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, than you should not read this.

Chapter 155

Ruby was feeling torn. She was packing her bag to return to the Youkai Academy because the break was coming to an end and she was expected back at work. While she was looking forward to being back with Tsukune again, a part of her wanted to stay with his mother. Ruby loved the woman more than she would have ever expected. After losing her parents, Ruby had been taken in by her first master. While the old witch had shown her some affection and made her feel wanted, it had always been a cold relationship. Kasumi was the mother she had always wished for. Her own mother was just a faded memory, and it pained Ruby to admit that she couldn't remember what her parents looked like. Kasumi had welcomed Ruby into her home and embraced her as a daughter. That made Ruby feel loved. It made her feel like she really was a part of something special. Ruby resolved that as soon as she could, she was going to share her feelings with Tsukune.

Tsukune had saved Ruby's life in more ways than one. He had saved her when her old master had gone insane. He had saved her again when Moka's temper had gotten the better of her. But Tsukune had done more than that. He had broken through the barrier of hate that he old master had tried to lock around her heart. He had brought a light into her dark world by accepting her for who she was, in spite of being human when she was ready to kill humans. In spite of having been attacked and seriously injured by her. Tsukune had showed Ruby that there could be forgiveness, and that she did not have to live in a dark and lonely world filled with anger and hate and sadness.

As Ruby thought about Tsukune and his mother, a new little dream formed in her imagination. She could picture living in a big house where she looked after Tsukune's parents as their daughter-in-law while raising Tsukune's children. In this dream, she and Tsukune had two children together, with cute faces and special gifts all their own. As she finished packing, different versions of the same dream ran though her mind. In some of them, her children played in a nursery with Tsukune's other children, conceived with Moka and or one or more of the others. Kasumi would chide Tsukune over his over-generous affection, all the while cooing with happiness as she pampered her grandchildren.

Ruby liked her dreams, but she knew them for what they were. It didn't mater to her who Tsukune married, because she would follow him no mater what. In the logical parts of her mind she had different plans worked out. If Tsukune married Moka, for example, Ruby would wait until the vampire was confirmed to be with child. She would then go to Moka and ask her for permission to have a child with Tsukune as well. Ruby would argue that by having her own child soon after Moka's, would allow her to serve as wet nurse, so that Moka would be more free to take care of her other concerns, and help protect her figure. Additionally, Ruby could cite social/political reasons for the two women to give birth close together. Ruby just had to make sure that Moka's child was the eldest. Things would be less touchy with the others, but Ruby liked to plan ahead anyway.

Ruby had to giver herself a shake. She had been losing momentum as she enjoyed her daydreams. She had two bags packed full for her return to the Youkai Academy, which was a little impressive considering she had arrived almost empty handed. As it was she would be leaving some things behind. Some of the things she was leaving behind were outfits she had put together with Kasumi's help. She was leaving a few of her regular cloths as well. They were all hung up neatly in Tsukune's closet, reinforcing her closeness to him, and her connection to the family.

XxxX

Tsukune arrived at his family's home early Sunday morning. The sun was hidden behind thick gray clouds as snow continued to fall. He had a simple plan for the day. He would visit with his parents for a little while before taking Ruby back to school. That afternoon, the Newspaper Club was going to spend some time together, just for the fun of it and to welcome Kurumu back. After that, it would be back to their normal lives as students as they entered into their last term.

Tsukune expected his mother to try to drag things out, in hops of keeping Ruby and himself around a little longer. He would argue the need to finish some school work as an excuse to hurry back. He suspected that Kurumu would have some left to do, so he would not be directly lying. He did not want to get trapped at home because he had things he wanted to do that day.

