'The president got assassinated by a misplaced banana peel?!'

This shocking news, well, shocks the vampire community as it is revealed on live television that the president of the vampires has in fact, been killed by a foreign object in his office at home.

"And now we're at the scene of the crime," the TV switches to a reporter who stands before a camera with thousands watching, "thank you Carmilla, I am now at the place where the president currently rests."

"According to the vampire community elders, apparently president Vlad Lazarus, slipped on a hollow banana peel and hit the back of his neck against a jagged table edge, this is surely not a good look for his presidency."

The Vlad Lazarus starts to rise in the background of his rustic office, with many old vampires surrounding him, "are you okay Lazarus? How's your neck?" Lazarus rubs his neck whilst laughing off his injuries, "My neck is fine, I see you're all spry as always, I'm still young and have much to learn from you all, so I can't be dying now can I? HAHAHAHA."

The news anchor Carmilla remarks, "a well performed turnaround by the president, he always manages to turn anything into a positive sentiment towards himself! Back to the reporter."

"Well Carmilla, we'll have to wait for further news on the president, he may have a permanent neck scar."

"A truly terrifying prospect Kali, anyway on that note, this has been all the news for today vampire folks! We'll be back with an update on the president tomorrow morning so make sure to tune in!"

The channel changes to the usual cartoons before Ketsuki switches the TV off, her mother enters the living room where Ketsuki is lounging about on the cushioned couch, "that's the third time this week isn't it? We're still only on friday..." She says whilst approaching Ketsuki.

Ketsuki flops onto her stomach, the front pocket of her red hoodie pokes into her, she stuffs her hands inside and takes out a small piece of wrapped candy.

"I really thought he'd learned some awareness of his surroundings by now, guess not." Her mother places a hand on her head, slowly stroking her long strands of dark hair, "he stubbed a rusty nail on the sidewalk causing him to trip forward, then two days later he fell off his bicycle cause he didn't see the stray cat."

Ketsuki pushes the candy back inside her hoodie's front pocket.

She retracts her hand and rubs her eyes, "I'll go buy a neck relief patch for him before he comes back, go to sleep Ketsuki your graduation is tomorrow."

"Mhmm," she mumbles.

As Ketsuki goes upstairs, she looks back, watching as her mother exited the front door.

The sky has been darkened with stars dotted here and there, Ketsuki's mother ponders whilst entering a convenience store, the cashier greets her with a displeased expression.

'I knew she'd be coming again... That's the third time this week now.' The cashier reaches under the counter and takes out a small packet.

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"Hey um... I can't seem to find any pain relief patches? Do you have any in stock?"

The cashier hands the patches to her, "1,100 yen."

"Oh, thank you haha..." She slowly picks out a note and coin from her purse, paying before exiting the store with the cashier staring her down.

Back at home, Ketsuki walks back downstairs in her green and white checker patterned pajamas.

She abruptly hears the front door open and close just as quickly, 'oh, dad's back.'

Ketsuki waits for her father to enter the living room before following closely behind him, "is your neck okay?" She asks.

Lazarus jumps slightly at the sudden question and turns around, "you scared me Ketsuki, sometimes your silent footsteps really creep me out you know, HAHAHA."

She observes her father with tired eyes, "you seem fine, I'll go to sleep now."

"Mhmm, I'm just fine, have a good night Ketsuki!" He waves to her, Ketsuki returns the gesture whilst walking away with her back turned.

'To think that she can still show concern for me... Ketsuki's such a sweet girl, it's such a shame what happened to her all because of her mother...'

At this moment, Ketsuki's mother returns as well with a small packet in her hands. She looks down at the new pair of shoes at the front door, "Lazarus, I got you some pain relief patches..." Her expression drops as she enters the living room, where Vlad Lazarus sits on the couch with a serious glare that leaked fury into the air.

"What's up? Does you neck hur-"

"Honey."

She immediately went silent, his deep voice resounds in her head, "come here," he gestures beside him on the couch.

Hesitant, she stands at the edge of the living room with her feet firmly implanted in the ground, "can I just stay he-?"

She's interrupted again as Lazarus stands up and starts to approach until he's a mere couple inches away from her, "we need to talk."

Ketsuki eavesdrops on her parents with bated breath from the bottom of the staircase, able to clearly hear their conversation.

"Why did you name her that? Did you not even bother to think of an actual name!" Lazarus snapped at her, causing Ketsuki's mother to tremble in fear, although she soon regains her composure.

"So what if I didn't? She still has a name to go by." Lazaru's fists begin to tighten, he brazenly points outside at the back yard, "didn't we discuss her name together?!"

She retorts, "Ketsuki will hear us if you keep being so loud Lazarus. Just so you know, I wanted to give her a Japanese name that embodies her entire person, hence Kyuu Ketsuki."

Lazarus lowers his arm and glares at her, "she's our daughter, while I was gone you should've changed her name to a proper one, it was okay in elementary but didn't you see what happened in middle school?"

His gaze drops to the floor beside her, as if refusing eye contact, "I've held it in for a long time now but I must voice my opinion, our daughter is no longer the joyous person I loved back then."

Ketsuki feels a lump form in her throat, 'what do you mean dad...?'

"You're wrong Lazarus, I'm not raising our daughter, I'm raising our future caretaker."

'Caretaker...?' Ketsuki feels her limbs go limp, yet they shiver uncontrollably. She hears a crumpling noise from her hoodie, she puts her hands inside and pulls out the candy from earlier that day.

"Caretaker?" Lazarus speaks one word and the room falls silent, only Ketsuki's shallow breaths fill her ears, the nauseating anxiousness in her head causing her to feel lightheaded.

"So that's it huh? All she is to you. Why she is the way she is now, just because of this." He walks over to the dining table, where he notices a leg jutting out from behind the staircase, he sighs deeply with a pained expression.

'I give up.'

"Ketsuki, dad's gonna have to go on a business trip to another country for a while, make sure you listen to your mother alright? Apparently she knows everything that's best for you."

A few months later, Ketsuki's Home.

She sits on the same couch where her father sat mere months ago, to this day she hasn't come into contact with him at all, doesn't even know if her parents are still together or why he left.

"Mom, could you tell me why dad left?"

Ketsuki's mother stands in the kitchen, where she routinely makes breakfast.

"Business trip, just wait and he'll be back before you know it."

'Liar... You turned the TV off and won't tell me why he actually left.' Ketsuki feels a faint pang in her chest, it still didn't feel right.

"By the way Ketsuki, you need to learn how to take care of yourself first before anything, so I got you a room at the dorm for the new school you'll be attending next week."

Ketsuki's ears perk up and her posture straightens, "what school...?"

"Kanto Gakuin, it's just near our house."

"Then why live in the dorm?"

"Because you need to learn."

She remembers her mother's words on the day her father left, 'take care of myself before I take care of you, is that right?'

"I think the school is... Fine, but could I not stay in the dorm?"

"No, I paid already, do you want to waste my time and money?" Her mother turns to her with an annoyed expression, Ketsuki realized she had no choice.

"Try to be more active instead of gloomy too, then maybe this time you'll actually make some friends at school, it worked for me when I was your age."

"Right, I'll do my best."

Present Day, Kanto Gakuin.

'Can I really keep listening to mom?' Ketsuki gazes around the classroom, several students are out for lunch but the remaining students murmur amongst each other, 'I think they're still talking about me...'

She lets out a faint sigh before turning around to her bag, when suddenly a gust of wind blows in from an open window and hits her in the face. 'Damn it who left the window open?' Ketsuki looks at the boy behind her, 'Sasaki Haru was it? Wait, is he that guy from yesterday?'