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 306

Kuyou felt a wave of smug satisfaction. He was going to strike down Aono Tsukune once and for all. He had no problem with striking at his enemy from behind. He had gathered his youki and with a motion commanded his power to strike out.

The sense of satisfaction ended abruptly as a sharp pain stabbed at his neck. It was as much of a shock that he felt the pain as it was that his attack never took place. It was a combination of surprise and pain that made the strangled sound escape him.

The pain quickly faded. Kuyou focused on himself, trying to understand what had happened. He could tell that he was still injured from the beating he had taken. Now that he was more aware of himself he could concentrate on recovering. As he did he noticed that he was being watched openly now. He didn't see any point in play weak and helpless so he climbed to his feet.

Tsukune just watched him. Kuyou watched him back, letting his hatred for the one who had ruined his life boil up inside. He reached for his power again, this time he made a double throwing motion to lash out with fire.

The pain in his neck returned instantly. It shattered his concentration but he was still able to figure out that something was blocking him from using his power. As the pain faded once more, Kuyou reached up to feel his neck. His fingers came up against a cold, hard collar.

"It's iron," Tsukune explained, walking over to the former leader of two gangs. "I did my research, Kuyou. Iron is a sacred metal for many cultures. A ring is a sacred symbol used to confine and protect. With that iron ring around your neck, you wont be able to use your power against anybody."

"No..." Kuyou gasped. He grabbed at it with both hands. "No!" He ran his hands over its surface, feeling the way it had been twisted and bent. He could not find a grip that would let him pry it open. "No. Gods curse you! No!"

Kuyou rushed at Tsukune in a rage. Before he could reach the man, he was thrown sideways. He stumbled and turned, and gaped at what he was. Standing there was a true fox spirit. It was a tall and proud Kitsune with her tails spread. They lashed about as she glared at Kuyou, seven, now eight, then seven again.

"You have been beaten," Inari growled. "The Lord Captain has bested you. You will never raise a hand against him again."

Kuyou glared back at the kitsune, feeling an entirely different level of hate then before. She was a true fox spirit, a chosen child of the goddess Inari. He was descended from a line of Nogitsune, fox spirits that had rejected the will of Inari. Because they had refused to be tamed, to seek balance with the early humans of Japan, the Nogitsune had been abandoned to their fate, left to survive on their own while the Kitsune had prospered and grown stronger.

Kuyou let his hate run wild within him. It fueled his power and he embraced it. His neck was filled with pain, but he did not care. He could smell his own fur burning as the iron collar grew hotter.

"I will kill you," Kuyou growled defiantly. "I will kill everyone you love and burn the world down around you." The iron collar was red hot and shifting towards yellow. Even as it burned at his neck and hands, Kuyou smiled, because he could feel it getting softer.

"No," Inari said firmly. "You will not. You will suffer for your crimes because I am going to take your power from you."

"Ha!" Kuyou managed a single laugh.

Before he could make another sound, Inari attacked him. Her first strike was across the face, stunning him. Her second blow was a knee punch in the gut so hard he doubled over to vomit. She then side stepped and turned, and brought her hands up and back, holding them claw-like for a moment.

"You lose." Inari snarled as she brought her hands down in a vicious double swipe at his back.

Kuyou screamed. If Tsukune had not asked youkai he trusted to help hold a barrier around the chosen battle ground, Kuyou's scream would have reached kilometers. It was the tortured scream of someone in unimaginable pain of both the body and the mind.

Tanaka watched what had happened with a sense of fascination and horror. The young woman he had known for years had transformed into a creature out of legends. Even after the actual attack was over, he could not pull his eyes away from the sight in front of him.

Inari was standing beside her defeated foe. Kuyou was collapsed on the ground, back in his human form. His clothes were gone, ruined by his transformation. Around his neck the iron collar was a cherry red, and growing darker as it quickly cooled, but still hot enough to burn the flesh. The real sight to behold was not the man on the ground however.

Inari was bathed in a fiery glow. In her hands, two in each one, were the tails she had forcibly ripped from Kuyou. Her eyes glowed with a silvery light of their own for a moment, then she threw her head back and gave a pain filled cry of her own. She doubled over then, even as Tsukune rushed to help her. He could see that the burning tails in her hands were hurting her.

Tsukune reached out to support Inari with one hand, grabbing two of the captured tails with the other. He pulled them from her grip, and then gave a shout of surprise. He knew that Inari was in less pain because of what he had done, because he had taken a share of that pain for himself. With that pain came a new understanding.

Tsukune and Inari were both breathing hard as they endured the pain they were feeling. The pain was temporary, fortunately. The captured tails were sputtering out. As the light they gave off faded and the darkness of the night returned, Inari and Tsukune shared knowing looks.

"Holy shit!" Tanaka breathed.

Just as the captured tails flickered out, disappearing from sight, a new light sprung up. It was from Inari this time. She was surrounded by a red-gold glow as she stood tall and proud beside Tsukune. Behind her, Inari's nine tails made a majestic fan.

"Congratulations," Tsukune offered with a smile.

X

"Alright..." Tanaka half turned to Jenna without taking his eyes off the other pair. "What the hell just happened."

