Separation Countdown

ー rimacchi ー

CHAPTER II

Enclosure

He could feel the heat getting through his head as the words slide out of his ears. Haruka's eyes almost squinted as he kept observing the room dipped in white paint, his feet continously tapping on the wooden floorboards as he seek for another distraction while waiting for the person. The ticking clock reminded him that time was still running inside that stale room.

"What's taking him so long...?" Haruka mumbled to himself as he rubbed the leaves of a newly watered plant next to his seat. He eventually stopped and let his back sink on the chair's back cushion after noticing that the plant gave the pad of his fingers a greenish color. "Did he hit on some girls again...?" He asked himself with a sigh as he lifted his head up, staring at the turning ceiling fan which he didn't even notice since it didn't even give much cool air.

Before Haruka could even decide to stand up and pace around the room, touching whatever he could see that would give him amusement for the moment, the door had flung open, a man entered the room carrying a number of folders with the rest of the papers falling to the ground. He immediately put them down on a nearby oak desk as he gave out a frustrated sigh. Haruka looked at him with nervous eyes.

"Ah, Haruka." The man smiled at him, fixing his glasses and dusting his white coat. "I'm sorry, I had some trouble with the paperwork." He laughed finger combing his chesnut hair over his way to Haruka.

'I could tell.' Haruka thought to himself as he gave a nod to him. "It's okay, Okabe-san."

"Would you like something to drink before I tell you the news?" Okabe turned to the cabinet next to his desk, the wooden board creaking as he opened it, revealing a small fridge that he wasn't supposed to keep.

"Aren't those things supposed to be prohibited in a Doctor's office here?" Haruka asked, raising a brow.

"Well, well, they don't check mine properly and besides, having this is more convenient than going to the vending machine." Okabe helped himself with some cold canned coffee he kept inside his mini hidden fridge. "There are some who know but they don't really mind. They ask me for free drinks which is sort of a give and take method." He shruged as he went back to Haruka, sitting in front of him, giving him a can of orange juice.

Haruka accepted the juice from the man's hands and placed it on the the coffee table, his fingers tracing the droplets of water from the can's smooth surface. "So... Bad news or good news...?" Haruka started.

Okabe stared at Haruka for a moment, letting the ticking clock take over the silence. The man let out a deep sigh as he placed the empty coffee can on the table. "Haruka, do you really want to have the doctor talk now? I brought you to my office since I thought you need to relax for a bit. You can't do that in the check-up room."

"Dr. Okabe Yuusuke" Haruka called, making Okabe's shoulders rise for a bit then returning to their proper place. He called him 'Doctor' not the usual 'Okabe-san'

"Haruka..." Okabe whispered to himself as he noticed the boy's shivering fingers. Indeed, he wasn't ready to hear the results.

The boy wasn't speaking. He was always like that anyways. No one could ever know what's going on in his head besides waterーand how he loves to be in it. But now, all the man could sense is fear of the words that he is about to say.

"Okay, Haruka..." Okabe stared at the oak coffee table. He couldn't bare looking at the boy's anxious eyes. "No, Nanase-kun"

Okabe turned around once more to his desk, searching through the brown office folders he had brought in earlier and came back to his seat quickly. Opening the folder slowly, Haruka could barely see the faded 'Nanase Haruka' written at the folder's side. With the folder covering Okabe's face, he noticed how thick it has become.

"Nanase-kun, your pneumonia is getting serious." Okabe went straight to the point, almost being blunt, as he placed the recent check up results on the table in front of Haruka. "Are you aware of this?"

Rather than aware, Haruka was expecting this. He knew that inside himself, he's going to go through that stage and not knowing when the trouble would ever end. With that, he gave off a sick chuckle. "I've been expecting it."

"This isn't going well, Nanase-kun." Okabe reminded. "If this continues you'll reallyー"

"Can I still swim?" Haruka cut him off.

Okabe blinked his eyes in surprise.

"Swim?" He said in an unsure tone, not believing what Haruka had said. "You know how pneumonia works... Right?" He asked, worried.

"...I still need to swim..." Haruka whispered. "No matter what you say I'll still swim. Even if I end up suffocating myself in the water because of it."

Okabe couldn't think of any other reply. He knew this boy ever since his sickness was diagnosed. The doctor knew how much this boy had loved swimming more than life perhaps. He wondered what would happen if Haruka were to suffer even more emotionally and mentally if he were to be stripped of his right to swim.

