A/N: After reading chapter 130 of Gakuen Alice, I noticed that there was a lack of fanfiction that didn't make fun of Persona. This is simply my take of the Alice of Death, with slight PersonaxNobara towards the end. Enjoy~
Persona could count the exact number of times someone had willingly touched him without fear or hate, that number dwindled to less than the number of fingers he had on his hands.
The first time was when Izumi Yukihara, or Sensei as he called him approached him. Aside from the little mishap when Persona grabbed Subaru Imai from his dungeon in Hanahime's den, this was the most momentous occasion for the Alice of Death. It was the first time someone didn't die from his touch, and it was the first time he saw what a smile looked like.
Under the Nullifying Alice teacher's care, Persona gained more control over his Alice, and for the first time, he was able to touch someone without using his Alice. A small feeling was born that day, a feeling of hope. Sometimes, unconsciously, Persona wished he could hear his Sensei say "Okay Rei, let's try again" in that happy tone he remembered his mentor for.
The second time someone else touched him, was when Yukihara had introduced Yuka to him. She looked at him with a mix of fear, anxiety, curiosity, and perhaps, a bit of compassion. Persona's first glimpse at her told him that she was someone special to his Sensei, he was also scared of her though. Scared that she would reject his touch just like so many other people had. Scared, that he would lose Sensei to her and that Sensei would forget about him.
He was wrong.
She wasted no time in demanding a Nullifying stone from Izumi, and the Alice of Death witnessed in surprise and wonder as she plunged the stone in his very being. Slowly he felt his body being relieved of the pain that had been with him since his birth. He found his skin lightening from the darkness that plagued him, he had lightened so much, he now looked like a vampire-not having the chance to go out into the sun. Most importantly, he looked more like everyone else.
The next time either of the two had touched him, they had expressions of sadness and pain-Persona couldn't bear to face them. His Sensei had grabbed him to prevent him from running away, and as a reflex, Persona's Alice was released. The Alice of Death didn't understand. After all, wasn't he promised a life of freedom among others by Principal Kuonji? Why was Sensei acting like he should be shut up down at that dark cold dungeon? Wasn't it Sensei's wish for him to be with other happy smiling kids like him? As a confused child, he had lost control, the one thing that his Sensei patiently reminded him to always have. He wished it wasn't true though, that his Sensei would get up like before and nullify the pain that Persona inflicted on him. On that day, Persona's world collapsed, and he ran from the room in horror and denial.
Yuka had found him in Kuonji's Alice Stone room, crying. He felt tears on his hands as well, and he knew that they weren't his. This girl was crying for his Sensei, and she was crying for him. She held his hand, and he felt a part of himself and his pain transferring into the form of a stone, and with more tears, Yuka vanished as quickly as she came.
Later, Persona found out that she had injected his stone into Kuonji's body, stopping the Elementary School Principal's time.
Persona struggled to live among the other children, but this lifestyle had been brief and abrupt. No one dared approach him. Everywhere he looked, the other kids would be whispering, eyes looking at him with fear and pity rolled into one. Sometimes he heard a word slip out from their mouths. Kaijuu…
"Why do the other children call me a monster?" he asked once to Kuonji. The latter glanced at him and broke into a condescending smile.
"They're jealous of you, they don't know how to approach such a powerful Alice as yours." the child-appearing principal replied snidely.
"But Sensei said…" Persona started.
"Your sensei is now dead, shouldn't you move on? After all, he was the one who wanted you to stay imprisoned in Hanahime's Den…" Kuonji trailed off. Persona didn't say a word after that. It was perhaps, the last real conversation he had with his benefactor.
The next day, Kuonji had arranged for him to be privately schooled from the other children.
It was such a long time since Persona had been touched by another human being without fear or hate, he almost forgot how it felt like. Then, he met Nobara Ibaragi.
Nobara Ibaragi was living proof Persona had a heart. The Ice Princess reminded the cold Alice of Death of himself more than he'd like to admit. Both having been abandoned at a young age due to their unforeseen Alices. Nobara's parents' deaths were chalked up to frostbite, despite the fact she was born in the middle of summer, while Persona was born on the first day of spring, his parents promptly abandoning him the moment that someone else had agreed to care for their unwanted child. Neither of them mentioned the bitter irony of their date of birth, it was an insult to their Alice's nature.
The first time he met her, she was a shy little child, ambling towards him in childlike innocence. He pushed her back roughly, not knowing that his force was too much for a child.
"Stop…Don't touch me…" he commanded, but it came out sounding like a plea. Nobara's face mirrored his expression, a face of being rejected and left alone.
"If…if you touch me…you'll end up looking like me…" he said awkwardly to the curly mop-haired girl. She stared back at him with wide eyed curiosity, and approached again. Her tiny fingers curled around his trembling index finger.
