AN: Sorry for the short chapter, but I've got very limited time on the net, my computer, and this chapter is only a small part of about three I've decided to divide. I'm in the military and on a deployment.

On another note...

For those of you who feel what I wrote about Gin was 'unnecessary' or wrong, I want to tell all of you this: It has a purpose. If it upset you or irritated you, good. That was my purpose. If it felt like I went into a different type of amateur writing style to post the beginning of that one chapter, then, thank you. I succeeded.

I regret none of my past chapters and I have no intention of fixing anything or my perceptions. I will continue to write my chapters as I see fit and anyone who will continue to read my story will see how everything I have written has a purpose in future chapters.

Your Mistress.

Get What You Wanted 36

Ruby watched as Tsukune hovered around Yukari like a mother hen. At the moment she was in a hospital bed covered with white sheets sleeping fitfully. The very air hummed with those terrible machines surrounding her with their bleeps and pings, the hiss of false air pushing into her through that horrible clear mask on her face, and that uncomfortable looking brace pushing her jaw up like the edge of some kind of steel trap.

She understood a little of it, but it scared her senseless to think that the girl's life depended on these unnatural devices. As a witch she believed in the healing arts and in holistic remedies. Yet Yukari's life had been saved through vampire blood and it as being maintained by these hissing, beeping monstrosities.

Her little friend was so quiet. Yukari, her sister of the magical weave, was just laying there with this perpetual look of pain and sadness on her brow. It was so unlike her to just stay so still, just functioning on the thick bed making oxygen into carbon dioxide without offering some kind of perverted joke or giggle in her youthful and often annoying way.

What would Kurumu say if she saw her like this? Ruby thought. She'd probably start shaking her and yelling at her to stop making people worry about her.

"Yukari," Tsukune's spoke softly, kneeling next to her bed, almost brokenly with concern, with worry, with hopeful affection as he took her small hand into his own. "When all this is done, I'm taking care of you. I don't know what I have to do, where I have to go, but I'm going to make sure you're up and walking as soon as you can. I promise I'll do all I can for you."

Toujou Ruby couldn't have loved Tsukune more then she did at that moment.

He fluffed her apprentice's pillow, pushed a few locks of hair out of her face, kissed her cheek and held her hand. If anyone was watching, it would seem like the two were more siblings then friends. Tsukune was the protective older brother every girl would want.

Ruby's long hair pressed against his shoulder when she braved taking the few steps to his side, letting her slender arms curled around his neck as she held him when she could no longer express her gratitude through mere words.

One of his own long, lean arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her hip to his cheek.

It was all she could do at this point to not tell him she loved him more then she should.

His concerns were hers, his actions always directed at helping others. She saw how deeply, truly, and honestly he cared for their beloved friend. It amazed her how their perceptions were normally so very, very different. In terms of lifestyles and purposes, future endeavors or expectations, they were hardly what one would have considered a likely pair.

Thinking of all this, she had to ask herself, and only herself, if Tsukune had been right to question her as to why she'd refused to let him meet Moka alone. At the time she had thought she was watching out for him. He was still emotionally vulnerable and she hadn't wanted him to be hurt again. Yet all she had done was instigate a fight that had led to this.

Had this been her fault in the end?

As much as she pressed Tsukune to either admit or deny that he blamed her for Yukari's injury it wasn't so much to see how he felt, but to hear it. She needed those words to silence the voice in her own heart and her own conscious...

...she had already blamed herself a thousand times over and needed to hear it from him if he felt the same.

To whatever God there was that granted prayers, she hoped for a speedy recovery so she could beg Yukari for forgiveness.

What had she told him again? Oh, that's right...

She'd said it was to protect Tsukune from his wife, however how much of that was true? How much had been her own selfishness? Did she want to keep Tsukune from the woman he had been in love with since high school because a part of her wanted him to stay with her?

Had she actually been trying her hand at separating him from Moka so that he would be tempted to be with her...

...and only her?

She wasn't sure, but she knew that when she woke to see him grow more comfortable in his own skin again, smile again, and even look at her with that undeniable hunger she started to see that all her old hopes and dreams were becoming possible again. Before she knew it, Tsukune was becoming the sunlight to her normally monotonous day. He would talk about so many things that still side tracked her normally scientifically or magically tunneled mind. There were those feelings inside of her she had never really been able to express to anyone except her master before, but now he was there to reciprocate and listen.

Oh what a wonder it was to have a listening ear that actually cared!

And he did so in abundance.

