Author's note: While Chapter 5 of He Always Remembered is still under construction, I give you guys this little oneshot I… dreamt about.
May I present:
Clannad: Days in the Bloom
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Note: We have a cameo here by Yuuichi Aizawa and Makoto Sawatari from Kanon.
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Nearly a year had passed since Tomoya, Nagisa, and Ushio had visited Naoyuki and Shino in the northern countryside. Since that time, the Okazaki family continued to do what they did best: being hardworking for their own, as well as each other's sake. Tomoya continued to work alongside Yoshino at Hikarizaka Electric, which had expanded in recent months and was now accepting jobs in the nearby city; thankfully, his equally hardworking wife Nagisa did nothing but support him in all his endeavors. Tomoya occasionally had time to pick up and bring Ushio to her preschool classes with his good friend Kyou, who had been teaching Ushio for the past three years now.
Nagisa was still working at the family restaurant where she was first employed in, and she had been promoted to supervisor but a few months ago in lieu of her outstanding service and loyalty to the restaurant chain. She still held her love for theater, and she occasionally took both Ushio and an unenthusiastic Tomoya to see stage plays in the nearby town. Ushio and Nagisa would both be enthralled by the emotion-filled acting, while Tomoya would just lazily watch his wife and daughter enjoying themselves. Of course, that was under the assumption that Tomoya hadn't fallen asleep during the performance.
Their friends were no less busy than they were with running their own lives. As previously mentioned, Kyou was still diligently teaching at the preschool that Ushio went to, and she would sometimes drop by Furukawa Bakery to get some teaching tips from Sanae, as Kyou had expressed a desire to teach older students someday. Her twin sister Ryou had long ago found a job at the city's hospital, and had actually found herself a boyfriend at her workplace. He was a fellow nurse who was accepted into the hospital after many, many failed interviews, and he and Ryou had fallen in love with each other. This man was named Kappei Hiiragi, and not too long ago, Ryou had introduced him to all her friends, including the members of the Drama club in their senior year, and they had gotten along together well enough, though Tomoya felt that he understood Kappei's optimism and strength in finding a job. Kappei had said,
"I'm doing this not just for me, but for Ryou-san."
Tomoya only knew too well what Kappei felt; the need and desire to work your hardest to protect and support the person you loved the most in the world. For Kappei, that was Ryou, and for Tomoya, Nagisa.
Sunohara had become quite successful working as a real estate broker, having sold numerous houses and to Tomoya's mild displeasure, he had a higher paycheck than he did. One interesting twist is that Sunohara and Tomoyo Sakagami, of all people, had begun to date the previous year, and they had been going strong ever since. Amazing, when you consider their past history with each other. Nagisa had commented that sometimes, opposites really do attract, so that they could complement each other, and Tomoya knew just how correct his wife was. Tomoyo herself, after having successfully advocated for the preservation of the sakura trees six years ago, had entered law school, and shortly thereafter, politics, which culminated two years ago when she entered the Diet. Sunohara's younger sister Mei had decided to follow in her brother's footsteps, and she is currently a second year student in Hikarizaka Private High School, and the Student Council President as well. Many a teacher had remarked how vastly different she was from her older brother, to which Mei would always chuckle nervously.
"Onii-chan, you were really that bad huh? Thank goodness you're now successful because you changed…"
Yoshino and Kouko were expecting a baby within the year, and Fuko was still set on attempting to wrest Ushio away from the Okazaki household, though she has yet to be successful in her endeavors. Yukine Miyazawa had gone on to become a policewoman, to continue to uphold the dream of peace and unity that her older brother Kazuto had so long ago.
