The school bell rang to signal the end of the day and Haruka packed his things into his bag and stood. From his peripheral vision he could see Makoto staring at him with a furrowed brow, but he said nothing. As he was leaving, he caught sight of Asahi heading his way, but he looked the other way and continued walking.

"Haru!" Asahi called. "Come to practice and lift weights with us!"

"Not interested," Haruka muttered. He didn't have to look behind him to see Makoto's worried frown or Asahi's disappointed pout.

"What's with him?" Asahi grumbled, asking Makoto.

"I guess if it's not swimming, Haru's just not interested," Makoto shrugged, trying to wear a reassuring smile, though his eyes were dark.

Haruka pulled on his coat, scarf, and gloves, and left. He had no interest in weight training nor in club activities in general. Whenever he thought about swimming with them, he remembered the pain in Rin's voice just days before, and he froze. His throat felt tight and he couldn't make himself move. He knew he would have the winter to put off the inevitable, at least, since it was an outdoor pool, but eventually he would have to go through the bothersome task of officially quitting. He regretted that Makoto would likely quit with him, but he didn't let it affect him too much. After all, Makoto could make his own decisions. He didn't have to follow Haruka. But he knew he would.

With the next day came a repeat of the same conversation. "Haru, why don't you come train with us?" It was Makoto asking this time. Haruka knew it had to be bothering him. Makoto could tell something had happened, even if he didn't know what, because he's Makoto. Perhaps he thought if enough pressure was put on him he'd either give in and train or tell him what was bothering him.

"I have to go to the library today," Haruka said bluntly, walking away before anyone could say anything else.

"Haru," it was Ikuya, his eyes glaring, standing in the doorway of the classroom. Makoto stepped aside to let him in. "Why have you been skipping practice?!"

Haruka looked at him for a moment. His eyes were intense. "I only swim free," he replied. He was growing irritated that he was being blocked from leaving. He really did have to go to the library today.

"You were coming to practice before, even when we couldn't swim," Ikuya argued.

"Get out of the way," Haruka grumbled. "I have to go."

"You'd better come tomorrow!" Ikuya threatened, stepping aside to let him through.

Haruka could feel his intense eyes on him the entire way down the hall. What was with him? Well, he did have a point. Up until a few days ago, he had been training with them. It wasn't his idea of a good time, but he did feel like it was keeping him close to his teammates. Which was precisely why he couldn't go back.

As he was entering the library, Haruka could hear a couple of girls whispering to each other just outside the next door down. "Did you hear, did you hear?"

"No, what?"

"Rina-chan's older sister woke up with a name on her arm this morning!"

"No way!"

"Rina-chan's been trying to figure out who it is, but her sister won't let her read it!"

"Aww, how stingy! She should at least show her sister!"

"I know, right?!"

Haruka returned to his own business and went inside the library. It was an uncommon occurrence, but occasionally people would wake up with the name of someone they knew on their left arm. It would start out red and turn different colors depending on certain circumstances, or so he heard. Supposedly it was some sort of soulmate thing, but he wasn't so sure. He hadn't even been sure it was real before, not that it mattered. Anyone can write someone's name on their arm.

After a few more days of dodging questions and refusing Kisumi's suggestion of switching clubs, Haruka had about had enough. Couldn't these guys just leave him alone already? Even Makoto couldn't get the hint. He had intended on waiting to quit, but at this rate, he would have no other choice.

"Let me guess," Ikuya grumbled, "you're not coming again today?"

Haruka pursed his lips. He didn't need to respond. He kept his eyes locked with Ikuya's and waited.

"C'mon, Ikuya," Asahi pouted, heading for the door.

"Haru…" Makoto murmured.

Ikuya came closer to Haruka. "We're supposed to be a team!" He yelled. Behind him Makoto was starting to freak out. "Why won't you come with us anymore?!"

"I'm quitting the swim club," Haruka muttered. He had to turn his eyes away from Ikuya before the intensity behind his eyes consumed him.

"You- what?!"

"Haru!" Makoto gasped.

"What are you saying?!" Ikuya yelled louder. Everyone in the classroom was staring. "How can you be so selfish?!"

Haruka was unable to respond. Without meeting anyone's eyes, he wove his way through the desks and made a break for it. He couldn't handle this right now. He couldn't hurt anyone else, not now, not again. He could hear the others calling after him, but he was so distraught he couldn't discern their words.

The next few days were like the calm before the storm. Haruka went to school with Makoto, but he was no longer questioned about training with the swim club. Makoto didn't ask, but his eyes were begging Haruka to tell him. People who weren't even in the swim club whispered as he walked past, and he knew soon either Nao, Natsuya, or both, would come to confront him.

"Haru," Ikuya called into the classroom at lunch. Hesitating, he entered the room properly and approached Haruka, who had Kisumi at his desk making a mess of things.

"Ah," Kisumi looked up at Ikuya. "Maybe I should go..?"

For once, Haruka didn't want that. Any other day and he would love to be rid of him, but just this once, with Ikuya coming at him, he didn't want Kisumi to leave him alone.

