Hey. Sorry that it's been so long. My summer so far has been anything but carefree. I've been doing so much that I've only been able to type for a few hours since I've been out of school. I hate to say it but I probably won't be able to update soon. It doesn't help that I have no computer at my house. On top of all that, I have two book reports that I have to finish over the summer. So all I can say is that I'm sorry and to please bear with me for a while. I'd also like to thank all of you who have reviewed, added this story to their alert list, and whatnot; it means a lot to me. Lastly, seeing as I was taking so long, I decided that I'm going to retype chapters 4, 5, and 6 during the interim between this chapter and the next one.
Chapter 14 Embarrassment 14: A near pointless search
Winner Sinclair had just exited the hotel, his new "friend" in tow. Winner had remained largely unchanged by the blood he had been drained of. Due to the fact that he was descended from a long line of vampire hunters and that Karin hadn't taken much blood, it wasn't much of a surprise.
Wondering what to do next, he turned around to face his fellow hunter only to realize that he was a considerable distance from him. When he finally caught up, and covered in sweat at that, he was met with a few questions.
"How do I know you're an actual vampire hunter," Winner questioned.
"Huh? (PANT) What do you (PANT) mean?"
"Well, I've never seen a vampire hunter so out of shape. My grandfather can do better than that."
"C'mon, cut me some slack, I just ate."
"Seems like a pretty lame excuse, but okay. By the way, what's your name?"
"It's James."
"Huh. Well James, I'm Winner."
"I already know that."
"How'd you know that? Did the W give it away," Winner said, pointing to giant, gold W emblazoned on the front of his suit.
"Uh . . . no. Your grandfather told me."
"Well anyways, do you have any idea where we should go next?"
"I'm glad you asked, my friend. Follow me," James said, running off.
It didn't take long for James to end up following Winner.
Instead of constantly stopping and waiting for James, Winner decided to just slow down to what seemed to him like a snail's pace.
After about 10 minutes of "running", the duo ended up in front of some greasy noodle stand.
"What the hell," Winner yelled, in frustration, "Why are we here?"
"Well, uh . . . you see, I kind of ate here. But um, I forgot to have my dollars converted to yen . . . so I was hoping that maybe you could pay and I'll pay you back later."
"Why'd you come back here if you owed the place money!"
"Well, he has my favorite hat as collateral."
Winner wanted to knock out a few of James' teeth, for wasting the time he should have been using to save Karin; however, he begrudgingly paid the owner of the stand and reunited James with his favorite piece of headwear.
"Thanks man," James said. The hat perfectly matched the trench coat he was currently wearing.
"Just shut up and help me find Karin."
"How?"
"What do you mean 'How'? We're going to find out where she is and go rescue her!"
"We can't do that without some way to track her or the vampire that took her," James said, his voice told Winner that he was happy Winner hadn't realized that yet.
"Oh yeah."
"Well . . . do you have anything that belonged to that girl?"
"Not anymore. When Maki found her stuff in my room, she got pissed and made me throw it out."
"Maki? How many girls do you date at once?"
"I'm not dating either one of them right now."
"Huh, bummer."
Meanwhile, at a vampire mansion . . .
Bridget Brownlick lay on her bed. She was bored. The nursery for her yet-to-be-born child had been finished within a week of her finding out that she was pregnant and it had been fabricated with everything a child could ever need.
Personally, Bridget was greatly enjoying the attention she was getting from all of this. Not only was she a vampire of high-standing in the Brownlick clan, but this was also the first vampire to be born in over a decade.
The only thing that was bothering her was the fact that she hadn't seen Ren at all since the morning after the child had been conceived. Not that it really mattered. He'd have to come to her eventually.
. . .
Now at the MARKER mansion . . .
Karin was descending the stairs of the Marker mansion, taking her time. Excerpts of her conversation with her mother were currently the only thing on her mind. The part that was clouding her thinking the most was the part about how dangerous a pregnant vampire really is to humans.
Even though she didn't want to admit it, she knew she would bite anyone without a second thought if she had to.
Except maybe for Kenta . . .
Just the thought of hurting Kenta made her skin crawl. He was so nice and caring; he would do anything for her.
Actually, he had already done that. He was willing to support Karin and a child that he knew nothing about, just because he loved her.
Karin just hoped that she would never lose control like she had done with Winner or the times when she used to expel blood.
However, as much as she wanted to think that her will was enough, she knew that she could easily lose control if she went to long without drinking enough blood. She would just have to make sure she drank her fill whenever she needed and to stay away from Kenta until she did.
Well, no matter how much time you try to make for yourself by doing something slowly, you'll always eventually finish. Karin dreaded the step that put on ground-level with the family room. Kenta and the rest of her family (excluding Elda and probably Ren as well) were in there and waiting for her.
She walked into the room.
