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 285.

Tanaka Iris arrived at the park where her wedding was going to held and felt her heart flutter in excitement. Her parents had been tight lipped about the arrangements they had been making, even with each other, leaving their daughter a little worried about the possible end result. When she saw what had been set up her breath had caught in her throat.

"Oh.." Lily gave a small gasp of appreciation. She and Ito had agreed on a division of labor in planning their daughter's wedding, but both of them had been holding back details to maximize the surprise they hoped to show Iris.

Lily had been happy that her husband had been willing to help with the wedding plans at all. She had asked him to try to help get some 'artists' from the wedding they had attended up north. Ito had said that he would look into it. A few days later he told Lily that he would take care of finding a location for the wedding. The next week he said that he had arranged for a caterer. He refused to give any more information than that.

Lily was glad to have her husband's support, even if he was being unnecessarily mysterious about what he was arranging. As for herself, is was only natural that she not over burden Ito with all the tiny details that she and Iris had to work on. After the invitations had gone out, Lily told her husband how many guests to expect, updating the number from time to time. Beyond that, the couple worked nearly independent of each other.

Lily had worked with her daughter on the selection of a wedding dress. From there the woman had chosen center pieces and linen for the reception tables. She decided on the floral arrangements and even found a band for after the ceremony. Even the most Western inspired parts of the wedding and reception would have Japanese touches.

Lily and Iris had arrived at the location Ito had arranged by limo. Lily had looked up the address of the location as soon as she finally squeezed the information out of her husband. She had worried that the park would not live up to expectations, but when she got out of the limo, she had to admit that her husband had outdone himself.

Late January was not usually the time of year for an outdoor wedding, but Ito had put things together in a way that would work well. A large sectional tent had been set up to be the reception hall. With the canvas walls with their plastic windows in place to block any wind, the tent would be kept warm with heaters and the body heat of the guests. One side of the tent was left open at the moment however. Workers were finishing the setup inside the tent, while outside, in clear view of the open side of the tent was an ice sculpture that took the breath away.

The center piece of the sculpture was a life-sized shrine. While the whole thing was not as large or as impressive as the one for Jessie's wedding, it was still a sight worth seeing. From the center shrine, a wall of ice carved with rose vines and blossoms extended to the left and right, surrounding most of the area reserved for the wedding party. The early morning sunlight was making everything sparkle. Already spectators who were going about their normal morning routines were discovering the sculpture that had appeared overnight.

"Is it acceptable?" Ito said as he approached. He had arrived earlier to make sure the setup went smoothly.

"Oh honey..." Lily gave him a warm smile with tears making her eyes sparkle. He had gone above and beyond for the sake of their daughter.

"Thank you," Iris crashed into her father, hugging him tightly.

XxxX

Iris was so happy with her wedding day that she smiled until her face went numb. Ken had looked strong and romantic in his wedding kimono. The Shinto priestess that had performed the wedding blessings projected a sense of calm and peacefulness that helped settle Iris' wedding jitters. She had to admit that she had the prefect wedding.

Everything was more than she could have wished for. The setting was so beautiful and special that people were showing up to just take pictures. A local news crew even stopped by to shoot some footage. The guest list was a little shy on family, because hers was small and Ken's were too uncomfortable with human cities to be able to make the trip. The guest list was filled with friends. Many of both Ken's and Iris' classmates were in attendance. Some of Ito's coworkers also attended the reception. Ross visited with his wife, because she would never had forgiven him if she had missed out. Of course Tsukune was once again a guest of honor. This time it was Moka who was with him in the roll of the match making couple.

The reception was a success for many reasons. The food was fantastic. The live music well performed. The weather cooperated all day, letting the play of sunlight on the ice project reflected rainbows in all directions. Kurumu and Tsukune were both known celebrities in the media, which added additional flare to the event. Iris was able to enjoy her special day, and as a bonus, she was confident in the knowledge that most of her friends and classmates would never have a chance to have a wedding anywhere near as special as her own.

