(AN) Hello everyone! Cassius here with a brand new fanfic! This one will be a tilted story continuation of Toradora! I finished watching it for the 3rd time and just can't get enough of Ryuuji and Taiga! A couple of notes before we begin...
Since I'm not fluent with Japanese culture, I will be writing this without the suffixes at the end of the names.
I'll be using the following names for our main characters: Taiga (Aisaka) Ryuuji (Takasu) Kitamura (Kitamura) Minorin (Kushieda) Ami (Kawashima)
I know the name is actually Minori, but I've grown accustomed to Minorin so, sorry.
I'll be addressing Kitamura by his last name because his first name is rarely used in the show, I'm guessing most people already know the other threes' first names.
This story takes place during episode 24, but episode 25 won't be in this, and you'll see why.
This IS a RyuujixTaiga fanfic, if you're not a fan of the canon couple, then I suggest you shouldn't read this.
Watching the actual anime or reading the novel of this is HIGHLY recommended. I'll do my best to make it slightly stand alone, but watching the show will give you better understanding.
Lastly, I hope y'all enjoy this story, the length of the story depends on your reactions, I'm not a tip top author though, so I'm sorry for any grammatical errors I have.
Now without further ado, let's begin this journey!
Late Evening: Kawashima Residence
The night was quiet, the dark sky was illuminated by scattered stars accross the sky. Below that sky was a rectangular, multiple story house layered in a white paint finish. The windows yeilded a bright yellow light from the inside signaling that they were in use. It was on nights like these, where people should be camping around big, roaring campfires, not discussing about running away and getting married.
"Taaaiggaa!" An average height, scarlet haired girl cried out, tears filling the brim of her violet eyes. She was wearing simple, gray sweats that had nothing special about them. She knelt down, her knees sinking into the plush carpet, and hugged a meager girl. "You had me so worried! You itty bitty teensy weensy fool!"
The shorter girl, Taiga, had long chestnut hair that went down to her lower back. Her eyes were dark brown with a tint of red, but the tears filling her eyes caused it to become sparkly. She was wearing garb similar to that of her friends, only hers was a shade brighter.
"Minorin! Minorin!" She cried out the other girl's name, returning her hug. "I'm so sorry!" It was obvious that the girls were close friends.
Nearby were 3 other figures, two of which were male, and sitting on the floor, while the third, a girl, sat on the bed.
"Sorry about all the trouble we caused, Kitamura." One of the boys spoke up. He had short, cobalt hair that flowed down in front of his face, struggling to cover his narrow, sanpaku eyes. Ryuuji's eyes marked him as a delinquent at first glance, but truly he was a very kindhearted and mature character, despite his young age. Accordingly with everyone else, he too was wearing comfortable clothes, only his black shirt mismatched his gray sweats.
The other male, Kitamura, who had hair similar to Ryuuji's except the fact that he had a dark seaweed color, shook his head. "No worries, anyway, what's your plan now?" He asked him, green eyes shimmering. He was wearing monochromatic sleep wear that were a shade brighter green than his eyes.
The female on the bed shared a worried expression with Kitamura, her dark, wisteria eyes scrunching up in sadness, probably due to the news she received earlier from Ryuuji. Her name, Ami, complimented her midnight blue hair strangely well. She was wearing purple pajamas in a similar fashion to Kitamura. Going along with her figure as well, there wasn't a doubt she was a model.
In response to Kitamura's question though, Ryuuji turned his head to Taiga, who was still sobbing into Minorin's shoulder. Ryuuji cleared his throat loud enough to catch Taiga's attention, and they both shared a confident nod.
Taiga released Minorin, wiping her tears away with her sleeve, and sat next to Ryuuji, holding his hand. They both carried a light blush while they stared into the floor, giving the others an intense silence.
"Well, we..." Ryuuji started, closing his eyes. He started feeling a sense of regret for leaving Yasuko, his mother, behind without an explanation. "I suppose she was just trying to do her best, but still..."
"We're going to elope!" Taiga finished for him.
The three just stared at them, unknowing if their shocking answer was the truth.
Kitamura managed out a quiet "huh?" As if to question whether they were serious or not.
"We're completely serious!" Taiga blurted out, answering Kitamura's question.
Once again, the three stared at the couple, a piercing silence drilling into Ryuuji's and Taiga's ears as they waited for their friends' response.
