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 225

The hotel manager was having a good night. The grand ballroom had been rented out in the lull between the major holidays and the tourist season. Many of the rooms were booked by the attendants of the ball, and/or their families. Meanwhile, the restaurant and bar were doing brisk business. Again, it was the attendants of the ball and and their families that was most of the current business, but there were others spending money as well.

The manager was feeling positive enough about how the night was shaping up that he had decided to go to the bar for a beer. The bar was filled with frequently stern looking business men, many with very attractive women hanging off an arm. The manager was able to overhear enough of the conversations around him to know that business was being conducted. Most of what was being said had no meaning to the hotel manager, but what he did catch involved large numbers and different currencies. At one table, a man that looked like he could give rocks lessons on being calm and hard was practically holding court. He had a pretty western woman, in a black dress that would have been revealing if it wasn't for all the ivory lace, standing at his shoulder. The nervous tightness around her eyes made it look like she wanted to be somewhere else.

All around him, the hotel manager could feel the presence of the kind of people that could, and frequently did make life changing decisions for countless numbers of people without those people ever knowing it. The manager had seen such gatherings a few times before, but never one quite so large as to dominate the hotel bar. He knew that more business was going to be conducted in that one evening than in an average week at the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The manager finished his beer calmly and left the bar. He had no desire to remain where he was so clearly out of his depth. No less than six of those high powered business men were missing parts of fingers. Or in some cases, whole fingers. When the Yakuza gathered to discuss things with business men like the grim gentleman holding court, lives of common men could be extinguished and nobody would even notice.

XxxxxxxXxxxxxX

The grand ballroom of the hotel had been decorated for the masquerade. When Tsukune saw the decorations he was caught between wanting to groan and wanting to laugh. At the north end of the dance floor was a small stage with a sound system booth at the back. The stage was framed with a wide torii. Whatever that was behind the stage was hidden by a painted backdrop that resembled some kind of temple. At the front of the stage was a double wide throne of red and gold.

Around the other three sides of the dance floor tables of different sizes were arranged in what looked like an at-random fashion. Between the tables were paper mache trees of white and pale grays, resembling a bonewood forest. The trees' branches were almost bare, spotted here and there with pink paper blossoms. Winding around and between the tables and trees were papers colored and arranged to resemble a garden path paved with cobblestones. The path actually crossed the dance floor from south to north. The path ended in front of the throne.

It was clear that there were three key things that had inspired the decorations. The field trip when he and his friends had met with Aiko and her classmates, the test of courage Tsukune had arranged at the end of that trip, and Aiko's and the others' visit to the Youkai Academy. Tsukune scanned the mostly unoccupied room for the person responsible.

"Tsukune, Moka, everybody," Aiko quickly appeared from among the trees She was dressed in a simple if bulky appearing robe. "I am so glad that you are here. Welcome, welcome. Kurumu, congratulations. I have been seeing your work. Mizore, you are looking good. Yukari, it is good to see you again." Aiko was a bundle of excited energy as she greeted everybody. "Ruby, I can see that you have been taking good care of Tsukune. Hello, Lieutenant Sansai right? Glad you could come also."

"Aiko," Tsukune spoke up when he finally had a chance. "Thank you for inviting us..."

"Of course I had to invite you all," Aiko said. "You, your friends, and your school mates showed me something that changed my world."

"You give us too much credit," Moka said with polite modesty.

"Please, Moka," Aiko replied as she directed her attention to the vampire. "During the field trip you opened my eyes to something I was missing in the ordinary world I was living in. Me and my classmates had been on our way to being proper young women who thought things like family history and bank balances were the ways to measure a person's value. When I visited your school, you showed me that the world I live in is bigger and more exciting than I had been taught to believe." She turned back to Tsukune. "And you and your friends showed me that our worlds didn't have to be two separate places."

"Well..." Tsukune said, feeling a little uncomfortable. "I'm glad I could do something..."

"Don't listen to him," Kurumu interupted. "Tsukune would have you believe that all he ever did was stand around and watch while someone else saved the school, over and over again. His modesty is sweet sometimes," She turned a frown on him. "But he really needs to accept credit for what he has done."

"Yes," Mizore gave a nod in support of what Kurumu was saying.

