Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Illusions ❯ Millie ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: MellyN 
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.30.2015 | Pages: 9 | Words: 5.5K | Visits: 383 | Status: Work In Progress
Miscellaneous: Original Stories Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Romance / Action | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 08.30.2015 | Pages: 9 | Words: 5.5K | Visits: 383 | Status: Work In Progress
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Shattered Illusions
Chapter 6: Millie
By: Melissa Norvell
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An ear piercing scream sounded through the streets as long, menacing nails shot towards the frightened girl an inhuman speed. All the purple-eyed victim could do was stand there, paralyzed in fear as she watched death zoom in on her. This would undoubtedly be the end- no future, no more school or friends, only silence and darkness awaited her now.
Suddenly, she felt her shoulders being grabbed harshly as her body jolted and she was forcibly ripped from her current position. Everything was a blur and it seemed to go at light speed. Her heart raced quickly as she lost her voice in mid-yell.
Someone had saved her, but whom? The school girl felt her feet land on the ground as she trembled out of fear and shock. She heard the blond vampire make a remark through her haze of confusion and haze.
"It's you," Hizaki was shocked to know that such a person had a remarkable recovery time. How in the hell was her body still functioning about he had nearly drained her in the dark alleyway before? It wasn't possible! She should have been dead…or at least insane.
"Are you alright?" Tsubomi asked the shaken form, who looked at her with frightened, pleading eyes for a moment before she came to a realization. "Hey, you're that guy I saw earlier. You and your boyfriend were really cute together," the girl noted.
She had honestly thought that the two went to the Hotel District to find a room, but that would have been impossible, considering he was still in the alleyway or even in that vicinity.
Tsubomi gave her no definitive answer to her statement; she simply turned in silence as she faced Hizaki with a serious expression on her face.
"What are you two doing here?" Hizaki let out a displeased scowl. It was more than irritating. He had simply been searching for a victim to zap the mental energy out of and this mere boy ruined his plans. How inconvenient.
Not only was the young man present, but Copernicus was there a well. That only meant that he had been lied to- this boy was indeed who he thought he was.
"This is our matter, Hizaki. We're the ones that you're after, so you should stop picking on those girls," Copernicus told his foe just as calmly as he would have addressed Tsubomi, but the cold look in his eyes had spoke far more words that could not be expressed.
Hizaki turned to Tsubomi, obviously disappointed in the lie that he was told. "Youarehis donor."
"Yes, I am his donor, so you should pick a fight with me, not this girl." Even though she didn't know how she would fare against such a threat, Tsubomi found it her new job to protect the girl. She had once been in her position- simply an innocent bystander who feared the uncertainty of the future. The fright, frenzy and discombobulating feelings came back to her, and she felt an odd sort of compassion for this troubled girl. Not to mention, the stripper felt a large chunk of guilt for pulling her into the exact same situation she had been in.
Millie slumped to the ground and scooted back a little as her troubled eyes glanced back and forth between Copernicus and Tsubomi. "Donor? Fight? What are you guys talking about?"
They might as well be speaking in a language other than Japanese. She didn't understand anything about the situation or even why she was attacked. It was just a bunch of men, and strange ones at that, talking about involvement in a situation that was far above her level of comprehension.
Tsubomi looked over her shoulder and leveled the girl with a cold stare. "Stay out of this. You do best to run." If the girl let them handle it, they could manage to keep Hizaki stalled enough so that she could make her getaway and go back to her juvenile life as a student.
"Wait! Could someone tell me what's going on?" The girl begged for an explanation, even though she had a feeling that her question would not be answered.
"This is amusing," the American said with a slight smile. Humans reacted in strange ways when it came to danger, and between Tsubomi, he was calm and seemingly cold towards the situation and the magenta-haired girl on the ground. The diversity of reaction was quite interesting to watch. One trembled in fear as another was surprisingly bold.
While he had only known Tsubomi a short time, she was displaying incredible integrity and possessed all of the qualities of a soldier, ready to give their life on the frontline for their country, cause and in her case, newly acquired master. Her loyalty to him and her position as decoy donor was astonishing and definitely something to take note of.
"What I do is no longer your concern, Copernicus," Hizaki remarked. He had gotten himself into an unsafe situation with a vampire that posed more of a threat than any human and even vampire. Copernicus was the only vampire who completely stood in his way.
"If you go around killing my donors, I believe that is my concern," he had already been suspected to killing one of his donors and due to his recent acts, Copernicus wasn't so sure that he wouldn't come after the others as well.
"What are you talking about?” Hizaki was so confused that it knocked the scowl off of his porcelain features and made him look more like a confused damsel, than a maiden marred with the ugliness of hate.
"Two months ago, one of my donors was murdered. I suspect that you have something to do with it."
"I didn't even know that you had two donors. I may have killed them on accident, not knowing that they were your donor but I think that's a different story. Besides, you still have your pretty boy there," Hizaki placed a hand on his hip and pointed to Tsubomi with an amused look on his face. "Looks like he's doing fine, despite the fact that I drained him of nearly all of his mental energy."
Tsubomi's eyes narrowed as her frown deepened. "So, that's what he did?"
"He's a Psi-Vampire. They are a special type of vampire that needs to obtain vital energy from outside sources. They are unable to regenerate their own energy so they absorb meal, sexual and spiritual energy to replenish themselves," Copernicus educated the youth on Hizaki's true nature.
"What?" The girl beneath them asked in a breathy voice as she slowly and shakily turned her head towards the cross-dresser. "He's a…vampire?"
"So that means he's very dangerous. He could have killed me." It was just then that Tsubomi had taken in the full severity of her own situation. No wonder she had felt such adverse emotions when her energy had been zapped. It wasn't just her mental energy, but her very life energy that had also been drained and it was only until now that she had realized how close to death she had actually been.
The tomboy was fortunate to be alive and given those circumstances, she was grateful that Copernicus had shown up. He was like her undercover angel, even if his wings seemed a little less than pristine.
Perhaps, she was suffering from the influence more than her stubborn nature would like to admit.
