A/N: Okay, so I hope this was worth the wait. I worked really hard on this sequel, starting immediately after I finished Summer Dreams. If you read the bulletin on my author page, you will know that this sequel follows the -After Story- and the movie arc. I will also be throwing in my own additions, going beyond the final episode with Ushio, and into her high school life. You can expect a sequel for this one as well. Anyway, read on, mi amigos!
I would like to sincerely thank the following authors for their encouragement and contributions to the making of this epic, and those who have helped me right from the start:
RubyDracoGirl: I can't possibly thank you enough for all the support and encouragement you have shown me over the last year and a month. It is because of you that I have been able to reach this level of writing. It is because of you that I have the confidence to continue writing my stories. You have been able to brighten my days when I am down, and I hope you continue to be there to encourage me even more. You helped me in numerous ways and then some. I am glad to have discovered your writing, and am even gladder to have you as a riend and supporter, through the thick and thin. Everybody who reads this needs to read her stories. They are massively epic.
Air1997: Thanks for the reviews you posted on my Clannad fictions. They cheered me up and made me realize that I had a story to finish, and a sequel to write! Thanks so much, and I hope you continue to write some more stories. I look forward to reading your upcoming Clannad stories! Everybody who reads this needs to read Time After Time.
Erybis: Thanks for your awesome review on Summer Dreams. It means a lot to me. Everybody who reads this needs to read Monster's Tale. It is a truly epic piece of work.
You can find the first installment (Summer Dreams) here: .net/s/7863074/1/CLANNAD_Summer_Dreams
And now, the first chapter:
CLANNAD
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-BOOK 2-
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-USHIO-
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PART 1
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NAGISA
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CHAPTER 1
Nagisa and I sat on a log by the ocean, letting a gentle breeze play with our flesh. Nagisa was married to me, Tomoya Okazaki, who should've been in jail by now, simply for existing. I had not expected her to say yes after I proposed. Now, she was pregnant.
"Have you thought of a name?" I asked.
"Ushio!" she said cheerfully. I nodded in approval.
"Ushio. Interesting."
Nagisa looked up at me and smiled sweetly. I smiled back.
"Well, if we took a character from our names, it would end up sounding weird, like 'Nagisaki', or something like that! Besides, he or she will already have a beautiful last name! Okazaki!"
She smiled again, and picked up a stick. She began to write something in the sand. I watched. It was her name. Under it, she wrote my name. Under that, she wrote our unborn baby's name. Finally, she put "Okazaki" next to all of our names. I watched as she carefully wrote the kanji script in the moist sand. Nagisa held the stick in her hands and examined her handiwork.
"Why 'Ushio'?" I asked.
"'Nagisa' means 'shore', right? Well 'Ushio' means 'tide'. The shore must stay in place, whereas the tide can go anywhere in the ocean. The tide is strong, powerful. Our baby will not be weak, like her mother, but will have a strong heart, like her daddy," she explained, watching the waves the crash onto the shoreline. I smiled.
"Plus, 'Ushio' can be for both boys or girls, so it works out either way!"
I laughed at her enthusiasm.
"It fits," I said.
Nagisa looked at me, gazing into my eyes.
"We never went to the beach, did we?" she asked, slightly disappointed.
"Then we will go to the beach when Ushio is old enough to enjoy it! Just us three," I said. Nagisa beamed.
"That'd be nice!" she said. She rested her head on my shoulder, as we watched the sun sink lower into the horizon.
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The next morning, I awakened to the smell of cooking food. Fish. I sat up, yawning. Fifteen minutes later, I was dressed in my grey jumpsuit and sitting at our tiny table. Nagisa sat before me, looking especially happy. I couldn't help but smile, too.
"What are you so flashy about today?" I asked, grinning broadly.
"I felt Ushio move today!" Nagisa reported, patting her tummy. My chopsticks paused.
"Really? That's great!"
"I wonder if Ushio can hear, yet? I sing Dango Daikazoku at night."
I chuckled. Nagisa would brighten anyone's day. I finished eating and headed out. Nagisa watched from the balcony of our apartment. She waved. I was off!
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Okay, that was Chapter 1. I know it was short, and I apologize, but I don't want to give anything away. The future chapters will be longer, I promise! Anyway, I greatly appreciate reviews, and constructive critism is welcome. Flames will be used to roast weinies on the grill.