I do not own Vampire Academy in any way shape, or form!
This was an idea I had been sitting on when I finished Shadow Kiss, but I didn't really have the time to actually put everything onto paper. I am not basing this on any spoilers, summaries, or any other thing on the internet that could be an indication of what happens in Blood Promise; this is all idle speculation!
Oh, one more thing. I apologize for the horrible grammar/wording. I didn't really have that much time to edit this since I have limited computer usage here without my laptop. SORRY!
I hope you guys enjoy it!
RozaXDimitri forever!
The Bonds of a Promise.
I was only dimly aware of my surroundings, which is rare nowadays. Ever since I left the Academy, it seems like I've always been on the lookout for any sign, any clue of a nearby Strigoi. Now all that I could concentrate on was the frayed piece of paper I clutched in my hands.
It was hot as hell, and the busy, bustling people jostled me as they ran past. I noticed a couple making out in the alleyway nearby and I hesitated to stare at them, unconsciously glaring in disdain.
I couldn't remember that last time I could hold Dimitri like that, and I knew I would probably never be in his arms again, so seeing that couple suddenly really pissed me off.
Looking down at the paper I held for like the millionth time, I reviewed and re-reviewed the street names on the map, and the 'X' that marked an abandoned factory nearby.
After nearly half a year of searching, I'd finally found him.
"C'mon, Rose. You can't back out now. Not when..." I faltered.
Not when you had abandoned Lissa to satisfy your own selfish needs? Not when you had dedicated about six months to tracking him? Not when you had finally, finally resolved that to save him, you have to kill him?
Mentally, I went to the nearest trash can and kicked the crap out of it to release my tension. Realistically, I pulled myself out of my thoughts and concentrated on the streets. Normally, I'd be uneasy being so close to strangers, and having so little room to move. However, two silver stakes, a Desert Eagle gun, and a lighter hidden inside my black jacket made me feel loads better. I also had a silver knife tucked on the inside of one of my calf-high black boots, and with the vintage tank and black leather jacket over the worn out jeans, I knew people would think twice before taking me on.
Yeah, I figured I could still be badass in a strenuous situation.
I brushed a few strands of hair from my face and tucked them behind my ear. I'd kept my hair long, and now wore it up in a bun, held in place by two hair sticks in the shape of the silver stakes in my pocket. They were actually legit stakes, though a hell of a lot less conspicuous than their larger, thicker counterparts. Carrie had given them to me as a parting gift.
Carrie Silverwood. She was a legend at the Arthur Schoenburg level, at least. She had single-handedly taken down a pack of Strigoi –according to legend, about fifteen of them –while protecting a Moroi, but by the time backup arrived, the Strigoi were all dead and she was nowhere to be found. Of course, she was presumed dead as well, but when I was on my way to Washington, I actually ran into her on a train.
I know, that sounds absolutely preposterous. But when we got to know each other a little better, I found out that she was currently working as a freelance to take a break from the whole Guardian business. Naturally, I was shocked, but it turns out that she DID take out the pack of Strigoi by herself –and it had be twenty-three Strigoi, not fifteen –but she didn't do it to protect the Moroi. The guardian that had been taken down first was her lover, and she went crazy when he died. Yes, she protected the Moroi, but the reason she killed so many Strigoi was because they had killed her lover, and not because of her sense of duty.
It was kinda stupid, but I felt connected to her because of this. We ended up traveling together for a little over a month and she stepped in as my mentor during this time. Carrie was a petite dark-haired girl, with more Moroi beauty than a normal Dhamphir, and just by looking at her, you couldn't guess it, but she could kick my ass in a second.
Well, she learned of my nauseating Strigoi-sensing ability and we began experimenting. After lots of headaches and threats, I learned how to scope an entire building for Strigoi presence. I think I now have a feeling for what being able to use magic is like.
And we both had a knack for finding trouble, so we also ended up hunting down a lot of Strigoi. Because of her, now staking through the heart was almost second nature to me. But thank goodness I was able to train with her, because with the amount of workout I got before I met her, I wouldn't be able to take on a ten-year-old throwing a tantrum, much less a pack of Strigoi.
When we had to split off, she gave me the silver stake hairpins and promised that when she was done with her current assignment, she'd return to guardian duty and try to arrange something so that she was somewhere near Lissa, or even possibly her Guardian.
