Figure Three
But lovers hold on to everything
"Go on, then, Mako-chan!" Nagisa called. Makoto wondered how he'd managed to find himself in this mess.
It wasn't that the water seemed foreboding. It was the fact that his friends were acting like he was a preschooler who didn't know how to swim. Well, except Haruka and Rin, but they'd begun racing each other the minute the pool had come into view.
If Nagisa had a tail, he'd be wagging it furiously. Makoto gave an annoyed look to both him and Rei. His reluctance may have included the fact that his friends were built, and he was on the slightly leaner side. Makoto hadn't expected to be the one with the least muscle mass, even though he was a figure skater and didn't use his arms to propel himself through a viscous fluid. Seeing Nagisa so bulked up really did a number on him, however, because baby-faced Nagisa had changed so dramatically over the years that Makoto could only regret not seeing him sooner.
Rei had grown more confident as well. He had dived into the water with ease and had swum with all the finesse of a veteran swimmer. Makoto struggled to remember the days where Rei couldn't swim. Now that he could back up his confidence, it was hard to picture his inability to even float in the wa—
A hand grabbed Makoto's ankle and immediately forced him to lose his balance. This nearly resulted in him landing on his butt, but Makoto had the sense of balance to move forward instead of backwards, even though forwards led into chlorinated waters full of past memories.
"Agh!" he gasped once he broke the surface. "Nagisa! Ah got wabber up mah dose!" Nagisa laughed uproariously, but Rei had the decency to look concerned. Makoto took a moment to recover. Nagisa's laughs withered away as he mirrored Rei's concern. Makoto wasn't saying anything, but when Nagisa got too close to inspect what was wrong, Makoto quickly scooped his hands underwater and had them break the surface at a slant.
The resulting splash made Nagisa recoil and fall back. Rei looked surprised, but Nagisa started laughing and immediately set out to return the favor.
"Cheap shot, Mako-chan!" he called out.
"You did a cheap shot!" Makoto retorted. "You could have let me take my time, at least!" Nagisa laughed and shook his head.
"If I let Mako-chan take his time, he'd have taken forever!"
The two of them didn't stop splashing each other until Makoto's arms, to his horror, felt tired. All the same, he could honestly say that this was the first time he'd had this much fun in a long time. The water was cold, but it wasn't unbearable. It moved around him with the others' swimming, and he let it sway him in whatever direction it wished. The sounds of everyone playing in the pool, of the squeaking feet and children's laughter that resounded throughout the large gymnasium, brought him back to the days where he could leap into the pool and everything would be alright.
The sensation of someone staring at him suddenly came to the forefront of his mind. Makoto turned to see Haruka, newly-victorious, watching him from the closest swimming lane. Rin was watching him smugly, as if he'd won the race. Makoto knew that he hadn't though, because while Rin was catching his breath, Haruka was just staring.
It only lasted a moment, though. Whether it was because Haruka felt embarrassed to be caught or whether he remembered that he was irritated with Makoto, he swam away and started practicing his strokes. Rin, by contrast, swam up to him and leaned on his shoulder.
"Did you see how pleased he looked?" Rin laughed. Makoto shook his head, genuinely bewildered. Nagisa frowned.
"Really? Mako-chan, you need to be a little more observant," he replied.
Rei even nodded. "I suppose some things never change," he said majestically, folding his arms and straightening up. This time, both Nagisa and Makoto splashed him and caused him to squawk indignantly. The splashing game began anew.
After they'd grown tired of splashing, Nagisa caught Makoto's arm and latched on to it. "Mako-chan?" he asked cutely.
"Eh? What is it, Nagisa?" Makoto replied gently.
"Nagisa, why are you acting all cute when you're a full-grown man?" Rin asked, perturbed. Rei snickered and Nagisa stuck his tongue out at both of them. Makoto supposed it was an odd sight, but Nagisa had always been the little-brother type to him, and while he was jealous of his physique, he still found it very easy to treat Nagisa as such.
"Can you do the backstroke?" Nagisa asked. Makoto thought about it a bit, then shrugged.
"I don't see why not," he replied. "Let me practice a bit first."
The four of them stood on a lane. Makoto jumped in, familiar with the sting of the water.
"Makoto, you have to do the jump as well," Rin reprimanded.
"Have you forgotten your days as a competitor already?" Nagisa complained. "Pull yourself up!"
"Alright, alright!" Makoto said with an easy smile. He gripped the diving board and curled his body against the wall. Immediately, memories came rushing back to him in a torrent. The pressure of the crowd mixed with the comfort of his friends' support. The anticipation of hitting the water and feeling it slap his back, but then move with him to propel him to his goal. Finally, the feeling of looking up at the sky and feeling like he was floating through the air, like the water beneath him was bringing him up to a certain kind of freedom nothing else can give.
These memories charged through his brain, and before he knew it Nagisa had said "Go!" and his back was arching towards the welcoming water. His hips undulated for the beginning few kicks, but once he got the rhythm he began kicking ferociously, stirring up foam and getting farther and farther away from the beginning. He raised his arms up and brought them back over fluidly, but not with the same force. He noticed this, but couldn't bring himself to give stronger strokes without the fear of his arms locking. Instead of getting frustrated at his lack of power, Makoto opened his eyes.
