Chapter 1: The Great Sport Meet

In the ever-changing bustling city of Hikarizaki, where families every day thrived and worked, there was yet another of these families. A simple mother, father, daughter family like countless others. As the man smiled happily to himself, his blue locks swaying gently in the summer breeze, he walked up to his apartment door to open it and in he went. His apartment was small and modest but it had always been enough for his wife and daughter. But he was one day going to surprise the both of them when he had enough money. He planned to move into a big house where his little girl had lots of room to run around and play, with a fantastic yard; the view of which would leave even wealthy people envious. It was his current long-term dream. It was the second one he'd had in his life, the first being to protect the woman he loved most and to make her happy every day. And today he planned on doing no different as he walked upon his apartment.

Unusually, today there were two guests. Not unwelcome; never. Two more people he loved. They were his wife's parents and he smiled at them as they sat at the table playing with their granddaughter. But something wasn't right, he mused to himself, spectating his surroundings. But before he could open his mouth, the older woman turned to him. Her usually kind and soft expression had been replaced by one that looked grief stricken. It shocked him to the core because he had not expected see this woman wearing that kind of expression, and it made him worry immensely. Her golden brown hair was a perfect fit for her solemn face, falling faultlessly around it. The moment ended when she spoke.

"Tomoya ... why? Why did you do it?" Tomoya looked rapidly around the room in confusion, feeling unexplained guilt swell up inside his chest. He started to breath heavily and was about to cry out, but this time the man turned to him. His face was serious and hard, but that was usual so at least it wasn't uncommon. But there was a hint of anger in him, accentuated only by his burning red hair. He grunted, then spoke.

"Little bastard, I knew I never should've let you take my daughter. Now look at what you did." His tone was bordering between anger and despair; Tomoya didn't know what to do, or say, but [so] he weakly managed something out.

"Don't swear around my daughter," but the words fell upon deaf ears, and suddenly his daughter ran [her way] up to him, and looked up at him with big pleading eyes. He knelt down to her level, and took a moment to inspect her; her hair was just like her's. Gorgeous, thick, and identically brown. Just like his wife's. He finally spoke to her, softly. "Ushio, what's wrong?"

"Daddy ... I want mommy. Akii and Sanae told me you made her go away. Is that true?" The words pierced through Tomoya's heart worse than a thousand needles puncturing his flesh ever could. The pain was so much worse and he looked down, tears forming in his eyes. They fell to the ground but the tears were of blood. He was crying blood and when he looked back up to try and face his daughter, he saw Akio and Sanae looming over him, anger and depression painted on their faces. The three of them spoke in unison.

"You killed her. You killed her. You killed her." The words repeated over and over again. Tomoya got to his feet and turned around, and seeing a path of complete white, he ran against every fibre in his being. He ran into endless white all around him. For what felt like hours he ran, the voices telling him, "you killed her" never quieting down. But eventually the sound faded and he could hear nothing. And in the distance, he began to see the silhouette of a girl ... no, a woman. Someone that wasn't her, or his daughter. It was someone else.

When he blinked, he was elsewhere. He was staring up at his ceiling into pitch black darkness, sweating and breathing heavily. He shot up into a sitting position almost instantly afterwards, calming his breathing and focusing his thoughts.

"Just ... just a nightmare," he whispered quietly to himself. He looked to his left, and his daughter, Ushio, who usually slept in the futon next to him, wasn't there. A sense of alarm rung off in his head but when he looked again, he saw Ushio standing to his right, staring out the window. Upon hearing his shuffling around, she turned around with what seemed like red eyes. He instinctively knew she was crying and held out his arms, and took her tiny form in them when she ran to him. He held her and soothed gently. "What's wrong, Ushio?"

"I had a nightmare, daddy." It was ironic. Both he and his daughter had had a nightmare a nightmare. His fatherly instincts told him to comfort her.

"It's okay, Ushio. It wasn't real. It was just make believe. Something your mind made up while you slept. If you want to talk about it, I'm here." He waited, and rubbed her back as she sniffled softly into his shirt.

