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.

(A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. I hope I can continue to entertain you in the upcoming chapters. Just a reminder, please sign in to send reviews, that way I can contact you for additional feedback, offer you spoilers and previews, or otherwise let you know I value your opinion

Chapter 208

The little ramen shop looked as it always had when Tsukune rode up. Rin and Kota were already waiting for him at their usual seats. Tsukune brought Hiru to a stop and dismounted, pulling off his helmet.

"Hey," Tsukune called out.

"Hey, yourself," Rin returned the greeting.

"How are you doing, Tsukune?" Kota asked.

"I'm good. How are you doing?" Tsukune asked.

"I'm great," Kota grinned. "Top ten percent of the graduating class, and Emmy will be arriving tomorrow."

"Good for you," Tsukune said.

"Yeah," Rin said with a little less enthusiasm. "Congratulations."

"Welcome home, Captain," The cook said as Tsukune took a seat at the counter. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," Tsukune said.

"Captain?" Rin asked. "But you've graduated."

"It's an honorary title now," Tsukune told his friend. He turned back to the cook. "I guess Emmy has been writing you."

"That she has," The cook nodded. He set a bowl of the house special in front of Tsukune and started to pour some tea. "She's been keeping the wife and I informed, and asking us to keep her up to date with everything that has been going on in the neighborhood. She said it will help her to fit in."

"She's right," Tsukune nodded.

The ramen cook moved the short distance to the far end of the counter. He was symbolically giving his customers their privacy while still being available. He picked a newspaper from under the counter and opened it to read.

"Emmy's pretty smart like that," Kota said. "We've been writing each other. I've been telling her all about my home and family and growing up. She's been taking what I tell her and then making up stories about having a home like mine. When we talk on the phone, I ask her questions about her imagined home to help her make a more complete story."

"What's she going through all that trouble for?" Rin asked.

"She is in the Drama Club," Kota answered smoothly. "I am helping her to learn to act as if she has a totally different life."

"Is this..." Rin started before a quick glance to see how close the cook was standing. He continued in a low voice. "Is this a part of what you were talking about over the Winter Break?"

"Not directly," Tsukune said in a normal tone.

"It's just about fitting in," Kota said. Like Tsukune, he was talking in a normal voice. "She's spent most of her life in a small village being home schooled. She's smart and sweet, and she should be given the chance to show what she can do, but think about how people are treated if they can't blend in. The nail that stands out gets hammered," Kota repeated the old proverb.

"Ahhh," Rin nodded. "That makes sense."

Tsukune noticed the cook giving a small nod of his own. The newspaper was not where Emmy's uncle was keeping his attention. Tsukune didn't think it was worth mentioning to his friends.

"By the way, Tsukune," Rin changed his focus. "When are you going to introduce me to some girls?"

"Can you wait a few weeks?" Tsukune ask him.

"That ball you mentioned?" Rin questioned. "I can if I have too, but I don't want to."

"Why not?" Tsukune wanted to know.

"A Ball is a dance," Rin explained. "You show up, you meet, and your dance, and then you go home. If all goes well, you get a phone number and you can talk later." Rin gave a heavy sigh. "I want to meet a woman on a normal day. I want to have hours to talk with her without ether being all dressed up or worrying if I'm going to step on her feet. I want to have a chance to get to know her before we're face to face on a dance floor."

"Well I don't know," Tsukune said as he pulled out his cellphone. "I only have a few days before I have to go back to work..."

"Back to work?" Kota questioned.

"Whoa... Where'd you get a phone like that?" Rin asked.

"Kurumu gave it to me," Tsukune answered Rin before giving Kota an explanation. "I was granted some time off, but I will be working full time for the town police near my school. That will give everybody else a chance to take some time off, and when I start attending university in the Fall, I will be splitting my time between work and classes."

"Damn..." Rin blinked.

"I don't know..." Tsukune mused as he started scrolling through his phone. "I could introduce you to a few girls from my school... Or maybe..."

"What?" Rin asked, leaning forward. "What is it?"

"Do you have anything planned for the day after tomorrow?" Tsukune asked.

"Pthth," Rin leaned back. "Naw. Kota's going to be with girlfriend. When I called Nagi earlier to see if wanted to hang out, he told me he would only have a few hours, because tomorrow he is going off to see his girlfriend's family."

"Really?" Tsukune perked. "That's a surprise."

"I know," Rin agreed. "Now what about the day after tomorrow?"

"I'll let you know," Tsukune said. "But later I will see if someone who will be at the ball will be free to meet up. Maybe you can get to know her before the dancing."

"Yeah?" Rin grinned. "That would be great. Tell me wha..."

"Excuse me," Tsukune said as he heard his call connecting.

