"Onii-chan! Onii-chan!"

A Monday. The worst day of the week but the good thing was that the both of us had two weeks off from school. Something about repairs being made at the school and that both the students/teachers needed a break from the intense new testing system. Anyways, Aoi and I had a load of fun things planned. Mom and Dad decided to take us out on a camping trip to get more of a feel of the outdoors.

"Look here Onii-chan!! Look!" Aoi whined because I ignored her. We were currently out in the woods and she was playing in the little stream while I was reading a new volume of Assassination Classroom.

She wore a cute vivid dress with straps that showed a bit too much skin for a girl but it was hot today so I guess it made sense. On her feet were shell engraved sandals that showed her baby pink colored nails. Her hair barely touched her shoulders and her ruby eyes shone as bright as my own. I didn't see any of my traits in her besides my own physical features. The hair and the eyes and that was it.

We weren't alike at all.

"What?" I'd growl over my book. She'd slap me upside the head and cross her arms over her chest like our Mom would do. I swear, she treated me like a child.

"I've been yelling your name the whole time now!"

"What's your point?" I rolled my eyes and she'd try to maintain her cool. She really looked cute when she got angry. I made it my job to do so, because I loved to do it and that's a brothers job.

"If you just listened the first time than I wouldn't have to bother you right?" She clenched her fists in anger. I don't know why but I kinda wished that I had her traits, then I'd be able to express my feelings more. If I was angry, then I could be angry in a cute way like her. If I was sad, I'd be able to cry. If I was happy, I'd be able to smile or laugh out freely without a care in the world. But unfortunately, I developed feelings such as this. I am boring and love to tease just about everyone I like.

"..." She waved her hands in my face and I forgot she was there. I sigh in desperation, "What is it you want to show me, brat?" She giggles. I frown in defeat.

In this world, the girl always wins.

"This!" I practically go back to reading after she's shown me a rock. "No! Look closely!! Doesn't it remind you of something?"

"What? Aoi-" I paused as I took in the color of the rock she showed me. It wasn't just an ordinary rock. It was an Alice stone. One that looked like of my very own. "Let me see that." She handed it to me and it turned out that it wasn't my own, it was too big. I wasn't old enough to make one that big.

"Isn't it pretty?"

"Where did you find it?!" I ignored her and she poked her cheek with her finger. I stared at her and she was surprised at my tone. I coughed and tried again, "Aoi... where did you find this stone?"

"It just appeared in my hands. Onii-chan, what's wrong?"

It was then that everything came into motion.

...

"Huff... huff... huff..."

"Faster!!" I yelled back at Aoi. Ever since we discovered Aoi had an Alice, the Fire Alice, the Academy hunted us down just for us two. It was because our Alice was rare. There was no other Alice user with our own.

Apparently the Principal wanted to use us for his personal problems. But I didn't know that at that time. My family and I spent almost each day running away from the school.

Until we eventually landed a safe spot for us to stay at. A deserted area with only another neighbor. We came to trust that neighbor and told them everything about us. A nice young couple with a boy my age that was as annoying as a swarm of wasps, I must say.

I didn't even try to make friends with him, because he was only a spoiled brat that liked my sister. He didn't deserve my sister so I hated his guts. But then, after a few weeks. The school had found us and taken me and Aoi into custody. My parents sobbed when I entered the cab without my sister because she was taken in a separate car.

It was found out that those neighbors, we called 'our friends', were the ones who called them after finding out we had dangerous powers. To be honest... I suspected them from the beginning.

Aoi and I spent a few months together in the school of geniuses. I couldn't see her at all. I tried to find her in the elementary school but there was no sign of her at all. As each day grew, I fell a little bit more lonelier. The nights when I could sleep were the worst, because I had visions... nightmares... panic attacks. I was miserable. The only thing that kept me alive was Hotaru Imai. I'd grown to love her and live each day. I still worried about Aoi and I wanted to take my mind off of her.

So I begged my friend/crush to go out with me. I know it sounds desperate of me but I wanted to try to be my self again. We dated for a while and it was a bit awkward and sad. Hotaru always studied because she cared about her studies a lot and demanded me to go out by myself. I didn't really have an other friends besides her and her friends I didn't really talk to much. They were pretty cool to hang around but I felt so guilty enjoying my time with them, so I didn't talk to them or pay attention to them. I simply ignored them.

