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 175

Tsukune was glad when his work day was over. Not only did he have to attend classes all day while gossip swirled around him, he had to attend a meeting of the Dance Committee. The Valentine's dance would be held after his return from the Masako Shoken Girls Academy's festival. Everything was in place, thankfully, but Tsukune still had to give the committee members a little encouragement that it was acceptable for them to carry on while he would be away. After reviewing all the plans, making sure everybody knew their responsibilities, and answering a long list of 'what-if' questions, Tsukune was finally free to have a little time for himself.

Tsukune almost let out a sigh as he left the school building at last. He knew Ruby would have everything he would need for the trip packed. She was a great comfort, he was willing to admit. He made a mental note to do something for her soon. The few things he would have left that needed to get done by the morning would take very little time or effort. Tsukune was looking forward to relaxing for a while, but first he had to settle one little issue.

"You can come out," Tsukune said as he walked away from the school building. "You didn't have to wait for me, Mizore."

"How did you know?" Mizore said as she moved up beside him, taking Tsukune's arm.

"That's my secret," Tsukune said with a smug smile.

Mizore gave Tsukune a pout in protest, but he acted like he didn't see it. She took pride in her stalking ability. She knew that she could hide her aura better than anybody else in the school.

"Tsukune can I ask you something?" Mizore questioned as they walked along.

"Of course," Tsukune nodded.

"Do you really love me?" Mizore challenged.

"Yes I do," Tsukune answered without hesitation.

"How much?" Mizore pressed.

"Excuse me?" Tsukune gave he a confused look.

"How much do you love me?" Mizore questioned him.

"Ahhhh," Tsukune was at a loss.

"If you had never met Moka," Mizore said. "Do you think you could be happy with me?"

Tsukune blinked as he processed her words. After a few seconds understanding started to blossom in his mind. He stopped walking and turned to face his snow maiden.

"Mizore," Tsukune said. "I love you very much. I would be lying if I said I had not thought about what it would be like to have a life with you. Before I had decided on a career, I had thought about what it would be like to simply live in your village and raise a family with you."

"Really?" Mizore said with her face shining.

"If I had met you before I met Moka," Tsukune said. "Assuming I had not gotten killed or run away screaming from this school first. Or even if I had met you out out in the human world, I would have been to shy to attract your attention." Tsukune reached up and cupped her cheek with his hand. "Mizore, you are beautiful. The day we first talked, with your pale skin and long hair, you were cute and mysterious. Before coming here, I would have been so excited and frightened by your attention I don't think I would have ever been able to even say a word to you. A girl as beautiful and perfect as you would have been out of my league."

"Tsukune..." Mizore said, placing her hand over his to hold it to her cheek. She looked up at him with shining eyes.

Tsukune leaned down and kissed Mizore. It was a feather gentle kiss that was filled with tender emotions. It lasted only a moment, but it inflamed Mizore's heart and made her head spin.

"I love you, Mizore," Tsukune said gently. "How much... I don't know. I just know that I love you and that you are a part of my life."

"Tsukune..." Happy tears flowed from Mizore's eyes. "Tsukune!" She hugged him tightly and buried her face against his chest.

Tsukune stood holding Mizore while she cried quietly against his chest. He understood part of her feelings. He loved her, and that made everything so complicated. They were friends, but they were also something more as well. They loved each other, but their friendships that had brought them together were also holding them apart. Tsukune knew that if it was just the two of them, they would be very happy together.

"Tsukune..." Mizore sniffed, looking up at him again.

"Hmmm?" Tsukune responded.

"Did you really think I looked cute with long hair?" Mizore asked him.

"I thought you were adorable," Tsukune said.

"Should I grow it out again?" Mizore Questioned him.

"You should do what makes you happy," Tsukune said.

"I love you," Mizore said softly with a wistful smile.

