The two lay together in the dark. feeling lethargic and tired from the long day and their large dinner, but not sleeping. It was as if they hadn't finished a conversation that had never formally started.

"I'm sorry, Ryuji."

"Hm? What for?"

Taiga's face was colored with remorse. "I'm sorry for being selfish and dragging you into this. I know Minorin was the one you really wanted, and now all that time has been wasted because I couldn't just quit..."

"Stop, Taiga. I told you, I'm here with you because I want to be. It doesn't matter how much work we put into Kushieda, or Kitamura or anyone because it led us here, and I'm glad."

"Okay," Taiga said, still sounding defeated as if she didn't really believe him.

"I realized something about how I felt about Kushieda. I realized that I mostly just admired how confident and open she was, about everything. I wanted to be able to just be seen for who I was, not as some violent delinquent. Now, I have that. Even if it's just the people in our class, I have friends who actually know me and aren't going to run away because of the way I look." Ryuji continued.

Taiga was silent, thinking about how different his relationship with his classmates was from when they had met.

"Do you remember back when everyone was telling rumors about us going out, and you went on a rampage and tore up the classroom?"

"Yeah, what about it? I was tired of people acting like they knew me... and I wanted Minorin to know you and I weren't like that."

"Even though we weren't talking and you thought I'd just leave because I had no obligation to you, you went out of your way to do that for me. And you told our classmates they should get to know me because I wasn't the type of person I looked like. I think... I think it was because of you that I've been able to make those friends, and you didn't have to do that for me at all."

"I wanted people to see the real you, the one who makes me food and takes care of me. The person who's always there to catch me and make me feel better when I make a mistake..."

"Like your cookies?"

Taiga smiled and chuckled softly. "Yeah, like that."

Taiga continued, "I feel in love with Kitamura because he confessed to me despite how violent and angry I was when people did just that. I thought he loved me for who I was, and even though I didn't know it at the time, he didn't even really know me. He only knew the persona I took on at school, the one that just made me feel more alone."

"Then I met you. I socked you in the face, tried to steal your bag and broke into your house and your first thought when I passed out was to feed me. Minori was the only other person who had ever stuck around through all of my aggression, so I guess it was obvious that I'd latch on to you, too."

"I see." Ryuji answered, thinking seriously about what she was explaining.

"You gave me something I'd never had before. Even Minorin didn't make me feel so comfortable. I guess being around you just felt... natural. I was scared of losing you. I still am."

"You don't have to be scared about losing me, Taiga. It's like I told all that time ago. I'm a dragon, and you're a tiger. I'm the only one who can stand equal to you... and that's what I plan to do. I'll stay by your side as long as you want me to."

"Then I want you to do it forever."

Ryuji smiled and held her hand. "Okay. I will."

Taiga smiled back at him, "You'd better." They laid there together, hand in hand, as Taiga mustered up the courage to say:

"I love you, Ryuji."

"I love you too, Taiga."

