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 256

The spring semester was going well for everybody. Kurumu's slow career advancement was keeping her work stable without too much conflict with her school. Moka's course load was heavy, but manageable. She was determined to achieve success. Tsukune and Inari were in the top ten in their classes. Everybody was working hard and doing well.

Tsukune had worked with Moka in some special, private lessons. He taught her how to use the special jump points with her car to navigate around Japan. Taking a normal vehicle through a jump took a lot of energy, end tended to leave Inner Moka tired enough to sleep all day after just a couple of jumps. It was something Moka intended to use only as needed. Kurumu tried to learn the same trick, but after only a single trip with her jeep, she had nearly fainted. After her one try she had spent the day feeling weak and nauseated, and swore she would never try it again.

Ruby found that she could use her magic to drive Tsukune's minivan through the jump points. Jumping required energy, and the practice of magic was about using and manipulating energy. She could not do it often, but Ruby could collect energy in a tool, like a crystal, and use it for jumping the minivan. She made it a point to keep a crystal charged at all times, just in case of an emergency.

x

Inari was probably the one most enjoying the spring semester. Tsukune had kept his word and taken her out on a date. It had only been two weeks after working search and rescue together when he asked her out. It had not been anything fancy, or even especially romantic. Their last lecture for the day had just finished and Inari was gathering her notes when Tsukune had extended the invitation. He simply leaned over to her with a smile and spoke up.

"Would you like to go get something to eat with me?" Tsukune had asked. "I've heard somebody mention a place near by we can try."

Inari had agreed quickly. She realized just as quickly that Tsukune was fulfilling his promise of a date in an almost sneaky way. If she had turned him down because it wasn't romantic enough he would be off the hook. At the same time, the date was not the kind that implied any serious emotional connection or intimate intent. He was playing things safe.

It turned out that the place Tsukune had heard mentioned was popular with their classmates. The restaurant was close enough to the campus to be convenient to the students. Pictures and memorabilia from countless police agencies decorated the walls. The owner of the restaurant was a retired police officer. He had visited the same establishment when he had been on the force, met the previous owner's daughter, and fallen in love with her. Between the history and the other details about the place, Police Science students from the university had made the restaurant their off-campus headquarters for meeting, studying, anguishing over grades and assignments, and celebrating good fortune.

Tsukune and Inari headed over to the restaurant together. They were just starting in on their ordered food when a trio of their classmates arrived. What had started out as a date for two turned into a larger social scene. While they did not end up sharing their table, Inari and Tsukune were not left alone. Classmates would call out as they arrived or departed. Some would come over to invite the couple to join another group.

x

That date had been the start of something. Tsukune, because of his assorted responsibilities and relationship, had always been a little distant from his university class mates. Inari was only a little closer to them herself. While the majority of the other students also had work and relationships away from campus, and understood that such things were more important than socializing, it still left Inari and Tsukune appearing stand-offish.

Things started to change a little after that first outing. Women that had been polite to Inari warmed up to her more. Men invited Tsukune to hang out more often. While the pair had been seen as a couple from the beginning, Inari was getting more support from the women she had first seen as potential rivals. By midterms, Tsukune and Inari were integrated with their classmates and were hanging out weekly to study and socialize.

In the beginning Tsukune had viewed attending university as just another responsibility he had to meet. He thought he had to get through university to further his career and to build for the future he wanted. Because it was just another responsibility, Tsukune had been narrowly focused on simply doing what was needed, wanting to avoid distractions.

Things started to change for Tsukune during the search and rescue deployment. Many in his classes were also active police officers. Others were planning to join the police after graduation. Some were going for corporate sector positions, in Japan or over seas. When they had been sent to help out with the disaster relief, jobs had been assigned to everybody that had gone. Tsukune and Inari, along with other active police officers, were assigned to the most risky task of search and rescue. The less well trained or less experienced students that had gone to help out were given jobs like helping to set up tents, and serving food. Between shifts of searching for survivors, Tsukune had seen his classmates supporting each other, talking in low voices while others slept, offering each other encouragement, and helping everybody to keep going.

