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, then you should not read this.

Chapter 280.

"Come on in," Tanak said as he lead Tsukune into his office. "And close the door."

Tsukune followed the older man's instructions. He then stood patiently as Tanaka threw himself into his chair behind the desk. It was easy to see that he was stressed out about something. His suit was spotless, as usual, but his tie was crooked from being pulled at, and his collar was damp with sweat in spite of the office being cool.

"I need something from you," Tanaka growled. "You and those 'other' people you hang around with."

"What is going on?" Tsukune asked, his face and voice serious.

"Yesterday afternoon," Tanaka explained with a sour expression. "My daughter and that Ken you introduced her to..." He shot Tsukune a glare, daring him to argue the point. "Joined my wife and I for dinner. At the end of it, they stood up, held hands, and announced that they were going to get married."

"Congratulations," Tsukune offered.

"Ri-i-i-i-ight," Tanaka drawled. "He helped save her life, and he has shown himself to be a hard worker, so I really can't object. My wife is another story. Ever since we got home from Ross' son's wedding, Lily was been looking forward to this. She is ready to go all out in planing Iris' wedding."

"This is where you come in," Tanaka continued. "My wife knows she has to keep some things a secret, but she managed to tell some things about that last wedding to some of her friends. Now she wants to do something spectacular so they will know she wasn't exaggerating." He sagged into his chair and took a deep breath. "I need to know how much would it cost to have some of your friends do their ice art for my daughter's wedding?"

"I will have to talk with Mizore," Tsukune said. "Next time I visit, I will ask about who did what and see if they are interested." He thought for a moment. "When do you think it will be?"

"Right after the new year," Tanaka grumbled.

"I should be able to manage something for you by then," Tsukune said with a thoughtful nod. He realized that Mizore might not be available so soon after her next baby was born. And Jessie's Yuki, Mizore had informed him, was also already pregnant. If he asked nicely, Tsukune was sure Tsurara would know who could help out.

"Thank you," Tanaka offered a tired nod.

XxxxXxxxX

The rest of the week insisted on throwing surprises Tsukune's way. Tuesday, Tsukune arrived home to find Shiro waiting for him. Tsukune did not need to read the note she carried to know what was going on. He hurried to Mizore's side. She was still early in her labor, and was dealing with it better than her first one by far.

Mizore was once again in her bed, surrounded by other women. Tsurara, the midwife, and two attendants were seeing to her every need. When Tsukune entered they all gave him a polite welcome as he moved to Mizore's side. He would never say anything about it to anyone, but as he took her hand he got a good look at his Winter Wife and was sure she had taken the time to apply a little makeup. When the contractions came, Mizore tried to remain stoic, but her deathgrip on Tsukune's hand told him that she was in as much pain as before. He wanted to tell her she was being silly, but knew better. At that moment, if he said the wrong thing, he was sure Mizore would make him regret it for a long, long time to come.

It turned out to be a long labor. It was after midnight, so the next surprise of the week arrived early Wednesday. After a long, hard contraction, everybody was rewarded by the cry of a baby.

"It's a, a girl," The midwife announced.

A flurry of activity followed. The baby girl was cleaned, weighed, and measured, and then wrapped in swaddling and handed to Mizore. Tsukune had not missed the small hitch in what the midwife had said. When the baby was handed to Mizore he looked for the cause of it. The baby was tiny and pale, with a head of white hair as fine and spider's silk. And the iris of here eyes were blood red.

Mizore only had a moment to enjoy her baby when she was struck by another contraction. In normal delivery, after the baby is born, a few more contractions are expected as the afterbirth is expelled. But the pain Mizore felt with her contraction was greater than what she had experienced before. Everybody in the room cold feel the spike in Warmth, in life energy. There was another baby yet to be born.

All through Mizore's pregnancy, everybody had felt the strong life energy within her. They took it to mean that her baby would be strong and healthy. As her pregnancy advanced, it was even speculated that she would deliver a rare boy that would actually be able to thrive in their cold home environment. But now it was clear that this was something different. The baby in Mizore's arms and the one still within her body shared identical auras of Warmth.

