Clannad Another World: After Story Kyou

3rd Person, Kyou-centered. Kyou X Tomoya

Twists of Fate

Kyou was a little more than shocked as she looked at the name on the roster a second time.

"Fate is a strange thing. What are the odds?" She muttered to herself musing.

On the roster in her hands was a listing of the children's names she would be teaching in her first class, having just graduated with her teaching degree. Most names were people she had never met before, some were old neighbors and friends from school, but one evoked memories beyond anything else. She stared at the paper like it may change its mind and rearrange the letters to make a new name, just to tease her.

"Okazaki…Ushio…" Her eyes began to burn as memories of high school came rushing back. "Tomoya-kun…maybe I'll get to talk to you again. I hope you're doing better." Kyou quietly prayed to the empty room.

(break)

The first day of class had arrived and Kyou was more than a little anxious, not only was this to be her first class outside of student teaching, but she also was anxious to see who would bring young Ushio to school that morning. Botan was in the school yard playing with the children who had come in earlier in the morning (though some of the parents questioned having such a strange class pet), and Kyou was at the front doors greeting students and parents as they came in. She looked out just in time to see a little girl, a frighteningly perfect replica of Furukawa…or rather Okazaki Nagisa…round the corner of the wall headed toward the door, talking to someone behind her.

'Tomoya!' Kyou started to walk out to meet the girl and her father halfway, but stopped as Sanae and Akio stepped out, talking to the little girl. Kyou wanted to cry. It was a sad situation. She knew Tomoya had to be hurting, but it seemed he was only getting worse. She hadn't spoken to him since that New Year's Eve when everyone gathered to see the soon-to-be parents.

'Five years, Tomoya? Five years and you still can't bring yourself to be with your daughter…?' Kyou thought while keeping a smile on her face. She'd gotten good at that after hiding her feelings for so long, though usually her best cover for her affection for Tomoya was to force aggression, not that he helped matters on that front.

"Go ahead, introduce yourself to your sensei." Sanae encouraged the mini-Nagisa.

"Hello…My name is Okazaki Ushio…" The little girl looked at her toes as she spoke and seemed very shy.

'She really is just like her mother, rest her soul…'

"Hello there, Ushio! I'll be your teacher this year. My name is Ms. Fujibayashi. It's so nice to meet you!" Kyou was as happy and bright as she could be. The little girl perked up at her teacher's happy disposition. "I'm sure we'll get along great and have all kinds of fun!" Kyou kneeled down in front of Ushio to look at her face. Needless to say, it wasn't going to take as long to learn this student's name as the others would take.

"See, Ushio, the teacher is very nice!" Sanae added in an equally bright tone, her teaching background shining through.

"Yeah…and kinda cute…" Akio muttered as he looked Kyou over, "Haven't I seen her somewhere before?"

"Ushio-chan, would you like to go play with the class pet. You're classmates are over there already and there's still a little time before class starts." Kyou pointed toward where children were sliding off Boton's back. Ushio stared with wide eyes for a moment before looking back at Sanae and Akio. Akio nodded and Ushio ran off toward the other children.

"Akio-san, Sanae-san…It's good to see you both." Kyou stepped up to the couple after Ushio left.

"It's a relief to know that we've met Ushio's teacher before and know her." Sanae smiled at Kyou before giving her a little bow. "Akio, you remember Kyou-san?"

"Kyou…wait, you have a twin sister right?" Akio clearly had just now figured out who he was talking to.

"Hai, my sister Ryou. We were Nag…" Kyou paused and all three flinched as she attempted to say Nagisa's name, "Nagisa's friends in high-school."

"So, when did you become a teacher, Kyou-san?" Sanae attempted to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"This will be my first class ever." Kyou gave a genuine, excited smile.

"Oh, how wonderful. It's such a wonderful experience being a teacher."

"Of course, if you're like Sanae you should stay away from baking and stick to teaching classes…" Akio added without thinking.

"Eh? What was that, dear?"

"Sanae, I love you!"

"Well, I love you too, Akio. That doesn't answer the question though…"

"Um, Furukawa-san…about…Tomoya…" Kyou couldn't help but ask. She had to know how Tomoya was doing. He hadn't been there for his daughter's first day of school and she was worried about what he may be turning into. What else had he missed in her life?

