Saturday afternoon, October 30 – Ichinose Residence
Tomoya got out of the taxi and helped Kotomi out of the back seat. It had been a tiring trip for her and she felt like she was about to collapse even after having slept on the train and in the taxi. Even though she was only in the first trimester of her pregnancy, this one seemed to be sapping her energy much more that the previous pregnancies had. She wanted to lean on Tomoya but he had to get their bags out of the trunk of the taxi.
"Here you go, Kotomi-chan." Melissa moved up next to Kotomi and offered her arm.
"Thank you Melissa-chan. I don't know why I'm like this. I don't recall being so listless with my previous pregnancies." Kotomi gave a weak smile to her friend as they both walked slowly up the walk to the front door of the familiar house.
Tomoya grunted with the effort to carry all of their bags. Since Kobayashi-hakase had stayed in Tokyo after the presentation was over, and Melissa was helping Kotomi to the door, he was the only one left to carry all of their bags. And Melissa and Kotomi's bags felt like they were packed with textbooks.
He got some relief as soon as the front door was open though. Sugisaka and her cousin were there to help him with the remaining bags while Melissa continued into the house with Kotomi. He was worried about her while he watched her being assisted into the house. But, thanks to one of Kobayashi-hakase's friends who was a medical doctor, he was a little less concerned than he had been before the trip. The doctor had assured both of them that no two pregnancies were the same and it was not unusual for a woman to go through several physical and emotional changes as her pregnancy progressed. It was the same thing he had heard from other doctors during Kotomi's previous pregnancies, but Kotomi had never seemed this drained before. Having heard every doctor repeat the same advice as if it were some rote mantra that was burned into them in medical school was starting to have the opposite effect than instilling confidence. If she's already this drained now, how is she going to be as the pregnancy progresses?
He was still thinking about the changes that were ahead for Kotomi in the months to come when he stepped into the living room and heard the shout of over a dozen voices.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Tomoya was momentarily stunned as he looked around the room and saw the happy faces of many of his friends. The Sunohara's were there as well as the Furukawa's… which included Ryou and Ushio. Tomoyo was also present with Isamu. Tomoya noticed that they were holding hands and he also noticed the blush on her face when she met his eyes.
"STOP!" Tomoya shouted back against the merrymakers and instantly had all of their attention. Saying a pleasant thank you to the well-wishers was the normal response so everyone was understandably wondering what Tomoya was up to. Even the children stopped their playing, to see what was going on. "I have had good birthdays and bad birthdays. But at the ripe old age of twenty-five, I have finally determined what it takes to make a really good birthday."
Tomoya looked around the room but there was no response at first. He really thought it would be Youhei that would take the bait, but it was Akio who spoke up first.
"All right brat. Tell us what you have learned from so many years of accumulated wisdom!" Akio challenged – but with laughter in his voice.
"All right… Did Tomoyo-chan make the birthday cake at the Furukawa Bakery?" Tomoya asked the room as if he were proving a point in a courtroom.
"Ah!" Tomoyo blushed a little more at having been singled out.
"Indeed she did!" Akio chuckled as much at Tomoyo's embarrassed reaction as at Tomoya's theatrics.
"Did she have the help of Sanae-san or Yukine-chan?" Tomoya continued his prosecution while pointing out the two named suspects.
"Both of us, actually." Sanae answered sweetly. She didn't mind being a part of Tomoya's entertaining improvisation, but she would have a word with him later about why he called her Sanae-san instead of Sanae-chan.
"And finally, did Tomoyo-chan allow her imagination to run free with the creation of said birthday cake?" Tomoya directed the final question at the fiercely blushing platinum blond in the room. Once again, everyone in the room turned to see Tomoyo's reaction… and her reply.
"Yes." Tomoyo was able to respond in a fairly normal voice despite the crimson blush on her face, and the fact that all the attention in the room had just been leveled at her.
"In that case, I am certain that this will be a truly wonderful and memorable birthday party and everyone present will be showered with blessings and luck." Tomoya concluded his delivery to the sound of applause and cheers.
