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 154

Tsukune walked into the koban Thursday afternoon feeling good. The time he had spent with Kurumu had been rewarding. He was glad to see that she was enjoying her work, and that it was going well for her. Teasing her with kisses to motivate her to do her school assignments had been a nice bonus. Tsukune knew if he didn't do something to get her focused, she would have spent half the time teasing and flirting with him instead of getting her assignments done. The situation had turned out to be a win-win for the both of them.

Tsukune checked in with the superintendent to see if there was anything special to be aware of. Tsukune had twenty four hours of duty with the police department, and then another twenty four hours with the Student Police on his schedule. After that, he was free for the rest of the break.

Tsukune settled into the koban for his shift. His back up for the shift was a rotation of the other students that had joined the local department in four hour shifts. Tsukune would be supervising them and helping out as needed. If all went well, he anticipated getting a good amount of sleep over the night, and some cat naps during the day, so that he would be able to get through his time with the Student Police without feeling run down.

XxxXxxX

The available members of the newspaper club had gathered to put in some work on the next edition. It was only Moka, Mizore, Kokoa, and Yukari, but that did not stop them from taking their work seriously. The club had started working on the next edition before the break, so the available members felt confident that they would have a finished product in time.

By popular consensus it was decided to do an article about the holiday party they had attended. While it had not been an exciting party, it had been a mix of humans and youkai, where at least some of the humans knew something was special about the other guests. With a goal of coexistence in mind, the party was a good thing to put in the school paper. It was stressed however, that alerting humans to the existence of youkai had to be done with caution, and preferably with the approval of a member of the school staff.

As an expansion of the leading story of the party, the gathered members wrote some companion pieces. Moka wrote a piece about party planing, including advice on formal traditions common in the western world as well as Japan. Mizore put an article together about winter holidays and their traditions. Kokoa and Yukari worked together to make some illustrations, to make up for the lack of photographs.

After working together all afternoon, the club finally called a halt. The agreed to meet up the next day to finish up before heading off to tend to their own concerns. Moka was the last one out of the club room. She and Kokoa walked together for a while, sharing idle chatter until their destinations forced them to take separate paths.

Moka returned to her house and felt her mood sinking. She enjoyed spending time with her friends, but that was just a distraction from her worries. As she tended to her personal needs, Moka thought about the problem that was looming over her.

The final term of high school was about to begin, and she still had no solid plan for her future. She knew that Kurumu was already working on her future, and so was Tsukune. Moka could feel herself falling behind. The way things were going, Tsukune and Kurumu would have successful careers and happy lives, while she was stuck depending on her family. A part of Moka knew she had some time before a career was a major concern. College was still ahead of her. As long as she had a solid plan by graduating with her degree, there shouldn't be any worry. Even if there was time, Moka couldn't let herself wait. She needed to have a plan for her future and start working on it as soon as she could.

Moka wanted to blame her father. He had raised her to be a tool for his own plans. He had wanted a pretty and capable daughter he could marry off to make an alliance. Left without a plan of her own, and only a strong ability to fight, Moka's older sister had become a killer for hire rather than accept being married off. Moka had no intention of becoming a killer for hire. Until she had met Tsukune, she had been resigned to the life her father had planned for her. She would get an education, work in some puppet position for her father, and someday be told who she would marry.

Tsukune had changed Moka's life. In some ways, he had saved it. Because of him, she had decided to live for herself, instead of her father. Tsukune had shown Moka that she could be happy, she could have friends and relationships that were not dependent on politics or money. That was a part of the reason she loved him so much. Both sides of her agreed that Tsukune had helped them to discover something worth living for.

But as much as she wanted to live her own life, Moka still had to deal with her father's expectations. Moka knew she would never be satisfied living as an extension of her father. Likewise she wanted more than being just an ornament, a kept wife like some kind of pet by somebody her family would approve of. Moka was even will to admit being a housewife for Tsukune would be nice, but too limiting for her. She needed something she could do on her own. Moka wanted to be able to have something she could be proud of as her own achievement.