"I need to talk to you," Ikuya said.

"I'm not coming back to the club," Haruka responded bluntly. He sensed something stirring in the depths of Ikuya's eyes.

"It's not about that," he grumbled through gritted teeth. "Just… meet with me after school, okay?"

Maintaining eye contact, Haruka considered the request for a moment. "Fine." Even though he had conceded, he still had a bad feeling about it. The look in Ikuya's eyes, even after he had accepted the request, unsettled him.

As promised, Haruka waited in the hall for Ikuya to come out of his classroom. The exchanged a glance before Ikuya led Haruka down the hall. They were, apparently, going outside, and it took a couple of minutes for the two boys to get their coats on. The silence was palpable between them until Ikuya at last stopped in the most isolated part of the school grounds Haruka had ever been to.

"Well," Haruka asked, "what is it?"

Ikuya turned away from him and started fiddling with his coat. As he struggled, he was saying, "I spent a lot of time deciding if I should even tell you about it. I asked Natsu-nii, and he said I should think carefully and be careful with how I approach it. But I eventually decided," he turned to Haruka. His coat, jacket, and shirt sleeves had all been rolled up from his left arm. Red letters were practically glowing on the surface of his skin. "I decided I should show you."

Haruka came closer and looked down at the writing that was held out to him. There was no mistake- that was his name. Nanase Haruka. His name was written in red on Ikuya's arm.

"Aren't you going to say anything..?" Ikuya asked, jerking his arm away and tugging his sleeves back down.

"When?"

"About a week ago."

Haruka looked at the now-covered arm. "What do you want me to do?"

Ikuya's cheeks turned the lightest shade of pink. "What do you mean, what do I want you to do?" He stuttered. "What exactly are you thinking about?"

"I don't know how these things work," Haruka replied. "What normally happens now?"

Ikuya's face turned a shade darker. "We could do nothing and I could keep covering it up with make-up like I have been," he said, "or you could release me from it, or…"

"Release?" Haruka finally raised his eyes to meet Ikuya's again and noticed his blush. "…Or?"

Looking away, Ikuya replied quietly, "W-well, when this happens to people who like each other, they kiss and form a sort of bond that makes the writing turn purple."

"Bond..?" Haruka was confused. Did Ikuya want to kiss him or something? Well, he might not want that, but he did ask what the 'or' meant.

"R-right," Ikyua cleared his throat. "These marks… they make bonds between the people involved really strong. Like, when someone is kissed by the person whose name is on their arm, the writing turns purple and the two are supposed to form some kind of special bond. And- and if they do more than kiss, it turns blue, and-" he stopped himself and cleared his throat. "Anyway, if you don't want anything to do with me, the best thing is just to release me."

"How do I do that?" Haruka asked. He was starting to understand why Ikuya was growing so flustered. This sounded like a really complicated thing with intimate requirements that almost seemed to grown-up for middle schoolers.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ikuya replied more calmly, "you just have to say the words, 'I release you,' and then my name."

Considering this, Haruka didn't realize it had started to snow. By the time he came out of his thoughts and looked Ikuya in the eye, there was already snow sticking to his hair. "We should go in," he said.

"…That's it?!" Ikuya exclaimed. He lowered his head and looked at Haruka through his eyelashes. "I just showed you that your name is on my arm and you have no idea what that means, and you don't even seem to care!"

"Ikuya," Haruka stepped closer until the puffs of steam from his breath reached Ikuya's face. "What do you want me to do?"

He couldn't tell if Ikuya's red face was from embarrassment or anger, but Ikuya pushed past him and started walking towards the school. He wasn't sure what Ikuya had expected of him. If he wanted to be released, he should have just said so from the start and not walked away. Perhaps it was that he didn't want to be released that he became so irritable and didn't respond to him. The thought made Haruka uneasy.

Over the next several days, Haruka didn't feel a particular need to approach Ikuya, and Ikuya didn't specifically approach him, but whenever they met in passing, there was a distinct shift in Ikuya's attitude. Whether he was excited or angry, whenever Haruka passed him, Ikuya mellowed out immediately and turned away from him. Whenever Haruka did meet eyes with him, though it was brief, he could see something burning inside of him. It was like an intense flame that might overtake him if he looked too long.

"Geez," Asahi moaned. "Ever since Haru quit the swim club, Ikuya's been acting really weird. It's kind of annoying."

Makoto glanced at Haruka through the doorway of the classroom. "Well, we were a team…"

"I know that!" Asahi asserted. "I was hurt, too, but we still have to carry on with our training."

Haruka glowered out the window. If they were going to talk about him they shouldn't do it so loudly. He pretended not to hear it, but he couldn't help but think about Ikuya now that they had mentioned him. So he was acting weird, huh? He wondered if it had to do with that. Tucking his belongings into his bag, he stood. He didn't have library duties today, so maybe he would take Makkou for a run on the beach. It wasn't as cold today, though there were still patches of snow in the shady areas.

That evening, while Haruka was finishing his dinner, there was a knock at the door. When he opened it, he was surprised to find Ikuya and a man he could only assume was Ikuya's father standing there. "Are you Nanase Haruka-kun?" The man asked.

