Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Illusions ❯ Hizaki's Rise To Power ( Chapter 49 )

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Shattered Illusions

Chapter 49: Hizaki's Rise To Power

By: Melissa Norvell

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The heavy rains poured down, beating against the teel surface of the steel doors as the sound amplified. It beat against the brunette's body, soaking him to the core as his clothes clung to his form. Water dripped from his nose, chin and bangs. The Rigatama's tip dripped with rainwashed blood that fell to the ground, dissapating into the ground.

He gazed at the gray clouds, gathered like plumes of suit-washed cotton above him as he began to walk home, leaving the slaughtered Hide behind him. The rain continued to fall, washing all of the impurities from the air and coating everything in a slick gloss of water.

As he made his way towards the castle, the rain let up and fell gently. Copernicus found his way to the rose garden in the front yard, glancing at the blossoms, glistening with rain drops. He stood there for a moment, sword over shoulder, continuing to stare at them.

'Perhaps now, fear brother, you can finally rest in peace.' Making his way toards the monument, he gazed up at the last physical reminder of his brother's appearance before heading to his grave.

But, when he arrived, a terrible surprise awaited him.

His eyes widened. Copernicus could hardly believe what he had seen. 'What madness is this?' Stepping back in aghast, he saw the hole in the ground, the fresh earth that had been dug up, and fresh earth littered the ground, drenched in rain. The casket that encased his brother's body was gone.

'He was in that coffin. I made sure of it. I even checked before it was lowered into the ground, so why would someone steal the prince's body? What's the motive behind it? Prince Yale has been dead for a while.' It was confusing. Yale's body had no magical powers to it. There was nothing special about it that made it worth stealing. "I don't understand why someone would desecrate a prince's grave in such a manner. Something is going on here."

Whatever it was, it was far from good.

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At the mansion, everyone was resting from their battle. Teru, Horatio, Millie, and Zino were donning bandages, covering all of their wounds. Tery stared at the ground with an expressionless face, trauma-filled eyes stared at the ground and he hadn't spoken the whole trip back.

Horatio sat by the window, watching the rain fall from the side and beat agaist the glass. His eyes were transfixed on the billowy, black clouds above. 'Today is a dark day.'

Cold from blood loss, Millie pulled a blanket around herself, snuggling down into it as she remembered how Shiva turned into balls of golden energy. Sorrow crossed her features as she frowned. 'Shiva...'

Tsubomi was on the other side of the couch, dressed in a light pink gown, wrapped in covers with her hair flowing over her shoulders. She looked more feminine than she ever had in that moment.

"It's quiet...All you can hear is the rain. Man, that's dismal in a way," Zino decided to break the silence in the room.

"Yeah," Millie wasn't in much of a talkative mood, however.

The dark-haired man sighed. "What do we do?" He had been pondering over this issue since the battle had ceased. No doubt Copernicus would be back and so would Hizaki. It had everyone on edge. No one wanted to kill the vampire, but they were running out of options.

"I've been wondering that for a while now, or even if there's anything we can do. I mean, what if we can't break his possession?" That only left the grimmest option of all left, and Millie didn't know if she could take another death.

"Don't think like that. We have to be positive." No matter what, Zino wasn't going to fall into despair just yet.

Glancing down at the blankets, heavy maroon eyes saddened. "With everything that's happened, it's hard to think positive."

He looked at her as if he could hardly believe what was coming out of her mouth. "That's not the Millie I know. The Millie I know is super spunky and strong. She's not afraid to kick ass and take names. She's confident in herself and she loves every one of her friends. She would fight for them...no matter what."

After hearing a speech filled with such determination, Millie was endeared by his words. They touched her deep and caused a well of emotions to spring a leak in her heart. "Zino..."

"That's the Millie everyone loves," he paused, blushing a little, "that's the Millie I love."

Sitting up in her blankets, the girl stared at him with disbelief. "What?" Her breath was nearly taken away by the way he admitted his feelings.

"I love you, Millie Ashford," Zino found the words a little uncomfortable. "I know I'm not like Prince Yale, and I know that you're probably afraid to get close to anyone since he died. That's why I didn't tell you sooner. I wanted to give you time. You don't have to say that you love me back. I'm happy with whatever you want."

In truth, he enjoyed just being around her. That was good enough for him.

"Zino..." Millie felt her heart flutter, and a million butterflies feel her stomach. It had been a while since she'd been in love with someone and to know that person was Zino made her heart race.

"Hey, don't push yourself," he smiled. "It doesn't matter if you love me back. I know it sounds corny but just being around you is enough and I mean that." He didn't want to rush anything, or make her pick him out of pity. If Millie was to say that she loved him, it was going to be because she wanted to and she felt the same way in return.

