The world stopped. Rei could feel a coldness in her body overtake the burning from the blade. The paralyzation had spread so much that she could no longer move her limbs, she could only cry out. She watched as Zero moved with a speed that her eyes couldn't follow, and caught Hisachi before she could hit the ground. The young girl's eyes were still an O of unguarded surprise. Beyond the two of them, Rei could see Ulma as she too cried out and collapsed to the ground in tears. Saiu however, had merrily danced off and out of Zero's reach.

"Well then… I think that just about does it." Saiu tapped her chin in pretend contemplation. "You'll both die, but Rei you get to stick around just long enough to see the child that you searched so fruitlessly for these past 8 years, die before your eyes. I hope it burns your soul as that blade burns your body, and then I hope you burn in hell for what you did to my sister." Saiu spit towards Rei, her face twisted in a mask of hatred and evil. "Even then it still would never be enough."

Zero knew he had a chance. The blade was still in his hand and Saiu was intently focused on Rei.. but he couldn't leave Hisachi as she trembled in his arms, her eyes squeezed shut as her throat hemmorhaged blood around him. He tore off the outer layer of the shirts he wore and tried to cover her with it, but it was immediately soaked. Panic set in and he didn't know what else to do but turn to Rei. She had been waiting for him. Her voice was weak and she couldn't call out but her eyes called to him as soon as he looked her way.

"Rei? What is it? What do I do?" In a panic, Zero slid towards Rei, delicately pulling the dying girl along with him.

"C…Cu…". She was trying to say something, he just couldn't make it out. He leaned closer, placing his ear almost directly against her lips. Whatever it was he needed to hear it now. Hisachi had stopped moving.

"Cut." She whispered hoarsely. Zero pulled back and looked at her intently.

"Cut?" He asked, frowning, his eyes darting around. Rei's eyes looked towards the girl's head and Zero followed. He didn't understand the purpose but he understood what she wanted him to do and he wasn't about to question it. Without further words, he pulled his standard dagger from his belt, turned Hisachi's head to the side and without pomp and circumstance he grabbed her hair at the nape of her neck and sliced the blade through it as similar as he could to the way he remembered seeing Rei do at the cliff so many years ago.

Nothing happened. He had hoped to see the blue flames or something special, but no, there was nothing. Hisachi still laid still in his lap, her eyes closed, her body unmoving. Zero pulled her towards him and held her there, cradling her head against his body, his emotions in disarray. He looked towards Rei. She still crouched precariously on her knees and hands, the blade sticking from both sides of her. Her head had dropped and her eyes were closed, but Zero got the feeling that she hadn't given up. He thought maybe if she had she'd either have dropped down and have let the sword take her, or have worked up whatever energy remained in her body and devoured Saiu with the last remanants of everything she had left. The fact that she was doing neither gave Zero a sliver of hope.

As he thought this, he felt a small tingle at his fingertips. Frowning he looked down but saw nothing. The tingle however continued and his whole hand began to tingle. The hand that held Hisachi's head began to move and after a moment Zero realized it was moving because her hair was moving. Not just moving, but growing. He startled back a bit and watched in unmoving fascination. It began to pick up speed, her now unmistakeably silver hair rapidly growing until it reached it's prior length, almost as if he'd never cut it.

Zero stared in wonder as he saw her eyes flutter beneath her eyelids. He was certain his heart skipped a beat. He had no clue what was happening, but he was pretty sure Rei did. He chanced a glance towards her and saw that she had opened her eyes and though it looked like she was struggling, her pale colorless face stared at the scene unfolding in front of her. Zero swallowed. He guessed that she didn't have much longer. He needed to make sure Hisachi was okay and then he could find some way to save Rei too.

He turned back to look at Hisachi only to be met with her vibrant purple eyes staring steadily into his. He found himself speechless as tears fell silently from his eyes. He didn't care if she hated him, she was his and she was alive. He pulled the bloody shirts from her neck and marveled at the smooth unblemished skin beneath them. The gash was gone and she was completely healed. He grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, squeezing her and stroking her newly grown hair.

"What happened?" She asked softly, "How did I… survive?" Zero glanced towards Rei, she had dropped to her fore arms, her head resting on the ground. He wasn't entirely sure if she was still alive. He ran to her, forgetting momentarily about Saiu and the circumstances surrounding them. It could easily have been his biggest mistake of the day. As he reached Rei he found Saiu had gotten there first and she reverberating with rage. Zero understood. Apparently none of this was going according to plan for her

"I don't know how you did it" She hissed, "That one-" she gestured her head to Hisachi who watched close by with fearful eyes "Should be dead and following this one-" she kicked Rei as she said it, knocking her on her side, before Zero could stop her "-into the grave!"

