Title: Do You Regret It?
Series: Free!
Rating: T
Characters: Makoto Tachibana, Haruka Nanase, Nagisa Hazuki, Rei Ryugazaki, Rin Matsuoka, Aiichirou Nitori, Sousuke Yamazaki, Momotatou Mikoshiba
Pairings: Makoharu (main), Reigisa (side)
Summary: The ocean always held my worst memories, my strongest fears. Out of everything that could happen, I never would have expected this. A loud scream interrupted my thoughts, confirming what I was trying so hard to deny. "SHARK!"
Blood, tainting the ocean water. Screams, ringing in my ears. Everyone was hurrying out of the water as fast as they could The amount of blood was growing larger A bloodcurdling scream, a hand reaching out for mine Cold sweat clung to my skin He was struggling, stretching his arms out farther than they were meant to go, begging for me to save him "Makoto!" All I could do was stand there, watch as the amount of blood increased with each passing second He thrashed, yelled, kicked, anything to get out of his current situation Terrified blue eyes met mine, I have never seen them so wide "MAKOTO!" Another bloodcurdling scream, his thrashes slowed, he was growing weaker I blinked, I couldn't remember when I had started crying The ocean always held my worst memories, my strongest fears Out of everything that could happen, I never would have expected this A loud scream interrupted my thoughts, confirming what I was trying so hard to deny "SHARK!"
It was after practice when Nagisa had suggested we go to the beach. The four of us were standing in the showers when the blonde jumped up when he thought of the idea.
"We should go tomorrow on our day off! We could invite Rin-chan and Ai-chan, even Sou-chan too!" Nagisa said.
Rei sighed, turning off the water as he reached for his towel, "But we have to study for the upcoming tests, Nagisa-kun," he said, "We've been so busy with regionals that we've been slacking, and don't try to deny it because I know your test scores have been low recently."
"Ehhh?" Nagisa whined, "But it'll only be for one dayyy!" He nuzzled his head against Rei's shoulder, "Please, Rei-chan! It'll be fun!"
I couldn't help but let out a laugh, "It would be nice to use our day off to spend time together at the beach without worrying about testing or relays or anything like that. What do you think, Haru?"
"I'll go as long as I can swim," Haruka said. Typical Haru.
"Yay! It's decided then!" Nagisa smiled, "Let's go invite the others!"
"Wait, Nagisa-kun!" Rei cried out, but Nagisa was already out of sight. He sighed, "Once Nagisa-kun's made up his mind, there's no convincing him otherwise."
I laughed, "That's Nagisa for you," I turned off the water, grabbing a towel to dry my hair.
"I should go after him to make sure he doesn't get himself into any trouble, see you guys tomorrow then!" Rei said with a smile, grabbing his things as he headed after the blonde.
"See you!" I called out, even though I wasn't sure if he could hear me. I turned to Haruka, who was shutting off his own water. I handed him my towel with a smile, "Shall we get going as well?"
I awoke to the smell of mackerel. I opened my emerald eyes to see Haruka had already gotten out of bed, and instead of hugging him against me, he had given me his pillow to snuggle instead. I smiled, pressing his pillow against my nose, taking in his scent. Haru's scent.
With a yawn, I got out of bed and reached for my pants. Even if it was only the two of us here in Haruka's house, I still felt rather shy about walking around in nothing but my night shirt and boxers. I stretched my arms over my head before walking out of Haruka's bedroom.
Sure enough, Haruka was cooking mackerel for breakfast. He was still wearing my shirt like he always did, but he made sure to wear his apron over it. I couldn't resist sneaking behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He jumped slightly at the contact, flinching as I rested my chin on his shoulder, my nose against his neck as I breathed in his scent once more.
"Good morning, Haru-chan," I smiled into his neck.
Haruka turned around to face me, looking up into my eyes, "Lay off the -chan," he mumbled, reaching up to place a kiss on the corner of my lips. I giggled, leaning down to plant a soft kiss on his own lips. I wrapped my arms around him tighter.
"Nagisa texted me last night, he and Rei went to Samezuka to talk to the others. Rin and Aiichirou are able to go, but Sousuke unfortunately cannot because he has an appointment to get his shoulder checked out."
Haruka nodded, and I continued, "The four of them will be meeting us there so we can leave whenever we're ready."
