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, than you should not read this.

Chapter 138

Kasumi had mixed feelings about her situation. She didn't like being limited by the bulky splint on her leg and the need to use crutches. Monday she was scheduled to have a full cast put on, which would be even more restrictive. The pain she was dealing with didn't help her mood ether. On the other hand, Ruby was there to keep her company and to help her out. It was her chance to have a little mother-daughter time in a way. She had actually sent her husband off to play golf so he wouldn't be in the way. It was a quarter to eleven in the morning when there was an unexpected knock at the door.

"Ruby," Kasumi called towards the kitchen.

"I heard it, Mother," Ruby called back still feeling happy about being counted as a part of Tsukune's family. She gave Kasumi a smile as she crossed from the kitchen to the front door.

"Moka," Ruby's eyes went wide when she opened the door. "What are you doing here? Is Tsukune with you?"

"Hello Ruby," Moka said. "I borrowed Hiru and brought you the things you asked for." Moka held up one of the bags she was holding. "May I come in?"

"Yes," Ruby said, holding the door and giving a small bow.

"Ruby dear," Kasumi called out. "Who's at the door?" She hated not being able to just get up and look for herself.

"Mother," Ruby called back. "We have a guest." Ruby closed the door and lead Moka in.

"Hello Mrs. Aono," Moka said with a bow. "I was sorry to hear of your injury."

"Moka..." Kasumi gushed from her place on the couch. "How sweet of you to come." She held out her arms for a hug. "Come here, come here. It is so good to see you." She folded Moka into a warm hug. "This is such a surprise. What are you doing here?"

"Mrs. Aono," Moka said, returning the hug. "I came to see you."

"Uh oh," Kasumi said. Her senses finely tuned from watching day-time dramas. "What is it sweetheart?"

"Mrs. Aono," Moka said, moving free of the woman's embrace and kneeling on the floor beside the couch. "I want... I need to apologize to you. I love Tsukune, but I have not always been a very good friend to him, and I am a very selfish girlfriend. I..."

"I'll get it," Ruby said as someone else knocked at the door.

"I'm sorry," Moka continued. "I never wanted to hurt Tsukune. He was the first real friend I ever had, and I was so happy to..."

"Kasumi," A woman called out in greeting as she came into the room with Ruby on her heels. "I came by to see how you were do.. Oh. Hello."

"Eriko," Kasumi said in a welcoming voice. "How are you doing? Come have a seat. You met my son's friend Ruby over the Summer." She nodded to the young woman as she named her. "Now let me introduce Akashiya Moka, Tsukune's girlfriend."

"My my my," Eriko smiled. "Kasumi, how did your son become such a ladies man?" She turned her attention to Moka. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Goto Erika. You go to the same school as Tsukune don't you. I think you may have met my son, Nagi."

"Yes ma'am," Moka answered. "It is good to meet you too. I did meet your son. He was his school's representative to our school's annual festival."

"Kasumi," Eriko said as she made herself comfortable in a chair by the couch. "I've told you how my son mentioned his trip."

"Oh yes," Kasumi nodded. "You were very proud of him being selected to represent his school."

"Yes," Eriko nodded. "He was still talking about it when he got home yesterday. He even took some pictures."

"Oh really?" Kasumi lifted her eyebrows. She now knew why her friend and fellow drama program enthusiast had come over. Eriko was looking for a chance to share information about her son. "You must let me see them."

"Of course," Eriko said, pulling out the envelope of photographs right on cue.

The two women quickly focused the conversation on the pictures. Moka and Ruby were also shown the pictures, and even asked about the school. Moka was actually in some of the photographs. So were Tsukune, Mizore, Kurumu, Kiyo, Aiko, Rina, Kota with Emmy, and Iris with Ken. After going through the photos, Eriko stopped to focus on one of her son with Kiyo. The couple had that plushy cobra across both of their shoulders as they posed for the camera.

"Moka," Eriko questioned. "Do you know this girl well?"

"Kiyo Himi," Moka answered. "Yes. We are house mates."

