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 39

"Welcome home, Master," Ruby greeted Tsukune as he closed the door to his room. "Did you have a good time?"

"No!" He said with a shudder.

"Are you all right?" Ruby was concerned. She could see that Tsukune was wound up like a clock spring.

"I'll never understand women," He sighed.

Tsukune had slept most of the day, but he still felt tired so he started undressing for bed. He didn't even consider what he was doing. Ruby watched him as he undressed. His usual habit when she first entered into his service had been to do a sloppy folding job of his clothes as he took them off before tossing them into the laundry basket. Ruby had quietly tried to break him of that habit, just so that he would become used to her cleaning up after him, just so she would be of more use to him. She felt a pain in her chest as she watched him toss his folded shirt into the basket. His pants followed and then he climbed into bed.

Ruby stood, caught in a moment of shock. That pain in her chest slowly turned into something else. As she looked at Tsukune, he rolled over, turning his back to her as he tried to get comfortable, she realized her hands were clenched into fists so tightly that they hurt. Her jaw was clenched as well, and her heart was pounding. Tsukune had been hurt, was the thought that formed in her mind. Someone had hurt her master…

Anger started to grip Ruby. The old lessons of hate and punishment that her old master had raised her with clawed their way from the dark places in her memories. Somebody had hurt her master, whom she loved, and they had to pay the price. Kurumu, Ruby knew she could take on. Her mother would be a tougher opponent, but only if she saw the attack coming. Ruby turned towards the door, already planning on how to get her revenge. Nobody would be allowed to hurt her Tsukune.

Tsukune just wanted to go to sleep and forget about the embarrassment he had been through. As things went at Youkai Academy, it had been less trouble then it could have been. It was over for now, so he just wanted to put it behind him. In a way, though, he thought as he tried to get comfortable, he was glad it had happened. It gave him a little better understanding of how Kurumu felt, and why she would want the life of a housewife. That though helped him calm down and relax. Because he was able to relax a little he was able to notice the rising level of Ruby's youki.

Tsukune sat up and looked around. He immediately saw Ruby standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes were unfocused and her hands were clenched fists. He had seen this in her before. He wasn't sure what had triggered her this time, but he knew trouble when he saw it. She turned towards the door as her youki built up.

"Ruby?" Tsukune called.

She didn't hear him. She was at the door with only a few quick steps. Ruby reached for the handle.

Tsukune knew he had to stop her. He reached for his own youki and felt it flood through him in a rush as he scrambled out of bed. Tsukune reached for his left wrist and took a breath.

Ruby's vision was clouded with red. She could feel her heart beating in her chest. The monster half of her nature clamored for blood as her human side raged. She reached out and took hold of the door handle. She would make them pay…

"Ruby!" Tsukune's voice was commanding.

Ruby froze. Her master's voice seamed to vibrate through her. It was for him that she had to do this. She started to turn the handle, but suddenly pain shot though her hand.

*Crack*

A red welt appeared on the back of Ruby's hand as she heard the snap of the whip. She spun about to face the attacker. She saw Tsukune standing by his bed. In his hand, Tetsu Odari writhed and twisted, a serpent ready to strike. Tsukune's silver and black hair rippled and his eyes were filled with power. Ruby saw her Master and felt her entire body start to shake.

This was the Master she fantasized about. A Master that could dominate her will and body. Her youki ebbed in the presents of Tsukune's. It was a response of an animal, instinctively backing down from a fight it knew it could not win.

Tsukune felt Ruby's youki drain away. He saw that he had her total attention, and that the danger had passed. He released his own youki and let it quiet within him.

"Ruby," Tsukune said, his voice still firm but without the pressure of his youki. "Come here," He ordered, gesturing to a place in front of him.

Ruby moved to obey without hesitation. Tsukune watched her as he put Tetsu Odari away. When she was right in front of him, Tsukune touched her cheek gently.

"You were letting your anger control you again," Tsukune said. "I don't know what you were going to do, and I don't want to know, but out of anger is not the way."