I knew he was listening even if he didn't respond. I took the opportunity to lean down and sneak a kiss behind Haruka's ear, a weak spot I knew all too well. Haruka let out a long, soft moan as he pressed against me to keep his balance. I left small kisses from behind his ear all down to his neck until I found the sensitive spot on his neck. He let out another moan as I planted my mark on his skin. I brushed my thumb against it with a successful smirk, and Haruka groaned. He leaned upwards, moving the collar of my shirt down to reveal my neck, and he placed his own lips on my skin, sucking until he left a mark of his own. I let out a mix of a chuckle and a moan. Haruka pulled back and I looked into his blue eyes, placing a hand on his cheek.
"I love you so much, Haru," I whispered with a smile.
Haruka closed his eyes, leaning into my touch, "I love you too, Makoto."
I brushed his bangs out of the way with my free hand and placed a kiss on his forehead. I let his hair fall back into place and pressed a kiss on his nose. Then next to his left eye, and then his right cheek. I smiled as I placed a soft kiss on his lips, and I laughed as he smiled, leaning up to return the kiss.
The sound of my phone ringtone interrupted the moment, and I whined as I reluctantly let him go. Haruka resumed to cook his mackerel while I hurried back into his room to grab my phone. I flipped it open to see I had gotten a text from Rin.
[24/06/2014 - 10:24:48]
I'm on my way to the beach now, and Ai is with me too. We'll be there in 10.
I stuffed my phone in my pocket, hurrying out to the kitchen where Haruka was setting up our breakfast. He really did look adorable in that apron.
"Rin and Aiichirou are on their way to the beach now, and I'm assuming Nagisa and Rei are already there, so we should probably get going. We could eat on the way, if you'd like."
Haruka shook his head, "We could wrap it and save it for later."
I nodded, walking over to one of the closets to grab two bento boxes to store our food for later. I quickly wrapped them up and passed them to Haruka, who placed them in the bag we had prepared ahead of time before we went to sleep last night.
"I'm assuming you're already wearing your bathing suit under your clothes so I'll be right back," I said, hurrying back to Haruka's room.
I shuffled through all the clothes that lay on the floor. Haruka had let me stay a few nights in a row, and because testing had grown chaotic, cleaning was the last thing on our minds. It didn't take long for me to find my bathing suit, and I quickly slid off my pants and my boxers to slide on my bathing suit. As I slid them up, I felt eyes on me from behind, and I quickly turned around to see Haruka staring. As soon as he was caught staring at me, especially at a certain area, he turned a bright red, sliding the door shut before running down the hall. I let out a laugh as I pulled them all the way up, then slid my pants back into place. I didn't feel like picking out another shirt since I'd most likely spend most of the day shirtless anyhow, so I quickly brushed my hair and hurried out the door.
Haruka was waiting for me by the front door, bag in hand and shoes already on. His face was still a bit flushed, and I couldn't hold back a giggle. Haru was too cute for his own good.
"Let's go before the others call, wondering where we are."
Haruka nodded, and we headed out the door together, hand in hand.
"Haru-chaaan! Mako-chaaan! Over heeeerree!" Nagisa called out to us, waving both hands in the air to get our attention.
We both hurried over to see we were the last ones to arrive, but no one seemed to mind. We dropped to our knees on the sand with the others and placed our bag down. As soon as Haruka set everything down, he took his shoes off and stripped of his clothing until he was in nothing but his bathing suit and hurried into the ocean, diving straight in.
Rin sighed, "Typical Haru."
"Took the words right out of my mouth," I laughed.
"That looks like fun! Let's go, Rei-chan!" Nagisa jumped up, tugging on Rei's arm to join him.
Rei sighed, "Alright, let's go," he smiled as he took off his glasses, placing them on the dry blanket they had set up when they arrived.
"Are you coming too, Ai-chan?" Nagisa asked.
"Um.." Aiichirou looked over at Rin, then back at Nagisa, "I think I'm going to stay with Rin-senpai for now," he said with a small smile.
Nagisa pouted, but it quickly faded and was replaced with a smile, "Okay! See you later, then!" he then ran off to the ocean with Rei locked in his grip.
Rin laid down on the blanket, cautious of Rei's glasses, and he crossed his arms behind his head, closing his eyes, "I'm sure you heard from Nagisa that Sousuke couldn't join us. His shoulder injury was acting up again."
I nodded, "Is he going to be alright? Will he still be able to swim?"
"I hope so, but I can't say at this point," Rin clicked his tongue, "Sousuke.. If only he had said something from the beginning, his shoulder injury wouldn't be as serious as it is now. If only he let it heal properly."
