A/N: Hello, people of the True Blood fandom! Welcome to the rewrite of Fade! Please enjoy the first chapter! I'll try to update this as much as I can.

kanna does not own True Blood.

My name is Yue Xu. I'm twelve years old, and I'm a vampire hunter. I have hunted vampires since I was seven years old. When I was five, a vampire killed both my parents and my little sister, Mei Xing. I somehow escaped and was taken in by a vampire named Godric, who took me to the Magister a year later. The Magister was the one who taught me how to hunt and kill vampires. Godric taught me the valuable skill of judgment to determine which vampires I killed and which ones I let live another day.

Godric was my best friend. When I heard he met the sun, it was as if my heart had been ripped from my body. I couldn't properly grieve. I wasn't allowed to show much in the way of emotion in front of the Magister, which made mourning the loss even more difficult. I heard he had someone by the name of Sookie Stackhouse with him at the end, though, so at least he didn't die alone. I tried convincing myself of that much.

Speaking of death, I had yet another one to avenge: the Magister's. He was murdered by a 3,000-year-old vampire named Russell Edgington, the vampire king of Mississippi. I heard from the Nan Flanagan that Russell was dead. I was ashamed not to be the one to give him the True Death.

I was currently standing in the shadows of the main room of the authority's headquarters, unseen. There were two vampires who sat on their knees in front of the Guardian; vampires who I had learned earlier were the vampire king of Louisiana (Bill Compton) and the sheriff of Area 5 (Eric Northman). I watched the Guardian of the authority, Roman Zimojic, take out a strange and sharp object from a box. He used it to cut his wrist, and then draw some blood into a built-in vial as the wound closed itself. I had seen this ritual before. Roman went around to each of the chancellors of the authority and gave them each a drop of blood from the vial while he said in Hebrew, "The blood of Lilith. The First, the Last, the Eternal. We are born of Lilith, she who was created in G-d's image. The First, the Last, the Eternal. We swear fealty to the Blood and to the Progenitor. The First, the Last, the Eternal. Lord and Lilith, Father and Mother, protect us as we protect you, from this day until the hour of the True Death...And in Lord and Lilith's name, we say...vampyr."

Chinese (more specifically, Mandarin) was my first language, English being my second. I knew enough Hebrew to get by with what the authority said in their rituals, and was fluent in multiple European languages. The Magister taught me many languages, but mostly European ones, as European vampires were most common in Louisiana, which was where we were living. Ancient Greek was, surprisingly, the one I managed to pick up the quickest.

The chancellor vampires retracted their fangs. I had been in the Authority's quarters since the Magister died over a year ago, so they had gotten used to my presence. Roman was surprisingly willing to take me in, and it seemed like Chancellor Alexander Drew (the youngest of the chancellors in age and appearance) was eager to have someone who appeared his age around.

Surprisingly, none of the Authority members wanted my blood. Not that I ever offered. However, I overheard them on multiple occasions saying that it smelled like rotting corpses. I sometimes wondered why, but it was not something I pondered much on. There were other pressing matters at hand. For example, the current matter of Bill Compton, Eric Northman, and now-traitor to the authority, Chancellor Nora Gainesborough.

Nora was like a big sister to me. She helped me with learning more about the Authority and how it operated. It was very complicated, and there was a lot I didn't understand, but the chancellors were patient. Most of them, at any rate. The jury was still out on Chancellor Alexander Drew, and I didn't talk to Chancellor Salome Agrippa much, if at all.

"Mr. Compton," Roman drawled, "Mr. Northman. To meet under these circumstances, it is a shame. One of several recent disappointments. You think you know somebody." Roman looked at Nora as he said this. "You consider them an ally for centuries. And when they betray you, they won't tell you why, no matter how persuasive can be." Nora was taken screaming from the room. Roman sighed. "I'm in a real pickle here, boys."

"No kidding," I thought to myself.

"According to Nan Flanagan, you...what is it she liked to call you guys? Fuck up one and fuck up two, you have made egregious errors." I never liked Nan Flanagan, but by the sound of things, she didn't like Bill or Eric. I continued to listen, as Roman continued, "Rocket launchers, your so-called 'Festival of Tolerance,' where humans were attacked by vampires in full view of the media with our official spokesperson in attendance...keeping that quiet wasn't cheap. Now, Nan was no prize, either. Still, she was Authority. And that, boys, is the point! We are the Authority! I am the Authority!" When Roman's voice got dangerously low like it just did, I knew he meant business. Things weren't looking good for Bill and Eric.