Moka tried to figure out what she should do with her life. The simple answer was that she wanted to own and run her own business. The problem was trying to decide on what that business should be. Being a doctor with her own practice was dismissed quickly. She thought about maybe getting into property management and real estate, but she wasn't sure how to get into the field. Moka made a note to ask her career counselor about that. Law was another field Moka could go into. She could have her own small law firm pretty quickly, and from there it would just take time to build up her client base and reputation. Other business ideas, marketing, design work, sales, all of them had their positive points, but Moka was still undecided.

Moka remembered Tsukune's anguish when he didn't have a career plan. She had understood his frustration in part. As graduation came closer, Moka was wondering if she had put off making a choice for too long already. Even if that was the case, her indecision remained. Somehow she had to find the middle ground. She needed something that her family would accept, that she could could find pride and satisfaction in doing, and that would let her have a life with Tsukune. Moka though about her friends from the human world, Aiko and Rina, and wondered if they ever had the same problem.

Xx^.^xX

Inari check her appearance in the mirror one more time before leaving her room. She was nervous about her shift with Tsukune. She only had a four hour shift with him, which wasn't her idea. She wasn't sure if that was only going to be tease for herb because four hours of being busy hardly seemed like any time at all, or if it was going to be a torment, because if they were not busy time could seem to drag on forever. She had not spoken with Tsukune since his mother's party, so Inari didn't know what kind of attitude Tsukune would have towards her. In a way, it was a relief that they were going to be on duty together, because Tsukune had shown a habit of being professional, so if he was unhappy with her, there would not be an embarrassing scene.

Inari had considered her choices and prepared for her shift carefully. She had dressed in casual clothes and had her police uniform in a garment bag. This gave her an excuse to arrive a little extra early for her shift so she could change in the koban before duty, giving her just that much more time around Tsukune. If asked, her reasoning was that she wanted to keep her uniform as clean as possible for the start of her shift. Inari had made sure she was ready for her shift with all the care she imagined she would have used for a date. Her body was clean and powdered, her hair was done up in a professional looking bun, with just a few strands artfully allowed to fall free to frame her face. She had applied a light layer of makeup in the hope that it would help her look a little more mature and confident.

As she walked to the Koban, Inari reviewed her plan. She would arrive early for her shift, so she would have time to 'freshen up and change clothes' before her shift. If Tsukune didn't appear upset or bothered by her in any way, she could spend some of her pre-shift time just hanging out with him. If his attitude seemed negative towards her, she could hide out in the locker room until she had to be on duty. If the shift went well, and Tsukune was receptive of her company, she could take her time going off shift. Taking off her uniform and making sure it was in order before leaving the koban would would give her a good excuse to linger a little while.

XxxXxxX

Tsukune sometimes pondered the truth of such things as reincarnation and karma. If such things were true, he thought, then once upon a time, in another life, he must have done some horrible things. The other person that was supposed to be on duty with him had arrived late and looking green. Apparently his girlfriend had tried to cook for him, but she was still having trouble keeping her ingredients and measurements straight. He made it through half his shift before Tsukune turned him loose. Watching the guy try to hold his insides under control had started to make Tsukune feel ill also.

Once Tsukune was alone on duty, he knew he just had to look calm and in control until the next shift came on. If any trouble came up, he would call the superintendent who live up stairs in the koban for help if he needed it. He wished he had made that call twenty minutes later, about three minutes after one of the locals came to see him.

The woman that came into the koban, if she had been human, Tsukune would have guessed to be close to a hundred years old. As a youkai, there was no telling the age of the ancient looking woman. She could hardly be more than a hundred and forty centimeters tall. Tsukune couldn't tell if she was squinting, or if the woman's eyes were completely closed, but she didn't run into anything. The woman, as far as Tsukune could figure out, had come to the koban to complain that nobody bothered to listen to her complaints. The woman was still going on without a break when the next shift arrived. As the door opened and Tsukune saw who was entering, he couldn't help but smile.

