Ren didn't tell Kyouko he was leaving.
She would have stopped him. Maybe locked him inside. Maybe shot him in the leg.
He wouldn't blame her.
But it didn't matter anymore. Something had changed inside him—like a thread had snapped. And all he could think about was Kazuki.
That night—the first time he saw him—played over and over in his head. Not just the moment Kazuki saved him. But the moment right after, when their eyes locked. When the air between them stilled. When Ren knew something he shouldn't have known:
He wasn't afraid of this vampire.
He wanted him.
The alley was quiet.
But Ren didn't stop there this time.
His gut pulled him deeper into the city's underbelly—past rusted fences, shattered windows, crumbling stairwells. It was as if some invisible string tugged at his chest.
He found himself standing in front of an abandoned church.
He didn't know how. He didn't know why.
But it felt like him.
Like Kazuki.
The cold wind shifted.
And then—
"Ren."
The voice came from behind.
Low. Silken. Unmistakable.
Ren turned.
Kazuki stood there, pale and perfect in the shadows. His white hair glowed in the moonlight. His golden eyes burned with something Ren couldn't name.
Anger? Fear?
Longing?
Neither spoke for a long moment.
Ren's breath came hard. "You were following me, weren't you?"
Kazuki didn't answer. He just looked at him, expression unreadable.
"I came to find you," Ren said. "I—I needed to."
"You shouldn't have."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not safe."
Ren stepped closer. "You saved me."
"That was a mistake."
Ren froze. "Then why are you here?"
Kazuki looked away. "Because I couldn't stay away."
The confession hung heavy in the air.
Ren's heart pounded. "Then stop pretending."
Kazuki's jaw clenched. "You don't know what you're asking."
"I know exactly what I'm asking." Ren's voice was quiet now. "I'm asking you to stop running from me. From this."
Kazuki's hands were fists. "I could hurt you."
"You won't."
"I'm not like you."
"I don't care."
Kazuki closed the distance between them in a single step. Ren could feel the chill radiating off him, the power curled beneath his skin.
"You don't know what I've done," Kazuki whispered.
"Then show me," Ren whispered back.
Silence. Heavy. Tense. Fragile.
Kazuki's hand brushed Ren's cheek. Cold fingers against warm skin.
Their foreheads touched.
It wasn't quite a kiss.
But it was close enough to hurt.
"I've waited too long in the dark," Kazuki murmured. "I forgot what it felt like to want anything."
Ren closed his eyes. "Then let yourself want."
Kazuki was trembling.
Then, just as suddenly—
He pulled away.
Gone.
Just like that.
Ren stood there, alone, heartbeat echoing in the empty night.
He didn't cry.
But the ache in his chest was deep.
He wasn't sure if Kazuki left because he was afraid to hurt him—
Or because he already have