Alternate Canon: Kyou
by Magnus Prime

I grumbled as Ushio and I walked home from her school. "Stupid, Kyou…why does she always have to…"

"What's wrong, Daddy?" I looked down to my daughter's eyes, wider than usual, and I cursed my carelessness.

"I'm sorry sweetheart, I'm just…frustrated." I ran my hand over my face to wipe my frown away, forcing a smile to my face. "There; all better."

She came to a stop and, since we were holding hands as usual, I ended up stopping as well. "You don't look better," she said. It was as though the kid could see right through me. "You're still fustered."

"'Frustrated'," I corrected gently. "Yeah, I am…all right, I'm sorry for lying," I quickly said at her doubtful expression.

She tugged on my hand, and I lowered myself to one knee so we could talk eye-to eye. "Why are you frus-tray-ted?" she asked, and I had to keep myself from smiling with pride at her efforts at pronunciation.

"I can't say," I said.

"It's Fujibayashi-sensei, right?" she asked with an honest expression – like she had any other kind.

It was embarrassing, not being able to hold the gaze of a five-year-old. "You're pretty smart, you know that?"

"Is it because she says mean things about you?"

I rose to my feet. "We'll talk about it more when we get home," I promised, really not wanting to talk about it at all.

"Okay."

"I'm surprised you noticed," I said as I put snack before her. "You've laughed every time, so…"

"Well, at first I thought you were trying to be funny," she told me, then ducked her head. "And the way your face got red was…funny."

I couldn't help it; I laughed loudly. It felt so good. "Yeah, I can see how it would. But what changed your mind?"

She looked back up at me with an earnest expression. "Michiru – she's a friend of mine at school – she was getting picked on by some other girls, and she looked just the way you did."

I was floored; was I the father of a genius? "And you…you figured it out just like that?"

"Uh-huh," she replied nonchalantly before taking a bite of her snack. "I mean, feelings are feelings, right? Grown-ups can feel bad too, right?"

I nodded dumbly. "Yeah. We…We'll get hurt over different things than kids, but yeah."

"Pain is pain," she declared. "You and Michi had the same hurt face, so you both hurt…even though it was different girls."

"Fine," I said with a defeated chuckle. "You win. Yes, it's your teacher. You know that she and I went to high-school at the same time, right?"

"Uh-huh; she told me so."

I found myself wondering what else Fujibayashi-sensei had been filing my little girl's head with, but I resisted the temptation to ask. "Well, she used to…" I stopped myself; did I really want to trash-talk her beloved teacher. Finally I decided-

"Was she mean to you in school, too?"

Me and my big mouth. "Yeah, but she's settled down a bit."

"Do you want me to talk to her?"

"Huh?" I was starting to wonder who was the parent and who was the child in our relationship as I watched her take another bite of her snack. "Uh, no…no, thanks. If I have a problem with someone, I need to talk to that person myself, right? Isn't that what you've been taught?"

"Uh-huh."

"So…I'll talk to her if I need to," I said, finally feeling like the adult again.

"It must be hard," she said, her face scrunching up cutely. "You got bullied in school, then you lost Mommy, and now you're being bullied again. That's not right."

Okay, maybe I wasn't the adult just yet. "Just…finish your snack, please."

"Yes, Daddy," my precious, obedient daughter replied.

Ushio had a determined look on her face as we walked to school the next day.

"Don't say anything to her about our talk, please," I said as we approached the gates to her school.

"Huh?" she said with a blink. "I wasn't thinking about that."

"What were you thinking about, then?"

She tugged my hand, and I lowered myself to my knee again. Then she wrapped her small arms around my neck and brought her mouth close to my ear. "I believe in you, Daddy," she whispered, causing me to nearly choke on the lump that had suddenly formed in my throat.

"Thank you," I replied quietly. "That means a lot to me."

"I know," she said as she backed away with a smile. "That's why I said it."

"Is your worthless dad making you late again?" a voice intruded, ruining the moment.

"N-No Fujibayashi-sensei," my daughter said, turning to address her teacher. "W-We were just saying 'goodbye' for now."

Fujibayashi Kyou covered her mouth, apparently to hide the laugh that threatened to burst out. "W-Well, good," she barely said. "He's already ruined his life; I don't want him ruining yours, too."

"He's-!" Ushio started, but stopped herself, to my relief. "Yes, Fujibayashi-sensei."

Kyou gave me a puzzled look, but took Ushio's hand to lead her into the school. I sighed as I watched them go; the fact was, I had ruined my life. I may not have been responsible for my mom's death or my dad's depression, but I chose to fight with him up to the point of breaking my shoulder, I chose to mess up my sleep schedule to avoid my dad. Really, I had chosen to let everything anyone said get to me. I really was everyone's lap dog, wasn't I? No wonder Kyou had such an easy time making fun of me.