"House mates?" Eriko blinked.

"It is a special program at our school," Moka explained. She had to borrow from Tsukune's human safe explanation for the school, and added a few touches of her own. "Some of the students at our school come from special backgrounds. To help them learn to get along better with others, there is a small village as a part of the school. The students that live there need to learn how to live and take care of a home."

"I don't know if I like the sound of that," Eriko frowned. "If this Kiyo girl has some kind of problem..."

"It's not like that," Moka explained. "Kiyo comes from a farming village, and never had any close neighbors."

"But still..." Eriko said.

"I am almost the opposite," Moka went on. "I didn't even get to dress myself until I was five years old, and that was only after a threw a tantrum about the way the servants tried to dress me to match my dolls."

"Servants?" Kasumi gasped.

"Please," Moka tried not to flinch. She realized she had said the wrong thing. "My father is very image conscious, and wanted to be able to show off to the people he does business with."

The two mothers were caught off guard. They were speechless for a moment as they faced Moka, then turned to look at each other. They blinked a few times.

"It's almost like that historical drama," Kasumi said in an excited voice. "The one about the scholar and the noble's daughter."

"No..." Eriko countered. "Remember the one about the body guard..."

The two friends tuned out the younger women as they went off into their own world. They talked excitedly about different dramas, throwing out names. They took up the pictures again, pointing out the different people and comparing them to characters from the shows they liked to watch. Moka found it strange to watch them, but kind of fascinating as well. They kept at it while Ruby served lunch for the four of them.

XxxxXx

Moka was caught between fascination and frustration. She wanted to talk to Tsukune's mother. She wanted to make her feelings clear. At the same time, seeing the two human women chatting away, it was almost identical to the kind of conversations she had shared with Kurumu, when they had not been talking about Tsukune. Because Moka did not watch television, and had no knowledge of day-time dramas, she could not share in the conversation. Left with the role of an observer, Moka had to wait to have her talk with Tsukune's mother. As she waited, she let herself take in the conversation of the two mothers. At one point she had to bite her own lip to keep from laughing.

Eriko had let something slip as she bantered with Kasumi. She had two sons. Nagi was the older of the two, with the younger just starting middle school. With both sons home, along with her husband, she had been out-numbered by the males and had escaped to see Kasumi to enjoy some female company.

"Boys can be so silly," Eriko bemoaned. "And men are just big boys." She turned to the two younger women. "You two know what I'm talking about, I'm sure. Boys are always making plays for attention and making messes for the girls to clean up. At least my Nagi is going to an all boys school, so he has to learn to do some things for himself. How about Tsukune? Is he always trying to run off and hide from his responsibilities?"

Moka felt her hackles rise, and felt a growl coming from her inner self. Ruby tensed, readying herself to come to the defense of her master's reputation. Before ether of them could say anything, it was Kasumi who responded to the slander.

"Oh my," Kasumi giggled while giving her friend a dark look. "Didn't I tell you? My Tsukune's already working two jobs. Isn't that right Ruby?"

"Yes Mother," Ruby answered with a smile. "He is a part of the official faculty of the school as an assistant to the Board Chairman, and a police officer for the local town."

"A policeman?" Eriko said in surprise. She turned her attention to Kasumi. "Why didn't you say anything about this before?"

"I only just found out last night," Kasumi said.

"Tsukune is very modest," Moka said with a calm smile. "He is also the head of the Student Police, the editor of our school's paper, and the head of two student committees."

"That is why the board made him an official assistant and put him on staff," Ruby added. "Because he is so well respected and has done so much for the school."

Eriko was stunned. She blinked a couple of times before finding her voice. As she processed through everything she had just heard, there was only one thing she could think to pick at.

"Well that's amazing," Eriko said a little breathlessly. "But being a policeman is not much of a job. I know it's important and everything, but it doesn't offer much of a future."

"Tsukune said he is using it to put himself through college," Kasumi said. "He is already earning his high school education on his own."