"So he can say that kind of thing too? I wonder what happened to the practical-joking and cynical boy we used to know." Sanae said to her husband. There had been a bit of nostalgia in her voice. She liked the man that he had become but she also missed the youthful boy he had been when he had pulled Nagisa out of her shell and helped her to find friends… and love.
"Oh, he's still there. I'm sure of it. He has gotten a lot better at knowing his audience though." Akio replied.
"Yes he has." Sanae agreed. Then she told her husband, "You need to stop calling him brat. He is truly a man now."
"Oh? I think there is still some brat left in him." Akio retorted, then slyly pointed out, "I noticed he called you Sanae-san instead of Sanae-chan. Are you sure that little jab wasn't unintentional?"
"Hmph… Okay, you can keep calling him brat… for now." Sanae relented.
.
The newest member of the growing collection of children was running around with the other kids as if they had been friends for years. She was a little shy around new adults, but not terribly so – which was pretty normal for any child. Tomoya noticed that Ushio did not seem to have the shyness issues of his daughter Michiko, nor did she have the social ineptness of her mother Nagisa either… at least around other children her own age. For their part, almost all of the children had also incorporated Ushio into their play and had quickly accepted her.
Only Michiko still seemed a little shy with the newcomer. But no-one believed that this was anything she felt against Ushio personally. Michiko had always been painfully shy and had taken a while to warm up to new faces… and make new friends. Well, not quite always…
Her singular exception was Sunohara Yoichi. But she hadn't been an exception for him. Brushing aside barriers like shyness or fear was the norm for this wondrous child. Not yet five years old and little Yoichi's charm was approaching legendary status with everyone that knew him. Without even words… only a smile and a tilt of the head, he had been known to stop fights, comfort the unhappy, encourage the frightened, ease tensions, and make friends. As a preschooler, his vocabulary wasn't all that large, but when he did use words, it was as if they were infused with the magic of peace, courage, and introspection. Normal in most ways, he wasn't physically strong for his age and it was too early to tell if he was going to be a Kotomi-like genius. But there was nothing normal about his charisma – it was as if he walked with the grace of Benzaitennyo-kami or Omoikane-kami. More than one person who had been awed by the little boy had asked Yukine what shrines she had visited during her pregnancy.
Tomoya had noticed how attached Michiko had become to the charming Sunohara boy and thought it was cute. His only concern was one of jealousy. He doubted the preschoolers had developed a more adult sense of love yet, but he knew that wasn't the only source of jealousy either. Michiko already thought of Yoichi as hers, so if he suddenly started playing with Ushio a lot… he might end up with the sticky situation of both of his daughters fighting over the same boy. Fortunately, that hadn't been the case yet. So far, Ushio had been more interested in getting to know her Onii-chans. Just as fortunately, Yoshino Maiko hadn't taken Ushio's interest in the boys as a threat to her. She appeared to be fine with the boys having another younger sister and even took an interest in playing dress-up with Ushio.
It wasn't until Tomoya noticed little Maiko and her younger brother Yasuo playing with the other children, that he realized he hadn't seen Yusuke or Kouko. And of course, Fuko. Come to think of it, I haven't seen Fuko since she woke up from the coma. Well… I haven't seen her awake anyway. Tomoya remembered looking in on her when she was staying at his house during the day. Although she was asleep, he could still see the differences between this real girl and the ikiryo he had known. Unfortunately, the most obvious differences were that the ikiryo had looked a lot healthier than this girl. But Kouko had told him that it was normal for someone who had been in a coma for so long and that her health would come back with physical therapy and time… probably.
"Hey, something bothering you?" Kyou asked as she sidled up to him with a couple of slices of cake on two small plates.
"Just wondering where Yoshino and Kouko are," he took one of the plates from Kyou and continued, "and a little worried about Fuko."
"We were kinda hoping your train would be late." Kyou said with a chuckle, "They had an appointment at the Hospital for Fuko that they couldn't reschedule."
"Is she okay?" Tomoya put off biting into the cake he had lifted almost to his mouth.
"Oh yeah, it was just a routine thing. But it will affect her next round of physical therapy, so it was too important to miss." Kyou told him. Then she asked, "What's the deal with Kotomi?"