"Either that or you would have been left in a catatonic or even zombie-like state. You would walk around with only a piece of a soul, but you can't be held together like that. You'd eventually die," Copernicus further elaborated on the true damage that the attack could have delivered.
The thought of such a threat shook Tsubomi's soul. If she thought about it for too long, then she would have had a heart attack.
"How freaky! You mean he literally steals your soul?" The girl asked from behind them. Copernicus was intrigued as he smiled slightly; this girl had still managed to stick around, despite her danger. She had some gall to still be present, knowing that such a threat existed and even what Hizaki truly was.
Even if she made it out of this situation, the school girl wouldn't make it out of his grasp. Too much information regarding the vampires had already been fed to her. She would not be allowed to come out lucky as to return to her normal life as a teenage school girl.
Tsubomi, on the other hand, was irritated beyond all belief, "you're an idiot. Why aren't you running?" Honestly, how stupid was this girl? She could have easily gotten away unscathed but she stuck around and decided to act as someone who merely gave commentary?
She inwardly sighed. The stripper had to remember that shewasjust a school girl, and an odd one at that. Perhaps her reactions were normal? At this point in time, Tsubomi had a hard time distinguishing what was reality and what was considered normal. Perhaps it was her who was strange.
"Because he'll eat my soul, apparently!" The girl snapped back. "Who in the worldareyou people? You might all be pretty boys, but you're all creepy!"
"Silence!" Hizaki ordered as he thrust his hand forward, his nails extending towards Tsubomi and the unhinged girl, who let out another shout as the same attack that threatened her life before attempted to take her out again.
Tsubomi called out for her to get down and she grabbed the girl from behind and ducked down to the ground as the nails shot over them and dug into the wall. The stripper sat on her knees behind the girl, hugging her close in a way that resembled a head lock more than anything else. She kept her close and could feel the girl fall limp in her arms.
Blue eyes glanced down as her brows furrowed in concern and sympathy and a frown adorned her face, "you stupid girl, I'm trying to save your life."
"Now…" Hizaki called out as he spread his arched fingers slightly. "Who do I kill first?" The very thought of taking a life excited him. Not to mention, he needed the energy desperately if he were to function correctly another day.
'What the hell do I do now? I act like I've done this all before. I don't know crap about this. The only thing I've even done was take a few shooting classes and self defense courses to ward off the perverts at the strip joint. I don't know anything about fighting off soul-stealing drag queens. I shouldn't have agreed to provoke them with Copernicus. Now, I've made this girl's life miserable.'Tsubomi thought as she gazed at the unconscious girl below her with affinity. "I've got to protect her."
"Now, the fun begins," the blond vampire smiled as everything around the group of people was engulfed in the same reminiscent darkness that had plagued Tsubomi.
"What the hell is this?" Tsubomi glanced around at the abyss. It was the exact same as before and she had to wonder to herself if she was being drained again. Tsubomi had felt a little odd but it wasn't like before, so she merely blamed the feeling on apprehension.
"It's an illusion," Copernicus advised in a way that seemed all too casual for the high risk situation. It was as if he were laid back at a tea party and not in any danger at all. Perhaps, he knew that Hizaki could not defeat him or he possessed some magical trump card that would help the situation. Either way, it both irritated and astonished her.
"Hizaki is known as the Princess of Illusions. His game consists of hallucinations, possessions and various other mental games," the Inheritor educated as intricate spider webs flowed from the demented Psi-Vampire's hand and slowly consumed the abyss.
"Do the two of you know each other?" Tsubomi questioned. Either Copernicus was some kind of strange stalker, or he had a history with the other man.
"In a manner of speaking," Of course, Copernicus could never be so clear.
"Wait a minute, what the-" The stripper started to give him a bitch session about how the situation was dangerous and he was withholding information that could possibly be vital to their survival, only to be interrupted by him telling her to jump.
Tsubomi took the girl that she had not let go of and did as she was instructed. The Inheritor beside of her shot off to the opposite side as needle-like lines of white energy pierced the ground, causing debris to fly up. She then landed a few feet away, kneeling on one knee with the girl in her arms.
Slowly, she felt the teen shift in her arms as a slight moan escaped her mouth. Magenta eyebrows twitched as the girl stirred awake.
"Are you alright?" Copernicus asked as he ran over to her.
"Is that really an illusion?" Tsubomi stared blankly at her opponent.
"At times."
"What?"
"The mind works in wicked ways. What happens here can kill you, but it won't be from anything but your body's lack of being able to define what you see as false," the brunette man stated. To him, it was simply psychology.
"What do you mean?" To his donor, however, it was a cluster of confusion.
Before the tomboy could get anything more out, she let out a yelp as she barely managed to dodge another stray piece of white energy that headed towards her.
"The body can make phantom pains. It's like having a realistic dream, where you feel the pains inside of the dream real and wake up with red marks, cuts or even bruises that you didn't have before. It's not just humans; animals have been known to also have phantom experiences, such as pregnancies."
"So, if it hits me, it will hurt but not because it's real." That concept alone was strange to Tsubomi. Something that would cause her pain but merely from her own body's belief that it was real. The concept of being scared to death seemed very real, when put in retrospect.
Copernicus replied that she was correct, as Hizaki made a death threat and rushed at the Inheritor, foreshadowing his defeat with his long, acute nails. The beautiful blond tried to slash him across the face, but the attempt failed as Copernicus gracefully dodged to the side. Irritated, Hizaki then tried a straight on attack of stabbing him through this face, only to have his hand go over the other male's broad shoulder, accentuated by his regal guise.
Copernicus grabbed the Princess of Illusions harshly by the wrist as his navy eyes shown like ice. With great force, he swung Hizaki around in a few circles and let him go. The feminine male flew through the air, like a tossed about doll as he hit the wall and slid down it.
"Protect that girl," her master ordered.
"What about you?"
"I'll need you later, so try not to spill any blood."