"I am," Haruka replied. He looked at Ikuya, but the other boy was hiding his face under his long bangs, with his head turned away. The atmosphere made Haruka's stomach churn a little.

"I'm Ikuya's father. May we come in?" The man's words were only polite on the surface. Haruka could tell there was irritation and anger waiting to come out. He began to understand where Ikuya got it from.

Stepping aside, Haruka allowed them to enter, closing the door behind them. They didn't step out of the entryway, however, before Ikuya's father got to the point. He pulled his son by the arm to keep him from going further into the house and his stern eyes locked on Haruka's.

"I recently learned that my son has your name on his arm," Kirishma-san stated. "I've come to ask you to release him."

"Otou-san," Ikuya muttered. He didn't resist his father, still holding him by the arm, and he didn't look at Haruka.

Haruka looked from the man to Ikuya. "Is that what you want?"

"…"

"I will not have my son paired off with some other boy," Kirishima-san hissed. "Nanase-kun, surely you understand."

"Ikuya," Haruka said sharply. When Ikuya finally looked up at him, Haruka noticed that one of his cheeks was red, and not from embarrassment. "Is this what you want?"

"Of course it is," Kirishima-san replied. He gave Ikuya's arm a jerk. "Isn't it?"

"I…"

Haruka clenched his jaw. He watched as Ikuya's father shook him, demanding him to answer satisfactorily, but Ikuya couldn't respond. Unable to stand watching this any longer, Haruka took a deep breath. "I refuse."

"What was that?" Kirishima-san asked. In his moment of surprise, he loosened his grip on Ikuya, who pulled away immediately.

"Unless Ikuya says it himself," Haruka continued, "I won't do it."

"Why, you-!" Kirishima-san was only interrupted by the sound of the door opening behind him.

"Haruka, I'm- oh?" It was Haruka's mother, returning home from work. She stopped when she saw the unfamiliar faces. "Who's this?"

"Good evening," Kirishma-san bowed. He jerked on Ikuya's coat to make him bow, too. "Sorry for the intrusion, but I actually have a matter to discuss with Haruka-kun. Are you his mother?"

"I am," she replied. "Oh dear, is everything alright? Haruka?"

"Nanase-san," Kirishima-san rose and addressed her. "My son Ikuya, here, has your son's name on his arm."

"Oh," Haruka's mother nodded slowly. "I see."

"I've come to ask your son to release him, but he's refused."

"Is that so?"

"I'll only do it if that's what Ikuya wants," Haruka said, averting his eyes from his mother.

After a moment, Haruka's mother suggested they all sit down and talk it out over tea. Haruka went into the kitchen to prepare the tea while his mother put away her things from work. When he came out of the kitchen, Ikuya's father had sat him next to himself so that he could keep a grip on him. Ikuya looked up at him with wet eyes, pleading with him in silent prayer, and Haruka understood.

"Now then," Haruka's mother took a seat at the table beside Haruka. "Let me see if I understand this. Ikuya-kun has my Haruka's name on his arm, in the way that people occasionally have that sort of thing happen, and you want Haruka to release him from the bond, but Haruka refuses unless Ikuya-kun says to do it. Is that about right?"

"Precisely," Kirishima-san nodded. "And for whatever reason, Ikuya is absolutely refusing to speak." He glowered down at his son as he spoke. "Perhaps, Nanase-san, you could speak with Haruka-kun about it, and convince him to release my son?"

"Haruka," his mother turned to him calmly. "How do you feel about all of this? I'm sure you must understand what this means, right?"

"If I say I release him, he'll be free from whatever bond this is, and if I kiss him, it'll form a stronger bond," Haruka said, looking across the table at Ikuya. "It's not my decision alone. I'm not doing anything until I know how Ikuya feels."

"You see?" Kirishima-san gestured at him. "He's completely unreasonable!"

Haruka's mother gave Haruka a worried glance. "Kirishima-san, I think my son is right. It's not our decision to make, or even his, it's between the two of them."

"You can't be serious!" Kirishima-san exclaimed. "Would you really be okay with it if your son ended up in a relationship with another boy?!"

"Well," Haruka's mother tilted her head to the side and considered it. "If that makes him happy, then I can't wish for anything more than that."

Ikuya's father stared at her, aghast, while Ikuya looked shyly at Haruka. "I don't want Haru to release me," he said softly. He glanced away and his cheeks and ears turned red. "I don't know what I want from Haru, but I don't think I want it to end like this."

"Ikuya!" His father scolded. "Nanase-san, I apologize for bringing such an unpleasant end to your day. I'll take my son home now, since it seems this is going nowhere. Thank you for the tea."

As they were all standing from the table, Haruka felt his heartrate increasing. He wanted to grab Ikuya away from his father and bring him somewhere private, somewhere where they could speak freely. But he could only watch as Ikuya was tugged along towards the door.

"Haru," Ikuya called, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for other people," Haruka replied. He could feel pins and needles being stared into him from Ikuya's father, but he didn't care.