Additional Warning: Mild Torture. (well, I think it's mild)

Chapter 10

Reunion

The darkness dissolved slowly, first into fuzzy throbbing pain, then into light, and a migraine, and gentle hands on his shoulders… a familiar voice calling his name.

"Kamui! Kamui! Are you alright?"

"Headache," he muttered, which was probably equivalent to calling the Pacific Ocean a lake. His back was stiff and sore from lying on something horribly hard and cold that he suspected was a bare floor. A formless memory fluttered at the edge of his consciousness… a memory of pain cracking sharply against the back of his head, the world splitting apart even as he reached for the nothingness in front of him to steady it… falling… He shuddered. Try as he might, he couldn't remember what had happened after that. "But I'm okay."

"Thank goodness." Something soft and pliable wrapped around him, and Kamui forced his eyes to focus past the stabbing brightness. He recognized that voice…

"Subaru?" It took a second to register the face. And suddenly the pain was more like background fuzz, because that fine black hair and those emerald eyes staring down at him worriedly only belonged to one person. "Subaru!" He reached up and pulled his brother into a fierce hug. "I thought you were dead! They said…" And for a second he exulted that Fuuma had obviously been mistaken on that regard. But rather than return the embrace, Subaru pushed at him, squirming uncomfortably in his arms.

"Kamui," he whimpered, pushing insistently at the thin arms wrapped around him. Kamui frowned and drew away, staring at his brother. Subaru had never pushed him away. Never. Subaru was too kind to push anyone away… Kamui was suddenly very aware that something was wrong—that his brother hadn't been quite as miraculously returned to him as he'd thought…

"What is it? That man… Sakurazuka-san … has he hurt you?" Kamui's grip tightened. He leaned forward, so that their faces were only inches apart, really looking at his twin. There was something there… some change. Something more graceful, more perfect. More dangerous. Looking into his twin's eyes was like looking into liquid emerald, and he had only seen eyes like that once before…

"Kamui…" Subaru was inches away, unresisting, voice a horrified whisper. "Please. Kamui, you don't understand. Stay away from me. You… You smell good." Kamui jerked away, back hitting a wall he hadn't realized existed.

"You…" Kamui's eyes were wide, startled. And then they narrowed. "What has he done to you?"

"Don't be mad…" Subaru turned pleading eyes on him. "Seishirou-san didn't have a choice. It's not his fault."

"How is this," Kamui gestured harshly at Subaru, "not his fault?!" At Subaru's faint wince, Kamui continued, "That man is a murderer! Or have you forgotten about Hokuto-chan? He killed her! And he probably killed everyone else too!" Staring down at his twin, something inside him was screaming, crying out against how much distance was between them now, how effectively that man had separated them. No! Seishirou had already taken his brother away from him once. Not now! Not again! Not like this!

"I don't think… he killed everyone," Subaru protested with quiet assurance. And it struck Kamui suddenly that Subaru might have been too easy on people, too kind, too quick to forgive, but because of that… he often saw the potential in people others missed. Subaru had always had a way of instinctually understanding other people's hearts. Of course, Kamui didn't feel ready to believe Seishirou had a heart. However, he never got a chance to ask for an explanation. At that moment there was a grating sound and they both looked up.

Suddenly aware of his surroundings, Kamui took in the bare stone walls that hemmed them in on three sides, glistening in streaks where water dripped slowly to the ground. And the fourth wall… a set of solid, metal bars. And the realization came with an inaudible clunk. Trapped.

The grating sound had been made by a door in the metal bars scraping across the stone as it opened. A girl stood in the opening, just on the other side of the door, observing them nonchalantly from behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. There was something… appraising about that look, like she was silently calculating their worth in her head, and Kamui didn't like the way that assessing gaze only flickered briefly to him before landing solidly on Subaru.

"This is the one Sakurazuka-san took?" Her voice was as flat as the set of her mouth. "Doesn't look that interesting to me…" Movement behind her caught his attention and Kamui suddenly realized she wasn't the only one in the room—there was a blond man behind her, leaning easily against a table in the middle of the floor.

"They're from a Family, don't forget," the man supplied, smiling. "Maybe they'll prove some amusement for you yet…" But the girl still didn't look impressed.

"Who are you?" Kamui demanded, standing firmly between her and Subaru. He hadn't gotten Subaru back just to lose him again, certainly not to these two, but neither of them seemed to hear him.

