Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Rosario Vampire. I am merely twisting the creators vision into my own dream. If the supernatural, sexuality, or violence is offensive to you, then you should not read this.

Chapter 35

Tsukune tried to keep a smile on his face and accept his situation in good humor. He wanted to get out of bed and return to his room. What he got was a hospital room filled with young women that were having fun taking care of him. They held his hand when he walked to the toilet and then back from the toilet to the bed. Moka fed him his food, one bite at a time. Mizore held the cup for him to drink. Kurumu hovered, smoothing the bedding and fluffing the pillows over and over again, any excuse to get close to Tsukune. Yukari took over the receptionist role, relieving Sheezu. Ruby sat quietly on the foot of the bed, waiting for any opportunity to serve.

When the nurse came in with a basin and some towels Tsukune insisted his friends leave for a moment. Unfortunatly, they reminded him of his last hospital stay, and how he had nearly been killed, and refused to leave him alone.

"Fine," Tsukune practically growled. "Ruby can stay, and the rest of you can wait out side, please."

"Why does Ruby get to stay?" Kurumu wanted to know.

"This is why," Tsukune explained, his voice tense. He looked directly at his servant. "Ruby," He said as he pointed to the corner of the room. "Go kneel over there, face the corner, and do not turn around unless you hear me call for help, you hear a fight, or you hear the nurse leave."

"Yes master," Ruby said. She did exactly as Tsukune had instructed, leaving everybody in the room looking at her back.

"Thank you," Tsukune said.

Moka and the others sullenly filed out of the room and closed the door. Tsukune watched them leave then visibly sagged with relief.

"You handled that very well," The nurse said, setting the basin down on the side table. "You are going to be a powerful man some day."

"I just want a peaceful life," Tsukune said.

"Ahhh, you poor boy," The woman sighed. "You should have thought of that before you started seducing women."

"I didn't do anything," He protested.

"Of course you didn't. You have done nothing to attract a slave-toy, concubines, and a Mate. You just happen to be the dream boy of half of the first year girls, and more then just a few of the second and third year girls as well." The nurse talked as she worked. "It's not your fault that you are seen as the most romantic boy in school."

"What? Since when?"

"Please," The nurse scoffed. "My sister is a fan of yours."

"Why? I'm just a normal person."

"Honey, one thing you are not is normal. I have it on good authority there is a shrine set up where girls go to pray to you for luck in romance."

"Please tell me you're joking," Tsukune groaned at the ceiling.

"I'm afraid not."

"No…."

"Well," The nurse smiled. "If your monster form is all slimy and smelly you could try showing it off. That would help."

"Damn," Tsukune made a sour face.

The nurse hid a smile.

"Look on the bright side. If you ever get lonely, or just want a little variety, you can just walk into the Girls' dorms and ask for volunteers."

"That is not funny," Tsukune said in a flat voice, looking the nurse in the eyes. "Not even as a joke would I consider that. What kind of a letch and a hentai would I have to be to even think about doing something like that. No man should ever act that way." As he spoke, Tsukune's voice carried notes of distaste and even anger. His face became firm with disapproval.

"I am so glad you feel that way," The nurse smiled brightly. "And I can tell you mean what you say. I can see it on your eyes."

"What are you talking about?" Tsukune's voice hardened.

"I told you. My little sister is a fan of yours. It is just the two of us, so I had to make sure that you were good enough for her."

"What?" His voice cracked.

"You don't have to worry about it." The nurse finished her work and collected the basin from the bedside. "Please take good care of my sister," She said with a small bow before leaving the room.

Tsukune watched her leave, feeling stunned. As soon as the nurse was gone Ruby was at his bedside and the others steamed into the room. Tsukune had to give himself a shake to bring his mind back into focus. When he recovered from his shock, he realized that his friends were all glowering.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was kind of fun, Kurumu admitted to herself. She and the others had been granted permission to share Tsukune's room until he was discharged. Ruby had a futon on the floor. Kurumu had to share a bed with Yukari, but she felt she was better off then Moka, who was sharing a bed with Mizore. It was a little like a school trip, but without monsters or mobsters, she thought. She just wished that the sleeping arrangements would let her slip over and share Tsukune's bed.

Yukari was not sleeping well. Nobody had said anything, yet, about how Tsukune getting hurt was her fault, but it was never far from her mind. That feeling of guilt kept needling her. The little witch was also kept from sleeping by every movement Kurumu made. Yukari would have rather shared a bed with Moka, or better yet Moka and Tsukune both, but she didn't trust the boob monster. By sharing a bed with Kurumu, Yukari had the best chance of keeping her away from Tsukune's bed.

