ToraDora is such a tiny fandom here on this site and I absolutely love that. It's nice to feel like I can enter a fandom here without fear of it being corrupted by unreasonable fans. And besides, smaller fandoms are more fun.

First up, I know a lot of fans wanted a little more after the ending, so I'd like to imagine there was a bit more to the story when Taiga sat in that classroom before Ryuuji arrived… Maybe my vision is more fun? Enjoy.

Blindly

The cicadas were noisy this season - buzzing incessantly and adding static to the hammering of her heart in her ears. The sound of her breathing sounding like a rude wheeze in her mind, Taiga internally cursing herself with every inhale. In an attempt to steady her thoughts, the small girl chipped her nails into the windowsill she was perched upon.

Idiot. You've been planning this for months. Don't chicken out now.

She'd always imagined that she would be fully prepared for this moment. After everything she'd been through within the past year or so, the young girl had done a decent job convincing herself that she was ready for anything. After all, she'd mustered up a lot of courage to return to where she did, leaving the only glimmer of hope she had behind to reconcile with the parents she had trained herself to hate.

That handful of days were the best and worst days of her life.

It was harder than she thought. After finally arriving at her mother's, it wasn't until several days that it hit her, and Taiga had done nothing but cry to sleep. A few days after, she bucked up, receiving another text message from Ryuuji a week after her class had sent her that picture.

His reply was simple and it was all she needed. Just like always.

I'll be here. And I'll tell you when you come back.

It kept her going. She returned with her mother for a reason and she would see it through, cherishing the bit of strength being granted to her from all the people she loved. It was probably the longest and fastest year she had ever experienced. Before she knew it, she had ended up here again - sitting by the window in 2-C, her legs covered in the sharp blue pleats from another high school miles away. While her uniform made her feel as if she were invading a place she didn't belong, there was still that warm nostalgic feeling in the room- as if the past year had been a dream, and she had never left.

The floors smelled of pine. Being recently mopped, Taiga was already sifting through memories of sneakers squeaking across floors; Images of her and Minorin chasing that stupid Chihuahua before sliding beneath tables and knocking over bentos. Then Kitamura had to cut in before they got into too much trouble. When the room had calmed into a hush just before the professor returned, Ryuuji would sternly tap her shoulder.

She always turned away. Crossing her arms, she would try to avoid his scolding. However, even without looking, Taiga could see his sneer clearly. It was as if she had either grown eyes on the back of her head or she had just somehow memorized him. She remembered the heaviness in his palm when he shoved it over her hair. And she remembered the rasp in his voice when he told her that she had overdid it.

Taiga huffed, enjoying the breeze at her back and the ambiance of people out front.

Graduation day. Funny how such a day felt like salvation to her in so many ways…

Before she could turn to face the glass, she heard the disturbance in the conversations outside. By the rush of scratching of footsteps stomping through chattering graduates, once again, Taiga didn't have to turn to know what was happening.

The dragon. He was coming for her.

Originally, the flaxen haired girl planned on staying by that windowsill, eager to greet him with one of her knowing smirks as soon as he set eyes on her. But as she heard the clock chime and the curious voices become more abrupt, Taiga did the one thing she told herself she wouldn't do on this day.

Panic.

Her vision darting around the room, Taiga searched for anywhere to coop herself into. Her chest was tight, her head swimming and if she didn't hide, she might have just burst into tears. Pressing a cold handle in the corner, the girl stuffed herself into the locker with a slam.

"You're an idiot," she chided before hearing the sound of running cease in front of the door.

Her heart stopped.

For a moment, she doubted herself. Maybe sticking herself in this locker was really stupid of her. No. There was no doubt there. This was stupid of her. But now it was too late! Would he be angry? Would he be happy to see her? Would things be awkward?

Maybe, just maybe, she was a lot more nervous than she had been counting on.

Still trapped in her fears, it wasn't until the locker opened that Taiga had no choice but to confront the source of her anxiety. Thankful to be free from the dust emitting itself from the locker, but now finding the air outside a bit frightening, Taiga fumbled with the sides of her skirt.

"I was going to surprise you."

She kept her voice unfazed while her hands dampened with perspiration.

"It seems like you grew," he said, his tone a decibel deeper than she had recalled. The sound made something in her chest turn.

"Not even a millimeter," Taiga mumbled, avoiding his gaze as usual, "I'm sorry-"

Sorry? What do I have to be sorry for? Taiga, you idiot-

She was sputtering accidentally, without thinking, and before she could reprimand herself for being so foolish, Ryuuji's words erased her track of thought.