XxX

XxxX

A few days after the wedding, while enjoying the comfort of his office, Tsukune decided that he liked his new status. His company was making good money and he was not even forced to work hard, most of the time. He was free to work on growing his company until something came up. Between his personal and professional connections he was able to gather information from all over. His network of personal connections seemed to grow almost daily.

Tsukune had paid Ageha a visit shortly after all the contracts had been signed. Tsukune explained his new role in the Tate no Kai investigation team to her and asked her if she knew anybody that might hear things. Ageha was more than happy to help Tsukune with his work.

Ageha was a part of the Water Trade, which Tate no Kai was set on exploiting. Tsukune's new status of working with the police, while no longer being a part of the police, made him the perfect tool to help Ageha protect her little nitch in society. She jumped at the opportunity that she had been handed.

"Tsukune," Ageha said with a slow, almost predatory smile. "I am so happy you asked for my help." She leaned in almost close enough to kiss him. "I know just the people for you to talk to. Let me make a few calls to set up a meeting."

"Thank you very much," Tsukune leaned forward and gave her a small kiss on the cheek.

X

Ageha applied herself to the task with happy enthusiasm. She had an extensive network within the Water Trade. Her connections were not just with coworkers, but with those that were in competition with her for men. Some were human, others were not. In a way they made up a society of their own, and with Tate no Kai trying to hurt them, or take advantage of them, they were ready to close ranks and work together. In just a few weeks Ageha was the effective leader of an army of eyes and ears.

Ageha was surprised at how quickly things got out of control, and then fell into place. Three weeks after Tsukune had come to her for help she called him to a meeting. It was only mid morning but the club was packed. Men and women sat or stood in small groups all around the club. Some mingled while others stood apart. There was no music playing. The bar was not officially open, but drinks were available to any who asked. When Tsukune entered the club he could not ignore the spiritual pressure from the assembled predators

Tsukune knew that most of the people he was there to meet with were human, but they were all predators. They preyed upon men and women for money, sex, spiritual energy, or less savory things. They were all predators, but they all followed a complex set of social rules. Tsukune wondered idly as he walked among them about how comfortable he was among the kind of people most people were cautioned to avoid.

What Tsukune could not see was the expression on his own face. He could not feel his own aura as he walked through the club. He was a hunter in a room of scavengers. He had killed, and it colored his presence. Some of those gathered were door men, bouncers and professional toughs. They tried to posture a little to show they were not intimidated by the young man they had all gathered to meet. Women watched him with measuring eyes, looking to see if his calm confidence would be shaken by his audience. Would he flinch away from the flexing muscles of the men. Would his eyes linger in distraction over a bare leg or exposed patch of cleavage?

"Thank you for coming," Tsukune began. "I want to ask you all to help bring down Tate no Kai..."

XxxX

"That went well," Tsukune said an hour later. The meeting had not been very long. Most of those that had gathered had places to be at soon enough. Some had other meetings to attend, to pass on what had been discussed to those that could not meet Tsukune in person.

"If you say so," Ageha said with a sigh. "Who would have thought everybody would want to meet up so early?"

"Thank you for your help," Tsukune offered. "I really appreciate what you did to make this happen."

"How much do you appreciate it?" Ageha questioned. She gave him a calculating look.

"Enough to offer to take you out to lunch," Tsukune offered.

"Lunch?" Ageha blinked, putting on a small pout. She was feeling disappointed that he wasn't playing along with her. She understood that he was not going to get flustered and tongue-tied like he did when he was a boy, but he could at least act a little excited.

"Do you not want to go to lunch with me, Mother?" Tsukune put on a little pout of his own.

"Huh? Wha.." Ageha stammered, looking at Tsukune's suddenly cute and innocent face. Then what he was doing hit her. "Tsukune..." She laughed. "You are horrible!"

"I know. I'm sorry," Tsukune made a sad face. "I am no good for anything. I keep telling Kurumu that she could do better."

Ageha was caught between amusement and horror. Tsukune looked and sounded so sincere that she was almost afraid that he was going to brake up with Kurumu. It felt like he was trying to break up with her.