Blue eyes fell upon her makeshift bandage that clung to her bitten wrist as she agreed. More white pieces of energy shot at them as she held the girl protectively close and frowned.'I don't have any weapons to use against him. Why the hell is this on me? I have to protect this girl but if I do that then I leave Copernicus wide open with Hizaki.'
Below her, Tsubomi could feel the girl become full of life and begin to move. "Huh?" Her eyes trailed down below her to see that the other female had stirred awake.
"Huh? What's going on?" The girl asked as sandalwood and sakura blossoms filled her senses. She noticed that something with buttons had been pressed against her and she looked back to see Tsubomi, still hugging her from behind. "Man, I'm having weird dreams. I dreamt that I was being attacked by a drag queen and there were two really hot men who saved me. I need to stop reading so many yaoi manga-Oh my god…You arenot
"If you would have run, I wouldn't have to stay back and protect you," Tsubomi frowned.
"I probably would have run…" The girl trailed off, as her gaze hit the ground. "But, I was so freaked out and confused. I have no idea why I'm being chased by him or who Copernicus even is."
"Copernicus is the man who saved you. He's the one fighting Hizaki," the stripper explained the best she could.
"Oh, he's your American lover, isn't he?" A smile crossed the girl's face.
'Play along, just play along.'Tsubomi chided any other thoughts before she spoke. "Yeah…"
"What's your name? I know you said it before, but I can't remember it," she asked, a little calmer than she was before. This man was her mysterious savior. She couldn’t give him a proper thank you without first knowing his name.
"I'm Sakurazawa Tsubomi," she decided to tell the girl her real name, in respectable Japanese fashion.
"Tsubomi? Isn't that a girl's name?" Millie cocked her head in question. Perhaps she hadn't studied her Japanese well enough. Maybe she had it wrong, but she could have sworn that it meant flower bud. Honestly, who would name a boy flower bud?
"Long story," Tsubomi was avoidant of the issue.'Please don't ask.'
"I'm Millie Ashford. I'm from America too. I can here as a transfer student. Today is only my second day of school." The girl noted.
"Damn, you must have it rough," being from another country and in a school full of strangers didn't seem like an easy task. She kind of felt sorry that the girl had to experience such a thing after not being in Japan for very long.
Suddenly, a white whip of energy shot between them and flung them in opposite directions. The school girl's pink, lace purse was flung into the air and the white whip managed to slash Tsubomi's cheek, producing a cut. Both girls hit the ground, Tsubomi on her butt, holding the right side of her face with a pained glare, and Millie on her side. Her purse hit the ground a few feet away, a large, polished gun with engraving along the barrel spun out into the open, unnoticed by both of them.
'I can't believe I was stupid enough to let it get me when I least expected it.'The stripper inwardly scowled as Millie ran to her side with a worried expression.
"Are you alright, Tsubomi-kun?" Millie asked in concern.
"I'll be fine-" Tsubomi began to reply as more of the snake-like objects were flung their way. She tried desperately to grab Millie but one of them made its way between the two of them. "Shit!" The Japanese woman cursed her own lack of judgment.
"Your little donors are no match for me. Give it up, Copernicus," Hizaki held a hand out to the side in display of his power as he smiled at the other vampire in satisfaction. Truly, mere humans such as they were unworthy to even be seen with prestigious figures of the vampuric aristocracy such as themselves.
"What's the meaning of this? You know as well as I do that all hell will break loose of the humans find out about our existence," the brunette frowned deeply. All of this time, the faux image that he had been trying to maintain was slowly shattering around him.
It made Hizaki's heart flutter with glee to see that one of the Inheritor's plans were actually failing. "It won't matter soon. The Time of Ending is upon us."
"Time of Ending?"
"Yes, the world will be purged into darkness when everyone begins to kill each other. Human against human and vampire against vampire, and it will start with the overthrow of the royal vampuric family," Hizaki explained as the look on Copernicus' face hardened.
"So, that's your goal."
"We already have it partially accomplished. My master has already moved in and successfully killed Carlyle and Hepesta. There is only one more member of the royal family that we need and we can successfully take over the Vampuric Empire and Hide will be the king of a glorious new era." Ruby lips curved into a smile of reverie at the thought of such a radiant dream becoming reality.
"What? Carlyle and Hepesta?" Copernicus asked in a voice of shock, although it held a sharp, chill edge to it.
"The only thing left is to kill off all of the remaining members of the royal court."
"How? How did you kill them?" The Inheritor asked, still stuck on the prior subject.
The Princess of Illusions smiled in amusement. Copernicus has usually seemed so calm about everything, and now he was reduced to an offended man who stood as witness to the slaying of those close to him, of the very figures that had once ruled their empire. It was marvelous to watch him squirm. "It was a simple possession, really. I didn't even have to get my hands dirty. All I did was possess Hepesta when she was least aware of it and make her blow the king's brains across the royal courtyard."
"You were able to weasel your way into that because you were Queen Hepesta's royal advisor." Copernicus noted. No one else had even been close enough to the queen for something like that to be allowed to happen. Hizaki had plotted to seize control of the royal family and control them from the inside out, and the horrifying thing was- his plan was working and working well.
"Whatever works," Hizaki stated with a sly smile. "Besides, you're also a member of the royal court, so you must be eliminated."
The words echoed through Tsubomi's head like a voice carried through a canyon. Her eyes widened in disbelief.'What did he just say? Copernicus is part of the royal court?'
Not only was she in the presence of an extravagantly rich aristocrat, he was nobility! All of this time, she had been acting so casual with someone who held more worth than she could ever imagine. It wasn't only that, she made an inside not that she held impeccable taste as far as picking someone out was concerned. This boosted his status to elite, and someone like her held no flame to his radiance.
"Take that!" Hizaki knelt to one knee and directed his nails downward, to pin Copernicus' body to the ground, but the Inheritor jumped back to evade the attack. Hizaki smiled in victory as he noticed that Copernicus had been backed against the wall and thrust his hand forward as his nails stuck dangerously close to the noble's neck, into the wall behind him.
The brunette slightly trembled at the contact, then shot forward and kneed the princess harshly in the stomach, causing him to double over. As the blond bent over, he was axe handled in the back and his small form belly flopped on the ground, bouncing off once before landing in a crumpled heap at Copernicus' feet.