His only answer was the sound of Jenna throwing up. She had seen what had happened, and understood what had happened, and it made her sick with fear. For fox spirits, their tails are symbols of power. They were a part of their identity. Inari had ripped all of that away from Kuyou, literally, and then she and Tsukune had taken that same power for themselves. It was something youkai did not like to think about. Just like ancient African hunters had tried to kill her kind for their skins, so they could take their power for their own.

"Do you need help?" Tanaka asked her.

"I.. I will be alright," Jenna managed. "It was just hard to watch what happened."

"I will agree with you there," Ito nodded. "But I would appreciate it if you could explain what happened to me."

"They took his power away," Jenna answered weakly. "They made him almost as weak as a mortal."

"Well that makes things easier," Tanaka smiled as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a pair of hand cuffs. Ignoring the smell of burnt hair and flesh, he walked over to the beaten suspect to make the arrest.

XxX

The clean-up from the fight was almost as quick as the fight itself. Tsukune passed word to his team for them to drop the barrier and and head for home. He did promise a party at a later date, but wanted them safely away from questioning eyes.

Before Lieutenant Tanaka could call in back-up to take the prisoner, Jenna asked him to wait. She called Ross, reminding Tsukune and Ito that her boss had promised a surprise that would help out. Tanaka had his reservations, but after all the cooperation that had been shared, he was willing to give the gangster a chance.

Ross arrived in a quarter hour with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. He did not come alone, which was both a surprise, and the promised surprise. With him came a man none of the others recognized.

The man was a puzzling sight to behold. He had hair that was more gray than black, and was balding on top. His clothes were an expensive suit that was torn and dirtied. The man himself looked like he had been mugged, with dark circles under his eyes and blood from his nose staining his shirt.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Ross said in an exaggeratedly happy voice. "It is my honor to present to you, The General."

"It is a pleasure to meet you," The man with Ross said.

"Ehhhh?" Tsukune looked at the pair in open confusion.

"Ross," Tanaka grumbled. "What the hell are you up to?"

"It's simple," Ross grinned. "I know that there are risks in taking the real deal in to custody, so I came up with a plan. The General here," He slapped the old man on the back. "Is going to be arrested instead. He is going to be paraded in front of the media, and once in court he is going to demand to read a manifesto. Of course he will be found guilty, and that will be the end of Tate no Kai."

"I am looking forward to doing my part," The old man said.

"What are you getting out this?" Tanaka questioned the man.

"I am dying," The old man said. "I have cancer, and every day is filled with pain. The doctors gave up any hope of getting my disease under control, but not before they drained my bank account and let me put a strain on my family." He gestured to Ross. "This gentleman has offered me a very large sum of money, to be paid to my family. In return, I will be The General. I will play the part of a bitter old man with a grudge against the world. After I have had a chance to present myself as a suitable villain, I will die in a jail hospital bed with the knowledge that my family is provided for."

"It's perfect," Ross spoke up. "I have briefed him on everything Tate no Kai has been doing. I've helped him learn the names of most of the major players from the gang. And he can't tell any secret he doesn't know."

"I don't think..." Tanaka began.

"Hey," Ross cut him off. "This way you get credit for making the arrest, and you have somebody you know you can keep under control."

"He has a point," Tsukune spoke up.

"You shouldn't be so quick to take the easy road," Tanaka scolded the younger man.

"Kuyou is out of it right now," Tsukune gestured to the man on the ground. "But if you take him in, somebody is going to have to explain why he has an iron collar welded around his neck, not to mention those burns. And once he wakes up, I don't think you want him around people that will ask questions."

"If we do this," Tanaka sighed. "What happens to the real criminal?"

"He is youkai," Inari spoke up. "It is up to the Lord Captain to decide what happens."

"She's right," Jenna agreed.

"I'll take him with me," Ross said. "I have a nice big trunk in the car I'm driving tonight. And there are some men who already know most of the whole story that would like to see to it personally that the whole mess is laid to rest, preferably someplace where the sun will never reach."

Tsukune and Tanaka traded looks. Neither of them really liked the idea that Ross was offering. It was unfortunate that the gangster was right about problems with any other plan. Both men knew that it was going to be a case of taking the lesser of two evils. Tsukune gave the older man a small nod, even though it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Damn it," Tanaka growled as he turned back to Ross. "You've got a deal."

XxxxxxxxxxxX

X

When the people of Japan started their mornings the following day, the lead story was the final end of Tate no Kai. There were a few people that knew enough, from within Tate no Kai and without, that knew that the man seen in police custody was not "The General," but none of them were interested in sharing the truth.

For Tanaka, the end of the hunt for Tate no Kai meant things finally getting back to normal. He was looking forward to getting some time off to spend with his wife, and maybe take a real vacation for the first time in years. Aside from a few small tasks, he would be free to get back to the nice, basic police routine he once accepted as normal.

For Tsukune the follow up work was more personal. The first day after the arrest he spent resting, while Ruby ran around getting a list of errands done at his request. That evening he went with Inari to the company office for a celebration party. With Ruby's help he had a small reward for each of those that had helped put Tate no Kai to an end.

For those that had supported Inari during the last trap at the night club, Tsukune had a cash bonus and a well made tanto knife with a red braid and tassel. For the five that held the barrier at the shrine, Tsukune had another, larger cash bonus, and a green silk fan with his crest on it. A party of good food and good alcohol was shared by all. Through it all, Inari hovered close to Tsukue.

"Tomorrow I have a meeting to attend," Tsukune said in a casual voice as he watched his friends and employees celebrating.