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 245

In a twisted sort of way, Fairy Tail achieved its goal. The man sat on his balcony, enjoying his drink as he considered the way things had played out. The last bid for power the organization made in Japan had accelerated the inevitable decline and failure of Fairy Tail, who's goal had been to change the status quo of the human / youkai equation.

In that failed plot for power and recognition, the wrong kind of attention had fallen on Fairy Tail. Instead of fear, the organization had provoked anger. Suddenly what support the organization had enjoyed started to evaporate. It turned out that some of the people and organizations that had not supported Fairy Tail had at least avoided being in opposition to it. All of that had changed in one night. Some very powerful people had taken exception to what had been attempted.

Suddenly Fairy Tail was in the target of previously unaligned powers. Financial resources were being gobbled up by everything from a storm of legal action to simple banking errors. Branch offices were going silent. Members were disappearing, while others were breaking off, ether alone or in small gangs, and going in different directions, like rats abandoning a burning building.

The man sat on his balcony and looked over at his old headquarters. The hotel that Fairy Tail had owned on the island, as a source of income and a tool to launder money, had once been the nicest place around. It was now a half burnt shell. The office had been consumed by an electrical fire, the insurance investigation had declared. The fire and smoke had claimed many lives, including the owner's. At least the identity the man had used as the owner. Likewise his staff had been forced to start over with new names in the new hotel. Anybody who came looking for leads to Fairy Tail would find nothing useful.

Fairy Tail had set out to be an agent of change through chaos. It had reached that goal by making others take notice of it. Suddenly the darker world of youkai and human criminals was caught up in a chaotic shift in power. As Fairy Tail was purged, opportunistic individuals and groups were trying to take advantage of the frequently violent environment.

Yes, the man thought, Fairy Tail had achieved its goal of changing the world, at least a little bit. The organization and it's sympathizers were being extinguished or driven into hiding, and the man thought that the world was a better place for it.

XxxxxxX

Shuzen Issa relaxed in his office, feeling a sense of satisfaction after reading the reports from his agents. He had learned long ago that working through others could give him options in dealing with problems that would have been impossible if he had dealt with them himself. One strategy that he liked was the stick and the poisoned carrot. Once he had an intended target, he would employ the stick in the form of legal harassment through minor politicians that owed him their loyalty. When the subject was under pressure and starting to feel desperate, one if Issa'a agents would appear that could be persuaded to help the prey, for a cost. It was a setup that proved effective almost always.

The end result was that Shuzen Issa would get what he wanted. He had minor politicians that had thought that they were going to salvage their careers when some past indiscretions nearly ruined them. Businesses that had borrowed money beyond their ability to repay were easy to collect. When Issa took control of a small shipping business that was also in debt to a gangster, he had allowed himself to have a little fun.

Issa had played the part of the concerned new owner when the gangster's bill collectors had come around. He acted timid and intimidated, offered a small payment from a nearly empty till to appease the muscle. Later, after the goons had reported back to their bosses, Issa tracked them down to do a little collecting of his own. One was found by the police, a victim of a mugging that had left the man battered and empty handed, but alive with only minimal injuries. The other one was never heard from again. Shuzen had dragged out the game for most of a year. Sometimes he would take the bill collectors, other times he would just harass and rob them. The gang they were a part of had not realized that they were being set up. One pair of leg breakers had gone to report in after collecting from the 'old man,' only to find their local office had been the scene of a brawl that had left everybody broken and bleeding.

By the end of the year, the gang had suffered the loss of almost all of their people in the area. Losses that had to be replaced with new people. The gangster in charge of the area received a nasty shock when reports and money stopped coming in from the area. He was finally forced to visit the area, where he found out that Shuzen Issa had taken over. The people brought in to replace the losses turned out to belong to the vampire. The gangster was given a choice, be Issa's puppet in the criminal world, expose his failure to his bosses and hope to survive their displeasure, or start running for his life.

