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 244

Ageha had been surprised to see Tsukune. It would have been different if Kurumu had been home and he was over to visit with her, but she wasn't. An even bigger surprise was that Tsukune had tracked her down at work. It had been a little before the happy hour rush, when all the hostesses were at the club, but the customers were still few. As such, having a serious young man in a riding jacket just walk in the front doors had been impossible to ignore.

Ageha had not seen who had come in, only heard the door open. As a professional hostess with a reputation and a strong following, she was not curious enough about the new arrival to leave her bar stool. Others were not so established. The new girls, still needing to prove their worth, both to the club and to themselves, were on their feet. Three of them moved towards the door in hope of landing a customer. It had not done them any good.

X

Tsukune had asked Kurumu about her mother's work schedule before he had left her that morning, so he had known when and where to find her. When he had arrived the sun had still been shining on the building so it's neon signs had been muted, almost lost in the background. The double doors into the club were closed but unlocked. When Tsukune let himself in, a well dressed doorman looked up from what he had been doing to look busy.

"Good afternoon," The doorman said with a bow. "Welcome to our club." He took on Tsukune's appearance. The light riding suit was not a common sight in the up-scale club. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes," Tsukune began. "I am loo..."

Tsukune was cut off by three young ladies in sexy dresses hurrying to welcome him. They all gave him friendly smiles as they tried not to elbow each other for position. Tsukune would have felt flattered by their attention if he had not known exactly what was going on.

"I am here to see Ageha," Tsukune said in a calm, clear voice.

The effect of his words were seen immediately. The doorman stiffened just a little. The three young hostesses deflated a little.

"Is Miss Ageha expecting you?" The doorman asked. He was used to the kind of men that usually came to see the star hostess. While the young man in front of him had the confidence he did not have the look of money or success in business that he would expect.

"No," Tsukune said. "I thought I would surprise her."

"I will have to see if she is available," The doorman said as the out of luck trio drifted away. "Who should I tell her is here to see her?"

"Aono Tsukune," Tsukune said simply.

"Wait here," The doorman tried not to sneer. He had a hard time even imagining that the best hostess of the club would recognize the young man's name. It was more likely that the visitor was an underling acting for somebody else.

It happened form time to time that a client would get a little to friendly with a hostess. Sometimes the client would think that they were entitled to special privileges. He had seen some clients send a car to pick up their favorite hostess, thinking that the woman would just follow along as if she belonged to him. The doorman thought that the young man was acting under the same kind of misconception.

The doorman went to the bar, but not directly to Miss Ageha. If the young man was going to be a problem, then there was no reason to single out the woman he was looking for. Instead, he spoke with the bartender a short distance away from the star hostess.

"Is Miss Ageha expecting anybody special tonight?" The doorman asked.

"Not that I know of," The bartender answered with a small shake of his head. "Why?"

"There is someone asking for her," The doorman answered. "But he doesn't look right."

"Trouble?" The bartender asked.

"Maybe," The doorman shrugged. "He definitely not dressed to see her."

"Did he give a name?" The bartender asked.

"Aono something," The doorman shrugged.

"Aono?" The bartender asked. "Aono Tsukune?"

"That was it," The doorman nodded.

"Tsukune?" Ageha perked up.

Seated a short distance away she had been listening in on the exchange. The club was one of the places Ageha worked at with some casual regularity. The bartender had been there for years, and she had talked with him in the slow hours in the past. The door man had never mingled with her, or much of anyone else for that matter. Once she had heard Tsukune's name, Ageha felt a giddy little rush of excitement.

"You know..." The doorman started to ask, but Ageha was off her stool and headed for the door.

"Tsukune.." Ageha called out happily as she approached him. "How are you doing?" she wrapped her arms around him in a smothering hug.

"Hello Mother," Tsukune answered in a muffled voice. "It is good to see you."

"Come in and sit down," Ageha broke the hug and started pulling Tsukune deeper into the club. "You have to tell me what brings you to see me."

Tsukune did just that. He explained about Lieutenant Tanaka's visit under the barrier. He gave Ageha as much information that he felt was important, while keeping it to what he knew and not just suspected. He wanted her to be aware, just for the sake of being informed might help avoid any trouble.

Of course Ageha being herself meant that Tsukune just couldn't have a quick conversation. He knew he could have told her everything with a letter or a phone call, but that was an impersonal way to handle things, and Ageha was a part of his family now. If he had to explain his feelings, Ageha was like a favorite aunt. She was sweet and playful, but there was something else there. It had taken Tsukune a little time to even notice it, but he had put it together from the way she showed such over the top attention to him in general, and how excited she got when he called her mother and just talked with her. Ageha, Tsukune had realized, was lonely.

In her world, as a hostess and as a youkai, true friendships and close connections were few and far between. In both cases it was out of necessity. Youkai of similar natures were often in competition for resources, such as territory and food. As a hostess, Most of the people that Ageha interacted with were only looking for a shallow relationship for their own sake. In return, she was just using them for their money, and as prey.

When Tsukune came to see her, Ageha knew that he was there because he felt it was important. He felt that she was important enough to take the time to come to her, and it was very flattering. Tsukune, young as he was, was the only man in her life that cared more about her as a person than about her looks. Is stood to reason that Ageha was happy to see Tsukune, and that she wanted to be able to show it. Since her world view was a little slanted towards the environment she made her living in, being happy meant wanting to party. What this meant was that while Tsukune had something serious he wanted to talk with her about, Ageha made what could have been a short visit into something else all together.

