Toradora: The Next Step

Chapter 10: A Separate Route

It has been several weeks since Minori got her closure from her undeniable love for Ryuuji. While jealous, she had managed to accept the reality that has inevitably occurred as an act of fate. And, since fate was flowing in the natural course, the tiger was still in a coma.

Everyday without fail, the dragon would sit with and pray for the tigers recovery. He would talk to her for what seemed like forever each time he perched at the side of the hospital bed. Little did he know that every word, every breathe and every feeling was captured by the fragile ears of the tiger and they touched her heart, leaving them engraved. If she had the freedom to smile, she would do so and never stop.

Ryuuji had decided that he would get a job to try to forget some of the unbearable pain, even if it was only a small percent of that pain. He would work on weekdays all day as a cook in a restaurant to the evenings. After work was when he would take a small stroll to where the hospital was to check up on Taiga.

There was one occasion that his destination from work took a separate route. Instead of going in the hospital, he just continued his path past it. Not even he knew his reasoning for this change of plan; but he's has a feeling that it was probably to do with the depression that has started to chew away at his daily life. No matter how hard he tries to be optimistic, it never helps for he knows that just believing isn't going to change reality. While he took uneven steps past the hospital and down the street, he started to think to himself.

Hey God, if you exist, please just answer me. Why did it have to be Taiga? What did she do to deserve such a cruel fate? It's practically my fault that she is going to die! ... Well, I know no one actually said that she is destined to leave this world. But at the rate it's going, isn't it going to happen? If she was to leave this world in the near future, I'd want to do something for her. Something so precious that she'll take it all the way to any afterlife she may have. A memory that she can't forget. A memory that shows how much I love her...

He picked up the pace while walking and lifted his gaze from the damp floor to the reflection to his left through a shop window. As if a lightning strike had just struck, he came to halt and stared deeply into the eyes of his own pitiful self. He looked behind the eyes into the dark reaches of his mind which was overcome with sadness. As if it was a whole new universe filled with nothing but depression, he looked on in despair. Suddenly a flash of light even further than this universe caught his eye. It was like the ring of Saturn but was a beautiful silver. There was a carefully carved jewel which was certain to be a diamond attached to one side of the ring. Light reflected off of every inch of it as if it attracted the all things bright to display its beauty.

An engagement ring? Would Taiga want something like that?

He thought to himself again. He battled against his inner self whether he should work up the courage to propose to Taiga or continue as he has been going. He came to a regrettable conclusion.

If she doesn't even wake up, what's the point of proposing to her?

And with this, he continued to walk with a frown.

This is the right decision... I can show my love for her just by being by her side until the last moments. That's enough. Or is it?

After he asked this to himself, he stopped in his tracks and turned his neck slightly so that he could see the shop in the corner of his eye. There was a faint smirk and a silent sigh followed by his body going in the opposite direction. He approached the door and lifted his right hand ready to push it. It took only a couple long seconds before his hand finally made contact with the door. With enough pressure, the door opened up wide.

Awake or not, she won't forget this.