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 234

It did not take long for Tsukune to wish that he had stayed in bed. Once he was dressed and ready to try to get something to eat, the rest of the world started to intrude into his day. Ruby was the one that brought the reality of the day top his attention.

"Master," Ruby sad as the Me sisters were still serving brunch. "I am sorry to disturb you, but you have been receiving calls." She held out his cell phone to him.

Tsukune accepted the phone and quickly saw that he was in trouble. The screen displayed all the calls he had missed since the night before. Most of them were from his parent's home phone. He also missed a storm of calls from his cousin, one from Lieutenant Tanaka, and two from Ross. There were lots of missed calls from old youkai class mates, and even a few from Kurumu's mother.

In spite of his of his failing appetite, Tsukune set himself to the task of filling his stomach. It would be more accurate to say that Mizore and Kurumu filled his stomach. While Tsukune tried to read through text messages and emails, his two lovers saw that he wasn't eating and decided to do something about it.

"Open wide," Kurumu had started it, offering him a bite of omelet.

Tsukune accepted the attention, grumbling and frowning. He really was not given a choice. He tried to reach for his own chopsticks, but Mizore took them. Tsukune even tried to reason with them.

"I'm sorry," Tsukune said as he put his cell phone down. "I'll take care of my messages later."

"That's good," Kurumu said. "Because you need to eat." She lifted up another bite for him. "Now open wide."

Tsukune knew he really didn't have a choice but to go with it. If he argued he would ether be threatened with some other kind of harassment, or simply have the food thrust into his mouth when he tried to say something. Between bites, Mizore was ready with a cup in her hands for him to drink from.

Moka handled the situation by ignoring the other two. They could be Tsukune's hands if they wanted, because she knew she was his heart. She calmly ate brunch as if it was just another quiet, pleasant morning with Tsukune. As she did, within her own mind, Moka thought of things she would do to Tsukune later, possibly while the other two were made to watch.

X

Tsukune was aware of Moka watching him. He could see the small twitches in her face that suggested she was holding an internal conversation. The way she was holding herself so firmly poised told him that he was not entirely happy at the moment. He was trying to think of a polite way distract her when his phone rang.

Tsukune took a quick look at his phone and saw that it was Inari calling him. That made him blink in surprise. She lived in the same building, so his lieutenant could have just come to see him. He decided that whatever was prompting her to call him had to be imortant.

"Excuse me," Tsukune fended off Mizore and Kurumu as he reached for his phone. Moshi moshi..."

"Tsukune," Inari said. "I am glad you answered."

"What is it Inari?" Tsukune asked.

"Your cousin is here..." Inair began.

"Kyouko?" Tsukune almost choked. "What is she doing here?"

"She is looking fo..." Inari was cut off.

"Give me that," Tsukune heard his cousin say over the phone. "Tsukune.. Where the hell are you? Your mother is worried sick. If you're home, then open you damn door and face me. Of all the selfish..."

Tsukune hung up on his cousin.

"Damn it," Tsukune swore. He got up from the table and his unfinished meal. "Kyouko is down stairs," Tsukue explained to the others. "I need to sort this out. I will be right back."

As Tsukune headed for the door the others watched him tensely. They wanted to go with him, to be there to support him, but the situation could be a very sensitive one. Kyouko was his cousin, his blood family. They knew she did not like them, or approve of them. Tsukune's girlfriends were quiet as they gave each other nervous looks.

Xx

Tsukune decided to take the stairs. The elevator was unlikely to save him any time, and he was perfectly capable of walking up and down a few flights of stairs. When he stepped out of the stairwell onto the second floor of his building, he interrupted Inari and Kyouko in what sounded like an escalating argument. Whatever was being said was lost as soon as His cousin saw him.

"Tsukkie..." Kyouko cried as she threw herself at her little cousin.

"Kyo-offf..." Tsukune found himself being tightly hugged. "Kyouko..."

