Disclaimer= I do not own Clannad.

Sunohara was having a hard time think of something concrete to write down. It was 3 AM, and he had already gone through a couple of boxes of notebook paper. He wanted to make sure that what he was going to say was perfect. Writing was his Achilles heel; he would write one or two lines and then crunch the paper up to discard it.

"Why the hell is it so hard to write a few damn lines down?!"

"I cannot give up. I know that Kotomi-chan will love whatever I have written down on the paper." Sunohara was finally starting to make progress on the paper when the alarm on his cell phone goes off. Its 7AM and he has not gotten any sleep whatsoever. There was no way he could sleep now. Sunohara concluded that he would finish his writing at lunch.

Sunohara was feverishly working during lunch.

"You got to stop drinking alcohol; your eyes are all bloodshot."

"Very funny Okazaki. I've been up all night."

"What are you writing, a love letter to Kotomi?"

"You could say that..."

"I see you got my hint. Her recital is coming up in a little bit so you should probably wrap things up here."

"Okay, I was almost done anyways."

"Can I read what you've written?"

"Sorry Okazaki, you are going to have to wait to be wowed like everyone else."

"Well, good luck dude." Sunohara beat his chest like a gorilla. He was excited about reading his paper to Kotomi.

"I hope she likes my words. I hope she appreciates the effort I put in."

The audience came prepared for Kotomi's recital with triple-padded ear plugs. They did not use them because Kotomi played a beautiful rendition of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. She played a couple of more Vivaldi pieces to a thunderous approval from the audience. As soon as she stepped off the stage, Sunohara stepped on to a crickety ambience.

"Hello everyone, I'm Sunohara Youhei. Forgive me for what I look like right now. I was up all night writing something that I plan to read to you all right now."

"My poem does not have a title. This is dedicated to a girl I care about deeply." He got a couple of awws from the crowd. Here's how the poem read:

I wasn't sure about a title

I had no idea how to begin this

my feelings for you have no reset button

like a stopwatch, it's timeless...

Sunohara tore up the paper and grabbed the microphone.

"Who the hell am I kidding, I can't write poems for anything!" He directed his attention towards Kotomi.

"Kotomi-chan listen to me! I was up all night trying to write that poem for you. I just realized that I don't need a poem to say what I'm going to say."

"That day in Theater Club is a day I will never forget. The skit we did required us to kiss on the lips and so we did that. When I pulled back, I felt sparks fly and possibly a connection starting. We kissed each other again and that felt so right, I can't even beGIN to tell you."

"You let me take you out on dates and I've felt that we have grown closer each date, you know, since we are boyfriend and girlfriend..." Those last five words got the entire audience buzzing.

"Get on with it Youhei!"

"Oh yeah sorry. Anyways Kotomi-chan, you may not know it, but you make me the happiest guy in the world. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart... I love you." The entire audience awwed. Sunohara looked at Kotomi, who blushed and looked away. He was shocked that she didn't say anything. It started to rain. The weather was already chilly to begin with, which made the rain even colder. Sunohara was absolutely crushed.

"Thank you everyone for being a good audience." He dropped the mic and ran off, away from a yelling Tomoya and a confused Kotomi. He didn't go home, but rather he went to the park.

"I hate the rain, it sucks. But I guess I love it right now because no one will know that I'm bawling my eyes out."

"I'm freezing my butt off, but I don't care. I can't believe Kotomi-chan did not say anything. She freaking stayed silent for crying out loud! Why didn't she say anything, WHY?" Sunohara layed in a fetal position on his side and slowly closed his eyes. He was too tired to notice a guy and a girl walking straight towards him.

Sunohara woke up on a couch with a towel draped over his forehead and nearby a fireplace.

"Where am I?"

"You are at my house, Sunohara-kun." It didn't take long for him to recognize the voice.

"Is that you Kotomi?"

"Yes it is. Tomoya-san and I found you cradled up at the center of the playground. What on earth were you thinking?"

"I tend to do crazy stuff from time to time."

"I was worried about you."

"Thank you. I hope I didn't scare you too bad..."

"You did actually. You could've contacted hypothermia."

"I'm glad I didn't. Thanks for saving me Kotomi."

"I'll do anything for my boyfriend." That last one woke Sunohara up completely. The wound was still raw.

"Yea about that..." He got up and headed for the door. Kotomi grabbed his shoulder. He turned around and fell on his knees. Sunohara was very weak from being in the cold for so long. He was panting heavily.

"Sunohara-kun, what are you doing?"

"I am going home."

"You are not well enough to go yet."

"I don't care."

"About what happened at school during the recital - -"

"Do not even start with that Kotomi. I ran off and wandered around in the freezing cold because of you. Do you realize how much you hurt me? My heart felt as though it was crushed into tiny pieces. We have been going out for months. I'm very happy with you. I'm not getting the same vibe from you."

"Sunohara-kun..." He was trying to get up again.

"I don't know if I can do this anymore..." Sunohara was trying to head for the door again, but Kotomi wouldn't let him pass.

"Sunohara-kun please rest, you have not gained enough strength to return home."

"I don't care. If I die going home - -" He was turning the knob to open the door, but Kotomi turned him around and layed a big kiss on his lips.

"Please do not leave me alone Sunohara-kun, I love you." Sunohara stopped turning the knob. His eyes had that glint in them. He turned around and sat back down on the couch, followed by Kotomi. They kissed again and also touched foreheads.

"What did you say?"

"I love you Sunohara-kun." He was on the verge of crying.

"Do you know how long I've been waiting for you to say those three words to me?!" Sunohara could no longer hold back the tears and thus broke down and started crying. Kotomi did the same.

"I'm so sorry. If I knew how to word it before, I would have said those words sooner."

"I understand."

"When we kissed in Theater Club and looked into each other's eyes, it was as though time stopped. That only meant one thing: I fell in love with you from that moment on."

"You practically echoed my thoughts Kotomi-chan."

"You have to understand Sunohara-kun that I'm learning how to be social. So please do not give up on me because I need you. I'm trying to be as social as my abilities let me be. Please do not give up on me. Please do not leav - -" Sunohara put a finger on Kotomi's lips to intimately shh her.

"Stop saying crazy things Kotomi-chan. I'll always be with you. Why would I entertain such thoughts when things are going to be perfect now? I will never leave you. I will always be by your side."

"Sunohara-kun..." She started to cry again. They were touching foreheads again. They kissed once again.

"I love you Kotomi-chan. I'll always love you."

"I'll always love you too Sunohara-kun." They fell asleep in each other's arms on the couch.

From that night on, Sunohara was a different person. He and Kotomi were official and they were not afraid to hold hands and be affectionate in public. Tomoya and company were happy for him and for Kotomi.

All someone may need for love to blossom (besides being told those three words) is just being told they are needed. If you tell someone that in an emotional way like Kotomi did, you'll get that person. In the beginning, Sunohara and Kotomi were confused about how they felt about each other. She saying to him that she needed him forever changed their relationship.

A/N= Thank you for reading both chapters of Needing to be Needed. If this relationship actually happened in the anime, I sincerely believe that Sunohara and Kotomi would grow old together.