Our Best Friends

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"How did it come to this?" wondered Sosuke for the hundredth time in under ten minutes. Trying to figure out why he was once again sitting face to face with Nanase Haruka.

"This was a great idea Rin," commented Makoto, as he dug into a chocolate cake, "This place is amazing!"

"Yeah, we came here before the tournament with Nitori and Momo," Rin explained, "It has a good selection of sweet and savory stuff. So I figured it would be a nice place for all of us to take a break from our studies," he said as he bit into a savoury crepe.

Even though Sosuke had no plans to go to university immediately, if only because he had no idea what he wanted to study, he was still studying hard to make sure his final grades were good. Rin was already in the top ten for all his subjects and intended to maintain that. So Rin had been working hard as well. But all the studying and stress over upcoming exams had began to take a toll on them physically and mentally.

So this morning, Rin suggested they take a break and go out for lunch. Sosuke agreed, he was thoroughly sick of his textbooks. But he had assumed it would be just them. He was wrong. Tachibana and Nanase were waiting for them outside the restaurant. Apparently Tachibana was also working hard and Nanase wanted to give him a change of pace and had asked Rin to lunch. From the look Nanase shot Sosuke, it was apparent Nanase hadn't thought Rin would bring him. Tachibana was, well Tachibana, made of sugar and spice and everything nice. Sosuke really felt like he was made of snips and snails And puppy-dogs' tails when he was around Tachibana Makoto.

Sosuke's attention was diverted back to the present when he heard Rin say, "So you decided on Tokyo, Haru. Any reason apart from the obvious?" Rin asked while pointing at Makoto.

Makoto laughed, "Haru got a good offer from the scout at Tokyo University. Didn't you Haru?" Haru nodded but kept silent, "But its true I am very happy Haru will be with me," Sosuke noticed a light pink tint on Nanase's cheeks but chose not to comment.

Rin however was not so merciful, "Haru," he teased, "You are blushing."

"I am not!" Haru protested loudly.

"Yes you are!"

"No I am not!"

"Now, now!" Makoto tried to calm thing down.

"How did the two of you become friend?" Sosuke blurted out, everybody looked at him and it was only then that Sosuke realised he had spoke out loud, "Ah… I mean, Tachibana and Nanase are so different. I can't imagine how your friendship started."

Both Haru and Makoto looked at Sosuke blankly. "Don't tell me," Rin interjected into the silence, "You two don't remember when you met."

"Makoto's always been there," Haru admitted.

"We have always lived near each other," Makoto elaborated, "So we must have met as babies or at least when we were toddlers. I have no memory of a time when I wasn't friends with Haru-chan."

"But that's more amazing," commented Sosuke, "I mean, you didn't grow apart as you grew-up. That's really amazing! You could have developed different interests and stuff," come to think of it, what did Makoto and Haru have in common besides swimming? Sosuke didn't know but he couldn't imagine what the two of them did together. Yet they always seemed to be together.

Haru didn't know what to answer. But Makoto did his best to give Sosuke a proper answer, "I think that two childhood friends can stay together if they want to stay together," he commented, "Haru-chan and I were helped by the fact that we lived near each other and went to the same school. But that wouldn't be enough, I guess, if you weren't really interested in each other. But I couldn't think of anyone I wanted to be with more! So I did my best. Thankfully Haru-chan decided to put-up with me too!" he said with grin.

"It was nothing," replied Haru, with a blush, "I just got caught in Makoto's wake," Makoto just grinned as Haru added, "Besides, Makoto likes challenges."

Before Makoto could respond, Rin pipped in, "Well Haru is certainly a challenge!" said Rin, "I could never be your best friend!"

"I don't want you as my best friend!" countered Haru, "You would be the worst! I feel sorry for Yamazaki."

"Don't feel sorry for me," replied Sosuke firmly.

"But how did the two of you become friends?" wondered Makoto.

"I used to see Sosuke walking to school," explained Rin, "Since we lived pretty close to each other. But I didn't know anything about him. Then about second grade, we ended-up in the same class. So I decided we should be friends, especially since we could play together after school," Rin grinned, "He was pretty reluctant at first. But I won him over!"

"How?" wondered Haru.

It was Sosuke who replied, "Back when we were in school, I didn't talk a lot and most kids got pretty sick of the silence, pretty quickly. But Rin kept talking to me and trying to find stuff for us to do until he found something that interested us both. That turned out to be sports and especially swimming since we found ourselves at the same swimming club. Rin," Sosuke added with a smile, "Is very persistent," Sosuke's tone was filled with admiration and Rin found himself blushing deeply.

"So basically Rin has the personality of a stalker," Haru interjected, deadpan.

"Oi Haru!"

"Now, now, he's just joking!" said Makoto, "But its really amazing how persistent you can be Rin. I remember that you wouldn't accept no from Haru either in Middle School."

"Well I really wanted to swim with Haru," replied Rin, "But if it wasn't for you, Makoto, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere. Back then Haru was like a solid wall of NO! I didn't think I could ever break through it. If you had also said no, I think even I would have lost hope. But you are way too nice to say no."

"That's always been problem," agreed Haru.

"Haru!" protested Makoto.

"Oh be nice! If it wasn't for him, you would totally be a hikikomori!" said Rin, "At least Sosuke would still be himself without me around."

"Did you have a lot of friends in your old school, Yamazaki-kun?" asked Makoto.

"Not really," replied Sosuke.

"That's because you always have that scary look on your face, Sosuke!" Rin complained, "You should show the world how nice you are more often," Rin declared, causing Sosuke to blush. However Sosuke was spared from commenting further when Haru decided to return to an earlier topic.

"Makoto is always wandering off and making new friends and then I have to be friends with them too," Haru's tone made his annoyance clear, "That's how I got stuck with you!" Haru said, pointedly at Rin.

"Well I am not thrilled with you either!" replied Rin, peeved.

Makoto laughed, "I wonder if you two would be best friend if you guys were born near each other and if I would be friends with Yamazaki-kun if I was born near him."

"No!" declared Rin and Haru as they glared each other, making Makoto chuckle.

"I think you and I could be friends," Sosuke said to Makoto, "I think you and Rin would also happily be friends. But me and Nanase… I think that would be impossible. Rin and Nanase probably could become friends if they met at the swimming club."

"I wouldn't be in the swim club without Makoto," Haru pointed out, "It was Makoto who wanted to join the Iwatobi Swim Club and even in junior high, I joined my school's team because I thought Makoto had joined. Without Makoto, I would probably just swim for fun and that's it."

"That would have been such a waste!" declared Rin. Haru just shrugged.

"I think," Sosuke said, "We probably met the right friends. We would be too different if we had different best friend."

"That's probably true," agreed Makoto with a smile, the others could only agree.

Author's Note: I can't think of good Free! stories right now :(