"He is…depressed. He took…that situation…very hard." Sanae's countenance changed. Clearly she was worried about him too, which made Kyou more worried, "We check on him from time to time, and bring Ushio to visit. He…never really looks at her…"

"I've tried to get him to come out and play baseball, to help him understand we don't blame him." Even Akio seemed to be depressed by the situation. "We're working on something else, actually. We want to try to get him to see that he still has something important and that he can't just give up on everything."

"I see…" Kyou could feel that she was about to cry again, she loved Tomoya deep down. And the man was dying, slowly killing himself for something that wasn't his fault. "Please, do let me know if I can help you plan in some way."

"We will, for now though, just help Ushio become as good a girl as she can be." Akio said as he wrapped an arm around Sanae's shoulders.

"I'll treat her like my own." Kyou only realized after she made that statement how she wished that could be true but, like always, she suppressed it. Now wasn't the time for flights of fancy. Never mind the other complications that such a situation could cause.

"I know she'll be in good hands." Sanae said with her normal smile.

"We'll be back to pick her up after class." Akio added.

"Hai, have a good day!" Kyou put her teacher face back on and waved as the Furukawas walked away. She looked back over toward the children, her eyes settling back on Ushio as she played with the other children, apparently making friends quickly. She smiled at the sight.

'Maybe she's not quite a clone after all.' She smiled as she watched Ushio climb onto Boton's back and slide down. '…like my own…I'll treat her…as if she was my daughter…'

(break)

Kyou stood outside the building with a handful of children whose parents were a late in picking them up, all but one had phoned ahead to tell them they were still at work and would be there as soon as they were able. The exception was the Furukawas. No one had phoned to let her know when or who would pick Ushio up. A pair ran off as their parents entered the school grounds and Kyou waved goodbye to her students. Now she was left alone with only Ushio and Boton.

"What do you think is keeping them, Ushio?" Kyou looked at the little girl who was sitting on Boton's back.

"Akii…"

"Akii?"

"He made Sanae-san sad…"

"Eh?" Kyou was a little confused but Ushio didn't seem very phased by it. She still couldn't help but be a little concerned, "Is Akii a bad man or something?"

"No…just silly." Ushio smiled at her teacher.

"I see," Kyou's mind once again went to Tomoya, "Ushio, what do you know about your father? Do you see him often?"

"No…not really. He's a little scary." Ushio looked away.

"Hmm, but he's your father. I'm sure he really cares about you." Kyou patted Ushio's head.

"Sanae-san…says the same thing…"

Kyou really was worried about Tomoya. She couldn't just run to his apartment and check up on him though, that would be awkward. She wanted to help him, she wanted to be there for him. She looked back at the little girl on Boton's back and ran her fingers through the girl's hair. "Well, you can trust me, I'm your teacher! I'm sure he loves you!"

Ushio looked up at Kyou with wide eyes. She nodded to agree with her teacher, "Fujibayashi-sensei is a nice person."

Kyou giggled a little at the compliment, "I'm glad you think so. There are some people who don't always say the same." Boton grunted to second the sentiment.

"Oi, Ushio! You ready to go back?" Akio's voice echoed in the school yard. He and Sanae were standing at the gate.

"Hai!" Ushio pumped her fist in the air to copy Akio's enthusiasm.

Kyou couldn't help but giggle again before she and Boton escorted the little girl to her grandparents, "She was wonderful to have in class, Furukawa-san." Kyou gave a little bow and Boton gave a grunt as Ushio slid off the boar's back.

"Good to hear." Akio struck a bit of a pose like he had directly received a compliment, "Would you expect anything less?"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ushio!" Kyou patted the girl on the head again.

"Hai! Bye bye, Fujibayashi-sensei!"

Akio took Ushio by the hand and began to lead her away the two making cheerful conversations over what Ushio had done at school. Sanae stepped up to Kyou and spoke quietly.

"Fujibayashi-san, can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Certainly, Sanae-san."

"…About Tomoya…"

"H-hai…" Kyou ran an emotional rollercoaster at the mention of Tomoya's name. Starting with that fluttering she used to get in high school, the pain she felt from suppressing her own desires, the joy she experienced with him while working with the drama club, and the sorrow for his current situation, all with an undertone of deep-seated love for him.

"I get the feeling that Tomoya means a lot to you as a friend, and the fact that you'll be Ushio's teacher means you can be back in contact with him like this in a way. But, we think right now he needs a close friend…someone he knew from back then."

