Disclaimer= I do not own Clannad.
A/N= This is a long one shot.
He had a flashback in his dream. Right at the beginning of his final year in the hallways outside of his class, Sunohara runs into Tomoyo for the first time. Tomoya is tagging along.
"I heard that she is strong. If she is THAT strong, she must be a guy."
"Sunohara was it? I'm a girl."
"You can't be a girl. The things I heard about you… are legendary. You are indeed a guy."
"I'm a woman, not a guy." Tomoyo was getting increasingly pissed off at Sunohara.
"Alright then. Let's go Tomoya, we are going to be late for class. Bye Tom!" That last one made Tomoyo snap. Even though they weren't facing her, Tomoya could feel the rage brewing behind him.
"Sunohara, apologize quickly!" Sunohara couldn't respond because Tomoyo was right in front of them, flames surrounding her.
"Apologize you idiot!"
"I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY, I'M SORRY! - -" Tomoyo grabbed him by the neck.
"My name is…TOMOYO!" A spamming of kicks was awaiting Sunohara after he was dropped. The final kick sent him to the end of the hallway. Tomoyo stood over him.
"I'm sorry please forgive me… Tomoyo-senpai." Sunohara got slapped in the face.
"Nope, that isn't the proper suffix either."
"Can I call you Tomoyo-chan?"
"If you improve, maybe" Tomoyo walked away, content spread all over her smile while Sunohara was still on the floor.
"I will improve, you have my word." After that, he woke up in a cold sweat.
It was just before break and Sunohara and Tomoya are chilling in his room, watching TV and reading manga. He is very distraught and will pick Tomoya's brain regarding his Achilles heel.
"Yo Tomoya, can you help me out?"
"I don't have any money."
"No, not that. How do you do it?"
"Do what exactly?"
"Girls dude! How do you attract the girls man? No matter what I do, I can never seem to get any girls. You on the other hand, have a starting lineup of girls that are crushing on you, along with a cute reserve. How do you do it?"
" Well, I'm not sure. I think you are lying."
"No I am not. Okay, you are eyeing Furukawa-san. The Fujibayashi sisters always treat you to lunch. And…"
"… and what?" Sunohara blushed some.
"… Tomoyo-chan always wants to walk home with you."
"What is your point?"
"Are you that clueless man?! Whose name did I just say last?"
"Tomoyo, you said her name last."
"Okay good! Now then, who do you think I like?"
"Yukine?"
"I didn't even bring her up, ugh!"
"I'm kidding, you like Tomoyo."
"Whew! Yeah I do like her… a LOT. Thing is Tomoya, she hates my guts. She likes YOU though."
"Really? I don't think so - - "
"Quit kidding yourself. The way she smiles at you, looks at you, winks at you, talks to you, etc… I wish she did that to me…"
"I'm sure she could. I have an idea."
"Really, what is it?" Sunohara was practically bouncing off the walls.
"My plan will involve not just Tomoyo, but the Fujibayashi sisters as well."
"Oh, okay. What role do they have?"
"Tomorrow after school is when this plan will take place. I have to go make the calls now."
"Okay, do you all know what you are doing? Great! Let's go have a romantic dinner Nagisa."
"Okay Tomoya-kun." Tomoya and Nagisa go off, and Kyou, Ryou, Sunohara, and Tomoyo are left alone. Tomoyo is sitting right across from Sunohara. Ryou was prepared.
"Okay Sunohara and Tomoyo-san, are you ready to play a game?"
"That sounds like fun."
"Okay."
"Alright, we'll play an old favorite called truth or dare. If you say truth, you have to confess to something. If you say dare, you have to do something."
"Okay sister, truth or dare?"
"Truth."
"Do you sleep with pajamas that have little doggies on them?" Kyou blushed immediately.
"Ryou! Uh, um, yes." Sunohara couldn't contain it.
"HAHAHA, that's so funny! Little doggies? Wow - -"
"Do you have something against little doggies?!" Sunohara got the memo.
"No Kyou-dono, my pajamas have little kittens on them."
"That I did NOT need to know."
"This is boring." Tomoyo was passively tapping her fingers.
"Okay you are next Tomoyo-san. Truth or dare?"
"I'll go with truth."
"Okay. Do you like Tomoya-san?" Tomoyo's eyes perked up and Sunohara turned away.
"Yes I - -"
"Great, we are going to play a different game." Ryou pulls out a watch from her pocket.
"Tomoyo-san, have you ever been hypnotized before?"
"No."
"Would you like to be?"
"Sure, why not?" Ryou taps on the watch.
"Do you see the dot on the watch?"
"Yes I do."