"I'm sorry master," Ruby said, looking down.

"Are you going to be alright?"

"Yes master."

"Are you going to be able to stay calm?"

"I think so, master," Ruby answered.

Tsukune looked at her and considered his options. He didn't want her getting into trouble, and he really did not want her hurting anybody. He just had to make sure she didn't slip out when he was sleeping.

"That's not good enough," Tsukune said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry."

"Get in bed," Tsukune said shortly.

"What?" Ruby looked up in surprise.

"If your temper acts up while I'm sleeping I might not catch you in time to protect you," Tsukune explained. "So I want you sleeping next to the wall. You will have to climb over me to get out of bed. This way I will know you are safely out of trouble."

"Yes master," Ruby smiled. She quickly removed her bodice and skirt, leaving her in her underwear and a slip. She was smiling as she climbed into bed as ordered.

Tsukune might not have meant it the way she heard it, but Ruby was happy with his orders. He was ordering her into his bed, so that he could control her, restrict her. She was not being tied up, but in a way it was the same thing. And he was exercising his authority over her out of his concern and care for her. With her master cuddled up beside her, Ruby drifted off to sleep with a smile on her lips.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Mizore was not in a good mood. She had hoped that winter break would give her a chance to get closer with Tsukune. Instead she had run in to one frustration after another. First he was hospitalized because of some jerks with a ball. Then there was the lack of alone time with him, a persistent problem as she saw it. His shifts with the Student Police took up some of his free time, and to make it worse were the hours he was keeping. Mizore was losing sleep trying to keep up with Tsukune. She tried to keep watch over him, but she could never be sure when he was going to stay asleep, and she wanted to be ready to follow him when he went out.

The latest problem came from Kurumu, if indirectly. The succubus' mother had dragged Tsukune out for a night of partying, and while Mizore had followed them, she knew that trying to enter the bar would have gotten her caught. Once she saw Tsukune, tired and stressed out, had safely made it back to his own dorms, Mizore had returned to her own room to try and plot some way to get ahead of her number three rival.

Mizore was a practical person, she felt. She knew that her biggest rival was Moka, and suspected that she would never beat the vampire when it came to Tsukune's affections. Number two on the list was Ruby. The witch was physically closer then Mizore or Kurumu. For all that Ruby was supposed to be just a servant, the woman had the advantage of physical closeness, which would make Tsukune more familiar and comfortable around her. But if she was true to her word, Mizore mused, then she could be the babysitter for her and Tsukune. Mizore didn't need to displace Ruby, she just had to find a way around the witch.

Mizore was feeling frustrated because she was being left out. Something had happened, she had heard enough to know that it had, but not what. Unfortunately she couldn't ask anybody. Kurumu would never tell, and she didn't want Tsukune to know she had been following him. The idea of just kidnapping him was starting to look good to her again.

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Shopping for school supplies was just an excuse. It was a reason for Tsukune and his friends to hang out together and walk through the shopping district. While Tsukune was glad to share time with his friends, the atmosphere was strange. Mizore was almost clinging to him, while Kurumu was acting shy and nervous. Moka was smiling and holding Tsukune's hand, and put up with Yukari clinging to her other hand tightly. Ruby had elected to tag along, and had been welcomed by the others, but followed a short distance behind Tsukune. Kokoa was also following along, included in the group, but not as close as the others.

Inner Moka was awake, in a limited fashion. It frustrated her that her awareness and perception was so limited, but it was better then nothing. She was awake because she was near Tsukune. She wanted to have him all to herself, but until she was ready to put off the seal forever then she would have to accept sharing Tsukune with her outer self.

Even in her restricted state, Inner Moka was aware that something had happened. There was a tension in Tsukune that was making him more alert, as if he had been attacked recently. Mizore was annoyingly close, but that was not a real problem. Through her outer self's senses, Inner Moka was only aware of the most basic things, and it frustrated her.

