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 42

It was the first day back from the Winter break and the students of Youkai Academy were on their way back to class. Some were energized, having taken time over the break to relax and refresh themselves. More were moving slowly, still used to lazy mornings and easy days. A few were frantic, unfinished assignments on their minds as the sought out friends, classmates, anybody that could help them. Fresh or frazzled, dedicated or distracted, dressed in their uniforms, they made their way to school.

Once again, in front of the school gates the Newspaper Club had their table set up. No major conflicts were covered in the latest edition. Nobody new had declared war against the school or its students. The paper held a review of the Drama club's latest production. The advice columns were all well planed out, with no rushing to make up for time lost. It was, Tsukune reflected, the most normal paper that the club had ever produced. The schedule for coming athletic events and school holidays were not lost behind an exciting story of violence or scandal. Tsukune smiled warmly to everybody and reflected on how much he was looking forward to some nice, peaceful days.

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The village was filled with excitement. Nineteen little houses were occupied by two students each. Tsukune and three other Student Police members patrolled the village street. The same day that Tsukune's friends had moved in, fifteen other students had also moved into the village. Each occupied house had a student that had spent some time living among humans. With the exception of Tsukune's place, each house had a second student moved in so that they could learn more about interacting with the human world. On the first day back from Winter break, home room teachers had notified the nineteen students that were to benefit from living in the village.

Tsukune knew that there would be no way to keep the village a secret as soon as he saw Kurumu's moving team. With a total of thirty nine students, and Ruby, living in the village, the place was going to be lively. The student police had to add the village to their patrol area. This also meant the longer walk to school had to be watched over as well. Every resident of the village had been given a rule book to follow. In Tsukune's case, he was expected to help enforce the rules of the village.

The first week following Winter break, the village was filled with a party atmosphere. Students moved in to their new homes. Only Tsukune's had been fully furnished, the rest had only minimal furniture. The little store in the village, run by an elderly looking man, sold mostly small comfort items and basic food stuffs, so students had to make the trip to the shopping district for their larger needs. The students moving in had been assisted by friends. The thrill of something new made everybody a little excited. Monster or human, girls loved having an excuse to shop.

The village did not have a curfew. There was no rules about how late lights could be on, or when students had to be inside. Also, there was no restrictions on late visits or guests staying overnight. The village was supposed to represent contemporary human world living. It was up to the residents of each house to set restrictions on such things as visiting hours. The rules that Tsukune and the student police had to enforce were all about safety, and keeping the students in their human roles.

Yukari was not aloud to use her wand and magic to do housework. Mizore was not permitted to use her ice puppets for yard work, or to cover he house and yard in snow. There was no rule against Kurumu laying out on a blanket to get a tan, but Tsukune still reminded her that humans have a different view of modesty and decency then monsters. Likewise, none of the students were allowed to show their monster forms. No late night prowling, stalking, or howling was allowed.

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Kurumu was frustrated. She lived across the street from Tsukune. Closer then before, but still not close enough. She had just finished moving herself in and settling into place when her new house mate arrived. Enya was a spirit from Southern Japan. A smoke spirit that often appeared insubstantial. Kurumu would have preferred someone a little more confident to share the house with.

Enya had grown up outside a southern fishing village, but had always wanted to live in the city. She almost worshiped Kurumu for the 'glamorous' life she had known. To make matters worse, Enya smoked. She kept an incense brazier in her room, but she also smoked tobacco. As a smoke spirit, it was a source of strength for her. While she could not smoke on campus, she felt free to smoke in the village. Kurumu, after threatening to flap her wings, was able to make Enya agree smoke only outside the house. The incense they could negotiate.

Even with the compromise, Kurumu was not happy with her house mate. The girl insisted on dressing sexy and wearing makeup as she hung around outside smoking. Kurumu worried what her neighbors might think.

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Mizore considered her house mate critcally. Anna was a rain spirit from central Japan. The girl was moody, mostly depressed, given to staring off into space and sighing often. It seamed that Anna had a deep crush on a boy, but did not have the confidence to approach him. While water and ice spirits complimented each other, Mizore was not sure she wanted to live with one.

