Mitsuru Kirijo could not have found herself in a more terrible situation. She not only got seperated from Minato and Yukari in one of the higher floors of Tartarus, but she was now stuck with Junpei for company.
"Hey! Hey! Mitsuru-sempai, wait up!" Junpei whined, his voice echoing throughout the empty halls of the tower. Mitsuru, however, showed no signs of slowing down as the pair ascended up another case of stairs.
'Why did I have to get stuck with HIM? Why...?' wondered the red-haired beauty, her grip on her rapier tightening. Of all the people Mitsuru knew, Junpei was the last one she wanted to be traveling through an evil tower with. Mitsuru couldn't put her finger on it, but something about Junpei made her feel...empty...
Finally, after what felt like hours of his constant whining, Mitsuru stopped walking long enough for Junpei to catch up. Bending over to catch his breath, Junpei smiled and exclaimed, "Damn! You sure can run, sempai! Thanks for stopping for me, though..." Mitsuru just nodded in response, not even bothering to look at him.
"So...how far up do you think we are?" Junpei asked with a hint of seriousness in his voice. For some reason, the way he spoke sent chills up Mitsuru's spine. "This whole damn place looks the same..." Junpei snarled as he walked a bit ahead and looked around for Shadows.
'What is with this guy? I can't read him at all...' Mitsuru thought inquisitively as she watched Junpei continue to scout out the area, 'He's just so...so amazingly handsome and sweet - ACK, WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?' Mentally slapping herself, Mitsuru sighed and followed Junpei down the corridor.
Suddenly, a Shadow popped out from behind the corner, causing Mitsuru to accidently let out a shriek of surprise. Before she could react, the demon sliced its claws against her leg, practically tearing through her bones. "AAHHH!!!!" Mitsuru screamed in pain as blood poured out of her wound.
Spinning around, Junpei swung his sword with all its might. Jumping back despite the injury, Mitsuru watched in amazement as Junpei began taking down the demonic beast by himself. Pretty soon, the Shadows burst into flames and Junpei was left standing with a proud look on his face.
Falling on her knees, Mitsuru looked down at her left leg and winced. It was covered in blood, the dark crimson liquid staining her clothes. Bending down next to Mitsuru, Junpei took off his coat and wrapped it around Mitsuru's leg. "It's not much," he said, "But hopefully it'll slow down the blood flow. The sooner we find Minato and Yukari, the soon you can get medical attention!"
Touched by his kindness, Mitsuru smiled weakily and said, "Thank you...Iori." Junpei helped Mitsuru up off the ground and replied, "Aww, it's no problem, sensei! I would hate to see you be in pain like that! I...I care about you..." Although Mitsuru could tell Junpei meant he cared about her as just a friend, but the red-haired beauty could tell what he really wanted to say. All she had to do was look at his eyes to see it.
Smirking to herself, Mitsuru said, "You know, Iori, I thought it was really brave of you to fight that monster all on your own. You could have died, yet you risked your life to save mine..." Junpei's cheeks flushed slightly as he sheepishly exclaimed, "That's quite the compliment, coming from you, sempai! T-Thank you! I was glad to be of service!"
When an awkward silence filled the air between them, Mitsuru suggested that it would be best if they continued onward. Leaning up against Junpei for support, Mitsuru could smell the sweat trickling down the boy's neck. For some reason, she almost found herself leaning forward and licking it off.
The pair had just climbed up another flight of winding stairs when Mitsuru said, "You know, Iori...I envy you sometimes..." Junpei was quite confused with her sudden statement. "Why would you envy me? I'm the one who envies you!" he replied. Mitsuru let out a sigh and began to explain what she meant.
"Iori...you are so fresh and full of life. You always seem to look for the positive things, even though they're questionable sometimes. No matter how many times you get knocked down, you get right back up. I wish I could live your life...I really do..."
Junpei shook his head in disagreement. "You wouldn't want to live like me," he replied, "I'm stupid, poor, and pretty much useless. My mom's run off with some other dude and my dad is an alcoholic. I have to hold three jobs at once just to pay for his beer. I wish I was rich and successful, like you, sempai. And I'm not always positive, either. You saw me when...when..."
Mitsuru could see that Junpei was having trouble saying the name 'Chidori'. She had been the first girl to have ever truly loved Junpei, and she died bringing him back to life. "Sempai, if you ask me, I don't think either of us are happy...our lives kinda suck..." Junpei muttered with a slight chuckle.
"I don't think our lives are completely terrible, Iori..." Mitsuru replied, a small smile evident on her face. Junpei glanced at Mitsuru and asked, "Oh? And how, pray tell, are we truly happy with ourselves? How?" Still smiling, Mitsuru whispered, "I'll show you..."
Suddenly, Mitsuru leaned forward and gently pressed her lips against Junpei's. The sensation that filled Junpei's entire body seemed to have lifted a veil of depression and fear off of his being. He could feel his entire body be warmed by Mitsuru's powerful kiss. Mitsuru herself experienced the same effect as well.
When they finally seperated, a big smile was noticeable on both of their faces. "I...I think I love you, Iori - I mean, Junpei..." Mitsuru whispered, her face beet red. Junpei wrapped his arms around Mitsuru and replied, "I think I love you too, sempai..." Mitsuru could barely contain herself as she buried her face into Junpei's shoulder and started crying.
It took a while, but Mitsuru and Junpei finally ran into Minato and Yukari. Oddly enough, Junpei happened to notice Minato and Yukari holding hands and blushing furiously when he found them. After a long and hurried explanation, it had turned out that the only people left to find love were Akihiko, Ken, Fuuka and Aigis...
Luckily, Yukari pointed out how Ken had been eyeing Fuuka lately, which made Akihiko feel all the more left out in their affairs...