Tsukune realized that he had been cutting himself off from his classmates. He had Inari with him in most of his classes, and that had been enough for him. Tsukune realized that he had not made any new friends, and that just wasn't how he wanted to live his life.

Inviting Inari out after classes one day had been about spending time with her as much as it had been about wanting to just open up a little. From there he had been able share time with his classmates and start learning about them. He was able to be friendly, but didn't have to get too close. Sharing of his personal life was safely kept to a minimum, and nobody seemed to mind.

Tsukune was gad that he had managed to open up. Making friends felt good, and it also meant that he had more people he could ask for help if he missed any classes. He admitted as much to Moka one evening as they relaxed together on her patio. The spring night was still a little too chilly for comfort, but they solved that problem by cuddling under a blanket together.

"I'm glad you can enjoy your classes," Moka said as she held him close. "But I forbid you to bring any women home with you."

"Have no fear," Tsukune chuckled. "Inari has made it her personal mission to make it clear that I am off limits."

"Good," Moka gave a nod. "Hmmm... Tsukune... Could you do me a favor?"

XxxxxX

Tsukune had a smile as he walked across the unfamiliar campus. Moka's favor turned out to be a picnic with her. Much to Ruby's irritation he made lunch for them himself. While it would not be as fancy as something Ruby could have put together, Tsukune felt confident that he had done a good job.

Moka's favor had two reasons behind it. First and foremost, she wanted to have a date with Tsukune like she had seen others do. Couples sitting together sharing lunch on lawns or benches around campus were a common sight with the spring weather. It seemed like a sweet thing to do, and Moka wanted to enjoy doing it with Tsukune. The other reason was to be seen being with Tsukune, in a romantic sense, to help make it clear to some of her classmates that her engagement ring was not just for show. For some reason there always seemed to be some guy that wanted to flirt with her.

Tsukune wasn't worried about Moka's reasons. She wanted to have a picnic lunch with him, and that was enough. In spite of jokes to the contrary, there was not an abundance of vampires studying to be attorneys, so Tsukune had no trouble finding Moka on her campus. He simply followed her directions until he was close enough to sense her presence.

They met outside the language arts department building and shared a quick hug and a kiss. Arm in arm they set out to find the place to have their lunch together. It was the kind of warm spring day that was perfect for enjoying the weather.

And then Tsukune's phone started to ring...

Tsukune endured Moka's scowl log enough to check his phone. With a dark sense of satisfaction he muted the ringer. He would check his voice mail later, but for once the world could suffer without him for a little while. He was off duty, and he was determined to enjoy at least a little of his life.

XxxxXxxxX

A week later, Tsukune was trying not to scowl. Beside him Inari was trying hard not to smile. The pair had been summoned to a meeting. It was a special meeting to arrange an escort for members of the imperial family that were going to be going on a trip over seas. It was a meeting about politics and security.

A princess of the imperial family, though not in the line of succession, was going to be getting married, and was going to travel over seas for her honeymoon. The trip was a political one, in that it showed that the princess, and by association the people of Japan, were willing to be a part of the larger world. It would show trust in the countries that she visited, and help support political friendships.

While not in line for the throne of Japan, the princess was still a member of the imperial family, and as such she was a person of national importance. The meeting had been called to arrange security for the newlywed couple for their trip. While some security would be obvious, not all measures taken were going to openly seen.

Tsukune wanted to scowl because he had been pulled into the whole affair in much the same way the Board Chairman had dropped thing on him in the past. He was going to be a part of the security arrangements, he had been told and not asked, and anything he had planned was going to have to be set aside.

Inari understood Tsukune's frustrations, but she couldn't help but feel happy about being sent on an assignment with him. The first part of the planning had been done before she and Tsukune had been summoned. Like most of the others in the room, they were there to receive assignments that had already been decided upon. One of the first things that had been told to them was that some members of the security detail would be working undercover.

