AUTHOR NOTE: I do not own Rosario+Vampire or any of the characters contained within, they belong to their respective owners. Any similarities between this work and others is simply coincidental and unintentional. Seeing as this is a more "Western" take on the series, I'll be mixing a bit of dialects into normal character speech. I'll try my best to keep the characters "in character" at all times by allowing them to act as they would normally, just in a different situational setting. Also, I will try and introduce the main characters in the same way as the series, but with several western twists. I hope you all enjoy it.

PS: I will also try and get accurate descriptions of what each character is wearing, so as far as clothing goes that aspect is still a WIP.

A New Sheriff + A Vampire

I'm Tsukune Aono, 15 years old. From this summer on I'll be a sparkling new sheriff... supposedly.

I guess it started when I came home from tending the livestock when my Ma and Pa called me into the house. Seems like the mayor of a new town had dropped a strange letter when my Pa was headed on home, and when Pa read it, it looked like that new town was in need of a sheriff.

"Ain't it great Tsukune? You can move into a new town and get work as a sheriff! You won't have to farm all your life like your Ma and I have. You can become somethin' special boy! Law enforcement! You're gonna make us so proud!" At that, Pa gave me a big ol' hug and he and Ma sent me packin' on the first stagecoach out West. I still didn't quite get why it had to be me, 'cause I mean... I'm still pretty young to be a sheriff, and on top of all that, bein' a sheriff is a pretty hard job...

Tsukune sighed as he watched the plains roll by outside his window, glancing from time to time to the shady-looking coach driver. No matter how he looked at him, or how often he looked at him, there was just something about the man that made Tsukune feel a bit chilled. He tipped his hat just a little, covering his face as he let out a deep breath, startled at the sound of something other than horse hooves and the clattering wheels of the wagon.

"So... Sheriff of Yokai Gulch, eh?" The coach driver said suddenly.

"Uh... I reckon."

"Hope you said all your goodbyes then... 'cause after this long stretch of plain you'll see the town," The driver smirked and turned his head slowly, devilish eyes gleaming a brilliant white under the shade of his slouch hat. "And I reckon you'll never see anythin' again!!"

Tsukune blinked momentarily as lightning struck on the horizon. The demeanor of the driver was unsettling, and even as a soon-to-be sheriff with no training whatsoever, Tsukune was beginning to have second thoughts about this new career he was to be forced into.

"Take care, Sheriff." The driver said with a low chuckle, adding more to Tsukune's doubts.

It wasn't long until Tsukune bid farewell to the coach driver, still trying to shake off the uneasy feeling the man had left him with. Tsukune dusted off his clothing as the stagecoach turned around and left him near the distinct scarecrow-like sign that displayed the name of the town. He adjusted his pecan colored Reese hat, dusted off his green corduroy jacket, and made his way into the town.

"This place is awfully creepy." Tsukune said to himself as he eyed some vultures picking at an indiscernible dead animal. Another shiver shot up his spine, and as quickly as he began his pace towards town, he spun on his heels and was prepared to go back.

"Aaaa! Look out!" A voice called in the distance, and Tsukune blinked as a woman on a black horse rode towards him. "Outta the way!"

Tsukune stood frozen as the horse bucked its legs and flung the girl high off of her horse. He struggled to get under her to prevent her from injury, but instead was barreled into and the two of them went rolling along the barren plain. Tsukune blinked as he stared down at the girl, almost without words as his hand squeezed bare thigh.

"A... a girl!" He stammered, sitting back as his nose began to bleed. Instantly the girl sat up and bowed her head in apology, her hat falling from her head and into her lap. Gorgeous pink locks of hair were brushed from her eyes as she focused emerald irises on the young man.

"I'm... I'm so sorry. I was told to meet the new sheriff out here and my horse got a little out of control. I hope you can forgive me." The girl bowed her head again.

"It's... alright I guess." He held his head, feeling a bit dizzy from the initial clash between the two of them. "I'm Tsuku--"

"Oh! You're bleeding!" The girl scurried forward on her hands and knees, taking out a virgin white kerchief which she used to daub up the blood. Her nose twitched a bit and she let out a sigh, collapsing into Tsukune's chest. Tsukune, lost for words, patted the girls back nervously as he looked around for any signs of other people.

