'There!' Hideyoshi cried, pointing outside. The next thing everyone knew, they were hurrying out the double doors of the mansion.

The rain hit them like a tidal wave as soon as they burst out into the rose garden. Hideyoushi leapt down the stairs two at a time, nearly tripping over himself on the slippery marble, and snatched up the object he had seen from the window that had brought him and the others rushing down: a small, edged white paper fan.

'She...she must've dropped this,' Hideyoshi growled. 'She must be nearby.'

Rudolf was already at his side, the pounding rain having left his once sharp haircut into a murky mess. 'We've gotta search this garden.'

Hideyoshi nodded mutely, and the two of them began spreading out. The others uncertainly followed suit, their eyes scanning the dark corners of the outside around them, where anything could be hiding within its shadowy depths.

'But how - ?' Kumasawa kept wailing as she and Nanjo jogged along the left side of the rose garden. 'Lady Eva and Lady Kyrie was just there! I saw them! They were on the sofas, and now they're gone! How? How did they vanish?'

Nanjo shook his head, clearing his eyes of the cold rain, and chose not to reply.

Battler ran as hard as he could down the center of the roses, sweat mixed in with the water pouring down his face. He had never really been close to both the missing women, but it seemed impossible, unreal even, that two sacrifices would be served up right off the bat barely a few hours after the first six. He couldn't comprehend it at all. He screamed his outrage at the heavens as he ran, his eyes frantically dashing all about the bushes, praying he wouldn't find a body.

'They are over here,' he heard Genji say. It sounded like a death sentence. Battler jerked to a stop, turned around, and walked to a pile of bushes where Genji was standing, as still as a statue.

Krauss and Hideyoshi were already there. Krauss had fallen to his knees. Hideyoshi was cradling something. Battler looked.

His stepmother was lying outstretched on the grass. The left side of her face was frozen in a permanent expression of shock. The other side was completely gone, dissolved into a bloody mesh. Battler couldn't tear his eyes away. He looked.

Rudolf came to a stop beside him. He opened his mouth. Father and son barely noticed each other.

A loud sob jerked them out of their trance. Hideyoshi, wrapping his arms around his wife, as if he could cover up the gaping hole in her stomach.

Then, a miracle in the rain of despair, Eva opening her eyes.

Hideyoshi's head snapped round. 'Doctor Nanjo!' he screamed. 'She's still alive!'

Nanjo plodded uselessly towards the body, his hands half raised. He stared at the wound, and dropped his hands. Eva's eyes were slipping shut again.

'No - no - Eva, can ya hear me? Eva!'

Her mouth moved, and he threw forward his head to hear. 'Eva! Come on! Eva!'

'I...' she whispered, her eyes now barely more than slits. 'I...can see...the roses...'

'Doctor!' Hideyoshi squeaked.

'Hid - Hideyoshi...' He could no longer see the light beneath her eyelids anymore. 'Hideyoshi...the roses...they're so blue...'

'I know, Eva, I know, open ya eyes!'

She didn't reply anymore. THe rain began piling up in her stomach, dripping out red.

Krauss moaned, and began to sway.

'Fuck,' Rudolf whispered, whipping his head from left to right at both the women. 'Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.' He staggered backwards, saved only by the railing. His shaking hands dug into his pocket, spilling cigarettes all over the rainy ground. He picked one up after two tries and thrust it into his mouth. He paused. Then he plucked it out and hurled it out into the bushes.

'Rest in peace,' he muttered, 'Big Sis.' He leaned heavily against the railing and said no more.

Krauss finally fell, splashing into the rain like a deadweight. Rosa hurried to pick him up, althought her face was as pale as his. She cast one look at the bodies, and her face drained further. 'Their rifles...'

Rudolf jerked his head up. 'What?'

'Their rifles...they're..they're not there.'

Rudolf hunched over and scanned the entire ground. Not one trace of the weapons Eva and Kyrie had carried with them existed. The only defense they had against the mass murderer now was the lone rifle sitting in his own hands. Even as he thought this, it was wrenched from his grasp.

He stared in dumb fascination as Hideyoshi, raising the rifle like a club, began smashing the steel railing with all his might. Harder and harder, punctuating each clang with a roar that shattered the thunder like a battle cry, he never even stopped once until the fence lay in broken bits of metal. The rifle was bent at an angle, tarnished by the small man's rage. Everyone stared at him in shock.

'The fuck!' Rudolf yelled darting over. 'Don't go wasting - '

Hideyoshi's expression was murderous. He turned away from Rudolf and began jogging towards the direction of the mansion, his rifle pointinng in front of him like a lance.