I shook my head with a sigh as I left the school and headed to work.

"See you tomorrow, Okazaki," Yoshino said as we headed our separate ways, him to his wife and sister-in-law and me to my daughter's school.

"Say 'hi' to Kouko-san for me," I replied, waving as I headed off. As I walked I thought about my situation with Kyou; she was being almost as nasty to me as she had in school over five years prior…had she grown up at all? I snorted as I turned the question on myself. "I need to stop flying off the handle every time she opens her mouth," I decided with a humorless chuckle. "I'm probably just encouraging her."

I took several deep breaths as I approached Ushio's school, trying to prepare my nerves for the inevitable verbal onslaught.

I didn't have to wait long; "Ushio! Your worthless dad is here!"

I exchanged a glance with my daughter, who gave me a look that seemed to say 'You can do it'. So I took a deep breath, and: "Good afternoon, Kyou. How was Ushio today?"

It was kinda funny watching her try to form a response. "She…She was really good, as usual," she managed to get out. "Had a little trouble getting started this morning, but she cheered up pretty quickly." Her face took on another smirk, and I knew what was coming next. "Messed her up before you got her here…again?"

"I-" I had to suppress another urge to retort. "I don't think so," I said, shrugging. "We had kind of an emotional talk on the way to school, but everything was fine by the time we got here."

"Hmph."

As Ushio and I walked home, I thought back on my 'conversation' with Kyou. She had tried to bait me, but after I refused to bite, it seemed like she didn't know what to do. I smiled to myself; I could get past this. In fact, if she kept doing it but I didn't respond…

The next couple of days were the same: she'd bait me but I'd refuse the bait. I could tell it was getting to her but, more importantly, it was starting to make her look bad to other parents. As I expected, her pride wouldn't allow her to admit that she was wrong, so I needed to take more drastic measures.

"Thank you," I said into the phone. "I'm sorry it's come to this, but I can't have my kid exposed to this kind of behavior."

"You were right to bring this to our attention," said the voice on the other end. "Please be assured that we will do everything we can to remedy the situation. We take very seriously the way we treat students and their parents."

"Thank you," I repeated. "I really hope things work out okay for everyone."

"Who was that, Daddy?" Ushio asked as I hung up the phone.

"I just had a little talk with the school," I answered evasively. "Nothing you need to worry about." It was true; this was adult stuff, and I didn't want to burden her with my problems…any more than I already had, at least.

She raised her chin with a look of determination. "If…If I have to go to another class, then that's all right," she said, her stammer contradicting her expression.

"Tell me the truth, Shio-chan; you'd miss her, wouldn't you?"

Her face nearly turned upside-down as tears pooled in her eyes and her lower lip began to quiver. "Yeah Daddy, I would. But if it meant that she couldn't be mean to you anymore, then it'd be okay."

My heart melted at her words, and I took her into my arms and let her cry onto my shoulder. "Thank you, Shio-chan. And…I'm sorry it's come to this."

As Ushio and I sat down to dinner, we were surprised by a knock at the door. "Who is it, Daddy?" my daughter asked.

"I dunno," I said as I got up from the table. "I didn't invite anyone over. Did you?"

"Uh-uh."

I opened the door to find a furious Fujibayashi on my front doorstep. "Good evening, Kyou. What brings you out-"

"Don't give me that crap, Tomoya!" she bellowed. "What's the meaning of this, calling the school office on me?!"

I had figured that she would confront me about it, but I hadn't expected her to do it so soon. "As far as I know, that's standard procedure for filing a complaint, but more importantly, why are you bringing it up here?"

"Because I don't think it's right, calling my boss without talking to me first!"

I took an extra deep breath; I was not going to fight on her terms. "Like I said, calling the office is standard procedure, as far as I know. At least the lady I talked to told me that I did the right thing."

"Yeah, but…" I hated to admit it, but part of me enjoyed watching her squirm. "We're friends, aren't we? We can talk to each other."

"I haven't felt like you've treated me as a friend for a long time, Kyou. And besides, you're on the job when you say stuff like this, and aren't you supposed to be more professional than that? I know that in my professional position I don't talk to my clients the way you talk to me."

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "I still think you should've talked to me, first."

"You had your chance when I stopped playing your game. In fact, you had three days of chances. Now, my daughter and I are trying to have dinner, so I'd appreciate it if we could talk about this another time. Have a good evening, Fujibayashi-sensei."

I started to close the door when Kyou stopped it with her hand. "I am not leaving until this is worked out," she growled.

"Kyou, remove your hand from my door, or I will call the police," I growled back.

"Daddy…"

"Not now, sweetheart," I said to my daughter in the nicest voice I was capable of before returning my attention to Kyou. "I don't expect you to understand this, but I lost my mom before I could even meet her, I lost my future due to fighting with my dad, I put up with your abuse through our last year of high-school, then I lost a job opportunity due to my dad, then I lost Nagisa in childbirth. I finally have something good in being able to take care of my daughter, and I'm not going to allow you or anyone else to crap on me anymore, got it?"

