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 328

The Aono house was the place of a full party. Hana realized she should have kept to her own idea of simply sitting down and talking to her mother in private, instead of giving in to her fear and making Tsukune help her. Kota and his wife had arrived, and moments after them had come Nagi and his girlfriend. Tsukune had even emerged from the kitchen to be with Moka and socialize with the others.

Hana knew she was now in a bad position. All supernatural, impossible things aside, Hana was going to be on the spot with her mother, because she was the only member of the younger generation in attendance that was not in a known relationship. Even if nobody said anything at the party, she knew her mother would be giving her an ear full later.

Hana was wondering if she could make a socially acceptable escape when Kota changed the casual atmosphere of the party. With Emmy at his side, he moved to stand in front of where his mother was sitting. After a nervous moment, he cleared his throat loudly.

"Excuse me for a moment, please," Kota said, pulling all eyes towards him and Emmy. The party went silent and he turned to Mai. "Mother, Emmy and I wanted to let you know," He paused to share a grin with Emmy, and Hana could see how nervous he was. "It's official. Emmy and I are going to have a baby."

"Oh..." Mai paused for a moment, then slowly brought a trembling hand up to her face. Her eyes started to shine with tears ready to fall. She was happy enough to cry. While everybody offered up a happy cheer, Kota's mother came up out of her seat to embrace her son and daughter-in-law. "This is wonderful."

"We are going to have to take lots of pictures," Mai said after tearfully hugging the couple. "We need to make a photo album." She looked over at Kasumi. "You can't have all the fun."

"I wouldn't think of it," Kasumi smiled at her friend.

For the next few minutes Kota and Emmy were the center of attention. Everybody offered their congratulations to the couple, and especially to the young mother to be. Hana started to swear at herself, but offered Kota and Emmy a bright smile and wished them the best.

"Kota," Nagi said as he drew Kiyo in close and held her hand. "Your news is probably the best announcement of the day, But Kiyo would like to share something also." He turned towards his own mother.

"Mother," Nagi paused for a breath. "Everyone... Kiyo has agreed to marry me. We are engaged."

The room was filled with another round of happy cheers. Everybody congratulated the happy couple. Hana felt herself starting to sweat nervously.

She wondered if Tsukune had planned all this happy couple stuff to put her on the spot with her mother. As it was she was wondering if it would be safer to tell her mother about the boyfriend she didn't bring to the party, or about youkai, because she knew the looks she was getting from her mother meant intrusive questions were coming. It might be better to mention youkai as if she was trying to distract her mother from the topic of relationships, and then admit to the boyfriend.

Hana had not been trying to hide that she was going out on dates. She had refused too many invitations to "meet this nice man" her mother had offered. She would have liked to tell her mother that she was seeing someone exclusively, but had been afraid of all the questions that would come. Now she was feeling boxed in. She could either tell her mother, and everybody else in the room that she was dating someone, or say nothing, which was safe, but embarrassing in its own way.

"Tsukune-sama," Kiyo turned to him with a blush. "We know this could never have come to be without you. We hope that you will participate in our wedding."

"It would be an honor," Tsukune answered with a small bow of his head.

"Formal invitations will be sent out later," Nagi said. "But we hope all of our friends and family here will be able to attend."

"Let me know if you need any help arranging things," Tsukune told his friend. "I happen to know some people that have good connections for this kind of thing."

"With all the... Special people you know, I am sure you do," Kota said with a grin.

"Hey..." Tsukune frowned as he thought of something. "Are you going to invite Rin as well?"

"Of course," Nagi nodded.

"I think I still know a few of Mizore's cousins that are looking for a husband," Tsukune said. "Last I heard he wasn't seeing anybody seriously."

"Perhaps you know someone that could escort my daughter to the wedding as well?" Fuji suggested.

"Oh?" Tsukune blinked and turned to Hana. "Do you think your sister would want to come? She wasn't really a part of our group."

"I think mother was talking about me," Hana grumbled. She turned to her mother, deciding to just throw herself on her own knife now. "But I have a boyfriend, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Oh?" Fuji lit up with happy surprise.