"That's simply amazing," Eriko admitted. "I wish Nagi could find a way to pay for college." She blinked a few times before a smile slowly started to spread across her face. "You know, Kasumi, I would bet that the rest of our friends would be surprised to know Tsukune is doing so well. Especially Fuji. You know her daughter Hana turns seventeen soon, and she was hoping Nagi or Tsukune would be able to attend her daughter's birthday party." Unsaid was that the woman they were talking about would like to get her daughter a boyfriend that she could marry her off to.

"That's right," Kasumi said, returning the other woman's smile. "Fuji is always encouraging her daughter to plan for the future." She looked to Moka and Ruby. "Hana is a spirited girl. She's a little shy about her feelings, but she would be very pretty if she tried to be a little more feminine."

"Fuji was disappointed when she heard that Nagi had found somebody," Eriko added.

"I know," Kasumi's face lit up, seeing an opportunity for a little drama making. "Let's do something fun tonight. I'll call my husband and tell him to find something to do, and we can have a little party, just for us women. We can invite Fuji and Hana over here. Perhaps with Moka and Ruby as examples, perhaps Hana will learn a little something..."

Moka was nearly stunned by the maliciousness of the two older women. They wanted to have a social event where they would invite a person they called a friend over, along with her daughter, just to show off. Moka realized that Tsukune's mother would be putting her on display as Tsukune's girlfriend. A part of her liked the idea, but it was disturbingly close to the kind of thing her father would do. If Tsukune were to impress her father, then the elder vampire would likely throw a party to show him off as some kind of prize. It gave Moka the chills.

XxxxX

Tsukune finished his shift with the Student Police right on schedule. The oncoming watch commander, the same one Tsukune had once caught sleeping in his office, arrived in a clean uniform, looking bright eyed, and carrying his school bag. Tsukune had no problems with him doing his assignments while on duty, as long as he still did his job as watch commander. Tsukune left the headquarters building and went in search of Mizore.

Tsukune smiled at the novelty of looking for Mizore. Usually it was just a mater of waiting a few minutes and she would pop up on her own. When he knocked on her door, Mizore greeted him with a smile and invited him in. Tsukune accepted Mizore's offer with a smile of his own. Her housemate was gone for the break, working out in the human world and visiting with her boyfriend. Tsukune sat at the table while Mizore offered him refreshments and then sat down close beside him.

"Tsukune," Mizore asked as settled into place beside him. "How is your mother doing?"

"Mother is doing alright," Tsukune said. "She will need time to heal, but she is home and I left Ruby to help take care of her..."

Tsukune shared what was going on with Mizore. He explained his mother's injuries and the plans he had for visiting her. Mizore was very attentive to what Tsukine was telling her. She knew that Tsukune was sharing his news with her because he cared enough about her to want to include her in his life. What he didn't realize was what a treasure she found in his words. Tsukune was giving her an opportunity. While Tsukune was talking about going to see his mother, and to pick up Moka and bring her back to school, Mizore was already planing on how she was going to take advantage of Ruby's absence. There was just one little issue to worry about, and that was Moka, but Mizore thought she saw away around her. With a hug and a kiss, Tsukune parted with Mizore. He had a trip to make, and she had plans to hatch.

XXxxxXX

Tsukune realized that his mistake was in not calling ahead. He had stopped after leaving the school to call Kurumu and to keep her up to date, but after that it had been an uneventful ride home. When he arrived home, Tsukune could hear excited voices inside as soon as he was through the front gate.

"I'm home," Tsukune called out as he entered. In just seconds Ruby appeared in front of him.

"Welcome home," Ruby greeted him. She was smiling broadly as she took his helmet and jacket. "I'm glad you came, but you may not be happy with what you see."

"What's going on?" Tsukune asked. He had his head cocked to one side as he listened to the voices in the house.

"Your mother and her friend," Ruby explained. "Decided to have a little party. I saved some dinner for you in the kitchen, but..."

"Thank you," Tsukune said, heading into the house.