"Well let me show you to your table," Aiko said, changing the direction of the conversation. "I have put all of you at the main table." She lead the group into the paper mache forest to an oval table set up for sixteen people. It was positioned at the south end of the dance floor, with enough room around it for the path to that curved around past it. Anybody walking the path would pass by the table, putting its occupants on display. "You are a little early, but I am glad. Tsukune, my friends are in charge of everything, but if you can stand by to welcome anybody that shows up in the next thirty minutes, it would be a big help."

"Ahhh.. Alright," Tsukune said.

"I just need to finish getting ready," Aiko explained. "And I want to borrow Moka and the others for a little while."

"I'll stay with Tsukune," Inari quickly volunteered.

"Thank you," Aiko said.

She managed to grab Moka's hand and pulled her along towards the exit. Moka, hesitant to go, reached out and managed to catch Kurumu's hand. Kurumu found Mizore's... Tsukune was left with Inari as the rest of the group was drawn off in a line with Aiko in the lead. He wasn't too worried though. He knew that when it came to clothing and makeup, his friends would get along just fine.

With a small nod to Inari, Tsukune moved away from the main table. Something was making him feel tense so he wanted to take a look around. He took the time that was available to investigate the ballroom and to exchange polite greetings to Aiko's friends that had helped plan and coordinate the masquerade. As he did, Tsukune remembered the last couple of dances he had attended. Two out of three had ended in less than ideal circumstances, and the third one had caused some specific stress and worries of its own. Tsukune suspected that remembering the past, and knowing how important this dance was to Moka and the others, was the reason he was feeling tense and, even a little nervous.

There was not much for him to investigate in the ballroom. There was a four piece band still setting up beside the mall stage. The sound system tech was in his booth checking equipment. Behind the backdrop waitstaff and caterers were putting the last touches on plates and trays and serving carts. None of the men and women working behind the backdrop did more than glance in Tsukune's direction, and none of them seemed to want to make eye contact. Tsukune would have wondered about that once upon a time, but from Ruby and the Me sisters, and from what Moka had told him, he had learned that many people in service roles tried to be invisible while working, and felt uncomfortable if they were watched too closely.

Tsukune left the people behind the backdrop to their work. He concluded his small inspection tour without shaking off his nervous tension. Tsukune was thinking about looking at more of the hotel, but somebody called out his name.

"Tsukune," Nagi's voice called out.

"Nagi," Tsukune called back when he spotted his friend. "Kiyo. It is good to see you. How have you two been?"

"It's been good..." Nagi answered.

Nagi was dressed as a samurai. He was wearing a kamishimo, the formal two-piece costume worn over his gray kimono. The upper piece, the kataginu, was green vest with exaggerated shoulder pieces. The lower part, the hakama, were wide and flowing green trousers. Around his waist was a black obi. The sash was doing double duty of being his belt as well as a place for keeping his swords and a folded fan. Nagi had his hair slicked back, and as he talked with Tsukune he was holding his mask, a thin plastic mask that would cover his face down to his upper lip that was painted in greens and blacks to look fearsome.

Kiyo was obviously dressed to match Nagi. She wore a green and gray kimono with a wide black obi. Instead of a mask, she had an uchikatsugi, a brimmed straw hat that had a thin veil attached that hung gown to her shoulders all the way around. Kiyo and Nagi looked like a married samurai couple from the early Edo period.

Nagi, Tsukune learned, had been visiting Kiyo's home. Her family had been surprised that not only had she found a human boyfriend, but that he knew about her non-human nature, and was even willing to visit and meet with them. They had welcomed him and offered him every comfort their humble home had to offer. Nagi had enjoyed most of the trip, but when he had gone with Kiyo on a shopping errand, he had been surprised to see the reactions of the locals. It had made him mad, and a little sad.

"I know that we want coexistence to work out," Nagi concluded the story of his visit. "But some people are going to be had to convince."

"Yes," Tsukune agreed with sad nod.

"I don't care," Kiyo said firmly. "If they don't want to talk to me, or have anything to do with me, it doesn't mater."

She reached for Nagi with her left hand and held up her veil with her right. Tsukune saw right away that she was being bold. Her face was mostly human at the moment, but the lines of her brow, jaw, and cheek bones glittered with scales, and her green-gold eyes were clearly reptilian. When taken with her clothing, it appeared to be an impressive makeup application as a part of her costume. It was a way for her to show off a little of what she was, but at the same time remain hidden in plain sight.

