01/01/2020 (Last edited on 01/01/2020) - Happy New Year 2020! It's also the beginning of a new decade as well.

I'm finally back again! It's been over a year since chapter 10 was posted but chapter 11 is finally here! Lots of things have happened in my life since then, both good and bad, most of which have affected my ability to get this chapter out in a timely manner. And as I get older, the amount of free time I once had has become rarer and more precious, leaving me with less time to write. For that, I sincerely apologize for the gigantic wait. But at long last, the wait has finally come to an end.

Hello, people of FanFiction dot net. I don't know if any of my old readers are still around. If you are, glad you're still on board. If you're new, welcome and I hope you enjoy your stay here on my story. I'll keep it brief so that you can get to the chapter itself quickly.

Paragraphs in italics denote a flashback. Single words in italics / single words in regular print during a flashback denote emphasis and should be read as such.

Chapter rated T for: Mild language, sexual themes, and thematic elements
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance/Slice of Life
Pairing(s): (At the moment) Tomoya x Ryou (Time will only tell how long they'll last...)
Crossover(s): None at the moment...

Author's Note #1: My girlfriend helped me out a lot on a chunk of this chapter. She also motivated me to finish writing this chapter in the first place, so kudos to her! Hopefully, I can get chapter 11 out in a more timely manner with her help now...

Author's Note #2: This chapter was originally longer so I had to divide it since it was getting too long. Chapter 12 will now be the original second half of this chapter. 13 will be the famous tennis scene.

Author's Note #3a: Perspectives from which this chapter is being spoken from, I'll list at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Clannad-related, even though I wished I did… And from here on out, I do not own any series/movies/video games that I might make references to or decide to make any crossovers with as well.

Clannad ~Different Days~

-The Everyday Arc-

Vague Synopsis - It's not quite the same story that you might remember, even if it feels strangely familiar. A different world, different relationships, different events...different days...

Chapter 11 – Across the Stars, Part 1

Brief chapter synopsis - Kotomi meets Tomoyo's family while Ryou and Tomoya are looking forward to spending the day together by themselves but don't know where to go...

Standing out on the veranda, I stared out and viewed the rest of the neighborhood. It was silent with the occasional person off in the distance going for a morning stroll through the streets. It felt weird just standing there on my own, enjoying this peace and quiet while my mind was anything but. There was a lot that I had on my mind, about Tomoya-kun, about onee-chan and the rest of my family, about my future, and, as my eyes turned its gaze over to the room behind me towards the bed, I couldn't help but think about Nagisa-chan and how she was going to move on from here on out. She still had the drama club that she needed to reestablish. Tomoya-kun had told me that he was helping Sakagami-san with the student council elections. He mentioned that if she gets elected, she'll be the deciding factor in getting the Drama Club reestablished. I was worried if things weren't going to work out in the end, but I still hoped with all of my heart that things would turn out for the best here.

My reverie was interrupted the moment my ears picked a dull vibration coming from inside Nagisa-chan's room. My first thought was my phone as the realization suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks. I panicked as I hurriedly opened the door to get back inside.

Opening the door, the vibrating became clearer to my ears as I tried my best to tiptoe my way over to the phone. I rushed over to pick it up before it ended up ruining Nagisa-chan's slumber.

"H-hello?" I heard Nagisa-chan slightly stir in her sleep but it didn't look like she was woken up by the device. I tried my best to keep my voice to a low whisper.

"Good morning, Ryou." I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I heard Tomoya-kun's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Tomoya-kun? Good morning, I wasn't expecting you to call."

"I wanted to check up on you...and hear your voice too. How's Nagisa doing?" I quickly became aware of how hot my face began to feel at hearing those words, flattered and grateful that he was asking about my well-being. I glanced over, hoping the call had not awakened Nagisa-chan after all, but telling by the gentle breathing, she was still fast asleep. Relief, however, soon began to morph into guilt as I slowly began to remember the recent conversation I had with her last night.

"She's...doing better. I...told her the truth...about us."

"I guess you can't keep it a secret forever. It had to get out sooner or later."

"I'm so sorry." It was all I could say in that moment.

"You don't need to apologize. How did she take the news anyway?"

"About as well as you'd imagine. I think she's feeling better now though. Admittedly, it'll probably take some time for her to come to terms with it, though."

"I don't blame her."

I didn't know how long it would take for her to get over this whole situation, if she would ever truly get over it at all. The longer the topic dwelled in my mind, the more the guilt was slowly building back up inside of me.

"Hey Ryou, are you okay?" Hearing Tomoya-kun's voice snapped me out of my silence.

"Y-yes…" I shook my head furiously, realizing that it wouldn't have been right to lie to him. I needed to be completely honest. "...actually, no, I'm not. It was painful...seeing Nagisa-chan breaking down in front of me last night."

"I'll try to be over there as quickly as I can then."

I could hear loud noises as I imagined Tomoya-kun was scrambling to get dressed and ready to run over here. I couldn't help but quietly giggle at his sincerest efforts to be by my side as soon as he could.

"Tomoya-kun?" I couldn't help but smile, a single flutter flowing through my heart, knowing that it was such a simple act that made me feel so loved and appreciated.

"What's up, Ryou?"

"Thank you...for calling me and checking up on me. I know you don't like talking on the phone directly like this, but I'm glad you called. It's nice...hearing your voice."

"No problem. To be honest with you, I'm really new at this whole dating thing, so I know I'm probably gonna make some mistakes here and there. Don't be afraid to say something if I'm being stupid, okay?"

"Hehe, okay, will do. I guess...since neither of us have any experience with dating in general, there's going to be some trial and error. I hope you'll be honest and patient with me as I will be with you, Tomoya-kun."