"Oh no you don't" Ageha demanded, still shaking with laughter at how well he was playing with her. "Kurumu's not giving up on you, and neither am I. Do you here me Tsukune? You are the best thing that ever happened to my daughter, and everybody knows it."

"Yes Mother," Tsukune replied with a sly smile. "Whatever you say, Mother."

"Stop that!" Ageha couldn't contain her laughter. "Let's go get lunch."

XxxX

The network of informants grew quickly. The high end hostesses, like Ageha, had 'friends' who had resources of their own. One man owned a trio of car washes, for example. While these businesses were not on the Tate no Kai hit list, most of his employees were in the lower income range that the organization liked to recruit from. A few afternoons being friendly with his underlings, buying lunches and casually talking about 'his concerns for their safety from those violent criminals,' uncovered a lead on a possible Tate no Kai recruiter.

The man shared his news with his favorite hostess. The woman treated him to some extra affection and passed word on to Ageha. From Ageha the information went to Tsukune. Because the information was unsupported rumor, it was up to Tsukune to investigate the it before reporting to either of his clients.

The clothes he wore to track the rumor down had been carefully chosen. Ruby had put the outfit together with the same care and attention to detail as any of her own costumes. It was a well made but cheep looking suit. It was frayed at cuffs and collars enough to suggest that it had seen more than a few years of wear, without looking like someone was living and sleeping in it. Worn without a tie, the collar was open enough to show the thin, gold chain Tsukune wore. The chain could easily be a play to ego, or an attempt to appear better off than the suit suggested. The chain, because it was in contrast to the suit, was the perfect eye-catching accessory for a Glamore to be woven around.

The spell carried a simple suggestion. It was powerful because it was a suggestion that was easy to believe, because people wanted to accept it. Those that saw the chain were encouraged to believe that Tsukune was not worth noticing. He was a nobody. He was just another un-special person among a crowd of other unremarkable people. He was just another body with nowhere better to be but a cheep bar on a Wednesday night.

He sat at a small side table nursing a mug of beer as he watched and waited. A working girl gave him a look and a smile, but he looked away, acting embarrassed. Another barfly took the other seat at the table, but they never spoke.

The bar never got especially busy that night. It was close to closing when Tsukune finally left. He was back the following evening looking just as un-special as ever.

After three nights, he had learned the names of the bartender, who also owned the bar, both waitresses, and all four of the working girls that frequented the neighborhood and visited the bar. The bartender quickly learned that the man that called himself Hito was looking for a place to waste time. The television over the bar was tuned to a sports network. Between that and a nightly beer, Hito seemed content to sit for a few hours.

"You look lonely," One working girl said to 'Hito' Saturday evening.

Tsukune just looked into his mug and shrugged.

"I'm feeling a little lonely tonight too," The woman said as she took the other seat at the small side table. "Would you mind buying me a beer?"

Tsukune just shrugged his shoulders again. That was enough of a consent for the woman. She flashed a hand at a waitress and another beer was brought to the table. Tsukune fished a thin wad of cash from his pocket and paid for the beer.

"You're so sweet," The working girl said as she lifted her beer. She drank half of it in one pull. "Ahhh..." She made a show out of enjoying her drink.

Tsukune studied her carefully. He knew that she expected him to look at her, and that she was trying to pretend that she was not watching him. He let himself be seen openly looking at her for a moment. The woman was dangerously close to middle aged, but was hiding it, or at least trying to, with makeup and hair dye. Her clothes were a little to flashy to be the regular work clothes they almost resembled. She was trying to attract attention, without attracting too much attention.

"I'm Kokasan," The working woman introduced herself. "Thank you for the beer."

"Hito," Tsukune said with a bored, almost smile.

"You know..." Kokasan leaned towards him with a small smile, giving him a look down her blouse. "You don't have to be lonely if you don't want to be."

"Not lonely right now," Tsukune said in a low voice.

"So what do you do, Hito?" Kokasan asked.

"Security," Tsukune shrugged.

Kokasan saw that 'Hito' was not interested in her services. She worked on her beer slowly as she watched for another man to hit up. It wasn't long before her mug was empty.

