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 158
Tsukune was enjoying his first week of the new term. Classes were going as well as could be expected. He was getting to spend time with the people that were most important to him. And to add a little light into his life, no new responsibilities had been handed to him. Inari had managed to meet up with him again on Wednesday and Thursday mornings as Tsukune and his friends walked to school. Wednesday after school, Tsukune had taken a walk with Moka in the woods to enjoy a little quiet time with her. The little nibble she took at his neck was just another one of the things he had learned to accept.
It was late Thursday afternoon when Tsukune's happy mood started to slip. He had enjoyed a short date with Kurumu after school as they went shopping together, at her insistence. They had ridden Hiru together out from under the barrier so she could visit a book store. Of course they had to stop at a coffee shop so she could sit in a booth with him and spend a little time as a couple first. As they were leaving the coffee shop, Tsukune pulled out his cell phone and turned it on. While Kurumu was doing the same thing, they walked to the book store. Kurumu was after some cooking magazines. While she shopped she checked for messages from her agent and her mother. Tsukune's phone had chirped with messages as soon as it had a good signal. It was while checking his messages that his god fortune started to take a dip.
Tsukune never really expected a lot of messages when he turned on his cell phone. He knew his friends from Middle School might send him a message once in a while. His cousin had been known to call to check on him also. With what she was going through, Tsukune was not surprised to get a message from Aiko. He resolved to call her in the near future, when he was on a date with Kurumu. Then Tsukune got the message from Lieutenant Tanaka.
"Mister Aono Tsukune,' The recorded voice of Lieutenant Tanaka said. "Your name has come up recently during an investigation. I feel that it is important that you and I should meet so that we can discuss the situation. Please call me back..."
Tsukune listened to the message twice to make sure he understood it. He knew that the the lieutenant could be trying to cause him problems again, but he didn't think that was the case. Tsukune considered the mater carefully as Kurumu finished her shopping.
"Tsukune," Kurumu came up to him with a smile. "There's just one more place I want to go." She wrapped her arms around him. "I kind of owe you a present."
"Kurumu," Tsukune smiled. "You don't owe me anything." He put his arms around her. "I'm just glad you're with me."
"Awww," Kurumu blushed happily. "But I already bought your present. I just need to give it to you." She slipped from his embrace and grabbed his hand. "Come on."
Kurumu pulled Tsukune along for a little while. They didn't have to go far before the reached her destination. She pulled Tsukune into a consumer electronics store. She let go of Tsukune and reached into her purse.
"This is what I got for you," She pulled out an unwrapped box and handed it to Tsukune.
Tsukune accepted the box and looked at it. It was the box for new cell phone. Tsukune looked up at Kurumu to see her grinning in his direction.
"Ahhh," Tsukune said. "Kurumu you didn't have to..."
"Of course I didn't have to," Kurumu said, suddenly pushing herself close to Tsukune, her hands touching him in playful ways. "I did it because I want to." She moved away form him. "Take a look."
Tsukune opened the box and was a little puzzled by what he found. The user manual for the phone was resting on top of a collection of accessories. The phone itself was not in the box. He looked up to question Kurumu, and saw her at the service counter talking to a store employee. As he watched, she handed the employee the new phone, and, he recognized, his old phone as well. Tsukune made a sour face as he realized that she had lifted it from his pocket.
Tsukune understood what was happening. Kurumu was doing what she could to make sure that he would be unable to refuse her gift. She had given both phones to the employee so that he could copy all of the data from the old phone to the new one. Tsukune recognized that it would be pointless to argue unless he was willing to hurt Kurumu's feelings. He looked though the user manual for a little while as the employee did what he did with the phones. The phone was one of the new 'smart phones' that had been slowly coming out on the market. Most peope talked about them as if they were going to change everything, but Tsukune wasn't convinced. The new phones were bulky and aside from being a pocket sized digital organizer, they didn't really do anything that a regular phone couldn't do.
"Tsukune," Kurumu said with a smile as she approached him. "Here's your phones. I added all of my numbers to the new one."