"I'll promise you that much, Ryou. I should be over there pretty soon. Hope you don't mind if I take a while though."

"Actually, if you don't mind, could I stop by your place instead?"

"Huh? How come?"

"There was something I wanted to do here over at Nagisa-chan's house before I head over there. I wasn't sure how long it was going to take, plus I didn't want you to rush for my sake. I can tell you probably just woke up too. So please, take your time. I'll be there soon enough."

"Okay then, I'll be seeing you soon then, Ryou."

"Thanks again, Tomoya-kun. I'll be seeing you soon too. I'll call you once I'm outside."

As Tomoya-kun and I ended our phone call, I couldn't help but stare at Nagisa-chan in silence, as I wondered what she was dreaming of in her sleep. I wanted to lean in and caress her cheek with my hand but I knew better than to do something like that while she was unconscious.

As I was about to move away from Nagisa-chan, I heard her quietly moaning, as if she were in some pain or discomfort. I instinctively shrieked, immediately covering my mouth, fearing that she was going to wake up or that it was my fault that I disturbed her sleep in any way. But as I sat there listening to her, I could faintly hear a whisper from her. I leaned in closer to get a better opportunity at what she was saying.

"...U...shio…Fu...ko..." If my ears weren't deceiving me, that was what my ears were able to discern. It sounded like someone's name. I couldn't help but wonder who that was to begin with. And yet, the more the words sank into my mind, the more the feeling of familiarity began to engulf me. My chest tightened as I found myself almost short of breath. Why did the name...or names...evoke such a reaction from me? And why...did it sound so sad as well?

Almost as fleeting as it came, Nagisa-chan fell back into her rhythmic breathing as her sleep continued on like nothing happened. It was strange but I didn't want to dwell on this for too much longer. I had something I needed to do here before stopping by Tomoya-kun's house and I was wasting time just wondering about things that weren't going to have immediate answers. I took one last look at my best friend, smiling and hoping that she would be okay.

After brushing my teeth, washing my face, and all of my other usual morning rituals in the bathroom, I slowly made my way downstairs, hoping to find out where Nagisa-chan's parents were but I stopped near the bottom of the stairs as my ears began to pick up on two sets of voices. I kept walking closer until I was just behind a corner, so that I could listen in on the conversation that was already ensuing in the kitchen.

"...what do you think we should do now?"

"Well, we know for sure that Fujibayashi-san is dating Tomoya-san now."

"You think Nagisa will be fine with that though?"

"She'll have to manage somehow. I know it's going to be hard for her but she's going to have to learn that not everything ends on a happy note."

"Still, I feel like there has to be something that we could do to help."

"I know, Akio-san. But I'm sure Nagisa will slowly come to terms with all of this."

"As far as I'm concerned, this is all that punk Okazaki's fault."

"Tomoya-san did nothing wrong here."

"Why do you defend him so much anyway?"

"Regardless of the present situation, he's still Nagisa's dearest friend. That's something that won't change, even if there's already someone else that he's romantically involved with."

All I could hear was a subdued grumble after Sanae-san's comment. I couldn't help but feel a little guilty after hearing that exchange. Nagisa wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for me.

"Um, good morning." Without giving it a second thought, I stepped out from behind the wall to reveal myself. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping. I couldn't help but become curious about what you were talking about."

"It's okay, dear. You don't need to apologize to us, Fujibayashi-san."

"You can just call me Ryou. I think it would start to get confusing when you finally meet onee-chan since we share the same last name."

"Okay...Ryou-san then?" I smiled and merely nodded in approval at Sanae-san's words.

"So, Ryou, was there something that you needed from us?" I turned to look at Akio-san, as I wasn't sure what to make of him just yet. It was rather obvious that he and Tomoya-kun...weren't exactly on the best of terms. I felt like he only tolerated him simply because Tomoya-kun was Nagisa-chan's friend.

"Well, if you don't mind me saying, I...have an idea."

"What kind of idea did you have in mind?"

"I overheard you two talking and I just feel bad that it's my fault that Nagisa-chan is in this situation in the first place."

"Please, don't feel bad about that at all, Ryou-san. You asked Tomoya-kun out and now you two are dating. Although it may be unfair to anyone else who harbors feelings for him, the onus shouldn't fall entirely on you for the inactions of others."

"Yes, I agree with Sanae. Nagisa shoulders some responsibility for not being able to muster up the courage to ask out the brat...but Sanae and I must share some of the blame in this too, since her shyness is us not doing enough for her to overcome it."

"Please don't say that about Nagisa-chan!" I bowed fervently at Akio-san. "I can relate to her shyness so much. I still remember just how nervous I was...when I asked Tomoya-kun out. I was so afraid of how he was going to react, of whether or not he'd reject me or not. I didn't want to make things awkward between the two of us, but...a part of me decided to take a leap of faith. There was no point in worrying about the possibilities until I tried at the very least. And I guess...the rest is history. I guess what I'm trying to say here...is that there are some fundamental aspects of our personality that can never change and that we should appreciate that instead of trying to change it. I think Nagisa-chan is wonderful just the way she is."

Akio-san warmly smiled at me before turning to Sanae-san. "I'm really glad that Nagisa has a friend like you, wouldn't you agree, Sanae?"

"Yes, I'm proud that she's made friends this year. And you, Ryou-san, are especially a loving and wonderful friend to her as well. Akio-san and I hope that you continue to be a good friend to her."

"I always will, don't worry." I turned my attention over from Sanae-san to Akio-san. "I know it may be a lot to try asking this of you, but please don't insult Tomoya-kun too. He may be lazy and he may be a bit of a prankster, but I know he's a really good person. There's a reason why Nagisa-chan and I...love him so very much. I don't think she'd be happy if you were constantly insulting him either. And we're...we're not the only ones who harbors romantic feelings for him either."

