Scarlet

6. Irreversible

From that day on Kira's stern demeanor towards him melted away and she had once again warmed up to him. However, he had to avoid her until her wound completely healed and although she missed him she knew he was doing it for her own good.

A fortnight passed before he approached her as she sat reading in her room. Her spirits were lifted as soon as she saw him and she ran up to him but stopped a little short of half a foot away.

"I missed you so much. " She said as she stared at him to her heart's content.

" We cannot live like this. " He said, a little breathless at the sight of her, " We have to find a way to make our situation better. "

They both came closer but as he held her he could sense himself be overtaken by the sweet scent of blood again.

"Stop blushing!" He exclaimed in frustration as he closed his eyes to focus and compose himself.

"I can't control this. " She answered with a chuckle.

"Neither can I!" He answered as his eyes glowed again and he began stepping back.

But this time Kira didn't let go and pulled him close again.

"Just focus on this. " She said as she kissed him.

At first, he was so overwhelmed being so close to her he thought he would fall apart or hurt her against his own will if he didn't step away immediately. Stressed by this thought, his grip on her tightened, a little too much and as a result, she gasped. When he realised, he quickly fixed his mistake.

"You love me, right? So just think about that. Don't think about anything else. " She whispered against his lips.

So he did as she told him to and then he slowly began to immerse himself in the moment a little easier than before. He was able to ignore his vampiric instincts for a while.

When they broke apart he was looking at her with curious wonderment.

"How are you not afraid of doing something so perilous? What if I had hurt you? " He asked.

At this, she chuckled first and then answered, "My actions may have seemed impulsive but I had thought them through. You can't bite me if you're kissing me." She laughed again.

"What?" He couldn't help but exclaim. He was expecting her to reveal some deep psyche behind her actions but the answer that came was oddly frank. In the end, he couldn't help but chuckle with her.

...

The next time when they both happened to be in the garden for a stroll, Kira, instead of sitting on the opposite side of the pathway, away from Gouenji, went and sat right by him. He became alert for a moment, expecting the same reaction as always but he realised it wasn't as strong and overwhelming as usual. With a little effort, he was able to remain calm and focus on Kira instead of the scent of her blood.

"You are getting used to me. " She said as she smiled at the progress.

"I should hope so because you are going to be with me forever. " He answered.

"Careful! You're getting ahead of yourself. " Kira warned him playfully.

"No, I'm not. You will be. " He answered with a little more conviction this time.

Kira wasn't sure if he was serious but his conviction seemed strange to her,

"How can you be so sure?" She asked, dropping her playful tone now.

"There's something you should know. " He was now speaking seriously too. Kira was getting anxious more and more with every moment. Ever since she had stepped foot in that mansion she was being hit with constant surprises and just when she had thought she had known all there was to know something new seemed to have come up.

"Go ahead. " She said despite her anxiety.

"When you voluntarily fed me your blood to revive me, you intertwined our lives together irreversibly. " He announced.

"What does that mean?" Kira asked promptly.

"I'm not immortal anymore. If you die, I'll die with you. " He revealed gravely.

Of all the things Kira had heard since arriving at the mansion, this was probably the most troubling of all. She remained still for a while, unable to move, just staring at Gouenji in shock.

"You're joking, aren't you? This can't be true. I did that to help you! He...he..told me it would help you. " She stuttered in shock.

"You mean Mr. Watanabe? He has no knowledge of anything. " Gouenji raised his hand dismissively. He then sighed, "But to be frank, I did not know about it either. It was in the book you gave me. "

"I didn't see it there. " Kira answered.

"It was towards the end. I suppose you never read up to there. " He commented.

"Why is it at the end? Shouldn't such important information be at the beginning?" She yelled in frustration.

"It is so rare there are hardly any instances of ever happening. This is why I wasn't aware of this either. It is the greatest act of kindness a human can show towards our kind. " He explained.

"So what now?" She asked again after a brief pause.

" You're my wife now. " He informed her as he took her hand in his and placed a delicate kiss on the back of her fingers.

"Are you not upset you lost your immortality because of me? How can you love me after such a mistake? " She looked at him with sombre eyes.

"There is a way we can both have it. " He revealed, " Let me turn you, and then we can have all the eternity to ourselves. "

Kira let out a small gasp and pulled her hand back from his hold.

"That is all you want isn't it? This is why you're telling me these elaborate stories. " She accused him.

"Everything I have told you is true. Not only does the book say so, but I can also sense something different in me. " He answered.

"But I don't sense anything! " She suddenly stood up and began walking away with hasty steps.

"Kira..." He followed her and caught her wrist.

At this, she turned to him, " I can assure you I'm not dying tomorrow. Do you think you could give me time to at least process all of this?" She retorted and then walked away.

Kira went straight to the library to fact check what Gouenji had just told her. To her dismay, he wasn't lying. It was all written there. Suddenly, Kira felt overwhelmed with everything and could feel the frustration of it all at once. She fell on her knees and began whimpering.

A few moments later, Gouenji appeared at the door. He slowly approached her and leveled with her. He extended his hand and towards her wanting to hold her but he was afraid he would accidentally hurt her.

Kira felt his presence and looked up. He was looking at her with a helpless and vulnerable expression.

"How can you be here right now?" She began quietly, "How are you not bothered by everything you just told me?"

Gouenji remained silent. His expression didn't change.

"I stole your immortality. " She interjected.

"You gave me life. " He promptly answered.

"Oh, don't say you really believe that! " She exclaimed.

"I do." He answered softly.

He extended his hand to her, maintaining as much distance as possible and wiped away her tears. Kira had stopped crying but she kept staring at him with glassy eyes.

"I know the intentions behind your doings were for my good. I trust you with that. But now it is your turn to trust me. I will show you what a vampire's life is and I will prove to you that choosing to be like me will do you more good than harm."

Kira didn't protest the idea and kept staring at him like a clueless child. Gouenji smiled at her one more time and then got up and walked away.