Chapter 4: Paths to Take

After Kitamura left for America, the rest of us decided to spend the rest of the day together. It was nice to see everyone together again, even if it was just for the afternoon. At one point we had gone to the market, seeing that someone was selling suama*, so we decided to treat ourselves as we walked along the town. As we walked, I came across the shop I was looking for.

"You guys go on ahead" I called to them as they were about to turn the corner, "I'll catch up, there is something I need to do."...

"There you are! Where did you disappear to?" asked Taiga as she spotted me approaching. She ran up and threw her arms around my waist and nuzzled my chest, propping back up onto my feet so I could walk her back to where Kushieda was sitting on a nearby bench. Ami was nowhere to be found so I had guessed she decided to leave. How long was I in that shop?

"Sorry, had something I needed to take care of real quick." I said with a chuckle as Taiga got off and sat back down with Kushieda. We chatted for a little while before Kushieda decided to head out, having to go to her job at the ramen shop, leaving Taiga and me alone.

As she left, Taiga jumped up and tugged my arm. "Come on! I wanna show you something!" she said, pulling me to my feet. For such a small girl, she was pretty damn strong. I was led blindly through the streets with Taiga, who was apparently on a mission to show me whatever it was she found.

"Taiga? Where are we-"

"Shut up and walk! You'll see when we get there!" she said with impatient excitement. Eventually, she stopped me and told me to cover my eyes. I had no idea what she was doing, but I had to admit my interest was rising by the second. She led me another ten or so paces forward then stopped. "Ready? Open them!"

I opened my eyes to see that she had brought me to one of the town's apartment complexes. Looking at her, she pointed happily to a sign that read:

'Rooms available for rent, new tenants pay 55,000¥ a month for 1 bedroom layout'**

"Minorin and I came across these while we were waiting on you. They were pretty good on price so I thought… maybe we could take a look at them?" she asked, her arms held behind her back as she looked at the ground, pressing her foot into the sidewalk. I smiled as she said this, I mean, how could I say no to her doing something so cute?

We had spent the rest of the afternoon looking at the apartments. They weren't too bad either, granted nothing like the old apartment that Taiga lived in prior, but they were at least livable, not to mention affordable. However, the new tenant deal only lasted until the end of summer, so if we wanted to get one, we would have to save as much money as we can quickly. With my savings on top of how much Taiga still had saved, we could be able to sign for one by the end of this month. Of course, I needed to put in the cost for Taiga's… gift that I got for her.

We went back home as the sun finally set, I went to work on dinner and Taiga went to change out of her dress. Yasuko was gone for work already so we had the house to ourselves, which I was happy with. I used the last of the cutlets to make some tonkatsu, and as those were frying, I prepared the rice to go with it. While that was going on, I didn't notice the small footsteps coming behind me until I felt her arms wrap around me. With a small smile I turned around to see Taiga look up at me, her chin now resting on my chest, her eyes sending an unspoken message. She was wearing a tank top as well as a pair of rather inviting shorts. All in all, she was just begging me for my attention, which I was happy to give her.

"As much as I love spending time with all our friends" I said as I lifted her up, looping my arms under her so she could 'sit' that way, "I was very much looking forward to our time alone."

Taiga let out a small giggle that was mixed with a sigh as she wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned in for a kiss. I accepted it with no questions, tightening my grip on her as she pressed her body harder against me, making sure there was no space in between us. She raked her hand through my hair again as our kisses became more intense, our tongues once more intertwined. Holding her up with one of my arms, my other travelled up her side, exploring her body. I didn't travel anywhere too invasive, not wanting her to be uncomfortable, even if she didn't seem to mind. I could hear her moaning again as we kissed, happily letting me know she was enjoying the affection. I could feel her legs slowly begin to wrap around me, locking themselves around my waist in her attempt to keep her body pressed against my own. I broke our kiss and began to kiss down the side of her neck, Taiga tilting her head to give me easier access as she breathed deeply in excitement. Her breath tickled my ear as she pressed her lips to the side of my head, feeling her soft lips as they travelled across this new territory.

"Ryuuji" she breathed as I continued kissing her soft skin. "Ryuuji…" she said again, "The rice is burning."

…What?... Immediately my head shot up to see the pot of rice boiling over, sizzling as it hit the stove, spitting up steam as it did.

"Crap crap crap!" I said as Taiga let out a laugh and hopped off from her perch, covering her mouth as she tried her best to hold back her giggling. I got the pot away from the stove, luckily I managed to save it in time, breathing a sigh of relief as I strained it and placed it in its warmer. I gathered up the plates and brought them to the kotatsu, followed by the tonkatsu and the rice. Taiga looked at the food with increasing anticipation, and as I sat myself down, she scooted herself over to me and reached for the meat instantly. I gave her a helping of the rice and she immediately went to feasting.

"Mmf! Ift delisus asf alwef!" she said through a stuffed mouth, swallowing and stuffing her mouth once again. I chuckled and at my own plate of food. It was a mystery where all that food went, the girl must've had the metabolism of a goddess. We continued eating side by side, then when dinner was done, Taiga helped me, yeah can you believe it? Helped me with the dishes. Once we were finished, she walked over to the television where she stretched out across the floor and turned it on, browsing the channels.

I laid down next to her and she rolled over so her back was pressed against me, my arm wrapped around her waist. We stayed in this silence for a short while before she let out a small sigh.

"Is something wrong?" I asked her, having her turn around to look at me.

She looked down a little while before looking up at me before replying, "Since the entire year that I have been gone, I've heard no word about my dad. It isn't that I really care, and him disappearing isn't anything out of the ordinary… but the fact he disappeared after his company went bankrupt, it's like he just… vanished. I guess I just wonder what happened to him."

I looked at her with concern in her eyes. Did she really want to know what happened to that asshole? After everything he had done to her, leaving her after getting her hopes up about having a father in her life… twice? "I… I don't know Taiga… I'm not sure what happened. Maybe we'll find out one day."

Her reaction was less than desirable, as she curled up into herself a little more, not saying a word. I guess in a way, sometimes I wondered the same thing about my dad. Leaving before I was even born. As much as I hate him… I still find myself wondering where he might be. I didn't let myself dwell on this, however. Instead, I wrapped my arm around Taiga and pulled her in, kissing her forehead. She looked up at me with those sad eyes, and I looked at her with a strong gaze. Gently wiping a strand of hair away from her face, I leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips and said, "Some things we just can't answer, as much as we would want to. As upset as it would make us, we may never get the answers we want. But I will tell you this, as long as you are here with me, I will do everything within my own power to take away any tears, and to make you smile. I don't care about the things I don't know, because I don't need those answers. Everything I need is right here with me, and I will make it my mission, to keep it the way it is."

She sighed again and smiled at me, snaking an arm around my neck so she could pull me down for another kiss. "You are the sappiest man I know, Ryuuji. And I love you for it."

I smiled back, and soon enough we were cuddled close to one another, watching the television until before we knew it, we were both asleep.

*Suama is a rice flour snack mixed with sugar and red dye, meant to represent the Japanese flag, but really just comes out a pinkish color on the outside.

**55,000 yen, while seeming like a large amount, only equals approximately 476 US dollars! To have that as a monthly rent rate, hell im moving to japan!

Yeah, a bit of a shorter filler chapter. TO be completely honest I wasnt too proud of this chapter. Sure it went on to give a little anticipation as to what Ryuuji was doing, and a little on the fathers, not to mention the fluff, but I dont know. Let me know what you guys think about it! Hope it wasnt too bad! Dont fret, because I plan to start a little drama here soon. not necessarily between the couple, but just some new hardships they will have to face together. Until next time!