Embarrassment 36: A Pounding Heart
Karin didn't know how long she stayed by her little sister's side. It seemed like hours that she sat there trying to tend to Anju's wounds. It wasn't like she needed it. None of the wounds were extremely deep. The attack was just made to look more vicious than it actually was. And as a vampire, most of the wounds went away before the night ended. Finally, just before the sun was about to rise, Anju's eyes slowly fluttered open.
She ached all over even though all that was left were minor scars. It actually hurt quite a bit just to move and Anju decided it better just to lie still for a few moments while trying to remember what had happened to her. But all she could think about at the moment was Akihiko. She couldn't understand why, but he was the only thing on her mind, and just thinking about him made her heart pound. She wasn't used to this.
Even more so was the fact that she had just let herself get attacked. But for what reason? For some reason, she didn't want Akihiko to find out the truth about her. She had never felt so confused in her life. For the first time ever she was caring about somebody outside of her own family.
It didn't take long before Anju noticed that she wasn't alone in her room. After taking a deep breath, Anju slowly sat up in her coffin to see that Karin was sleeping right next to her. Her sister had fallen asleep tending to her wounds and her was now resting her head on the edge of the coffin. Anju also noticed that there was a bowl of warm water on the floor next to her sister with a rag inside. The young vampire gave a slight smile.
"Thank you, Big Sister," she whispered, barely letting her voice escape her mouth.
"Thank god," Boogie said from over in his chair. "I thought you would never wake up, Girly."
"Boogie?" she replied softly. "What happened?"
"You've been out for almost six hours, Girly," he said in a dark tone. "One of those damn vampire suitors attacked you tonight."
"It wasn't a suitor," she said, thinking back to the attack.
"You know the vampire that did this?"
Anju just shook her head silently as she slowly rose to her feet, being extremely careful not to wake her sleeping sister. It felt like she hadn't moved in years and as she stood up, the bandages that had been wrapped around her petite form started to unravel. She just quietly looked down at the many scars that covered her body, still unable to believe that she had allowed the vampire to have his way with her. Revenge sounded like a great idea, but at this moment, she had another plan in mind.
Like a child taking their first steps, Anju stepped gently out of the coffin and walked over to her closet, unraveling all the bloody bandages as she went, until she was completely nude. Boogie didn't say anything to Anju until he saw her reach into the closet and pull out a fresh new dress as well as a pair of shoes.
"Where the hell do you think you are going?" he wondered, flailing his arms wildly.
"Please keep your voice down, Boogie," Anju muttered softly, as she noticed Karin stir in her sleep.
"What do you mean keep my voice down?" the doll continued. "You can't seriously be thinking about going out there again tonight? You shouldn't be moving around so soon, Anju."
"I have to go see Akihiko."
Even as the words left her mouth, she started to wonder why she was even thinking about him. Actually it was all she was really thinking about. Just saying his name made her heart pound a little more. She quickly shook off the feeling as she slowly put on the clothing over her already aching body. However, Boogie didn't seem to take it so well.
"Are you crazy, Anju? You are worried about a stupid human at a time like this. Besides, it's almost morning. The sun will be coming up soon."
"I'll be fine," she muttered, as she laced up her doll-like shoes and walked over to the window. Opening the curtains, she could see that there was a little light in the distance. The sun was already starting to rise and in less than an hour, the sun would be too bright for her. She didn't care though. "I'll be back tonight, Boogie."
However, the little doll was flailing around in the chair like crazy. Anju was his master. He just couldn't sit there and watch her do something so suicidal. "What is wrong with you, Girly? Did that vampire knock a screw loose in your head or something? You can't leave now. You just woke up."
His frantic words fell upon deaf ears. Anju was barely listening to him as it is. She had already made up her mind and before he could even finish his rant, she had already opened the window, summoned her bats, and took off. This was the last thing Boogie had expected her to do. He was left in the room with nobody but Anju's sleeping sister to keep him company.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with her?" he wondered. "Don't tell me she actually fell in love with somebody."
Anju flew as fast as her bats would carry her. What she was doing was completely brainless and she knew it. It was one thing to fly around on a cloud of bats in the middle of the night. But if anyone happened to look up, they would no doubt see her bats now. Not only that, but the sun was already to the point of rising. It was almost too bright for the vampire's eyes to handle already. If she didn't hurry, she wouldn't last forever, especially in her extremely weakened state.
However, none of this really matter to Anju. From the moment she had awakened, she found herself extremely worried for Akihiko. To leave him all alone with another vampire was extremely dangerous and she knew it. She remembered the boy telling her where he lived last night. She just wanted to make sure he was okay.
Not only that, but Anju needed to answer some questions for herself. She was in a very confused state right now, and even the pain from her wounds couldn't distract her. This was the first time in the young vampire's life that she ever thought about somebody so much. She wanted to know why her heart was beating so hard just thinking about him. All she could think about was the way Akihiko stood up for her in the park earlier that night. He had no reason to protect her, but did so anyways. What Anju didn't know was that she was experiencing a very human emotion of love for the first time ever.
It didn't take too long for the vampire to find the house that belonged to Akihiko, which was for the best. The morning sun was already showing its face over Tokyo, and Anju could already feel her skin getting extremely hot in the glow. She quickly had her bats drop her down in the shade of the house. Her vampire nose could already pick up the scent of the boy so she knew this was the right house. Without even thinking, she went up to the front door and gently tapped on the door.
"Just a minute," she heard a familiar voice say from inside.