"I think I understand why he didn't want anyone to know," I looked up to the sky, "He just wanted to swim with everyone, especially you, even if that meant damaging his injury even further. He just wanted to swim with you guys," Rin was silent, but I knew he was listening, "I feel bad for him, I just hope he takes it easy after this."
Rin nodded, and we sat in silence until Rin propped himself back up with his elbows. "I'm gonna go for a swim myself, either of you wanna join me?"
"Sure," I smiled.
"Ah, wait for me!" Aiichirou cried.
Together, the three of us ran to the ocean to join the others. Nagisa and Rei were splashing waves at each other while Haruka was farther away, swimming laps back and forth. Rin and Aiichirou joined Nagisa and Rei, Rin delivering a splash to Rei as Aiichirou laughed, delivering a smaller splash to Nagisa. I laughed as I swam over to Haruka, but as I got closer, I realized something was wrong. Haruka wasn't moving.
"Haru?!" I called out, but got no response, "HARU?!"
I swam closer, but immediately stopped my tracks as I realized the water around him was turning a dark red. Haruka let out a bloodcurdling scream, thrashing around, as if he tried to get free of someone or something's grip. He looked in my direction and gasped in relief, stretching his hand out towards me, but I was frozen stiff.
This isn't happening.
"Makoto!"
This can't be happening.
"MAKOTO!"
This isn't what it looks like, it can't be what it looks like.
I heard a series of waves behind me, which could only mean everyone was rushing out of the ocean. The others were frantically calling our names, but it wouldn't process. Haruka was struggling, trying his hardest to save himself. I knew I had to save him, but I couldn't move a muscle. I didn't even realize there were tears rolling down my cheeks. I wanted to scream, call out to him, but I couldn't find my voice. Another bloodcurdling scream, and I felt my heart sink. I tried so hard to deny what was happening, but a shriek confirmed what I was witnessing.
"SHARK!"
Suddenly, a rush of energy coursed through my veins, almost overwhelming, and I swam over to Haruka with no fear left in my body. Only two words repeated themselves over and over.
Save. Haruka.
My eyes quickly skimmed him from head to toe to see what the damage was. He was already unconscious due to the heavy amount of blood loss, and I assumed he must've swallowed some water. The shark had a death grip on Haruka's leg, and I knew I couldn't pull Haruka free from it's grasp or else he'd rip his leg right off. I didn't know anything about what to do in a situation like this nor did I know how to get a shark away, but I knew I had to do something before it was too late. Without thinking, I punched the shark in the nose. It made some sort of cry, like a growl, but let go of Haruka's leg in the process. Relief coursed through my body and I pulled Haruka away from the shark before it could do any more damage. I turned away from it to swim away, but I knew it was too good to be true.
A sharp pain course through my ankle, and a low scream escaped my lips. My vision blurred, and I could feel blood on my tongue from biting my lip so hard. From my blurry vision I could see Rin swimming straight over to us, and I felt the shark's grip on my ankle increase. I groaned from the excruciating pain.
"MAKOTO! What the fuck?!"
"Rin, please," I begged him, "Take Haruka and swim to shore. He lost a lot of blood and he needs to be checked out immediately."
"But Makoto, you-"
"RIN, PLEASE!"
I could've sworn I heard Rin curse under his breath but I wasn't so sure. He reluctantly took Haruka from my arms, and I gave him a relieved smile. I looked behind me and kicked the shark with my free foot. The shark let go of my ankle, and I took this chance to swim as fast as I could away from it before it tried going after me once more. My swimming was delayed due to the sharp pain in my ankle, and I was positive I was losing a lot of blood, though it wasn't nearly as much as Haruka had lost, but I knew I needed to make sure Haruka made it safely to shore. I looked over at Rin, and he said "You'll both be alright," but I couldn't hear a thing, I only saw his lips move to form the words. My ears were ringing and my vision was growing dark.
We were getting closer to shore, but I could barely see.
I pulled myself up to the sand and collapsed, but saw Nagisa, Rei, and Aiichirou running over to us.
I looked over to see Rin sitting beside Haruka, turning him over so he was lying on his back. He immediately crawled over to me, turning me so I too was laying on my back.
"Makoto? Makoto, can you hear me?! MAKOTO?!"
With my pale green eyes, I looked over at Haruka to see his half-opened dark blue eyes and his pale face, until the excruciating pain in my leg got the best of me and everything grew dark.