"The True Death for Northman means...the True Death for Northman," Roman continued. Did I mention that Roman liked to talk? A lot? He seemed like one of those people who just loved the sound of his own voice. He turned to Bill and asked, "Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Sanguinista movement?"

Bill's fear was evident in his eyes, even though he did his best not to show it as he replied that he didn't know what it was. Roman then turned to Eric with the same question. Eric showed no fear as he answered, "You know, trying to stay away from politics as much as possible."

"Are you-"

"And religion."

"Are you just in it for yourself? You think the whole concept of the common good is hopelessly naive?" Roman turned to face the chancellors. "Chancellors?"

"Well, it chaps my ass to say this," Chancellor Rosalyn Harris said, "but when you got lame horses, you put them down. The mainstreaming agenda is just too damn important. It cannot fail." She faced Bill and Eric. "True Death for these fellows."

"They destroyed a very real threat to all vampires," Chancellor Kibwe Akinjide pointed out. "If there is no documentation of humans being killed by vampires then we are infinitely better served letting them live." I noticed Chancellor Drew shift uncomfortably in his chair. This puzzled me, but I let the voting continue without interruption.

Chancellor Drew banged the table with his hand as he growled, "They killed an Authority member!"

"She was on her way out."

"She-" Roman held up his hand, effectively silencing Chancellor Drew.

"As you can see, this council has had heated debates on what to do with you two sons of guns," Roman commented. "However, there is one more person whose opinion I would like to ask."

The chancellors all nodded and I came out of the shadows and stood in front of Roman. I saw Bill and Eric raise an eyebrow in surprise as I emerged. Clearly, they were surprised to see a human in the authority's headquarters. "Guardian, what is it you require of me?" I asked as I bowed to Roman and the other chancellors.

"Huntress, I require your opinion. True Death for Northman and Compton. Yes or no?" Roman asked.

"Why are you asking me?" I asked as I switched from English to Chinese. "I'm just a human."

"You are a huntress," Roman replied in the same language. When we did speak to each other, which was not that often, we used Chinese. It was the one language that none of the chancellors understood, and allowed for me to ask questions without the other chancellors' understanding of what was being said. "You are just as important as any member of the Authority. You help keep the peace between vampires and humans. Or have you forgotten your duty?"

I sighed. "You're right. I should not have forgotten my duty. I'm sorry." I walked over to Bill and Eric and looked at them. I didn't know these vampires. Well, I didn't know much about Eric, other than that he was the sheriff of Area 5 and owned a vampire bar in Shreveport, Louisiana. Bill, on the other hand, I knew a little bit more about. I wasn't there when it happened, but the Magister told me about how he forced Bill to become a Maker and sire a young girl named Jessica. Did it really matter to me whether they lived or died? No. However, they did have connections that I had a feeling would help me in the long run. "Let them-"

Bill cut me off with, "I offer you an exchange." I raised an eyebrow. This was getting interesting. "Our lives in exchange for Russell Edgington." Chancellor Harris laughed, but I was confused. Russell Edgington was dead, from what Nan Flanagan told Roman and the other chancellors.

"Russell Edgington is dead," I said in a monotone voice. "Nan Flanagan assured the Guardian of it; she assured the world of it on camera."

"Sheriff Northman and I consigned him to the ground," Bill replied, "but we did not kill him." I wanted to slap myself at the IDIOTS these two vampires were. Why wouldn't you kill a psycho vampire? Why would you only consign him to the ground? What were Bill and Eric, baby vamps? Apparently, the chancellors were having the same thoughts I was, as they exchanged looks amongst themselves. "Tragic mistake," Bill added.

"He has just now broken free," Eric said.

After a collective gasp from the chancellors, Roman cruelly smiled and replied, "That sounds like a lie to me."

"But it is the truth," Eric sighed. "Whether we live or die, you will find out soon enough."

Chancellor Agrippa walked up to Roman and caressed his shoulder. "They have every reason to lie," she commented, "but I must say that I'm intrigued."