That helped put me a bit at ease, since knowing someone as badass and legendary as Carrie Silverwood would be Guardian to Lissa was almost as good as me being there.
I had to snap out of my thoughts as I approached the worn-down building. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on the building alone. "Just like before..." I muttered.
A wave of nausea hilt me, catching me off guard. I though we'd cured the nauseous side effects. Apparently not. I could sense about twenty Strigoi lingering in the outskirts of the building, but they were just...standing there.
Well, what the hell was I waiting for, an invitation or something? I took out a stake and approached the front doors, braced for an attack. When I pushed open the front door, it swung open with a grinding noise that could have awakened the dead.
And then the weirdest thing happened.
The minute I stepped foot into the building, almost every single Strigoi fled.
Startled, I whirled, stake poised to strike, as if the Strigoi would crowd at the door and yell 'Surprise!' Obviously, nothing happened. Honestly, it was rather anticlimactic.
I slowly turned back to survey my surroundings. The dusty floors, rusted machinery and old plaster walls made me think of that day in Spokane. That seemed like ages ago.
I crossed the room and pushed open the solitary door in the room. It led to a long hallway. The only source of sunlight was the boarded up window at the opposite end. Doors lined the walls, covered in graffiti, and the ground was littered with spray paint bottles.
Every nerve in my body was alert; I sensed three Strigoi, but I couldn't tell where exactly they were. Cautiously, I stepped inside and started down the hall.
They appeared in an instant, swiftly and silently. But I was ready, and just managed to jump backwards into the air and out of the way as the first Strigoi landed where I had just been standing. Another one whooshed over my head, missing me by inches, but the third one slammed into my back.
I twisted around and grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved so that he was in a lying position, then slammed my stake downward, throwing my falling weight behind the blow.
With a loud crunch, I heard the stake break through the sternum and into the heart. He looked at me in shock for a split second before his eyes went blank.
Strong hands grabbed me and threw me sideways into the wall. I lost my grip on the stake, but I'd drawn the second stake before my feet touched the ground. The Strigoi, this one female, leapt at me and I snapped out a kick, catching her in the neck. But the first Strigoi was on me before I could finish my kick. He slammed me into the wall again, and I looked up to see dark eyes rimmed with red, and shoulder length blond hair.
"Hello again," he smirked.
I'd recognize him anywhere. The gash I'd given him half a year ago was still apparent on his face. Snarling, I punched, but he dodged and jumped away. But I couldn't follow, because the female was recovered, and she whirled to face me. Stooping down, I grabbed a can of spray paint and fished my lighter out of my pocket. Then, just as she started toward me, I aimed, sprayed, and lit the jet of chemicals.
She caught on fire and shrieked. But her shriek was cut off when I slammed my stake into her heart.
I'd just wrenched it out of her chest when the blonde Strigoi rammed me from the side.
The two of us crashed through a door and into the next room.
"How's your Dragomir friend doing?" He asked, pinning me to the ground. "Oh, don't worry," he added when I snarled something vulgar, "We won't kill her. Trust me on that."
He grabbed me by the neck and lifted me up, holding me at arms length. The other two Strigoi must have been new, because he barely flinched when I landed a kick on his chest.
"Rose Hathaway. Shadow-Kissed Rose Hathaway. What shall I do with you?" His voice was amused.
I was anything but. I dropped my stake and clawed at his hand at my throat, flailing around and feeling useless. Damn it, I was stronger than this! But Blondie's next words made me freeze.
"I know. Shall I allow you to join Guardian –pardon me –ex-guardian Belikov?"
"You—!" I hadn't forgotten that he was the one who turned Dimitri in the first place.
"Oh, he loved it after he was finally conscious," Blondie laughed. "You should've seen it. Even a Guardian can't resist the call of the beating heart of blood of a Moroi after first turning."
My blood boiled. My vision was blurry from lack of air, but I reached up, yanked out one of my hairpin stakes and stabbed at him blindly. The stake pierced through the fleshy part of his shoulder, drove through the muscle, and into his neck.
He howled in pain and let me go. I grabbed the stake I'd dropped and shoved upward into his chest. He fell over, and I went down with him. I yanked the stake from his chest and stabbed again and again, driving the stake deeper with every gouge. Finally, when his chest was nothing but a torn, gory mess, I stopped, and sat down hard on the cold concrete.
