Hello guys! :D First of all, I just want to say I'm sorry, I don't know what this is. I guess it's a drabble. I don't know how it's going to end up, whether I'll just leave it like this or update it. I don't even know, I'm so sorry guys. If I do update it, it'll probably be after my trip to Japan! HOHOHO SO EXCITED OMG IT'S THIS WEEKEND I'M FREAKING OUT BUT I'M SO EXCITED!

I got a bunch of feels after Episode 11 and honestly, just dreading the next episode if I cry as much as I did. Joking. I love Free!. Hope everything gets fixed between Makoto and Haru, I really ship these two.

Anyway. After that episode, I cry every time I see something on my Tumblr about these two. It's too touching

This seems to be a sort of angsty thing. I apologise in advance for the angsty theme, why did I make something sad-ish when I was already sad and only wanted the best for MakoHaru. Why.

Hope you guys enjoy, please leave a review at the end? Just to let me know, lol, what you think this is or how you think it went.

Chapter 1

-x-

After that day at the festival, Haru had just disappeared. No-one had received word from him about where he'd gone or why he'd disappeared. Not even Makoto, much to everyone's surprise.

Well, they graduated. Nagisa and Rei decided to go to the same university so they could be together.

Rin got scouted and went to a prestigious swimming university. He was going good – one of the top swimmers – and was given a chance to attend an Australian training camp. Sousuke couldn't swim anymore, but he supported Rin like a true best friend from the sidelines. They eventually got together, after a heated argument and equally heated kisses after.

Gou met Seijuuro again. After they realised their universities were in the same area, they started seeing each other more often. Their relationship developed into something more than just friends, and Rin supported them. Not whole-heartedly, but he was glad that his sister was dating someone responsible. Well, sort of responsible.

Makoto went to a university in Tokyo, just as he said he would. He rented a small apartment and kept in touch with his family, just as he promised he'd do. He made friends pretty easily, as he always did; he was like food – people flocked to him naturally. He didn't upset the owner of the apartment, and got a job at the local markets.

Everything was as he'd expected.

Everything but Haru.

Haru hadn't replied to any of his 31958 texts, and hadn't returned his 24174 missed calls. He hadn't told anyone where he was. His house was being tidied every week by Makoto's mother, but it was quickly going out of shape without anyone soaking in the bathtubs.

Makoto didn't have anyone to pull out of the bathtub, and there really was no point getting a small apartment with a bathtub if no one was going to be in it. He didn't have anyone to bother him in the middle of the night with a bombardment of texts, and he didn't have horrible mackerel to eat, day after day.

So if Haru wasn't there, really, nothing was as he'd expected.

Four years came and went in the blink of an eye. Makoto passed an interview and became a fire-fighter, which was something he'd wanted to be since a young age.

Haru used to say, "Why a fire-fighter? You could die."

Makoto would laugh and reply, "At least I could save somebody. I want to save lives. And who knows? Maybe I'll save yours, too."

And Haru would turn away with a small pout, "But I don't want you to die." This just made Makoto reconsider his future job, because he'd wanted to live with Haru, even at the young age of 8.

Things were going well for Makoto. Three months into his job and he was already famous in the area. He'd saved a kitten, which jumped onto him willingly after being stuck in a tree for three hours. He'd doused a fire and given firm instructions after the leader went into the burning building to save a boy. And at one stage, he even leapt into the building himself to check that everyone was okay. Luckily, they all escaped with minor wounds.

But then he started having these dreams.

It would always start out murky, like he was walking through a thick fog. And he would keep walking, walking, walking, until the fog would thin out. Then he'd see this guy, standing in a huge puddle that reached his waist. He'd throw a glance in Makoto's direction, then walk until the water swallowed him. Makoto would call for him but the guy wouldn't come back up. The bubbles on the surface of the water would disappear, and that's when Makoto would wake up.

But the worst thing was that Makoto knew who that guy was. Even though it was always slightly blurry and hard to make out, he would recognise him anywhere.

The raven hair, cerulean eyes – which were stormy in his dream – and slight pout.

Yes, even after four years, Makoto could still recognise Haru anywhere.

The dream was driving him crazy. He'd wake up at four in the morning, drenched in sweat. He'd cry, because that's what you do when you miss someone so bad, you want to scream until you lose your voice.

He went to work with bags under his eyes. His co-workers would ask him if he was alright, and he always replied with a smile when no, everything was far from it. He began losing touch with his friends – declining their party invitations and making up excuses to avoid going to their houses. He called his family less, because he didn't want them to worry about him. He was alright, after all. Totally fine.

He called a sick day – something he'd never done – for work after waking up five times in one night. In his dream, his throat was already dry.

And Haru was already dead.