"Guys," Ryuuji groaned, trying to get their attention. He had no idea, no idea, why he would even consider doing what he was asked by those two outside, but then he asked himself the question he never asked himself. Why the hell not? "Guys. Guys!"

"What?" Taiga asked, perking up from their video-games. They'd been paying attention to the people outside 10 seconds ago, so Ryuuji only figured that around video games, none of them had the biggest attention span.

"How do you feel about going on a night-time adventure?" Ryuuji asked, sighing a little as if trying to convince them that he personally wasn't very hyped on the whole idea. But before he could even think about saying another word, Minori shot up from where she sat.

"ADVENTUREEEE!" She roared, and Ryuuji had to cover his ears in a futile attempt at shutting out the sound. "With whom?" She asked, suddenly having calmed down, only a curios smile playing at her lips.

"Urh… Tamura-kun and Torya-chan… they're outside." Ryuuji mumbled.

"How did they know where you live?" Taiga asked, puckering her lips in question.

"Apparently, Yusaku told them."

"I see. Well, why not?" Taiga asked, cocking her head a little. If Ryuuji hadn't been convinced about going before, that smile was more than enough to change his mind. Damn, she was cute. Taiga had decided to do as Ryuuji had told her before: dress confidently. That way, no one would suspect a thing about her… bleeding.

So, she wore the same attire she had earlier that day, but with a woolen sort of vest-jacket pulled over her top, in case it got cold. They all made their way out the door, and Ryuuji was the last to exit, considering he had to lock the door too. After locking the door, he turned and started down the staircase which was now empty. But as he walked down, he saw Taiga coming back up, stopping two steps below Ryuuji.

"Hi," she smiled, and Ryuuji looked a bit confused, and he had to look down to see her eyes. He towered so high above her, yet she stood on her toes and grabbed his jacket and pulled him in for a peck on the lips. "For good luck, okay?" She winked, before making her way back down the stairs. Ryuuji cleared his throat as he rubbed at the back of his neck before following the others with a sigh.

As he rounded the corner, he saw Tamura and Torya, literally in full salute.

"HARAYOKI TAMURA AT YOUR COMMAND, SIR!"

"MAMURI TORYA, FIELD NAME YUNYUN, AT YOUR SERVICE!"

"Jeez," Ryuuji mumbled as he approached them. "Mamuri-chan, I had mistaken you for a very calm person. I see now I was wrong." He chuckled. He didn't get any answer, only tight gazes from the two of them, whilst Taiga and Minori just stood there. "Right…" Ryuuji nodded. "At ease, soldiers."

"SIR!" They both exclaimed in unison and left their saluting positions.

"May I ask why you're doing this?" Ryuuji asked, perching an eyebrow in question.

"We're trying out for our roles as your underlings, Takasu-nyan," Torya giggled. Right, he remembered. Some people would have to play several tiny roles too, after all.

"Takasu… nyan?" Taiga uttered, wrinkling her nose a little.

"Once the sun starts setting, Toryun has a tendency of showing her true colors," Tamura chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "She might get a bit fired up. Even more so than I."

"Of course I am, Tamuraaa!" Torya exclaimed. "We're on a night out with our new friends. I have all the reason in the world to be fired up, don't I?"

"Definitely," Tamura grinned, and then he rubbed his hands together and looked at the others expectantly. "Let's get going." He said, and they all started walking in the direction Tamura and Torya took them. After walking and talking about different stuff for about five minutes, Ryuuji had to ask.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"We're just going to be walking. And talking." He smiled from ear to ear. "We were planning on heading over to a party later on to say hi to some people, but that's still hours from now, so we'll have to find something else to do in the meantime."

"A party, huh," Ryuuji sighed under his breath. He had known this would be a long night. He noticed Taiga tugging at his sleeve again, and he looked down at her and she was smiling softly up at him as if trying to reassure him that it was going to be okay. As if she was saying 'getting out once in a while might not be too bad', and she interlaced her fingers with Ryuuji's and they kept walking until they reached a park.

It was 8:30 pm now. Ryuuji, Taiga, Minori and Tamura slumped down on the edge of a fountain, while Torya apparently felt a strong need to balance around it as they spoke.

"Wait, let me get this clear," Tamura started. "She decked you in the face?"

"Yup," Ryuuji said with a laugh, rolling his eyes a little. "First time I meet her, I take a fist to the face. Later that night, I think, she attacks me with a wooden sword in my own house."

"And yet somehow, you ended up together?" Torya asked as she finished her first round with balancing.

"W-Well, a lot of things have changed since then," Taiga mumbled, pouting in embarrassment.

"I can imagine." Tamura smiled.