Then there were those times that he touched her, looked at her, embraced her and told her words of friendly affection. How much more would it take for those amicable words become more then appropriate? After their shared kiss and the way he started to look at her with adulterous eyes, she knew however much sand was in that hourglass was starting to seep faster and faster. Could she allow him to break that oath he'd made to his spouse and himself? She didn't know, but it was begining to matter less and less. Right now, there were more important things to worry about. However, as a person who cared and felt, shared and received another friend as a cherished entity and enjoyed who and what they were, the elder witch wondered if she could give up that part of her who grew in her Master's shadow and change for Tsukune's sake to be there in ways Moka was supposed to have been?

Would she deliberately help end a marriage? Could she do it even now with so much of that marriage on the brink of falling apart? Wasn't the honorable thing, the right thing, to try and help fix what was broken?

Did she have it in her to be that one who pushed here, nudged there to make Tsukune's decision fall this way or that in some way that suited her?

She didn't know, but right now it honestly didn't matter.

There was too much going on with that disaster of a relationship that she was sure as much as that selfish part of her wanted to get more intimately involved with Tsukune. There was just so much of everything that needed to be done here with her duties to their friends and her current master.

Then there was that...thing.

Closing her violet eyes, she sighed wearily.

"Ruby?" Tsukune took his attention from their comatose friend to observe her. "Are you okay?"

Yes, there was just so much to do and so little time to do it.

"As well as could be, Tsukune." She smiled brighter then she felt, but it put him at ease so it was worth the effort. Dark circles and puffy skin covered his eyes and it was obvious he needed sleep.

She was sure she didn't look better, but Tsukune was probably just being a gentlemen about it to not bring it up...

"I can watch her if you want to get some rest, Ruby."

...or at least he was more tactful about her not looking well.

She rubbed her red tinged eyes and nodded. "I just don't want to leave her."

"Me neither," Tsukune let his eyes stray back to their friend and he squeezed Yukari's small hand in his again.

Ruby glanced about heavily and noticed a fold out chair that turned into a very small cot sized bed. Pillows and a simple sheet blanket were already set off to the side for anyone who wanted to use it. As inviting as it looked to their weary bodies, it was Ruby who lifted her black long skirt to the side to put her knee on the edge of Yukari's bed, shambling to the space next to her cropped haired witchling. Flicking her hair out of the way to rest on the same pillow the younger witch's head was resting, she noticed Tsukune doing his best to settle into a space on the opposite end.

Aono Tsukune pulled a chair out on the other side and sat himself as comfortably as he could.

Ruby's sleepy eyes watched him settle in to be as close to both of them as possible, but it was a failed effort. The young boy was now a man and had grown lean and long, making his legs fold about uncomfortably next to the contraptions under the bed that tilted and cant the mattress.

He understood that he should probably have taken advantage of the cot and pillow set and was headed that way off of his seat when Ruby called out to him.

"Yes?" he looked up as he stood off his seat.

"Here, Tsukune." Ruby patted the decently sized area next Yukari's other hip.

"I wouldn't want to crowd her," Tsukune blushed a little.

"She'll be fine. Besides, what better way to show your care then to be there for her when she wakes up?" Even though she was tired she couldn't help but giggle. "Knowing her, she'd just be happy to be the meat in the monster sandwich."

Tsukune gave a sudden snort of laughter and nodded, pushing the chair back against the wall.

The violet eyed witch watched her friend lumber over the side of the bed, making Yukari's small body shift and tilt. He so carefully, fearfully placed hand and knee on the edge of the bed, afraid that he would hurt her or pinch her with his clumsy dexterity, perhaps even wake her as a parent would a sleeping infant in their bed.

Those sad eyes of his pulled at every heart string she had.

She wanted him to be happy again.

He needed to be happy again.

Ruby noticed every little thing Tsukune had to do to stretch himself out next to their youngest member of their troupe. The oddly small bit of pillow resting on his arm barely seated his head. Her handsome and delightfully awkward Mr Aono's honey brown eyes didn't even see her looking at him, but kept himself occupied staring at the clear mask over Yukari's little mouth fogging up with her breath. Even the crease between his brows worrying over Yukari...being this close to her and unable to do more then watch her...it was obvious he couldn't help but feel guilty at what happened to her, feel responsible for what happened to her.

This was beyond real. This wasn't about pride or love anymore.

People were getting hurt and nearly dying over this.

Yukari was proof of it and he felt ever that much more guilty as he laid next to her.

Sleep eventually took them over.

In the midst of the three bodies breathing in tune with their bed mates, they would have noticed a fourth body enter the room.

Aono Moka had arrived shortly after they fell asleep and closed the door behind her with a soft click.

As much as she wanted to say something about her husband and Ruby sharing a bed, now was not the time. Pulling the blanket and pillow that Tsukune had discarded, she curled herself into a ball on the cot and fought the vision of her mate, her lover, and the supposed father to her children she had desperately wanted holding Ruby's hand as he had held hers so many times in their past.