XxxxXxxxX

Ruby had been a little sad to leave the Aono home, but she had known her stay there would be a temporary one. She had done all the she could for Kasumi during her stay to help the woman. Ruby had helped out around the house to give Tsukune's mother a chance to recover, while slipping her special medicine to speed her recovery time. She had also worked to keep the woman's spirits up so she would not have time to brood about her situation and maybe notice something she shouldn't. On the other hand, leaving the Aono family home meant returning to Tsukune's company. Between being with her master and remembering how good it had felt to be accepted by his parents, Ruby could not help but smile as she climbed up behind him on Hiru.

The trip started out under gray skies with cold winds. Tsukune quickly took them to the closest transition point, and things got colder. Ruby wasn't sure of it was because of how far north they were, or from the altitude, but her teeth wanted to chatter. Thankfully the next transition point was reached in less than fifteen minutes and things started getting better. It was turning out to be the longest trip Tsukune had every taken Ruby on. She didn't think Tsukune was lost, and the warmer weather of southern Japan was nice compared to where they had started out, but she was confused about where they were going.

Finally Hiru rolled to a stop while Ruby admired the scenery. The town they were at was mostly older buildings from a past era, with some modern ones mixed in. Of the few cars to be seen, none of them looked luxurious. Ruby had seen enough to know that the area was largely dependent on agriculture. She wondered what Tsukune was doing bringing them there.

"Hiru will look after the bags," Tsukune said as her 'engine' went silent.

"Huh?" Ruby looked around.

Ruby saw that they were stopped in front of a small road-side diner. A pair of flashy commercial trucks were parked close by. Most of the parking lot was left empty. Still a little bewildered, Ruby dismounted and pulled off her helmet.

Ruby's confusion continued as Tsukune lead her in to the diner. He helped her with her jacket while she looked around at a place that looked lost in time. There was a counter where one man, probably one of the truck drives, sat with a newspaper and a cup of coffee. Ruby counted six small booths running down the side of the diner, of which only one was occupied, by a middle aged couple that looked comfortable in their surroundings. A seventh booth that could probably hold six to eight people was in the far corner. A waitress that looked to be somewhere between fifteen and twenty five came up to Ruby and Tsukune.

"Good day," She said with a little bow. "Welcome to our restaurant."

"Good day," Tsukune said in return. "We'd like a booth please."

"Yes," The waitress said. "This way." She escorted them all of six meters to a booth where they had an easy view of Hiru. "Where have you come from?" She asked in a pleasant tone as Ruby and Tsukune sat down opposite of each other in the small booth.

"We started out up north," Tsukune said, accepting a menu form the waitress. "We're taking the scenic rout back to school."

Ruby accepted a menu and watched Tsukune and the waitress have a strange conversation. He implied that he and Ruby were both students, and that they had spent at least part of the winter break on a motorcycle tour around some of Japan's southern islands. The waitress took his words to mean that they were college students at first. Tsukune corrected her and said that they were on their way to a small private high school. He deflected her from the issue of how far they had ridden by talking about small town life. He mentioned the town by the academy and told a story about a woman that liked to go tot he local police box and complain about everything and anything whenever she felt like a little company. The waitress laughed along, able to relate.

Tsukune finally ordered some hot drinks and the waitress went to prepare them. Ruby watched him as he browsed the simple menu and saw him smile. She realized that Tsukune was watching her and couldn't help but blush.

"Tsukune," Ruby finally asked. "What are we doing here?"

"We are having lunch," Tsukune explained. "I know it isn't much of a date..."

"Date?" Ruby gasped.

"But I wanted to reward you for all that you've done for mother," Tsukune continued. "So I though we would have a little date, where nobody knows us, or anything about who we are." He gave a little nod towards the waitress. "Anybody who sees us will think we are a couple, and there is no reason to say otherwise."

"Oh Tsukune," Ruby's eyes were shining with happiness as she tried to hide her wide smile behind her menu.

True to his words, when the waitress brought them their drinks, she flashed Ruby a subtle sign of encouragement before retreating to give them some privacy. Ruby tried to read the menu but kept looking up at Tsukune and smiling. When she stole a glance at the waitress, she saw the young woman looking in her direction while talking with the cook, their heads were close together as if sharing a secret. Ruby was torn between acting calm and confident, and wanting to cuddle close beside Tsukune.