"I can't make any promises to you there, but...I guess I can avoid insulting him around you and Nagisa. That sounds good to you?"

"Yes, I think that's a good enough compromise there. I can't really control what you do when I'm not around. Anyways, back to the plan I was about to mention…" I took a deep breath before I began divulging the details to both Sanae-san and Akio-san, as their eyes widened, occasionally glancing at one another the longer I went on. A part of me was afraid of how they would react to this idea of mine, but it was the only thing that I could think of that could ease some of Nagisa-chan's pain and help Tomoya-kun out as well.

Regardless of whatever may come, I knew our lives were slowly drifting down a different path now, and as each day passed, it was harder and harder to turn back...

"Huh, I didn't realize that nee-chan had an older friend."

"I'm only just a year older than her."

"Still, that's impressive to hear. To be able to befriend an upperclassmen like that, I gotta give her some credit here."

I had met Takafumi-kun just a few moments ago when he answered the front door. I had done my usual introductions as he mirrored my own actions. It brought me some solace when he introduced himself to me, as he was as socially awkward as I was. I couldn't help but quietly laugh as his face turned red from embarrassment. I had asked where Tomoyo-chan was as Takafumi-kun mentioned she was still asleep. I followed him up the stairs and down the hallway until we both stopped in front of a door. I naturally assumed it was Tomoyo-chan's room.

Takafumi-kun gently knocked on the door but after a minute of silence, there was still no response.

"Guess she's still out cold. I'm gonna go wake her up now."

As he gently opened the door and left it slightly ajar, I took a small peak inside of Tomoyo-chan's room.

"Nee-chan, wake up!"

From in between the crack in the door, I saw Takafumi-kun struggling to wake Tomoyo-chan up as he was firmly shaking this lump beneath the comforter on her bed. I wondered what it was like to have a younger sibling to interact with in the morning, to spend your days playfully bickering with them. The subject of his focus startled me out of my daydreaming, as Tomoyo-chan seemed to have finally woken up.

"Okay, okay, I'm waking up. What time is it?" Tomoyo-chan sounded pretty exhausted as an audibly loud yawn escaped into the air.

"8 in the morning. Your friend is here, you know? Ichinose, was it?"

"Oh, damn it! I completely forgot that I had made plans with her today."

"Seriously? What kind of friend are you?"

"Ugh, please shut up, Takafumi." I could hear the clear irritation in her voice. It was oddly cute to me.

"Guess you gotta wake up now. Want me to tell her to wait for you downstairs?"

"No, it's okay. You can tell her to come up into my room. I'll try to make it quick."

"Actually, she's waiting for you just outside of your room."

"Oh, in that case, you can just call her in then."

I immediately took a step back away from the door, my cheeks burning in embarrassment. I didn't want either of them to know that I was intruding in their private conversation.

"Okay, I guess I'll wait for you downstairs then. Mom and dad will be making breakfast for us. Ichinose can join us as well."

"Thanks, little brother. I'll be sure to let her know that."

Catching that it was the end of the conversation, I gently began to push the door open to head in, but Takafumi-kun quickly pulled the door open first. I stumbled briefly before regaining my composure as he quickly rushed to my side. I smiled at Takafumi-kun and then to Tomoyo-chan in reassurance as he merely nodded at me before running down the stairs. My attention turned towards the person in front of me as I could see the usually spry and organized girl quickly making her bed, neatly realigning the bedsheets and the comforter on top.

"Good morning, Tomoyo-chan." I gently closed the door behind me to make sure no one could easily eavesdrop on our conversation.

"Good morning, Kotomi. I was still kinda sleeping so you'll have to forgive me for rushing here." "Oh, please take your time. You do not need to rush on my account."

"Still, I'll try not to dawdle too much."

As she prepared to change her clothing, I surveyed her room, being this was my first time ever within Tomoyo-chan's walls were a parallel of soft white, with the adjacent walls being a muted form of cerulean. In the corner of the room lay her bed. It was long enough to fit a girl of Tomoyo-chan's height but small enough so that it would be too tight of a fit for anyone else to join her in bed.

The bedsheets were a radiant shade of magenta that clashed against the odd colored walls. The pillows housed covers to match, and peeking just beneath the sheets, a small teddy bear was poking its little head out, almost as if it was tucked in. The thought of Tomoyo-chan doing such an act made me slightly giggle. Before I could think about it further, the rustling of garments being pushed aside behind me threw my train of thought. Subtle sounds of frustration could be heard as it seemed Tomoyo-chan couldn't decide on what to wear. I looked over just as she closed the drawer door of her dresser with a slight sense of irritation. She made her way to the closet adjacent to the dresser, and pushed aside the sliding door that hid the contents inside.

With nothing else to do, I continued my observations of her room to occupy the time. Her dresser was ordinary, simply a color that somewhat matched the off-color white wall it sat against. The handles of the dresser were unusually ornate, silver in color that tied the aesthetic together for the furniture piece. To the right stood a modest and moderately sized computer desk. Smooth, grey metal bars held beige wooden layers of shelving together. Towards the very top, a shelf for the desk held books of various sizes and some notebooks sprinkled throughout. The distance from the desk made it a bit too difficult to read the titles on the spines of the books, so my eyes continued to drift. Below, within the main section of the desk, was a computer monitor that looked to be about 20 inches or so. In front of it lay a keyboard, and along that a small porcelain pencil holder shaped like a teddy bear. Everything looked neat up till this point.