"And after all," the man continued, "our two main guests haven't arrived yet."

"If they come," the girl countered. "I don't yet believe these two are worth it. Maybe the green-eyed one…"

"Yes, better start now."

"I won't let you!" Kamui lunged forward before Subaru could stop him, aiming for the girl standing just on the other side of the door, between them and freedom. He knew from painful experience that he wasn't a match for a vampire, but humans… he could hold his own against other humans. It wasn't like he couldn't fight. So he was stunned when the girl deftly caught his wrist, holding him perfectly immobile for a heart's flutter of time, the shock freezing that moment in his mind… eyes widening in startled realization. Too late. There was a sharp crack as the bone in his wrist snapped, and then she flung him backward into the far wall with all the ease of tossing a doll…

"You're so sweet, Satsuki-chan…" The blond man smiled pleasantly.

"Kamui!" Subaru stumbled forward, watching helplessly as Kamui slid to the floor in a boneless heap and didn't move again. But as he raced to check on his twin, he was suddenly caught around the waist and dragged backward. "Kamui! Kamui!" he cried, reaching out desperately even as he was dragged further away. But no amount of reaching could cross that widening gap, and frantic, he closed his eyes and reached for the only other thing that could help. The words of the spell came easily, magical whispers rolling off his tongue, but… he realized there was something wrong almost instantly. There was no answer. The words were just words. Dead things.

Dismay crashed down around him, and Subaru felt inexplicably like a musician who had woken up to find his hands crippled, the notes locked away inside but with no means of release. It wasn't that the spell had failed. No, the music was still there. It just had no means of manifesting itself physically.

Blocked, he thought. Somehow it had been blocked.

Then a white cloth was forced over his mouth and nose. And suddenly struggling against the girl's hold was like swimming through molasses, each move slow and sluggish and weak. Gravity dragged at him, and slowly he went limp in her arms, mouth still trying to form Kamui's name but no sound coming out.

As he was dropped onto the table in the room outside their cell, he heard the sharp crack of his skull against the cold metal—heard but didn't feel, couldn't cry out. It was as though his brain was screaming at his body to move, but the signals weren't getting through.

Paralyzed, he realized with perfect clarity. Able to see and hear, but unable to move to save himself. Unable to cry out. Trapped inside his own body like a living prison.

But that couldn't stop him from seeing. Couldn't stop him from hearing. Even when he didn't want to. So he listened—unable to block it out, unable to escape—with all the terror of an audience that had suddenly found all the doors were locked and there was no choice but watch the performance. Listened… to the skree of steel against bone—that uniquely grating sound—as the tip of a knife stabbed deep into one wrist and another into the other wrist and into the table underneath, pinning his arms wide. Like the wings of a rare bird frozen in flight and displayed in a museum.

And still other small noises—sounds the unnaturally acute hearing he'd never wanted in the first place picked up easily. The almost inaudible rasp of tongue on skin against his wrist, and the almost-clink of glass, and the crystal liquid noises of blood dripping to the ground. Peripherally, he saw the girl's deft hand grip the handle of the knife that was pinning his wrist and pull it free, saw his wrist lift with it, the muscles having healed with preternatural speed around the cold metal, and then that sound… the nauseating tearing sound of steel being ripped from flesh that had fused to it. Subaru saw the bits of meat still clinging to the metallic blade as it was lifted and felt swift coldness steal over him, choking him, a blackness edging away at his vision. And he was glad for it, because it meant he couldn't see…

The noises that came after that seemed muted in comparison, perhaps drowned out by the dizzying roar in his ears. Small worrying noises of human teeth gnawing at the bone—not accompanied by the seductive pull of a vampire's bite, but just the throb of dull teeth stabbing into soft skin again and again.

The sounds of his blood being forcefully drained from his body…

Seishirou scowled at the figure darting from rooftop to rooftop ahead of him, reminding himself firmly that the only reason he was chasing Fuuma halfway across the city was because the man had the fastest, surest link to the twins: a vial of blood. It was rather annoying to find that the other man had no difficulty procuring a means to find the boys—that Fuuma could track Subaru so easily when he, himself, had no means of doing so. Watching the lithe, loping way that figure propelled itself across streets, he was struck by the realization that this was the same easy grace that had tracked Subaru down. This was how effortless it had been for the man to shatter his spells… and leave Subaru in bloody ribbons. Easy. For a second the night seemed unbearably hot, a sort of cold rage burning against his skin. But he needed Fuuma alive… for now.