Tsukune eventually ordered lunch for them both. He decided on the daily special, a chicken dish with stir fry vegetables and rice. After placing the order he excused himself to the restroom.

"Have you been together long?" The waitress asked, refilling their drinks as an excuse to come over to the booth. She didn't get a lot of strangers, especially ones close to her own age.

"I've been with him for little over a year now," Ruby said with a smile. "But we have known each other for more than two years."

"It sounds like you're pretty close," The waitress said, wanting a little vicarious romance in her life.

"Yes," Ruby nodded. "I just spent the holiday with his parents."

"Oh?" The waitress smiled.

"It was Tsukune's idea," Ruby added. "We are talking the long way back to school because he said he wanted some time alone with me."

"Oh really?" The waitress beamed.

The pair shared a smile and a giggle.

"You are so lucky," The waitress sighed. "All the guys around here ether run off for the city at the first chance they get, or they have no dreams at all."

"Don't give up," Ruby encouraged her. "I was... Let's just say I had a job on a little farm close to the city when Tsukune and I met. I had no future, and no real expectations of my own. Tsukune took me away from all of that."

"I thought you went to school together," The waitress said, puzzled.

"No," Ruby shook her head. "I have a part time job helping out at the school, but I live with Tsukune."

"Ohhh..." The waitress' eyes went wide and she covered her open moth with one hand.

"I may not have everything," Ruby said. "But I am happier than I could have ever imagined. So don't give up hope."

"I won't," The waitress breathed. "I... Wow..." She hurried away from the table as she heard Tsukune approaching.

Ruby stood as Tsukune returned to the booth. She wanted a moment to compose herself after gossiping wildly with the waitress. She excused herself to the restroom and gave Tsukune a kiss on the cheek.

Tsukune sat down with a smile. He knew he had missed something, but had no intention of asking before they were safely elsewhere. Ruby was having a good time, and that was what their date was all about.

Shortly after Ruby returned to the booth, lunch was served. Ruby was surprised by how hungry she felt once the food was in front of her. She and Tsukune ate in silence, sharing looks and smiles back and forth. There was no candlelight. The only music came from a radio somewhere in the kitchen. To Ruby it was a special occasion because it was her first date with Tsukune. He didn't even mention Moka or the others. For that brief time, he was all Ruby's.

"There's one more thing," Tsukune said once the meal was over. "Before we get going." Tsukune stood and moved so he was standing over Ruby. "I have something for you." He pulled a box out of his pocket.

"Tsukune?" Ruby looked up at him from her seat in the booth.

"Ruby," Tsukune said. "This winter break has been a busy one for me. I know it has not always been easy on you ether."

"Tsukune, I..." Ruby tried to talk.

"Ruby, I had some time over the break to put some things in perspective," Tsukune went on. "I may not be the man you want me to be, or that I want to be myself, but I feel that I have not done enough to show that I appreciate what you do for me."

"I... Tsukune," Ruby looked around the diner and saw that five strangers were all looking in their direction. Ruby was excited and terrified at the same time.

"Ruby, this is for you," Tsukune said as he opened the box he was holding. Inside was a silver bracelet that resembled barbed wire and a pair of matching rings. The rings and bracelet were connected by a set of thing, crisscrossing, silver chains. It was a piece of jewelry known as a slave bracelet.

"Tsukune..." Ruby breathed as he lifted the bracelet from the box.

"Ruby," Tsukune said as he closed the box and tucked it away. "Give me your hand."

Feeling caught up in a storm of emotions, Ruby raised her left hand up to Tsukune. She wasn't even aware of doing it. Her mind and body didn't seem to be communicating at the moment. As Tsukune fitted the slave bracelet to her hand, she could feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"Ruby," Tsukune said in a gentle voice. "I hope that you will always be there for me."

