Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Illusions ❯ Innocence ( Chapter 15 )

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

By: MellyN

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Shattered Illusions

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 15: Innocence

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Tsubomi walked out of the room and turned to see the vampire standing by the doorway. He had been listening the whole time. Irritation crossed her face.

"Eavesdropper," she shot in unamusement as she folded her arms over her chest. She had expected no less from the observant vampire.

What an ass.

"You really feel that way?" The brunette questioned as he turned to his donor.

Tsubomi instantly blushed. She knew exactly what he was talking about. "I should know better than to say sentimental crap around you," she mentally cursed herself. 'Talk about a wide open shot.'

"I like you a lot as well," Copernicus said with a smile. They had already been through so much, and the more time that he spent with the girl, the more of an attachment that he had towards her male persona. It wasn't just a typical relationship that they had and of all people, Copernicus knew that more than anyone.

There was something about her.

Flustered, the tomboy frowned and closed her eyes. "I've got to get ready for work."

"Where's Millie?" The vampire questioned the school girl's whereabouts. Tsubomi informed him that the girl had been sleeping on the couch, and that she was very tired from the earlier events that had taken place. She didn't blame her. The events of that day had been very stressful.

"Then we have some time alone." What was he getting at? Was Copernicus being a pervert, or just trying to trap her because of what she admitted to Millie earlier.

Well, she would have none of that. She wasn't about to fall for his clever wiles. "What do you mean? I really have to get ready. I don't want to be late."

"You did save my life. Don't think you're just food." The situation just reached a whole new level of awkward between the two. Tsubomi knew that she was pretty much screwed at this point in her life. There was no way to get out of what she admitted, and she couldn't pass it off as a lie, either.

"Never said I minded. I like being your donor," the defeated tomboy replied. It was a fact that she could no longer deny. Being Copernicus' donor was a perk, but it wasn't all that she was.

The vampire casually strolled over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I will treat you gently."

"Pardon me?" Wait? What kind of crap was he trying to pull? Her cheeks flushed again, and she sincerely hoped that she just heard him wrong.

Before she got her answer, she was embraced by strong arms as her head landed on the man's broad chest. He said her name in an endearing tone and stared into her eyes. The side of her face grew warm as she felt his hand on her cheek.

"If you think that you mean nothing to me, then let me show you how much you mean to me. I want you to know that you're important to me," Copernicus had been thinking a lot about what the unsure tomboy had told Millie in his absence. He wanted Tsubomi to feel important, and to not feel as if she were just another gear thrown into the plot. She was important to him. More than she could possibly know and truth be told, she was more important to him than any mere donor.

He heard his name spill softly from the girl's pink lips. Her voice was full of question, and a hint of something else that he couldn't quite describe.

"I want you to be confident in yourself. You underestimate yourself," he said firmly as he gazed into her deep blue eyes.

"Millie is more talented than I am," Tsubomi admitted her flaws. "Come on, I can't even shoot a gun."

Copernicus closed the void between their faces, which caused the girl to blush even more. If her thoughts weren't on what the vampire would do next, then she would have sworn that her cheeks would explode.

"Quit selling yourself short. Have you always been like this?" He knew that Tsubomi was negative, but surely she could tell how important she was to him. If she didn't have any faith in herself, then she wouldn't have any faith in their relationship. Copernicus counted on her, in every single way imaginable. She couldn't let him down. He would not allow such a thing.

"Probably," she shrugged. Tsubomi had never thought about it before, but she supposed that she had been negative all of her life, and with a life like hers, there was nothing to look forward to until recently. Meeting Copernicus was one of the off the wall and exciting things in her life that made it worth living.

"You should really have some pride." If only he knew what exactly she was, then he wouldn't be saying something like that.

"I'm not you." They were on completely different levels. He was a royal vampire, and so a mere pauper of a human. She deserved to be below him, and that was where she was going to stay.

"You think I'm arrogant?" Copernicus questioned. He may have had pride, but he didn't think that it made him arrogant in any way.

"No, you're just strong. In fact, you're kind of sweet," Tsubomi commented with a blush of irritation and cursed to herself. 'Ah shit, what have I done?'

"I feel the same way about you."

