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

Chapter 113

Tsukune watched the clock, almost holding his breath. It was October now, and he had been acting as headmaster for almost a week. The Board Chairman had moved into his rooms above the school, so Tsukune met with him every morning to check in. Remembering his own time being bedridden, and seeing how energetic the Board Chairman was, Tsukune suspected that the man was prolonging his convalescence so he could enjoy a break from his job, and make Tsukune sweat a little more. At least the man had finally taken back his rosary, so that was one detail that Tsukune didn't have to worry over.

Tsukune had noticed a change over the past week, but at least it wasn't hard to understand what had caused it. Word had spread that Tsukune was acting as headmaster. There were many rumors about how and why he had ended up doing so, but they all shared the same core fact, Tsukune was in charge at the moment. Monday morning, when walking to school with his friends, was when Tsukune had first noticed the change in behavior. Everybody was being very polite, not only to him, but to all of his friends, and anywhere within Tsukune's line of sight. While in a bathroom stall, Tsukune overheard some boys talking about him as if he was the intended heir to the post of Board Chairman, and had been all along.

Considering the rumors Tukune had heard in the past, the idea that he was the intended successor to the Board Chairman was only mildly ridiculous. Besides, Tsukune knew that the rumors would die out eventually. He tried not to let the rumors bother him, but kept his ears open anyway. He had not believed the story about a shrine set up by a sect of followers, but it had turned out to be true.

Xxxxx

Moka was proud of Tsukune as he fulfilled his duties as acting headmaster. He was not lording his position over anybody, but at the same time everybody was careful to show respect. Tsukune thought that all the respect he was being shown was because of the office he represented, but Moka knew better. All it had taken were a couple of teachers being overheard grumbling about Tsukune being in charge to make his authority real to the students. Tsukune was still thinking in polite human terms, but things were much simpler in the primal world of youkai. Tsukune was in charge, so lacking any other proof of why, it was assumed that it was because he was the most fit for the position. In the youkai world, being fit was the same as being strong. The way the students of the Youkai Academy saw it, if Tsukune, who everybody knew to be a strong fighter already, was powerful enough to take the position of headmaster, then he was more then powerful enough to do anything he wanted and nobody would be able to stand up to him, or speak out against him.

Moka was happy with Tsukune about something else as well. It appeared that Tsukune had finally made a serious impression on Kokoa. She had been spending her lunch times with Moka, but had not made any negative comments about Tsukune all week. It gave Moka some hope that her sister wouldn't cause problems in the future.

XXXX

Mizore had her problem with Tsukune narrowed down to two key points. The first, of course, was the competition. Moka had captured his heart, and even Kurumu had won a claim on his affections. The other problem was time. Mizore just didn't get enough private time with Tsukune. The idea of kidnapping him, if just for a week or so, was an attractive one. She knew that she could make him happy, if only she could get the chance. During the latest trip to the human world, Mizore had been able to spend every night in Tsukune's bed, but had been unable to do anything because he had not been alone. However, a single weekend alone at school, with just the two of them had been wonderfully productive.

Mizore wondered if she could plan out a way to get the competition out of the way for a while. Her resources were limited. Because her people traditionally lived in the high mountains they were not politically connected. She had access to money, because it is in the mountains where mines were located, but she suspected that Moka's family was richer. Inviting everybody to a weekend trip would only get Mizore a group event, and likely without Tsukune thanks to his busy schedule. No... What she needed was a way to send the competition away somehow and still be able to stay with Tsukune at school. Mizore kept her watch over Tsukune and tried to think of a plan.

