The market was crowded with people who were buzzing with excitement that afternoon. There was chatter from all around, and Rin lost himself in the high spirits of the crowd. He closed his eyes in contentment, letting the numerous voices wash over him. Rin welcomed this distraction, especially after his disastrous day yesterday.
Samezuka had practice as usual, and Rin timed all the members on their laps. A first year was running along the side of the pool while carrying a stack of kick boards in his arms. An upperclassmen yelled out "Hey stop running, can't you see that sign!" The first year turned his head in the direction of the voice and missed the sight of Momotarou walking out of the locker room. The two swimmers collided, and Momotarou fell into the pool with a loud yelp, while the first year fell back onto the floor, twisting his ankles in the process. The members rushed over to help the two swimmers.
The first year ended up in the nurse's office, much to Rin's disappointment. Later that night, he had to deal with a phone call from the angry parents, demanding to know what happened to their son, and Rin tried explaining the situation to them in hopes of calming them down, but there was not much luck. Finally, he hung up the call with a huff and a loud exasperated sigh. They wanted to bring their son home, and planned on meeting Rin when they come to drop him off on Monday. Rin was not looking forward to that meeting.
Shaking off the events from yesterday, Rin walked around the market, browsing for anything that was eye catching. He spotted a small stand that stood out in the middle of the pavilion. It was decorated with colorful trinkets laid out on the table and hung around the stand. The sales person was an old lady with a bright smile, who ushered people over to check out her merchandise.
Rin scanned the table, and a particular pendant caught his attention. It was a fused glass wire pendant, molded in the form of the tree of life, with a large stone in the middle. The vibrant color of the stone reminded Rin of Sousuke's eyes. He imagined Sousuke's reaction if he were to buy this for him. A look of surprise would definitely appear, and maybe a flicker of joy or amusement as well. Feeling suddenly anxious, a frown appeared on his face. The old lady caught the frown and walked over to Rin. "That's a special pendant you have there," she spoke, grabbing Rin's attention. "It's the only one I have in stock."
Surprised by the sudden conversation, Rin replied "Yeah the color caught my attention." The sales lady smiled at him. "Whoever receives that pendant would not be disappointed, especially if it's coming from a good looking young man such as you." Instinctively, Rin blushed at the compliment, and ducked his head down. He hoped Sousuke would like it. The encouragement from the kind looking sale lady pushed him to buy the pendant. "Now you're making it hard to not buy this pendant," Rin exclaimed with sheepish grin. He made up his mind at that moment, and took out his wallet to pay for the purchase.
The old lady wrapped up the pendant and threw in a silver snake chain. "I have a feeling this will be needed, and don't bother paying for the chain. It's free of charge." Rin bowed and profusely thanked her for the generous gift. He left the stand with wave and headed toward the produce section of the market. Rin bought ingredients for dinner that night, since he planned on cooking for his sister and Sousuke at his house.
He enjoyed cooking when he had the chance to do so; it was almost therapeutic for him. His mother had taught him and Gou when they were younger. She emphasized how important it was to be able to cook for yourself, since it highlighted the quality of being independent.
Independence was valued in their household, and taught at a young age. That lesson stuck with him, and it was not until recently that Rin re-learned to rely on others again. For most of his life, he believed in only taking responsibility for himself. The exception to that were Haru and the others. Relaying with them gave him a sense of belonging that he didn't think he would ever find. It made him feel less lonely. And it opened his eyes.
Now that he's had a taste of what belonging felt like, he doesn't want to go back to that lonely life, he can't go back. Rin was determined to move forward with the knowledge that he and his friends were connected, no matter where they went. He knew he could always rely on them, especially Sousuke. Sousuke had been with him practically his entire life, the five year hiatus in Australia didn't change that since, he thought about him during that time. Things were difficult for him in Australia, and even though he couldn't manage to constantly write back, Sousuke was never far from his mind. It seemed that no matter where he went, he always found his way back to Sousuke. It was as if they were connected by the red string of fate. Rin shook his head. He'd been reading too much shoujo manga again, and it showed.
After he finished shopping for groceries, Rin aimed to catch the train back to his house. Once he arrived at his stop, Rin took the scenic route to his house. He enjoyed having time to himself, without having to always deal with others. This year brought him more responsibilities, which meant more pressure for him to succeed, and others were counting on him. So times like this when he could be just by himself was a relief. However, it didn't mean that he wanted to isolate himself from other people. Just that some alone time was needed when you live in a dorm with a bunch of other guys.
He was lucky to have Sousuke as his roommate, considering how low maintenance Sousuke is compared to the other students at their school. They both knew each other inside out, which meant they might as well be the same person or family. No, Sousuke was family, is family. He knew that, and wouldn't forget it anytime soon.
His feelings for Sousuke had not changed too much over the years, but it was not until recently that he realized new developments took place without him noticing anything. He looked at Sousuke with the same warmth he always had, but now he perceived more details. Like the way his features would noticeably soften when he turned his gaze towards Sousuke. How he'd catch himself staring at his best friend. And the hot feeling in the pit of his stomach whenever he sees Sousuke strip down for practice. It was unnerving; Rin didn't know what to do with this new found knowledge. He couldn't afford to lose Sousuke again, not after finding him. The only conclusion he came to was to take it one step at a time. And hopefully not mess things up between them.
It'll be fine, he reassured himself, things will work out. His thoughts led him to the memory of Sousuke's hands clutching his hands. And the warmth and security those hands brought him. On that note, Rin started on dinner, a small smile lighting his face as he replayed that memory over in his head.