Winner and James had no luck in their search. Not only was Winner a rather dysfunctional vampire hunter, but James didn't seem to be much help either.
"Maybe we should put a missing person ad in the paper and on milk cartons, they do that over here right," James questioned.
"Of course you can put ads for that in the newspaper, but were not," Winner said.
"Actually, I was talking more about the milk cartons. I've always thought that was pretty cool. You know what I'm saying, right? I'm not saying I like the fact that people are kidnapped, but it's kind of neat to just stare at them while you're eating cereal, you know?"
"Why the hell are you even thinking of that? We have to save Karin!"
"Well damn, I was just trying to start some nice conversation to lighten the mood."
"You know, I'm beginning to think that you're just trying to piss me off. Hell, how do I even know that my grandfather really sent you?"
"You're saying that you want to hear my story?"
"Yes," Winner said, adamantly.
"Fine," James said, "I grew up in a typical US city, what its name is is between me and your grandfather. Anyways, I come from a pretty prominent line of vampire hunters just like you. Well, when I finished my training, I had to start hunting vampires; the problem is that there are so many vampire hunters where I lived that there were next to no vampires anywhere near the place."
"That still doesn't explain why you're here."
"I was getting to that. Anyways, I wasn't getting much firsthand experience; whenever we did find a vampire in the area, I was always just told to watch the more experienced hunters take care of it. Well, after a while of that, my dad started getting worried that I would never get to have any firsthand experience. Well, speak of the devil, somewhat, your grandfather comes over to ask if there was anyone who could help you with your hunting. My dad immediately told him about my predicament and he said it would be perfect," James finished, having stopped to breathe only a few times during the duration of that speech.
"Hm."
"And that's not all I found out," James said.
"What else is there," Winner questioned.
"We're related!"
"What? Really!"
"Nope. I just wanted to see how you'd react," James said, laughing immediately afterwards with a huge smile on his face.
Winner had half a mind (both figuratively and to the dismay of his grades) to wipe the smile off of James' face, however James decided to say something serious.
"But really though, our families have actually been pretty good friends over the years."
"Just don't forget that the Sinclairs are strong in their own right," Winner said, smirking.
"Hey, that's nothing to take lightly. It's because of the bigger families forming alliances like this that we can afford the things that we can . . ."
Winner was suddenly reminded about how he had bragged to Karin about that earlier in the day.
". . . anyways, have you thought of anything we have to track that girl with?"
"Well, I do have some equipment that I use when I go patrolling. It can sense vampires at a short range."
"That's no good; we'd never be able to get past a large barrier with something like that. Besides, that doesn't help us find the actual lair itself."
"Yeah . . . but we can't give up just yet. We must find Karin," Winner said, striking a valiant pose.
". . . Or we could just get some takoyaki," James said. In true anime fashion, Winner fell flat on his face after James' ridiculous suggestion.
"No! We must find Karin!"
I don't know man, twenty bucks worth of cheap-ass noodles just goes right through me," James remarked.
"Come on. If we find Karin, I'll buy you some takoyaki."
"Sweet."
Meanwhile . . .
Karin hadn't felt much like talking so she had decided to just sit next to Kenta and allow Calerra to do all of the talking.
Most of the conversation consisted of what was going to happen in the months to come.
"Well," Calerra started, "I suppose the biggest issue is how Karin is supposed to live in the world of humans as a full vampire. Are their any suggestions?"
"Doesn't that mean Karin would have to live here," Ren questioned, he knew that the answer wasn't that simple, but that question would bring up the problems with that idea and he wouldn't have to say anything else. Not only that, but he needed to know if he would have to decide between Karin or Bridget again. Then again, he could just return to the strip of land he had found.
"If she did stay here, what would we do about Usui's mother," Anju questioned.
"There's that. And what if Karin stayed a normal vampire," Henry threw his question into the ring.
Test . . .
"What," Kenta thought, questioning the voice in his head, "Test what."
Karin . . .
"Um, maybe we should see if Karin is . . . still a . . . full vampire," Kenta asked.
"How could we do that without putting her in danger," Henry asked.
Sunlight . . .
"Sunlight," Kenta thought, "But wouldn't that hurt her?"
Do I have to tell you everything?
"Uh, I'd appreciate it if you did."
(Sigh) Make her put her hand in the sunlight.
"Thanks!"
Sheesh . . .
"Um, maybe she could just stick her hand in the sunlight."
"I said that we should choose something that couldn't hurt her," Henry said.
"Henry, you're being too overprotective," Calerra said, "It's just her hand."
"J-just trust me. You trust me, right Karin?"
Karin was a little scared of what the sun felt like, (she was unconscious when it burned her skin for the first time) but she trusted Kenta.
"Okay."
Karin and Kenta left the room, closed the door behind them, and were facing the front door.
