Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Rosario Vampire. I am merely twisting the creator's vision into my own dream. If the supernatural, sexuality, or violence is offensive to you, then you should not read this.

Chapter 99

Tsukune wondered if he would ever have any energy in his body again. He woke up tired and went to bed exhausted. He had school work, Student Council meetings, Student Police responsibilities, the Festival Committee, the Dance Committee, and now the town police job. He had a uniform for when he was being a student, and another for when he was a police officer. The Newspaper Club had passed out their latest edition Monday morning, and the day had continued at full speed from there. He had his meetings after school, where the Student Council announced that they would like a dance to be held as a part of the school festival, adding to the crush of work for Tsukune to manage. The only bright spot in the current mess was that, for some reason, he was getting paid. He was thankful for Ruby's support in his house, his friends' support at school, and for Hiru's help in getting him where he needed to go quickly.

The town police force was like a weird reflection of the Student Police for Tsukune. While he had more support for setting it up and getting it running, it was still mostly all up to him. One afternoon a week Tsukune attended a police academy course, with the few recruits he had managed to find. Because he had done the accelerated course, his involvement with the weekly course was more of an assistant to the instructors, who were also standing the watches until Tsukune had recruits to take over. Tsukune also had one shift a week with the police, half of which was spent in accelerated training, and the other half where he had to be in uniform on watch. However, when it came to finding recruits, Tsukune had an asset in place he lacked before.

"Thank you for coming," Tsukune said. He had passed word for all third year students that were a part of the Student Police, active or reserve, regardless of rank, to meet at the headquarters Tuesday after school. "I asked for you all to come here because a new opportunity has been given to me to help protect the school. This time it is not just about the students and the school its self, but about the people that support the school. The area next to the school, where the shopping district is, is more then just an area for the students and staff to buy the things they need or want. A whole community exists, helping to support us with the little things that help us with our daily lives. It was decided to start a police force for the town next to the school, and I am looking for anybody interested in joining this new police force. Please understand that this is not like the Student Police, or an extension of it. If you join the police, you will receive training and be hired on as police officers, and paid for your work. You will receive on the job training, and after you graduate, you can choose to continue to work for the police here, or apply to transfer to other police departments around Japan."

An excited chatter rose up in reaction to Tsukune's announcement and recruiting speech. Tsukune answered questioned to the best of his ability, satisfying most of them. Some of the Student Police already had plans for after graduation, so a police career didn't interest them. The students without solid plans appeared the most interested.

"Captain?" Inari raised her hand.

"Yes, Lieutenant Sansai?" Tsukune recognized her.

"Will you be in charge of the new police force as well?" Inari asked.

"For the moment," Tsukune said. "I am being placed in charge of the town police, and I have been asked to help get it staffed and ready to run without it's current outside assistance."

Another round of debate consumed the students. Tsukune saw the posture of some of them change, and knew they had reached decisions. For the rest, he didn't want to make them feel pressured.

"Tomorrow," Tsukune said, getting everybody's attention. "Anybody interested in applying for the police, meet me here after school, dressed in your track suits. If you are supposed to be on duty with the Student Police, try to make arrangements to have someone cover for you. We will be holding an application and training session to help find good officers for the police force. Do not try to join up unless this is something you want to do, and intend to take seriously."

The meeting broke up soon after, but the speculation and conversation continued. Tsukune lingered long enough to make sure everything was under control before heading back to his house in the village. He had school work to complete, and was hoping for a little time with Moka. Or maybe Kurumu. Ruby welcomed him home with her usual care. She had been a little extra doting and perky over the last couple of days, but Tsukune didn't mind. He welcomed her support as he tackled his responsibilities.

Tsukune thought he was doing alright, for the time being. He was keeping up with his all of his work, even if it left him worn down. He finished the assignments that were due, but not until it was too late to visit with anyone. He knew Moka or Kurumu would be happy to see him, but being a considerate and responsible person meant being aware of things like letting friends get their rest, even when he couldn't always manage his time well.

Wednesday morning Tsukune had to work hard to get out of bed. It's warm and comforting embrace was so tempting. He finally managed to get his feet on the floor and start his day. Ruby had his breakfast and his uniform ready. When she didn't offer an obento, Tsukune knew that his friends were collaborating to take care of him again, and wondered who was going to be in charge of his lunch. Once outside, Tsukune was reminded that it was going to be a long day when he saw Kurumu and Moka staring each other down. For simplicity, Tsukune walked up to Moka, pulled her into a hug and kissed her.

