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 327

"Are you sure about this?" Hana asked as she pulled off her helmet. Tsukune had just given her a ride, which had been fun, even exciting at times, but now she was fighting a major case of cold feet just a few meters from the front door of the Aono family home.

"You're going to be fine," Tsukune reassured the younger woman as he collected his things from a saddlebag. "Besides, everybody else is already here."

Hana resisted the urge to whimper.

Tsukune knew how she felt. Hana had asked him for help in telling her parents about the world of Youkai, and about Youkai in the world all around them. He was able to put a plan together for helping her, after all he had spent years coming up with ways to tell his own mother, though it had taken a few weeks to get it all in place.

Tsukune was able to put his plan for helping Hana together without a lot of effort, because he knew who he could ask for help. Ruby was always willing to do what Tsukune asked of her, and more than willing to spend time with him and his mother. Moka, a little less than excited to be helping Tsukune help another woman, was willing to be supportive of him. She did love how kind he was after all, and supporting that kindness was something she could do to help the man she loved to be happy.

And of course, this plan required the help of one very specific person. Tsukune had enlisted the support of his plan from his mother. It was a conversation that Tsukune would always remember with amusement.

XxX

"Tsukune," Kasumi had been surprised by her son's visit one morning. She had not known that it was a day after his meeting with Hana, only that it was mid morning on an ordinary day. "What a surprise."

"Good morning, Mother," Tsukune started with a smile. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."

"No, I was just about to sit down for some tea," Kasumi said as stepped back from the door to let her son in. "Did you come alone?"

"Mother," Tsukune gave her a crooked grin. "You know I can't be completely thoughtless." He entered the house and moved to give his mother a view of Ruby coming up in his wake.

"Oh, Ruby, you look beautiful today," Kasumi gushed.

"Thank you, Mother," Ruby blushed a little as she greeted the other woman. "You are looking good this morning."

The round of pleasantries continued as the three made their way into the kitchen. Ruby immediately took over making tea. Tsukune and his mother sat down at the table together.

"This is a nice surprise, Tsukune," Kasumi started once she was sure proper courtesy had been satisfied. "But what brings you here?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with something," Tsukune began.

"Of course..." Kasumi started to respond, but Tuskune cut her off with a raised hand as he continued.

"Before you agree, I need to warn you," Tsukune explained. "What I am going to ask of you is going to cause a lot of excitement for some of your friends..."

By the time Tsukune finished explaining what he was planning, his mother looked as happy as a child with a giant basket of candy on the handlebars of a new bicycle. She was going to help him explain youkai to her friend Fuji, Hana's mother. Kasumi was clearly excited about the opportunity to include one of her neighborhood friends in on the big secret. She was also looking forward to the drama that would come out with the sharing of what she knew.

The excitement that Tsukune warned her about, she was smart enough to realize, may not always be a good thing. She loved her friends dearly, but what they were going to learn, in some cases, might be more than they could be willing to accept. Even if they didn't just think what they were being told was just some huge joke, it would still be hard to believe as real.

XxX

That look of excitement on his mother's face was vivid in his memory as he entered his parents' home. Inside, he found exactly what he had expected, a small party about to start. Ruby was arranging refreshments. Moka and Kasumi were sitting together with a small collection of bridal magazines. An impressive collection of complete seasons of DVDs of television dramas was gathered together as well. All of the sets were the same supernatural based dramas that Koji had given his wife to help get her ready for the big revelation.

When they made their entrance, Hana went to sit with her mother. Right away, Fuji was looking happy to have her daughter at her side. On the surface the gathering was a viewing and reviewing party for the drama series and movies that Kasumi had seen, and had even mentioned to her friends in the past. Fuji had been lead to believe that the day had been about sharing the mothers' hobby with the younger women. Given her own daughter's taste for the fanciful and impossible, it made perfect sense to use the supernatural themed dramas to catch Hana's interests.

Tsukune stayed in the room long enough to exchange polite greetings with everyone, then he gestured with the schedule books in his hand and pleaded work as his excuse to retreat to the kitchen. Tsukune was there mostly in a supporting role after all. There was a very real chance that Hana's mother would become upset when she learned the truth, and since it was Tsukune that had made Hana want to transfer schools, it was only natural the woman would be upset with him. And Fuji was not the only mother that might be upset by the time the night was over. Basically, he was there in case anybody needed an extra shield to hide behind, or a little additional evidence to support the revelation.

X

Hana tried to appear calm as she sat with her mother. She was grateful that the viewing party was only scheduled to be two hours long. She didn't think she could sit through a whole day of watching dramas under any circumstances; when she was feeling nervous about sharing her personal reality with her mother, being trapped in front of a television watching recycled plots and exaggerated acting was like a torment from the lower hells.

Fortunately for Hana, and Moka, Kasumi had seen all of the selected dramas before and had talked about them with her friends. Because of this, Fuji had already been exposed to them, and had even seen some of them before. The plan Hana's mother knew about was to watch the ending episodes of a supernatural drama series that she was almost finished with. The human woman had seen one of the other series already, so there would be grounds for comparisons. She had also seen some of the movies that Kasumi had watched before being let in on the big secret of her son's life. The close friendship between the two mothers was one of the things working in Hana's favor.