On the positive side, Mizore and Anna had very little reason to come into conflict. Anna didn't mind the cold, so long as the temperature stayed above freezing. There would be no steaming hot showers or constantly running heaters to wear Mizore down. The ice maiden did speculate about who was supposed to be helping who with understanding the human world. Mizore, except for playing with a human boy as a child, had only experienced the human world when going there with the Newspaper Club.

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Yukari wondered about her new house mate, Kuna. The young woman was incredibly shy, and had moved in with nothing more then a pair of bags. Once she had moved in, she had stayed in her room until it was time to get ready for school the next day. After school, Kuna had returned to her room without saying a word. Yukari realized that she had a chore ahead of her, getting her house mate used to the idea of interacting with the human world.

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Moka felt irritated. Both sides of her personality were unsatisfied with the situation. The serpent woman, Kiyo Himi was a class mate, which gave her something in common with Moka. Inner Moka was unhappy because having a house mate that was not beholden to her in some way made the pair appear as equals. Tsukune, who shared his house with his slave, while holding a position of authority with the Student Police, looked more accomplished then ever. But Moka was left looking like any other student. It was only a small consolation that Moka was responsible for helping the other student to learn about the human world, putting the vampire only a little above the serpent woman.

The other thing that bothered Moka was their house mate's choice of decoration. It was something seen by chance. Kiyo had her door open when Moka was in the hall. The serpent woman had placed on her wall a poster made up of a collection of photographs around an enlarged central image. That central image was of Aono Tsukune, standing bare chested and bloodied in a grave yard, looking like he had just finished a fight. Now Moka instantly recognized the image as fake. While it was clearly Tsukune's face, and the body was a close match. Some of his larger scars were not visible, and the holy lock was missing. The pictures around the central image were all authentic however.

It was very apparent that Moka would have to put the serpent woman in her place. Inner Moka had several ideas on how to do that. Outer Moka didn't like the violent, even visceral ideas from her inner self, but she agreed that some steps had to be taken.

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Up and down the village street, students took to their new living conditions. There was a flurry of yard work and home decoration as each pair of students added their personal touches to the little houses. Ruby planted sunflowers. Kurumu hung lacy curtains in the windows. Some students planted gardens, while others painted. By Friday the village, Tsukune decided, had become a lot less creepy. The place now had a look and feel of a real neighborhood, instead of looking like stage setting.

Tsukune looked over the village as he returned from classes Friday afternoon. He and his friends were sharing their usual banter as they shared the walk back from school with the other students now living in the village. Tsukune held Moka's hand gently, sharing smiles with her. Kurumu argued with Yukari and Mizore over who had rights to Tsukune's other hand. Around them, other students watched the byplay with mixed amounts of jealousy and envy. Tsukune just enjoyed sharing time with his friends, especially Moka, and let his mind wander over his schedule.

"Welcome home, Master," Ruby greeted Tsukune as he came in the door. The witch had taken to living in the little house like a fish to water. Tsukune knew she had her own bedroom, but she only appeared interested in using it rarely. She was mistress of her master's house.

"Tonight you have dinner with Kurumu," Ruby started reviewing Tsukune's schedule. "Followed by a half shift with the Student Police. I have a set of clothes set out in your room, Master. If you would like to freshen up before dinner, the bath is ready."

"Thank you, Ruby," Tsukune said, suppressing a sigh. He wanted the bath, and knew that he should take the time not only for his own cleanliness, but also to give Kurumu time to prepare dinner. The problem was, and had been every day since he moved in, that Ruby wanted to come into the bath and wash his back.

Tsukune considered his options as he headed for the bathroom. He wanted to do things for himself, but he needed to consider Ruby's feelings. She was working hard to take care of him, and the house, even though she did not need to. As Tsukune shucked off his uniform he tried to think of what he should do to reward Ruby for her hard effort.

XXX

Ruby approached the door to the bathroom. She was dressed in only her thinnest chemise and lacy panties under a short robe. Every time Tsukune took a bath she had done the same thing. Removing most of her clothing so they would not get wet, or in the way, but keeping herself covered to avoid being too forward, Ruby would then offer to wash her master's back. And every time, he declined. His modestly was charming and frustrating at the same time.