"What about you and Mamura-chan, then?" Minori asked Tamura with an excited smile. "Do you have anyone who has stolen your ever youthful hearts? ~"

Unexpectedly, Tamura blushed profusely. "W-What? N-No… not at the moment."

"Oh, looks like Tamura's flustered," Torya breathed with a faked shocked voice.

"H-Hey, shut up!" He exclaimed, making Torya giggle to herself.

They all laughed and talked for quite some time, just trying to make the time fly. Taiga was smiling brightly all the time, and Ryuuji could see that she was enjoying herself, and as he felt her joy emanating from her, he stopped regretting his decision to come along on this night-time adventure. Seeing Taiga smile like that made it worth every single second of it.

And then he felt something cold trickle down his neck. And then a splashing sound, and he could feel what could only be explained as quite a large amount of water slapping against his back. "ARGH!" He shouted as the cold feeling intruded on his nerves and he shot up from where he sat, reeling around just in time to see Torya crouched down next to the fountain with a hand in the water. "Why did you do that?!" He exclaimed, his expression that of a furious dog.

"Oh, Ryuu-nyan's angry," Torya giggled, and then in a manner of seconds, Ryuuji was chasing her around the fountain. Torya screamed and laughed, and the laughter was also resonating between the tree others still seated by the fountain.

"Hahahaha, R-Ryuuji!" Taiga uttered, a hand on her stomach as she laughed. "Ryuuji, calm down!"

She loved this. She loved being distracted and she loved not having to care about her period and she loved her friends, old and new ones. But most of all, she loved Ryuuji, and seeing him running around the fountain in a furious rut, she loved him even more.

"I drowned once! Want to share the experience?!" She heard Ryuuji growl as he shook Torya by the collar. Torya was laughing so much she couldn't breathe, and in the end, it turned out to be infectious. Ryuuji fell to his knees, clutching at his stomach in a wild fit of laughter.

Torya, who had collapsed next to Ryuuji, was laughing even harder. Taiga hadn't seen Ryuuji laugh this much before. To some extent, she was confused. Why would he suddenly look so happy with Torya? Why wouldn't he ever look so happy with her?

"He's letting loose," Minori suddenly said beside her, a soft smile on her lips. "I can see the worry on your face, Taiga, but really… With people like Torya and Tamura, it's in their nature to make people act like that… all happy and hyped up. But you bring out the best in Ryuuji. The side that loves. In all the years I've known him, I've never said such a strong part of that side."

Taiga fidgeted nervously with her hands and looked down at her lap. "T-Thank you, Minorin," she mumbled, a tiny blush on her face. She tried to collect herself, and when she looked back up, Ryuuji was walking towards them. In the background, Torya was on her knees while Tamura dipped his finger in the fountain.

He lifted his hand and flicked water at her, repeating, "Body of Christ, body of Christ."

Taiga looked up at Ryuuji and smiled softly as she noticed his heavy breathing. He probably wasn't used to laughing so much, either. "You not too keen on joining in, I take it?" Ryuuji asked as he reached them, and Taiga stretched her arms a little.

"Hmm, I enjoy watching," she smirked, and then Minori hummed under her breath before clearing her voice.

In a voice that resembled one you'd hear on TV, she started: "Welcome, to another episode of freak-watching, with me… Kushieda Minori."

"Pfff… what?" Taiga uttered, a surprised laugh escaping her mouth.

"Today we observe the funnies. Quite peculiar, these things, as they tend to come up with rather unconventional methods for enjoying themselves. Here we see a perfect example, where the male 'funny' uses his chiseled muscles to pick up the female and dip her head into the fountain." She continued.

"Wow, he's strong," Taiga uttered with wide eyes.

"He's actually dipping her into the fountain, isn't he?" Ryuuji stuttered out.

"Toryun, why aren't you fighting back?!" Taiga exclaimed, and then they got their answer.

"FOR SCIENCE-FFLBFLB." Her voice was cut short as her head broke through the surface of the water.

…

"Come on, all you need to do is pretend you're not nervous." Minori said, patting Ryuuji's shoulder. He nodded and turned around, swallowing heavily. The water of the fountain danced around in the in the background, and it softly reflected the moon that had come out. It was 9:30 pm.

Ryuuji tried to put away all his pride, all his shame, and go all out. That was the best way to go about doing it, he figured. He could do it. That's what he told himself.

"It's getting closer, isn't it," Ryuuji mumbled, a dark undertone to his voice. He didn't even sound like himself. "It's on my doorstep, yet it feels… distant." He said, looking at his hand with an expression of wonder on his face. "Marozeth. How much longer?"