My hands and forearms were drenched in blood, and my shirt and jeans splattered, torn, and dirty. Taking deep, gasping breaths, I wiped off my hands on a dirty curtain on the floor, then reached up and massaged my throat.
I couldn't sit here long. If I did, I'd just dwell on what Blondie had said, and goodness knows where that would lead me. Instead, I forced myself to think of happier times. I closed my eyes...
...And found myself slipping into Lissa's head.
After I'd left the Academy, I'd frequently checked on Lissa by popping into her head. Adrian also appeared in my dreams from time to time, giving me updates. Unfortunately and fortunately, the further I got from the Academy, the less often he would be able to infiltrate my beauty sleep. And after a while, I realized that Christian, Eddie, Mia, Adrian, and many new people were all willing to protect and support Lissa, and accepted the fact that I couldn't be there with her all the time.
Yes, my philosophy had been that a Dhampir's place is with Moroi, protecting them. However, I realized that in Lissa's case, she had, and would always have people who loved her and protected her around her.
But, there was one thing that only I alone could do. I was her Shadow-Kissed Guardian. As she and Adrian delved more into Spirit, that darkness built up inside her head. When her anger would build to a peak, I'd slip into her head and take away the darkness.
Of course, then I'd feel like kicking the shit out of the nearest object. With practice and some help, I resorted to a one-on-one with Carrie when she was around, and to finding a couple people who deserved a pummeling and then delivering what was due.
Fortunately, as time when on, Lissa learned to rein in her temper, and as a result, the times I had to slip into her head to take the darkness from her lessened.
When she graduated, she immediately integrated into royal society. And right now, they were at the Royal Court, attending some formal party. Her gaze fell on Christian and I had to smother a snort when I saw him in a tux. Listening in, I was shocked to find that they were talking about me.
"Why should I care? You know I'm still sort of pissed that Rose abandoned you, right?" Christian growled, arms folded. I scowled. What did he know? Pompous little bastard.
"Stop it. I'm a little hurt still too, but I respect her choice. She needed some down time," Lissa said, though I could tell that she could tell that I didn't actually 'need some downtime.' "I mean, she had something she had to do, and I believe in her." I realized that Lissa was worried. Why?
Christian too saw that she was worried and tried to console her. "Don't sweat it, Lissa. This is Rose we're talking about," Christian said, covering her delicate hand. "It would kill me to say this to her face, but if there was anyone in the world that was capable enough for me to respect, it would be Rose." He grinned. "Fortunately, there isn't anyone in the world who is capable enough to earn my respect."
"But—this morning—" Lissa stammered, unamused by his comment. Fear crouched in the corner of her mind, but I could feel it strongly through the bond.
"Hey, seeing the future through your dreams is only a new aspect of your Spirit powers," Adrian's voice came from behind Lissa and she turned to face him. "What you saw may not be entirely accurate." Despite his words, he seemed worried. "Besides, she said—"
"We know. She said she'd give you a fair shot when you got back," Christian interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Of all people, you fall in love with Rose? Are you crazy?"
I didn't hear Adrian's reply, because I had just realized what he had said earlier.
Wow. Lissa can see the future now? I wondered what it was she'd seen, but when I tried to probe her mind, I realized that she had gotten better at concealing her thoughts, probably because of the integration into Moroi Royal society. That, and the fact that I was really far away weakened the bond.
"I...It's been a year since we were dragged back to the Academy," Lissa said quietly after a pause. "I wish Rose were here..."
A sharp pain in my head jerked me out of her head. I'd somehow missed it before, probably from all the adrenaline, but I had one hell of a gash on my head. Gently, I prodded it with my hand. The bleeding had slowed, but if I didn't do anything about the wound, I'd start feeling lightheaded.
Shedding my jacket and pulling off my shirt, I tore strips from the bottom and roughly bandaged my head. It was a pretty bad patch job, but at least it staunched the bleeding.
I pulled my clothes back on and got to my feet, scowling as my head throbbed. First, I retrieved my silver stakes, cleaning them on my shirt, and put the hairstick back into my hair. Then I made sure I had everything and started down the hall again.
Taking a left at the end of the hall into the stairway, I started going downward, concentrating on each floor and sweeping for more Strigoi.