'God, how can you ask me to just go be his friend…I've been that for so long, and I want to be more than that…' Kyou was back to being asked to put her wants on hold. The difference was, this time, instead of helping her sister get close to Tomoya, his late wife's mother was asking her to get closer herself. This had to be fate toying with her. First his daughter is put in her care, now someone wants to put him in her care? 'This is so unfair…but…I do want to help him…no matter what.'

Kyou choked back the urge to scream and replied softly, "What can I do to help, Sanae-san?"

(break)

Fate was a strange thing. It had kept her at arm's reach all through high school. It had placed the child of the man she cared so deeply for in her care. Now, it had brought her to the door of his apartment. The name plate had been torn off not long after Nagisa died, but she remembered which one it was. From outside the door, she could smell cigarettes and alcohol. The thought of what she may see inside was beyond depressing but, at the same time, she knew Tomoya was in there and needed help. Not to mention that she had promised Sanae that she would do this. Kyou pressed the doorbell and waited for a reply. She heard the sound of shuffling and footsteps from inside, followed by the sound of the lock.

"Hel-…" Tomoya froze as he looked into Kyou's face, unsure of why she could possibly be there. "Kyou…"

"Hello there, Tomoya-san." Kyou tried to smile at the disshevelled man in front of her. He looked scruffy and like he hadn't slept in weeks. He smelled like a bar, perhaps he had just come home from one. It broke Kyou's heart to see him like that. Behind him, Kyou could see that the apartment was messy and dark. He had stopped caring. She could tell. "May I come in?"

"Uh…well…" It looked like he would turn her away. He looked back into the room before looking back at Kyou. "It's kind of a mess in here right now. Would you be willing to wait for me to clean up first?"

Kyou nodded and in her mind let out a sigh of relief. The door closed and Kyou could hear the sound of plastic bags rustling as Tomoya cleaned up. A few moments more and she could hear dishes clattering as he moved them around. Finally the door opened again and Tomoya motioned for Kyou to come in. She stepped quietly inside, followed by Tomoya. Kyou kicked off her shoes at the door and dropped her bag while Tomoya went further into the room and seated himself at the table.

"So, how have you been? It's been such a long time, hasn't it?" Kyou put on her teacher face and tried to seem happy.

"Fine…" Tomoya kept himself emotionally distant from Kyou, he wasn't even looking her in the eye. "What have you been doing?"

"Well," Kyou started, still forcing a smile, "I graduated from college. I'm a kindergarten teacher now."

"That's nice…" Tomoya didn't even seem to really be there mentally.

"Yeah…I've just started my first class. There are a lot of wonderful children in it." Kyou hoped that she could wake some interest in Ushio by talking like this, while still being discrete.

"You don't say…"

"One of them is Okazaki Ushio!" Kyou blurted out, her emotions finally overpowering her will.

'Great, real subtle, Kyou-baka.' Kyou cursed herself but Tomoya twitched and finally locked eyes with Kyou.

"How…is she doing?" Tomoya spoke quietly, but stared intently at Kyou as he spoke.

"She's a wonderful little girl." Kyou smiled as she thought about the sweet little girl and how much she looked like her departed mother. "Have you been visiting her regularly?"

Tomoya didn't answer, he just looked out the window, distancing himself again. Kyou knew what that meant though. Tomoya hadn't been keeping up with Ushio's life. He'd been staying as far as he could from her for whatever reason. It was no surprise that Sanae had wanted someone to intervene.

"Tomoya…" Kyou leaned across the table a little, reaching out toward his hands, "Why…haven't-"

"What am I supposed to do about it Kyou!" Tomoya stood suddenly and Kyou pulled her hand back. "I'm just a good-for-nothing! I can't do anything for her! And…seeing her…I-I just can't!"

"It would be difficult…" Kyou whispered as she folded her hands against her chest, "…for a man living alone to raise a little girl…" Her shoulders began to shake as she started to sob.

"Kyou…I'm sorry…but I just can't see her right now."

"What…how can…What can I do to help you, Tomoya?" Kyou choked out as she stood up. "What can I do…? I want you to be able to live your life! I want to see you spend time with your daughter! Tomoya, you deserve that much…" Kyou began to cry in a way she hadn't for years. He had been through so much.

"Kyou?" Tomoya stepped closer to her and was immediately embraced by Kyou. She sobbed into his chest for several minutes before finally finding enough control to speak again.

