Chapter One
I watched as Sasuke packed his belongings. I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. Sasuke's emotions were hitting me hard. Rage, confusion, sadness.
I blinked back tears. I couldn't even imagine. Sasuke's whole family...massacred.
By someone I loved. By someone who had been so close to me.
My lips burned. They were tainted.
Ricardo -- Sasuke's guardian -- came in. "Are you ready to go?" He asked.
"Yeah, let's go," Sasuke muttered.
I gently touched Sasuke's arm. "Are you okay?" I asked.
He looked at me straight in the eye. "Are you?" He asked. He was truly concerned for me. He always had been, ever since I was assigned as Itachi's guardian. He had suspected Itachi was up to something, but never would have guessed that he would kill the whole royal Uchiha family. Everyone...but Sasuke.
I knew there was more to the massacre. I knew who was behind it.
Madara Uchiha.
...But I couldn't tell Sasuke. Not yet. He wouldn't believe me.
"I will be once we get to the Royal Court," I answered.
He nodded, satisfied with my answer.
Ricardo fell in step with me as we walked out to the runway. "You know...sometimes I feel like you're taking over my duty," he teased.
"We have a bond."
He sideglanced over at me. "You and Sasuke? How-?"
"-I don't know," I lied. I didn't want to tell him of how Itachi killed me...and how Sasuke brought me back to life. I didn't even know if I could handle it. "After the massacre, I could feel so much rage-"
"-Are you sure it wasn't your feelings?" Ricardo questioned.
"Yes, I'm sure...I was...sad, not furious." I looked ahead at Sasuke. I knew he was listening in.
"Have you and Sasuke talked about it?" Ricardo asked.
"...A little bit."
There was a slight hesitated before Ricardo said anything. "Maybe...maybe we should swap. Instead of you guarding that Dragomir girl, you should guard Sasuke, and I'll guard--"
"--Valissa. Her name is Valissa."
He nodded.
"We'll have to talk to Queen Tatiana, though."
Ricardo smirked. "Exactly why we're heading towards the Royal Court."
On the private jet, I sat next to Sasuke and Ricardo sat across from us. We all remained quiet, lost in our thoughts.
I could tell Sasuke was trying to block me from his mind. He didn't want me to worry about him, but I did anyway. I concentrated and finally got into his head.
He felt weak and helpless. He didn't do anything to fight against Itachi, unlike me. He didn't sacrifice his life for the Uchiha family, unlike me. He wished he could be as fearless as me. He looked up to me.
I bit my lip. I wasn't anywhere near perfect. I wasn't as strong and noble as he thought. I was...only a common dhampir girl. Only a guardian doing their duty.
Ricardo looked out the window. He obviously was feeling a little awkward, sitting alone by himself. I wanted to say something to lessen the tension, but couldn't.
Instead, I got up and headed towards the bathroom. Once I stepped into the room, I cried. I didn't know why, really. Maybe it was because of lack of sleep. Maybe I was still tramatized.
I shook my head. "Stop making excuses," I muttered to myself.
My heart was broken, and I was too clueless to find a cure. I was too stuck on Itachi to think about loving anyone else. I felt like I would never be the same. Maybe I wouldn't be. My arms instinctively wrapped around myself. I felt like a part of me was gone...
No, I should have suspected Itachi was up to something. All those night I would wake up and he wasn't there...
...He was meeting Madara.
The name made me shudder.
"Rinne?" Sasuke asked from outside the bathroom.
I wiped my eyes and opened the door. "I'm okay."
He didn't believe me. He opened his mouth to say something, but decided to keep quiet.
"I...I sort of feel lost without him, you know..." I finally whispered. "I feel...like I've lost a piece of who I am."
Sasuke didn't say anything. He stared at me, his eyes filled with so much emotion he had never shown before.
Then I got it.
I wasn't alone in this. Ricardo may have been off-duty during the massacre, but Sasuke and I had experienced it. We had bonded.
"Rinne..." Sasuke said, "I will do whatever it takes in order to make you my guardian."
I looked away. "I'm not as strong as I was when I fought Itachi. I...I hesitate in battle. I don't know if I can protect--"
"--I'll help," Sasuke said. "I know I haven't specialized in anything yet...but I don't think I can handle seeing you die again."
"You must be specialized in something if you brought me back."
Sasuke wanted to blieve me, but he didn't know which element would ahve allowed him to bring me back from the dead.
"Don't worry. We'll figure this out together."
We stood there for a moment, staring at each other.
"Um...maybe we should go back and sit down," I suggested. "Ricardo might start worrying otherwise."
"Right." I could sense Sasuke still wanted to talk to me about something, but I needed to relax for the rest of the way there.
I looked out the window once we were sitting back down. I yearned for fresh air...
Then I saw him -- Itachi -- as a Strigoi on the wing of the jet.
The shock of seeing him made me release a blood-curteling scream.
Sasuke immediately had his arms wrapped around me (in a protective way), as Ricardo placed himself in front of us, silver stake ready to use.
"...Rinne, there's nothing there," Ricardo told me.
I escaped from Sasuke's arms and looked out the window. Itachi wasn't there, but a black heart pendant was tightly tied to the jet's wing. "Son of a bitch," I whispered.