"It's so warm…." her first words that she said to him. That night, he dreamt about Sensei for the first time since he was told to forget about the mentor that opened his world and took that world away from him again when he died. That night, he dreamt that the world lost to him before had opened again in the form of a curly haired Ice Princess.
The second time Nobara approached him, she carried a small flower with her.
Flowers were something Persona hated. He hated how beautiful they were, and what they reminded him of. Ever since someone mentioned about his dead flowers being a joke to Sensei's memory, he couldn't touch a single flower without his Alice decaying the helpless plant. Seeing Nobara walking towards him holding that accursed flower, he blanched a little. Her little hand held out the stem to him and he slowly grudgingly held his hand to receive it, ready to feel the crumbling of a dead plant on his hands again.
It never came.
Persona stared at the flower for a long time. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the barely visible sparks of ice that had encased the flower, preventing his Alice from decaying it. A single tear slid down his mask that day, unbeknownst to him.
That day, on the grave of Izumi Yukihara, lay a single flower.
The Dangerous Ability class would claim Natsume Hyuuga as Persona's masterpiece, but it went without words that Nobara Ibaragi was Persona's favorite. Deep down, if the Alice of Death had it his way, Nobara wouldn't even venture to do missions. Despite that, he did subtly make sure that the Ice Princess did as few tasks as possible. Only when the Elementary School Principal commanded him, Persona would be forced to place Nobara under a trance to do his bidding. Having Nobara unconsciously do such deeds in a dreamlike manner was painful for Persona to watch, yet it was for the best. Neither Alice were able to refute Principal Kuonji-after all, he was their registered guardian, although neither Nobara or Persona would call him 'Otou-san' anytime soon. In his twisted method of thinking, only someone like the Elementary School Principal would venture to 'adopt' these castaway Alices that no one would have bothered to raise.
While he was decked out in Alice surpressors, Nobara remained untouched of those horrendous things, which caused her to cut off almost all physical contact with everyone, lest she accidentally freeze them to death in a block of ice. As for Persona, despite all the control devices he had, he was barely able to maintain a good hold of his dangerous Alice. People knew better to touch him, and somewhere in the bottom of his heart, he was afraid of making people look like him, to look at him with those eyes of hate and reproach for the pain he inflicted on them.
Nobara was the only person who would willingly approach him, and the only person he would willingly allow to approach him. Although technically speaking, they were both under the guardianship of Principal Kuonji, Persona never thought for one moment that Nobara was a sister to him. He didn't think she thought of him that way either. Instead, he looked at Nobara with eyes that wanted to protect what was left of that smiling face.
He knew she wasn't happy about being the Ice Princess, the only girl in the Dangerous Ability class. He often caught her staring out his window longingly to join the other children. But he didn't want to share her with other people…
When he enters his room, it was her smiling face that lit up his dark world.
The fourth time someone touched him without fear or hate, came from the daughter of his Sensei-Mikan Sakura. Actually, the young nullifier's expression was of determination and the desire to protect those dearest to her. She had blocked his attacks three times in succession, and she should have died.
But she didn't. She also took down one of his more restraining control devices, causing his own Alice to decay in his body again. It was the first time he felt anger, anger for what was happening to him again, and anger that Nobara acted against his orders.
"Why didn't you stop her?" he asked quietly to the sobbing girl at his side.
"I…tried…" came the muffled reply.
"Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" he seethed, voice rising ever so slightly.
"I still am by your side…" the Ice Princess sniffled. Persona got up and proceeded to leave the room before he lost control.
"I didn't want to see you hurt other people…especially Mikan-chan…" she whispered softly after him.
He didn't have the heart to hate her for long. But in his mind, resentment of how Nobara chose Mikan over him still stung. He didn't know just how much the cheerful naïve nullifier had impacted Nobara.
The proof later came when Nobara faced him head on, encasing everyone else in blocks of ice without the use of hypnotism.
She spoke of his past, the past he never wanted her to see. She spoke of words that could only be truth, thoughts that had been locked away for so long. Things that he couldn't bear to hear.
She approached him again, holding her hand out to him, and he struck her down, just like he had done oh so long ago. He watched in horror as his own Alice started breaking out inside him and he saw her hand extend to touch him again.
"Why are you doing this? Why are you crying for me?" he shrilled with eyes in disbelief.
"I will always be beside you…" the Ice Princess said softly.
"Why do you have such thoughts?" he cried out, staring at the fallen figure.
"I…will always be by your side. Along with your sins…everything…" she said faintly.
Persona's vision blurred as he lost control again. His mind was internally screaming as he fell, and then, all was dark.
Maybe it was a dream, or maybe it was real. Voices rose around him, not that he could discern what they said, save for one clear voice.
"No…I wouldn't let the principal mess up his life again!…I will protect him…"
Reviews...would be greatly appreciated :) But thanks for reading this nevertheless.