"Focus on the dot. Eliminate all other thoughts from your mind and focus solely on the dot." Ryou starts to move the watch as Tomoyo focuses on the dot.
"You are getting sleepy. You are getting very sleepy, very very sleepy…" Ryou moved the watch side to side for several more seconds as Tomoyo started to get really drowsy.
"Sleep now." Tomoyo's head fell on the table and she started snoring softly.
"Tomoyo-san, sitting across from you is Tomoya-san. When I snap my fingers, you and him will become lovers." Ryou snapped her fingers, and Tomoyo woke up.
"Tomoyo-chan, you have drool coming from your mouth." She gets up and flings herself across the table, spearing "Tomoya" and pinning him to the ground.
"Can you take it away with your lips?" cooed Tomoyo.
"I think I can do that." "Tomoya" and Tomoyo start kissing passionately. Kyou and Ryou quietly tiptoed out of the room.
"Ryou, how long will they be like that? That's not real love they are, um, displaying."
"The longer you swing the watch, the longer the one staring at the watch is hypnotized. Tomoyo-san will be like that for 3 days. That is how long Sunohara-san has to romance and be her lover."
"Oh? Well, he'll need every single second of those days."
"I'm really pulling for him sister. I think that they would make a really cute couple."
The next few days were like a wonderland for "Tomoya." He and Tomoyo went to the movies, cuddled by a fireplace and walked across the beach during sunset while barefoot. All of his dreams came true in just three days. On the third day, he was taking the scenic route to walk Tomyo home. Unfortunately for them, four goons stepped from the shadows and started running their mouths. "Tomoya" wasn't happy.
"I am having the best three days of my life… do NOT ruin them for me." The goons didn't care, and abruptly picked a fight.
"Tomoya, let me take care of these guys - - "
"No, let me… Tomoyo-chan." Tomoyo, whose mind was on Cloud 9, came crashing down to Earth and back to focus.
"Sunohara? What the hell are you doing here?"
"No time to explain, stand back. I will take care of these people" Sunohara charged at the goons with a barbarian yell, punching and kicking like a man possessed. Tomoyo could only watch; her mind was in a different place.
I was hypnotized and fell asleep. Sunohara was sitting across from me. Tomoya had already left. Ryou said that Tomoya was sitting across from me, but it was Sunohara that sat across. So that means the past three days of my life, days filled with joy, love and happiness were spent with…
Tomoyo's inner dialogue was interrupted by a blood-curling scream coming from the fighting.
"Sunohara!" The goons held him as he was kicked in the side, breaking some ribs. They dropped him and fell back.
"You were nothing kid." The goons started walking towards Tomoyo.
"I'm… I'M NOT FINISHED!" Amazingly, Sunohara got up while immediately reaching for his side.
"Your opponent is me. Don't you dare lay a hand on my Tomoyo-chan."
"Fair enough." The goons walked slowly towards Sunohara, like a pack of wolves circling an injured deer.
"You say that I am nothing? You four are the nothings. You four are bums and cowards, targeting innocent people for no reason at all. All four of you bums will not hurt anybody else."
"What can you do shrimp? You are no match for any of us."
"…I know." The goons were taken aback.
"So you want to get hurt even more kid? Be our guest!" The goons were now charging at Sunohara.
"You bastards are going to be sorry you messed with me." He unleashed another barbarian yell and with his hand wielding a switchblade… he cut open his broken side just enough to rip off a piece of rib.
"What the hell did you just do to yourself?!"
"Don't worry about it. You guys ready to fight?" The goons stopped charging at Sunohara.
"You win kid. You have a lot of balls to do that." The goons walked away. Sunohara turned towards Tomoyo, who was shell shocked.
"Sunohara…" He kept walking.
"You were the one who made the past three days the most happiest days of my life?" Sunohara kept walking.
"You sacrificed your body so I wouldn't get hurt?" He walked past her.
"Sunohara, why did you do this?" He dropped his rib piece.
"Why did I do it? It was all for YOU! I know that I was a jerk to you when I first met you and I'm sorry for that. The way I said those things were the best ways I could express my feelings to you. You are beautiful Tomoyo-chan and your strength only enhances your beauty. Ahh!" Sunohara reached for his ribs.
"Sunohara, I mean Youhei, I don't know what to say…" She was teary-eyed.
"You think about it while I limp to the hospital."
Sunohara had surgery to repair his ribs. Luckily the kick received impacted only a couple of ribs. The surgeon repaired the ribs and for the next several weeks, Sunohara was wearing a protective vest to protect his ribs. Those weeks passed and he was able to go to school without the vest on. It all seemed to go well. School ended one day and he was walking home with Tomoya.
"Sunohara, what you did was legendary man. You're a hero to the entire student body."