"Is this really a good idea? A lot of things can go wrong..." Taiga's thought was cut off by her eye catching Ryuuji's calm face to her side. He looked as if everything was going to go smoothly for them and that what they were doing was right, and that was enough for her. "Heehee, you know what? Why not dream a little?" She smiled to herself.
"WHAAAT?!" The three friends cried out in unison, causing the startled Taiga to release Ryuuji's hand.
Luckily though, Ryuuji expected this type of reaction, so he lifted his hand up in an attempt to direct their attention towards him.
"Look guys." Ryuuji grew a serious expression. "All we have to do is run away until I turn eighteen, which is in two months, and once we're married, then we can finally be free. No one could rule over us their expectations, and we can look at our parents on an equal level, but most importantly..." He turned and smiled affectionately at Taiga, grasping her hand tenderly. "I get to spend the rest of my life with the one person I care most about." Taiga turned to Ryuuji as well, blushing.
"Ugh, don't make it sound so cheesy!" She pouted childishly, holding back a smile. In truth though, his words meant a lot, and his last statement was enough to send her heart into warm shivers.
The three friends said nothing, for they didn't have the courage to speak up to him. They all shared mild feelings for their plan, especially Ami, who was now standing up.
"Man, these two are being ridiculous! I mean, getting married!? And for what, to prove that they're adults or something?" Ami's mind was racing at the thought of them running away together, and all the negatives that may occur along with it.
The silence grew louder and longer as time passed, but Kitamura, upon seeing Taiga was at her breaking point, decided to mutter a couple words.
"..I...see." With the ice finally broken, he decided to continued. "You just have to hold out for two months..." He put a finger to his chin, suggesting he was in deep thought.
"Why are you going along with this?!" Ami directed her snap at Taiga. "You can't run off and get married, you're being too dramatic!"
"It's only till Ryuuji turns eighteen." Taiga quietly countered. "Then we can-"
"And where are you going to stay?" Ami interrupted her.
"U-uh, well." Ryuuji stuttered, obviously unsure of what to expect. "Business hotels or manga cafes, to start."
"And what, you'll live like that forever?" Each one of her questions had a shot of venom in them, causing Ryuuji to wince.
"N..no, we plan on coming back." He exclaimed.
"You think you'll be able to?" Kitamura adjusted his glasses. "If they send out search parties, the whole school will know. You might get expelled." The info troubled everyone, giving them a worried look.
Everyone except Minorin, that was, who instead held a blank face. Over the years, she developed a skill to conceal her true emotions, a skill that came in handy after discovering Taiga's true feelings towards Ryuuji.
"You see..." Taiga spoke up, grabbing everyone's attention. "Everything I've ever wanted has fallen apart. So I decided long ago, that I didn't want anything at all." She turned and smiled at Ryuuji. "But now my feelings are now being reciprocated. My wish came true. So I wanted to break that jinx." Her expression hardened slightly. "No, I have to break it. That's why...that's why..." It was easy to tell she was on the brink to crying, as her eyes were shiny from newly produced tears.
Minorin's emotionless expression suddenly grew confident. She unzipped the front of her jacket, unveiling a small red-orange wallet. She then unzipped that, and pulled out a red passbook, holding it out to the couple.
"This passbook is nice and warm, it contains all the money I earned from working odd jobs." Her expression narrowed, making her look mad.
"W-what?" Ryuuji's eyes widened. "You can't expect us to-"
"Takasu, Taiga." She used Ryuuj's last name, a common practice among people there. "I don't think you're doing the right thing, by any means. I can't support your actions." Those words stung the both of them, especially Taiga, who was closer to the redhead.
"Minorin..." Taiga muttered.
"But if this is your way of doing things, I won't object to it. Please take this." Minorin stretched out her arm further towards them, inviting them to grab her passbook. "You can pay me back one day." She allowed a small smile to escape.
Ryuuji was taken back on her offer. Her seriousness was something Ryuuji rarely saw, but when it did, it shows just how good a friend Minorin was to them.
But then his attention was shifted the sound of rattling metal from behind him. He turned to see Ami standing up and holding out a set of keys for him.
"Here, these are the keys to my beach house." She smiled. "You've been to it before, so you should know how to get there."