"Oh Tsukkie..." Kyouko cried. "Oh, I am so glad you are alright."

"Yes," Tsukune blinked. "I'm fine. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I saw you on television yesterday," Kyouko sad as she let go of him and took a step back. "The attack is what everybody is talking about." She started touching Tsukune. She felt his forehead with the back of her hand and then started checking him out all over, feeling though his clothes for any bandages. "The police aren't talking about what really happened, or who got hurt. I saw you on television, and you had blood on your clothes..."

"Kyouko," Tsukune said as he reached out to take hold of her shoulders. "I'm alright. Really." He saw that she was actually crying and wanted to sooth her.

"Damn it, Tsukune," She punched him in the chest. "I worry about you. I was so worried last night and you never even called me. Damn you!"

"I'm sorry," Tsukune flinched. "Everything was just so..."

"Dammn you," Kyouko punched him again. "You shouldn't make me worry so much. First that crazy school. Then all those girlfriends. Now the police. Where is it all going to end?"

"Kyouko..." Tsukune tried to think of something to say.

"I had it all worked out... Kyouko was holding on to his shirt in with one hand and hitting him in the chest with the other. "You were going to go to school and grow up and be a good person and I was going to introduce you to some of my friends and help you pick out a good girlfriend..."

Kyouko was crying and babbling. At first Tsukune was confused, but understanding slowly dawned on him. His cousin was upset because she cared about him. He knew she cared, she was his cousin after all, but to him that was all she ever really was. She was a member of his family, sometimes she was kind of an annoying big sister, but he had never felt especially close to her.

Tsukune felt confused and didn't know what to do. He looked to Inair for support. His lieutenant saw the question in his eyes an answered by holding out her arms as if she was hugging somebody. Tsukune followed Inari's advice and pulled Kyouko into his embrace. The good news was that she immediately stopped hitting him.

"I'll make tea," Inari offered. She quickly let herself into Tsukune's second floor apartment.

"Let's go inside," Tsukune offered.

He guided his upset cousin into the apartment he listed as his home but never visited. The small unit reminded him a lot of the dorms back at school. The tatami mat floor was bare. A low table took up most of the open space. The divider panels were open so the second room was visible. On one wall Tsukune saw one of his police uniforms hanging. A futon was folded in a corner. Tsukune was curious about what was in the closet, but not enough to investigate at the moment.

With her lip quivering, Kyouko accepted a seat at the table. Tsukune sat at the side to her left and held her hand. It was a tense moment. Tsukune was used to seeing his cousin as somebody imposing, even a little threatening. Now that she was clearly upset because she had been worried about him, he saw her differently.

Kyouko was just a woman, Tsukune realized. She was a little pretty, and could be matronly opinionated at times, but that didn't really change the simple truth. Tsukune had gotten so in the habit of seeing her as his cousin, that he had not taken the time to see her as a person. She was a person with feelings, hopes, and fears just like any other.

He felt his heart sink. Kyouko, he realized, as pushy as she had always been, and frequently off in her thinking, had still been trying to show that she cared. Tsukune remembered the way he had acted around her since his second year of high school. He had wanted her to stop trying to treat him like a little kid. He had wanted her to stop trying to tell him how to manage his own life. But Tsukune now realized that he had messed it all up.

Tsukune had acted like a brute. He had not tried to talk things out with his cousin. He had instead tried to intimidate and bully her. He had acted in the kind of way he disliked the most. It was the way youkai act; all emotion and action, without consideration for others. Tsukune started to feel angry and sick with himself.

Kyouko tried to compose herself. She could tell that Tsukune was alright, but all of the fear and frustration she had been feeling for the past two years, and more, just wanted to keep coming out. Her body trembled as she struggled not to cry. Her lip quivered and her chest felt tight.

"Th-thank you," Kyouko managed to say when Inari gave her a clean towel.