'H-hey The hell are you going?'

Hideyoshi didn't answer. He didn't seem to be capable of doing so. He charged up the steps, nearly falling over, showing no signs of stopping until Rudolf flew from the side and brought the both of them tumbling back down into the rain.

'Are - you - an idiot?' Rudolf growled, forcing the thrashing man deeper into the ground. His haircut was ruined, obliberated into a chaotic mesh by the rain, but he didn't seem to notice. 'Splitting up is suicide, and don't just go off carrying our only weapon - '

'Let me go,' Hideyoshi choked out, flailing wildly, and finally managed to throw Rudolf's small frame off his body. He scrambled to his feet, only for Rudolf to grab his leg and bring the whole lot of them crashing down again. The others just stared, incapable of comprehending the sight of the two grown men brawling in the rain.

'I have to - Eva - let go!' Hideyoshi snarled, struggling to get up.

Rudolf dug in from his position on the ground, gritting his teeth. 'This culprit - this motherfucker, that's just what he wants, don't you see? You come charging in alone and you'll get a bullet to the head. Don't be an idiot!'

'Eva's dead!' Hideyoshi roared at him.

'My wife's dead too, but you don't see me being a total fuckup about it!' Rudolf shouted back. 'You want to honor her death, don't go off getting yourself killed!'

'I - have to...'

'You believe in your wife's love, right?' Rudolf grabbed Hideyoshi's shoulder's forcing him back down. 'Then for fuck's sake don't be a bloody hypocrite! Your wife wants you to live, you live, you understand, you bastard? You understand?'

Hideyoshi punched him, and Rudolf reeled back, blood flying from his nose. Hideyoshi was up on his feet at once. But he remained where he was. Rudolf stood up a second later. The both of them stood seething at each other in the storm, their suits muddy and their faces drenched.

'P-please,' Rosa whispered. 'Don't fight...'

Nanjo rushed forward, lifting his hands in the same useless gesture, as if he thought he could stop the fight by words alone. 'Please, everyone, calm down - '

'I'm sorry,' Hideyoshi said.

'Eh?' Rudolf barked at him.

'I'm sorry,' Hideyoshi repeated, and collapsed into a sitting position on the ground. He stared at Eva's body a few meters away. Then he began to sob into his knees.

'Fucking crybaby,' Rudolf spat at him and strode off with his hands in his pockets, going to his own quiet corner next to Kyrie's body. Everyone remained where they were, quietly radiating their grief. It was a long time before everyone was able to bring themselves to leave the cold rose garden and its whirling storm.

'Well, that was a good show,' Bernakstel grinned. 'An emotional scene, with a little violence thrown in. What do you think?'

She waved her hand, and a scattering of applause burst into existence. Will drowned them out by slamming his fist onto the table. 'Enough. Let's start the reasoning of the Second Twilight right now.'

'Reasoning?' The Blue Witch popped into existence, clasping her hands together. 'That sounds exciting!'

Her bright voice coming right on the heels of the second tragedy made Will's head pound. 'Go away.'

'Aww, he's like a tsundere!' The Blue Witch floated towards him, bending over and stroking his face with a small finger. 'A cold stoic prince, playing hard to get, huh?'

Will swatted her out of the way. 'I said go away,' he snarled, but less forceful than before. Althought he hated to admit it, he knew the Blue Witch wasn't teasing him with malicious intent like her master had been doing. The Blue Witch was simply making a whimsical observation on his behaviour, which, apparently, she found cute. Something warm sparkled in Will's chest and he immediately stamped it out. He hated mind games like these.

'If you don't mind, Will,' Bernkastel said, obviously enjoying his discomfort, 'The Blue Witch will be taking over from now on.'

'What? Why?'

'It's boring if you have the same contestants each time, you know...? Might as well make it interesting for the viewers.'

'Ooh, really?' The Blue Witch spun around an a flowery motion. 'You mean I get to do the red truth thing?'

'Yeah. You know how to play, right?'

'Of course!' She grinned. 'Erm, let's see...Eva and Kyrie were killed in the rose garden. How's that?'

'It's still a possible murder,' Will said. 'While everyone was focused in Rudolf's attack on Hideyoshi in the parlor, the culprit snuck out, killed them both, and went back in.'

'Hey, that's no fair! No one in the parlor killed them, I did!' she stuck out her tongue, wagging it in his face. Will felt a headache coming on.

'Use the red truth, then,' Bernkastel said.

