From the author: Quick advice: English is not my first language, so besides grammatical errors that I'll try to avoid as I can, some expressions and choice of words may sound alien so I apologize beforehand. I have a previous Mass Effect on hold for some time, since it became really big to grasp all it was demanding, although I intend to fix its problems and give it a good ending. This one here, however, is a short one so I hope it will run smoothly. As one starts a fic out of love for a franchise, I hope Toradora fans will recognize details on this fic that, however poorly written as they may have been, can bring them back to remember why the original material was such a sweet little gem with lots of things to love about. The setting is a bit after Taiga's departure to solve her family issues. I'm still reading the original light novel, but at least in the anime there was a gap about how this lost third High School year had passed for Ryuuji and the other characters. Ryuuji also had at the three or two last episodes a character development that I would have liked to see what it could bring into their relationships dynamics. Hope you enjoy.
Toradora === Right in front of your Eyes
by LeBret Norris
Chapter 01 === Broken Heart Duo
"Takasu? Err... Hey, Takasu!"
"Eh?"
Two bloodshot eyes rose suddenly as waking from the slumber of Death. A powerful gloomy atmosphere washed the neighboring desks utterly creeping out other Ohashi High School's Third Year students. Kitamura Yusaku, the current Student Council President, however, was from a long time immune to the unconscious aura emanating from his classmate Takasu Ryuuji. His savage appearance has kept hidden from most people a very honest and caring young man, but in Kitamura's own countenance there was only clear concern for his best friend.
"Let's walk home together later? It's been a while."
A very pale face and narrow cruel-looking eyes turned, producing a wave of goosebumps around. A "Plec!" as the chalk loudly went apart, and Class 3-C's Homeroom Teacher, Koigakubo Yuri (age 30, single) turned trembling from the board where her last instructions before lunch break were written.
"Maybe next time, Kitamura... I... guess I'm not good company these days..."
From his far right, a quick worried glance from Takasu's magenta-headed first crush, Kushieda Minori. From left, a bit behind, ("Oh, look, such a pleading look from Minori-chan to Takasu-kun. Ironic how late it came since it's not for her attentions he longs for anymore... And neither for mine, anyway...") The High School's apex of Beauty, the teen model Kawashima Ami, sighs in a bored manner, but a elusive shadow darkened her fair features for a moment.
"It has nothing to do about good company, Takasu,HA!... Or maybe... I could be in need of one, in fact. Come on. I was thinking about chatting a bit in order to cheer you up but I really could use a friendly ear too, if you may?"
"...Ok, pal, thanks..."
"That's the spirit!" "WAP!" as a slap sounds lively at Takasu's fallen shoulders. "United in sorrow and brotherly friendship, we, the Broken Heart Duo, endure! HAH!"
"Dude, you're so loud..." Hisamitsu mutters annoyed.
"What's up, Noto-kun? Wanna come and make it a Broken Heart Trio?
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN..." The bespectacled boy holds his tone, glances around, quickly at the rough direction of his conflicted crush, Kihara Maya, and just pouts. "Pass..."
"This Class suddenly is so full of Teen Drama lately... Oh, you guys should just drop it, anyway. It´s not like you are some bunch of old people suddenly aware they will never find true love by any means...OUCH!"
"SHUT UP, HARUTA!" Most of the class gave the foolhardy and well-known fool (and the only happy bastard with a girlfriend) Haruta Koji evil eyes up to par to Takasu Ryuuji's himself! The meanest one went along with a viciously thrown chip of chalk at his forehead...
"What's wrong with this teacher..." Ryuuji facepalms tiredly...
At the break, the empty chair in front of Ryuuji got him spacing out for a while, his hands kept holding his usual self-homemade bento. "Wonder if she's eating healthily..." He sighs and is taken from his reveries by the three other boys who came to eat with him. "Yo, Takasu!"
It has been already two weeks since the Force of Nature known as the Legendary Palmtop Tiger had seemingly vanished from their lives, in order to try and rebuilt bridges with her family, leaving a metaphorical absence much larger than her small frame.