"Tsukuneeee..." Ruby launched herself at him with a happy cry.

XxxXxxX

Tsukune felt like he was making good use of his last day of the break. Ruby had been pleased by the little date they had shared, and ecstatic with the gift he had given her. He knew that what he had done had been almost a marriage proposal. The idea of giving her a slave bracelet like that was to show that he really did accept her oath to serve him, and that he did want her in his life. She had helped out his mother when she needed it, and he knew all that Ruby had done. Tsukune had no doubt that Ruby would do all that she could for him, or any member of his family. What he had done in that little diner had been a reward that he felt Ruby had earned. For the rest of the trip back to the school, Ruby had held herself so tightly against Tsukune, that he suspected that she gave herself some bruises.

Once they returned to the manor, Tsukune put Ruby to work. She was to prepare a dinner for the Newspaper Club. Tsukune tried to help her, but she wouldn't have it. At one point Ruby broke down in tears, or at least pretended to, and wailed how she was a miserable failure as a slave if her master thought she needed help. Tsukune left her alone after that. Tsukune wondered if he should be worried about how well his slave seemed to control him.

XxxXxxX

It was a fun and casual party. Friends spending time together just for the fun of it. It was also the chance for the Newspaper Club to welcome Kurumu back to school and congratulate her on her work as the Sweetheart Cook. Kurumu, of course, loved the attention. While she had to share Tsukune with Mizore and Moka, Kurumu still managed to enjoy being close to him.

Kurumu had brought gifts for her friends., Holiday presents and souvenirs for the people that were closest to her. All of the young women received sets of new cookware, just as a little perk from Kurumu's job. She had tried to pic out gifts that her friends would enjoy. It was Ruby that Kurumu had the easiest time buying things for. For the dedicated servant, Kurumu gave things that she could use to help take care of her master. Spices and herbs for cooking and a good set of quality knives. For Moka, Kurumu had chosen designer scented candles. For Yukari, given their on going friendly rivalry, Kurumu picked out a collection of racy lingerie. While it was all the perfect size for the little witch, trust a succubus to know how to dress any body type up sexy, Kurumu made comments about the cup sizes probably being too big for her friend. Kokoa's present was a set of books on different kinds of fighting. The young vampire grinned as she flipped through the pages.

It had been Mizore that had given Kurumu the hardest time when it came to buying gifts. Her other half of the Black and White Duet was a modest woman with rather focused interests. Kurumu had been tempted to buy her friend a nice pair of binoculars, but had decided not to. Finally she had settled on a some very cute things that resembled winter clothing, but would only be comfortable to wear someplace tropical for most people. The parka, for example, was mostly just a white, snug, short sleeved jacket that didn't cover the abdomen, with a thin hood trimmed with pink faux fur. It came with matching shorts and boots. It was actually club wear, and not suited to keeping somebody warm unless they were dancing to fast music. For a snow maiden it would be just fine.

"You didn't get anything for Tsukune," Yukari observed at one point.

"That's not true," Kurumu said with a cute pout. "I'm just saving it until later." She gave Yukari a wink. "When we can be alone."

That, of course, ignited a round of mock fighting. While there was some real jealousy, there was no true ill will among the young women. Kokoa nearly stared using her new books as a weapon eager to help out her sister, even if she was unsure why she was fighting. Mizore actually slipped out of the friendly melee and over to Tsukune. By the time the others noticed, Mizore was sitting in Tsukune's lap, kissing him, while he ran his fingers though her hair.

"Mi... Mi... Mi... Mizore!" Kurumu protested.

"Tsukuneeee," Moka complained.

"You were busy," Mizore said. "So I decided to help myself."

"But but but," Moka frowned.

"I love Tsukune every bit as much as ether of you," Mizore said from Tsukune's lap. "I have always said so, and that is never going to change. Someday I am going to have his babies."

"Just take him and be done with it," Kokoa said. "Moka shouldn't have to deal with any of this nonsense."

