Embarrassment 35: Alone

Ever since Kanon had spent a night on the town with Keitaro, things seemed to go smoother around the house. Karin had gotten used to becoming a vampire. She blatantly refused sleeping in a coffin though, saying that she was scared of being in one. She got into a long argument with Henry about it because she came back later that night after feeding to find he had replaced her bed with one. Kanon and Anju both got to laugh as Karin forced her papa to get rid of the coffin and get the bed put back into the room.

Elda had decided to go back to sleep for a while. Anju and Carrera were especially happy about that. Elda told Kanon before she went back to sleep to wake her up if there were any problems with the hunters again. She was still a bit pissed that Yukio had managed to throw a tracking beacon on her without her knowing. Even though it ended up being very small, Elda was not proud of a vampire hunter getting the upper hand on her.

Ren had stopped by the mansion with Bridget on Thursday night, two nights after Kanon had been with Keitaro. She had hardly changed and almost went crazy for joy when she found out Kanon was a Pushuke. Kanon decided early on in the night to stay out of the house for a while till she calmed down. Bridget wasn't a big fan of Karin anymore now that she was just another vampire but did ask Karin if she planned to look for a new husband anytime soon. Karin politely but quickly said no. The funniest thing about Bridget was how well Ren controlled her.

"You got to know how to train them," Ren replied to his parents.

Kanon couldn't help but notice that Anju watched her every time she left the house. She wondered if Anju knew why she was going out each night and coming back so late. It had been a ten days since Kanon had heard from Keitaro and wondered if he had left. It may have been better that way, but deep down, Kanon was slightly depressed. She didn't understand fully what she thought when she saw him. She had only spent a couple of hours around him but she liked every moment. Keitaro was the only person outside of her own family who understood and knew what she was and didn't care. But maybe it was better off.

Kanon had found a spot that she liked to sit at inside the barrier, that she was able to see the entire town. When she wasn't with her family, or wanted to escape to peace, she went out to this rock and usually sat there all night just thinking. Her father would show up sometimes and sit with her on the boulder. Sometimes he talked with her and sometimes he just gave her the company she needed. But after a couple of days, he finally asked her what the problem was.

"Kanon, you have been so down for over a week now," he said, starring up at the starry sky. "Has there been something on your mind?"

She knew that she couldn't hide much from him.

"I'm okay, Papa. I was just thinking about something. Ever since I became a vampire, I've had to get rid of all my friends. Everyone keeps telling me that humans will never understand what I am and other vampires will just see me as the Pushuke. But last week, I ran into somebody who didn't look at me as some scary demon. I even found out that he is a half-vampire like me. But he's my families mortal enemy so I can't just be his friend."

"Why not? Kanon, you have been so lonely ever since you awoke as a vampire. But the human side of you needs someone to be around. So what if Keitaro is a vampire hunter? You had a good time with him, did you not? Not only that, he is willing to protect you when nobody else will."

Kanon didn't even wonder how he knew she was talking about Keitaro. She had a feeling that her father had been with her that entire night. She liked the fact that Kenta fully supported her being around Keitaro. He obviously didn't feel a threat from Keitaro.

"But," Kanon said slowly, "I haven't seen him in over a week. How do I know he hasn't gone home by now?"

"Because you are still here," Kenta replied. "He's still out here somewhere. No doubt close so that he can keep an eye on you. Go find him Kanon. You'll feel better if you are around him."

She smiled and gave her father a hug before leaving the Maaka's barrier. She had an idea of where Keitaro might be and just wanted to talk to him again. He was truly a friend, whether they both denied it or not.

On top of the mansion roof, Anju and Boogie watched the young vampire walk off. Anju knew where Kanon was going. She had been watching Kanon and her vampire ears could easily pick up everything Kanon had said.

"I think your niece has finally gone crazy," Boogie teased. "The little brat is talking to the wind again. Anju are you just going to let her go after that boy?"

Anju didn't say anything. Being a full blooded vampire, Anju often had trouble with human emotions and a human's way of thinking. She wasn't able to comprehend why Kanon would want to be around a vampire hunter. As far as Anju could see, Keitaro was a good-for-nothing half-blood that deserved to die. He had managed to break through their barrier so he knew where they lived. In fact, the only thing that stop Anju from killing him now that she knew his location was the fact that Kanon wanted to see him. Anju was quite curious on the human feeling that Kanon displayed. She wanted to watch and see what her niece did.

Kanon walked around the town for almost an hour looking for head or tail of Keitaro. She had no clue that he had been terminated by his own organization because of her and was now in hiding. The biggest problem is that Kanon had no clue what she said when she saw him. He had tried so hard to keep his distance from her in order to keep her safe. For her to deliberately come looking for him might make him angry with her.

But, she wasn't looking for him. She was just walking around town. Her town. There's nothing wrong with that. And if she so happens to run into him while walking through her town, common courtesy would be to say hello, right? Maybe not just say hello, but talk to him a little bit.

What Kanon was unaware of was the fact that Keitaro already knew where she was and had been following her since she left the Maaka barrier. With new clothing and his hair combed back he didn't stick out in a crowd anymore. He could probably walk right by her without her even knowing. He was still keeping up his vow by protecting her. But he wouldn't let himself get seen unless he really needed to. He was more of a danger to Kanon now that he had been terminated.

Go home, Kanon, Keitaro thought as he watched her cross the street and enter a small outdoor mall. Why are you so determined to find me? What could you possibly get from being around me? Go home, please.

Another reason why Keitaro didn't show his face was that he noticed the two bats flying behind the young vampire. One was obviously Anju's, making sure that Kanon was safe. He suspected that the other may have been another Maaka's bat. Keitaro extremely disliked Anju for the way she treated him while he was in the hospital. He could sense that she wanted to kill him the entire time that she was in the room with him. Even though vampires don't drink other vampire's blood, they still have minor reactions to the emotions. Being that Keitaro's affinity was malice, he could always tell when someone was a threat to him. Anju definitely wanted nothing more than that.

Kanon always seemed to attract attention when she walked around the city at night. Most people didn't understand what a normal, fourteen year old girl would be doing awake at such late hours at night. The truth was, Kanon's body had fully gotten used to living within the night hours. She loved going out into Tokyo when the city was alive and coming back early in the morning the next day. Every once and a while, she would even take a stroll through the park. Night didn't really seem to bother her. It may be because she knew that there was somebody always watching over her, mainly Anju. Even though she tried asking Anju to stop following her with the bats, her aunt denied.

But even with the bats watching over her, Kanon couldn't escape the feeling of being helplessly alone. He had waited until morning just a few nights ago and happened to run into her best friend Nariko, who was going off to school. Completely forgetting that Nariko had forgotten about her, she ran up to her best friend.

"Hey Nariko," she had said, running up, waving.

"Oh hello there," Nariko replied in her usual cheery voice. "Have we met before?"

Kanon, being thick as ever, continued on. "Haha, very funny. It's me, Kanon Usui."

"Are you knew here? I don't think I've seen you around before."

"Nariko, its me, Kanon. Your best friend since grade school."

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember you. I think you may have me confused with someone else."

With that, Nariko turned away and continued on to school without even looking back at Kanon. It really put Kanon in a bad mood for the rest of the day. It wasn't the best thing to hear your best friend say that she has no clue who you are. Kanon was all alone now. She knew this would happen after she awoke as a vampire but never realized the affects it would have on her.

"I miss my old life," Kanon said, sitting down at a table.

She truly was alone.