On this level of the desk, journals stacked alongside that pencil holder, some opened to pages littered with heavy note-taking that took place. On the other side of the keyboard, a short stack of folded-over papers were haphazardly placed, neat enough only to the point of the tower not crumbling on itself. A black chair adjacent to the desk housed a large stack of papers that were long enough to hang over the side of the chair yet stable enough to not fall off. Bundles of sealed paper lay on top of her printer that completed the bottom shelf of the desk. It took me a moment to notice, being so focused on the out-of-place disarray for Tomoyo-chan, that all of the sheets of paper there was for her campaign to become student council president. Brochures were the ones laying next to the keyboard while the chair housed the posters of her campaign. I could only imagine the stress related to preparing for all of that, the leg work of trying to win over students to vote for you, and even the tedious task of printing out and handing out all of this paperwork. No wonder this part of her desk was a mess.

"Aw!" The sudden yell from Tomoyo-chan took me out of my observations. I looked over to see she finally found whatever outfit she was looking for. I couldn't help but quickly averted my gaze the moment I saw Tomoyo-chan slowly peeling off her pajamas. I caught a fleeting glimpse of what she was wearing underneath as my cheeks couldn't help but burn with an intense embarrassment.

"What's wrong, Kotomi?" Judging by the concerned tone in her voice, Tomoyo-chan had probably noticed that I had turned away from her.

"You're...changing your clothes. It would be rude of me to stare."

"I wouldn't mind to be honest with you. It's just us girls here, after all."

Hearing Tomoyo-chan's words, my head was still tilted away though my eyes gazed out from the corner to glean over her slim figure. Her pajamas were strewn across the ground as she was only in her underwear at this point. She had a sleeveless white blouse on her bed along with a long magenta skirt. She walked over to her drawer to pull out a black bra, as she simply slid on the straps and enclosed the clasp around her back. As she was buttoning up the blouse and slipping into the skirt, she couldn't help but turn to smile at me, with a laugh following shortly. Before I realized it, my head was fully facing her entire body once more.

"It seems you gave up all pretenses of wanting to avoid staring at me."

"Well, you did say it was just the two of us."

Tomoyo-chan couldn't help but want to tease me even further with a playful but seductive wink. "Do you like what you see?"

I couldn't help but immediately begin feeling flushed all throughout my face as my eyes kept darting around her body, trying to avoid staring in one particular spot for more than a second. My eyes couldn't help but settle on a scar on her upper right arm. Tomoyo-chan couldn't help but noticed as her head tilted to where my eyes were gazing upon.

"Oh...you wanna know how I got that scar?"

"Just idle curiosity, that's all." Tomoyo-chan explained to me the incident that led to her scar and it just made me all the more fascinated and curious. "What do you suppose happened to that girl who cut you?"

"I sometimes find myself asking that question. Wherever she is, I just hope she's doing all right."

"What about you, Tomoyo-chan? The question she asked you, about what you were searching for...Are you still...looking towards the future?"

"I know I am. Even if… I know I'll be alone someday." There was a solemn resignation in her voice that I knew she wasn't even bothering to hide. Instinctively, without really giving it a second thought, I found myself suddenly wrapping my arms around Tomoyo-chan's abdomen into a tight embrace from behind.

"You're not alone right now though."

"I really do appreciate having you as a friend, Kotomi. Thank you." Tomoyo-chan's fingers interlocked with mine as I held her tightly.

"Tomoyo-chan, what separates a friend from a lover?"

"Hmm? I guess if I had to put it into words, the feelings run deeper? They're more...passionate, I would say."

I found myself unknowingly tracing her abdomen with our joined hands, lightly tracing the fabric of her sleeveless blouse with the tips of our fingers until they reached her bosom, and I found myself instinctively stopping then and there. There was a boundary that I didn't want to transgress, especially during such a warm, tender moment. I didn't want to ruin this moment...or be away from her at all.

Tomoyo-chan sensed my hesitation so she made a lighthearted jab at me to ease the tension of the moment. "I'm surprised you stopped there."

"I didn't want to do anything without your permission."

"What if I gave you permission? What would you do then?"

"I...I hope you don't find this weird or anything, but...I wish I could...touch your breasts."

"How come?" Tomoyo-chan separated from my embrace to face me. "If I may be blunt with you, Kotomi, you're more well-endowed compared to me."

"You're not exactly small either, Tomoyo-chan!"

"Hmm, I wonder, is it because you wish to touch another person's breasts in general?"

"More like I wanna touch your breasts specifically." There was a slight hesitation that I felt, feeling so embarrassed for what I was about to request from my friend here. "...may I?"

My fingers began to lightly trace the top of her breasts while gently caressing the lacy bra she was wearing. I couldn't help but be enveloped in the rapture of the sight in front of me. I was jealous of her body and how gorgeous she naturally looked in front of me. "I wish I could have a body like yours, Tomoyo-chan." My words came out as a whisper, lamenting that which I could not have.

"I don't see what's wrong with yours though, Kotomi. I think you look really lovely. You should be comfortable with your own body."

"I'll try to keep that in mind. Thank you for your kind words though."

"Don't sweat it. I really do mean that."

"Tomoyo-chan...do you...fantasize about Tomoya-kun?"

"F-fantasize about what, Kotomi?"

"You know...naughty thoughts about Tomoya-kun?"

"Um...uh…"

"I'm sorry if it's too personal of a question. I just couldn't help but wonder."

"It's okay, Kotomi. Would you judge me if I said I did have those kinds of thoughts though?"

"I wouldn't mind so don't worry about that."

"Are you worried about your feelings for Okazaki? I want you to know that just because you don't have those same kinds of thoughts about him...that I do...doesn't mean that you love him any less or that I love him any more than you do. Our feelings for Okazaki are ours alone and we think, feel, and expressed them in our own ways. So try not to worry about that if you can help it."