"Master," Ruby said as she knocked lightly on the bathroom door. "Would you like me to wash your back?"

"Ahhh," Tsukune's voice came through the door. "Alright."

Ruby felt her knees tremble. Her master had agreed to let her wash his back… to touch his undressed body. With nervous fingers she reached for the door.

"I'm coming in," She warned.

Tsukune was sitting on the wash stool with his back to the door. Ruby saw that he had a towel firmly tied around his waist, and that the back of his neck was red from blushing. Ruby knew at once that he was letting her wash his back because he wanted to please her. She would not press him for any additional attention as long as he was still uncomfortable with such a personal act.

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Tsukune allowed himself a small sigh of relief once he was back out to the street. Letting Ruby wash his back was probably the right thing to do; It had made her happy after all. Unfortunately the experience had left him feeling tense, even after he had dismissed his servant. He doubted that he would be able to relax at all. With another small sigh he crossed the street.

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Kurumu cleaned up after supper carefully. She tried to stay focused on the task of washing, without breaking any of her nice dishes, to help keep her temper in check. Tsukune had come over for dinner, and Kurumu had her plan in place for his continued seduction, but Enya had spoiled those plans with her presence.

All of Kururmu's plans had been corrupted by her house mate. First, by her nasty habit of smoking, making everything taste like it had ashes in it. With the flavor of the food thrown off, even by a little, the mood of the evening was already damaged. Then the smoke spirit refused to leave them alone She kept passing through the room to go outside for a smoke, and while outside she wanted to leave the door open so she could listen and watch what was going on. The playful mood that Kurumu normally used to help Tsukune relax and get him to let his guard down had escaped them. The spoiled evening had left Kurumu fuming.

xxxxx

Enya made sure her window was closed and the curtains were shut before letting herself drift around her room. She had been confused why her house mate, who had lived among the neon lights and excitement of big city life, would chose to act so simple and modestly. Then Aono Tsukune had knocked on the door. The Captain of the Student Police had been in his uniform, looking as handsome as ever. He had moved with confidence and power, his muscles tight and ready for action.

Enya knew that her house mate was a part of Aono's harem, but didn't realize that he would visit with her. Enya drifted over to look at the poster on the back of her door. She had the early poster, the one with Aono Tsukune in his uniform standing in front of a black board. She had admired the handsome, calm boy when she first started to hear about him and his adventures. He was brave and loyal, and, in spite of his fighting strength, he still looked gentle and caring. He had even been polite when he showed his disapproval of her smoking cigarettes.

Enya was thrilled to know that Tsukune would visit her house, even if he was not there to see her. She smiled to herself. Smoke could smother the strongest of men with gentle caresses. She looked at the poster and dreamed of visiting the big city with Tsukune.

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It had been a long and tiring weekend, Tsukune reflected. After dinner with Kurumu, which had not been up to her normal level of performance, Tsukune had spent more then half the night on his feet. Friday night had been filled with 'House Warming' parties. While the school rules were very casual about many things, and even more lax in the village, Tsukune had to keep a sharp eye on his fellow students.

A part of what Tsukune had to do was teach his fellow students how to act. He had to remind them that humans had age limits for things like drinking alcohol and smoking. He enforced standards he had been raised to respect. The girly posters that a pair of male students wanted to put up, he made them move them so they were not visible through open windows. Likewise, he made students take down underwear that had been put up in inappropriate places.

Mizore came to visit Tsukune as he walked down the street. It was close to midnight when she came up to him with a small basket of rice balls and a thermos of tea. He accepted her offering with a smile, grateful for a snack. Mizore asked him about how the village compared to his home, starting a casual conversation. Tsukune, scanning the area for any problems, did not notice the sharp awareness of Mizore's eyes. She was gleaning every seed of information she could from Tsukune's words, voice, and body language. When the rice balls were gone and the thermos was empty the snow maiden started to return to her house, pausing to invite Tsukune over for lunch the next day.