"Thank you," Tsukune said, accepting the phones. "We should be getting back. He have to get our things done for school tomorrow."
"Awww," Kurumu pouted. "But Tsukune, I was hoping you and I could... You know..." She batted her eyes at him.
"Kurumu," Tsukune said with a crooked smile. "I love you more that words can say. But that doesn't change the fact that we have school in the morning and studying to do."
"I know," Kurumu sighed. "I love you too."
XxxxX
Tsukune had a decision to make. After he got Kurumu safely back to her house in the village, he returned to the manor to take on his responsibilities and to considered the message from Lieutenant Tanaka. Tsukune considered what he knew of the man. When he had first heard about the lieutenant investigating him, Tsukune thought that it was something to do with Fairy Tail, or maybe something to do with the man's daughter. Besides some basic information, Tsukune only knew what he had learned from their one meeting.
Tsukune wanted to be careful. There were so many people that depended on him to avoid being thoughtless. Tsukune knew he needed more information before he could make a good decision. Of course getting more information was a decision in itself.
XxxxXxxxX
Aiko was wondering if she had done something wrong. In just a few days, she had gone from being just another student to standing out among her schoolmates. The Advisory Committee had accepted her advice on how to get started on organizing the festival, and somehow her name was being connected to the festival in the talk around school. Aiko felt a tension growing between her shoulder blades. If everybody was attaching her name to the festival project, then if it failed she would be the one they blamed.
Aiko wanted to do a good job, but she worried about what would be the best path to take. She knew Tsukune would advise her, but she didn't want to pass her problems on to him. She wanted to show Tsukune that she was capable, even while she wished for his support. Aiko settled for making a daily calls to Tsukune's voice mail to give him small, casual reports on how she was doing with her school's festival. She wasn't overtly asking for help, but if he offered it based on what she told him, she would accept it. She did find that leaving messages did help her feel a little better, so that was something at least.
XxxxXxxxX
There was no denying that something was up Friday morning. Tsukune was feeling more than a little tense, and his friends noticed in spite of his effort to act calm and normal. Inari did not run into them where the path to the dorm met the path to the village. She had walked a good hundred meters towards the village, while looking nervous. Kurumu found herself tensing up at the sight of the other girl, and shot Tsukune a look, wondering what he had done to encourage Inari. Moka flashed a small frown when she saw Inari, and wondered if she had anything to do with why Tsukune was wound up.
Tsukune knew he couldn't keep his friends from noticing that something was going on. He hoped that he could just keep things from getting serious before he knew the whole story himself. The last thing he wanted was to drag his friends into a problem that he could solve on his own. Also, if it turned out that it was only a minor issue, he was afraid that his friends, who would mean well, would somehow make things into a bigger problem than was warranted.
Tsukune tried to act as calm an normal as possible to keep his friends from worrying. He knew he couldn't hold off their prying forever, but he didn't have to. When the class broke for lunch, Tsukune excused himself quickly. Earning him frowns form his girlfriends.
Tsukune had considered how he was going to call Lieutenant Tanaka. The public phones were out of the question. He didn't want to travel out from under the barrier just yet, because he was aware that Kurumu would be able to tell. He settled on going to the Board Chairman's office. Ruby was more than happy to see him in the middle of the day. Tsukune asked if the Board Chairman was available, and when he found out the man was, Tsukune gathered hid determination and entered the inner office.
"Well well, Boy," The Board Chairman said with a cold grin. "What brings you here?"
"I would like to borrow your Phone," Tsukune began. He explained the message he had received and his short term plan. He even included his reasoning for wathing to use the phone in the Board Chairman's office. He was relieved when the man simply gestured towards the phone on his desk with a nod.
"Be my guest," The Board Chairman said.
XxxXxxX
"Lieutenant Tanaka," The man said as he answered his phone. He had just been headed out to lunch when his cell phone had started ringing. He sometimes wondered if his phone had a grudge against his stomach.
"Lieutenant Tanaka," The voice on the other end said. "This is Aono Tsukune. I am returning your call."
