A/N: Seeing all the amazing fics from all the amazing writers in this fandom REALLY inspired me to write my own RinHaru fic for the Free!dom! ^.^! Please don't judge this story too hard, as it's my first attempt at writing for this fandom… *sweat drops* … But I just wanted to contribute too! 3 I honestly can't believe I actually wrote this, hahaha… I hope you guys like getting OTP-induced cavities from hell, because that's exactly what you'll get, 3.
Pairing: RinHaru (of course, haha), with a side of MakoGou (super secondary)
**POST-SERIES**
**Part of the For The Future series – a set of stories set in the future, that will feature MakoGou kids Takashi and Hiroki**
This I Promise You
By: KitTay1423
"Uncle Rin! Uncle Rin!"
Rin couldn't help the grin that tugged the corners of his mouth upwards, at the sight of his nephews – six-year-old Takashi and two-year-old Hiroki. The boys were a rambunctious pair, as Takashi ran towards the webcam and smooshed his face as close to the screen as he possibly could, with little Hiroki trailing not far behind. Not to be outdone by his brother, Hiroki clambered onto his mother's lap, and his little face soon joined Takashi's in peering into the webcam.
"Uncle Win!" Hiroki happily echoed, banging pudgy little fists onto the table. Wrapping one arm around her youngest, and holding him close, Gou smiled.
"Uncle Rin – guess what?" Takashi asked, his voice hitched in his excitement. Of the two Tachibana boys, he alone had inherited the distinctive Matsuoka genes – the fiery red eyes, the wine-colored hair – a spitting image of Rin when he had been of the boy's age. Unable to reign in his impatience to make his announcement any longer, Takashi plowed on in the same breath: "I joined the Iwatobi Swimming Club! Same as you and Uncle Haru, and Daddy!"
Rin's eyes widened momentarily in surprise, before his expression softened in the next instant into a look of pride.
"We've got another Olympic swimmer in the making," he grinned with a wink, earning a giggle from the child.
"I'm already the best in my age group!" Takashi boasted proudly. "We had a race the other day, an' I smoked 'em, Uncle Rin!"
"Put 'er there, kiddo," Rin raised one palm to the screen, and on the other side, Takashi enthusiastically slapped at the screen, a broad grin on his face. Rin burst out into laughter at the sight. "Better watch out, Makoto," he grinned at his brother-in-law, who stood just slightly behind Gou. "That kid of yours is gonna catch up to your ass soon-"
"Onii-chan!" Gou cut him off sharply, a warning tone in her voice. "Language!"
Makoto, however, just gave an easy laugh.
"He's well on his way, isn't he?" He ruffled his son's hair affectionately. Turning his eyes back to Rin, he smiled, his expression just as open – just as friendly – as it had always been. "Is Haru still at the pool?"
"Yeah – he was wanting to get in one last swim tonight at the pool before we leave this place for good in the morning…" Rin glanced around him at the now-empty apartment, a small wistful sigh escaping past his lips. The last eight years had passed them by just like that. The newly-bare walls – once adorned with framed photographs of the two of them, and peppered in-between with pictures of their family and friends from back home – looked strangely lonesome now, the memories of their life together here long-since packed away and shipped off to Iwatobi.
…Had it really been that long? It seemed like just yesterday that he and Sousuke were graduating from Samezuka, and Haruka and Makoto were doing the same at Iwatobi… In the end, they'd all gone their separate ways – Makoto had been accepted into one of Tokyo's most prestigious universities on a generous swimming scholarship; Sousuke had set his sights on a new dream – coaching; and he and Haruka had set out together, and left the world of high school swimming behind them, with the same dream of taking the world stage by storm and conquering the international circuit. Before they had parted ways at the airport following graduation – he was returning to Australia to train, while Haruka was headed for Tokyo – the two of them had made a solemn promise to each other that the next time they met, it would be in a few years' time at the world championships in Rome, where both of them would give their all in a race without any regrets.
His second attempt at going after his dream – once again back in the city of Sydney – hadn't been any easier than his first. It had been the most grueling two years of training he'd ever gone through yet – filled with 4:30 AM alarms and endless hours at the pool. At the same time, however, it had felt… different. Much, much lighter. This time, he had something tangible to aim for – something worth fighting through all the grit and hard work and effort for: Haruka was waiting for him, and working just as hard back in Japan – and he wasn't going to let him down again. At least this time, he was no longer alone in his dream… At long last, after letting petty miscommunications rob years from their relationship, Rin finally had the presence and support of the one person that it seemed he'd been chasing after his whole life back, and they were finally – finally – on the same page again.