"I think this pregnancy is affecting her a lot more that the others. She always seems to be drained of energy… or at least it has seemed like that for the last week." Tomoya replied.
"What did the doctor say?" Kyou asked.
"The usual. Every pregnancy is different and this is within the normal parameters for this stage of the pregnancy." Tomoya replied dryly.
"You have a problem with doctors, Tomoya...kun?" Ryou picked up on Tomoya's discontent with the medical opinion he had been given.
"Not all of them. But I also don't think they are flawless just because they finished medical school." Tomoya answered.
Ryou knew that some doctors were better than others and that there were some pretty bad ones out there that shouldn't be practicing medicine. But the taunt about medical school was too much. She was about to retort when he suddenly looked directly at her and spoke first.
"I would feel a lot more confident if it was you, Ryou-chan. I know you're good. I trust you and can believe in you. And if you said the same thing… maybe I would trust the other doctors more." Tomoya looked back at his cake. He knew that Ryou and Kyou had made up, but he didn't know how much Ryou had been able to forgive Kotomi and himself for stealing her Onee-chan away from her for so many years.
"But… I'm not a doctor yet. I'm still in medical school!" A flustered Ryou replied.
"No, but this isn't about pieces of paper." Kyou said as she took her stunned sister's hand, "This is about who you believe in. And, of course he's going to believe in you, Ryou. After all, you saved his life twice, before you were even out of high school!"
"I…" Ryou started to understand Tomoya's comments, but she still didn't think she warranted that kind of belief. After all, the kinds of things she did back in high school was more like first-aid than medicine. Comparing that to determining the health of a pregnant woman were two entirely different things. And yet, she could see that he was honest about his feelings and it was unlikely that she would be able to dissuade him with mere argument. "I will look at Kotomi-chan if you want me to."
"What… really?" Tomoya was surprised. He and Kotomi had asked before but, up until now she had flatly refused.
"But… if I do find anything that is different from what your regular doctor found, you have to promise me that you will get a second opinion from another licensed doctor before you do anything else!" Ryou insisted.
"It's a deal." Tomoya agreed quickly before Ryou had a chance to change her mind.
"Excuse me," Tomoyo was standing near to them and looking pensive. Then she seemed to be addressing Kyou as she asked, "May I borrow Tomoya for a few minutes?"
"Yes, but not for too long." Kyou smirked and looked back across the room at Isamu who was talking to Akio at the moment, "We don't want Isamu getting lonely, do we?"
"Kyou!" Tomoya scoffed at his lavender haired companion as he took Tomoyo's arm and guided her out to the patio. The sun was still fairly high in the sky so it was cool, but not too cold even if it was almost November.
Tomoyo stared at the well manicured back yard and sighed. She had made the decision to do this some time ago and she wouldn't back out now. Initially, she had balked at the idea of confronting Tomoya over something like this on his birthday, but she suspected that… he already knew. And it was time… it was past time to get this done. She just had to find the courage so say the words now.
"You're dumping me." Tomoya said as he looked out at the same back yard flower garden.
"Yes… so you did know." Tomoyo was relieved. But, at the same time she felt a loss. This was the arrangement they had made when she was still in high school and he was already married. An arrangement that would never have worked if he had been married to anyone else but Kotomi. Tomoyo would remain Tomoya's girlfriend until she found someone as good as him… or better. Not only had Kotomi condoned such an arrangement, she had practically set it up.
"So, you finally found someone better than me." Tomoya didn't sound disappointed. In fact, he was happy for her. He knew that she had struggled with her feelings for a long time and was glad to see her finally moving forward. More than once, he had wondered what would have happened if Kotomi had extended the offer to Tomoyo to come to America with them as well. But he knew why she didn't. It wouldn't have been a problem for Kotomi, but it would have broken Kyou… and Kotomi had a very strong attachment to Kyou.
"No, not better." Tomoyo smiled as she told her now ex-boyfriend, "But he is as good as you… to me."
"I guess you'll start forgetting about me now." Tomoya chuckled.