'Okay. At the time when Eva and Kyrie were killed, Rudolf, Hideyoshi, Battler, Krauss, Rosa, Genji, Kumasawa, Nanjo and Gohda were the in the parlor. How's that! I just gave everyone alibis!'

'There's still one person unaccounted for,' Will said, stabbing his finger down on the tabletop. 'The one person, who, for some reason, hasn't been seen this entire game. Kinzo.'

'Okay, fine. At the time when Eva and Kyrie were killed, Kinzo was in his office.'

'Hmph,' Will grunted. 'So he does exist after all.'

'So you see,' the Blue Witch grinned. 'No humans left alive could have killed them, so only I could have! Gosh, you're really stupid under all those looks, aren't you?'

She reached out to tap his head, but he drew back. 'Then they were killed by a trap. That way, the killer didn't have to be present to kill.'

Bernkastel let out an unnecessarily long sigh. 'That may have worked in Beato's game, but for goodness sake don't try it here. If you're going to suggest a trap, you'd better explain it. For example, what kind of trap could kill the two women, take their rifles, and sink into the ground unnoticed? If you can explain it, I will accept it. If you can't, well...' Bernkastel grinned to mirror her piece. 'Then there's really nothing behind that face, you know...?'

'Good one, Master!' the Blue Witch sang, drawing a red shard of glass from the air. She raised it and drove it through Will's shoulder.

It felt like his shoulder was on fire. Blood splurted out, scattering around the table and vanishing after it touched the cloth. Will grunted in pain and took two steps back.

'Hey, hey, is that all you got?' the Blue Witch chirped, her smile now something else. 'Looks like someone finally wants to go to the golden land af-ter aaaallll...' She nonchalantly thrust forward her finger, digging it deep into the hole in Will's shoulder. 'Hey, you've got some really nice muscles, you know th - '

'Repeat this,' Will said. 'Kinzo did not have a rifle in his office.'

The Blue Witch's smile dropped. 'Huh?'

The wound in Will's shoulder swirled and reformed instantly, blasting the Blue Witch's finger away. 'The office is at the top of the mansion, right? And it's overlooking the rose garden, correct? So it would be just a simple matter for him to take a rifle he had stored earlier in his office, go to the window, and shoot the two women lying below...' Will brought forward his own finger, planting it firmly mere inches in front of the Blue Witch's face. 'In other words, Kinzo could have committed the murders without leaving the office! It is entirely possible for him to be the culprit of the second twilight!'

'How about the disappearing rifles, then?' Bernkastel said, gazing into her tea from the side. 'And how about why Eva and Kyrie were in the rose garden in the first place?'

'One thing at a time,' Will said. 'Repeat this! Kinzo did not kill Eva and Kyrie!'

The Blue Witch blinked at his finger for a moment, then frowned and put her hand on her chin. 'So, that's how you play this game, huh? It's kinda fun, actually.'

'It's not supposed to be fun,' Will said sharply.

'It is, actually,' Bernkastel said. 'You're the only bad egg in this basket, you know...?'

'Oh, I see now,' The Blue Witch clapped her hands together in excitement. 'You're one of those bossy adults types who don't know how to have fun!'

'I'm...not.' Will's brain once again failed to keep up with her wandering thoughts.

'Come on,' The Blue Witch teased. 'When was the last time you played a game? I mean, a really, really fun game? Just because you work for the SSVD types and all, doesn't mean you can't be a kid every once in a while - '

'Shut up,' Will snapped, perhaps a little more curtly than intended, and was immediately sorry. The Blue Witch's expression froze into an expression of dismayed shock.

'Er,' Will said, about to utter an apology, but as he opened his mouth, she disappeared before his eyes. He stared meaninglessly at her empty spot in the air, feeling a heavy feeling in his stomach.

'That idiot,' Bernkastel said lightly, lapping at her cup like a cat. 'Really, Wright, you can be a mood killer at times.'

'You're worse,' Will muttered.

'Ah, but I'm not a handsome tall young man whom an innocent young girl might be attracted to, you know...?' she cackled shortly into her tea. 'Ah, Wright, you've broken many hearts in your time, haven't you?'

'This is ridiculous,' Will said to the empty air. He paced around aimlessly for a few minutes before settling in his chair. 'L-let's not get sidetracked. Resume the game.'

'You haven't solved the second twilight yet.'

'I'll make it up as I go along. By the way, I think I've solved the first twilight as well.'

Her dark eyes lifted slightly. 'You have?'

'It was simple, actually. I should have thought of it the moment I saw the blood on the chain.'

