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 291

Aono Koji had been surprised when his son had called him at work. Tsukune had wanted to invite him over for dinner and a talk while his mother wasn't around. The younger Aono had worked up a plan to make sure that his father's absence from the house for an evening would be easily overlooked. It was a cunning side of his son that Koji had seen glimpses of in the past.

Kasumi was going to be distracted by Kurumu and Ageha. The younger woman was treating the mothers to dinner at a very nice restaurant; the kind that was usually well out side of the Aono household budget. Of course such a nice restaurant required that certain preparations be made, so Kasumi would be busy most of the afternoon getting ready. When Koji called to tell her that he would be eating dinner out and would be home late, his wife didn't question him.

While his evening was cleared up for dinner with his son, Koji was left wondering what Tsukune wanted to talk about. He doubted that his son was going to be asking for any fatherly advice. He was also a little old for any man-to-man talks about what to do when he liked a girl. He was still speculating when he finished work for the day.

When he left the building, Koji found his son waiting for him. This wasn't a surprise because he had said he would when he had called. Dressed professionally, Koji observed that his son fit in among all the executives that were common in the business district.

"Tsukune," Koji said with a warm voice. "How are you?"

"I'm good father," Tukune returned. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Koji replied. "Just a little surprised by the sudden invitation."

"Sorry about that," Tsukune appologized. "But after what mother was saying the other night I realized the we needed to talk."

"What is it?" Koji asked.

"I'll start as we drive back to my place," Tsukune told his father, starting him towards where he had parked the minivan. Tsukune liked the boxy, simple vehicle because it was so normal it was the next best thing to invisible.

"Drive to your place?" Koji questioned. "At this time of day? That is going to take hours. You don't live close to here at all."

"Don't worry," Tsukine could not help grinning. "I know a shortcut."

The elder Aono took a moment to think about that. His son's casual confidence made him want to believe in what Tsukune had said, but logic said it could not be true. He could not help but wonder how there could be a shortcut. If his son was still with the police he might suspect he was going to make the trip by patrol car, with lights and siren to move traffic out of the way. Try as he might, the man could not reason out what his son had meant by a shortcut. When he was buckling Tsukune's minivan, Koji finally had to give up and ask.

"What do you mean by a shortcut?" Koji questioned. "How can you suddenly shortcut past over a hundred kilometers?"

"That is a part of what I want to talk to you about, Father," Tsukune said as he started the engine. "I need to explain some things to you before I try to let mother know about them, because some of it is going to be hard to believe."

"You make it sound serious," Koji observed.

"It is," Tsukune nodded. "One of the reasons I wanted to have you over for dinner is so I could give you some proof of what I have to tell you."

"And this all has something to do with your shortcut?" Tsukune's father asked.

"Yes," Tsukune nodded again. "The shortcut we are going to take is going to be a part of the proof."

"Well then, I guess you should show me your shortcut," Tsukune's father committed himself to what would turn out to be an evening like no other.

XxX

Aono Koji was glad to be standing on his own two feet. He had not wanted to say anything to his son, but the trip, the shortcut, had nearly unmanned him. There had been a moment when the world outside the common minivan had disappeared, as if the darkness had been a trip through a tunnel. At the same time, however, Koji had felt a strange awareness of the world around him. For just that instant, he felt like the rest of the world had ceased to exist, and that he and his son were alone in a void. He had only a heartbeat of time to feel fear clutching at his heart, and then sunlight and the rest of the world returned.

Tsukune's father had needed a moment to collect himself after the jump. Looking back, he realized that his mind had blanked out, but he wasn't sure if he had ever blacked out. He remembered blinking a few times as he became aware of the world around him, and saw that his son was driving calmly towards his apartment building. Koji looked to his son, who was so calm and relaxed in spite of what had just happened, and realized that his son was discreetly watching him.

"Wh~at..." Koji tried to talk but found his voice shaky.

"That was the short-cut," Tsukune answered.

"How..." Koji tried to get his nect question out.

"That's complicated," Tsukune said. "But if you know how, and have the right power, there are places that are connected in a way that can be used as a shortcut."

"But how do you..." Koji tried to ask. "You said power..."

"That is what I need to talk to you about," Tsukune said as he turned into his garage.

Koji held his silence while Tsukune parked. He had a sinking feeling that the Father-Son talk he had expected was going to... He wasn't sure how to frame the thoughts going through his mind. He decided to take his time and try to keep a calm and open mind, at least until he knew more about what was going on. After all, if he did not know how bad things were going to be, he wouldn't know how much alcohol he was going to need afterward.

Koji felt that he was handling the situation well so far. As long as he didn't dwell on the details, the short cut was kind of cool after all. He could imagine how useful it would be if he could use short cuts like that around traffic all the time. He just kept himself calm and worked at ordering his thoughts until he and Tsukune got into the elevator.

"I thought your apartment was on the second floor," Koji comment when he saw his some select the top floor as their destination.

"That is what I wanted you and mother to believe," Tsukune replied as the doors closed. "I did not want to upset you when you came for a visit." He gave a chuckle. "Once there had been a time when I would have been satisfied with that apartment, but that was before everything that has happened."

"And what was it that happened exactly?" Tsukune's father asked him.

"Someone left something on the ground for you to find," Tsukune answered. He gave his father a small smirk. "That high school acceptance pack that you put my name on had been dropped just for you to find."

"What?" Koji questioned with a tremmor that ran up his spine.