"What do you expect to accomplish? The vampires need the humans. Without them, our race would be extinct." Hizaki was crazier then he'd ever seen him if he thought that he could use the Time of Ending to eliminate the human race.
The disheveled blonde slowly pulled himself from the ground with a hand on his stomach to see that Tsubomi was finally standing. However, something wasn't right. Why did the brown-haired boy seem so shocked? Then, it hit him. An unmistakable click sounded in his ear as his golden eyes widened with distress. The fallen princess glanced up to see that a gun was pointed to his ear.
"I'll blow your brains out if you move," Millie threatened in the harshest voice she could muster.
"Where did you get a gun?" Tsubomi asked. It wasn't just any gun; it was a personalized pistol, designed for a variety of special tasks. She had not seen anything like it before, no doubt it was custom made.
"My father is a sharp shooter. He taught me a thing or two about weapons. Now, eat turf you-" The magenta-haired girl was cut off as she yelled. The drag queen had managed to knock the gun from her hands and worked his extensive nails towards her once again but Tsubomi shoved her down harshly.
"No!" The tomboy cried out as she heard Copernicus call out her name shortly afterward. Her blue eyes went wide as one of Hizaki's fingernails barely missed her head and pinned the folded collar of her intricate jacket to the wall. "Damn it!"
"Tsubomi-kun! Are you alright?" Millie glanced up at the beautiful boy.
"I'm fine. It missed me-" Tsubomi started to say before she was silenced by Copernicus, who suddenly came from behind Hizaki and attempted to snap his neck with a chop but the blond vampire released the girl to block his hit and tried to punch Copernicus with his other hand. The Inheritor evaded him and delivered a kick to the feminine one's stomach and spun his leg around, sending the elaborately dressed Hizaki into the wall in a mass of frills, bows and lolita curls.
The opposing vampire slid down the wall and slumped over as his body shattered into hundreds of pieces that resembled glass.
Millie glanced around as she noticed that the black around them subsided and the alleyway was beginning to look as it had before. She could hear a slight pinging sound and glanced down to see black shards that resembled onyx, raining down.
"Hey, everything looks normal again. How bizarre…" She trailed in awe as she continued to watch the black shards hit the ground and fade into oblivion.
'My mind got drained, my blood was drained and now I'm worn down. This hurts…How can I strip dance with these injuries? I'll have to cover them up with costume props.'Tsubomi stumbled as she tried to keep her concentration but she was far too empty for any of that. So many things had happened all at once and she felt fatigued and anemic. She had not even recovered from Hizaki's last attack.'I can't faint. I've got to stay awake. If I stay awake long enough to treat my own injuries, and then I won't be found out.'
It was a good enough plan, but nearly impossible to complete with any success. Her blue eyes slowly trailed over to see Copernicus, walking towards her as casually as ever.'Oh shit…I know what he wants…'After all, he had mentioned that she shouldn't shed any blood. "What?"
Copernicus said nothing, simply held her chin and gently licked the wound on the side of her face, which caused her to blush deeply.
"Copernicus…you're…"
"Hush, my little Tsubomi. You've done enough." The vampire chided her questioning and worries but their tender moment was interrupted by long nails that quickly approached the aristocrat's neck, threatening to end his life at that very moment.'What a stupid mistake. I've been far too lenient.'
The Inheritor was slow to react as he glanced over his shoulder in shock, but before he could make the smallest move, the fingernails were busted off by several well execute shots, fired from a pistol in rapid succession. Hizaki simply stared at his shattered nails in shock and horror. His beautiful weapons had been busted and splintered and the bold, red polish was blown off. It mortified him to no end.
"Got you," Millie smiled as she held the gun with the barrel pointed towards the heavens. "All of that stuff I hated to do at the shooting range finally paid off." The girl had always detested doing as her father wished to become a great marksman, often thinking that it was more his pleasure to see his daughter carry on his legacy than anything else but at times like this, she was more than grateful that he had taught her such a useful skill.
'I'll have to retreat and think of a better tactic. This fight was purely for observational purposes anyway. I'm out of here.'He floated backwards and sank into the wall, withdrawing from the fight and leaving the three of them to talk amongst themselves.
The school girl walked over and casually picked up one of the busted pieces of finger nail up from the ground and studied it. "Wow, this was definitely not an illusion. You could make throwing knives out of these…Scary."
"You shouldn't go picking those up," Tsubomi advised. "What if they were poisoned?"
Millie looked as if a sudden realization had hit her and let out a shriek and threw the offending nail across the ground.
Copernicus looked to his donor with tender concern. "Are you alright, Tsubomi?"
"I'm just exhausted," the weary tomboy replied, "I'll be alright."
"I'll just wait until I can have a safer opportunity," he leveled. Drinking her blood now would put her in a dire situation. He should have known that he would have to let her get used to things before he decided to make it a normal occurrence. It didn't matter anyway; she had provided him with enough blood, so he had only felt a little weary.
"Are you sure?"
"You have me quite a bit last time, so I should be fine," Copernicus gently stroked the top of her head, feeling her silky strands between his long fingers.
'What are they talking about?'Millie knew that she shouldn't, but the girl couldn't help but stare at their show of affection.
"Are you petting me?" Tsubomi asked. It was an odd sensation. She had never been petted before by anyone.
"Your hair is nice."
The school girl sighed dreamily to herself. "They're so adorable. My friends won't believe me when I tell that I got to meet such hot men." She could only imagine the envy and shock they would feel when she went to school tomorrow and told them over her escapades.
"You shouldn't tell them about what happened," the stripper warned. It would do more harm than good, even if her friends believed her. The two of them would only be getting more people innocently involved in their endeavors.
"Huh? Why not?" Was it some kind of big secret or something? Seriously, Millie didn't get it.
"This is one of those things that we don't want getting around. Besides, whoever you tell will be in trouble, so if you don't want to make murder victims out of your friends, then you do best to shut your mouth." The words were harsh and piercing, but when it came to defending Copernicus' existence, Tsubomi would do her damned hardest to make sure his secret was well guarded, no matter what the cost.
