Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far. As of right now, we are the seventh most reviewed story in the Toradora category, so I want to thank you guys for helping to promote my story and the Ami x Ryuuji pairing with your reviews.

Also, I would like to apologize to anyone else who was offended by my treatment of Taiga in the last chapter. I already apologized to Adept 94 specifically, but if anyone else felt similarly, then I do want to sincerely offer my apologies because it wasn't my intention to do that at all.

Other than that, please enjoy the continuation to Grind, and the start of the third and possibly final arc!

Chapter 6

Ami waved to the studio audience, relishing the applause that they lavished upon her as she graciously shook the host's hand and reclined back into a seat facing the host's desk. As she saw several signs in the audience that voiced their support for her, she smiled naturally, finding that her dreams of fame and acting in America had finally been realized.

As the roomful of people chanted her name, it finally sunk in that she had made it. She gently swept back a strand of hair over her ear, a flustered expression on her face. Although she was not one to be nervous onstage, the sheer joy of the moment had completely overwhelmed her, and she found that she was acting completely naturally, able to truly smile in front of the camera, not like the fake one she normally put on when she was acting.

There was nothing on her mind but the urging that Ryuuji had given her earlier to just enjoy the moment while it lasted. He had been right. It wasn't everyday that one got the chance to be interviewed for the world to see. This was her moment, and she was going to enjoy it to its fullest.

"So, your movie is releasing to all theaters next week, and your performance has drawn specific praise during the pre-screenings. Is there anyone you would want to credit to your success?" The host asked, reading off of some cue cards that the teleprompter had put up next to the camera.

"Of course. The director and all of the other actors were just so supportive on set. I came in and was instantly accepted as a part of the cast, which eased my transition from Japan." Ami replied, running through her pre-rehearsed answers that she and Jerry had run through once more before she had come onstage, the words firmly ingrained in her mind as she repeated what she had memorized earlier.

"So Ami, all of our viewers at home want to know. Is there someone in your life?"

Ami froze as she heard the question leave the host's lips, suddenly feeling very exposed and vulnerable, as she became aware of the stares from the audience. They were all looking to her, expectantly waiting for the answer that she was to deliver.

This definitely wasn't a question that they had originally agreed on, and the smirk on the host's face indicated that he had thought of the question himself, and was apparently feeling good about himself for having thought of such a clever question.

For the first time in her life, Ami found herself nervous in front of the camera, something that would never have happened in a million years, if not for Ryuuji. He was really changing her, even if he wasn't aware of the subtle differences in her that had come about as a result of his actions. It was all his fault that she was so flustered in this moment and sweating bullets.

"Y-yes, there is." Ami stuttered, feeling the looks from the audience intensify as they heard her confession.

"Well then, can you tell us who the lucky man is?"

Ryuuji's eyes widened as he heard the question that Ami was suddenly asked, glancing quickly at Jerry, who had a similar look of surprise engraved on his face. The two were currently sitting side by side and watching Ami's interview onscreen, and they both knew that something was wrong immediately from the way that Ami suddenly looked shaken.

"That wasn't scripted, was it?" Ryuuji asked nervously, receiving a morbid nod in reply.

"Not at all." Jerry snarled, fingers itching to flip out his phone and scream at the producers of the show for treating his client the way that they had. However, he was currently far too engrossed in Ami's answer to be doing anything else in the moment but to watch the situation unfold with a look of worry plastered on his face.

"Is something wrong with Mommy?" Otohime asked, also watching with the two men, all three watching in Ami's personal dressing room on set.

"No, she'll be fine." Ryuuji reassured, although he was not at all sure of his own answer. However, he knew that there was no reason for him to worry Otohime for no reason.

"His name is Takasu Ryuuji. He owns a coffee shop." Ami replied carefully, a nervous air settling over her as she did so.

