A Note From The Author:
...Surprise 'I ain't dead yet' update! Because I ain't dead yet!
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Kotomi stayed there with Okazaki on his couch until morning, when he gently shook her awake.
"Kotomi chan, wake up," he said. "It's time to go to school."
"...Um? Oh..." She blinked blearily and looked around, confused. "...I'm somewhere strange again..."
He smiled, amused. "Not a morning person?" With a thought, he sent for another mostly human version of himself. If Kotomi was determined to cling to him, not that he strictly minded of course, then he would need to take care of certain things himself.
She looked at him. "...Tomoya kun?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Kotomi chan?"
"...Where am I?"
He chuckled. "Really, really not a morning person. Well I can't say anything apparently. Anyway, you stayed at my house. On this couch with me, as a matter of fact."
She blinked at this. "...Oh." Her face began to turn red as she considered that, and noted her position in his arms. "Oh, I remember now."
"Do you now?" he teased.
She nodded, and after a moment's thought, snuggled into his chest. "...Tomoya kun is warm."
Okazaki blinked, and then shrugged, petting her hair gently. 'Okay, so I could get used to this. Fine, I'll admit it, this is nice. Wrong perhaps, but nice. ...Strange, I feel so calm here. With her in my arms, everything that happened seems worthwhile.'
They stayed like that for some time, just holding onto one another. The flesh-and-blood version of himself he had sent for arrived, and he promptly began to make some tea. As he set the kettle on the burner, there was a tentative knocking on his door. He sighed, even as Kotomi looked up with a blink.
"Hold on a minute," he said through the tea-making clone. 'Odd, wonder who it is. The timing's right, but surely it's not Tomoyo. ...Right?' The clone walked over and looked through the window on the door.
Tomoyo stood on the other side, in stark defiance of his expectations.
Okazaki blinked, and opened the door. "Tomoyo? I have to admit, I didn't expect to see you."
"Okazaki, I see you are up," she said with a nod. "And dressed."
'Never live it down,' he thought snidely. "That I am."
"...Tomoya kun, who is it?" asked Kotomi from the couch.
Tomoyo raised an eyebrow.
The clone with Kotomi blinked. "You remember Tomoyo san?" He sorted through his memories chronologically. "Well, no, I guess you wouldn't. Ah, give me a few minutes and I'll explain."
"Okazaki, what's going on here?" Tomoyo gave him a mild glare. "You aren't taking advantage of some poor girl, are you?"
"No," he said, rolling his eyes as he turned to face her. 'Kind of the opposite really, if I think about it.'
He could hear the tea kettle begin to whistle. "Hm. I don't suppose you want some tea?"
"I think I must decline," Tomoyo replied. "I am somewhat behind schedule already. However, I said I would make sure you were awake."
"And once you say you're going to do something, you do it." Okazaki nodded. "Even in this situation. I must admit, I'm impressed."
"That being said, I'm not sure I am needed for this task," she admitted, a wistful smile playing on the corners of her lips.
He raised an eyebrow at her. "There seems to be an implication there..."
"I'm not implying anything at all," she said as she put her hands on her hips. "But... I did some thinking about what you said yesterday. And that thing with your hand... I must admit, that shocked me. But it made me think." She sighed. "I'm not sure whether or not I believe any of it, but I must allow for the possibility. Okazaki. Whatever happened... be careful. Don't let it happen again."
"...I'll do my best," he replied.
She smiled brightly. "Good. Goodbye, Okazaki."
He nodded. "See you later, Tomoyo."
She turned and walked out onto the sidewalk, and he closed the door. He considered the closed door for a moment, and then shrugged and walked back to the tea kettle.
"That was Sakagami Tomoyo," said the clone with Kotomi. "Nice girl, mostly. I think you'd like her. Oh, also, it is time for school. Are you going?"
Kotomi buried her face into his chest. "...No."
"Ah, well... alright," he said.
