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 221

For the rest of the day Inari had trouble making eye contact with Tsukune. She was feeling embarrassed and angry with herself. She had been so close to him. They had been alone. While they had technically been on duty, being naked in the shower together, they had most definitely been out of uniform. Every time she saw Tsukune she remembered how his naked body had looked. It didn't help that his sweaty track suit had been left in the locker room where she could smell it during and after her own shower. Her body was feeling aroused while her mind was struggling with her feelings over what had happened.

Even though she was feeling frustrated and embarrassed, Inari thought she was managing with what had happened well enough. She may not have been able to look Tsukune in the eye, but she was able to work and talk with him. Each time she managed to take a look at him, he seemed to be in a good mood. The conversations they had were all casual and calm. They were able to take turns walking patrols, followed by giving each other brief reports about what was happening in the area, without any difficulty, or so Inari thought.

It was while she was preparing dinner for them that Inari realized that Tsukune was doing something different. She had caught him watching her with a smile. It wasn't a large smile, but she was used to his face so she was able to notice it. He was sitting at his desk, holding a book as if reading it. Inari had tried to look at him discreetly and caught him looking at her. He had that small smile on his face as he watched her. It was for only a moment, but it was clear. Then their eyes met. Inari froze. Tsukune had caught her looking at him, while he was watching her, and he had smiled even more.

"Tsukune," Inari said as she turned away. "Have you been watching me all day?"

"Yes," Tsukune replied.

"Tsu..." The bluntness of his reply shocked Inari. "Why?"

"Because," Tsukune answered.

"That's not a reason," Inari said. She was blushing furiously as she tried to cook, not wanting to let Tsukune know how worked up she was.

"Do I need a reason to watch you?" Tsukune asked.

"Of course you do," Inari said.

"How about because I wanted to make sure you were alright after what had happened this morning," Tsukune said.

"Well... it's a reason," Inari agreed.

"Or maybe because I though it was funny to watch you as you tried to pretend nothing happened," Tsukune added.

"Tsukune-e-e..." Inari protested.

"What?" Tsukune said. "It's just that this is the first time a woman, who said she loved me, ended up in a compromising situation with me, and was more bothered by it than I was."

"Well why aren't you bothered by what happened?" Inari demanded.

"I'm not saying I wasn't effected," Tsukune said. "But I'm able to deal with it."

"But Why?" Inari pressed. "How? I can't stop thinking..."

"Inari," Tsukune said calmly. "You are not the first woman to see me without anything on."

"I know that," Inari pouted a little.

"And to be honest," Tsukune continued. "You are not the first beautiful woman I have seen undressed. I don't mean to sound like I don't care, but I am able to keep things in perspective."

"It's just not fair," Inair said with a sigh of frustration.

"Sorry," Tsukune said with a shrug.

"And you were right this morning by the way," Inari said.

"About?" Tsukune questioned.

"About wanting to get in the shower with you," Inari said, feeling her blush returning. "I've thought about it before. It's all so silly, but I even have a fantasy all planned out."

"You're kidding," Tsukune said.

"No," Inari replied. "But I'm not going to tell you about them ether. That way if it looks like one of them is going to come true you can't spoil it."

"If you say so," Tsukune said.

Inari gave him a sour look. She wasn't sure if he was teasing her or not, but decided it was best not to ask. She did feel a little better about what had happened that morning however. Even if he wasn't letting it show, Tsukune had admitted that he had been affected by what had happened. Also, he had admitted to watching her because he cared about how she felt after the incident. That even gave Inari something to smile about as she finished making their small dinner.

Tsukune had admitted to watching her. He had said he was watching her because he wanted to make sure she was alright, which meant that he cared about her. So in exchange of exposing herself to him, even if she had not realized what she was doing at the time, she had gotten more of his attention and concern. Inari decided that just maybe it was a good turn of events for her after all.

XxxxxxX

Moka had decided that she liked living among humans. Her new home was very much like being back at school, but without the pressure. She knew that when she started attending university in the fall the pressure would be back on, but she could live with that. What she liked was the freedom to be herself, and to do things for herself. She had purchased a sound system for her apartment, filling it with music. Her kitchen was taking shape nicely, and was a major improvement over anything she had back at school. Taking her time to explore the shopping in walking distance to her new home had let Moka meet some nice people.

Moka had enjoyed discovering what shops were in the area. The middle aged woman that managed the grocery store seemed pleasant, and the clerks had the easy air about them that suggested they liked where they worked. Not far away Moka had discovered a store that was part pharmacy and part apothecary. It turned out that the apothecary was a family business, but while the son was learning to become the fourth generation owner of the shop, his sister had gone off to school and had become a pharmacist. During a trip home she had brought a classmate. The classmate and the son ended up falling in love and getting married, and now they ran the store together. Moka liked knowing that she was surrounded by real people, with real stories and lives of their own. It gave her a sense of being alive and free to make her own life. Even if something happened and university turned out to not be the path for her, there were other things to consider, now that she was no longer living under her father's control.