"I will never do that, Tomoya." Tomoyo turned to him and told him seriously, "You were my first love. I learned a lot from you. You were the one that showed me that not all men are… like my father. I cared for you deeply and… I still do. But…"
"But there is someone else in your life now. Someone who makes your heart flutter. Someone you miss when they're not there. Someone you can trust. Someone that comforts you just by being there." Tomoya watched her eyes open wide as he laid it out for her.
"Yes… yes, that's it exactly!" Tomoyo was a wonder with words when it came to public speeches or government documents, but waxing romantic had never been her forte. She hadn't thought it had been Tomoya's either, but he had changed a lot in the last eight years. And even if the change was good, she would always know that his heart belonged to Kotomi first. But for Tomoyo – that was a contest that Isamu won, and where Tomoya couldn't even compete. In Isamu's heart, she was his one and only love.
"I know this sounds odd, but I am happy for you." Tomoya gave the platinum blond a parting hug. He was about to joke with her and tell her, Now you should go back inside and be with your true love, while I decide whether to jump off the bridge or hang myself from a tree. But at the last moment, he remembered what had happened to her brother. Years ago, when she was in middle school, he jumped from a bridge into a river – to try to keep his parents from divorcing. The act had crippled him for the rest of his life. Instead, he watched her go back inside, then turned to stare up at the passing clouds for a few minutes.
.
Kyou was waiting for him when he came back in. She didn't look mad, but she did have the what-was-that-about look on her face. Tomoya thought about joking with her too, but the lesson outside had been a strong one. A little joking could hurt someone a lot, and her place in their relationship had always been a sensitive spot for Kyou.
"I'll tell you everything, but you have to promise not to gloat." Tomoya said quietly.
"No." Kyou smirked.
"Then I won't tell you." Tomoya smirked back.
"Fine, then I'll just ask Kotomi and then I'll smirk all I want." Kyou raised an eyebrow on her smirk.
"Okay, but you should know… I don't plan to tell Kotomi until she is past her postpartum.
"Eh?" Kyou did an internal calculation, "But that won't be until… next June!"
"Maybe even longer. Who knows when the pregnancy will be over and there is no definite time on a postpartum, so…" Tomoya knew that Kyou was impatient when it came to things like this.
"Fine! I promise not to gloat. So just… tell me." Kyou pouted.
"All right then. Since you did promise not to gloat and I know you to be a person of your word, I'll tell you." Tomoya was drawing it out for fun now and Kyou knew it.
"Just tell me, Okazaki!" Kyou hissed through her clenched teeth.
"Tomoyo officially dumped me." Tomoya said simply. He knew from experience that the time to taunt Kyou was over when she resorted to using his last name.
"Eh? Really?" Kyou's attitude suddenly brightened.
"Yup, just now on the back porch." Tomoya confirmed.
"So the weird indeterminate boyfriend – girlfriend relationship is finally over?" Kyou's eyes opened wider and she did look like she was on the verge of gloating,
"Completely." Tomoya assured her.
"Oh… well then. Um… will you excuse me for a moment?" Kyou asked politely.
"Of course." Tomoya smiled and watched Kyou casually walk out onto the back porch and carefully close the door. Then he watched out of the corner of his eye as she turned and faced away from the house.
"YES!" Kyou roared at the sky in a tremendous shout. Several people inside the house looked around and tried to figure out what the loud noise they just heard was, and where it had come from.
"Onee-chan?" Ryou recognized the voice and turned around in time to see a once again composed Kyou coming back into the house from the door to the porch. She was about to ask her sister what the commotion had been about when she noticed the expression on her elder sister's face. She could never recall seeing her sister looking so relaxed and stress free. Although she wondered what could have made such a change in her onee-chan, she didn't want to disturb Kyou's state of bliss with useless questions.
Kyou walked back to Tomoya. She took his arm and leaned into him. Those were things she generally avoided when they had company over. Especially if that company included Tomoyo. But she didn't care now. Her feelings were soaring across the sky like a high flying bird and she could care less what all those little people down on the ground were thinking.
Tomoya smiled and patted Kyou's head. She tolerated a lot in their relationship and the things that she had put up with, had not always been to her liking. But she had weathered those storms nonetheless. If she could find some moments of pure happiness in this, he wouldn't hold that against her. After all, it wasn't really gloating.
.