They didn't talk for a while after that. Tsukune and Mizore walked back to the student village arm-in-arm, quietly enjoying each others company. He walked her to her door where they quietly parted with another kiss. As he returned to the manor alone, Tsukune worried about some day breaking Mizore's heart.

XxxX

Tsukune was relaxing for a little while with a book in his hands and Ruby's head in his lap. He had finished his school work and was ready for his up-coming trip. Supper was over and Ruby had finished cleaning. Tsukune was seated at one end of the couch while Ruby was laid out beside him. She rested her head on his lap while he caressed her cheek and neck as he read. Ruby was enjoying the moment, and was trying to think of a way to get Tsukune to touch her someplace a little more intimate, when somebody knocked at the door.

Tsukune heard the knock at the door and let out a small sigh. Ruby heard that sigh and felt her heart leap. Her master was disappointed that their moment had been interrupted.

"I'll get the door," Ruby said as she got to her feet.

"Alright," Tsukune said. He closed his book knowing that anybody knocking at the door would be there to see him. He closed his eyes and opened his awareness to try to figure out who was at the door. He felt Ruby's warm energy as she moved to the front door. As he heard her opening the door, Tsukune felt Mizore's presence.

"Mizore," Tsukune said as he met her in the front hall.

"Tsukune," Mizore set down the bag she was carrying and moved to embrace him. "I want to talk to you."

"Alright," Tsukune nodded. He could tell that she was anxious about something. "We can go..."

"Please," Mizore cut him off. "Take me to your room."

"Ahhh..." Tsukune raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Please," Mizore said with a tremor in her voice.

"Alright," Tsukune said.

Tsukune took Mizore up to his room. Once in the master bedroom, she closed the door and then embraced Tsukune again. She held him tightly for a moment before saying anything.

"Tsukune, I'm sorry if I am causing you any trouble," Mizore said.

"Mizore," Tsukune questioned her, his voice and eyes filled with concern. "What's wrong?"

"Tsukune," Mizore looked up into his face. "When you said you loved me today, you meant it didn't you?"

"Yes," Tsukune said firmly. "Mizore, I do love you."

"And I love you, Tsukune," Mizore said. She moved her arms from around his waist to around his neck. "I love you." She pulled him into a kiss.

It was a hard kiss. The gentle love that Tsukune usually shared with Mizore was almost absent. Mizore kissed Tsukune deeply, almost as if she was starving for the breath in his lungs. Without thinking, Tsukune held her close and kissed her back with matching passion. Eventually a need for air forced them to take a break.

"Mizore," Tsukune said, a little short of breath. "What is wrong?"

"Tsukune," Mizore answered. "You are going away tomorrow."

"But I'll be back in a few days," Tsukune tried to comfort her.

"But then it will be Valentine's day before you know it," Mizore argued. "And you will want to spend your time with Moka. And after that, sooner or later, Kurumu will be back, and you will be with her again. And then there is your work... Tsukune, I love you, and you love me, but we have so little time together."

"I'm sorry," Tsukune said gently. "I know it's not fair..."

"I know it's not fair," Mizore cut him off. "And I know it's not your fault. But Tsukune, before you go on your trip. Before you are too busy to spend time with me. Tsukune, I want to spend the night with you."

"Mizore..." Tsukune looked her in the eyes and considered her words carefully. "I love you. I love you and it troubles me because I can not give you the love and attention you deserve. You are wonderful and beautiful, and you should be with somebody who can dedicate themselves to you and you alone. I love you, and it just shows how selfish I am that I am telling you that I love you, because I want to be with you, even though I know it's wrong of me to treat you like this."

"I don't want somebody else," Mizore said stubbornly. "And tonight I want to be with you."

"Mizore..." Tsukune hesitated. "I know what you wish for, but I'm not ready for...

"Please," Mizore pressed, cutting him off. "I love you Tsukune, and I won't force you to give me children before you're ready, but I still want to be with you. I need to be with you. If you love me, if you trust me..." She left her sentence haninging.