"Listen."

Then, she made a big mistake. She looked at him.

He still looked the same, strangely enough, except for minor details only she probably noticed - despite her being one who never paid as much attention to such things the way he did. After all, he was the obsessive-compulsive organizer- not her.

He towered over her, leaning forward to accommodate her line of vision. She'd never found the height intimidating, except for times such as these – but in a slightly comforting way. The dark hair over his eyes made his mellow stare all the more intense, and in that one fraction of a second where she stood silent, she could make out the slight tan over his cheeks, the perfect trim in his sideburns and already, she could feel herself being swathed by an odor of musk she could only recall as being simply Ryuuji.

Perhaps, it was this thing canines had…

"I love you."

Damn, you, stupid dog!

If Tigers were one of the most fearsome and dominating species of mammals out there, Aisaka was doing a terrible job at keeping true to her legacy. Standing in front of him, she shrunk, feeling more like a kitten he was slowly reaching in to tickle behind an ear.

Taiga felt her cheeks grow hot. Feeling her eyes weigh her skull back to the floor, she struggled with the words to respond. Her heart was the loudest it had ever been all day. Barely able to hear herself think and knowing that he was waiting for an answer, Taiga did the only thing she could do in this situation.

Act on instinct. And on instinct, she was clumsy…and abusive.

Ramming her head into his chin, she heard him grunt and stumble back.

"W-Why would you say something like that? You should have waited for a better mood or something!"

That was when the pain kicked in.

Feeling tears blind her vision and a dull stab spread over the top of her head, she shielded her hair with her forearms.

"You, stupid, dog! My head hurts!"

"Because you jumped into my face, remember?"

"W-well, nobody told you to say that so suddenly! You caught me off guard!"

"What else was I supposed to say? I've been wanting to say that since the day you…left…"

The yelling halted.

"Oi. Taiga."

Her throat too dry to speak, she hummed.

"Hmm?"

"Are you cold?"

It's sixty degrees outside. What kind of idiotic question was that?

Feeling her anger rise up again, the girl uncoiled the arms that cradled her head just to peek upwards and hiss, "Cold? Why do you keep saying such stupid things to me-"

The room was dark all of a sudden. At first, Taiga feared she had finally succumbed to her muddled emotions and somehow passed out. But upon feeling a sensation of soft warmth against her lips, the girl had understood that it was only dark because her eyes closed.

Already, the girl could feel her breath skip. Afraid that he would sense her emotions, Aisaka motioned to move back into the locker before one of his hands had begun to dull the pain that still throbbed throughout her scalp.

He always knew how to make everything better, even when it hurt.

Giving up, Taiga surrendered. Her arms wilted and Ryuuji supported her weight against him, lightly buffing his fingers across her thick hair. When he parted from her, their eyes met, and this was at a point where Taiga resisted looking away.

"I'm sorry. You said it was warm last time, so I-"

"Idiot," Taiga cringed.

"…"

Not wanting to lie to herself any longer and eager to release all the bottled up emotion she'd been saving for this day, the girl squeezed the hand he had rested against her waist.

"I- I don't have to be cold for you to do that-"

He was about to take that as his cue to continue before Taiga pushed him back.

"W-w-wait!"

"What? What did I do now?"

"Can't you do anything right, you dog?"

"Arrrgh, Taiga-" He growled, growing frustrated at her schizophrenic attitude before she whispered.

"I love you, too…"

Not wanting to give him the chance to feel embarrassed, the girl yanked at his collar.

"Okay, I'm cold again."

"But- but you just said-"

Bringing his lips back on hers, she stopped to scold him one last time.

"Shut up and give me more!"

"Arrrgh, you're greedy."

Ryuuji yielded to her clutch on his shirt and met her lips in an appreciative kiss. Feeling herself melt into the presence she had waited so long to come back to, Taiga squeezed his back tightly until she was sure it hurt.

Even so, Ryuuji didn't let go.

The Tiger didn't have to open her eyes to see that the Dragon was smiling. She could feel it against her mouth.

It was the same case for him apparently, for the Dragon didn't have to see her in order for him to understand.

The Tiger was crying in his arms. He could feel it in his heart…

I'd like to make this a collection of drabbles involving mostly TaigaxRyuuji and maybe some other pairings. I just need some inspiration. So, if anyone has any ideas, let me know. I can't promise I'll fulfill them all, or any, but they might help me move in the right direction. Let me know what you guys think too since this is the first time I've ever written for this pair.