She used it to dry the tears from her face. Between sniffs she looked around the tiny apartment. It was clear that Tsukune was living alone. The place looked very utilitarian. It was an apartment where a person would spend as little time as possible, because there was little to do.

Kyouko also noticed how well Inari moved about in the small kitchen space. She wasn't fumbling around for every little thing. She wasn't looking to Tsukune for directions or approval as she worked. This spoke volumes to Kyouko about the young woman's familiarity with Tsukune as well as his kitchen. It didn't really make any sense to her, knowing how her cousin was involved with that Moka.

Tsukune was watching Inari and looking around the small apartment at the same time as his cousin. What he saw, what it made him think, was different from Kyouko. He saw the apartment as the kind of place he had use to expect he would live in after college. Inari, a close friend he shared things with, was very much the kind of girl he would have liked to date, back when his life was simple.

"Kyouko," Tsukune said at last. "I have not been fair to you."

"Tsukkie?" Kyouko questioned.

"Kyouko..." Tsukune sighed. "Let me start by saying I'm sorry. I know that you care about me, and I have not been... I have not been considering your feelings. Over the last few years, I have been pushed around so much, that I just didn't want anybody trying to tell me who I could..." He sighed again. "I just wanted to be free to make my own decisions."

"But Tsukune..." Kyouko sniffed.

"But that is no excuse," Tsukune shook his head. "I have been taking out my frustrations on you instead of talking to you."

"You've been a jerk," Kyouko said.

"Yes," Tsukune agreed as Inari served the tea.

"See," Kyouko said. "That is why you need somebody to help look after you."

"I have that alright," Tsukune said with a smile to Inari.

Inari felt her heart race when she saw that smile.

"Tsukkie... " Kyouko said sharply.

"Kyouko," Tsukune said with a level gaze. "Let me tell you about my first day of high school, starting from when you and I lost our phone connection. The bus I was on had just entered a tunnel..."

Inari had heard much of Tsukune's story before, in bits and pieces. It was interesting to hear of his first day in such clear detail. For Kyouko, Tsukune's story was an eye opener. As he told his story, she was quickly caught up in in. When he talked about wanting to run back home, she wanted to cheer his decision. But then he said he had heard Moka screaming.

Kyouko could almost picture the scene in her mind. Little Tsukkie, bags packed and running for home. She tried to imagine that moment when he had to make a choice. The kind little boy she had always known would naturally want to go and help.

Tsukune told what he could remember of what had happened that day. He talked about his excitement and fear. He even talked about the way he had been so afraid of the ogre he had tried to stand up to.

"When it was over," Tsukune said with his emotions clearly showing. "When I was back in my dorm room and the excitement was over and I was left feeling bruised and battered, I remember feeling trapped. I had a month until the next bus. I always wondered what I would have done if I had kept going. If I had kept running and not turned around to help Moka... If I had abandoned her and reached the bus stop, and then found out that I had a month to wait..."

"Kyouko," Tsukune drew in a deep breath. "If I had kept running on that day, I would never have been able to live with myself. It makes me... I can't imagine trying to hide out in the dorms for a month, waiting for the bus, knowing that I had abandoned somebody that just wanted a friend."

"Tsukune..." Inari said in a quiet voice. She had tears in her eyes.

"Tsukkie..." Kyouko Sniffed.

"Ever since that day," Tsukune explained. "I knew I had to get stronger. I knew I had to be able to stand up for myself no matter what. I had almost let Moka down."

"But..." Kyouko cocked her head to one side. "But then... Why..?"

"Nothing went right," Tsukune shook his head. "I tried to just do the right thing and just keep a low profile. I figured that if I could keep from standing out, then I could just do the best I could as a student and as Moka's friend until... I didn't want to look weak, but I didn't want to stand out ether." He sighed. "But Moka stands out all by herself. She is so beautiful and smart and special... She can't help but stand out."

