It was another quiet day in Iwatobi; the sun was beaming in the sky and white clouds rolled over the town. A new day had begun and the people were already hustling and bustling with their daily lives. Stores were opening for the day, delivery trucks were delivering goods and radio's could be heard in the distance from open windows.

Haruka Nanase aged 17 was laid in her bed quietly staring at the ceiling quietly. It was the weekend and she had no plans as of today. Perhaps she could call her cousin Makoto and see what he was doing. He was one of the few people in her friend group who didn't tire her out or cause her to energy to replete constantly; that and he never forced her into anything she didn't like.

She and her cousin Makoto had been close ever since they were kids; playing together, attending school together and even staying over at each other's houses. He was always there for her and someone she could rely on most. He was like a brother to her; always caring for her and supporting her through everything she did.

Yet there was one big secret Haru couldn't tell him; one that hurt her for being so scared and keeping it from him. But she didn't know how he would react and was worried that the other kids at school would think. For a while now Haruka had been hiding the fact that she was gay; and she had known since she was 11. She had been hiding her sexuality from everyone even her own parents; but they were never around so they didn't really care.

She wanted to come out but in a world full of judgement and a lot of hateful people; she felt safer closeted. Yes it was uncomfortable being around guys and feeling awkward when someone caught her staring at girls; but she was safe. She longed to find someone; find a girlfriend and be happy being herself. But all the girls at school were prominently straight; gossiping about guys 24/7 and it got boring. On top of that being a loner; Haru wasn't exactly a great flirt.

A heavy sigh escaped her lips and she buried her face into her pillow; frustration and sadness filling her. Why did coming out have to be so hard? Why did finding a girlfriend have to be so hard? Why couldn't it be easy like it was in all those dumb cheesy romance comedies she liked to watch on valentines day?

Suddenly her phone started buzzing causing her to snap out of her thoughts. She sat up slowly and picked up her phone flipping open the screen.

"Hey Haru; you wanna go shopping?-Makoto"

Haru stared at the screen quietly her blue eyes empty; she did want to spend time with Makoto but she had plenty of clothes already. But then again she had been meaning to get more comics.

If she stayed at home she would be bored and most likely spend the whole day drowning in a bath until her skin pruned. If she went out she could get more comics and could ignore people when they asked her to come out because she already had.

"Yeah sure; be ready in 10"

She climbed out of bed slowly her long blue hair tumbling over her shoulder. People often told her to cut it; but she said she liked having it long. There was something about long hair which was appealing to her; she could play with it and use it to hide when she didn't want to talk.

Looking around Haru found a dark blue sleeveless blouse and a black knee length skirt. Content with her findings she pulled out a dark blue bra and boy shorts. She then went to get ready for her daytrip.

A short time later

"Haru you ready?" Makoto called casually as he opened the front door. He had gone with a black t shirt and blue baggy jeans. The weather was hot but he could deal with it. Besides he could cool down with an ice cream or a cold can from a vender when they reached town.

"Be right down" Haru called quickly. Within 5 minutes he heard her closing the bedroom door and rushing downstairs. When he caught sight of her his heart just about skipped a beat.

Haru was wearing a cute blue sleeveless blouse, black knee length skirt and white sandal heels. Her hair was fastened at the sides with blue hairclips but was completely cute. The outfit was laid back and yet it made her curves look great; and she had cheekily unbuttoned a few of her top buttons showing a cheeky flash of cleavage.

Haru saw him staring and blinked at him quietly "What?" she muttered crossly. Why was it when she put on something other than her comfy clothes he pulled that face.

Makoto laughed awkwardly "Sorry...it's just I'm used to seeing you in something other than girly stuff". Usually when they hung out Haru wore shorts, baggy hooded jackets or her school uniform. He wasn't used to seeing her wear something so feminine; it was kind of nice.

Haru pouted crossly "Don't get used to it; I just felt like it today" she muttered. If other students found out about this she would never live it down. If they found out that loner water girl Haru wore feminine clothes; nobody would shut up about it.

Makoto chuckled; no matter how she dressed Haru was still her stubborn self. But underneath her sharper personality was a sweet shy stuffed animal loving girl with a big heart. "Shall we then?" he said holding his arm out to the door. He had many fan girls and admirers because of his polite and kind nature.