Tsukune spent a little extra time during his patrol walking through the empty 'T' shaped building. For lack of a better name he decided to call it city hall. He learned that the building had a full basement that was divided into several rooms. He also saw where restoration work had been done. Tsukune thought about how the building could be used to help the village, and hoped the students would not vandalize the place.

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Yukari was feeling irritated. She had discovered that her house mate was nocturnal, and overly suspicious of everybody. Yukari had tried to sit up and watch for Tsukune, hoping she could catch him alone so she could work on improving her relationship with him. He was getting along fine with Moka, but unless the witch managed to seduce one of the pair her dreams of a threesome romance would never happen.

It turned out that Kuna was already sitting up in the darkened front room. The quiet youkai stood in the corner, looking out from under her lanky black hair. The curtains were tied back so that she could see out. It gave Yukari the chills, the way Yuna watched her quietly as she tried to watch for Tsukune. Finally the little witch had retreated to her bedroom, her imagined opportunities missed.

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It was, Moka decided, the best possible way to achieve her goals. First and foremost, she would get to spend time with Tsukune. Second, she would show her house mate the proper order of things. The evening would start with a light conversation and tea in the front room. Kiyo would be present, because she is a class mate, and to be polite. After the tea, Moka would take a small drink from Tsukune. She would ask for his wrist, making it clear that he gave of himself willingly.

After feeding from Tsukune, Moka would have him remove her seal. Inner Moka had a presence that none could match. She would also demonstrate her position with Tsukune. If there was a way to make sure the young serpent woman knew her place, Inner Moka would find it.

Moka was carefully cleaning up after dinner, preparing to make tea for when Tsukune arrived, when she heard the shouting. The kitchen window was open, letting her hear the excited voices outside. Curious, she went to the front door to see what was going on. As soon as she did, Moka saw why people were shouting. One of the houses was on fire.

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Number Seven Village Street was burning. Flames had eaten their way through the roof of the house and were reaching into the sky. A tall pillar of dark smoke towered over the little house. The little street was filled with students that had gathered, watching the blaze. Some of them were fascinated, others were horrified. All of them appeared rooted in place.

"Mizore!"

The snow maiden heard her name. She wrenched her eyes from the burning house to look for who had called out to her. The huge fire frightened her even as she was fascinated by its wild beauty.

"Mizore!"

Tsukune elbowed his way through the crowd. He saw the snow maiden and called out to her. She could help contain the flames, he realized.

"Mizore," Tsukune said as he finally reached his friend.

"Tsukune," Mizore gave a small smile. She was always happy to see him, especially when he called out to her.

"Mizore," Tsukune reached out to her. "Can you do something about that fire?"

"Huh?" So focused on Tsukune she had momentarily forgotten the burning house.

"The fire," Tsukune pointed. "Can you put it out?"

"I..." Mizore looked back at the flames. "I don't know."

"Try," Tsukune instructed. "I know you can do it."

Hearing Tsukune's words, Mizore suddenly wanted to put out the fire very badly. She reached for her youki and summoned up her power. She focused her attention on the burning house.

A blast of cold air struck at the house. The front of the house, still untouched by the fire within, frosted over, but the flames were unaffected. Mizore tried harder. Frost thickened on the front of the house and started to spread along the roof. The fire was too hot for the snow maiden to smother with her powers alone. Even as Mizore tried to cover the house with ice, steam rose from the roof.

Tsukune saw his friend applying herself to putting out the fire. The snow maiden was focused on the burning house to the exclusion of all else. Tsukune saw beads of sweat on Mizore's forehead, silent proof of how hard she was trying. He divided his attention between his friend and the fire. The fire was winning. Tsukune could see that Mizore's ice, thick on the front of the house, was unable to dampen down the flames.

Mizore was trying with all she could. Tsukune saw her start to sway on her feet and felt the waning of her youki. She needed help, he knew. Determined, Tsukune reached for his own youki.

Mizore felt herself starting to grow light headed. She was not able to stop the fire, and was about to give up.

"I know you can do it," Tsikune said into Mizore's ear.

She heard the voice of her special person and felt her determination return. Then she felt his arms around her as he stood behind her. Tsukune's body was close against her, suddenly she could feel his Warmth flow into her. Youki surged into Mizore and she threw it at the burning house. Dimly, she was aware of Tsukune's voice, even if she was unaware of what he was saying.