"It was about mommy." He closed his eyes, his heart stinging at the mention of her. He would be strong, however, for the sake of his daughter.

"What happened?"

"We were all playing together at the beach ... but then a great big monster came and took her away. Daddy tried to fight it but it [only] took you away too. Then... then I was all alone." She started crying again, and Tomoya [just] shushed his scared daughter quietly and told her over and over again that it was okay. When her sobbing finally stopped, he continued.

"Daddy had a nightmare too. It was also pretty scary."

"What happened?" she echoed the question he'd asked moments before. He smiled sadly, then told her.

"You, Sanae, and Akii were all in the apartment and kept telling me I killed mommy."

"I don't think you did. I wouldn't say that, and neither would Sanae or Akii," she said through her sniffles. "Daddy is a really good person and wouldn't hurt anybody. Especially mommy. You love her." And he nodded.

"You're right Ushio. You're absolutely right." Reassured by his daughter's words, he smiled in spite of everything, thanking God again for the blessing that was her. "You want to sleep in the same futon? It might get sweaty but daddy can protect you from any further nightmares."

She smiled against his chest and nodded, and he laid down, Ushio slipping in beside him as he moved over to give her enough room. Within moments, with the comfort of her father by her, she began her light snoring again. And he, in turn, was comforted enough by her to get his own sleep. It was peaceful through the rest of the night.

The next morning, at the Furukawa bakery, Tomoya entered the familiar and nostalgic building with his daughter in tow and immediately the old man at the register started his greeting.

"Hey! Oh, it's you." His voice went from excited to deadpan in a matter of moments. But in another second, his mood changed instantly into one of aggression and competition. Remembering what today was, he smiled at Tomoya. Today was the big day, of the sports meet. It was where he'd show his granddaughter just how much better he was than her dad! Speaking of which. "So Ushio, who do you think is going to win?"

"Um," she thought for a moment, then responded. "Akii."

"What?!" Tomoya shouted desperately, almost falling over and sweat dropping at how big Akio's grin was.

"But I want daddy to win." That made him feel a little better.

"Oh? The reality is different from the ideal? Well, I guess that's a child's hope for ya." But Akio was completely unaffected by this, having the utmost confidence in himself. Like usual. Tomoya grinned at this thought but then walked up to him.

"I'm going to give you the toughest challenge of your life! You think I'll just sit aside and let you win it for free? Dream on." Akio scoffed.

"By the way, there's been a detail added."

"Huh?" Confusion. Detail? At the last minute?

"It seems that we'll both have to have partners." Akio said casually, uncaring to the situation. Tomoya was worried.

"That seems like a pretty big detail to add in at the last minute! I don't have a partner! Where do they expect me to find one on such short notice?!" The sound of his voice had grown awfully loud by the end of his sentence, and that alerted Sanae's attention as she walked into the shop part of the bakery and smiled.

"Good morning Tomoya, good morning Ushio."

"Sanae!" Ushio ran to her grandmother and clung to her leg happily. Sanae smiled as she spoke to her.

"Are you looking forward to the sports meet?" She nodded happily.

"I'll be cheering for daddy all the way!"

"Aren't you a good little daughter to your father?" But Tomoya was getting impatient and yelled out again.

"But what about my partner?! I guess you're teaming up with Sanae, aren't you?" Tomoya questioned his father-in-law.

"What? You kidding me? Sanae's as bad at sports as she is at making brea- oh... oops." Everyone looked to Sanae as she started tearing up.

"So my bread... my bread is as bad as my athletic ability?!" she cried and ran out of the store, just like the days of when Nagisa was around. Akio, without missing a beat, grabbed a tray of Sanae's bread and started jamming it down his throat.

"I RUUUVVV ITTT!" he shouted as he ran after her. Ushio laughed like she always had when they did this. Tomoya face palmed but couldn't help crack a grin of his own.

