Eternal Bond of the Tiger
A/N: Hello all, I haven't been back to the writing scene in a long time. But I'm making my return with a whole new "Toradora!" Fanfic. I hope you'll enjoy! Please read and submit your reviews! Toradora and all character herein are properties of their respective owners. I own nothing but the original plot for this story.
Chapter 4: Dragon's Hurdle
It has been a half hour since Ryuuji woke up. The bed was reclined and he sat there, gently touching Taiga's hair as she sat close to him, resting her head on his chest. He smiled slightly as he ran his fingers through her hair, while engaging in some small talk with her. Ryuuji suddenly felt a cough coming on and turned his head to cough. As he coughed, he grabbed his chest in pain as the sensation shook all over his torso. Wincing in pain, he gritted his teeth as he clutched his chest. "Urghh."
Taiga looked up at him coughing and holding his chest. Worriedly, she gently touched his face and asked if he was okay. She watched him grit his teeth for a moment as he winced in pain for what seemed like a long time. "Should I call the doctor?" She asked him, the concern increasing with each passing moment. He reached over and grabbed her hand and told her it's not that serious. "No! it looks bad, I'm calling them." Taiga said with concern in her voice and reached for the service button and pressed it.
Minori was seated on a chair next to them and she nodded to Taiga. "Takasu-kun. You're seriously sick, we can't just dismiss something like that." She said, her usual chirpy face now replaced by a look of worry and concern for her friends. Minori stood up and went over to Taiga and put her arms around her and tried to reassure Taiga. She looked over to the door opening as the doctor and a couple nurses came through. With that, she and Taiga moved to the corner of the room to give the staff some space.
The doctor came to Ryuuji's side and asked him what was wrong. Ryuuji struggled a bit between the winces of pain and told them that his chest suddenly hurts a lot, accompanied by some dry coughing. The doctor took out his stethoscope and listened to Ryuuji's breathing and let out a sigh. He listened again on different spots and nodded to himself. The doctor spoke up a moment later, "Is breathing hard, Mr. Takasu?" Ryuuji nodded a little. "That's what I thought. Your lungs sound like they are having a hard time expanding. I'm going to have my team prescribe some medication to help you loosen up your lungs. I'm also going want to have you scheduled for an x-ray of your chest as soon as you're comfortable to." The doctor had a nurse go to the pharmacy and bring back the medication.
A moment later, the nurse returns with the medication and a machine to turn the medication into a breathable vapor. Hooking the machine to a power outlet, she then opened a sterile package and removed the breathing tube. Hooking up one end to the machine, she handed Ryuuji the other end. Turning the machine on and added the medicine into one of the machine's ports. Ryuuji took a slow inhale of the vapor produced by the machine and he started to feel a little bit better, as his chest pain started to lessen and him breathing a little bit easier. Taiga looked at him, his face showing signs of relief from his discomfort. She let out a sigh as she smiled. Holding his hand, she smiled at him a little.
An hour has passed and the doctor had Ryuuji wheeled out in a wheel chair. Taiga waited in his room with the others as the medical staff took Ryuuji to the radiology department to take x-rays of his chest. She wasn't sure what they'll find but she hoped that whatever they do find, to be something that can be corrected. A nurse came into the room after a few moments and told them that it will take a little while longer since Ryuuji has agreed to undergo a few more tests. The nurse recommended that they should go to the hospital cafeteria and have a bite in the meantime. As the nurse left, Taiga suddenly noticed that her stomach had been growling since the night before. "I guess I was so worried I forgot to eat."
Minori stood up and nodded. "We should go eat. Especially you, Ryuuji would want you to keep your strength up." With that, she and Taiga got ready to head downstairs. Yasuko told them to just bring something back to the room for her, as she told them she'll wait at the room just in case Ryuuji comes back early from testing. Minori nodded and gestured Taiga to follow as the two of them walked down to the elevator and got in. The two of them got to the cafeteria and ordered their meals. After finding a table, the two of them sat down and started to eat in silence for a few moments.
Breaking the silence, Minori spoke up, "So how have you've been?" Asking her friend a question to try and break the tense and grim atmosphere with Ryuuji falling ill and all. Minori watched Taiga put down her chopsticks and let out a slightly heavy breath. Taiga then smiled at her friend and tapped Minori's hand.
Taiga knew Minori only wanted to help sooth her uneasiness. "I've been okay." Taking a moment to slurp a string of noodles and swallow it, she then continued. "I've been studying hard at that cram school. My scores lately were pretty good. I think I have very high hopes that I could pass the college entrance exam very well. Perhaps good enough to match schools with…" She stopped half way as she wondered if Ryuuji's health will now be a problem for college. Taiga started to tear up a little as she placed her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, but I just can't help wonder if he'll be okay. He appeared to be in such pain just now. I've never felt so scared…"
Minori reached over with her hand and placed it on her friend's shoulders. "It's okay. He's a strong person, and don't forget, you're a strong person too." Minori put on a smile that someone like her could pull off. "This is a hurdle, and the two of you will overcome it." Minori said as she took a bite of her tempura. "Remember that day when the two of you 'ran' away? Somehow you two turned a situation that was pretty bleak into good things." Minori said with a smile. "He told us the day when he showed back up at the school about your plans to not run away and mend relations with your folks." Minori looked down on her plate as she recalled the emotions of that day, when she confronted Ryuuji about why he remained so calm when the teacher had announced Taiga had moved away. "He knew you believed in him and he believed in you as well." Minori smiled upon recalling the memories and looked up. "There were a lot of days, tough days where it looked like he would crumble because you weren't there with him." Minori looked directly at Taiga's face as she spoke, "But he stayed hopeful and cheerful, through the worst of it all." Placing her hand in Taiga's and tapping it gently, she then spoke up. "That's why I know he'll definitely pull through."
Taiga's eyes welled up with tears and she smiled as she laughed a little. "Minorin, you always know what to say." Taiga took another bite of her food and looked towards the window, outside at the sunrise. Watching the scarlet beams of light pierce the dark purple sky, the scene was slowly turning into a beautiful orange color. "You know, the sky reminds me of that cake he made for us. You know, the one with the orange pieces on top?" Taiga smiled as she turned back to Minori. "That cake was sweet and yet a little sour. It kinda reminds me of his love. The sweetness that simply punches its way through the sourness of my unhappiness, and how it blends perfectly like the symbol of how his care seems to make things seem alright in life." She looked back at the orange sunrise and spoke up again, "I really hope so. I really hope that he does overcome this hurdle like you said. I couldn't begin to imagine living without him." Letting out a small chuckle to brighten the mood, "You know, when he's all better, I should learn that cake recipe and try and make it myself." Turning to Minori, she smiled. Minori let out a small laugh and nodded, urging Taiga to really consider baking that cake when this is all over.
A/n: And that's it for chapter 4. Sorry it took a little longer than expected. I had some busy homework over the week. But stay tuned, as Chapter 5 will be completed soon. Just what is plaguing Ryuuji? Will we find out what it is next? And how will Taiga help him overcome the problems. Until then, stay interested!