That pendant symbolized our love.
In sense, it meant that Itachi still loved me even after we had fought and he had killed me.
"What is it?" Sasuke asked.
"Strigoi are following us," I answered.
"But the Royal Court has the strongest wards. We should be okay," Ricardo assured us.
Sasuke remained calm after Ricardo said this, but I knew better.
Madara could break the wards.
--
The Royal Court was bigger than I remember. I sighed, wondering if I would be able to find my way around.
Settling in was easy. Ricardo had his own room, while Sasuke and I shared. It didn't really bother me since I figured Sasuke was going to be busy enough with college.
That is, if he was still going.
"The Queen wants an audience with us," Ricardo told us after we were done unpacking.
Standing in front of the Queen was a little itimidating. It didn't help that two royal Moroi were there as well. I recognized both of them. One was Valissa Dragomir -- who I was suppose to be assigned to guard. The other was Adrian. I had talked to him a couple times. I wondered if he still needed a guardian.
Adrian looked puzzled as he saw me. I ignored it, there was only so much I could concentrate on at once.
"I'm sorry about what happened to the Uchihas. I wish there had been something we could have done to stop it," Queen Tatiana sincerely said. She continued, "Sasuke, are you still going to attend at Lehigh College?"
"Yes, your Magesty."
The Queen smiled. "Good. I'm glad you can put the past behind you."
Sasuke bit his lip, stopping him from making a rude comment.
The Queen turned her attention to me. "Rinne, I'm glad to see you. I assume you know of your new position?"
"There's just one problem with that, your Magesty," I said, a bold look on my face. "Sasuke and I have a bond."
The Queen started to laugh. "Nice try. I know how close you and Itachi were, and I'm afraid you would corrupt Sasuke if you were his guardian."
"Then why would I be any better for her?" I asked, pointing at Valissa.
"Rinne's right," Adrian piped in. "She and Sasuke do have a bond. I can tell by her aura."
The Queen became silent.
"Your Magesty," Ricardo said, "I will be Valissa's guardian and Rinne can be Sasuke's."
A few moments passed before the Queen replied, "Alright, we'll try for right now...but if--"
"--Why don't you trust me?" I asked. "I had nothing to do with the Uchiha massacre. In fact, I died fighting against Itachi. Sasuke had brought me back."
Valissa's face lost all color.
The Queen looked furioius. "Get out," she ordered.
My face remained emotionless, calm and cold, as I exited. The only thing left for me to do was sit out in the hallway and wait. I sighed, looking both way to see if anyone was coming.
Nobody.
I smirked and layed down to see in the crack between the bottom of the door and the floor.
I saw Sasuke's feet step forward. "Your Magesty, that was uncalled for."
The Queen sighed, "She has already tainted you--"
"--Shut up!" Sasuke interrupted. "You act like I'm some little boy who doesn't know who to follow. I can stand on my own! ..I have to now that I'm the only Uchiha left."
"Sasuke..." I whispered, shocked by his outrage.
"But that's just it," Queen Tatiana replied, "You're vulenerable."
Those words hit Sasuke hard. He didn't want to be considered weak. He wanted to be able to be bod and piss off the Queen, just like I had. He wanted to be powerful and influencial.
"Your Magesty," Valissa finally spoke, "I do not see the harm in letting Rinne be Sasuke's guardian. You should let Rinne be Sasuke's guardian."
There was a brief silence before the Queen agreed.
"What are you doing?" A man's voice lightly asked me, almost as if he found what I was doing funny.
"Easdropping," I said, geting up. I was still disturbed by the fact that Queen Tatiana agreed with Valissa so easily. I wonder...
"Any good gossip?" He asked, teasing.
"Tatian thinks I'm a minipulative bitch. But...besides that, nothing else good."
The man seemed troubled with my words. "I'm Ambrose...you are?"
"Rinne Isabelov."
"You're rather thin for being a dhampir."
I smiled. "I grew up in Japan. I learned their diet secrets."
He laughed. "Did you really grow up in Japan?" He asked. "I always wanted to go there."
I nodded. "Sasuke and I went to school there."
"There's an Academy there?"
"A small one," I answered.
Just then, the door opened, revealing Adrian.
"I best get going," Ambrose said as he left.
I looked at Adrian. "Are the others coming out?" I asked.
"Not yet."
"Why'd you leave?"
Adrian smiled. "Too much drama. Plus, I haven't talked to you forever."
I rolled my eyes. "Did Valissa...use complusion?" I asked. "There's no way she's that convincing."
"Lissa. She likes getting called Lissa. And yes, she did. Looks like Sasuke is all yours. Good thing, too. He's crazy about you."
I shook my head. "Adrian, I'm bound to him. I can feel what he's feeling. He's not crazy about me."
Adrian's smiled only grew bigger. "Sssuurrree...."
I punched his arm. "You're an ass."
"It's why you love me," he said, rubbing his arm.
"Sssuuurreee..." I replied, imitading him.
You're an ass," he joked with a playful smile.
"It's why you love me."
"You're right," he said as he put his arm around my shoulder. "It's gonna be a while until they're done...you wanna walk around?" He asked.
"Just don't get us lost."