Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Illusions ❯ Tea and Distress ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: MellyN

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Shattered Illusions

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 14: Tea and Distress

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"We need to talk," Tsubomi leveled Copernicus was a serious expression.

"Yes, we do have a lot to discuss," the vampire agreed. There were a lot of things that were left unanswered, and he knew that the questions about him have undoubtedly been rising up in the boy's head.

"I'm tired too, and I need to write my Japanese parents. I'm sure they miss me," Millie wanted to keep in touch with them as much as possible. The girl knew that they must be scared out of their minds or very worried, but if they knew that she was alive then it might make things easier on them.

The last thing she wanted to do was get them involved in this mess.

Tsubomi nodded, and Copernicus asked if he would see her there. Tsubomi agreed to grant his request. Then the vampire turned his sights to Millie, who had taken a seat on a tree stump. She knew what he was going to ask, and she dreaded it.

"Millie, will you be joining us?" It was a simple question but the school girl couldn't stand the thought of being at a strip club, even if it was with friends. The thought of seeing half-naked women and drinking booze didn't appeal to her senses at all.

The girl looked half-horrified. "Tsubomi-kun, you work at a strip club, don't you?" Tsubomi replied in affirmative.

"Is it a gay strip club?" She asked. If it was, that would give her more incentive to go. They were both men, after all. Frankly, she thought both of them were gay. Men that pretty weren't the type to be straight.

"No, just a topless strip club for horny men who want to get a cheap thrill," Tsubomi stated very matter-of-factly. She couldn't defend her position as a dancer, so she chose to act as if she held no interest in the job. It was safer this way. The tom boy wouldn't be found out.

"No, thanks," Millie waved her hands as her voice produced a nervous sound. "I'll stay at your house."

"That reminds me, I have a present for you," Copernicus had been so caught up with his eventful day that he had nearly forgotten about the girl's gift.

"Really?" Millie's eyes lit up in excitement. What kind of gift could it be? Whatever it was, it was certainly something to stare in awe at. After all, Copernicus was a very rich man, and any gift from him would be more than noteworthy.

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When they arrived at Copernicus' home, the vampire retrieved his large gift from one of the white tables in the living room. It was a massive present, longer than it was wide and wrapped with a large, magenta bow. The girl stared at it in fascination and commented on how huge it was.

"It's the least we could do," Copernicus commented as Millie sat on the couch and opened her gift, pulling out a beautiful, silk Lolita dress that was white with pink blossoms on it.

"Oh…my…God! It's beautiful!" The girl squealed in delight as she hugged the dress close to her chest. "Thank you both SO much! I'll have to try it on later. You two are the absolute best!" She smiled. Millie loved sweet Lolita, but the dresses were a little expensive for her to afford. The fact that she now owned one was the best thing that could have happened to her in a long time. The girl could feel her heart flutter at such a thing.

It was the best present ever.

"I didn't really do anything," Tsubomi replied. "It's more Copernicus' gift-" She tried to state the truth, but was silenced by strong arms wrapping around her from behind. The movement made her cut off her sentence.

"It's from both of us. We wanted to apologize for dragging you into this mess. I know it's not much, but we hope that you'll like it." the brunette calmly explained the meaning behind his actions. No matter how much Tsubomi tried to deny doing anything nice, he wouldn't let the boy get away with it.

"I do, more than that. Trust me," Millie assured. If only they knew how happy they truly made her feel. It was one of the best presents that she could have gotten, and she would be sure to make sure that nothing happened to it. From now on, it was her prized possession.

"We'll be back. We need a moment," Copernicus dismissed the two of them. Millie nodded as Tsubomi look confused.

"We do?" She questioned, but received no answer. The girl was simply pushed away and led into the next room. She turned the corner and leaned against a nearby wall. After a moment, she asked the vampire what he needed to talk about. The girl received no answer as the bandage around her wrist was removed, and then it hit her. "Oh, I feel slightly stupid now."

Of course, Copernicus needed a drink after all that had happened. He must have been feeling weak after his battle.

"Sorry, I'm weak from not being fed in such a long time. When I drank your blood earlier, it sparked my urges. You made me realize how weak I am," Copernicus' words trailed into a whisper as he neared the stripper's wrist. She said nothing and ran a hand gently through his hair. Dark blue eyes peered through brunette locks at the boyish woman who stood before him.

"It's kind of nice to be needed," Tsubomi admitted. As long as she was of some use to someone, she felt content with it all.

