Hello everyone! You may remember me from my Ryou and Youhei fanfic, well guess what? I'm back, and more than excited to present to you all my newest fanfiction, this time focusing on Tomoya and Kyou! I've been outlining my plans for this one since Summer Vacation started all the way back in early June, and I can only hope you all love this first chapter as much as I loved writing this! I personally think this is my best piece of writing yet, and can't wait to get some feedback! Please tell me if I made any grammatical errors, and give thoughts on the story so far! The story will focus more on Tomoya and Kyou, along with dealing with loss and reconnecting with family, than other story elements, so the plot should (eventually) diverge quite a bit from the anime. Well, bon appetit!
REVISED - 10/14/2018
Tomoya drained the last bottle of beer into the sink, already feeling buzzed, and sat down in a chair, feeling as useless as always. He picked himself up after a brief moment of thought and made his way to his bed. On his way, he saw that the next date unmarked on the calendar read April 7, 2011- Ushio starts school tomorrow.
He sighed to himself as he kicked himself for wanting to get drunk. Luckily he stopped at a buzz, so a hangover is unlikely, but either way, it just reminded him of how disconnected he'd been from Ushio's life. He took the remaining steps to his bed and tucked himself in. He stared at the ceiling and despite hopes the beer would quell it, tears still fell from his eyes. He closed his eyes and saw what he wanted, what he was cheated out of, in his head.
Him, Nagisa, and Ushio walked down merrily towards the school. A spring was felt in all their steps as they conversed.
"You remembered to grab the lunch I packed for you, right dear?"
Ushio smiled happily, "Don't worry Mommy, I did! What did you make?"
Nagisa held a hand up, stopping for a moment to lean down at her daughter, "That's a seeecreeet." She looked up and winked at Tomoya, and they both shared a giggle between each other.
Ushio, on the other hand, clearly wasn't as amused, "Aww, no fair! Tell me, Daddy! Pleeeease?"
"Mother knows best, Ushio."
Ushio sighed to herself but quickly returned to her bubbly form. They walked together until they reached the school, at which point Ushio gave her parents a tearful goodbye, and entered the school.
"So..." Tomoya began nervously, "how do you think she'll do?"
Nagisa smiled confidently, "She'll do great, Tomoya." She leaned over and gave her husband a kiss. "Because we raised her."
The tears never stopped.
Sure, they hadn't shown themselves in a while- the last time he'd cried was on Ushio's first birthday- but the depression that had crippled the last five years of his life stabbed through him everytime he didn't have a buzz going. But every once in a while, on special occasions, he could be shitfaced and still feel as sad as he does tonight. There were times he'd regretted ever having Ushio, and there were times he'd regretted ever meeting Nagisa, but he never let these thoughts consume him. Even if it took all the will he had, he swore on her grave that he'd be ready to be a father in time for Ushio's school life. He didn't know if he was ready, but at the very least he'd show up for this. He decides to grab some music from the Crap From Youhei box and put it on to distract his mind, and after about half an hour of the popular J-Rock of six years ago, he fell asleep.
He woke up to the wonderful tunes of his alarm for the first time in months. Even in high school, he'd just ignore it, but the last thing he was going to do was screw this up for his child. He rolled around in bed for a moment before finding the resolve to pick himself up, and he dressed at the very least casually. He went outside and jogged down the street. He never really paid mind to the environment, typically just holding his head down all the way to work, and was surprised to find that the seasons had changed. It turns out that yes, it is Spring, as snow is nowhere to be found. These thoughts carry him all the way to the Furukawa Bakery, where Ushio and her grandparents resided peacefully. He stood there for a minute, and to him, it seemed to last forever before he finally found the courage to knock on the door.
"Uh, hello. Anybody home?" Of course, there were, and Akio Furukawa dropped his cigarette the moment he saw Tomoya outside.
"Tomoya... I guess you couldn't miss this, could you?"
Tomoya shook his head, "Not for the world, sir. It's what Nagisa would've wanted."