"Nagi has accepted me for who and what I am," Kiyo continued. "There is nothing more important to me than him. I don't need a bunch of people acting nice to me just for the sake of being polite. There will always be people that are going to hold themselves apart, who don't want to talk with their neighbors or whatever. That's fine with me. I'll just spend my time with the people that I actually care about and get along with."

"We'll just have to work hard to find the people that we can get along with," Nagi said, supporting his girlfriend's stance while happily holding her hand.

"It sounds like you two have it all worked out," Tsukune approved.

XxxxX

The next friend Tsukune ran into was Kota. He was dressed as a Yamabushi, a mountain hermit, in slightly bagging clothing that allowed for a lot of freedom of movement, with a simple mask over his eyes held in place my a wide headband. They were still exchanging small talk when one of Aiko's friends spread the word that a bus full of attendants had arrived. Kota was eager to meet Emmy, so he started for the main lobby. Tsukune and Inari followed him.

The scene in the main lobby was a colorful one. Youkai students in costumes talked in excited tones while trying to hide their nervousness. For some it was their first time at a human dominant gathering. Emmy, with her experience in the human world, was not slow to seek out her human boyfriend. Kota soon found himself surrounded by youkai as his girlfriend introduced, or reintroduced, him to the members of her club and their dates. Tsukune and Inari were likewise popular with the members of the Student Police and their companions for the evening. Hanna managed to say hello to Tsukune and Inari. Kokoa was polite, if a little abrupt, before going off in search of Moka. Human attendees to the masquerade started arriving in numbers before the youkai students could all make it to the ballroom.

After the bus had unleashed its flood of colorful students the other people dressed for the masquerade appeared in a steady flow. Some from rooms in the hotel, others arriving according to their individual means. Graduated students, human and youkai, and their companions and escorts. Rin arrived, dressed in a simple tuxedo with a black felt half-mask. He lingered in the lobby until Rina arrived dressed to match. She was also in a tux, except instead of trousers she had on black tights and matching bloomers. Her blouse was tight enough to exaggerate her bust line. Her cummerbund cinched her waist in like a corset. With her high-heeled black shoes and black cat-eyed mask, Rina looked like a showgirl.

Inari waited with Tsukune in the lobby while he talked with his friend. She tried to be discreet as she reached for his arm, and was surprised when Tsukune took her hand and held it. When he returned to the ballroom, Inari was happy to keep holding his hand and walk along with him. They exchanged smiles and casual words with the other costumed people as they went. Tsukune didn't let go of Inari's hand until Moka and the others returned, and even then it was so he could offer one hand to Moka and the other to Mizore.

Even though she was once more sharing Tsukune's company with the others, Inari didn't feel hurt by Tsukune taking his hand away. Instead she felt a warm glow inside. Tsukune had not pulled his hand away as soon as he saw Moka. He had not tried to act as if he had to hide that he was close to her. Inari had been allowed to hold his hand until he wanted to use it. She knew that she wasn't as close to her captain as the others in his little harem, but Inari was confident that he had accepted her among them.

XxXxXxX

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Aiko stood on the stage and spoke into a microphone, officially starting the evening. She was dressed in a short kimono with her hair up. Partially hidden in her hair was a pair of cat ears of the same color as her hair on the outside, with white fur on the inside. She wasn't wearing a mask, but her makeup was done to suggest more a more feline appearance for her face. "I would like to thank you all for attending our celebration. During our last year of high school, many of us were fortunate enough to experience new things, and to gain a broader understanding of the world we are going to be living in. As we get ready to start our college educations, or training for our chosen vocations, we will be accepting responsibility for our lives, and for helping to make our world a better place."

"It is the hope of myself and the others that helped to make tonight possible, including our parents," Aiko continued. "That all of us here tonight will have a memorable time. There will be a few key events later on, including a costume contest, but for now, everybody, please enjoy each others company as dinner is served."

As Aiko left the stage the band started to play some light music, and the caterers appeared pushing serving carts laden with food and drinks. She made her way to the main table where Rina and Iris, and their dates were sitting across from Tsukune and his companions.

"I like your costume," Ken said. "It is subtle, but has meaning behind it."

"Thank you," Aiko said. "I wanted to do something that showed that things are not always what they appear to be at first glance."

"I think it's perfect," Ruby approved.

"Thank you," Aiko gave a nod. "But there was one other reason I chose this look?"

"Why is that?" Yukari asked.

"I noticed that Tsukune did not have a nekochan girlfriend yet," Aiko said with a grin.