Note: Makoto and Haruka (and any other sea person) appear like mermen creatures amongst each other while to normal humans they appear like the actual mammal/fish they are. If that makes sense.

Makoto didn't find his pod again for a number of days. He swam slowly, with little purpose. He barely ate. He merely moved forward at a sad, sad pace as life around him lost all meaning. Sometimes he contemplating not surfacing for air, but his body always forced that on him.

For the first time he found himself quite thankful that he was indeed an orca, and safe from virtually any other predator because he honestly was not paying attention to his surroundings nor was he willing to put up a fight if something did try to eat him. Still, he clung cruelly onto life.

His pod saw him before he saw them. He heard their cries and didn't even want to look up. A part of him wanted to swim away and hide in a dark cave and never emerge again. Yet, he remained still as he was soon surrounded by concerned familiar faces. His mother and father pushed their way through the ring, hugging him close to them. He felt like a small little calf and clung to them without another word. Shuddering and shivering and wailing.

The rest of the pod, not in his immediate family, quickly backed off to give them space, as he buried his face in his mothers neck and tried to calm himself. He was almost a grown man. He had to be strong…despite the world crumbling.

It was Ran who finally blurted out what was on everyone's mind, "Where's Haru?"

Makoto pulled back, wiping at his face and trying to stop his shivering. His family looked upon him with concern. "Was it…Was it the shark?" His mother finally asked, quietly.

Makoto shook his head, much to the surprise of the other orcas. "H-He was hurt b-by the shark." Makoto bit out, "But he was alive when I got to him and he w-would have been fine! He would have been fine…" His tail flipped at the water angrily in frustration, "But I was too slow and the humans-"

"Humans!?" His father repeated in shock, to which Makoto nodded quickly.

"Th-They took him. I followed the boat for as long as I could but…But i wasn't fast enough and-"

His mother drew him into a hug, smoothing his hair and shushing him softly. "I'm so sorry, I'm so very sorry." She kept repeating into his ear and it was all he could do to not descend into a cacophony of sobs and wails. "But thank god you're ok." She continued, pulling back and smiling sadly at him. And it made him stop and stare at her and think.

Really think.

If he had been the one lost, would Haruka have been welcomed back into the pod? Or would they have cast him out and let him die. Thank god you're ok. He repeated in his mind as he pulled away from his mother, who looked at him with surprise.

He felt sick.

"Makoto, you look starved, come lets get you some food."

Makoto couldn't really argue with those words and silently followed his family back to the pod. He clutched his hand into a fist. His fingers felt so empty.

He felt as if he had just been torn in half.

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa called, skipping his way over to the taller man with a pout, "You didn't come to lunch!" He hid his arms behind his back and leaned over to see what the blue haired man was up to. For some reason he hadn't turned around yet to greet or yell at him which was quite unusual.

"Sorry, Nagisa-kun." Rei waved off, standing over the scene unfolding before him. "Something came up."

"What's wrong?" Nagisa asked, suddenly worried as he tried to peer around his coworker curiously.

"Some fishermen caught an injured dolphin and brought him here." Rei explained, scooching over to the side to allow the shorter man an opportunity to see. "His flipper is badly damaged, we're lucky it wasn't ripped off completely or there would be nothing we could do. As such, the veterinarians believe they can patch him up, but full recovery is below 20 percent." He sighed out, pushing his red frames up his nose.

Nagisa frowned, looking over at the sedated creature and the swarming doctors tending to it. "Well, at least he'll live right?" He offered, positively.

"…I suppose…" Rei murmured out, never taking his eyes off the dolphin.

Nagisa looked over at him and pouted at the serious face. He tugged at the others arm, forcing him to look at him with a questioning gaze. "You're not doin' anything necessary, just hovering. Let's go get lunch! I need to eat before my next show!"

Rei sighed and nodded after a moment, allowing himself to be led away by the shorter man out of the dolphin area and toward the employee lounge. Still, the dolphin lingered in his mind. He was glad he was going to live, but he didn't agree with interfering in nature so directly…But did that make him callous? He wasn't sure. He decided to forget about it now, and simply enjoy his meal with his overly bubbly coworker.

Makoto kept to the outer rings of the pod, swimming listlessly along with them. He tried to smile, he really did, but it would never stay. Smiling used to be so easy. He felt guilty about how sad he was, because it made his own family sad to see him this way. It wasn't their fault he was like this, there was nothing they could do.

He felt especially bad for his little brother and sister. He didn't want them to feel any way responsible for what happened to Haruka. He didn't want that guilt to weigh down their hearts. So he tried to be happy, he really did.

But he just couldn't.

Because everything in the whole ocean reminded him of his best friend. From the water that swept across his fins, to the hops into the air of his fellow podmates, to the dark crevices and corners of the sea floor.

He'd never hated the ocean more than now.