Thirty minutes after Tsukune had finished telling Ageha everything he had come to say, Tsukune was still in the club. Ageha had planted him on a stool at the corner of the bar. One of the other women was wearing his riding jacket and hanging on his arm while Ageha told a distorted story about the night Tsukune had lead the charge to save Kurumu. She painted him as the shining hero of a romantic fantasy.

Tsukune tried to accept the attention gracefully. He nursed his cola, kept his hands to himself, and while nodding along politely he paid close attention to make sure he didn't accidentally agree to anything. As the late afternoon patrons started to fill the club, Tsukune was the star of the party at the end of the bar.

Ageha did eventually relocate from the bar to a booth, dragging Tsukune along. While Tsukune didn't drink alcohol, he was happy to accept food. Dinner came in the form of a string of snack foods that were tasty and easy to eat with one hand.. The young women not busy with other patrons took turns visiting and trying to feed Tsukune. In the end, Tsukune's short visit took almost three hours.

"Tsukune," Ageha said in a low voice and with a small pout as Tsukune finally managed to reclaim his jacket. "I am glad you came to see me. You don't have to be a stranger just because Kurumu is busy."

"I know," Tsukune said. "But I am busy so it is hard to visit as much as I would like." He gave her a crooked grin. "I don't even visit my parents as much as my mother would like."

"Bad boy," Kurumu chided.

"Next time Kurumu has a few days off," Tsukune offered. "Why don't the three of us go out for dinner together, as a family."

"Oh..." Ageha's eyes went wide as she felt her heart flutter.

Xxxx

Hours later, as she made her way to bed, Ageha was still thinking about what Tsukune had said. He had suggested that the three of them go out together as a family. At his words, she had suddenly seen herself sitting with him and Kurumu, all three of them together. In her mind it wasn't just at a restaurant though. Ageha kept seeing the three of them over and over again, out in public and at home. Sometimes Kurumu would be in an apron, or all three of them were in house robes. The more she thought about it, the more the idea of family made her feel good inside.

Yes, Ageha decided, she did want to be a part of a loving family. She remembered when she had first had Kurumu, holding her as a tiny baby. Suddenly she found herself looking forward to being a grandmother. Tsukune had a warm and loving heart that he shared with Kurumu. As her mother, Ageha would also get to share in his warmth. As she fell asleep, she had a smile on her lips. Yes, she would be a part of a Tsukune's family.

XxxxxxxxxXxxX

Tsukune returned home later than he had planned. He knew he would be in trouble for that, in spite of calling ahead to let Moka and Ruby know that he was still alive and well. However, the trouble he had imagined had been significantly less than he actually received.

Tsukune had forgotten to pay attention to one little detail while he had been visiting with Ageha. While he had been allowing himself to relax a little with Kurumu's mother, a young hostess had worn Tsukune's jacket, trying to look cute as she hung off of him, ether to win points from the star hostess, or for some other reason. The result of her actions were to leave a scent that was just a little to strong for just casual contact.

Moka trusted Tsukune, but did not trust strange women around him. The thought that he had been out where others could be hanging all over him made her feel jealous and angry, because she wanted to be the one hanging all over him and had not been. Of course there was nothing to be done about the young hostess, but Tsukune was there for her to express her feelings to.

It had started with a hug. Tsukune had just gotten home and handed his jacket to Ruby when Moka had embraced him. Both women caught the scent of sweet perfume and cosmetics, but the handled it differently. Moka started by giving Tsukune a hard look.

"What have you been doing, Tsukune?" Moka had demanded.

Tsukune gave Moka a full report of his time as he settled onto his couch. He knew that Moka was a little insecure at times, and it was flattering that she was willing to him talk about nothing important. He shared how he had been treated at the club, including the reception by the doorman and other young hostesses that had been around. Tsukune made sure to even tell Moka about asking Ageha if she would like to go out with him and Kurumu some time.

"But why was it necessary for one of them to wear you jacket?" Moka in a cool voice.

"I did not ask," Tsukune said clearly. "I don't pretend to understand most women, and I did not want to give the impression that I was paying attention to the one with my jacket. I thought that if I did, it would ether turn out embarrassing, or maybe give her some idea to do something else."

"Sometimes I wonder," Moka said. "If I should start going everywhere with you, just to keep other women away from what is mine."

"Alright," Tsukune said with a small nod.

"What?" Moka blinked.

"Go everywhere with me," Tsukune said as he reached for her hand. "Always be there with me where ever I am. Be a part of my life in everything I do." He gave her a crooked smile as he held up her left hand, putting the engagement ring in her field of vision.

"You..." Moka growled, not just at his teasing, but because of the emotions running through her at the moment.

"For now," Tsukune wiggled his eyebrows. "Since I obviously need to wash away somebody's perfume, I think I'll take a bath."

"Good idea," Moka said.

"Do you want to come along," Tsukune wiggled his eyebrows at her. "To make sure nobody tries to take what is yours?"

Moka pushed him off the couch.

XxxxxxxX

Ruby was also unhappy about Tsukune coming home smelling like a strange woman. Ruby would have liked to grill Tsukune a little over his way with strange women as well, but that was not appropriate behavior for a slave to show her master. She knew that she would have to get her digs in at Tsukune later, when she complained about how much effort it took her to clean his riding jacket, and other things, that carried the smells of the club.

In truth it took very little effort to get everything clean and odor free. Modern cleaning agents and a little magic worked wonders together. When it was clean, Ruby hung the jacket up where Tsukune would expect it to be. The rest of his clothes could wait until the morning to be put away. She would let Moka and her master have their uninterrupted time together. After listening at the door to confirm that they were in fact enjoying each others company, Ruby retreated to her own room to wait for morning and her chance to be of service to Tsukune once more.