Mizore was sleeping lightly, but well. She was in the same room with Tsukune, but they were not alone, not in the same bed. The fact that she was close to him gave her a sense of calm, while the presence of the others kept her from feeling nervous. Even in sleep, she found comfort from being close to Tsukune.

Moka was having a hard time sleeping. For starters, she was crowded onto a narrow bed with another person. That was awkward enough to disturb the vampire's rest. Tsukune was just a few feet away, and she could smell him. From the time he had been brought into the room, a day and a half ago, Tsukune's scent had been in the air. Moka was close enough to smell him and it awakened hungers inside of her.

'If only we could just take him now,' Moka's inner voice growled, echoing her feelings.

'If I was not a vampire," An old thought ran through Moka's mind. 'Then I would be free to have a normal relationship.'

'If we were not a vampire, then Tsukune would be dead long ago,' Inner Moka reminded. 'But then again, he would not have been in danger in the first place… If we could have met him in the human world, I wonder how our relationship would have been different…'

'We wouldn't have all these others chasing after him also,' Moka thought darkly. 'We would have met his mother properly, and would have been accepted by her sooner. We would be free to date openly until graduation. After that we could go to college together, maybe share a room. Once we finished school we could get married…'

'You have been thinking about this,' Inner Moka observed.

'I have.'

'So have I. I doubt we will ever "marry" in the human sense, but if he continues as he has, he may very well become a worthy Mate.'

'What!'

Inner Moka just laughed softly as she sent very passionate, if embarrassing, mental image to the Outer Moka.

Ruby lay on the floor at the foot of Tsukune's bed. The thin futon was plenty comfortable to her, not because of its padding or support, but because of where it was. She was near her master, where a slave should be. She was at his feet, loyally waiting to serve him. Once the lights were turned out for the night, Ruby let herself smile in the dark. Tsukune had been so manly today. He had openly ordered her in front of the others, in a voice that was filled with the confidence that came from knowing she would obey him. He had trusted her to do something, and had made it clear that she was the only one he trusted so completely. She felt warm inside. His attitude, and his orders… Tsukune had claimed his authority over her publicly, and Ruby love him for it.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tsukune was grateful to return to his own room a day and a half later. He had finally managed to work out a way to get a little privacy after breakfast on his second morning in the hospital. He had started by asking Kurumu to go to his room and get him some clean clothes. Tsukune had asked Mizore to make him lunch, because hospital food was less then satisfying. After they had gone to do those things for him, Tsukune 'remembered' that he needed to get his uniform cleaned, and sent Ruby to take care of it. Yukari he asked to visit the Student Police headquarters to get him a copy of the current roster and schedules, and she had hurried off without even pausing to ask if the guards in the hall had the information.

"What would you like me to do?" Moka asked.

"Could you keep me company?" Tsukune asked her.

"Tsukune," She said with a smile as she cuddled him on the bed.

For the rest of the day Tsukune found excuses to keep the girls busy in some way. After lunch he was able to get Mizore, Moka, Kurumu, and Ruby to each make something for his dinner, but had suggested they make enough for a small picnic, so they could all eat together. Because the girls would not let Tsukune do anything for himself except use the toilet, he had Yukari read the assigned study material out loud for him, and frequently asked her questions. It was not his favorite way to study, but it killed time and it appeared to make the little witch happy.

After eating the girls agreed to return to their own rooms to rest and clean up only after Tsukune insisted that it bothered him that he was being such a burden to his friends. Ruby returned as soon as she had managed a wash and a change of clothes. For the sake of keeping her busy, and himself distracted, Tsukune dictated a letter home to his parents.

In his dictated letter Tsukune downplayed the seriousness of his injury. He admitted to taking a fall on the stairs, but left out the head injury. He admitted to hurting his shoulder, and implied a hand injury to justify the use of a secretary to write his letter. Tsukune knew his mother would assume the worst when she found out he was injured, and would know he was keeping the seriousness of the accident from her. So instead of trying to sound stoic, he whined. Because everybody knows that once the patient starts whining and becoming demanding then they are getting better and are just playing for sympathy.

The letter was filled with petty complaints. He lamented that his teachers would expect his studies and winter break assignments completed on time even when he was hurt. And of course he didn't like having to eat with his left hand. The plan to sneak off to a non-existent local video arcade would have to wait until he could play the games without making his injuries hurt worse.

It was a letter just like his mother would expect from her often clumsy son when he just wanted a little sympathy. Tsukune suspected he would get a batch of cookies and a reminder to do his school work properly in response. In hindsight, the only mistake Tsukune made was not being the person to seal the letter in the envelope.