And he realized that he couldn't give up on Haruka, he couldn't leave him in the limbo of captivity or death. Even though it was impossible, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't at least try to get him back. Or confirm the worst.

He shook the the last thought away.

And that was how, only a few days back with the pod, he decided to leave it once again. He didn't tell anyone, but he suspected many assumed. He hugged his mother and smiled at her warmly. She didn't seem to want to let go, but she inevitably did. He patted his little brother and sister on the head and grinned at them. He didn't say goodbye.

In the morning he was already gone, slipping away in the darkness of the night and heading back the way he had come and feeling slightly freer with each sweeping motion of his tail.

"Nagisa shouldn't you be with the killer whales." Rei pointed out, trying to shoo his more senior co-worker away from his area. Nagisa remained stubbornly in place by his side.

"I'm on break! And I worked with dolphins before, longer than you have too!" He snapped back easily, leaning over the solitary tank. The injured dolphin was being kept separate from the rest of the amusement park's collection, for fear they might worsen his condition. "He looks lonely…"

"It can't be helped." Rei sighed, coming down to crouch beside the other.

"…So is that why you haven't been spending time with me on your breaks and lunch, Rei?" Nagisa smiled slyly, "You've been keeping this little guy company haven't you?"

Rei turned his head to the side to hide the red tint on his cheeks, before stuttering out, "It's my job!"

"You're not the only dolphin trainer here." Nagisa continued playfully, grinning at the reaction he was receiving. However, he took mercy on the other and changed the subject after a moment, "At least his fin looks like it'll get better… I mean he is swimming after all."

"Very little though…and slowly." Rei reminded, frowning at the dolphin in the tank.

"Does he have a name yet?"

"Not that I'm aware." The blue haired man answered truthfully with a shrug.

Nagisa hummed, stepping over to where the dolphin was floating sadly and peering at him, "Ne, Flipper, what should we call you?" He asked with a smile, rubbing the dolphins head softly.

The dolphin looked over at the touch and stared at the other. The blond laughed, petting him some more, "Flippers no good right? What about…Leon? No…Kira?* Hmmm." Nagisa continued to list off possible names, none seeming to attract the dolphin's attention.

"How about 'Haru'?" Rei offered, coming over and offering the cetacean a fish for his trouble. The dolphin ignored the blond in favor of the meal, eating it readily.

"Haru? How come?"

"Well, logically speaking, we received him on the spring equinox, the official day of the season. In addition, the kanji can also be seen as mean 'distance' and what with the separation he is currently undergoing for the time being it seems apt. Furthermore-"

"I get it. Haru it is!" Nagisa quickly interrupted, losing interest in the indigo head's actual reasoning. It sounded pretty and that was enough for him. "Oh darn, I gotta go!" He whined, glancing at his watch, "Rei, take your break and come watch the first part of my show!"

"I've seen it already." Rei answered truthfully, only to get attacked by Nagisa's big, wide, teary eyes. He groaned after a moment, mumbling out a, "Alright, fine." And allowed the shorter man to drag him back out of the dolphin area and into the killer whale one next door, giving the injured cetacean one last look.

It had surprised him considerably on his first day of work when he was partnered up with Nagisa in order to learn to be a dolphin trainer. It had surprised him even further that they weren't actually partners, he was just an apprentice under the others wing.

Finally the biggest surprise was the fact Nagisa wasn't even a dolphin trainer anymore, but had volunteered to show him anyhow due to the shortness of staff. Nagisa had already graduated from dolphin training and cleared up the ranks all the way to the top killer whale instructor the park had. It astounded Rei how talented the short, bubbly blond truly was. He would never have guessed.

Rei was a decent swimmer, especially considering how recently he had learned the sport, but he was no match for Nagisa's skill. It was no wonder he was the top trainer of the park, he could handle himself impeccably well in the water. His small stature made the orcas he worked with seem all the more massive and impressive. And his cheery smile won the hearts of everyone in the audience.

Usually he was captivated by his performances, they were of the utmost beauty in his scrutinizing eyes. But today, however, he kept glancing over to the neighboring show tank, where a few of his coworkers were practicing with some dolphins. He looked beyond them, to the barely visible solitary tank of his ward, wondering if 'Haru' was swimming more energetically, or if, maybe, his fin was hurting him too much.

Makoto had never swum so purposely before in his life. He had never swum in open waters by himself like this. It was simply him, the whole wide ocean and whatever fish dared to cross his path. He didn't really know where he was going, simply swimming on the notion that the boat went in a straight path to its destination. He was compelled forward, and completely focused on the task at hand.

The only moments that made him stop in his mission was when his stomach demanded nourishment and he was forced to hunt around. By himself, he would never be able to catch anything big and filling, so he sustained himself with smaller fish every once in a while.

It wasn't healthy but he didn't care.

