Chapter Seven: The Reason

As Hikari went though her things, she ran across an old picture of her, Junpei, Maiko and Daisuke in the 7th grade. She smiled at it as she put it on her night stand. After a few hours she was finished, so she took a shower. She put on a jersey and some night shorts. She had her door cracked open a little and she lay on her back on her bed. Junpei was in the hallway outside his room. He was about to knock on her door when Hiro and Koromaru ran pass him and entered her room.

"Hey guys." she said as she sat up and moved to the edge of her bed."What's up?"

Koromaru and Hiro stared at her wagging their tails happily.

"I'm happy you two are getting alone...better than me and Junpei are." she looks over at Hiro who barks."You remember, Junpei...right boy?" Hiro barks again and Hikari rubs his head. "That's good. He is kind of hard to forget...although I wish I could."

Koromaru sits down and whimpers with his ears flapped down.

"It's not like that, Koro...Some stuff happened that's all." she said sadly. "Don't worry about it, it's nothing."

Hiro walks up and lays his head on her knee.

"Sometimes it feels like you can really understand me." she said smiling."You two should be resting, you've been playing all day since I got here...I shouldn't bore you with my stupid problems." she lets out a sigh.

The two dogs run out the room and down the stairs. A few moments later, her cell phone rung and she answers it.

"Hello...Oh, hi mom!...Wait...what wrongs? Why are you crying? she asked. "I'm on my way!

She put some jeans over her shorts, put on some socks and shoes and ran out her room, bumping into Junpei, knocking them both down.

"Oww..." Hikari moaned as she held her nose.

"Are you okay?" Junpei asked as he got up and stretched out his hand to help her up.

"I'm fine." she said pushing his hand away and standing up.

She walked towards the stairs and stopped. She let out a sigh and turned towards him. She looked as if she was about to say something, but quickly turned her head and headed down the stairs. She ran though the lounge and out the front door not knowing Junpei was right behind her.

"Where are they going so late at night?" Ken asked.

"Don't know, but we shouldn't worry too much about them." Fuuka said.

"Why's that?" Akihiko asked

"That's right, I forgot to tell you...That night we found Hikari, I sensed on unusual power. I thought it was the shadow at first, but after a closer analyze, I realize that the it was coming from her." Fuuka told them.

"Power...What kind of power? Is it something to worry about?" Mitsuru asked.

"I don't know. She has it well kept under control now compared to that night. It was flowing out everywhere, which is what attracted that shadow in the first place."

"Attracting shadows?" Yukari stated. "Is it okay to keep her here?"

"Better yet, is it okay for her to be out there when it's almost mid-night?" said Akihiko.

"I don't know. I don't have enough information yet. It's different from anything I've encountered thus far...And I don't sense her having a Persona either." said Fuuka.

"But she had to have one if she fought that shadow." Ken told her.

"Wait...what was that thing she had in her hand that night." said Yukari. "It looked like some kind of staff. Maybe that's how she defeated it."

"Like I said, I don't have enough information to determine anything yet...but..." Fuuka started.

"But what?" said Akihiko.

"I did sense something whenever Hikari and Junpei -kun are close to each other. I sensed it today at school too."

"There is something going on between those two. Did you see the way she glared at him when we first met?"

"Yes. And that's not all...Apparently, they've known each other since pre-school and were very good friends."

"Really? I wonder why he never mentioned her...Did he tell you?" asked Yukari.

"...No, he didn't."

"We should ask them. It may lead to some answers." said Mitsuru.

"No, you can't!" said Fuuka standing up. "Don't pressure them to talk...it's already enough tension between them. We may make things worse for them."

"You make it sound like they like each other." Yukari said as she laughed.

Everyone looked at the reaction on Fuuka's face as she sat down.

"Whoa...really? Then they're just fighting then?" asked Akihiko.

Fuuka sighed. "Junpei told me this morning what happened between them two years ago and that he's trying to apologize for it, but Hikari is just too upset to listen to what he has to say."

"Well, that explains way Junpei's been acting so strange." stated Akihiko. "But that still doesn't explain why she was so willing to join."

"It's because she wants to be close to Iori." said Mitsuru.

"But as mad as she is, wouldn't she want to be as far away from him as possible?" asked Akihiko.

Mitsuru smiles. "No. Because she still has feelings for him. But, she's fighting with that hurt of whatever he did to her. Do you understand?"

"Tch...When it comes to women, I'll never understand."

"You said it." agreed Ken.

Scene switches to Hikari running down the side walk with Junpei close behind her. She makes it to her house and bangs on the door.

"MOM! MOM!!" she screamed as she tried to open it."Dammit...I forgot I didn't have a key." she said as she went though her pockets.

There a sound of something smashing to the floor and she heard her mom scream. Hikari stepped back and kicked the door in. She and Junpei walked in to see the house a complete mess. There was a man standing over her mom, who was laying on the ground, with his hand raised. He looked over towards the doorway and saw Hikari coming at him. Junpei ran in to help her mom up.

"Mrs. Haruno! Are you ok?" Junpei asked her helping her to her feet.

"Junpei..." she said smiling."It's so good to see you. Yes, I'm-Uh!" she said as she began to fall, but Junpei supported her.

"You bastard!" Hikari yelled as she tackled the man into a wall. "What the hell were you thinking?

She punches him in the face causing the back of his head to hit the wall behind him. "You son of a-" she began then realized where she was. She slams him into the wall one last time before rushing over to her mom and embraces her in a hug. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine sweet heart...but...when did you become so violent?"

"I-" she started to say, and then turned around to see the man running towards them. She didn't have time to react and he grabbed her hair.

Hikari screams.

"Let her go!" her mom shouted as she struggled to get up.

"No, don't..." Junpei told her as he sat her back down and walked up to the man. "You better let her go..."

"Or what? I hope you don't think you can-"

He didn't have time to finish before Junpei punched him in the face. He let go of Hikari's hair and she fall forward but, Junpei caught her. It reminded her of the night he spent at her house as she looked up at him. He was thinking of the same thing. Hikari's face turned red and she pulled away from him.

"I didn't need your-" she stopped herself. "Thanks...Junpei."

"Sure..."

"Mom, what happened?" Hikari asked her as she looked around the house.

"I met him a couple of weeks ago and I invited him over for dinner tonight. Then things got out of hand."

"You shouldn't bring strange men in here while you're by yourself...I'm bringing Hiro back here first thing in the morning."

"I don't need-"

"I can't afford to lose you mom...you're all I have left..."

Her mom was silent. Hikari called the police and they arrest the man as the others question her mom.