'Now,' Rudolf said, tugging at his collar. 'I'm not saying that for certain, of course. I'm just saying - be on your guard. That's all. A while ago me and Kyrie went to the armory to grab Granddad's supply of Winchester Rifles.'

He pointed to several guns lying on top of each other on a table in the corner, drawing everyone's notice for the first time. The rifles' edges shined jet black.

'We could only find three, unfortunately. I'm not about to brag, but me and Kyrie are crack shots with these things, so we'll take the first two. Then - '

'Hold it,' Eva snapped, brushing the last of her tears from her eyes. 'How come you two get the first choice?'

'I told you. we probably know how to shoot better than anyone else here, so...'

'For all we know you two could be the killers!'

The room froze. Everyone stared at the group at the front, and wild theories began springing up in their heads.

'Everyone,' Kyrie's sharp voice drew them back again. 'If we really were the killers, we would have picked up the rifles and murdered all of you before you even knew of their existence. But here we are, offering weapons to you,' she snapped her fingers, not even bothering to look up. 'Get it now?'

'So you two get the first two rifles,' Eva snarled. 'but who gets the third one?'

'Logic follows that it'll be Big Bro. He's the next best marksman, am I right?'

Rudolf snagged a gun from the table and made a show of spinning it around in his hand, letting it come to a stop with the gun butt offered towards Krauss. 'Here you go, Big Bro.'

Krauss did not appear to have heard him. He did not appear to have heard anything during the last few minutes. He did not appear to have moved a single muscle since Battler had seen him.

'Hey, Big Bro,' Rudolf threw the gun into his lap. 'Man up already.'

Krauss took the gun, turning it over in his hands sluggishly, before letting it fall to the side of the chair. He looked back down, continuing to burrow deeper into his world of grief.

'Big Bro,' Rudolf grinned nervously. 'Stop that. You're scaring me.'

Krauss began muttering something. Rudolf leaned forward to hear. 'What was that?'

'Guns won't work.'

'Won't work on what?'

'The Blue Witch.'

Rudolf jerked back as if he had slapped. 'W-what the hell?'

Krauss thrust the rifle back in his limp hands.

'Give it to me,' Eva said.

Rudolf whirled on her. 'Come now, Big Sis, you sure you know how to fire one?'

'Just give to me,' she growled.

'I really don't think - '

She stood up violently, glaring at him face-to-face. 'I need to protect myself.'

'So do the rest - '

'She would be the next best choice,' Hideyoshi hastened, standing up with her.

Rudolf gave a quick sideways glance to Kyrie, for confirmation. She studied him intently, and then gave an almost imperceptable nod.

'Alright, fine, Big Sis,' Rudolf said, tossing her the rifle. It sailed past her outstretched fingers and narrowly missed Rosa's head, clattering onto the floor.

'I - I'll get it,' Hideyoshi said, rushing towards it.

'You did that on purpose,' Eva said.

'Did not,' Rudolf said. He flipped a cigerette out of his pocket and held it teasingly in front of her. 'Just don't go forgetting who's in charge here, okay? With Big Bro out of commision, I'm going to be the leader for this little group.'

'How - how can you be so - playful? Don't you realise what's going on?'

'Yeah. You're high strung cause your son got killed. I'm not cause my son's okay. Ergo, I'll still keep my spirits up for now.'

'What - how dare you - ' her tears broke free again. 'George was - '

'Now that that's settled,' Rudolf turned back to the group. 'Here's the plan for the rest of the day. We hole up here, wait for the typhoon to pass, then we leave safely. Whatever you do, stay here, right here, in this parlor. If you need to go for a bathroom break or something, make sure you go with someone you trust. Don't take any chances. As long as we stick together, we're safe.'

Eva was still glaring at him. Rudolf avoided her gaze and went to sit down next to Kyrie, apart from the group of siblings. The crowd of people in the parlor began to scatter, sitting seperately in their own little groups. One by one, the servants moved to another corner of the room, leaving Battler alone again

The rain came in the afternoon, urged on by the typhoon that seperated them from the other side of the world. The water pattered against the windows, murkying everyone's view of the outside. People came and left the parlor, never alone. The chatter in the room had eased to a dull, lethargic silence. The rifles stayed where they were, the bullets still in their chambers.

