So, I just read the last chapter of Gakuen Alice and saw them /together/. Seeing them canon gave me SO much feels that I couldn't help but felt that I needed to write something about them. So here it is! Please forgive me if they're too ooc and the writing is awkward - I haven't written anything in like a year. orz

This doesn't contain any spoilers!

Disclaimer: If I was Higuchi I would focus a lot more on the side couples like Persona/Nobara, whooop.

Exhale

Taking a shy peek at the High School Principal's face through her dark lashes, she silently waited for his answer to her question. She had already lost so much time, and she didn't want to stay at the academy any longer. Not because she didn't love the place, - because she really did, even if it broke her into pieces, it was the place where she met him -, but because it was the place she met him, it constantly reminded her that she hadn't seen him in such a long time. She didn't know how long it had been; all she knew was that it had been too long.

(It had been exactly 2 years, 11 months, and 19 days.)

Taking a deep breath, she pushed on her question again. "May I?" she inquired shyly.

"It's dangerous," the principal answered, acknowledging the silent 'go find him' at the of her question, "I do no – "

"Please."

It was the only word she said, but Yukihira Kazumi understood the determination and will behind it. Sighing quietly, he nodded. "Alright, but please be careful. Do not hesitate to contact the Academy for help if needed," he said.

She smiled, and it felt like she was finally able to breathe.

Inhale

As she sat on the train, waiting for it to depart to her next destination two towns away, she looked through her notes of research. She knew after the Elementary School Principal incident, the Academy did its best to clean up what was left of Kuonji's mess. However, though the chances highly decreased, it didn't completely erase the chances that she would be attacked for her alice. She didn't mind though, because now, she could finally do what she had promised – she would not let him suffer alone; she would always be by his side.

During her brief scan of her notes, she realized there was only one stop left before she checked all of places that the Elementary School Principal had affiliated with during his mission to gain power. She knew that Persona – or Rei, but she didn't know if she was close enough to call him that - left to atone for his sins, and knowing him, she knew that helping to clean up the leftover mess would be his goal. So here she was, after going through seven other places and cities, she was heading to the last one, and she prayed and hoped with all her might that she would see him.

When the train pulled up to the station, she realized that this was a rather small town with an even smaller station. She stepped off the train and began walking toward the exit, with the heels of her black ankle boots clicking on the ground. And suddenly, she stopped.

It was as if it was a miracle because she saw the glimpses of black, shaggy hair and a black trench coat with one hand in his jacket pocket. She saw his earring and the glint of his rings on the other hand he has holding onto a small luggage. She saw him; she just knew it was him.

For a moment, the world froze, and she forgot how to breathe.

Without a moment of hesitation, she dropped her navy blue bag and ran toward him, and upon reaching an arm's length of distance, she threw her arms around his torso, causing him to tip foward. Even through her slightly trembling form as she held in her tears, she felt him tensed up at first but made no other movement. She tightened her hold on him and sobbed silently onto his back, not caring if she was causing a ruckus at the train station.

"No... bara…?" he hesitantly whispered, voice almost inaudible.

She nodded quickly on his back, not caring if rubbing her hair against the back of his jacket was destroying the time she spent on her hair that morning, and smiled. He was still everything she remembered him to be – warm.

Exhale

He unconsciously held his breath the moment he felt something hit him. Small hands clenched together around his waist with more strength than he thought the owner of such thin arms could have. He was going to push off the stranger without a second thought, but when he finally breathe again, he smelt it: the scent of winter and wild roses, the scent of the one person who he cared about more than anyone else in the world, the scent of her.

"No… bara…?" his voice seemed so airy, so weak, because he didn't want to think it was her. He didn't know how to face her; he didn't know what to do if he saw her again. No matter how much he wanted to be with her, he didn't want to hurt her, not again.

When he felt the nodding motion on his back, he froze. He wanted to see her so much over the years; he wanted to be with her, to feel her presence, to touch her for so long. Now she's here, he didn't know what to do. All that was on his mind was guiltrelievehappinessguiltlove, so he just stood there, frozen in place, froze in time, not knowing how to breathe.

Their reunion had been nothing like she imagined. She didn't think she would have met him at a train station or that she would end up bawling her eyes out. After a PSA announcement came on about a lost navy blue bag with a black ribbon, Nobara finally remembered her forgotten bag and unwillingly unwrapped her hands around him. She didn't know how long they had been standing, with her arms wrapped around his waist and her head buried on his back, but she felt like it was too short.

She felt like if she let him go, he would disappear on her again, that he wouldn't be here anymore. It didn't take much for her to realize his guilt of what happened back then, she had been with him for such a long time after all, but she needed to talk to him, she needed to be with him. Tugging the sleeve of his black trench coat silent, she muttered a soft, "Please don't go."

After a few seconds of frozen movement, he nodded and turned around. Their eyes met, and she forgot how to breathe again. It had been so long, so, so long. The PSA about the lost bag repeated on speakers, and boldly, she took his hand in hers, gripping it tightly, as if she was never letting go again. And she wasn't. Not now, not ever.

When she felt him slowly returning her grip, she smiled softly and exhaled.

Inhale

After she retrieved her bag, they sat down on a bench, still holding hands. They both sat in silence, looking toward the empty train station, at first, not knowing what to say. After she gathered a small amount of courage, she spoke meekly, "It's been a while."

She felt his eyes on her, and he questioned her, "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," she turned her head, facing him.

"Why?" his eyes widened, as if he couldn't fathom why she would even do so.

"Why else?" she smiled.

"I hurt you," he deadpanned, hands cold and eyes even colder.

"I've never blamed you," she intertwined their fingers.

"I don't deserve your kindness," he whispered, eyes turning away from hers and feeling like an awkward teenager instead of a man of twenty-seven.

"I'm not kind," she replied weakly, "Rather, I just selfishly want to stay by the side of the person who gave me so much strength and warmth." Flashing him a soft smile, she repeated her earlier statement with a stronger tone, "Like I said, I've never blamed you. That's why… you should forgive yourself. It's okay if you don't right away, even if it takes a week, a month, a year, or even years, it's okay. You can't force your feelings to change, so just take your time. But no matter what, please remember to forgive yourself in the end because you didn't hurt me at all. I'm happy because I could finally show you what Mikan showed me – the beauty in the world."

He turned his head toward her in a quick motion, eyes staring intently at her, "Nobara, you should go back." She saw it – the way his eyes were silently asking the question 'why?'

"I don't want to... Because you're warm," she replied with a shy smile, eyes looking straight into his, face red from her sudden boldness, hand gripping tightly onto his. "Even if I hold no importance to you, I still want to be by your side so that you won't have to suffer your sins alone anymore. I have already decided that since the moment you gave me your warmth. Even if you won't look at me or feel the same, my feelings won't change."

She knew he probably didn't intend for her to see, but she saw the tears on his face as he slowly inserted pressure on their intertwined fingers. He realized that she was exactly how she was as a child – she always frustratingly closed their distance and became his hope. Maybe he was always waiting for it – waiting for someone to tell him it was okay to forgive himself, that it was okay to live. They fell into a content silence as they turned their glazes back toward the scenery.

"Oh," she suddenly exclaimed as he looked at her in interest, "Can I… call you Rei…?"

He looked shocked for a moment before he let out a ghost of a smile, "Yeah."

She smiled because she knew that even though it may take years, but it will be okay, because finally now, they have each other.

And they can breathe again.

"I will always be by your side."

Exhale

Hope you enjoyed. Leave me some love?

xoRain