"I'm sorry but... I'm a vampire!" The girl called out, taking the time to gently claw up Tsukune's chest and plant a kiss on his neck. Warm blood began to flow in between her lips and as soon as the short kiss was done, the wound was sealed.

"Vampire?!" He yelled out, pushing a bit at the girl who clearly must have had spent too much time in the sun. There was no way that she was a vampire.

"I'm sorry! My name is Moka Akashiya, and I'm the deputy of Yokai Gulch. I didn't mean to do... what I just did... I mean... I'm real sorry and all... it's just that your blood is really tasty..." Moka explained, blushing a bit as she struggled to hide her face with her hat.

"Deputy... Moka?" Tsukune blinked and stood up, extending his hand to the girl while holding the hickey on his neck. Moka took his hand and stood, nodding and smiling.

"Uh-huh! Are you new in town? If I didn't have to meet the new sheriff I'd gladly take you around sometime. I mean, if you wanted to."

Tsukune smiled and shook his head. "I am the new sheriff. Tsukune Aono." He said without any pride in his voice whatsoever. He began dusting off his hat, beating it against his leg to get much of the dirt off as he walked side-by-side with Moka. The girl seemingly beamed and latched onto Tsukune's arm, holding on tight.

"Hey, Tsukune?" Moka immediately caught Tsukune's attention as he turned. "Do you hate vampires?"

Tsukune was taken aback by her question. Was she really a vampire? There was really no way for him to be certain other than the hickey she had left on his neck. Even that was beginning to fade.

"M-me? Hate vampires? Naw... how could I hate vampires?" Am I really saying this? Vampires are supposed to be scary aren't they? Tsukune thought to himself, shivering just a bit with nervousness. He'd never really spoken to a girl before since he'd lived on a farm, but he was finding it to be quite an enjoyable experience.

"I hope we get along well, then! You see... I'm new too. I've never really been a deputy until now. So let's do our best, okay?" Moka smiled even more, and the overwhelming cuteness that radiated from her was enough to make Tsukune want to stay.

After a short walk together, Tsukune was told that before he could get acquainted with everyone in town, that first he'd have to meet with the schoolmarm, Ms Nekonome. He strode into the small schoolhouse and took off his hat to be polite.

"Sheriff Tsukune? Oh it's so nice to finally meet you!" Came a voice from behind the desk, the teacher on her hands and knees pawing at a mouse hole in the wall. She stood up and smoothed out her lengthy dress, walking over to Tsukune with catlike grace. "I'm Ms Shizuka Nekonome. I'm so glad that we finally have a Sheriff now!"

"You... didn't have one before?" Tsukune asked out of reaction, not sure why the town hadn't had a sheriff before him or as to why the previous sheriff was no longer the active sheriff.

"Oh we did, yes. But you see, Yokai Gulch is a town for Monsters." Nekonome said in all seriousness. Tsukune felt his heart drop into his boots.

M-m-monsters? He wanted to say, but his voice seemed to catch in his throat. Seeing no sign of worry in poor Tsukune's face, Ms Nekonome continued.

"To better fit in with the traders that come through town and the nearby cities, we never go out of our human disguises." She smiled at him and held in a purr. "But I see you already know that! It helps us to survive among humans, and as an added precautionary rule, we aren't allowed to reveal our true monster forms to anyone. Do you understand that, Sheriff Tsukune?"

Needless to say, Tsukune was stunned. Was this all some sick joke? Not possible. After all, Moka had confided in him that she was a vampire, and aside from that, even Ms Nekonome seemed normal enough to be human. Maybe he fell asleep in the stagecoach and was just having a bad dream. He pinched himself to make sure.

"Yeeeeow!" Tsukune yelled out from inside the Sheriff building, pinching his arm for what must have been the hundredth time.

"Tsukune? Are you okay?" Moka asked as she strode into the main room. She hung her hat near the door and looked to Tsukune with a bit of concern.

