Ren had been sulking throughout the duration of his sister's cooking, to put it bluntly. He had just begun to feel like he was reaching a means to an end, a way to get over his ridiculous, and uncharacteristic, obsession with Natsumi Fujikawa. And yet here was . . . waiting for his sister to make a dinner that he would then take over to Natsumi. Why was he going out of his way? He was the one who had insisted on getting her something to eat, anyway. The more he tried to make sense of what had just transpired within the past few hours, the more aggravated he felt.

"Damn it all." He cursed while flopping back into his bed. His head sunk deeply into his pillow and suddenly he began to recall the experience: warm, ruby liquid; her delicate fingers clenched together tightly; and the taste . . .

He had to stop, but how could he? Her blood was still flowing through him, pulsing softly, but steadily. It was maddening.

A hard knock at the door caused him to jolt up in his bed.

"What?" He yelled.

"Your vegetable stir fry is done!" Karin said happily. "You're welcome, by the way."

Slowly, the door opened, revealing a somewhat stressed out looking vampire. Karin blinked.

"Whoah, what's up with you?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said in a dismissive tone. "So this is it?"

Karin nodded and handed him the boxed meal.

"Thanks." Ren mumbled before dashing past her and Anju. Within a few seconds, he was out the door.

"What was that all about?" Karin wondered.

The darkness welcomed the somewhat disoriented Ren as he made his way to Natsumi's house, bypassing plenty of potential women to feed from, and yet . . . he didn't feel a pull toward any of them. Could it be that they weren't stressed? Impossible! Living is stress! What was happening to him? He began to think he was losing control of the whole world around him. Shaking his head and inhaling the cool, crisp night air he continued onward to her house.

Soon enough, he had made his way to his destination. He gently turned the doorknob, not wanting to wake her (or provoke an attack from her). It was dark after all, so she might not be able to identify him. The kitchen was dark, but had been tidied up from the incident that had just occurred a few hours ago. He set the boxed meal on her kitchen table and thought about leaving right away, but he felt compelled to check in on her.

"I'll just peek my head in . . ." He thought to himself. "Maybe she'll be sleeping in a sexy nightgown or something. . . ? Nah, I'm being too hopeful."

He skulked through the house like a glorified creeper. His eyes were illuminated a bright gold, and as he looked around her house he realized how small it was. Finally, he reached her bedroom. To his own surprise, he found himself hesitating at the doorway.

Cautiously, he stuck his head in. It was pitch black except for the dimly lit alarm clock with the bold red numbers glaring 9:42 pm. Ren tiptoed into her room and stood over her bed, gazing at her sleeping figure. Her breathing was steady, which was a good sign. Suddenly, she let out a surprisingly loud snore. Ren blinked in astonishment and had to stifle a chuckle upon hearing it a second time.

"My, you snore quite loudly!" He thought to himself. "Another very attractive quality you have, Miss Fujikawa."

And yet somehow, as he watched her sleep and listened to her snoring, everything felt real to him for what seemed like the first time. Perhaps that was what he found attractive about her . . . she was a real person, and although she seemed boring, he knew that was far from the truth. He genuinely wanted to get to know her more. Oh the things he would ask her! He smiled to himself, thinking of how she would react to some of the more intimate questions.

A faint stirring under the sheets signaled to him that it was time to leave. He gazed at her a moment longer, watching her chest rise and sink beneath the blankets, before leaving. He decided to write a quick note and leave it on the table. The food needed to be stored, anyway.

"Came by and noticed the lights were off." He wrote. He wouldn't include the fact that he had snooped around her house. That would be his little secret. "Left the vegetable stir fry in the fridge. Hope you enjoy it." He thought for a moment and added,

"Feel better."

He signed his name and sighed, locking the door behind him as he disappeared into the night.

The night came and went, and Ren found himself bored beyond belief, sunrays piercing through the section of his window not covered by his the dark bedroom curtains. His golden eyes shifted to the clock on the wall that read eight thirty five.

"I wonder if she's awake yet . . ." He thought to himself. "Perhaps I should call her-" Suddenly, Ren realized that he hadn't even asked for her number, nor had she given it to him. He grumbled to himself, hoping that his unannounced appearance at her door wouldn't upset her too much.

Flopping off his bed with a sudden vigor, he proceeded over to his closet to retrieve his dark coat, hat, and sunglasses. He winced in frustration.

