Warning: A bit angsty, but it will even out later.

A Push in the Right Direction

"Well, now that everyone's here, why don't we go out for a bit?" Tomoyo offered, seeing the same bored expression everywhere she looked.

"That's a decent idea. It's not like this place is big enough or clean enough for the four of us." Kyou sighed, shaking her head.

It was Tomoyo's turn to feel insulted. She tried to clean the place, but Tomoya's father was the kind of man who would make a mess. That, and Tomoya seemed too lazy to clean the place up himself. She had to go to school for quite a while, so she was unable to help him much. It wasn't like she sat on her butt all day doing nothing!

Both girls exchanged light glares, and both Sunohara and Tomoya flinched and backed away from them.

"Anyways, I think that Youhei should drive. After all, he's the only idiot among us." Kyou sighed.

"What?! But I... Okazaki, tell her what's best!" Sunohara growled.

"But it seems like I've run out of oil for my car. Sunohara, you're a good friend, right? Why don't we use yours?"

A vein bulged in Sunohara Youhei's forehead. "First, my room. Then, my time. And then, my energy. And finally, my car. DO I HAVE TO SACRIFICE EVERYTHING FOR A PAIN IN THE NECK LIKE YOU?!" He roared.

Kyou and Tomoyo's eyes widened as a pissed off Sunohara turned on Okazaki.

Tomoyo stepped forward, wanting to help Tomoya fend off that rodent, but Kyou grabbed her arm. "It's no use. You'll only end up giving both of them a concussion or two. Here, let's let those idiots bond some more, and we'll head off somewhere and have a chat. We'll use my truck."

"You have a truck?" Tomoyo blinked as both girls left the house, leaving Okazaki and Sunohara beating the snot out of each other on the ground.

A blue pickup clamored along a rocky road. It bounced and shook every few meters, and both driver and passenger found themselves shaking just as furiously. But even as their surroundings showed such violence, within the truck the air was far more peaceful. (1.)

"Tomoyo... Thank you..." Kyou spoke, her eyes not leaving the windshield in front of her.

"Why, Kyou?" Tomoyo seemed confused.

"You took care of him, when I couldn't."

"Even so, you also watched his back, didn't you? It's not like I was the only one trying to give him support..."

"Still, you achieved what I could not..."

"I'm sorry you still feel so bitter..."

"Well, how do I put this? He... He chose you, and I watched him for so long, but he didn't even give a glance to show that he cared or appreciated it..."

"Kyou..."

"That idiot... Can be so dense. You have no idea how blessed you are, Tomoyo... If he were any more idiotic, he'd be alone and you'd be just like me, the two of us sitting in this truck crying over a man who wouldn't give a damn about either of us... But you're so lucky, you got through to him. I... I never had that chance."

Tomoyo was about to say something, but her mouth snapped shut. With sorrowful expressions, both girls went into silence. Their eyes stared forward at the road. Kyou's purple orbs looked like they were about to melt with sorrow, while Tomoyo's blue ones were full of regret and sympathy. She stole the man this woman loved...

But, even so, Tomoyo loved Tomoya, maybe even more than Kyou did... No matter how guilty she felt, Tomoya was hers. But, but she had to help Kyou somehow... Sunohara Youhei just seemed too perfect a chance to pass up... She had to tell her!

"Kyou... Forgive me..."

"Hmn?" For once, Kyou finally turned so that her eyes met Tomoyo's.

"There... Are more fish in the sea... A strong woman like you could easily find another."

"I wish it was so simple." Kyou gave a bitter laugh. "I'm not an idiot... Not like Tomoya..." With that, Kyou faced the road once again. "I... I know that many men fear me. They're afraid of my strength, of my short temper. Of all the boys I knew, Tomoya was one of the only ones who could talk to me relatively normally."

"Even Sunohara would gasp in fear when he saw you..." Tomoyo mumbled.

Kyou sighed. Tomoyo seemed to be acting weird lately, but she decided not to be nosy. "I doubt I'll be able to find another like him... That's why you're so lucky."

"But, just like Tomoya was stupid enough to ignore you, do you ever think that you might not have seen a boy who actually liked you?" Tomoyo asked.

Kyou gasped, and the truck swerved slightly. "What the hell?!" Her eyes widened. "It can't be... I... You're just trying to make me feel better, and I thank you for it. But there couldn't be anyone!"

"They say that things are hardest to find when they're right under your nose."

"Whom... Whom are you thinking of?"

"Just think about it. You're pretty smart." Tomoyo smiled and turned so that her head faced the window.

For a few seconds, Kyou could only stare at Tomoyo, her face contorted with shock, but she quickly had to turn her eyes back to the road and continue driving.

A trail of blood ran down from Youhei's nose, and he could taste it.

Okazaki had a black eye, and staggered as he started to get up.

Sunohara also tried to get up, having been punched several times in the ribs. He gasped a little, and looked up at his friend.

Both pointed at each other's wounds, and burst out laughing.

"Takes you back, doesn't it?" Okazaki chuckled.

"Sure does..." Sunohara limped over to the kitchen sink to wash himself off. Soon, Tomoya joined him and both men tried to clean their wounds.

Sunohara breathed deeply as he and Okazaki sat on the couch together, like two warriors after a fierce duel.

"Well, now will you quit using me as a tool for whatever you want?"

"We're close friends, right?"

"Use that excuse one more time, and I'll smash your face in."

"You're starting to sound like Kyou... Maybe you two aren't that bad of a match after all..."