When they finally returned, Ushio and Tomoya had made themselves comfortable in the common room, and the married couple were laughing with each other.

"Change of pace," Tomoya muttered but Ushio tilted her head as if she had heard him. "So anyways, I need a partner!"

"Oh don't worry Tomoya, I already set you up with a partner," Sanae offered. "I'll make tea."

He nodded. Akio lit up a cigarette. After a few beats. "What? You did?" His mind tried thinking about potential partners they could have paired him up with, but he drew a blank.

"Now I know you're curious as to whom it is but I don't want to spoil the surprise. She should be here pretty shortly." Tomoya nodded yet again, trusting Sanae.

"Well, fine then. As long as she's not completely useless at sports, it should be fine."

Sanae brought the tea in and the family was sharing a bit of banter with each other when finally they heard the door open. "Looks like you got a customer, pops," Tomoya offered and the man in question looked surprised a moment then nodded, and shooed off to greet them. Then...

"Hey brat! Come here! Someone's here to see you! And Ushio too!" The father and daughter exchanged glances and got up together, Sanae following with a mysterious grin on her face.

"What do you want, pops?" Upon entry back into the shop, two new characters had shown up. The one that may have matched Tomoya's rather tall height had short, bright brown hair gorgeous hazel eyes and a pretty face. The other was stood about up to the chest of Tomoya. She had longer hair, which free-fell down her back and was much darker than the taller one's. Her eyes were a lighter shade of brown. Tomoya instantly recognized the two. Yoshino Kouko and Ibuki Fuuko, respectively. He greeted them absentmindedly.

"Oh hey, good to see you again." They smiled. Kouko responded.

"Tomoya, nice to see you. Sanae, Akio. Good morning. And hello to you too Ushio." As everyone greeted each other as Tomoya began to wonder ... could Kouko be his partner? That wouldn't be too bad, now that he considered it. Yeah. There would be no way that the weird girl, Fuuko, would be his partner. Sanae wouldn't do that to him. Right?

Some time passed and right before it was time to leave for the athletic meet, Kouko and Fuuko faced each other, both with what seemed like determined eyes.

"Sister, it is good to work with you and I would enjoy being on your team but today we will fight! For the starfish I will do my best to defeat you! I will not dishonour the noble creatures of the sea! With their power I shall be guided to the path of victory!" Fuuko declared. Kouko didn't break her serious face and nodded.

"I also enjoy it when we can work together. But today will be interesting, won't it? Sisters doing battle." Tomoya smiled.

"Wow Kouko, I didn't know you were so serious about sports. With you as my partner, there's no way we're going to lose to these two." Feeling confident, he smiled and nodded to himself. Then laughter. From the obnoxious red-haired man. "What is so funny?"

"Hate to break it to ya kid but Kouko's going to be my partner for the sports meet." Surely he was joking.

"Haha, that's funny. So, if Kouko's not my partner ... and they were just talking about fighting each other ... that means ..." He looked to Fuuko. She stared back at him with determined eyes. "Oh, NO way! How could …? No way, no way!"

To say Tomoya was stressing out would be an understatement. Not only did he think there could be a possibility that Fuuko was worse at sports than Nagisa had been, she was also the most difficult person to even attempt to have a normal conversation with. He could see it now... a three-legged race with the two of them ... they would start running and trip instantly because she would start off with the wrong foot and wouldn't follow his lead. "Fuuko is finding you to be very rude right now! I will forgive you this once only because we should go now or else we'll be late."

And without any further hesitation, though Tomoya attempted to protest, Sanae got everyone ready to rush out. The shop was locked and the group left for the sports meet. At some point, Tomoya had the urge to complain again and so he did.

"I really have to pair up with her?" he asked in defeat. He had taken long enough to accept the fact he had to pair up with potentially the most useless person on the planet when it came to sports, but he just couldn't help himself. There was now no time to back out nor time to find a new partner. He would just have to deal with it.

"I think Tomoya and Fuuko will make a great team. But, of course, I'll be rooting for Akio and Kouko," Sanae offered and smiled upon saying the latter part of her sentence.