"Oh, waa!" she countered. "Have you any idea what it's been like for me? I put my heart on the back burner to try to get you with Ryou, then not only do I fail that but I get to see you marry some other girl, and…" I watched, astonished, as she started to sniffle. "…and have a child with her!"

"That's what happens when people get married, Kyou!" I yelled. "Maybe if you spent more time dating, and less time taunting me, you could've had one of your own!"

I twitched as my cheek exploded in pain, and it took several seconds for me to realize that she'd slapped me. "How dare you!" she bellowed.

That was it; I left her at the door and strode back into my home and the phone. "I'm calling the police, Kyou; I suggest you go home."

"Like hell I will!" Kyou charged into my home, heading toward me.

"STOP IT!"

It wasn't just the loudness of the voice that startled me; it was the source. "Sh-Shio-chan…?"

My daughter stood in a corner of our living room, shaking, with tears running down her face. "Please…stop fighting…"

"Oh my god…" I dropped the phone and hurried over to my daughter, scooping her into my arms. "Oh my angel, I'm so sorry." I could feel the tears well up in my own eyes. "I'm so sorry you had to see that." I glared over at Kyou, who stood just a few feet inside my home with a guilty expression. "F-Fujibayashi-sensei, please leave our home."

"Yeah…I'm really sorry…I'll go. Please…don't call the police; I'm leaving." She started backing toward the front door. "Shio-chan, I'm so sorry for fighting in front of you."

"Please don't go," Ushio said in a thin voice, surprising me. "You have something else to say to Daddy, don't you?"

I blinked; hadn't we said enough already? "She's not a safe person right now, Ushio. Neither am I, for that matter."

"Fujibayashi-sensei; your face says something else," my daughter said, apparently ignoring me.

"I…I-I can't…"

"You have to, or you'll be lying," Ushio insisted. "Please, Fujibayashi-sensei."

"Lying…" Kyou said as her eyes became unfocused. Then, she looked up at us. "She's right, Tomoya; there is something else I need to say to you."

Something about her tone told me that, in spite of how I was feeling, it would be okay. "Fine. Tell me what you need to, then leave."

She walked right up to me and, after sharing a glance with the little girl in my arms, looked me straight in the eye in spite of the moisture in her own. "I've…I've loved you since our second-year of high-school…you idiot."

I nearly dropped Ushio from surprise. "You…what…?"

She nodded solemnly. "Since second-year."

"But…that means…" Seven years? She'd been holding back her feelings for seven years? "I…I really didn't know…"

"Then I guess I did a good job," she replied with a weak smile.

I felt Ushio move, and looked to see her counting on her fingers. Then she looked at Kyou with wide eyes. "That's longer…older…"

"I've loved him longer than you've been around," Kyou confirmed.

"Wow…" Ushio gasped. "That's even longer than Mommy…right, Daddy?"

"Yeah," I breathed, looking at Kyou with new eyes.

"Well," she said, slowly heading back to the door. "I'd better go."

"Wait!" I called out, thankfully causing her to stop. I carefully put my daughter at her spot at the table, then hesitantly walked over to my old classmate, rubbing my hands together in thought.

She watched me with understandably wary eyes. "What? What do you want?"

I decided to risk it, and slowly wrapped my arms around her, giving her plenty of time to push me away. She didn't, and I could feel her rest her head on my shoulder and wrap her arms around me as she started to tremble. "I'm sorry," I said.

"For what?" she trembled into my shoulder.

"I'm not sure…but I feel like I've wronged you, somehow," I admitted. "When I figure out what, I'll let you know."

I felt more than heard her chuckle. "Then save your apology for when you figure it out, 'k?"

"Okay."

She pulled away just enough to look me in the eye, but kept her hold of me. "And I'm sorry for being so horrible to you. I didn't know what else to do, but I know that doesn't make it okay."

"I forgive you," I said with a small smile. "Thanks."

She said nothing, but smiled as she returned to our embrace. While we hugged, I cracked my eyes open to check on Ushio, who was staring at us with wide eyes. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed our family photo sitting on the small table. I'd refused to remarry for many reasons, but maybe now…

"I, uh, need to get home," Kyou said, breaking our embrace. "I haven't had dinner yet."

"R-Right…" I said, stepping away to give her back her space. "Sorry to keep you so long."

"No problem," she replied as she straightened her outfit. "I'm glad you did." She gazed into my face a moment longer. "Well…see you tomorrow."

"Kyou?" I said, stopping her by the door. "Are…Are you free Friday night?"

I'd want to talk to Sanae and Pops about it, but maybe it was time for Ushio to have a father and a mother, and for me to have someone I could share my life with.

Rough Draft Complete