A sudden noise of cheering and welcomes came from the entryway and most of the adults not already there turned to see what was happening. A familiar voice was heard through the hallway and an instant later all the children except Ushio were running toward the front door. Kyou turned to Tomoya and smirked.
"Well, you said you were worried about Fuko, here's your chance to see her finally awake." Kyou said. Her smirk faded at the end though, and she turned to see what Tomoya was staring at.
In the middle of the living room, Ushio stood alone with a confused look. All of the children had suddenly run off as if there had been some kind of signal that only she didn't understand. Tomoya walked over to the girl that looked like a small and very cute version of Nagisa… but without the hair antennae.
"Are you okay?" Tomoya asked the child.
"Uh huh." Ushio looked toward the entryway and asked, "Where did they all go?"
"They have a very good friend who just arrived. You'll see her soon. She came here from an appointment at the hospital and she may be in a wheelchair, but she's a nice person and all the kids like her. I'm sure she will be your friend too." Tomoya encouraged the child. He was also trying to let her know that the other kids weren't running away from her so much as they were running to greet someone that had just arrived.
The crowd moved back into the living room and the wheelchair came into view. There were several people in the room but Fuko's eyes were locked on little Ushio as if she was seeing one of her precious starfish.
"Is… is it really you?" Fuko looked to be on the verge of tears. "Fuko has waited for you for so long! Is it… really you?"
Ushio looked up at Tomoya… the man that said it was okay to think of as her father. She wanted to tell him that she didn't know this person. She wanted to ask him what was going on. But he was already looking at her and smiling.
"It's okay. Her name is Fuko-chan. She is the one that loves to play with all of your friends and they all love her too. She is a good person and she is a friend of your mother and father in this world." Tomoya assured the child. But he also played the father role too, "But if you aren't ready to meet her… if you feel shy, you don't have to."
"Will you hold my hand?" Ushio asked him. She had the courage to meet the lady in the wheelchair alone if she had to, but it would make her feel better if her father was with her.
"Of course." Tomoya picked up Ushio in one arm and walked over to the waiting Fuko. As they approached, both of them watched the happy woman struggle to raise her weak arms up to them.
"Please? Can Fuko please have a hug?" the wheelchair bound girl pleaded.
Now close enough to see the rapturous look in the woman's face, Ushio found her courage again and reached out to Fuko. Tomoya knew that Ushio was willing and lowered his daughter into Fuko's lap and the waiting embrace. From carrying her, he judged Ushio to be fifteen or sixteen kilograms and worried that his daughter's weight might be too much for Fuko, in her weakened state.
For Fuko, the hug with this particular little girl was like a key that unlocked a torrent of memories. They were memories that went back much farther than anything else she had remembered so far. She remembered her sister's wedding, meeting Ushio in that cold little shack, saying goodbye to Yukine when she graduated and left the school, watching Ushio fall away from her while Okazaki-san pulled her away, long talks with Yukine in the reference room, and… falling in love with Sunohara Youhei. Happy moments and sad moments that had occurred so many years ago were impacting her now in rapid succession, and she was feeling every emotion as if it they were brand new experiences.
"NOOOOO!" Fuko cried out in agony and elation. She wasn't riding an emotional roller coaster of continuous highs and lows so much as she was feeling all of the highs and lows at the same time. The pain of losing her first crush to her best friend tore her heart apart. And, at the same time, she knew that the three of them had become the best of friends such that watching the two of them get married to each other was pure joy. But she couldn't turn away. She wouldn't turn away – as painful as the brokenhearted moments were, she had never imagined that she would have such good friends and such amazing moments in her life.
When the reel of memories was finished spinning through Fuko's head, she was physically spent. Her arms fell down to her sides but she was still conscious. She knew that Ushio was still in her lap and was holding onto her and patting her head while she cried into the child's chest.
"Thank you, Ushio!" Fuko said through her sobs. Then she raised her head to Tomoya and said, "Fuko thanks Okazaki too. You kept your promise to Fuko. Thank you very much."
.
Wednesday morning, November 3 – Hikarizaka High School
It was time for the annual cultural festival. In the years where the Cultural Day holiday fell close to a weekend, the Cultural Festival might span several days. But this year it fell in the middle of the week, so the high school had only a single day to show off to the community, the prospective middle school students, and alumni.