"I met him through my job," Hana went on quickly.

"She mentioned him to me a little while back," Tsukune said casually. "He comes from an old, traditional family."

His friends caught his meaning right away. It was something they had used in conversation before. Youkai were as old as Japan itself, so in their code, saying someone was from an old family was the same as saying the person was youkai. It was no surprise to Tsukune to see his friends catch on. He also saw Nagi and Kota's mothers blink and glance at each of their sons.

From talking with his friends in the last couple of week, Tsukune knew they had shared the nature of their loved ones with their families. He had had not been completely sure about how much they might have talked about it beyond the basics. His party had been planned to be multipurpose, so Tsukune felt that his friends' mothers being well informed would be a bonus for him.

"You know, Mother," Tsukune said as he turned to her. "If Hana and her boyfriend are serious, then you can all be in the same group."

"What group is that?" Fuji asked.

"Kota, Nagi, and I all have relationships with very special people," Tsukune said as he turned to Hana's mother. "And our parents know how special they really are."

"Really?" Kasumi perked up. She turned to her friends. "Eriko? Mai?"

The three mothers all looked back and forth at each other with a mix of surprise and happiness. Their sons had let them in on the big secret about youkai, but had not given away their friends' secrets. Tsukune had just let the cat out of the bag.

"What is going on?" Fuji asked with a wary look on her face.

Kota started laughing first. Nagi gave a chuckle as the humor of it all set in. Fuji was looking more confused by the second.

"It is our fault," Tsukune began.

"We talk to each other," Kota joined in. "And we talked to our families..."

"But we told our families they couldn't tell anybody," Nagi grinned a little sheepishly. "But we were afraid to tell them about each other."

"We do have reasons to be careful," Tsukune pointed out. "And we didn't want to put our friends at risk."

"You may have had good reasons for being cautions," Kasumi scolded her son, and shot a dark look at his boyhood friends. "But you were also being thoughtless of your parents."

"You're right of course, Mother," Tsukune said with a grin. "But we are fixing that now. That was the reason for this gathering. We are even bringing Hana's mother into the group as well."

"What are you talking about?!" Fuji was nearly frantic to know what was going on, and why everybody else seemed so excited. She had missed a the beginning of a new television drama, once, when she and her husband had gone over sees for his uncle's funeral, and it had driven her nearly mad having to avoid her friends until she had managed to get caught up. She was feeling left out and lost in much the same way all over again.

"Sorry," Tsukune said as he turned to her. "There is something that Kota, Nagi, my self, and even Hana have in Common. Along with Moka, Emmy, and Kiyo, we have all been to the place where I went to high school. Nagi and Kota only visited the school, but it was enough for them to learn about something incredible."

"What we learned," Hana said, picking up the thread of the conversation. "Was a very big and exciting secret."

"Very big," Kota nodded.

"Yes," Nagi agreed.

"Of course we had to tell our families eventually," Tsukune said. "Because getting married to someone makes them a part of the family."

"When I first found out about Emmy," Mai said with a proud smile. "I was sure Kota was making everything up. Then I was confused, and even worried about them being together." She turned to give a warm smile to her daughter-in-law. "But she has been a wonderful blessing for my son, and a wonderful addition to the family."

Emmy blushed deeply, smiling as she looked down at her feet.

"Tsukune's news was a shock to me as well," Kasumi spoke up. "But it has been so exciting to finally learn what has really been going on."

"Oh my, yes," Eriko nodded in agreement. "It will be so good to be able to talk to each other about it all at last."

"Talk about what?" Fuji demanded, feeling frustrated and confused.

"Mother," Hana spoke up. "Remember how I always wanted to be a magical girl and have wonderful adventures?"

"Oh, now is not the time for childish nonsense," Fuji complained.

"It is not nonsense," Hana said firmly. "All the things you told me I was foolish for wanting are very real."

"That would be impossible," Fuji insisted.