In the living room, Tsukune found his mother and Nagi's sitting on the couch. In one chair was a woman from the neighborhood that Tsukune recognized, but couldn't remember the name of. A pair of chairs from the kitchen had been pulled into the living room. Moka sat in one, the other was occupied by someone Tsukune did not recognize at all.

"Tsukune," Kasumi cheered when she saw her son. "I'm so glad you made it. Let me introduce you..."

Tsukune was treated to a round of introductions. When he was introduced to Hana he felt a moment of shock. He remembered Hana as being a bit of a tomboy, who liked to play soccer with him an his friends. While she wasn't remarkable in her athletic ability, or her looks, she was quick minded and sharp tongued. Her frequently critical comments was one of the reasons Tsukune and his friends never looked at her, even in passing, as a candidate for a girlfriend. Tsukune was stunned by the transformation that Hana had gone through. She was a little taller than Moka, with a face caught between cute and handsome. She had her hair cut very short, and wore a set of boyish clothes that looked a lot like an old style high school uniform. She had the same look on her face that Tsukune was used to seeing on classmates during long lectures.

After the introductions, the conversation among the women started up again. Unfortunately, it was nearly an interrogation of Tsukune. He was asked polite questions about how he was doing in school, but in probing ways. It was more Fuji than Eriko that directed questions towards Tsukune. And each time she did, she gave quick looks towards his mother. Tsukune realized that she was testing to see if his mother had been making things up. Tsukune sat down when Ruby brought him a chair, and tried not to get too bothered by the tone of the conversation.

"You know Tsukune-kun," Fiji continued to probe and prattle. "If you're a policeman now, I am surprised that you would ride a motorbike. Those things are really dangerous. As a policeman you must know how badly a person can be hurt riding one of those things."

"Even the police use motorcycles," Tsukune said. "Even if my department doesn't have any. We only have a single patrol car, and I don't think we've ever even used it."

Tsukune did not miss the way Hana had perked up at the mention of motorcycles. Having always been a tomboy, her interest in motorcycles was not surprising. And once a topic she was interested in came up, she was ready to pursue it.

"Tsukune," Hana questioned. "What kind of motorcycle do you have?"

"It's an import," Tsukune said. "I don't think you would recognize it. Plus it was customized."

"How did you get a motorcycle anyway?" Eriko asked. "Your mother said you got it from your school somehow."

"Last year," Tsukune said. "Durring the annual festival. One of the friends of our Board Chairman is a business man from America. He is a little unusual in the way he does things, but he helps support the school in some ways."

"Yes," Moka nodded. "I think he does it to help find people he can recruit for his business. I have a position under him that doesn't pay very much, but it gives me good experience for a career later."

The mothers were impressed by what Moka said. She implied that she was doing some kind of internship. Between her and Tsukune, there school was starting to look like a place for high achievers, instead of the troubled students Tsukune usually described it as. Hana, on the other hand, wasn't going to be distracted.

"Did you ride home?" Hana questioned. "I'd like to see your motorcycle."

Tsukune was aware of the risk of letting somebody who was really into motorcycles get too good of a look at Hiru. Unfortunately, outside of just sounding like a jerk, he had no reason to refuse her request. Also, he suspected that she wanted to escape from the gathering of mothers even more than he did. Tsukune did however have a good excuse to stall.

"Give me a few minutes," Tsukune said as he stood up. He started for the kitchen. "I haven't eaten dinner yet."

XxX

"He shouldn't encourage her," Fuji complained. "It isn't normal for a girl to be interested in such things."

"I don't know," Eriko responded. "That seemed very natural, even if it was a little clumsy. But that's what makes it cute."

"What do you mean?" Kasumi asked.

"Remember that modern drama," Eriko said in explanation. "It was called 'Iron wings for the heart.' The heroine was looking for father, but needed help."

"Oh my," Kasumi's eyes went wide. She looked first at Hana, and then to Moka, before looking back to Eriko. "You're right. And she was really bold too."