XXXX XXXX xxx XXX xxx XXX

"To the honorable Mrs. Aono," The letter said in clear, gently flowing hand writing. "It is my honor to introduce myself to you in this humble way. My name is Toujou Ruby. We met only briefly last year when your son returned home from school and I was sent to collect his friends who had taken the wrong bus so they could visit him.

"I am honored to be writing to you today in service to Tsukune. Please do not be alarmed. He has been hurt and has instructed me to write this letter because he says that it would be uncomfortable to write it himself. He has already been seen by a doctor and had been declared to be in good health."

Aono Kasumi paused in reading the letter to calm herself. She felt a moment of panic when she read that her son was too hurt to write. She considered making a visit to the school to see how badly her only child was injured, but she didn't want to over react. After some calming breaths, she continued to read.

The letter was a little disappointing to Kasumi. After all the maturing her son had shown recently he sounded like a child with a skinned knee complaining that the bath would make it sting. She found it comforting that Tsukune was still her little boy after all.

His friend Ruby seemed to be a pleasant girl. She was very polite, and her writing appeared insightful. Ruby had added little observations between Tsukune's small talk and petty complaints. She mentioned how Tsukune forgot about his injuries when Moka was around, and how much he liked having his friends cook special food for him, 'because he's hurt.'

"You will be glad to know that your son, who is very important to me, is doing well in school and is happy," Ruby added after Tsukune had finished dictating. "Akashiya Moka makes him very happy. His other friends are nearly as fond of him as I am, and there are many here that look up to him and admire how much he does for the school and his friends. I am very fortunate that he has made a place in his life for me, after all that has happened. Mrs. Aono, thank you for raising such a wonderful son."

Aono Kasumi sat with the letter in her hands on considered its contents carefully. Her son, in contradiction to his exaggerated complaints, was doing fine. She thought briefly about sending him a batch of cookies, but after looking over the letter one more time she had a better idea. She went to the shelf and pulled out a cookbook, then settled down to write some letters of her own.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Moka sat in her room with her eyes shining with joy. She had received a letter from Tsukune's mother. It had been a surprise to receive any letters at all. She had already gotten the traditional holiday note from her father, with its brief message telling her to do well in school. Moka had wondered why she was receiving any mail, but had nearly dropped the letter in surprise when she noticed the return address.

The letter had been polite and friendly in a way Moka was completely unused to. It enquired about her health and how she was doing in school before continuing on to ask about how Tsukune was doing. As Moka read the letter she could almost feel the love Tsukune's mother had for her son, and imagined that some of that affection was being shared with her as well.

The letter had also shared some information that Moka had not expected to get so easily. Tsukune's mother had included the recipe for Tsukune's favorite dinner. It was clear that Tsukune's mother had been earnest about recognizing and accepting Moka as being a suitable girlfriend for him. The acceptance and caring made Moka want to laugh and cry at the same time.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Ruby felt like dancing. While Tsukune sat at his desk reading a letter from his mother, she was in the kitchenette reading her own letter from the woman. It was a polite note that thanked her for looking after Tsukune and offering her warm wishes and luck in the coming year. It also held a recipe for cookies and a short list of some of Tsukune's preferred foods.

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Tsukune was puzzled by his mother's letter. While it had all the mothering admonishments about being safe and working hard that he had expected, it was also filled with reminders to be honest and responsible. His mother did say it was alright to have Moka come stay with them after the end of the school year. But she also said that any of his friends were welcome to visit as much as they wanted, as long as they remembered their manners. His mother would not forgive a repeat of what had happened before. She advised that if he let that happen again he might have to find a new place to live.

Tsukune sometimes wondered a bout his mother. From the time he started going to junior high, his mother had started watching too much day-time television. She had acted on some off-the-wall ideas once in a while, and Tsukune suspected her recent letter might be influenced by some new drama program. He put the letter away.

Because Tsukune had been forced to rest, first in the hospital and then in his room, he had finshd all of the assignments that would be due after winter break. The girls had been taking turns visiting him to help him with his assignments. Some were obviously more helpful then others. Ruby put up with the intrusions into her care for him with good graces, but flatly refused to let any of them stay even a heartbeat past curfew. The only time she left the room more then necessary was when Moka came to visit.

It was during Moka's most recent visit that Tsukune unsealed the vampire. Inner Moka performed a lazy stretch, as she became more alert, that ended with her arms around Tsukune's neck. Ruby quietly and quickly left the room.

"Your servant is very competent," Moka observed with a crooked smile.

"I am still trying to get used to it," Tsukune admitted as he slowly put his arms around Moka's waist. He looked her in the eyes. "I've missed you," He said honestly.

"Good," She said and pulled him into a kiss.