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 325

The coffee cart enjoyed brisk business in the early morning. A part of the ever expanding Karasu no kōhī, the cart had become a nearly permanent fixture outside the school's gates. Just like the small security company office in town, it was a place where third year students could get a part time job to earn some extra spending money. Both places also served as recruiting points, where good part-time employees could be groomed for better positions after graduation.

Tsukune sat at one of the tables across the walk from the coffee cart. Another change over the years, a trio of round tables with three, short, curved benches around each had been set up. All of them had holes in the middle for umbrellas, but only one table was so equipped at the moment. Having arrived after the morning rush, Tsukune had ordered his coffee, then taken a seat at the shaded table to wait for Hana.

He relaxed, watching the last of the students hurrying by on their way to Youkai Academy. A few gave him curious looks, but none seemed to recognize him. Since he had graduated from the academy, the Board Chairman had never quite let Tsukune go. Each year there were a few students that needed a little careful guidance or career advice. Tsukune attended a staff meeting every year, but except for the student counsel president none of the students were ever in attendance at those gatherings.

Tsukune liked being just another person in the background. He let the last of the morning traffic pass on its way into the school grounds as he relaxed with his cup of coffee. He was in no hurry for his life to get any more complicated.

"Sempi..." Tsukune heard the shout. He turned to see Hana approaching at a quick walk. "Jeeze.. why couldn't we just meet in town?"

"We could have met in Tokyo," Tsukune reminded her as she drew near. "You insisted we come back to the academy."

"But the bus takes me into town," Hana protested. "Why couldn't you meet me there?"

"Too many people there are permanent residents," Tsukune explained. "They might recognize me, and I don't want to cause a commotion."

"You're too modest, Sempai," Hana chided. "Even if nobody recognizes you anymore, your name is still famous all over the school."

"How would you know?" Tsukune challenged.

"Kokoa and I work for a newspaper," Hana reminded him as she started to explain. "Every year we go on a trip with the Youkai Academy Newspaper Club, so we still get to hear what is going on." She gave an amused laugh. "It is interesting to hear how some of the stories about you have changed over the years."

Hana paused, but Tsukune didn't say anything. For dramatic effect she wanted him to ask about the stories about him that are still making the rounds. When he didn't say anything right away, she decided to let him stew on the thought for a moment, while she went over to the coffee cart to order something. When she got back to the table, Tsukune was sipping his own coffee and looking at his smart phone.

"Did you know that joining the Student Police is almost mandatory?" Hana said as she sat down at the table.

"How did that happen?" Tsukune asked.

"You know that club participation is mandatory," Hana answered. "So students that don't know what they want to do yet are encouraged to join the Student Police as reserve members. It counts as being in a school club, and it gives them a chance to talk with others and explore the school. It is usually enough to give them time to find something they like to do. The ones that never find a real interest in anything else usually stay on the reserve roster. The students that decide they want to stay with the Student Police become full members."

"It sounds like a good system," Tsukune nodded slowly. "It keeps membership up, and keeps the Student Police connected to the rest of the student body."

"You should pay them a visit while you are here," Hana teased. "So you can see how they are doing."

"I've been planing to," Tsukune shrugged. "I am curious about the new division system I've heard about, but I've always worried about it giving the wrong impression."

"Wait.. What?" Hana blinked.

"My company has an office in town," Tsukune reminded her. "Almost half of my company has been on the Student Police here. And I still get called in for staff meetings and the like, so I know some of what is going on."

"Oh?" Hana grinned slowly. "So you know that half of the students here are human now?"

"It is only thirty eight percent of the student population that is human," Tsukune informed her. "And you and I are still a part of a very elite group of humans to actually graduate from Youkai Academy. Most of the humans are still some kind of hard-luck cases like I was, and they transfer out to better known, all human, schools by the end of their second year. There have not been any deaths since my time, but some students still don't make it to graduation. So far there have been less than one hundred humans to actually graduate from here, and that is counting you and I."

Hana didn't say anything right a way. She had a small frown on her face, and she pursed her lips as her mind worked. Tsukune allowed himself a moment of outward awareness focused on her.

"And we still count as human even if we were changed by the experience," Tsukune added.

"What?" Hana sat up sharply. "Kokoa promised she would never tell!"

"She never said a word that I know of," Tsukune explained. "But even if I couldn't feel the presence of your youki, your reaction right now would be a giveaway."

Hana blushed to her hairline. She was an investigative reporter. She was supposed to be the expert at reading other people, and not the one to give away everything by being caught off her guard.

