Post series setting.

Pairings: MakoxHaru, RinxNitori, ReixNagisa, GouxMikoshiba

M for blood and stuff. And eventual Romance.

This is the result of me loving a good sad story. Angst is not enough. :3

And also listening to the song 'The light behind your eyes' by MCR. I also suck at titles so guess what! Enjoy.

Chapter 1: Breaking

Makoto woke up that morning with a smile on his gentle face and he hummed to himself as he got ready for a day out with his friends. He dressed casually. A pair of normal swim trunks under a pair of track pants and blue and white stripped t-shirt was all he needed. He carried a small bag on his back that contained his towel and some sun block and various other things he might need. He positioned his glasses on his nose, opting not to wear his contacts for the day. The sand would just irritate them more if he wore them.

He slipped his cell phone into his pocket and descended the stairs thinking of one friend in particular that he had craved to see. He'd been uncertain of his confusing emotions regarding Haruka Nanase for a while, but after a long heart to heart with Rei of all people, he managed to figure it out. He was in love with his best friend. Haru meant the world to him a hundred times over and Makoto had never really had a problem showing him that. So the realization that he loved Haru hadn't shocked him as much as he had expected, and what's more, Rei didn't seem that surprised either. They were always together and were rarely seen without the other nearby.

Makoto made himself a light breakfast as he thought about the plans they had made. They were all going to get together and go to the beach for a while. While Makoto was a little apprehensive at this, he still agreed, mostly because Nagisa had cheated and turned on those tears of his when Makoto had initially declined. Makoto was easily won over and Nagisa knew just how to make him submit. But Haru would be there. So Makoto knew it would be fine. The plan was for Haru to meet up with Rin at the Samezuka station and walk with him to the shrine they had agreed to rendezvous at while Makoto gathered Nagisa, Rei, and Gou.

Nagisa and Rei were already waiting outside of his house as he stepped out into the pleasant morning sunlight. Makoto waved to his sleepy siblings as they saw him off on this Saturday morning and told them to be good before he disappeared down the street with his two friends. Nagisa bounced around excitedly as the trio made their way to the train station. With the way he was acting, you'd think he'd never been to a beach before. He drug Rei around like his own personal playmate. It was obvious now how much Rei cared for the little blond. Makoto now caught the small smiles that graced Rei's face when Nagisa innocently grabbed his hand or the light blush when the little ball of energy clung to him for whatever reason he chose. He could only wish for the best for them.

He wanted his friends to be happy more than anything. They boarded the train and Nagisa sat between Rei and Makoto, chattering about this and that and the tallest of the three smiled as he observed Rei hanging on the little blond's every word even if he pretended he wasn't. Nagisa had the butterfly swimmer wrapped around his little finger and he didn't even know it. Or what's worse, maybe he did? It was similar for Makoto and Haru.

Makoto did everything Haru asked and was always the first to defend Haru's decisions. He was always there to back Haru up. Always. The reverse was also true. Haru always tagged along with Makoto, doing whatever the green eyed boy wished. They had been friends for so long that Makoto knew all of Haru's weaknesses and how to exploit them. The one he use the most what Haru's love for water. He couldn't count the number of times Haru followed him around just for the promise of water and that thought made Makoto smile.

The train came to a stop and Nagisa bounded off of it followed closely by Rei. Makoto trailed after them and, once they spotted Gou they all began to walk towards their meeting place. Makoto pulled out his green cell phone and quickly typed out a message to Haru that they would be there soon. Overall, Makoto was glad he decided to come along. He knew Nagisa and Gou would pester Rin for a majority of the day and Rei would tag along where ever Nagisa went so that meant he and Haru would have some time together.

They wouldn't be alone, but that didn't really matter all that much to Makoto. As long as he got to spend time with his friend, he was content. Love is patient after all. Even if Haru never knew how he felt, Makoto knew that he would still be near him. They'd always been together and Makoto, for one, had never had a moment in his life where Haru wasn't there. Perhaps his earliest years, but after that, Haru was as much a part of him as his own green eyes were.

He watched as his friends chatted animatedly together. Gou and Nagisa led the way, arms linked and bickering about what they would do first. Nagisa wanted to play volleyball and Gou wanted to search for shells. They all crossed the road together when the light indicated it was safe and Makoto was kind of surprised at how dangerous this intersection appeared to be from the other side of the street. A tall fence blocked the view of the road and, unless you stood right at the edge of the side walk, you couldn't see the oncoming traffic. Makoto made a mental note to be very careful on their way back home. Nagisa's yell of excitement snapped Makoto out of his slight trance and he watched as the blond made his way into a convenience store, dragging Gou behind him and cheering about some sweet drink. Rei yelled after them and Makoto laughed softly at the younger boy's distress before patting him on the shoulder and motioning after the energetic duo.

"Go ahead. I'll meet up with Rin and Haru. They should be just around the corner." Makoto said reassuringly as he walked on, leaving Rei to wander into the store and hunt for the little blond snack monster. His heart fluttered slightly at the thought of finally getting to see Haru for the day and he smiled. He really was hopeless. They had just seen each other the night before, but Makoto found that, no matter how often they met up he always longed to see Haru.

