Prettyinpinkgal: 30 reviews! Holy crap! Thank you so much, everyone! I'm sorry this oneshot took so long; I've been busy with school and writing my original novel. However, since I'm still waiting for the new version of Microsoft Office to arrive so I can work on said novel again, here's the latest oneshot! Hope you like it! This one takes place during Chapter 3 of the manga.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dengeki Daisy.

TIME AFTER TIME

Fright

He heard those so-called "men" ran off, squealing like little girls. If Teru hadn't been in the room, he probably actually would have killed them.

But she was, and that was the reason why he was here in the first place.

"Ku-Kurosaki?" he heard her pant as he turned off the machine he had "borrowed" from the school.

He was not oblivious to how out of breath she was.

"Why...? Ah, but that isn't important..." He heard her let out a small, relieved laugh.

He was not oblivious to how she was acting so nonchalant after such a terrible incident.

"Eheh...We're saved, Kurosaki. You're really cool..."

He was not oblivious to the bruises on her arms, her face. He was not oblivious to how recklessly she had acted. He was not oblivious to what those pieces of trash had planned to do to her.

Kurosaki grabbed her face, covering her mouth aggressively. Normally, despite how rough he could be, he tried to be as gentle as possible with her without hinting at his feelings or his connection to her as DAISY. Now, however, he was so angry, so terrified of what could have happened, that he couldn't stand seeing that carefree smile.

What was more, he couldn't stand that his vow to keep his distance from her had led to her almost being...

Yes, Teru was a stupid, stupid girl, with a heart that was too big for her tiny body. But that was why he was there: to protect her. And he had almost failed.

And that was terrifying to consider.

He watched as almost comical shock appeared on her face, then fade as she saw the look on his face.

He could imagine what she saw: A horrible glare, far fiercer than the evil smile he had showed to those boys. No smile was on his face, and his hand tightened its grip on her face as he trembled slightly from the emotions which were killing him. To someone who didn't understand his inner turmoil, it perhaps would have been labeled as the face of one whose scorn and abhorrence for the object of his gaze was immeasurable.

Although, perhaps that was true, also. His scorn and abhorrance for Teru were immeasurable, because they didn't exist when it came to her.

Kurosaki ground out, "Are you an idiot? Do you know what you've just done...?"

And what increased the vehemence of his jumbled emotions was the look of fear and hurt on her face.

In the car, Miss Student Body President, also known as Miss Ex-Bully Tsundere in his mind, tried breaking the tension. "U-um, please don't be angry with Kurebayashi-san. She actually was pretty smart. When we arrived at the ho-hotel, she pretended to cry and flung herself onto the bed, so that she could send a message to her DAISY friend."

DAISY? Kurosaki wondered, although his face was carefully blank. He felt his tension fade just a tad. At least she was relying on him more, but that didn't dismiss the fact that he still might not have gotten to her on time. Furthermore, he was pretty sure he didn't receive a message, but that might have been because he was too busy racing to the hotel to notice.

"Unfortunately," the girl continued disheartedly, "they noticed before she was able to send it. But then Kurebayashi-san grabbed the light stand and began fighting the guys, and she told me to start pounding on the walls so someone would come in. She wasn't being as reckless as you seem to think..."

Kurosaki remained silent, but glanced at Teru through the rearview mirror. She was not even bothering to speak. Her head was lowered just enough so he couldn't see her face, and now the guilt ripped him apart inside.

Not only did he almost not make it in time, but he made her feel awful as well. Hadn't she dealt with enough? How dare he add to her pain? Surely, despite her levelheadedness (which arrived too late) during the incident, and her cheerfulness after it, she was more shaken up than she had let on. After all, who was it that had been crying, "No! A hotel's a place you can only go to when you're an adult!" just the other night?

Still, he could not fully forgive her, nor could he forgive himself.

He arrived at her apartment complex, and she got out of the corner. For the first time since he had snapped at her, she quietly said, "Erm, Kurosaki...I'm sorry..." Her expression tore him apart.

He still could not talk to her, though. He sped away instead.

When he dropped off Miss Student Body President, he went back to his place. He could not get Teru's heartbroken expression out of his head. Perhaps "heartbroken" was too strong a word, considering how impossible it was that he could ever, as Kurosaki and not DAISY, possess any portion of her heart. However, he knew that she was too softhearted, and it didn't make him feel any better knowing that he had nevertheless hurt her.

He pounded his fist onto the coffee table once, a bundle of relief, pain, worry, love, hatred, and self-loathing.

Laying down on the couch, he put his arm over his eyes. "I'll deal with it tomorrow. I'll figure out how to talk to her tomorrow. I just need to get over it right now."

He flipped open his cell phone just once, and his heart sank as he found that Teru had not even managed to send a message to DAISY. With a conflicted heart, he turned his phone off to charge it for the night.

He found out the next day, however, that she had managed to send a message only shortly after he turned his phone off.

Daisy,

I made someone angry. That was the first time I've seen him so angry. I felt really bad, so I didn't manage to sleep. Not only did I not help my friend, I did a lot of idiotic things. I don't know how I should face him tomorrow...

Aw, crap, he thought uncomfortably. Overnight, he had calmed down, and right now he was even a bit happy that she had cared so much about his opinion of her. Still, he really needed to figure out how to make up with the silent girl behind him.

A can of soda was all it took, he found. "Idiot!" he laughed. "How long are you going to have that solemn face?"

For some reason, she had the look of someone who had realized something possibly embarrassing. He decided he really didn't want to know what the cause was, but if it was something important, DAISY would hear about it later. So he stole her soda and bugged her, now that the fear of losing her had subsided once again.