She looked as if she was in thought for a few moments before answering him. The skin on her cheeks reddened. "You know, Zino...I've always felt close to you. After Prince Yale died, you were there for me and you tried to cheer me up. In battle, you always protected me and you covered for me when you could. You'd give your life for me and it takes a special person to do that. I don't meet many people like the ones I know around here. All of you are so wonderful...I'm really glad that I got the chance to meet all of you."

"Hey, you flatter me, you know that?" Zino laughed a little with a hand behind his head, beaming with joy. Grinning, he blushed a little more. "You make me sound like a real knight!" He then looked to the girl. "You know, we're glad that we met you, too. We've all gotten really close."

"I'm glad to have met you, Millie," Horatio turned from his position at the window.

"Sir Horatio," she had almost forgot that he was in the room with them.

"You're a good knight, and you don't lose sight of your goals. Don't let yourself think badly because of what happened with Prince Yale," Horatio wouldn't have liked her to think badly of her views on love because a tragedy happened last time. In many ways, she didn't need to be reminded of it with any new relationships she might form.

She deserved to be happy.

"I've always looked up to you, Sir Horatio. You're loyal, strong, you take a lot of crap and you don't complain, no matter how bad it gets for you. You stand strong like a big, indestructible wall and nothing knocks you down. If it does, you never let it show. I wish I could do that." Unlike the green-haired knight, Millie knew that she had her fair share of emotional outbursts and spells of weakness. Horatio was just amazing, a real and honest knight. She wished that one day, she could be seen as he was.

"You make me look better than what I am, but thank you for your compliments." It was hardly true, but all the same, he felt honored she'd tell him such things.

"I think it's true," Zino agreed. "You're an awesome person, Mr. Pendragon." He turned to glance behind him for some sort of confirmation, only to find that Teru was fast asleep. "When did he conk out?"

"Let him sleep. He's gone through a lot of hell, and so has Tsubomi." It was better that the two of them got as much rest as they could. Horatio didn't feel like sleeping or he would have done the same.

"I'm surprised that she put up as much of a fight as she did." Millie didn't think that Tsubomi would have lasted that long, not with her prior injuries.

"That and she was completely drained. She probably worked off of what little she built up and the reserve strength that you have when your body puts up its last fight." It was amazing to see that woman in action. Zino thought she was a formidable foe.

Worry crossed the maroon-haired girl's face. "I hope she'll be alright. She just took a quick bath and threw on one of my old sun dresses and fell asleep." Glancing at the girl, she saw that Tsubomi was sleeping soundly enough. She didn't show any signs of distress.

"It's the most feminine thing I've seen her wear the whole time I've known her," Horatio noted how strange it was to see her in a sun dress, much less see her wearing a dusty pink.

"Me too," Millie heard someone knock on the door. Everyone's heads were turned towards the source before the three of them exchanged confused glances.

"Who do you think that is?" Zino asked. They weren't expecting anyone. He didn't even want to start thinking of the possibilities.

"We won't know until we answer the door," Horatio tensed up. He didn't want it to be anyone affiliated with Hide. They didn't need that right now.

Throwing her covers off, Millie called out that she would get it before anyone dared to make a move. Darting to the door, she slowly opened it to see a soaked Copernicus standing there. Stuttering his name, she took a step back. Horatio grabbed his sword as the atmosphere turned tense.

"What?" Zino's face transformed into a serious expression.

"Don't worry...I'm not possessed anymore," he wasn't sure how much it would reassure them, but saying something was better than meeting face first with the blade of Zino's sword.

"How did it wear off? What happened?" Millie wanted to know all of the details. She wasn't quite sure of she believed him, and cast him a look of skepticism.

"Uh...don't you think you should let him inside? He's kind of getting rained on," Zino wasn't sure what his team mates were thinking, but they were just letting the poor guy stand there as it poured down around him, and Copernicus already looked like he'd just climbed out of the sea.

"Uh...Sure..." Millie was weary, but she opened the door and moved aside to let the Inheritor inside.

Copernicus sat on the couch, wrapped in many blankets. His skin was cold to the touch. The Rigatama laid up against the couch beside of him as the vampire glanced at the floor. Everything went silent again, and the light whirr of the heater combined with the sound of rain beating against the glass was the only sound in the room.

"So...what happened?" Millie asked, breaking the silence as everyone gathered around the couch.

"My possession was technically off when I murdered Shiva. By shedding the blood of someone close to me, the curse was canceled. However, I had to make them believe that I was still under its effects. Thanks to the alchemy of the Rigatama, I was able to have the appearance and feel of someone who was still under the possession spell," Copernicus explained what happened. He couldn't give up his facade, no matter what happened. When it wore off, he had a plan and decided to run with it.

"So, you fooled them into leading you back to their base?" That was pretty smart, if Zino could say so himself.