"Of course, I love the taste of your blood," Copernicus spoke against her wrist as he peered down at the ivory skin below.

"Just don't drain me dry." There was that sarcasm that both endeared and annoyed him. 'If I fall off the stage from blood loss, I'll murder you myself.' That wasn't a threat, it was a promise. If there was anything that she didn't want, it was to look stupid on stage or give herself away.

"Don't worry. I'll treat you gently."

"You always say such vague things," Tsubomi replied in a frustrated manner as she blushed to herself over the comment. What in the hell was that supposed to mean? The stripper felt the fangs of her master dig into her skin. 'Man, I'll never get used to this.' No matter how many times he'd done it, it was still the strangest feeling in the world to her. 'I'm such a sick person to think that this feels good in a way. I have issues. I need to seriously see a psychologist. Funny, I didn't even know that I was this way until he started to bite me.' The girl thought to herself as Copernicus pulled his fangs out of her arm and nuzzled her neck, the scent of her blood was fresh on his breath.

"We can't keep Millie waiting, can we?" He asked playfully in her ear.

"Guess not," Tsubomi tried to keep her frustration down. Why did he have to tease her like that? She should be used to it, but that didn't mean that it didn't make her feel anything less than what she did before. A large hand was sat on the side of her face, causing her to look up at the taller male as he suggested that they go back into the living room. She agreed as lips were sat on her forehead in a quick kiss.

She blushed again. Just as the last blush had gone away, he rose up a new one. "Yeah…" Tsubomi trailed as the retreated into the living room. The two gestured Millie to follow them and they all took a seat at one of the beautifully crafted tables in the kitchen area. He prepared food for everyone and sat the plates before the two women.

"Seriously, you're so rich. You should have a maid," Millie brought up the subject. She wondered why Copernicus didn't seem to have any staff at all. There were no butlers, maids or servants of any kind and it bothered her. Why wouldn't he have any help? Such a big house was no doubt hard to upkeep by just one man alone.

"That makes no sense. It would just be more suspicion. We don't need one," Tsubomi could see the logic behind Copernicus' decision. He didn't want to get caught, so he kept things as private as they could be. With others around, they would catch on to the fact that he was a vampire.

"We? My you move in fast," Copernicus seemed amused by that statement. He probably thought Tsubomi was talking about herself. Fat chance.

"Not me. You and Millie," the brunette corrected herself.

"You don't want to move in with us and be a family?" The vampire teased, although she knew that he was being slightly serious. He had asked her to move in with him before and she declined, for obvious reasons and she would continue to decline. It was too much of a risk.

Millie sighed and sipped on her tea as flashbacks of Prince Yale ran through her head. She wondered if he was alright, and how he was managing in the world. The school girl hoped that he would be keeping safe, especially with Hizaki and Estella Nu looking for him.

"You look like a heart broken school girl, Millie," Copernicus' deep voice brought her out of her daze.

"I'm just worried," she replied.

"What did Prince Yale tell you when you were together?" Tsubomi asked, for many reasons. If the prince was with Estella Nu for many years, then he could have gathered important information over time. Any leads were good leads, even if they were vague.

"Yes," Copernicus agreed. "The information could be important."

"He told me what the whole situation with the royal family. He also told me about Hizaki and these other vampires named Hide and Estella Nu," Mille began to explain.

"Who the hell are they?" Tsubomi had never heard of either of them before, but she knew that more than one vampire had to be involved. Hizaki didn't seem like someone who would operate by himself. He was craftier than that.

"Estella Nu is the leader of the Black Knights Special Ops. They used to work for the royal family. They were like personal assassins and Estella Nu was the most blood thirsty of them. She specialized in torture." Copernicus informed the girls about the identity of Yale's captor. He knew her very well.

"Boy, do I know that," Millie commented. Those were memories she'd rather forget she had.

"You saw her?" Copernicus asked.

"That's what these cuts are from," the girl sadly admitted. It wasn't her shining moment. Now that she thought about it, it was actually embarrassing.

"She tortured you?" Tsubomi's question didn't make it any easier to talk about.

"Kind of, I was trying to get my gun back. She was the one who tortured Prince Yale," she tried to get their focus off of her so much and on to other things.

"So, Estella Nu is working for Hide." That was something Copernicus found threatening. She presented a new threat and if she was working for Hide, then this presented a new problem.