Moka was glad that she had made the decision to move out of her father's house to live on her own. She still wished that Tsukune had more time for her, but she wasn't alone. She could talk with Ruby, and Tsukune's mother had told Moka that she could come visit at any time. As she sat out on her balcony to enjoy the night sky, Moka could hear the music playing inside. It was a nice way to relax and think about how her life had changed because of Tsukune. She smiled, thinking about the life ahead of them. Yes, Moka liked her new life.

XxxxxxxX

Inari found herself looking up at the underside of Tsukune's bunk once again. She was starting to seriously dislike the bottom bunk. So close to Tsukune that she could smell him, she could hear his breathing, yet so far away from him as well.

"Tsukune, are you asleep?" Inari asked in a low voice.

"Not yet," Tsukune answered.

"Did you mean what you said earlier?" Inari questioned.

"What?" Tsukune asked back.

"When you said I wasn't the first beautiful woman you've seen undressed," Inari reminded him. "Did you mean it? Do you really think I'm beautiful?"

Tsukune resisted the urge to sigh. He had set himself up for that question, and there was only one way he could answer it. Sometimes he wished he would just keep his mouth shut.

"Yes, Inari," Tsukune said. "I think you are beautiful. Not only are you good looking and have a nice body, but you are also hard working, honest, and loyal. All the things I could want in a girlfriend, if I didn't already have one."

"Five," Inari said.

"What?" Tsukune asked.

"Five girlfriends," Inari said.

"Ahhh," Tsukune said. "I don't think I can count them all that way."

"Why not?" Inari asked.

"It's complicated," Tsukune answered.

"But they all love you," Inari pointed out.

"I know," Tsukune agreed.

"And you love them," Inari went on.

"But Ruby is sworn to me," Tsukune pointed out. "She's a servant, not a girlfriend."

"So that means you can love me too," Inari said. "I am sworn to you, and I love you."

"I know," Tsukune said.

"Some day you are going to say that you love me too," Inair said with determination.

"Maybe," Tsukune agreed. "But there is more than just the romantic kind of love."

"True," Inari agreed. "But one kind of love can lead to another."

"Good night, Lieutenant," Tsukune said.

"Good night, Captain," Inari replied with a smile.

XxxxxxxxX

Inari was having trouble holding in her excitement the next morning. She was going to follow Tsukune back to his new home see if she could rent one of his apartments. He had explained that he had made Ruby the building manager, so Inari would have to go through her. That did not lessen the excitement one bit. She had already packed her things into Furyu's saddle bags for the trip before Tsukune had finished getting dressed.

Tsukune's attitude that morning was less enthusiastic than Inari's. He was already thinking about what was ahead of him, but for the rest of the day and for the future. He and Inari had one more shift together at the koban before the ball. Before that time, he thought he might try to see Mizore again. Ahead of other concerns, Tsukune was looking forward to seeing Moka. He still needed to talk things out with her. They had come to an understanding, of sorts, but he wasn't entirely happy with how he had left things with her when he had gone to see Mizore the last time. The more he thought about it the more it started to weigh him down.

Tsukune tried to keep a good attitude about the whole situation. He knew he was very lucky, in more ways than one. It was stupid of him to complain about how well things had turned out so far, but he knew good fortune like his could never last. He also believed that the longer his good fortune lasted the worse the rebound was going to be when it was over.

Finally they were relieved and it was time to go. Hiru and Furyu were loaded up and read to go. Looking at them it was easy to tell that they had been shaped by the same imagination. They shared the same basic design as motorcycles. Both of them looked fast, glossy black with sharp angles. Hiru was bigger and more powerful in appearance, white Furyu looked more agile. Tsukune had on his red and black riding gear that Kurumu had purchased for him, but noticed it was getting a little tight in the shoulders. Inari was dressed in basic black riding leathers, so new that they creaked as she moved.

"Alright," Tsukune said before mounting. "So far I have worked out three good routs to get back to my building. The easiest takes only two jumps but also takes about twelve hours of riding. The quickest can be done in less than an hour, but it takes a lot of energy from us and from them." Tsukune gestured to the familiars. "So we will be going with a middle route. Four jumps and about three hours of riding." He shared his map with Inari to explain the route. "Any questions?"

"No sir," Inari replied.

"Alright then," Tsukune said. He tucked away the map and mounted Hiru.

Inari followed Tsukune's example. The two motorcycles rumbled, eager to be in motion. With a final nod from Tsukune, they set off.