"I feel like such a fool," Copernicus sighed and tilted his head down. His voice was low and filled with regret as he spoke. "My entire life was lived to help them accomplish their goals. They gained my parent's trust so that they could guide me to turn against them and one day, kill them."

"You were raised to murder your own parents so that they could take the throne?" Millie was confused. If that was the truth, then that was screwed up.

"Yes," Copernicus nearly whispered the answer. The shame he felt was immense.

"Who told you that?" Zino wanted to know.

"Hide told me that himself," Copernicus paused, "when he thought I was possessed."

"How did you escape if you were directly under Hide's control?" Wasn't that hard to break? That's what Horatio had always thought, at least. It seemed odd that he was able to break free just like that.

"I decapitated him while he was talking to me in his room."

"What?!" Millie yelled in shock.

"Hide's dead!?" Zino was just as shocked.

"How did you pull that off?" All Horatio could do was stare at him, wide-eyed in disbelief.

Sighing, Copernicus explained that he was beside of him and he simply grew tired of all of the taunting and boasting he did, so he killed him, just like that. Hide had been talking about how he had a plot to kill the royal family from the beginning and he had been using him since he was a child. The plot existed before he was even born.

"What?" Millie was stunned that someone would even do such a thing. What did the royal family do to deserve that fate? She thought they all sounded pretty kind.

He went on to explain how he was raised to kill his own parents. All of his life he was nothing but a puppet, and when Hide was done with him, he was going to be disposed of.

"Really?" Zino didn't see why they wouldn't have kept him. He was going to be under their command, after all.

"That's awful," Millie's eyebrows creased in worry.

"He must have known you well," Horatio noted.

"He practically raised me. We knew each other like father and son. However....this entire time, we had been walking into his plans." It was grim news, but Copernicus didn't know how to lighten that blow.

"No wonder we weren't prepared for this." It made a lot of sense to Zino. That was why it never seemed liek they were getting the upper hand. Hide knew how they'd react and what they would do i the situations he put them in. It was all a big game to him.

"We were doing exactly what he wanted us to do. I feel like such a fool," the brunette continued to beat himself up over it all. So much could have been avoided if only he had found it out sooner. "No matter how many strategies I came up with or how much research I put into making plans to defeat him. It was all calculated."

Then, a thought hit the gun slinger girl. "What about Hizaki? Did you hear anything about him? Did you kill him too?" She could only be so lucky as to find out that he had slaughtered them both.

"No...I don't know where he is. He was gone when I left, but when he comes back, he won't like what he sees." It was perfect revenge to pay him back for that possession. However, this would only make Hizaki come back more ferocious than before. Their main adversary changed from Hide to Hizaki and Copernicus didn't know how to feel about making that move.

"So, now he's our prime objective," Horatio found him hard to defeat to begin with. This didn't make things much better than their original motive.

Copernicus nodded. "With the art of possession behind him, he'll be hard to defeat."

"Do you think he's stronger than Hide?" Millie could only hope that the answer was no.

The look on the Inheritor's face darkened. "I think he's the most dangerous man in this game. If not, he's been feeding Hide the plan over time."

Horatio blinked a little. "Wait...That would mean that he's always been our main concern." Was there something that Copernicus wasn't telling him? Were they giving the wrong person all of the credit for being the big, bad villain when really it was Hizaki the whole time?

Copernicus nodded.

Millie looked angry with him for just now deciding to reveal that type of information. "You knew this all along, Copernicus?"

"Yes, I knew that taking him down was our most important step. Not only did he make all of the plans, but he actively executed them for the most part. That's why I said that it was imperative that we beat Hizaki in specifically. He is out biggest threat." If he had brought it up back then, everyone could have been frightened. They would have abandon him, knowing that they were dealing with a psivamp. Copernicus didn't want to risk that. He knew that he was going to get the backlash for just now revealing such things, but it came with what his plan entailed.

Groggily, Tsubomi lifted her head off of the arm of the couch. Her eyes were heavy and her body still felt warm from the surrounding, fluffy covers. Slowly, the haze of her vision gave way to a crystal clear vision of the vampire, sitting on the couch beside of her. "No...No way...I must be dreaming...Copernicus?" She arched an eyebrow and if she wasn't so tired, she would have shown more shock.

Her master arose, tossing his covers aside as he hugged the girl close. "Yes, I'm here."

Wrapping her arms around his wet, warm form, she embraced him for a moment before pulling back. "I missed you like hell." Blinking a couple of times, as if she was trying to will her worn brain to function the girl looked as if something hit her. "Wait...How did you get out of the possession?"

He told her that he would explain it all later and asked her how she was feeling. Tsubomi smiled a little and noted that she was tired as hell and felt as if she was going to pass out again, but she was going to fight the urge because she wanted to make it up to him.

She felt lips against hers, as Copernicus gave her a light kiss. "I'm the one who should make it up to you. I'm so sorry for everything. I should have been more aware."