"M-me? Yeah, I reckon I'm alright. Just... can't believe I'm a sheriff and all..."

"O-oh... 'cause you've been pinching yourself for a good while now. I'm just glad you're okay. It's alright to be nervous, because I'm nervous too." She smiled across the small table at him, and Tsukune let out a soft sigh. She has absolutely no idea that I ain't a monster!

"N-nervous. Yeah... right." He said, tossing his own hat onto the table. He rubbed his temples a bit, staring out the window. "Seems quiet for a monster town..." He said to himself, resting his chin on the back of his hand. His eyes trailed from the window to the holster hanging near it, nervously observing the .44 caliber Schofield revolver within. I hope I never have to use that...

"Tsukune? Tsukune? Hey, Tsukune!" Moka waved her hand in Tsukune's face trying to snap him out of his daze. It was really the second time Tsukune actually got a good whiff of Moka's scent. She smelled of some kind of exotic herbs, and the scent was simply intoxicating. He smiled a bit, pulled from one daze and into another.

"Tsukune, I told you that I'd show you around the town right? Let's go to the saloon, okay?" Moka smiled even more and Tsukune wasn't about to argue with her. She's so cute!

As the two walked down the street, several onlookers stopped and began whispering to one another, eying Tsukune and Moka suspiciously.

"Who is that guy?"

"Haven't you heard? That's Sheriff Aono!"

"What?! And that girl?"

"Deputy Akashiya I think..."

"Damn! She's so cute! Why does he get a cute deputy?"

"No clue, but I wanna be a sheriff too!"

"Me too!"

"Yeah, me too!"

Tsukune and Moka both felt a little uncomfortable about people just staring at them, but they knew they'd come to enjoy working in this town eventually. After all, they didn't plan on anything bad happening during their time in Yokai Gulch...

They made their way into the saloon, only to quickly find themselves in the middle of a fight between two of the patrons. One was a tall young man, many piercings within his ears as well as one within his lower lip, clad in almost all black. The other man was much less defined than the man in black, wearing a bowler derby with his hair concealing his eyes.

"Now you're gonna get it, punk..." The taller one said as he reeled back a punch.

Reacting almost within an instant, Tsukune drove forward and grasped onto the man's fist to stop him, only to be surprised and taken off his feet by the man's strength! Tsukune hurtled across the saloon and into a crowd of unoccupied tables. The barmaid gasped and took a few steps back, watching as the sheriff got to his feet.

"Tsukune!" Moka called out, only to be stopped by the taller man. The one he seemed to be fighting before was nowhere to be seen.

"Well, well, well... what have we here? The sheriff and his pretty deputy?" The man said, grasping Moka around the waist to pull her closer. A long, snakelike tongue emerged from his mouth, licking his lips in a fiendish manner. "What's a girl like you doing with a weak-ass guy like him anyway?" The man taunted.

"Moka! You leave her alone!" Tsukune said, holding onto a nearby chair for support. He staggered forward, determined to keep Moka out of trouble. His father at least taught him that much. The other patrons within the bar scattered outside as the man hovered over Tsukune, leering down at him.

"You listen and listen good, Sheriff. Name's Saizou Komiya, and I don't take kindly to people butting into business that ain't theirs to begin with. Thanks to you, that photographer Nagare got away. Now I may just be forced to eat you..." Saizou licked his lips again before Moka pulled Tsukune from his grasp. The two seemed to stare at Komiya for a long moment before he noticed that most of the townsfolk were gathered just outside the swinging doors of the saloon.

"Heh, you got lucky lawman. Maybe next time you won't have your deputy to bail out out, eh?" With that said, Saizou dropped Tsukune and pushed his way out of the saloon past the crowd that had gathered. Murmurs erupted from outside as things seemed to go back to normal, Tsukune shivering a bit.

I just stood up to a monster and I could have... I could have DIED! What on earth was I thinking?! I can't be the sheriff of a monster town! They... they'd eat me! All of them!They're all really MONSTERS!