XxxxxxXXxxxxxxX

Moka was still fuming as she finished her packing. All it had taken was a single night in her father's house for her to realized that she did not belong there any more. Moka realized that she had outgrown the life her father imagined for her. The stunt at supper with the potential suitors had been bad enough. Once she had rejected them, that should have been the end of it. Her father on the other hand had not sent them packing. While their fathers held some little meeting, Aaron had sought Moka out.

That idiot had tried to play the romantic by talking to Moka through her bedroom door. Bragging had failed, so he tried poetry, for which he had not talent. Moka even told him so.

"Perhaps if you would let me see you," Aaron tried to argue. "Let me hold your hand and look into your eyes, I can write a proper poem."

"I am not interested in hearing your attempts to be creative," Moka had retorted.

"I must admit that your confidence is commendable," Aaron said with a voice sliding towards smooth. "Combined with your beauty, you will make a wonderful wife."

"Oh thank you," Moka said in a flat voice. "What book did you get that idea from?"

"I look forward to seeing how long you can remain so confident," Aaron said through the door. "All the way to the wedding night, I'm sure. But when it comes time to show your true feelings for the first time, I... Moka? Why are you laughing?"

"My wedding?" Moka said between fits of dark laughter. "What makes you think you will ever be invited to my wedding?"

"As your groom..." Aaron tried to say.

"My groom is not likely to invite you ether," Moka cut him off.

"I have already been approved by your father," Aaron insisted.

"To do what?" Moka demanded. "Just go away. I don't like you, and I have no need to talk to you."

"Now you're just being shy," Aaron said. "Why not let me in, and I will help you get over that."

"Excuse me?" Moka sputtered.

"It's only natural for an inexperienced girl to be upset when she first starts talking about wedding," Aaron said with a smug smile.

"You are delusional," Moka said. She yanked the door open and glared at the fool. She was dressed for comfort in a pair of sweat pants and a button down shirt, both of which she had taken from Tsukune. "I've been thinking about my wedding for over two years, and there is nothing about it that would upset me."

Aaron had been surprised when the door had been opened. From what he had read, Moka should have opened it slowly, just peeking at first before inviting him in. Instead, she had yanked it open. The expected frilly nightgown or robe was nowhere to be seen. In its place were clothes that looked like they belonged to a man, and a poor man at that. There were frayed spots on the cuffs, patches on the knees, and what looked like blood stains around the collar.

"Where..." Aaron blinked. "Ahhh... That looks..."

"You like my pajamas?" Moka smirked.

"Its not what I was expecting," Aaron observed. "How did you get them?"

"I took them from Tsukune's closet," Moka explained.

"He... umm," Aaron was at a loss for words.

"He doesn't mind," Moka said. "He swore himself to me after all. It wasn't just words ether. Tsukune meant it when he gave me his pledge. When he gave me his oath, he gave me his life, body and soul. How could he be willing to share his life, even his body with me, and be bothered by something as petty as me taking some of his clothes?"

"Errr..." Aaron blinked, and then forced himself to smile. "The way you said that, it almost sounded like he was more than just your servant."

"Oh, Tsukune is my most faithful servant," Moka said with a proud smile. "He is kind and honest, hard working and responsible. He is everything I could ever hope for. That is why I intend to marry him, and he knows it."

"A servant?" Aaron gaped in surprise. "A lowly servant? You are refusing me so you can save yourself for some trash..."

For Moka his words were more than enough. She had been holding on to some sense courtesy and discretion because she had been raised that way. But Aaron had started bad-mouthing Tsukune, and that was not something Moka would tolerate.

"Trash?" Moka questioned. "You, who have done nothing, achieved nothing, are in no position to be calling names. There is nothing to recommend you, nothing to make you any better than the servants that clean the floors and toilets."

"I am of noble blood," Aaron demanded. "I am superior to..."

"Nobody," Moka cut him off. "You have nothing of your own to be proud of, and nothing to offer me. Now leave. I wish to go to bed."

"So you can dream about that trash you are saving yourself for?" Aaron demanded. He started to take a step forward. "I thi-e-ee-eee-eeeee..."

Aaron's voice shot up into a cry, a whine, a whisper, and faded out as a wheeze. He was aware of Moka's green eyes suddenly flashing red, and then pain exploded in his groin. Some small part of his brain decided that explosion was the only way to describe what had happened, because he had been lifted of his feet and knocked over backwards. As pain threatened to make him black out, Aaron tried to get his body to work. He had lost control of his bladder and could hardly do more than get up to his hand and knees. He looked up where Moka stood with a dark look on her face.

"Know your place, Trash," She spat. "I am not saving myself for Tsukune. I am already his. I took him for my lover long ago."