So much of it was true to Ryuuji... He had such a lonely life before High School, but just about one or two months ago his desk would be suddenly surrounded by Kushieda's energetic antics, Kawashima would be grumbling annoyed about some foolish thing or giving calculated and wondrous smiles depending if she had her "Good Girl Mask" on or off... And he would have still those big feline eyes staring him intensely... and probably calling him names too.
"Ara ara ara, what a beautiful bento you have there, Takasu-kun!" Haruta half-sticks his head ahead of Ryuuji, staring intensely at the later's lunch.
"Want some? Not really hungry today, anyway..." The bento is offered half-heartedly to his colleague. For lower that Ryuuji's spirits would be, it certainly was a shame to allow good food going to waste. He has cooked each day in an automated way lately, but Yasuko should eat well anyway, and he got the habit to make food enough for three for some reason...
"Takasu's culinary skills are getting famous! Gimme a bite, Koji. I'll write a review about it one day!" Hisamitsu said with a pencil put on one ear and a notebook at hand in a classic "reporter-like" fashion.
"If it's so, thanks! Itadakimasu! WOOOOAHH, but it's DELICIOUS!"
"Dude, it's awesome! Do you really prepare stuff like this every day, Ryuuji?!"
"Well, it's nothing really..."
"Nonsense, Takasu!" Yusaku adjusted his lenses business-like, declaring: "I've being fortunate for experiencing Takasu-kun's skills for a few years and I gotta say it's always first class!"
"It had to be! He was supposed to be feeding a tiger with it! HA...Oi? Ouch! Again?!"
"Ami-Tan?!"
Kawashima, Maya and Nanako were passing by when the former model lost her composure for a bit, smacking Haruta's head from behind. No "Good Girl" at all at that moment, "Just shut up, you fool!", as she glared at him.
"Oh! Sorry, Takasu..."
"It's ok, Haruta..."
"Humph! Annoying..." The "real" Ami-chan turns her perfect head and hair and leaves with her entourage.
All eyes naturally followed the slender girl's departure while a fist knocked slightly at Ryuuji's side.
"Ah? Kushieda?"
She had not talked much to him recently and he finally understood why well enough. Things were said during Valentine's Day that changed everything, or at least showed just how much things had changed already, while he was oblivious to most of it.
"Your food is top notch, buddy! You got a gift to make people happy, to diminish it would be a waste, Takasu-kun, remember that."
Her face was clear, her big eyes had such a defenseless sympathy! He heard her praise said in a uncharacteristic calm voice, maybe with a hint of accumulated worries and grief underneath it. Some time before he would be overwhelmed by his awkwardness and by the sheer weight of his crush for her. Now he was a bit happier than he just was because his friend would still come up for him like that.
"I see, thank you."
She nods, hits her palm in a martial-artist-like manner. "HI!" and leaves.
"Damn you, guy! Why the girls are all about Takasu nowadays?! It's botching completely my High School Student experience, you know?" Hisamitsu drops his head, sulking.
"Maybe you should learn how to cook?"
0000000
Both young men walked home talking amenities, studying schedules and such. Ryuuji had no said intention to go to College, he had no right to ask for more support from Yasuko, no matter her opinions on the topic. Kitamura had already heard (and expressed himself against it) enough about it previous times. At the moment he was making turns around but not poking in it, for what Ryuuji was relieved, but he knew something was coming, maybe Kitamura was waiting for a better time to speak his mind. For someone so earnest as his friend, and quite a fool and surprisingly flamboyant at times, he could be difficult to read.
"Here, Ryuuji!"
"Oh...Ok"
Oh, the "Kitamura's Brooding Spot", at a concrete staircase descending till the canal. The case was serious, it seemed. Last time Yusaku chose to think about life by the river bed, the boy got himself a Yankee-style bleached hair, in a desperate cry for help, menacing to throw up all his life until then for having experimented utter rejection by Student Council's former president, Kano Sumire.
He got better.
"I got news from Kano..."
Kind of...