That would be a bad idea.

"Why...?" Okabe could only ask that single word out of worry.

Haruka looked down at the orange juice can, watching water droplets getting pulled by gravity as pictures had began to play inside of his head.

Pictures of a girl with red hair doing calligraphy for their training.

Picutres of a cheerful blonde jumping happily like a child.

Pictures of a smart and responsible boy, memorizing theories and assumptions for the improvement of the club and for his as well.

Pictures of an older redhead who he considers as both friend and rival.

...Pictures of a brunette taking his hand, and never letting it go ever since.

Haruka bit his lip and swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's the only thing I have left..."

The silence swallowed the room. Both males couldn't even look at each other with the tense atmosphere drowning them.

"Okay..." Okabe whispers to himself as he reached for his coat pocket and revealed to Haruka a transparent orange container with a number of white pills resting inside it, placing it on the table. "I predicted this might happen..."

Haruka begun to stare at the miniature bottle of plastic, his eyes seeing through the white pills, curious of what they were. He extended his hand to the orange bottle and brought it closer to him, observing.

"What... Are these?" He asked slowly,rotating the bottle with his fingers, observing it through many angles.

"Just a new developed antiviral medicine. It might still help when you feel... You know, uneasy." Okabe scratched the back of his head. "It may have some other minor side effects so I still reccommend hospital admission and-"

"This is fine." Haruka cut him off, still staring at the bottle in his hands. "As long as it could keep me swimming."

Okabe bit his lower lip and rolled his fingers into a fist, worry filling up his blood.

"You don't have to do this, Haruka." He blurted out. "You're destroying yourself." He added.

"I don't mind being destroyed." Haruka whispered to himself. "As long as... I could be free..."

"Please do tell me if everything gets too hard on you. I'll be there right away." Okabe reminded, putting the papers back in Haruka's folder. "Just keep in mind that you need to spend more time on resting... Please."

Haruka frowned, keeping the bottle of medicine in his pocket as his eyes focused once more on Okabe. "I can't say for sure." He replied quietly.

"Promise me that you'll try. For the sake of your parents and for mine as well." He advised as he stood back up and returned the folders to his desk, leaving Haruka with his thoughts.

••••••••••••

"Haru?" Makoto called him, waving his hand in front of Haruka's face.

"Yeah?" Haruka replied, facing the brunette.

"You seem a little off today... Is everything alright?" Makoto said out of worry. "Did you take your breakfast?"

"Ummm..." Haruka nodded as both of them continued to walk their way into the crowd, entering the train to their school. "I just didn't get enough sleep."

"I see." Makoto replied.

The silence between them was back as they faced the scenery behind the tain's glass. Haruka felt the bottle's rough plastic lid inside of his pocket, rubbing it against his nails as he impatiently taps his foot.

'I need to tell him...' Haruka thought to himself. 'He's my best friend, I need to tell him... He deserves to know.'

The continuous rubbing on the plastic tip had suddenly stopped as the noise entering Haruka's ears began to transform into deafening rings as he remembered flashes of his past.

•

「Haruka! Haruka! 」 Makoto's voice had cracked as he shook Haruka's shoulder. 「Haruka, snap out of it... Please!」

'No, Makoto... Don't show me such a sad face. I'm fine...

I'm fine...'

•

The trains had stopped and both boys began to walk once more to school.

'If things get complicated, this thing in my pocket can possibly save me...' He thought once more. 'I need to tell him...'

Haruka had been lost inside his thoughts, he didn't notice that he was already sitting on his chair, waiting for their homeroom teacher to arrive.

"Perfectuals is coming up, Haru." Makoto snapped him out of his trance. "Somehow, I'm feeling fired up." He ended his statement with a laugh.

Haruka bit his lip, enclosing his fingers on the bottle he has on his pocket. "Yeah..." He replied.

The more Makoto showed him his gentle smile, the more Haruka had thought of trying to tell the brunette, but the words wouldn't come out.

"Let's work hard together, okay Haru?" Makoto said as he beamed with happiness.

Makoto was too bright. Too bright that it can somehow burn through Haruka's eyes.

His grip on the bottle loosens as he gave out a small smile to Makoto.

"Yeah..."

'I can't tell him...'

AUTHOR'S NOTE

So yeah, 2nd chapter is up :3 I hope you enjoy R&R please :)