Clannad After Story: Tomoyo

Part 2

It was dark when I awoke, almost pitch black. There was no moonlight shining through my window. Part of my mind remembered that this part of the month retained a new moon. I vaguely wondered why they called it new, it wasn't as if it was starting over completely, or being replaced. My feet carried me out of bed and down the stairs. The drunken man was asleep in front of the table, empty beer cans and snack foods were scattered about. I tried to ignore it and made my way towards the door. When I opened it I heard a slight shuffle.

"Tomoya-kun... are you going out?"

I left without a word, firmly shutting the door behind me. It was his fault I couldn't play basketball anymore... it was because of him.

Much as I did recently, I let my feet carry me wherever they would.

I found myself heading towards a small shop I liked to visit when I was small. It was closed when I got there of course. It was a trinket place that sold all sorts of interesting toys and candies. I was surprised that this place was still open after all this time.

The drunken man took me here occasionaly, but he stopped when I turned fourteen. He started slugging around, he would go to sleep right after coming home, and he brought home TV dinners instead of making home cooked meals. He took to drinking, and in one of his stuppors, ended up injuring my shoulder.

I could never forgive him for that.

I looked around myself, trying to figure out where to go next.

In the distance I could see a person standing under a street lamp.

The figure told me it was a woman.

I called out to her.

This only resulted in her running in the other direction.

My feet carried me towards the street lamp, to where she had been standing.

On the ground, just under my feet, was a small puddle of red liquid.

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Poke

"Mrrgh, five more minutes Tomoyo."

Poke

I rolled over, trying to ignore the strange sensation on my nose.

Poke

It moved to my ear. I jolted up and shoke my head, "Can't you let me sleep in for once, would that be so har..."

I froze.

The eyes that were looking at me were not my fiance's, but rather, that of the strange child-woman from yesterday. "Fuuko-san?"

I heard a light laugh come from the door.

Ah, there was Tomoyo. "I decided to shirk my duty of waking you up today in favour of the girl."

My eyebrow twitched. Not being woken up by Tomoyo, my morning became bleak instantly. To be woken up by this strange person while I was sleeping, I wouldn't have it! "Hey, what the hell's this supposed to be, what's this strange girl even doing in our apartment?"

"She brought treats, I couldn't very well turn the girl down."

"Fuuko is not strange, in fact, neighbors consider Fuuko quite normal, and charming."

I blanched, "What kind of neighbors do you have?"

"Normal neighbors."

"Right, and why are you here? Shouldn't you be hanging out with your sister?"

She suddenly blushed and looked to the side, "Fuuko didn't want to interrupt."

Huh, maybe this girl was more mature than I gave her credit for. Wait, that still didn't change the fact that she was in my apartment. Tomoyo let her in, I guess she couldn't be all bad. Besides, she was cute, kind of like a little sister.

In reaction to this thought, my hand acted of its own accord and reached out to pat her on the head.

She paled instantly and slapped my hand away.

Curious, I tried again, only to be rejected once more.

And again.

And again.

She let out a blood curdling scream, vacating to the opposite corner of the room before I had time to ask what the issue was.

She sat in the corner, huddled into herself, hugging one of her many carved starfish. "You're still carving those?" I asked, "I thought Ibuki-sensei's wedding was the reason you did."

"Fuuko enjoys them."

"Eh?"

She smiled wistfully, playing with the small wood carving.

Something was wrong here. I stood from the futon and walked to the closet, pulling out a pair of slacks and putting them on. Tomoyo frowned, "I thought I was the only girl you'd walk in front of like that."

I scoffed, adjusting my shirt and walking to Fuuko. "Does she look like a normal girl to you?"

Looking down at her, yep, something was definately wrong. Her eyes were closed, and she was still smiling, making little noises of appreciation in her throat. I waved a hand in front of her face, and when she failed to respond, I smirked.

"Tomoyo, can you get a juice container from the fridge for me?"

"Juice... container?"

She questioned me, tilting her head, but complied nonetheless, and came back to the room with a small box container of apple juice. I opened the straw and pushed it into the small hole. For some reason, I felt this was something I should do. As I raised the juice box to Fuuko's nose Tomoyo attempted to stop me. "Tomoya, stop, what are you..."

It was already too late.

The straw had entered her nostril and I had long since squeezed the container.

Fuuko jerked back and sneezed profously. Tomoyo sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What happened, Fuuko suddenly felt... refreashed."

I tried to keep myself from laughing, "Maybe you shouldn't space out, people will do strange things to you."

She pointed a finger at me accusingly, "Strange person doing strange things."