"Kawashima." Ryuuji gasped Ami's last name. Ami being nice to Ryuuji was also a rare treat, in contrast to her usual self centered personality.
"Don't forget me." Kitamura spoke out, causing all eyes to fall on him. He pulled out a few slips of paper and held them like a hand of cards. "Please accept these rice vouchers." He grinned.
Ryuuji and Taiga looked at their friends' gracious offers, and they both started to tear up with wide smiles across their faces.
"Wow guys..." Ryuuji sniffed.
O-O-O-O-O
After a repeating process of declining then accepting their gifts, Ryuuji and Taiga decided that they needed to start packing up in order to leave by the following morning. So, they decided to just take the gifts and go to the front door.
"Well Ami, thanks for all of your help today." Kitamura bowed. He had also decided to head on back to his house for the night.
"Heya, good show!" Minorin enthusiastically agreed. "I need to have a little chat with Ami though, so you guys go on ahead, 'kay?" She wrapped an arm around the shocked girl's shoulder.
"Whaaa? Why would I chat with you?" She looked appalled by Minorin's sudden decision. They haven't been getting along well after their fight on the ski trip, so this was probably to tie up those loose ends.
"Oh, you made up!" Taiga smiled brightly, completely oblivious to Ami's discomfort. "That's great dumb-chi." That was Taiga's nickname for Ami, a combination of "dumb" and "chihuahua."
The model's cheeks tinted pink at Taiga and Minorin's friendliness towards her. "Just get out of here." She looked at the Minorin. "And you should too."
In response, Minorin gripped her arm tighter around her neck, making it obvious that she wasn't leaving.
"Well, Minorin, Dumb-chi, this is goodbye for now. We'll definitely see each other again."
"Yep." Minorin's facade couldn't be withheld for too much longer.
Ryuuji opened the door, allowing Kitamura and Taiga to walk through. "Goodbye." He waved, following his girlfriend through.
Panic set in for Ami, as she realized she'd be alone in her house with her natural opposite.
"Oh, wait." She called out softly to them, but it was too late as the door slammed shut. Ami sighed, prying Minorin's arm off of her. "What do you want to talk about? And get your hands off of me!" She failed at an attempt to remove her arm.
"Man, I'm so drained I can't even stand." To prove her point, Minorin released Ami's shoulder and fell to the ground, landing on her bottom.
"Hey! What are you..." She stopped mid comment to find Minorin sobbing into her arms pretty aggressively, an occasional hiccup being released from her. Seing her bawl was very uncomforting for Ami, due to the enthusiastic girl always having a spring in her step, which contrasted to her feelings currently.
"What? You wanted me to watch you cry?" Ami scoffed anyway, losing all of her sentiment immediately.
"Tears just mean that your heart's got a nosebleed." She hiccuped again after spurting out her metaphor.
"But why are you crying? Is is because Takasu took Taiga from you? Or is it..."
"I don't know." Minorin interjected. "I had...I had decided not to cry anymore." She continued to cry into her sleeves.
"Pathetic." Ami sat down next to the depressed girl.
"But I've learned something." Minorin claimed "If you trip while you run through the halls, your nose bleeds. But if you trip as you run through life, you cry." Her crying slowed down slightly.
"Are you stupid?" Ami said coldly. "We're way too young to wax philosophic about life. We still have at least ten, twenty, or sixty years ahead of us."
O-O-O-O-O
Late Night: In front of Takasu Residence
"Run out as soon as you got everything." Taiga hurriedly said.
It was snowing lightly now, and the moonlight gave a truly blissful feeling to the night. It was pretty cold, causing Taiga to wear a white coat with a scarf. Ryuuji on the other hand stuck with a black suit and a similar scarf to that of Taiga's.
Ryuuji and Taiga parted ways with Kitamura shortly after leaving Ami's place. Kitamura saluted them dramatically as they turned to leave to their places, earning a smile from both of them.
Right now, they were discussing what to bring and what not to bring for the trip. Taiga wanted to bring a lot of frivolous things, while Ryuuji was sticking with a simple plan of cooking tools and a few outfits.
"Oh, and don't let Yasuk-"
"Don't worry, I can handle this." He reassured her, turning to his house. "I'll see you later."