Fuji understood the reference and gave her daughter careful look. As she thought it over, the woman could not help but smile. It had been a bold move for Hana. By asking to see the boy's machine, she had made an excuse to have a moment alone with him. And Hana had done it in front of the boy's recognized girlfriend. She must really be interested in Kasumi's son.

Hana, like most of the talk that had gone on between the mothers, had not understood what they were talking about. While she enjoyed a romantic story as much as most people, she wanted her dramas to be the side story to something exciting and interesting. She never got into the world of day-time dramas, in spite of her mother's efforts, so she didn't know that they were talking about a story where a girl had found the love of her life by making friends with motorcycle enthusiast in order to have him give her rides so she could search for her truck driver father. Hana was, however, aware of the way her mother was looking at her, and the way the woman was smiling made her nervous.

Moka watched the exchange while feeling lost and left out. She had almost never watched television in her life. If the women wanted to talk about classic literature, or music, her upbringing would have let her be a part of the conversation. As It was, she was left out of the conversation, as she had been for most of the afternoon. Moka found all the talk about dramas frustrating, not just because she could not be a part of it, reminding her of when she had tried to live in the human world in the past, but because she realized that the women were using the topic as if it was a coded language. While she could not understand the meaning of their words, Moka was quick to realize that after Tsukune had left the room, the women had started talking about Hana, and somehow about Tsukune as well. Resisting the urge to growl, Moka wondered how the three mothers, who were fascinated with drama, would take it if they knew how much drama surrounded Tsukune's life at school.

XxxX

Tsukune was glad to see that his mother was doing well. She was finding ways to enjoy herself, and didn't appear too discomforted by her injury. While he was used to being surrounded by females, Tsukune suspected his father had found an excuse to stay away from the house for the evening. As he hurried through his dinner, one of his mother's dishes, but definitely with the flavor of Ruby's cooking, Tsukune thought out some plans. He would give Hana a chance to escape the drama appreciation club for a little while by showing her Hiru. After that, he would announce his intention to return to school, and ask Moka if she was ready to go. If they didn't wait to long to leave, Tsukune thought that they could possibly make a date out of their trip. It was a Saturday night after all, and he had seen a few places that had looked interesting.

Tsukune finished eating, with Ruby hovering in the doorway, ready to assist her master or his mother. He gave her a wicked smile as he carried his dirty dishes to the sink. When he started to wash them himself, Ruby gave him a scathing look and hurried to take over the task.

"Master," Ruby protested in a low voice. "Let me do that for you." It was an instruction, not a request.

"Thank you," Tsukune said warmly before kissing her cheek.

Tsukune took a few minutes to relieve and refresh himself, and then it was time to brave the living room again. As soon as he entered, Hana was up and ready to move as if she had been sitting on springs. Tsukune explained that they would be just out side and headed for the door. Hana followed him with poorly restrained eagerness.

"Finally," Hana sighed as soon as the door was closed between her and the assembled mothers. She clutched Tsukune's arm. "Thank you Tsukune."

"No problem," He gave her a sympathetic smile. "It looked like you were having a difficult time in there."

"Yeah," Hana rolled her eyes. "It was worse than cooking class at school. At least at school I can ignore the prattle. Here they keep trying to get me into their television programs." She rolled her eyes and blew out another sigh. Her face brightened when she saw Tsukune motorcycle.

"Ooh," Hana smiled. "She's pretty." With her eyes sparkling she approached the motorcycle. She walked around it while voicing her observations. "She looks fast. Nice ground clearance." She bent down to look at some of the details in the low light coming from the porch. "I've never seen one built like this before." She continued her inspection, he eyes going wide as she looked at the instrument cluster on the handlebars. "Oh my god," Hana gasped. "Can it really go that fast?" She looked up at Tsukune. "What's the fastest you've gone?"

"Ummm," Tsukune felt a little guilty. "Last night, I was worried about my mother, so I was being a little reckless. I didn't mean to, but I know I broke a hundred KPH a few times."

"Oh damn," Hana breathed. "I want to go for a ride. How 'bout it?"