"I can't believe she has to see me in this crap." He growled. "Whatever. It's not like it matters."

As he began 'suiting up' to venture out into the daylight, dreading the fact that he would still be afflicted by the sun even after covering up, he sighed. His thoughts suddenly returned to Natsumi.

"I wonder if she ever ate any of the stir fry . . . "

Just as he had finished dressing himself in his ridiculous, but preventative clothing, he heard a knock on the door. The already moody vampire swung the door open and raised an eyebrow at noticing his sister at the door, a sheepish grin on her face.

"Going out?" She asked curiously, looking at his outfit.

"What do you think?" He sneered.

". . . are you visiting that girl?"

His eyes twitched, his lip curling slightly as he muted a snarl.

"Like it's any of your goddamned business." He stated, pushing past her abruptly and making his way downstairs.

"I was just curious!" She retorted, following behind him like an annoying shadow. "I just can't get over the fact that you like someone-"

"Listen, runt." He hissed, stopping suddenly and causing her to bump into him. "What I do, who I see, where I go . . . none of that is your concern."

He caught eye of the heart locket hanging from her neck and narrowed his eyes.

"Don't you have a boyfriend to tend to?" He spat.

"Usui-kun is busy today . . ." She said softly. "So, well, I was sort of hoping . . ."

Ren could anticipate where she was heading with the conversation, so before she could continue he bolted out the door. Karin darted after him, clumsily tripping and staggering along the way.

"Wait, Ren! Come back!" She pleaded.

Her older brother sauntered away from her, smoking the entire time. Despite the fact that was able to be in the sun without getting burned, she wasn't able to keep up with him. Disappointed and somewhat dejected, Karin sulked for a moment before retreating into the house.

"Next time I won't even ask." She mumbled. "I'll just stalk him."

Moving briskly through the woods, Ren Maaka was hoping that he has left his sister far behind. Finally taking a moment to peer back, he was relieved at the emptiness behind him.

"How annoying." He thought to himself. "Well, at least I lost her."

Breaking into a casual stride, he made for Natsumi's house, hoping that no one would notice his unusual attire. And of course, he was smoking a little . . .

Finally managing to reach her house, he let out a sigh of contentment. He walked up to the door and knocked three times. Waiting momentarily, he hummed out of impatience and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The sudden *click* sound and the turning of the doorknob caught his attention, and he stared at the entranceway that opened before him. Natsumi stared at him for a moment before finally asking,

"Ren? Is that you?" He looked positively ridiculous and unidentifiable dressed as he was.

"Yeah." He said. "It's me."

"I thought I told you to call me before coming over."

"Well 'Hello' to you too." He replied flatly. "And I couldn't. It occurred to me this morning that I do not have your phone number."

"Oh." She paused. "I must have forgotten to give it to you." She pulled her bathrobe closer together, tying it more securely to cover her pajamas. Much to his dismay they were simple - a T-shirt top with flannel bottoms. Somehow they suited her quite well.

"You can come in." She conceded finally.

As walked into the kitchen, she noticed the faint smell of smoke coming from him.

"Why does it smell like something's burning . . .?" She asked.

"Because something is burning - me." He stated matter-of-factly. "I can't go out during the daytime without being burned, unless it's cloudy."

"Right." She nodded. "I do remember you saying something about that. So I guess you are sort of a normal vampire."

Ren chuckled. "Well, I don't know what you mean by normal. We're all slightly different."

Natsumi offered him a seat and proceeded to pour herself a cup of coffee. Ren proceeded to remove his garb, dismissing it promptly and revealing his button up blazer.

"Don't mind me." She said suddenly. "I just woke up about twenty minutes ago and haven't quite woken up completely yet."

"It's fine." He said, looking at her with interest. "You look a little better."

"Well, I'm not nearly as fatigued as I was last night." She said while finding a seat at the table across from him. She sipped at her coffee and then looked up at him. Those hazel eyes seemed incredibly close to him, making him feel uncomfortable . . . until she smiled.

"I saw your note." She cupped the mug with her fingers. "Thank you for the stir fry. It looks delicious."

"You're welcome." He said, eying her fingers as they tapped against the ceramic mug. "I take it you haven't tried any yet?"

"No, but I plan to for lunch." He blinked and she continued to look at him curiously.