As if the second child was afraid of being left behind, it was delivered in just two more contractions. Twins were a rare thing among the snow fairies. Fewer still were ones where both were healthy and strong enough to survive, especially in the cold climate. The midwife was anxious as she caught hold of the second baby.

"Another girl," She announced.

The second baby was treated to the same ritual as the first. It was cleaned up, measured up, wrapped up, and then handed to Mizore as well. As pale as its twin, the second baby girl had hair as black as coal, and the same eyes as her sister.

Tsukune was ushered out of the room at that point. He had been through it before, so he wasn't bothered by it. He knew that the women were going to clean things up, and help Mizore freshen up a little. When he was allowed back in, the babies and their mother were cuddled together. With a little juggling they were both being breast fed at the same time. Tsukune went to the bedside and leaned over to give Mizore a kiss.

"You are wonderful," Tsukune said with a smile.

"I was hoping to give you a son," Mizore said with an exaggerated pout.

"They are our children," Tsukune reassure her. "And that is all that counts. I love them, and their mother."

"Are you sure you are not disappointed?" Mizore asked, wanting to tease some more attention and affection out of Tsukune, not because she was worried that he would be upset about having daughters.

"Mizore," Tsukune said with a smile. "I am thrilled. We have four beautiful daughters. And as they grow up, I pray that they will be as smart, and as creative, and as brave, and as wonderful as their mother."

XxxxxxxxxxX

When Tsukune returned to headquarters, it was late Wednesday. He looked a little rumpled and warn but was awake and energetic. At lunch he would make the required phone calls, but first he had to see to his work.

"I am surprised you were late," Tanaka said when he saw Tsukune enter. "That is a first for you."

"Mizore went in to labor yesterday," Tsukune informed the older man. "I was up most of the night with her."

"How is she doing?" Tanaka asked.

"They are all doing fine," Tsukune grinned as he pulled out his phone. "Mizore delivered twin girls." He held out his phone to show off a picture of mother and babies.

"Congratulations," Tanaka smiled. "That's four daughters now, right?"

"That's right," Tsukune nodded. "And I am going to raise them to be so strong and special that no boy will have the courage to talk to them."

"Good luck with that," Ito snorted.

Of course word quickly got around the office. Officer Yamada offered Tsukune polite congratulations, but his heart was not in it. The two snow maidens that were interested in him had both made it clear that they wanted children. With the news of twins being born, he thought that the pair of women were likely to be more motivated than before. There was just something about seeing babies that made woman want to have more babies.

During lunch, Tsukune sent out notification of the births to the people he thought would like to know. To Kurumu, Ageha, and his own mother, Tsukune sent an email with a picture of mother and babies attached. Inari, who had been pulled into another section of headquarters, was notified in person. She had been put to work helping to write a general briefing about Tate no Kai to be sent out to all police offices in Japan.

She congratulated Tsukune, happy for his sake, and tried not to let her pain and jealousy show. She did get a small measure of happiness for herself out of the exchange. She was important enough to Tsukune that he wanted to share the news with her.

Before his lunch break was over, Tsukune's phone started ringing. A quick check of the caller ID informed him that it was his cousin calling. He was a little surprised, and wondered what Kyouko could want with him. The both had very separate lives and didn't have much occasion to talk to each other.

"Moshi moshi," Tsukune answered his phone.

"Tsukunee!" Kyouko's voice blasted across the connection. "What are you trying to do to me!?"

"Kyou..." Tsukune tried to talk.

"It's bad enough that I have to listen to mom and aunty go on and on about my love life," Kyouko complained. "But now this? I'm not even thinking about marrying anybody right now, and my mother wants to know when she will get to hold grandchildren. What are you trying to do to me?"

"Kyouko," Tsukune said sharply to get her to stop talking for a moment. "I sent a message to my mother. It is not my fault if your mother got worked up over it."

"But it's still your..." Kyouko tried to protest.

"Fine," Tsukune snapped. "Was there something you wanted to talk about? Or are you just calling to complain?"