"Who's Hide anyway?" Millie asked. She had been in constant confusion about the subject since his name was brought up. All she knew about him was that he was very powerful and evil. That was it.

Copernicus explained that Hide had once been the king's advisor. He was one of the oldest and wisest vampires as well as a master at alchemy. He protected the royal family from many things and he was known as a hero in the vampuric community. Hide was a man of a long title of names and all of them were good and noteworthy.

"That's our enemy?" Tsubomi questioned. "How in the hell do we defeat him?" Hide sounded very out of their league. With powers like his, he could easily take them all down with no problem. He wouldn't even have to blink.

"I know about his fighting style and use of magic. The Rigatama was his creation," Copernicus knew that they seemed defeated, especially since they just now heard how powerful the enemy really was. He hoped that they wouldn't be discouraged too much, and offered to give them the positives of the situation.

"That sword uses alchemy, correct?" Tsubomi asked.

"Yes, it uses red energy and the extending blades are also a form of alchemy," he explained. "Hide is a technological master mind and he loved creating weaponry for war. He created very odd instruments of massacre."

"Kind of like Leonardo Da Vinci?" Millie made the comparison. After all, Leonardo Da Vinci designed many weapons of war. If Hide made weapons like that, she knew she had no chance of going up against him without missing a few parts, if not being decapitated.

"In a way, he's also a bit of a tyrant. He always viewed humans as inferior beings that were only used for food. All true vampires to him were ones like me, who are from vampuric parents. It's strange though, because he, himself is a Classical Vampire," Copernicus seemed deep in thought over Hide's mentality on his beliefs.

"Classical?" Millie was still confused.

"Yes, like Dracula or Alucard Van Trepes, rather," Copernicus gave the most common example of what a Classical vampire was.

"So, do Classicals have…um, what kind of parents?" The school girl questioned.

"They have one human and one vampire parent, or they are humans turned into vampires at an older age. Most humans who are infected become Classicals," he hoped that would clear up any further confusion on the subject.

"Both of your parents were vampires, right?" Millie wanted clarification as she glanced at Copernicus, who nodded.

"He's an Inheritor," Tsubomi informed.

"So, you were born that way?"

"Yes, although being a vampuric infant is hard. Vampire children are viewed as worthless by our society and a vampire will never turn a child. Most vampires are turned or develop at a later age. Most children can't help their urges, and they go crazy or simply die. It's hard to keep them alive," Copernicus informed the school girl of his kind. He was a rarity among the vampire world.

"That's why Inheritors are rare," Tsubomi stated.

"Most vampires won't raise us. Prince Yale is an Inheritor as well. Inheritors also cannot reproduce." Even if it was something Copernicus had come to terms with, it still bothered him to say it out loud. However, that was just a fact of life that he had accepted a long time ago.

"Seriously? Neither of you can have kids?" Millie was absolutely shocked to find out something like that. It seemed horrible not be able to have any kids. She felt especially sorry for Yale, he was mute and impotent. It was bad enough that he lived a hard life as a kid, but his later age had also not been kind to him and yet, he still carried on. He had a lot of strength. No human would have been sane, or even able to function in a situation like that.

'That's sad beyond words! I mean, well he and Tsubomi-kun are guys…Come to think of it-Why do I care? Then again…Prince Yale…okay, that's sad…' Just thinking about the sandy-haired prince made her heart sink. A frown came to her face, and she was extremely bothered by it all.

Copernicus and Tsubomi stared at her for a moment.

"Well, those are some wild vampires we're up against," she decided to say something after she felt awkward for a while. 'Do we even stand a chance?'

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Estella arose from her spot and glanced around at her surroundings. She was outside, and sun beat down on her as the grass swayed gently in the wind. Her purple locks swayed back and forth with the winds. 'What was that?' She wondered as flashbacks of the machine ran through her mind. It was the strangest thing the sadist had ever seen in her life. 'No doubt that was Hide's invention. I wonder if it did the trick. I don't see Hizaki around either. If he reports the Prince Yale incident to Hide, then I'm dead…but if he has no proof then it really doesn't matter. I'll have to get him back on my own and under their noses.'

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Hide stood behind Hizaki, who sat backwards in a chair, shirtless as bandages were being wrapped around his body. "Almost done," he commented before he finished up the job. "There, you should be fine. It will heal in due time."

"My pride sure as hell hurts," the beautiful vampire spat as he propped his head up with his hand and frowned in disdain.