"Well, it is none of my business anyway," Tsukune tried to dismiss the topic.

"It is your business," Hana grumbled. "Because it's at least partially your fault."

"Because I helped you go to school here?" Tsukune asked. His voice was calm because this was not totally unexpected. He had his doubts about her ability to stay out of trouble from the beginning, if for no other reason that trouble had a way of looking for someone to happen to at Youkai Academy.

On the very few occasions the he and Hana had crossed paths since graduation, he had felt the youki that had become a part of her. Her power was far less than his own. Tsukune guessed that she would be a "B" rank at best, and more likely a solid "C", compared to the "S" rank he had been changed into. While he was aware of how much higher his own power was over her's, Tsukune still knew how dangerous a "C" rank could be out in the human world.

"It is your fault for encouraging me to believe in the impossible," Hana told him with a glare. "You made me want to believe in the impossible again when I had all but given up on it. Once I believed in the impossible, I wanted to live the impossible. I wanted to do the impossible. I wanted to be impossible."

"Now I have the impossible life I always wanted," Hana was beaming as she expressed her thoughts and feelings. "You're right, I was changed by my time at school here. Not only did I get to go to an exciting school and meet some wonderful people, I got to do things I had always dreamed of." She realized that she was starting to babble in her excitement and made herself calm down.

"And it is your fault," Hana glared at Tsukune. "So you need to take some of the responsibility."

"And how do you think I should do that?" Tsukune asked.

"Well..." Hana drawled as she shot him a sly look. "Girls have dreams you know."

"Yes," Tsukune nodded.

"And when they grow up to be women, you know we still have some dreams about what we want," Hana continued.

"I am sure you do," Tsukune nodded.

"Well I have a dream," Hana leaned in towards him a little. "And you are going to help me make it come true."

"Oh?" Tsukune raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Hana gave him a firm nod. "I want to get married."

"Good for you," Tsukune gave a small nod as he picked up his cup of coffee for another drink.

"You're going to marry me," Hana gave him a piercing stare.

"No," Tsukune said calmly before he took a sip of his coffee.

"Oh geeez..." Hana rolled her eyes in frustration. "You're suppose to get all flustered and demand to know what I am talking about Sempai."

"Ten years ago that joke would have worked," Tsukune told her. "Sorry."

"Hrmph," Hana crossed her arms and pouted. "You're no fun any more."

"If you say so," Tsukune hid a small grin by taking another sip of his coffee.

"Fine..." Hana sighed, seeing she wasn't going to get anything out of teasing him. She really wanted to get a little payback for how he had teased and excited her so many years ago on that ride to the store.

"The reason I wanted to meet with you is for a story project," Hana explained, turning serious now that she was done trying to tease Tsukune. "I want to do a little interview with you, about what you have been doing since graduation and the like. Later, we will meet with the current Newspaper Club members so they can interview you as well. They want to interview everybody that was in the club with you as a part of a 'where are they now' story. There will also be a piece on how much has changed for the school over the years."

"And?" Tsukune questioned.

"And what?" Hana returned.

"We have hours until school lets out and the Newspaper Club will be free to do any interviews," Tsukune observed. "You very specifically asked me to give you the whole day. That tells me that either you have a lot you want to accomplish and only a day to get it done and you are hoping for my help, you have a set of things to get done at very specific times, or there is something you really want from me, but you want to have enough time to work up the courage to..." Tsukune stopped himself when he saw Hana tensing up and starting to blush.

"I see," Tsukune nodded slowly

"It's not fair," Hana grumbled as she tried to get herself back in control. "How did you know?"

"Hana," Tsukune explained gently. "I have lived my life, almost from the very beginning of high school, surrounded by some of the most beautiful, powerful, and confident woman in the whole world. The only time they were ever hesitant about anything was when they wanted to ask for a personal favor."

"Like when they wanted to date you?" Hana questioned.

"Sometimes," Tsukune nodded. "But usually one of them would just come up and try to drag me off to a date, and the others would jump in and fight over me for some silly reason."

"I've heard about some of those fights," Hana said with a grin. To the best of her knowledge the secret love shrine still existed, but there were also a few 'famous places' around the school where there were stories about how what had happened there and made the spot lucky for those seeking romance.

"So what is your boyfriend's name?" Tsukune said suddenly.

"What?" Hana went stiff, with a panicked look in her eyes.