"And I want daddy and Fuuko to win!" Ushio cheered. This made her dad feel a little better about having her as his partner, so he puffed his chest out and turned to the girl he was having his doubts about.

"Okay then, Fuuko. Just listen to everything I say and follow my lead one hundred percent of the time. If you do that, we'll be sure to crush them." She shook her head stubbornly.

"Fuuko does not agree with this plan. You see, the weirdness about you will be pouring out so fast that it will interrupt your brain power and thus it will leave Fuuko to lead the team. You follow my lead and everything will work out just fine." But he didn't have the slightest bit of trust in her. She'd probably make the worst calls imaginable and end up totally humiliating him in front of everyone and his daughter. Speaking of which.

"Wait, wait, how does this even make sense? Aren't only parents supposed to enter the sports meet? I understand why Kouko can do it because she was a teacher at some point, but Fuuko hasn't had a kid of her own! Or ... has she?" he looked at her suspiciously and she gasped.

"Oh no, don't worry Tomoya. I'm not an aunt yet. Fu-chan doesn't even have a boyfriend. Actually I'm kind of curious about it too, how did you talk them into it?" Kouko looked to Akio and Sanae as she spoke, and Akio smiled triumphantly.

"I worked a bit of magic and made them bend the rules a little bit. Nothing to worry about."

"And by that you mean you threatened them because you wouldn't take no for an answer?" Tomoya shot back sarcastically and Akio only shrugged.

"You'll never know kid!" Was he planning this? To give him Fuuko as a partner just to best him? He'd know, for sure. Sanae and Kouko would be far too kind to say anything pertaining to her being a klutz, nor say anything about it.

But now that Tomoya thought about it, he actually hadn't seen her perform any kind of physical activity such as this yet. Perhaps she'd pleasantly surprise him. Just as he thought that, Fuuko fell and Kouko gasped.

"Fu-chan, are you okay?"

"Fuuko is more than fine. I just happened to trip on an ant. Fuuko tried to avoid it but by the time I did it was far too late and my feet got caught. I think the ant is okay, so no need to worry!" She got back to her feet and on they went. Tomoya lost all hope at winning.

Finally, the sports meet. Everyone had gathered round and the first event was bound to start momentarily. This gave the two teams a moment to discuss any last-minute strategies.

"Okay. Fuuko. Listen to me." He was determined to make her listen. He had to make her see things his way. "Just follow my lead. If you follow me and my orders exactly, I think we can manage to not get totally humiliated."

"There is no way that would happen. With Fuuko on your team it is a boundless victory! There will be so little effort involved, we may as well just go sun bathing while the contest wins itself for us."

"Idiot, there's no way that would happen."

"But the point Fuuko made still remains. We are unbeatable with Fuuko. Also, with Ushio watching, it'll give us even more determination to win! So just listen to everything Fuuko says and it will be totally not a problem." With that she smiled, yelled, and gave a thumbs up. Tomoya was going to try and push his point further, but a whistle rang out. An announcer walked up to the stand and spoke into a microphone. There were many onlookers getting ready for the exciting start of the meet.

"Welcome one and all to the annual parents versus teachers sports event! This year the prize is like any other; honour, glory, and a giant golden trophy, along with some cash prizes! For the loser, well they can go home knowing they gave it their best! Now let's introduce our teams... representing the teacher side is none other than the fierce, the handsome, the devilish Furukawa Akio, joined by his partner the sweetly mannered, caring Yoshino Kouko!" The crowed burst into cheers for the teacher team.

"And in the parents corner, we have a dynamic duo of nothing but pure willpower and parenting methods so great you can't get enough of it ... Okazaki Tomoya and his wife, Okazaki Fuuko!" The crowd once again went nuts, and Tomoya spit up the water he was drinking, He turned to Akio and was going to scream at him but he was too far away and it would interrupt the ceremony.