"Well thanks for the drink," Kokasan said as she stood up. "Maybe I'll see you later."

"See ya," Tsukune said with a nod.

Xx

Tsukune successfully established himself as a local. He found a cheep apartment in the area to make into his local office as he tried to track down the Tate no Kai connection in the area. In the guise of a struggling security guard, Tsukune toured the neighborhood in the mornings to learn some of the local landmarks and gossip. He was not at the bar every night however. Whenever someone there asked where he had been, 'Hito' would shrug and say he had been working. An irregular work schedule supported his limited financial status, and over all unremarkable life.

He was not lying about working though. He had other places to visit as he chased down leads. He had occasional meetings to attend, with clients or informants. And when he wasn't working at his business, he spent his time where it was most important, with family.

Kokasan had decided that 'Hito' was a nice guy, if a little boring. When she wasn't busy with other men, she would usually hang out at Hito's table. Sometimes she even paid for her own beer. She liked having a regular she could sit with, without the expectations that most men had. She even started talking to Hito about her life.

Hito was a nice guy in her eyes. He never had much to say, but he was good at listening. He never put her down. She even had a sense that he was actually paying attention to what she was saying.

"Oh how I wish I had her figure..." Kokasan was looking up a the television. She had her beer in one hand and a smoldering cigarette in the other. "If I could look that good I wouldn't be slumming it around here." She tapped Hito's hand with her beer. "Look. What do you think of her? Is she your type?"

Tsukune glanced at the television, because it was expected of him. The sound was turned down, but he could still hear it. He knew what to expect, so he was not surprised to see the Sweetheart Chef's commercial playing.

"Yeah," Tsukune smirked. "She's my type alright."

"I knew it," Kokasan grumbled as she slumped in her seat. "Big boobs and small brains. It's what all men want."

"She had a degree in nutrition," Tsukune defended his lover. "No small thing that. Go to her live events and you can sample her cooking. She's good at it."

"Yeah, I'm sure she is," Kokasan sighed. "But that just makes things worse." She set down her beer and took a drag on her cigarette. Leaving the cigarette in her lips she cupped her modest breasts with her hands. "Still, I could use some of what she's got. What do you think? I could get some implants."

"Meh," Tsukune frowned. "Just be happy with who you are. You don't know how lucky you really are."

Kokasan frowned back at Hito. His lack of interest in her body was a little insulting to her. A woman has her pride after all. But at the same time she was kind of happy that he had not agreed about the implants.

Kokasan continued to warm up to Hito after that. She still had to do her work if she was going to pay her rent, but once she had a little extra earned, she would look for Hito's company. When one of the men gave her a bad vibe, she would sit with Hito for the protection of being with somebody.

One night, after a few too many drinks between dates, she slumped into the extra chair at Hito's table. He had been gone from the bar for four days and she had missed his calm presence. When he had suddenly appeared, she had been happy to know he had not run off all together. She was drunk, but happy to have someone to talk to, so she was a real chatter box. She was talking about everything that ran through her mind.

Tsukune found it to be an educational conversation. Kokasan talked about her work the most. Sometimes it was about the economics. Other times she went on about the economics of her life. She also ran off at the mouth about politics, fashions, and the weather. Through it all she bought herself three more drinks. The last one ended up mostly in her lap. She was still trying to talk when the bar closed for the night.

Too drunk to walk on her own, she clung to 'Hito.' Between slurred words and giggles, she managed to give him her home address and asked him to see her to her door. As drunk as she was, Kokasan tried to keep herself from becoming too happy.

She was going to get Hito to her door. Kokasan had a plan, and it all started with getting Hito to spend the night with her. Getting invited back to his place would have worked almost as well, she thought, but it would not have been a problem. As it was, she saw a chance to make her plan work. She would get Hito to her door, and then she would get him inside.

Kokasan's thoughts were mostly on her plan as she tried to walk. Hito's support helped her stay on her feet as the world spun around her. Some small part of her mind observed that she was more drunk than she had realized. She felt as if she was no longer walking, but floating instead. It was as if she was being carried. It felt nice to be floating along, some small thought registered in her mind as she floated of to sleep.