The gangster accepted the leash. His position within the underworld remained unharmed. His income was only reduced by a fraction, but not by more than he could explain as a drop in the local economy. In exchange, he reported to his new master regularly and made sure the operational overhead of the area was paid.

Years later that one gangster was just one of the resources that Shuzen Issa used as he set his attention against Fairy Tail. The organization had proved too unstable to be allowed to cause problems. Baited traps and snares worked best when the prey was not alarmed and fearful. Herds provided the highest yields when not panicked and stressed. What Fairy Tail had wanted was simply bad for business, as it was enjoyed by Issa and others who held power with youkai and humans alike.

In addition to their bad business sense, Fairy Tail had taken action that had endangered Issa's own person and family, and that was an affront that could not be ignored. Besides, after the rough handling he had received from Aono Tsukune, Moka's father was feeling grouchy and needed to take it out on someone.

Over the months that followed, Issa expanded his holdings by a modest amount, but that had been almost by accident. He had set himself on a goal of purging Fairy Tail from his areas of influence. The leg breakers and throat cutters had only been used when a little additional information had been needed. Issa focused on financially ruining Fairy Tail, knowing that, as they became weaker, opportunistic individuals and groups would appear. With a few words of advice to some of those scavengers, Issa would gain their gratitude and add to the torment and harassment that Fairy Tail was facing.

Issa smiled as he finished viewing the latest report to cross his desk. The majority of Fairy Tail was broken and scattered. The scavengers were squabbling over what was left. The public at large was unaware of the vicious little war that was played out in front of their willfully blind eyes. It had felt good to lash out and smash somebody.

XxxxxXxxxX

It had started out, as many such things do, as a silly idea. After hearing word of a live event not too far away, the quick thought of going to see it just for fun was inevitable. The idea of trying to meet the star of the event was just as much of an impulse as going to see the event in the first place. It was just a silly thing to be trying to do, but once she had put herself into motion, Kasumi was intent on seeing it through.

She knew it was a silly idea, but she thought it would be fun to see Kurumu putting on her little show. If things went well, Kasumi hoped that she could have a chance to visit with the younger woman for a little while. If not, then she could do a little shopping to make the trip worth while.

As it had turned out, the weather was in her favor. The rainy season was lingering, so there were fewer people interested in hanging around a shopping district to see a live event. While the weather had been supportive of Kasumi's plans, traffic was not. She finally reached the location for the event as the time for the afternoon show was approaching.

XxxxxXxxxX

As Kurumu was finishing up her afternoon performance she scanned her audience and gave them a big smile. She was less than happy about how the weather had turned out. Her audience was half men, and of those men, many were obviously there to just take pictures of her. Because the audience for her show was smaller, and women were fewer, it did make it easy for Kurumu to see a face she recognized smiling at her.

Kurumu had been looking forward to her weekend. She had plans for what she would be doing in just a couple of hours. Beyond that, she also had plans for Saturday that she hoped she could expand into Sunday as well. Seeing Tsukune's mother in the audience made Kurumu doubt that things would go the way she wanted.

Kurumu finished her show and made her way to the back stage area where her clothes and belongings waited. The first thing she did was check her phones. She wanted to make sure she had not missed something important. After making sure nobody had changed her schedule, Kurumu changed her clothes. She was just getting herself together when she heard someone call out to her.

"You ready to go baby?" Ageha called as she made her way into the changing area. There was no way a security guard or stage crew was going to stop her from seeing her daughter.

"Just about," Kurumu replied. "But I think something's come up."

"What do you mean?" Ageha asked.

"I saw someone in the audience," Kurumu explained. "Tsukune's mother is here."

"Really?" Ageha brightened. "Oh, I would so like to meet her."

"Miss Kurono," One of the stage crew called through the curtain. "There is a woman that would like to see you. She said she's related to that guy you told us about."

"I will be right out," Kurumu called back. She turned her attention to her mother. "We'll..."