Akio sighed and held his head down for a moment, eyes closed, before smiling at Tomoya. "The door's unlocked, so hurry on in. There's a new student who could use some encouragement." Tomoya accepted his invitation and entered, almost walking past Akio before he was grabbed by the shoulder, "And Tomoya, you know you don't need to call me sir. We're family, no matter what. Call me Akio."
Tomoya turned to Akio, a slight look of reassurance on his face, "...Thank you, Akio." He brushed off Akio's shoulder and went to greet Ushio.
"Oh, and Sanae's still asleep!" Akio called out, "So you'll be all alone, good luck!"
Tomoya couldn't help but chuckle at his father and law. Somehow, losing his daughter seemed to ignite a spark inside Akio, as Tomoya saw him running more kid's baseball tournaments than ever, as well as often assisting Sanae for her cooking and becoming a respected figure of the town. Akio never says it out loud, but Tomoya knows Akio does it to make Nagisa proud, and he knows that she is more than proud.
Tomoya knocks gently on Ushio's door.
"Come in..."
He opens the door, and Ushio's face shows clear surprise, "..Daddy?"
He gets on one knee and looks directly at her, "How are you Ushio?"
She fidgets with her fingers, slight embarrassment on her face as she looks at her hands, "Um, good.. sorry, I didn't think you'd..."
Seeing as Ushio was already fully dressed and ready to go, Tomoya held out his arms towards her, "I wasn't really expecting to either, but.. you're still my daughter, and I'm still proud of you."
Ushio smiles softly at her dad, "Thank you." she walks up to him and accepts his embrace, "I'm happy you came... so I'll do my best."
Tomoya pulled away, smiling back at her with a mix of pride and hesitation, "Promise?"
Ushio could only nod in response.
Tomoya turned the locked pinkies into locked hands, "Well, are you ready?"
Ushio nodded again, though more enthusiastically than before, "..Yeah!"
Tomoya ran his hand through her hair, giving his best words of encouragement, "You'll make a lot of friends, I'm sure of it."
They made their way out of the door, Ushio trailing behind her rarely seen dad. Akio smiled approvingly as his son in law and granddaughter left the Bakery.
The two walked there way down the streets of Hikarizaka, taking full appreciation of the beautiful sights that bestowed them. It was a leisurely walk, and they arrived with about 10 minutes to spare.
"You have everything, right Ushio?"
"..Sanae made me a lunch, so I'll be alright."
"That's good... now go have fun, alright?"
Ushio smiled softly as she walked to school.
Tomoya waved back at her, and walked home to change for work.
Tomoya ran his way to work, needing a moment to catch his breath having arrived just on time. He enters and is greeted by Yusuke.
"Tomoya, mind stepping back outside? The boss wants to talk to you."
Tomoya shook his head, "Not at all."
They went outside and around the building, standing to the side against the wall. The old man hadn't arrived yet, so they had some time to themselves.
Yusuke started, "...Kouko told me your daughter started today."
Tomoya appeared a little surprised, "She did?"
"Yeah, apparently she wanted me to excuse you if you were late today," he chuckled, "and yet, here you are."
"Well, I can't let you guys down. You've all done a lot for me these past few years... only friends I really have left."
Yusuke shook his head, "Not as much as you make it out to be. The only leave you ever took was on your daughter's first birthday, and every other day you've been the hardest worker here... which is why," Yusuke tilts his head towards their boss, who's approaching with a smile, "he wants to speak to you so badly."
The kind-hearted old man let out a hearty chuckle as he approached the two of them, "Giving another gaudy entrance now, are you?"
Yusuke smiled back, "There's nothing gaudy about cold hard truth."
The three of them shared a short laugh. Not much, but enough to break the growing tension of the moment.
Tomoya turned to his boss, a small smile still showing, "You wanted to speak to me?"
He cleared his throat, "Tomoya.. when you first walked into this building five years ago. I saw a naive young man, one who had yet to face the hardships of his coworkers.. and I saw someone with sky-high potential." He held a warm smile as he continued, "Now I look at you, and I see someone who, despite everything he's been through, is wise beyond his years. The potential I saw in him back then couldn't measure to the man he is today."
Tomoya felt a thumping in his chest? "T-Thank you, sir."
