Clannad

The Lost Girl

Note: Yes! Another chapter after like, a month! :O!

Chapter Six

Dream

After dinner that night with the Furukawa family, the next day came and went. Before I knew it, I was walking home from school, since Ushio had apparently gotten sick a little after I had left the night before, and hadn't come to school. Besides her, I didn't really have anybody to talk to, and I was happy not to have another encounter with Risha.

However, when I arrived at my house, I stopped at the door. He's probably still here, I thought bitterly. Turning around, I looked down the street to where I had left Ushio the night before. I then decided to head over to the Furukawa Bakery, to at least check up on how she was doing. When I entered, I was greeted by Sanae, which wasn't surprising.

"Oh, hello Konoda," she said, nodding her head towards me, "Are you here to see Ushio?" I nodded, and the usual smile on her face faded. "I'm sorry to tell you... But Ushio is very sick, and needs to get as much rest as possible." Sanae told me, and I tilted my head slightly.

"How sick is she?" I wondered, and Sanae shrugged, turning her head away from me. "Her mother was like this too..." she said, and the image of Ushio's mother appeared in my head. She couldn't end up like that, I wondered, could she?

Suddenly, Sanae turned back towards me with a smile on her face, "But there's no need to worry... I'm sure she'll be alright. Just let her rest for the day." she told me, and I nodded. "Well...Please tell her I stopped by." I said before leaving, giving a goodbye wave and exiting the bakery.

Once outside, I looked around, unsure of what I should do next. Great...What else can I do now? I wondered, looking up towards the second floor of the bakery, where Ushio's room was. I hope Sanae is right, I thought as I started to walk away, the image of Ushio's mother still lingering in my head.

When I arrived back at my grandmother's house, I was surprised to find that nobody was there. Well, at least I don't have to talk to him, I thought with a sigh of relief, heading upstairs to my room. Once inside, I set my bag down by my bed and I laid down, exhausted, and ready to simply go to sleep...

Before I knew it, my eyes closed, and I drifted off...

In my dream, I could see a room, with bright sunlight pouring in from the windows, and through the doorway. Two people were standing there, facing each other... One looked extremely familiar. Ushio's mother? I thought as I watched the scene.

The other person in front of her appeared to be the man I had seen in my vision before... He turned away from her for a moment and said, "I told you I had to talk to you yesterday, right?" Nagisa nodded, and asked, "Yes, what is it, Tomoya-kun?"

"Um...How should I put it?..." Tomoya began to say. After a few moments, he continues, "Would...Wouldn't it be interesting to say that we're dating when we wake up tomorrow?" I could see Nagisa's eyes widen slightly. Suddenly, Tomoya turned towards her.

"Please date me, Nagisa." he said, "I love you, so I want you to always be with me." I could see Nagisa as she started to have tears swell up in her eyes, and she nodded, a smile on her face that I haven't even seen Sanae or Ushio make before.

Wait, could this Tomoya... I wondered, Be Ushio's dad? My vision suddenly brought me to the chalk board behind Nagisa, in which I could read their two names...

Furukawa Nagisa and Okazaki Tomoya. Okazaki Ushio, I thought as the dream started to fade...

Suddenly, I woke up, looking around. I could see that I had slept for a while, since it was dark outside. The dream I had had was still lingering in my mind, and I could remember it vividly. Was that something that really happened? I wondered.

Taking out my cellphone, I checked the time. 10 o'clock at night. Maybe I can ask Sanae...Or Akio, I thought, wanting to get to the bottom of it. Slipping on my jacket, I headed downstairs, careful to not make a noise, and made my way outside.

I walked towards the Furukawa Bakery, and, once there, I could see that Ushio's light was on. Is she awake? I wondered. Walking up to the front door of the bakery, I raised my hand to knock, when I suddenly heard a soft voice from somewhere behind me...

Turning, I was surprised to see Ushio standing in the lone street light across the street, facing towards me, extending her hand. "If you wish," she said softly, "Would you like me to take you?" I watched as Ushio seemed to gleam in the light, and was mesmerized by the sight.

"To a place in the city where wishes come true..." Ushio finished, closing her eyes, and the soft, night breeze rolled over as I watched the beauty radiate off of her... Suddenly, her eyes opened, and she looked at me and asked, "What are you doing here?"

I was startled by her sudden question towards me. "Did you leave something at my house?" Ushio asked, and I shook my head. "Uh...No, I was just taking a walk..." I lied, not really focusing on what I was doing at that moment. "What were you doing?" I wondered.

Ushio smiled towards me, "Reciting lines from a play," she answered, "It's one of my favorites." I gave a slight smile back, "Ah, so it was just a play..." I said. Ushio nodded. I then began to wonder something, so I asked her, "Hey...Weren't you sick?"

She turned away and nodded, looking down at the ground. "I was... But I'm feeling better now." she told me, giving a cough, and I instantly knew she was lying. "You know," I said, walking up to her, "If you don't get some rest, you won't get better." Ushio nodded, then giggled suddenly.

"You sound like my dad..." she said with a smile, and my dream seemed to come back to me for a moment, and I could see the image of Tomoya and Nagisa... "Tomoya..." I muttered, and Ushio nodded. "How did you know his name?" she asked me.

I shook my head. "Um... I guess your grandparents brought it up." I said, and Ushio looked up in thought. "I don't remember that..." she said, and I sighed. "That doesn't matter anyways," I told her, "You should get some rest."

Ushio looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet. "I practice out here quite often..." she told me, "Because I've always wanted to follow in my mother's footsteps..." I looked at her for a few moments, then gave her a smile, patting my hand on her head.

"That's good... But there's no need to push yourself." I told her, and Ushio looked up at me, then smiled and nodded. "I...I guess not." she said, coughing a little bit. I set my hand on her forehead, and I could feel that it was really warm.

"You definitely have a fever," I told her, "You need to go inside and rest, so that you can come to school tomorrow." Ushio looked up at me, tilting her head slightly. I gave her a grin, "After all, we can't start the Theater Club again if you're not there, right?"

Ushio's face lit up, and she gave me her warmest smile yet. An image of Nagisa appeared for a moment, and I could easily see the resemblance between the two. Like mother, like daughter, I thought.

After convincing Ushio to go back inside, I began to walk away, back towards my grandmother's house. However, I heard her voice come from behind. "Tokoi-san..." Ushio's voice said, and I turned and looked up, seeing her up on the second floor.

"What is it, Ushio?" I wondered, and she looked at me for a few moments, blushing slightly. "N...Nothing." she said, looking down at the ground. I tilted my head slightly, then shrugged, waving goodbye. Ushio waved back, before I could see her walking back into her room.

For a while, I stood there, just watching where I had seen Ushio moments before. Now I'm wondering... I began to think:

Are we meant to follow in Tomoya and Nagisa's footsteps?

To Be Continued...

Next Chapter - Theater

Note: I was kinda brain-dead on this chapter, although it does have a very important plot-point in it. _ Hopefully that won't be the case for the next. Anyways, Read, Review, Enjoy, and Stay Tuned! :O