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 312

Monday decided that Tsukune needed a little help keeping on his toes and in practice in dealing with surprises. Before he could even get out of bed he received a call from his company. A pair of his guards were in the hospital with bad cases of food poisoning.

The pair of guards were assigned to a live event in Okinawa. It was not one of Kurumu's events, but it was through the same agency. Apparently the pair decided on an after-hours drink and a snack, and learned that cheep alcohol and cheep sushi came at a price not measured in money.

Tsukune cursed over the complication. He then told the dispatcher he would take care of the event. When Tsukune called Inari he was surprised and pleased to discover that she was already awake.

"I am sorry to ask this of you again," Tsukune said over the phone. "But I need you to be in charge of the office again for a while. I need to take over down south."

"Ohh... I understand, Captain. I will do my best." He could hear a strong note of something in her voice.

"Inari?" Tsukune questioned. "Is something wrong? I have a little time. If you want, I can come down to talk with you."

"Nothing is wrong," Inari said quickly. "No. No, everything is good. It is very good. I am just disappointed that I will not get to be with you. But go ahead and go down south. I am not ready to be seen just yet. I need to make myself pretty for you first."

"You are always pretty," Tsukune argued.

"Captain..." Inari protested. "Just promise me you will make some time for me soon. I want to... I'll talk to you after you get back. Be safe." Inari finished in a rush and hung up the phone.

Tsukune looked at the phone and blinked a few times. That was an odd conversation. Inari had not sounded that... He wasn't exactly sure how she sounded, but it reminded him of when they had first been talking to each other in anything more that a business way back in high school.

He tried to make a mental note to follow up on the matter later. He had work to take care of first. Ruby, with a skill born from practice, directed the Me sisters while making sure Tsukune enjoyed his breakfast. By the time Tsukune started for the door, he had bags packed and ready for his trip.

"Thank you for everything," Tsukune said to Ruby as he gave her a hug before leaving. He planted a quick kiss on her forehead. "That's for Midore." He planted another kiss on her forehead. "And that's for Kurai."

"Nothing for me, Master?" Ruby pouted.

Instead of saying anything, Tsukune shifted his hold of her. Instead of hugging her, he took a handful of her hair into a painful grip, pulling her head a little to one side. As he kissed her hard and deeply, his free hand groped at her breast forcefully. When he let go of her, Ruby stumbled as she found her balance while gasping for breath.

"That was for you," Tsukune said. He then reached out and slapped her across the mouth, just hard enough to make it sting a little. "And that is for questioning me," Tsukune gave he an affectionate smile.

"Thank you, Master," Ruby curtsied deeply. Her face was flush from the excitement. Once her master was safely out the door she let herself growl and frown in frustration. Her master was more cruel than any of his lovers ever suspected. Her body had been aroused by his attention, and he had done it deliberately, knowing what it did to her, and then he simply left her to suffer alone.

Ruby retreated to her room to take care of her needs. Once in her private place, she stripped down and lay back on the thin mattress of her bed. Her narrow bed, where she slept alone. It had a heavy wood frame with eye bolts and hooks in potentially useful places. She started out by lightly caressing the breast that her master had groped so forcefully.

It was almost a full hour before Ruby was ready to return to her more visible duties. While she had been answering the needs of her body for pleasure, Ruby still tried to do it in a way that would be of use to her master. A part of that was endurance training. There had been a few times when Tsukune had sought her out because of his need to let go of his self control a little, and his own strength and endurance made satisfying him a trial when he was feeling especially pressured or energetic.

The other thing she was being sure to do in those private moments was to exercise her breasts. In addition to feeling good, Ruby was also doing it to be of service to her master. He would be marrying Moka soon enough, and after that would come their first child together. Ruby would be there to aid and support them. To be sure she would be able to give proper care to her master's children, Ruby wanted to make sure she would able to be their wet nurse.

Of course it was not all just because of dry dedication to her master. Ruby was also doing for love, and out of a desire for her master to love her. As she got dressed to resume her duties as a maid and building manager, Ruby smiled at the warm feeling in her breasts after their exercise. She was looking forward to when she would be able to surprise Tsukune with her milk.

XxxxxxxX

xx

Tsukune looked back at his days doing recruiting events and recordings, and even back to his dancing days, and wondered what was wrong with idols today. He remembered his days and nights with Inari and Kurumu at live events. He had visited Kurumu at events as she grew in popularity. Now, guarding an trio of singers that were hoping to make it to super stardom, Tsukune wondered why they were so whiny?

He understood security. He knew that good security was dependent on a foundation of preparation. The people had to be trained right. The right equipment had to be available. Well thought out plans, and back-up plans, and tertiary back-up fall-back plans, and even a couple of general "If everything go completely wrong run, fight, and pray for your lives" plans should all be put together. He knew that in the absence of good security, the illusion of security still managed to prevent trouble. What was frustrating Tsukune was that the little trio of girls were not interested in good security.

The trio were all about image. They were not forward thinkers like Kurumu had become. They were not trying to build a strong reputation for long careers. The trio were caught up in living in the moment. They wanted to be popular. They wanted to be seen as cool and stylish. They also wanted to be treated like super stars. In the first hour that Tsukune was on duty, one of the trio popped her head out of their little dressing room and tried to send him on an errand.

Tsukune was not being conceited when he said he was not an errand boy. The truth was that the Trio had a pair of girls being paid to be their assistants and to run errands. The poor girls were running their legs off most of the day. The problem was that there were two assistants to three wanna-be divas.

"If you don't do what I tell you," The would-be diva demanded of Tsukune. "I'll get you fired."