The two years that they spent apart had been long, but they had managed to survive the lonely distance between them by engaging in almost nightly Skype sessions and blowing each other's phones up with text messages at all odd hours of day and night. Haruka had filled Rin in on training and studying in Tokyo – how bothersome he found a lot of things that came with living in the big city, but also about how eye-opening and exhilaratingly new everything in his life was now ("You were the one who taught me this, Rin – showed me how big the world really was, and of the endless opportunities that came with it... So… thank you…" he had said one night out of the blues, and Rin swore that his cheeks had never felt hotter in his life than at that moment, at those simple words…); and Rin, in turn, had told Haruka all about his training, about life in Sydney, and about his new teammates. There was, however, so much – too much – to say to each other through a measly chat window; it wasn't the right medium to say such things – there were, after all, some things that could only be said in person…
At least, things that Rin had so desperately wanted to say – emotions and feelings that had been bubbling and festering at the surface of his throat for all the years which he'd known Haru, but which he had had neither the guts nor the nerves to actually confess aloud – to one Nanase Haruka…
The seasons came and went, and as the final winter rolled into spring again, and their promised and long-anticipated reunion in Rome drew nearer by the day, Rin had found himself growing increasingly antsy. He had spent the last night before departure laying wide awake, unable to sleep, his mind swirling with images and memories of a boy with eyes as clear as water and the color of sapphire.
A boy who would be waiting for him on the starting blocks the next day – ready for their showdown debut race on the world stage, ready to help push each other to even greater heights…
In the end, their reunion – and that race – had been everything that Rin had ever expected it to be. No. It had been even better than what he'd ever imagined. He hadn't had a chance to see Haruka up until right before the start of the heats, but the moment he'd spotted the familiar raven hair, and had felt that silent, penetrating stare, he had felt his lip quirking up into a full-fledged grin.
"Yo – Haru!" He had all but thrown himself at Haruka, but managed to catch himself at the last second from completely making a fool of himself, suddenly hyper-aware of all the people around them. Instead, he had swallowed down the sudden flood of emotions that threatened to overwhelm him at the sight of Haruka right there in front of him again – told himself that the sudden spike in heart rate and breathlessness was a result of nerves right before such an important race – and had simply raised an arm in casual greeting. When Haruka had – after a brief pause – met his hand in midair and clasped it, it had taken everything he'd had to stay outwardly calm. And when they'd both climbed up onto the starting blocks, the unfamiliarity of the foreign pool and the multitudes of strangers in the stands seemed to fade away, and it was just himself and Haruka. Of course they would be swimming in adjacent lanes; of course it would feel like how it always did whenever he raced against Haru – like the separation of two years had never happened, like he belonged in that lane next to him…
From the moment that whistle blew and they dived simultaneously into the water, to the second they both slapped at the wall at the exact same time and came up gasping for air, amidst the screaming and cheering from the spectators, he knew –
That race was the best race of his life.
1 R. MATSUOKA JPN 46.91
2 H. NANASE JPN 47.00
He had whirled on the swimmer to his right, just in time to see Haruka calmly peel off his swimming cap and goggles, his shoulders still slightly heaving, water droplets falling from his hair as he shook it out. This time, caught in the euphoria of the victory, Rin hadn't cared who saw him, as he vaulted over the lane divider and threw his arms around Haru, laughing and crying at the same time…
They were the talk of the swimming world after that – a pair of unknown kids hailing from a sleepy tiny town on the coast of Japan, who were out chasing their dreams of being Olympians together. Tabloids speculated about them after a photograph of the two embracing leaked out to the public, although neither one of them paid the rumor mill much mind. Each race after that became easier than the one before it, and their popularity – as well as their international fame – soared.
Despite the sudden whirlwind that his and Haruka's lives had taken after making the National Team, and, later, the Olympic Team, however, they had still made sure to set time aside in their busy schedules to return home and be at Makoto's and Gou's wedding a few years later, and once again for the births of Rin's nephews soon after that…
… … … … …
… … … … …
"…Onii-chan?"
Rin blinked, the sound of his sister's voice through the laptop jarring him back into the present, out of the world of his memories, and reminded him with a start that –
Oh… right… This wasn't Sydney. This wasn't even Rome. This was back at his and Haru's empty apartment in Melbourne on a midweek evening. This was him talking to his family about finally returning home after ten long years of chasing after – and finally catching – his dream.
This was about him learning to finally let go of a chapter in his life that he'd held onto for so long, that was finally over now…
"Hmm?" He shot his sister an apologetic look. "Sorry – you were saying?"
Gou shifted Hiroki on her lap. "What time does your plane get in tomorrow? We'll be there to meet you guys at the airport."
"Actually…" Rin hesitated for a brief moment, before he turned back to the chat window with an almost sheepish look, rubbing at the back of his neck. "If it's okay, I'd like to push back our arrival into Iwatobi by a couple of days. There's… something special I'd like to do first, before we come home for good."
A/N: Kudos to anyone who caught the reference to real-life events in that chapter! :D! Originally, this was supposed to be a single-chaptered oneshot, but after much consideration, I decided to split it up into (not very many) "mini" chapters, just because of how long this overall story ended up being, lol. I hope you've enjoyed it so far – Chapter 2 coming up soon! Constructive criticism welcomed, and reviews/comments are appreciated! Thanks! 3!
Next chapter preview: Rin has a surprise destination – and a special promise – for Haru, as the two relive a shared memory, in the city where it all began.