Kurumu felt a moment of panic. Her mother was already going out to see Tsukune's mother. Kurumu remembered her own encounters with his mother, and was suddenly worried about what was going to come out as the two mothers met for the first time. Kurumu hurried to keep the to follow her mother.

"...Kurumu's mother," Kurumu arrived in time to hear her mother introduce herself. "I am so happy to meet you."

"Wha...?" Kasumi blinked in surprise. "Really? Me?"

"Oh my yes," Ageha beamed. "I have met your son several times, and he is a wonderful young man. You did a fantastic job of raising him."

"Well, we all do out best," Kasumi blushed.

"And let me tell you," Ageha said, her voice becoming a little firmer, and her face somber. "I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart," Ageha gave a small bow. "Tsukune saved my daughter's life. He was there when Kurumu needed him, more than once. Your son helped her to see the best in others, and he helped her to find something she could do with her whole heart."

"Tsukune..." Kasumi was stunned.

"Yes," Ageha smile brightly once more. "Tsukune is everything I could have ever wanted in a son. I am so happy that he is a part of my family now."

"Huh... wait..." Kasumi gave herself a little shake. "But Tsukune and Moka..."

"Mother," Kurumu said, reaching out to Ageha. "It's alright..."

"Oh it is perfectly alright," Ageha soothed. "I know all about Tsukune and Moka. Not only has Kurumu told me all about them, Tsukune has explained it to me as well."

"But..." Kasumi blinked. "But..."

"Mother..."

"Yes..." Ageha and Kasumi said together as the looked in Kurumu's direction.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the two women realized what had happened. They looked at each other with embarrassed smiles, and then started laughing like school girls. The tension was broken.

"Let's go get something to eat," Kurumu suggested.

Both mothers quickly agreed to the idea. The short walk to a near by restaurant gave everybody a moment to compose their thoughts. Kasumi had questions blossoming in her head with ever other step. Ageha was just tickled to meet Tsukune's mother, and thought the housewife was the perfect image of what she had expected. Kurumu tried not to stress out over all the things she could suddenly imagine going wrong. At the same time, she realized that Tsukune must feel the same way some times.

The restaurant had a both that offered some privacy, for which Kurumu was grateful. Ageha, used to restaurants and clubs, ordered appetizers and drinks before the others could finish sitting down. Kasumi was feeling caught up in the moment, and wasn't sure what she should say or do.

"Mother," Kurumu spoke up, addressing her own mother. "Please let me introduce you to Aono Kasumi. She is Tsukune's mother, and a woman I admire. She has been very welcoming and supportive of my relationship with her son." Next, she turned to Kasumi. "Mother Aono, this is my mother Kurono Ageha. She has expressed her admiration and appreciation of Tsukune many times."

"It's true," Ageha said. "I only wish that we could have talked sooner."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," Kasumi replied. "You must be so proud of your daughter."

"Oh I am, I am," Ageha nodded. "But if it wasn't for Tsukune, I am sure Kurumu would have never been so serious about her life."

"I am really happy to her you say so," Kasumi said politely. "But I am sure you give my son too much credit. He has always been a nice boy, and I am very proud of him, but Kurumu is obviously very talented."

"Thank you," Kurumu said. Hearing Tsukune's mother praise her filled Kurumu with a warm glow.

"But I have to admit," Kasumi said to Ageha. "That I am surprised that you can think so highly of Tsukune when... Well...," She shot an embarrassed look towards Kurumu. "My son doesn't seem to understand a girl's feelings."

"What?" Ageha blinked. "Oh, you mean about how he decided that it wasn't Kurumu he wanted to marry." She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "I don't care about that."

"You don't?" Kasumi asked, feeling confused.

"Kasumi... We can use first names can't we, since we're practically family..." Ageha smiled. "Kasumi, marriage is just a label, a thing. It is not a marriage that makes a couple happy. It is the love that they have for one another. Tsukune and Kurumu love each other, and that is what is important."

"But..." Kasumi began.