"Miss," Tsukune said patiently. "I am here to make sure you are not kidnapped or raped. As long as those things don't happen, I am doing the job I was hired for."

"The other two didn't like being told what to do either," The girl shot Tsukune a smirk. "And look what happened to them."

Tsukune suddenly had a suspicion of where his two people had gotten the cheep sushi that had laid them up in the hospital. His opinion of the trio dropped to a new low. Not only was the one talking to him trying to be something she wasn't, it was clear that none of them had much self control.

Because he was taking the place of two of his people, Tsukune had a lot of work in keeping the trio safe. His work was all the harder because the trio worked together in their efforts to take risks in their search for fun. They had fans that wanted to meet them and give them gifts, which they wanted to accept. And while they were old enough to be out on their own, technically, the tour was their first escape from parents and teachers.

XxxxxxxxX

It was a very frustrating three days. The new body guard was too serious for their tastes. He was good looking enough to want to have him around, but he seemed allergic to fun. It did not help that he knew the ins and outs of their contract. When the trio tried to sneak out the first night he was around, the body guard caught up to them at the taxi stand in front of the hotel.

"Are you resigning then?" The guard had asked calmly. "Because your contract states that all travel and appearances during your tour must be approved by the production manager and your agent."

"We're just going out for a few hours," A-ko tried to explain.

"Leaving the hotel counts as traveling," Tsukune countered. "I can call your agent and tell her you are quitting the tour and you can be on your way if that is what you want?"

The trio tried to argue, but found themselves herded back to their suite regardless. The next night the trio tried to throw a room party, but not only could they not get any alcohol delivered because they were under age, they couldn't get any smuggled in either. Also, nobody arrived at their room for the party, except for room service with lots of food for the people that never showed.

XxX

Tsukune cheated during the time he spent watching over the trio. He was using tricks he had learned from Mizore and Ruby over the years. He set wards around their dressing trailer and their hotel room. When they tried to flirt with him to get their way, they got close enough for Tsukune to learn their auras so he could track them.

When his people had recovered enough to resume their duties, Tsukune warned them to avoid any gifts, of any kind, from the trio. He didn't think they would be taken by the same trick twice, but caution was a good thing. Later, when the job was over, Tsukune made sure to compensate the team for their work with the trio. Not only did he pay them for the days they had been out sick, but for their success in keeping the trio safe, even from themselves, he added a nice bonus.

When his time looking after the Trio was over, Tsukune was looking forward to getting a regular routine of working life and private life in order. He was going to start by spending some time in the office, and then there was the time that Inari had asked him to set aside to spend with her. He was trying to decide between an after-shift date, or a weekend morning going out together.

He and Inari had not seen much of each other after Tate no Kai had been laid to rest. He was grateful for her support in managing the company when he was busy with investigations, or more personal pursuits. On the other hand, their schedules were so different, they could never find time to meet up. He was still working on the problem when his cousin called.

XxX

The cafe was a simple little setup. It was in a low traffic corner of the department store, using plastic chairs and tables that looked like they could have come from the store's own garden section. The serving counter was nothing special. The coffee was the same way. It was clear that the store was trying to offer a service, but it was doing it without much of a plan.

Tsukune was meeting with his cousin there because it was where she had asked him to come. Kyouko was dressed nicely, in a business casual kind of way, which was amusing, because without discussing it in advance, she had matched Tsukune's style. The pair were too distant to be seen as a couple, but they did look like working partners.

"So what can I do for you," Tsukune questioned his cousin. It was clear from the tension in her face and shoulders that she was working her way up to something, but so far all they had done was drink cheap coffee and share small talk. Tsukune was eager to get down to business, if for no other reason than to avoid what reminded him of police headquarters office coffee. "And why meet here of all places?"

'Here' was a department store in Kamiichiba, in the Nagano Prefecture. It was an inland area supported by a mix of agriculture and tourism. The store was not very big compared to its counterparts in places like Tokyo or Kyoto, but for the area it was a respectable size.

"The company built this store here six years ago," Kyouko explained. "It has never done as well as it was hoped. The business is good enough to keep it open, but it has become something of an embarrassment to the company as a whole." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "And I have just been appointed the new store manager."

"Congratulations," Tsukune offered with a proud smile.

"But this is going to be a death sentence for my career," Kyouko said in a rush.

"Excuse me?" Tsukune asked.

"When I was offered this position, it was too good to pass up," Kyouko told him. "But then they told me I had a year to make the store a success." She let out a sigh. "I have six months to show a trend of improved sales, and I have to keep it up for a year. If I don't meet those expectations, I will be back down to assistant store manager, and that is where I will be until I leave the company."

"It looks like you have your work cut out for you," Tsukune observed.

"That's why I called you out here," Kyouko said. "I want your help. I have a plan, and permission to do just about anything as long as I stay in budget and get results, but I don't have any real connections."

"I run a security company," Tsukune reminded her.

"But you know people," Kyouko reminded him. "Aunty told me about that inn where you killed a bear. I looked it up on line. Do you know it is almost legendary with married couples looking for second honeymoons? Almost nobody knows where it is, unless they are told by someone who has been there. Because it is so off the map it is nearly legendary."

"I've been told that business has been good," Tsukune nodded.

"See what I mean?" Kyouko said. "You know people that can make things happen. I know that inn is a thing with one of your girlfriends, so its one of those places things... but even so, it is a successful business."

"An inn and a department store are different things," Tsukune pointed out.

"I know that," Kyouko snapped. "But I told you, I have a plan."