Kotomi was currently taking a vacation here in Japan, while she worked on her postdoctorate thesis on particle physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Of course, old man Akio and Sanae still did what they did best: baking bread for their neighborhood's inhabitants. Sanae had somewhat improved with her baking (at least now she had the sense to take the rice crackers out of the bread she baked), while Akio continued being the man of the Furukawa household. Sometimes, Akio would catch Sanae trying her best to improve her baking skills, and when he asked about it, Sanae replied that she wanted to give Akio time off to somewhat pursue the dream he had given up so long ago. Akio would just say,
"Sanae, my dream is to make you happy. When Nagisa left us for that brat, I knew that I could count on him to keep her happy. Therefore, it falls to me to keep you happy by being a good husband. There's nothing more I could ask for," in one of his rare moments of seriousness.
Many a kid who had bat under Akio Furukawa was on their way to participating in the Koshien high school tournaments.
That was what everyone had been up to in the six years since Ushio's birth. But, that isn't the topic of this story. We now move on to one uneventful summer's day in the Okazaki household.
It was Sunday afternoon, and the Okazakis were all at home in their apartment. Ushio was lying in her futon, fast asleep, while Tomoya and Nagisa were watching an anime that Sunohara had lent them some time ago.
"Alright, let's play with this Makoto," said Yuuichi, clutching the bell he had given Makoto that was now tied to her wrist. "Ring ring, right?"
"Auu", replied Makoto.
"You make it ring too," said Yuuichi encouragingly. "You like playing with it like that, right?"
Makoto tugged gently at the bell Yuuichi had given her, and she let out a purr of content, while she sat in Yuuichi's lap.
"Are you having fun, Makoto?" asked Yuuichi, the sun beginning to set on Monomi hill and them both.
Makoto smiled and emitted another purr of contentment, gently chuckling with Yuuichi as she did so.
A short while later, they were still seated in the grass atop Monomi hill, and the sun had all but set in the evening sky.
Makoto was beginning to weaken, and Yuuichi's voice turned to one of panic.
"Hey, don't go to sleep, Makoto. Hey. Come on, let's play with the bell," implored Yuuichi.
"Auu…"
"It's really fun, Makoto. That's right, it's my turn now. Let's play like this forever," said Yuuichi with a smile on his face. "Yeah, Makoto?"
Makoto remained silent.
"Hey, it's your turn. Are you listening to me?"
"Auu…"
"You go ring ring now. What's wrong, Makoto? Hey, Makoto. Mako…" Yuuichi's voice broke.
Makoto's eyes began to droop, her purrs were beginning to grow fainter and fainter by the passing second.
"Auu…" she said, for the final time.
The hand that she had been holding up for Yuuichi, the hand that had the bell tied around its wrist, began to fall towards the ground, lifeless.
And then, Makoto was gone.
Yuuichi remained silent. After a few seconds, he picked up the bell and stood up, surveying his surroundings. Taking a look at the bell in his hands, it him him with the force of a ton of bricks: Makoto was gone.
And so he screamed out in despair.
"MAKOTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Tomoya turned the volume down so that Ushio wouldn't wake up, and pulled his arm around a sobbing Nagisa.
"Tomoya-kun... That's just so sad! They had gotten past their differences and had become closer than ever, but why did Makoto-chan have to leave? It's just so sad. Please, don't ever leave me like that, Tomoya-kun," cried Nagisa into Tomoya's shoulder.
"There, there Nagisa, it's okay. I'll always be with you. I promise," replied Tomoya.
The husband and wife spent the next five minutes hugging each other, Tomoya reassuring her that he would never leave her and Ushio all alone. By this time, Nagisa had calmed down enough, and Tomoya brought something that he had been thinking about all week.
"Hey Nagisa. Isn't this Sunday the anniversary of the graduation ceremony we held for you?"
Nagisa got up and checked the calendar that hung by the dango dolls in the corner.
"You're right Tomoya-kun. Why do you ask?"
"I was thinking of meeting up with the old gang again. What do you think? Surely you'd like to see them all again, right?"
"Say Tomoya-kun, that's not such a bad idea. I know, we should dress up for the occasion and meet up in the old Drama clubroom."