"I know, I know," Ageha waved away the other woman's objection. "Tsukune loves those other girls too." She gave a shrug of her shoulders. "So what? All that I care about is that Tsukune has always been there when it mattered for my daughter, and that he makes her happy."

"I'm glad that you don't have any argument with their relationship, Ageha," Kasumi said, trying to sound calm and understanding. "I would want them to be happy, but it just seems a little careless of my son."

"Mother Aono," Kurumu spoke in a soothing voice. "I understand that Tsukune loves Moka most of all, just like how I love him more than anything. Because I love him, I want him to be happy. I know I should just accept that, but I am too selfish to let go of him. I am fortunate that Moka understands my feelings and allows Tsukune and I to remain close."

Kasumi tried to understand what she was hearing. In truth, she was of two minds on the subject. As Tsukune's mother, and as a realistic, modern woman, she had trouble accepting the situation. It appeared that her son was being a playboy, taking advantage of the feelings of the women around him for his own selfishness. As a fan of television dramas, and of romance in general, Kasumi wound the situation very touching. From the perspective of someone that enjoyed unrealistic situations, Kasumi was able to see her son almost as the tragic hero, except that he had not lost something important as he collected his close following.

"I suppose I should accept some of the blame for the situation," Ageha said with a small sigh.

"Excuse me," Kasumi asked.

"You see," Ageha explained. "When I first met Tsukune, it was during the first year of school together with Kurumu. From what she had told me, I knew Kurumu was infatuated with him. When we first met, your son was a sweet boy with a cute face. I encouraged Kurumu to chase after him no matter what, even though he was already interested in someone else."

"It's natural that you would want to encourage your daughter," Kasumi nodded.

"After a while however," Ageha went on. "I thought that Kurumu should just give up on Tsukune..."

"Never," Kurumu interjected.

"... Because he just didn't seem interested," Ageha ignored the small interruption. "And that she could do better. But then last year Tsukune showed me what kind of man he could be, and how far he was willing to go for Kurumu."

"Oh," Kasumi brightened a little. "That must have been when the bad scouts had bothered her."

Ageha gaped in surprise while Kurumu made a sound that was somewhere between a giggle and a choked cough. Ageha was shocked that this woman had no clue of what had really happened. She knew from speaking with him, and Kurumu, that Tsukune's mother was not being told everything because she was only human, but this seemed impossible.

"Mother Aono," Kurumu said in a low voice. "We did not want to upset you, so Tsukune and I have not told you how bad the situation had really been. I'm sorry about that."

"Kurumu sweetheart," Kasumi turned her attention to the young woman, seeing the troubled expression on her face. "You don't have to tell me if it really bothers you, but I would appreciate it if you could tell me a little something."

"Let me," Ageha said, pulling Kasumi's attention back to her. "I was there when it happened."

"What did happen?" Kasumi asked.

"Let me start by telling you a little about me," Ageha began. She gestured to herself, and her overall appearance, which was a little too dressed up for just a day out shopping. "I never went to high school. As soon as I was old enough, I entered into the water trade here in Japan."

Ageha had never felt ashamed of what she did for a living. She even took pride in how good she was at making men happy to spend their money on her and to give her presents. But talking to Kasumi, she felt a need to use moderation in talking about her life.

"I work as a professional hostess," Ageha explained. "And I am very good at what I do. I have seen many men, young and old, make bad choices with their money to impress me, or others in my position. In fact, I make a very good living out of talking men out of their money."

"Oh..." Kasumi colored slightly as she understood what the other woman was saying.

"But not everybody in the business is as fortunate as I am," Ageha went on. "Frequently, the kinds of business hostesses work for are owned by the kinds of people you don't want to do business with. Even among those kinds of people, some are worse than other."

"I see," Kasumi said to show that she was paying attention.

"Those scouts that you mentioned," Ageha continued. "Were of the worst sort. I had gone to visit Kurumu at her school..."

"Tsukune had told be that visits to the school were restricted," Kasumi interrupted.