"Kokoa..." Moka turned to her sister.

"We may be able to work something out," Kurumu said as she moved in on Tsukune and Mizore. "My mother always tells me how men like a little variety."

"Kurumu..." Tsukune and Moka protested together.

Kurumu didn't say anything. She just pushed at Mizore until she could climb onto Tsukune's lap as well. She slipped an arm around Tsukune neck, and while rubbing a hand against his chest, she kissed him. Tsukune was now trapped in his chair by the two women.

Moka glared at her 'friends,' and a growl escaped her throat. She stalked over to where Tsukune sat torn between smacking the smile off his face, or smacking Kurumu and Mizore cross-eyed. She reached past the other two to grab a hold of Tsukune's head.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Tsukune?" Moka asked in a low voice.

"I'm not going to lie," Tsukune said. "I love you too much to even try."

"You..." Moka growled.

"But I am out numbered," Tsukune went on. "What should I do? I've said it before. I am weak. I love you all, I care about you as my friends, and more. I want to do what I can to make you happy."

"Some day you will have to make a choice," Moka said flatly.

"I already did," Tsukune said in a firm tone. "And you know it."

"Damn you, Tsukune," Moka said. She nearly lifted Tsukune from his chair as she pulled his head up to kiss him.

"We have school tomorrow," Moka said as she released Tsukune's head. "And we have to be up early to pass out our paper." She threw a quick look towards her sister and grimaced. "Tsukune, you better not be late." She shot a look at the other two. "I'll see you in the morning."

Kokoa, with her new books held tight, had a small smile on her face as she left with Moka. Mizore and Kurumu pushed at each other for a moment playfully. Finally Kurumu spoke up.

"Mizore," Kurumu said. "If I could, I would like to give Tsukune his present tonight."

"Alright," Mizore said, showing no sign of moving from Tsukune's lap.

Kurumu made a sour face.

Mizore smiled innocently.

"Would your please give us a little privacy," Kurumu said.

"It will cost you," Mizore replied.

"What?" Kurumu questioned.

"I'll leave you two alone tonight," Mizore said. "But you will owe me a night when I ask for it."

"Alright," Kurumu replied. "I will give you two a night alone at some point, but I'm not guaranteeing when."

"Close enough," Mizore said with a nod. She collected one more kiss from Tsukune before working her way to her feet. "Good night, Tsukune."

"Good night, Mizore," Tsukune said to her. "I'll see you in the morning."

With a minimum of protest, Mizore took Yukari with her as she headed for the door. Now alone with Tsukune in the room, Kurumu didn't hesitate to kiss him. Much to her enjoyment, Tsukune kissed her her back. He more than just kissed her. He had one arm around her waist as they kissed, while his free hand caressed her breast. Kurumu could feel her desire rising.

"Master," Ruby called out from the doorway. "The bath is ready."

"Ruby..." Kurumu protested the mood breaking interruption.

"Yes?" Ruby said with a smile, her hands neatly folded at the waist.

Kurumu didn't say anything. She just glared at Ruby, knowing that the other woman had timed her intrusion on purpose. Before Kurumu could decide on a course of action, Tsukune reminded her of where she was, by gently squeezing her breast. Ruby was quickly forgotten as Kurumu turned her attention back to the man she loved.

"Kurumu," Tsukune said with a smile as he continued to play with her body. "Would you like to take a bath with me?"

Kurumu was glad to be back at the academy. Yes her friends could be frustrating, but Tsukune made it all worth while. The bath was more about the sharing than the cleaning, but that didn't stop them from getting very clean, wings and all. By the time Tsukune and Kurumu actually finished in the bathroom, their good clean fun had gotten more than a little dirty, in fun ways. Once they reached the bed, the passionate play continued. Once they're energy was spent and their desires satisfied, Tsukune and Kurumu cuddled close together to sleep.

"Damn," Kurumu muttered as she drifted towards sleep. "I forgot to give you your present."