"Oh, you heard that?" Her voice was monotone and unamused that she let such a shameful thing slip.

"I heard everything." Who was she trying to fool? He knew exactly what she said to Millie. He paid very good attention to every word that she uttered.

"That's not fair. I don't know anything about you."

"Then allow me to show you," the vampire insisted upon showing the girl his feelings towards her. To better understand her own sense of usefulness, she would be far better off experiencing it on a physical level. Physical levels of importance often outshone the more spoken ones.

With an unsure answer of 'sure' Tsubomi decided that she had nothing to lose. If He tried to take her clothes off, then she would stop him for sure. Over everything else, she would not expose herself. However, she wouldn't deny him of his urges, especially since he was so insistent about the subject.

Copernicus arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I don't want to take anything away from you." Just in case the girl, or in his case boy were a virgin, he didn't want to be his first regret.

"You might be the only one who wants it," Tsubomi replied apathetically.

"I'll move slowly. Tell me if it offends you," the Inheritor didn't want the girl to feel uncomfortable at all. He didn't mind moving slow, as long as he had an opportunity to show her his gratitude for her undying support.

Tsubomi agreed as the brown-haired royal moved closer to her face. Many thoughts raced through her head, and she began to feel nervous. 'Son of a bitch. He's going to kiss me. I can't stop him though. I want him to have my first kiss. I don't know why, but I trust him with it. What am I feeling? Why is my heart racing? This isn't right…I'm deceiving him…but still, I want this…I can't stop myself even if I wanted to.'

Tsubomi closed her eyes and prepared for the moment when their lips would meet. What would it be like to kiss a mouth full of fangs? That wasn't even as pressing of a subject as the fact was that she was going to kiss Copernicus in general. Would this change their friendship? They were so casual; she began to wonder if it mattered. If they both wanted this, then was it truly so wrong?

Why was nothing happening?

Tsubomi cracked open an eye to see Copernicus staring at her with a concerned expression. "You're shaking. Are you alright?"

"Stop teasing and just kiss me." What a bastard. She couldn't believe that he would just leave her hanging like that. It was nice that he cared, though.

"Demanding, aren't we?" The vampire continued to tease her.

"This might be stupid, but I want you to be my first kiss," the words were said with such confidence that it caused the vampire to flush the slightest of pinks. He said her name in bashful question as he placed a hand gently on the back of her head and kissed her slowly. The tom boy unsurely returned the tender kiss.

'The feeling of lips against mine. It's so comforting,' Tsubomi thought as she eased her way into the kiss, enjoying the strange new sensation that came along with it. 'His fangs are strange, but I can't complain. I wonder what he'd think if he knew that I was a woman. Is this what my friends in high school got so excited about? I mean, I'm living in a fan girl's dream,' she could feel the man's silky hair between her fingers as she wrapped her slender arms around the vampire's strong neck.

'Tsubomi…You are no inferior human. Your blood is addictive but that isn't why I want to be close to you. I don't know why but I feel comfortable with all of my secrets around you…Just as I did him.' With those final thoughts, the vampire pulled away from the kiss, savoring the tom boy's moisture as he did so.

"How was that?" The vampire asked as he seductively pressed himself up against her body, sending shivers up her spine. "Did you enjoy your first kiss?"

"Yeah…I can see why people make such a big deal about it," Tsubomi finally said. In high school, a first kiss or a kiss in general was a good thing that was worth high praise by teenage girls. Now she could now say that she knew why they held it so highly and blowing the subject off like it was no big deal was naive on her part.

"Well, I'd ask if you thought I was a good kisser, but you wouldn't know," Copernicus cracked a smile. After all, she had nothing to compare him to in order to think that he was a bad kisser. He supposed that he felt safe with that answer.

"Nope, you tainted me, but hey, I don't mind it," Tsubomi smiled a little as she kissed him, and he returned the small gesture with a gesture of his own. "It's addictive."

"You're addictive."

Tsubomi blushed slightly. "No, I'm not. I probably kiss like crap."

"You were fumbly but I can fix that. You'll be an excellent kisser by the time I'm done with you," Copernicus winked playfully.

"Are the rumors true about a vampire's kiss?" When she thought about it, that was a stupid question, considering the fact that they had already kissed.

