A/N part 1: You know the drill. I own nothing, nada, zip. Don't sue me. I pawned a few ideas off other fanfictions too. I'm not original.

Makoto was beginning to lose track of how many times he called out to Haruka or banged on the bathroom door. He knew he wasn't going to receive any response, yet he kept on trying. He would continue until the last second, which was quickly approaching, to avoid going in and dragging his best friend out of the tub himself.

"Haru, please don't make me come in there!" He said with a slight pink tinting his cheeks. It was acceptable when they were younger, but now seeing her bathe was beginning to be too much for him to handle. Ignore that last sentence, it was already too much for him to handle. This was inappropriate behavior and the only reason they could get away with it was because Haru lived alone.

"Ok! I'm coming in!" He yelled and took a few calming breaths before opening the sliding door.

He promptly covered his face the moment he saw the raven mop of hair visible above the tub. If his eyes had been open he would have noticed a rare smile play across his companion's face at the sight of him fumbling around the bathroom. One would think by now he would have the layout memorized considering he had been walking Haruka to school for as long as he could remember. However, it wasn't until Grandma Nanase passed that getting Haru out of the house became his responsibility.

The sweet woman used to always have her ready on time. Often Haruka was waiting for Makoto on the stairs when he left his house. On the days that he was late due to his younger siblings, he didn't have worry either. She would walk to school by herself and everything would be fine. Now if he weren't here to drag the girl out of the tub, she would skip school. This is what happened yesterday when she missed the first day.

"I'm wearing a swimsuit." Even though the voice would have sounded devoid of any emotions to anyone else, Makoto could hear the amusement in it. They have been together long enough that he could always read Haru. Their gaze met and there was a sparkle in those beautiful blue eyes - eyes he could drown in.

"Good morning, Haru-chan." He said with a smile as he held out his hand. A hand that he really hoped wasn't growing sweaty. He really couldn't handle this anymore.

Sometimes he wondered if Haruka knew the effect that she had on him, even in her one piece, which was about as revealing as her middle school gym swim suit. He had given the first of many of the same style to her for her birthday several years ago not knowing how the single purple stripe that outlined it would draw so much attention to her slender yet distinctly feminine form. At the time she had the body of a 12-year-old boy, so he wouldn't have known this detail. It was always the late bloomers that ended up with the best bodies.

It was easier to shut off his reaction when they were in public, when his main concern was preventing utter embarrassment to himself and Haru. Her ability to remove her clothing at the sight of water without remorse was nerve wracking to say the least. His only solace was that when people would scold him about his "girlfriend" she never corrected them. Even though the poor boy was sure that the reasoning was due to her lack of interest in the subject and not an interest in him.

"You're going to be late." Haruka said bringing his attention back to the present.

He was still holding her hand, as she stood, not the least bit awkwardly, in the tub. With a bit of remorse he dropped the slender wrist and let out a breath that he was holding. The feeling of her skin would linger for most of the morning.

"Hey. That's my line."

He recognized the taller boy easily. Besides the obviously change in build over four years, Makoto looked the same. His broad shoulders were hard to miss and as Nagisa weaved through students he focused on finding someone who could block out the sun. He didn't factor in that most high school students were taller than him and many of the different clubs would have muscular muscles; however, when he saw that sandy blond hair paired up with someone with raven locks, he knew he found them.

At first he was shocked to see Haru-chan. He knew girls changed more with puberty than boys but he didn't think she would change that much. The last time he saw Haru, she easily passed for a boy. Her hair was cut in an androgynous short style and she often wore the same clothes as Makoto. Despite her slender frame and cute face, she didn't seem too out of play on the boy's swim team.

Now; however, she stood out. Her ocean blue eyes were even more piercing and ivory skin contrasted waist length dark hair. Even with the unflattering school uniform, he could see hints of a model like body.

None of these things concerned him. The most important thing was her height. When they were younger, Mako and Haru were the same size, leaving him almost a head shorter. He was looking forward to being taller than the girl but they appeared to be even.

"Mako-chan! Haru-chan? It's been forever! I'll be joining you here at Iwatobi High school!" He called from the bottom of the stairs and waved excitedly.

"Nagisa?" He heard back as he ran up to greet them.

"Yup! You haven't changed a bit Mako-chan! Haru-chan, you look really pretty in a skirt! So you've accepted being a girl?"

Makoto laughed as Haru turned her head to the side and mumbled, "obviously."

"Good, because you're really pretty. I'd be a shame if you were still a super tomboy. You need to show off those legs and how much you've filled out too!" Nagisa said enthusiastically and held his hands out towards Haru's chest.

"I don't think I saw you after the swimming club was shut down." Makoto said with a tense smile and placed his body between the small boy and Haru. Nagisa pouted for a moment not wanting his fun to be spoiled.

"Hey Haru, how tall are you?"

"168cm."

"Oh! We are the same height! How funny is that."

He lied. Hazuki Nagisa actually stood about 165cm but he wouldn't admit that. Haru raised an eyebrow at the response but remained silent. She was having one of those silent conversations with Mako-chan.

"There's a cherry tree next to the pool!" He shouted when they got to the roof. "Weren't there some of those next to the pool at your grade school, Haru?"

"The pool's old and nobody uses it, though. There's no swimming club, either." Makoto said.

"Where do you swim, then?" Nagisa said and looked at Haru shocked.

"I quit swimming competitively."

"What? I was all excited about getting to swim with you again in high school!"

Nagisa looked like someone just kicked a puppy. The whole day he was so excited to finally see Mako-chan and Haru-chan again and it's only to find out that he couldn't swim with them? Something didn't add up.

"We're not little kids anymore. Things aren't the way they used to be."

"Haru-chan."

His face fell at the way his childhood friend said those words. For once Nagisa found himself silenced as he just stared at Haru in disbelief. He just couldn't believe in a world where Haru wasn't "one with the water," as she used to say.

"Well, she may've stopped swimming competitively, but she still loves water." Makoto said with a caring smile on his face. "Haru can't live without being in the water. During the summer, she swims in the ocean, and she was still soaking in the tub this morning."

"What does that have to do with swimming?" Nagisa asked. "That just means she likes baths. I know what about a hot springs club? Let's start a hot spring club!" He said, perking up again and grabbed onto Haru's jacket shook her lightly.

"I can't stand the heat. Besides, I couldn't be in the water with you guys anyway." She said looking away.

"Sure, you can! Just wear a wet suit like you used to at swim practice! Come on! Come on!"

Haru is going to be at the swim club tonight.

Rin stared at his phone for a few moments before setting it on the bed next to him with a growl. He didn't care. He hasn't been in the country for more than a week and Gou was already bothering him with those damned idiots.

They are going to dig up the trophy.

He still didn't care.

She's really pretty.

He growled again. This time the phone was thrown across the room. Why would Gou think that would persuade him?

"Are you alright, sempai?"

Rin sighed and went to retrieve a light jacket in addition to his phone. "Yeah, I just need some fresh air." He said over his shoulder before slamming the door.

Edited and re-posted 8/29/2014