Tsukune resisted the desire to sigh. He had known that it would turn out this way from the beginning. Every one of his friends wanted his attention. He spent hours waiting while they argued and bantered about clothes, shoes, and accessories, repeatedly asking for his opinion even when he tried to explain that he didn't have one. He was forced to wait while they tried on dresses, which they would model for him and ask him if he liked how it looked. The one time he commented on how he thought a blouse on a mannequin looked nice, his friends rushed into the store and a melee broke out as they all tried to find a matching blouse to try on.

By the end of the day, Tsukune's feet were sore and his mind was numb. He had only spent money on school supplies and personal items, but even that had been unnerving. Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari had watched Tsukune like hawks as he shopped. He could feel them, almost hearing their minds work, every time he reached for something. Being prudent, he bought only the least expensive items for himself, but that didn't keep him from taking a little time to comparison shop. He realized that his friends were watching to see if he had any favorite items or brands. After shopping with his friends, Tsukune was ready to hide in his room.

As soon as Tsukune returned to his dorm room he knew something was wrong. He paused just inside his door to study his room, Ruby entered behind him and also froze. She could tell that an intruder had been in the room. The pair moved into the room slowly, eyes searching for any sign of trouble or danger.

They found nobody else in the room. A quick look around showed that all of their belongings were still there, but the feeling of something out of place persisted. Tsukune studied the room with his mind focused. He summoned up his youki and let it sharpen his senses and awareness. He was instantly aware of Ruby's youki as she stood behind him. In moments he was able to identify what was wrong with his room.

The room was too clean. This was not a physical kind of clean. Anywhere a person, or a youkai spent time they would leave a trace of their personal energy behind. The more time they were at that place, the more energy that built up. Tsukune stood in his dorm room and could detect nothing of his own, or Ruby's, youki.

Tsukune was reminded of when his mother would clean his room back home. He would come home on a early spring day, looking forward to the comfort and warmth of his bedroom. As soon as he opened the door to his bedroom he was greeted by crisp, clean air because the window had been open for most of the day. Tsukune knew someone had been in his dorm room.

"Someone was here," Tsukune said. "Search everything carefully," He instructed. Matching his words, Tsukune went to the bed and started stripping it down. He didn't think it was the least bit silly to do. There were lots of stories, movies, and television shows about spies and assassins planting devices to cause problems for their targets. Tsukune wasn't going to take a chance that some little demonic thing had not been left behind to plague him.

Ruby followed her Master's instructions. She carefully went through the closet, counting every item of Tsukune's belongings before looking though her small stash of items. Even as she worked she was aware of Tsukune. Her master was being diligent in his inspection of his living space. Between the two of them the room was searched inch for inch before being put back in order.

Tsukune stood in the middle of his room while Ruby finished putting away the things from the shopping trip. He knew someone had been in his room, but nothing was missing, been tampered with, or left behind. Whoever had come calling had done something to erase all energy from the room in order to cover their tracks. This puzzled Tsukune. He would not have been too surprised to come back to his room to find Mizore or even more likely Kurumu waiting for him in his bed.

The idea of some unknown person or youkai visiting his room made Tsukune nervous. He did not need a stalker. Part of what made him nervous was that whoever had visited was so powerful that they had to erase all of the energy in the room to cover their presence. Ether that, or the visitor had been so paranoid about being caught that they went to extremes to cover their tracks.

Tsukune mused that he might have to relocate. He could probably get someone to trade rooms with him just by asking. Suggesting that he was trying to avoid yet another girl trying to sneak into his room would make a lot of boys eager to swap with him, hoping that they might be able to trick a midnight visitor into something. Tsukune dismissed the idea. Even if he changed rooms it wouldn't do any good. He would have to let too many people know about the change for personal and official reasons for his new location to be kept a secret.

XXXXXXXX

While Ruby started working on dinner her mind was also working on the problem of Tsukune's room being violated. She liked the calm, confident way her master responded to the issue, but she was still bothered by it. What bothered Ruby was her own carelessness. She mentally scolded herself even as she tried to think of how she should cast wards to prevent any more uninvited visitors.