"Tomoya…please, go to the Furukawa's. See your daughter. And come bring her to school this week…I'll be there to help you. Your daughter shouldn't go her whole life without her father."

"Kyou…"

"Just promise me you'll try. And I'll promise I'll be here for you." Kyou's words meaning more to her then they did to Tomoya. She knew she still had feelings for him, but still, she could do nothing but stay close. "Promise me, Tomoya!"

"Promise…" Tomoya scoffed a little and pushed Kyou back away from him gently. "I've…seen a lot of broken promises lately…"

Kyou knew he was thinking about Nagisa again, the pain on his face was so telling. She wanted to make it all go away. She wanted to hug him and comfort him and make his life better. It was driving her mad to once again be both literally and metaphorically at arm's distance. Tomoya was hurt, and whatever promises his life had made him break, she was determined to help him past that.

"Please…?"

"I'll try…I won't make any guarantees…" Tomoya released Kyou's shoulders and she did the same with his shirt.

"From you, that's all I would expect, Tomoya." Kyou wiped her eyes and tried to put back on her teacher's smile as she teased him. "Well, I'm not quite ready to go yet. I'm actually a little thirsty. Do you mind if I make tea?"

Before Tomoya could answer, Kyou had already started into the kitchen area and begun looking for a kettle. Possibly because she was afraid if she gave him too much time to think, he might send her away and not seriously consider the offer.

"Kyou…" Tomoya's voice sounded cold and annoyed.

"N-nani ?"

"The kettle is dirty…I didn't get a chance to clean it…" Tomoya's tone had lightened slightly. Kyou, however, could only think that her attempt at stalling for time had been completely foiled by a dirty kettle.

"Oh, well, that's ok then…" Kyou closed the cabinets she opened and turned back to Tomoya. He had sat back down at his table with his face cupped in his hands.

"Kyou…what…is Ushio like?" She could hear Tomoya fighting back the urge to cry. "I never really got to know my own daughter…even when Sanae and pops brought her over."

"She's…" Kyou paused, knowing that this would be a hard thing for him no matter how she spoke about Ushio, "A lot like her mother. But she seems more active. I can't take my eye off of her for long, or who knows what she will get into?" Kyou smiled as she talked about the little girl unconsciously and Tomoya looked up just in time to see the smile.

"You sound like…" Tomoya started.

"Huh?"

"Nothing…never mind…It'll be getting dark soon. Don't you think you should start home before then?" Tomoya said as he turned his attention back out of the window.

"Oh…hai…I need to go get things ready for school tomorrow." Kyou walked toward the door and Tomoya escorted her outside.

"So, I'll see you at school later this week, right?" Kyou asked.

"We'll see…"

Kyou hugged Tomoya, before he could react to the advance. She squeezed with all the force she once would have used to beat the delinquent high-schooler. "I'm here, for you and Ushio." She looked up into the rather shocked Tomoya's eyes before continuing, "Please, call me if you need any kind of help, ok?"

Tomoya was temporarily paralyzed, unable to speak or move. He was so unsure of how to take Kyou at this moment. The hug he was receiving seemed more intense than something a mere friend would give to offer sympathy. To him, the warmth reminded him of how Nagisa used to hug him but, with a distinct hint more pain from the rather athletic Kyou's grip.

"Ok…I will." Tomoya finally said. Kyou smiled at him and released him from the death grip. As she started toward the stairs, Tomoya called out to her again. "Kyou!"

She turned around and for a brief moment saw some confidence flash across her friend's face. "Thank you…I mean it." He still wasn't really smiling, but she could see that he was on the right track now. She gave a smile back to him and waved as she moved out of sight down the stairs.

'Sanae and I are going to have to have a talk about this arrangement…' Kyou thought as she walked away from the flat. 'I've let this tear me apart once before, I don't think I can do it again.'

Kyou pulled out her cell phone and began dialing the number for the Furukawa bakery. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail.

"Furukawa-san, it's Fujibayashi Kyou. I just spoke with Okazaki-kun…I hope it helped…but there is something I want to talk to you about with this. Something…kind of important I don't think you know about. Please call me back when you get this."

Kyou hung up and continued walking back toward her own home.

'It's going to be a long school year I think…'

Ok, so I just adore Kyou, so I thought, what if there weren't to be a second chance for Nagisa in After Story? What about my dear Kyou-chan? She still seems interested in Tomoya. What if she wants another chance herself? Just my version of the events. You'll have to see where it goes next.

Seriyu-san