Disclaimer= I do not own Clannad.

Ryou sat on the rocking chair as she watched the little kid play in the front yard. Her salary at her job as well as Tomoya's pay allowed them to purchase a home on the countryside. It was a preferred location for the pair for many reasons. Ryou watched the child play with the puppy and she smiled, glad that she had all that she currently had. What it took to get to that point was a painful, heartbreaking, and gut wrenching process. Ryou very nearly gave up several times, but kept fighting until her wish was ultimately fulfilled. Before this portion of the story is further discussed, we gon take a look back at how it got there.

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Their last year of high school was where the Fujibayashi twins fought for Tomoya's affection. So much drama ensued that a novel could've been written. Ryou eventually got Tomoya as their high school life came to a close. Tomoya and Ryou escaped from the festivities of graduation to take a long walk together. No words needed to be said as their handholding spoke volumes. The infamous park bench was where they sat down, with Ryou resting her head on Tomoya's shoulder. They sat on the bench for at least an hour or so, watching the sun go down.

"High school is finally over Tomoya-kun."

"I'm glad that I can finally sleep in - -"

"Thats really funny. Anyways, what are you going to do now that school is over?"

"I got a job working as an electrician. I'll be climbing up the poles to fix the wirings."

"I'm happy that you got a job Tomoya-kun; however, I'm really worried about your shoulder."

"How did you know about my shoulder?"

"Since I'm going to be a nurse, their jobs require them to be expert observers. For as long as I've known you, you favored your left shoulder. I won't tell your boss about your shoulder, you have my word."

"I knew you wouldn't tell. I had no plans of telling him either. It'll be tough, but my left arm will just have to do the work."

"I'm curious Tomoya-kun: do you plan on getting surgery to fix your right shoulder?"

"I have thought about it, but when we are financially stable to take a long time off from work, I'll do the surgery. I will just have to grin and bear it."

"I'm so happy that I have somebody in you that cares about me. I'm a very lucky to have such a beautiful and caring person like you Ryou. You are a diamond in the rough."

"Tomoya-kun... your words always comfort me. There are a couple of things that I wanted to discuss with you."

"Go ahead and say them."

"First off, the hospital where I will be a nurse at is very close to my current house, so any plans to move in together will have to wait."

"No problem, I'm happy about your nursing opportunity."

"Second, since we aren't moving in together and I will most likely work various shifts and very long hours at the hospital, I might not see you everyday. I might go several days with out seeing you; scratch that, I will go several days without seeing you. Is that okay?"

"Ryou, I don't mind at all. You are writing a new chapter in your life by working at the hospital."

"I want you in my new chapter Tomoya-kun - -"

"Oh I'm already in there. I'm the bold, highlights, and the conclusion."

"Starting next week Tomoya-kun, our lives will change forever."

"It will be scary and very unpredictable."

"As long as we are together Ryou, impossible is possible."

Everything Ryou previously talked about was correct. Ryou quickly became a top nurse as Tomoya was killing it as an electrician. If they went several days without seeing each other, Tomoya would walk all the way to the hospital just to see Ryou during her breaks. It was like this for about 5 years. During the 4th year holidays, Tomoya heavily implied that he was going to propose to Ryou. Sunohara and a couple of coworkers that were invited to the festivities did not catch the hints, but the women sure did. Outside of earshot of the guys: Tomoyo, Yukine, Kyou, and Mei dropped hints to Ryou regarding Tomoya's intentions. During the 6th year when things died down a little bit, Tomoya made his move. Tomoya waited for Ryou to finish her short shift one day to walk her home.

"Tomoya-kun, what are you doing here?"

"Just waiting for your shift to end. Can I walk you home?"

"Absolutely." So Tomoya walks Ryou home, where he stays for dinner. The house is dark as they head inside. Ryou flips the lights on and all of their friends are there.

"Whats up everybody - -" Tomoya purposely trips on the carpet to 'hurt' his hand. Kyou tells her sister that she'll take care of the bandaging.

"They made us take a class on first-aid."

"Its cool Onee-chan, no problem." The girls go upstairs while the guys stayed down to play cards. After an hour or so, Sunohara goes upstairs to fetch Ryou. Kyou opens the door.

"What do you want Youhei?"

"Before you throw a dictionary at me, Tomoya told me to come get Ryou. His hand is getting swollen I think. We are not sure so thats why I was sent up here." Ryou went downstairs, followed by Sunohara and the rest of the girls.

"Tomoya-kun, are you okay?"

"My hand is getting swollen. Can you remove the bandages?"

"Sure." Everyone gathered around s Ryou slowly unbandaged Tomoya's hand. She felt a small box object towards the end but had to suppress her excitement for it. The last bandage was removed and a small box appeared, which made Tomoya get down on one knee.

"I love you with all of my heart Ryou. Will you marry me?"

"Oh my gosh yes I will !!!"

Tomoya and Ryou got married about a year after they got engaged. As Ryou sits on that porch, she remembers all of those memories. It was not all easy, as she remembers what it was like when moved in with Tomoya and they eventually bought their countryside dream house. The heartbreaking memories that she shudders about just remembering it were the two miscarriages Ryou had before finally having a baby boy. Everyone experiences something tragic in their lifetimes, and Ryou wasn't immune, having had two miscarriages. After each one happened, Ryou told Tomoya that she wanted to give up on having a baby, but Tomoya encouraged her to not lose hope. Their patience was rewarded when Benjiro was born. He was Ryou's now little 4 year old son playing with the family puppy.

"Benji, come here." Young Benjiro races up to be in his mama's lap.

"Do you see who is that walking towards us Benji?" Tomoya opens/closes the gate as he waves to his lonely wife and young son.

"PAPA!"

"Hey Benji, hi honey."

"Benji," Ryou shouts from the porch," go play with your doggy again."

"HAI." Benji resumed playing with the dog while Tomoya and Ryou sat on the porch.

"What did the doctor say about your shoulder?"

"The surgery went well, I should be back to work in 8-10 months."

"Thats great news."

"What about you? You told me earlier that your stomach was hurting?"

"Oh its better now. Are you tired Tomoya-kun?"

"A little - -"

"Go ahead and rest on my lap and use my stomach as a pillow." Tomoya obliged and carefully layed his head on Ryou's stomach.

"Your stomach feels just like a pillow."

"It's a special kind of pillow."

"Um, what kind of pillow is it?"

"Its one of those I'm 3 months pregnant with your daughter type of pillows." Tomoya smiles and gives Ryou a kiss. All will be forever well because Ryou was finally done right.