The tea-clone brought his tea set in, and set it on the coffee table. It picked up Kotomi's cup and held it out to her with an amused smile. "Tea, madam?"
"...Thank you," she said with a smile as she took it.
The tea-clone nodded and returned to the kitchen to prepare something for breakfast.
Okazaki looked at her. "So what do you want to do today?"
She looked down in thought for a moment before looking at him again. "...Could you tell me more about the mind-to-machine interface?"
"Gladly," he said with a smile. "But first, do you want me to bring you a change of clothes from your house? Now that I have that elevator made, I can do that in a jiffy."
She nodded. "...Can I go to your bunker?"
"But of course," he replied. "You want to go now, or do you want to talk about the mind-to-machine interface some more?"
"...Mind-to-machine interface," she said.
He nodded and grinned. "Mind-to-machine interface it is!"
-0-
Okazaki explained the basic principles to Kotomi as they drank tea and ate an omelet. Shortly after their breakfast, Kotomi bathed, leaving him to finish assembling the projector. When she came out, he had to admit that the black dress he had retrieved from her house looked just as good on her as it ever did.
The two Okazaki fragments traded places, the one that had been with Kotomi bathed while the tea-clone sat on the couch with her and began to explain the mind-to-machine interface. When the clone finished bathing, it sat down in the kitchen and took a nap.
The day proceeded to go by with somber tranquility. The peace was shattered late in the afternoon by an annoyed pounding on his door.
The napping fragment blinked awake and frowned. 'This didn't happen before. That's interesting, what changed?' He looked to the door.
Kyou glared back at him through the glass.
'Well now! Didn't see her coming back yet, actually. Really, what's up?' He waved cheekily with a smile and approached the door. He opened it with a small flourish.
"Tomoya," she said brusquely.
He raised an eyebrow. "Kyou, can't say I-"
"So Kotomi chan never showed up at school." She poked him in the chest.
He frowned. "...And?"
"Did she ever actually go home, Tomoya?" She raised a challenging eyebrow.
He snorted. "And if I say no-"
Kyou grabbed him by the lapels, and shook him with a good deal more success than any previous attempt. "What were you thinking?!"
"A lot of things," he said slowly, in an effort to not bite his tongue from the shaking. "Like-"
She let him go, and he took a step backward. "I thought you'd just talk to her, maybe work out what problems you were having, but no, you had to go spend the night with her!"
He raised an eyebrow. "I think you should say that a little louder, I don't think they heard you in America."
Kyou glowered at him. "I am about this close to kicking your ass right now, Tomoya. Don't think that I won't."
"Why are you so annoyed, anyway?" Okazaki raised an eyebrow at her. "You've been trying to set us up ever since that one day in the theater club."
She pointed an accusatory finger at his face. "Because, mister 'didn't think ahead,' what do you think the school will do if they learn you had her here while you were on suspension?"
He crossed his eyes at the finger. "Oh, that."
She crossed her arms. "Yes, that."
He shrugged. "Not much, actually."
Kyou crossed her arms and frowned at him. "Just because you fix things-"
Okazaki shook his head. "It's not because I fix things, although that's related. No, there are reasons why this will work out. Or it'll cease to matter."
She blinked and raised an eyebrow it him. "...And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"
"You'll find out," he replied with a sigh. "Two days after my suspension ends."
She put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. "...Is this related to the whole 'I came from the future' thing you were going on about yesterday?"
He looked to the side for a moment. "As a matter of fact, it is."
She sighed and shook her head. "...Alright then. I'll let it go for now."
He nodded. "Thank y-"
Her index finger was again inches from his face. "But if you get the both of you expelled, I won't forgive you."
He decided to forgo nodding, for risk of impaling an eye on her finger. "Got it."
"Good." She crossed her arms and smirked. "And I expect you to name it after me."
Okazaki glared at her. "Go home Kyou."
She frowned. "Is that any way to treat a friend?"
He stared blankly at her.