Two levels down, I felt a twinge and my stomach lurched. I tried the door, but it wouldn't budge. Annoyed, I took off my jacket again and wrapped it around my hand. Then, I punched through the glass window on the door.
Why are these things always cooler in the movies? Sure, it worked, but god DAMN did that hurt. Reaching through the now broken window, I grasped the doorknob and turned.
When I finally got the door open, I found myself in a room that was similar to the one I'd first entered, but this one was void of machines. Instead, metal tables stood in disarray around the room. Boarded up windows lined the walls and dusty plastic coverings hung off the light and tables.
I shifted my grip on my stake and pulled out my Desert Eagle and checked to see if it was loaded and ready. Suddenly, something flew past me, making me look up. I went cold when I saw it.
Or, rather, that someone made me go hot and cold at the same time.
"Dimitri."
He stood a little ways in front of me. Shock was apparent on his face, and he looked like he was debating whether to look horrified or happy to see me. "You...you shouldn't be here."
I blinked. What? When I realized what he was saying, I felt my temper rise. "What's your problem?! I came all this way...put in all that effort!" I was boiling again.
"No, I mean," he gripped his head, as if he had a headache. "You shouldn't leave Lissa alone. I can't believe that you gave up that—"
"I did this for you!" I screamed. I was loosing my head. What the fuck was wrong with him? Did he even realize that I was doing this because this is what he would have wanted? "I can't live knowing that I lost you this way! You're the only reason I'm still here! Honestly, Lissa isn't enough, and with Christian, I'm loosing the part of me that she made up, and if I loose you like this...I can't. I just couldn't have kept living!"
He didn't reply. He seemed to want to say something, but at the same time, he was desperately holding something back.
"Dimitri."
This time, when I said his name, he smiled. Like, he actually smiled. I swear, that man suddenly turned bipolar. I nearly made a sarcastic remark, but he looked directly at me and seeing the ring of red around his dark eyes made me stop.
And suddenly, it hit me hard. Yeah, I'd always known that he was a Strigoi, but actually seeing him look at me without any life in his eyes was something completely different. Fear washed over me like a tsunami as his eyes held mine and he started forward.
"Rose. My God, it's really you." His tone was different, but I couldn't really process why because he was right in front of me now.
My muscles wouldn't move. Couldn't move. I couldn't do it. All I could do was look up at him as hot tears stung my eyes.
Then, without warning, he grabbed me and pulled me into an embrace. My stake dropped to the floor with a loud clang and whatever little sense I'd had with me flew right out the boarded up window.
"Roza. Roza, Roza, Roza," he murmured in my ear.
It was intoxicating. He still smelled spicy like his aftershave, he was still as gorgeous as before, and the way he whispered my name was still the same.
I was beginning to doubt my objective. Maybe...was it possible...was it possible that Dimitri still had some sense of his formal self left? I thought back to when Natalie Dashkov had turned. She hadn't killed Victor Dashkov, and he had been a Moroi. Granted, he was her father, but maybe, just maybe, the real reason she didn't attack him was because she had loved him so much.
So, if that was the case, maybe Dimitri was still himself. Maybe that's why when he first saw me, he was trying to make me leave, trying to make me save myself. I knew that the notion was romantic to the point of cheesiness, but I didn't care. I loved him so much, and I knew it was the same with him.
Oh, I wanted it to be true, needed it to be true with every fiber of my being.
My fear disappeared, and, as if someone had used compulsion on me, I forgot everything and wrapped my arms around him, hands grabbing at his long brown coat, the same one he had worn when we'd first met.
Lissa's words came back to me and I realized with a jolt that it had been a year since I'd met Dimitri.
"Roza." His voice pulled my attention back to the present. I turned my head up to him and his lips met mine.
God, I never thought I'd be able to feel this way again. The kiss was desperate and passionate, and I hardly noticed his fangs. His hands roamed my body, his movements every bit as vehement as my own.
Finally, we broke apart, but kept our hold on each other.
"Rose," he whispered again, his voice full of longing.
"Hey, Comrade," I replied hoarsely.
There was a few seconds of silence between us. Then...
"Rose. Come with me."
My euphoria melted. "What?" I asked stupidly, looking at him again.