Ryuuji had sat already, turning to look at his friend.
"Listening."
"Hum...Nothing really personal, you see? She asked about Council and School matters, told about her new routine at College and how she was dealing with a totally new lifestyle, independent in America... What a girl!..."
"Independent", Taiga was pursuing this too, sometime before their relationship had flipped 180 degrees and she ultimately felt she had to leave him behind to become exactly it, Ryuuji mused. It was a pain, but he felt some pride for her also. Ryuuji wondered if he could recognize similar feelings in Yusaku's expression as he talked facing the setting sun.
"Nothing personal, eh? I see... "
Yusaku side looked his friend, amused with his unusual sharpness.
"Yeah...It's a drag... We both know of each other feelings, but had no time to talk further about them. I guess she still doesn't want to make me suffer, or give me hope or... I don't know."
"I know you do... Well, when are you going then, Yusaku?"
Now fully turned to Ryuuji, Kitamura had his eyes large behind his round glasses.
"I said nothing about going to America, Takasu..."
"Ex-President was harsh but I don't believe she was wrong about you, Yusaku..."
Ryuuji gets up, puts his hands into his pockets to keep them from the increasingly cold breeze and went on simply: "Once knowing your feelings were reciprocated, of course you would never give up on her! Maybe it's a fool errand to decide changing your life for a High School crush, but if Kano-san can value Kitamura's feelings then she might be worth the try..."
"She is..."
"But!"
"..."
Ryuuji pokes a finger against his friend's chest and pierces him with his intense eyes.
"I share her worryings about you. Simply leaving your future and dreams behind to run after her, begging for her to love you back is rather foolish, ungrateful to your parents, and honestly, under you."
Yusaku's was a bit crestfallen during Ryuuji's rant, but raised his face at that last part.
"Despite of my looks, I'm not the sharpest pencil in the drawer. You are! I know you will do it, but in a proper way. That's who you are! You had always taken care of everybody, always had everything planned gently and discreetly beforehand... However eccentric you act sometimes, you always know better, don't you? When Taiga made her messed up confession to you one year ago, you got her, right? You made your way to not hurt her feelings..."
"Do you mean when she started mumbling praises about you? It wasn't even difficult to get what was going on, didn't you?..." Yusaku said with a sly smile.
Ryuuji's eyes opened surprised and he blushed slightly. "This guy..." He thought, his hand pulling down his bangs over his eyes, flustered.
"Even when you had seemingly lost it and went all Kurosaki Ichigo with that bleached hair, it was just a ruse to put down your chances at the election, you said it yourself, making people believe you became a delinquent or something... You were in reality just waiting for Kano-san to step in to confront her feelings, right?"
"Well, now I wonder if I was ever so transparent."
Ryuuji gives a playful punch in his friend.
"I know you figured out what to do. But if it wasn't something big you wouldn't care talking to me about it and would do it anyway! I'm glad you trusted me and I wanna hear all about it!"
"Well... we have to go home, don't we? You have to make dinner to your mother."
"Won't you join us then? Give your home a call, it should be alright."
"Why do you say that?
"I guess I'm good with your father after Yasuko and I had butted in to have your hair black again!"
"HA HA HA, you right! Let's get going then"
0000000
The young men walked side by side against the chilling beginning of the night in better spirits than before.
"Hey, Ryuuji!"
"What?"
"Did I really looked like Ichigo?"
"Not at all."
"And am I eccentric?"
"And a nudist!"
"That's mean, man!"
"You know you deserve it!"
"...Ryuuji, tonight I imagined I would lend you a ear about your problems... Turned out you are hearing me instead,... arigato."
"We are friends, sorry for not noticing your troubles before they came up."
"That was my fault only, really. So... BROKEN HEARTS DUO FOREVER!? Give me a brofist!"
"FOREVER, Yusaku? Think about it, really?"
"Oops! My bad!"
"And of course I'll support you. I owe you anyway..."
"How come again?"
Ryuuji's hand went inside his back pocket.
"Here, look! Still got those rice coupons you gave me!"