"What did I do? I'm just enjoying my juice," I said with a grin.

"Alright you two," said Tomoyo, playing the role of a parent breaking up a quarral between siblings. "Ibuki-san came here for a reason, she wanted to bring treats as a thank you for attending her sister's wedding."

I turned back to the girl and smiled, she may have been weird, but she wasn't so bad, "You baked treats for everyone at the wedding? That's impressive."

Fuuko looked contemplative, bringing a finger to her chin, "Hmmm, just Okazaki-san and Sakagami-san."

"Just us? W...why?"

"No, not just you, Fuuko is not rude!"

"Make up your mind," I said with a sigh.

"Also... Furukawa-san, Fujibayashi-san, and the strange girl in the book store."

"Strange girl in the book store? You didn't even know her?"

"Fuuko is polite, the girl came to the wedding so Fuuko baked for her. The girl was also pretty, and thanked Fuuko kindly!"

Was there a way to thank someone unkindly?

"Fuuko also likes these people, Okazaki-san and Sakagami-san also. Even if Okazaki-san is strange!"

"That's like the pot calling the kettle black!"

"No, Fuuko didn't use a pot and a kettle to bake."

I sighed, this girl was really something else.

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It happened on my way to the store.

I was stuffed with sweets to my core. Tomoyo's breakfasts were always even, and left me feeling full and satisfied, but the sheer amount of starfish treats that girl had brought made me feel like I was going to explode. She kept on insisting that Tomoyo and I eat it all. I was moving slowly.

I turned the corner of the street leading to the store...

"OI, LOOK OUT!!"

My head turned just in time to see the object I should have been looking out for.

My brain registered that it was a baseball a split second before it smacked me in the face.

I think I went tumbling several feet from the sheer force of the ball, but at the time I didn't even know what was happening. I didn't feel any pain at all.

Ah, there it was.

This must have been the after life.

I could see an angel standing above me.

I smiled and sighed wistfully.

Maybe dying wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Okazaki-kun!"

Oh, she knew my name, no need for introductions then. "Hello there," I said softly, "Angel."

I guess angel's could blush as well.

And apparantly they stammered, "U...u... um... Ooookazaki-kun, it's me."

I shot up, shaking my head of the daze it had been in, "Furukawa-san. What the..."

She smiled bashfully, still blushing, and brought her hand to her collar, "My dad must have accidently hit you with his baseball."

Oh, so that's what happened.

I suddenly felt a pressure on my shirt collar and found myself being lifted into the air. "Hey you..." It was more of an inhuman growl than an outright statement. I found myself looking into the eyes of a beast, "You've got some nerve, making my daughter blush like that without even asking her out!"

I swallowed deep, "Uh, I already... have a girlfriend."

I saw the man's eyebrow twitch, "So you think you're some kinda playboy huh?"

"D... dad, stop it."

"Hrmph, you're lucky," he growled, dropping me back on my feet, "My name is Akio, Akio Furukawa, and you better not get any funny ideas."

Furukawa stepped forward, "Okazaki-kun, follow me, we'll get you looked at."

"R... right."

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I sat across from Furukawa, in their dining room. They lived and worked in a small but busy bakery it seemed. When we walked in I met her mother and saw her attending to some children, a day care it seemed. She quickly and proficiantly nursed my bleeding head, applying a bandage with the utmost of care.

"Hey," I said softly, hoping to kick up conversation, "Did you ever get to start the drama club back up?"

She looked down at the floor, regretful, "I'm afraid not."

Oh, touchy subject, "Did you have fun at graduation?"

She looked even worse, "I got sick again, I have to repeat."

I felt sick to my stomach. This girl tried so hard and got nothing in return. Maybe I should have helped her back then.

I shook my head of the thought, "Hey... do you like the school?"

She looked back up at me, surprise crossing her features, she finally answered, "Yes, very much."

I smiled, "I liked it too, and I'm glad I went there. I met a lot of interesting people, and someone important to me."

She was silent.

I continued, "Sorry, I just felt like answering that question you asked me on the road to school. I hated it at first, but now, I honestly can't say I regretted it at all. I graduated, and because of that I can take care of the person I love. When I first saw you on that hill you looked scared, I wondered whether I should call out to you, but I did, and there's no turning back from that decision, just like you can't turn your back on your goals."

"Okazaki... kun..."

"I didn't help you much back then."

"That's not true, because of you I kept on walking."

