Disclaimer: I do not own Rosario + Vampire. I do, however, own the specific type of dragon that I am using in this story, my OC (Tsukune's dragon father), as well as the plot elements that I haven't taken from R+V.

I felt like writing, so you get a bonus Sunday chapter. I doubt this will be a regular thing, though.

#~#~#~#

As Tsukune strode away, smirking, Moka hurried to catch up. He rounded a corner into a deserted stairwell before stopping and looking back at his friend.

"You should watch out for him. He'll probably attack you next time I'm not around. Actually, talking of fights… why are you so weak? Vampires are supposed to be S-class, but I don't get anywhere near that sort of reading from you."

Moka looked down nervously, fiddling with the rosary that hung around her neck. The red gem set in the centre glinted oddly.

"It's this cross. It seals my powers, but when it comes off, I turn into an evil and scaaaaary true vampire."

Tsukune snorted.

"Moka, elongating a word doesn't make it any more intimidating. Asides from that, why would you ever wear such a thing if it made you weak?"

She blushed slightly, looking even more uncomfortable. Tsukune wondered if he'd accidentally insulted her, if vampires had some tradition or other about sealing their powers, then caught himself and wondered why he cared. It was really getting to be a problem.

"I can't take it off myself. I've had it for a long time. I was hated and caused conflict in my vampire form, so I put this on to seal myself."

A muscle tightened in Tsukune's jaw as she mentioned the hatred of vampires. He knew how that felt, but he couldn't afford to care too much about her. Forcing himself to dismiss it, he moved his attention to the rosary.

"A permanent seal? That is interesting... may I take a closer look?"

A shy nod brought him stepping in close, leaning over slightly to examine the jewellery in more detail. Shifting his sight into the magical spectrum, he suddenly found a second Moka overlaid on the one he knew, silver-haired with prominent fangs, though her eyes were closed and she appeared to be sleeping. Frowning, Tsukune began to extend his awareness into the intricate pathways of the spell, but then Moka's breath was hot on his neck and he could feel her wavering as she tried to keep control.

"Tsukune…"

He growled in frustration, but opened up a cut on his palm and let her drink as before. He pulled most of his youkai back – it wouldn't do to overfeed her. When he took his hand back, she sighed contentedly.

"You know, Tsukune, your blood really is amazing. It's so much stronger than anything in the transfusion packs, and the richness is incredible. I don't know why, but it's almost spicy…"

He winced as he realized his dragon nature was showing in his blood. As a red dragon, Tsukune was one of the strongest youkai, but also a creature of fire. He would have to be more careful in future. His self-scolding was interrupted as Moka carried on talking about how great his blood was. Rolling his eyes, he cut her off.

"What am I, food?"

She blushed slightly, and became rather more nervous.

"Well, actually… earlier, that was my first time. You're the first person I've ever fed from… even if it wasn't the neck."

Her blush deepened as Tsukune raised an eyebrow. Although he fought it, he couldn't stop a smile appearing on his face. He really had to do something about this. To care was to be vulnerable. He couldn't let himself care.

"It's nice to be appreciated, I suppose. Don't get your hopes up about the neck. That's something you have to earn, friend or not."

Moka nodded, looking slightly sad, but quickly brightened up. She turned suddenly and started moving, grabbing his arm once again and dragging him along with her.

"Come on, let's explore!"

#~#~#~#

Over the day, the pair covered most of the academy itself, though the grounds were still a mystery. Tsukune couldn't quite understand what was going on. His plans, his domination of the school… surely he should be working on that? Why was he wasting all this time running around with a sealed and therefore useless vampiress? Most of all, why was he enjoying it so much?

Every concern he had melted away into the mire of his disgust at the sight of the dorms. Just looking at the outside, he could tell the rooms would be small and basic, especially compared to the magnificent palace he had lived in with his father. His distaste evidently showed on his face, because Moka picked up on it.

"What, don't you like the dorms, Tsukune? Even though you're a monster? Come to think of it, what sort of monster are you?"

The final question made him freeze up in panic. He couldn't tell her he was a dragon. She'd hate him and run, or worse try to kill him, like all the others. As he struggled for an answer, she dismissed it with a wave of her hand.

"Oh, wait, letting anyone know is against the rules. Sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

Hiding his relief, Tsukune moved forwards for a better look.

"It's just rather… small and plain compared to home. The dining hall was bigger than this entire building."

What he didn't tell her was that, in actuality, so was his bedroom. To accommodate the vast size of a dragon, his father's lair had been the size of a city, a sprawling complex of lavishly-appointed underground rooms. Moka's jaw dropped.

"How rich is your family?! Mine is wealthy, but our manor would pretty much fit into a space that size! To have a single room like that..."

