"Meet me at the Moonlight Bridge tonight just before midnight. Come alone."
That was all the text message Ryoji sent her said. She hasn't seen him in a few days and she was wondering what was going on with him. She was starting to get worried, and this strange text didn't help reassure her.
"Just before midnight, huh?"
When the time came, Minako arrived at the Moonlight Bridge alone, just as he said. Then, just when she stepped onto the bridge, the city lights in the distance blinked out in an instant, the water surrounding the bridge turned blood red, and the moon above shone down with an eerie green glow.
It was pitch black there on the bridge, but Minako was used to it, having dealt with the Dark Hour for such a long time.
"Ryoji?" She called out. "Are you there?"
There was no answer.
Suddenly, what sounded like a large stage light turned on above her. She shielded her eyes for a moment, and when her eyes adjusted, she saw that it was a large spotlight, eclipsing the moon from view and illuminating the street…and of course, shining down on Ryoji, who had his back to her. He had one arm down straight, and the other was up, bent at the elbow, hand on the back of his neck in a flashy pose.
"Ryoji, what are you doing here?" She said as she stepped towards him.
He spun around cleanly to face her, as if his moves had been well-rehearsed beforehand. He lowered his arms and began walking towards her, a smirk on his face and intense eyes mischievously locked onto hers.
"I wanted to give you a little treat. Just you alone," he said with a wink, as he tugged off his scarf and, with an unnecessary amount of drama, tossed it to the side.
Minako stopped in her tracks with her mouth open in amazement at just how moronic Ryoji could be, but her smile would not leave her face. "Are you serious…." she laughed to herself.
She covered her eyes with a hand for only a second before peeking from a gap in her fingers.
Ryoji chuckled as he slowly slid the suspenders off his shoulders with obnoxious confidence, and let the straps fall to hang at his sides. He continued towards her and with each step, she became more excited to see what he had next in plan.
"Didn't you say you wanted to see more of me, Minako?" he said as he cupped her face with a hand, releasing the one hiding her eyes.
Minako gave a cheeky laugh and Ryoji grinned back. "There you are~" he said as he leaned in close. He placed a soft, sweet kiss on her lips, before whispering, "Happy birthday, my dearest…"
He quickly stepped back before resuming his performance, and it was then that Minako let out a joyful laugh, enjoying the insanity that is Ryoji Mochizuki.
"But why here? Why outside?" she yelled out in between laughs.
Ryoji shot her a look that he thought was supposed to be "dangerous" and "sexy" as he unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt. "It's more fun that way, don't you think?"
"Ryoji, I thought this was important!"
"It is! It's a very important step in our relationship!"
"How is stripping on a bridge in the middle of the night an important step in ANY relationship!?" As soon as she realized what she had yelled out, a blush ran across her face, and she couldn't help but laugh again at the situation she found herself in. "Oh my god…"
"Well…." he grew quiet for a moment, pretending to be hurt, before he smirked again and tore his unbuttoned shirt off, tossing it aside. "I could stop if you want me to."
That smirk was annoying. SO annoying. Annoying because he knew her answer.
She huffed. If Ryoji wanted to play it that way, she'd see his bet and raise him 20.
"No." she said, matter-of-factly, as she placed a hand on her hip, as if to imitate Mitsuru's queenly aura. "I want to see how far you're willing to go. So go on," she said as she raised her chin up a bit and looked him up and down, before her eyes settled on his pants. "Take it off."
Ryoji laughed his mischievous laugh again. "I was hoping you'd say that."
With his eyes still locked on hers, he slid a hand down his bare chest and towards his belt, taking his sweet time to take it off, before moving down to his button and zipper.