she and Arcueid disembarked, dragging it up onto the beach. Ciel paused only to look back across the ocean from whence they came before nodding to Arcueid, and the two of them began their trek into the island's interior.

They pressed on through the leaves and underbrush, and after about twenty minutes or so they came across a small clearing, the earth in the center of it covered in ashes and scorched stone. Arcueid slowed to a halt, scanning the area. "This is odd," she murmured. "You're sure that this is the right island?"

Ciel said nothing, continuing her slow walk towards the other side of the clearing.

"Oh, there's a cave, isn't there? I should have guessed." A beat. "Ciel?"

She came to a stop, the heels of her boots clicking together. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she spun on one heel to face Arcueid, drawing two sets of knives from the interior of her cloak. "Arcueid Brunestud," she said, her voice loud and commanding. "Under orders of the Church, you are hereby sentenced to death." She raised her arms, bringing the blades to bear. "May God have mercy on your soul."

Arcueid stared at her, uncomprehending. Shortly thereafter she slowly descended into a fit of giggling before doubling over, trying desperately to stifle her laughter. "Ohhhh, that's a good one! But if it's as bad as you say then we shouldn't be standing around cracking jokes." She shook her head, still smiling. "I have to admit, though, that you've still got it. I can see now why the Church still-"

The plants and earth around her shook and rose up as one as dozens of armed men made their presence known. Casting off their ghillie suits and camouflage netting they brought their rifles and crossbows to bear on the True Ancestor, their flashlights covering the clearing in a pale light.

Arcueid's expression fell. "...oh."