The old building wasn't demolished thanks to Tomoyo; instead the school renovated it, keeping all of the Drama Club's memories physically chained to the earth.
"Dress up? What do you mean, dress up?"
"I'd like to test everyone's acting skills by having us dress up as people with different personalities from us. It's kind of like cosplay, Tomoya-kun!"
"Cosplay? No way in hell I'd cosplay. I can't even think of anyone to dress up as anyway. Can I just be like, the emcee or host or something, anything, as long as I don't have to dress up?" pleaded Tomoya.
Nagisa crossed her arms and looked at Tomoya with a look of mock disapproval.
"Fine," she said icily. "Only because you're my husband."
Tomoya then abruptly pulled Nagisa in for a hug, her cheeks flushed from surprise.
"See, you're already acting really good! Alright, the least I could do is to organize things. I'll call up both Kyou and Sunohara, and see who they can rope in for next Sunday. I should also call up the school for permission," said Tomoya.
And that Tomoya did. Over the entire day, he did nothing but make calls to people, seeing if they could attend the small gathering to be held in lieu of the anniversary of Nagisa's graduation. Nagisa had headed off to the shopping district to buy the raw materials she needed for her costume.
In the end, only Fuko, Kouko, Yukine, and Tomoyo could not make it: Fuko had a medical examination on that day, while Kouko would accompany her, and Yukine couldn't get off from work easily, after all, she was a member of the police force, and they rarely got days off. Akio and Sanae were also invited, since Tomoya knew deep down inside that Akio'd love a chance to dress up for theater; though Sanae would probably pass and mind the shop instead. Tomoyo was too busy with her latest bill, and thus sent her regrets for not being able to come instead.
Without anything eventful happening, the week flew by, and just as suddenly, it was already Sunday morning, a few hours before they would meet up in the school. Tomoya and Nagisa had decided to leave Ushio home, as this would be a gathering of the old gang.
"Hey Nagisa, how's your costume? Is it all set?" asked Tomoya, who was wearing a t-shirt and jeans.
"It's all ready Tomoya-kun. Though I have to put that billhook cleaver I borrowed from Dad in a backpack, since it's technically a deadly weapon," replied Nagisa with a smile on her face. "I'm going to surprise everyone with my acting skills later."
"Let's just hope they can keep up," said Tomoya with a chuckle as he faced Nagisa.
Nagisa was wearing a costume that took her most of the week to design. It was a simple white dress, with a long skirt. On the front and back, Nagisa had designed purple bows that adorned the piece of clothing, and she had a white beret to match her overall appearance.
"Let's go, Tomoya-kun," said Nagisa. "Ushio, me and Papa are going to go meet friends for lunch, alright? Your lunch is just there on the counter, go ahead and eat it if you feel hungry. If someone knocks on the door, look through the peephole first. If you don't know them, don't let them in. Also, don't answer the—"
Tomoya cut Nagisa off.
"Ushio's a big girl, you don't have to worry, isn't that right Ushio?" asked Tomoya.
"Yup!" nodded Ushio happily.
"Well, now that that's in order… We're off Ushio," said Tomoya.
"Have a safe trip," replied Ushio cutely.
And so Tomoya and Nagisa Okazaki were headed off to Hikarizaka Private High School to meet up with the Drama Club.
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"Say, Youhei," said Kyou unpleasantly. "Why aren't you dressed up as anyone?"
Sunohara gulped, having come to the Drama clubroom wearing a shirt and shorts. His gaze fell on Kyou, who dyed her hair green for the occasion, and she was wearing a white and yellow uniform, with a sailor's beret on top.
"I-I couldn't think of anyone to cosplay as," stuttered Sunohara.
"And how come Kotomi, Misae-san, hell, even both our sisters were able to dress up as someone for today?" said Kyou angrily, gesturing to Kotomi, Misae, Ryou, and Mei.
