Hey guys! Thanks for the revieuws and support my litte story is getting, it means alot to me. If you find a grammar error please point it out so I ca fix it, and again, please comment on how I could improve my writing skills.

Enjoy!

TLC

Kai pov

The mechanic was going to change everything. Those were his exact words. Since Kai had laid eyes on the girl with messy hair and dirty workgloves, he knew that this girl would fix Naisi and help him unknowingly on his search to find the Lunar heir. He had felt light, the knot in his chest had loosend, just a litte bit. He had felt optimistic when he had left the weekly market, he knew that nothing was solved yet. The relationship between Luna and Earth was still stressed, Naisi was still unable to share her secrets and Selena Blackburn was stil not found. But something in Linh Cinders appearance told him she would fix this and make it work. The mechanic was going to change everything.

And Lord above he hadn't been wrong.

She was the volunteer. Thé volunteer. The one who was immune to letumosis and was destined for greatness, she was a wonder. A beautifull wonder, a gift from the heavens. With her blood they will cure so many, because of her the blue fever could be finally defeated. But those kind of words weren't going through him.

She had volunteerd. She had chosen to give herself up. She had chosen to die.

That single thought, bounced around his skull. Putting itself in the spotlight and the worst part of it was that it only occurred to him when Konn tried to convince Cinder to stay in the palace.

'…We could save so many, if you would be killed…'

He had cringed and tried the hide that fact as best as he could, but from the a swift movement of Cinder's eyes told him that she had seen it. The thought had taken him by suprise, completely taken over his mind. He could just watch the mechanic with growing fright, the only keeping his face straight was years worth of diplomatic training. To keep his cool when his world was falling apart.

What had made her do it? How could someone become that desprate? Doesn't she has loved ones, who should be taken care of her? Is she doing this because she thinks it will protect her loved ones? Or was this about her losing them? That she will die the same painfull death, so the scientest might learn somehing from her body and produce a cure from that knowlegde? To make that their legacy?

Then she wanted to negotiate about her cooperation. He couldn't keep his face from paling. She could ask anything and they would have no choice, because they need her and she doesn't need them. She could ask them to donate a gigantic amount of money to her family, she could ask them to fund a project too feed and bring shelter to homeless. And they would do it, without question. She would give her blood to doctor Erland and then take her own life. And that hurt so much more then made sense to Kai, not because it meant a loss to his people, to his planet. But because he cared for her, he cared as much for her as you can care for a stranger you would like to know better. For the girl who at age eighteen, maybe even seventeen, already had the reputation of New Beijng's most renewed mechanic, while Kai still needed help everytime the palace software got updated. The girl who he wanted to crack a smile, smile about a joke from him. And he hadn't even know that she had those kind of thoughts.

His suprise only grew when she started over cyborgs, that her demands where in their interest, not of those most obvious in need, like the people with no food or roof above their heads, to those who overwork just to keep their families fed and clothed. But she chose to stick up for cyborgs. Kai hadn't really thought about them, until he had met Cinder and picked up the mechanical foot, who could fit on the palm of his hand. How could wires impersonate such litte precise motoryskills? Then he had realised that how badly treaded they are. They were forced in the cyborg draft and into the Cyborg Protection Act just because they were different, no, not different, better. People wanted to keep cyborgs taken down, so honest hardworking humans couldn't be disadvanteged. And Kai, who had studied his people history and politics, who had watched his fathers speeches over and over again until he could write a perfect speech himself. Hadn't given it a second thought. And Linh Cinder was aware of it and was fighting for them, maybe she has been fighting for them for a long time.

All of those thoughts were in Kai's head when Linh Cinder and Crown-prince Kaito stared at each other. He couldn't meet most of those demands – yet – but he was now a prince-regent, and in the oldest traditions of his countrey, once that desicion was made, for wich reason, he would stay that way, he would be emporer. The only change would be that his father would get the status of prince and royal advisor. He would meet those demands, it had become one of his goals to achieve in his reign, but now he wanted to make that the girl with the messy hair and gloves see it.

'Linh-méi, I am truly sorry but I can not agree on your terms.' His voice was different, more mature. 'I can not agree to your terms because you excluded one vital part. You were – are – a volunteer, you knew that you would likely die here, how do I know that you won't take a attempt to take your own life while you will remain here?' he didn't know why that question left such a bitter taste in his mouth. Konn Torin looked again at the mechanic and only who knew the royal advisor would see the slightly squinting of his eyes and tensing of his shoulders, he hadn't thought twice of Cinder's volunteer status. He had like Kai only had eyes for her immunity but doctor Erland didn't seem suprised. How many have used him? How many had killed themselfs through him?

Linh Cinder clenched her jaw, her eyes ignited in rage, and Kai saw that her hand mindless touched her wrench who she had put in of her many pockets. For a second she looked at him, then out of the window, looking past the gardens, past this country even and kept staring for a heartbeat, two, four eight. 'Your Highness, I did what I had to do. My legal gaurdian and my stepsisters needed the money, the payment, I may be the only provider in our family, but because of me, we were in debt,' Cinder head shot back, wherever her mind was, it was shot back here. 'now, they are not. I have fulfilled my duty to them. I did not come here to commit suicide, but to pay a debt. This was the only legal way to get so much money quickly, and yes, I did know that I would be walking into my death, but death doesn't scare me Your Highness. Not anymore.' Her voice was passionite, her eyes still aflame, she looked like he had always imagined a sailor looked at the horizon. Fearlees, daring, tough with the calm knowlegde of being at home. There were many emotions on her face, determined, enraged, accepting, sadness, but not a single one was fear. Wich made him so much more scared.

