~ The Next Night ~

* In Yui's room. *

Yui opens her eyes and slowly sits up on her bed. She places a hand on her chest and it thumps, causing her to groan in pain.

Ba-thump... Ba-thump... Ba-thump...

"What's wrong with me?" Yui asks herself as her chest continues to hurt. "My chest hurts again."

Yui turns her head towards the windows. The curtains were parted a bit and she was able to see that tonight's moon phase was a full moon.

~ Later ~

* In the abandoned church. *

Yui decides to go out for a walk while thinking about how her sister is. She had forgotten to ask Reiji about Yuki when they were playing chess.

Lately... my chest has been hurting more often... Why? I wonder if Yuki has these chest pains as well... I sometime see her have this pained expression on her face... The human wondered as she arrived in front of the abandoned church. A church? Out here?

Suddenly, two bats chirped and flew out from the abandoned church. They circled Yui from above, causing the human to lift her arms defensively to protect her head.

"Ah, stop it!" Yui cried as the bats continued to pester her.

"Oh, be quiet," someone said sharply - from within the church - which made the bats stop and fly away.

Yui relaxed her arms and carefully stepped over to the abandoned church. As she peaked in, she said: "Excuse me...", and stepped into the church.

"Is that you, Shu?" Yui asked as she looked at the blonde sitting far from the entrance with his back on the wall. A pale-yellow-colored music book rested against his leg, which was bent at the knee and the other was stretched out, resting on the stone bench. He didn't bother looking up at the human and continued to read his book.

"Do you want something?" Shu asked.

"I'm sorry to disturb you..." Yui replied. "Um... How's Yuki?"

Shu moved his hand and turned the page of his book. "She's... fine," he said shortly.

"I see," the human looked down in disappointment, then looked back at the vampire. "Can you tell me the real reason why Yuki and I were brought here? Does my Father have a strong connection to your family?"

"You too...?" Shu mumbled, his voice almost inaudible. "He'll answer your questions," he said, a little more louder for Yui to hear.

Yui looked at Shu with confusion and the blonde closed his book, stood up, and looked at the church entrance.

"I know you're here."

"You have always been very perceptive." Richter said and entered the church.

Yui turned around and her hand unconsciously went to her chest.

"Ex... Excuse me, but who are you?" Yui asked.
Shu moved next to Yui. "This is Richter. Our uncle." He informed the human and left.

Yui watched Shu go, but then moved her attention towards Richter. She furrowed her eyebrows a bit. Where have I seen this man before? Yui suddenly recalled seeing him with the triplet's mother, Cordelia.

Once Shu was out of sight, Richter took a step forward and placed his right hand on the left side of his chest.

"Please forgive the poor manners of my nephews," he said and removed his hand. "I try to smarten them up, but it never takes. So, what is it that you wish to know?"

Yui looked down. "Um, I..." she began and then looked at Richter. "I want to know why my sister and I came here. I want to know why we were chosen. And how my Father is involved with the s... sacrificial brides."

Richter smiles. "Chosen? How conceited can you be?"

Yui gasped and her eyes went wide as if she couldn't believe what she just heard.

"You came to this house because you're of a suitable bride age and were the easiest mortal to obtain." Richter explained and his smirk disappeared. "Only a foolish mortal would consider such a thing... necessity or chance."

"Then, my Father..."

"This does not involve anyone as inferior as your Father."

Yui sighed in relief and said with a smile, "My Father really didn't know anything about this! Thank God."

Suddenly, Yui's chest pulses and she falls to her knees. She groans from the pain and clutches her chest tightly.

Ba-thump... Ba-thump... Ba-thump... Ba-thump... Ba-thump... Ba-thump...

It's hurting more than usual... Yui thinks as her chest continues to hurt.

"Oh... I will finally see you once again. Finally, my darling." Richter says with a smile and Yui looks at him with confusion. "How I have waited for this moment to arrive. Now, come to me."