"Okay, I'll try."

Suddenly, there came a sudden knocking on the door. "Nee-chan, why are you taking so long? Hurry up! Mom and dad want to see you before you leave!" It was Tomoyo-chan's younger brother.

"Guess we better hurry up then, huh, Kotomi?"

"Yes, let us finish up here then."

As I helped Tomoyo-chan fasten the belt around her waist, we grabbed our belongings and made our way downstairs. I made my way downstairs with Tomoyo-chan as her younger brother was waiting for us at the foot of the stairs with a big grin on his face.

"Took you two long enough!"

"Sorry, we just had girl business to discuss."

"Girl business? Do I even want to know what that means?"

"Probably not, but I can explain it to you if you want."

"Actually, I probably don't want to know."

"Oh, what's wrong, Takafumi? Too afraid to hear the truth?"

Takafumi-kun immediately closed his ears as Tomoyo-chan started leaning closer to him. "Oh God, not listening, if it's anything sexual, I don't wanna hear any of it!"

"Oh, you're going to have to learn about such things eventually, little brother."

"Doesn't mean it has to be today!" I couldn't help but quietly laugh at their banter. It was interesting to see the dynamics of their sibling relationship play out before me. There was a sense of joy in knowing that Tomoyo-chan had a caring younger brother...and a sadness in knowing that I would never have such a relationship in the first place.

"Learn what things, Tomoyo?"

"Probably naughty things, dad!" Takafumi retreated over to his father's side.

"Oh, is this about that Okazaki friend of yours?"

"Y-yes." Tomoyo-chan was turning her gaze away from her father and brother, an apparent blush forming on her face.

"When are you going to invite him over anyway?" Tomoyo-chan's mom joined in as well. "By the way, the food is ready as well. Oh, and who might this be?" Her attention turned towards me. "A friend of yours, dear?"

"Mom, dad, this is my friend, Kotomi. Takafumi, I'm going to assume she introduced herself to you when you let her inside the house?"

"She did. Admittedly, our introductions to one another was… a little awkward. We're both shy around people we've only just met. Sorry."

Tomoyo-chan merely smiled at her younger brother. "You don't need to apologize, Takafumi."

"I was surprised to hear that she's a year older than you, so there's no way you two met from being in the same class, right? So that has to mean...you two know each other..." Takafumi paused mid-sentence, and immediately once the realization suddenly struck him, his face lit up like a firework. "...because of Okazaki, am I right?" He bursted into laughter, realizing that there was something he could continually poke fun at Tomoyo-chan for.

She was blushing profusely while trying to defend herself. "So what if that was the reason how Kotomi and I met?! We've actually become good friends, so it doesn't matter that Okazaki just happens to be a mutual friend of ours."

Tomoyo-chan's dad interjected. "With all of this talk of this Okazaki, I'm surprised you still haven't invited him over here yet."

"We can't have him over here if all you and Takafumi are going to do is constantly tease them both like this." Tomoyo-chan's mother came to her daughter's defense, as she sternly chastised both her son and her husband.

"We'll promise to behave, mom."

"I haven't promised anything at all."

"Dad…"

"Anyways, Kotomi-chan, would you care to join us for breakfast." I eagerly nodded my head at the matriarch of the Sakagami family as I bowed in gratitude for their hospitality.

Jovial laughing and small conversation continued as we began to seat ourselves at the dining room table, while Tomoyo-chan's mother and father momentarily went back into their kitchen. They came back again, hands filled with dishes to pass out to everyone. Working her way around the table, she placed a plate in front of me next. I smiled, seeing an all too familiar dish that I hadn't seen in a very long time. Slices of rectangular, fluffy eggs mixed with vegetables were neatly stacked next to one another towards the center of the plate. It was tamagoyaki, something I hadn't eaten in many, many years. The subtle sweet aroma from the slight mix of sugar mingled wonderfully with the savory smell coming from the vegetables mixed within the eggs of the dish. I almost didn't want to take a bite at all, the smell being enough to fill my hunger in and of itself.

The soft clashing of Tomoyo's father placing a rather large bowl on the table quickly shook me out of my trance. The sensation of warmth filled my face after realizing I may have slightly shrieked. Tomoyo-chan's father slightly chuckled in amusement.

"Aw, apologies, didn't mean to frighten you there!" With him now sitting directly in front of me, this was the first time I truly was able to get a good look at Tomoyo-chan's father. He possessed what I could only assume were once hard features, softened by age, with his smile creating lines that spread subtle wrinkles near his lips. He had a hard yet subtle jawline, and slight wrinkles formed on his forehead. His warmth wasn't of a false nature, but one of genuine warmth. I knew he meant no harm by the shock, so I wanted to quickly dispel any misunderstandings.

"No, no it's fine. I was just distracted by the tamagoyaki. I haven't eaten it in quite some time. It smells...divine." Tomoyo-chan's mother began to smile, the steam from the freshly made rice still somewhat fogging up her glasses. A look of smug satisfaction took over the smile, and she motioned a slight victory pose.

"Mooom, so embarrassing," Takafumi-kun sighed and groaned as his right palm covered his face. I giggled at the sight, I can see where Tomoyo-chan gets her blunt, yet playful sense from.

I took a moment to get a better look at the woman sitting in front of me. Her features reminded me quite a lot of Tomoyo-chan in every way, except for a few minor things. Her cheeks were a tad rounder, and smile lines creased along the edges of her mouth. Tomoyo-chan's father looked older, but possibly only slightly than the mother, telling by her smooth yet mature complexion. Her glasses were lower on the bridge of her nose, her eyes peeking over them rather than the glasses laying against them. I can only assume this was either a stylistic choice, or perhaps the glasses were only meant for reading.