"Don't worry. That parasol was merely a prototype," Hide dismissed the subject easily as he rested his hands on Hizaki's bare shoulders. "What did you manage to find out?"

"Copernicus' ability to use the Rigatama is exceptional," Hizaki gave his report. Even he was impressed by the royal's ability to handle the sword with such great skill. Copernicus was definitely a threat to them with ability like that.

"No less than I'd expect from him," the other male seemed as if he were very confident in his own ability. So much so that he merely looked upon Copernicus as a sad puppet that lamely and ineffectively kept trying to cut its strings, but to no avail.

"He'll be a great opponent, even if he teams up with human beings. Speaking of which, that Ashford girl escaped and I managed to get some interesting information." A small smirk crossed the male's painted lips.

"Really? Do tell?" Hide seemed interested enough.

"Prince Yale is still alive."

"What?" The other male was taken aback by such startling news. After he quickly got over the shock, Hide was angry at hearing such a thing. "I told Estella Nu to execute him."

"She didn't. She kept him hidden away from us. No doubt she places curses on him that made him undetectable." It was like Estella to be underhanded. Personally, Hizaki couldn't wait to see her taken out of commission permanently. He couldn't stand her enough as it was. The sooner she died, the better off he was.

"That would definitely pose a problem. Let's get him assassinated right away. We can't have him at large," Hide instructed.

A delighted smile curved on the cross-dresser's lips. "I'll get right on it."

"Don't tell Estella Nu."

"Huh?"

"I want to see how she'll react when she finds out that he's dead. Besides, I'm going to see how she reacts if we're seemingly unaware of the fact that the prince is dead." It was the perfect mental torture when he thought about it. Hizaki couldn't help but see the guilt eat away at that sickening woman's mind. This would be great fun.

"Well, she does know that I know about it," Hizaki stated. Whether or not that made a dent in Hide's plan, it needed to be brought before his attention.

"Who says I'll believe you if I trusted her?"

Hizaki smiled as slender hands caressed his face. The elegant vampire gently sat a hand a top of Hide's and stared into the vampire's uncovered red eye. "I'll play into your little game, if I get something good in return." His voice dropped an octave into a purring, suggestive tone.

"If we execute the Time of Ending, then you'll get something that's far more than good," Hide neared the other male's face, which caused Hizaki to blush and gently say Hide's name, but all other words were lost to the wind in that moment of time.

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Millie took the handle of her dainty tea cup and turned it from side-to-side as she watched the liquid swirl around. The school girl seemed in deep thought for a few moments as silence fell upon the group. Propping her head on one hand, she glanced up to Tsubomi, who had just took a sip of tea.

"Hey, Tsubomi-kun, can I talk to you about something?" She asked. Tsubomi agreed, though she seemed caught off guard by the question. Millie hesitated before she pushed out the next sentence. "Um…Without Copernicus…"

"I think that's my queue," the brunette arose from his chair, carrying his tea with him as he began to walk out of the room. Millie apologized and stated that it was a private affair. "I'm not offended." Copernicus replied as he exited the room, sipping casually on his tea.

"I feel bad now," Millie looked down at her tea once more.

"So, what do you want to talk to me about?" Tsubomi asked, trying to change her mood and the subject.

"Tsubomi-kun…um…What does it feel like to be a donor?" The dark-haired girl asked. She had been thinking hard about the subject ever since she had spent time with Prince Yale and the aspect of being a donor in general was new to her.

"Why do you want to know?" This subject usually creeped Millie out, so why would she want to know what it was like and suddenly take an interest in such a subject?

"I really want to help Prince Yale but I don't know anything about being a donor. You seem like you know a lot," Millie really needed some advice on her situation. Confiding in Tsubomi seemed like a wise thing for her to do.

"You think I know a lot about this? I'm pretty new to it, to be honest," Tsubomi admitted. What advice could she really offer when she, herself was still learning?

"Really? Um…Does it always hurt…When he bites you?" Millie had always been slightly disturbed by things like that. It always looked so painful to her and she had poor tolerance to pain. Plus, the thought of anything feeding off of someone's blood sent shivers up her spine. Recently, however, she was considering her thoughts on the matter. Maybe something was wrong with her.

No…

She wanted to help Prince Yale in any way possible, and if anyone could help her get over her fears, then it would be him. He was her exception to the rule.

"Not really, I think it feels good," Tsubomi said, but quickly regretted it. 'Why did I just admit that to her?'

"That's weird."