I awoke to a bright light, but I didn't open my eyes. I focused on my hearing and heard quiet sobs followed by reassuring voices.
"My fault... I-It's all my fault... Th-The beach was my idea..." Nagisa
"Nagisa-kun, it is not your fault. Don't blame yourself for this. No one could have known there were sharks out there." Rei
I heard what sounded like feet shuffling, as if someone was entering the room.
"Where's Ai-chan?"
"I took him back to Samezuka. As much as he wanted to stay to make sure Haru and Makoto were alright, he was too panicked to handle it. He was on the brink of having an anxiety attack, so I made sure he was calmed down enough and then I took him back. Momotarou is watching over him now." Rin
I opened my eyes, groaning as the white lights blinded me for a second. I placed a hand over my eyes to block out the light as I sat up, looking over at the others. Nagisa's eyes were red and puffy, tears still rolling down his cheeks. Rei's and Rin's eyes didn't look any better.
"MAKO-CHAN!" Nagisa cried, latching his arms around my neck as he sobbed loudly into my shoulder, "I-I'M SO SORRY, MAKO-CHAN! IF I NEVER SUGGESTED WE GO TO THE BEACH, NONE OF THIS WOULD'VE HAPPENED!"
I wrapped my arms around him, rubbing my hand on his back, "Nagisa, it's not your fault, trust me. None of us knew there were sharks out there, no one is to blame for this. Especially not you."
Nagisa released his grip around me and pulled back, but fresh tears were still rolling down his cheeks. Rei walked over and wrapped an arm around Nagisa's shoulders, giving a reassuring squeeze.
I looked over at Rin, "How's Haru doing?"
Everyone stiffened.
"Makoto..." Rin started, but he couldn't seem to find the words.
Something was wrong.
"Where's Haru?"
Everyone remained silent, until Rin found the words to continue.
"...Haru hasn't woken up yet.."
Haru... He hasn't woken up yet... Haruka...
I screamed his name, throwing the blanket off as I reached for the door, but an excruciating pain soared through my ankle and I let out a mix of a scream and a growl, biting my bottom lip until it bled to ease some of the pain, and I lost my balance. I would have fallen to the floor if Rin hadn't caught me.
"Makoto, are you insane?!" Rin yelled, "You need to stay off that foot, you need to let it heal!"
"HARU!" I screamed. I didn't care about the pain in my ankle. I didn't care that Rin, Nagisa, and Rei struggled to get me back into bed. I didn't care not letting my ankle heal properly could affect my swimming in the future. I needed to see Haruka, to make sure he was alive and alright, "I NEED TO SEE HIM, I NEED TO SEE HARUKA!"
"MAKO-CHAN! Please calm down!" Nagisa cried.
"You need to get back into bed and let your ankle heal!" Rei yelled.
"I DON'T CARE! I NEED TO SEE HARU! I NEED TO KNOW HE'S ALIVE! LET GO OF ME!"
I felt a stinging pain on my cheek. Rin had slapped me. I took deep breaths, burying my face into my hands, trying to calm myself down. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I looked up to meet Rin's eyes.
"Makoto, I know you want to see him. We all want to see him. But we just have to wait for the doctor's approval. If you go and do something reckless while your ankle is trying to heal, you may not be able to swim ever again. How would you feel if you couldn't get to swim with any of us again? How would you feel if you couldn't swim with Haru again? How do you think Haru would feel?"
Hot tears began rolling down my cheeks, and my body shook as loud, choked sobs escaped my lips. I couldn't stand to think about not being able to swim again, especially not being able to swim with Haru, who was the very reason why I swam in the first place.
It's meaningless without you!
"I'm sorry... I-I'm so sorry..."
It was about an hour later that the doctor came to check up on me. I had stopped crying by then, but my eyes were still red and puffy. Nagisa and Rei had fallen asleep while waiting, but of course woke up as soon as the doctor walked in, while Rin had been awake with me the whole time.
"My name is Dr. Kiriko and I will be your doctor this evening," he said, pushing up his glasses, "I'm glad to see you're awake. Your wound isn't too serious, but you will need to stay off that ankle for a while. It'd be easier on you if you had someone else to help you out. I'll provide you with crutches, but it's best if you spent more time sitting or laying down until your ankle makes a complete recovery. It should take about 6 to 8 weeks for you to make a full recovery, and I'd like for you to come back then so we could clarify if the wound is completely healed. If you feel any pains, even while sitting or laying down, I'd like you to come back immediately to prevent any infections."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Kiriko," I gave him a sad smile, "Do I have to stay here overnight?"