As we continued eating, I couldn't help but notice… It felt... nostalgic, eating dinner with an actual family like this. It reminded me of the days when Tomoya-kun would visit and ate with my parents and me. It felt like a lifetime ago, but I could still recall it so vividly even after all of these years. I couldn't help but smile at the memory, wondering if I could ever go back to such blissful times.

After we were done eating breakfast, we were in the process of leaving. Tomoyo-chan's parents wondered where we were going to hang out today. Tomoyo-chan took it upon herself to explain to her parents where we were planning on going today.

"Kotomi has a school project about stars that she has to work on, so she's planning on heading to an observatory to do some research. I was going with her to help, and it's not every day I get to go to an observatory in the first place so I want to check it out for myself as well."

"That sounds like a nice idea, wouldn't you say, dear?" Tomoyo-chan's mother looked at her husband.

"It is. Hey Takafumi, why don't I ever see you going anywhere like your sister here?"

"I don't have anyone to go with, dad!"

"You don't need anyone to go with!"

"But it's lonely to go out all on my own."

"Don't you have any friends that you could go with?"

"...not really." Takafumi-kun was blushing as he averted his eyes away from Tomoyo-chan. Tomoyo-chan proceeded to give him a hug from behind, alarming him with how abrupt it must have been for him. "I don't need your pity, nee-chan!"

All of us, except for Takafumi-kun himself, bursted into laughter.

As we were about to leave through the front door, Tomoyo-chan's mother saw us off.

"Have fun, you two." She smiled but it quickly became a look of sudden realization. "Oh yeah, before I forget, the student council election is next week, correct?"

"Yes, it is. Admittedly, I'm feeling a little nervous but I've done all that I could until now. Okazaki has been helping me with the campaign so I'm hoping for the best here."

"You really should invite him over here sometime then. I'd really love to meet him. He sounds like someone who is dear to you, Tomoyo."

Tomoyo-chan's cheeks burned red as she turned away from her mom. "Maybe soon."

Eventually, we left Tomoyo-chan's house as we made our way to the train station, walking for some time with quiet, comfortable solace between the two of us. I wasn't quite sure why the feeling was there, but I couldn't help but have this tinge of sadness accompany the happiness I felt at that moment. Perhaps, because of Tomoya-kun being mentioned.

Or perhaps… Perhaps…

I stared off into the distance, noting the steadily dimming lights from the street lamps as the morning sun continues to rise. Calm silence still between us, we reached the train station, with only a small set of stairs separating us from the entrance.

"You have a lovely family, Tomoyo-chan." My suddenness caught the poor girl off guard, the slight blush signaling as much. Though it felt nice, I wanted to end the silence for the moment.

"Thanks. Hey… uh, Kotomi?" Tomoyo slowed to a stop, waiting to have my full attention. She was a step or so in front of me and the stairs made it to where she was slightly facing downward to look at me. I stopped as well to meet her gaze, one that seemed to hold a sense of anxiety she was fighting off. "Just know that you're welcome in my home, anytime, ok?" She then extended her hand out towards me, her face clearly still displaying her blush, but continuing to face me directly with that smile of hers.

Now, it was my turn to blush. It was then that I knew what that feeling from before was. For the first time in what felt like ages, something… or rather someone, simply reminded me of a time long forgotten, of what it felt like to have a family. I grabbed the hand that awaited my own, and we continued on our way to the incoming train to the observatory.

I heard the doorbell ringing as I made my way towards the front door. I had just finished getting ready so that I could leave my house as soon as I could. But my father beat me to the front door first. It was the first time that Ryou and him had met face to face. I hid behind the corner and quickly peered out before retreating back into cover.

"Um, g-good morning." Ryou bowed politely as there was a look of uncertainty on her face.

"Good morning to you as well. Are you here to see Tomoya by any chance?"

"Y-yes, I am. Is he awake yet?"

"He should be. Let me go check on him…" I stepped out from behind the corner revealing myself. "Oh, so you were awake then. Good morning, Tomoya."

"Morning...dad."

Ryou and I made eye contact before she immediately bowed at me. She probably felt the same sense of unease that I did in that moment. "U-um, good morning, Tomoya-kun!"

"Good morning, Ryou. Sorry that I wasn't ready on time."

"You needn't apologize. Are you ready to go now?"

"Yeah, I'm ready if you are." Before I was to leave through the front door with Ryou, I quickly turned to my dad. "Try to take it easy, okay?"

"I will. I guess I'll be seeing you and your…"

"Um, we'll talk about that later!"

"Okay then, I'm looking forward to it." I noticed my dad eyeing Ryou once more. "Even if for a brief moment, it was nice meeting you, young lady."

"It was nice meeting you too, sir. My name is Ryou Fujibayashi."

"Ryou…" He dwelled on the name momentarily before continuing on. "...take care of Tomoya for me."

Ryou stood there without answering the last remark, probably unaware of what exactly to say after that. He excused himself with a slight bow to us both, and proceeded to go back into the house. Making sure he was now out of sight, I motioned for us to start moving away from the house as I closed and locked the door behind me.

"Sorry that you had to see all of that."

"It's no trouble at all! Your dad is...certainly an interesting man."

"That's one way of looking at it, I suppose." My slight scoff must have alarmed the poor girl, as she quickly tried switching around the subject.

"S-so, where were we headed to anyway, Tomoya-kun?" I thought on the question at the moment and slowly realized we were aimlessly walking with no true direction or destination in mind, just walking among houses occupied by unknown neighbors of the area on a quiet Saturday morning.