"Since when to I need a reason to call a member of my family?" Kyouko demanded.

"Since I am at work and I only have a little free time," Tsukune answered.

"Oh..." Kyouko said. "Alright.. But call me soon. Alright?"

"Alright," Tsukune agreed. "Take care and I'll call you this weekend."

"You take care too," Kyouko said before hanging up.

Tsukune put his phone away with a sigh. He had work to finish before he could go home and talk to Moka. He was looking forward to talking to her before getting a good night's rest.

XxxxxxxxX

Thursday's surprise was a mild one, as such things went. While he had gone to bed alone, after visiting with Moka and giving her some kisses and a drink from his veins, she had decided that she wanted a little more from him. It was still early, but only a few minutes before his usual time to wake, when Moka decided to pay him a visit. Tsukune woke up as soon as she entered the bedroom, sensing her presence. He lifted his head only a fraction as he crack his eyes to see what she was doing.

Moka was in a playful mood that morning. She was dressed, almost, in one of Tsukune's old school shirts, showing off her long, slender legs. In her hands was a serving tray with something covered by a white cloth. She glided gracefully, seductively across the room.

"Good morning," Tsukune offered.

"Good morning," Moka smiled. "I thought it would be fun to have breakfast in bed."

"It's Thursday," Tsukune blinked as he sat up in bed.

"So now I have to wait until the weekend to see the man I love?" Moka asked with a raised eyebrow. "Do you plan to make me just your weekend wife?" She stood at the edge of the bed, holding the tray that could become a weapon. "I've heard of men becoming so busy with their work that people say they are married to their job. Tsukune, are you going to do that to me? Are you going to so busy working that I am just going to be the mistress?"

She had a scowl on her face as she spoke in a hurt tone of voice. Tsukune was reasonably sure that she was just teasing him, but decided to play it safe. He scooted up and over in the bed, making room for her as he put himself in a position to be able to lean back while sitting up.

"Moka," Tsukune admonished. "You know that you will always be first in my life."

"You say that," Moka returned as she set the tray over his lap. "But sometimes I wonder. You go on dates with Kurumu, you visit with Mizore. Tsukune, I want you to spend more time with me."

"It would be my pleasure," Tsukune smiled. "Was there something you had in mind?"

"That's your job," Moka said as she slipped into bed beside him. She continued as she pulled the cloth off the tray to reveal Tsukune's breakfast, a small pitcher of orange juice and a hefty omelet. "I want you to plan a nice date for us. Maybe something we can do together for a whole weekend."

"Alright," Tsukune agreed.

"Good," Moka smiled. "Now eat your breakfast. You need to keep your protein up."

XxxX

The rest of Thursday went well enough. More paper work. More case reviews. There was a quick run out to a love hotel that Tate no Kai did a smash and splash raid on. That meant a few extra hours of watching security camera recordings, but nothing significant came out of any of it. The raids were happening about once a week, but the media was downplaying them as much as possible. Tate no Kai wanted attention, and the police did not want to play their game.

The police were looking for patterns, hoping to find a way to anticipate a raid, instead of just reacting to them. Even just learning how the raids were planned out in advance would be of some help. Unfortunately, nobody was coming forward as a witness with any useful information, yet.

Friday started out as more of the same. It looked like another long day in the offices. But then the surprise of the day appeared. Tsukune received a phone call from Ageha just after two in the after noon.

"Hello?" Tsukune answered the phone, surprised that Kurumu's mother was calling him.

"Oh Tsukune," Ageha's voice came out of the speaker. "Sweetheart, I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time."

"I am at work right now, Mother," Tsukune said in a pleasant voice.

"Excellent. Wonderful," Ageha cheered. "That's exactly what I was calling you about. Do you know the hotel that was attacked yesterday?"

"Yes..." Tsukune answered, curious but cautious.

"Well it happens to belong to a good friend of mine," Ageha went on. "She had been elsewhere yesterday, but when she got back, well... As you can imagine, she was not happy about what happened."