Karin put her hand where the sunlight would come in when the door was creaked opened, turned her head, and closed her eyes.
Kenta slowly opened the door slightly.
"Karin, look!"
Karin opened her eyes and looked at her hand. It wasn't in pain or anything.
Kenta slowly continued to open the door.
Karin watched the sunlight slowly engulf her arm and then her body, until they were both covered in light.
After standing in the doorway and getting some fresh air, Kenta closed the door.
"I guess that means you're okay for now," Kenta said, smiling.
"Yeah," Karin said, smiling back.
"Let's go tell everyone," Kenta said.
They went back into the room.
"It looks like Karin's . . . um . . . Karin again," Kenta said, for lack of a better term.
"This is . . . strange," Henry said, "Calerra, do you know how this could happen?"
"My best guess is as good as yours. She may only be a full vampire when she needs blood."
"Hmm, sounds good anyway," Henry started, "I guess that solves some problems and creates some others."
"I'll say," Ren said, leaving the room now that he knew he would be able to stand being here a bit longer.
"Let's just call it a day and deal with the rest of the problems later," Calerra said, going to get herself a bottle of a cheating man's blood.
"Um, before we go, can I ask you something papa," Karin asked, feeling guilty that she was being such a bother to him.
"What is it darling?"
"Um, can I ask you in private?"
After venturing to another one of the ground level rooms, Karin asked her question.
"Do you know . . . what happened to Gilbert Brownlick?"
Henry sighed.
"He, Glark, and a few other of the Brownlick males died in the sun."
"Papa?"
"Yes."
"Thank you for telling me."
After Karin and Kenta left, Anju retired to her room.
Henry sat down in his favorite armchair, just as Calerra came back with her bottle of blood.
"Have they left yet?"
"Yes. I also allowed them to come through the barrier as they need."
"Henry?"
"Yes, Calerra?"
"Do you think we're going to end up taking care of Karin for the rest of her life?"
"I don't think so."
"Even so, do you think we're going to end up taking care of Karin's kid after it's born?"
"I don't know."
"I'm just saying Henry. It just seems like it'll never end."
"Well, we did sign up for all of this when we decided to have kids."
Calerra sighed and drank deeply from her glass.
Winner was heartbroken. He and James had had absolutely no luck in their search for Karin. He could think of only one more thing to do.
"I guess I had better tell Kenta the bad news," Winner said, holding back what he thought of as manly tears.
He knew where Kenta and his mother lived so he proceeded down the quickest path to it.
When Fumio answered, she wasn't quite sure what to think of the duo.
"Um . . . can I help you two?"
Winner kissed her hand before talking, causing Fumio to blush.
"You certainly may, ma'am. I am looking for Kenta Usui. I have some horrible, horribly urgent news to tell him."
"Oh, well he's living with Karin now . . ."
Before Fumio could even finish her sentence, Winner was running off, with James struggling to keep up behind him, yelling things such as "Fiend!" and "Scoundrel!"
The path to Karin's apartment was short. Winner already had it marked on his map of Shiihaba from when he had learned that she had moved there, it was where he would always go when he was bored or lonely.
Due to force of habit, he went to where he would usually go first, a place that couldn't be easily seen from any of the house's windows.
"Alas, I won't need to go there any more, unless I develop something for creepy-eyed, Japanese men," Winner said, dramatically.
"Dude, that's creepy," James remarked.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you were with me. Well, we had better not waste any more time," Winner said, saying the last part, again, dramatically.
Winner walked up to the front door and knocked.
"Yes," Kenta said, opening the door.
"Kenta. Kenta, Kenta, Kenta. I am sorry to say that something horrible has happened . . ."
"Oh great," Kenta rolled his creepy eyes.
". . . Miss Karin has been kidnapped by a horrible, blood-hungry, vampire!"
"Is that Winner yelling," Karin asked, coming out of the kitchen.
"Karin," Winner exclaimed, pushing Kenta out of the way and hugging Karin a bit too tight.
"What's with you," Kenta yelled, pulling Winner off of Karin and attempting to shove him out the door.
"By the way Karin, did you enjoy earlier today?"
At the mention of earlier that day, Karin found herself helping Kenta push Winner out the door.
"Ow! That was my hand Miss Karin," Winner yelled, as both Karin and Kenta managed to close the door.
"Sooo. Does this mean we can get some takoyaki," James questioned, not caring that Winner was currently tending to his hand.
"Whew," Karin said, as she locked the door all the way.
"Sooo. What happened earlier today," Kenta asked.
Karin didn't think things through beyond not wanting to stress Kenta out more so she replied.
"Oh! I just bumped into him on the street."
"Oh, um okay . . ."
"Um Kenta, can you help me in the kitchen?"
"Huh, sure."
Fourteenth Embarrassment End
Well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Anyways, please review and vote in the poll.