XxXxX

Kurumu was unhappy with the current situation. It was the timing of it all that got to her the most. She and Tsukune were finally lovers, but he didn't have the time to be with her. She didn't just want to be with him once a week or so. Kurumu wanted Tsukune all the time. A part of her frustration was the way being Tsukune's lover had given her a new insight to his nature. All of that firm resolve that had held her off for so long, and had been so frustrating to run up against time and time again, had turned into something new. In public, Tsukune was still the proper gentleman, and very much determined to keep things proper. In private, however, he had changed. During their alone time over the weekend, when Kurumu had tried to tease Tsukune with her breasts, by placing a cookie in her cleavage, he had boldly accepted her invitation and eaten the cookie where it lay, and then proceeded to chase down every last crumb, until she was topless and breathless.

Kurumu was frustrated because Tsukune was like two different people sometimes. She liked how excited his attentions made her feel in private, but not how distant he was in public. Kurumu resolved to talk to him about it when she got the chance.

XxXxXxXxXxx

Tsukune was glad to make it though another day as acting headmaster without any school shattering problems coming up. He thought he could get the Board Chairman to start working again, at least part time, in the next week. Once he got the man out of bed and back behind the desk, Tsukune suspected that the Board Chairman's love of being in charge and manipulating people's lives would kick in, and things would get back to normal.

As frustrating as his current position was, Tsukune was aware of the benefits he was enjoying. People around Tsukune suddenly were hesitant to ask him for help doing things for they could do on their own. His committees were running smoothly, without needing him to personally make all the decisions. A good part of that, Tsukune knew, was because of his support staff. Inari and Akira were running the Student Police smoothly. Yuu, Tama, Kiri, and the twins, Kumi and Yumi were his personal runners/messengers. When questions or requests came in one at a time they could wear Tsukune down, but when they were batched together, sometimes they solved themselves. When person 'A' was asking for extra materials for his club's booth and person 'C' and maybe even 'D' had surplus they didn't know what to do with but didn't think throwing it away was a good idea, Yuu quickly learned to connect the different things, saving himself time, and Tsukune the effort. Even his duties with the town police were lessened. With his weird, magically time condensed training completed, Tsukune had more of an administrative role. He had to be visible in uniform in and around the koban and the town, but if he was sitting at his desk in the koban, people could see him diligently working and feel satisfied that he was there if they needed him. Nobody seemed to notice that he was doing his school work, or if they did, they didn't care.

As Tsukune walked back to his house in the village he was looking forward to the weekend. He had a day shift in the koban on Sunday to look forward to, which spoiled the usual study group, but that was all. With Saturday free, Tsukune wondered if he should ask Moka out for a date, or maybe Kurumu.

XX XX xx XX xx

Ruby was happy with how life was going at the moment. Not only did she get to take care of Tsukue's home, she was getting to be with him more at school as well. She resolved to take driving lessons at the earliest opportunity. She could picture a happy future in her mind, where Tsukune had his business running smoothly. Ruby would sit at her desk as his personal assistant, ready to see to his needs in the office. When it was time to go somewhere, she would be his personal driver. At home, she would be his servant. She could make a nice dark suit, with a tight skirt so she would look proper at her desk, and show off her legs and bottom to Tsukune. If things went the way she wanted, it wouldn't matter who Tsukune married, because Ruby would be a part of Tsukune's daily life. She would become an extension of him.

Ruby was entertaining her fantasies when Tsukune returned. Ruby welcomed him home with a smile from the kitchen. She could see that he was in a good mood, and hoped that he would share some of it with her.

XX XX XX XX

Tsukune got ready for another day of school with a crooked smile on his face. He realized that he had been spoiling Ruby a little too much since he became the acting headmaster. He had been nice to her at home because she was working with him in the office, and she was getting used to it. He was being less reserved around her, and being more tolerant when she became aggressively flirty. She had served diner wearing stockings, garter, and an apron, and that was it. Tsukune had not criticized her for it, and found that he kind of liked the view. She had served breakfasts while clothed her normal long skirts and stockings, and a lacy, strapless bra, as if she ran out of time to finish dressing. He wasn't sure how much of what she was doing was intended to entertain, or if it was all done in hopes of seducing him. As he headed out the door, Tsukune wondered if he should rein Ruby in by ordering her to wear a uniform.