…To Be Continued
Shattered Illusions
Chapter 6: Millie
By: Melissa Norvell
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An ear piercing scream sounded through the streets as long, menacing nails shot towards the frightened girl an inhuman speed. All the purple-eyed victim could do was stand there, paralyzed in fear as she watched death zoom in on her. This would undoubtedly be the end- no future, no more school or friends, only silence and darkness awaited her now.
Suddenly, she felt her shoulders being grabbed harshly as her body jolted and she was forcibly ripped from her current position. Everything was a blur and it seemed to go at light speed. Her heart raced quickly as she lost her voice in mid-yell.
Someone had saved her, but whom? The school girl felt her feet land on the ground as she trembled out of fear and shock. She heard the blond vampire make a remark through her haze of confusion and haze.
"It's you," Hizaki was shocked to know that such a person had a remarkable recovery time. How in the hell was her body still functioning about he had nearly drained her in the dark alleyway before? It wasn't possible! She should have been dead…or at least insane.
"Are you alright?" Tsubomi asked the shaken form, who looked at her with frightened, pleading eyes for a moment before she came to a realization. "Hey, you're that guy I saw earlier. You and your boyfriend were really cute together," the girl noted.
She had honestly thought that the two went to the Hotel District to find a room, but that would have been impossible, considering he was still in the alleyway or even in that vicinity.
Tsubomi gave her no definitive answer to her statement; she simply turned in silence as she faced Hizaki with a serious expression on her face.
"What are you two doing here?" Hizaki let out a displeased scowl. It was more than irritating. He had simply been searching for a victim to zap the mental energy out of and this mere boy ruined his plans. How inconvenient.
Not only was the young man present, but Copernicus was there a well. That only meant that he had been lied to- this boy was indeed who he thought he was.
"This is our matter, Hizaki. We're the ones that you're after, so you should stop picking on those girls," Copernicus told his foe just as calmly as he would have addressed Tsubomi, but the cold look in his eyes had spoke far more words that could not be expressed.
Hizaki turned to Tsubomi, obviously disappointed in the lie that he was told. "Youarehis donor."
"Yes, I am his donor, so you should pick a fight with me, not this girl." Even though she didn't know how she would fare against such a threat, Tsubomi found it her new job to protect the girl. She had once been in her position- simply an innocent bystander who feared the uncertainty of the future. The fright, frenzy and discombobulating feelings came back to her, and she felt an odd sort of compassion for this troubled girl. Not to mention, the stripper felt a large chunk of guilt for pulling her into the exact same situation she had been in.
Millie slumped to the ground and scooted back a little as her troubled eyes glanced back and forth between Copernicus and Tsubomi. "Donor? Fight? What are you guys talking about?"
They might as well be speaking in a language other than Japanese. She didn't understand anything about the situation or even why she was attacked. It was just a bunch of men, and strange ones at that, talking about involvement in a situation that was far above her level of comprehension.
Tsubomi looked over her shoulder and leveled the girl with a cold stare. "Stay out of this. You do best to run." If the girl let them handle it, they could manage to keep Hizaki stalled enough so that she could make her getaway and go back to her juvenile life as a student.
"Wait! Could someone tell me what's going on?" The girl begged for an explanation, even though she had a feeling that her question would not be answered.
"This is amusing," the American said with a slight smile. Humans reacted in strange ways when it came to danger, and between Tsubomi, he was calm and seemingly cold towards the situation and the magenta-haired girl on the ground. The diversity of reaction was quite interesting to watch. One trembled in fear as another was surprisingly bold.
While he had only known Tsubomi a short time, she was displaying incredible integrity and possessed all of the qualities of a soldier, ready to give their life on the frontline for their country, cause and in her case, newly acquired master. Her loyalty to him and her position as decoy donor was astonishing and definitely something to take note of.
"What I do is no longer your concern, Copernicus," Hizaki remarked. He had gotten himself into an unsafe situation with a vampire that posed more of a threat than any human and even vampire. Copernicus was the only vampire who completely stood in his way.
"If you go around killing my donors, I believe that is my concern," he had already been suspected to killing one of his donors and due to his recent acts, Copernicus wasn't so sure that he wouldn't come after the others as well.
"What are you talking about?” Hizaki was so confused that it knocked the scowl off of his porcelain features and made him look more like a confused damsel, than a maiden marred with the ugliness of hate.
"Two months ago, one of my donors was murdered. I suspect that you have something to do with it."
"I didn't even know that you had two donors. I may have killed them on accident, not knowing that they were your donor but I think that's a different story. Besides, you still have your pretty boy there," Hizaki placed a hand on his hip and pointed to Tsubomi with an amused look on his face. "Looks like he's doing fine, despite the fact that I drained him of nearly all of his mental energy."
Tsubomi's eyes narrowed as her frown deepened. "So, that's what he did?"
"He's a Psi-Vampire. They are a special type of vampire that needs to obtain vital energy from outside sources. They are unable to regenerate their own energy so they absorb meal, sexual and spiritual energy to replenish themselves," Copernicus educated the youth on Hizaki's true nature.
"What?" The girl beneath them asked in a breathy voice as she slowly and shakily turned her head towards the cross-dresser. "He's a…vampire?"
"So that means he's very dangerous. He could have killed me." It was just then that Tsubomi had taken in the full severity of her own situation. No wonder she had felt such adverse emotions when her energy had been zapped. It wasn't just her mental energy, but her very life energy that had also been drained and it was only until now that she had realized how close to death she had actually been.
The tomboy was fortunate to be alive and given those circumstances, she was grateful that Copernicus had shown up. He was like her undercover angel, even if his wings seemed a little less than pristine.
Perhaps, she was suffering from the influence more than her stubborn nature would like to admit.
"Either that or you would have been left in a catatonic or even zombie-like state. You would walk around with only a piece of a soul, but you can't be held together like that. You'd eventually die," Copernicus further elaborated on the true damage that the attack could have delivered.