"Excuse me?" Tsukune said, slightly off balance from her enthusiasm.

"Just a quick trip to the Seven Eleven past the middle school," Hana suggested. "Please?"

"I don't have my spare helmet with me," Tsukune said.

"Oh..." Hana blinked for a moment. "But didn't Moka say that you would be giving her a ride?"

"She has her own helmet," Tsukune explained.

"If she'll let me borrow her helmet, then will you take me for a ride?" Hana pressed.

"If Moka says it's alright..." Tsukune started to say.

Hana gave a little hop and started back inside. Tsukune sighed and shook his head before following her. He hoped that she didn't cause any misunderstandings with Moka.

"Moka," Hana said as she entered the living room. "I want to ask a favor of you." She knelt beside Moka chair instead of taking one of the open ones. "I asked Tsukune if he would give me a ride to a convenience store, but he said he didn't bring a spare helmet. Could I borrow your helmet, just this one time?"

"Tsukune?" Moka questioned as she turned in her seat to face him.

"She asked me to take her for a ride," Tsukune explained with a tiny bow. "I told her that I could only do it if you approved."

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Fuji said, startling everybody. "You haven't had a chance to spend time together in years, and you used to get along so well."

"Ruby," Moka called out. "Bring Hana my helmet please." She gave Fuji a tight smile. "I don't think it would hurt me to grant your daughter a favor." She turned back to Tsukune. "Tsukune, I know I can trust you to keep anything from getting out of hand, so feel free to have fun with your friend."

"As you wish," Tsukune said with another tiny bow.

"Yesss," Hana pumped her fist. "Thank you very much, Moka." She sprang to her feet.

"We won't be gone long," Tsukune said as he pulled on his jacket. "Moka and I still need to return to school, and I don't want to wait until it is very late."

"Ruby dear," Kasumi said. "Why don't you get Hana one of Tsukune's old jackets to wear. We don't want her catching a cold."

"Alright," Ruby replied, handing out helmets before digging into the closet for a suitable jacket for Hana.

XxXxXxX

"Thank you, Tsukune," Hana said, bouncing on her toes while Tsukune walked Hiru through the gate and out to the street. "You don't know how badly I want this."

"How long have you been interested in Motorcycles?" Tsukune asked.

"Meh," Hana shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not so much interested in motorcycles as I am in just looking for ways to escape. Mother remembers when I was a little girl, I liked watching magical girl anime. She thought I liked the cute dresses, but I was interested in the magic. I wanted to fly, and do other impossible things."

"You don't say," Tsukune said with a straight face and a calm voice. He settled into the saddle and buckled on his helmet.

"Mother still wants to dress me up and be all cute for her," Hana said fitting Moka's helmet to her head. "I told her the only way I'll be happy wearing a frilly dress is if it comes with a wand that really works." She climbed up behind Tsukune. "I know magic like that is impossible, so I started looking for alternatives, like motorcycles. If I can't use magic to fly, I'll just have to use a machine to fly over the ground."

"Don't give up on your dreams," Tsukune said, touching the key. Hiru gave a throaty growl.

"What do you mean?" Hana challenged.

"Have you ever found proof that magic isn't real?" Tsukune questioned her.

"No," Hana answered. She leaned forward and put her arms around Tsukune. As he started to lean forward she shot him another question. "Have you ever seen a girl who could fly?"

"Yes," Tsukune said with a nod.

Before Hana could say anything, they took off. Tsukune knew where the store Hana had asked to go to was. He also knew two other convenience stores that were closer. The store she wanted to visit would require a longer trip and more time away from the talk of dramas and girly things, and Tsukune could understand wanting that. While he wanted to spend time with Moka, Tsukune didn't have a need to rush things, so he took the trip nice and slow, careful not to break any laws, or to disturb the neighborhood. Once they reached the store, Hana got down from Hiru, then gave Tsukune an unreadable look.

