She fell to the ground.
"Chidori!" he shouted.
"I told you, don't touch me..."
"Chidori, please," he pleaded, "tell me why you're doing this."
"What I fear most isn't death...what I fear most is...attachment. Once I become attached to something, I fear that I will lose it. That's why we only live for the moment."
He blinked at her words, "Chidori...?"
"But you...you brought me pain. Pain that I didn't want. Pain that I never asked for. When with you, Junpei, I fear everything. I fear loss, I fear death. I fear my time with you will end...that's why I..."
Fuuka's head shot up. "I'm sensing..."
"What?" Mitsuru said, turning to her "What is it, Yamagishi?"
Then, Takaya and Jin came walking out for Tartarus. Takaya sighed. "Chidori...I see it's too late. You've been poisoned by them."
Junpei glared, standing, "What the hell does that mean, you friggin' ghost?!"
Takaya chuckled evilly, "I am no ghost. Fate permitted to live even though I wasn't attached to life. You might say I was...chosen."
"You bastard," he glared, "I've made up my mind. I won't let you do this to her any longer! I'll protect Chidori with my life!"
Takaya pulled out his rifle, pointing it at him, laughing evilly.
"Look out, Junpei!" Akihiko exclaimed.
She didn't know what possessed her to do it. It had all happened so fast, she doesn't quite remember what led her to do that, to pull him out of the way like that.
Takaya's bullet had got him in the shoulder, but it was better in contrast to getting him in the chest and dying.
Holding him securely with one arm, Chidori concentrated her power and healed his wound. He was in a state of shock, she could tell, considering the fact that he wasn't moving. He wasn't dead, she could hear his shaking breathing.
She heard Kirijo say something about taking out Strega, whereas Arisato said something along the lines of, "You shot my two of my friends, so now I'll burn you!"
But none of that really mattered, now did it? The only thing that matters right now, is making sure he doesn't die.
Her fingertips gliding over his wound, she poured her healing powers into him.
Junpei, on the other hand, was stunned. He would have never thought that Chidori would have pulled him down like that. Sure, he got shot in the shoulder, but it could have been worse. He could have died. Then, it occurred to him: she'd saved his life.
He felt his body lurch as he realized what could have happened. Takaya would have shot him, and killed him, had Chidori not pull him out of the way.
Chidori sighed, her healing done, she looked at him, worried, "Junpei, are you alright?"
He looked up at her, "Y-Yeah...I'm okay..."
Listening to The other members of SEES battle Takaya and Jin, Chidori thought it best that they leave. After all, she couldn't have him getting hurt again.
The dorm was quiet. In fact, if you listened closely, you could hear two voices-one male, one female-talking about the hidden hour.
"So, what you're saying is...we're all gonna die?!"
She nodded. "Yes, precisely." she looked down, "Junpei... I'm sorry. This is all my fault..."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
She ghosted her fingertips over his shoulder, "Your wound... you wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't for me."
He blinked, "Chidori..." his face became serious. He took a breath, taking her hand.
She blinked, confused. "Junpei? What... what are you-?!"
Her eyes went wide when he pulled her closer to him, his hands on her waist. He had a light blush on his cheeks, "Chidori... listen to me." she opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her with his finger. "Don't speak right now. Just listen to what I have have to say." his eyes were serious, more serious than Chidori had ever seen him be since she met him. She nodded, understanding.
He cupped her cheek in his hand, "Chidori... I feel something for you that I've never felt for a girl before. I... I want to protect you, I want... I want to be with you. Chidori... I... I love you."
She gasped softly. He... loved her? How? For what reason?
"J-Junpei... I..." she looked down, "...that isn't necessary."
He opened his mouth to retaliate her statement, but stopped himself. Chidori didn't grow up the way he did. He grew up normally, living with his mother-may she rest in peace-and his father. Chidori grew up in lab, living like a rat for the Kirijo Group.
She just didn't understand.
He sighed. "It's... okay." he pulled her close to him, hugging her. "You're confused, aren't you Chidori?" he said, "You don't understand the concept of love, or having friends or even family."
Family, Friends... two things she never really had the luxury of having. She didn't remember if she had parents, and she never really had what Junpei considered "friends."
But... was she scared, like he said she was? She looked down, diverting her eyes away from him. She couldn't bring herself to look him in the eye anymore.
Junpei cupped her cheek with his hand, "Don't look away from me, Chidori," she said firmly, "not now."
She forced herself to looked up at had to stop him. He was making a mistake.
She began to say his name, to stop him from doing something so reckless, but she was silenced by him.
Chidori's head was spinning. She knew what this was, she knew exactly what he was doing.
But yet, the concept of him kissing her, like he was at the moment, seemed so foreign to her. She was still, she didn't know what to do.
She found herself going with the flow, just letting this happen. It would end eventually. So, she closed her eyes, and just let him kiss her.
About three weeks later, not much had changed between them. Chidori was to stay in the dorm until further notice, Takaya and Jin were taken to one of the Kirijo Groups bases in Iwatodai; they were to be kept as far from Chidori as possible, as per order by Mitsuru.
Junpei worked as hard as he could in school, because he knew that if he did, Chidori would be waiting for him when he got back to the dorm.