They fell asleep together for the second night in a row.

~~~

The rest of winter break passed rather quickly, though it wasn't dissimilar to how Ryuji and Taiga normally spent their days off, taking trips to the store, to restaurants, eating together at home. Yet every moment felt different for them, as they were openly spending their time together because they chose to. There was no pretend-obligation, no reason for them to be near eachother all the time other than that they enjoyed each other's company. On New Years, they watched the countdown on TV with Yasuko and visited the shrine together the next day.

"H! Takasu, Aisaka! How's it going?"

"Kitamura, what's up? How's your break been?" Ryuji replied to his longtime friend.

"Well, it hasn't been anything special. I've mostly been getting caught up on student council work, so it's been a little busy, but about yourselves?" Kitamura said, noticing that there was a "strange aura" surrounding Taiga and Ryuji.

"Same as usual, I guess. Everything go okay with the party? I meant to come back, but I didn't end up getting the chance to..." Ryuji answered, a little bit embarrassed and awkward. He wasn't sure whether to tell Yusaku what had happened since that night now or wait until later on at school.

"I suppose it went well. It's a shame you left the way you did... Near the end of the night Haruta got pushed and fell through the punch table. We could've used your expertise..."

"H-Haha, yeah..." Ryuji's eye twitched. He couldn't imagine how poorly they had left the gym after that kind of mess... and sitting for a week...

"Did you just say 'haha'? And what's with that look?" Kitamura questioned him. "Nevermind, I meant to ask you what that was all about. I just saw you talking to Kawashima about something and then you ran off with that bear costume like your house was on fire!"

"W-well it's kind of funny you sh-" he started to explain, before being interrupted by the small girl at his side.

"He was coming after me. It makes sense, since we're dating afterall." Taiga seemed to gloat to Kitamura. Didn't she have an debilitating crush on him only a little while ago?

"Wow! I had no idea, you should have told me sooner!"

"W-well, y'know it's actually kind of a recent development..."

"It's true. I had a mental breakdown and he came rushing to my side like always!" Taiga continued, seemingly unbothered than her story wasn't very flattering.

"Amazing! Well, not to say 'I told you so', but I did tell you so!" Kitamura laughed.

"I guess you did."

"Say, since we're all here, what say we go get lunch and hang out for a bit? I deserve at least one real day off this vacation."

"That sounds good!" Taiga answered.

"Yeah," Ryuji replied.

The trio went to a cafe near the shrine and had a small lunch together. Taiga retold the story about how they had ended up dating (minus the parts about Taiga's crush on Kitamura) as Ryuji listened, confirmed or corrected various facts.

"Gee, Takasu, I can't believe your mom let a girl spend the whole week sleeping at your house, even Taiga!"

"You sure? I know you've met Yasu..."

Kitamura thought for a moment about when he'd spent the night at Ryuji's home and realized that, no, it wasn't particularly surprising for Yasuko Takasu to approve of that kind of thing. "I guess you're right!"

After they'd finished eating, Kitamura stood up. "I'd better be going. I still have some other stuff to catch up on, so I'll see you two lovebirds at school!" With that, he left.

"Didn't he say something about taking the day off from student council?"

"He definitely did," Ryuji confirmed.

"Oh, well, I guess he just wanted to gossip. He isn't the rumor-spreading type, but knowing him everyone he talks to will probably hear about us."

"Hm... I guess you're right." Kitamura was top of the class in studies, but he was known to be a bit of an idiot when it came to socializing with other people. Or, just about anything other than his studies, for that matter.

Ryuji hoped that if Kushieda found out about this from him she would understand why he'd stood her up on Christmas eve.

They spent the rest of the day in town, shopping and buying groceries. At the supermarket, they ran into Kawashima, who claimed she was out buying groceries for the relatives she was staying with in town.

"Chihuahua! How's your break?" Taiga called to her.

"Ah, a family shopping trip~, how nice of Takasu to take his d-"

"Shut it! Just what the hell are you saying that for?" Ryuji snapped as his face grew red.

"Actually, Ami, what you're witnessing is a date." Taiga stated boastfully. "To think I'd be in a romantic relationship before the beautiful Ami Kawashima..."

"Huh? You mean you two are, like, going out?" Kawashima's voice lost its sarcastic edge.

"Y-yeah, that's right," Ryuji answered.

Ami smiled. "I guess I should have expected this, especially after the way you ran off out of the blue at the party."

"I guess you could say that."

"Yep, and that means Ryuji is all mine! No more trying to drag him away to your beach house, because he'll be under my watchful eyes at all times from now on!" Taiga actually wasn't sure how she felt about Kawashima being alone with Ryuji, but she was most concerned with bragging about her relationship to everyone she could.

"Well alright then. He's all yours. See you at school, I guess." Ami agreed in a deadpan voice. She then paid for her groceries and left the store.

"Everyone keeps running away from us..." Ryuji grumbled.

"It's because they fear our combined power." Taiga stated seriously.

They bought their own groceries and headed home for dinner.

"You're gonna have to go to bed at home tonight, Taiga."

"I don't want to. I like it here," Taiga grumbled at him.

"What happens if someone realizes you're sleeping over here all the time? What are people going to think?"

"Maybe that we're in love? Who even cares what they think? They all act like they know so much but they don't know aanything about us. They can believe whatever they want about us, I don't even care!" she snapped back.

"You're sure you don't care?"

Taiga nodded seriously.

"Fine, then." Ryuji finally gave in. "And just to be honest, I do understand. I wouldn't want to go to bed by myself in that big empty house either."

"I know you understand, Ryuji. Have you forgotten what I told you?"

"Right, right. I just don't want you getting mad at me if people start giving you funny looks. After all, we're still in highschool for another year and a half." Ryuji soghed as he let Taiga crawl under the covers with him.

"What does it matter? I might as well just move in, because that's what I want to do after we graduate anyway." Taiga yawned and curled up next to him.

"Yasuko does already consider you family... I can't see her ever objecting as long as you're quiet."

"Then it's settled. I live here now."