"I'm sorry, Father," Tsukune said to the older Aono. "But it was not your good luck at work that night. It was all because the school needed a way to get someone that did not belong to go there." The elevator stopped with a ding and the doors opened. "But in a way, I was lucky that you fell for their trick."

"Wait..." Koji blinked. "I was tricked?" He hesitated for a moment then hurried to follow his son. "What do you mean by that?"

"Father," Tsukune said calmly. "That packet you picked up was the bait for a trap. You and Mother sent me off to a boarding school that you had never heard of. To a school that you did not even know the location of."

"I... Er..." The senior Aono stopped in his tracks. He realized that his son was right. Further more, he suddenly realized that he had never even thought about before. It had come up in conversation before, about the rushed decision; the casualness of how everything had just happened. Koji shook his head slowly as he tried to think back to that night. He frowned as he tried to remember just what he had been thinking.

"Don't think to hard about it," Tsukune cautioned. "Someone knew what they were doing when they set you up that night."

"But I should have realized that at the time," Koji protested. "Shouldn't I?"

"You had come home late that night," Tsukune reminded his father. "Because you had been drinking with your friends from work. That doesn't really make it easy to think clearly."

"That's true," Tsukune's father felt better about what had happened. His son had given him an excuse for his own lack of thoughtfulness, and it was a good and simple one at that.

"Father," Tsukune spoke in a serious voice. "I do not want you to worry over much about what has already happened. You did what you did, and Mother went along with it, and there is no going back to change anything. Everything has worked out pretty well after all. I just want you to understand that everything I am going to tell you tonight, everything that I want you to know, all of it started, and is because of, when you picked up that packet."

"That sounds... Well, it sounds like you have something ominous to tell me," Koji observed as he followed his son down the hall.

"In a way it is," Tsukune nodded. "But mostly it is all just going to sound too incredible to believe." Tsukune stopped in front of his door just as it opened.

"Welcome home, Master," Ruby said in perfect manners.

"Come on in, Father," Tsukune said with a smirk. "I would like to show you where I really live."

XxxxxxxxxX

Aono Koji knew that when he looked back on that evening there there were forever going to be things that would stand out in his memory. The short cut around traffic and kilometers had been a shock, but somehow seeing his son's penthouse mansion was more of a surprise. Ruby was dressed as a maid, and with her were two other maids. The trio moved with practiced efficiency as they welcomed the Aono men into the shockingly large apartment.

All three of the women called Tsukune 'Master.' It was Ruby that talked to the two men the most, but the other two would always bow and call Tsukune Master whenever he gave them any attention. Koji wondered if he should be bothered by how well his son appeared to ignore the pair that were clearly foreign born twins.

"Father Aono," Ruby had given Koji a deep bow as he had entered. "Please be welcome in my master's home. Please do not hesitate to ask for anything you wish."

Koji was almost sure that he was caught up in some kind of prank. He even looked around once or twice to see if there were any cameras. Between the maids and the very traditional dining arrangement, he was reminded of the kind of expensive and exclusive restaurants that senior managers talked about visiting during business lunches.

"Son," Koji was finally able to start asking questions as Ruby and the others started serving dinner. "Why do you have Ruby and her friends calling you master?"

"Ruby," Tsukune said. "Would you like to answer my father's question?"

"Master," Ruby said with a bow. "Yes Master." She turned her attention to her master's father. "Father Aono, please allow me to explain to you how Master came to accept me in to his service."

"Errrr..." Koji wondered how he sould feel at the attractive young woman's happy expression. "Alright."

"When I first met Master Tsukune," Ruby began. "I was living with my former master. My former master had taken me in when my parents had died. I had once thought of it as an act of kindness, and perhaps it had been, but it was also with a dark intention. My former master had a bitterness in her heart, and she had impressed it into me as well. I was raised to be mistrustful of strangers, and to hate those that were in any way like those that had been responsible for the death of my parents." Her face was shadowed by her memories of the past as she talked. "It was a very lonely way to grow up."

"But then I met Master Tsukune," Ruby brightened. "He freed me from my former master's bitterness. He helped me see that the world was not filled with just pain and loneliness. He helped be find joy and to make friends, and I came to love him. More than that, because he always showed me kindness and consideration, and even forgave me for the harm I had caused him, I fell in love with him."

"I loved him, but he did not see me in the same way," Ruby went on with a small pout. "But I was determined to show him how important he was to me. But one day, I... I let my own selfishness overrule my judgment. Because of me, Master Tsukune was injured. But even then he did not forsake me. He stood up for me. He protected my life at risk to his own health. It was then that I swore that I would serve him for the rest of my life. I realized that I would never be the one he would choose. I would never be good enough to be his wife, so I decided to become his slave instead."

"Slave?" Koji almost choked on the word.

"Yes," Ruby smiled. "As Master Tsukune's slave I get to be close to him. I get to be a part of his life and to take care of him. Master Tsukune has given my life meaning, and has accepted my oath. Because of him, I am happier than I could have ever imagined."

"Tsukune?" Koji turned to his son.

"In a way I was responsible for what happened," Tsukune explained. "I allowed her to be put into a difficult position. Refusing her oath would have hurt her, and I cared too much for her to do that. All that was left for me to do was to accept her and make a place in my life for her."

"Oh..." Koji said as his mind worked.

"It may help if I start from the beginning," Tsukune said. "Let me tell you what happened after you sent me off to high school..."