'Then why don't you show us the solution?'

'In mysteries, it's traditional for the detective to reveal everything after the end of the story,' Will said.

'Following all the conventions of the mystery genre? You really are a spoilsport.'

'This is a mystery,' Will demanded. 'Not fantasy, not a thriller, not a slice of life, not romance, not anything else. This is a plain and proper mystery. Sorry, Bernkastel, but you'll have to wait a little longer to ridicule me.'

Nanjo was one of the first to recover. 'Everyone,' he said, rubbing the bald spot on his head. 'We have to go back inside. Standing around in this rain will only make us catch a cold.'

Everyone stared blearily at him, slowly rousing themselves. One by one they stood up. 'Where to?' Kumasawa said, hugging her face with her hands.

'The parlor, I presume...'

'The parlor?' Krauss said.

'Yes, the parlor - '

'The parlor?' In a flurry of red Krauss darted forward, grabbing Nanjo's shoulders and shaking him like a ragdoll. 'The parlor? Are you mad? We were in the parlor just now and two people died. Do you want to be next?'

Nanjo swallowed. 'I, er...'

'The parlor's not safe,' Krauss rattled off, his eyes marbling about his face. 'We have to find somewhere else, a locked room, something, anything that isn't that goddamn parlor!'

'Master Krauss,' Kumasawa wailed.

'We - we can just lock a door or something,' Rosa muttered.

'It's all no good,' Battler echoed further down from the fence. 'Did anyone check...the bodies? Shannon and Kanon had master keys on them...'

Kumasawa burrowed her face deeper into her shaking palms. 'Oh no, no, the killer can kill us all, aiya...'

'No, he can't, kill us, I mean, fuck,' Gohda choked out.

'Nobody's going to get killed,' Nanjo said, looking away from the two bodies in the bushes. 'We just need to calm down, and...'

'We might just all die here,' Krauss said heavily, his voice gouging into everyone's skulls with every word.

Kumasawa, very weakly, began to sob. Nanjo raised his hands towards her, than dropped them again. No one made any move to go back inside the mansion.

'There does exist a room in which the master keys cannot open,' Genji said. All eyes darted to his rocky face.

'The Master's study.'

'Of course!' Nanjo said. 'It only has two keys, if I recall correctly.'

'The Master has one in his possession. I have the other,' Genji produced the the iron key in his hand, then folded it back into his pocket. 'If we keep both keys inside the study, I would assume it would be a locked room.'

'So that means we're safe?' Gohda cried, hardly daring to believe.

'Possibly.'

'The door is solid oak, right?' Battler said.

'It would take more than a rifle to penetrate it,' Nanjo said, and he actually smiled a little. 'If we lock ourselves in, and wait until the storm passes, I think we'll be alright.'

Kumasawa had stopped sobbing, and Nanjo seized the opportunity put his arm around her. 'Don't worry. We'll be safe. No one is going to get kill - '

'Heh.'

Rudolf and Hideyoshi were standing apart from the argument, crouching next to the bloody bodies. Rudolf was the one who had spoken. He stood up and stuck a cigarette in his mouth. He wasn't smiling anymore.

'Heh,' he said again, striding forwards, ignoring the weeping man beside him. 'This is a perfect time to confirm a theory of mine, actually.'

'Theory?' Rosa said.

'Kyrie taught me to flip over the chessboard,' Rudolf said, trying to snap his fingers and only managing a dull flap. 'Up till now the killer has been committing impossible murders. He or she wants to blame it on the Blue Witch. Ergo, the killer is one of us. And the most obvious suspect is dear old dad.'

'K-kinzo?'

'I haven't seen him at all since I stepped onto this godforsaken island. Probably because he's off somewhere murdering people. In other words, that fucking geezer doesn't have an alibi.'

He shot a dark look at Genji. 'And I'd doubt the word of a spineless wuss who probably helps his master jack off every night.'

'I am merely acting in the interests of the Ushiromiya family,' Genji said, remaining perfectly still.

'Fuck you,' Rudolf said, ignoring the shocked looks. 'My old man's the culprit.'

'R-rudolf,' Rosa ventured timidly. 'Father may be..er, whimsical and everything, but I don't think he would just...'

'Fuck off, Little Sis,' Rudolf said without so much as a sideways glance at her. 'and, anyway, even if dad's not the culprit, don't go frolicking around your fucking flowers just yet. After all, as things stand,' And that was when the grin finally flashed across his face, a ghastly row of teeth more animal that human. 'The culprit is one of us 18 on the island, isn't it?'