"Russell wants nothing more than anarchy," Bill growled. "If you would like your entire mainstreaming agenda and your entire administration to be completely obliterated, then by all means, ignore me."

"The only thing Russell wants more is to see us dead," Eric said.

"Why?" I asked.

"He pissed me off. Then I pissed him off. You know how these things go."

"No," Roman said in a dangerously low tone of voice, "I don't."

"I do," I thought to myself as I recalled the day my family was slaughtered by him.

"Why would you keep Russell Edgington alive?" Roman asked.

"After what he did, we felt the True Death was too good for him," Bill confessed.

"We wanted him to suffer," Eric added.

"You WHAT?" Roman almost shouted. "You disobeyed the Authority...to satisfy your feelings?" Roman took a stake from a box and ran over to grab Bill at vampire speed. He bared his fangs and shouted, "I FEEL LIKE STAKING YOU SO FUCKING MUCH RIGHT NOW!"

"Guardian," Eric called out. Roman looked at Eric. "I was the one who did it."

Roman turned back to Bill. "You're a king, and you allowed him? Lilith, help me, I am going to stake you!" The tip of the stake was at Bill's chest, but it didn't go through. Roman retracted his fangs and released Bill. "Unfortunately, unlike the two of you, I understand there are a great many things more important than my personal desires."

"Guardian, I promise you," Bill pleaded, "Now Russell is free, he will stop at nothing to find us. And when he does, you will be there to put an end to him as we should have. I offer this to you as a final gesture of solidarity." Bill swallowed hard. "I, like you, believe mainstreaming is possible and essential. But Russell must be stopped. I fully expect to meet the True Death, either way."

I held my hand out for the stake, which Roman handed to me. "I care neither whether you live or die," I commented as I pointed the stake at them. "But if you have a way of getting us Russell, if you have a way that proving my request to let you live was correct, then by all means. Bring him to the Authority. Now go. You have a job to do." I looked at the guards and they escorted Bill and Eric out. "Now what?" I asked Roman. "This is a new development. We have to keep it quiet."

"You think I don't know that?" Roman hissed. He sighed. "Russel Edgington, alive. What an epic fucking disaster!"

"Allow me to take care of these traitors, Guardian," Chancellor Agrippa asked. "They will beg for the True Death."

"Shouldn't we at least consider their proposal?" Chancellor Dieter Braun asked.

"Since when do we negotiate with apostates? If they think they can smoke out Russell Edgington, why not let them try? The odds are they won't survive the fight."

"What kind of precedent does that set?" Chancellor Harris countered. "Rewarding these traitors...for what? Not following orders in the first place. We cannot condone this blatant insubordination."

"Chancellor Harris," I interrupted. Everyone turned to look at me. "Forgive me for being rude, but you would sentence your own maker to the True Death if it served your political agenda."

"You're right, huntress," Chancellor Harris replied. "However, my maker was a true pioneer, a true mainstreamer, unlike some people-"

"Chancellors, thank you for your input," Roman interrupted. "Be assured that I will take it all under advisement. Bless the Blood." Just as the chancellors and I were about to leave, Roman said, "Stay." I raised an eyebrow as the chancellors returned to their seats and I returned to my spot next to Roman. "The Sanguinistas have turned Russell Edgington into some kind of hero for ripping out a man's spine on TV. He has become the poster boy for the anti-mainstream movement, their Osama bin Laden. Do you know the one thing more dangerous than a martyr?"

"A 3,000-year-old vampire who hasn't fed in over a year," I answered. "Suffering does not kill the appetite for power. It exacerbates it."

"I've dedicated my guardianship to the fight for coexistence," Roman growled, "and I will not see it go swirling down the shitter because of one ancient, pissed-off psychopath." He turned to one of the guards. "Send in for the new Nan Flanagan." The guard left.

"'New Nan Flanagan?'" I repeated. I wondered who it could be, but my question was answered when a vampire all too familiar to me entered and approached Roman, and I was ready to rush this particular vampire and stake him.

It was the former leader of the Fellowship of the Sun, Reverend Steve Newlin.

"HIM?" I shouted incredulously as I pointed at him with the stake. It took everything I had not to rush at him and stake him. While Godric did offer himself to the Fellowship of the Sun and was not kidnapped, Steve Newlin still had a hand in his death and I was not going to let it slide. I started to walk to Steve, but I was restrained by Roman's vampire strength. I sighed. Clearly, I was not going to win this one. Roman held out his other hand and I returned the stake to him. "He's the new spokesperson for the AVL?" I asked Roman in Chinese.

