A/N: Hey guys! Here's another oneshot from Dimka's POV from Shadow Kiss. I hope you enjoy it! It's the first fight scene after they have been assigned Moroi. As usual, I don't own any of these lovely characters; they just allow themselves to be my playthings, to which I say, Thank you! Also, thanks for all of the reviews I've gotten! They really mean a lot. Chapter two of The Beginning of the End will come out by the end of the week, I promise! On with the show!

"Dimitri, Emil, Jean, you guys are on duty this afternoon. Make sure they don't know what's coming. Give them their first taste of an attack. And make it fun." I was listening to Alberta drone on. It was the same every year. Spend six weeks getting the crap beaten out of us. But the alternative was worse, much worse. If we sent the novices out into the real world without experience in actual protection, the first real attack would be horrible. They wouldn't have the experience to react as necessary. Books can only teach you so much…

We all got ready and met in the guardian building. It was a place where novices were rarely allowed. The last time had been when Rose had gotten her first moljina marks. I allowed myself a small smile. Part of me wanted to fight Rose, wanted to test her, and see who would win. The other part of me told my brain that I couldn't fight Rose, my Roza. I just couldn't. But the rational part of my brain overrode the sentimental part and told me that if I needed to, I would.

The rules were simple. We were to dress in solid black, which meant I had to leave my brown duster jacket in my room, and to act like Strigoi. Any senior novice was fair game, along with any Moroi they were guarding. We couldn't actually hurt them, but we had to make it look real. They needed to feel like they were in danger, otherwise this wouldn't work.

The three of us met, and started discussing strategy. Ideas were tossed around.

"We should attack alone…"

"No we should attack as a group."

"What are the chances of that happening?"

"Now it appears like a high chance, with what happened to the…"

I decided to interrupt. "How about if Emil attacks first. While everyone else is watching that fight, Jean and I will attack those standing around." I suggested. The plan was agreed on, and a time was set. We would attack during the last class change, in the main hallway.

There was fifteen minutes before the class change. We were all in position, with Emil scouting out the hall, and Jean and I hidden in the shadows. The bell rang, and we all ducked down. The sound of happy, joyful kids passed us going all directions, but no one noticed us. One point for the "Strigoi", no points for the novices, yet. Soon, they would have their first challenge. And it would be a challenge, that was for sure.

I heard the familiar voice of Roza, Christian, Eddie, and Lissa passing. It sounded like Christian and Lissa were parting due to a difference in electives. Roza, of course, was making a big deal of it. I had to chuckle. She could be so stubborn sometimes.

Emil signaled Jean and I, and moved into action. He was fast, and grabbed the nearest Moroi he could find. Her protector was a kid named Shane, and after recovering from the shock, sprang into action. He was able to get the girl away from Emil, and the two squared off. Everyone else was just staring and cheering, so Jean and I started towards the flock.

I saw Camille and her novice, Ryan, first. He was so fixated on the fight before him, he wasn't paying any attention to what else was going on. Jean distracted Ryan with a kick to the side, and I grabbed Camille. She let out an ear-piercing scream. Everyone knew that there were more attackers now, and we, as well as they, had to be careful.

Suddenly, I felt a glancing blow to the side of my head. I let Camille go, and spun around gracefully, like a cat. Looking, I was surprised to find Eddie as my sparring partner. Further down the hall, I saw Rose protecting both Christian and Lissa, while Eddie came to help down here. I noticed Shane work his way to my other side, and assumed that Emil and Jean had both been "staked." In the meantime, I had "killed" Ryan, so he would be receiving the first low mark of the day.

Facing two opponents proved somewhat difficult, because they teamed up, and came at me together. We all exchanged blows, moving lithely, almost dancing around the hall. Kicks were blocked; punches were redirected. Everyone stayed to watch the last of the battle. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Rose anxiously wanting to get in on it. But she stayed where she was. It was a testament to how much she'd grown over the past six months. Finally, the two boys were able to pin me down, and stake me through the heart. It was over. The first battle, completed. The first bruises garnered.

"Shane, good job being quick to notice what was going on. You acted fast, which saved your Moroi." I said. We were expected to give a quick critique after the fight, to outline the good and bad. Then we'd write up a more formal report later, with the details of the fight in it.

"But Ryan, you were to into the first fight. You weren't paying attention to Camille. You were distracted, and that would have gotten her killed, like you were." Emil expounded. "However, Eddie and Rose realized what the point of this exercise was; you all need to treat this as a group fight, not as individual fights. Eddie, great job jumping in, and Rose, good job covering him." He continued.

The three of us stood against the side of the wall, watching everyone disappear. My eyes followed Eddie back to where Christian, Lissa, and Rose were. Rose and Eddie high-fived. I started shaking my head, and walking towards my room. I needed to get some ice on my bruises before they got too bad. 'One day down, and only five weeks and six days left' I thought. All in all, it hadn't been too bad of a day. Only a few bruises. The only really hard part was the fact that I wouldn't be having my daily classes with Roza. 'Oh Roza' I thought as I laid down on my bed. 'Oh Roza, until we meet again.'