As they walked in, it didn't take long for Rei to understand how Ulma had ended up in this house. The homes were interconnected by a tunnel system that allowed passage between each of the homes on this side of the town, including the large building at the back of the town. She could only assume that it was some type of magic that also changed the façade of the houses on the outside, as the actual inside of the homes was rather expansive and nothing at all like what they appeared to be from the road.

Ulma swiftly led them to their destination, her daughter, the dirty-haired girl from earlier dragging along behind them. As they walked, passing yet another small group of kids playing with dolls in a corner, it was obvious that Ulma was still extremely nervous. Rei wondered if it was just her personality or if it was today's events that had the woman so on edge. It was unfortunate, as aside from being an attendant to a psychotic, child stealing witch, Rei thought that Ulma seemed to be fairly decent. As far as first impressions went, Rei already liked her better than that Aido character…

As Ulma led them through the tunnel into the next home, she explained to Rei and Zero that she had been the personal servant to the witch, otherwise known as 'Saiu' since she was young. She and her daughter Shoiyu lived in Saiu's home and were responsible for the day to day care of the complex along with a small handful of other attendants. As she listened to her talk, it seemed to Rei that Ulma cared deeply about Saiu, but the more she talked, the more questions Rei had. It was obvious that Ulma had aged while working for Saiu, so she wasn't a vampire, and most likely not a witch. But if not, then what were the people of this town? What type of control did Saiu have over them? Something definitely wasn't right here and Rei wanted to know a little more about what she was getting into, before they got over their heads…

Finally, Rei and Zero were brought into another large room. Inside this room were a number of the other townspeople that Rei and Zero had seen earlier, both children and adults alike. At the back of the room was a platform, raised about 3 steps off of the ground, with a large throne-like chair placed in the middle of it. Rei peered around the room at the multitude of serious faces, all trained on the two of them. 'Ah, I see now. We've been called to court.' She wondered to herself if they were to be put on some type of trial or if this was all just for show.

She didn't have to wait long for an answer. As she and Zero stood waiting alone in the center of the room, a line of people off to the side of the room suddenly parted and from between them strolled the woman from 8 years ago. Her face looked just the same as Rei remembered it - the last 8 years hadn't aged her at all. Her stride was self-assured and cocky. She walked right past Zero and Rei without a passing glance, not bothering to look their way until she'd reached the middle of the room, and then turning to fix upon Rei a look of pure disdain.

"Ah, Souma-girl, what a long time it's been! I knew one day I would have to see that detestable face of yours again. I just wasn't quite sure how long I could put off the displeasure of it." A slight sneer turned up the corners of her mouth as her gaze travelled from Rei to Zero.

"Looks like you dragged the donor along too. Fun." The witch snickered over her shoulder as she climbed the few stairs up to the short platform where her chair awaited.

"So I take it that to have found me you must have uncovered some pretty juicy information…" She spun around to look down at the two of them. "Tell me, what did you learn in your travels? I'm always interested in some nice tidbits of gossip. Go on, spill the tea. What did you find out pray tell?"

Zero scowled. He had already grown tired of this. It might be best to leave the talking to Rei – he didn't have the patience for these types of games and idle play.

Rei stayed silent. She wasn't sure just how much information she wanted to divulge so soon, so she opted to play it safe.

"We know that you and your sister were the original cursed twins. The first twins born under the Kiryu curse."

Saiu lowered her eyes and looked in annoyance at Rei. "Okay…. Yes, that is so. You've done some research I see. Two claps and a goody good for you." The witch flopped down into the chair, kicking her legs over one of its arms while holding up her hand and examining her nails from the back of her hand. "Are you seriously telling me it took you eight years to come up with that?"

Rei could feel the heat rising up her collar. She was trying to keep her cool. They didn't have a firm lead on where Hisachi was and until she had him in her sights she didn't want start a fight… but this was getting out of hand and there didn't seem to be any end in sight to Saiu's barrage of insults.

Suddenly, Saiu spun around in the chair, planting her feet on the ground and leaning forward.

"You know… the books and the teachings may give one record of the curse, but I know the actual story. The truth behind the real sordid history of the Souma and the Kiryu. The true beginnings of the so-called 'cursed twins' and the Souma's role in cursing us for so many generations while they prospered and gained unnatural power at our expense.

The wrongs committed against the Kiryu were pinned on vampires, yes, but that wasn't the truth. In truth it was another faction of Vampire Hunters, the Souma clan that actually created the curse that claimed both our dearest Zero here, as well as those unfortunate hybrid mutt offspring of his.