The local middle schools would be having their Cultural Festivals as well so, by tradition, the middle school programs would wrap up shortly after noon and that was when the high schools would expect a great influx of next year's potential first-years. That being the case, the morning productions were primarily for the community and the alumni.
In the auditorium, the stage crew was busy getting the props in position for the first show of the day when one of the audience doors opened and several figures walked in. One of the students was about to tell the early arrivals that the show wouldn't start for another hour and to please come back at that time… when she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the person being pushed in the wheelchair.
"Fuko-chan!"
Outside the theater, a few people paused for a moment when they heard the delighted screams coming from the auditorium. There was little concern since it was known that the Performance Club would be putting on several shows throughout the day, and they were know for coming up with some rather… unique presentations.
By noon, Fuko had been able to visit all the clubs that her ikiryo had been a part of. Or at least, all the ones that Yukine had been able to determine. Now she was emotionally exhausted and sitting at a table in the café that classroom 3-B had set up. Even here, she was introduced to another room full of people that she was only beginning to remember. Sitting with her at the table were Yukine, Kouko, and Yusuke. Youhei was with Tomoya and a few others who were tasked with watching all the younger children for the day. This way, Fuko could feel free to express her full range of emotions without worrying the children. And she did.
Everyone she met seemed to bring back some kind of memory. Then there were the people who brought back more than just memories and she would find herself laughing and crying as they held each other. There were several times that she wanted to stop. She thought seriously of asking her sister to just take her home and let her rest. But with every person she met, it was like getting another puzzle piece that was making an incredible picture with dazzling colors – where before there had been only a gray emptiness.
It helped that it hadn't been a constant turmoil since she had arrived here. Yukine and her family had insisted on taking several breaks and letting her recover her emotional strength before moving on to the next venue… and the next round of re-introductions.
"Hello, Fuko-chan." a tall, skinny boy sat down in the chair next to her. He was trying to smile, but he was obviously nervous as he opened up to the girl in the wheelchair, "Although… I guess it really should be Fuko-san… I guess. Are you really twenty-four years old?"
"Yes… but it still feels weird for Fuko to think about being that old too." Fuko admitted. She was fidgeting too. She still didn't recognize this boy and didn't feel any memories coming back yet.
"I guess it's good that I was a coward then. Or this would hurt a lot more." the boy fumbled through his words.
"Huh?" Fuko still didn't understand what it was he was trying to say.
"You might not remember me. I… didn't stand out much. But, well… I had a crush on you since the beginning of the year and… um…" his voice faltered and he looked down at his hands.
"You liked Fuko?" Fuko asked in surprise. This had been completely unexpected for her. Before high school she had never even had a friend, much less a boyfriend. In elementary school she had been taunted as the weird girl by all the boys. She had avoided all the boys in middle school since they were only ever mean to her. So the idea of there being a boy that actually liked her was… unbelievable.
"Yeah… I guess that sounds pretty stupid huh? I mean… for a guy like me to say something like that to you…" the boy was still looking down at his fidgeting hands.
"No. It's not stupid." Fuko unsteadily reached out to the boy and told him, "This is the first confession for Fuko. Or at least… it is the first confession Fuko remembers. But Fuko is an adult now, so…"
"Yeah, heh heh." it was clear that the boy was getting ready to retreat. After all, Fuko wasn't the teenage girl he though she was after all. She was old enough to legally drink alcohol and he wasn't yet out of high school.
"Ahem." Yusuke was looking out the classroom's window and didn't want to interfere with Fuko's re-acquaintance with her friends, but this was something he couldn't let go. "I don't see a problem with it. As long as your feelings are true, what do a few years matter?"
Fuko was about to insist that, since she was now an adult, it wouldn't be right for her to even think about a younger boy like that. But she saw Kouko's smile as she reached over and took Yusuke's hand. Fuko remembered that her sister was several years older than the man she loved… the man she married and made a family with. Her eyes were wide and her mouth fell open as a sudden realization hit her. She had almost said something very hurtful to her beloved sister… all because of her pride at being an adult.