"That's...a good question. Hmm, you did say you wanted to go out somewhere with me, just the two of us?"

"I did, but wait-Tomoya-kun, have you done your homework for this weekend yet?"

"Huh? Where did that come from?"

"Well, I'd figure we should get it out of the way sooner so that we could enjoy the rest of today and tomorrow."

"True, you make a good point there. Wanna help me out with my homework then?"

"Sure, I wouldn't mind helping. But it'll really depend on which subject the homework itself is in."

"You wouldn't happen to be good with physics, would you?"

"U-um, actually, if I had to be honest with you, I'm not exactly the greatest when it comes to physics. I was actually planning on getting some help with it later tonight."

"Wanna just deal with it right now?"

"Sure, I think it would be great."

"Who exactly did you have in mind anyway?"

"Well, onee-chan is only slightly better at it compared to me. I was actually going to ask her if she wanted to join me for homework later on."

"Speaking of Kyou, how is she doing anyway?"

Ryou momentarily stopped walking the moment I brought up her sister's name. By the time I had realized that, I was already a few steps away from her. Turning my head back around, I saw the look on her face, dazed and sullen.

"She's...keeping her distance from me."

I did the only thing I felt could help in that moment. I slowly wrapped my arms around her as she reciprocated in kind as she leaned her head into the nape of my neck.

"Thank you, Tomoya-kun."

"It's the least I could do for you, Ryou. She probably...needs some space for a while."

"It still...weighs a lot on me, knowing that she's trying to keep me away from herself."

"I know. If you need to cry, just know that you can always lean on me. You've been letting me rely on you so let me return the favor for you too."

"I'll keep that in mind then. Thanks again."

"It's not a problem. I wouldn't want to disappoint you as your boyfriend after all."

"I've said it before, but I don't think you could ever disappoint me, Tomoya-kun."

"I think you're setting yourself up for some disappointment if you expect too much out of me."

"Then...I expect you to give it your all this upcoming year then. Please try not to slack off on school work if you can help it."

"I've barely been in a relationship with you for less than two weeks and already, I'm feeling the shackles tightening." I feigned sincerity with my statement with an over-dramatic pose of exasperation with my arms.

Ryou couldn't help but lightly giggle with my theatricality and decided to indulge my weird sense of humor as well. "Well, maybe I should tighten those shackles even further." She gave a playful wink, which even I couldn't help but admit was rather cute in a sexy way. A small blush formed on my face as I had to look the other way momentarily.

"I didn't realize you were into those kinds of things, Ryou."

"Tomoya-kun, you're such a pervert..." Her face turned red as well. "...but even I'll admit, we all have our kinks. I mean, onee-chan reads yaoi manga…"

"Wait, what?"

Ryou probably didn't realize just how casually her words slip out from between her lips but I had then learned of a secret that I was most likely never meant to hear. "Please don't tell onee-chan!"

I waved defensively, reassuring her that her secret was safe with me. "Still, it's interesting to learn that she's into boys love manga and all."

"Same. I was actually pretty surprised when I had discovered her reading it one day while our parents were asleep. Admittedly, I got curious and took a glance at it one day too and I...learned some things."

"Do I dare ask what those things are?"

Ryou's face just kept getting redder by the second. "I'd rather not say out loud. It's too embarrassing just even thinking back on it."

I couldn't help but laugh at how adorable Ryou looked when she was embarrassed like that. I think I took pride in knowing that I could provoke such a reaction from her like that. Ryou ended up laughing with me as well.

"Thank you...for not judging me or onee-chan."

"I'm not that kinda person to begin with so don't worry. I think it's interesting that there's a side of you that I'm not aware of it until now. It just makes me want to get closer to you, so that you can show it to me someday."

"I'm sure if we keep spending time together, I know I'll get comfortable enough to show you...that side of me."

"Okay then, it's a deal. There's no need to rush though. I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable in any way."

"Thank you for being patient with me."

"No need to thank me for that."

Ryou and I walked together to the nearby bus stop, making simple and small conversations along the way. It was nothing of significant importance or meaning, just simply talking to pass the time, but I did learn what her favorite color was. It turned out that we both share a common interest in the color blue, hers of the lighter shade and mine a darker one. It was oddly comforting in its ordinary mundanity.

By the time the bus arrived, and even as we sat among a pretty full bus, our small conversations continued, such as when each of our birthdays were. We were still in the month of May so both of our birthdays were still months away, Ryou's, and consequently Kyou's as well, being on September 9th, while I divulged mine to Ryou as she was surprised that mine was a month and a half later, October 30th.

It might have been trivial in the grand scheme of things, but even tiny little conversations with Ryou felt like it was only the two of us floating through the world, as we were comfortable just being in each other's company. Just talking to her allowed me to get my head out of my own ass occasionally as having someone to actually talk to allowed me to escape from darker, cynical thoughts that sometimes pervaded my mind. The halt of the bus took me out of the headspace I enjoyed temporarily being in, and we found ourselves at the stop for the train station. We left the bus, unsure still of our plans yet too enraptured by the comfort of being with each other. As other people walked past us, I gazed up at the signs and saw the names of different towns and cities and which directions they were in, as I wasn't sure we were going. Turning to Ryou, she also had a perplexed look of confusion as she nervously smiled back at me.

Eventually, as I looked around the nearby area, I pointed to an unoccupied nearby bench as we took refuge there, as we were both at a loss on our destination for today.

"We still haven't decided on where to go yet, have we?"

"No, we have not. But there's no rush. As long as I'm with you, I'm happy."

"Thanks, Ryou. I'm curious, but what are your parents like."

"Huh? My parents?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to meet them eventually, right?"

"Yes, that is true. Hmm, where do I even begin here?"