"I can imagine," Tsukune nodded.

"Well she decided to do a little... assertively asking around," Ageha explained. "And she found some information she wants to pass along to you."

"We left a number with the manager if they had anything they wanted to report," Tsukune said.

"Sweetheart," Aheha almost sighed. "I know that you work with the police, but my friend wants to talk to you. You already know some things, and my friend doesn't want to have to explain too many details to someone she doesn't know."

"Ahhh," Tsukune nodded. "I understand. When and where does she want to meet?"

"She is waiting for you at the hotel now," Ageha told him. "I told her that I would be doing her a favor by getting you to talk with her right away."

"I see..." Tsukune made a sour face. Kurumu's mother was collecting a little youkai political credit by calling him. He really didn't mind, as long as she didn't make a habit of it. He did not like being manipulated or used, but this time it would help him, so he wasn't going to let it bother him. "I will go right there."

"Thank you soo much dear," Ageha gushed. "You're such a sweetheart. Just ask for her at the front desk. Her name is Maryann."

"Maryann?" Tsukune blinked. "Alright."

"Take care now," Ageha said. "And be sure to come by for a visit soon. I miss you."

"Yes Mother," Tsukune said with a roll of his eyes. "Be safe." Tsukune ended the call before Ageha could get too motherly.

Tsukune quickly sought out Lieutenant Tanaka. The other man was glad to hear of a possible lead. He was eager to go along as well, though he did hesitate for an instant when he learned that it was one of 'those things' kind of lead.

XxxX

Tanaka liked to think he was an open minded man. He didn't have anything personally against the youkai. To him they were just another slice of the population, or so he kept telling himself. Mostly he just liked to know who around him might have some kind of super special ability. Either so he could watch out for problems, or use their talents to solve problems.

Meeting the informant was an eye opener for the career police officer. Maryann was a character that stood out in lots of ways. For one, she made no pretense at being the smallest part Japanese, or even asian in general. Maryann was a tall woman, one hundred seventy five centimeters tall, with bright blue eyes, shocking red hair, and a figure that could in no way be natural, 105cm-32cm-60cm, at least not natural for a human.

Once Tsukune vouched for Tanaka, Maryann was willing to share what she had learned. She had actually been in Hawaii when the attack on her love hotel had happened. When she got back to Japan she set to the task of learning all she could about what had happened. Her methods included using a potent mix of Charm and Illusion to pick the minds of people that frequented the area. She even tracked down some of her regular guests, women that would bring men to the love hotel for 'compensated dates.' Those same women would have hidden from the police, but Maryann knew her stuff too well for her prey to get away.

By questioning locals that had not talked to the police, Maryann was able to gather some interesting pieces of information. Combined with what the police knew, a more complete picture was forming. The whole exercise involved teamwork and planning.

It was done in stages. First was the approach. A cab service had dropped off two men at one end of the block, while another pair was dropped off at the other end. Then came the final preparation of the team. They walked to the love hotel where a fifth man had been carrying a box. From the box the men had taken what the needed for the raid. While the fifth man quickly retreated to a safe distance, the raiders rushed into the love hotel. It was likely that the fifth man was also a look-out. When the men left the hotel, they did not stay together. The escape stage was done in a way to keep them from standing out. Some out the front, the rest out the back, and each going a different direction.

The information was valuable, even if the way it was collected was unorthodox. On the trip back to headquarters, Tanaka was already planning on how to use what he had just learned. By checking with the taxi companies, he hoped to locate where them men had started out from. It was possible, just maybe, that it would lead to some arrests. There was also a chance to find more members of Tate no Kai.

"The added bonus," The lieutenant explained as they returned to his office. "Is if we can track down the guilty men, after they thought they had gotten away with their attack, it will make others think twice. We might actually disrupt their actions. It is their confidence in being able to escape that punishment that makes them bold enough to stage their raids."

"And if they get arrested," Tsukune replied, "It puts a new kind of pressure on the others."

"Exactly," Tanaka nodded.

"I am sure it will help your work in stopping Tate no Kai," Tsukune said.