"I... I..." Tsukune took a deep breath and blew it out as he looked up at the ceiling. He looked back down and Mizore. "I need a bath."

It wasn't an answer, Tsukune knew. He was stalling for time. Mizore knew what he was doing also. Tsukune was trying to think of a way turn her down, but she had no intention of letting him. He had not refused her yet, so she just had to keep the pressure on until he gave in.

XxxX

Tsukune knew he was in trouble. Mizore was asking for more than to just spend the night cuddling with him. He could tell in the way she was asking and in her body language. He needed time to think so he used his need for a bath as an excuse to stall. There was also the small, feeble hope that if he took long enough to give Mizore an answer she would lose her nerve and back down.

Tsukune tried to keep from letting his nervousness show. He did not invite Mizore to share his bath, but he didn't protest when she started to undress as well. They washed each others back as they had in the past, but Tsukune felt clumsy and was afraid he might hurt Mizore by being too rough. The bath itself was comfortably hot for Tsukune. He wondered if Mizore would cut her time in the water short because of the heat, or would she endure it for the sake of keeping the pressure on, and making Tsukune take responsibility if she fainted.

Mizore, as it turned out, was determined to stay the course she had set. Tsukune didn't realize it at first, but he finally let himself look at Mizore's naked body in the bath. That was when he saw the thin shell of ice surrounding her. She was consciously using her power to protect herself from the heat. Accepting that she was going to stay with him until he gave a solid answer, Tsukune leaned back in the bath to consider the situation carefully.

Tsukune thought about the relationships he enjoyed with Moka and Kurumu, and even Ruby. All three of them were his lovers. Inner Moka had been the first, catching him at a time when he had not been thinking clearly. Outer Moka had been caught up in that same passion as well. The time after that it had been planned out, reaffirming that they were lovers and that they both wanted their relationship to continue. Ruby had likewise caught him at a weak moment. She had taken advantage of his confusion and carnal hunger. He had share himself with her since then as well. The night he and Kurumu had become lovers was something they both knew was going to happen eventually.

Tsukune turned his thoughts to Mizore. He knew he loved her, and that she loved him. What she was asking for, what she said she wanted, Tsukune knew that some part of him wanted it as well.

"I don't believe I am even thinking about this," Tsukune said aloud. He looked Mizore in the eyes. "I can't believe I am being this selfish."

"What do you mean?" Mizore asked.

"Mizore," Tsukune complained. "How can I say that I love you when I am willing to even consider what you are asking of me, when I want to have a life with Moka?" He let his head fall back with a frustrated sigh. "Why can't I just be man enough to do things right. Why do I have to be so weak?"

"Tsukune?" Mizore protested.

"I'm done," Tsukune said as he stood up. He got out of the bath and reached for his towel. "I'm sorry Mizore. I love you, but you deserve better than me."

Tsukune headed for the bedroom. Mizore had to scramble to catch up. She dried herself by the simple method of freezing the water in her body in a thick shell and then letting it break off as she moved. She was not going to let Tsukune get away form her, and she was not going to let him wallow in pity.

"Tsukune," Mizore called out as she rushed after him.

"Ooff..." Tsukune's breath was knocked out of him.

Mizore collided with Tsukune and wrapped her arms around her. Using her own strength and momentum she drove Tsukune across the bedroom until his legs hit the bed. The fell onto the bed together.

"I don't want anybody else," Mizore insisted. "I don't want 'someone better.' Tsukune, all I want is you. You keep telling me you love Moka, but I know that you love Kurumu also. You say that you love me. I'm fine with that. Tsukune I love you. I want you all to my self, but if I can't have all of you, I'll take what I can get."

"Mizore," Tsukune argued. He pulled himself away from her as he spoke and moved up so he was kneeling on the bed facing her. "Do you know what you're asking?"

"Yes!" Mizore answered, moving to kneel facing him.

"I love you," Tsukune said. "But I want to do what is right."

"According to who?" Mizore challenged. "Tsukune, I love you. All I want is for you to love me as much as you can, even if it's just a little."