"Thanks, I try."
"So what's going on with you and Tomoyo?"
"We haven't be able to get intimate or anything; matter of fact, we have hardly spoken with each other since that day. She has brought me dinner with some dessert. She would talk to me while I was eating. Whenever I try to bring up what happened that day, she would always change the subject. Its like she doesn't want to acknowledge what I did for her."
"I'm sure she does man, she is waiting for the right moment to have that talk with you."
"Yea you are right - -" Sunohara suddenly starts to wheeze. He covers his mouth as he starts to wheeze some more.
"Hey are you okay?!" Sunohara shows his hand to Tomoya. The palm is drenched with blood.
"Oh my God, you got to go to the hospital."
-
Sunohara waited patiently in the room as the doctor came back with the results.
"Doctor, am I going to be okay?" The doctor took off his glasses.
"You only have a few more months to live." Sunohara felt as though the air was taken from him.
"What do you mean?"
"You have an infection that is ravaging your insides. I unfortunately can't do anything about it."
"I see."
"You will be discharged right now. Make your last few months memorable kid."
"Thank you doctor." Sunohara walked out of the hospital, crushed. A girl was waiting for him outside.
"Youhei, I heard about what happened, are you okay?" Tomoyo hugged him, but he didn't hug her back.
"Eh? Are you feeling okay Youhei?"
"No I'm not okay. Have you thought about what happened that day?"
"Yes."
"Well, what was your reaction?"
"You… were very brave."
"Very brave? That's it?"
"I thought you were Tomoya for three days…"
"Oh my goodness Tomoyo-chan, how can you say only that? How can you not have anymore to say after what I did for you? Let me tell you something: would Tomoya have romanced you the way I did during those three days? Would he have shed blood for you the way I shed blood for you? Would he have physically taken out part of his rib to use as a weapon to protect you? I know you have many more things to say; why aren't you saying them?"
"Because…"
"Because?"
"Because."
"Forget it Tomoyo-chan, I'm going home, see you around." Sunohara walked past a yelling Tomoyo, seething with anger and wheezing more violently than before.
Graduation day comes and everyone is excited. Sunohara receives his diploma and the entire student body starts yelling "SPEECH! SPEECH!" He had to say something now, so he walks up to the podium feeling somber.
"Congrats to everyone on graduating. We are going to change the world." Everyone roared with approval.
"One last thing… I realized just now that following your heart SUCKS." The crowd grew silent. Sunohara walked off the stage and wheezed again. His emotions turned to rage and he kept wheezing. The student body was worried. Teachers and faculty repeatedly asked if he was okay. Sunohara couldn't contain his anger any longer.
"DOES THIS LOOK LIKE I'M OKAY? I'M GOING AWAY SOON BECAUSE OF INFECTION!"
"Let me die in peace."
-
Sunohara walked down the long snowy promenade. He was about halfway when he saw Tomoyo. He talked weakly.
"I had forgotten that you graduated early… Tomoyo-chan."
"Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"
"Those goons were right, I am nothing. You are smart, popular, strong, beautiful and everything else. You are expected to meet many great expectations. Go on and get a head start and let me wither in the snow to less than nothing." Tomoyo didn't have the heart to slap him.
"Why didn't you tell me your body had been ravaging with infection? Why??"
"You didn't care. I - -" Sunohara didn't finish that thought because Tomoyo went up to kiss him.
"You might get infected for doing that you know…"
"I don't care. About what you said… I know what I wanted to say. The expectations for me are high as you noted. That's great and all, the accolades; however, love triumphs all of that."
"Tomoyo-chan?"
"I'm going to stay with you Youhei. You mean much more to me than any accolade ever would. I'll be with you forever."
"Tomoyo-chan!" They threw their arms around each other and cried tears of happiness.
"I'm so happy, I don't know what to say. Oh yeah, take this walk with me."
"Sure thing darling." Their newfound happiness only lasted a few steps. Sunohara wheezed violently for the final time. He careened toward the railing for balance, but he ended up vomiting tons of blood once grabbing hold. Sunohara was near death. He was falling but Tomoyo was there to hold him.
"Youhei, don't leave me yet. You'll make it. I'll get some help."
"SOMEBODY HELP ME PLEASE!!!"
"Forgive me Tomoyo-chan… I love you." Sunohara fell face first to the snow and didn't get up. Tomoyo nudged and repeated called his name, but it was no use because his body was limp. She saw that he had his right hand in his pocket. She pulls out his hand and it is closed up. She pries open the hand and sees a small box with a note attached to it. Tomoyo opens the box to find a ring in it. The note only had one line on it:
Will you marry me?
Tomoyo was bawling her eyes out as she nodded yes.