Which meant that the muddy red splashes being left on the ground were a problem…

Seishirou noted the heavy blood splatters in the dirt of the road with distaste. It was worrisome, the amount of blood Fuuma was losing, leaving in their wake across the city. If the idiot died, it would be near impossible to find the twins. And worse was leaving such an obvious trail anyone could track. But the man didn't stop to rest or let any sign of fatigue show, even though Seishirou knew the blood loss had to be weakening him, taxing his body. He was almost impressed that the man was still on his feet. But more importantly, in Seishirou's mind, was why drinking the vial of Kamui's blood hadn't healed Fuuma's injuries. He'd thought for sure, seeing as how Subaru obviously had Power and Kamui was from the same family, that Kamui would have Power too. By all means, though, if that had been the case, Fuuma wouldn't still be dripping a fine patter of blood over the ground. Seishirou frowned slightly in contemplation. But really, if Kamui had somehow been unfortunate enough to not inherit his twin's abilities, that was fine with Seishirou. After all, the products of inter-Family marriages were often difficult to predict, and it was for problems like this that Families usually avoided such things. Seishirou didn't care how skillfully their mother had dodged his prodding, she was far too insightful and skilled to come from a common family, and no matter what last name they'd taken, she was definitely not Sumeragi.

He'd suspected all along of course—the way she'd watched him carefully, always wary, even when openly permitting him access to their home, little things—but the biggest clue had come at the end. When he'd returned late one night, only to find the town drenched in blood, the silence smothering the streets, and had dashed past a thousand empty windows, searching out the one he knew so well… only to find the little house in ruins, a smoldering, charred carcass in the cold night. He'd felt… hot, standing there, staring at the remains, as though he's swallowed the embers and they were burning inside him. The thought that someone had taken the town, the game, the boys from him… that someone had dared rob him! Had dared destroy that which was his! The thoughts burned—a brilliant blue fire smoldering deep and low. But as he'd sifted through the ashes, looking for the inevitable remains, the bits of bone… he'd become more and more intrigued. It smelled wrong: not of burnt flesh and dead things, but that sharp, stinging smell of Power and sacrifice. And it was suddenly strange, in retrospect, that no other houses or buildings had been burned down. The rest of the village had been left whole, the inhabitants killed, but the personal effects untouched, the homes still standing resolute.

Sacrifice, he mused. It hadn't taken him long to put the pieces together, to realize that the boys were still alive, that the mother had used her life to protect them.

After that, he'd stayed only long enough to scour for clues. None of the bodies were missing obvious amounts of blood, but that didn't mean anything. The only conclusion he could draw for certain was that Power had been used. The sharp, stinging scent of it clung to the place. And the way everyone had been killed… like they couldn't find what they were looking for—or didn't know what they were looking for—and decided to solve the problem by wiping out everything. It was much like hitting a nail with a sledgehammer. A brutal, inelegant way of dealing with things, Seishirou decided with distaste. It was familiar though, a devastation he'd seen only once before, but he hadn't cared then about the ones responsible. Now he wished he'd paid more attention.

In the end, the only solid clue took the form of a gold pendant, the clasp on the chain broken, lying twisted in the limp, outstretched fingers of a woman—the only item of worth displaced—as though it had been torn free just before those fingers went slack. Seishirou kept it, vowing to find its owner.

It had taken awhile. It had taken tracking down the twins, finding them safe in a neighboring village, taken in by a green-eyed girl. It had taken explaining away how he'd survived, how glad he was to see them alive and well. It had taken several months. But he had, at last, found the pendant's owner. Or rather, they had found him…

That had been the night Hokuto's village was slaughtered.

He'd been waiting and watching, but there had been more of them than he'd expected, stronger than he'd thought. There had been no way then to win. As much as he'd waited for that moment, anticipating the day he'd meet the ones responsible for almost ruining his game, priority had been to get Subaru out of there first. It would have been simple, if the brother hadn't woken up… and then he'd had to stay behind to distract any pursuers before he could go after the boys. It had been a rather frustrating night.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Seishirou scowled at the man in front of him, the toe of one shoe lighting briefly on the tip of a roof, balancing perfectly for a fraction of a second before shoving off again. As if one group of enemies wasn't trouble in itself. As if he needed any more problems. But of course the missing Kamui would be found by yet another man who not only wanted his blood, but who by all rights should have been dead and was miraculously the sole survivor of that first slaughtered village he was beginning to realize he should have paid closer attention to. Somehow it all came back to that.