What has she gone through? How can she be not scared of death? Isn't the fear of death the most basic human fear? And doesn't this just prove my point of her having a suicidal tendency?

'you need to swear it Linh-méi. Swear on the most holy thing too you. If I heard correctly, your word has more binding then some marriages have,' She snorted 'and you hereby agree to meet a psychologist until he or she concludes that you are in the clear.' Again they stared at each other but this time she was the one to give in.

'fine, Your Highness. I agree with all your terms. Do we have a deal?'

'Your Highness.' Konn interupted. 'we can not agree to these terms and you know it. His Emperial Highness is still ill and you are not yet emporer.' The look Cinder gave to Konn was so enraged it was almost as clear as saying "I am going to kill you when you sleep" while waving a knife at someone.

'No, I can not Konn, but I am now prince-regent. Even if – no, when – my father is going to be cured, I will become emporer, and I swear to you Lih-méi, that I will try anything in my power then to meet your terms. I swear this on my country and on my people.' He wanted that she would read the truth and binding of that promise in his eyes, that she would believe him and gain her trust. She did look in his eyes, her eyes two oceans worth of emotion, none of wich showed themselfs on her face. But she kept staring at him, so intensive that he asked himself if had grown a second head. She dropped her head, just a litte bit. 'I, Linh Cinder born Linhout Cinder, swear on my colours, no, I swear on my wrench that I will not take my life – or try – and I agree to our terms and I agree to meet a pshychologist.'

The mood in the room shifted back to relieve and enthusiastic. They had found someone who was immune and now they could start rescuing people. Kai's own heart expanded again, but not only because of the cure but also because of Linh Cinder. He knew he was about to save so many of his people of his planet, but now, he could have saved New Beijning most renewed mechanic.

'Konn, please request a international meeting with the other worldleaders. Everybody needs to be present, say it is of code Red-12 importance.' Konn answered by standing and bowing to him, he headed for the elevator together with doctor Erland who hadn't said a word, leaving Kai and Cinder alone. The elevator doors closed.

'You should call me Cinder.'

'excuse me?'

'call me Cinder, you don't need to be so…ah… political. I am going to live here you know.' Cinder started to nibble on her underlip, the same ashamed charming gesture who he had seen at the weekly market. Kai smiled, he couldn't stop it. A few moments ago she had the look of a queen defending her kingdom in battle, now she looked small and almost, almost, girlish.

'Cin-der.' He didn't know why he split it in two breaths or why he rolled off his tongue so easy. Maybe he wanted to make her blush for the first time they had met, maybe he just liked the sound of her name. It was a mix of both probably. Cinder didn't blush though, she just reseated herself awkward, and looked at everything but him. Kai maneged to keep a another smile inside, barely. 'understood, Cinder, please call me Kai, I get enough of that Your Highness stuff from everybody else.' She looked back at him her brows raised in doubt. 'No, that wouldn't be appropri-.' Kai let out the smile he has been holding back while interrupting her. 'Don't make me make it a royal order.' Cinder looked at him like he was crazy, but then smiled too, a smile who made his breath hiccup. It wasn't the same smile he had seen while they bumped into each other, that smile had been like a razorblade beautifull but when lost eyecontact deadly. This one was of shyness, but with beauty. Cinder was a beauty but only when you looked at her, now when she let go off her tough attitude, you didn't need too look to see it. Kai suddenly got the strange desire to pull her in his arms, to make sure she wouldn't get hurt by anybody. To keep her close to him and never let her go. Instead he cleared his throat and stood up. 'we need to go to get going, I am sure that the earthen leaders won't be pleased if we set up a meeting and we wouldn't show up.'

'We? Do I need to go too?'

'well ofcourse, don't you think the earthen leaders would like to meet you?'

'I can imagine it but it doesn't say I would like it!'

What is going on in that head? Kai thought. She isn't scared of death, she has her own busnisess, she could fight half a dozen gaurds but she is scared of people in power? How does that work? From what she had let on, she is a fighter. She is a fighter and not a talker, like him. Kai just shook his head. 'come on.' They both stepped in the elevator wich were now playing a calm tune from the sounds of the wild. 'floor four, meeting room.' The elevator answered by closing the doors and shooting upwards.

Cinder stepped closer to him 'just a simple question; have you never heard a swearword before?' Kai blushed again. Embarished by the truth. He tried to come up with a clever answer but Cinder laugh beat hi mto it. 'You are cute when you are blushing.' With those words she stepped out of the elevator like this was her home. It is now her home, you idiot. She walked infront of him with a confidence like she had walked these hallways a thousand times. She stopped at the exact right door and turned to see the prince-regent stumbeling towards her. She bit her lips to hide her smile.

'how did you know wich room was the right one?'

'I will explain later. Now let's go face some old people who are going to ghwak at me.' Kai simply shook his head in disbelieve and opend the doors.