Roza Love's the Rain

Dimitri's Point of View

I was doing one last sweep of the campus before going back to my room when it started to rain, hard.

"Great," I muttered to myself, knowing that I still had to cover the area around both sets of dorms.

The sun was beginning its descent down over the mountains, so I had about an hour before the students and other guardians started to stir. I walked around the moroi dorms and was just heading toward the dhampir dorms when I saw something, no someone standing out on quad. The person had their arms flung out in the air and their face was turned upward toward the pelting rain.

What the heck? I took a few steps toward the person. It was hard to see because of the rain but I could tell that it was a girl with long, dark hair. I was about to call to the girl when suddenly she laughed and turned toward me with her eyes closed. Even though her eyes closed I knew instantly who it was, I would have known her anywhere.

"Rose?" I called. What the heck was she doing out here? She opened her eyes and looked at me. I then voiced my thoughts asking, "What are you doing out here?"

"What does it look like, Comrade?" She asked me smartly. "I'm enjoying the rain," but her slight smile took the edge off her words.

"Rose, you shouldn't be out here," I told her sternly, but I wasn't making any move to stop her from being exactly where she was.

"I know Dimitri, but I couldn't sleep, so when I heard it start raining I came out here. I love the rain." She smiled at me again. I love it when she smiles. I was still just standing there a few feet away when I noticed what she was wearing.

"God, Rose didn't you think about putting on some warmer clothes?" She was wearing a purple sport bra and a pair of white short shorts. "You must be freezing." I moved to where I was standing next to her and took off my jacket, handing to her. She gave me odd look, but took it anyway.

"Don't you like the rain, Comrade?" She asked. In truth, no, I didn't. Rain made it hard to see and therefore harder to do my job. Instead of telling her that, I just shrugged.

"Why do you like it, Rose?" I asked to keep her from asking why I didn't like it, because knew she would.

"Hmmm, well for one it's beautiful. It can wash away even the most horrible mess, like it was never there. It's like it cleanses the earth."

Wow, I'd never thought of it like that.

"Why else do you like the rain, Roza?" I asked her softly, because she had grown quiet, thoughtful.

"I feel like I'm free when I'm in it. Like I can think for myself. Do whatever I feel like."

I looked down at her, then. She was soaked from head to toe, but I was only thinking about what she had just said. I feel like I'm free, I knew exactly what she was talking about. As dhampirs', especially ones that want to be guardians, we never had a chance to think for ourselves, to LOVE whoever we wanted. This was the first time I'd ever seen or heard her act like she didn't want to be a guardian. I knew she wanted, no she needed to protect Lissa, but at that moment she looked as if she resented that she had to put Lissa first, always.

"Oh, Roza," I said and she looked up at me. I could tell that she was crying now because her eyes looked watery. I placed my hand on her soft, damp cheek.

"Dimitri," She sighed and sounded as if she were stifling a sob. She looked so sad, so lost. Without thinking I placed my lips gently to hers. I put my arms around her waist and pulled her to me, while she put her arms up around my neck. God, I loved her, everything about her. I moved one of my hands up her back and let it tangle in her beautiful hair, and just stood there, in the rain, with her lips pressed to mine. Even though it wasn't a long, deep kiss, I could feel all her passion and regret and I met hers with my own. She pulled back after a little while and smiled at me. "I love you." Was all she said, before she let go of me completely and started to walk back to her dorm.

"Rose! Roza wait." I called as I caught up to her after a stunned second. She stopped and turned back to me. I look on her face broke my heart. "Oh Roza, I love you, too." I told her with complete sincerity.

She smiled at me, a real smile, and said, "I know." I must have had on an odd expression because she laughed at me. I walked with her back to her dorm and led her in the back way so that she didn't get in trouble. How did she get out in the first place? I wondered, but with Rose it's hard to say what she did. We were silent as we walked up the stairs. When we got to her level she turned back to me and said, "Oh and Comrade?"

"Yes?" I asked wondering what she was thinking now.

"You can forget about finding me out there. I mean I don't need to get into trouble."

I laughed. This is what you've been thinking about?

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. You're not in trouble, Rose. Though you would have been if anyone else had caught you out there." I said smiling.

"I kind of figured that," She said smiling back at me.

I walked her all the way to her room, still smiling. She was about to close her door, when I said, "Oh and Roza?" I managed to have to same tone she had had when she had said it earlier.

"Yes?" She asked in the tone I had had, smiling.

"I will never forget," I told her before I turned and walked up to my room.