The thought of such a threat shook Tsubomi's soul. If she thought about it for too long, then she would have had a heart attack.
"How freaky! You mean he literally steals your soul?" The girl asked from behind them. Copernicus was intrigued as he smiled slightly; this girl had still managed to stick around, despite her danger. She had some gall to still be present, knowing that such a threat existed and even what Hizaki truly was.
Even if she made it out of this situation, the school girl wouldn't make it out of his grasp. Too much information regarding the vampires had already been fed to her. She would not be allowed to come out lucky as to return to her normal life as a teenage school girl.
Tsubomi, on the other hand, was irritated beyond all belief, "you're an idiot. Why aren't you running?" Honestly, how stupid was this girl? She could have easily gotten away unscathed but she stuck around and decided to act as someone who merely gave commentary?
She inwardly sighed. The stripper had to remember that shewasjust a school girl, and an odd one at that. Perhaps her reactions were normal? At this point in time, Tsubomi had a hard time distinguishing what was reality and what was considered normal. Perhaps it was her who was strange.
"Because he'll eat my soul, apparently!" The girl snapped back. "Who in the worldareyou people? You might all be pretty boys, but you're all creepy!"
"Silence!" Hizaki ordered as he thrust his hand forward, his nails extending towards Tsubomi and the unhinged girl, who let out another shout as the same attack that threatened her life before attempted to take her out again.
Tsubomi called out for her to get down and she grabbed the girl from behind and ducked down to the ground as the nails shot over them and dug into the wall. The stripper sat on her knees behind the girl, hugging her close in a way that resembled a head lock more than anything else. She kept her close and could feel the girl fall limp in her arms.
Blue eyes glanced down as her brows furrowed in concern and sympathy and a frown adorned her face, "you stupid girl, I'm trying to save your life."
"Now…" Hizaki called out as he spread his arched fingers slightly. "Who do I kill first?" The very thought of taking a life excited him. Not to mention, he needed the energy desperately if he were to function correctly another day.
'What the hell do I do now? I act like I've done this all before. I don't know crap about this. The only thing I've even done was take a few shooting classes and self defense courses to ward off the perverts at the strip joint. I don't know anything about fighting off soul-stealing drag queens. I shouldn't have agreed to provoke them with Copernicus. Now, I've made this girl's life miserable.'Tsubomi thought as she gazed at the unconscious girl below her with affinity. "I've got to protect her."
"Now, the fun begins," the blond vampire smiled as everything around the group of people was engulfed in the same reminiscent darkness that had plagued Tsubomi.
"What the hell is this?" Tsubomi glanced around at the abyss. It was the exact same as before and she had to wonder to herself if she was being drained again. Tsubomi had felt a little odd but it wasn't like before, so she merely blamed the feeling on apprehension.
"It's an illusion," Copernicus advised in a way that seemed all too casual for the high risk situation. It was as if he were laid back at a tea party and not in any danger at all. Perhaps, he knew that Hizaki could not defeat him or he possessed some magical trump card that would help the situation. Either way, it both irritated and astonished her.
"Hizaki is known as the Princess of Illusions. His game consists of hallucinations, possessions and various other mental games," the Inheritor educated as intricate spider webs flowed from the demented Psi-Vampire's hand and slowly consumed the abyss.
"Do the two of you know each other?" Tsubomi questioned. Either Copernicus was some kind of strange stalker, or he had a history with the other man.
"In a manner of speaking," Of course, Copernicus could never be so clear.
"Wait a minute, what the-" The stripper started to give him a bitch session about how the situation was dangerous and he was withholding information that could possibly be vital to their survival, only to be interrupted by him telling her to jump.
Tsubomi took the girl that she had not let go of and did as she was instructed. The Inheritor beside of her shot off to the opposite side as needle-like lines of white energy pierced the ground, causing debris to fly up. She then landed a few feet away, kneeling on one knee with the girl in her arms.
Slowly, she felt the teen shift in her arms as a slight moan escaped her mouth. Magenta eyebrows twitched as the girl stirred awake.
"Are you alright?" Copernicus asked as he ran over to her.
"Is that really an illusion?" Tsubomi stared blankly at her opponent.
"At times."
"What?"
"The mind works in wicked ways. What happens here can kill you, but it won't be from anything but your body's lack of being able to define what you see as false," the brunette man stated. To him, it was simply psychology.
"What do you mean?" To his donor, however, it was a cluster of confusion.
Before the tomboy could get anything more out, she let out a yelp as she barely managed to dodge another stray piece of white energy that headed towards her.
"The body can make phantom pains. It's like having a realistic dream, where you feel the pains inside of the dream real and wake up with red marks, cuts or even bruises that you didn't have before. It's not just humans; animals have been known to also have phantom experiences, such as pregnancies."
"So, if it hits me, it will hurt but not because it's real." That concept alone was strange to Tsubomi. Something that would cause her pain but merely from her own body's belief that it was real. The concept of being scared to death seemed very real, when put in retrospect.
Copernicus replied that she was correct, as Hizaki made a death threat and rushed at the Inheritor, foreshadowing his defeat with his long, acute nails. The beautiful blond tried to slash him across the face, but the attempt failed as Copernicus gracefully dodged to the side. Irritated, Hizaki then tried a straight on attack of stabbing him through this face, only to have his hand go over the other male's broad shoulder, accentuated by his regal guise.
Copernicus grabbed the Princess of Illusions harshly by the wrist as his navy eyes shown like ice. With great force, he swung Hizaki around in a few circles and let him go. The feminine male flew through the air, like a tossed about doll as he hit the wall and slid down it.
"Protect that girl," her master ordered.
"What about you?"
"I'll need you later, so try not to spill any blood."
Blue eyes fell upon her makeshift bandage that clung to her bitten wrist as she agreed. More white pieces of energy shot at them as she held the girl protectively close and frowned.'I don't have any weapons to use against him. Why the hell is this on me? I have to protect this girl but if I do that then I leave Copernicus wide open with Hizaki.'