I grab hold of Ryou's hand to reassure her. "There's no rush. Just take your time."

"Thank you, Tomoya-kun. Well, my parents are pretty...traditional and conservative. They expect onee-chan and I to get a job and find a caring husband for us to marry and have children with."

"Pretty normal things for a parent to want though, right?"

"True, but what if...I don't want any of that?"

"You don't?"

"I think I might've told you before, but when I graduate, I want to go to a college or university to become a nurse. I want to be able to help others. I'm too focused on that dream right now to worry about anything else like getting married or starting a family."

"I think it's a noble ambition. I'm proud that you have a goal to strive towards in life."

"Thank you, Tomoya-kun. I know my parents both love onee-chan and I...but sometimes, I wonder if they care about us too much at times. They can be pretty narrow-minded about certain things as well. There's a reason onee-chan doesn't really bring up the topic of yaoi manga around anyone besides me."

"At least it sounds like they care. I wish I could say the same about my dad."

"Tomoya-kun…" There was a seriousness on Ryou's face, a deathly, steely, piercing gaze in her eyes that felt entirely foreign to me. "...believe me when I say...that I envy your relationship with you and your father."

"What?"

"At least your father gives you...freedom. I've never really known what that feels like."

"What do you mean exactly?"

"Despite the fact that my parents loved both onee-chan and I...they've always...treated me differently compared to her."

"How so?"

"Onee-chan was always the stronger one between me and her. I guess growing up, she was able to get her way because of how stubborn and outspoken she generally is. Our parents yelling at us never really phased her in the first place. I don't know how she does it, because every time my parents yelled at me, even for the tiniest of mistakes, I had to fight back the urge to cry every single time. Even now, thinking back on it…" I squeezed Ryou's hand harder, to let her know that everything was going to be all right. "Thank you, Tomoya-kun."

"I don't want you to go on if it'll make you cry. I'd feel bad."

"I really appreciate it, you being concerned about me. But I want to continue." I merely nodded my head in silence. "It's funny, in all of the years that I've been alive, I don't think I've ever seen my parents hug or kiss one another even once. It feels like...a loveless marriage at times. Sometimes, I wonder...where did that love go? Is that the fate of all couples: to stay together until the love has become completely dead? There are times when I feel like my mom and dad are together simply because of onee-chan and me. If it weren't for us, I feel like they'd divorce one another by now. I wonder if they would actually be happy afterwards or not. Time takes its toll on the soul. It wears us down day after day. Even the stress of everyday life and tiny little arguments build up over time. Those become misunderstandings and we become more likely to snap and impulsively react to things that normally wouldn't bother us. Tomoya-kun…" There were tears slowly falling down her cheeks. "I don't want to end up like my parents. I know...that there are some things in life...that are inevitable, but I don't want things to end up like that. Even if it may seem impossible, I don't want us to become like that at all."

I found myself wrapping my arms around Ryou. "It won't. I promise you that much. They may have given birth to us, but we don't bear the sins of our parents."

"Do you think...we'll be together years from now?" It was one of those questions where I didn't know for sure if there was truly a correct response that I could give. So the only thing I could do was to be honest.

"I don't want to make any more promises, but I want to believe that we'll be together for a long time. I don't want to leave you alone, and I don't want to be alone either. I…" I felt my cheeks burning up, feeling embarrassed for what I was about to say. "...I love you too much to want to be apart from you."

Ryou was taken aback momentarily as a blush formed on her face as well. The shock turned into a gentle smile. "I think...that's the first time you've actually said...that you loved me."

"I'm not gonna be saying that often, so you better enjoy this one while it lasts."

Ryou couldn't help but laugh at how vulnerable I was in that moment. "Still, I won't forget this. Hearing those words...made me so happy."

"I'm glad it could make you happy then. Maybe I should try saying it a bit more often."

"If it's alright with you, that is. I wouldn't want you to force yourself to say it if it's not from your heart."

"Okay then, it's deal." We both close our eyes as we leaned in for a gentle kiss. As our lips closed around one another, I felt her tongue desperately wringing its way inside of my mouth as I reciprocate in kind. There was still a lot of things that I didn't know about Ryou...but hearing her bear her heart to me just now, I feel like I'm one tiny step closer to her. After what felt like a minute of us devouring each other's faces, we separated, staring at one another deeply into the other person's eyes.

"I'm not gonna lie; I'm kinda scared to go over to your house now."

"I don't blame you. There's no rush...but you are going to have to meet my parents sooner or later."

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to it. We should do our homework away from your house then."

"I certainly wouldn't mind that then. But if not my house, then whose do we go to?"

"Well, I have an idea."

"...Kotomi-chan?"

"Speaking of Kotomi, I wonder what she's up to right now…"

"Do you think we should call her then?"

"Yeah, let's try it at least."

I opened up my phone as I searched for Kotomi's name. Tapping on her name, the call started ringing as I put the phone on speaker. After several rings, someone on the other end of the phone picked up…

Author's Note 3b: Perspectives - Ryou, then Kotomi, then Tomoya.

Well, that's the end of chapter 11. If you actually made it to the end of this chapter, then I salute you for being able to put up with my story for this long. If it's not asking too much, any kind of feedback, be it pointing out spelling/grammar mistakes, suggestions, or just your thoughts and feelings on this chapter, anything would be great. All I ask is that you remain civil and keep things constructive. That's all. ^_^'

Remember to check my profile page every day to see how much progress I have made on the next chapter. It will go up the moment that number hits 100%.

And don't worry, I'm never going to drop this story, so long as there is continued interest from readers for my fanfic. For personal reasons, I want to see this story through to the very end, even if it takes years to get there…