Out of everyone, her pain was the thing he regretted the most. He was supposed to protect her, to save her from harm and danger, but instead he had done nothing but put her in danger this whole time. It made him sick.

This isn't what a master was all about.

Tsubomi placed a calloused finger to his lips to chide him. "Don't blame yourself. We're all a little guilty. No one is completely at fault."

"You're beautiful. I've never seen you in pink, let alone a dress," he had to admit that it brought out a certain sense of femininity that he'd never seen showcased before in the girl. She was truly striking in such a dress.

Tsubomi grumbled, her cheeks stained pink. "Shut up," she snapped and closed her eyes. "I've never worn a dress. That and I'm not going back to my house right now. Millie let me borrow something to sleep in and this was the least feminine thing she owned."

In all honesty, she couldn't wait to get out of the drafty piece of clothing. Looking like a little princess wasn't her type of thing.

"It's better than being naked," Millie held a finger up, matter-of-factly and beamed.

Suddenly, he felt arms beneath her as she was lifted into the air bride and groom style. Tsubomi instantly recoiled into herself as she was lifted and carried up the stairs. Glancing up, she saw Copernicus smiling down on her. "The couch is no place for you to sleep. You should sleep in my bed...with me."

Nothing the emphasis that he put on those last two words, Tsubomi arched an eyebrow. "What?"

"There are no more secrets between us."

What was he implying?

"Yes, that's true," she looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hey, Copernicus?"

"Yes?" He answered as they walked through the door and he laid her down on his bed. It felt comfortable below her exposed skin. His bed had always been comfortable, like lying on a cloud.

Copernicus tried to pull up, but the girl snatched his cravat. Holding the fine material tightly in her hand, she kept her master in place.

"Stay," her voice was strong and commanding.

"What?" He arched an eyebrow.

"I want to sleep with you," another firm sentence.

"What? In what way do you mean?" Surely, he wasn't the only one taking that the wrong way.

"The only reason I wouldn't sleep with you before was because you'd find out that I was a woman. I don't want to be with you without ever having the chance to make love to you. I've wanted to do this for so long." Now was as good of a time as any. Tsubomi owed him that much for teasing him and keeping herself from him every since they had met. All of the emotional turmoil and sexual frustration was locked up inside of her, and she wanted to release it.

"So have I," the vampire admitted. "I've been so worried about you."

"Today, before the final battle begins, we'll spend the day together making love and getting close to each other." It was about time that she took the initiative. Tsubomi wanted something like that with him. She wanted to solidify their bond. Who knew what other chances they'd have?

"I've been so stressed lately. I could use some comfort." In a sloppy mess, the king's coat, undershirt and cravat fell to the floor. It felt good to get those clothes off of his body. All they did was cling and itch anyway.

Tsubomi's dress was raised over her head, revealing her perky breasts and black, lace panties. Shivering against the cold air, she leaned into him and pressed her lips against his. She could feel the vampire's strong arms wrap around her slender form as the two of them made out. Hands roamed over each other's bodies as they pressed together in an attempt to gather warmth.

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Hizaki walked into the room where Hide and Copernicus had been talking. It had been a while and he hadn't heard anything out of him, but he continued to work tirelessly on the last phase of their plan. He was so close to victory he could taste the metallic flavor on his tongue. Things were going great, and with that king on their side, they couldn't lose.

"Hide-sama, I have managed to put the last phase of our plan into action-" He cut himself off as he glanced around. "Why aren't you responding?"

That wasn't like him at all.

Something was wrong?

Walking around the chair he sat in, Hide continued to glance around. "Where's Copernicus?" A thin layer of sweat resulting from his anxiety covered his forehead as his heart raced. There was something about this situation that kept feeling increasingly bad the more time passed.

'Something isn't right. This room smells heavily of blood.' Hizaki glanced over to see that there was something on the ground. Upon further inspection, his eyes widened when he realized just what it had been.

"No...n-no..." Running over, the femininely dressed vampire fell to his knees and picked up Hide's disembodied head. His hands shook as he stared into the dead pupils of the man that he loved.

Cradling the head, Hizaki held it close as stubborn tears cling to his eyes. Riddled with horror and hopelessness, the man wept as he continued to cradle the head to his chest. "Hide..."

Then, he felt a wave of anger bubbling sickeningly up from his stomach, eating at his soul. Hizaki could only see red as malice marred his feminine visage. "Copernicus..." His voice shook with hated. "He's responsible for this!"

Hizaki screamed in anger and pain. "You're going to scold in hell for this! Mark my words! No one takes those I love from me with no consequences! I'll kill you! This...is war!"

That was a promise he would go to the grave keeping.

No more screwing around.

He wanted him dead and he was going to make sure it happened.

...To Be Continued