He really didn't like how the pieces were fitting together. But before he could dwell on any more possible connections, the man in question stilled, dropping suddenly down into an alley. Seishirou peered after him cautiously, examining the dirty, dry alley below, immediately focusing on the blond man lounging easily against the opposite wall. More exactly, focusing on the gold pendant the man was wearing around his neck. Hunter, it said.

Then Fuuma was there, blocking his view.

Idiot, Seishirou thought with annoyance, watching from the safety of the roof. Give away our advantage why don't you? Because the direct approach is going to work so well… Really, the man had no concept of subtlety. This he had to see.

Down below, Fuuma's hand fisted tightly in the blond man's shirt as he dragged him to his feet. The man did not seem surprised to see the vampire…

"Where's Kamui?" Fuuma demanded. But for all that his stranglehold on the man's shirt had to be choking him, the blond smiled easily. Totally relaxed.

"Who?"

Fuuma shook him hard, rattling the man in his grasp. "Kamui! Black hair. Amethyst eyes. Where is he?!"

"Oh!" The blond's smile never wavered. "Him! Yes, I know where he is!" And then he twisted free of Fuuma's grip. It was a liquid-quick shift that left Fuuma grasping abruptly at empty air. That kind of speed… he hadn't seen in a human before. Even the Families, with their many uncanny abilities, couldn't account for that kind of quickness. It wasn't normal. It wasn't even human. But it was familiar. This man, with his unnatural nimbleness and strength, was a bit too similar to the hunter who'd attacked Kamui earlier.

The blond man whirled, and suddenly Fuuma was staring into the tip of a crossbow.

"Could I convince you to give up?" Guileless blue eyes smiled at him disarmingly. "I'm afraid you'll lose more blood if we fight…"

"Not an option," Fuuma replied, the muscles in his legs tensed to spring at the slightest hint of a threat. For a few seconds there was only the steady drip-drip of his blood running out, staining his shirt and dripping from the soaked hem of his pants leg. But it was the gaping hole in his side that was the biggest problem. He shouldn't have been walking in his condition, and he definitely shouldn't have been chasing a blood trail halfway across the city. He had to wrap this up soon or risk getting involved in a long fight he couldn't afford. He was already feeling lightheaded. The blond man seemed to consider this, eyes taking in the severity of the damage, lingering on that one side, and then, to Fuuma's astonishment, he dropped the crossbow.

"Very well. I'll show you the way."

"You're not going to stop us?" Fuuma's eyes narrowed.

"Well, ultimately you're going the direction I want you to go anyway. Why would I want to stop you?" Somehow Fuuma didn't like the logic in that, and he certainly didn't trust it. Quickly, he checked the man over for other possibly concealed weapons, but finding none, was forced to admit that the offer of guidance seemed valid. Still…

"I'll know if you're leading us astray," he warned, still feeling that pull that connected him to Kamui. Except, it was pointing him in a straight line, heedless of walls and corridors and other solid things. As much as he didn't trust the offer of help, trying to find their way alone would take longer… Time he couldn't afford to waste. They both knew it.

The soft impact of feet behind them announced Seishirou's arrival, who had been watching idly from above, observing the end of the tussle with fading disappointment. He'd been looking forward to seeing Fuuma realize what kind of match he had gotten himself into the hard way. It was a pity, really. Watching the brat suffer would have been such an enjoyable pastime too…

But it was for the best. A sort of uncomfortably displaced feeling had settled on him since Subaru's absence—a sense of turning to reach for something well-known… only to find it not there. It bothered him. And the more he tried to brush it away as unimportant, the more he noticed it. The sense of loss was only getting stronger the longer they waited.

Weaving strands of Power together with practiced ease, he pulled reality into the form he wanted, molding it to his will. The illusion settled on them, a fine dusting that altered the world, erasing any trace of their existence.

"Ah, Seishirou, how kind of you to join us."