"Impossible? Really?" Hana raised her hand, and with a small flourish, snapped her fingers. The motion left her with one hand up, pointing at the ceiling with her index finger. Above the tip of her finger danced a small flame, like one from a candle. "When I went to Tsukune's school I learned that there is no such thing as impossible." She held her flame for a moment, making sure she had her mother's attention before banishing it and lowering her hand. "What is impossible for one person will be possible to someone else. That is why we make friends, we form groups and clubs so that we can lend each other our strengths, so we can do together what would be impossible to do alone."

"How did you do that?" Fuji gaped in wonder. "Why would you do something like that? You will end up chasing away your future husband if you cannot be a normal, proper woman."

"To hell with being normal," Hana snapped in frustration. "Normal is sitting in a box, doing what the television tells you everybody expects from you. I don't want normal. I want exciting. I want a man that can fly me up in the sky on a summer morning. I want friends that can make water dance and run up hill."

"But, but..." Fuji tried to argue.

"Nobody really likes the idea of being 'normal,' Mother," Hana went on, her voice going up a notch from the emotions she was feeling. "Not even you and your friends."

"Of course we do," Fuji protested.

"Then why do you always watch television and movies about relationships and adventures that would be impossible for you?" Hana demanded. "You want the excitement those stories bring. But I don't just want to live through a story from someone else. I want to live my own life, and experience my own story."

"She has a good point," Eriko said in a soothing voice.

"If we knew at her age what we know now," Mai spoke up. "Just think how different life might be."

"Not that different for me," Kasumi replied. "I was already married by her age. But I would have been able to better prepare Tsukune for what life held for him."

"But I like Tsukune just the way he is, Mother," Moka said with a smile. "I think you did a wonderful job in raising him." Her hair turned from pink to silver. "And I know we are not the only ones that are happy with how he turned out."

"I still do not understand what you are talking about," Fuji complained, not noticing the change.

"Then let me be clear," Tsukune said in a calm voice. "Once upon a time in Japan, life was simple. Before technology or big cities, people lived simple lives. They lived with the knowledge that there were spirits all around them. These spirit people sometimes lived closely with humans. Some were old even when the first emperor took power. Many became revered as kami, with shrines built to honor them. Humans grew in number, and developed technology. The world changed, becoming the modern place that it is today. A place filled with humans living busy lives. But no matter how much has changed, a lot has stayed the same. Those other people, the ones we call spirits, or ayakashi and youkai are still living in Japan today."

"They live their lives along side humans, and even among humans," Tsukune continued. "Where I ended up going to high school was a place, and still is a place, where youkai go to learn how to better live with humans. And because they are there, we can learn to live with them, and learn things from them."

"Now you're making as little sense as Hana," Fuji complained.

"Am I?" Tsukune challenged. "She already showed you that she can do something impossible." Tsukune lifted his hand and snapped his fingers, showing off a silvery flame over his fingertip. "This is not just a simple trick." He banished the flame and lowered his hands. "There are impossible things happening all around us, every single day and night."

Fuji looked around the party and saw that nobody was challenging Tsukune. Most were even nodding in agreement with him. It frustrated her to be told her world view was wrong. Her oldest daughter, is seemed, was never going to grow up, and her friends were encouraging her wild dreams.

"You are just making things up," Fuji accused him.

"No, I am not," Tsukune said in a polite tone. "But maybe I should give you some more solid evidence." In a fit of showmanship, because he knew people could need a little build-up to get ready for a surprise, he held his hands out in front of himself. He moved his fingers through some random motions common in supernatural dramas and animes, making up nonsensical hand signs as he prepared his personal energy. He then brought his hands together in a loud clap.

There was a collective gasp as Tsukune's black hair exploded into a thick, long mane the color of tarnished silver. His mane spilled down his back and rippled as if caught in a breeze that blew only over him. Additionally his eyes had turned red and his fingernails had turned into talons that matched his hair.