"For tonight, yes. Just to keep an eye on your ankle. If there're no signs of infection, we can send you home tomorrow."
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, doctor."
"No problem. If you need anything else, you can press the button on the wall to your left and a nurse come in."
"Understood," Just as about he was about to leave, a question came to mind, "Oh, wait! Would you be able to tell me about another patient, Nanase Haruka? He's very special to me and he was involved with the shark attack."
Dr. Kiriko nodded, and I felt relief course through my veins. He flipped through papers on his clip board and cleared his throat, "Unfortunately," I gulped, "He has yet to wake up. It appears he lost a great amount of blood, and it may be a little while longer until he wakes up. There's a chance he may not wake up at all," I felt my heart sink to my stomach, "Also, his leg is in pretty bad shape. The skin that was bitten was ripped, and he needed an excessive amount of stitches to close the wound. He needs to stay in the hospital a little longer as well."
"Please," I gasped, as if the breath had been knocked out of me, "Can I donate blood to him? However much it takes is fine with me."
"Makoto.." Rin started, "You lost a lot of blood yourself, it might be a bad idea to give blood while you're still recovering."
"He's right," Dr. Kiriko said, "Your ankle still needs to heal, plus you also lost blood yourself, it could take longer for you to recover. You might need to stay in the hospital even longer."
"I don't care," I looked down at the hospital blanket, "If there's a possibility that Haru could die from blood loss while I still have enough blood coursing through my veins, I'm willing to give some up to save him."
"As a doctor, I shouldn't encourage this, but I could tell this Nanase-kun means a lot to you. If you're alright with this, I'll go get a wheelchair for you. I'll be back in a few," Dr. Kiriko flashed a small smile before walking out the door. I could feel my face light up.
"Mako-chan, are you sure this is such a good idea?" Nagisa asked.
"Your ankle still needs to heal properly and losing blood while it's still an open wound could result into a bad thing." Rei added.
I shook my head, "This is something I have to do myself. For Haru."
Rin chuckled, "You really do love him, don't you, Makoto."
I smiled, "I do."
"Good news, you're a match. You and Nanase-kun have the same blood type, so we could proceed with the donation." Dr. Kiriko said with a smile, "Now since you're still recovering yourself, I won't take an excessive amount, but it will still be enough to save him. With this donation, he'll definitely wake up, but there's just no knowing when he'll wake up."
"Oh, I'm so glad," I whispered, releasing a breath I hadn't realized I had held in, "As long as he's alive I'm alright with that. Thank you for allowing me to go through this."
Dr. Kiriko nodded as he set up the needles. There was a small plastic bag next to the needles and I assumed that bag would be filled with the amount of blood they're taking from me. I was asked to roll up my sleeve, and I did as told. I watched as he tied something rubber around my arm, and I held my arm out. He walked over with the needle and I realized I was holding my breath. I wasn't fond of needles at all, but I kept telling myself "This is for Haru, this will save his life," and it calmed me down a little. I made a fist with my hand like I was told, and I took a deep breath as the needle was inserted.
After what felt like hours, Dr. Kiriko announced it was over, and I let out a long breath of relief. He untied the rubber band from my arm and handed me some orange juice and two cookies so I wouldn't faint. While I was eating, Dr. Kiriko pushed me back to my room. I looked over to see Nagisa and Rei had fallen back asleep, and Rin was out of sight. I assumed he went to go see how Haruka was doing. How long had it been since I last saw him?
"Doctor," I said quickly, "I don't mean to be a pain, but would it be possible if I got my room moved so that I was in the same room as Haru's?"
"I figured you'd say that," I turned my wheelchair around to see Rin standing by the door with a smirk, "I went to check on Haru, but I knew you'd be here a little longer with your donation and it'd be a pain going back and forth, and I knew you'd both long to see each other but neither of you can move, so while you were donating blood, I asked Haru's doctor if he could be moved here."
Sure enough, Rin stepped out of the way and in came Haruka, laying on the bed with a nurse pushing him in, followed by who I assumed to be his doctor.
"Haru..." I felt my eyes water just seeing his condition. His pale white face, his burning red leg.
"Just remember, Makoto," Rin walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder, "You saved his life."