Seishirou swore he was going to wipe the smirk off that man's face…

But at that second he was distracted by an all-too-familiar scent. He hadn't noticed it up above on the rooftop in the open air, but down in the confined alley it was suddenly twice as strong, hanging stale in the air. He whirled, jerking the blond man out of Fuuma's grasp in one quick movement and slamming him up against the wall.

"You reek of Subaru-kun's blood!" A forceful jerk for emphasis. "What have you done?"

The blond's eyes widened, but he didn't struggle, simply hung carelessly in Seishirou's grip.

"We took your boy's blood. We needed him… more compliant. I swear to you he's alive."

"If he's not…" Seishirou's grip tightened pleasantly. Fuuma chose that moment to interject.

"We might need him later. As a hostage if nothing else." Not that Fuuma really cared if the man died or not—he was sure he could find Kamui eventually either way, but it would be faster with someone to lead the way. And with his blood running out, speed was essential.

Seishirou hung onto the man a few more minutes, mentally adding him to the list of people to kill after he found Subaru and figured out who was really behind it all. It was a very short list. In fact, there was only one other person on it.

Then he let the man go.

"Hurry," he reminded them brusquely. "We should hurry." He pulled open the nearest door, finding it unlocked, but when Fuuma didn't immediately follow, he turned back to find the man watching him, staring at him with a knowing tilt of his head.

"What?" Seishirou asked, quickly becoming annoyed.

"Nothing… it's just… seeing you go through all this trouble for one boy. Turning him to keep him alive and now this worry about finding him in time…" He sounded surprised, startled. As though seeing Seishirou for the first time. "You must really love him."

Seishirou stared—something between a you-are-joking stare and an I-refuse-to-respond-to-stupid-comments stare. Love? Sure, the boy was aesthetically pleasing… But love? No. Love was thinking only of the other's happiness. Love was self-sacrificing. And kind. And noble. He didn't love the boy… but he certainly wasn't going to let anyone else have him either. "Subaru-kun possesses knowledge I simply can't let fall into the wrong hands. The longer we wait, the more chance there is that they've found a way to extract that knowledge. After all, he knows who I am and how to find me."

"I know how to find you too," Fuuma pointed out, bemused.

"A fact I plan to remedy in due time," Seishirou shot back, brushing past the man. He refused to look back, because he was pretty sure Fuuma was smirking at him, and if he had to face that smug leer one more time, he was pretty sure he'd do something he'd regret later… like forget that he needed the brat.

For a moment he consoled himself with the thought that after all that blood loss, it wouldn't be long before the man passed out. But more practical matters quickly replaced idle fantasies as they traversed the long corridors, guided by their perfectly complacent captive.

There was something bothering him in all this. Something brushing at the back of his mind. Pieces that weren't fitting together right. As he absently shifted the maboroshi that protected them, adjusting it to the darkness of a new hallway, his mind sifted through pieces of memory and information, trying to figure out what wasn't adding up.

"Monou-san… who turned you?"

"Turned?" Fuuma watched the corridor in front of them warily, barely sparing Seishirou a questioning glance. "I woke up a vampire… after you two left." Seishirou frowned. That explanation told him nothing, because he and Setsuka certainly hadn't done it, and the only other group there that night couldn't have either. The blond man in Fuuma's hold might not have been wholly human, but he certainly couldn't turn anyone into a full vampire either, not without an exchange of blood. And anyway, no one should have been able to turn Fuuma in the first place. He should have been dead. Seishirou remembered it very vividly. Even things like reanimation spells couldn't account for that. If only Fuuma had the memory of what happened in those minutes after he and Setsuka left… Seishirou pondered that missing information. Why go through the trouble of erasing it? Were they hiding how they'd seemingly brought back a dead man? Or hiding their identities? Both? Certainly the only other possibility was…

The idea made him go suddenly still, caught unexpectedly in the light of the thought. No. The possibility was… absurd. Preposterous. He shook it off. But a deep cold had settled into the pit of his stomach, and once he'd thought of it, the idea wouldn't quite go away. The idea that maybe… impossible! …just maybe it wasn't Fuuma'smemories that were wrong…

After all, it was a bad sign when reality contradicted one's memories. And aforementioned reality was currently dripping very real blood beside him. Not to mention, he was pretty sure said same aforementioned reality had attacked him earlier… Seishirou scowled. But before he could dwell too much on the problem, the blond man in Fuuma's grip stopped short, pointing to a heavy door.

"There."

