The Light of my Life

Illyana was settled in the backseat of Tamotsu's car. She had slumped down in the seat and pulled her legs up to her chest as she tucked her phone between her chest and knees. Looking over her social networks she would begin to bring up the news concerning her. Sometimes people had thoughts like 'wouldn't it be wonderful if I were famous’, but if the cost was one's privacy she wasn't sure if she would refuse swapping places with a person who wished for it -- but maybe that was a little cowardly. After all the work not only Tamotsu had committed, but to the efforts she had also put into these endeavors, it seemed not only cowardly, but outright selfish to give up so easily. Some days were harder than others. Sometimes living a life constantly under scrutiny and being judged by others on what you wore or what you said rather than what you did was extremely stressful. Walking on eggshells, constantly at odds with miscommunication and misunderstanding. Sometimes she would find that edge and hear her heart scream again and again. Yes there were days that were harder than others and most days she did wish she had a normal life so maybe Tamotsu wouldn't have to always worry about her. Maybe her mother and her could have a normal relationship and maybe she'd be able to have a family of her own.

She continued to scroll through the news and everywhere she looked there was rumor after rumor, making her wish she had never opened her eyes this morning. Maybe if they were only talking about her she could handle it a bit more, but they always seemed to drag her family into it. Always trying to pull Tamotsu down to the level of an ordinary gangster. Saying he was nothing more than a gold digger. It was so much harder to see those damning accusations because she had fallen in love with him. She wasn't sure when she did, but for a long time she cared, more than anything, about how he saw her. It wasn't fair.

Was it?

No.

She was so tired of them.

She was tired.

And then she saw it, a headline that, very well, broke her heart. The reason it had hurt so much? Because, even if for only a split second, she thought: what if it's true?

The online article was from Antipode's weekly magazine, being quoted by a reputable news station. It was the headline that first drew her eye: Mori Tamotsu, Blood Moon's Murderous Manager!

Upon opening the story the article would continue to read through a proposed rumor:

It was once known that six years ago Mori Tamotsu worked for the Dynamis Agency before its subsequent collapse due to controversies surrounding the care of their models. Many young models, both men and women, had died due to various mysterious circumstances under the Agency's care. Law enforcement had been unable to connect any of the deaths directly to the Agency, but there was a moral outcry that it had been their responsibility nevertheless. After a public apology the company filed for bankruptcy and began liquidating its smaller businesses branches. Mori Tamotsu served as a manager for a young Xie Ju when he was only 18 years of age. It was the first job he received out of University. Xie Ju was a rising star and a popular idol  in China, Japan, Korea, and even the States. She was becoming a household name and was due to star in her first movie. On that fateful day in summer, at this same date, Xie Ju suffered terribly from a physical ailment and was rushed off set, to a hospital.

Many say it was heatstroke, but others had blamed the accident on the lack of care given to the models of the Dynamis Agency and their overloaded schedules. Xie Ju was underweight when she arrived at the hospital and eventually died of cardiac arrest. There was never a conclusive cause to her eventual heart attack, but blame had been put on the company for putting someone so young in charge of the woman's work. It was recently learned that another beloved model, under the Blood Moon Agency, is under Mori Tamotsu's care. And we here at Antipode have the same question that has been weighing on everyone's mind: is she safe? Is it possible that Mori Tamotsu will fail her in the same way Xie Ju had been failed?

Tamotsu was oblivious to the news of his earlier work. Typically Daido made sure that little, if anything, of his past, would reach the media. There were a few elusive reporters who managed to retrieve a story or two, but they were quickly sued for defamation and libel before eventually leaving the profession after losing their cases. Tamotsu was privileged and rarely had to deal with the paparazzi despite his own lifestyle. Privacy in Japan was protected and with people like Daido sometimes those protections went above and beyond.

Tamotsu had leaned forward to reach towards his dashboard so he could turn on the radio, but his finger froze inches from the button. With trembling eyes he stared into his rear view mirror where he could see Illyana doubled over with her face in her hands, her phone abandoned on the seat beside her.

