A/N: This begins right where Haru finds Rin, so contains most of the exact dialogue from that scene. The prologue can be skipped if you want. (But there's RinHaru fluff so maybe read it? hehe)

Disclaimer: If I owned Free! I wouldn't be writing fanfiction, I'd be making everything here canon.

His throat rasped with each breath he took and his legs pounded almost desperately into the pavement, but that didn't stop Haru from careening across the road and around the corner to the place he knew Rin would be.

The cherry blossom tree towered high above the fence, its blooms yet to bud, so similar to the tree at their middle school. There was no time for nostalgia though, because of the red-headed boy that stood at the base of the tree, staring up at it with what only could be described as sadness on his face.

Gasping, Haru staggered to a stop, panting for air. Now he had found Rin, he realised he hadn't planned what to say to him, in his desperation forgetting they were still technically fighting.

"Haru…"

In that dark growl of his name, Haru could feel Rin's anger rising up bitterly, trying to intimidate him to buckle and flee. He couldn't voice protest, however, his tongue to dry to form words.

"Why are you here? Come to laugh at my pathetic loss?" Rin said, but below the anger there was an emptiness, a hollow despair. Rin spoke with the voice of a man with nothing left to lose, who in fact, had nothing at all.

"Rin," Haru forced out, but Rin cut him off with furious words that felt like daggers driving into Haru's stomach.

"You saw what happened in the free," he snapped. "And I was taken out of the relay. The world is laughing at me, so join in! No need to pity me."

No, Rin, please. He wanted to speak but everything was getting stuck in his throat. He wanted to reach out, to comfort his seething friend—is he my friend?—to do something to stop Rin's feelings of worthlessness.

"I told you to laugh!" Rin shouted, his face contorted with a mess of emotions so intense Haru's next words were simply lost. "That's all I'm good for, anyway. I'm not even good enough to race you guys in a relay!"

There. That was it. The sign that the old Rin was still somewhere and hadn't been completely consumed by this Rin's obsession with winning. But all that Haru could manage was, "Calm down, Rin!"

If it was possible, Rin's eyes grew even more wild. "Shut up! What would you know?"

"I know."

Haru's hands closed into fists and he stood his ground. "How fun it is to swim with friends…How good it feels to swim in a relay together…" Things Makoto, Nagisa and Rei helped me see again…but… "You were the one who taught me that, Rin!"

And it hit him like a bolt of lightning. All along, all along it was because of Rin. Every stroke he now swam. "You're the reason I…!"

A thunk as Rin dropped his back and then the red-head was on him, screaming "Shut up!" His fists closed around Haru's collar and shook him, but Haru plowed on undeterred.

"I understand now!" His hands dug into Rin's arms, feeling them tremble. "I found the answer!" I found you! "Why it is I swim! Who I'm swimming for!" I swim for you!

Rin's face was a mask of disbelief that quickly deteriorated into rage. "I told you to shut up!"

Haru caught his swinging fist as it came, but the pure strength behind the punch forced him backwards and he fell and Rin was on him, shaking him, and they were rolling in the dust, limbs everywhere as each tried to gain the upper hand. And just as it seemed as Rin was winning…

He stopped.

Something had caught his eye at the base of the tree, and Haru had a feeling he knew what it was.

For the team.

Yet for a moment, all he could do was stare at the shock on Rin's face that softened his angry eyes and his hard mouth, replacing it with a vulnerability that was rarely on his features.

Rin…Haru craned his neck to look at the words he had written in the dirt before the Iwatobi team left for the preliminaries. "This tree looks like the cherry blossom tree that was in the school yard," he said softly. "Isn't that why you were here?"

The tight grip on his jacket loosened and something wet fell on his face. Rin's fingers began to tremble and as Haru looked up at him, he saw his red eyes filling with tears.

"Why?" Rin said almost weakly. "Why isn't it 'free'?"

Tears ran messily down his face, washing away all the fury that had been twisting it. It isn't 'free' because you taught me so much more than that, Rin. As Haru stared up at his childhood friend and rival choking on the tumult of his emotions, he felt a strange pressure deep in his chest, a warmth that slowly blossomed through his whole body.

"I wanted to swim with you guys. I want to swim in a relay with you guys," Rin managed.

Haru felt his mouth open at Rin's confession, and then his lips softly curved into a smile. Just as you helped me discover the sight, I'll help you find it again. He sat up as Rin said, "But it's too late now."

"No, it's not too late." Haru pushed himself up on his elbows. "Let's go, Rin."

"Oh, there they are!" The pair started at Makoto's relieved voice, and Haru wasn't sure if he was happy or annoyed. They both looked up, and there was the rest of the Iwatobi team.

"Rin-chan!" called Nagisa, waving his arms happily as if Rin had never been their 'enemy'. Rin got to his feet, wordless for once.

"Honestly, watching you irritates me so much," Rei said mock-stuffily. "If you want to swim, go ahead!"

Haru stood up next to Rin, who was still staring cluelessly at the three friends. "Rin, come." He held out his hand, letting it beckon. "It's my turn to show you a sight you've never seen before."

And in that moment it seemed like just the two of them, standing before the world.

A/N: Okay, first off thanks for reading (I love you!) There will definitely be more chapters (I've got some roughly mapped out already, hurrah) but exams are coming my way so I might not update for a while. Hit follow to keep on track :3

* In case you were wondering, apparently there was a mistranslation with Rin saying 'Why can't I be free?' It was supposed to be 'Why isn't it 'free'?' referring to 'For the team' which Haru had written on the sand. Rin's confused because Haru never seemed to give two shits about him or his struggles or the team itself before, and now Haru's revealing that he's cared all along.