XxxX

It was a week later that Kokasan saw Hito again. For a week she had fumed over how she had been left alone in her bed. She had passed out, and he had seen her safely into her own bed, where he had left her, still fully dressed. She had wondered if he had not taken advantage of her because of how she made her living. She wondered if he had passed up on the chance to have his way with her because maybe he just didn't like women. It would make her feel a little better if it turned out that he was gay.

Kokasan was on her second drink for the evening when Hito walked into the bar and took his usual seat. She wanted to have a word with him. Unfortunately it was a busy night for the little bar. More specifically, there were several men that were interested in Kokasan, and because she needed the money, she could not afford to ignore them.

There was a good sized crowd of men in the bar that night. A few were always by the door, taking turns hanging out on the sidewalk. Others were close to the bar, drinking slowly when they were not talking to the men at the door. Because of the two groups, a third gathering was able to go nearly unnoticed at the back of the small establishment.

Most of the men were locals that came and went. Tsukune was able to focus beyond them at the strangers that appeared to be in charge of the gathering. Because he was discreetly monitoring them, he noticed right away when the recruiting speech was started.

"You deserve better than this..." The recruiting began.

The lead Tsukune had been waiting for had appeared at last. He listened to the recruiting speech and waited. He just had to listen and figure out the right time to introduce Hito to the Tate no Kai agent. Too soon and he would probably appear suspicious, but if he waited too long he might miss out on the chance to learn what he wanted.

Unfortunately some of the men in the bar were quick to get caught up in the spiel of the recruiter. When the Tate no Kai agent was preaching about the corruption of Japan and the need to clean it away a pair of men turned their attention on Kokasan. She was a prostitute, offering her company and comforts in exchange for compensation. The men were ready to single her out as a representation of the corruption of society, and to punish her in an extreme way.

Tsukune knew he should be careful about keeping his cover, but he had no tolerance of bullies. He stood and moved to Kokasan's defense. As he made his way over to her, the recruiter's own speech gave him the idea he needed to resolve the situation.

"... We are the victims of a broken government..." The recruiter recited.

"Excuse you," Tsukune said as he shoved one of the men away from Kokasan.

"Hey!" The first man protested as he was pushed aside.

"Hito!" Kokasan practically cheered at his timely assistance.

"You stay out of this," Demanded the second man as Tsukune pulled Kokasan away from the bully, putting an arm around her. "She's a part of the problem..."

"Oh shut it," Tsukune cut him off. "K'san's the victim here. You think she wants this?"

"What's it to you?" The first man said, getting in Tsukune's face. "She working for you or something?"

"Back off," Tsukune shoved the man back, this time into his companion. "The system ain't my idea. It ain't hers. We gotta live. I work as much as I do to get what I want. She does what she's got to do just to survive. You don't like it, then do something to fix what's broken. If the train breaks down, you don't take it out on the other riders."

"Why you..." The first man growled as he balled his hands into fists. "I should..."

"You should listen to what he's saying," The voice of the Tate no Kai recruiter cut the air. He was well dressed, stood confidently, and spoke with some sense of authority. "What he is saying is right. We are all in this together."

Tsukune knew he had been making a scene. He had been hoping that acting tough, but sounding like he agreed about the corruption of society, he would attract Tate no Kai to him. He wanted the recruiter to believe he could be supportive of the organization without coming right out and saying he was.

The recruiter was sharp minded, Tsukune thought. He had seen that the attention in the bar had shifted off of himself, so he moved to get it back. At the same time he said things that would resonate with most of the bar's patrons.

"It's good to see a man that has the right outlook," The recruiter said to Tsukune. "But you could have gotten hurt taking on two men at once."

"I could play it safe, or I could help K'san," Tsukune shrugged. "Nothing will get better if I can't take a risk."

"Well said," The recruiter smiled and held out his hand. "I'm Uwasa."

"Hito," Tsukune said, shaking the other man's hand while concentrating in the image he wanted to project.

"Let me buy you two a drink, Hito," Uwasa said with a plastic smile. "I think we have some things to talk about."