Lieutenant Tanaka was surprised. Remembering how much effort it had taken to to locate the young man, he had not expected him to simply call back, especially not so quickly. He gave himself a little shake to get his mind going again.
"Mister Aono," Lieutenant Tanaka said. "Thank you for calling me back so quickly. I had not expected you would."
"Lieutenant," Tsukune said. "You said in your message that it was important that you talk with me. I did not think you would say such things lightly."
"Yes," Lieutenant Tanaka agreed. "I was surprised that your name came up while I was investigating something potentially troublesome. I would like to arrange to meet with you so I can try understand the connection."
"I see," Tsukune said. "What did you have in mind?"
"There is another person I have been... working with," Tanaka said. "Would you be free to meet with us Sunday?"
"I am scheduled to be on duty Sunday," Tsukune said. "If you like, I can meet with you tomorrow afternoon or evening."
"I think that will work," Tanaka said. "If you tell me the location of your school..."
"I'm sorry," Tsukune cut in. "I can't tell you that at this time."
"I see..." Lieutenant Tanaka said with a pause. "Perhaps I can arrange to meet you somewhere. Will you be able to make it to Tokyo tomorrow?"
"I can do that," Tsukune agreed.
"Then I will go ahead and arrange for a place to meet," Tanaka said.
"Go ahead and call my cell phone with the information," Tsukune said. "And I will meet you tomorrow."
"I will do that," Tanaka agreed. "I look forward to speaking with you."
XxxXxxX
After the phone conversation, Tsukune thanked the Board Chairman and headed to meet his friends for what was left of lunch. The Board Chairman accepted the situation with his usual attitude.
"I have confidence in you my boy," The man had said.
By the time Tsukune had reached his friends, most of the lunch break had already passed. He noticed the tension around the table as he sat down. He knew his friends were bothered by his disappearance. Instead of having them be suspicious of his actions, he decided to make an effort to set their minds at ease.
"I'm sorry about that," Tsukune said. "But I had some police business to take care of."
"I understand," Moka said, moving a little closer to Tsukune with her open bento. "You can't help it when these things come up. It is a part of being successful and having people look up to you." She gave him a smile that suggested that she was proud of him as she rested her hand against his arm.
"Don't your worry, Tsukune," Kurumu said, leaning in while offering him a fork full of seasoned rice. "You know I will always wait for you."
In the little lunch break that remained, Tsukune accepted his girlfriends' attentions. They quickly put food into his mouth, feeding him as if they thought he was about to starve to death. Tsukune knew what they were doing. At first feeding him was just an excuse to press in close and inspect him. They were satisfying themselves that he had not been misbehaving. They wanted to make sure that his 'police business' had not involved being close with a police woman, or any other females. Once they were satisfied that he was not giving the attention that should be going to them to someone else, Tsukune's girlfriends continued to feed him just for the fun of it.
XxxxXxxxX
Lieutenant Tanaka had chosen the place for the meeting carefully. The small diner was located near enough businesses that business men would not stand out. Likewise, the area had enough apartments in the area that some younger customers would fit as well. The staff wore cute outfits, without being overtly sexy, or making the place an otaku haven. The eatery was not so formal that a casual meeting would be a curiosity. Nor was the place so frivolous that a serious conversation would be an oddity.
Tanaka sat at a back table where he had a view of the entrance and most of the diner. With him was Ross. Tanaka had brought the man along because they had discovered that they worked well together. Lieutenant Tanaka did not like to admit it, but the other man was perceptive and had a different outlook that had proven useful as they tried to learn about the foreign group that was trying to establish a foothold in Japan. The two men sat drinking coffee slowly as they waited for Aono Tsukune to arrive.
"You really think he'll show?" Ross asked again.
"Yes," Tanaka said, He had answered the same question from his partner at least ten times so far.
"What will you do if he doesn't come alone?" Ross questioned.
"We've been over that," Tanaka grumbled. He let his gaze sweep around the diner, checking the placement of his backup.
"Well," Ross said. "You don't want to talk about the girls," Ross indicated the waitresses and some of the customers was a flip of his hand. "I don't like baseball, and you're not in to football. What's left to talk about but him."