After the doctors had finished setting up Haruka in his new room, his bed closer to mine, they informed us more about his condition. Haru's doctor's name was Dr. Mayu and she explained how Haruka's wound was far worse than mine had been, which was expected, and that he would need to stay off of it even longer. Haruka also needed to be in a wheelchair at all times until the recovery was complete, and that there was no chance the wound would heal properly if he were to use crutches. With his condition like this, it was suggested that Haruka should be home schooled until the injury was healed, and that he should come back for check ups often, maybe once every week or two, until his leg makes a full recovery.
I thanked the doctors and nurses for telling me about his condition, and for allowing his room to be moved to mine. They told us once more that if any of us needed anything to press the button on the wall, and they left to give us privacy.
I turned to Rin, "I can't thank you enough for doing this for me, thank you so much, Rin."
"Well if I didn't do it I knew you would've asked yourself, and I figured the sooner the better," Rin smirked.
I nodded, then looked over at Haru to see he was still asleep. Fortunately, he wasn't as pale, I'm assuming from my donation, but his leg was still extremely red. In a way, I was hoping he didn't wake up right away because I was sure the pain would be excrutiating.
"Do you think Haru will be able to handle it?" Rin asked, staring at Haru's injured leg.
I looked back at Rin, "Handle what?"
Rin looked back at me worriedly, and realization had set in. My eyes went wide as I looked back at Haruka, my emerald green eyes trailing down to look at Haruka's wounded leg.
I'll go as long as I can swimSwim
"Haru can't swim until his leg is healed..." I whispered.
Rin nodded, "You have to watch over him or else he could seriously hurt himself, he needs to let that wound heal properly."
Haru...
"I'll watch over him as if my life depended on it," I declared.
Rin smiled, "Typical Makoto,"
I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep until I awoke to the same blinding lights that had woken me up earlier. I didn't bother to sit up, until I looked over to see Nagisa and Rei were awake, Rin had finally fallen asleep, with tears in their eyes, but it appeared as though their tears weren't aimed at me.
"Makoto."
It wasn't nor Nagisa or Rei that had called my name.
A single tear rolled down my cheek as I slowly turned around.
My bright green eyes met with dark blue ones.
Haruka... Haruka is awake Haruka is alive Haruka called my name
"Makoto."
"Haru... You're awake... You're alive..."
"Is it true?"
"Huh..?"
"Is it true?"
I gulped, "Is what true?"
Haruka stared for a few seconds before speaking, "Did you give me blood to save my life while you yourself are still healing?"
I blinked, then smiled, "Of course I did, Haru-chan. You mean the world to me, and I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if you died of excessive blood loss while I still had plenty of blood in my veins," I looked down at my hands, "Also, it's my fault your wound is as bad as it is, if I hadn't stood there watching like an idiot, you-"
"Makoto"
I looked up to see Haruka had begun to cry. Worry soared through my body, and I was about to press the button on the wall to call for a nurse, thinking his wound was acting up, but before I could reach it, I saw Haruka smile from the corner of my eye.
"I love you so much, Makoto." Haruka whispered, tears still rolling down his cheeks, "Thank you, for saving my life, and for always being there whenever I needed you. If you... If you hadn't been there, I.." he gulped, sloppily wiping away his tears, "I-I wouldn't be here... I-I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate you being here for me, how much you mean to me... I love you with all of my heart, Makoto Tachibana."
I was sure there were tears rolling down my cheeks at this point, but I didn't bother to wipe them away, "Haru... You have no idea how happy that makes me, how relieved I am to hear you say those words... I'm just so grateful you're still alive... I love you so much, Haruka Nanase," I placed a hand right over my heart, "You will always hold a place in my heart, always."
Haruka smiled, gesturing for me to sit beside him but quickly stopped himself, "Wait, can you..." the words faded on his lips, but I knew what he was trying to say.
I smiled at him, carefully sliding my feet over the bed. I planned on hopping over, but I heard footsteps rushing to my aid. Nagisa was at my right while Rei was at my left, and together, they wrapped their arms around me and helped me over to Haruka's bed. I sat down next to my beloved while Nagisa and Rei took a seat on my own bed.
