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 176
Tsukune arrived at the bus stop with his bag before anybody else. While he was aware of the opportunity that the trip to the Masako Shoken Girls Academy represented, he wished he didn't have to go. But if he was going, Tsukune was determined to do the best that he could. The first step was to be at the bus stop first, so that everybody else would see him calm, ready, and in control. Inari was the second to arrive, only minutes behind him.
"Damn," Inari muttered. "I thought I would be first." She gave Tsukune a smile. "How are you today Captain?"
"I'm well," Tsukune said. "And you? Are you ready for our mission?"
"Sir, yes sir," Inari answered sharply.
The other members of the Student Police soon started to gather. Everybody was feeling a mix of nervous excitement. They were going on a trip into the human world, not as invisible faces in the crowd, but to stand out as guardians, figures of authority. Tsukune counted heads and made sure he had all the right people. When the bus arrived everybody boarded, smiling and talking excitedly.
"This is a big day for you," The bus driver observed as Tsukune boarded last.
"Yes sir," Tsukune nodded. "Very big."
"Well, we have faith in you," The bus driver gave Tsukune a thin smile. "Be sure you do you best."
"Yes sir," Tsukune gave a firm nod before finding a seat.
The trip to their destination did not take very long. On the way Tsukune took the time to remind everybody of the rules. He also gave them a cover story.
"If anybody asks," Tsukune had said to the others. "And I know they will. You are to tell them that you attend a private school for special students from old families with long traditions. Remember that many of your school mates are the people of legends from all around Japan, so you will not be telling any lies. Tell them that you are not allowed to talk about the school or the other students. If people push you to talk, just remind yourself, and them, that our school is for special students from old families with long traditions, and that to talk about your school is to put everybody at risk. That should keep anybody with proper manners from pressing you to talk. Also, do not talk too much about yourselves. The less information you share, the safer you and everybody else will be. Even when we are talking among ourselves, be careful of what you say, how you say it, and how your actions may be read by others, even if you don't see anybody else, somebody may be watching you."
The Student Police members nodded along with what Tsukune told them. He even had them practice the cover story and how to answer questions. By the time they reached their destination, Tsukune had some small hope that everybody would be able to remember what not to say. Even so, he was worried about what could go wrong. He knew that his team was filled with people with good hearts but strong impulses. He was also worried that Moka and the others would try to crash the festival, just to watch out for him. While they wouldn't be doing anything wrong, technically, they represented a strong set of personalities that could come into conflict with the staff and students of the human school.
XxxX
The Headmistress of the Masako Shoken Academy was feeling more nervous than she dared to let show. The school grounds had been transformed for the festival. Booths, stages, banners, and signs lined the main drive. Many class rooms and club rooms had been made over for their temporary purposes as cafes, exhibition rooms, and even a small movie theater. The most ambitious project had four class rooms and a section of hallway that had been completely made over into some kind of test of courage, that looked like a cross between a historical drama and a horror story. In the morning she would be trusting her charges to run businesses of different kinds all over the school. The fair would last for two and a half days with parents and locals visiting. The Headmistress was aware of how large of a risk she was taking.
The Headmistress was not alone as she waited for Aono Tsukun to arrive. With her were two members of the board that financially supported the school, the school's teaching staff, and the students of the Festival Committee, the ones that were not still working hard on final details. The Headmistress knew that her performance wasw going to be under every bit as much scrutiny as the students, with possible dire consequences for her career if things went badly. As she waited, the Headmistress was haunted by the mental image of Aono Tsukune arriving on that sleek machine of his, leading a pack of young men and women that were used to shrugging off rules and hiding behind family money. When the modest bus pulled into the main drive of the school, she felt a touch of relief.
Tsukune saw the assembled people waiting in front of the school building and felt his stomach twist. Men and women in professional clothing were standing about in a way that appeared more social than formal. With them was a double handful of students that looked as anxious as Tsukune suddenly felt. Tsukune practiced calming breathes as the bus rolled to a stop in front of the school building.
Tsukune was the first person off the bus. He imagined himself looking calm and in control, and willed himself to match the image in his mind. As he crossed the short space to where the Headmistress waited, the rest of the Student Police disembarked.
"Headmistress," Tsukune said, offering her a polite bow. "How are you today?"