"He'll be here soon," Tanaka said in a low voice as he checked his watch.
"I know, I know," Ross grumbled. "It's just... Oh check them out." He perked up as a trio of cute girls entered.
The three girls stood out among the rest of the people in the diner. The trio were a colorful group that just looked a little out of place. They looked like they were out on a date, but had forgotten to bring their boyfriends. The shortest one had an impressive figure, dressed in a tight pink sweater over even tighter blue jeans. She had a blue scarf and pink gloves, leg warmers , and knit cap. Her cute smile was almost infectious. As soon as she entered she seemed to size up the waitresses' uniforms critically. One of the girls had dressed up to meet her date with the obvious intent of seduction, because she had worn a short skirt and a silk blouse in spite of the cold weather. If it wasn't for the way she dressed, Ross doubted he would have ever noticed the quiet girl. The third member of the group was a contrast to the other two. She had a confident air about her as she removed her black leather coat. She had a red turtleneck sweater that was tight enough to suggest that she had a nice body, but didn't flaunt it. Her trousers were black and snug looking without being confining. They were tucked into polished, black calf-high boots. Her fall of silvery hair made her look like a winter spirit. She was obviously the senior member of the trio
"Not a bad little combo," Ross observed. "Maybe if we have time..."
"I have a daughter their age," Tanaka complained. "Are you trying to goad me?"
"A man needs hobbies," Ross shrugged.
"Look," Tanaka sighed. "We're here for a reason. Aono will be here soon. Everybody is in place in case anything gets out of hand. Just stay focused for a little while."
"Alright, alright," Ross sighed. "It's always work with you."
"If I wasn't working," Tanaka said. "I would at home with my wife right now."
"Yeah," Ross nodded. "I would be with my wife right now too, and I would be wishing I was working."
Lieutenant Tanaka coughed as he suppressed a laugh.
"You need to have more fun in your life," Ross said. "When were done waiting for this Aono guy, let's go over to the club for a drink."
"No," Tanaka said in a flat voice.
"Aww come on," Ross gave his companion a leer. "Miss Himi's been missing you."
"No," Tanaka said again.
"Baaaa," Ross waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "I need a partner with a better sense of fun..." He paused to take a look at the person that entered the diner. "Now he looks like someone that needs to have some fun."
Ross was looking at a young man dressed in dark riding gear. He had dark hair and dark eyes, and a face that looked like it had not smiled in a long time. The young man moved as if he was expecting trouble. Tanaka saw where his companion was looking and stood up.
"I told you he would be here," Tanaka said.
"That's Aono?" Ross question.
"Lieutenant Tanaka," Tsukune said as he approached. "Good afternoon."
"Thank you for coming, Mr. Aono," Lieutenant Tanaka said, holding out his hand.
"You said it was important," Tsukune shared a firm hand shake with the man.
"It is," Tanaka said. "Let me introduce you to Ross. He sometimes helps me with this investigation.
"Hello," Tsukune said, taking in the other man's appearance and attitude.
"You're in high school?" Ross questioned. "What are you, the school guardian?"
"In a sense," Tsukune answered. "I am the captain of the Student Police."
Ross blinked in surprise at a loss for words.
"Please have a seat," Tanaka invited as he sat back down.
"Thank you," Tsukune said, sitting down as he unzipped his jacket.
"Let me give you a little background," Lieutenant Tanaka said. "So that you can understand why I wanted to talk to you..."
"Can I get you anything to drink sir?" A cute waitress said as she came up beside Tsukune and offered him a menu."
"Just tea," Tsukune said, giving the waitress a glance. He didn't detect anything out of place about her, so he waved away the menu and turned his attention back to the two men at the table with him. "Thank you."
"As I was saying," Tanaka started again. "I have been trying to investigate a group that may be acting illegally within Japan. While I have not been able to find any connection to ongoing criminal activity, there is evidence that connects them with several incidents that have happened in the recent past. However, identifying a connection between activities and this group has not provided me with somebody I can actually arrest."