"Yeah, but when you tried making the drama club I didn't step in at all." I smiled bitterly, "I was kind of a jerk back then, I just wanted to get out. I told myself you could handle it, that I didn't need anyone dragging me down. The truth was... I was afraid. I was afraid of talking to people, helping them. Then I met Tomoyo Sakagami, and she showed me what it felt like to make a difference. I thought I was scum, that I was holding her down, and again, I was just afraid, but not for myself this time. Tomoyo is the council president, she is an amazing woman and I love her with all my heart. When you go to school tomorrow you should talk to her, I am sure she'll help you where I couldn't."

I stood from the table, and she copied my movements. Taking the opprotunity, I bowed deeply, deeper than I had when my last sensei helped me find a job. She gasped.

"I'm sorry... I didn't help you when I should have, and if possible, I'd like to be friends."

She smiled, "O... of course."

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I saw her smiling. Not the smile that she was showing me now. It was a sad smile, full of heartache and regret.

Perhaps, in a different life...

I casted away the thought and stood straight once more, "I really, really like that school."

I echoed her words, and her smile widened.

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"Crap."

I lifted the lid off the pot, preventing it from boiling over. This was a lot harder than Tomoyo made it seem. I had burned the first batch and was already well on my way to screwing up the soup. I managed to fight my way through the chicken curry. I remembered her mentioning that she liked curry a lot. I was proud of myself for at least that. Furukawa had helped me pick out the proper ingrediants to make it, and had even given me tips that the cook book failed to mention. 'She'll make a good wife to someone,' I thought to myself, stirring the potatoes.

An hour and a half later Tomoyo arrived home from school. She was surprised to see me, not to mention the dishes and food that had been set out for her, "Tomoya."

I grinned, "Well you're doing it all the time, I figured I'd take it into my own hands for once and give you a break, I know you have a lot of studying to do, and I know Furukawa-san talked to you today."

Tomoyo smiled and removed her shoes, making her way to the small table, "Her situation is tough, but I approved her to advertise for the club and pulled a few strings, so she should get at least a handful of members willing to put on a play or two. I take it you ran into her the other day."

"Yeah, it was nice talking with her. Her dad is a bit on the strange side."

"This coming from you? I met that girl's father today, he reminds me of you."

I could feel the blood drain from my face almost immidiately, "N... no way."

She smiled warmly, "Over protective, pulls stupid pranks, doesn't know when to shut up, and extremely handsome."

I gritted my teeth, "I appriciate the compliment, but..."

"Jealous?"

"...Yeah."

"Itadakimasu," she whispered, beginning to eat.

"Hey! You're supposed to make me feel better!"

"This is delicious," she said, ignoring my protests, "How long did you work on this?"

I felt heat rise to my face, "A few hours, I screwed up a couple of times before I got it right, the kitchenware isalready cleaned, and I took the trash out too." I sat down next to her and took a deep breath, "I'm glad you like it, I was worried I might have accidently poisoned you or something."

"It's really good for a beginner, you should be proud. Maybe I'll give you cooking lessons."

"You have to concentrate on school work," I said, tapping her nose with my finger, "We'll worry about small stuff like that after we've settled."

She frowned and blushed a little, "We still have to tell my parents about the baby, they won't be happy, but it's not like I'll miss a lot of school, and I can talk to the Headmaster and work something out. Are you going to eat?"

"I ate earlier because I knew it'd be tough cooking for you. Furukawa helped out a lot."

"Remember to thank her for me."

"I will."

"Hey... Tomoya?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm worried..."

I raised an eyebrow, "About what?

"I'm worried about our child. I have a bad feeling, and I can't exactly explain why. It's probably because I know those thugs won't give up so easily. They'll keep coming, and every time there will be more. Normally, it wouldn't be an issue, but..." She pet her stomach lightly.

I put my hand over hers, "If worse comes to worse we'll stay somewhere else in the city. I'll make sure to protect you both. Furukawa's old man looked pretty tough, and I'm sure he'd be willing to help out."

"Tomoya."

I pulled her hand up and kissed it. "I promise you. I won't let any harm come to this family. Just worry about what's ahead of you, and keep getting good grades, keep doing your job as the council president. Keep looking after your brother, I'll take care of the rest."

She smiled, "I've never been protected before," she said softly, "I'm so good at fighting that nobody even bothered. It feels... nice."

I smirked, "Well I won'tlie, you are a very intimidating girl."

She frowned, "You didn't seem scared when we first met."

"That's because I knew you'd beat up on Sunohara and not me. If I was on the receiving end of your attacks I wouldn't be very calm," I said with a laugh.

"Then be glad I love you too much to hurt you."

"Tch, I am."

She wrapped her hand tighter around mine, squeezing and stroking my palm with her thumb. "I'm happy."

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