"I didn't ask you to care," the tom boy became defensive over the subject. If Millie thought she was weird, then she could go to hell. Tsubomi didn't care about some little school girl's weak-minded opinion.

"I could get over the pain for him," she replied in a soft tone. Millie wanted to get over the pain for Prince Yale and help him grow stronger.

"Seems like you like him a lot," Tsubomi kept her nonchalant tone. She didn't seem to care one way or another.

"What about you? You like Copernicus a lot, don't you?" Why did she have the feeling that subject would come up? How irritating…and yet…it made her blush at the thought of the possibility.

"Well, if you're asking me if I think he's attractive, then yes. He's a good guy, too. I like him a lot. We do have a weird relationship, though," Millie heard the tom boy's voice fade her wild imagination decided to make up its own scenario.

Tsubomi and Copernicus stood close, the stripper had her hand on Copernicus' cheek, and the two stood close together, so much so that their bodies nearly touched.

"I'll do anything for you…master," the tom boy told the man, with great sexual emphasis on the last word as she looked longingly into his eyes.

A sheepish grin made its way to her face, which caused Tsubomi to look a little disturbed. She decided that she wasn't even going to ask about whatever it was that Millie was thinking. Tsubomi didn't even want to know anything about the depths of that girl's mind.

"But seriously, I don't know how I feel about Prince Yale. That short time I got to know him, I enjoyed spending time with him." Millie got herself back on track to what her real problem was.

"Did he give you that rose?" Tsubomi had remembered seeing the rose before in Millie's possession. She seemed very possessive of it, as if it had some sentimental value.

"Yeah."

"You haven't let go of it since I found you at the rose garden," the stripper stated.

"He kissed my hand too," squirming at the thought as a blush crept upon her cheeks, the school girl smiled to herself. "He winked at me. I never even dreamed that a guy like that would even spit on me, much less wink at me…and he wants to drink my blood again. Should I?" She seemed a little uncertain with her question, but Tsubomi couldn't blame her. If she kept allowing it, then she would enter a contract with him. Contracts weren't for everyone, and undertaking Prince Yale was a chore on top of what she already had to deal with. It could be a lot to be put on her shoulders.

"You should if he's worth it, then you'll go through with it. I think that the only reason he doesn't make a pact with you is because he doesn't want Hide after you. I think he wants to protect you." It made perfect sense to Tsubomi, anyway. Yale didn't seem like the kind of vampire who wanted to trouble anyone. It was bad enough that he couldn't talk, but he was also meek in nature.

"But, I want to protect him too," Millie just didn't know quite how to go about it.

"It's a joint effort. You'll both help each other out. Copernicus and I do, anyway." From what she understood of them, it was the basic function of a pact.

"You're lucky. I've always been envious of you."

"Why? I'm untalented and I don't really have an importance other than being a source of food. I haven't done anything for Copernicus like you have for Yale. If anything, he runs around saving my ass." Really, there was nothing of the girl to be jealous of. All Millie tended to see was the romantic side of everything. It was a nice vision to have but it was hardly true about her relationship with Copernicus. She had done next to nothing for him and more often than not, he was saving her.

"I just…I really want to help him." Tears began to form at the corners of her eyes, and the girl tried her best to keep from crying all over the place. Millie just couldn't stop thinking about the prince's condition. It tore her up inside. "I don't know how to help him. Everyone wants his head and he doesn't deserve to die. You, you're always so strong. I've never seen you break under pressure, Tsubomi-kun. You always seem like you know what you're doing and you take such good care of Copernicus-"

Tsubomi cut her off. "I'm not that strong. I'm just doing what I can. To be honest, I'm lost too." She closed her eyes and tilted her head down. Even though she hadn't outwardly shown signs of weakness, she did feel very helpless in this situation. Especially, since she found out the true strength of her adversary.

"Tsubomi-kun…" Millie trailed off. She had no idea that the tomboy was under so much pressure. "I'm sorry. I'm just stressed out and I feel anemic."

"I want to help Copernicus, too. I like him…No, it's more than that. He's the only one I've had and it would feel empty if he were ever gone. Heh, is this what it feels like to get too close? To be so helplessly dependant on someone that it hurts like hell when they are apart from you? To feel the void when they are gone?" Tsubomi asked aloud, not really expecting anyone to answer. She couldn't hide it anymore.

Maybe she really did love Copernicus.

However, that itself would present many problems. For now, she would keep her feelings to herself.

…To Be Continued