An entire week passed and Kira didn't catch a glimpse of Gouenji. It didn't even feel like he was in the same house. At first, she searched for him in every corner of the house, highly curious. In the end, she tried to make her way up to Gouenji's room but was stopped by the butler.

"You aren't supposed to go up there. " He informed her.

"But I was never stopped before. " She argued.

"That has changed. I am now under the instructions to not let you go upstairs. " His calm tone was agitating Kira for some reason.

"How will you stop me?" She answered irately and marched up. He didn't move and quietly watched.

She was surprised to see the door to Gouenji's room locked from inside. She banged on it and called out for him for a long time asking for at least an explanation but she heard no noise or movement from inside. All of this was extremely bizarre and confusing to her.

She was initially confused and then she became worried. She thought something very bad had happened to him and he was hiding it from her because he didn't want her to worry. She pleaded a lot for him to open the door and let her see if he was alright but all she was met with was silence. She waited long hours sitting by his door in hopes that eventually she will catch him when he comes out. After all, he had to be out at some point, it's just that she kept missing it.

But this didn't work either. She never caught him in time. After this failure, in the subsequent days, she became angry. She banged and kicked his door furiously and yelled at him about how he was mistreating her and she didn't deserve it.

These were the initial twenty days. In the upcoming week, she lost all hope and fell into a pit of depression. She missed him beyond words. She missed his face, his voice, his kisses, the conversations at the dining table and by the fireplace, she missed the walks in the garden. Above all, she missed being close to him.

She didn't even know why he was doing that. She stayed up thinking, wracking her brain for any clue, and in the process, didn't even realise when her eyes would blur and tears would roll down her cheeks uncontrollably. She just wanted him back, somehow, anyhow she wanted to hold him once again.

Between all of this, she had barely been eating. She no longer enjoyed his favourite meals, no matter what was put forth in front of her. She prodded them with her fork, lost in thoughts, took a bite or two, and was done with it.

A month passed with Kira in this state and she was at the height of her suffering. She had stopped drawing, reading, or her walks in the garden. She barely moved about and barely ate.

One evening, she was looking out of the window. The sky was shining silver and she was thinking about her visits to Gouenji's room. Finally, she decided to distract herself by attempting to read a book for the hundredth time and no longer pay attention to the night.

She turned around and there Gouenji was, standing in front of her, looking at her gently.

She stared at him blankly, she was struck dumb and forgot how to move. It was when he moved towards her and pulled her in a loving embrace when she returned to her senses and once she did, she held onto him like her life depended on it. Before she knew it, she was crying, combing through his hair with her fingers, kissing him fervently once on each cheek and then on his lips.

He only gave her a few moments to do all this before he spoke next to her ear, "What are you feeling right now?"

"Oh, so happy! Beyond words! What is this feeling? I have never felt this way before. " She rambled in a half-mad state.

"Don't you love it? Wouldn't you want to feel this high again?" He asked again.

At this, Kira looked at him worried, "Don't leave me again like this. This was cruel."

"I won't have to." He gave her a purposeful look. That's when it dawned on Kira what it was all about.

"This is what you wanted to demonstrate to me!" She exclaimed with widened eyes.

"Yes." He nodded, "I realised humans feel the desperation for love and vampires for blood." He explained, "I thought if I could convey this to you, you would understand that while you are giving up human food you're open to a more complex and fulfilling connection."

"You-you're right! Everything fades in comparison to it. Even food and art." Kira remarked, amazed as she contemplated it.

He then shifted his tone and kissed her softly on the cheek,

"I'm so sorry I had to go to such lengths for it. My methods were extreme but I had no other way. I promise I will make it up to you." He concluded and stepped back intending to leave.

"No, don't go!" She desperately tugged on his lapel and pulled him back near her.

He smiled in surprise to see such a reaction from her.

She looked at him fondly as she gently pushed the hair back from his face to get a better look.

"I want you close to me. " Her voice was heavy with emotion. She then got on tip-toes and whispered in his ear, "closer than ever before."

He was taken aback to hear that and for a moment he didn't think he heard her right. But one look at her face and he could tell she meant every word she had just uttered.

She pulled him in for a kiss as he tightened his hold around her, making her gasp and then giggle. Her feet were an inch off the ground by now, her arms circled around his neck. He took a few steps back and then spun her around and they both ended up falling on the bed, laughing.

He took off his coat, the same one that had its collars shaped like a bat's wings, the one he donned over every outfit for some reason and tossed it aside not looking to see where it fell. As he got on top of her, her eyes remained fixed at him, unable to look away from his face glowing in the silvery light. Her cheeks drew in the deepest of hues as she anticipated the next moments, her breathing growing heavy.

Seeing this, he opened his mouth, revealing his shiny fangs in the process, and asked, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

She didn't need to think twice once she had made up her mind so she answered firmly,

"Yes. "