Kotomi had dyed her hair brown and let it down, and she was wearing a pink school uniform, with stockings that reached all the way into the skirt. Misae had, like Kyou, dyed her hair green and had it in a ponytail. She was wearing a yellow tank top and jeans, and her left sleeve had an air-soft gun holstered. Ryou was wearing a blue and white sailor uniform, and she had, upon much coercion from her twin sister, dyed her hair a bright orange. She also had a small white… thing, for lack of a better word, fastened to her bare back via masking tape that looked like a keyhole. Both Fujibayashis had dispensed of their usual hair ribbons for the occasion.
"Because my onii-chan is an idiot," interjected Mei in a deadpan voice.
All of them slowly turned to look at Mei, their mouths slightly agape. Mei had let her hair down and had dyed it blue, and she was wearing a gothic white dress with a black skirt. But what surprised them all the most was that she had a cat tail fastened to her back, and she was carrying around an empty bottle of German Bernkastel wine.
"Say Mei-chan, how did you ever learn to talk like that?" asked Kyou. "Did you get voice lessons of any kind?"
"Not really. I just entered the Drama Club last year, and I've been getting better at voice impressions since," said Mei in her normal voice. "In fact, the advisor said that if I had to act cute, all I had to do was to say an onomatopoeic word at the end of my sentence. Nipaa!" said Mei cutely.
"I uh, see what you mean," said Kyou, sweatdropping. "Two can play at that game."
The door suddenly opened, and in walked Kappei, having come from the nearest bathroom to change. Everyone looked and just stared at him and at what he was wearing. Ryou was the first to break the silence.
"Umm, Kappei-san?"
"What is it, Ryou-san?"
"Why are you wearing a butler's uniform and a cashmere overcoat?"
"It was the only thing I could find in the shop that could fit me," said Kappei happily. "Doesn't it look great on me?"
Kyou, Sunohara, Misae and Mei all sweatdropped.
"True, it does suit you," said Ryou.
"Youhei-san, where is Tomoya and Nagisa-san right now?" a deadpan voice inquired.
Sunohara looked all over and to his surprise found that it was Kyou who had spoken. He was, naturally, at a loss for words.
"I, um, uh, they should be on their way here now," said Sunohara, sweating very profusely at Kyou's actions.
"I see. Thank you. And please try to keep it down when you talk, your boisterous manner irritates me," said Kyou, again in that deadpan voice.
"Yes Ma'am!" said Sunohara crisply, as though he was in the corps.
The door to the Drama clubroom suddenly burst open, and in stepped Tomoya and Nagisa. Tomoya could only stare at the rest of them, but what shocked the others the most was what Nagisa was holding in her hand.
"Nagisa-chan, is that a cleaver in your hand?" asked Kotomi timidly, clutching a Dojikko Aki-chan figurine in her hands.
"Yes," replied Nagisa in a cold tone. Tomoya only looked on, proud of his wife's acting skills.
"And what's that for? Is that for some sort of punishment game?"asked Misae.
"No. It is for smiting down the unbelievers in Oyashiro-sama!" exclaimed Nagisa.
"Who the hell is Oyashiro-sama? Some kind of fake god?" asked Sunohara.
Within seconds, Nagisa was right up at Sunohara, the blunt end of the cleaver propped against Sunohara's neck.
"THAT'S A LIE!" she screamed. "Whenever I'm in bed, when I'm about to fall asleep, I always hear the sound of footsteps, and a disembodied voice trying to talk to me."
Nagisa began to furiously scratch at her neck like a madman; even Tomoya was getting freaked out at his wife's realistic acting.
Nagisa, with a crazed look on her eyes, turned to Mei. Suddenly, the demon-like look was gone, replaced by a look Nagisa usually had when she was playing with Ushio.
"Hauuuu! Mei-chan's so cute. I'm gonna take her home!" squealed Nagisa, dragging along Mei in her arms.
Mei could only facepalm, as she muttered,
"There is a zero probability of me getting out of here right now. *Can't do anything about this.*"
Meanwhile, Misae was eyeing the severely freaked out Sunohara in the corner of the classroom. An evil smile came across her, and she walked towards Sunohara, grabbing him by the collar.