Without a second thought the man would pull off onto the side of the road. They were currently in the back-roads of Kanagawa, making their way to Kamakura. Putting the vehicle in park, Tamotsu would remove his seat belt and climb into the backseat. Quickly snapping Illyana's buckle from its lock he would work the languishing woman from the contraption. The man fell back against the seat before he pulled her crumpled form into his lap. The Vampir would immediately bury her face into his shoulder, her wretched sobs causing the man to tremble in fury. He would use one hand to search the seat for her phone. What had her so upset? When his eyes came upon the article he would quickly scroll through it before coming to an understanding. He tossed the phone aside, feeling Illyana's hands wrench into the shoulders of his vest. Illyana went through painstaking effort to withhold her Vampiric nature, but as she wept, lamenting her thoughts, pained from her tired body, and taunted by her exhausted mind all of the barriers, the measures of safety she wrapped in layers around herself to protect her image, her fans, and family's name -- all of it shattered into pieces.

There wasn't anything Tamotsu could say, or would. She was so distraught he doubted his words would even reach her. For now all the man could do was keep his hand pressed to the small of her back while his other brushed down against her alabaster hair. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? She didn't deserve any of this.

Tamotsu narrowed his eyes. "Those vultures, wretched shit eating rats..." Tamotsu thought. "When I get my hands on them I'll break their bones, grind them to dust, and make bread to feed to their families."

"I don't want it!" Illyana shouted, her face pressed against the skin of his neck

He could feel the heat from her streaming tears, feeling the quaver deep in her voice as an immense rage stormed in her heart.

"Lily...?" Tamotsu tried to call out to her with a gentle tone, burying his anger for now. "Hey, sweetie, you're okay. I'm here."

"No, no, no!" Her voice broke amidst the shriek. "Stay away from me!" She pounded her fists into his shoulders.

Wincing the man clenched his jaws, taking onto himself her hurt.

"She didn't actually mean that. She needs me." Tamotsu would convince himself. "It was those bastards that made me look like a monster!" Though they weren't completely wrong...

His right arm began to shake, the tattoos along the skin of the limb glowing softly as it began to grotesquely bulge as if bones were trying to protrude from his skin. He would eventually be able to calm himself. He exhaled and would pull her tightly to his chest.

"Hush Lily. I'm not going anywhere." He soothed. "Even if you come to hate me... I still want to help you..."

The last words caused the woman to blink, her claret eyes glowing softly, glistening against the unshed tears. Hate him? No!

"I-I could never hate Tamotsu..." her lips trembled as she turned from striking him to holding him in a backbreaking hug, as if he was attempting to escape her. "He can't go --" Her mind was running in all directions, her senses on high. She could not pick between flight or freeze, she would instead go with fight.

Tamotsu didn't stiffen or pull himself away. He relaxed in her hold, lest she'd become further saddened by any attempts to pull away. As she sat chest to chest with Tamotsu, holding him in a vice-like hug she would feel his racing heart beating against her breast. Her senses picked up his rushing blood, the man's scent wrapping around her senses and cocooning her in a familiar warmth.

"Tamotsu..." Her voice was hoarse from her wailing, her body still faintly trembling. "...am I a monster?"

"No." He didn't need to think about his answer. "She's my little flower. My delicate little flower that just needs some tender care."

He felt her hum at his words. She became still, even silent. There was no sound save for the faint murmur of nature outside of his car and the occasional vehicle driving past. Furrowing his brows, Tamotsu would move his arms so he could rest his hands on her hips to move her back, but the action was the incorrect one. As soon as his fingertips touched her body the Vampir let out a strangely erotic moaning sound before he felt a sharp pinch on his neck. Tamotsu opened his mouth in surprise, groaning in pain as she bit down harder and began to suck his blood. He had never seen Lily drink -- from a body. He was told she had never done so before, adverse to the idea yet here he was trapped in her arms, beneath her teeth as if he was prey.

As if! He was no one's toy! If he let this slide she would become more unruly and spoiled than she already was, he was sure of it! Sneering he reached his hands to her side in order to force her off, but he stopped. When he rested his hands on her sides he felt her relax, her grip loosening.

"She's calming down...?" He thought.

He was surprised because he could feel her heart and how it slowed. If he wasn't flush against her body he could have sworn that her heart stopped. If not for her still gorging on his blood he could have mistaken her for being asleep. Honestly if this was all she needed to relax he would have been allowed such intimate contact. But no sooner did he have the thought did he rescind it because she wouldn't stop. He felt them reaching a dangerous point.

"L-Lily -- wait!" He tried to pull her off, but it was futile. "Lily! M-Momo isn't a snack!" He felt his blood pressure dropping.

He was getting weaker with every passing second. His eyes went cross as his vision started to black out. He felt his body succumb to gravity. The last thing he heard was Illyana calling his name.

"Tamotsu!"

"Ah -- even when murdering me she's so cute..." Those were his last thoughts before the darkness took him.