Wouldn't It Be Nice (A Toradora Soulmate AU)

8: Turn Around, Look At Me

The school buzzes with colorful scenes and the chatter of a happy crowd. Classes take turns walking around the school with their friends, either talking about how well their presentation went or checking the time every ten seconds to see how far away it is from their show. Ryuuji's class is sitting on the wrestling stage, dripping sweat because they had been standing under the heavy lights for the past hour performing. It sure was worth it though; everyone loved the act.

Since Ryuuji had helped build the stage, he could have sat in the audience and helped with the staged interjections. The cast needed an extra person to help with props though, so he volunteered. I want nothing more than to find an air conditioned room right now.

He peruses around the hallway, maneuvering around the crowds and feeling for some cold air. "I so wish you were doing this with me, Minori." A familiar whine crosses Ryuuji's path and he goes towards it. Taiga and Minorin are sitting on the floor in a vacant classroom, talking. It's not as cold as Ryuuji would like, but definitely an upgrade from the hallway.

"Hey guys. Are you excited for the contest? When do you have to go get ready? We could go walk around for a little bit if you have time." Minori checks the time on her phone.

"Oh, wow, we should actually get going. I have to make sure the spotlight is all set up, and I'm sure it's time for you to get ready?" Taiga checks the time herself, gasps, and rushes off without a goodbye. Minori follows after, giving a friendly salute before excusing herself.

Ryuuji is glad that Taiga is so excited for the contest, although he isn't sure whether it's more because her father is going to show up or because Yuusaku will. Either way, she's going to do wonderful. He walks around the school to pass the minutes, mindlessly letting his eyes catch on flashy signs and plushies that other classes are selling. One booth being run by a few older girls features small keychains with knit animals on them. He goes up to the booth, checking out a cute tiger, which he ends up buying. He smiles and puts it into his pocket, deciding to head backstage where the girls would be getting ready.

Ryuuji gets to the door and knocks, not wanting to just barge in. They should all have their dresses on by now, as it's only a few minutes to the show start, but it's good to play it safe when humiliation is on the line. The door opens a crack, and a sliver of Sumire's face can be seen. "The show hasn't started yet. What do you want." Her harsh tone nearly scares Ryuuji off.

"Oh... I was just coming to give some last minute encouragement to my friend.. could I please talk to Taiga, if she's ready?" The president's eye narrows.

"One moment." She shuts the door, leaving Ryuuji awkwardly staring at his shoes. After a bit of muffled yelling from inside, it opens again. "She isn't ready. Do you know how to do hair?" It's said sarcastically, but he ignores it. And this is how Ryuuji ends up with a straightening iron in Taiga's hair.

"What are you doing in here?" She says. "This is supposed to be a no-mongrel zone."

He laughs rather loudly, but their surroundings are so chaotic that nobody notices anyway. "I heard the hairdresser is behind, and Sumire let me in, so I don't think I'm breaking any rules. More importantly, what are you doing?" As they talk, Taiga locks and unlocks her phone every few seconds. When she does unlock it, it opens to messages. There are quite a few on the screen, and they're all sent from her.

She sighs. "Oh, I'm talking to my dad. Or, I guess I'm talking and he's... listening." Ryuuji asks if he still plans on coming, and is met with a shrug. "I dunno. I won't be surprised if he doesn't."

"Well... maybe he's just driving here right now, and that's why he's not responding." Taiga moves her head to look at Ryuuji, and he quickly rushes out a hand to stop her. "You have to stay still! I really don't want to burn you." She faces forward again and he stops for a moment to rest his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be okay. He'll be here."

Ryuuji finishes straightening her hair, and spins her chair around so that she faces him. He smiles at her. "You have a serious shot at winning, Taiga." There's a few seconds pause while Taiga figures out how to respond and Ryuuji agonizes over whether he meant to compliment his work on her hair or how pretty she looks. She eventually decides on thanking him for straightening her hair. "Oh yeah! I forgot, I got something for you." He pulls Taiga's school bag over to him and pulls the keychain out of his pocket. Before attaching it, Ryuuji displays it to her in his palm.

He's nervous for a second that she's mad he put it on her backpack (she's kind of territorial about her things), but she laughs and it makes it worth the embarrassment of giving a gift. Then on top of that, she gives him a quick hug, pressing her head on his chest for a moment before pushing him away with a "get out of here."

Ryuuji makes his way to the auditorium, picking a seat near the front. The lights are off for the start of the show, but there's a warm glow emanating from the sound booth where Minori is standing next to the follow spot. He waves, and she waves back probably not realizing it's him because the auditorium is getting full now.

The curtains draw close and the sound booth lights turn off, plunging the whole room into near darkness. Everyone's attention is drawn to the front when the stage lights turn on. Ryuuji turns around and scopes the room for Taiga's father, using the stage lighting to see the crowd's faces lit up. By the time the curtains are pulled open, he still hasn't found him. Sumire's voice booms a "Welcome, everyone, to the Beauty Contest! We have eleven lovely ladies all dressed up tonight, with the hope of being crowned Miss Ohashi High until the end of the year..."

Her opening speech continues, but Ryuuji zones out. How can he not show up? He came back into her life and he's not even trying. Taiga was right about him, he really didn't change. Ryuuji's eyebrows pinch together and he stares in front of him, thinking about how disappointed she'll be in a few minutes when she realizes. He's pulled out of his lamenting by a loud spurt of claps followed by Sumire shouting "Please remain in control of yourselves until all the girls have been presented!"

The girl that was clapped for was Ami, who had gone with a dress with a high-cut bottom and a low-cut top. This theme seems to be followed by the rest of the girls as well, at least until Sumire announces Taiga and she steps into the spotlight.

There's a soft gasp from many of the people surrounding Ryuuji. He hadn't seen her dress in full, as she was sitting down the whole time he was backstage. It's a long, white gown that goes all the way down to her ankles. There's a light pink bow in the front at the top, with a small ruffle underneath. Taiga's innocence radiates off of her, and the way the light falls on her head gives her a halo. Most of the students had previously only known her as tough, and seeing her this way is definitely a shock. Ryuuji finds himself taking a breath in awe before she steps back and allows the next girl to go.

When the girls are all finished, Sumire explains the voting system, where she will go to each girl, and the one with the most clapping wins. Ami starts off with a pretty strong lead, having the loudest response until the very end. Sumire motions towards Taiga, and the audience erupts. There's clapping, but also some Woooo's thrown in, half of which are from Ryuuji alone.

Sumire finishes going through the line and steps to the center with the crown in her hand. "I think we have a clear winner. Aisaka Taiga!" She yells, and Taiga steps up to join her. Without the follow spot in her face, she has the chance to look out into the crowd as Sumire rests the crown on her head. Her eyes scan over every cheering face, hoping for the one person who isn't there celebrating.