"What? That it feels like a 100 orgasms?" Copernicus asked and Tsubomi nodded in agreement. "No, but I have been considered a good kisser."

"As flirtatious as you are. I thought you'd have some experience." Guys just didn't act that way because they were putting on a good front, they acted that way because they had experience.

"I've kissed many people, but there was only one person that I ever loved…" The vampire trailed off, his mind was lost in nostalgia as a crestfallen look crossed his features before he shrugged it off. "That doesn't matter now, though. They are dead and gone."

Tsubomi glanced down. "I'm sorry that you hurt like that. Too bad I can't help you out."

It must have been hard knowing that your lover was no longer with you. Copernicus seemed like he really didn't like talking about the subject. She wasn't sure of whether or not she should really press the subject, so she decided to simply sympathize with him.

"You do help me out. It's funny, I don't think about him when I'm around you." Oh great, he was gay. The moment just became awkward.

"Him?"

"Virgil Boucellini, he was the donor that was murdered," Copernicus informed his new donor of his old.

"You're…in love with your donor?" It seemed to be a habit of his, if she wanted to jump to conclusions about herself. However, it seemed as if his heart was stuck on the past.

"Yes, I am," Copernicus said cryptically.

"I feel kind of wrong doing this with you, then," Tsubomi pulled away from their hug. Suddenly, everything just felt so incredibly wrong. His heart was still aching from the past, and being with him only reminded him of Virgil, especially considering the fact that she was also his donor, and believed to be a guy. There was too much pressure on her, and she felt as if she should have left a long time ago.

"No, don't go."

"Why? I have to get to work," Tsubomi replied. Now was a good time for that excuse to kick in.

"I'll take you to work," the vampire offered.

"Let's go then," she couldn't deny him that privilege, especially after all of the deceiving she had done. It was now to the point of actually hurting him if he were to find out. Tsubomi felt very guilty for her actions and ashamed that she would use him in her game when he was hurting so much. 'Man, he sure is desperate to keep me around. I thought I was lonely. That look in his eyes…even though he seems so casual, I can tell that it's killing him inside to watch his world fall down like this. I bet that he's a train wreck on this inside.'

As the two headed out of the door, she reached out and held his hand tightly.

"Cheer up, sir. He knows that you tried and I doubt that he blames you, especially if he knew that you loved him," she tried to cheer him up, or at least provide some comfort to his wounded soul.

"I never told him."

'Shot down in flames…There went my effort,' Tsubomi scrambled for words. "He liked you, right?"

"Yes, he adored me." That was one good confirmation.

"Then don't be so sad," Tsubomi tried to chide the sorrow that dwelled within the man's heart. "He knows that you tried your best to save him. I'm pretty sure that he doesn't blame you. I know that you care, and you're really misunderstood by your stereotype. You might think that it's a burden that I know what I do, but I'm glad I know. I wouldn't want to live my life thinking what I did."

This completely changed her perception of the vampire. He was in so much pain over the murder of his donor, the donor that he loved and cherished. Even now, his pain was so strong that he barely even held himself up when the subject was brought to light. For these reasons, Tsubomi felt even guiltier for her acts. After all of that time, suffering from loss, Copernicus finally felt as if he was close to another one of his donors, enough to be physically intimate with them and here she was, toying with his mind and causing him to think that she was something that she clearly was not.

"My little Tsubomi…Thank you…You are one of the few humans to say that and the first ever to say it to me," Copernicus gazed at her with a look of endearment, and Tsubomi could tell that her words truly touched him.

"I think you need to hear it, especially now," she replied as they made their way to his blue sports car that was reminiscent of a Lamborghini Tesstarossa. The tomboy felt awkward about looking at the car, much less being inside of it. "That is your car?"

Why was she shocked? This guy obviously had money, so it was only fact that he'd have an expensive car. Perhaps she just thought that he probably would have been more inclined to have a limo of sorts. Copernicus didn't seem the sports car type.

"Yes, it's an import model," Copernicus opened the passenger's door and instructed her to hop inside. Tsubomi hesitantly sat inside of the car and glanced around at the luxurious interior.

'Damn, this feels weird. Everything is leather. It's super nice in here, especially compared to my piece of crap car,' she thought as the vampire sat beside of her, and the sound of light classical music filled the air around them.