"Join me. Roza, please. Come with me. I...I need you too much."
"But what do you mean?" I asked again. But I knew. I really did. Even if I did, though, there was no way in HELL I'd believe it. At least now I knew why all the Strigoi had left the building; they didn't want to kill me. They wanted to change me.
"Change," Dimitri said. "Become one of us. That....that's the only way we can be together." He held my hand pleadingly. "Please, Roza."
I was too shocked to respond.
Then, in one swift movement, I grabbed my stake and lunged at him.
He had been fast as a Dhampir, but that speed which I had once thought was so amazing didn't even hold a candle to how fast he reacted this time.
In one fluid motion, he dodged my attack and kicked the stake out of my hand.
The tears I'd held back now dripped down my cheeks. "You're not him anymore," I cried, pulling out my second stake. Maybe my theory was right, but partially. Maybe at first, he had retained some of his former self, at least the part of him that cared for me and wanted me safe over anything else, but now? Now he wasn't really Dimitri anymore. "Dimitri would never—"
He snarled and leapt at me. His eyes burned and fresh, hot fear washed over me again when I saw them. I realized that now that his attempt to change me into a Strigoi had failed, he was now fighting to kill me.
I jumped out of the way, rolling behind an overturned table before getting to my feet. But quick as lightening, he was right next to me and grabbed me by my shirt, then launched me into the boarded up window. I heard a crunch as my back connected with the brittle boards.
Staggering to my feet, I raised my gun and shot consecutively at the moving blur.
"You forgot everything I taught you, Roza." Dimitri's voice seemed to echo from all around me. "Guns against a Strigoi? That can't kill me."
"No," I agreed, loading a new magazine into the gun. "But," I took aim and fired. The bullet grazed his arm and he stumbled in pain. "But these silver bullets are going to hurt like hell." I turned and kicked out the window I'd be thrown into before running at Dimitri.
We wrestled on the ground for a while, but his larger build and superior strength gave him the advantage. "Interesting," He growled. He wans't even panting. "But don't forget, I taught you everything you know."
"Nah. You weren't exactly around during my kindergarten years, so I wouldn't say you taught me everything," I panted, trying to not show any weakness. "And you forgot. These past six months? You weren't exactly around to teach me then either." I slammed upward with both my feet and caught him in the abdomen. Miraculously, he went flying off me.
"And as it turned out," I continued, leaping to my feet, "she was able to teach me a few more tricks." I pointed my gun, and shot him clean in the leg. He stumbled again, but recovered quickly and started at me.
Suddenly, he stopped, clutching his head. "No...!" He yelled, not exactly coherent. "Damn it...! ...ROSE!" He started muttering something, but I couldn't hear what. And it didn't matter. That moment of hesitation was all I needed.
I rammed forward and threw him off his feet. We landed on the ground, directly into the patch of sunlight that was coming in from the window I'd kicked out earlier.
This time, Dimitri screamed.
One of the basics, Carrie had explained, was that besides a silver stake to the heart, the most painful thing to a Strigoi wasn't silver bullets, and it wasn't even fire. It was sunlight.
I had to resist the urge to clap my hands over my ears as the unearthly scream reverberated off the walls. Dimitri thrashed, and threw me across the room. My back slammed into the wall for what felt like the millionth time today, and I dropped my Desert Eagle and my stake. I also found that warm blood from the wound earlier was tricking down my face again, and my head was beginning to spin.
Quickly, I scrambled to my feet, but Dimitri wasn't about to give me a chance to recover my weapons. He was on his feet, but I could see that his skin was blistering and steam seemed to rise from his wounds like in some sort of crazy horror movie. In an instant, he was on me again and I went flying, this time landing on the ground.
I hurt all over, and I looked up weakly to see him walking toward me, murder on his face.
"You have to keep telling yourself that they aren't the same people you knew. They've become something dark and twisted. Something unnatural. You have to let go of attachments and do what's right. If they have any grain of their former selves left, they'll probably be grateful."
Dimitri's words from our trip to the mall came back to me. God that felt like eons ago. I had said, "If I become Strigoi, I'd want someone to kill me."
And he had said, "So would I."
My resolve hardened.
He was at my side again. If Strigoi didn't kill their prey, they liked to play with them. And by play, I mean they like beating them up, usually by means of throwing. With a flick of his wrist, I found myself flying across the room.