Fuuma pushed the man forward roughly, making him open it first and step inside. Seishirou followed cautiously.

The room beyond the door opened wide into a square block, furnished only with a hard stone table in the center, colored a rusty red in places. A red that was drying and flaking off. Seishirou steeled himself against the heavy stench of blood and looked around. A shallow drainage trough around the edges of the room held about an inch of stagnant water. The walls opened into smaller rooms, each one separated from the main room by metal bars. Scanning the few unconscious occupants with distaste, his gaze quickly fell on two prone forms locked away in a corner. A second later he had crossed the room, feeling the cold metal of the bars for spells while Fuuma hung onto their unwilling guest. As he pressed his hand to the cold metal, it hummed—the high hum of a well-woven spell. Locked, magically.

Now that he was closer, he could see bloody marks at either wrist of the slim body crumpled on the other side, familiar green eyes lidded tight. He crushed the locking spell that buzzed against his skin with cold fury and yanked the door open, took a brusque step inside… and froze.

The maboroshi shielding them shimmered like a mirage in the sun and dissolved. Seishirou grasped at it desperately and found himself cut off. There was a sudden, surprised yelp behind him. He spun… too slow—human slow—and barely heard the slight scrape of the arrow before it buried itself in his shoulder. He stumbled back from the impact, hand flying to the shaft to yank it out… and had to struggle to pull it free. Blood coated his hand, slick and wet. The familiar burn of muscles and tissues knitting together again was startlingly absent. His mind raced even as he forced himself forward. Power? No… It couldn't be. There was no Power that could do this. Not that he knew of. And it had happened… happened when he stepped through the bars. A spell then, hidden by the hum of the locking spell.

He glanced up through the open door at the room beyond. Peripherally, he registered the stagnant water at the edges of the room rising up out of the trough and twisting around a struggling Fuuma. That, at least, he recognized.

Kigai Family, Seishirou thought absently, before his attention was dragged back to the other occupant in the room, a girl who had stepped out of an unlocked door along the wall opposite—he'd mistaken her as a prisoner. In her right hand, she held a crossbow with easy steadiness. Then the almost soundless whistle of the arrow split the air. It was aimed down, in front of him, meant to force him away from the open door, so he did what she wasn't expecting… he leapt into it. A calculated shot—one he knew he could make—despite the thud of the arrow burying itself in his thigh… Except, he didn't calculate the effects of the spell in the room—the hum of magic he could feel crawling sluggishly through his very veins, pulling him back, slowing him down. And the girl, of course, freed from the effects outside the room, was faster, sped up by imbibed blood that didn't belong to her. The door clanged solidly shut inches before he hit it, locking physically the way it couldn't lock magically after the spell he'd crushed.

"Welcome, Sakurazuka Seishirou," the girl's voice was toneless, dead, "last of the Sakurazuka."

And somehow those words had an oddly final feel…

Author Note: Before I forget… Halothane. It's not actually paralyzing. It's a general anesthetic. Can't feel anything, but you're still awake.

I'm sorry if any of the backstory is confusing. In order, Fuuma is turned the same night Sei and Setsuka turn up in his village, his sister is killed, and the town is destroyed. Decades later, Sei runs into Subaru and sticks around for seven years with Kamui and their mother, until he returns one night to find everything destroyed and the twins gone. He then tracks them down with Hokuto, and several months later they're attacked again. That's where the beginning of the fic starts. Makes sense?

Several new characters introduced, and I have to apologize, because I didn't really make any special attempt to keep them all in character. (I totally admit to only caring about the main four) Oh, the reason why Saiki's on their side is a long story not essential to the plot of this fic, so unfortunately, unless I write a sequel, you'll never find out. (It has something to do with a yumemi of course) So what do you think? Whose memories are messed up? Fuuma's or Sei's? ^_^

Answers are going to start coming a bit quicker now, and there are multiple clues that have been placed throughout previous chapters foreshadowing the appearance of characters or objects in this chapter. They are:

"…even if sometimes he thought the mother suspected…"-Sei, ch. 2

"…safe from those who wished them harm, vampire and vampire hunter alike." –Sei, ch. 2

"…especially when… there was the risk of being found again by them." –Sei, ch. 4

"…the curious pendant in the form of an open golden circle with protruding points like the rays of a sun…" –Subaru, ch. 8

Review Responses:

Schnickledooger: Well, Schnick, only you and I currently know how it all ends. So many people wondering when Kamui will find out what Fuuma did, but I rather like when and how that little fact gets revealed! ^_~ When we get to ch. 12, I ought tell them about our little discussion over the most painful way to remove Subaru's eye! :D Gee, I really treat my boy's differently, huh? I just realized this means I've now broken three of Kamui's bones and gouged three holes in Subaru! :rofl: Thank you for being so prompt with the chapters. Much appreciated.