"I am well, thank you," The Headmistress answered with a bow of her head. "Thank you for coming. I hope you had a good trip."
"It was, thank you," Tsukune answered.
"Allow me to introduce you to a few people," The Headmistress said, directing Tsukune to the men and women that waited with her.
XxxxxxxX
"Everybody look sharp," Inari instructed in a low voice as they passed her. She was second off the bus, and had every intention on showing her captain that she was going to be an able second in command in support of him. "Make two lines. Nine in the front and ten in the back. Stand straight. Eyes forward..." She kept up her string of instructions as the others got off the bus and into position. When they were all lined up she stood in front of them, facing forward, at attention, to wait for her captain.
XxxX
The Headmistress saw the other students getting off the bus. Mostly young women, they were all dressed in the same uniform with a band around their left arms. While they were more colorful than her own charges, they looked serious and disciplined enough to give her a small measure of peace of mind.
The introductions were soon over and it was time to get to work. Most of the Festival Committee members were tasked with showing the visiting students to where they would be staying. Ogono Aiko was summoned to join Aono Tsukune and the faculty in the staff room for a meeting. Tsukune was given maps and copies of the schedule for the festival weekend for himself and his followers. Tsukune explained the whistle codes that the Student Police used and the Headmistress agreed to get whistles for the faculty and class representatives as well. The Headmistress wanted it to be clear that Tsukune's team were to try to resolve any problems as quietly as possible, and that whistles or any other distress signals were to be used only if absolutely necessary. Finally Tsukune was dismissed so that he could brief his team.
Aiko volunteered to show him to the rooms set aside for the visiting students. Once out of the staff room and out of ear shot of the teachers Aiko gave a sigh of relief. Tsukune gave her a look and a smile of understanding.
"I'm sorry," Aiko said. "I don't know how everything became so complicated."
"I understand," Tsukune said as they made their way to the entrance. "Things just keep popping up."
"When do the problems stop popping up?" Aiko asked Tsukune with a hopeful smile.
"Hmmmm," Tsukune gave her a pained look. "The festival officially starts tomorrow morning... It will end Sunday afternoon... Hmmm. I think you can finally relax around March."
"What?" Aiko nearly choked, her eyes shooting wide.
"There will be things that need your attention all throughout the festival," Tsukune explained. "And then you have the clean-up work to do. You will need to make sure all the signs and booths and everything are taken down. And if you want to have another festival, you will want to save as much as you can, so you have to find a place to keep it where it will be safe and out of the way. That way you can save as much money as you can, because saving money will help get the Headmistress to approve a festival in the future. And once you get everything boxed up and put away, somebody will remember something that they need back, so you will have to go back and open boxes and look for whatever it is."
"I think I'm going to be sick," Aiko groaned, holding a hand to her head.
"Look on the bright side," Tsukune said as he patted her on the shoulder.
"What's that?" Aiko gave him a look, eager for some good news.
"You will be graduating in a few months," Tsukune pointed out. "So you will not be doing this again next year."
Aiko groaned softly.
"You're lucky," Tsukune said. "I was appointed to our Festival Committee in my first year."
"You're looking forward to graduating, aren't you," Aiko accused.
"More than you could know," Tsukune agreed with a sigh and a roll of his eyes.
XxxxxxxxX
The rooms set aside for Tsukune and his team were in a section of the dorms intended for faculty back when the school was first built. Because most of the teachers actually lived off campus there were rooms left unused. Aiko explained the set-up as she showed Tsukune the rooms and facilities. There were two baths available for Tsukune's team, but they would be sharing with the few faculty that did room in the dorms. The school cafeteria would be open during the festival for staff and students that wanted to make use of it. Meal cards were provided so that the students from the Youkai Academy could eat for free. Only six rooms could be made available in time for the festival, so the Student Police would have to share. As a bonus, there was a common room available as well. Tsukune thought the setup sounded acceptable.
"The Advisory Counsel will be meeting in the cafeteria," Aiko said out side the dorm building. "It would be nice if you and the others could join us for dinner."
"That sounds like a good idea," Tsukune said. "We'll get settled in and meet you in the cafeteria. After dinner we will make an inspection of the campus."
