Clannad

The Lost Girl

Note: Another chapter? No way! :O Anyways, here's the next chapter(Finally!), and I PROMISE to update A LOT more frequently! School has been hectic for me, but I'm getting around now to updating all of my unfinished stories.

So, without further a-do. The eight chapter... drum roll...OF THE LOST GIRL!

Lots of information is revealed in this dramatic chapter, to make up for the time I haven't updated. :D Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter Eight

Fathers

I opened my eyes to a dark and empty world. Or, at least, that's what it seemed like.

I've been in this town for over two months now...And I feel happier than I ever was before. But with this happiness, came the sorrow that I have to experience...

Ushio's condition only got worse. A lot worse. She began to slip in and out of consciousness, and her screams that came in between could be heard almost all throughout the fourth floor of the hospital. I couldn't even bring myself to visit her anymore, and thinking of her couldn't bring anymore tears...

I continued to visit Ushio's grandparents almost every day after school. Akio continued his antics and hardened yet non-serious attitude, while Sanae had her usual smile that never seemed to go away. But even through the false expressions on their faces...I could still see their sorrow.

And along with that sorrow was dread. Dread that they may lose everything that they hold dearly.

Although I never told them...I was afraid of the same thing.

Another week passed, and I got a call from Dr. Chaan that Ushio's condition had settled down. Now would be the best time for me to visit her.

So I took that moment to leave my house and head for the hospital. Along the way, I passed by the Furukawa Bakery to see if Akio and Sanae would be visiting her too...But, looking in through the doorway, I could tell that they were too busy...

...And I felt a pang of sadness for them. They can't stop living their lives, even if tragedy like this comes, I thought, hesitantly walking away and heading for the hospital again. After a few minutes, I arrived.

When I walked in, Dr. Chaan was standing at the front counter, obviously knowing that I would be coming. "Tokoi." he said with a nod of his head as I approached him. "Knowing you, I figured you'd come immediately." he told me, giving a friendly smile...But I found that I couldn't give one back.

Dr. Chaan's expression turned to a serious one as he saw the look on my face. "I know it'll be a hard road ahead...But I'll assure you, that we're doing everything we can to make her better." he told me, patting me on the shoulder. I nodded, glancing down at the ground. "Dr. Chaan." a woman's voice came from nearby. "O-Oh, I'm coming." he turned his head and said to her.

"Tokoi," Dr. Chaan said, and I looked up at him, "As much as I hate saying this...Please don't get too attached to Ushio..." My mouth gaped, and Dr. Chaan walked away to do other business. I gulped. No...He can't mean... I began to think, quickly making my way to the elevator and riding it up to the fourth floor.

When I opened the door to Ushio's room, I was surprised to see none other than Risha sitting beside her bed. She looked up at me with a look that I've never seen her have: Sadness.

"R-Risha?" I said, surprised, "What are you doing here?" She looked up at me and gave me the usual glare...But then stopped. "Well..." she began to explain, "I heard that nobody has been visiting her in a while...So I decided to come myself." I couldn't help but chuckling. She's so stubborn, I thought.

Risha glared at me. "What? Do you think this is funny?" she said in an irritated voice. I shook my head, and walked over and sat beside her. I looked at Ushio's peaceful expression, and, out of the corner of my eye, I could see Risha staring at me with a puzzled look.

"Does...she mean a lot to you?" she asked suddenly, and I felt my face flush a little. "U-Uh..." I tried to answer her question, but couldn't bring myself to say it. I cleared my throat, and then told her, "Y-Yeah...She does." I began to feel uneasy under Risha's stare.

"I can't figure you out," she said with a sigh, finally looking away, "You're an idiot...but you're too nice." I raised an eyebrow and glanced over at her. "There's not much to figure out," I told her, "Maybe you're too stubborn to realize that." Risha quickly stood and grabbed me by the collar, yelling, "Don't you dare call me stubborn, you...You idiot!"

I couldn't help but smile at the familiarity of the scene, as if nothing bad was happening in that moment. It feels nice to be talking to someone, I thought, Even if that person is hard-headed. "W-Why are you smiling? Stop that!" Risha said, rearing her leg back for a kick...

...But she stopped as the door opened. She let go of me, and we both stared at the pair of men who walked in. Dr. Chaan and...

Tomoya. I recognized him instantly. The man I had seen in my visions. I clenched my fists, as a sudden burst of emotions overcame me. "Tokoi, I'd like you to meet-" Dr. Chaan began to say, but I quickly ran to Tomoya, grabbing him by the shirt and knocking him back against the wall. "You!" I said, glaring at him, "Where have you been? Not showing your face when your family needs you most!"

Dr. Chaan and Risha both came to me and wrestled me back. It took them a few moments to break my death grip on Tomoya. "I-I'm sorry about this," Dr. Chaan told him, "Tokoi has been through a lot these last few weeks, and-" But Tomoya raised a hand to stop him.

"I understand." Tomoya said, walking up to me and setting a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry." he said...But I could tell that he wasn't only talking to me. He turned and looked at his wife and daughter...And for a moment, I realized his pain...

"Tokoi, you must understand," Dr. Chaan told me, "Both I and Tomoya have had to raise a child alone." I looked at Dr. Chaan, seeing a sad look on his face. It was the first time that Dr. Chaan had ever talked about his wife. "Alone?" I said, and Dr. Chaan nodded.

I realized then that the pain they have experienced is one that I can't even imagine. Even my father, whom I despise so much...Did he have this kind of pain when my mother passed away? I was barely walking at that time. I've been told that I have my mother's looks...And that must have pained him heavily.

"My wife Ryou and Nagisa were good friends," Dr. Chaan told me, "It was only three years ago since the accident took her from me..." For a moment, a tear seemed to settle in Dr. Chaan's eye, but he wiped it away. "I...I..." I tried to tell them that I was sorry, but I couldn't quite say it.

"I can't imagine how that'd feel..." Risha said, and Dr. Chaan nodded. "Tomoya has been working to keep his family alive...That's what matters the most." he said. Tomoya nodded, and patted my shoulder, walking past me to sit in between Ushio and Nagisa.

I watched him as he held both of their hands, and he said to them, "Nagisa...Ushio...I'm here..." Suddenly, the visions I had seen before all came back to me. I could see everything that had led up to this moment...The troubles that had befallen on this family...

...And a voice snapped me back into reality.

"Dad..." Ushio's voice came, as her eyes opened and looked up at her father. Her eyes then slowly moved to look at me.

"Tokoi..." she said, giving me a warm smile...

And my tears...They finally came.

"Ushio..."

To be continued...

Next Chapter – Return

Note: Well? Big story point much? :D The next chapter will include two more revelations about what happened to Sunohara and Yurino. So, stay tuned! :D