I turned to Haruka, placing a hand softly on his cheek. I brushed my thumb against his skin, and I heard him let out a blissful sigh, his eyes slowly closing. I closed my own eyes and leaned down, pressing my lips softly against his. On instinct, Haruka gripped my shoulders to bring me closer, to deepen the kiss. Leaving my hand on his cheek, I wrapped my free arm around his waist. I pulled him closer to me, making sure I didn't worsen either of our injuries. I ran my tongue across Haruka's lips, and he let out a soft moan. I pulled back and placed a kiss on his cheek, then down along his neck like I had done this morning. Haruka mewled with each kiss I pressed against his skin, his eyes closed in bliss. I sniffed in his scent, and let out a breath of my own. I used both hands to trail up and down his torso while I contiued to pepper him with soft kisses, each one leaving a bright red mark. Haruka clung to my shirt, resting his chin on my neck as he breathed heavily. I pulled away, moving my hands to his arms, and looked straight into his ocean blue eyes. I smiled.
"I love you, Haru-chan," I whispered.
Haruka returned the smile, "I love you too, Makoto."
It had been about two months since the incident. My injury didn't get any worse, so I was quickly discharged, but I ended up coming back every day with Nagisa, Rei, and Rin until Haruka was ready to be discharged himself. Even Aiichirou, Sousuke, and Momotarou had come to visit as well. Aiichirou felt bad for leaving before he found out how Haruka and I were doing, and he insisted on making it up to us, but I told him it wasn't necessary, that him just being here was enough for us. Sousuke explained this happened to be the same hospital he would go to to get his shoulder checked out to make sure nothing else had happened and that his injury was finally taking the time to heal properly, and he wanted to stop by to make sure we were doing alright. Momotarou said he insisted on dropping by for a visit when he saw Aiichirou's panicked state and wanted to make sure we were taking the time for our wounds to heal. Even Gou, Amakata-sensei, and Coach Sasabe came to visit us as well. We made sure to thank everyone for visiting.
It was two weeks after I was discharged that Haruka was discharged himself. The hospital had provided him a wheelchair, but he couldn't push it himself and I couldn't push him myself since I needed crutches until my own injury healed. Instead of having a doctor help us out, I came up with an idea. I carefully picked up Haruka, making sure not to worsen his injury, I sat down in the wheelchair, and I placed Haruka in my lap. He seemed to enjoy it, and I was able to push the wheelchair myself, so it ended up working out for the both of us.
I had asked him if he wanted to contact his parents to let them know about the incident and so that they could hurry home and take care of their only son, but Haruka denied, saying he only needed me to help take care of him while his injury was healing. However, since I couldn't help him out with everything due to my own injury, Nagisa, Rei, and Rin had offered to help us out whenever they had some free time. Nagisa made sure there was always food in the house for us, I had made sure to give him the money, Rei made sure we were getting all the homework and information we needed so we wouldn't fall behind in classes, I insisted Haruka switch to home schooling but he decided against it, and Rin made sure we were never bored by laying in bed doing nothing while we waited for our injuries to heal, the three of us would play games together, and I would watch while Haruka and Rin would duel each other in Mario Kart. My parents stopped by often as well to make sure all the bills were taken care of and that everything was nice and clean, including ourselves.
As the weeks passed, both Haruka and I grew bored of doing the same things while we waited for our injuries to heal. I could tell Haruka was growing agitated, he hasn't gone without swimming like this in a while, maybe not since we were kids. I felt bad for him, I kept thinking in the back of my mind one trip to the pool couldn't hurt, but I knew it would be painful for him to even attempt swimming with an injured leg. We had no choice to wait out the last few painful weeks of recovery.
As it was expected, my injury was healed a week or two before Haruka's made a full recovery. It was early morning when I made my appointment to get my ankle checked out to make sure it was alright to walk on it again. It really didn't hurt much to walk on it, but just to be sure, I used my crutches anyway. I checked in at the desk and sat in the waiting room until my name was called. There were mostly little kids in the waiting room, so I just watched them play with the toys provided for them until I heard my name. I got up and walked over to the nurse, and she pointed me to my room. When I reached my room, I saw Dr. Kiriko was already waiting for me. He began by asking me small questions about if my ankle was hurting at all and if it hurt to walk. I told him all the pain was gone, and he asked me to walk without the crutches. I felt a small sting in my ankle as I walked, but other than that I was perfectly fine. Dr. Kiriko took back the crutches and told me my ankle had made a complete recovery and that I only need to come back if it begins hurting again. I thanked Dr. Kiriko for everything and hurried out of the room. I couldn't wait to get home to Haruka to give him the good news.