"Alright," Aiko smiled. "I will see you at dinner."
Tsukune gave her a friendly wave as she departed, then turned to enter the dorm building. It was easy to find his way because he could hear voices, and he could feel youki. From the entry way all he had to do was turn left to go past the posted women's bath and into the common room that his student police would be using.
"Captain," Inari called out. In greeting.
"Lieutenant," Tsukune gave her a nod. "Everything alright?"
"Yes sir," Inari said with a smile. "I had everything unloaded from the bus. The driver said he was going to take a room at a local hotel. He said he would call your cell phone to let you know how to reach him if you need to."
"Alright," Tsukune nodded.
"As for everybody else," Inari went on. "I went ahead and assigned rooms. I hope you don't mind, but I put all the officers together."
"Ahhhh," Tsukune gave her a questioning look. She was one of the officers after all.
"There were not enough rooms to go around," Inari explained. "Except for you and Lieutenant Kris, all the men are in one room. Four other rooms are filled by the women, leaving Tama and I to fend for ourselves."
Tsukune looked at Inari while he tried to examine the logic of the situation. He could volunteer to sleep in the common room, and ask Kris to do the same, which would give Tama and Inari the room to themselves. He could try to get Tama and Inari crowded in with some of the other girls. Tsukune considered his options. One of the things he had learned from the women in his life was that women needed more space than men. It had not escaped his notice that while each male that had come along had brought a bag that was packed tightly. The females on the other had had two bags each, and often a purse besides. Crowding the females together would probably lead to something bad, and probably violent, so he discarded that idea. Sleeping in the common room would probably be less than restful, and if their hosts found out, it would probably look bad.
"I'll think about the rooms," Tsukune said at last. "For now, go ahead and have everybody come to the common room."
"Yes sir," Inari gave him a cute salute before hurrying down the hall.
Tsukune did a quick look around while he waited for everybody to gather. He saw how the rooms were arranged and where the exits were. He also took note of where the bathrooms and water closets were. He was already working on how to manage things for the weekend by the time everybody was in the common room.
"Alright," Tsukune got everybody's attention. "We are off to a good start. The Headmistress and her faculty were pleased with how we appeared and how we behaved when we first got here. Let's keep it up."
A small cheer of agreement answered him.
"Now we're a little crowded for space here," Tsukune continued. "But this is better than I had expected. I was almost afraid we would be sleeping in a class room. As it is, we still want to be careful. There are no boys attending this school. If there are any problems while we are here, we do not want to be accused of being the cause. Starting after dinner tonight, I want to have a a team standing guard for us. Until we leave, I don't want to risk anybody going trough out things, trying to sneak in and visit us, or any of us to be accused of sneaking out at night. Even when the rest of us are patrolling the festival, I want somebody on duty here."
"Captain?" Kris held up his hand.
"Yes?" Tsukune gave him a nod.
"I volunteer for room guard at night," Kris said. "I am a..." He paused, changing what he was going to say. "I am not used to cities. If I stay up all night, than I can stay in my room most of the day and nobody would wonder why."
"Alright," Tsukune said. "Thank you." He knew that some of his team might have some trouble with all the sights, sounds, smells, and other details of being out among so many humans.
"Captain, I would like to help watch out rooms at night too," Usa said. The small woman was seated between the large twins, Kumi and Rumi. "I don't need much sleep." She blushed a little.
Tsukune knew the little woman was very confident and capable. With the admission of not needing much sleep, Tsukune suspected that her motivation for taking the night shift was to have her days free to enjoy he festival. Tsukune decided that would be fine.
"Thank you for volunteering," Tsukune gave her a small smile and a nod. He looked around the room. Do I have any volunteers for day watch?"
Nobody spoke up, so Tsukune decided he would just make it a duty rotation. He would put a schedule together later. He brought out the copies of the campus map for the festival and passed them out. He told everybody to look them over, and that after dinner they would be taking a tour of the campus. If anybody had any questions or suggestions they could share them after the tour.
X=^.^=X
Inari couldn't help but smile. Tsukune had not challenged her on the room assignments. While she did not intend to act in the least bit inappropriate, she was looking forward to sharing a room with him. It would not be all that different from when they were on duty at the koban together, but it would help to reinforce his familiarity with her. More importantly, he had not questioned her actions, making her place as his second in command that much more real. The more capable of a second in command she could be, the more he would depend on her and include her. It was all a part of her plan to secure a place close to her captain.