To help her get through the experience, Hana tried to pay attention to the small details all around her. The Aono house was known to her, and not much different from her parents' home. Distracting herself by noting the differences didn't take much effort, but it helped distract her mind a little.

One thing that Hana noticed was the collection of photo albums Kasumi had discreetly displayed in the shelves. Seeing the labels on the spines made it obvious what they were, and made it easy to understand why the woman had them visible. They were reminders of how prosperous her son was, and how proud of him she was. There was an album for each of his recognized girlfriends, and one with just his name on it as well. There was a set of albums for Kasumi's grand daughters in addition to the one for their mother. Hana winced when she recognized them; her mother was already pressuring her about grandchildren, trying to set up marriage interviews.

Being surrounded by normal humans most of the time had made Hana extra sensitive to spiritual energy. It helped her work as an investigative reporter to be able to feel the presence of any youkai she randomly encountered. It was extra helpful when she was actively searching for one when working a story. As she sat in the Aono home, Hana let herself be consciously aware of the energies around her.

Hana could clearly feel Tsukune's energy even though he was not in the same room. She could also feel Moka's and Ruby's energies. It was with a touch of worry that she realized that the presence of youki was actually a source of comfort.

Without really thinking about it, Hana found herself gauging the power of the others. Ruby's energy was a steady warmth to her, like from a stove top. It was a fire that could be used to feed a family, but it had to be respected or it could become dangerous. The witch was far stronger that Hana gauged herself to be.

As far as Ruby was above Hana, Moka was that much again above Ruby. The younger woman couldn't think of anything to compare the vampire's energy to, but it was strong, almost oppressive, making Hana want to walk small. Hana was used to being around Kokoa, but the spiritual energy of Moka's sister was not so overpowering. It was only her own pride that kept Hana from averting her eyes and bowing her head any time Moka looked in her direction.

And then there was Tsukune. Hana really didn't know what to think about him. A part of him was still her friend from years and years ago. She could still see the boy that she had played with at the local park when he smiled, but she could not escape noticing that he was so much more than that now. On the surface, he is a strong and confident and successful man. On the inside, away from common eyes, Hana can tell that Tsukune is something entirely different than she could ever define.

Hana could feel Tsukune's power. There is more to it than the youki she feels from Moka, and was so used to feeling around Kokoa. Hana can feel Tsukune's energies, but she can not get a sense of them. His power just doesn't fall within her experiences enough for her to be able to gauge his strength, at least not in comparison to anybody she can think of. She thought about the changes she has gone through, and cannot help but wonder how far she had changed from what she once was.

X

Hana's mind drifted back and forth between the business of the day, and her own personal musings. As gloomy as some of those thoughts were, they did give her some relief from the over done acting on the television. Two hours of drama programs, seasoned with light snacks and wine, even with friends, was not something Hana ever really wanted to do. As the viewing part of the party wound to a close, Hana prepared herself for what was going to come next.

She was not looking forward to the discussion part of the view and review party. There was plenty she could say about what they had watched, or about the ones just set out on display, but it would not make her mother happy to hear it. Hana was waiting for the first 'so what did you think?" question when someone rang the door bell.

Hana was unsure if she should consider herself saved by the bell or not. When the door bell rang, Tsukune's mother lit up like a bonfire with excitement. Ruby passed through on her way to answer the door with a warm smile.

"I will show them in, Mother," Ruby said in passing.

Hana felt a new wave of panic. Whomever was at the door was expected. There was more to the party than she had been told. Hana eyed the stack of DVDs and tried not to cringe.

The viewing party was transformed into a general social event before Hana knew what was going on. The new arrivals were friends with her mother, and the mothers of some of her childhood friends. Mai was Kota's mother, and Nagi's mother Eriko had also arrived. More refreshments were brought out, and another DVD was started, but with the sound down low. The four mothers started to chat in their normal fashion, leaving Hana to wonder what was going on.

Moka and Hana were pulled into the conversation with questions about their daily lives and work. Moka was an attorney with her own practice, something Kasumi was proud of. Hana felt she suffered in comparison, but she loved her work.

"And Moka is also taking the time to make all the plans for her wedding," Kasumi said in a casual way.

"I want everything to be just right," Moka said with a small smile and a nod.

"You are going to be a beautiful bride," Mai said. "Emmy is a sweet girl, but a little plain. When she and Kota married, she still looked beautiful." She put on a pout. "I just wish they had more of a wedding party. They kept everything small and quiet."

"You told me about that," Eriko nodded. "It was almost a secret that they were getting married, you said."

"Yes," Mai nodded back. "They didn't give me any warning, and only invited me to attend three days in advance. I almost didn't make it in time. If only her family didn't live somewhere so out of the way."

The conversation was soon all about weddings. The mothers talked about their own weddings, and memorable ones they attended in the past. Hana could feel it every time her mother glanced her way. She could tell the questions about her own love life were coming, and was starting to tense up.

But then the doorbell rang...