XxXxX

Inari liked the current arrangement. She was spending more time around her captain, and with the help of a few friends' support, she was keeping up with all of her school work. Finding a desk and setting up in front of the Board Chairman's office, currently Tsukune's, had seemed a little much when she first did it, but it had worked out well. Counting the twins, Inari had seven girls, and two boys, working at her direction to help their captain. She didn't know about the boys, but the girls were regulars at the Aono shrine. The interesting thing was that all of them were feral youkai. While not really pack animals, they still had an inborn respect for an Alpha type, which Aono Tsukune was. He wasn't the type that forced others to accept his dominance, but instead, he calmly waited for his moment to take charge and prove himself. He had done so, over and over again, which was why he was so respected. Even many of the students that thought that maybe, just maybe, his fighting prowess was inflated rumor didn't want to challenge him, because if they lost they would look like foolish, and if they won, they would like be scorned for attacking someone so well liked.

Inari was hoping for a chance to talk to her captain, but found it difficult with another watching. It wasn't that the other woman was watching in and of it self. It was the fact that the woman was apart of the captain's inner circle that made her such a barrier. Inari wanted to talk to her captain about his future plans. She was going through the police training, but that was because she wanted to support her captain, not because she had considered a career in law enforcement. She knew that she couldn't just follow him around for life. Inari just wanted some advice from someone she respected. Inari was still pondering the question of how to approach her captain for a personal conversation when a boy she didn't recognize came into the office.

"Is Headmaster Aono in?" The boy asked.

"He will be here shortly," Ruby said.

"Thank you," He said, starting to pace. After every other lap he would blow out a calming breath and look at the papers he held in his hand.

"Alright, Ruby," Tsukune said as he returned from his afternoon class. "You... Ken?" Tsukune recognized the member of the Drama Club. "What's going on?"

"Aono Sensei, can I talk to you?" Ken asked, using the honorific for a school staff member.

"Come on in," Tsukune said, aware of Ken's agitation.

The pair walked into the inner office. Ruby diligently closed the doors while Tsukune took a seat behind the desk. He saw that Ken was worked up, so he wanted to project a sense of calm.

"What is it?" Tsukune questioned.

"I have been exchanging letters with a girl I met during our trip this Summer," Ken began. "She is from that all girls school were went around on the tours with."

"Alright," Tsukune acknowledged.

"After a while," Ken went on. "I guess someone must have said something. Her father started visiting her at school and asking a lot of questions. But he wasn't asking about me..."

"They were asking about me," Tsukune said. "I received a letter from Aiko, the class leader during the trip. She told me about it."

"Today I got another letter," Ken said. "This one was different." He offered the letters to Tsukune. "I'm not sure what is going on there, but now I'm worried."

Tsukune took the letters and read though them. The latest letter wasn't from anybody who's name he recognized. It said that the police were investigating a problem, and that because Iris, Ken's friend, was in contact with someone from outside the school that couldn't be located, she was in trouble. The person who wrote the letter claimed to be Iris' friend, and was asking Ken to come and explain that Iris was innocent. The letter did not specify what the problem was, who Iris was in trouble with, or what Ken needed to explain.

Tsukune's first instinct was that the letter was bait for a trap. He did not want to act paranoid, but with Fairy Tail out there somewhere, he felt that being careful was called for. Tsukune knew what his first action should be.

"Wait here," Tsukune said. "I'm going to speak with the Board Chairman."

Tsukune took the letters up to the Board Chairman's office. In ten minutes he was back, looking like he was ready to chew rocks. Ken had felt him approaching. Tsukune was angry. As he returned to the office, he replayed his conversation with the Board Chairman over in his head.

"Sorry to bother you," Tsukune had said. "But I think this is important. The security of the school may be involved."

"You don't say," The Board Chairman responded. He was sitting up in bed, propped up by a mound of pillows, reading a book. He only glanced up from the book in his hands as Tsukune entered. "And why do you suspect that?"

