It started the way that everything seemed to between them with another challenge tacked on.
Rin had challenged him to a race and while the course was pretty straight forward with curving islands wrapped around it, it was unlike anything that they'd ever raced through.
Haru had agreed, just eager mostly to get into the water, thrilling over the thought of being immersed in the water, feeling the current brush against his skin though not really fighting with him, and naturally was eager to race Rin though times had never really mattered to Haru.
He'd dove in the same second that Rin did, and they stayed neck and neck for a while, it was a close race, but that never did stop the two of them, only propelled them further.
Haruka almost didn't stop when it seemed as if Rin had fallen behind, almost didn't look back when he felt that something was wrong as if the water that surrounded him had gone stale in silent and pointless rage.
When he did look back, he saw the way Rin's hair caught the waves before he went under again, saw the way the swimmer nearly bobbed along the water's surface and back under again as if truly there was no winner between the fisherman and the fish.
Haruka took a deep breath and was under the water almost without really thinking about it, was tugging Rin up, holding him afloat with as much strength as he could muster, and trying to swim to the nearest island that still felt far too distant from them.
He pushed and went on pulling Rin to shore before nudging him forward onto the ground that still seemed too hard like a nearly solid rock when one finally did climb onto it.
Haru pushed Rin's hair out of his face, caught sight of the way that Rin's breathing had slowed, felt the cold brush of his skin as he leaned closer, longing both to heal the pain that Rin had went through that stained him slightly with his own blood, and to allow Rin to finally be able to breathe again.
He moved closer to his childhood friend, felt the weak push of Rin's chest against his with each ragged breath and finally closed that distance, pinching his nose and blowing air into his mouth, ignoring the faint buzz of static from how sensitive both of their lips had to be, ignored the soft burn of far too salty water mingling on both of their chapped lips.
Haru slowly pulled back, watched nervously as Rin didn't immediately breath well back, and gently pushed his hands down, tried to chase the water from his lungs, desperately searching for the means to do CPR, the memory of how it actually went.
He watched as Rin slowly coughed up water, tugged him on to his side, panicking silently over the thought that Rin could have choked on that water and that it could have been the end all of a sudden.
Haru rolled him back onto his back and leaned down to fill those now much drier lungs with oxygen as he leaned back half on top of Rin, and pressed his lips onto his once more, open mouthed and trying to drag every breath of his own into Rin, into making him finally breath again, for once ignoring the tendrils of water that iced down his body: the only hint of their presence was ice cold to the touch as if trying to calm someone who was already too warm from their racing heart and the pounding of blood in their head.
He watched, silently, feeling his own desire to close in, do everything that he could yet again as guilt came crashing down over his heart; he shouldn't have accepted the challenge.
Haru took another deep breath and unloaded it straight into Rin's mouth, only pulling back when he felt the buzz of Rin stirring underneath him and felt him push upward just enough to tell Haru to back off.
He stared, wondered if red had ever looked so vibrant and alive yet so terrifying as it did now.
"You saved me." Rin muttered, and that was enough to finally bring a little more clarity into Haru's mind and help calm the pounding rush that made him slightly woozy even now.
"I did." Was all that Haru could mutter before he felt a soft kiss, a real one, grace his lips, touching just beyond what he'd thought one could; all Haru could see was red for a split second before he closed his eyes and just felt.
Kissing Rin wasn't like the ocean's occasional caress, it was wild and loving and more passionate than the usually gentle tug of water on skin.
He gasped into the kiss, felt Rin lean closer, and fell into the dizzying and comforting pattern of lips moving on lips before finally Rin's tongue peeked out, and everything changed.
It was so much like a drug to kiss Rin like this, to feel himself fall into the pit of warmth of passion; Haru was lost in the dizzying rush of heat on his skin as if he'd only ever been cold before now.
Rin was fire come to life yet also was the heated brush of water to skin, flowing and gentle at times yet wild whenever really worked up.
Haru didn't feel as wildly passionate as Rin had always been, had never had the ability to shift and change so much around him with a little bit of natural energy, but had always been the usually calming brush of pool water unless adversity stirred it up, left it hungrily dying for more.
He nearly tumbled back down onto the ground that still felt stiff yet almost softer in the glow of things as finally Rin pulled back slowly, dark hair falling around his shoulders, red eyes slowly opening, reminding Haru of what it must have been like to be a shark's prey though this felt safer and crazier than that surely would have felt.
"Thank you." Rin muttered, tears lightly coated his eyes before he pushed them away, and Haru couldn't find the words to answer him, not when he spoke with genuine gratefulness and affection, not when tears of gratitude and probably fear of what might have been pooled in his eyes.
Haru just leaned closer and gently nudged the other man against him, knowing that they'd have to return to the mainland and get Rin something to drink and his wounds from the stones in the ocean that had tripped him up bandaged.
Haruka held him closer and longed silently to never let him go in a metaphorical sense as seeing Rin be hurt that badly again would tear another hole in his heart where it would never be repaired.