Thanks for all of the reviews so far! I really want to say that I wouldn't be here without your support, so thank you! I'm behind in responding to these reviews, but rest assured, I will get to all of them soon!

Guest: Nice to know! I hope this next installment keeps your interest!

Zallow: I know, it's completely OP like Gil in Fate/Zero! Long live Ami x Ryuuji!

Other than that, please enjoy the continuation of Covers!


Chapter 3

I don't know how this happened, but somehow, I found myself unlocking the front door to my admittedly unspectacular home for both Ami and Taiga. Taiga had already been here several times before, so I wasn't worried about her. However, Ami had only been over once before, and now, I could see her examining my house with a new scrutinizing look in her eyes.

I opened my mouth to try and make up some excuse for why my house was so average, but I was immediately interrupted by a bubbly voice and the sensation of something wrapping itself around my leg.

"Ryuu-chan!" My mother exclaimed as she hung on to my leg with one arm and wiped the sleep out of her eyes with the other.

"M-mom?" I asked incredulously, at a loss for any other words. Glancing up at the clock, I read that the time was now 8:00, which meant that she definitely should have been on her way by now. Shit. Her manager was a nice enough guy, but still, the fact remained that she was now late for work, "Shouldn't you be on your way to work?"

"Nah, my manager told me that my vacation time was piling up, and told me to take the night off, so I thought that I'd surprise you when you got home!" She replied blithely, affectionately rubbing my leg.

I sighed in relief, glad that she wasn't missing work or anything. I swear, sometimes I feel as if I'm the parent and my mother was the forgetful child. But of course, I know how hard she works for me, and I appreciate it, I really do. Actually, sometimes I wish that she would stop working herself to death for my sake. I feel bad for essentially restricting her. Without me, she could probably afford to live by only working one job, instead of the two she had to make ends meet. She really was a great mother, even if she didn't realize it.

My mom used me as a counterweight to pull herself up, so that she was sitting cross-legged, "Say, Ryuu-chan, who is she?" She asked me, pointing to Ami.

Oh, I almost forgot that Ami and my mom had never met before.

"Oh, that's…" I paused, unsure as to how I was going to explain our relationship. What could I say? That we were dating? Because I knew that it would lead to many awkward questions. Maybe I could just tell her that she's a friend from school. But then, knowing Taiga, she would definitely not let me leave it at that. Damn it, why does Mom's manager have to send her home at the worst times?

"I'm Ami, Ryuu-chan's girlfriend."Ami interrupted, copying Mom's name for me.

Immediately, Taiga froze, and I stood stiff, while Ami merely wore that fake smile that she pulled out so often, all of us just waiting to see exactly how my mom would react to the news. To my surprise, she just grinned, "Oh, nice to meet you, Ami-chan!"

I allowed myself a deep exhale, glad that Mom had bought it so easily. It would have been incredibly awkward and embarrassing to explain the whole situation, something I definitely was not keen on doing right now. Maybe if I had a chance to tell her in private, but definitely not in front of Taiga.

Besides, I had more important things to worry about, like starting on dinner.


"Wow, Ya-chan, you're so youthful!"

"Oh, thank you Ami-chan! Maybe you should tell that to Ryuu-chan! He hasn't called me young in years!"

"Speaking of which, where's that stupid dog with our food?"

I smiled a bit, in spite of myself. It was nice to know that the three of them were getting along reasonably well. I was worried that they would tear each other to pieces, but I guess even Ami could be tempered by my mother. I was definitely glad that she was so harmless, because otherwise, I could guarantee that Ami and Taiga would be at each other's throats by now.

"All right, stop complaining." I drawled out, hauling the rice cooker to the dinner table, which was occupied on every side but one by Taiga, Ami, and my mom. Doling out four portions of rice, I added an extra heaping to one bowl in particular and slid it over to a ravenous Taiga, who immediately began an assault on it with her chopsticks.

"Wow, this looks great, Ryuu-chan!" Mom complimented as I placed a few platters of vegetables stir-fried with various meats out on the table, just as I handed her rice, which she accepted gratefully.

"Yeah, I had no idea that you could cook so well." Ami added, looking legitimately surprised by what I had made. What, did you think I was going to serve you something inedible?

"Ryuu-chan's been handling the cooking for as long as I can remember!" Mom mentioned in between bites while I picked up my chopsticks and began eating on my own. I noticed after I had chomped down on a piece of chicken that Ami had not even touched her chopsticks yet, let alone started eating. Instead, she just sat at the table with a blank expression on her face.

I chewed carefully and swallowed before I spoke, "Hey Ami, the food's going to get cold."

She blinked a few times in surprise, almost as if she had just been awoken from a trance.