Below her, Tsubomi could feel the girl become full of life and begin to move. "Huh?" Her eyes trailed down below her to see that the other female had stirred awake.
"Huh? What's going on?" The girl asked as sandalwood and sakura blossoms filled her senses. She noticed that something with buttons had been pressed against her and she looked back to see Tsubomi, still hugging her from behind. "Man, I'm having weird dreams. I dreamt that I was being attacked by a drag queen and there were two really hot men who saved me. I need to stop reading so many yaoi manga-Oh my god…You arenot
"If you would have run, I wouldn't have to stay back and protect you," Tsubomi frowned.
"I probably would have run…" The girl trailed off, as her gaze hit the ground. "But, I was so freaked out and confused. I have no idea why I'm being chased by him or who Copernicus even is."
"Copernicus is the man who saved you. He's the one fighting Hizaki," the stripper explained the best she could.
"Oh, he's your American lover, isn't he?" A smile crossed the girl's face.
'Play along, just play along.'Tsubomi chided any other thoughts before she spoke. "Yeah…"
"What's your name? I know you said it before, but I can't remember it," she asked, a little calmer than she was before. This man was her mysterious savior. She couldn’t give him a proper thank you without first knowing his name.
"I'm Sakurazawa Tsubomi," she decided to tell the girl her real name, in respectable Japanese fashion.
"Tsubomi? Isn't that a girl's name?" Millie cocked her head in question. Perhaps she hadn't studied her Japanese well enough. Maybe she had it wrong, but she could have sworn that it meant flower bud. Honestly, who would name a boy flower bud?
"Long story," Tsubomi was avoidant of the issue.'Please don't ask.'
"I'm Millie Ashford. I'm from America too. I can here as a transfer student. Today is only my second day of school." The girl noted.
"Damn, you must have it rough," being from another country and in a school full of strangers didn't seem like an easy task. She kind of felt sorry that the girl had to experience such a thing after not being in Japan for very long.
Suddenly, a white whip of energy shot between them and flung them in opposite directions. The school girl's pink, lace purse was flung into the air and the white whip managed to slash Tsubomi's cheek, producing a cut. Both girls hit the ground, Tsubomi on her butt, holding the right side of her face with a pained glare, and Millie on her side. Her purse hit the ground a few feet away, a large, polished gun with engraving along the barrel spun out into the open, unnoticed by both of them.
'I can't believe I was stupid enough to let it get me when I least expected it.'The stripper inwardly scowled as Millie ran to her side with a worried expression.
"Are you alright, Tsubomi-kun?" Millie asked in concern.
"I'll be fine-" Tsubomi began to reply as more of the snake-like objects were flung their way. She tried desperately to grab Millie but one of them made its way between the two of them. "Shit!" The Japanese woman cursed her own lack of judgment.
"Your little donors are no match for me. Give it up, Copernicus," Hizaki held a hand out to the side in display of his power as he smiled at the other vampire in satisfaction. Truly, mere humans such as they were unworthy to even be seen with prestigious figures of the vampuric aristocracy such as themselves.
"What's the meaning of this? You know as well as I do that all hell will break loose of the humans find out about our existence," the brunette frowned deeply. All of this time, the faux image that he had been trying to maintain was slowly shattering around him.
It made Hizaki's heart flutter with glee to see that one of the Inheritor's plans were actually failing. "It won't matter soon. The Time of Ending is upon us."
"Time of Ending?"
"Yes, the world will be purged into darkness when everyone begins to kill each other. Human against human and vampire against vampire, and it will start with the overthrow of the royal vampuric family," Hizaki explained as the look on Copernicus' face hardened.
"So, that's your goal."
"We already have it partially accomplished. My master has already moved in and successfully killed Carlyle and Hepesta. There is only one more member of the royal family that we need and we can successfully take over the Vampuric Empire and Hide will be the king of a glorious new era." Ruby lips curved into a smile of reverie at the thought of such a radiant dream becoming reality.
"What? Carlyle and Hepesta?" Copernicus asked in a voice of shock, although it held a sharp, chill edge to it.
"The only thing left is to kill off all of the remaining members of the royal court."
"How? How did you kill them?" The Inheritor asked, still stuck on the prior subject.
The Princess of Illusions smiled in amusement. Copernicus has usually seemed so calm about everything, and now he was reduced to an offended man who stood as witness to the slaying of those close to him, of the very figures that had once ruled their empire. It was marvelous to watch him squirm. "It was a simple possession, really. I didn't even have to get my hands dirty. All I did was possess Hepesta when she was least aware of it and make her blow the king's brains across the royal courtyard."
"You were able to weasel your way into that because you were Queen Hepesta's royal advisor." Copernicus noted. No one else had even been close enough to the queen for something like that to be allowed to happen. Hizaki had plotted to seize control of the royal family and control them from the inside out, and the horrifying thing was- his plan was working and working well.
"Whatever works," Hizaki stated with a sly smile. "Besides, you're also a member of the royal court, so you must be eliminated."
The words echoed through Tsubomi's head like a voice carried through a canyon. Her eyes widened in disbelief.'What did he just say? Copernicus is part of the royal court?'
Not only was she in the presence of an extravagantly rich aristocrat, he was nobility! All of this time, she had been acting so casual with someone who held more worth than she could ever imagine. It wasn't only that, she made an inside not that she held impeccable taste as far as picking someone out was concerned. This boosted his status to elite, and someone like her held no flame to his radiance.
"Take that!" Hizaki knelt to one knee and directed his nails downward, to pin Copernicus' body to the ground, but the Inheritor jumped back to evade the attack. Hizaki smiled in victory as he noticed that Copernicus had been backed against the wall and thrust his hand forward as his nails stuck dangerously close to the noble's neck, into the wall behind him.
The brunette slightly trembled at the contact, then shot forward and kneed the princess harshly in the stomach, causing him to double over. As the blond bent over, he was axe handled in the back and his small form belly flopped on the ground, bouncing off once before landing in a crumpled heap at Copernicus' feet.