"Fuuko, did you hear what he just said? Did he tell them that?!" He was almost hysterical and Fuuko looked blank for a moment before she nodded.

"They think we're married. Fuuko would never do such a thing but she will pretend for the sports meet. Please do the same. For Ushio." Determination replaced the repulsion he felt at the thought of him and Fuuko together.

"But what if they like, want us to kiss or something?" He blushed as he voiced this question. Fuuko did the same and they didn't make eye contact. Silence. Did she actually want to?

"Fuuko wouldn't! Please focus and stop asking such embarrassing questions. She believes Tomoya should focus now on winning and beating our opponents! Please do just that. And follow Fuuko's lead!" Again with that? He ignored the last part and decided instead to focus.

"And with that, our waiting audience! First of all I'll thank you all for joining us in this year's battle of teachers versus parents! So now, for the first event ... a three-legged race!" Cheers echoed throughout the meet and it was just as Tomoya feared.

But regardless of his feelings, the start of the race, both teams with one person's foot tied to the other's, began. It was quicker than Tomoya expected.

"Alright, kid, time to show you what we're made of. You ready to lose?" Akio said, unnecessarily loud to Tomoya.

"You are on!" But no words came from the sisters, who were ready to start the race. The countdown had begun. Three ... two ... one ... bang! The starting gun shot off and Akio and Kouko took off like a lightning bolt. Tomoya and Fuuko instantly tripped because she started with the wrong foot, just like he'd imagined.

"I swear I predicted the future! Fuuko, get up." After a minute and a bit of laughter from the audience, the dynamic duo managed to steady themselves and began racing, but not at the expense of the announcer.

"Whoa folks! Looks like our unrelated teacher pairing seems to be in stronger co-ordination than our married couple. How will they fare out in this race? Well from here it looks like the teachers have the upper hand! And ... and ... the teachers win the first event!"

And like that it began. The sports meet had started and the first point went to the teacher pairing. Each time 'married couple' or something similar of the sort was brought up, both Fuuko and Tomoya would share a moment of embarrassment. At first Tomoya was utterly surprised that the enigma known as Fuuko could even begin to conceive the concept of embarrassment but alas, she could. The surprise wore off eventually, though through each event they managed to butt heads over and over again. Neither would begin to follow the other's lead and each tried to be the leader of the team but it didn't work. Luckily for them, there were a couple of events they managed to pull wins from because they didn't require total co-ordination between the two, but by the time half-time lunch break came, Tomoya and Fuuko were down by a fair margin of points.

They sat together with Sanae, eating their food. Akio and Kouko had decided not to eat with them because they were discussing 'secret strategies to beat Tomoya', as Akio had put it. Ushio was also with her grandfather.

"Sanae, not that I dislike your judgement or anything, but ... why did you think Fuuko and I would make a good team? We're a lot of points behind because we can't seem to work together."

"You two can still win. There are 10 events left in the second quarter and the final event is worth three points. If you win that and at least four others, you'll come out as the victors." Tomoya thought about it slowly as Fuuko, being a person unable to keep her mouth closed for more than five seconds, decided to speak.

"Fuuko has to agree with him. His weirdness level is high and beyond that of which Fuuko can comprehend, as her brain waves seem to be unable to keep up with it! It seems difficult." And with that, a new character approached. She had long, flowing purple hair and purple eyes, as pretty as flawless amethysts.

"Hey Kyou. You know Fuuko and I don't have that kind of relationship, but you still agreed to all this?" Tomoya asked the new arrival.

"Well, hello. I thought it would be interesting, can you blame me?" Tomoya sighed as Kyou replied.

"No, it's completely the old man's fault. But whatever. I'm determined to win!" Fuuko looked at him then nodded.

"If you're that determined, then Fuuko also is! Let us somehow work together to win." Kyou and Sanae smiled patiently as Tomoya finally realized that he had to take her lead for any chance at winning at all. He didn't like it, but he disliked losing even more. With a resigned sigh, he turned to her.