Anju had to admit that she hadn't thought any further than knocking on the door. But it wouldn't have mattered anyways. The moment the door opened and she saw Akihiko standing inside, his arm in a freshly wrapped cast, her mind went blank. It took a few moments for everything to sink into Akihiko's mind. Anju was the very last person he ever expected to be at his front door. Immediately, his jaw dropped.
"A-Anju?" he said in disbelief. "Wh-what are you doing here? Wait, the sun is out. You shouldn't be outside. Come inside immediately."
What he did next startled the poor girl almost to death. Without another word, he grabbed her small hand with his good hand and pulled her into his house, closing the door tightly. Anju was in such a state of shock that she didn't even do anything in response. It even got more surprising the moment he closed the front door tightly and gave her a big hug.
"You had me so worried, Anju," he said, wrapping his arm around her and holding her close to him. "I was so afraid you wouldn't survive."
For almost an entire minute, Anju just starred wide-eyed at the wall, unable to think of anything to say. Her arms hang loosely at her sides as she did nothing to stop Akihiko from hugging her. At this moment, her mind was running like crazy. She couldn't even think straight.
"You… were worried about… me?" she muttered softly, still in a slight trance from the shock.
"Of course I was," he said, letting go of her and smiling. "I don't know what I would do if you didn't make it."
"I'm…. okay," she replied softly.
She slowly gathered up her composure. But what Akihiko said next almost made her heart stop.
"What are you doing out so late, Anju?" he wondered. "It's too dangerous for a vampire to…."
Immediately he covered up his mouth. But the damage was done. He watched as Anju's little eyes went wide in shock. He knew what she was. The entire room went silent as they stared each other down. Anju was at a loss for words. Akihiko knew… He knew what she was… Another human knew she was a vampire… But instead of summoning a bat or wiping his mind. Anju's eyes started to water. She suddenly felt ashamed of herself. She didn't understand why, but the idea of him knowing the truth about her was painful.
"I'm sorry," she muttered, turning her back to him and opening the door. The morning sunlight shinned brightly into her eyes, nearly blinding her, but she didn't care. "I'll leave now."
"Wait!" Akihiko said, running up beside her and shutting the door before she could leave. "Don't be sorry. It's okay… really."
He quickly turned the little girl around to face him and was shocked to see that tears were running down her eyes. This caught him off-guard. Anju was crying. He had never seen her show any emotion in front of him so this was very unexpected. But now he understood what it meant to her.
For about a moment, Anju stared into Akihiko's caring eyes trying to hold back all the tears. But she didn't have the strength to do anything. Without warning, she lost consciousness and fell, just barely being caught by Akihiko. She had already been in a very weak state. The combination of going out into the sunlight and the pressure of realizing he found out the truth was too much for her young body and she lost touch with reality.
Hours later, the young girl awoke to find herself lying on a couch in a living room. She felt even weaker than the last time she awoke. But this time, there was a smell of blood in the air that made her heart pound and her fangs grow. It didn't take her long to realize the smell was coming from none other than Akihiko, who happened to be sitting on the couch right next to her. Anju's cheeks went slightly red as she sat up and covered her mouth.
Akihiko was silent at first as he stared at her with a monotone look. He had no idea what to say to her. Luckily, it was Anju who spoke first.
"Why aren't you afraid of me?" she asked darkly.
"Well I… I- um… I think it's kinda cool, you being a vampire and everything," he replied trying to force a smile.
Anju still held the dark and stoic attitude. Deep down, she was hoping that she wouldn't have to resort to wiping his memory.
"How did you find out?" she wondered, already knowing the answer.
"That guy from last night told me," he replied. "I didn't know what to believe at first."
No surprises there, she thought to herself.
"What else did he say?"
"He told me that there are other vampires out there asking for your hand in marriage," he said. "He said that you were dating humans because you are afraid of the other vampires."
"I'm not afraid," Anju said darkly.
"So it is true?" he wondered. Anju didn't know what to say at first so she just nodded quietly. Akihiko couldn't help but notice that she was trembling slightly. All this time, she didn't want him to find out the truth because she was scared of him. "Anju, I think it's okay that you are a vampire. Do you really think I would hate you for something so simple as that? You are still you."
Anju still didn't say a word.
"I guess I really can't speak for you," he said, sadly. "I've never really been that good talking to girls before, and I know nothing about vampires other than what tv has taught me. But I can tell that you didn't want me finding out the truth about you."
"It's not that," she finally said, still in the stoic tone. "I didn't want you finding out the truth like this. What the other vampire told you is true. The only reason I started dating you was so that the other clans would leave me alone."
"Why are they bothering you?"
After taking a deep breath, Anju started to tell Akihiko the truth. The entire time, she remained in a slight state of fear. She had never told a human so many things and frankly, this was the most she had ever spoken to Akihiko. The entire time, she monitored his reaction, only to be surprised that he didn't seem fazed at all. It was like he wasn't surprised that the world was filled with vampires. In fact, the whole time he watched her with interest and curiosity. Twenty minutes later, she finished and held her breath for what he would say next. She was never prepared for what happened.
Hello again. Yes, I know, it's been two months since my last post and at this point I'm pretty sure the story has died. I really don't have a reason why the story stopped for so long and I am trying my best to get back into writting it. After all, there isn't much left in the story. But since it has been so long, I do have a request. I am looking for at least three reviews. Three reviews to tell me that there are actually people still reading this, and I will finish the story. Otherwise, I might not continue on. If you are still reading this and want me to finish hit me up with a review and expect the next chapter shortly. Thank you.