"Oh..." Ageha blinked, thinking fast. "Well, they are usually..." She gestured to her figure. "But I an very good at getting men to make exceptions in my case."

"Oh..." Kasumi blushed with understanding.

"As I was saying," Ageha started again. "I had plans to visit with Kurumu, and to do a little shopping together. When she missed our date, I thought that she might be with Tsukune, because she had still been interested him at the time."

"And I still am," Kurumu added with a small smile.

"So I went to talk with him," Ageha continued. "I had been a little upset thinking that my daughter had chosen to spend her time with him over me, but that wasn't what had happened."

"Oh?" Kasumi perked up, sensing that the story was about to get interesting.

"It was late by the time I found Tsukune," Ageha went on. "I woke him up and demanded to know where Kurumu was. That was when he changed in my eyes."

"What happened?" Kasumi was on the edge of her seat.

"Tsukune had just gotten out of bed to answer my pounding on is door," Ageha described the scene. "He was in his underclothes, looking foggy and still yawning when I told him Kurumu was missing. Suddenly he changed. His eyes were wide awake and his face was serious. He did not hesitate to take control of the situation."

"Tsukune?" Kasumi had a hard time picturing the scene being described.

"He sent his companion to spread the alarm while he got dressed," Ageha told the story. "He called out the Student Police to help look for Kurumu, and they came. They came and followed his orders without question. He was standing in front of them in his uniform, so serious, that I knew he was going to do everything he could to help Kurumu."

"It didn't take long," Ageha said, trying to cover the key points of what had happened without giving too much away. "Some of the students that followed Tsukune had found evidence of where Kurumu had been caught and taken away. From there, they were able to find where she had been taken to. There is a small town near their school. The scouts as you called them had taken over an old building there. They were strangers to the area and didn't fit in."

"And that was when Tsukune called the police?" Kasumi asked.

"There were no police then," Kurumu spoke up.

"There were no police to call," Ageha shook her head. "And getting them from the next town would have taken too long."

"Oh my," Kasumi's eyes were wide. "What did you do?"

"Tsukune charged the building," Ageha said in a voice that was filled with admiration. "With his friends and followers right behind him. He knew that Kurumu was in trouble, and was willing to put himself in danger to help her."

"Oh my..." Kasumi breathed, caught up in the story.

"It was horrible in there," Ageha went on in a low voice. "Kurumu had been... chained up. They had taken her clothes and started to hurt her..."

"Mother..." Kurumu protested in a small voice, her eyes shining as she remembered the pain and fear of that night.

"They were going to force her to work for them," Ageha said. "But Tsukune found her He fought the man that had been trying to... The man that had already hurt her and wanted to take her away. Tsukune overpowered him and freed Kurumu, but he had gotten hurt doing it."

"When the fighting was over," Ageha continued the story. "Kurumu and Tsukune were taken to see a doctor, while the Student Police guarded the beaten scouts until help could arrive."

"Tsukune had been injured?" Kasumi questioned.

"But he never stopped looking after Kurumu," Ageha nodded as she went on, glossing over how serious the situation had become. "Even after the doctor said they were alright, Kurumu was still hurting on the inside. She was embarrassed about what had happened. About what had almost happened, and about being seen the way she had been treated."

"Oh sweetheart," Kasumi reached across the table and took Kurumu's hand.

"I..." Kurumu sniffed. "I decided to.. to..."

"She was going to run away," Ageha supplied. "She was going to throw it all away... But Tsukune didn't let her. He refused to let her go and helped her to recover."

"Your son saved my daughter," Ageha said in a proud voice. "He protected her and rescued her and looked after her. After that time, I told him to call me mother and promised him that he would always be welcome in my home. I told him I wanted him to marry Kurumu so he could be my son, because I was so proud of him."

"Oh my..." Kasumi's eyes were shining. She was caught up in the emotions of the story. "My Tsukune?"

"My Tsukune," Kurumu said possessively.

"Our Tsukune," Ageha said with a smile.