Near the windows, Eva yawned, and Hideyoshi immediately looked at her. 'Are ya tired?'

'No,' she murmured stubbornly, clutching her rifle in her hands.

'There's nothing much for us to do here, so you can get some rest if ya want.'

She scanned the rest of the room, her eyes narrowing, whether from sleep or suspicion Hideyoshi couldn't tell. 'I can't sleep now.'

'We're fine here, Eva.'

'You're always like this,' Eva pouted. 'I don't trust anyone here.'

'You trust me, right?'

'Of course.'

'Then go to sleep. I'll protect ya.'

Eva yawned again, and set the rifle to the side. 'No you won't. You're the one that needs protecting. The next thing I'll know, the killer'll have you at gunpoint and you'll just try to invite him to to a teriyaki dinner to make up,' she smiled. 'You're always like that.'

'And don't ya forget it,' Hideyoshi laughed, putting his arm around her. Together, they leaned back into the soft sofa, listening to the rhythmic patterns of the rain. In front of them, Krauss had still remained silent. In the past couple of hours he had, at least, moved his head around a few times, and even got up once to pace around wildly before settling down again. But he was a long way from recovering.

Rosa appeared at his side. 'Krauss, are you okay?'

Krauss lifted his head weakly. 'Rosa?'

'You look pale.'

'I'm fine, Rosa.' he slurred.

'I made you some coffee. It's the special mix you liked.'

Krauss jerked his head up, and stared at the cup in Rosa's hand. He uncertainly reached out, took it gingerly, as if afraid it might break apart in his hands any time, then slowly brought to his mouth and took a sip.

'How is it?' Rosa said.

Krauss set down the cup. Without warning, he suddenly let out a warm chuckle. 'You made it perfectly. Since when did you know I liked it this way?'

'You told me, remember?'

'When?'

'Er, if I'm not wrong...really long ago.'

'You haven't made me coffee since...I can't even remember, either,' Krauss rolled the warm coffee around his mouth, relishing it. Color began to return to his cheeks.

'Don't drink it too fast,' Eva muttered. 'You might burn your tongue.'

Krauss stared at her. 'Um...alright.'

'You look fine now,' Rosa said.

'What on earth possessed you to make coffee for me?'

'I just didn't like seeing you like this, because, you were always shouting a lot before...' Rosa flushed and looked away.

The three siblings alternated staring at one another.

'This is awkward,' Krauss said.

'A-anyway,' Eva said, 'Why were you so out of it, Krauss? We can't have someone like you moping around when there's a killer on the loose, right? If you ask me,' she cast an irritated glance at the other side of the room, where Rudolf and Kyrie were still deep in conversation. 'You're the one who's supposed to take charge in things like this.'

'Maybe,' Krauss said, 'but what good can I do against a witch?'

Rosa, who had been making to sit down, froze in mid-air. Eva and Hideyoshi leaned forward.

'I know it sounds crazy,' Krauss protested. 'But...I don't know, it's just...I don't know.'

'Hold it,' Eva said carefully. 'Are you saying the Blue Witch of Rokkenjima killed everyone?'

'Like I said,' Krauss gripped his hair. 'I know it's crazy, but it follows the epitaph, don't you think? Sacrifice the six chosen by the key. And the legend goes that the ritual would be performed eventually, and...'

The others were looking at him as if he was joking.

'Look, the three of you don't live on this island every minute of every day. The stories I've heard, the whispers behind my back, and then last year...' he shook his head, drowned himself in the rest of his coffee, and offered a weak smile. 'Anyway, witch or no witch, I have a duty to protect my siblings as the next Head, right? Rest assured I won't be giving up anytime soon.'

'Hmph,' Eva said. 'Back to your annoying old self.'

'The coffee helped. That was lovely, Rosa.'

'Thanks. I'll take it to the kitchen to wash it.'

'I'll escort you. You shouldn't go alone at a time like this.'

Kruass took the coffee cup, and they exited the parlor together. Eva and Hideyoshi stared after them.

'I thought you said you didn't trust anyone,' Hideyoshi chuckled.