"Wow! You heard it here first. Ami Kawashima is in a relationship with a completely unknown suitor, who just so happens to own a coffee shop!" The host exclaimed, eyes sparkling with pride at the fact that he had been the first to get such a scoop.

"Yeah." Ami muttered, eyes glancing down at her lap, eager for the interview to end already, a feeling shared by all those present in the room.

"All right, what the hell was that?" Jerry screamed at the producer, a small man with gray hair and a sharp face that recoiled in fear as the larger agent was set upon him.

"I'm sorry, he just adlibbed the whole thing. We didn't have any control over what he said." The man replied apologetically, eager to escape the situation.

"It's all right." Ami interrupted softly, awkwardly running a hand through her hair as Ryuuji placed a reassuring arm around her back. They knew that the man was trying his best to help, but in this situation, there really wasn't much to be done about what had already happened.

"Yeah, but..." Jerry began, his anger not at all satiated yet.

"We were going to have to tell everyone anyways at some point. It may as well have gotten out now." Ami sighed, unable to really stay angry after the stressful situation she had just been placed in.

"All right. But you'll be hearing from me again." Jerry promised to the producer, who gulped nervously as the agent stomped away, dragging Ami along with him while Ryuuji followed behind, hand clasped with Otohime's.

Ryuuji scratched the back of his head as he observed Ami for a moment. He had the door opened just a crack, only allowing him a sliver of sight inside, but what he saw was enough to make him move immediately in response. She was sitting on the edge of their bed, head hung low and eyes staring blankly at the ground. Still dressed in her simple red dress that she had worn to the interview, it was clear that Ami had been there for quite some time.

With little hesitation, Ryuuji eased the door open, causing Ami's vision to quickly flicker to him and he could see the tiniest hint of life return to her for a second before it disappeared once more.

"I put Otohime to bed already." Ryuuji whispered softly to Ami, who nodded slightly in understanding, resolving to stay quiet so that they would not disturb the sleeping girl.

"Are you okay?" Ryuuji asked after a moment of silence had transpired between them.

Ami nodded dryly, "I just talked to my parents on the phone."

"And?" Ryuuji asked, sitting down next to Ami, who instinctively rested her head on his supportive shoulder.

"They want to meet you. To see if you're 'worthy' of me." Ami replied, scoffing at the words.

"Well, that's not so bad, right?" Ryuuji remarked, not understanding exactly why Ami seemed so upset.

"You don't understand. My parents have always wanted me to be the best that I could be, and I know that they're not exactly happy with my choice for a partner." Ami shook her head in disgust.

It wasn't fair that, for all that she had struggled through, after years of yearning and disappointment, it would all come down to her own family that would present the largest obstacle.

"It's fine. I'll make sure to blow them away." Ryuuji reassured, hugging Ami tightly.

Ami wanted to open her mouth in protest, but found that as Ryuuji wrapped his large and powerful arms around her, she was instantly comforted by the knowledge that his word was good. It seemed to her, that if he could just keep her in his arms, then everything would be all right, because they would still be together.

Although she knew that the moment was ephemeral, and that she would be forced to return to reality soon enough, all she wanted in that small moment was to stay in his embrace, and smell his oddly endearing scent of coffee and cologne, combined together in a wondrous smell that was euphoric to the senses, and run her delicate hands up and down his large and muscular body that had grown so much in the right places since high school.

And most of all, she wanted to hear his soothing voice whisper into her ear, and tell her that everything was going to be all right, even if she was uncertain about the truth behind those words. Just the fact that Ryuuji said them made her want to believe, despite her own misgivings, because he was the one thing she could rely on.

Her whole life, she had kept a cool distance from everyone, including her own parents. The only person who ever saw under the masks and lies, to find the true horrible person underneath was Ryuuji. Before, she had never shown her true self, because she had been scared of the consequences. That people would recoil and run away from her in terror, and leave her all alone, just as she had been when she was a child. And so, she had carefully built up walls to project a cleaner, more likable image. All she really wanted was affection, and it was instantly lavished upon her once her true self was stifled.

