TRUE END to: archive.foolz.us/a/thread/103805345/
By writer-kun !aanLsWoxPo
Pt. 1 of 2

Frost has begun to settle on the paved streets of Honnouji. You pull your companion in closer, still linked by the hand, and drape your overcoat around her to cover the both of you.

"Don't catch a chill, Ryuuko." you say.

"You don't have to worry about me, Anon." she tells you, but by the way she nuzzles up against your chest you can tell she appreciates the gesture.

You smile to yourself. This little date had played out much better than you expected, even if there were a couple of roadblocks along the way. You'd just moved several paces forward in your relationship with Ryuuko Matoi, the longtime object of your affections, and all your anxieties about your feelings being unrequited had dispersed like steam above the Honnouji brewery. You had no regrets, and everything to look forward to in the days that would stretch on ahead.

A feeling of contentment - one unlike anything you'd ever experienced before - fills your heart. Before, you'd never really understood when people said things like "I could die right now" or "I wish this moment would last forever" but just then, with Ryuuko's warmth pressed against your frame in the chill of the evening air, it'd be safe to say you had a fair idea. No girl had ever held your attention like the one you currently had in your arms.

"Anon," she mumbles, looking into your eyes. "What does this make us?"

You think it over. Could you call Ryuuko your girlfriend? You'd only yet been on one date, but you certainly behaved like a full-fledged couple.

"I g-guess we're... girlfriend and boyfriend?" you trail off, unable to maintain eye contact.

Ryuuko steps on your toe, causing you to wince in pain. "That was so anticlimactic!" she says "We've got to confess to each other!"

"Together?" you ask. She nods.

You clear your throat. Ryuuko's looking at the ground, blushing very visibly.

After taking a deep breath, you both begin - "I lov-"

For some reason, you cut yourself off. Ryuuko looks at you with a mixture of anger and hurt on her face, her eyes glassy. Was this the time to be making dramatic confessions, when you hadn't even worked out your own feelings for her? Wasn't declaring love on the first date a little juvenile?

"Ryuuko," you try and console her; "I really do like you." Her expression softens. "I have since the day we met, back at the Academy, even before this whole life fiber fiasco, and I wanna see that feeling develop into something greater more than anything else in this world."

"But for now..." you continue "...let me walk you home."

She tries to hide the smile on her face with a smirk but fails. "Sure thing, Anon." she says, a little embarrassed.

She takes your hand once again as you venture through the old town to the Mankanshoku residence. Mako is waiting outside, leaning against a telephone pole and looking at the sky pensively. Her worried expression disappears when Ryuuko calls out to her.

She beams excitedly. "Ryuuko-chan! I've been waiting for you!"

Ryuuko lets go of your hand and rushes to hug Mako. They whisper excitedly to each other for a few seconds and then Ryuuko tells her to go on ahead. "I'll be right behind you" she says.

She turns to face you. There's butterflies in your stomach as she walks towards you, her hair blowing sideways in the chilly wind. She takes you by the shoulders and pulls you in for a kiss. You forget about the cold for a second.

And just as soon as she'd kissed you, she pushes you away. "Just so you don't forget what you said today..." she says, looking at the ground and blushing once again.

Ryuuko makes eye contact again. "See you tomorrow, Anon." she mumbles almost inaudibly, and turns on her heel to run back into Mako's home. Still a little taken aback, you manage to eke out a response only now.

"Be seeing you, Ryuuko."

Outro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1j66aB9r1go

Pt. 1 of 2