"You mentioned wanting to get married," Tsukune said. "So there must be someone you want to get married to. I thought I should at least know his name."

"His name is Daichi," Hana blushed and looked down at her lap. "He's a Tengu I met two years ago while working on a story."

"Congratulations," Tsukune offered. "What does he do?" Tsukune asked, encouraging her to keep talking.

"Daichi's family has a small orchard and a koi farm," Hana told him. "They grow apples. Daichi helped at home, and was the one that made the deliveries to the market when we met. Four months ago he got a job driving for a small shipping and moving company. He is stronger than he looks, so he is really good at carrying packages."

"And his family?" Tsukune questioned.

"They are good people," Hana gave a smile and a nod. "They don't mind that I'm human, or mostly human anyway. They have lived with their human neighbors for generations, so they are good when it comes to being discreet."

"Have your families met each other yet?" Tsukune kept going.

"No..." Hana deflated a little.

"Have you told your family about him yet?" Tsukune raised an eyebrow.

"Not yet," Hana admitted. "I know that when I do, my mother is going to have a lot of questions. I don't want to tell her too much, but if I don't tell her enough she will either not believe me, or get upset and never stop pressing me. If that happens, sooner or later I will tell her something she... Well... I mean, he is more than human, but he is still just a normal person. There is so much to consider before telling my mother anything."

"Do you have a plan?" Tsukune asked.

"No..." Hana wilted a little more.

"And you would like my help in arranging something?" Tsukune asked.

"Could you?" Hana gave him a hopeful look.

"And I suppose you need to tell your parents some other things as well," Tsukune went on. "Otherwise you won't be able to let them around any children you have."

"This isn't fair," Hana covered her face and groaned. "How come you already know what I wanted to ask you?"

"Because I have been thinking about the same things for ten years," Tsukune answered. He blew out a breath in a long sigh. "You know our mothers. They love to talk, but it can be a little difficult to get them to listen."

"A little?" Hana exclaimed as she dropped her hands. "As soon as mine found out I had gone on a date after college she wanted to know when I was going to quit working as a reporter and settle down to a respectable life. And that had just been a meeting for a story."

"Sorry to hear that," Tsukune suppressed a smile.

"But what am I going to do about her?" Hana demanded.

"We will think of something," Tsukune gave her a comforting smile.

"Really?" Hana perked up. "You're going to help me?"

"Sure," Tsukune said with a shrug as he looked down at his empty cup of coffee. He looked back up to her again. "But for now, let's take a walk. We have some time to kill, and there's no need to sit here all day."

"Alright," Hana nodded. "Besides, there are some places I want to show you."

Tsukune picked up something in Hana's voice in that last comment. He looked at her closely and couldn't help but notice the mischievous look on her face. Somehow he knew that his day was going to be a long one.

XxxX

Inari looked at the image on her phone and felt herself blushing all the way to her toes. She had been a little surprised that Tsukune had sent her any kind of message in the middle of the day. She was even more surprised that he had bothered with a fancy text and picture message. Usually he either sent just short messages to confirm something, or called to talk person to person.

That Tsukune had sent her the picture message had been a surprise, but the content had been a shocker. Inari had not recognized the location where the picture had been taken, until she had read the accompanying text. It was from the path between the Youkai Academy and the Student Village. The path was now paved, and there was a sign post at the junction where the path split to go to the main dorms. The change in the path was interesting, but the small structure at the side of the path is what threw Inari for a spin.

Someone had built a small shrine beside the path. On a short pedestal stood a faceless sculpture of a woman dressed as a shrine maiden. At her feet stood a bronze fox idol. The bronze fox was in the pose of sitting, with its head held high and its eyes and ears alert. The tail of the fox wrapped around to hide its feet. While the face of the fox was weather tarnished, most of the rest was polished to a shine. It had been set up close to where Inari had stood waiting to meet Tsukune in the morning during their last few months of school together.

"The shrine is dedicated to the story of the vigilant maiden," Tsukune's message explained. "It is a very popular place for girls to wait for the boys they like in the morning. While waiting, nervous girls calm themselves by petting the fox idol and praying for support in their pursuit of romance."

Inari wasn't sure, but she thought she might burst into flames. She was so embarrassed, that her face was hot and her heart was racing. In spite of herself, Inari remembered the first time she had decided to wait for Tsukune at that spot. The last part of Tsukune's message just made everything worse.

"Among the Student Police," Tsukune's message explained. "Especially among those posting at the girls' dorms, the location is called Inari's Watch."