Shinken16: Fuuma stabbing out Subaru's eye should have instigated a fight too. I was waiting for it! But unfortunately, it looks like Sei decided not to get in a fight with his… er, evil overseer? But then, Sei has never fought either of the Kamui's fairly. Maybe if he could have found some advantage over the guy? I'd really like to see a fight with both of them at full strength, instead of Fuuma fighting without any real power like in ch. 9. Mou. Anyway, your guess made me laugh so hard! Now I've got images of a sneaky, evil Aoki slithering around in the background. Yes, he sent his relative, Saiki, to deal with Fuuma and Kamui and now he is out for revenge for his relative's murder! *giggles* I'm sure somebody will hate me for saying, but I really just don't care about Saiki, and so his death didn't really bother me. It's like "Oh, look… a head." Or maybe it's just that in another of my favorite manga, one of the main characters cuts his own head off, so I'm used to dead heads? *contemplates that wording* Well, I don't know what else you'd be but dead if you were only a head… XD

Laustic: Do you like Oreos or Peanut Butter Cups, because good job! Good catch! You're the only reviewer who caught the Disney reference! My beta got it right off the bat… (she's a sharp little cookie when she wants to be) but you're the only reviewer. I love Disney movies, especially the older ones. Heh heh. I'm just lousy with cliffhangers lately. ^_~

TheLadyPendragon: I have to tell you, I have definitely been enjoying Sei and Fu in scenes together. And I'm glad someone appreciated the banter going on during the fight. XD Sei would have killed Kotori, I'm sure, but he was interrupted, so he got out of it this time. Mm-mm. False memories? Ah, but my Lady! Whose memories are false?! *grin* (like it wasn't complicated enough) Hm, should I relieve your suffering by telling you whether you're right or wrong on the Hinoto/Kanoe guess? *blinks innocently* No, I think I'll let you find out next chapter or so. But I can tell you this: Hinoto is definitely going to come up in this fic. Anyway, I have to tell you… Every time you say how much you like a certain passage, I have to go back and read it again, like it's somehow magically changed because you like it and I have to go see what's so good. XD So I'm glad I seem to have pulled off the illusion scene better than I'd hoped, and Fuuma's personality change is coming off cleanly (well, not personality change exactly, because he's still who he was, his priorities have just changed). And since that's my favorite line in the whole chapter too, I was so happy to see someone else liked it too! So many things have changed, the two brothers aren't as close now as they were, and it's only just now dawning on them. *feels sad* Ah, that's the interaction I forgot in 11! "Bad Leeayre!" Thank you Pendragon! Remind me again! I thought I had caught all the important moments and interactions in 11, but I sort of skipped over Subaru's whole stare-at-Fuuma, stare-at-Kamui, "you uh, know each other?" Yeah, that part. Drat. Ch. 11 isn't as done as I wanted, I see. Oh well, that'll be easy. *sigh*

"Fuuma never saw it coming..." Oh! That part! *cackles happily* I just got to that part actually! At the end of 12… so you've got a bit. But I do hope it'll be worth it. I'm certainly having way too much fun writing it. *giggles madly* It's a totally serious part too, but when I think about the look on Fuuma's face in my head, I just start laughing.

I am sorry this took so long. I had to get three chapters to my beta before I could post it, just so I could check to make sure everything was coming out alright and the ending came together correctly. I should now be able to post 11 and 12 in a more timely fashion.