Hana'a need to go to the store was really nothing more than an excuse to get away from her mother and to get to ride on a motorcycle. She left the helmet with Tsukune as she did her shopping. She grabbed two bottles of ramune strawberry soda and an assortment of chocolaty snacks. Once back out side, she handed a bottle to Tsukune.

"Tsukune," Hana asked as she opened her soda with a pop and a clink. "What did you mean when you've seen a girl who could fly?"

"Where do you think magical girls go to school?" Tsukune teased her a little. "They go to some place nobody has ever her of and nobody can find"

"Stop making fun of me," Hana demanded. "I know there's no such thing as magic."

"Yes there is," Tsukune said. "Just most people don't believe in it any more. There are magical girls and monsters and evil organizations and everything."

"I'm not stupid," Hana stomped her foot.

"I once met a magical girl," Tsukune said with a grin. He couldn't help himself. It was a chance to talk about his school life with someone who might understand some of what he said. He realized that if what Hana said about herself was true, she could be one of the people that should know about the youkai still alive and active in the world around her. "She wasn't the perky Magical Sammy kind of girl, but the older, darker sort. She didn't like humans back then. She even hated them."

"You're just making this all up," Hana accused.

Hana had been honest with Tsukune. She liked the idea of learning magic, and learning how to fly, and to do other impossible things. Watching television shows or reading manga about magic and stuff was as close as a person could get to doing impossible things in real life. Watching dramas, to Hana at least, was like watching someone going for a walk at the beach. Sure the people on television had nice bodies and always said clever or funny things, but it was still a show about something that could be done in real life. Only now Tsukune was telling her an impossible story. He had never teased her when they had played together, and she knew that people could change as they got older, but deep down, there was a tiny hope that his story had some little seed of truth. She wanted so badly to find that seed, that Hana listened to Tsukune's story.

"So this dark magical girl," Tsukune continued. "Found me and my friends from the Newspaper Club a little to close to her home. We fought for a little bit, but my friends and I stood together so we won. Later, we got her to see that humans were not all bad. She became a friend."

"That's a lame story," Hana declared. "If magic is real, I want to see some proof."

"But if I proved magic was real," Tsukune argued, opening his ramune with a pop and a clink. "You would tell all your friends about it. Some things are kept a secret for good reasons."

"Who would I tell?" Hana asked. "Who would believe me? My friends would think I had hit my head or something."

Tsukune shrugged his shoulders. He took a sip of his soda, the marble rattling around in the bottle. He was dragging things out for the fun of it.

"So where's your proof?" Hana pressed.

"Will you keep it a secret?" Tsukune asked.

"Yeah yeah," Hana said, starting to get excited.

"Hmmmm," Tsukune gave her a sideways look. "I don't know. This is a pretty big secret." He took another sip to keep himself from smiling.

"I promise," Hana said, almost pleading. "I won't tell anybody."

"Hmmmm," Tsukune handed Moka's helmet to her and dismounted from Hiru. "I wonder what would count as proof." He walked away from Hiru, Making Hana turn as he talked. "I don't want to show you anything that would get me into trouble." Tsukune pulled off his helmet and sent a mental command to Hiru. "How about we start walking back and I'll show you something?"

"What do you mean walk?" Hana said. "You're going to leave your motorcycle here?"

"What motorcycle?" Tsukune asked with a grin.

"What?" Hana turned around and saw that the motorcycle was gone. "What?" Her voice cracked as she turned back to Tsukune. He was grinning at her, holding a cap in one hand and his soda in the other.

"And you came all this way with a helmet," Tsukune observed.

Hana looked down at the helmet she was holding. It was proof that she had not imagined the motorcycle ride. She looked back up at Tsukune, her head filling with questions.

"Is that enough proof?" Tsukune asked, putting his cap on his head.

"But where's..."

"She's right behind you," Tsukune said with a gesture.

Hana looked back over her shoulder. The motorcycle was back again, only now it was pointed in the opposite direction. She turned back to Tsukune with her eyes wide.

"How?" Hana managed to choke out.

"Magic," Tsukune said. "Like this."

