Series: Inuyasha/Free!
Pairing: Kagome/Haru
Notes: side-story to "Fish and Freedom"

"Are you ready?" Kagome asked with a small smile as she put the finishing touches on his light blue scale makeup.

Haru nodded, and even though the response was small, Kagome liked to think that she'd gotten pretty good at reading the quiet swimmer. There was something in his eyes when he looked up at her as she leaned back to observe her handiwork. His usual apathy was missing from the deep blue of his irises. Instead, it was replaced with what Kagome would call excitement if she were pressed to put a word to it.

"Well, let's go then," she told him as she turned off the lights of her makeshift vanity and stood.

Each grabbing their bags which held their tails, they made their way to the prep tank that Kagome used to get ready for the pre-show announcements. Haru had been going through small waves of anxiety and excitement in the past week leading up to this moment, but now that it was here, any traces of lingering anxiety melted away. He was about to be able to put months of practice and training into practice on a new stage, and he honestly couldn't have been more ready.

Shucking their sweatpants to reveal the flesh-toned swim briefs that they both wore, Haru wondered exactly when this part of their routine had become normal. The first time they'd stripped down to their bottoms together, even Haru had blushed a little. He was used to being in swimwear around other people, but the bottoms he wore underneath his tail covered much less than his usual jammers. Not to mention the fact that they were meant to match as close to their skin tones as possible, and it very much looked like both of them were nude. But somewhere along the line, it had just become one more thing, one more part of their "normal."

Haru sat on the ground so that he could wiggle into his tail, something he still wasn't quite as fast as Kagome at doing, and took a deep breath as he scooted over to the edge of the tank and slipped into the water. Joining Kagome in their warm-ups of a few laps around the tank and some practice dives, Haru felt his legs shift and settle within the silicone as he swam. When Kagome caught his attention and motioned back towards the surface of the water, he quickly followed her lead.

Breaking the water's surface and taking in a gulp of air, Haru tried not to grin at the slight burn in his lungs. The job of professional merman wasn't something he'd ever considered before it was right in his face, but he had to admit that he was enjoying it and the new challenges it posed more and more.

Kagome reached onto the tank platform where their bags and sweatpants remained to grab her waterproof sign announcing their upcoming show. Turning back to look at Haru as his hair stuck to his face, she smiled as warmth filled her chest. She was proud of her new performance partner. He'd listened to her and worked hard to get ready to be at this point, and she was excited for him. She could remember the rush of adrenaline and nerves before her first show and said, "This is it. You ready?" At his nod, her smile widened. "Then follow me, and don't forget to wave at the visitors."

One more deep breath and Haru was under the water again, following Kagome on their way to the underwater tunnels that the aquarium guests walked through to see the habitats up close.

Haru knew that he wanted the merman job at the aquarium because it would allow him to be in and near the water and swim with the freedom he loved, but when he saw the aquarium goers react to him for the first time, when he saw the first small group of kids excitedly wave at him and then light up when he waved back, he found a whole new reason to love his job. And suddenly, the only real reservation he still had about being a merman, interacting with an audience as a performer, seemed like such a small worry as he just went with it; blowing bubbles, doing flips, pointing out the sign that Kagome still held, waving at squealing groups of children.

Stopping at one of the several air hoses dangling into the water for them to use, Haru took a breath and got ready to finish off their short pre-show tour only to pull up short when he returned to the plexiglass tunnel. Staring out at him was a group of people, but he could only focus on one person and their red eyes that he hadn't seen in months.

It was slow, but once it started it couldn't be stopped. Haru had to watch from his side of the glass as Rin's face gradually cracked and he busted out into what was surely loud laughter. Haru didn't even have to be able to hear him to know that Rin was probably wheezing, one hand braced against the tunnel just to keep himself standing. Cutting a small glare at Makoto, Haru was somehow more irritated by his friend's innocent grin than he was Rin's laughter, which still didn't seem to be dying down since it started up again each time he looked up at Haru.

What Haru didn't expect was to hear a muffled and very bubbly laugh. Whipping his head over to look in Kagome's direction, he saw that she had one hand pressed over her mouth as bubbles continued to leak out with each shake of her shoulders. Soon enough, she was running out of air and had to hand their sign off to him as she went to grab an air hose. He frowned at her as she sucked in a deep breath before letting it back out in a large stream of bubbles only to take another breath.

Kagome was still grinning at him from around the air hose even as he frowned at her. It didn't hit him until much later, after their actual performances and celebration with their coworkers and he was home again in bed, that while Rin's laughter and Makoto's grin had irritated him, Kagome's leaked giggles were a pleasant memory. He tried not to think too long on exactly why that was.