"Do you like classical, or would you rather listen to something else?" Copernicus questioned her music choice.

"This is fine."

"Isn't it relaxing?"

"Yeah," Tsubomi closed her eyes, letting the soothing sounds fill her senses. "I hardly ever get to listen to stuff like this…" After that sentence, she had fallen asleep for the rest of the ride, and soon after, she had waked up being lightly shaken by Copernicus.

Her eyes opened and vision sharpened to see the vampire's flawless features. She groaned a little before she stirred awake, only to be told that she looked cute when she was sleeping. Her eyes narrowed and a slight frown crossed her face.

"Don't watch me sleep, you loli perv," she deadpanned as she was pecked on the tips.

"Have fun with the ladies," Copernicus joked.

"Whatever."

"Don't grab anything indecent."

"Sick, I'm not you."

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Millie lay on the couch on her back with the rose that Yale had given her draped over her chest. She stared at the white ceiling in deep thought over the events that had happened. Everything was changing so fast, and now she was being asked to be the donor to a dying man. 'What do I say? I mean…Oh my God…I know I'm not seeing things. I just saw them kiss twice! They have to be doing things. They've got to be. There's no way that they are just donor and master. Maybe shaking hands in the day and between the sheets at night,' she thought about Copernicus and Tsubomi's relationship. They tried to act so professional, but she had seen them kiss in front of her face. What? Did they forget that she was there? She was sitting right there on the couch.

There was only one way to approach the situation.

"I'm going to say something when they come back." One way or another, Millie was going to get her answers.

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She was beautiful.

It was a complete transformation by night.

The stripper was adorned in a beautiful headpiece that sparkled an aquamarine with feather, sequence and jewels. Around her neck, she wore three strings of different colored pearls, pink, black and white. Bangles adorned her wrists and ankles, complete with a sparkling sequence bikini and matching heels that tied around the ankles.

Her dancing was fluid and reminiscent of dancing from ancient times. Long lashes and makeup that looked professionally done, this was the real Tsubomi. This was the woman that she had to hide from her master and at this strip club, the one place that she could hide her true identity from his world.

As she spun around, she thought that she had caught glimpse of something familiar out of the corner of her eye. No. Surely it was some trick of the light! What could he possibly be doing there? As she spun again, her eyes widened. It really was who she thought it was! She was in trouble now.

She couldn't let him see her expression, so she decided to dance far away from his view. He was a bit away from her stage anyway, simply sitting at the bar and having drinks with a couple of flirtations, clueless girls.

When she finally got offstage, she changed quickly and made sure that there were no traces of glitter or make-up to be found. She sat at a mirror, scrubbing her face with an irritated expression.

'Damned glitter! I can't get it off today. I'll just tell him that I spilled some on myself. Besides, I already smell like three different types of perfumes because Black Cat, Candi and Prototype wanted to have a perfume fight.' She thought about the perfume war that she had been in with the three strippers and sighed to herself in irritation as she headed out of the door and right into Copernicus.

"You look so effeminate, and you smell like a perfume store," the vampire commented on the tom boy's state.

"The girls wanted to dump glitter on me and have a perfume fight," Tsubomi sighed, only telling half of the truth.

"You're gay anyway."

Her eye twitched. "Gay, not a drag queen," she replied with slight annoyance. 'Although I'm a drag king of sorts. I'm seriously too butch for my own good.'

"I saw a girl on stage. They call her Oshianna. She was very attractive but she was flat chested," Copernicus complimented her stripper persona's form.

'That was me. Oh great, I knew I was an unattractive woman,' her thoughts berated as she came up with something sarcastic to say. "Flat chests your thing?"

"She was enchanting, to be truthful. I always watch her dance." So, he was a regular client. That made her even more nervous than she already was.

"You check her out when she's topless, don't you?" Tsubomi teased in a way that could either be read as joking or jealous.

"No, I just love the way she dances," Copernicus blinked and replied innocently.

'You can't be serious, can you?'

"She's intoxicating whenever she comes out. I can't help but stare." There were those awkward comments again. First her master was into little children, and now butch strippers. What kind of weird fetish trends did he follow?