"Somebody had been trying to investigate me, and another student," Tsukune explained. He told the Board Chairman about the club trip, and how the youkai students had interacted with human students from different schools. He then offered the man the letters while explaining what he had understood from them.

"You're right," The Board Chairman said, turning the page in his book, never accepting the letters. "This could be serious. As headmaster you should probably have somebody investigate the situation. You might want to make sure the students in question have not revealed too much about the school. Since this is a matter of student safety, I would send the captain of the Student Police."

Tsukune saw the grin the Board Chairman was not quite hiding behind his book. For a man too badly injured to sit behind a desk, he seemed to have no trouble beating Tsukune over the head with responsibilities. It was clear that the man was not going to offer any useful advice, so Tsukune turned to leave.

"I have faith in you boy," The Board Chairman said as a parting shot.

When Tsukune returned to the office he already had a plan in his head. In hindsight, making plans when he was angry was not a good choice. Under pressure, the primal 'Fight or Flight' mechanisms kicked in, and Tsukune's 'Flight' option had apparently decided to take an early weekend.

"Ken," Tsukune said as he returned. "You should make sure your books and things are taken care of. I'll meet you at the dorms in a little while."

"Yes sir," Ken answered sharply.

As Ken hurried off, Tsukune stepped back to the outer office. He had instructions to give. He turned to Ruby first.

"Ruby," Tsukune's voice was a near growl. "I will be leaving school for a little while. If there is any official business that can't wait until I get back, bring it to the Board Chairman. As for the rest, carry on as usual."

"Yes sir," Ruby nodded.

"Inari," Tsukune turned to her. "Akira is in charge of the Student Police until I return. If any committee business comes up, tell whoever the messenger is to take care of it as best they can until I return."

"Yes sir," Inari said crisply. She was sitting up straight and all of her senses were focused on her captain. His body language said he was going to defend his territory, and that note that made her body vibrate was strong in his voice again.

Tsukune left the office and headed for the main exit of the school. He made a point of walking by his classroom, because he didn't want his friends to worry. He didn't hear the instructor's voice, so Tsukune carefully opened the door. This history teacher was not in the room, no surprise given that he was a fan of self study. He often assigned long writing projects and then tested on the material covered, minimizing his need to actually interact with the students. Tsukune paused at the door long enough to scan the room, before walking over to Moka's desk.

Everybody in the room was aware of Tsukune's presence. It wasn't just the fact he had opened the door to a mostly quiet room, but also because his dark mood and determination prickled their senses. Tsukune ignore most of the eyes that followed him.

"I need to take care of a problem for the school," Tsukune said in a low voice to Moka. "I should be back soon."

"Alright," Moka said with a nod.

Countless questioned filled Moka's head, but she knew that it wasn't the time to ask them. She also wanted to give Tsukune a kiss, but it wasn't the time for that ether. Her inner self complained about her restraint.

XXX XXX

Ken wasn't sure what Aono Tsukune had in mind, but suspected that they were going to visit Iris' school. He had just come out of the dorms from putting his school bag away when Aono Tsukune rolled up on his motorcycle. Ken had expected to travel by the school's bus, as he always had before. Tsukune offered Ken a helmet.

"I hope this fits," Tsukune said. "I want to avoid as much trouble as I can."

Tsukune double check his map while Ken got situated. Because their destination was supposed to be a school for daughters of the elite, it was located close to the foothills of Mt. Fuji, in Fujinomia. Tsukune was able to plot a route that would get them most of the way there in three jumps. When Ken was ready, they set off.

Tsukune had his temper reined in by the end of the first jump. He didn't have a solid plan yet, but at least he was doing something, and that gave him a small sense of control. The fact that the weather was cooperative was a nice bonus. After the third jump, Tsukune had something close to a plan, he hoped. As the traveled, Tsukune was unaware that once he had left the concealment offered by the barrier over the school his presence could be felt traveling Japan.