"Tsukune? Are you okay? Did that Saizou guy hurt you?" Moka asked as she tried to lean in and inspect Tsukune for any wounds he may have sustained. The two had made their way back to the sheriff's post after the confrontation, and Moka seemed more concerned with Tsukune's health than he was. After all... he could have been killed.

"It hurt when I hit into the tables, but I'm fine Moka. Really." He feigned a smile, holding back the pain he was feeling in his back. What hurt him the most was his inability to protect Moka. He'd seen how strong Saizou was, and there wasn't much he could do to stop the guy.

"I bet if you used your monster powers Tsukune, you could have beaten Saizou, right? I mean, this rosario on my chest--" Moka slowly moved her hands to her chocolate colored fringe beaded vest, gently spreading apart the top button to show off an elaborate silvered rosary. "-- if it is ever removed, I can become a very scary monster. But with you as the sheriff, you must be really--"

"I'm not a monster..." Tsukune said softly, his eyes focused on the table between them.

"What was that Tsukune? I couldn't hear you..."

"I'm not a monster! I don't have any powers! I can't protect anyone! I'm just an average human!" He slammed his fist onto the table, the smaller items jostling a little at the impact. Moka stood in shocked silence, staring at Tsukune for a long moment before they were both snapped out of their silence by a familiar voice.

"Sheriff Aono! Let's finish what we meant to start back in the saloon, eh?"

It was Saizou.

Tsukune sat frozen in his seat, trembling with intense fear. Saizou wanted to fight him. Him. A human!

"C'mon Aono! Fight me! Monster to monster!" Saizou taunted, walking down the lengthy dirt street. The entire town was silent, many of them peeking through the windows to hopefully get a good look at a fight between the new sheriff and the brutish Saizou.

Tsukune never raised his eyes to meet Moka's gaze, but if he had, he would have seen one not of disdain, but of pity. And not the bad kind of pity. The kind of pity one receives from a parent or sibling. The more welcomed kind.

"Tsukune..."

"I'll... I'll...." Tsukune began, but Moka quickly grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him towards the back of the room.

"You'll hide Tsukune! I'll think of something!" She determined his course of action for him, kicking him out the back door of the jail. Moka quickly spun around, grabbed her gun and holster from the rack by the door and emerged to face Saizou.

Moka. I can't just let her fight that Saizou guy all alone. It's me he's after... why is she protecting me? I'm a human... d-don't monsters hate humans? Tsukune thought to himself, peeking around the side of the building.

Before he could get a good look at what was going on, a shrill scream echoed through the quiet town. Tsukune quickly reached for his gun, realizing that it was still inside the jail. He frantically made his way for the door, only to hear the sadistic chuckle of Komiya out in the street.

"Aono! I've got your pretty deputy here... if you don't want nothin' bad to happen to her, come on out and maybe I won't have her for lunch..."

Tsukune realized he didn't have time to go for his weapon and still have a chance at saving Moka. He took a deep breath and stood up, darting from the side alley of the jail towards the street.

"Aono! What are you chic—AAGH!" Saizou grunted as Tsukune slammed into him with all the force of his body. He may not have been fast, but Saizou had been preoccupied with calling the sheriff out and hadn't the sense to notice Tsukune bolting towards him.

The slam knocked Moka free from Saizou's grasp, the troublemaker standing up to his full height. Tsukune winced and struggled to get up, Moka rushing to his aide.

"Tsukune!"

"Run... Moka..." He pushed at her shoulder weakly. Hitting into Saizou like that was like hitting a brick wall and Tsukune felt like almost every bone in his body was crushed.

"I can't leave you here like this! He's going to kill you!" Moka began to hold back tears as Saizou began to growl, his eyes turning red for a brief moment, long enough for him to rip out of his clothing. Bony protrusions were visible on his flesh, and his tongue snaked further out of his mouth.

"I'll do more than just kill him... I'm going to eat him alive!" Saizou rushed the two of them, his heavy steps shaking the ground around them. Moka let out a scream as she cradled Tsukune into her chest, Tsukune using whatever energy he had left to push Moka to the ground to avoid Saizou's oncoming attack.