"What do you expect to accomplish? The vampires need the humans. Without them, our race would be extinct." Hizaki was crazier then he'd ever seen him if he thought that he could use the Time of Ending to eliminate the human race.
The disheveled blonde slowly pulled himself from the ground with a hand on his stomach to see that Tsubomi was finally standing. However, something wasn't right. Why did the brown-haired boy seem so shocked? Then, it hit him. An unmistakable click sounded in his ear as his golden eyes widened with distress. The fallen princess glanced up to see that a gun was pointed to his ear.
"I'll blow your brains out if you move," Millie threatened in the harshest voice she could muster.
"Where did you get a gun?" Tsubomi asked. It wasn't just any gun; it was a personalized pistol, designed for a variety of special tasks. She had not seen anything like it before, no doubt it was custom made.
"My father is a sharp shooter. He taught me a thing or two about weapons. Now, eat turf you-" The magenta-haired girl was cut off as she yelled. The drag queen had managed to knock the gun from her hands and worked his extensive nails towards her once again but Tsubomi shoved her down harshly.
"No!" The tomboy cried out as she heard Copernicus call out her name shortly afterward. Her blue eyes went wide as one of Hizaki's fingernails barely missed her head and pinned the folded collar of her intricate jacket to the wall. "Damn it!"
"Tsubomi-kun! Are you alright?" Millie glanced up at the beautiful boy.
"I'm fine. It missed me-" Tsubomi started to say before she was silenced by Copernicus, who suddenly came from behind Hizaki and attempted to snap his neck with a chop but the blond vampire released the girl to block his hit and tried to punch Copernicus with his other hand. The Inheritor evaded him and delivered a kick to the feminine one's stomach and spun his leg around, sending the elaborately dressed Hizaki into the wall in a mass of frills, bows and lolita curls.
The opposing vampire slid down the wall and slumped over as his body shattered into hundreds of pieces that resembled glass.
Millie glanced around as she noticed that the black around them subsided and the alleyway was beginning to look as it had before. She could hear a slight pinging sound and glanced down to see black shards that resembled onyx, raining down.
"Hey, everything looks normal again. How bizarre…" She trailed in awe as she continued to watch the black shards hit the ground and fade into oblivion.
'My mind got drained, my blood was drained and now I'm worn down. This hurts…How can I strip dance with these injuries? I'll have to cover them up with costume props.'Tsubomi stumbled as she tried to keep her concentration but she was far too empty for any of that. So many things had happened all at once and she felt fatigued and anemic. She had not even recovered from Hizaki's last attack.'I can't faint. I've got to stay awake. If I stay awake long enough to treat my own injuries, and then I won't be found out.'
It was a good enough plan, but nearly impossible to complete with any success. Her blue eyes slowly trailed over to see Copernicus, walking towards her as casually as ever.'Oh shit…I know what he wants…'After all, he had mentioned that she shouldn't shed any blood. "What?"
Copernicus said nothing, simply held her chin and gently licked the wound on the side of her face, which caused her to blush deeply.
"Copernicus…you're…"
"Hush, my little Tsubomi. You've done enough." The vampire chided her questioning and worries but their tender moment was interrupted by long nails that quickly approached the aristocrat's neck, threatening to end his life at that very moment.'What a stupid mistake. I've been far too lenient.'
The Inheritor was slow to react as he glanced over his shoulder in shock, but before he could make the smallest move, the fingernails were busted off by several well execute shots, fired from a pistol in rapid succession. Hizaki simply stared at his shattered nails in shock and horror. His beautiful weapons had been busted and splintered and the bold, red polish was blown off. It mortified him to no end.
"Got you," Millie smiled as she held the gun with the barrel pointed towards the heavens. "All of that stuff I hated to do at the shooting range finally paid off." The girl had always detested doing as her father wished to become a great marksman, often thinking that it was more his pleasure to see his daughter carry on his legacy than anything else but at times like this, she was more than grateful that he had taught her such a useful skill.
'I'll have to retreat and think of a better tactic. This fight was purely for observational purposes anyway. I'm out of here.'He floated backwards and sank into the wall, withdrawing from the fight and leaving the three of them to talk amongst themselves.
The school girl walked over and casually picked up one of the busted pieces of finger nail up from the ground and studied it. "Wow, this was definitely not an illusion. You could make throwing knives out of these…Scary."
"You shouldn't go picking those up," Tsubomi advised. "What if they were poisoned?"
Millie looked as if a sudden realization had hit her and let out a shriek and threw the offending nail across the ground.
Copernicus looked to his donor with tender concern. "Are you alright, Tsubomi?"
"I'm just exhausted," the weary tomboy replied, "I'll be alright."
"I'll just wait until I can have a safer opportunity," he leveled. Drinking her blood now would put her in a dire situation. He should have known that he would have to let her get used to things before he decided to make it a normal occurrence. It didn't matter anyway; she had provided him with enough blood, so he had only felt a little weary.
"Are you sure?"
"You have me quite a bit last time, so I should be fine," Copernicus gently stroked the top of her head, feeling her silky strands between his long fingers.
'What are they talking about?'Millie knew that she shouldn't, but the girl couldn't help but stare at their show of affection.
"Are you petting me?" Tsubomi asked. It was an odd sensation. She had never been petted before by anyone.
"Your hair is nice."
The school girl sighed dreamily to herself. "They're so adorable. My friends won't believe me when I tell that I got to meet such hot men." She could only imagine the envy and shock they would feel when she went to school tomorrow and told them over her escapades.
"You shouldn't tell them about what happened," the stripper warned. It would do more harm than good, even if her friends believed her. The two of them would only be getting more people innocently involved in their endeavors.
"Huh? Why not?" Was it some kind of big secret or something? Seriously, Millie didn't get it.
"This is one of those things that we don't want getting around. Besides, whoever you tell will be in trouble, so if you don't want to make murder victims out of your friends, then you do best to shut your mouth." The words were harsh and piercing, but when it came to defending Copernicus' existence, Tsubomi would do her damned hardest to make sure his secret was well guarded, no matter what the cost.
…To Be Continued