"..I also remember five years ago, another company missed on all that potential because of a crime his father was involved in, and he's been stuck in his position ever since... don't you think it's about time we rectify that mistake?"
Tomoya's face showed clear surprise, "What do you mean?"
His boss sighed, clearing his throat before continuing, "I'm getting too old for all of this. My wife passed last year, my kids at least need to be able to see their father as much as they can. I already gave up the latter half of my day to Tetsuya a few years ago, but starting next week, you'll be the day manager."
Tomoya's surprise quickly became shock, "Day manager!?"
Yusuke smiled, "Yep, the old man's retiring after spending all these years with us... and all of us think there's no one who's earned it more."
"Man..." Tomoya couldn't tear up these days, but an emotional smile shone on his face regardless, "thank you, really."
The old man chuckled, "No problem. You earned this by being a model employee, Tomoya, and with your new hours, I think you can be more of a model dad, too."
Yusuke handed Tomoya a sheet with his daily hours- 8:30-5:30 weekdays, with an hour-long lunch from 12:00 to 1:00. 6:00-3:00 Saturday, with an hour lunch at the same time, and Sunday off.
"These are ridiculously low hours, I'd feel bad."
He chuckled in response, "Don't. This is technically as long as you should already be working anyways, not including overtime. Obviously, I've taken a much heavier schedule over the years, which is why I'm dividing the work before I leave, but when you've been a manager for as long as I have, it feels like nothing. So consider it a gift, from me to you..." he sighs, "what happened with Nagisa was.. a tragedy. The fact that you've worked as hard as ever says a lot about your character, and your daughter needs you in her life. You'll mainly be setting your coworker's assignments for the day, so make sure you do your best, alright?"
Tomoya smiled, giving an affirmative nod, and they went back inside to work.
The hours really did fly by in the managerial position, which while he wasn't officially in place as yet, he did end up watching for the entire day, and before Tomoya knew it he was signed out for lunch, thanking Yusuke and his boss again before picking up the pace to meet his daughter at school. As a kindergartener, her day ended right around lunch shift, giving Tomoya a perfect opening to get her home and back to work all in time. He went inside the school himself, seeing no reason why not, to meet her.
When walking down, however, he was surprised to find a familiar face.
"You guys did great today! Remember, be careful when heading out of the classroom, get in a single file line, okay?"
The class of giddy children all called out, "Okay!" They quickly got in line without much complaining. The purple haired woman, on the other hand, caught Tomoya's surprised gaze and returned one of her own.
Class got out and Ushio walked up to Tomoya. He bent down and gave her a gentle hug, "So how was school, you little smartypants?"
Ushio let out a small giggle, to his surprise. She seemed fully aware of her genius, "It was really fun..." she seemed to think aloud as she spoke, "..we counted, we got to sing, we.. saw this silly pig thing, and we learned a lot."
"Like what?"
"...Counting?"
Tomoya couldn't help but laugh, and looked up upon hearing Kyou laughing along with him, "So, how's Ms. Fujibayashi?"
"..Really nice. Everyone really loves her, so I think she's the best teacher ever..." Ushio frowned somberly upon saying this.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"I just feel so sad for her.. it must suck living at school."
Kyou intervened, "Don't worry, Ushio! The school actually lets me live wherever I want, so I get to have a house, and everything!"
The news delighted Ushio greatly as she turned to face Kyou, "That's.. amazing! Can I see your house sometime, please?"
"If you promise to work hard, sure!"
Ushio gave a thumbs up, "Don't worry, I promise!"
Tomoya chuckled at the exchange, "Alright Ushio, can you go play with your friends for a bit? I have to talk to your teacher for a moment."
Ushio ran off to a slightly smaller blond haired girl, and they quickly struck up a conversation.
Feeling comfortable, Tomoya turned back to Kyou, "You know, I never thought of you as the teacher type."
Kyou laughed a little, smiling as her students wandered around, "I didn't either, really. I've wanted to ever since I was little, but I thought I'd always be too noisy and annoying.. turns out people change even more after high school than they do during high school."
