Separation Countdown
ー rimacchi ー
CHAPTER I
A World If They Haven't Met
"Haru," A voice swept through Haruka's ears as he felt his feet taking unsteady steps on the pavement. At the moment, he realized that the day was about to come to an end as his best friend and he began to walk their way home on a thirty-minute journey after such misfortune landed before their heads when the trains had stopped moving due to railing problems. "What terrible luck we have. The train had to break down." The boy beside him sighed.
His feet began to sting as he noticed the rays of setting sunlight had almost dyed the brunette boy's hair to orange. Makoto had given him a calm smile as Haruka's eyes met the ocean, now bathed in crimson light.
"You still want to swim?" Makoto asked followed by a chuckle. Haruka didn't speak. He simply nodded, a short answer to his friend's question.
Sure, they had just finished practice with the juniorsーNagisa and Reiー with a willed manager, Gou, who was filled with enthusiasm as the perfectuals are coming up. But Haru didn't feel like he had to leave the water. It was indeed tiring but Haruka wanted to stay and feel the water. He didn't need to swim at that time, but only to float freely, to get carried at the water's surface. He didn't wonder why, though. Maybe because he didn't need to think of a reason. He just thought that he needed to do it.
"Makoto," Haruka started off, almost startling the brunette. "Could we go back to school?" He said, his urge getting to him.
"Eh?" Makoto reacted, not quite understanding the shorter boy's words. "But it's going to be dark soon. Plus, the trains have stopped so we need to walk home again. Are you sure? We're almost to your house."
Haruka sighed roughly, biting his lower lip then after. "Nevermind," He said, finally noticing his words. "Let's go home." His blue eyes left the ocean as he focused on getting home, his feet moving forward as Makoto followed him.
"Don't worry, you'll have all the time you need tomorrow, Haru." Makoto smiled.
"Tomorrow..." Haru whispered to himself as his eyes softened.
"Haru," The brunette lost his track and stopped as Haruka moved forward a few steps. Almost as if he wanted to be left behind if it weren't for his call.
"Hmm?" Haruka tilted his head, confusion gathering up in his eyes as he noticed those green eyes staring with all sincerity in them, it almost made him shiver. "W-what is it, Makoto?" He hasn't been this serious in years.
"Haru," Makoto called out again, worry covering up his gentle voice as it reached Haruka's ears. "Are you okay...?" He asked slowly, as if he was hesitating.
Haruka swallowed the lump stuck in his throat, preventing a cough, as a droplet of sweat dropped down to his chin. He bit his lower lip, cursing in his thoughts. It was Makoto he was facing. He had known him since forever and who knows, both of them might have even met inside of their mothers' wombs. Of course he would at least notice something's off.
"What are you talking about, Makoto?" Haruka replied, maintaing his usual persona. "I'm fine." He wasn't, that's for sure but the words seem to get stuck behind his throat in front of the brunette.
The wind had begun to blow, whispering into their ears as locks of hair began to sweep through their foreheads and flutter up their clothes. Makoto began to stare at Haruka's ocean eyes as the sound of the sea began to mix up with the breeze.
"I guess it was just my imagination." Makoto chuckled, smiling to himself. "Sorry, Haru. I must be tired." He continued, scratching his head as he caught up with his steps next to Haruka. "So, let's go home then." He chanted.
The sun has started to take its leave, letting the darkness seep in, painting the crimson sky into a starry night. The breeze chilling up to the boys' shoulders as the dark began to fill in to their eyes.
"It's getting pretty dark." Makoto said as he kept on walking beside Haruka as he nodded silently in reply.
"Ren and Ran must be worried about you by now." Haruka commented followed by a small cough.
"Well, they could get a bit clingy at times." Makoto laughed. "They'd be worried about you, too, Haru-chan" He teased as Haruka furrowed his brows together.
"Drop the '-chan' already." Haruka scolded and stopped after emphasizing his words as he heard the sound of water gush through his ears. Makoto stopped on his tracks along with him.
Haruka almost didn't notice it because of the darkness. His legs began to lead him aimlessly at the edge of the river bank's slope as he watched the river water hit the rocks, splashing its way, leading doplets of water hit the grass.
"The river..." Haruka whispered to himself as the wind began to blow once more, even colder than before. "Brings back memories." The cold began to seep in through the boy's body as his coughs began to volume up.
"Yeah... It does." Makoto said almost in a monotone voice as if he was being forced to remember his memories. "Brings back a lot." The brunette bit his lip when he gritted his teeth as he took a deep breath. "Let's go, Haru." He grabbed Haruka's arm and began to drag him away from the river bank.
"Is there something wrong, Makoto?" Haruka asked in confusion as they began speed walking away from the river.