He wasn't even sure if Haru was into other guys, and to be honest, Makoto knew he wasn't. Not just any guy would do.. It had to be Haru. They had always been together and he hoped that they always would be. Even if he never told Haru that he was in love with him, Makoto always wanted to remain at his side as long as he was needed.

Makoto shoved his hands in his pockets and, as he stepped around the corner, that unwavering smile of his faltered… He stood, rooted to the spot as his widened jade eyes locked on the scene in front of him. He could feel his heart thundering rapidly against his ribcage and his knees shook slightly at the sight before him. Haru and Rin were standing a couple of blocks down the road, hands clasped together and lips locked in a kiss that they both appeared to be enjoying. Makoto felt his chest swell painfully and he couldn't stop the tears from forming even if he wanted to. What hurt the most was seeing just how perfectly they fit together…

He just stared for a moment, his mind in a jumbled haze of panic, confusion, and agony. What he had feared most was happening right in front of him. Rin was taking his place at Haru's side. He wouldn't be needed by the one he loved anymore and it was so painful that, for a moment, Makoto felt like he couldn't breathe. Makoto had always been something of a coward. He always feared the outcome of something new and different. He feared rejection and uncertainty, but mostly, he just didn't want to be alone. A life without Haru wasn't one he wanted to live. So he did what every other coward would have done in this instance. He ran..

His feet were moving before he was even aware of it. He bolted past the store as his other friends were coming out but he didn't hear them call out to him. How could he? All that he could hear, could feel, was his breaking heart. His head hung down as he ran, vision blurred by a torrent of tears and his mind was fogged by what he had just witnessed. Haru… How could he have been so blind?

God, it was so obvious now that it might as well have kicked him in the face. Why didn't he see the possibility of those two coming together? Was that why Haru had wanted to go and get Rin by himself? So they could be alone together before everyone met up? That had to be it. It was as if his world had slowed down, swallowing him whole and holding him underneath the surface of the ocean he feared so much. Haru…

"MAKOTO-SENPAI!" Several things happened at once. Makoto hesitated in his step the moment he heard the squealing of the car's breaks, but it was too late to move. He froze and everything happened too fast and too slow all at once. He'd hit the windshield of the car and weightlessly tumbled over the back of it and into the road. There was a sickening sound followed by the screeching of breaks and several cries of surprise and fear. The three friends that had witnessed the accident all stood motionless for a moment, not sure if what they were seeing had really happened.

The pavement was stained a painful red and the figure in the road didn't move. Nagisa had never moved so fast in his entire life. Within seconds the small blond was kneeling beside Makoto on the ground, ruby eyes wide and brimming with tears. His small hands hovered over Makoto's prone form, shaking violently. His eyes watered instantly as they took in a sight that they never wanted to see.

Makoto wasn't moving. He was laying on his side, haunched over slightly with one arm bent at an odd angle underneath him. There were several angry purple bruises forming on the visible skin and, from where his shirt had raised slightly, Nagisa could see more forming under his clothes. His arms and, no doubt, his legs were covered in painful looking scrapes and small gashes from sliding across the pavement. The worst thing though was the blood. There was blood on his hands, evidence that he had tried to catch himself and failed.

Below his left knee was a darkening puddle where a piece of glass from the windshield had lodged itself in his skin. And under his head, another puddle had formed. Makoto's hair, normally the color of wet sand, was now tinted with red in places and Nagisa was beginning to hate that color. His dark frames lay in the road a few feet away, broken and useless with a small amount of red speckling the lenses. Makoto's eyes were half open and unfocused, staring at nothing. Nagisa reached out and gently touched Makoto's shoulder.

"M-Mako-chan….?"

"Nagisa! Don't move him! Gou, go get Haruka-Senpai and Rin-san!" Rei ordered from behind the small blond as he pulled out his phone already dialing the number for the ambulance. He had been afraid to approach Makoto, but after seeing Nagisa run to their friend, he couldn't stop feet from carrying him over as well. His hands were shaking as well, but given the condition his two friends were in, he had to be the one to act fast.

"But…" She managed her normally pink tinted face white as a sheet.

"Just go! Help is on the way.. Nagisa! Don't move him!" Rei yelled again before quickly responding to the dispatcher's questions. When the phone call was over Rei felt tears begin to sting his eyes. He took a deep breath and looked up. Now was not the time to break down. Once Makoto was in safe hands, then he could release his building anxiety. Rei looked at Nagisa, his brow furrowed as he watched his friends shoulders shake. Even though he was standing behind Nagisa, he could tell the small male was crying.

"Mako-chan.. Hang on.." The little blond whimpered as he laced his fingers in Makoto's bloody hand. "You'll be alright. Rei-chan.. He's getting help.." Even through the shouts of the gathering crowd and Nagisa's own gentle cries, Makoto still didn't move.

A/N: Thoughts? Advice? Death threats? Let me know what you think. Comments are appreciated. This story is also posted on AO3 under the same pen name.