"What are you talking about?" Sunohara stammered, even though he was blushing. "You remember what happened the last time I tried to date Kyou."

"Did you see that, Okazaki? She rejected me again..." Sunohara groaned, staring back at Class 3-E with a depressed look on his face.

"Well, aren't there plenty of people who can't really express their true feelings?"

"Eh?"

"I'm saying that maybe Fujibayashi Kyou... About you..."

"Seriously?!"

"As far as I can tell..."

"Hah! So even she has a cute side!" Sunohara laughed and ran back towards the classroom.

"Kyou! You're cute!" He yelled as loud as he could.

BAM! A dictionary got him square in the face, and he collapsed on the ground.

"That bruise didn't heal for two weeks! Kyou hates my guts... It would never work out..." Sunohara sighed and stared at the ground.

"But you want it to, don't you?"

"Well, I... What I want and what's reality hardly ever matches." Sunohara sighed again.

"Didn't it look like I'd merely be a nuisance to someone like Tomoyo, yet she ended up staying with me. Who knows? Maybe Kyou might eventually accept you. After all, I've heard that some girls bully the guys they like in the hope that they'll think of them often."

"And you think I'd like that kind of girl...?"

"You like Kyou, and she tends to bully you mercilessly, so maybe."

"I'm not a doormat, Okazaki!"

"Hmn... I wonder..."

"Say something like that again and I'll kick your ass!"

"See, you're just like Kyou, there."

"Okazaki, you bastard! Shut up already!"

Kyou and Tomoyo sat at a bench, watching the sun set.

The purple haired girl stroked her chin. "It's Youhei, isn't it?"

"Hmn?" Tomoyo blinked, turning to her former rival turned friend.

"The boy whom you said liked me, but who I never noticed... Is Sunohara Youhei, isn't it?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself?"

"No... I think I already know. There was a time where he was seriously trying to date me. Yeah, I overheard him blabber on with Tomoya about how he wouldn't be happy with me as a girlfriend, but then he suddenly started trying to date me, and after a while he continued to act more strangely than usual around me. He wouldn't do that to you, but whenever he was close to me I could tell that he was acting funny..."

"Well, yes, I was referring to Youhei."

"And so you were trying to set the two of us up this whole time, weren't you?" Kyou stared intently at Tomoyo, who was forced to nod.

"Are you angry with me?" Tomoyo looked worried.

"Why would I be? You're just trying to be a friend, trying to find a way to help me move on, and I thank you... Youhei's an idiot, no doubt, but he can be a decent person when you need him to be. Look how he sticks by Tomoya even when he treats him like shit. Youhei's the kind of guy who's willing to do anything for a friend. He's not like Tomoya, who'd..." At this point Kyou became teary eyed. "Who'd abandon one so readily!"

Tomoyo was completely speechless. She felt as though opening her mouth would be an insult to Kyou, so she remained silent.

"But... But Youhei's so disgusting on so many levels... His room tends to look like crap, he hardly cleans himself, and he's an extreme pervert. That, and he never learns from his mistakes..." Kyou sighed and kept her head bowed.

"But he's a good man..." Tomoyo blurted out.

Kyou nodded. "There's no doubt in my mind. Youhei's a good man. Sometimes, I'd go so far as to call him noble... But not always, though." She smiled a little, her eyes returning to the beautiful sky as the sun dipped under the horizon.

That night, Tomoyo and Kyou finally made it back to the house.

When they arrived at the door, they smelled something good. "I wonder..." Kyou smirked. "Would those two actually treat us to dinner, for once?"

Tomoyo blinked. "Are you afraid of what it'll taste like?"

Kyou chuckled. "A little... But knowing how those two eat, it'll probably be decent."

They opened to door to find both men in aprons, diligently working at the kitchen.

"Oh? Tomoyo! Kyou!" Tomoya called.

"Eh? Oh, you two..." Sunohara added matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean by 'you two?'" Kyou's eyes narrowed.

Sunohara flinched. "Oh, I meant nothing... Nothing at all!"

"It's so late... Why don't you three stay for the night?" Tomoya offered.

"Your father..." Kyou began.

"Wouldn't give a damn." Tomoya replied, a light bitter tone to his voice.

"I'd love to, as always..." Tomoyo spoke.

"Well, sure. What about you, Youhei?" Kyou asked him.

For a second, Sunohara froze. For the first time ever, Kyou actually asked about him. "Of course I will!" He beamed.

"Alright, then... I guess you can continue what you were doing..." Kyou laughed and sat down at the dining table.

With a great sigh, Sunohara went back to work making dinner, with Tomoya helping him, of course.

Dinner was 'adequate,' by Kyou's standard, and with that, the four decided to take a rest.

As for sleeping arrangements, Tomoya slept on a couch, Sunohara slept on a sleeping bag on the floor, Tomoyo slept on a chair beside the couch, and, seeing it unoccupied, Kyou took the bed. It was weird, to say the least, to know that his girl-friend and not his lover was sleeping on his bed, but Tomoya decided to accept it. After all, Kyou had already accepted that she never had and never will hold that special place in Tomoya's heart.

1. I don't know if pickup trucks even roam around in Japan, but the fact that Kyou wore the clothes of a female 80s rocker in the eighteenth episode of the anime, and the fact that she's so spirited and sometimes 'boyish' in nature, I feel that a pickup truck suits her. It's capable of moving through terrain other cars (except for SUVs, and those guzzle gas like crazy, which a kindergarten teacher like her wouldn't be able to afford) just can't, and it represents that rugged attitude these free-spirited people have.