This, of course, drew a protest from Kurumu. Tsukune heard her, but didn't respond right away. Instead, he just let himself enjoy the closeness with Moka. The moment lasted until Kurumu lost her patience, at which point she grabbed Tsukune's arm and tried to forcefully pull him to her. Tsukune let her without a fight. Moka on the other hand resisted, so Tsukune was still being held around the chest by Moka while Kurumu had her arms around Tsukune's neck, pulling him down into a kiss of her own. The tug-o-war continued, as it usually did, all day.

Tsukune had not been looking forward to the application and selection process for the police force. When accepting applicants for the Student Police, Tsukune had been focusing on character and confidence, and less on physical ability. For the town police force, he had to be more serious. The Student Police's mission had been to be visible and to be diligent in their observations, to keep the students in line by being a reminder of the rules and of proper conduct, and when necessary to sound the alarm. Actual problems were kept to a minimum, considering the student population, by just having a reminder that getting caught breaking the rules was likely. For the town police, Tsukune needed to find people that would be ready to stand up to real problems, like theft and assaults. The Koban had two holding cells. The police Tsukune were recruiting might have to arrest adult youkai, so he had to be aware of their limitations as best as possible.

Tsukune started the selection process with what he knew from his own condensed training. He repeated a lecture he had to sit through about duties, roles, and responsibilities of being a police officer, and then had everybody line up and start exercising. As they sweated through the exercises, Tsukune did half of them in front of the applicants. The other half of the time, he walked among them and asked them questions about the role, responsibilities, and duties of a police officer. He also asked the applicants why they wanted to join the police force. Anybody that couldn't give him a clear answer, or said they wanted the money, he encouraged to take the time and rethink their decision to apply. After a three kilometer jog, Tsukune told everybody that was serious to return Friday after school. A few students came up to him and apologized, giving some reason why they wouldn't join after all. Tsukune just told them he understood and thanked them for taking the police seriously.

After the student training, Tsukune summoned up Hiru and headed off for his own training. What ever way that was used to compress time, Tukune did not quite comprehend, but he wished he could use it to give himself more time to do his school work. A day and a half later, or five hours later, depending on the perspective, Tsukune returned to his house, dirty and tired. His arms were sore and he smelled of gunpowder. He had never expected to have to learn how to use a gun. Outside of a playing around as a child, he had never been interested in even having a gun. The sharp smell of the gunpowder made his nose itch.

Xxx xxX

Ruby was happy to welcome the tired Tsukune home. The more tired her master was, the more she would be allowed to do for him. As much fun as she was having while caring for him, Ruby was careful to be aware of Tsukune's inner energy and the emotions he projected. She, like Moka, had learned to watch for warning signs, and to risk hurting Tsukune's pride instead of waiting for him to ask for help. Ruby doted on her master happily, all the more so because he wasn't hesitating to accept her attentions.

XX-XX

Tsukune woke up Thursday morning wishing Summer Break would come back for another visit. He climbed out of bed to start his day, only to be surprised by Mizore waiting for him in the living room. She explained that she had been missing him because of how busy he had been, and had brought him breakfast. Tsukune realized that there where two breakfasts on the table. Ruby's traditional offering on one side, and Mizore's breakfast, laden with meat, on the other.

Tsukune looked at the food for all of two seconds before making up his mind. He sat down beside Mizore, gave her a quick kiss, and then ate everything on the table. While he was eating, Tsukune ignored the smirk Mizore gave Ruby.

"Mizore," Tsukune gave her another little kiss. "Thank you. Your breakfast was delicious."

"Would you like me to fix breakfast for you tomorrow?" Mizore asked.

"No," Tsukune shook his head. "But if you wouldn't mind making me an obento tomorrow I would be grateful. I will be having a long day and could really use it."

"Alright," Mizore said with a happy smile. She was glad that Tsukune was asking something of her.

"Ruby," Tsukune turned towards his servant. "Could you make me a modest snack to take with me. I will have meetings after school today."

"Yes, master," Ruby agreed with a bow. She hurried to the kitchen to pack a meal for him.

When Tsukune stepped outside, he found Yukari watching another staring match between Kurumu and Moka. The two young women looked towards Tsukune when his door opened, and had identical glares when a smiling Mizore followed Tsukune out of the house. Tsukune walked up to the pair, and quickly embraced Kurumu. Even as Moka protested, Tsukune kissed Kurumu deeply. Kurumu melted into Tsukune's kiss and her happiness flowed into him. When Tsukune broke the kiss, she leaned her head against his chest and breathed deeply, savoring his taste on her lips.