Fuko turned back to the young man sitting next to her and considered her options. It would be so easy to slide back into her old ways of isolation and dependency on her sister. Certainly, there was comfort there. It would be so easy to return to the way things were… but something felt unsettling about taking that route. Her ikiryo had worked hard all these years to give her a more diverse life with more friends and fun than she had ever thought she would have. To abandon all that effort… was not something she was willing to do.
"Fuko is very weak and can't come to school any more. Fuko is getting stronger and some day Fuko will be able to walk without this wheelchair. But it might take a long time." Fuko explained to the teen sitting next to her.
"I… I see." he thought this would be his refusal and was getting ready to leave the table when he heard her say something very hopeful.
"If you want to visit Fuko and talk… maybe even push Fuko around in the wheelchair… Fuko would like that."
"Yes!" the young man replied in unexpected and happy surprise.
.
Thursday morning, November 4 – Ichinose residence
Ryou, Nagisa, and Ushio arrived not long after Kyou and Yuki had left for work with the two Okazaki boys. Nagisa was her cheerful self and had quite the loving smile as she held her daughter's small hand. She was there to watch Ushio while she played with Michiko, but Ryou was all business as she approached Tomoya and laid down the law.
"I've already told you that I'm not a licensed doctor. I can't write any prescriptions and I can't tell you what to do. Nothing I say will carry any weight at any hospital or with any doctor. All I can do is observe and suggest. And if I do make a suggestion, you have to promise me that you will see another doctor and get a valid opinion." she sounded like she was somewhere between defiant and cross.
"I understand all of that, but…" Tomoya was cut off by a very adamant Ryou.
"Promise me, Tomoya-kun!" Ryou didn't shout, but her expression said that this was not something she would be flexible on.
"I promise! I promise." Tomoya held his hands up defensively at Ryou's demand. Then he sighed and told her, "Ryou-chan, I understand that you don't like me very much. I think I know why too. But the fact is, you are the most trusted person in the world when it comes to our health."
"I…" Ryou tried to respond, but this time it was Tomoya that was insistent.
"Don't you know why Kotomi wanted you in charge of the recovery team? She cares about those guys and she cares about Tomoyo. Tomoyo goes through hell every time her boys go out on a mission. So Kotomi wanted someone she could trust to do the best job possible. She also wanted someone who could instill trust and assurance with Tomoyo. If you want to talk about credentials, sure there are people out there with more or better credentials than you. There may even be people out there with a background that lends itself to this kind of job. But we don't know anything about them and – lives are on the line. Kotomi has complete trust in you, and so does Tomoyo. Her boys know you are still a medical school student and they're thrilled that you are running the team. Believe me, they wouldn't have it any other way. So stop worrying about not having a piece of paper."
"What about you, Tomoya-kun" Ryou was a little afraid to hear his response, but she needed to know, "Do you trust me too?"
"Implicitly." Tomoya replied.
"How can you?" Ryou challenged him.
"How can I what?" Tomoya was pretty sure what Ryou was going to say.
"How can you trust me so much when I…" Ryou's civil sensibility caught up before she said something too insulting. But Tomoya made it obvious that he knew what she was thinking when he paraphrased her sentence.
"How can I trust you so much when you don't trust me?" Tomoya felt the sting of the insult, but it wasn't anything he didn't already know. After a deep breath he admitted, "Don't think that your distrust of me doesn't hurt. But I know that I hurt you far worse than that."
"You…" You took my onee-chan away from me! She wanted to scream, but she knew that wouldn't solve anything. Instead, she decided to test him. "Tell me the truth, Tomoya-kun. Even if it hurts to hear it… I have to know. Do you really love her? I need to hear it from you! I need to know that she's not just a plaything. So please… please tell me the truth!"
Tomoya pulled the agitated Ryou into a hug. It wasn't the romantic hug of lovers, but more like the kind of thing family members would do when one of them was sad or upset. Ryou could even feel the difference. She had never had a brother, but this felt like a sibling consoling her. She was unprepared for how good it felt to be comforted and found herself hanging onto him and burying her face in his shoulder.