Roman nodded. "We have to bring him up to speed. He's the one who will keep this quiet. Do you want to do the honors, Yue?" he asked in the same language.

"Hell, no. Who the fuck turned him, anyway? He seems young for a vampire. Very young. If I had to guess, I'd say not even a year old."

"You'd be correct, Yue. It's been...four months, I believe, since he was turned. He said it was some woman who turned him. Didn't say who." I nodded in understanding, but I was still surprised. What vampire didn't know their maker? The Magister had explained to me how vampires were made, and part of the process involved being in the ground with the human they just turned. I wasn't entirely sure what that did, but the Magister explained how it created the bond between progeny and maker...or something like that. For Steve's maker to just up and leave was a new one. Almost every vampire's maker (that I knew of) stuck by their progeny and taught them things like how to control their urges and how to glamor a human. So why didn't Steve's maker stick around?

As I was pondering this, Steve smiled and said, "It is an honor to be of service."

"Suck up," I thought as I glared at him. Oh, how I wanted to stake him. I knew Roman would stop me, though, and I couldn't afford to make myself look bad in front of the Authority.

"Nan Flanagan," Roman began to explain, "may the cold bitch rest in peace, went on CNN and told the world Russell Edgington had met the true death more than a year ago. Tonight, however, we have learned that he is still very much alive."

"Excuse me, sir," Steve asked, "but says who? Elvis was spotted buying turkey jerky in a 7-Eleven in Yakima last Thursday, but that doesn't mean he's still alive. That just means people will believe anything they wanna believe. Humans are not rational." I coughed to indicate a human was in the room. "Most humans," Steve corrected himself. "They are 100% motivated by fear. All they want is to feel safe, to know that they're good and right and they're gonna end up in a heaven full of puffy clouds with everybody they've ever loved wearing angel wings. So, you tell me what you what them to believe and I'll sell it to them."

"Reverend Newlin, you have been a vampire now for, what, four months?" Roman asked condescendingly. "And yet you find it funny to ridicule and underestimate the human race? The race that birthed all of us into existence? Is this some kind of joke?"

Just as Steve was about to protest, Chancellor Agrippa explained, "Reverend Newlin was recruited because of his connection to the Fellowship of the Sun. With his influence in the religious right, he'll be able to speak to people we never hoped to reach. He can be valuable if we give him the chance." She stood up and walked to Steve. "Don't be nervous, Steve. I was new once. I get it. All I wanted to do was feed, fuck, and kill. It took me centuries to realize that humans aren't just talking meat. They're our ancestors. None of us would be here without them."

Roman was about to ask something, but I beat him to the punch, "Have you heard of the Sanguinista movement?" Steve shook his head no. "They believe that humans should be farmed like cattle, owned like slaves. They believe in nothing. They've learned nothing from history."

"Why do you refer to your race as though you aren't one of them?" Steve asked. "You're human. Your blood smells like a rotting corpse, but you're still human. You aren't one of us. Why are you even here, anyway? You aren't an Authority member."

"I'm as good as," I growled as I grabbed Steve by the collar. Roman did nothing to restrain me, nor did any of the chancellors. "I'm a hunter. Not just any hunter, but a vampire hunter. The Magister, may he rest well once his death is avenged, taught me everything I know. I've been surrounded by vampires for most of my life, and while I don't consider myself one of them-no offense, Guardian, Chancellors-I've been referring to my race in the third person because of how I was brought up by the Magister. Does that answer your question, you little shit?" Steve's eyes widened in fear as he nodded. "Good." I let go of his collar.

"If we do not evolve," Roman said, "if we continue to behave like fucking savages, the humans will rise up. They will retaliate with their armies. It is just a matter of time. Right now this council is the only thing preventing a civil war. That is why I need you, Steven. If, for whatever reason, our sources are unable to bring Russell Edgington in quietly and he winds up on the TV threatening to eat children, I will need a friendly, trustworthy, vampire mainstreamer who knows how to work a crowd."

"I won't let you down, sir," Steve responded.