Tsukune grinned at her shock, basking in it as he considered just how much influence his father wielded.

"Very. In fact, we're richer than a lot of countries. Father is very, very old and has had a long time to become powerful."

Moka, stunned speechless, could only watch as he headed to his room.

#~#~#~#

The next morning, as he walked to school, keeping an eye out for Moka, he noticed Saizou leaning against a tree nearby. His arm seemed to be healed, which was irritating, but at least it showed the boy had some power. As Tsukune came near, the blonde-haired brute stepped out into his path.

"You caught me by surprise last time! You won't get away with it so easily now! It looks like you had a lot of fun with Akashiya Moka yesterday… and you're going to pay for it today! Show me your true form! Let's see what you've got!"

Elements of Saizou's monster shape were showing as his control began to slip. Tsukune snorted, and stepped up to the boy, determining his monster form with little more than a glance as he did so. He raised his hand, index, ring and little fingers pointing straight at the orc's chest, middle finger curled back against his thumb.

"You are a pathetic weakling. An orc has no chance to stand against me. I'll give you this one opportunity to swear your allegiance. If you don't, I'll show you exactly how useless you are."

Saizou responded with a swipe of his claw, which was all the provocation Tsukune needed. Just before it connected, he twitched his thumb sideways, releasing his middle finger into a flick that connected with the boy's sternum. A horrible crack filled the air, a shockwave slapped the ground, and Saizou went tumbling backwards in a symphony of breaking bone and tearing flesh before slamming to a halt against the wall. The horrible misshapenness of his chest left no doubt that his ribs were shattered, while both his legs and his left arm were pointing in directions they shouldn't.

Everyone gathered around the sudden fight went pale at the casual display of power. A low, rumbling growl emanated from Tsukune's chest as he stalked towards the broken orc, who feebly tried to get away even as his enemy stamped down on his broken arm, eliciting a howl of pain.

"Now then, you impotent hanger-on, let me explain to you what is going to happen. You will stay away from me, and you will especially stay away from Moka. If you try anything, I can promise you that this-"

Here, he ground his foot against the shattered arm, causing Saizou to scream again.

"-will feel like heaven compared to what I will do to you. My friend is off-limits, to you and to anybody."

The orc whimpered out an assent, and Tsukune straightened up, making his way to class through the white-faced crowd that scampered out of his way like sheep running from a wolf.

#~#~#~#

At break, he watched the other students from the roof, noting the patterns that seemed to develop naturally. Moka nervously approached from behind him, making him jump when she sat down by his side. He chided himself for being too inattentive, not noticing her until she was right beside him.

"Um… Tsukune… I heard about this morning… did you really threaten to kill Saizou if he did anything to me?"

Looking up, he smiled at her.

"Of course. You're the first friend I've made, and I'm not about to lose you to some rapist orc."

Moka beamed in delight, and suddenly hugged him. Tsukune sat paralyzed, unsure of what to do. He'd never been hugged before. After a moment, he slowly put his arms around Moka, and wondered why that simple act brought him so much happiness. When the vampiress pulled back, she seemed agitated, and kept opening her mouth as if to say something. Tsukune sat quietly and let her take her time.

"You know… you're the first friend I've made, too. I actually went to a human school all the way up through middle school. I hate humans… they bullied me… none of them believed in monsters. The only things worse than humans are dragons… some stupid red dragon with one eye nearly killed my father a while ago. But I met you, and now I'm not alone any more!"

She beamed at him again. A cold, dead weight settled in Tsukune's stomach. He tried to bring himself to brush it off, to ignore it, but he couldn't. He knew that he'd either have to lie to Moka forever, or leave. When it came down to the choice, he found that he couldn't bear either idea, but equally, seeing her every day and knowing she would hate him if she ever found out would be far worse.

He stood, and pulled off his blazer, then started unbuttoning his shirt with an expression of angry hurt on his face, and though he didn't realize how he looked, he did know that he should go as soon as possible to save himself even more pain.

"So you hate humans, and you hate dragons even more. I see."

Moka got up nervously.

"Tsukune… what are you doing?"

"Moka… if I told you… if I told you I was one of those dragons you hated, would you still want to be my friend?"

The vampiress stepped back in shock, an expression of utter disbelief on her face. Tsukune snorted quietly as he dropped his shirt, leaving his muscular upper body bare.

"No… Tsukune… that can't be true…"

"That expression on your face? That's why I'm leaving. Everybody hates dragons. Just like everybody hates vampires. I'm just saving myself the pain. I hope you find a friend you don't end up hating."

Leathery, reddish wings burst from his back, and with a single, powerful downstroke he soared off into the sky, heading for the tunnel. Moka's distraught cry echoed in his mind long after the sound itself died away.

"Tsukuneeeeeeee!"