And yet, once Ryuuji had learned the truth about her personality, he had never once said anything disparaging about it. Maybe it was because they were similar. They were both scared of rejection, and so, he understood her more than anyone else ever had. His face and her personality, they were both burdens that weighed heavily on them. So when Ryuuji had actually listened to her, and shouldered a part of her burden, she had made the first real connection.

And from there, he had slowly changed her from the inside out, so that she was no longer ashamed of her true self and was able to reveal it, at least to certain people. It turned out that, by making the connection, he had somehow coerced her into falling in love with him. He was still the first and only one who truly understood her, and so, when he told her that he was going to figure things out, she had no choice but to believe him, because he was the only one who had believed in her. It wouldn't be fair if she didn't give him the confidence that he gave her.

"I believe you." Ami replied softly, nestling herself ever deeper into his chest, rubbing up against the thin material of his shirt and staining it with soft tears that began to flow from her face.

"Why are you crying?" Ryuuji asked, alarmed by the moisture currently seeping onto his chest.

"I'm just happy that I'm with you. I don't want it to end." Ami replied, secretly glad that he had been so worried about her.

"It won't." Ryuuji said seriously, no hint of doubt in his voice.

"Promise?" Ami asked, in a move that she knew was weak and submissive. However, she just needed to hear his reassurance, at least once more.

Ryuuji nodded, "Promise."

The two sat there for what seemed like an eternity, just holding each other tightly and whispering softly to each other, a confidence restored within them. There was just something about being in the other's presence that made them feel as if they could do anything with the other's support, which was unequivocal and unwavering.

There was no doubt in their minds that they would succeed. They had fought too hard and survived too much together not to. Nothing was going to stand in their way, for they would not compromise for anyone. They deserved to live out their lives how they pleased, and they were going to prove that.

"The flight at Gate 25, Terminal 2 will be departing in twenty minutes. All passengers for this flight please report within the next twenty minutes." A smooth female voice read on the intercom.

"Is that our flight, Daddy?" Otohime asked Ryuuji, who shook his head no.

"No, our flight isn't for another hour." He replied as he rolled a large suitcase along behind him, which held all of his and some of Ami's clothes.

"All right." Otohime said, accepting the answer as she rolled her own small suitcase along, more interested in the sights around her anyways.

They were currently inside of Los Angeles International Airport, which was bustling at the moment. All around them, crowds of people with all sorts of different appearances and voices milled around, looking for their terminals.

At the moment, they were in the process of checking in their bags, which took far longer than Ryuuji had expected it to, with a large line in front of them. Thankfully, it hadn't done much to bother Otohime, who was just fascinated to be in an airport, as it was the first time for her.

Actually, scratch that. Her first time had actually come six years ago when Ryuuji had originally left Japan because of… He shook his head, not wanting to be plagued with thoughts about Taiga and such, not when he had more important things to focus on, like how he was going to introduce himself to Ami's parents.

"You're thinking about them again, aren't you?" Ami sighed from beside him, dressed in an inconspicuous black jacket and jeans, with large sunglasses obscuring her eyes. She didn't want to be bothered by anyone as long as she could help it, and her appearance was certainly doing the trick.

"Yeah. I just can't help but to get at least a little nervous." Ryuuji laughed weakly, the extent of his anxiety being made evident.

"Don't worry. Like you said, we can do this." Ami reassured, gripping Ryuuji's arm tightly and giving him a comforting squeeze.

"Yeah." Ryuuji replied, some confidence restored in him.

"Next!" The worker, a young women dressed in a stewardess uniform, shouted at Ryuuji, who quickly rolled his suitcase over.

"We'll be checking in three bags." He informed the woman, who nodded and prepared three tags as Ryuuji loaded them onto the measuring tray.