"Alright, from now I'm on your level. I'll follow your lead no matter what, and I'll some how get my brain to work on your level, since it apparently won't work the other way around." Fuuko smiled, seemingly very happy to hear that. The two shook hands and Sanae clapped.

"Best of luck! I'll still be cheering for Akio but I want you to win too! Fight!" And with that, the second half had begun.

Fuuko and Tomoya fought hard. Tomoya forced himself to relax, letting her take the lead with each event and some how, it worked out surprisingly well. They lost a couple events but won four others. It all came down to the final event. The three point difference between glory and humiliation. What would be the outcome?

"Wow, ladies and gentlemen! Our Okazaki's have actually managed to make a tough fight for our teacher team in the second half! And with the scores so close at ten to eight, it all comes down to this! The last event is worth three points so the parent team still has a chance to close the gap and pull the victory!" The crowd loved every minute of it, and cheers for both teams could be heard if one were to walk through the crowd. The announcer continued after a moment. "And with that, our last event will require great team work between our teams! It is ... a carving contest! But not any ordinary carving contest. The carver will carve blindfolded. The partner will instruct them using only their voice! And today ... they must carve a star! Now take some time to decide whom will be the carver, and whom will be the instructor!"

For some reason, this didn't seem like a very exciting event to watch to Tomoya, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it. He had a more pressing matter and turned to his partner with a question. "Do you know how to carve a star?"

"Fuuko has never carved before, but ... seems to have a vague nostalgic feeling about it. Fuuko will carve. The feeling is too strong to ignore."

"And a star is shaped just like a starfish, so it should be pretty easy."

"Wrong. A starfish is not shaped like a star at all!" He wasn't even going to dignify that with a response. Instead, he just agreed. He trusted her, but was unsure of the trust he placed in himself to guide her.

"The carvings will be judged on how appealing they look, the time it took to finish, and fine detail! So with that, if you are ready, take your places!" As Akio sat down to carve, Fuuko took her place. The blindfolds were placed by them. They were presented each with a wooden block and a carving knife. As they took them in hand, their respective partners bowed to each other, and with that, the event began.

"No Fuuko don't cut it there, a little to the left, yes, perfect, keep cutting, carefully, not too deep in! No, no, you messed up a bit, but it's okay, we can fix it and make it look better!" Tomoya was frantically explaining. In all honesty, she seemed to carve like an expert and she was very fast. He was trying his hardest to imagine how it would perfectly look and guiding her based on that. It seemed that the two were doing an excellent job, but the teacher team was no sooner doing their best to make their own star. And the time in anticipation ticked on, rather quiet. The announcer gave his thoughts to how the stars were looking to be but couldn't say anything on the potential outcome, when suddenly …

"Done!" both teams announced at the exact same time.

"Whoa! A double finish! That means time won't be a factor judged in these stars, just the level of quality of the carving! Oh man, am I dying to see how these are going to turn out! Let's call in the judges and let them do their thing!" The judges came, and took the stars. They inspected each one closely, investigating each and every detail – every little thing. It was silent and everyone was in anticipation; Tomoya was sweating and it wasn't just because of the heat. Fuuko also formed fists and put her hands in front of her chest.

And with that, a loud cheer erupted at the winner of the carving contest.

"AND OUR OKAZAKI'S TAKE IT AWAAAAAAAAAY!" the announcer howled with all his might into the microphone. The ground almost felt like it shook with how loud everyone's cheering became, including that of both teams. At that moment, Tomoya thought Akio could be one harsh competitor ... but also realized he was a fair sportsman and a good loser. He didn't seem to be beat up about it at all, and was even enjoying it. Then, the giant golden trophy was awarded to the team. "Now why don't you hold hands and give us some words on how you managed to pull this come back victory?"

They slowly, reluctantly, took each others' hands and with a blush. Tomoya worked up words, taking the microphone as someone held the trophy.