The escorting personnel would be working in teams. A team of men and women would be a part of the visible security with the imperial couple at all times. Four sub-teams would work in rotation to provide the visible security presence. When names were called off to give assignments, Tsukune and Inari were put in with the group that would be working undercover.

A break was called in the meeting while everybody arranged themselves by assigned tasks. The bodyguard teams that would be working visibly came together and congratulated each other. The police officers assigned to undercover gathered and introduced themselves.

After a short break, the meeting resumed. The Imperial Guard could only have a token presence because the princess was not a part of the emperor's immediate family. It was explained that the bodyguards would travel openly with the imperial couple. They would be visible to the average person and the eyes and cameras of the press. The undercover personnel would be divided up according to their individual skills, after some crash training and evaluations.

Tsukune's attempts to avoid scowling were starting to fail. His personal life was going to be put on hold as new responsibilities were loaded onto his shoulders. When the meeting broke up for lunch, Tsukune, like many others, went to make a phone call. He had to let Moka and the others know he was going to be busy for a stretch. One of the things that irritated him the most was that he was forbidden from sharing things like how long he was going to be busy. All he was allowed to say was that he was going to be working, and that he would be free to talk when it was over.

XxxxX

Tsukune tried to keep an open mind about things. After the initial shake-up, he accepted what he could not change and tried to make the best out of it. He was unhappy about having his freedom restricted, naturally, but there was some good in the situation. Being selected for special assignments was good for his career. Any special training was also a good thing. Living in a cheep hotel paid for by government voucher wasn't bad. Tsukune, once he put his mind to it, even found some good in sharing the hotel baths with other men.

Tsukune was used to the strange decoration in his chest. The imbedded jade and surrounding black scars were things he had accepted and didn't even think much about most of the time. Like all the scars on his body, it was just another mark left on him by the events of his life. Having to share the hotel bath, Tsukune was forced to find a way to explain his strange decoration. He was given a chance to practice the use of a glamore.

From what he had read and been told, a glamore was most effective if people wanted to believe it. Tsukune realized he needed to use an explanation that would make sense to the people he was going to be bathing with. Fortunately Japan was well known for the art of tattoos. Once he had that for an explanation of what was on his chest, explaining why was much easier. He simply smiled and said that he once met a very special girl. Everybody knew that when a girl was involved, guys were capable of making very irrational choices.

Tsukune learned that keeping up a single glamore was not hard at all, once he had it built. It was all about wrapping the idea, in this case the idea that he had a tattoo on his chest, into a small bubble around what he wanted to hide. He had to concentrate on the glamore a little ever so often to keep it in place, but that was mostly to just keep the idea alive in the back of his mind.

The rest of Tsukune's scars did not need a glamore to help explain them. While he did have the most impressive collection, he was not the only police man with marks on his body. He had started to explain them with the simple mention of fighting gang members. Several of the other men had gotten into a conversation with Tsukune about scars then, theirs and his, and the stories behind them.

X

While Tsukune was making friends and sharing stories with the other men, Inari was getting to know the other women that were part of the security mission. Four of them, all close to middle age with years and years of service, were a part of the visible bodyguard teams. They would be going with the princess into restrooms and dressing rooms, and other places where men would be frowned upon. The other women in the detail were left to wonder what kind of undercover work they would be doing.

Much like the men, there were only so many roles that could be filled around the imperial couple. A personal secretary for example could follow the couple closely. A personal maid could always be on duty in the house or hotel the couple stayed at, to make sure nobody set any traps or spying devices while the couple was out. The women wondered what undercover roles were going to be available, and who would be chosen for them.

Of course speculation also included what roles the men would have. Not only did the women wonder what undercover positions were going to exist for the men, but who might be chosen for them. There was also the speculation of who was going to be partnered with who. For example, the princess' personal secretary was going to be working with her husband's personal aid. It was only natural for the women to wonder about assignments, and the opportunities for a little romance.