Inari saw Tsukune's smile and was torn between emotions. A part of her was so happy she wanted to just throw herself into his arms right there. But there was something in Tsukune's face that made his smile somehow frightening, making Inari want to find an excuse to run away.

"Excuse me for a moment if you please," Tsukune said with firm politeness to the old woman.

"What?" The old woman seemed surprised that Tsukune could actually speak.

"Officer Sansai," Tsukune said with relief heavy in his voice. "I am glad to see you. You are looking good this evening. I hope that you have been taking care of yourself." He intercepted her and took her arm in his as he spoke, guiding her towards the back of the room. "That last officer came down sick and I could use your help with a small mater, when you're ready that is."

Inari felt like her head was spinning. Tsukune was happy to see her, which was good. He had even been willing to get physically close to her, and even complemented her on her appearance, which was wonderful. But she could tell something wasn't as right and perfect as it seemed.

"Let me have a moment to get in to uniform, Captain," Inari said. "And I'll be right with you."

"Yes," Tsukune said. "Thank you."

Xx^.^xX

Once safely in the changing room, Inari took the time to compose herself. Her heart was racing, and if it had not been for her makeup, she was sure her captain would have seen her blushing. She quickly changed into her uniform, being attentive to every detail, even as she wondered if she should have tried to find a shorter skirt, or maybe worn some luck panties. After a few calming breaths, she left the changing room, ready to serve her captain.

Inari stepped out of the changing room and crossed over to where Tsukune stood. She had a chance then to understand what was going on. The little old woman was rambling through a list of petty complaints that ranged from the condition of the village streets, the lack of respect that the young had for their elders, and on through to the weather. It was clear to Inari that the woman was glad to have somebody to vent her frustrations to. She wondered how long she must have been going on in order to get Tsukune so worked up. As she watched from a save distance, Tsukune tried over and over again to say something, but the woman didn't want to give him the chance. It was amusing to watch her normally calm and confident captain try to deal with the woman. Inari could have watched for most of her shift, from a safe distance, but when the woman started talking about a granddaughter she thought Tsukune should meet, Inari knew it was time to get involved.

"Captain," Inari said as she moved in, cutting the woman off. "There was something you wanted you said."

"Yes," Tsukune said with relief all over his face. "Thank you." Tsukune too the opportunity to walk away form the old woman again. He dropped his voice to a near whisper. "Thank you."

"How long has she..." Inari questioned.

"Two hours," Tsukune said. He gave his head a little shake. "I am going to tell her that you are going to see her home. See if there is actually anything we can do for her, or if she needs anything, and if there is, we'll see what we can do about it. Alright?"

"You want me to talk to her?" Inari questioned. "But she seems to be getting along so well with you."

"Please," Tsukune said in a low voice. "I tried to offer to walk her home, but she insisted that she didn't want to be a bother. That was before she told me about her sensitive digestion. Apparently she eats rats, and is unhappy with the quality of the garbage the rats of been feeding on."

"But what can I do?" Inari asked.

"Just walk her home," Tsukune said. "And take the time to listen to her for a while. Maybe she has a nice grandson to tell you about. So far she has told me about five granddaughters and three grand nieces."

"I don't think..." Inari started to say.

"If you're done..." The woman raised her voice to be heard across the room. "I want to tell you about the young men that are scaring the rats away."

"Please," Tsukune said. "I'll owe you. I'll do any thing yuooooo... Scratch that. I will do something for you in return, within reason."

"Alright," Inari had to struggle not to smile.

"Yes," Tsukune hissed. "Thank you." He quickly turned back to the old woman.

Inari kept her calm as Tsukune turned his attention to the old woman. He told her that he would look into her concerns as they deserved. He then told her that she would be escorted home.

"I don't want anything to happen to you, and it has gotten late," Tsukune said. "Officer Sansai will see you home now. If you have any immediate problems to be taken care of, make sure to tell her. Now excuse me, but I have something I need to take care of. Have a good night."