"I should ask her to give you a lap dance," Tsubomi stupidly replied, then kicked herself for the comment. 'Why did I just mention that?'

There was no taking it back now.

"You know her?"

'I hope he doesn't want to meet me. He'll know for sure. Shit, what do I do?' She shrugged apathetically. "Yeah, I know all of the strippers. So?"

"Don't be jealous," the vampire teased with a smile. "When I saw you for the first time, I couldn't even concentrate on her. You're far better than she is. I was just wondering what kind of kind of person she is." After all, he had always wanted to meet Oshianna, but never got the chance to. If nothing else, he desired to tell the woman what he thought of her beautiful dancing.

"Why? Turning straight?" Tsubomi shot a little defensively.

"You're so spiteful," Copernicus continued to tease.

'Good, although it's weird to pretend to be jealous of yourself, but I can't let him know. I'm already in too deep. At least he thinks I'm pretty. That kind of makes me feel good,' the tom boy tried to look at the bright side of things as she uttered 'so' in a bratty tone and turned to walk away, but was stopped dead in her tracks by the elder man's hand on the side of her face. 'This again?'

"Don't be jealous, my little Tsubomi. You are far better than any woman," Copernicus nuzzled the back of her head and a hand trailed down the woman's stomach slowly, sensually. She blushed and stuttered the man's name in a nervous flurry of emotions. His hand stopped just above the rim of her pants and she froze, trembling as the very secret that she fought so hard to keep was about to be exposed to the world.

"It won't go any father, trust me. Stop being so shy," Copernicus spoke into her ear, trying to comfort the tom boy as she laid a trembling hand on his and took a deep breath.

"I'm such a loser," she sighed. 'Not to mention that I feel like an ass and I regret lying to you.'

"Lighten up. I'll show you how to love, my little Tsubomi." Part of that statement was endearing to her, and the other filled with double standards. She hated not being able to feel clear about any emotions that she had regarding the subject of affection and love. Everything was blurred together.

"You got me, didn't you? You certainly reeled me in." That was one thing that she could not deny.

"It's not a game. I mean it. I want you to become a great donor-" He was cut off.

"You want to pluck my virgin flower, you mean?" Being a great donor wasn't the only thing Copernicus was after. She wasn't going to fall for the positive story board act.

"That isn't what this is about-" He tried to explain, only to be cut off again.

"I'm kidding," Tsubomi smiled. "Besides, if you wanted to, you could have had me, just because I don't know anything about being a donor. If you said that I would have to have had sex with you to be your donor, then I might have done it."

It might have been stupid to admit, but she was naïve and desperate back then. Any change in her life would have been a wonderful one and she was desperate to get away from the sickening boredom of her drab life.

"Really?" The vampire seemed a little shocked by all of this.

"Probably, I'm stupid like that," Tsubomi shrugged.

"Would you have regretted it?"

"No."

"Really?"

"We're friends, right? What's to regret if it's casual?" She asked. 'Is it sad that I even know how to get away with gay sex? I mean, all I have to do is pull down my pants a little. He won't see anything. I'd keep my secret then…Maybe…Why am I thinking about having sex with Copernicus? Does he mean that much to me? That I would give up that part of myself to him?'

"Yes, are you saying that you'd have sex with me?" Copernicus asked, a little confused, but he couldn't say that he minded it in the least. It just caught him by surprise that she would consider something like that. Could it be that she liked him as much as he liked her?

"Can I get back to you on that?" Tsubomi needed to think before she did anything stupid. She still had her secret to protect and she wasn't about to give it away to anyone, not even him. Not unless she had to or she was forced to.

"No rush. If it happens, then it does," he valued her friendship more than he did any physical favors. The fact that she had even stuck with him this long amazed him.

He could not have asked for a better donor.

'At least I can't get pregnant,' Tsubomi thought to herself about the fact that he was sterile and could not have children. Even if they did have sex, a child would only put them in more danger and add to their problems. Tsubomi agreed with the vampire. Whatever happened, happened. 'After all, I don't know how long I can keep this secret from you. I'm running fast into a hole that I can't crawl out of and someone's at the top, throwing dirt on top of me. I'm slowly suffocating, and soon, I might just give into the delusion and start to fall for you.'

…To Be Continued