Zero snarled and lunged at Saiu, pulling the sacred dagger out and aiming to drive it deep into her neck. He knew he didn't really have a chance but he did it anyways. The time for action had passed earlier when the witches attention had been elsewhere, and he had lost the element of surprise that he desperately needed in order to win this fight. Without Rei this just might be a losing battle. But still, he thought about Rei and Hisachi and knew if nothing else he would die fighting.

Saiu easily sidestepped his attack, grabbing his arm and twisting it until he could hear snapping in the joints. Just as he was certain it would break, Zero saw her attention snap over his shoulder towards Rei.

"You ungrateful child! What are you doing? Get away from her! Someone stop that brat! Kill them both!" Zero took advantage of the opportunity and kicked Saiu as hard as he could in her side. It didn't disable her, but it knocked her back long enough for him to get his bearings and find out what was happening.

As he looked back, he saw Hisachi standing over Rei with her hands on the hilt of the blade, the other vampires however were moving quickly towards both of them preparing to attack. Zero thought hard- how could he possibly fend off Saiu and protect Hisachi and Rei? He took off towards Hisachi but was stopped as Saiu grabbed him by the collar throwing him down to the ground.

"Ah ah ah" she chided, standing over him. "You're going to ruin my fun if you do that. How about you stay and watch a bit and then I'll kill you slow-"

Before she could finish her threat, there was a loud bang and the door to the building flew inwards. The suddenness of the sound made everyone pause, their attention shifting to the now doorless entryway. Like flashes of light, in zipped Aido, Kane, and a handful of other vampires that still remained inthe Kuran service. Immediately following them was Kaname himself. As he came in, he wasted no time pinpointing Rei.

"Stop." Kaname issued the order, and as a pure blood all of the lesser vampires had no choice but to obey. They immediately stopped their movements, but Kaname's words had no effects on the stronger vampires and he left it to the others to take care of them.

As this was going on, Zero struggled in vain to get out from under Saiu's grip. As soon as the other vampires had entered, Saiu had become psychotic. She seemed intent on killing Zero as quickly as possible and she was almost there. He struggled fruitlessly, terrified that in the midst of the newcomers, Hisachi could end up hurt or mistaken for an enemy. He needed to get to her and make sure she was safe, but even with the amulet, Saiu's power was still much stronger than his and he could feel the pressure of it weighing down on him. As hard as he was trying, he was unable to fight her off.

Meanwhile, seeing Rei half-dead on the ground where another vampire had obviously plunged some type of poisonous blade into her, Kaname promptly moved into action, appearing swiftly and silently behind Hisachi as she held the blade in her shaking hands. He frowned. "I'd hate to kill a child, but this woman you've injured means quite a lot to me." As Hisachi started to turn towards him, Kaname placed his hands on the sides of her head, preparing to snap her neck, when Rei uttered a frail "No…"

Kaname paused briefly at her words. As a vampire, he could literally hear her heartbeat- it was deathly slow, barely audible when he'd entered the room, but as he'd approached this girl, he'd heard it clearly speed up, becoming almost erratic. He could tell Rei was scared of something.

Immobile on the ground, Rei couldn't find her voice. The poison seemed to have numbed everything, and between the blood loss and the excruciating pain, she couldn't see clearly anymore. But she could hear. She knew Kaname was near and he was trying to protect her. But he was confused and she had to tell him. Her throat felt like it was on fire and the pain was unbearable. In her delirium she wondered if this was what it felt like to be burned alive. But still… if Rei didn't say it, if she didn't find some way or some strength to push through… Kaname was going to kill her…

"She's… my…"

That's it. It was all she could say before the pain enveloped her. 'No good. No way that's enough' she thought, as everything started going dark and her consciousness slipped away. 'I don't want this to be how it ends…'

"daughter. She's your daughter"

Just before the black overtook her, she heard it. Kaname's voice reached her ears. Rei smiled internally. 'He got it, thank God for him. I can die in peace.'

Saiu straddled Zero now with her hands squeezed tightly around his neck, chanting words he couldn't understand and he seemed helpless against her. Just as he was sure she would kill him, Zero heard her scream and felt his airways open as she fell off him. Gasping for breath, he sat up and quickly jumped to the side. Looking back to figure out the cause of his salvation, he saw Ulma. She stood standing over Saiu with the Kiryu dagger in her hand, blood running down it.