Huh? Wh-what's this? Tsukune slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the same silver rosario that Moka had shown him only a short time ago. Is... is this... Moka's rosario?

A brilliant flash of crimson light shone across the street, and a swarm of bats flew to coat the young vampire. The dark black wings and bodies covered every visible inch of the girl, leaving nothing but a black humanoid shape. Komiya smirked and hovered dangerously close to the blackened mass.

"Eh? Hiding from me? That ain't gonna work little deput-EEEE!!" Komiya grunted as the swarm massed around his field of vision for a scant moment. After his vision was cleared, the once cute and innocent looking deputy had changed almost before his eyes. Her bust had grown larger, her thighs and buttocks more defined. Her hair went from a lovely pink to a silvery-white. Moreover, he stepped backwards at the sheer power that Moka seemed to exude. And all that power seemingly focused into her now vibrant crimson eyes.

"Wh-what's this power?! She... she can't be... a... a..." Komiya took another step back, hands raised.

"Vampire." The inner Moka stated, brushing back a long stroke of hair. She placed a hand on her hip, her already short denim skirt showing off her virgin white panties. The newly released Moka tapped the tip of her brown oasis-style boots on the ground, taking a few test skips in them as she warmed up.

"Wh-who cares if you're a vampire?! I'm not going to let a monster like that show me up! I'm gonna--"

"Are you going to quit talking?" Moka interrupted, her aura expanding a bit more. The intensity was so great that it began to knock over barrels lined in alleys nearby, and was slowly pushing Saizou backwards.

"Wh-what?!"

"You're the kind that thinks it's alright to go around bullying those who are smaller than you. You're the most disgusting kind of monster there is." Moka took a few steps forward, each one causing the brute to backpedal two steps for every one she took.

"Know your place!" Moka charged Komiya, fading from sight as a powerful kick with the heel of her boot was delivered to Saizou's chin. The massive monster could barely hold himself together as he flew into the air, crashing backwards into the horse trough outside the saloon. Saizou was knocked unconscious, and there didn't seem to be any signs of him waking up anytime soon.

"M-moka..." Tsukune grunted from the ground, slowly gaining his footing as she helped him stand. In that same motion, Moka snatched the rosario from Tsukune's sweaty grasp.

"Scared? Don't you worry none... you're safe. After all, your blood is 'really tasty', right? So quit bein' a jittery mess and make sure nothin' like this happens again." The silver-haired Moka warned, and Tsukune could do nothing more than gulp and nod. He ached all over, and he didn't have the nerve to stand up to someone as scary as Moka. All of that nerve had left during his attempt to save her in the first place.

Moka? Which one... is really Moka?

"Tsukune... you came back to rescue me. Why?" Moka asked as she poured the two of them cups of tea. Tsukune had suffered a few nasty bruises but nothing was broken thankfully. After a few days of recovery and rest, Tsukune had finally woken up and began his duties as sheriff.

"It didn't feel right to let you fight my fight, Moka. I mean, you did beat Saizou... and all I did was get in the way from the start. At first I had thought about fighting him and telling you to run, but after you pushed me out the back I thought 'this is my chance to finally get away!'..." Tsukune sighed and stared into his teacup, raising the glass to his lips.

"I'm glad you didn't run, Tsukune." Moka smiled brightly and sat down next to him. "If you did, I don't think I would have had much of a reason to stay here either."

"Moka..." Tsukune said, staring into Moka's eyes.

"Tsukune..." She returned the same stare.

"Moka..."

"Tsukune... sorry..."

"Sorry? For what?"

"Sorry... I'm a vampire!" She leaned in slowly, tipping Tsukune out of his chair as her vampiric kiss was placed on the bare skin of his neck. He let out a scream of protest as he felt his lifeblood flowing out of him and into her warm lips.

And so begins my truly bizarre life as the human sheriff of an all-monster town. I think I made the right choice in stickin' around, because I know I'm not alone here. Moka and I have a lot to learn about being upstanding law folk, but I think we can manage. After all, it's only been one day... how much worse can it get?