"...Fine, sheesh," she said after a few moments with a shrug. "I'll just go, then." She turned around and began to walk.
He sighed. "Kyou."
She stopped, but didn't turn around toward him.
"Thank you."
"No problem. That's what friends are for, right?" She turned slightly and gave him the thumbs up.
He smiled. "Yeah."
Kyou nodded, and walked away.
Okazaki watched her retreating back for a few moments, before he shook his head and went to go to his room.
-0-
The fragment of Okazaki not explaining the mind-to-machine interface to Kotomi simply sat and considered the once-broken projector.
'Oogami is due to arrive here in a few minutes... Well, assuming the chaos butterfly hasn't caused him to be delayed or something, hm. Quite possible, considering Kyou's unexpected arrival.' The clone with Kotomi looked at her thoughtfully as he contemplated Kyou's earlier words. '...Much as I hate to admit it, it really would be inconvenient for him to catch her here. Hm. Guess I'll hide her, and rush Oogami off. Shouldn't be difficult.'
The fragment on the couch frowned. "Kotomi chan. Can you lay down and watch quietly for a few minutes?"
"...Huh?" Kotomi blinked at him.
"It'll help avoid complications with the school," he said with a shrug.
She looked down for a moment in contemplation. "...Alright."
He smiled at her. "Thank you." He laid down on the couch, and held her close to him.
The fragment that had been working on the projector picked it up, walked to the door, and opened it.
As expected, Oogami stood in front of the door, raising his fist up to knock.
"Oogami san, here." Okazaki thrusted the projector into Oogami's hands.
"Ah, Okazaki," Oogami began.
"Sorry if I seem to be in a bit of a rush," Okazaki said with a wince. "I'm expecting an important call. It's about the funeral, and... Yeah."
"Ah, right, well, I have what I came here for anyway," Oogami said as he eyed the projector. "Good luck with that, alright?"
"Thank you." Okazaki bowed.
"No problem." Oogami smirked. "See you in class, alright?"
Okazaki nodded. "Sure thing."
"Well, later then." Oogami turned and walked back to his car.
Okazaki shut the door behind him. He watched quietly until Oogami drove away, before walking back to his room.
The fragment of himself on the couch sat up. "Ah, thank you."
"...You're welcome," said Kotomi as she sat up beside him.
"Shall I continue my explanation then?" He smiled at her.
She nodded.
"Alright." He continued from where he had left off.
-0-
It was well past dark before Okazaki and Kotomi stopped discussing the mind-to-machine interface for the night. They had, over the course of the day, made three simple but filling meals with what Okazaki had in the house. Kotomi, for her part, had stopped clinging to him like she had when he had first come back; he was still trying to decide if that was a good thing or not.
On the one hand, maybe it was a sign that she was coming to terms with what could possibly happen. If nothing else, she was at least distracted by his efforts to educate her. On the other hand, he found he missed the contact. There was just something comforting about being held like that.
He thought about this as he sipped the remaining juice from a bowl of udon noodles, and then set the bowl down on the kitchen table in front of him. "Delicious. It's surprising what you can do with instant noodles and spices."
She blushed and looked to the side as she set her own bowl down. "...Thank you."
"Not a problem," he said with a smile. "So, shall we take a look at the bunker now, then?"
She nodded.
"Alright, then." He stood, picked their bowls up, and put them in the sink. "I should warn you though, it's very warm down there. It's just so deep and large, there's no adequate way to cool it down properly. Particularly with all the clone forms in there. No airflow at all."
She pouted. "...I still want to see it."
"Very well," he said with a smile. "Let's go, then."
They walked into his bedroom, where the elevator to his bunker was. Kotomi looked around with interest at his room, before turning her attention to the section of floor that slid away to reveal a metal platform.
"Right then," he said, and stepped onto the platform. "Milady?" He held out his hand.
She blinked at the extended appendage, before tentatively reached out and taking hold of it.
He smiled and guided her onto the platform. They descended like that, hand in hand.