"We keep finding information that leads nowhere," Ross said. "These guys, whoever they are, are ruthless in covering their tracks. While most of the people they are willing to eliminate aren't the kind you would lose any sleep over, some of the higher ups are starting get unhappy about it."
"I see," Tsukune said.
"Whatever these guys are up to is starting to be bad for business," Ross added.
"Business?" Tsukune questioned, feeling his tension rise a notch.
Tsukune gave a quick look as he felt the waitress come up behind him. She set his tea down and retreated, the silence around the table made it clear that her presence was unneeded. Tsukune waited for on of the others to say something as he sipped his tea.
"My friend here," Lieutenant Tanak said. "Is not a member of the police. He works for some... prominent business men that are also unhappy with what this outside group is trying to do."
"Damn straight," Ross nodded.
"Which brings me to you," Lieutenant Tanak said to Tsukune, while shooting a dark look towards his partner. He looked to Tsukune. "When I was investigating you last Summer, your name came up in some unusual places. Some of Ross' employers had heard your name and had been looking for information about you. I even had a meeting with them while I was trying to learn more about you."
Tsukune felt an uncomfortable chill running up his spine. For all of his desire for a quiet life, he was finding himself receiving a lot of attention, and from the sound of it, it was coming from some negative directions. Aware of the two men watching him, Tsukune decided to say nothing for the moment. He took another sip of tea.
"Tell me," Lieutenant Tanaka said when he saw that Tsukune wasn't going to volunteer anything. "What happened on your trip to the beach last year?"
"It was a club trip," Tsukune said, keeping to the simplest facts. "We were booked at a small sea side inn. We had a little trouble with some of the locals."
"A little trouble?" Ross scoffed.
"Tell me about that part," Lieutenant Tanaka said.
"Some... Business men," Tsukune gave Ross a cold look. "Had tried to take advantage of a sempai of our club that worked at the inn where we were staying. When she ran away form them, she ran into myself and another member of the club. She tried to ask us for help, but the business men caught up to her. They knocked me over the head and took my friend, my girlfriend," Tsukune clarified. "And our sempai. They seemed to think they would be able to make some money off of them."
Ross had a hard time meeting Tsukune's eyes. He knew exactly what kind of business men would be trying to make money off of young women. While it was a part of the underground world where he made his living, Ross still didn't like to think about it.
"Did you call the police?" Lieutenant Tanaka asked.
"And tell them what?" Tsukune questioned. "That some suspicious men I had never seen before had kidnapped my girlfriend and some other girl and left me out cold on the ground? I am sure if the police believed me, they would have tried to do something, but how much could they do, and how long would it take? No," Tsukune shook his head. "One of the members of our club... One of the members of the club is my girlfriend's sister and is a little over protective of her. She found out where they were taken. I wish we could have called the police, but there were special... concerns that we had to be aware of."
"What did you do then?" Tanaka asked.
"Once I knew where they had taken my girlfriend, and our sempai," Tsukune explained. "I knew I had to protect her."
"You couldn't protect her before," Ross pointed out.
"I didn't know what was going on in the beginning," Tsukune replied. "And I wasn't going to get caught from behind a second time. I was going to protect my girlfriend, and nobody was going to stop me." Tsukune had to make a conscious effort to unclench his fist.
"You could have been hurt," Tanaka said.
"That's not important," Tsukune said. "I would give my life for her as many times as it takes to see her safe."
"Touching," Ross said. "So what happened?"
"I went to their office," Tsukune said. "I saw that I got their before they could... I got their in time to stop them from going too far."
"How many of them were there?" Ross asked.
"I think there were six of them," Tsukune said. "Including their boss."
"You took on six men?" Ross scoffed.
"Five," Tsukune corrected. "The boss didn't put up a fight. At least I think he was the boss because he had been giving the orders."
"Did it even occur to you that they might have had weapons?" Tanaka questioned.
"They did," Tsukune answered in a calm voice. "But that was not going to stop me."
"You could have put your friends in even more danger by your actions," Tanaka said.
"I don't buy it," Ross shook his head.