XxxxxX

Inari was glad when the trip was over. The three hour ride wasn't hard, but she had been too excited to eat breakfast, so she was feeling drained and a little shaky by the time they arrived at Tsukune's building. She followed him as he rode into the underground parking area, where one small area was partially walled off by some stacks of boxes. Tsukune came to a stop near the secluded corner and dismounted. After taking his things from the saddle bags, Hiru moved behind the boxes silently. Inari realized that the corner was the creature's den.

Inari had more to carry than Tsukune. Not only was she bringing with her the things she needed to wash following her shift, but also extra clothes to wear. If things went the way she was hoping, she would have to take a few extra trips to collect the rest of her things from the village, and even from her family's home. Once she had her things in hand, she turned to Tsukune for guidance.

"We'll go up to my place for now," Tsukune said. "And you can talk to Ruby."

"Thank you," Inari said, trying to appear calm.

The elevator ride up to the top floor was a trial for Inari. She was in a close space with Tsukune. It reminded her of the shower incident. While they were fully clothed, they were off duty. Inari's imagination was quick to come up with a few ideas about what to do during the slow ride to the top, but she wasn't paying attention to them. At the moment she was really looking forward to getting to Tsukune's apartment. While some part of her was excited to see where he lived, and to have a chance to be included in his personal space, what Inari really wanted most right then was a water closet.

XxxX

Ruby was happy to have her master home where she could serve him. She was less happy about Inari being with him, but was careful to not let it show. It would not honor her position to be catty when her master brought home a female guest.

"Master, welcome home," Ruby greeted them. "Lieutenant Sansai, it is good of you to visit us."

"Thank you," Inari said, trying not to squirm.

"Ruby," Tsukune said. "Please leave the bags to the Me sisters. I would like you to show Inari to the water closet."

"Yes Master," Ruby said with a small bow. "This way please," Ruby directed their guest.

"Thank you," Inari breathed.

Once Ruby had shown Inari where she could answer the needs of the body, she returned to see to her master's comforts. She paused long enough to direct the Me sisters to take care of the bags. Inari's were sent to the guest room, Tsukune's bags were to be unpacked and everything cleaned. Ruby caught up to Tsukune in the master bedroom as he was undressing.

"Master?" Ruby questioned.

"Ruby," Tsukune smiled as he continued to undress. "How are you doing?"

"I am well, Master," Ruby smiled as she bobbed a small curtsy.

"Good," Tsukune nodded. "I have some things for you to do."

"I live to serve you, Master," Ruby replied, earning her a frustrated look from him.

"Inari wants to rent a room in the building," Tsukune said. "She is sworn to my service, but not in the same way as you are. If we have something modest available, see what you can work out for her please."

"Yes Master," Ruby said. "Is there anything else?"

"I'm going to wash up," Tsukune said. "And then speak with Moka, if she has the time for me. After that I will let you know about dinner plans. You might offer Inari Lunch however."

"I will see to it," Ruby nodded.

"Good," Tsukune said. "But before you run off and get busy," He gave her a crooked smile. "Let me had a kiss."

"Yes Master," Ruby grinned as she threw herself into his arms.

XxxxxxX

Inari was feeling a little nervous as she followed Ruby through the building, but excited at the same time. She knew that Tsukune's servant could possibly keep her from living close to the man they both followed. That point had been driven home when Ruby had made the lieutenant fill out an application form for an apartment.

Ruby lead Inari down to the second floor. Once there she went to the one room apartment that was next to the elevator shaft, putting it directly below the apartment Ruby shared with the Me sisters. The tour of the apartment was brief. Inari realized that it had to be the smallest apartment in the building. The one window did not have much of a view ether.

"Tsukune told me that you are sworn to his service," Ruby said in a mater-of-fact voice.

"Yes, that's right," Inari responded, suddenly ready to defend herself.

"I want you to know that I am fine with it," Ruby said. "I wanted to talk with you while we were alone, where Tsukune won't walk in on us, because I want to understand your intentions. Tsukune has accepted you, and that is what counts the most, but what is it that you want?"

"I want Tsukune," Inari said with simple honesty. "I want him to look at me and to love me. I want him to share his life with me and I want to share my life with him." She blew out a sigh. "But I know I can't have all of that, so I will spend my life helping him and by doing that I will get to share a little piece of his life. And maybe, just maybe, he will love me too."

"That's what I thought," Ruby said with a sad smile. "I don't know if you and I are going to be able to get along..."

"I don't see why not," Inari said. "You've already claimed your place in his life. You're his cook and his maid. You take care of his home and his belongings. Haven't there always been women that complain that their husbands treat hem like slaves? You're the luckiest one out of all of us."