Tsukune had started talking as soon as he had approached the woman, to keep her from having the chance to get started again. All through his little speech the woman had tried to butt in. When he finished talking, he turned and walked away form her.

Inari watched her captain retreat from the old woman. He went directly to the back of the room, and into the water closet. The stiff way he moved suggested that he had been wanting to go for a while.

Inari decided to follow her captain's example. She approached the old woman and took control of the conversation before she could say anything. If she didn't, Inari was afraid that her whole shift would be taken up, and that did not suit her at all.

"Oba-san," Inari said politely but firmly. "I will be walking you home now. It has gotten late and I am sure that you have things you would like to take care of before you go to bed. So we should make sure yo get home safely without wasting any more of your valuable time." Inari kept talking as she got the woman into motion and out of the koban.

XxxX

Inari was smiling broadly as she left the koban. Tsukune had made a deal with her. All she had to do was one errand and she would have him on a hook. As she walked with the old woman, finally letting her talk, Inari couldn't stop thinking of all the things she could ask of Tsukune.

"I see, I see," The old woman said, the tone of her voice changing. "So that's how it is then." The woman cackled merrily. "So that's why the young man wasn't interested in any of my granddaughters."

"Ehhh?" Inari gave the woman a shocked look.

"Oh you have a tough patch to hoe, yes you do," The old woman went on. "I know his type. He's all business and hard work. He sees everybody the same and forgets that men and women are different."

"What are you talking about?" Inari couldn't help but ask.

"Your captain, my dear," The old woman explained. "Look at him. You will see he puts everybody on the same scale. He'll not be playing favorites. If he thinks you can do a job, well he'll probably be right, so you better do a good job even if you don't want to. He won't cut you any slack for being a girl. Likely as not, he forgets when he's even talking to a girl instead of a boy. He's the serious type all right. He's the kind of man you want to have around when things get tough... Ha," She cackled again. "He's the kind of man you want around all the time. He'll get the work done. He'll do his work, and then he'll help you with yours, and then he'll find something else that needs doing." She looked up at Inari.

"You'll have to keep an eye on him," She instructed. "If you don't, he'll work himself to death. I should know, I buried three husbands before I was sixty. You'll have your work cut out for you, yes in deed."

"I think you're misunderstanding something," Inari tried to argue.

"Bah," The old woman scoffed. "Don't try being coy. If you're not a woman in love, I've never seen one, and I've seen plenty. No, he has your heart all tied up with a bow and tucked in his pocket he does. It's going to be a merry chase he's going to lead you on, but don't give up. Once you catch him, don't let go. All that seriousness and hard work you see him doing? Well, once you get him, he'll show you how serious he can be." The woman cackled and rubbed her hands together. "Oh won't you be in for it then."

"What are you talking about?" Inari demanded, even though she suspected exactly what the old woman meant.

"Oh dear," The old woman sighed. "If you're that slow, some other woman is going to get to him first. And that will make your work all the harder."

"Another woman already has," Inari said with a touch of bitterness. "Four of them."

"Oh ho!" The woman's eyes opened, showing jaundiced whites around dark centers. "Well, you better get your share of him while you can. A man with a fire like his will always have women after him. You just have to make sure he sees you as a woman and then remind him that he is a man."

"It's not that simple," Inari protested.

The woman gave a snort that sounded like ripping fabric. She gave Inari an unreadable look and then she started talking. Inari found herself receiving a very direct and detailed lecture from the old woman. The woman had outlived a total for four husbands and, according to her, had enjoyed many lovers. The old woman had decided to share her experience and knowledge of men with Inari in depth. She started with instructions for successful flirting and continued on through every stage of the relationship right up to sitting at the bedside when a wife outlived her husband. Much of the woman's advice sounded cliché. Some of it was downright graphic.

Inari didn't know what she should think. The woman went on and on about how to seduce men and how to keep them happy. The young woman did not want to hear about sexy underwear form a woman that looked like she predated the invention of the loincloth. Inari was convinced that she was blushing hot enough to burn off her makeup. In spite of herself, she tried her best to remember everything the old woman had to say.