"I don't care," Tsukune said. "I was able to protect someone important to me. We saved our sempai. We would have been happy to have the whole thing behind us."
"So what happened next?" Lieutenant Tanaka continued his questioning.
"It turned out that those business men were just being used," Tsukune said. "If they had succeeded in taking our sempai, it would have caused problems for the inn. That group you are trying to investigate was trying to force the inn out of business so they could get the land."
"And what happened to their plans?" Tanaka wanted to know.
"My friends and I were able to stop them," Tsukune explained. "From what I know of their kind... Once the plan failed, whoever was behind it had to answer to the rest of the group." Tsukune gave Ross another cold look. "You can guess what happened after that. Last I heard, there hasn't been any trouble with the inn."
"And why didn't you call the police?" Lieutenant Tanaka insisted..
"Special circumstances," Tsukune said in a flat voice.
"So anyway," Ross said. "What can you tell us about this group?"
"I really can't tell you anything you don't already know," Tsukune said honestly. He couldn't tell them because the would not believe him. "I know that they need to be stopped before they can cause any real problems. I know that there are plenty of... people in Japan that will be eager to work for them, for the chance to make money, or to get even with whoever they think is holding them back from what they think they deserve... I'm sure you know people like that. I don't know who's in charge. I don't know how to find them. All I know is when I run across them, we end up fighting. I am not looking for trouble."
"But it seems trouble is looking for you," Tanaka said.
"What?" Tsukune demanded.
"A few days ago," Tanaka said. "We got a lead that something was going on, and your name came up."
"Some men were at a harbor where a lot of merchandise passes through," Ross explained. "A lot of domestic shipping goes through some of the smaller ports, and sometimes specialty good change hands while it's being unloaded. So a lot of established businesses have people working in those places. When some men were in the area taking delivery of a commercial truck full of telecom equipment, it didn't stand out. Some money changes hands. A few words are said back and forth, and it's all business as normal."
"But things have been making the higher ups less than happy," Ross continued. "Some of the men know that an unhappy boss can be an opportunity. Make the boss happy, and maybe get something nice in return. Find what will make the boss happy and take advantage of the opportunity, maybe you even get a nice promotion out of the deal."
"Makes sense," Tsukune nodded.
"Now your name's been around for a while now," Ross shrugged his shoulders. "Nobody knows anything about you, but your name's not all that common. When a couple of associates hear your name one morning, the smart ones noticed. Word gets around."
"Earlier this week," Tanaka took over. "Some suspicious individuals were overheard talking about you. We were hoping you could tell us if something was going on. We would like to find these individuals and bring them in to answer some questions."
"I'm sorry," Tsukune said. "I can't help you."
"Can't, or won't?" Ross challenged.
"Can not," Tsukune said very clearly. "This is not something I was aware of. It sounds like I need to let the head of my school know that something is going on. People look up to me and expect me to keep the school safe."
"No..." Lieutenant Tanaka said slowly. "I think that if this group is after you, I should put you under police protection."
"I don't think that is a good idea," Tsukune shook his head. "I have too many responsibilities, and as much as I would like to hide away for a while, I will not leave the people I care about behind."
"I don't think you are taking this serious enough, Mr. Aono," Lieutenant Tanaka said.
"If you don't want police protection," Ross offered. "I can arrange something. My bosses would like a chance to catch these guys that are after you."
"That wouldn't work ether," Tsukune said.
"This is serious business," Tanaka said, raising his voice a little. "Not something you can handle on your own."
"Lieutenant," Tsukune said in a firm voice. "I am the head of the Student Police for my school. I can have over a hundred students help me keep a watch out for anything suspicious. I, and several of my Student Police officers train and work with the local police. Even without that, I have my closest friends that I know will do all they can to help keep me safe, just like I will do everything in my power to protect them. I won't be on my own."
"But you're a bunch of school kids," Ross protested.
"I was just a school kid a year and a half ago," Tsukune said to the man. "When I took on, and took out, five armed men. I have gotten better, stronger since then."
"You just got lucky," Ross scoffed.