"Well that may be true..." Ruby admitted slowly.

"Well I'll take the other half of his life," Inari said firmly. "I will be his personal assistant at work. I will be his secretary, his duty driver, his office manager, and whatever other jobs he needs doing. You do everything you can to make sure he is supported in the home, and I'll support him in his work."

"That could work," Ruby observed. "And it would be good to know that there is always somebody watching out for him."

"It's perfect," Inari smiled. "You can serve him breakfast in bed. I'll serve him lunch in the office." Her smile became a dark smirk edged with pain. "At least I will never need maternity leave."

"I'm so sorry about that," Ruby said, deflating a little.

"I still haven't told Tsukune," Inari said. "I don't want to make him feel guilty."

"Thank you for that," Ruby said. "He has so much going on as it is."

"I know," Inari said. "But it's bound to come out some day." Inari took a deep breath and sighed. "I just hope it doesn't keep him from seeing me as a woman. I may not be able to have children, but I can still be his lover, and I want him to be mine."

"Heh," Ruby smirked.

"What?" Inari questioned.

"Just thinking how lucky I am," Ruby said. "Tsukune will be hard for you to work with, I know. Always there where you can see him. While I will be serving him in his home, tending to him in his bath."

"You don't have to rub it in," Inari pouted. "He's already admitted that you're one of his lovers."

"Heh," Ruby smirked again.

"So what's the rent going to be on this apartment?" Inari changed the subject before jealousy got the better of her.

"If you will help Tsukune out, I will give you a discount," Ruby said.

"Help Tsukune how?" Inari demanded. "You know I'll support him any way I can."

"I'll get you a key to the apartment next door," Ruby said. "Officially that is where Tsukune is living..."

Ruby explained the deception, and why it was necessary. Tsukune's family was being left in the dark for the time being, for their own protection and to make life easier for Tsukune. Inari agreed to Ruby's request, which was to spend some of her time in Tsukune's official apartment, to help it have a true look and feel of a place being used. Of course Inari wanted to support Tsukune any way she could, but this gave her a little bonus.

While using his official apartment, she would get to spend a little time playing girlfriend. She could leave a few of her things around the the apartment as well, so if his family ever did come to visit, they would see that she was a part of his life. When she had the chance, she would suggest that they use his official apartment once in a while to study together, to enhance the illusion of it being where he was living. Giving her some time alone with him. By the time she and Ruby had agreed on the amount of rent Inari would be paying, which was very little, and had filled out the official paperwork, Inari was in very positive spirits. She had no problem accepting Ruby's invitation to lunch.

XxxxxXX

Moka sat at the table while Tsukune cleaned up the lunch dishes. He had come to talk to her after his shift, to let her know that he was no longer angry or hurt over what had happened. He apologized for losing his temper, and assured her that he was fine with the situation. Moka knew he was putting on a good face for her sake, and that his pride was sure to still be bruised and aching after what had happened with Mizore and herself, but she was not going to challenge what Tsukune told her. She also wasn't going to do anything in the near future to assert her place in his life. She was going to be every bit as kind and loving as he was. It was the least she could do.

Of course Tsukune would still need to make some small amends for his behavior. He had made her worry over him, and had frightened her with his reaction to Mizore's condition. Moka fully intended to have Tsukune make thing up to her by showing her that he still loved her. She already had supper and the rest of the night all planned out.

Tsukune had told her about Inari being his guest at the moment. She was willing to accept his sworn lieutenant moving into the building. Moka wasn't going to let a little thing like Inari's presence, or her shower misadventure with Tsukune, spoil the night she had planned. She simply told Tsukune that she understood the situation, and asked that he see to Inari's needs before joining her for a private supper.

"Tsukune?" Moka called out. "Can I help you clean up?"

"I'm almost done," Tsukune said.

"Are you going to clean up after supper too?" Moka asked.

"If you'll let me," Tsukune answered. "That's my job isn't it?"

"What do you mean?" Moka blinked.

"I swore to support and follow you," Tsukune said, turning to give her a smile. "So it's my job to do things to help you."

"But you don't have to do the dishes," Moka said.

"Ahhhh," Tsukune held up a finger. "But I've helped Mizore and Kurumu, and even Ruby and Inari with cleaning up. I can't do something for them without doing something for you, now can I?"

"If you say so," Moka gave him a questioning look.

"Besides," Tsukune turned back to the last of the dishes. "You know I just like doing things to feel useful once in a while."

"You're spoiling me," Moka observed.

"That's the idea," Tsukune replied. "Because I love you."

"I love you to," Moka said. She watched him finish with the dishes and wipe down the counter.

"All done," Tsukune announced.

"Good," Moka said. "Now come over here and spoil me some more."