Incomplete (A VA Fanfic One-Shots & Shorts Collection)

He Confronts Her First

As I watched them, I couldn't help but notice that they seemed to somehow Fit together, even in the middle of this argument or whatever it was. They really would make the ideal guarding partners if she grew up and got a grip.

Now Rose sighed. "Why'd you come after me, Dimitri?" Good question. But... Why shouldn't he? I thought. He was her mentor and clearly it was up to him to discipline her, though I saw no sign of traditional disciplining. And somehow I got the sense that it worked, even though it hadn't changed her attitude towards me one little bit.
"Someone needed to, and you are my responsibility."
She shook her head vehemently, "I can look after myself."
"Sure, I'll believe that the day you stop getting kicked out of Alto's class—" well that told me a thing or two— "and listen to everyone else who dares try to discipline you, the day you no longer need me to keep you in school."
She glared at him.
He seemed unaffected by it. "Oh Rose," he sighed.
Her glare dropped immediately. "Why, Dimitri? Why do you have to be right?" She sounded almost frantic, so unsure and vulnerable, the opposite of the attitude she'd shown me.
"Rose?"
She looked into his eyes again, almost seeking sanctuary, solace, safety, answers even, in them. "I don't know what's wrong with me."
"Then we'll figure it out," promised Belikov. "Don't freak out, Rose. You're so incredibly strong, this is just a challenge, not a be all and end all roadblock. Whatever is going on isn't permanent, Rose. Nothing's wrong, something is just creating a challenge we'll work through."

I didn't know Belikov well, but the respected guardian I know of much more than knew, hardly spoke or interacted. I'd greeted him during first period when I'd come across him in the guardian lunchroom... reading a book. Such an anti-social. Polite, well-mannered, gifted young guardian, but anti-social. So you could well imagine how out of character it was to hear him trip over his words in trying to reassure her.

"There's no we in it. It's just me on my own, fumbling through as usual."
Belikov shook his head at her. "No Rose, you don't fumble. Besides, if this is impacting on your training, I need to know in order to work around it and with it so you learn the most effective way you can."

"Fascinating, aren't they?" asked Petrov from beside me. I'd barely noticed her approach since I'd been so intently focused on the interaction I was spying on.
"Hmm?"
"Rose and Belikov. There's just something there that makes him able to so adeptly handle her. I don't know what it is, but it works, and thank god."
"He lets a lot of her behaviour slide," I remarked.
"I think that's exactly why he's so good for her. That's not to say he can't or won't give her a harsh reality check, but I've never once heard or heard of an incident of him raising his voice at her. This way with her seems to work for him, this kind of talk-it-through-calmly-and-let-her-cool-down-and-reflect method. It's improved her overall, I'm fairly sure, but there's something about Alto that has her itching to be kicked out, I'm sure."
"I haven't seen any improvement for myself."
"You should ask to watch one of their sessions, then you'd see how much she's improved, how effective his method seems to be."
"I guess," I reluctantly agreed to think about the idea.

The bell rang just before I heard Belikov say, "There's someone I think you should meet after training." Oh good, now he was introducing her to someone I wasn't certain existed... unless it was Tasha Ozera. But then, why would he be taking her to meet his rumored ex-girlfriend? It made no sense since I had no previous clues as to what could be so educational.

DPOV
I was sure Janine had eavesdropped on my conversation with Rose. I'd registered the opening of the door and her exiting, but that was all. Whatever my language or body language had conveyed had kept Rose as wary as I was over every word spoken. The fresh memory of her nearly crying was present in my mind and my heart was breaking all over again. I knew it shouldn't be, couldn't be allowed to because it—because I—couldn't be allowed to be so attached to her. Yet the moment I realised just how scared she was of this unknown cause of change in her behaviour was the moment I'd so desperately needed to take her into my arms. I couldn't though, and with great effort I hadn't. But I had tried wrap her in a blanket of my honest words, words that to the in-question eavesdropper would mean not a thing more than they should, but to Rose would have meant everything.