Tanaka paused at Tsukune's words. He heard what the younger man was saying. It was a reminder that Tsukune's time working as a police officer was about to come to an end.

"You know I am still unhappy about you leaving," Tanaka grumbled.

"I am not completely happy either," Tsukune returned.

"Then why..." Tanaka began.

"But if I don't do it," Tsukune continued. "If I don't commit and do it now, I may never make the changes in my life that I need to. If I postpone things once..." Tsukune gave a small shake of his head. "It would be best if I just make it happen now, instead of possible regretting that I waited."

Tanaka sighed and nodded his head. The words changed, but since Tsukune had turned in his resignation, the two men had shared the same conversation four times so far. At least Tsukune's answer was more thought out than Lieutenant Sansai's. She just put on a look of conviction and said she had promised Tsukune that she would always support him.

Tsukune gave the older man a sympathetic smile and a shrug of his shoulders. He really did want to help, but he needed to make his own path in life. Moka would be starting her law career in about a year. Tsukune was hoping to be able to marry her then, but first he needed to be established as a successful man on his own. He was determined to prove that he had what it took to be her husband.

When the work day was over, Tsukune headed home, feeling a sense of nervousness. When he traded looks with Inari in the elevator, he knew she was feeling some of it too. They were both going to miss some good things about being a part of the police.

XxXxX

Friday's 'surprise' was kind of anticlimactic. Tsukune had seen it coming. It was the going away, good luck with the future, congratulations party. Tsukune had known it was coming, not only was it just such a common thing, but because he had noticed too many people around headquarters whispering excitedly when they though he wasn't aware of them. The surprise was not even the large size of the party, because most people were interested in a chance to have fun. The surprise was the way it was put together, and the way Tsukune had been invited to attend.

It was still early afternoon when Inari had come to see Tsukune. She had been working in another part of the building, doing what she could to make sure the people left working the investigation of Tate no Kai would had good information to use. When she tracked down her captain there was a pair of office women trailing along.

"Captain," Inari had addressed him. "Would it be acceptable for me to leave ahead of you today?"

"If you want," Tsukune answered, looking up from his reports to give her a small smile and a nod. "Enjoy yourself."

"Thank you," Inari replied. "I will see you later."

She left with her companions. Tsukune reasoned that they were the advanced squad. They would get to the restaurant or bar first to make sure everything was set up. The reasons for Inari to be included were her familiarity with her captain, and because of all the wild gossip and speculation about them as a couple.

Tsukune put the topic from his mind. He wanted to finish reviewing his reports before the end of the day. Leaving incomplete reports would slow the investigations, and it would make Tsukune look sloppy. He was leaving the police, but he still had his professional pride, and his reputation to protect. He was into the last hour of the work day when he heard Tanaka on the phone.

"Right now?" Tanaka demanded. "Are you sure?... And this cannot wait?... Alright. We will be there as soon as we can."

Tsukune closed of the report he was reviewing and put it with the others in a neat stack. He stood up and gave himself a little shake to help the circulation. He was ready to go when Tanaka called to him.

"We have a report of something happening," Tanaka said, almost not sounding like he was reading a script. "I know you want to leave on time, but you're not out of the police yet. Let's go."

"I know," Tsukune replied.

The two men made a quick trip to their destination. Police cars have ways of getting through traffic that are usually reserved for more serious occasions. The restaurant did not look particularly impressive, except for two patrol cars in front, and a uniformed police office trying to look busy with a note pad.

"Good place for the party," Tsukune said as the got out of the car.

"What?" Tanaka blinked.

"It's my last day," Tsukune counted off facts. "Farewell parties are very common. I know Inari is in there, and she left early. And I have never, ever, heard you ask if something could wait when something was reported in to you."

"Oh," Tanaka grimaced a little.

"Do I need to act surprised when we go in?" Tsukune asked. "Or do you think it will be alright if I just smile."

"Just smile," Tanaka answered.

"You should know," Tsukune said as they walked into the restaurant. "I am surprised you used the lights and siren just to get to a party."