Shall I tell you the true story of what happened? The story of how my sister and I became the curse's first victims over two centuries ago? A product of a jealous hunter and a rivalry that went too far. Who knows, given your present situation, it might even hit close to home for the two of you-"

"No thanks. We already got that story. The correct version and firsthand in fact, so feel free to save your breath." Zero interjected.

He was tired of listening to her talk and if he had to sit and listen to a full recap of the Souma/ Kiryu drama told from her mouth it would as good as cursing himself again.

Saiu on the other hand, didn't appreciate being interrupted. Her face contorted in anger. Maybe because her story was cut short or maybe because there was some other source out there that potentially had more information than she did. Whatever the case, it was obvious that it really pissed her off.

"Rude." She sneered at Zero. "For a man trying to get his kid back, I'd think you'd get rid of those deplorable manners before you entered my home…"

"Maybe…"Rei stepped forward, wanting to de-escalate the situation and also to sate her curiosity about something that had been bothering her for awhile. "You could explain to us about something we'd actually like to know. Like how it is that you are the first cursed twin of the clan, yet still alive after all of this time?"

Saiu smiled at this. Easing herself comfortably back into her chair and allowing a cheshire cat grin to spread across her face again.

"Ahh, yes I suppose that would be an intriguing question wouldn't it? One that only I would be able to answer for you…."

Rei choked back a snort. Too easy. It was apparent to Rei that talking about herself was one of Saiu's favorite topics.

The witch settled back in the chair, briefly closing her eyes as if she were bathing in her own nostalgia. "Moriko!" She called out, giving a singular clap of her hands. A young girl with short, stark-white hair came bounding up the steps, her head lowered, and offered Saiu a small round tray with a silver chalice centered on top. Without so much as an acknowledgement of the girl, Saiu swiped the cup from the tray and took a large swig of its contents, then twisted to re-focus her attention back on Rei and Zero, as the girl silently retreated back to the main floor.

"We were the first. The very first twins of the Kiryu to ever be born as a set." Saiu threw her head back in a dry cackle. "The uproar it caused! You'd have thought the the very world was ending! Prior to that it had never crossed their minds that there might ever be an end to that wretched curse." The witch flopped her head onto the hand she had propped on the chair's arm, looking sideways at the two of them.

"To think, so many years, so many brilliant Kiryu hunters. And yet, they'd all just given up hope. Content to just let the curse continue on for all of eternity. We should have been smarter than that. We were definitely stronger. Just think about it- the Souma siphoned our power for so many years and even still the Kiryu were only just barely behind them in terms of power and ability. Does that mean that the Kiryu were just that immensely powerful….or that the Souma were just that incredibly weak? Hmm…." She pasted an exaggerated look of puzzlement on her face as she pointed a finger to the corner of her mouth, before she burst out into loud guffaws of laughter, liquid sloshing out of the chalice she still held in her hand.

Unamused, Zero crossed his arms and straightened his stance. "Get to the point. How are you still alive?", he asked flatly.

Saiu's smile fell to a frown. Without warning she viciously flung her chalice across the room, where it clattered loudly against the wall, echoing through the air, its contents leaving a watery trail in its wake. "You really are no fun, huh? So testy. I was getting to it." She cleared her throat and sat up straight, shooting Zero the evil eye before she continued.

"So you see, when my sister and I were born, hope was born in the clan as well. All of a sudden, a light went on in the heads of the dim. They started thinking maybe there might be a way to break the curse after all. Fortunately- or unfortunately depending what team you're on- they decided that if dark magic created it, dark magic could break it." The witch paused. Her face a look of earnest interest as she assessed both Zero and Rei to see if they were following the direction the story was taking. Satisfied that they both had a good understanding of the build-up she was leaning into, she continued.

"They directed it at us. We were miracles to them. Special. They taught us dark magic, used it on us. Thought that because we were born, we were somehow the key to breaking the curse. Of course, we weren't. Why were we the first twins to be born alive and to not consume the other in the womb?" The witch stopped and gave them a toothy grin. "Well, I have my hunches, but let's save that for later, shall we? I'd hate to ruin a surprise before the party's even gotten started, you know?"

Rei rolled her eyes and bit her tongue. This was getting really old and her patience was wearing thin. She didn't recall this woman having such a grandiose sense of humor 8 years ago. Still… while the witch was taking time to bait and taunt them, Rei was also buying time to get a good feel for where they were and the people scattered in the room around them. While Ulma wasn't, Rei was pretty certain that a number of them were in fact

"Hey you! Focus! I don't like it when people don't pay attention when I talk, you know!"

Rei shifted her eyes back, to find Saiu looking at her, eyes slanted and tinged with anger.

Rei gave her a mock smile.

"I'm so sorry," she said apologetically. "Please continue."

Saiu's eyes flashed dangerously but she continued on with her story.