The wind starts blowing. The leaves rustle against the wind and some even getting plucked from where they grew. Yui looks around and looks back at Richter.

"What's happening?" She asks with fear.

BA-THUMP!

Yui groans in more pain and squeezes her eyes shut.

Richter walks over to the human and kneels in front of her. Yui struggles to look at the vampire and she looks into his eyes.

"Now, let us go... to her," he says and extends her his hand. Yui goes into a daze, her eyes are blank.

* In the Room Where the Diary was Found. *

Richter had lead Yui back to the room where the Komori sisters' father's diary was found. The diary was placed on top of a covered small, rounded table. Richter picks the diary up with the picture of Seiji, Yui, and Yuki.

"There is no further need for this," he says and the two objects disintegrates in his hand.

Richter extends a hand to his left and showed Yui towards a bookcase. It slides open, revealing a secret room that no one, even the brothers, knows about. Yui walks inside with Richter following behind her.

*In the Secret Room. *

When Yui stepped into the room, the lights turned on immediately. All around the room were chandeliers hanging at different height from the ceiling and many paintings were hung on the wall. In the far corner of the room was a headless mannequin that wore a dress. It was displayed like a museum exhibiting a piece of art from ancient times.

The mannequin "wore" a black dress with straps made up in a zigzag pattern. There was a white rose embellishment by the right side of the chest and two smaller white roses next to it. The dress also had a slit on the right side on the hips, showing delicate white ruffles underneath. There was also chain around the hips with a blue rose attachment on the right side. The mannequin also "wore" a black choker on its neck.

This dress was Cordelia's.

Yui stood in front of the display, blankly staring at it. Richter stood beside her.

"There is no need to hesitate," he tells Yui. "That dress belongs to you."

Yui takes a step closer to the display and reaches for the bloodstained, white rose. Once her hand came in contact with the surface of the rose, blood seeps from the flower and covers her hand.

~ Inside Yui's Conscious ~

Darkness fills the mind of an innocent, but it slowly brightens to reveal someone, who's been locked up in the dark. That someone was Cordelia.

Cordelia smiles and reaches out for Yui, who's surprised to see the triplet's mother in her head. Yui shrieks when Cordelia grabs her.

~ In Reality ~

Yui opens her eyes and her hand is not covered in blood. She removes it from the rose and slowly turns around to face Richter.

"We finally meet again, Richter." Yui says in a more mature tone.

Richter smiles and bows. "My beloved Cordelia."

Yui - no, Cordelia looks at her hand. The palm of her hands are stained with blood. Cordelia suddenly begins to laugh. Her laugh echoes within the manor.

Outside, the moon turns red. The quiet-like manor has been disturbed by an unwelcome woman.

Shu, who was sleeping in the library, wakes up.

Reiji, who's in his room doing his usual experiments, pours something into a beaker then stops, and looks at his door.

Laito, who's in the game room playing pool, stops his move and his grin disappears.

Kanato, who's sitting in his room of disturbing, life-like wax figures, tightens his grip of Teddy and looking awfully unpleased.

Ayato, who was taking a short nap in the main hallway, wakes up and sits up.

Subaru, who's moon-viewing in one of the manor's halls, glares at the direction of where he feels the unpleasant presence.

*In Yuki's Room. *

Yuki opens her eyes and sits up on her bed. She quickly recalls what happened the past night and reached behind her back to feel the place where her wing came out from. Yuki's eyes widens as she feels Cordelia's presence. She slides off her bed and runs to her door, sprints to her sister's room and enters.

* In Yui's Room. *

"Yui!" Yuki calls and runs to her sister's bed to find it empty. She then sees her sister's treasured rosary discarded on the bed. Yuki picks it up and stares at it, then clenches it tightly in her hand.

"I'm not too late... I can still save her." Yuki says, then thinks: If I can before they can execute their judgement on me.