"You'd better not." Steve left the room as Roman turned to a female Authority member and said, "Make sure Mr. Northman and Mr. Compton are harnessed and thoroughly scanned. We do not want a repeat of the necromancy bullshit."

"'Harnessed?'" I repeated.

"i-Stakes," the female Authority member replied. I nodded in understanding. While I had never seen the Authority use the i-Stakes before, I knew what they were for and what they did. They were pretty much stakes that were built into a harness and could activate through a special app on an iPhone with the push of a button. Supposedly, the stake was faster than a bullet, and the system knew everything the vampire wearing it did. The Authority member walked out.

I couldn't sleep that night, so I walked to the enormous library in the Authority's HQ. They had books on...pretty much everything (even not-vampire-related stuff), and Roman said it was free for me to use. I grabbed a random book off the shelf and sat in a comfy chair to read it. A few minutes after I started reading it, I heard screams from below. Nora's screams, to be exact. No doubt one of the chancellors was torturing her for information. Nora was strong, but there was only so much any vampire could take. I sighed as I continued to read and ignored the screams. There was nothing I could do, after all. "Can't sleep?" I heard Roman ask as he sat in the chair across from mine.

"No," I sighed. I put the book down. "How did you know I was here, anyway? You and the others don't like my smell, so I doubt you followed that."

"This is where you go whenever something's bothering you," Roman answered with a small smile. As for why you couldn't sleep, was it Nora's screams? You know we can't-"

"I just couldn't sleep, that's all. I'm just..."

"What?"

"Never mind." I couldn't afford to show emotion in front of Roman. While he was more lenient than the Magister on that sort of thing and did let me show emotion from time to time, this particular emotion was something I couldn't afford for him to see: jealousy.

"Yue, you know you're like a daughter to me. Tell me."

"This particular emotion...I can't show it." Roman continued to look at me and I relented, "I'm jealous. Bill and Eric get to give Russell the True Death. I wanted to be the one to do it. He massacred my family. I want revenge."

"There's nothing I can do about that. I'm sorry, Yue."

"I understand. I'll deal with it." I had to be okay with it. I didn't really have much of a choice.

The screams grew louder. "Nora confessed to being Sanguinista," Roman explained with a sigh.

"If it makes any difference, Bill and Eric aren't," I replied. "They can be trusted."

"To be honest, Yue, I'm not sure who I can trust anymore because of this confession."

"You can't afford to take a different route, so don't even think about that. Mainstreaming is working. It seems to be, at any rate. But..."

Roman raised an eyebrow. "But what?"

"I'm scared for you. I don't want to lose anyone else. This whole Russell-thing just seems like a big risk to the Authority." Roman was about to speak, but I cut him off with, "I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I'm only human, so what would a human know about the Authority? I'm not talking about politics or hierarchy or whatever when I talk about this, though. I'm talking about actual lives. I'm worried this is going to be another massacre the minute he walks through those doors."

"And that's why I have you, Yue." Roman put his hand over mine. "You're my secret weapon. There's nothing to worry about."

"No?" I wasn't sure.

"Nothing to worry about." Roman stood up and held out a hand. "I need a Tru Blood before going to ground tonight. Want a midnight snack?"

I shrugged. "Why not?" I took his hand and stood up. We walked out of the library in silence until we reached the kitchen. The kitchen was almost as big as the library, but not quite. It had just about every cooking implement you could think of, and I made sure it was always stocked with enough human food for me. Or the day-men did when I was busy with my studies.

Roman took a B-negative Tru Blood out of the cabinet while I made myself a peanut butter sandwich. He took a drink. "Is it good?" I blurted out, even though I already knew the answer.

"Not as good as the real thing, but it does the job," Roman answered.

"Why..." I hesitated.

"Why what?"

"Why does my blood smell bad? I mean, I know I wouldn't be able to tell the difference, but that's what you and the chancellors say."

Roman looked at me. "You've wanted to know for a while, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"I can't tell you, as I don't entirely know myself."

"But you know something," I implied.

Roman sighed. "Yes."

It was my turn to sigh. I wasn't going to get anymore information out of him. I finished my sandwich and said good night, when Roman did something surprising: he gave me a hug. I wondered why as he let me go back to my room. Was it to reassure me that everything would be okay? I hoped so. I didn't want to lose anymore family.