"Maybe," Tsukune nodded. "But maybe you are looking at the situation the wrong way around."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ross question.
"If I can take out five men," Tsukune said in a low voice. "And the people that you say are looking for me think they have a chance at getting me, how much protection do you think you would have to provide to stop them? And while all of your protection is getting in my way, who is going to protect my friends? Who is going to look after the safety of my school?"
"Ross," Tanaka said. "Take a walk."
"Yeah yeah," Ross sighed. "I'll be back in a bit." The man got up from the table had retreated to the wash room.
"Alright Mr. Aono," Lieutenant Tanaka said. "Man to man. Even police officer to police officer. Off the record. What is it that you're not telling us? Why don't you want our help?"
"Lieutenant," Tsukune said, leaning in towards the man. "I wish you could help me. Man to man, I would love to have your help. The problem is, you can not help. This problem, this group, is bigger and more dangerous than you know. Don't try to think of them as criminals. They are like terrorists. They are not just business men looking to get around the law to get rich. From what I have seen, they want money because it can buy power, and they want power so they can destroy everything we have built. Their motivation is not greed, it is hate. These are the kinds of people that start wars and then get excited over the chaos of it all."
Lieutenant Tanaka was taken aback by Tsukune's words. The young man spoke with solid conviction. He could see the seriousness in Tsukune's eyes and hear it in his voice. Tanaka felt compelled to believe him. High school student or not, the young man knew what he was talking about.
"If they are as dangerous as you say," Tanaka asked. "What should we do? What do you think is the best course of action?"
"We keep on as we've been doing," Tsukune sighed, leaning back. "Keep the pressure on them so they can't build up. They want to avoid being exposed, because if they can be pointed out, the fear they would use as a weapon manipulate us, will turn against them."
"You seem to know a lot about this kind of thing," Tanaka observed.
"I have to," Tsukune said. "I have a lot of people depending on me." He reached up to feel the magatama bead he wore around his neck. It was a hard lump under his shirt, but even so, the smooth piece of jade was a small source of calm and comfort. "This group," Tsukune said. "They have tried to hurt people close to me more than once. They even tried to recruit students from my school, to use them. I will not run away when the people who depend on my protection are in danger."
"I can respect your attitude," Tanaka sighed. "I still think you are taking unnecessary chances, but I can understand your reasoning."
"Thank you," Tsukune said with a nod.
"If you will excuse me for a moment," The lieutenant gave Tsukune a dry smile. "It is my turn to take a walk."
"What?" Tsukune asked.
Tsukune did not get a direct answer to his question. He watched the police lieutenant get up from the table. As he watched the man walk towards the mens' room, he saw Ross headed for the table. The two men shared a look and a nod as they passed. Ross reclaimed his seat at the table.
"Alright," Ross said with a crooked smile. "My turn."
"Your turn for what?" Tsukune asked.
"You're a smart guy," Ross said. "I'm not going to lie to you. You know what kind of people I work for. Tanaka is a lieutenant for the Imperial Guard of the National Police. He's all upright and legal and all that crap. I'm a lieutenant of a different sort. I work for the yakuza, but I'm sure you figured that out already. There's things you tell your friends that you wouldn't tell your family. Just like that, there are things you might want to tell me that you wouldn't want to admit to the police. Tanaka and I may be after the same people, but we have different ideas about what to do about them. So..." He looked around the diner briefly. "Off the record. What can you tell me about these guys we're looking for?"
"Look," Tsukune sighed. "I don't want to play games with you. This group you're looking for is out to get you, all of you. They hate you. They think they are better then you, or me, or the lieutenant, or any of us. Unless you want to end up working for them, or more likely killed so they don't have wonder if they can trust you, you need to keep watch for them. It's the same thing I told the lieutenant. If you keep them form getting settled in, they won't have the chance to build up and start a war with your bosses."
"Well shit," Ross said. He leaned back in his seat and thought for a moment.
"Mr. Ross..." Tsukune began
"Just Ross," Ross corrected him.
