Fast Forward

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

Perhaps it was a testament to how much Rin had travelled in his life that airports in-general but especially Narita airport felt like a second home now. This bar especially felt like a second home, especially since it was owned by Nitori, "Rin-senpai!" he called when Rin walked in, "Welcome back! Are you heading home?"

Rin nodded as he sat down, "The usual thanks, Ai," he whispered, "Also, isn't it about time you stopped calling me senpai? It's been so long since we graduated!"

Nitori grinned, he had already started getting Rin's usual drink of choice, whisky on the rocks, ready, "Rin-senpai is Rin-senpai, it would feel weird to call you anything else," he said.

Rin grunted, "I supposed given I can't even get my damn wife to stop calling me Matsuoka-kun I shouldn't complain about you still calling me senpai."

"I thought that was a sex thing?" Nitori asked just as Rin had taken a sip and thus causing Rin to splutter, "That's what Aki-san said."

"Why were you and my wife talking about sex?" he demanded.

"Well it wasn't me, it was Nagisa who asked Aki-san why she still called you Matsuoka-kun. She said it was because she was running an elaborate life long experiment to see if she could train you up to get turned on from nothing but her calling you Rin because the only time she called you Rin is when you two are having sex," Nitori explained.

It took a full minute for Rin's brain to process what had just been dumped on him. "Nagisa!" sigh, "And damn Aki too for spilling out sordid secrets."

"Well its not Aki-san's fault, Nagisa can be very persuasive," he said with a grin.

"No doubt," said Rin dismissively, just wanting to move on to a new topic. But still, the mention of Aki made Rin reach for his phone. There were no new messages but there was an old message from a hour ago. Rin found himself rereading it, "Can't wait for you to get back! See you soon!"

"Can't wait to see you too," Rin thought as he put the phone back in his pocket. He would get to see her in about a day. When he would be back home in Lausanne, Switzerland. Rin had been living there for about five years now, ever since he started working for FINA.

"How is Aki-san?" wondered Nitori.

"Good, I think," said Rin, "I have been away for two months and while we emailed, talked over V-chat and stuff, I wasn't there," Rin pointed out, "I never trust half the thing I am feed from a distance. I learnt my lesson a long time ago."

Nitori bit his lips and swallowed back the question he always wanted to ask but never did. He doesn't know exactly what happened. No one he was close to did. But he knew something had happened to Rin after he graduated Samezuka and moved to Tokyo to attend Tokyo University and join National Swimming team. Makoto and Haru had also moved to Tokyo at about that time. Both made it into Tokyo University, a fact celebrated in Iwatobi High as a tremendous achievement for a regional high school, but they hadn't joined the swim team.

Nitori knew the three were renting together and they knew Aki, Rin's now wife, had walked back into the boys life around about that time. The "best" from their message wall was back to complete the sentence of "I swim (Makoto) best (Aki) free (Haru) for the team (Rin)". She had left Iwatobi during high school when her parents had been transferred but unexpectedly found herself living close to the boys during college.

The rumour was that Rin and Aki didn't have the worlds most pleasant courtship and Haru and Makoto were the reasons behind it. Although Nitori couldn't see how Haru and Makoto could cause friction in Rin's relationship as by then they were firmly a couple. But a friend of a friend's sister who was friend's with Aki during college apparently overheard Rin and Aki arguing one time in which Rin accused Aki of having feelings for Haru and Aki in-turn accused Rin of having feelings for Makoto.

Nitori didn't know the truth however, as he didn't catch back up with Rin until after college and by that time Rin was a medal winning Olympian, married to Aki and expecting a child. He was at the top of the world and as happy as can be. Plus the four of them, Makoto, Haru, Aki and Rin had remained good friends all these years. Further more, Rin and Aki had named their only daughter Haruka after well, Haru. So Nitori just dismissed the rumours as rumours but every now and again, he saw glimpses of trauma and old wounds. Like Rin's utter inability to accept "everything is fine" messages from Aki.

"I am sure everything is fine," he offered.

"I'll find out in about a day," said Rin, "Anyway, its almost time for my flight," paying his tab, Rin headed out.

"I'll see you when you return to Japan!" Nitori called out.

Author's note: I was writing this for the 30daysofrin event over at Tumblr to celebrate Rin's birthday. But I had for various reasons I decided it was too "atypical" for an event like that. Anyway, I decided to throw what I had up here for anyone who might be interested in this future fic/AU. Anyway, Aki is Yazaki Aki from High Speed who was a classmate and clubmate of Makoto, Haruka and later Rin when Rin joined Iwatobi elementary and Iwatobi swim club. She didn't make it into the anime. Also, just in case it wasn't clear, the FINA (which the is the international governing body for swimming) is in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Basically in this future fic/AU Rin works for FINA at their HQ. He and Aki have one daughter Haruka who is in a long distance relationship with Makoto and Haru's son. Obviously much hilarity ensues as Rin tries to keep his daughter away from MakoHaru jr but fails miserably. On the drama side, Aki has a weak heart and can literally drop dead any moment. So Rin lives in constant dread of coming home to a dead wife. Plus yes, there was an incident back when they were all in college that means Rin has trust issues when Makoto, Haru and Aki get together. I.e. he doesn't trust them together but no, Nitori's friend of a friend got it wrong. It wasn't anything nearly as cliche as cheating.

Anyway, look forward to the fic I did send in to 30daysofrin on the 20th of January!