Rose
A cold wind blew around me, but I barely felt it. I motioned to brush the strands of my hair from my face away, before remembering; I had cut it off nearly two year ago, when I had left St. Vladimir's Academy, to kill a Strigoi that couldn't be found. Dimitri. When had I promised him I wouldn't cut my hair, as was the tradition among female Guardians? Before I had promised him that I would kill him if he ever became Strigoi? Which he was. Oh well, just another promise I hadn't been able to keep. It seemed that there was no promise I could accomplish at this point. My mission today was simple. Clear out a group of about ten Strigoi from their hideout. Only problem? I was alone. Other problems? I hadn't been able to scout out the premises. My arms itched from two newly applied marks. Sighing, I started walking, withdrawing a silver stake as I went.
Dimitri
I stared out at the city, not seeing anything. It had been two years. Two years without seeing her, of thinking of myself as a monster, even though I knew I wasn't. The legends had been wrong. If you had something to live for, you could fights to keep your humanity. It wasn't always easy, but when you had someone like Rose, well, let's just say her face always calmed me. I wondered what she looked like. Two years could have changed many things. Of course, I had heard of her. Rosemarie Hathaway. The legendary Strigoi killer. Her name alone made many of my brothers tremble. It was rumored that she had killed two hundred Strigoi, in just two years. The two years. The two longest years of my, well what could I call it. Not life, since I was dead. My pre-existence. I smiled inwardly. After so long, you think I would've let go of my bitterness. My reverie was interrupted but Marcus. I never liked him much. His blond features contrasted with his red eyes. And oh yeah, he was the one that had killed me.
"Dhamphir. I could sense whoever it was, but they didn't seem to be any threat to us. Just wandering in our general direction. We decided to let them be. One little female couldn't do much harm. By what we could see, looked like a little twig." He said, reporting to me. Marcus seemed to respect me for some reason, perhaps because I knew so much about battle strategy.
"Then why'd you have to tell me, if there was no threat?" I snapped, glaring at him. He was silent. Good. "I would really like it if you just disappeared for a while, Marcus."
"Fine," he said, curtly. He jumped down from the apartment building I was perched on, and slowly walked back towards the entrance to our underground living quarters. I was rare for so many of us Strigoi to be able to coexist together. But who knew, we seemed to get along better these days. Except for the times I wanted to rip open Marcus' throat. But Rose's face calmed me. Whenever I pictured it, I pictured her beautiful brown eyes staring up at me with innocence. The innocence that had disappeared after her friend Mason had died. But I broke out of my vision, and followed Marcus's path, back to the life I now called my own. I hoped Rose would get her soon. I really was getting bored.
I was awoken sometime later by-nothing. Hmm, must have been my imagination. Did I still have an imagination? I could dream, I suppose. But I was getting hungry. I silently and smoothly got up, and walked outside. What greeted me was something I had been wishing for, but never truly expected. Rose Hathaway stood outside, calmly watching the entrance, as if she knew exactly where it was. A small smile played around her lips.
"Hello Dimitri," she said, that small smile disappearing and she stared at me with a kind of sadness, but also a determination. She was getting ready to kill me, and I knew it. But I didn't care. I looked her over, and was shocked by her changes. Her hair. Oh, her hair. It had been one of the most beautiful things about her, and now it was gone, cut so close it was almost shaved off. I also noticed something else. She wore a black t-shirt, which showed off her arms. But where they had once been perfect, unmarked, they now were laced with small lines. I had heard about this as well, but not believed it. She had apparently left all of dhamphir society behind, and so had to come up with a new way to show how many Strigoi she killed. Apparently this was her solution.
"Want to see my back, too?" she asked, sarcasm laced in her voice. "Or my legs? I have them all over, you know. Only so much room. I'm gonna run out soon."
I stared, shocked. This was not the Rose I knew, who flew into rages over the smallest things but then quieted down into a clam period. Or the Rose who would laugh and smile for sheer joy. This was careful controlled, bitter girl. I didn't recognize her as the girl I had fallen in love with. But ohh, just seeing her face brought back memories. Mercilessly, she hadn't started marking that part of her body yet. I realized I had been staring at her face, and she at mine. A look of wistful sadness flickered across it for a moment, before the mask came back.
"So, you want to go for a cup of coffee? Catch up? Or maybe we could go out to dinner? I'd be the main course, but I'm sure we could do all the catching up before then?" Her eyes dared me to contradict. But ever her eyes had changed. Before, there had been a life, a vitality in them. Part of it had disappeared when Mason had died, but it had come back. Not like this though. It was all gone. All of it. And I had done this to her. I couldn't wait for her to kill me.
Rose
I stared at him. He hadn't been who I'd expected to come through the entrance. I'd hoped to find some weak Strigoi, and get the information from him. I knew it wouldn't be that easy, but still. But ohh, to have Dimitri come out. Ever part of my body screamed to run up and hug him, except for my mind eyes. They pointed out the red eyes, the paleness, the way he instinctively flinched from the street light. These things pointed out to me that he had become exactly what I'd feared- a monster. Anger filled within me, but I knew I had to control it. Self-control, right? That was what my "Zen Master" had taught me. I took it out on him, using each word specifically because I knew it would hurt him. I was glad to see him flinch, but not so glad to see the way he appraised my marks. They were as close to molnija marks as I could get, living outside of Dhampir life. I couldn't go back, not even to show how many filthy Strigoi I'd killed. I couldn't go back, from killing Dimitri either. After all, I'd made a promise, and this one I couldn't solve my taking scissors to my hair.
Dimitri
I stared at her again, knowing it would probably be my last time. Did I want her to know in the end, that I still had my humanity? Or should I die as what she though I was, a mindless, ever blood hunting monster? I didn't know, but I had agonized over this decision, ever since I'd heard the first rumors of a true Strigoi hunter, who didn't protect Moroi by guarding them, but rather by killing us. I knew it was Rose, even before they said her name. That was Rose, still never following tradition. Even though she had followed the tradition of cutting her hair. Just another thing that had been shared between us, and broken. However, I prepared myself, as I was her casual shift in stance that meant she was readying to right. I'd taught her after all. I knew all her best moves. At least, any of the ones that were over two years old. I'd be shocked if she hadn't picked up some new ones. Rose was good at learning things fast. It was part of what made her so deadly. Mulling over this, I realized I would die a monster. Best to make sure she didn't feel any guilt, and kept on killing other monsters just like me.