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"It would not work," he said simply, and the boy's face fell at the abrupt dismissal, "Personas are manifestations that belong to you and only you. Implanting a foreign Persona into your mind would be like thinking of someone else's thoughts. It would be dangerous to do so."
Rias picked up on the implication before anyone else did.
"You mean it's been done before?"
A trace of bitterness wormed into his mind as he thought of Strega.
"Artificial Persona users exist."
That seemed to pique Kiba's interest.
"Artificial?" the sword-user narrowed his eyes.
He nodded.
"Experiments were performed on human test subjects to determine if they could hold artificially created Personas. Most of the subjects died. Those that survived required constant supplies of Suppressants to function, drugs that shortened their lives but were necessary to keep their implanted Personas from breaking free and killing them."
He could tell that particular revelation was not well-received by his audience.
"So technically you could be considered a true wielder of Personas," there was an edge in Kiba's voice now, a challenge held in his tone that did not quite manage to leak out, "and those people with artificial Personas, since they were given them, they could be considered as false wielders?"
It was a curious designation and he was not sure why the boy had made it. Nevertheless, it was technically true.
"Yes."
"And you just let those people die? You didn't think it would be a good idea to stop the project?"
He was bemused by the sudden venom, but did not let it show on his face.
"Yuuto," there was a hint of warning in Rias's voice.
Kiba ignored it, and continued to stare at him. He met the devil's glare calmly.
"By the time we knew of the project, it had already been abandoned. The people responsible were dead or missing. The ones who came after them were genuinely repentant and helped us fight the Shadows," he inclined his head in the sword-user's direction, "And the artificial users that survived. They were not exactly good people."
"Not good people," repeated Kiba, clearly not believing him.
"They used their power to murder innocent people. They tried to stop us when we investigated Tartarus because they feared us taking away that power. Their leader attempted to kill us and when that failed, created a cult dedicated to Nyx that hastened the Fall, and nearly doomed us all."
The boy looked away. He did not.
"I get it," the sword-user murmured.
He did not miss the worried expression on Rias's face as she gazed at her Knight.
"But those Personas… they wouldn't harm you, would they?" the concern in Asia's words was almost endearing. By her side, Issei radiated the same concern. It took a conscious effort from him not to smile at them both.
"As long as a Persona is manifested by the one who invoked them, there is very little chance of it harming its user."
"So there is a difference then," Koneko appeared thoughtful, "between an artificial one and a real one."
"Yes. Artificial Personas cannot undergo a transformation. They were planted into their users, not manifested naturally. Thus, they cannot evolve," he nodded to them, "We call the evolved forms, Ultimate Personas."
They took his explanation at face value. It was Kiba who made something more out of it, the sword-user's earlier animosity having almost entirely faded. The boy stared at him in curiosity.
"What is your Ultimate Persona?"
The first bell rang then, signifying that students would have five minutes to get to their classes before they were considered late.
It could not have come at a better time.
They scrambled up from where they had been sitting and made for the door. Kiba nodded towards him and Issei threw a cheery wave before they both headed off to their respective homerooms. Asia gave him a soft smile before following after Issei. Koneko and Akeno both stood up to leave, the former nodding to him as Kiba had did, the latter winking suggestively towards him before vanishing out the door. And then it was just the two of them left. Him and her.
He turned, reached into his pocket, and produced the reason he had visited them in the first place.
"This is yours."
Rias regarded it, the piece held between his fingers, with something very close to disappointment.
"In all honesty, I was hoping you'd keep it."
He shrugged, and deposited the Rook into her waiting palm.
"We agreed that it would only be temporary."
She smiled at him.
"So we did," she hesitated, staring down at the piece that now sat in her hand before looking up at him once more, "My brother said you offered me your pieces. Is that true?"
He nodded.
"It is. They are yours if you want them."
She shook her head at that. The blush that had been creeping up her cheeks since the conversation began became noticeably redder.
"You really don't understand the significance of that act, do you?"
He did not. He was about to ask when she spoke again.
"No, I can't accept this. Not now, at least. Besides, I think you would find a better way to use those pieces than I ever could," her eyes glowed with warmth, "But I thank you for the thought," she pushed towards him, "And I thank you for other things as well."
The scent of her skin was as alluring as the warmth of her body, and he felt himself drawn into that closeness, that familiarity. The way her hair drifted back as she closed the distance. Her delicate fingers, reaching out and caressing the side of his face as she leaned in. The softness that was her lips, pressing together in an unmistakable gesture.
Beautiful. The very definition of the word.
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