It was not until a few weeks of this he realized that this idealistic mission was destined for failure if he didn't change something soon. He wasn't swimming as fast or long as he could, he was hungry all the time, and the lonely journey was starting to crack his usual calm demeanor. If only Haruka were here.

But that was the whole point of the mission anyway.

In addition, he had a sinking feeling he was no longer going the right way anyhow. He'd always simply just followed his pod, trusting the matriarch and her navigational skills. Why hadn't he paid more attention at the beginning of this foolhardy trek? He felt sick, he felt disoriented and he felt so very alone.

He surfaced up for some air and smashed the water's calm surface angrily with his tail in frustration. There was no coast line in sight.

He ducked back down beneath the waves and decided to search out some dinner. His movements were quick and choppy. It was no wonder everything in the ocean seemed to be keeping its distance from him. However, the thought didn't dawn on him and he only grew more irritated.

He tried to take in a calming breath but only felt his stomach growl in response. Still, his behavior was getting him no where. Why did he even go on this journey. It was pointless. He would never find Haruka. How could he? He was gone…Forsaken to the realm of humans never to be seen again. Most likely dead from his wounds. He wanted to scream again and shout and thrash and-

He paused, peering into the distance at a foggy figure swimming a ways away. He swam toward it slowly, trying to keep quiet. Perhaps he could finally eat something.

But then he actually saw the creature.

"YOU!"

The shark whirled around, revealing its read long hair and confused expression to the orca behind him. It stared at him in shock, trying to understand the sudden shout from the orca now racing toward him. His side stung and his eyes widened in recognition as he watched the powerful black and white tail push through the ocean.

Rin made the split decision of abandoning the school of fish he had been following in favor of high tailing it away from the dangerous killer whale. Which was a bit of a blow to his ego but at the same he had a sister to feed.

Rin was faster than the killer behind him, but the guy just would not quit. He changed strategies, taking a sharp left and ducking into an underwater cave, just squeezing in. Makoto charged right in, only to find his dorsal fin blocking him. He growled in frustration, pulling back and swishing his tail about angrily.

"Get over here right now!" Makoto shouted, reaching an arm into the dark cave desperately. He received a bite for his trouble, but luckily pulled back before any really damage could occur. He glared, cradling the injured appendage, as a trickle of blood slipped down his forearm. "You son of a bitch. It's all your fault!"

"Look," Rin snapped, getting annoyed and a little restless of being trapped in the relatively small hole, "I don't get what your problem is. The dolphin attacked me. 'Course i was gonna try to kill it. You're a killer whale don't you know this shit?"

"You were going to kill my little brother and sister!" Makoto hissed back angrily.

Rin grimaced but remained firm, "A shark's gotta eat."

Makoto let out a frustrated noise and darted away from the opening. Rin waited a moment before poking his red head out to check if he was in the clear. He slowly maneuvered his way out and back into the open waters. He let out an angry sigh, the school of fish was definitely gone by now. He couldn't afford to go back with nothing. He gritted his sharp teeth, about to go head out and look some more when two hands grabbed his shoulders firmly and whirled him around, bringing him face to face with the brunet.

"You almost killed my best friend and got him captured! You think I'd just leave!"Makoto growled, glaring down at the shark.

Rin thrashed in the strong grip, not used to being dominated so easily. No one normally messed with sharks, but he had been running into a lot of meddling dolphins these days. "What are you going to do? Kill me? Eat me? Ya think that'll bring your stupid dolphin pal back?"

The brunet glared harder, shoving the other on the cave side. The red head grunted, his eyes squinting shut before opening to stare at the other. "I don't have time for this!" He continued unabated, "You should be blaming the humans not me! Fuckers always meddle with our lives. You think you're the only one who's got a vendetta? Get over yourself."

The orca's angry face flashed with confusion and the shark finally pulled free, swimming backwards to keep his distance. "Now you gonna control yourself?" He called back, watching warily as the other simply floated where they'd parted.

The orca sent him a glare before shooting upwards, much to the shark's surprise. That is, until he realized that the other must have been holding his breath or something. He always forgot dolphin had to do that dumb shit. The whale soon dipped back down and headed back toward him and the shark tensed himself.

However, the orca simply kept swimming past him. The shark rolled his eyes and discretely let out a sigh of relief. And…felt a slight guilt in his stomach at the lonely being. He'd never seen a dolphin on his own like that. Usually he tried to bury down any gushy feelings like that but for some reason…

"Hey, you know…If he were alive they'd probably take him to that park on the coast…" He called, half heartedly. He almost thought the other hadn't heard him he was so far away.

But then he saw the distant figure freeze and whirl around like a hurricane just to shoot right back toward him. The brunet grabbed him suddenly, gripping him tightly and with the most desperate look Rin had ever seen on a mammal hissed, "Show me where!"

*Actual names of dolphins from one of Japan's parks

Sorry its a day late but whatever. This chapter is boring and i apologize.

I still hope you enjoyed!

do remember to review if you can my dearies