I'd ask around the Elementary section if they had heard of my sister but none of them knew her. I began to suspect our Principal. I constantly knocked on his door and cursed at him to tell me where she was. Of course he never told me anything.

One day I overheard a conversation as I walked through the halls:

"How is she doing?" It was the Principal talking with a man known as Persona who was in charge of all his plans. He was usually the one who hunted my family down, and he was the one who captured Aoi and me.

"She's having very good progress. I've been training her and she's learning to control her Alice."

At that time, I felt my heart slow down and I continued to listen. But I was afraid for each word that was exchanged.

"Since she's young, she doesn't understand a lot so we'll take advantage of that. I don't think we'll get a lot out of her brother..." I remember seeing his face scrunch up in disgust and I almost made the same face.

"He could be of use to us-" Persona tried to reason but the Principal shook his head.

"She is much stronger than I have ever met out of the Family. She has more potential."

"She's just a little girl!" I actually saw something human in Persona that day and that was when he decided to leave the Academy.

"So were you, Rei. Now you're fully capable of doing things." He snapped and a flash of hurt spread across Persona's face.

"If you want me to make a machine out of that little girl, than I quit."

And that was the last I heard of him.

It was then that I started to realize a lot of things. First, that Persona has been here his whole entire life and Second, the Principal has my sister and he's training her to become an assassin. I couldn't allow it. Since I couldn't think of anything other than my sister, I broke up my relationship with Hotaru and I hated the look that she gave me. I knew that she had some sort of feelings for me. I knew but I refused to acknowledge them.

But a few days later I finally calmed down my rebellious side and bowed at his stupid feet.

"I'm here to make a compromise." Words that I would soon regret for the rest of my life.

"Good." And the face that I can never forget that he made. He looked so satisfied. As if he were a vampire and I was the feast.

"An eye for an eye."

"Ah," He had said, "An exchange." This seemed to please him so much that he made me his right hand-man. The new 'Persona'. I was to do all that he told him. Missions, assassinations, captures, or simply destroying an enemy base. This was in exchange for my sister not doing anything involving violence. I had told him.

Do not hurt my sister.

Don't send her out to missions.

Stop training her.

And that was all.

Although he has violated my compromise, I still want to do what it takes to protect my sister. I tried to find out where they held her hostage and I knew that she was hidden in the Forbidden Garden that prohibits males.

...

"You're an Alice." Mikan sobs now, as I tell my story.

"But you already knew that, didn't you?" I wipe her tears and hold her hand in my own.

"He is so horrible!" She wailed and I told her to quiet down.

"I still have more to tell." I looked down and she nodded.

I tell her that he made me do many gruesome missions. Like kill families and children that possessed powerful Alice's. That I didn't have a goodnight's sleep because of what I did. That I still live in guilt because of what I did. She nods as if understanding it all and she does. I know because of what my mom showed me. She knows exactly about what I'm talking about.

"Then... one day..." I avoid her gaze because I have come to the most despicable thing that I have ever done. "He assigned me a mission that I still haven't finished." I look at her now and she widens her eyes.

"You don't have to tell me..." Her voice shakes a little and I have to look back at her. My hands are shaking in hers and I don't know how to stop them. Her cold hands resonate with my own and make me feel a little better. I have no idea how I'm going to tell her.

"You have to know." I admitted. But she shook her head at me and said:

"Tomorrow. You can tell me tomorrow." She clenched my hands and intertwined her fingers around my own bony fingers.

"..." I was at a lost of words and eventually a puddle of tears stuck in my eyes. They didn't drop but I felt like she didn't understand a thing. That tomorrow may, be the death of her, whether I like it or not.

"Listen Natsume... I have an Alice too-" She squirmed in her seat and I rolled my eyes.

"I know."

"Yeah... I figured. I haven't exactly been that honest with you too."

"It's okay."

"No... I should tell you a lot of things about me. It's just really hard to explain everything." She coughed out a laugh and I decided that would be the end for the day. Although I wanted to stay with her the night but I couldn't.

That isn't part of Imai's plan.

"You can tell me another time." Not even knowing if there would ever be another time, I led her to her bed and tucked her in. I pecked her head and gazed at her tenderly. She held my hand against her cheek and smiled with closed eyes. So I sat on my knees by her bed and laid my head next to her legs. I stayed there until she fell asleep, peacefully and soundlessly. Then I silently kissed her, and left the room, back to the Academy. To be well rested for tomorrows' horrors.