"You can do it," Tsukune urged as he sent his youki to his friend. He saw the ice thicken on the walls of the house and frost coat the roof.

Encasing the house with ice restricted the flow of air into the structure, slowing the fire. Tsukune saw that Mizore's power was helping, but still more was needed. He looked around for ideas.

"Anybody?" Tsukune called out. "If you have powers to help put out the fire, please." Casting about, Tsukune saw Kurumu and her room mate. "Enya," He called out to the defiant smoke youkai. "You can help."

Enya was surprised. Tsukune had picked her out of the crowd and called her out by name. She had always wanted to be recognized, to stand out. She passed through the crowed towards Tsukune in answer to his call.

"Capture the smoke," Tsukune ordered, his voice tight from focusing his emotions and his youki. "Help keep it all in the house."

"Yes," Enya nodded. She turned her attention towards the burning building. Spreading her arms, the smoke demon became translucent in the light of the blaze. She drifted up, out of her clothes, transforming in to a dark gray silhouette of a woman. The orange light of the flames cast highlights over the curves of her smoke body.

Enya drifted to a point above the burning house and began the task of controlling the smoke. She felt the caress of the heat raising into the night sky as she exercised her will over the smoke. Soon, she had a mass of black smoke thick enough to blot out the light of the flames. Enya concentrated, harder then ever before in her life, making the smoke dense. She forced the collected smoke back down, into the burning house, depriving the flames of fresh oxygen.

It was enough to do the job. The flames were reduced, suffocated, by the thick smoke. The heat of the flames was diminished. Suddenly a thick layer of frost erupted on every surface in the house. The flames winked out with a hiss. Small flickers of steam escaped the burnt timbers as the last of their heat was spent against the coating of ice.

A cheer went up from the crowd of assembled students. Enya, feeling a rush of excitement and accomplishment, swooped down, letting the smoke erupt in a harmless, dark plume into the sky as she threw herself towards Tsukune. As she embraced the captain of the Student Police, Enya felt her smoke body spasm as she came in contact with Tsukune's youki. His energy was more then she ever imagined, and trying to embrace him made her feel incredibly good at the same time that it filled her with agony.

For a moment all she could do was feel the rush, then she forced herself back. She quickly gathered up her clothes and flew back into her house. Enya threw herself into her bedroom and onto the bed, where she curled in upon herself. Her body trembled and she was breathing hard. Her entire body felt tired and alive at the same time.

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Tsukune felt a chill run through him as smoke swirled about Mizore and himself for less then a minute. He didn't pay any attention to it as he calmed his youki. He was still holding on to Mizore, helping the snow maiden keep her balance. Tsukune could tell that Mizore was wrung out by the effort of putting out the house fire. Her small body was trembling in his arms and her youki was almost lost under his.

Tsukune kept his hold on Mizore and moved her towards her house. She went with him on unsteady feet. It was a short journey, but it felt like a long walk. The gathered crowd of curious students started to break up once it was clear that the fire was out. As Tsukune and Mizore passed through the dispersing crowd, he was able to pass instructions to another member of the student police. Knowing that the Board Chairman would be informed of what happened, Tsukune was able to concentrate on Mizore.

The Snow Maiden was out on her feet. She was like a puppet following Tsukune's directions. He managed to get her to her front door without incident. Once inside the house, Mizore leaned against a wall while Tsukune knelt down to take off her shoes. He tried calling out for Mizore's room mate, but his calls went unanswered. Leaving his own shoes in the entry way, Tsukune helped Mizore to her bedroom.

Mizore felt like she was half asleep and dreaming. Her whole body felt warm and she was light headed. The feel of Tsukune surrounded her and ran through her veins. But she was too warm and her body felt heavy. She let Tsukune guide her to her bedroom, but she was not aware of being guided. Mizore felt like she was drifting. The sight of her own bedroom, and bed, was welcoming.

Tsukune was relieved to get Mizore to her room without mishap. When the snow maiden stumbled a little, moving to the bed on her own, he moved to support her.

"Too warm," Mizore said in a voice that was part groan and part sigh.

