Hello there! I'm happy to be able to update at last! :) Don't worry, at last, there are more MakoHaru moments in this chapter! They will increase in the near future ;) Hope you enjoy!

-Violet

The days blurred together after a while. Makoto began to lose count of how many minutes, hours, and days went by. No matter how hard he tried, everything just went by in a blur of voices and sounds.

He was kept in a dark room with a single bed. The only times he was able to see light was when he was allowed to go to the bathroom to shower and do his business. Surprisingly, for a "captor" he was treated fairly. He was given food and water every two hours; nobody ever tried to harm him. Heck, whenever anyone went into the room, they were the ones that looked scared out of their minds, as if he was the one that should be feared and not the other way around.

Makoto thought of why they were so...nice to him, even though it was clear that he was a prisoner. But besides the fact that he was in a room, there was nothing else that suggested so. If he were to ask to take a walk, he was pretty sure he would be allowed. There were times when he was tempted to try out his theory but fear of the consequences stopped him from trying.

But the biggest mystery of all was Haru. His captor.

Apart from when he first arrived, Makoto hadn't seen the merman at all. He even mustered up the courage to ask his guard where he was. The answer always varied: "He's busy." "He's out." "He doesn't want to be disturbed."

Every time Makoto received such an answer he wondered the whole point of being imprisoned. He felt like some kind of hamster in the four walls he was always in. And he hated it.

One day, though, after he had just woken up, there was the sound of jingling keys, and then the door opened. Haru stepped into the room, and without a word, the door was closed behind him.

"Come with me," the merman, now human, said, blue eyes dazzling in the low light of the room. "I'm taking you somewhere."

Makoto couldn't help himself as the door was opened once again, and walked through it.

(*'▽'*)

He breathed in the air of outside, glad to feel the sun on his skin.

Haru, his captor, stared from afar in wonder as Makoto strolled back and forth in a meadow of flowers.

Since he had taken him in, Makoto smiled. He was grateful for the chance to be taken out, but there was somewhere else he wished to go to.

Haru stared blankly at him as the fireman approached him. Once he was in front of him, Makoto bowed his head.

"I have a request." The corner of Haru's mouth twitched, finding it amusing and amazing that he had gathered the guts to speak to him.

"What is it?"

Makoto raised his head, green eyes flashing as he stared at his.

"The ocean." Haru's ghost of a smile vanished.

"No," he said coldly.

Makoto flinched at his tone, never have heard it before, not even when he was first kidnapped.

"It's just..." Makoto lowered his eyes, sadness and longing evident in them. "I used to always go every weekend to the ocean and swim. I used to be in the swim team back in high school, so it's very precious to me that I can swim. Please." Makoto fell to his knees. "Let me go. Just once a month is fine! I just want to be able to swim again."

For the first time Haru could remember, his heart squeezed. His chest hurt at seeing Makoto so vulnerable and lonely. But a part of him was glad. Makoto had yearnings that were just as strong as his own.

Haru turned around, and motioned for him to follow him back.

They went back in silence, and Makoto found it strange that there weren't guards around.

Now in the daylight, Makoto could see where they were headed. It was a building that resembled a warehouse, with worn out walls and broken windows.

So this is where I've been, Makoto thought, taking in his surroundings for the first time. Yet, the more he saw, the less he was sure where they were.

Once inside, Haru's almost nonchalant behavior, changed into something cold. His expression became blank once again, his eyes as cold as ice, and his demeanor became quiet but powerful all at once.

That was when the guards came and led Makoto to the room he had been in for the past days, weeks, months...

Haru went in with him to his room. Not saying anything, just staring as Makoto sat down in his bed. Makoto couldn't help feel a certain tension in the room as they connected eyes; a surge of energy suddenly found its way to him, as if simply staring at Haru's eyes had electrocuted him.

He became highly aware of how small the room was, of how the door was closed behind him, of his beautiful pale skin that seemed to glow, of his eyes that pierced into his soul.

Without warning, Haru stepped closer to him, his expression softer than before, but not as open as it had been in the meadow.

Suddenly, they were no more than a few inches away, their breathes mingling together as they many aimed eyes contact.

Makoto searched Haru's face, a tingle of confusion evident in his eyes.

"What's wrong?" The fireman dared speak and break the silence that consumed them besides the fast beating of their hearts.

Haru blinked as it coming out of a trance and stepped back, his expression becoming closed and hard to read.

The merman knocked on the door twice, and it opened almost immediately.

But, instead of stepping outside, Haru paused for a second, and murmured; "We'll go to the ocean next time."

And with that he was gone.

Well, that is all for now! Review and follow as you please! Until next time! (^.^)/

-Violet