"We grew up immersed in dark arts, but as we grew, another set of twins succumbed to the curse. By the time we'd reached adulthood, two more sets had succumbed, and the clan had begun to consider our birth to be a fluke. Not a sign of a change, but some lucky coincidence and not as deserving of all of the attention they'd previously given us. Too bad for them, by that time it was too late. We'd become entranced by the dark arts. They pulled it all away from us, but we wouldn't give it up. Lost and abandoned within our own clan, we gave up the mantle of vampire hunters and left to seek what we needed elsewhere. In our travels and search we came across many different people, including others on the run. One in particular was running from his clan, the Souma. He had many interesting stories to tell before they dragged him away. His loose tongue also put us at the top of their hit list and forced us into deep hiding for many years, but we gained very valuable knowledge. Combined with our knowledge of the black arts we were able to… I don't know, 'change', 'play around with', 'edit'…? Call it what you want – but we modified the curse within our own blood, and though it may have taken the killing of a Souma or two, we used their blood to enhance our own and lengthen our lifespan. This kept us for many years as we continued to research and learn more and get even stronger. Finally, we decided that extended life wasn't enough. Luckily, we knew of a Pure-blood vampire who shared a grudge with the same Souma family we did. In exchange for some knowledge about where to find them, he was willing to grant us the immortality of a vampire." Saiu stopped and grinned again, this time allowing her fangs to extend, glistening in her smile.

Zero couldn't keep the look of disgust from his face, but Rei stared dully at her. This whole act and declaration was all obviously intended to get a rise out of her. However, finding out that this witch was the one who sold out her clan to Rido was really small potatoes compared to her having stolen her son. It didn't even hold a candle to it. Besides, with everything she'd learned recently about the Souma, Rei's bleeding heart for them was a little numb right now.

Worried that Rei could be reaching her limit. Zero stepped up again.

"Got it. You've explained, and I think we understand everything and are all caught up now. So… You know why we're here. Where's our son?"

The witch tilted her head, staring silently at Zero and pursing her lips.

"You've come all this way looking for your son have you?"

She leaned forward and peered curiously at Rei, boring her eyes deeply into hers. Suddenly she rocked her head back with a mad cackle.

"What a fool you are! You've had a little glimpse around our town haven't you? You're not daft. Did nothing strike you as even the least bit suspicious? Nothing noticeable or out of the ordinary?" She sat back and watched with piqued interest as Rei turned her words over in her mind, searching for the hidden meaning behind them

Suspicious or out of the ordinary? In this town? Rei thought about everything that she and Zero had seen since they'd entered… Then, she thought about the one thing that they hadn't seen… Slowly her eyes enlarged with understanding.

The witch jumped up, clapping her hands together and laughing loudly.

"Aha! Now you're getting it! Almost though. I don't think you're quite there yet.."

Zero glanced over at Rei, he had no clue what was going on. He didn't Iike riddles and the constant toying around was irritating the hell out of him.

"Hey, look-"

"Not yet you don't! We're not finished yet!" The witch shot Zero a glare and gave a short flick of her wrist. Zero could feel his chest tighten and the heavy feeling beginning to grip him again. He stopped trying to speak, reactively grasping at his upper torso.

Saiu turned back to Rei. "So- Are you there yet? Have we finally arrived?"

Rei looked to Zero, ensuring that he was okay as she continued to muddle it over in her mind. 'Out of the ordinary… That's the only thing I can think of, but… I don't know what that means? I don't get it…' Rei scrambled frantically to put it all together. She felt like there must be some obvious clue that she was missing. Part of her wanted to stop the game and just end the witch right here and now, but that wasn't what they came for. She wanted her son. He was the only reason they were here and they couldn't kill this woman until they had him safely in their grasp. She had to keep focus on their son.

'…their son.' Over the last eight years it had become like a mantra for her. Finding 'her son', 'their son', '…son…' Rei's mouth went dry, and the witch heckled in delight.

"Oh, I think she's got it! She's got it! Now the real party starts!" She giggled in glee as Rei turned wide violet eyes on her.

How could she have been so short-sighted? The only thing out of the ordinary since they'd come here to this town had been the lack of men. Everyone that they'd come across had been female. She'd noticed it but hadn't given it the consideration that she obviously should have. For so long she'd been so focused on this idea of identical twins and finding Roihichi's brother that she'd had no space for anything else. Rei felt dizzy and mortified all at the same time. Of course- she'd never so much as held the baby. She'd simply made an assumption and had held on to it for all these years.

Shaking, she turned to face the witch, her heart pounding uncontrollably, her head spinning. "Our baby," Rei squeaked. "The other twin…" She paused, scared to voice it out loud. Hoarsely she whispered the words. "It wasn't a boy…it was a girl…."