Clannad

The Lost Girl

Note: Went a little fast with this chapter, since it's the last two days of school, and there's final exams and such...So don't expect another chapter to come out as quickly as the others!

Chapter Five

Family

We arrive at the hospital, where a doctor almost instantly says when we walk inside, "Oh, Ushio." Turning, I see a tall, mid-aged doctor walking towards us. "I'm assuming you're here you see your mother?" he states, and Ushio nods.

The doctor flips through a couple of pages his his clipboard, then traces his finger along the page. "Hm... It seems she's stable, so it should be alright for you to visit for a little while." he tells us, turning towards the clock, "But the visiting hours are almost over, so it's best if you make it quick."

Ushio nods, giving a slight respectful bow towards the doctor before turning and making her way down the right hallway. Near the end of it, we board onto the elevator, and she presses the button for the 4th floor. After a few moments, the doors close, and the elevator begins to ascend.

"T-Tokoi-san," Ushio says, and I turn and look at her, "Can I ask you something?" I nod, and she looks at the ground shyly for a few moments, before looking up at me and saying, "I think there's something I should tell you, about my mother..." I tilt my head and I look at her. "What is it?" I ask, and she responds, "My mother...is in a coma."

This news takes me by surprise, and I stand there, looking at Ushio in disbelief, her sitting there looking down at the ground, shuffling her feet slightly. The elevator stops, and the doors open. Ushio walks out of the elevator and begins to walk down the left hallway.

A-A coma? I think, beginning to follow her. I didn't expect that...

After a few minutes of walking, since Ushio surprisingly forgot her mother's room number, we finally arrive at the door to the room. "I-It's been a while since I've visited..." she explains, slowly opening the door and making her way inside of the room.

I hesitently follow her inside, and I close the door softly behind me. Ushio walks up to her mother's side, and I can't get a glimpse of her until I make my way to Ushio's side...

When I see her mother's peaceful face, I can't help but thinking, Wow, she looks exactly like Ushio, and Sanae too! Suddenly, I remember Akio mentioning the name Nagisa. I guess this was why he seemed sort of lost in his memories that time...

"She was really sick when she was giving birth to me..." Ushio suddenly says, "She made it through, but a day later...This happened." I look at Ushio, who's eyes were downcast and had a sad look in them. "That's why my father is away for business...So that he can pay for the bill to stay at the hospital..." she explains. "My grandparents are helping too...But they can't provide much for it..."

I look back down at Ushio's mother, and I see something out of the corner of my eye. Looking over at the corner of the room, near her mother's bed, I see three large dangos, stacked up on one another. "Uh...I'm guessing your mother liked the Dango Family?" I say, pointing at it. Ushio's eyes lighten up a little bit.

"Y-Yes, it was her favorite." she tells me, taking out the flier from her pocket and unfolding it, showing it to me, "As you can see." I can't help myself from giving an amused smile. This family never ceases to be strange, I think.

"I always sing the Dango Family song to her when I come to visit..." Ushio tells me, "I always think that...It might help her wake up..." I nod in understanding, and Ushio begins to sing, "Dango, dango, dango, dango, Dango Daikozoku..." She pauses for a few moments, and I can see a slight blush on her face.

I sigh. I guess she feels embarrassed to sing it with me here... I think. "Dango," I begin to sing, and she looks up at me surprised. I give her a smile, and she returns with her own. Then, we begin to sing together, "Dango, dango, dango, dango, Dango Daikozoku..."

It isn't long until the same doctor from earlier came to tell us that visiting hours were over. As we leave, I can see the doctor looking at me. "I don't think I ever got your name." he says, extending his hand. I look down at it for a moment before answering, "Tokoi Konoda.", and shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you Tokoi," he says, nodding his head, "I am Dr. Chaan." I nod, and I give him a respectful bow as I put my hand back to my side and I begin to follow Ushio. "Hey, Tokoi." he says, and I stop, turning around to face him. "Take care of her, you hear?" he tells me, and I look back at Ushio for a few moments, before turning and saying, "I will..."

As I start to catch up with Ushio, I find myself wondering, That's the second person to tell me something like that... But why? I take a look up at the 4th floor of the hospital, seeing the image of Ushio's mother in my mind. Is that why? I think.

When I turn my head, I suddenly find myself running into somebody, causing us both to fall back onto the ground. "O-Ouch." I say, looking forward at the person I had run into. I'm surprised to find that it was the girl whom had run over me with the scooter two days before.

When she looks up, she points at me and says, "Y-You!" We both stand up at the same time, and she glares at me, which I return. After a few moments of simply glaring at each other, she suddenly blushes and looks down at the ground. I sigh. You can't act tough if you're shy like that, I think.

"That's the second time you've knocked me over." I say, and the girl crosses her arms and looks to the side, as if uninterested. With a sigh, I extend my hand towards her, "I'm Tokoi Konoda," I tell her, then, noticing she's wearing the same tan-colored uniform as me, I add on, "From class 2-B."

She looks down at my hand for a few moments before, looking at me and telling me, "I-I'm Nyou Fujibyashi...From class 2-A." Nyou reaches down hesitently and shakes my hand slightly, and I give her a smile, but she simply blushes and looks away. "Tokoi-san?" I hear, and, turning, I see Ushio standing nearby.

"O-Oh, I was..." I begin to say, but I turn, and I see Nyou quickly making her way towards the hospital. "...Nevermind." I say with a sigh, and I can see Ushio tilt her head in confusion. Then, together, we begin to walk back to our neighborhood.

When we arrive at the street where her and I split, we say our goodbyes, and I begin to make my way to my grandmother's house, when I suddenly remember that my father would probably be waiting for me there... Turning, I can see Ushio slowly walking down the street towards the bakery. With a sigh, I run and catch up with her.

"Ushio." I say, and she turns, startled. "C-Could I come over again?" I ask, and Ushio simply gives me a warm smile, and nods. I give a breath of relief. I don't want to talk to him... I think sourly, taking a last look towards my grandmother's house before following Ushio to the bakery.

When we arrive, we find Sanae standing outside, smiling at us as we get near. "I was wondering where you had gone Ushio," she says, "Did you go to see your mother?" Ushio nods, and Sanae looks over at me. "So, you must know about her condition?" she asks me, and I nod.

Sanae nods, and makes her way into the bakery, followed by Ushio. However, I stand there for a few moments, as something begins to come into my mind...

Ushio!... I hear somebody's voice shout in my head, Someone...Someone save Ushio! I cover my head as a massive headache sweeps over me. Ouch, damn.. I think, What...Was that?

A vision of a man appears in my eyes for a few moments, before blurring and disappearing...

Surprisingly...He looks a lot like me...

To Be Continued...

Next Chapter: Dream