Haru said nothing and quietly followed him outside; she had the keys after all. However he was going to buy lunch as she did last time; it was only fair after all. There was no way she was going to buy the second round because of his ditsy nature.

Makoto closed the door behind them and Haru locked up then they made their way down the stairs. He then followed her quietly admiring her cute outfit; he had to admit it really showed off her legs well.

Later on

"So I heard you got confessed to again" Makoto said causally. It was no surprise of how Haru had admirers from almost every year. While her personality was difficult she was undeniably cute.

Haru frowned "Seems I can't get anything past you" she muttered quietly. She had probably had more guys confess to her than any other girl in their year; for once she wished a girl would ask her out.

Makoto chuckled in amusement "So you gonna go out with him?" he asked playfully. He already knew the answer; Haru never showed an interest in any guy. Part of him hoped it was because she liked him; but the other half had a painful feeling it was because she didn't like guys altogether.

Haru gave him a blank expression "Makoto; if I won't day the other 30 odd guys that have confessed. What makes you think he's any different?" she said crossly. While she admired their courage to confess; it was rather annoying how they never seemed to take NO for an answer. She wasn't interested in a single one of them; so why couldn't they take the hint.

Makoto laughed awkwardly; Haru had been like this since she was a kid; awkward to approach and seemingly harsh to others. It made her hard to approach and make new friends. It was why unless he or Gou was around she spent most of her time alone; because she was such an introvert.

He then noticed the sad expression in Haru's eyes; she always got like this after they talked about guys. He could never understand why; he had heard his parents have muffled talks about something or make funny looks when he brought it up.

It pained him to see Haru look so miserable; she was usually so even tempered. Sure she was a lacking in facial expressions but her eyes spoke her mood. When she was happy they lit up like blue stars or showed a slight sign of twinkling. But now they were blank and filled with sadness.

Makoto reached over and ruffled her head slightly "Don't be sad Haru; things will work out. You'll meet someone eventually; after all like mum says let love find you" he said kindly.

Haru's eyes lit up a little after that and she gave him a grateful look. She was glad to have Makoto as a friend; he always made her feel better when she was feeling shitty. With his support she knew that someday; she would meet an amazing girl who wouldn't mind her quiet personality.

A small smile spread across her face which made him feel tingly inside. He was one of the few rare people who had seen Haru's smile which made him feel special. He hoped one day he could see more of her smile. "So what do you wanna do first? I'm paying for food after all so you get to choose the locations" Makoto reminded her fondly.

Haru became thoughtful and he bit his lip as she looked so adorable when thinking. She exuded such cuteness it was hard not to see why she got confessed to. Eventually she stopped thinking and looked up "Book store" she said bluntly her tone emotionless. She needed to see those comic books...and now.

Makoto sighed heavily; as they had reached their teens Haru had become obsessed with stuffed toys and comics. Not that he minded but sometimes she had a one track mind when it came to such matters.

"Lead the way" he said in amusement. 2nd to Haru's love of water was her love for comics and stuffed toys. She held to very dear to her heart and would not tolerate anyone who told her otherwise.

Quietly Haru walked ahead in the direction of her favourite store; it was practically imprinted on her brain so she knew the directions by memory. It was something that came in useful for school chores and regiments that other students found either creepy or amazing.

Makoto simply walked behind her and followed the blue haired girl "When did you start becoming so secretive Haru" he whispered quietly. He had guessed for a while now that Haru was hiding whatever was causing her grief. He worried about what it could be considering she never talked about her personal life. They had known each other since they were kids; but she was now hiding something from him.

He would never force her to tell him; but hoped she would rely on him when she felt comfortable. Only it was becoming harder and harder to see someone dear to him suffer by themselves. He loved Haru he really did; but he couldn't force her to tell him. Like a good friend he would wait until she felt comfortable in revealing her problems to him; and then he would do what he could to help her.

It wasn't exactly easy playing the waiting game knowing your friend needed support but you had no idea what for. But just being there meant the world to her so he would continue just doing that. However he hoped that the day would come soon; or else he was going to crack.