"Tsukune," Moka pulled at Tsukune's arm.

Tsukune let go of Kurumu and turned as best he could towards Moka. Kurumu let him, but held her arms around his waist. Tsukune reached for Moka. She accepted his hug but had a small pout on her face.

"Tsukune," Moca complained. "Why did you kiss her first?"

"Today," Tsukune said. "I kissed Mizore first because she made me a special breakfast. Then I kissed Kurumu because I thought she should have a something special to start her day too."

"What about me?" Moka questioned.

"I thought you might like something special also," Tsukune explained, bending his head down. He kissed her cheek lightly. "I know it's been a few days. Are you thirsty?" Tsukune nibbled on her earlobe.

"Tsukune," Moka sighed. Her body shivered in anticipation as she opened her mouth wide. "Capachuuu..."

XXXXxXXXXXXxx

Aono Kasumi had a carefully planed afternoon. She had invited some of the women in her Drama Appreciation Club over for tea, officially to discuss the latest developments on their favorite shows. It was kind of a school girl-ish thing to do, but Kasumi believed in staying young at heart. Unofficially, the gathering was a chance for her to show off her pride in her son. He had recently gone on a summer trip with his school club, and she had just received letters, not only from him, but from those closest to him, complete with pictures. She had the pictures and letters on the table, almost covered by a magazine.

Kasumi enjoyed getting letters from her son. He was always so warm and polite when he wrote home, and almost never asked for money. But Kasumi had learned that her son was too modest to tell her everything that was going on with him. Ruby was such a darling young woman. Kasumi would have loved to have a daughter just like her, and had unofficially adopted her into the family. She sent Ruby recipes and other little tips about how to take care of a home. In return, Ruby wrote Kasumi about how Tsukune was doing at school, without his modesty downplaying the important details. Tsukune mentioned being a part of the Student Police, but Ruby explained how he had been hand picked by the head of the school to found the Student Police and to lead them. When Tsukune had taken a part time job as a spokes person for a video game, Kasumi was been a little surprised, and maybe disappointed a little as well. It was not something she could see a future in for her son. Again, it was Ruby that helped fill in the picture of how Tsukune was doing it to help a friend. The game company had been nice enough to send Kasumi a video of some of Tsukune's performances, along with a letter asking her to encourage her son to sign another contract with them. Watching the video had brought tears to her eyes. Kasumi was impressed by how confident and mature her little boy was turning out, and his performance was impressive to watch. She had shared the video with her club, and her niece, and they had all agreed that the kiss at the end of the video had looked real and touching.

Kasumi would have worried about Tsukune's girlfriend, if she wasn't also exchanging letters with her. Moka was such a sweetheart. She knew all about Tsukune's job with the game company, and told Kasumi how Tsukune would return to school and tell her everything about his trips. One of her letters had made Kasumi want to cry. Moka had apologized to Kasumi, explaining that she had gotten jealous of all the time Tsukune been spending with his friend and in a petty moment had hurt his feelings. Kasumi had written back, forgiving Moka and telling her that it was not uncommon for a wife to have moments of jealousy when her husband sometimes didn't have enough time or energy for her because of the work he did. She explained that a few pains now would make their relationship stronger in the future.

The pictures that Kasumi received were interesting, and reflected the people that had sent them. Tsukune had explained that a member of his club had acted as the group photographer. He had sent pictures of the historical sites the club had visited. Ruby had sent pictures of Tsukune during his trip, often next to one or more young women. Moka had sent a few pictures that showed Tsukune and herself together in candid moments during the trip. Tsukune's selection was casual and without any special content. Ruby's choice of pictures all reflected her focus on Tsukune. Moka had sent photographs that showed her sharing moments with Tsukune, which Kasumi took as a good sign that she wanted to be together with him.