Even after my injury had made a complete recovery, I refused to start swimming again until Haruka could swim with me. Luckily, I was able to stay out of school until Haruka made a complete recovery, so I was able to stay by his side while he finished recovering from his leg injury. Now that I was healed, I was able to help him even more than I had before. I cooked his meals for him, I made sure all of his clothes were clean, I helped him with his school work when he got stuck on a question. Whatever Haruka needed help with, I made sure I was there for him.
It was around 2 weeks after my injury was completely healed that Haruka claimed his injury was feeling better. Either way, he still sat in the wheelchair just to be sure. As much as he insisted on sitting in my lap, I knew we'd get there quicker if I pushed him myself. I could tell Haruka was eager to find out if his leg was healed, I know he was dying to get back in the pool, as was I. It had been way too long since we last went swimming, and I could tell it was having an affect on both of us, especially Haruka. He would spend extra hours in the bath, and I would have to be the one to get him to come out. Fortunately, we just so happened to be the only ones there, so as soon as I signed Haruka in and took a seat, his name was called. By this point, Haruka was able to push the wheelchair on his own, but I still helped him out anyway. We entered the room and saw Dr. Mayu was filling out papers on her clipboard. She greeted us with a smile, and started asking Haruka questions similar to the ones I was asked. The last thing Dr. Mayu asked was for Haruka to try and stand up and walk without the wheelchair. Because Haruka had been in the wheelchair for so long, he was a little wobbly and shaky, so I stood beside him to keep his balance. Haruka claimed there was a little sting when he walked, but other than that it was fine. Dr. Mayu explained for the most part it was healed, but to take it a little easy until the stinging was gone. Immediately Haruka asked about swimming, the words coming out in a rush, and Dr. Mayu smiled, saying as long as he didn't put too much pressure on it, swimming was fine. Haruka looked up with me in joy in his eyes, and I could've sworn he was close to crying. It feels like it's been so long since I last saw him this happy, I couldn't hold back a smile myself. We both thanked Dr. Mayu and rushed out of the building.
The first time we both went swimming again after our wounds healed, we headed for the high school to use the pool there. It was in the middle of practice, so Nagisa, Rei, and Gou were thrilled to see us. Before I could explain to Gou what the doctor said about taking it easy, she shook her head, understanding completely that we still needed more time to take it easy. Luckily, our next competition wasn't until next month. I watched Haruka run over to the pool, and I ran after him. We both stared down at the calm, cool water that seemed to be begging us to jump right in. We looked up and saw Nagisa and Rei waving, telling us to join them. Instead of diving in, we both sat down at the edge and carefully hopped in. Haruka wasted no time swimming over to the others, cautious of his healing leg. I couldn't help but watch over his leg as if it was my own, but I too swam over to the others with a smile. It'd been way too long since we all got to swim together again.
On our way home from practice that day, Haruka insisted we take a trip to the beach. I was hesitant, seeing how that was the very place that caused the incident, but I knew that's why he wanted to go. We walked along the hot sand and down to the cool ocean water, just from where we stood the water came up to our ankles. Just standing there made me feel a little anxious, I was always afraid of the ocean. This is just another thing to add to the list of why I'm afraid of the ocean. The salt water brushed against my healing wound, and I flinched.
"Do you regret it?"
I looked down at Haruka, who was still staring out into the ocean, "Regret what?"
"Going to the beach that day," Haruka looked up into my eyes, "Risking your life to save mine.." He whispered the last part, looking down at the damp sand between our feet.
Not even having to think about it, I reached out my arms out and scooped Haruka in an embrace, my arms tightening around him. I felt him respond to the hug, quickly wrapping his arms around me, digging his nails into my shirt. He hid his face in the crook of my neck and I felt him shake.
"I don't regret it at all, we didn't know what would happen. The last thing any of us expected were for there to be sharks out there. The only thing I regret is not being by your side quick enough to save you." I whispered into his ear. I felt my neck grow damp, and I slowly pulled him back, kissing away his tears.
"I love you, Makoto," Haruka said softly, placing a kiss to the corner of my lips.
I couldn't help but smile, "I love you too, Haru-chan," I placed a kiss on his lips, and I felt his lips curl into a small smile. He really was too cute for his own good.
We stared back at the ocean, watching as the sun continued to set. The moon was starting to show itself, and we knew we had to get home, for tomorrow would be our first big day back to school after 2 months of being home. With one last look at the ocean waters, we turned away and resumed our walk home, hand in hand.