"Wait!" Taiga reaches her hands out, as if hugging the air. "Ummm..." Her arms were released of tension and swung at her side. "Oh yeah! Bring a hairdryer. My stuff will be heavy enough as it is."
Ryuuji smiled. "Okay, you got it! But please, try not to bring too many frilly clothes. They'll just take up space."
"Ugh, I know already." She pouted, but her pout then shifted to an actual frown. "Come out as soon as you're done. Oh, and call me right away if anything happens." She said worriedly.
"Heh, I will. In a heartbeat." He replied, earning a bright smile out of the small girl. With a nod, she turned and ran away, back to her apartment.
Ryuuji watched as Taiga disappeared into the huge apartment complex, then turned to his own tiny apartment. Gritting his teeth, he pressed towards his home, determined but wary of what may happen.
Earlier that day, Ryuuji yelled at his mom, Yasuko, for the first time in his life. The memory of her crying still stung in the back of his mind, causing him to stop at his front porch, and grimace at his tearful memory.
But the thought of his girlfriend smiling brung him back to his senses instantly.
"I will patch things with her, another day, but today my goal is to pack and leave with Taiga by dawn light." He took a deep breath and turned the door knob. Without a second thought, he swung the door open casually, yelling "I'm home" as if coming back from school.
He was met with silence though, which was unexpected due to Yasuko's usually rash behavior. He took off his shoes and laid them neatly by the closed door. He walked through the dark hallway, for without lights the only source of brightness was the sun, which was killed off by the moon for now.
"Man, she's not back yet?" He walked to his living room to be met with a surprise.
"I-Inko!" The usual bird cage that hung from the ceiling containing his parekeet was missing. He looked around, looking for any trace when he noticed the closet was open with a few blankets missing.
"Hmm, so she was here." He pulled out his cellphone and dialed in the number to the bar Yasuko worked at. The phone rung a couple times, and then a click was heard followed by a female voice saying "Hello?"
"Hello, excuse me for asking but has Yasuko come by recently?" He asked politely.
"Oh, actually she called earlier stating that she won't be coming in for awhile. Is something wrong?"
"Hmm, so she ran away." Ryuuji mentally face palmed. "No, there's no problem, just curious. Thank you, goodbye." He hung up on the women.
"Man, how annoying, what is she a chi-". His thought was interrupted when his eye caught a glimmer of silver on the floor. He kneeled down to pick up the object and the piece of paper that was beside it.
The object was a silver watch, nothing too fancy but it had a rustic and familiar feel to it. He turned his attention to the piece of paper with his name on it.
"This is probably from Yasuko huh?" He unfolded the paper, expecting an apology of some sort. But as his eyes scanned the page, he realized it was, instead, an explanation to the origin of the watch. The note also contained a set of intructions to the address of his grandparents, the owners of the watch.
"Hmmm, I've never met my grandparents. I wonder what they're like." The thought of two older Yasuko's, one male and one female, plagued his mind.
Ryuuji shook the thought off with a smile and went into his room to pack.
O-O-O-O-O
The next morning, Ryuuji walked out of his home to be greeted by the early morning rays of the sun, and more importantly, his future bride. A huge smile washed over Taiga's face as Ryuuji descended down his steps.
Him and Taiga have been through so much lately, problems with family, friends, and even with school, that they need a break.
"Hey Taiga, ready to go I propose?" She nodded eagerly, hauling up her massive luggage upward with a struggle.
Unfortunately, the weight became too much for her tiny frame, causing her to drop and stumble upon her suitcase. All the contents, consisting of a majority of clothes and beauty supplies, fell out onto the cement ground.
But that wasn't the only thing that fell to the ground, as Taiga's feet got caught under some of her shoes, she too fell face first into the floor.
"Oof." She used her hands to soften the landing, but a stinging sensation still rung in her palms. "Owww." She moaned, causing Ryuuji to sigh at the mess she made within seconds.
"Man, you're still a klutz." Ryuuji shook his head, making Taiga pout. "But you're a klutz that I love." He held a hand for her.
(AN) Wheew, that took AWHILE! I honestly hope you guys enjoyed it, (I thought it was kinda fine) and if you didn't PLEASE let me know what I did wrong and I'll try to adjust. If you couldn't tell, I added some minor differences to the story, but it followed the actual episode mostly. Now after this is where things change, hope you guys stick around to find out! See ya later!
