Clannad

The Lost Girl

Note: Hello hello! Big chapter here(Not in the literal sense), but it's big because it's...Well...You'll have to read! :D Actually, the title says it all. _ And this chapter is rather short, since, well, it's got some interesting stuff. :

Please Read, REVIEW, and Enjoy!

Chapter Thirteen – Love

The funeral for Nagisa was held two weeks later, and I was surprised by how many people came to it, including Mr. Koumura and Sagara, Yurino's dorm manager. Everyone seems to know each other in this town... I thought.

The funeral went on for what seemed like an eternity. Even so, I stood beside Ushio and gave her my shoulder to cry on when she needed it, and I held her hand to make sure that she didn't feel alone...

Nagisa gave me her last words... I thought, So I'll make sure to fulfill them. I put my hand in my pocket and grasped the black box slightly. I know what to do...

After the funeral was over, Ushio and I took a walk along the path lined with cherry blossoms on both sides. As I had hoped, her crying began to cease, and her warm smile came back onto her face.

We stopped at the top of the hill, where, as I found out, was where Tomoya and Nagisa's school had used to be, before it was torn down. That must've been hard, I thought, Watching all those memories get taken away...

Ushio and I sat at the top of the hill and just watched the sun as it slowly slide down to the horizon. I glanced over at Ushio,who's eyes were gleaming. She noticed that I was looking at her, and she blushed and turned her head away.

"Ushio..." I said, taking the black box out of my pocket, "I have something for you." She turned back and looked at me, and I could see the surprise in her face when I handed her the box. She opened it, and her face suddenly lit up. "T-Tokoi...?" she said.

"I wanted to keep my promise to you..." I told her, taking the ring out and grabbing her hand, gently sliding it down onto her finger. Ushio held her hand up and smiled as the gem glowed with the fading sunlight.

I stood and helped Ushio up. We stared at each other for a few moments, and our hands slowly entwined...

"Ushio...I-I always want to be here for you," I told her, "To protect you, and make sure that your beautiful smile never fades...Because..." I paused for a moment, the words seeming to be stuck in my throat...But I swallowed and finally found the courage to say:

"Because I love you." Ushio's face lit up in surprise, and a few tears started to form in her eyes. She smiled, and the tears started to roll down her face. "Tokoi...I-I...I love you too..." she told me, sobbing slightly, but giving me her warm smile...

Then we slowly leaned in towards each other...And kissed.

Ushio and I had taken a few days off after the funeral, and we were only just now returning to school. I found that Risha wasn't avoiding me anymore, but she still didn't say much to me. She also never said anything about what had happened that day after school. I guess we had a silent agreement to not say anything.

Before I knew it, class was over, and Ushio and I made our way to the Theater club-room. As always, we were the last ones to arrive, and we took our usual seats in the circle of chairs that we had made. Seeing the stares coming from everyone, I could see that they knew something had changed between me and Ushio.

"Um...Tokoi..." Yurino said, giving me a weird look, "What are you doing?" I tilted my head slightly. "What do you mean?" I asked. Yurino pointed at Ushio, whom was sitting beside me, and then pointed downward. I looked to the side at my hand, which was gently holding Ushio's. "What about it?"

Yurino sighed, and turned away. "Geez...Making a move without telling me..." he said, and, turning to the others, he said, "Well, that just leaves one of you..." Risha glared at him and gave him a solid punch right in the face, making him fall over. "Besides...you..." he said, and Risha kicked him in the stomach.

So violent, I thought, giving a nervous smile. "Ushio," Nyou said, "Did you ever get around to finding a play that you were interested in?" Ushio looked down and shuffled her feet slightly. "U-Um...no..." she admitted. "Don't worry about it," Nyou said, "The school festival isn't here just yet."

Ushio nodded, but I could tell that she was still bummed out. I sighed. "Don't let yourself get down so much." I told her, giving a smile. She returned it, and Irisa said, "Ohh, how cute!" Hearing that, Ushio and I both blushed and turned away. "Hehe..." Irisa said, as if it was her plan to make things awkward.

Everything seemed to be back to normal..And that's just how I wanted it to stay.

No more pain, I thought, Everyone's had enough.

Seeing everyone happy...That's all I wanted in that moment.

To be continued...

Next Chapter - Tears

Note: Finally, ey'? I took heed in the fact that relationships take time to build. And, woolah! A kiss! :D But don't get too used to this. :) Spoiler? Nah, not really. It's to be expected, since there's still 7 chapters left! :D