"Oh, right." She laughed, easily switching into her public persona.

For a few minutes, we ate in a comfortable silence. Personally, I'm not one for conversation over dinner, since I usually eat alone and I really have no idea what to say when other people are eating with me. Should I ask them how the food is? Or maybe I should ask them about their day? Ultimately, I end up saying nothing and simply enjoy the silence that comes.

But of course, the world decided today that I wouldn't have that luxury.

We had already cut through most of the plates with ease, courtesy of Taiga, who was the heaviest eater I had ever seen for a girl her size. I swear, she was hiding some sort of second stomach within her tiny frame. However, just as she reached for the last piece of chicken, the same piece that Ami just so happened to have claimed as well.

As their chopsticks collided, I could instantly feel an electricity in the air exuded from the two in particular. Beside me, Mom blissfully ignored the two, too concerned with polishing off her bowl of rice to really acknowledge the tension in the room.

"Say, Stupid Chihuahua, do you want to find another piece?" Taiga asked with faked civility, a small vein popping on her forehead.

"Oh, but it seems to have chosen me over you." Ami replied with just enough sweetness in her voice to cover up the venom in her voice.

Taiga's forced smile grew even larger as she refused to back down, "Well that can't be right, because I laid my eyes on it first."

"My, are you jealous that I have already claimed it?" Ami replied, her acting wearing thin as she struggled to prevent her true personality from erupting in an ugly explosion.

"Thief!" Taiga accused.

"Well at least I've hit puberty!" Ami snapped back, no longer attempting to conceal her anger.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Taiga shot back, briefly glancing at her chest before she locked eyes with Ami once more.

"Mine!" Mom announced as she deftly cut her chopsticks in and snatched up the piece of chicken, to their collective surprise. She happily popped the protein into her mouth, seemingly oblivious to the argument that had just taken place. Seriously, Mom…did you not see what just happened?

"Hey, let me take your dishes for you." I added, confused, but glad that my mom had managed to stun the two long enough for them to forget their argument. I stood up and collected all of the bowls on the table and carted them off to the sink, glad to be away from the argument.

"H-here, let me come help." Ami said shakily, apparently having regained her composure. Not that I didn't welcome the help, since Mom usually came home far too late for me to be washing dishes, but I was also a bit afraid of Ami right now, especially considering she had just exploded in front of Taiga and Mom.

"It's fine." I reassured, assuming that she was doing it just to be polite.

Ami shook her head, "No, really. I never get to wash the dishes in my house, so it's a nice change of pace."

"Why not?" I asked, begrudgingly handing her a dirty plate to start scrubbing off.

"Well, I don't really know how to cook, so I always eat out." Ami admitted, "This was my first home cooked meal in a while."

I nodded softly, remembering that Ami had told us once that she was living alone, since her parents were still in the city. I had lived for seventeen years without a dad, but at least I had my mom to keep an eye on me, as independent as I have been notwithstanding. But to live completely alone, that was a different matter entirely. Maybe it was because I felt a tinge of sympathy, or maybe I was just feeling generous, but I couldn't stop the words that spilled out of me next.

"Well, you can come over whenever you need to." I offered. I mean, we didn't have much to go around, but we already shared with Taiga. What was one more mouth, right?

"Oh, all right." Ami replied, a hint of red dusting her cheeks.

"Say, Ami, are you feeling okay? You're a little red." I asked. Maybe she had a fever? She did look a little flustered.

"It's nothing." She blurted out quickly, intent on ending the matter, a hint that I took.

"But thanks anyways." She added as she clumsily tried to dab at the plate in her hands with a sponge. I observed her for a minute, doing my best to resist the urge to just snatch the plate out of her hands and do it myself. I could tell that she was considering the same by the frustrated growl that she vocalized as she found that she could not get rid of one stain in particular.

"Let me help." I gave in and placed a hand on Ami's, guiding it with more force than she had applied earlier, grinning as the accursed stain was removed. Cleaning always gave me such a thrill. There was just something about knowing that I had conquered the dirtiness of the world that made it so exhilarating.

I let go of her hand, hoping that she had taken the hint. As I looked up at her face, it was now completely red, and I gave her a worrying sigh, "Are you sure that you're not feeling a cold or something? You're really red right now."

"Oh, I am?" She stammered, turning her head away from me.

Jeez, do you really have to be so stubborn about everything? There's no shame in admitting that you have a cold or something.

Sometimes, I just don't understand women.


Oh Ryuuji, you don't know the half of it. And just exactly what were Ami and Taiga arguing about earlier? It seemed to get a bit too personal over a piece of chicken. Maybe they were talking about something (or someone) else?

Other than that, as usual, if you want this story to continue, please review or PM me! See you at the usual time next week!