XxxxxxXxxxxX
"It's not fair," Kurmu huffed. She was in the sitting room in Tsukune's manor along with Moka, Mizore, and Ruby. Tsukune had very thoughtfully sent her an email informing her of his plans for the weekend, complete with an apology for now being free to see her. She had finally gotten free from her work to return to school, and Tsukune wasn't there.
Kurumu was not alone in her frustration. With Tsukune gone, Ruby was acting the part of hostess, because until one of the others officially moved in, she was mistress of the house. At the moment, with refreshments already served, she was sitting with the others with her sewing basket out. She was trying to contain her frustration by stitching together a new costume she hoped to wear for her master when he returned.
Moka was trying to read a book without much success. Her face kept twitching as she spent almost as much time talking with her other self as she did with the others. Both conversations were going in circles of the same topic. Tsukune was off doing something without her, or the others, but he was not alone.
"I miss him as well," Mizore said with a serene smile. She had a small blanket on her lap that she was busy embroidering with shirayuki blossoms in a white on white pattern. "But it has always been the place of a woman to wait for her man to come home."
"That's fine for you," Kurumu grumbled. "But I'm the one he is supposed to be with when he is away from home."
"We just have to trust him," Moka said aloud. "We can't keep him chained to our side all the time."
"But it would be fun to try it for a little while," Ruby said with a smile, earning her dark looks from the others.
XxxxxxXxxxxxX
Tsukune double checked his phone before going to bed. He made sure it was charged and made sure the alarm was set for an early wake-up. He had also instructed Kris to wake him up as well. It would not do well to be late to work in the morning.
"You know, Inari," Tama said from her bunk. "It is a shame we have to keep secrets."
"What are you talking about?" Inari asked as she turned out the light.
"What I'm saying is that if you and I were free to... relax," Tama explained. "We could share a bed with room to spare."
"We could," Inari said. "But there is no need."
"You shouldn't even be thinking that way," Tsukune chided. "There is no reason to take chances, end every reason to be careful."
"Yes Captain," Tama said.
"Good night," Inari offered.
"Good night," Tsukune replied.
When his two companions fell silent, Tsukune found it hard to fall asleep. He was aware of all the responsibilities hanging over him at the moment, and the dire consequences if anything went wrong. He was also aware of the two women in the room with him. They had bathed separately, and dressed separately as well. Nothing even suggesting that there was anything personal going on had happened. But Tsukune was still aware of them. It reminded him of his first trip with the Newspaper Club. Tsukune smiled into the darkness at the memory.
Tsukune remembered how nervous he had been about going on a club trip with Moka and the others. He had been looking forward to making some 'Summer Memories' like they always mention in mangas. Moka had been beautiful. Kurumu has skipped out on her supplementary classes to stay close to him. Tsukune had not believed how serious Kurumu had been back then. Yukari had been almost scared out of her mind abut being in the human world. Tsukune had definitely made some memories on that trip, and a new friend in Ruby. He had also collected some scars.
Thinking about the women he loved helped Tsukune relax. He willed himself to sleep and into the embrace of dreams. He wanted to be rested and alert in the morning, because people were depending on him, and Tsukune was determined to do his duty.
XxxXxxX
"Alright Everybody," Tsukune addressed his team. "The festival starts in half an hour. You have your maps and assignments. Don't be afraid to ask for help if you get turned around or if there are any problems. Today we are going to represent our school as much as our families and ourselves. I have every confidence that you will do your best. Any questions?" Twenty determined faces watched him silently for a moment. "Alright then, let's go protect the peace and make everybody proud."
"Fall out!" Inari called out.
Usa and Kris headed to bed. The first pair on dorm watch followed them. The other eight pairs spread out as they headed for their duty assignments. Tsukune watched them go with a sense of pride. He knew they would do their best, even the ones in normal clothes for being under cover. Once everybody else had left, Tsukune headed for his meeting with the advisory counsel.