"I... I..." Tsukune struggled.

Mizore saw it in his eyes. He wanted to give in. Tsukune wanted to be with her, to share himself with her, but some small part of himself was resisting.

"Tsukune," Mizore said, making her voice small. "I want to be with you before anything else can happen."

"What do you mean?" Tsukune questioned her. The change in her voice made him suspicious.

"Just a few weeks ago I almost lost you, again," Mizore said. "Tomorrow you are going to go away. When you come back, there won't be any time left for me. And then school will be over. I don't know what will happen after we graduate. Tsukune..." She reached out and touched his cheek. "What if you get hurt while you're gone? What if this trip is the start of something new and you are too busy to even come back to school where I can see you?"

"Mizore..." Tsukune reached out his hand to touch her cheek.

Mizore sniffed. She looked into Tsukune's eyes with a pleading face.

Tsukune felt his strength melting away. He reached out with his other hand and caressed her shoulder. He tried to give Mizore a comforting smile.

Mizore leaned forward, reaching with her free hand. She put her hand to the back of Tsukune's neck and pulled him towards her. There lips met in a gentle kiss. It was the kind of feather light kiss that Tsukune usually gave her. It was filled with caring love and warmth. Not letting the kiss end, Mizore tried to move closer to Tsukune.

One motion lead to another. Tsukune's arm slipped around Mizore's shoulders. Their kiss became something deeper. Her body moved against his and her arm was around his neck. Before they knew it, Tsukune and Mizore were holding each other close. Their kissing had become passionate, and their desires grew stronger. The moved together, turning and rolling together, until Mizore was holding on to Tsukune as she laid in and on his arms. Tsukune felt Mizore's cool leg sliding against his and felt the curves of her body under him.

"Tsukune," Mizore's voice was little more than a whisper. "Please..."

"Mizore," Tsukune responded. "I... I love you." His words came out in a sigh. "I love you. I love you. I love you." She kissed her over and over again.

Mizore opened her legs to Tsukune invitingly. She slid her hands up and down his back feeling the texture of his skin, smooth and soft decorated with scars. His body was warm, almost hot on top of hers.

Tsukune felt Mizore's cool skin against his own. Her touch teased him. When he felt the heat of her center against his flesh as he ground his hips against hers it was a surprise.

"Yessss," Mizore hissed as she lifter her thighs higher. Tsukune was so close it was maddening.

"Mizore..." Tsukune whispered her name in her ear.

His flesh rubbed against hers. Their bodies sharing their heat. Tsukune felt himself in position, and bending his neck to kiss Mizore, he started to push his hips forward.

"Tsaaa..." A small cry escaped Mizore's lips even as she tried to kiss Tsukune.

She felt the heat of his flesh stabbing into her with agonizing slowness. His every move seemed to be a torment. Her body ached with need and desire even as it hurt from the intrusion. Tsukune was finally accepting her as a woman; as his woman. Happy tears welled up in her eyes.

Mizore lost herself in a world of sensations. The feel of Tsukune above her and within her was the most wonderful thing she could imagine. His scent surrounded her. The flavor of his kisses made her hungry for more.

"I love you Mizore," Tsukune growled.

His voice speaking her name was more than she could stand. Pleasure exploded through her mind. The world was lost in a bath of light and ecstasy. Her entire body shook as she clung to Tsukune as if her life depended on it.

"Tsukune..." Mizore's voice was a moaning cry of pleasure, pain, and joy. "Tsukuneeee..."

Tsukune reached his limit with Mizore's tight flesh. With a wordless moan he released his seed within her, feeling pleasure and passion and desire all mixed together. He looked down to see Mizore looking up at him with tears in her eyes and a smile on her lips. There was such joy in her face that Tsukune felt a fool for denying her for so long.

"Mizore," Tsukune whispered in her ear. "I love you."

"Tuskune," Mizore whispered back. "Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you."