Kasumi was looking forward to hosting her friends for the afternoon. It was customary for which ever member of the club that hosted a gathering would get to show off a little. Some of the club members where Tsukune's friends' mothers. They, along with Kasumi, made a little clique that would sometimes find themselves at odds with a clique that had daughters soon to be of marriageable age. The tension had gone up recently between the two groups because one of the sons had found a girlfriend, and it had been through Tsukune that it had happened. The reason for the tension was a planned match making had been potentially lost. The intended daughter for the match was a year younger then the boy, and enrolled at a prestigious and pricy all girls school. Kasumi considered the pictures Ruby had sent, showing Tsukune next to several girls in their prestigious school uniform, and thought about the drama it would spark in her club. She smiled at the delicious thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Lieutenant Tanaka Ito of the Imperial Guard did not like it when unusual situations came up. He liked a nice, ordered, disciplined life on and off duty. Getting a letter from his daughter gushing about some boy was about as irregular an event as he wanted to accept. It was unusual because she went to an all girls' school. Apparently the boy was in the Drama Club of another school, and they had met during a trip during Summer Break. Lieutenant Tanaka was thinking about doing a background check on the boy when he got a call to visit his superior's office, and that was when his day just went to hell.

Lieutenant Tanaka was good at his job. He was diligent and capable when it came to investigating even the slightest concerns of security for the Imperial Family or the government. Few people knew just how large the Imperial Guard was, or how much they did to help protect the security of Japan. When a question of security came up, Lieutenant Tanaka was focused like and archer on a target until the question was answered and any problems were resolved. When his superior had summoned him, Lieutenant Tanaka was expecting to be turned loose to track down another crack pot that had made some kind of threat. It was the kind of assignment he excelled at. Instead, he was given directions to an office he had never had a cause to visit before.

Lieutenant Tanaka had been to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo many times in his career, and hoped to be posted there permanently some day. He entered the grounds, passing through security check points, careful to follow protocol properly. As he approached the inner palace, Lieutenant Tanaka couldn't help but feel the tension in the air. Much of the government of Japan was still managed from the palace. Lieutenant Tanaka followed the directions he had been given until he reached his destination. It was a small office done in traditional Japanese style. In the office was a man that looked almost ancient, dressed in the uniform of a samurai serving in a government role from about three hundred years ago. Beside the man was a woman of middle years dressing in a white kimono with a red and gold sash.

"It is good that you have come," The old man said. "Your commander had spoken highly of you."

"Thank you, sir," Lieutenant Tanaka said with a bow.

"What I am going to tell you is to be kept in strict confidence," The old man said in a stern voice. "You are to be intrusted with helping to maintain the peace and safety of our land." He accepted folded letter from the woman beside him and extended his had to offer it to the captain. "You will take this. It is the name of a person that is of interest to Japan. You will find out all that you can about this person, using any means you feel necessary. Once you do, and you have established this person's location, you will report back to this office."

"I understand," Lieutenant Tanaka said, reaching for the letter. "And what should I do with this person."

"You will do nothing," The old man snapped at him. "Until you have been instructed otherwise, your duty is to investigate this person and return with your findings. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," Lieutenant Tanaka said with a bow. The old man's air of authority was absolute.

Lieutenant Tanaka didn't hesitate to begin his assignment. Doing a background search was a basic measure in nearly all of his assignments, and he knew that the sooner he started the sooner he would get it done. Fortunately the government was dedicated to keeping accurate and complete records. He also wanted to apply himself to his assignment so that he could get it done, and be able to put it behind him. He had no problems with the assignment himself, but it was the unusual source of the assignment that troubled him. In all of his years with the Imperial Guard, this was the first time he had ever had to deal with the offices of the Imperial Cosmologist, a traditional position of an adviser to the Emperor since the days of the Heian period for all things occult. The idea that the position of the stars, or the placement of buildings and rocks could somehow effect the lives of every day people, or the whole of Japan, did not sit well with Lieutenant Tanaka. He liked everything in his life to be orderly and defined. Things that could not be reliably measured and accounted for made him uneasy.

Lieutenant Tanaka tried not to think about the office he just left, and would have to return to all too soon. He had a job to do, and experience told him where to start. He went to the office of the Statistics Bureau to start looking for everything he could find about the subject. As he walked, Lieutenant Tanaka opened the letter to see what he had been given to work with. The physical description was practically useless, written down as if it was meant for a character in a play, talking about a young man of strong passion and a caring face. Nonsense such as 'he is restrained by gold upon his right and supported by iron on his left,' gave Lieutenant Tanaka a sour feeling in his stomach. Discounting such fancies, he was glad to see that there was a name, and even a decent lineage given for the subject. It would definitely help speed up the search to have as much verifiable information about the subject. Lieutenant Tanaka did not care that the subject, according to the letter, 'carries the token of Nippon's favor by her own hand.' Lieutenant Tanaka would locate Aono Tsukune.