Tsukune's love for Moka was clear in his voice and his eyes as he spoke. It pained Inari to see it, but she already knew that he didn't love her the way she loved him. Kyouko was surprised by the depth of feelings her cousin was displaying.

"One thing after another kept happening," Tsukune continued. "By the time you came to the festival, everything had already started to change, but I was too slow to see it."

"You should have come home with me," Kyouko said with a small huff of satisfaction.

"No," Tsukune said in a sharp tone with a firm shake of his head. "No, that would have meant abandoning my friends. I promised that I would never do that. Just a month before you came to the school, I was almost expelled to try to solve a problem with someone making threats..."

"What?" Kyouko's eyes went wide.

"Moka had found out about it," Tsukune went on. "She found where I was hiding while I thought about everything." Tsukune shook his head slowly. "There she was, so beautiful, and worried about a nobody like me. She said that if I was expelled that she would quit school to stay with me."

"Oh..." Kyouko felt her heart flutter.

"Something else changed that day," Tsukune said. "It didn't mater if Moka needed me or not. I wanted to stay with her and there was nothing I wouldn't do to make that happen. When you came, when you wanted to take me away, there was no way I could leave."

"I am glad you stayed," Inari said with a small sniff. "With all that you did for the school, and for me..."

"But you didn't have to go back," Kyouko said. "You could have..."

"I could have done nothing else," Tsukune argued. "I wanted to be with Moka. The others, Kurumu, Mizore, they were my friends too. They all wanted to see me again. But to be with them, Moka and the others, I had to pay a price. I had to give up on the life I had expected to have. I had to give up a lot of my freedom, my independence."

"What do you mean?" Kyouko asked.

"To stay in school," Tsukune answered. "I had to agree to do whatever the Board Chairman wanted. I was his tool. He was the one that wanted me to start the Student Police. He pushed for me to lead. When it was decided to open a koban in the local town, the Board Chairman pushed me into the role of being a police officer. He arranged the training and pulled strings to make it happen. He piled the responsibilities on top of me until I was busy every moment I was awake. I only got to be with Moka and the others if we were studying together, or working on the school paper."

"But I tried to do it all," Tsukune said. "I tried to be strong and keep going. I would probably have failed if it wasn't for the others. I had to surrender some of my independence. They started looking after me to help me. They cooked for me. Kurumu started doing my laundry. They helped me study while taking turns feeding me and helping me relax when they could."

"By the time things started to slow down," Tsukune continued. "Things had changed. I had gotten used to having things done for me. As much as I wanted to be able to take care of myself, it just didn't seem to be worth the arguing and hurt feelings it would have caused."

"Sounds to me like you have nothing to complain about," Kyouko observed.

"There are still a lot of things you don't know yet," Tsukune gave his cousin a small shake of his head.

"The last time we tried to talk about this stuff," Kyouko pointed out. "You ended up kissing Ruby in front of me."

"I remember," Tsukune said with a small smile. "I was trying to prove a point."

"So now what?" Kyouko asked.

"Now," Tsukune said as he leaned back from the table. "I have to figure out how to do the right thing and stop being a jerk."

"That would be a good idea," Kyouko nodded.

"And tomorrow I need to go and see mother," Tsukune went on. "But before that, I better call her and let her know we're all alright." He patted down his pockets. "Which means I need to go back up stairs where I left my phone."

"You can use mine," Kyouko offered.

"Thank you," Tsukune shook his head. "But I left everybody up stairs in a hurry. I should let them know what is going on as well. Inari," Tsukune directed his attention to his lieutenant.

"I will..." Inari began.

"I was going to say that I would send one of the sisters down to clean up," Tsukune cut her off. "I want you and Kyouko to come up stairs with me."

"Why?" Kyouko asked. "So we can see your girlfriend?"

"So you can know the whole truth," Tsukune said.

"Oh..." Kyouko blinked. She did not know what was going on, but if her cousin was willing to talk with her, she was willing to give him a chance.