"Ross," Tsukune started again. "These guys see the yakuza as little more than animals... Wild dogs. Probably the only difference between you and the police in their eyes is if you are on a leash or not. If they can't get you on their leash, they will put you down instead. If they invite you to dinner, it's because they intend to carve you up and eat you."
"People have said the same thing about the yakuza," Ross pointed out.
"You know those people that blow up schools and trains you hear about?" Tsukune questioned. "It is never the yakuza who does it. In fact, if somebody did that in Japan, I but the Yakuza would be just as ready to hunt them down as the police or the SDF, because we are Japanese. These people you are asking me about? The are the kind to blow up a school, because they think they are better than us and that they should be free to do what ever they want."
Ross considered Aono Tsukune and what he had said. The man had to admit that Tanaka had been right in his assessment of the young man. Tsukune was exactly like the guy Ross had teased back in school. The one guy that never seemed to want to do anything fun. They guy that never seemed to get in trouble, but was the first one to bail out his friends or classmates when they were in a jam. When somebody that serious said there was a problem, there was a problem. From what Aono Tsukune had said, Ross knew that it could be a big fucking problem if these outsiders got any kind of control in Japan. He nodded his head and pursed his lips.
"Look," Ross said. "Can I ask you to do me a favor?"
"You can ask," Tsukune said, eying the man.
"Your name is attracting attention among the higher ups," Ross said. "And with this new wrinkle, it's going to make my bosses even more curious about you. Could you do me a huge favor and let me introduce you to a few of them?"
"No," Tsukune shook his head. "That would be asking for trouble I do no want. If I had my way, you and the lieutenant would keep the pressure on with your investigation, and I could quietly be forgotten and left to get on with my life."
"Well," Ross shook his head. "At least I tried." He reached into his jacket and brought out a small stack of envelopes. "As soon as my bosses heard about this meeting they sent these." He extended the stack to Tsukune. "You don't have to answer them, but if you could at least accept these letters and take the time to read them, you might have a chance to learn something."
"Alright," Tsukune said, accepting the stack carefully. He tucked them away inside his own jacket. "Is there anything else you wanted to know about?"
"No," Ross leaned back. "I'm smart enough to know my limits." He looked over to where Tanaka was approaching the table. "Him, maybe not."
"I told you he wasn't going to go with you," Tanaka said as he returned to the table.
"No harm in asking," Ross said.
"Then if you're done with your business," Lieutenant Tanaka said. "It is time to put an end to this."
Tsukune was aware of a change in the atmosphere. He had not missed the fact that the police lieutenant had not sat down again. Trying to be calm and casual about it, Tsukune stood up.
"Lieutenant Tanaka," Tsukune said as he turned to face the man. "I am sorry I couldn't be of more help to you." He did a quick scan of the room, taking note of who was watching him. "I will be returning to school now." He politely offered his hand. "I hope you have a good day."
"I'm sorry too," Tanaka said, reaching for Tsukune's hand. "But I don't think you understand how serious I am." He grabbed Tsukune hand in what was intended as a submission hold. "I am going to take you in for your own safety."
"No," Tsukune said flatly. He felt the man trying to use his grip to restrain him. Tsukune let his youki flow through his muscles and carefully tightened his own grip. It was only for an instant, but it caused enough pain that as soon as Tsukune relaxed, Tanaka pulled his hand away. Tsukune took a small step back from the lieutenant and readied himself, taking a quick glance to confirm his path to the door.
"You're coming with me," Tanaka barked.
It was a signal. One waitress and three patrons started to move. One of them men pulled a radio microphone up to his mouth. They were going to try to detain Tsukune by force.
Tsukune had too many people counting on him to let himself get carted off. He used Flash Step to move away from Lieutenant Tanaka, and pass the loose ring of other officers. He stopped by the door long enough to open it while scanning out side of the diner. With another Flash Step, he was gone.
Tanaka blinked in shock. His team of backup stood looking at the door, and at each other. Ross gave a long whistle to express his amazement. Tanaka looked at him, then back at the door. Confusion and frustration mixed together until the lieutenant's thoughts came out in the appropriate expletive.
"Shit!"