"Mok..." Aaron gasped.

"Silence, Trash," Moka demanded. "You have shown me your worth, which is none. In return I have shown you your place, groveling in filth." Moka stepped into her room for a moment. When she returned she was holding a small wastepaper basket, made of woven reeds. "Here is the only bride for you, Trash."

She threw the wastepaper basket at Arron just as he managed to straighten his upper body. He tried to catch it, but Moka had thrown the wastepaper basked with too much force. Is slammed into Aaron's gut with enough power that it would have killed a mortal. The wastepaper basket was crumpled and split by the impact. The force of the blow slammed through Aaron's insides. His bowels and stomach were no match for Moka's temper. Aaron shat and vomited all over himself as he collapsed onto the floor.

"Pathetic," Moka sighed as she threw her door closed.

Of course that couldn't be the end of it. Eventually somebody carried word back to Moka's father. Issa was not happy. Not only had his plan for a political match been cast out, but Aaron, and by extension his father, had been shamed. Of course Moka admitting that she was not an unspoiled virgin had been shaming to Issa in a way as well. The perfect bride to offer in exchange for a political alliance was a lie, and that Issa had not known was an embarrassment. Once he had the whole story from Aaron and his father, Issa set off to have a talk with his daughter.

The conversation between Moka and Issa did not go well. Both of them had already been feeling cross. Issa was quickly reduced to saying "...I am your father..." in a loud voice, as if it was the only logic he needed.

"Being your daughter," Moka had growled. "Makes me your relative, not your possession."

Shuzen Issa was a proud man. He was a vampire from a long and powerful bloodline. At just over two hundred years old he had a small financial empire that was spread into many nations. He had never been beaten in a fight, and had never been on the loosing side of a business deal. Unfortunately his pride as a man got ahead of his reasoning as a father.

"As long as you live in my house," Issa and thundered. "You will live by my rules!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Issa knew he had said the worst thing possible. An icy silence filled the room. Moka gave him a look with anger and pain in her eyes. Issa's pride gripped him by the throat, refusing to let him take back what he had said.

"I will leave tomorrow," Moka said in a cool voice. "Good night, Father."

That had been the end of the conversation. Issa had stormed out of the room, and Moka had moved over to sit on the edge of her bed. Moka got very little rest that night. She had spent hours trying to sleep, only to spend hours dozing off and then jerking awake because of unsettled emotions. In the morning Moka started packing.

Packing to leave her father's house was different from packing to go to school, but at the same time it was very much the same. The important papers were the fist thing Moka collected. The legal proof of her existence in the modern world, and access to the money she had saved up. Some of it had been in the form of gifts, the rest had been left to her by her mother. She wouldn't be able to live lavishly off of her savings, but with a little care she would be comfortable for most of her life, long enough to finish her education and start a career. Moka knew that most of her things would have to be left behind. She hoped that her father would send them to her at some later date, so she wrote out instructions for the servants on what to pack away and what to leave alone.

Not wanting to face her father, Moka sent for her breakfast to be brought to her room. She picked at her food, making an effort to eat in spite of not having an appetite. Moka would have been finished with her packing much sooner if Kokoa had not come to talk to her.

Talking is not exactly what Kokoa had done. Yelling, shouting, and having a tantrum over Moka's plan to leave would be a more accurate description of what happened. She was upset over losing her sister, again. It didn't help anything when Kokoa grabbed Moka's carefully packed things and threw them all over the room.

Moka took things one step at a time. First she had to settle Kokoa down. She explained that while she was moving out, she was not just going to disappear. Once she was willing to listen to reason, Kokoa just tried to stall her sister's departure. Eventually, Moka got everything packed up and organized. After one final hug for Kokoa, it was time to go.

"Where are you going to go?" Kokoa asked.

"That should be obvious," Moka answered with a tired smile. She had a purse and a pack slung over her shoulder and a bag at her feet. "I just hope I don't cause him any trouble."

"If he complains," Kokoa said. "Then he doesn't know how lucky he really is."

"He would probably agree with you," Moka nodded. She picked up her bag in one hand and snapped her fingers with the other.

From the bed, the black and red velvet of her servitor moved. First it flowed over the bed until it spilled over the side. As it touched the floor the fabric twisted and bunched into a rough humanoid shape. It took two steps before opening up into a huge cloak that wrapped around Moka. Bags and all.

"Take care of your self, Kokoa," Moka said as the cloak closed around her. "I love you."

For a moment Moka was completely covered in a rippling cone of black velvet, and then she changed. The cloak seemed to melt and evaporate at the same time. It disappeared with no more sound than a whisper of moving air, leaving Kokoa alone in the room.