"I do love Kyou-chan. If something happened to her… or if she had to leave us, I would be devastated." Tomoya said softly.
"But… but Kotomi…" Ryou stuttered.
"I'm pretty sure you've figured this out already, but Kotomi-chan loves Kyou-chan too." Tomoya confirmed.
"Ye… yeah. I had an idea." Ryou had been suppressing her own observations for so long, it almost felt like a surprise when Tomoya said it. But it wasn't. Living with Nagisa, she knew how to spot the signs of a girl in love and she had seen Kotomi like that a few times when she was with Kyou. "I… I need to be honest with you too. I don't dislike you, Tomoya-kun. I don't dislike Kotomi-chan either. I was mad for a long time, but… I'm getting better."
"I am very happy to hear that." Tomoya patted the back of her head that was still buried in his shoulder.
"I… EEEEEEEEP!" Ryou yelped as she felt another set of arms wrap around her and two large breasts push into her back."
"Ryou-chan, you don't know how happy it makes me to hear you say that." Kotomi purred into Ryou's ear. "It has always saddened me that you were upset with Kyou-chan, Tomoya-kun and me. I was quite pleased when I heard that you patched things up with your sister. But to hear that you have forgiven us as well makes me feel as light as air."
The two breasts pressing into her from behind didn't feel as light as air and the embarrassment they were causing Ryou was starting to make her face burn. She let go of Tomoya but it didn't do any good. Kotomi's arms went past her and around Tomoya so that they were making her into an Okazaki sandwich.
"Okay okay!" Ryou cried out, "I'm starting to overheat in here. Don't we have a health exam to do today?"
"Yes, Ryou-chan!" Kotomi immediately let go and took a step back.
Ryou was finally able to push away from Tomoya and turned around to find an even more embarrassing sight.
"You're… you're… you're naked! Kotomi-chan, why are you naked?" Ryou squeaked.
"Oh?" Kotomi tilted her head and asked, "Does not one disrobe for a health exam?"
"Eh!" Ryou's face went through a rapid sequence of expressions as she went from the initial shock, to embarrassment, through disbelief, and a final accepting – and face palming groan. "Oh Kotomi-chan, you must drive my onee-chan absolutely insane."
"Um… no, I don't think so." Kotomi replied as if it had been a question directed at her.
"Yes you do." Tomoya corrected his wife.
"I do? That's terrible, Tomoya-kun! Insanity is not a good thing." Kotomi sounded genuinely worried.
"It's okay. It's the good kind of insanity. The kind that keeps things interesting." Tomoya assured her.
"Oh. Well then… I retract my denial. Apparently I do drive Kyou-chan insane." Kotomi said with a pleased smile since it was the good kind of insanity.
Ryou looked at Kotomi's face to see if this was some kind of a joke but she appeared to be completely sincere. She turned back and looked at Tomoya who did look a bit more like he was enjoying a good joke, but still… this wasn't so bad. It was the kind of thing that would tilt her onee-chan's sensibilities, but it was also the kind of thing that would make her laugh. And right now, Ryou was feeling that laughter boiling up inside. There was Kotomi… standing there without anything on but the hair baubles she always wore. Her large breasts, her slightly swollen belly, the curve of her hips, and her long legs… all without a care in the world. What was worse was the innocent and curious expression on her face like this was the most normal thing in the world. The laughter built gradually, but build it did. Years of exasperation and stress came flowing out with the guffaws. Ryou sank to her knees and clutched her aching sides as she laughed long and hard. After several minutes of side splitting laughter, she finally started to calm down. With Tomoya's hand, she stood back up, dusted herself off, and turned to the still naked Kotomi.
"All right, let's get this exam started." she said with cheerful motivation.
.
Glossary
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Benzaitennyo: The goddess of flowing things: words, knowledge, speech, eloquence, and music.
Omoikane: The god of wisdom, intelligence, and good counsel.
Sanae-chan vs. Sanae-san: There are three ways that these suffixes are differentiated. The chan suffix would be used for someone the same age or younger, or someone who is very familiar. The san suffix could be used to indicate a person who is more respectable. Sanae is upset because she likes to be considered with all the younger girls and wants Tomoya to use the chan suffix on her too.