"It was all thanks to Ushio! The loveliest daughter in the world gave us the motivation and drive to throw our hardest into the contest and win by any means necessary! We love you!" he cried into the microphone to his only daughter and she cried tears of happiness. Everyone smiled and cheered, and somehow Tomoya didn't mind all that much he was holding Fuuko's hand. It gave him that nostalgic feeling of when he held Nagisa's hand. It wasn't all that different. Fuuko's hand was a bit smaller and his seemed to completely cushion it like a jacket, but he didn't mind. It was, somehow, nice.

Some time that evening, the Furukawa's, Ibuki's, and Kyou joined Tomoya, Ushio, and finally Yusuke at the Furukawa bakery. They celebrated.

"Hey kid you put up a great fight today. I'm surprised you two actually managed to win! But don't think I don't respect it, a win's a win and you deserved it! Let's have a drink!" The fiery-haired man poured everyone a drink.

"Uhm, Fuuko thanks you very much. Tomoya, Fuuko unexpectedly had a lot of fun today and wants to thank you. Especially at the end when you so expertly guided the carving for me. Also, she has never had alcohol before."

"Hah, well I guess we do make an okay team after all, huh?"

"Congratulations Fu-chan. It seems your team was the stronger team and had bested Akio and I. And don't worry, the sake won't hurt you." Kouko soothed and encouraged her sister.

"Kouko." Yusuke's serious toned voice broke out. "Despite you having lost against your younger sister, it has only strengthened the love I feel for you."

"Oh Yu, you're embarrassing me in front of all our friends." A laugh was shared.

"Can Ushio try it?" She pointed to her father's sake and he looked at her big curious eyes. He smiled, then laughed.

"Okay, but just take a small sip." She nodded obediently and he brought the cup to her lips. She absorbed a bit of it, made an icky face and swallowed.

"Gross, huh? You feel okay?" Tomoya was immediately concerned at the effects it could have on her.

"Boy Tomoya, you're already giving her booze? Let's not have her turn out to be a drunk by the time she's 12," smirked Kyou as she spoke and everybody laughed.

"I don't think we got that to worry about, she doesn't like it, do you Ushio?" She shook her head, taking her juice back.

"Juice," she stated simply as she took a big long sip.

"Uhm," Fuuko spoke up. "Not to interrupt but what about the trophy? We can't both have it at the same time." They had previously agreed to split the cash 50/50, but the trophy was another matter.

"Well, how about I keep it for a month and then you keep it for a month?"

"No way."

"What? Why not?"

"Fuuko wants it the first month! It's so shiny and there's a big starfish on it!" She pointed to the starfish in question.

"Okay, you can keep it the first month!" She nodded, and seemed to be in some sort of euphoric daze, eyes closed and sighing happily. Everyone but Kyou was familiar with these episodes by this point. The old Tomoya would've been tempted to play a prank on her, but that was then and this was now.

"Fuuko, didn't you let Tomoya take the lead in the last event? Without his voice you wouldn't have known how to carve," Sanae said, smiling at her.

"Fuuko didn't realize it, but ... some how, her brain was on the same level as his. It's shocking! But Fuuko is happy nonetheless."

Yeah, today had certainly been unusual, but it was a day in which Tomoya had a genuinely good time. It wasn't a day he would soon forget. But he'd have to explain to Ushio why exactly Fuuko had been called with the same last name as theirs. As he was about to, she fell asleep quietly on his lap, a simple notion that declared a lot – it said that this was her daddy, the person she was most comfortable around and loved the most.

Eventually, everyone left and the night ended. A good day, a good night, and Tomoya slept in peace with his daughter.

A/N: Heya! Welcome to the first chapter of my story. I recently discovered Clannad and fell immensely in love with it. So I had an urge to write a story. I feel like Clannad was perfect in every way possible, but I also felt there was a scenario that wasn't explored. And that very scenario is this. This is going to be my interpretation of what happens if the reset ending in Clannad never happened. Be prepared, readers, as I do my best to match up to Clannad's quality. Thank you for reading!

And a very special thanks goes out to my beta reader, Darknesse Sidhe. She's awesome.