"Youkai are real," Tsukune said in a voice made rich and deep by his power. "They are around us every day, and are just as capable of being good and loving as anybody else. I was changed by what happened to me, but I have learned a lot from the youkai that have become my friends. They have helped me in many ways."

"And you have helped us," Ruby spoke up. "And I am grateful for that."

"You have been a good friend to us," Emmy added.

"And much more than a friend to me," Moka said proudly.

"What?" Fuji demanded.

"I told you that youkai are real," Tsukune said with a small smile. "They are around us every day, and might even be in this very room."

"Yes, we are," Moka said firmly, allowing her inner persona to fully manifest. Small changes in her body and posture added up to a different appearance. The change in her aura made it clear that she was not just the friendly young woman everybody had seen her as.

"Master?" Ruby questioned.

Tsukune gave her a nod.

She summoned her wings. While not a true part of her physical body, their appearance did make it clear that she was more than human. The revelation was a surprise to many.

"Ruby..." Kasumi breathed in wonder with a sparkle in her eyes.

Ruby had been in the Aono house enough that Kasumi's friends and neighbors accepted her presence as normal. Kasumi's close friend had shared tea with her when visiting many times over the years. Eriko thought back to the time Kasumi had broken her leg. Ruby and Moka had been such sweet girls. It made the woman chuckle in amusement when she remembered how much Fuji had wanted Hana to be more like them..

"Tsukune saved my life," Ruby said with a proud smile. "More than that, he gave me a reason to live. He opened his heart to me, and now I have a family that accepts me."

"Tsukune helped us come together," Emmy spoke up. Her hair had grown longer and thicker, lightening in color. She also grew a little taller and fuller figured, striking a nice balance between her human and youkai appearances.

"He helped Nagi and I connect as well," Kiyo said as her skin became speckled with bronze scales. "And there are other from school that feel they are indebted to him for all that he has done."

"Please," Tsukune help up his hands and spoke to the room. "This is not about me." He refocused his attention to Fuji. "Sorry, this is getting a little out of hand. All we really wanted today was to include you in on the secret that youkai are real."

"Yes," Kasumi said with a nod and a pleasant smile. "I am looking forward to being able to talk with you about so many things.

"It is not that we wanted to leave you out," Mai explained. "But we were not sure what we should tell you."

"If it is such a big secret," Fuji demanded. "Why do all of you know about it?"

"Because it became a part of out families' personal business," Eriko explained.

Everybody reverted back to their normal, human, appearance. They could see that Fuji was suffering from information overload, and was having trouble looking at anything but her lap, even if Tsukune's voice had been deliberately soothing. It was Hana that took over the conversation next.

"Mother," Hana said in a calm voice. "Please don't be upset with them. I made the mistake of asking Tsukune for help telling you about all of this." She shot him a quick glare, which he ignored. "I wanted to let you know about youkai... I need you to understand about youkai. My job is not just about making up stories. I actually do real reporting, but a part of what I do is help protect the secret that youkai are all around Japan. It is important work, and I am good at it."

Fuji say silently and regarded her daughter. In her mind she held the image of Hana as a happy little girl in a dress, waving a wooden spoon and making funny sounds after watching a show about a magical girl. Beside that image, and clashing with it, was Hana in her teens, reading travel books and collecting brochures about motorcycles and sports cars, yet always with a small frown on her face. Then came the day that Hana had received her acceptance letter to that school. It had been as if the happy little girl had suddenly returned.

Fuji had to reconcile those old mental images with the version of Hana that was talking to her now. This Hana was proud and confident. It was clear in her voice that Hana had a real passion for her work. Fuji considered her daughter, and her own options carefully.

"Well, if that's how you feel," Fuji said with a little sniff and a dismissive wave. "I guess we will just have to talk some more about this later." She was determined to remain calm, in spite of the shocking revelations that had just been handed to her. It would go against her image to get all teary eyed over her daughter, or looking all shaken up. Trying to keep her appearance calm and cool, she turned back to her friends.

"Well this is going to take some getting used to," Fuji said as she reached for her drink. Everybody pretended not to notice how her hands were shaking.