"It's just..." Makoto began to calm himself down as he began to slow down on his steps and clear his mind. Looking back at Haruka, he gave a gentle smile as he slowly let go of his friend's arm. "It's getting colder, don't you think, Haru? I don't want one of us to catch a cold before the perfectuals. Gou and the others would definitely worry too." Makoto hid all unpleasant things inside him, including the ones that he didn't want to remember.
Haruka's lip shook. He regained his composure and began walking the same speed as Makoto's hiding the coughs that he began to make. "Y-yeah." He replied.
The boys finally reached up on top of the stairs The sky above them, pitch black. The space between both teens was covered in silence and as both of them stood there, the silence began deafening. Haruka's ears began to ring and a stabbing pain impelled to his chest as oxygen in his lungs began to empty up once more, his mind began to become bothered by Makoto's expression earlier at the river and what made it worse was he didn't have any idea why.
"So," Makoto began, snapping Haruka out of his own world. "I'm going this way. Will you be fine by yourself? It's pretty dark. I heard from the neighbors that some street lights are still in repair."
"No, I'mー"
"Onii-chan!" A pair of voices began to overlap, cutting Haruka off his words as two resembling faces began to race onto them. "Onii-chan!" They said again in synchronization.
"Ren, Ran!" Makoto laughed as his siblings began to hug his legs. Haruka pulled the edges of his lips to form a small smile. "Why are you still outside?"
"Ah! Haru-chan is also here!" Ran said, hugging Haruka as well.
"Mother forgot some seasonings for dinner and we were going to the kind grandma next door to give us some!" Ren cheered. "But then, we saw you on from afar so we ran here!" He chuckled.
Makoto gently pat their heads as he knelt down to their height. "I see." He smiled in reply. "So, let's go home and have dinner. Is Dad home yet?" He asked as the twins nodded.
Haruka's smile began to widen as he watched the siblings laugh. His heart felt warm and at the back of his mind, he would have been thinking on how great would it be to have siblings.
"Haru-chan should come over for dinner too!" Ren cheered, staring at Haruka with a bright smile. "Mother would like it if you come!" He added as Ran began to cheer 'that's right! That's right!'
"Yeah, Haru, you should come over too." Makoto insisted with gentle eyes piercing through his. "It's been a while since you ate at our house. I'm sure you would like to eat something else besides mackerel. "
Haruka wanted to. He really did. He wanted to say 'okay' and get dragged along by the twins to Makoto's bright house. But...
"No, it's fine. I'm kind of tired with all that walking so I think I'm going straight home. Some other time might be good though." Haruka replied, noticing a hint of disappointment in both of the twins, as well as Makoto's.
It wasn't his fault though.
"Oh, I see." Makoto said. "Well, have a nice night then, Haru." He waved and added a 'see you tomorrow' as he turned his back and began to walk home, his silhouette becoming smaller and smaller until it completely became invisible.
Haruka sighed, let out a cough as he climbed the rest of the stairs, noticing the broken street lights the neighbors were talking about.
Without noticing, Haruka had led himself to his door, sliding it to reveal the spacious interior of his house being illuminated as he flicked up the light switch.
His feet began to walk without his bidding as he swayed, unsteady, his balance taken away. Haruka's eyes began to blur when the stabbing pain went back to his chest and when his feet began to wobble up like jelly, he finally collapses on the bed, his eyes half closed. The ticking clock raided his ears.
He focused on his breathing, timing it up with the clock for a steady pace as he tightened his grip on his chest when he took a deep breath. His vision getting swirled as he focused on the medicine he had on his desk.
"I'm fine..." He whispered to himself, almost out of breath as be closed his eyes, clutching on his chest. "I'm fine... I'm fine..." He chanted.
'I'm fine...'
He told himself that over and over. Whether it was by the depths of his mind or his voice, he never stopped chanting those words that maintained his persona, his mediocrityーhis life.
'I'm fine...'
But as Haruka whispered those words, at the back of his mind, he thought of something else.
'I can't let Makoto know.'
He didn't want to become a burden to the person he has beside him.
'I can't afford to let him know...'
Sometimes before Haruka would sleep, he would always think about the passing days, his memories and what would his future self look like. But above everything else, he would think of a world where the two of them didn't meet. A world where Makoto wasn't there to take his hand. Unsurprisingly, he could only think about it and couldn't bring his mind to send off pictures because he already know what would happen to him... Everything will all fade to black.
'I'm fine... As long as Makoto remains the same.'
/AUTHOR'S NOTE/
So yeah, hey guys. This is my very first Free! Fanfic. This may contain spoilers from the anime or from the light novel. I hope you enjoy this. :3