Hana watched as Tsukune touched his cap. The cap blurred and changed shape. It turned into Tsukune's open face helmet. It was magic. Hana felt her legs go weak. She had just seen real magic. Suddenly the world around her seemed to be different. Nothing had changed, but Hana didn't think the world would ever be the same again. She stood blinking as the importance of what she had seen ran around in her mind.

"What happened to her?" Hana asked.

"Hmmm?" Tsukune questioned as he took a long pull of his soda.

"That magical girl you mentioned," Hana said. "You said she became a friend. What happened to her?"

"She came back to school with us," Tsukune said. "She got a job working as an office assistant."

"That's kind of lame," Hana grumbled. "Are there any more magical girls at your school."

"You know," Tsukune frowned. "I never really thought about it. I mean there almost has to be a few of them around, but I only know one other one. She is the perky kind, even if she is a little..." He made a rocking motion with his free hand.

"Can she fly too?" Hana asked.

"She said she could," Tsukune remembered. "She had some new spell or something, but I've never seen her use it."

"I want to go to your school," Hana said with a pout.

"Why?" Tsukune said. "There are no computers or televisions. Your cell phone won't get any signal there. Our sports clubs don't compete with anybody. If it wasn't for all the youkai, it would be the most boring school in Japan." He casually finished off his soda.

"Youkai?" Hana's voice cracked with excitement. "Youkai are real?"

"Well," Tsukune shrugged walking to a trash can. "They kind of have to be real, don't they? Where do you think all the stories came from?"

"But those are just made up..." Hana started to argue.

"That's what you said to me a moment ago," Tsukune reminded her. "That I was just making things up." After throwing away his empty bottle he walked over to Hana.

"Wait," Hana frowned. "Moka goes to your school. Does she know about the magical girls and youkai and stuff?"

"Yes, she does," Tsukune nodded.

"She's not afraid of them?" Hana wondered.

"No," Tsukune shook his head as he took Hana's shopping bag and stowed it in one of Hiru's saddle bags.

"I know," Hana brightened suddenly. "It's that cross she wears. That's what keeps her safe."

"Errr," Tsukune paused. "Something like that."

"How about you?" Hana questioned. "What keeps you safe?"

Tsukune knew what she meant by that question. He held up his right arm and jingled the holy lock. It was what kept him safe, even if it wasn't how she thought.

"And Ruby?" Hana kept asking.

"She is under the protection of someone strong," Tsukune said with a wry smile. "It's not really like that though," Tsukune explained. "The students are all there to learn. It's just that some need to learn how to act more human."

"Oh," Hana took a moment to talk about it. "And they teach you magic there?"

"No," Tsukune said. "The helmet and Hiru are what you would call magical."

"Hiru?" Hana gave him a puzzled look

"This is Hiru," Tsukune reached out and caressed the tank.

Hiru gave a rumbling purr. Hana did a small jump in surprise. Tsukune gave her a smile.

"We better get back," Tsukune said, matching his actions to his words. He mounted the saddle.

"Alright," Hana said, climbing up behind him.

"Tsukune?" Hana questioned in a drawl.

"Yes?" Tsukune replied in the same tone.

"Do you think I could transfer to your school?" Hana asked.

"Perhaps," Tsukune shrugged.

"Your mother said you're part of the staff," Hana said. "Couldn't you help me transfer in?"

"I don't know," Tsukune answered. "I'll have to think about it."

"If you do get me in," Hana slipped her arms around Tsukune's waist. "I can be your girlfriend."

"I already have three," Tsukune said without thinking. He blinked in surprise at his own answer, wondering how he had decided on that number.

Hana blinked in surprise as well. She already knew about Moka, and had some suspicions about Ruby, but she wasn't sure if Tsukune's answer was meant to be a tease, or maybe an attempt to shock her. She decided that she should offer a tease of her own.

"Well then," Hana pressed herself a little more firmly against his back. She knew she had a boyish figure, but she was still a girl, and Tsukune was still a boy. "I can be your slave."

"I've got one of those too," Tsukune said as he twisted the throttle.