"Tell me about it..." Tomoya sighed, and a moment later a smirk formed on his face, "Well, as long you don't roundhouse kick any of the students, I guess it's fine."
Kyou smirked back, eyes closed, "I'd never roundhouse kick a student. However, the student's parents are open season."
Tomoya's smirk turned into a good laugh, "The good news is, you're still Kyou."
"Yep, and I wouldn't have it any other way..."
A moment of silence was held between the two of them, before Kyou finally spoke up, "Hey... I just want to say that I'm really glad you came for her. Nagisa is one of the kindest people I've ever met... I should've contacted you and given my condolences, but I was young and dumb back then, and I thought it'd be insensitive. Once I finally got those dumb thoughts out of my head, too much time had passed..."
"It's fine, really. I'm still figuring out how to be a dad... I've been badly absent in her life if I'm being honest with you. I promised Nagisa I'd change that now, but I'm scared, you know? She seems more comfortable with you than she is with me."
Kyou nodded, "That's understandable. I know it's not the same thing, but if anything happened to my sister I'd be a wreck. The fact that you're here shows that you're a good dad, and I'm sure you'll only get better. After all, I'm just some woman she met for the first time today. You're... her dad, you know?"
Tomoya smiled, and he sniffled a little, holding in tears, That's what I get for not drinking.. ha," he dried his eyes with his arm before he started to cry, "I really want to try my best for her, so I appreciate your thoughts."
Kyou thought to herself for a moment before speaking, "I would hold a starting school party for Ushio, but Ryou's studying to become a nurse right now, and Tomoyo's trying to major in environmental sciences... Youhei's not up to anything, but I'd prefer to get the whole club together for something like that."
"God, it's been forever since I've seen Youhei... he's tried contacting me a few times, but I can't bring myself to answer."
Kyou put her hands on her hips, "Hey, that's not right. Youhei may have not been my best friend, but he was yours, Tomoya. It may not be a party, but I'll get you two in touch," she held out her hand, "alright?"
Tomoya gave her a firm handshake, "Alright. Have a nice day."
"You too."
They waved each other off and Tomoya picked up Ushio, and they talked about their days all the way to the Bakery. Ushio was happy to hear about his promotion despite not really understanding what that meant, and Tomoya was even happier to hear about her new friend, Hiyumi. Eventually, they reached their destination.
After about an hour of casual conversation amongst themselves, Sanae waved Ushio in for dinner. Tomoya turned to go home, but Akio called out for him, "Hey, stay for dinner, alright?"
"Sure", Tomoya replied.
"My man!"
They are together, the four of them, as a family. Tomoya doesn't get to do it often, but he savors the times he does. It was a peaceful atmosphere, as the four discussed their daily lives, taking a celebration picture with Ushio, and overall having a good time.
When they finally finished Tomoya hugged Ushio goodbye, as Sanae went to make her dessert that would never be eaten, and Akio took a moment to talk to Tomoya.
"Hey, you know, I'm really proud of what you did today."
Tomoya smiled, "I told you I wouldn't ruin her first day... now I just need to keep my promise to Nagisa."
"Promise?"
"Well, not to her specifically, but.. my promise to her, that I was going to be ready to be Ushio's dad by the time she started school."
Akio smiled back at him, "You know Tomoya.. if you ever need advice, feel free to contact me. Dads have to stick together, right?"
"Yeah.. thank you."
They hug it out for a moment, a mutual understanding reinforced between each other, and Tomoya went home for the day.
When the high of the day wore off, the crippling thoughts returned and clouded him. He really didn't know what he was doing, and was so worried about the possibility of Ushio carrying Nagisa's illness, though he'd never admit it to himself- the thought was too much to bear. He cracked open bottle after bottle, waiting until he could hit that buzz where everything became bearable, all he had to do was drink a few more, and-
His phone buzzes.
The text reads, Youhei. As always lol. What's up? Hope things are well.
And for the first time since they'd exchanged numbers a few years back, Tomoya decided to send Youhei a reply.
Well, how was it? Please give a review whether you enjoyed the chapter or not. All feedback is appreciated. Until next time, this is AlwaysTheTruth signing off.
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