Frozen Snow
Disclaimer: I don't own Gakuen Alice.
-0-
Shiki didn't mind. Not at all.
Being hunted down, being on the run…he didn't really care. He did not care if he was the Hanahime-den's successor. He did not care if he was once the student council president, now betraying his alma mater. He did not care if he came from noble stock. He did not care if he was completely turning traitor. He did not care if he was on the run like a common thief. He did not care if he was aiding a blacklisted woman in bringing down the Academy.
He did not even care if Azumi Yuka still loved Yukihira Izumi.
As long as he could be there beside her, as long as he could still give her strength and protect her, it was enough.
Initially, he thought the attraction was merely towards the Alice she possessed—the Stealing Alice. Hii-sama had a theory she wanted to test: if that girl wielded the Insertion Alice as well. And Shiki, being compatible with most Alices, was contracted to the experiment.
That was his life then—a life in a cage of expectations and orders. A life of a puppet. A life in a blank expanse of frozen snow. A life of monochromatic surroundings, a life where his fate has already been decided. He learned not to feel. He learned not to assert himself. He learned to submit into the puppeteer's strings. That was his life—until Azumi Yuka came.
He had been cynical. He thought his interest was solely due to the prospect of multiple Alices—he could just imagine all the possibilities of manipulating several powers. But no; her inexplicable warmth reached the recesses of his frozen heart, and he knew, for the first time in his bland life, that she was someone he would fight for.
Her presence opened his eyes, awakened him. She brought sunlight into his frozen life. With her sunlight, spectrums and kaleidoscopes of color came. A world he never knew opened up at her touch. And with her, Shiki discovered happiness beyond compare.
Yes, she spurned his affection. But he just couldn't let go.
Giving up is something I don't know how to do.
This hopeless love—how it freed him!
It made him do such ridiculous and unreasonable things; set foot on such places he never dared go before; talk to such people just to know her more; sacrifice things of such importance with reckless abandon; anything, anything at all, just to be with her.
Yet her heart already belonged to someone else.
And "someone else" had already claimed it.
And he, Masachika Shiki, was just one of Azumi Yuka's numerous admirers.
-0-
Yuka's battle had started.
"I won't let you use your Alice ever again! I will destroy your plans one by one, whatever happens!"
She was in grief, in sorrow…Sensei…her dreams, her happiness, all shattered because of the Elementary School Principal—this man—this despicable—manipulative—vile, loathsome evil creature…
Enough. She's had enough.
This has to stop. I have to carry on Sensei's dream outside the Academy.
-0-
That night, Shiki found her, worn from fleeing the pursuers, resolved to rebellion. And that night, too, Yuka discovered that she as carrying Izumi's child—their child. Mikan.
And that night, Yuka left the Academy.
"Shiki-san…please…let go of my hand,"
He couldn't. He just couldn't. He couldn't bear seeing her go off alone when the most ruthless man in the Academy was after her. He felt unreasonable protectiveness—unreasonable, because he knew Yuka could manage perfectly well on her own. But this overwhelming instinct—he just had to protect her.
But as he looked into her eyes, he saw a fire within them—a fierce determination that could not be doused, borne of pain, borne of suffering. He knew that Yuka will not be stopped. And he knew what he must do.
"Shiki!" Jinno-sensei warned. The tunnel was open for only thirty seconds.
Shiki let go of her hand, watched her disappear. He let go, but he did not say he will not follow.
-0-
It was snowing hard, but he knew it was her. She clutched her child to her chest; she slumped in the frost-covered ground, shaking with sobs. Yuka—this strong, stubborn girl who brought warmth to his life—was crying in the blizzard, alone. She, of all people, did not deserve to weep this way. He could not take those tears away. But he could be her strength.
"Yuka."
She looked up in surprise, her face tear-streaked. "Shiki-senpai…what are you doing here…?"
"I told you that I will always be here right beside you, whether you love me or not," he covered her in his jacket and helped her up. "Let's go to someplace warm."
"Senpai, no. Don't associate with me anymore," she stood her ground resolutely. "I'll only bring you misfortune."
"Then I'll gladly accept it." Anything, anything at all, just to be with her.
-0-
They teleported from Yukihira-sensei's grave into a vast forest. Shiki glanced at Yuka.
"You finally met your daughter."
"Yes..." Yuka's voice was just a breath. "And she looked at me with such hatred."
"I think she looks just like you."
"I thought so," Yuka smiled, and then sighed. "Shiki…I'm sorry,"
He looked at her, astonished. "Why are you apologizing?"
"I…still love Sensei. I can never reciprocate your feelings. And with everything you have done for me these years, I feel like I'm abusing your kindness. I'm sorry…I never meant for you to deal with all this."
"Yuka." You silly girl, he wanted to add. "It was my choice for my kindness to be abused."
They ran through the darkening forest.
"Are we doing the right thing…?" asked Yuka suddenly. "We endangered Mikan and her friends, Naru is back to the way he was when I first met him, children like the Black Cat are still being used by the Academy—did I change anything at all…?"
"Yes." He just did not mention how much.
At any rate, she did change one person. She completely transformed him.
"Shiki…are we treading the right path…?"
He knew she wasn't talking about the forest trail. Shiki stared ahead, contemplating.
"I don't know," he finally said. Right path or not, he knew he'll tread it with her.
-end-
A/N: My second one-shot. I just love Shiki! But too bad I don't know much about him, so this fan fic will just be this short. Sorry.