Before Tsukune could respond, the air in the room started to cool down noticeably. He saw his breath fog in the air as Mizore started to pull at her blouse. Tsukune realized that she was about to undress.

"I'll see you..." Tsukune started to excuse himself, even as frost started to form around Mizore's feet.

"Tsukune?" Mizore questioned, turning at the sound of his voice. She knew she was in her own room, but what was Tsukune doing there? She continued to pull at her top as she turned. She quickly found herself tangled and in danger of falling over her own feet. Blinded by her own blouse, she felt the world tilting.

Tsukune saw his friend, half undressed, falling. He reached out to catch her. Mizore fell into his arms as she freed herself from her blouse.

Mizore found herself looking up into Tsukune's face while his arms were around her bare waist. She felt a new thrill rush through her body.

"Mizore..." Tsukune was concerned.

"Tsu-ku-ne..." Mizore was still in a daze, and too warm. Her breath did not come out in a fog, as Tuskune's did. Hers was colder then the cooling room.

Tsukune was worried about his friend. The Snow Maiden's eyes were glassy and unfocused. He could feel her body tremble in his arms. He needed to get her safely into bed.

"Mizore..." Tsukune's breath was a thick fog in the cold room.

Mizore had trouble thinking clearly. She felt too warm even as she tried to cool the room down.

Guiding her once again, Tsukune moved Mizore towards the bed. His face reflected his concern and determination. Mizore reached for Tsukune, her eyes were half closed and a sleepy smile was on her lips. She slipped her bare arms around the back of his neck.

Tsukune felt that he had reached a major goal when he finished crossing the room. The back of Mizore's legs bumped against her bed and she started to lean back. Tsukune use he momentum to tip her onto the bed, letting himself bed at the waist as he helped her lay down.

"Tsukune?" Mizore called softly as she felt herself lying back.

"Ye..." He tried to answer her but was cut off.

Mizore pulled herself tightly to Tsukune. Her arms around his neck gave the leverage she needed. He was too off balance to escape. Before Tsukune could protest, he felt Mizore's lips against his own.

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Tsukune stood outside Mizore's house trying to focus his mind. His body felt fine, but he also felt tired. It reminded him of when he would get sick as a child, when he was awake and restless, but didn't have the energy to get out of bed. As Tsukune stood, breathing slow and steady, he felt his strength slowly recovering.

While he was recovering his energy, Tsukune thought about what had happened with Mizore. The Snow Maiden had surprised him with her kiss. The experience had been different from what Tsukune had experienced in the past. Her kiss had been feather light against his lips. She had a way of just barely touching him with her lips parted, then closing them on his lip. Mizore's kiss had somehow left Tsukune wanting more of her.

Tsukune gave himself a shake. He was feeling more like himself and didn't want to get worked up over what had happened. First he had to take care of his commitments. Tsukune smoothed out his clothes and cleaned up his appearance as he walked away from Mizore's house.

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Mizore was feeling off balance as she got ready for class Monday morning. She had gone to bed without any of her usual practices. When she woke up to her alarm clock, Mizore had been surprised to find herself in bed. She was been half dressed and her room had a thin layer of ice over almost everything. Mizore remembered using her power to stop a house fire, and that Tsukune had been there helping her, but after that everything was lost in a fog. She remembered dreaming about Tsukune, which she did often. She dreamed that he had laid her down in on soft furs in a snow bank and kissed her. The kisses had continued until her alarm had sounded and pulled her from sleep.

The Snow Maiden had to rush to get ready for school. Mizore knew that the others would worry if she missed school, but that was not why she had to hurry to get ready. If she took too long to get ready for school then she would miss her opportunity to watch Tsukune as he came out of his front door. Mizore loved the honest, vulnerable look on Tsukune's face first thing in the morning. It made Mizore want to sleep with him just so she could watch him.

A quick look at the clock told Mizore that she was almost out of time. She grabbed her books and headed for the door. She was angry at herself for not getting ready before going to bed, she didn't have the time to make lunch for Tsukune. Suppressing a sigh, Mizore opened the front door, to see Moka standing on the street looking right at her.