Before I could even land, he was on me once more. He grabbed me by my neck and threw me again. I collided with one of the metal tables, but instead of stopping, I kept going and heard legs scraping as a bunch of tables piled up behind me.
Gritting my teeth, I staggered to my feet again. It was a miracle I hadn't broken any bones yet. I found Dimitri and discovered that sometime while he was kicking the shit out of me, he'd picked up my Desert Eagle and was now examining it.
"You're right," he said. "You've definitely been keeping busy. Who taught you the technique with the silver bullets? And the trick with the spray paint? People usually aren't creative anymore."
"Carrie Silverwood," I gasped out, trying to stall for some time so I could catch my breath.
"Carrie..." Dimitri looked thoughtful. "I knew her. One of the most stubborn Guardians I have ever met."
I thought back. Hell, I'd believe it. In a sense, Carrie had also been like Dimitri. Kind, firm, comforting, and understanding.
That is, she had been like the Dimitri from before.
I knew what I had to do. After all, I'd spent several months preparing myself for this already. I had to do it. I had to keep my promise to him.
But...I had come too far and suffered too much to loose him here. Well, it wasn't just that. It was that I couldn't bear to loose him for a second time, and I definitely wasn't planning on loosing him again.
With a fresh burst of energy, I ran at him, pulling out my hairpin stakes at the same time. He too reacted and leapt at me.
And that's when it happened.
I had no idea why and no idea how, but the bond linking Lissa and me opened up both ways, and Lissa slammed into my head. Her shock coursed through the bond, which had strengthened all of a sudden, and I almost stumbled.
I heard a gunshot, but it wasn't until I felt a searing pain at my side that I'd realized I'd been shot. That is what I'd needed to pull out of my shock of having Lissa in my head.
Two more bullets hit me, one into my shoulder and one into my abdomen, but –somehow –I was still only focused on Dimitri.
We collided with each other. I grabbed him with my left arm, and stabbed both stakes into his heart.
As I felt the hilts hit his chest, the gun went off again, and this time, it went through my stomach.
We stood there, leaning on each other for a second, before Dimitri dropped the gun and wrapped his arms around me again.
"Th...thank you...Roza..."
I could hear Lissa screaming in my head.
Was I being selfish by doing this? I had been horrified when I found out that the Badica's guardian had run off with her lover and abandoned her Moroi. Was I being hypocritical? How much different was this situation? Was this worth leaving Lissa alone?
No, Lissa would never be alone. She would always be surrounded by people who loved her. And it killed me to leave her, it really did. But if I lost Dimitri twice...She probably wouldn't understand my decision, just like she didn't understand my decision to leave the Academy, but with time, she would accept it.
I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry.
I was dying, but the pain was now gone. Dimitri held me tightly, and I took in his wonderful scent again. Vaguely, I realized that Lissa was still screaming in my head, but everything was blurring together. There was nothing in my world now, except me and Dimitri.
"Roza...Roza..."
His voice was fading...
I untangled my bloody hands from between our bodies and wrapped my arms around him, holding him to me tightly.
"I...love you...Dimitri," I breathed into his ear.
I'm sorry, Adrian. My heart belongs only to Dimitri.
I'm sorry, Mom. I'm glad I found out you weren't a bitch. I love you.
I'm sorry, Lissa. I hope you'll forgive me, but I can't be your guardian any more. You said you were going to name your third child after me; I'm gonna hold you on that.
"Ro...za..."
I smiled at that faraway familiar voice whispering my name so lovingly in my ear.
Then, my world turned black.
__
There you go. I'm positive this is NOT how it's going to end, because according to wikipedia, there's at least 7 books planned so far. From what I HEAR, they're going to have about 6 books from Rose's POV and another six from someone else's POV, though not Rose and Dimitri's children (if they end up getting together), since Dhampirs CAN'T HAVE CHILDREN…so sad….
Anyways, please review!
I might be starting another VA book, but that depends on how many positive reaction I can get from this, because I'm not very adept at first person.
Oh, and I WAS going to have a section at the end in a third person point of view regarding Lissa as she experienced the events in Rose's head, but I'm not sure if it would be effective. I could use it as like a second chapter or epilogue if anybody would like me to…..
Thank you for reading!
REVIEW!
