Tomoya x Kyou is definitely my favorite pairing in Clannad. It totally pissed me off that they weren't even given some decent scenes together at all. So let's say that Nagisa is Tomoya's number 1 which in turn makes Kyou as Tomoya's number 2. Let's cite for example in the anime, the part where they were stuck in the gym storage room. Tomoya was to choose to whom he will be stuck with, he did chose Nagisa first but since Nagisa was absent at that time, the girl that came up in his mind was Kyou. Is there meaning to it? Well, I'll leave that to you. It was also implied in one of Clannad's OVA, the one year before the incident part, that Tomoya likes Kyou's personality. Now let's go to Kyou's side. It was certainly shown that out of all the girls shown to have an affection to Tomoya (let's not put Nagisa in it since she is definitely the one who cared for him the most), Kyou was the one who got hurt the most when Tomoya picked Nagisa out of all of them. Clearly shown in the tennis match of Tomoyo in which Ryou, Kotomi, and Tomoyo watched Tomoya helped Nagisa walked towards the clinic and only Kyou was the one who did not even tried looking at them as they passed her. She even cried along with Ryou (That part of Ryou though feels to me like it wasn't because Tomoya chose Nagisa but for burdening her sister. If I remember correctly, Ryou said, "I'm sorry" to her sister). What the heck, even Tomoyo who has a game for herself with Tomoya did not cry at all that time. To put it bluntly, in my own opinion, I guess Kyou loved Tomoya at the same level Nagisa did or maybe on a higher level. In the After Story, Kyou was Ushio's teacher. Does fate seriously want them to be together again? You decide. Another on the Kyou OVA, at the last part, Kyou totally looked like Nagisa with that hairstyle. Not also her hairstyle but also her expression when she grabbed Tomoya by the arm.

PS: I haven't actually played the game nor watched the second season of Clannad so all of those things I wrote in the previous paragraph are nonetheless, simply harmless opinions of mine. I had only watched the first season of the anime. I just can't take it to myself to watch the second act since like come on, I would have to endure watching a 20+ series with Tomoya ending up with Nagisa and not Kyou. How agonizing could that be?

Now, let's move on to the story. In the next chapter, I somehow have used the plot in Kimi Ga Nozumo Eien (Rumbling Hearts). The plot was about Mitsuki helping Takayuki. So in this chapter and the next ones to come, it's like Kyou helping Tomoya.

Disclaimer: I do not own Clannad.

Kyou was sitting in her desk excited on starting her first day of work as a kindergarten teacher. She was checking the list of students assigned to her class. One name caught her attention. "Okazaki Ushio," she thought. "Fate is really cruel huh. Giving me more heartaches even in the most rarest ways." She began remembering all those heartaches she had. From Tomoya and Nagisa's official announcement, to their wedding, to their first child until Nagisa's death, Tomoya showed all happiness and sadness from those times not to her but to Nagisa. It greatly hurt her heart to see Tomoya grieving from time to time in front of Nagisa's grave but it greatly hurt her more to think that it wasn't for her. Removing such thoughts from her mind, she left the room and went to the school gate to greet the toddlers coming.

"Good morning, teacher," a pupil greeted Kyou with his parent.

"Good morning to you too," Kyou greeted back to the excited kid.

The routine continued for a moment or so. Kyou began scanning the area whether to see Tomoya accompanying her daughter. Just coming in from the school gate, Kyou noticed a little girl with brownish-orange hair walking with two persons who seemed most likely to be her parents. Kyou recognized the two to be Akio and Sanae, Nagisa's parents.

"ushio, go greet your teacher," Sanae beckoned.

"Good morning, teacher," Ushio greeted timidly.

"Good morning to you too, Ushio-chan," Kyou replied back with a smile. "The other kids are over there in the playground. Why don't you go join them?" Kyou said pointing to the other kids.

"Unnn…," Ushio hummed as she hurried to the playground.

"She's so energetic. Thank God," Kyou unconsciously said.

"Yes. We're very thankful she's like that after everything that had happened. If only Tomoya would come by and see her," Sanae said sadly.

"So, how are you doing, Kyou? Prepared for the job?" Akio added trying to change the topic.

"Well, I'm quite prepared myself. I'm really excited about today. If I may say, bring it on!" Kyou said enthusiastically flexing her arms.

The trio continued to talk until the bell rang. Kyou bade the two goodbye and went to fetch the toddlers to mark the start of classes. The kids went inside the school and as Kyou follows them inside, a voice behind her called her back. Turning around, Kyou finds Sanae and Akio looking at her with a serious face.

"Kyou….. could you please look after Tomoya? Please… He's probably still denying reality right now. He hasn't gotten over Nagisa's death. He needs a friend right now and I think that friend is….you," Sanae proposed. "Please do help him. It's for Ushio's sake and more importantly….for his."

Kyou was taken aback by what Sanae said. "Can I really do it? Am I capable of helping him?" Kyou thought. After much thought, she finally said, "I…..think I'm not the right person for the job. I really do want to help, but I'm just not…"

"Please, Kyou. I know this for a fact that you're the closest girl to Tomoya after Nagisa. He….really needs a friend. Think of it also as a favor for me and Akio," Sanae pleaded.

"But….," Kyou continued.

"He needs you, Kyou," Akio said butting in. "Tomoya needs you."

They stood there silent for a while after what Akio said. Kyou still hasn't given an answer looked away from the two trying to collect her thoughts. Trying to escape the situation, she excused herself saying, "I'm late for class already so I'll be going then." She hurriedly ran inside the school soon after.