XxxxX

As he relaxed in the koban, Tsukune felt a little guilty for what he had asked Inari to do. Dealing with the old woman was not going to be easy for the sometimes impulsive fox spirit, but it was a part of being a police officer. Tsukune knew he could have ordered Inari to walk the old woman home, but he wanted her to feel appreciated. He knew, looking back, that he had not handled the situation as well as he should have, and that it was likely to bite him in the backside. As he waited for Inari to return, he worked through what he considered to be the boundaries of reason.

In his mind he mapped out the things he was willing to do to repay Inari from most reasonable to least, and then tried to guess what she might ask for and where it would fall according to his map. Covering a shift for her was the starting point for his mental range. Covering a shift was simple, reasonable, and in all honesty, would be letting Tsukune off the hook easy. Helping with school work could be a simple request from Inari, but Tsukune knew he would have to set limits on how much help he would give, and on how much school work. He would not do any assignments for Inari, nore would he agree to help her for the rest of the year. Helping to study for midterms or finals wouldn't be bad at all, if he could just invite Inari to join his normal study group. But if she wanted to study in private, like in her dorm room, that might be pushing the limits of reasonable. Tsukune considered how he would try to keep that from becoming an issue.

It was easy for Tsukune to make a list of things that were just out of bounds. He would not give away Hiru, break up with Moka, Kurumu, or Mizore, nor would he abandon Ruby. Likewise, Tsukune would not promise to do anything that would hurt his friends, family, or the school. Tsukune didn't think that Inari would ask any of that of him, but he wanted to think things through to be prepared for the worst.

Tsukune brainstormed because he did not want to get put in a bad situation. To borrow from a manga, a favor like 'pretend to be my boyfriend in front of my parents,' could cause misunderstandings that could not only hurt his friends, but could also hurt the trust Inari's family placed in her. When Tsukune though about the way Inari had been getting close to him, he put a date with her on his mental map, but he didn't nail it down in any specific place. Depending on the date, it could be something very reasonable, or unreasonable. That was another thing that if it came up, he would have to set limits on it in advance. A date someplace public during daylight hours was far more acceptable than a romantic date at night.

Tsukune was still working on his lists when Inari returned. She had a haunted look in her eyes as a tight smile on her lips. From his experience with his close friends, Tsukune recognized a woman that was ready to lash out. Tsukune went on the defensive. He stood up calmly and offered Inari a warm smile.

"Inari," Tsukune said. "I really appreciate your help. I don't know what I would have done if you had not arrived when you did."

"Do you mean that?" Inari asked in a smooth voice as she approached him. "You're not just saying that are you?"

"Yes I mean it," Tsukune said, acutely aware of the narrowing distance between them. "I also feel guilty for asking you to do something you would have probably have avoided if you could have."

"You could have just ordered me to walk the woman home, Captain," Inari pointed out.

"I know," Tsukune nodded. "But I didn't want to."

"What would you have done if I had refused?" Inari asked.

"I would have asked you to cover for me while I took care of...er.." Tsukune shrugged. "And then I would have tried to walk her home myself"

"Alright," Inari nodded. "So you appreciate what I did for you, and you agree that you owe me a favor in return."

"Yes," Tsukune said firmly.

"Anything I want," Inari said.

"With in reason," Tsukune clarified.

Inari gave Tsukune a look that spoke volumes; He just didn't know in which language. After a moment her face softened and a calculating look came into her eyes. She smiled and moved up close to Tsukune.

"Captain," Inari said. "Do you know the difference between men and women?"

"Women ask trick questions that men can never answer correctly," Tsukune replied. "Usually just before they hit me."

"Do all the women in your life hit you?" Inari batted her eyes at him sweetly.

"No," Tsukune said with a straight face. "Two of them bite me."

Without another word, Inari punched Tsukune in the shoulder.