"Looks like a good opportunity for a punishment game!" said Misae, dragging Sunohara out of the room.
"Looks like Sunohara-san's pissed Mion off," said Kotomi from her spot on one of the tables, and Misae just raised an eyebrow at Kotomi.
While Nagisa was still hugging Mei, Tomoya and Kyou could only look on, and Kyou spoke, again in that deadpan voice,
"They are getting too loud. I wish they would quiet down. They're being a huge disturbance to the peace here."
Tomoya could only gape at Kyou, when suddenly, Ryou approached Kappei and grabbed him around the waist as she sank to her knees.
"Here, take this, Kappei-san. Please, wind me up before my power runs out," pleaded Ryou.
Kappei looked confused, when suddenly Ryou pulled on his cashmere coat and ripped it in half, while forcing some kind of key into Kappei's hands.
Tomoya only looked on, confused, when suddenly, two people burst through the room's door. One was a red-suited man who had his long, yellow hair into a ponytail, and he was wielding what appeared to be a laser sword, and his opponent was wearing formal robes of deep purple, wielding what appeared to be a katana in his hands as the two fought ferociously. Everyone's attention was turned to them, from Tomoya, to Nagisa who was still spinning Mei around, Mei, who was taking a swig from the bottle of wine which apparently, was NOT empty, Ryou, who was seated with her back to Kappei, Kappei, who appeared to be inserting the key into the white keyhole in her back, Kyou, with a deadpan look on her face appeared to be enduring the noise, and lastly Kotomi, who suddenly squealed,
"Isn't that Shana-chan?"
Everyone else sweatdropped, and the two combatants clanged blades for the last time before both shattered in their hands. The two of them looked at each other, then suddenly they both laughed. The one with yellow hair took his red helmet off and it revealed the face of one Akio Furukawa, while the other one said, while coughing loudly,
"That was a good match, Akio-san."
"The same could be said for you, Yoshino."
Tomoya could only bury his face in his hands out of exasperation, when suddenly Kotomi squealed again,
"Wow, he's dressed as Zero from Megaman X and Yoshino-san is dressed up as that Chinese guy who's in love with the Tianzi. Oh no! My hobby was supposed to be a secret! What am I going to do now?"
Suddenly, the door opened again, and in came Misae, dragging Sunohara who was no longer wearing his shirt and shorts but instead was wearing a pair of swan swimming trunks.
Everybody in the room began to laugh out loud, with the exception of Kyou and Mei.
"Noisy," said Kyou.
"Onii-chan would make good furniture," commented Mei , deadpan. "And I hope that you, yes you, reading this piece of fanfiction, were entertained by all this."
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Author's notes: Alright, so obviously, this was one huge setup for the Clannad cast to cosplay as other characters that their voice actors voiced. In case you didn't get it, here are the details:
Nagisa was cosplaying as Rena Ryuuguu from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
Misae was cosplaying as Mion Sonozaki, again from Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
Mei was cosplaying as Frederica Bernkastel, not from Higurashi, but from Umineko no Naku Koro ni. Bernkastel is fond of breaking the fourth wall, thus she speaks to the reader here. Anything Mei says inside two asterisks (*) is said in red text, which Umineko fans should understand.
Ryou was cosplaying as Miharu Amakase from D.C. Da Capo
Kappei was cosplaying as Hayate Ayasaki from Hayate the Combat Butler
Kyou was cosplaying as Alice Carroll from ARIA (I'm sorry if my portrayal of Alice was inaccurate, since I have not seen any incarnation of ARIA)
Kotomi was cosplaying as Haruka Nogizaka from Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu
Akio was cosplaying as, as Kotomi pointed out, Zero from Megaman X
Lastly, Yoshino was cosplaying as Li Xingke, from Code Geass
Hope everyone liked this slight Slice of Life/Parody-fic. :)