VampireYumi: Apparently a lot of people forgot about poor Saiki. I always remember him because in the English dub he has the voice of Rurouni Kenshin. XD Really weird. Anyway… yeah, getting the characters together was actually a big problem. Because both of the older boys are so protective/domineering. Neither of them would ever have let the younger ones come if they'd known they were going to run into the others. As for Kamui, he's still giving Fuuma the benefit of the doubt right now: "It might have just been a mistake. Fuuma didn't realize…" But Kamui 'will' figure it out, you have my word. Wah! I love Seishirou's illusions! There are so many possibilities there! I feel like I haven't even started to tap them all. *dreamy* But at the same time, I don't feel like anyone can beat Natalie Ban in that department. She really hit his illusions spot on. *is my idol* I definitely enjoy knocking Sei out of his comfort zone. *grin* Anyway, Seishirou said that line out loud. If it's in quote marks, assume everyone hears it. Thoughts of course are italicized. Fuuma may not understand all the reasons behind it, but with the two boys missing, I'm sure he realizes someone has taken advantage of his fight and is willing to put differences aside. *cackles suddenly* Bingo! You got it again! Yep, it's a group comprised of people from different Families (won't tell you their objective yet though—you'll have to wait till next chapter for that). The other correct answer would be the mysterious 'them' Sei keeps mentioning. ^_~ Same thing. Yeah! Good guess! I can tell you now, at least, that yes, it's the Angels. Or most of them. Some are missing. (Little story: initially I was thinking about making it the Seals on some righteous crusade to eliminate all vampires, but I decided I really don't like righteous crusades. Plus, just wanting to kill them doesn't make it near as exciting or gruesome! XD) Ah, Yumi! I love your reviews! Even if I know what you mean when it comes to running out of things to say. I love listening to people guess things and mull over plot points just about as much as I love hearing what lines were loved best. At the end I'd like to ask what everyone's most favorite scene was. ^_^

fan-fan31: *laugh* Admittedly, killing me would be counter-productive to getting the rest of the story, huh? Gee, I think I like it when there are good reasons to keep me alive! :D Ah, I'm glad you're not put off by shorter chapters! They're not that much shorter anyway. I hope you enjoy them.

Nekoi: Heh heh. I'm horrible about cliffhangers! I love torturing my readers! But hey, I have to give you some reason to want to read more! :D Oh, I've got a surprise for you next chapter! I think you'll uh, know her when you see her… *smirk*

Leuv: Don't worry. Almost no one realized it was Saiki, which surprised me, considering I figured being able to control the wind would give it away. (My idea of obvious is different from everyone else's apparently) ^_^,

Billy11: Oh! I can answer that! I was worried about that explanation, so it doesn't surprise me to have a question on it. As Seishirou remembers it, he didn't kill Kotori, but obviously someone did. While Sei knew there were hunters there that night, they couldn't have turned Fuuma. Only a full vampire can make another full vampire. If it had just been that Fuuma's sister was dead, that could have been anyone's fault, but the fact that Fuuma was turned implies that there was someone else there that night, another full vampire, who intentionally turned Fuuma, knowing he'd come after Sei. So unfortunately for Sei, the only way to track this person down is through Fuuma's blood and memories, which means keeping Fuuma around and 'alive' until he can get Subaru back and sort the whole thing out. Does it make sense now? Sorry for the confusion.

Well, now that you've gotten ch. 10, you know who at least 2 of 'they' are. The eyes following Fuuma (as you'll find out in 11) was one of 'them.' There's still somebody else out there orchestrating the whole thing though. ^_~

In my opinion, an altruistic person wouldn't let someone forcibly cut out his liver to save a kid either (see TB). I appreciate your honest opinion, and for the record, while I don't think Subaru is totally out of character, I like stronger versions of him too, and I have no idea why he always turns out so… wishy-washy… when I write him. I've been going through these last couple chapters trying to find ways to let him show more of his strength, so I hope he'll be a little better from here on out, actually trying to fight back, even if he doesn't always succeed.

angel-kamui: It's a comment from a Kamui! *flails happily* Wow, I'm glad you found my story that addicting! *laughs* Reading it all in a day! But of course, I hope more that the following chapters will meet the same approval! ^_~

akuma-river: About the ambition of the mysterious 'they' (or not so mysterious now that you've met a couple of them), you'll find out next chapter. I think, however, that they'll find Subaru's less-than-human state to be rather opportunistic. As for Kamui, he 'will' find out about what Fuuma did… just as soon as I get to a really inopportune time. *grin*

It's true. It could just be that everyone got busy all at once. It was just really strange when 6 different people who had reviewed every previous chapter or at least the previous 3 all suddenly stopped at the same time. It 'could' have been a coincidence. But I'm always worried that I've accidentally offended someone in a review response, and I wanted to make sure that wasn't the case. ^_^