"Good." Was all he managed to say in response.

The ticking sound of the clock on the wall seemed deafening as the two sat in silence, Natsumi drinking her coffee, Ren watching her. It should have seemed unnerving, but somehow it wasn't. Ren was enjoying sitting with Natsumi in her kitchen, more than he cared to show. But nonetheless he felt sincerely glad to be sitting across from her. So much had changed between them, and so quickly it seemed . . .

"So . . ." Natsumi tried, unsure of how to ask about his vampire needs and such. "How are you doing? You know, with the 'craving the blood of stressed women' thing?"

It hadn't occurred to Ren at all on his way to her house - he had passed quite a few women on the way, some of them crying over stresses in their lives. Yet he hadn't been enticed by them, or phased in the least. The absurdity of this realization perplexed him. Then again, he recalled how, after drinking her blood, he hadn't yearned for any from the women he had passed while searching for Natsumi's vegetable stir-fry.

"It's quite strange." He said finally. "I haven't even picked up a woman's stress since I had your blood."

"Really?" She inquired, half out of disbelief, and half fascinated.

"Yes, I'm not sure why that is . . ." Then, inhaling her delicate scent greedily, he smiled, lips curling to reveal the very tips his fangs. "Of course, you still smell positively sumptuous, my dear."

"Great." She said sarcastically. "I was hoping that would be the case."

Ren chuckled somewhat darkly.

"I told you, Miss Fujikawa, your blood was perfect."

"Natsumi's face tinged red at the thought of him complimenting her on how her blood tasted. She didn't know how to feel about it. Part of her was repulsed by the entire thing all together. And yet somehow, seeming 'perfect' felt somewhat flattering. She wondered if she was losing her rationality.

"Well anyway, are you feeling . . . thirsty now?"

Ren thought about it for a moment.

"No, at least not yet." He narrowed his eyes, challenging her brave front. "But I might if you keep emitting such a stressful aura."

"It's a bit difficult to be at ease when I've got a vampire sitting at my kitchen table."

"Would you like me to leave?"

Natsumi looked out the window.

"I don't mind if you stay, but of course you're free to go."

Taking another sip of her coffee, Natsumi realized that the stress she was feeling wasn't out of fear or anxiety. On the contrary, the stress she was feeling now was very different from anything she had ever experienced.

"Natsumi?" Ren suddenly asked.

"Hmm?"

"I was just wondering . . ." He brushed his silver bangs back from his eyes so that he could see her with pinpoint accuracy. "Did you mean what you said about wanting to get to know me more?"

Silence filled the room as Natsumi contemplated how best to answer him. While he struggled not to show it, Ren felt anxious about her answer. What would he do if she said 'No?' Just leave and never see her again, he assumed. Was that even a plausible possibility for him? Somehow, he couldn't imagine not seeing her at all. For whatever the reason, Natsumi had affected him on a deep level, and had begun to change him. It was frightening to think that he had allowed himself to be at the mercy of her words, her feelings. Who was he anymore? Was he still Ren Maaka? Or had Ren Maaka, the suave ladies' man, irresistible, charming, and all around sexpot become a figment of the past?

Finally, she said the words he had been hoping, no, needing to hear.

"Yes. I meant it." She said softly. "Why else would we be talking in my kitchen right now if I hadn't?"

This forced a small, but genuine smile out of the vampire. Slowly, he leaned his face in close to her own and brought his forehead to hers. He merely stared into her eyes intently, saying nothing. Natsumi was surprised by the proximity, but did not pull away - she continued to look directly at him with a newfound calmness and, what she would have initially thought impossible, trust. They just sat completely still, hardly blinking for a moment, until finally she asked,

"Did you want to stay for lunch?"

Ren shifted out of his coat, hanging it from the back of the chair, and returned his attention to her. He shot her casual look, masking whatever this newfound lightness he now felt inside. The reply came out effortlessly, as if he had been asked this question numerous times and it had become routine to him.

"Sure."

A/N: I must say that this fanfic has been so much fun to write! Thank you to all who have stuck with me and this story (I know I have been much too slow in updating and I really do apologize for keeping you waiting!) Your comments, following of my story, and making this work one of your favorites have meant more to me than you'll ever know! I really appreciate your support and encouragement!

Stay tuned for an epilogue ;)