The members of advisory counsel were going to be in uniform for most of the festival. They had been 'asked' by the headmistress to help with festival. They would carry maps and schedules and answer questions from the guests. Tsukune felt a little sorry for them, but was glad that they would be supporting his Student Police be helping to keep watch for trouble.
When Tsukune arrived at the room used by the advisory counsel he saw that they were not quite ready. The young women that were already present mostly looked tired and nervous. Some of them quite clearly in need of some strong tea or coffee. However the two people that Tsukune hoped to see were already there.
The first was Aiko, who was handing out whistles, maps, and schedules. The second was a quiet young woman who was watching Tsukune nervously. Tsukune approached Aiko first.
"Good morning, Aiko," Tsukune greeted her warmly. "Are you ready for a busy day?"
"Good morning, Tsukune," Aiko brightened at his arrival. She stopped what she was doing and moved towards him. "I hope I am. How about you?"
"Ready and already hard at work," Tsukune said. "My team is already in place. We worked out our schedules last night, and even discussed how to handle some situations we had almost forgotten to consider."
"Oh?" Aiko questioned. The idea that something important might have slipped past her added to the nervousness that was making her insides wriggle.
"It was just a question of overlapping," Tsukune explained, watching the young women that were watching him. He wanted to talk to Aiko privately, but asking her to step away with him would be kicking a hornet's nest full of gossip and possible problems.
"Your festival is open to the public," Tsukune continued. "And I realized that if Emmy's family could live near me, than someone related to any of my school mates could be in this area, and I would have no way of finding out, until they came to the festival. And if they did, there would be no reason to single them out without possibly causing a scene."
Aiko had to think hard and fast to understand what Tsukune was saying. When realization struck home, her eyes went wide. She understood that Tsukune was telling her that youkai could be living and working somewhere in the neighborhood, and that they might come to the festival. Tsukune and his team would probably be able to tell when one of their own kind got close, but unless they wanted to draw attention to their own secret, they would have to do their best to protect all youkai that might be around.
"I understand," Aiko said carefully. "I am sure you and your companions will be discreet and professional if anybody they recognize were to visit."
"Thank you," Tsukune said. "Which brings me to a related issue. I know that you are going to be busy, but I would like to have somebody with me as much as possible, to help me know if something is out of place. Also, if somebody from the counsel is with me, it would probably give some people a little comfort that I'm not, that is to say, some guy, is not wandering around the campus of an all girl's school unobserved."
"Oh!" Aiko gave a little gasp. "I hadn't thought of that. You're right. We should be careful of appearances."
"I would ask you to be my escort," Tsukune said as he moved around Aiko strategically. "But I know you don't have that kind of free time. People are going to be after you all day."
"Ug," Aiko winced. "I'm trying not to think about that." She blew out a sigh. "Well, I could ask..."
Tsukune had placed himself between Aiko and most of the others in the room. Once he was in place he held up a finger in front of his chest where only Aiko could see in. It got her attention.
"Behind me," Tsukune whispered quickly. "Watching us. Her."
"I..." Aiko started. She looked Tsukune in the face and he gave her a small, firm nod. "I could ask one of the girls here," Aiko said aloud, trying to sound normal. As soon as she had spoken she noticed most of the young women present had perked up, even the ones that had been acting as if they were not paying attention. Just past Tsukune's shoulder, Aiko saw one girl look almost afraid for a second before looking down at the map in her hands.
"Osoku-chan," Aiko called out to the quiet girl. "Do you have a moment?"
"Yes Senpai," The girl said. She approached Aiko and Tsukune like she was facing an unpleasant task.
"Aono Tsukune," Aiko performed an introduction. "This is Osoku Yoshie. She is in her second year. Osoku-chan, this is the Aono Tsukune, the head of the team that has come to help with security for our festival."
"It is very nice to meet you, Aono-san," Yoshie offered him a deep bow. "Thank you very much for coming all this way to help us."
"It has been an honor to be asked to help out," Tsukune said with a small bow of his own. "Especially when it will help our two schools build a bond of trust and cooperation."
"Osoku-chan," Aiko said. "If it is possible, I would like you to assist Captain Aono during the festival."