'I meant something else,' Eva said. She leaned back on the sofa and rested her head on the soft leather. 'Rosa making Krauss coffee. I thought I'd never see it.' She stared blearily up at the ceiling. 'This whole day seems so...surreal. Everything's gone crazy, dear. We've got the Blue Witch running about, and then George gets - George...' she bit down on her lip.

'Shhh,' Hideyoshi whispered, reaching forward and cupping her forehead in his gentle palm.

'What are you doing?' she frowned, trying to brush it away.

'This is a cure for headaches, right? A warm hand on the affected area, soothes the skin.'

'How did you even know - '

'We're joined at the hip, remember? I'd know you from here to everywhere.'

She smiled at him, and closed her eyes. 'How corny...when was the last time we sat together like this?'

'A long time,' Hideyoshi let out a contented sigh. 'You remember when we first met, right?'

'Oh, I remember,' she stretched her smile lazily. 'It was...how old was I..? Seventeen? Oh, that was when Krauss had barely graduated. Strutting around like he owned the place, and making a fool of himself. Rudolf was just beginning to discover girls, and Rosa was just a tiny little thing,' she gave a soft giggle. 'Father was perfectly normal then, you know?'

'I remember,' Hideyoshi said. 'It was in a field full of blue flowers. What were they...forget-me-nots. There was a whole bunch of them. Pressed against the sunset, they really did look like something.'

'I took a shortcut from school, and knocked into you. All my schoolbooks dropped onto the ground. I called you an idiot,' she winced. 'Sorry about that.'

'I picked them up for you, and offered you a date at a teriyaki stall to make up,' Hideyoshi said. 'You should have seen the look on your face.'

'Then I called you a spineless fool. Sorry about that, too.'

'It's okay. I need a wake-up call every once in a while.'

'Thanks for everything, Hideyoshi. You deserve better, okay?'

'What? What's all this, all of a sudden...'

She remained silent for a brief period of time, so long that Hideyoshi thought she had fallen asleep, but then she spoke her last words.

'When we get off this island...meet me again...with those blue flowers...okay?'

'That's a promise,' he said, patting her gently on the head.

She smiled, and her breathing began to ease. When Hideyoshi was finally sure she was asleep, safely tucked far away from the darkest corners of this island, he withdrew his hand and contented himself with gazing into her peaceful face.

Nanjo had to settle for a different kind of view. It was either the trapped faces of those around him or the rain pounding at the roses outside. He contented himself with looking at the rain. Kumasawa drew next to him, wringing her hands and staring into the distance. From here, the coastline and the sea beyond it wasn't visible, but people were allowed to dream, after all.

'if the Blue Witch is the one comitting these murders,' Nanjo said, 'That would mean none of us will leave the island alive.'

'Don't say such things.' Kumasawa moaned.

'I apologise.'

'This was supposed to be my day off,' Kumasawa said, wringing her hands. 'I was supposed to spend it with my son. But the Master insisted.'

'They say when you get older, you get wiser,' Nanjo fixed his eyes on the roses. 'I still want to have those years, Kumasawa.'

They bored their eyes into the window in front of them, as if they could break free of the stifling parlor and sail away from this cursed island.

Gohda's face popped out between them. 'I have a sick brother waiting for me at home,' he said, retaining his knack of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Despite themselves, Nanjo and Kumasawa broke into smiles, the tension broken for a brief moment. The three of them chatted quietly for a while, reminiscing about their lives and loved ones, forgetting for a moment their feet were on the ground of the Ushiromiya owned Rokkenjima, forgetting the one-winged eagle hanging over their heads. After a while, they realised one person wasn't joining them. Genji, still remaining seated, staring blankly at the wall. What he was thinking, no one knew.

'Genji,' Kumasawa bustled over to him. 'How about you? Do you have anyone on the other side who's waiting for you? Like a brother, or a wife?'

This was a question they had always asked Genji, and it was a question that he had always ignored. This time however, he turned his head slightly, and looked directly at them.

'My duty is to the Ushiromiya family and it's servants,' he said, something almost indiscernable flashing in his eyes. 'I will make sure you all return home safely.'

No one was sure who to reply to that. Until Gohda, wildly enthusiastic as usual, put his hand to his chest.

'Master Genji,' he swallowed. 'I - er - I've always looked up to you. It's been an honour.'