"My Lord, Project was Argarot initiated three hours ago. At this rate, the main part can be carried out in only a week." Tamura said, having taken on the role of Marozeth.

"Jimarai, my brother," Ryuuji, now Karthamar, whispered up towards the skies (which later, on camera, would be a dark ceiling), "The hour of vengeance is upon us. Soon our tainted souls will be free, and you can move on into the afterlife. Being stuck her like this is no fitting fate for you, dear brother." He said, a soft grin on his face, yet a sadness was in his eyes.

"Victory will soon be yours, My Lord," Torya said from behind him, a feeble and nervous tone to her voice.

"Nirama," Karthamar spoke, turning to her with a humble gaze. "It is not going to be my victory. It will be ours," he said to her, cupping her chin between his thumb and index finger. "You must not forget that this is not only about me."

"Thank you, My Lord," she spoke, her eyes cast upon the ground beneath them.

"My friends," Karthamar smiled softly, his eyes flickering back and forth between the two of them. "How far we have come. I could have done none of it without you by my side." He took a deep breath, and then Ryuuji said. "OkayhowdidIdo," in one quick exhale.

"Awesome!" Minori exclaimed, and Taiga squealed a little.

"You did great," Tamura beamed, and Ryuuji smiled a little back at him.

"You too, both of you. I felt quite challenged. I'm not exactly used to acting." He chuckled.

"Judging from that, I'd say you're pretty damn good," Torya laughed.

"I'm hungry," Tamura suddenly said. "Let's find some hot-dog stand or something like that. Anything that's still open."

"I am totally for that idea," Minori grinned, and they all agreed to find somewhere to eat.

"You guys go on ahead," Taiga said, tugging at Ryuuji's sleeve. "I just have to ask Ryuuji something."

"Alright," Tamura nodded, giving them a thumb up. Taiga noticed that Minori eyed her, almost suspiciously. She probably thought it was about that conversation they had earlier. Taiga shook her head softly, and almost reluctantly, Minori joined Torya and Tamura in walking towards the exit of the park.

Taiga and Ryuuji stood there for a while, just looking at the others' backs as they walked, and then Taiga turned to Ryuuji.

"You… you shouldn't do that, you know… I'll get angry." She mumbled, her fingers playing nervously with the hem of Ryuuji's shirt.

"W-What? If you mean that I touched her face, I'm sorry, I was just playing the role," he said, sounding a bit worried as he looked down at her. Was she jealous? That wouldn't make any sense, Ryuuji thought.

"Not that," she mumbled, her eyes on the ground. "Don't get me wrong, Ryuuji, I love the normal you," she said, her head still turned down so Ryuuji could only see the top of her hair. "But when you do that… when you play that character, and you're so dark and brooding… I… something must be wrong with me."

"Taiga, just tell me what's wrong," Ryuuji said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"When you're so dark and brooding," she repeated, and then she looked up and Ryuuji could see that her eyes were glossy and her cheeks were read, and her breath was damp and heavy. "My heart starts racing like crazy."

"T-Taiga," Ryuuji stuttered, his eyes wide. He knew why she reacted so strongly – she was on her period, after all.

Taiga's hands clutched at Ryuuji's shirt, and Ryuuji could notice that she was lifting herself up on her toes. Ryuuji cast a look forwards to make sure the others were far ahead before he bent down to let Taiga wrap her arms around his neck. His arms started sliding beneath her thighs and he hoisted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist.

"Ryuuji," she breathed with an open mouth, and their lips met in a warm kiss, though Ryuuji was surprised at how quickly Taiga pushed her tongue inside his mouth. She whimpered in a high pitch, and it was as if she was trying to push her hips even more against Ryuuji's waist.

Ryuuij's hands were placed under Taiga's thighs in order to keep her up, and she could feel the heat from his fingers through the fabric of her white stockings, and it tingled on her skin and sent a shock of sudden pleasure through her body. She moaned and whimpered into the kiss, their tongues coiling together inside their mouths. Ryuuji broke the kiss eventually, his cheeks red and warm, as were Taiga's.

"Maybe we should… should catch up with the others," Ryuuji breathed. Taiga frowned a little, nodded, and then kissed Ryuuji once more before unhooking her legs from his waist, slowly lowering herself down.

"L-Let's go then, stupid dog," she mumbled shyly, a little pout on her lips as they started walking. Taiga tugged at Ryuuji's sleeve, and with a little sigh, he grabbed her hand in his and held it as they walked. After a little while, they caught up with the others. No one asked what they had been doing, which they were both happy or, and they found an open noodle bar where they sat down and had something to eat.

After all this, the night had still barely just begun.