"All right, just let me print out these tickets." The woman muttered, tapping some keys on her computer and being rewarded by the sound of paper being printed. Three fresh boarding passes were spit out by the printer, and the woman glanced at them slightly for a second.

"Here you go, Mr. Takasu." The woman said, handing him the tickets, which he accepted gratefully.

"You know, I can't help but to feel like I've heard that name before somewhere." The woman whispered to herself before a look of epiphany came over her face.

"Wait a second, you're the man who is dating Ami Kawashima, aren't you?" The woman asked excitedly.

"Oh, well…" Ryuuji stammered, completely caught off guard by her comment.

"Weird. I always imagined that Ami's boyfriend would be...different." The woman remarked.

"Right." Ryuuji said impatiently, eager to leave her.

"So, how did it feel to hear that you weren't good enough for me?" Ami teased Ryuuji, who shook his head. They had already finished with all of the security checks, and now were only passing time before their flight by walking around the terminal.

"Now, she didn't exactly say that. All she said was that I was different from what she had expected." Ryuuji retorted, doing his best to save face in the situation.

"Translation: I thought that Ami was going to be dating a total stud." Ami cooed, causing Ryuuji to shake his head in disbelief.

"That really hurts me, you know." He cried out, holding a hand over his chest in mock pain.

"But I still love you." Ami assured, leading to Ryuuji giving an exaggerated sigh of relief.

"That makes me feel so much better. You've saved me with your kind words." He said gratefully, almost as if he were talking to a queen.

"Of course. It's the least I could do for my faithful subject." Ami replied, playing along with the act.

It felt good to make light of the situation for the time being. After all, there wasn't really much to be accomplished by worrying over one woman's words.

"Mommy, Daddy, are you okay?" Otohime asked, interrupting the two, who suddenly realized exactly how ridiculous they sounded.

"Yeah, of course!" Ami said immediately, hoping to alleviate the worry that had come over Otohime's face, as the girl was clearly concerned by the way that her parents were acting.

"If you say so." Otohime replied, not entirely convinced.

At that, Ryuuji couldn't help the laughter that came to him, rocking his entire body with light chuckles that quickly to spread to Ami as well.

"This is your fault. Now my daughter thinks I'm weird." Ryuuji managed in between his bouts of laughter.

"You didn't need any help. You sealed your fate when you wiped down the monitor for airport security and almost got yourself arrested." Ami replied, plagued by laughter of her own.

"It was dirty, all right?" Ryuuji retorted, to which Ami only laughed louder, drawing stares by now.

"You're such a clean freak sometimes." Ami said, while shaking her head, slowly regaining herself, tears in her eyes from how hard she had laughed earlier.

"I can't help it. It's just how I am." Ryuuji shrugged his shoulders, having calmed down significantly as well.

"Well, I think that my parents will have no choice but to accept you for who you are." Ami said with a smile on her face.

"Maybe I can wipe down your dad's car?" Ryuuji offered, causing Ami to shake her head and punch his shoulder lightly.

"Then I guess we've got our game plan." She joked.

"Yeah, I suppose so." Ryuuji mused, gently grasping Ami's hand.

"Don't worry. They'll listen." He reassured.

Ami nodded, completely confident in Ryuuji's words.

"They'll have to."

As far as updating goes, I'll aim to provide a more substantial update in the neighborhood of 5,000-7,000 words in the next chapter, when Ryuuji comes face to face with Ami's parents. However, I have a pretty hectic schedule already, so it might take me up to two weeks to update.

Also, I have a question, specifically for anyone who read the light novels, but if anyone could answer it, I would appreciate it. Have we seen Ami's parents before? I haven't watched Toradora for a long time, and I can't remember for the life of me. So, if you know the answer, please leave it in a review or a PM. I would really like the help so that I can write the next chapter with that in mind.

Other than that, please leave any or all thoughts, either in the form of a PM or a review. Thanks for reading so far!