"I..." Yoshie tried to think of a way to gracefully refuse. She could feel the dark energy within Aono Tsukune. She had noticed how stern he looked when she had first caught sight of him. When she had first felt his presence she had been taken by surprise. She had almost missed the feeling of spiritual energy from the other visitors she had been so caught up by him. Now that she was up close with Aono Tsukune, Yoshie couldn't help but feel intimidated and even frightened by the power of his presence.
"Osoku-chan," Tsukune said gently, seeing the nervousness in her face. "I would be very thankful for your companionship. I know that you can be a big help to me."
"Really?" Yoshie's voice cracked.
"It is about trust and team work," Tsukune said. "I know I can trust you. I can feel it."
Yoshie felt her heart sink. She had been found out. The lie that was her life flashed though her mind. To everybody at school she was the ward of her uncle, who was politically connected and financially powerful with global investments, that had taken her and her mother in when his brother had fled the country after embarrassing himself with gambling debts. While the part about his brother was true, the rest was a lie.
The man that paid for Yoshie's school was her father. His mistress was Yoshie's mother. He had met the woman during a working vacation to China and the passion had been explosive. While the woman was still pregnant, the man had brought her to Japan and set her up with a modest apartment as his kept mistress. Yoshie's "aunt" was aware of the situation, but did not dare complain. She had been a part of her brother-in-law's problem, even to the point of going out gambling with him while her husband was busy. More often then not, after the excitement of gambling and the lowered inhibitions of champagne indulgence, the pair had made love. What Yoshie's 'aunt' didn't know, and her mother and 'uncle' forbid her to tell anybody, was that Yoshie's mother was a Chinese fairy.
Most people had given up on believing in fairies and spirits, Yoshie's mother had warned her. If they found out that Yoshie was not pure human, they would be frightened and might hurt her. Also, once they found out that there was something different about her, they would start asking questions, and her true relationship with her 'uncle' would be exposed. From there everything would fall apart.
Yoshie looked up at Aono Tsukune and felt herself on the edge of tears. Her life was over. Her family would be ruined.
"Tsukune," Aiko spoke up. She could see that the girl was upset even if she didn't know why. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes," Tsukune said. "Osoku should be able to get along with my team well. She could have even gone to our school."
"Really?" Aiko said in surprise. She gave Yoshie another look. "Wow... I would never have guessed." Impulsively, she reached out embraced the younger girl. "Osoku-chan, I would have never known. After the festival is over, I hope that you and I can get together to talk. Rina and Iris will want to get to know you too."
"What?" Yoshie was was feeling confused. She looked around to see if she could understand what was going on, hoping to see some clue to tell her what she should do. Her school mates were looking at her with different expressions of curiosity, surprise, and in a few cases, jealousy.
Tsukune saw how the girl was acting. It reminded him of how he had felt his first day at Youkai Academy. He had not intended to frighten her. It had not occurred to him that she might be frightened of other youkai, or maybe it was just her fear of discovery. He realized that he needed to do something to keep her from bolting. Tsukune reached for his youkai and focused on the idea of being calm and safe. He remembered how good he had felt after rescuing Kurumu, and Moka, and Mizore. He remembered how he had felt after defeating Fairy Tail and knowing that everybody was safe for the moment. He mixed his personal energy with his determination to protect the people who trusted him and depended on him. He felt power fill his mind and body until he though he would glow with it.
Yoshie was feeling confused and frightened. She was even thinking about running away. But then something happened. A calm warmth spread over her. She looked at Aono Tsukune in surprise, because the feeling was coming from him. Suddenly he wasn't scary any more. Looking at him reminded Yoshie of her father. He was big and strong, but comforting and protective. Yoshie just found herself relaxing because she felt safe.
"Tsukune," Aiko said. "Did you just do something?"
"I am here to help protect the peace," Tsukune said in a gentle, low voice. "I just concentrated on that really hard."
"Oh..." Aiko blinked.
It was the calmest meeting of the Advisory Counsel Aiko could ever remember. Everybody just waited, relaxed, as last minute details of the festival were discussed. When it was over, it was time to go out and open the festival.
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((A/N: Because I am evil, and I want to keep you all around reading and reviewing my work, I shall now post a teaser/spoiler from Chapter 191... Keep going at your own risk.))
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…... Kurumu turned and walked down the hall. She took hold of Mizore's head with both hands quickly, and then pulled the other woman's face to her own.