Genji didn't show a flicker of emotion, but tipped his head slightly, in a sort of bowing gesture reserved only to Ushiromiyas and guests. That small gesture spoke volumes more than any smile on anyone else's face could have hoped to, and Gohda instantly blushed. Nanjo and Kumsawa left the window, chuckling to each other. The parlor didn't seem quite so stifling anymore.

Will observed the brightly lit parlor from the dim air of the witch's hall. 'Huh. I wouldn't have expected such scenes to show up in your game.

'What's the matter with you?' Bernkastel murmured, resting her head with an elbow on the table and idly doodling on the cloth with a finger. She seemed to have completely forgotten her earlier triumph over Will, reverting back to her lethargic state. 'I show you guts, you shout at me. I show you love, you just pout. Just what do you want?'

'I want them to stop acting like pieces,' Will studied their happy faces, trying to sear their expressions into his mean. 'Besides, the bigger the tower you build, the more destruction it causes when you topple it, right?'

'You're smarter than you look,' she smirked. 'It's one of the general rules of fiction, you know...? The first time, you love them...'

'...the second time, you tear out their guts,' Will finished, his face grim. 'Yeah. I see it all the time. and I'm sick of it.'

'You aren't like the other SSVD people, you know? I might just keep you as a pet after this, so that's something you can look forward too, okay...?'

Will tried to ignore her, and kept his expression calm. 'Enough of your jibes. We need to start the second twilight.'

'Sure. but first...' She picked a teacup out of the air, and lifted it daintily to her lips. 'Let's spill just a little more guts before that, shall we?'

Battler was sprawled over the sofa, lost in the a maelstrom of dangerous thoughts, when a hand clapped on his back and jerked him from his stupor. Rudolf plopped himself next to his son, Kyrie taking up her usual place beside her husband.

'You alright Battler?' Rudolf grinned. 'You look a little out of it there.'

Battler was seeing more and more sides of his father every passing hour, and, funnily enough, he was the last person Battler wanted to see right now. 'I'm fine.'

'You're fine? Yeah, sure your cousins get murdered and you're fine,' Rudolf leaned back. 'I won't pretend I understand your loss, Battler, but I just want you to know that...' he paused and his mouth twitched, unwilling to dip his beak into his endless lake of pride.

'What he means is,' Kyrie said, 'He's your father and he cares for your welfare.'

'Yeah,' Battler muttered. If there was still a level of iciness with Rudolf, then Kyrie was a stone cold blizzard. 'Thanks, but I think I'm fine.'

'Ya sure about that, Battler?' Hideyoshi said, coming towards them. 'Oh - Kyrie' you're here too. I hope I'm not disturbing a family moment.'

'No, no, nothing like that,' Rudolf said. 'In fact, I've meaning to talk to you. Take a seat.'

Hideyoshi sat down, beaming.

'What're so happy about?'

'Oh, it's nothing really, just that I realised how lucky I am to be married.'

Rudolf glanced towards Eva, who was sleeping undisturbed on the sofa. 'Heh. Big Sis looks pretty cute like that.'

'Yeah, she does,' Hideyoshi said.

Rudolf leaned forward further still, until his was resting his body on his elbows. 'You're really quite some guy, right Hideyoshi?'

'Ya already told me that,' Hideyoshi said, flapping a hand in modest dismissal.

'What's ironic,' Rudolf stretched his teeth wide, 'Is that in most Western's the nice guy tuns about to be a psycho in the end. Did you know that?'

Hideyoshi looked confused. Next to him, Battler sighed, worn down by his father's inappropiate jokes. 'Old man, this is serious.'

'It is,' Kyrie said, and there was something strange in her expression.

'Might as well come out with it now,' Rudolf said. He lifted his head and called out. 'Hey, everyone. I've got another announcement.'

Everyone turned towards the four of them, sitting on the two sofas.

'Right,' Rudolf said, turning to the shocked Hideyoshi, still wearing his predator's grin. 'As I was saying, Hideyoshi, regading the murders of Natsuhi, George, Jessica, Maria, Shannon and Kanon this morning - there could only have been two culprits. Namely, Eva, and you. The both of you planned and executed the entire first twilight.'