The sky above the glass ceiling of the swim club was the bluest it could be. A couple of clouds stretched here and there, and snow clumped some of the supports on the ceiling, but they only served to emphasize the beauty of the sky above. Makoto was lost in his strokes, staring up at the goal and reveling in the thought of swimming in the sky. His body burned with adrenaline as he kicked off the turn and resumed his backstroke. This was freedom, he thought. Knowing that my friends will be waiting for me, swimming through the sky, giving everything I have to the water and seeing where it will take me…
This is when he felt closest to Haruka.
It was over before he really knew it was. Nagisa, Rin, and even Rei were smiling up at him as he breathed raggedly and smiled back.
"How'd I do?" he gasped.
"Terrible," Rin laughed. "Absolutely terrible."
"You're only a shadow of what you once were," Nagisa giggled. Rei, feeling a bit bad for Makoto, offered him a hand up. This surprised Makoto, as Rei had been the one most reluctant to accept Makoto back.
"If you practice a bit more," Rei said grudgingly. "You'll be back before you know it." Makoto accepted his hand up.
"Thank you, Rei," he said sincerely, though it was awkward enough to make them turn away from each other. Makoto still smiled. Something had loosened within him; a tightness he didn't know he'd been carrying. Suddenly he was wrought with emotion and he covered his face with his arm to compose himself.
"Here, Makoto, sit down," Rin said. Makoto offered a trembling smile, but once he sat down he curled up and buried his face between his knees.
He had underestimated just how good it had felt in the water. He wanted to laugh at himself derisively. This is what he'd been missing all these years, and he hadn't even known it. Swimming with his friends, looking at the sky…it was hard to believe that he'd given up on all of this because of his own insecurities. His own fear of change.
He bit his lip to keep from the sobs. At first, he'd thought that he only loved swimming because he wanted to be with Haruka. He thought his love for Haruka selfishly made him want to be near water because if he was near water, he was near Haruka. But what he'd felt was nothing like what he'd expected. The water was his; it worked with him to obtain a glimpse of freedom that Haruka thirsted after. Feeling this again, realizing just how much he'd given up, it made him want to cry.
A presence suddenly sat beside him, and Makoto knew that it was Haruka. The others were silent and watching him, but Haruka leaned against him so that he felt his body heat. The others walked away and Haruka remained, his arm outstretched to cover Makoto's broad shoulders and his voice saying words that Makoto could hardly understand. His voice, however, was the most comforting thing that he could bear right now. His face was scrunched up as far as it could go, and every time he breathed in there was a shuddering sob.
Haruka continued to tell him that he was okay, that he had to put his thoughts back into his body instead of out of it. Makoto gave up all reservations and leaned against him. His face was red and blotchy with emotion, but he couldn't believe what he'd felt.
Something inside of him had loosened and stretched itself free. It had shot out of him, bursting into color with every push and stroke through the water. Makoto found that he felt the same as when he was skating, but in the water, he was with friends.
He was with the people he missed most out of the entire world.
Suddenly, Haruka stopped talking and stiffened. Makoto felt another hand at his back and Rin's voice neared his ear.
"The reason I understand you more than the others do is because I went through the same thing," he explained quietly. "It's different, isn't it? Swimming with friends. It's something that you miss after a while." Makoto nodded. He felt like a fool. Here he was, crying in front of his friends, crying in front of Rin again. He'd completely underestimated how much he needed them, and now he wondered if they could ever forgive him. As if reading his thoughts, Haruka tightened his hold on him.
"Makoto is sensitive," he said quietly. "More sensitive than the rest of us, even Rin." Rin gave an indignant cough at this. "It's okay." Rin nudged his shoulder to let him know that he was there, and Nagisa and Rei were there as well, with Nagisa kneeling at his knees and Rei giving a smile masking an overwhelming concern.
"Hey, hey, Makoto," Nagisa chirped. "Maybe it's not easy, but we're glad you're here. All of us." Makoto's eyes met Rei's and Rei flushed.
"I have some disagreements with you," Rei confessed, causing Haruka to glare at him. "But that doesn't mean I'm not happy to see you. I really did miss you, Makoto." Makoto gave a flicker of a smile, but it disappeared as soon as it arrived and he sighed.
"I missed all of you, too," he replied. "I guess I just didn't know it until I came back." His throat closed up then and he paused. "I will fight for your forgiveness," Makoto finally said. "I know it won't be easy now, but I will." There was a pause, but Rei nodded, and Nagisa nodded after him. Rin suddenly clicked his tongue and gave Makoto a hard nudge with his shoulder, causing him to yelp.
"Oi, Rin!" Haruka snapped.
"You don't need to look for forgiveness from me," Rin replied smoothly. "I'd find it hypocritical if I didn't forgive you, especially since you were so quick to forgive me." He then stood up and stretched. "I don't know about them, because they may not be so quick to forgive, but I don't think it'll be as hard as you believe. We always stick together, even when adversity faces us. Look at Haru's father! We didn't let him take our friend away!" Haruka looked away, but Makoto began to smile. "We won relays for each other, we made Iwatobi and Samezuka's swim clubs the best there were…no matter how long you've been away from us, Makoto, there are things that we all share that make it impossible to hold a grudge."
"Rin…" Makoto choked. "All of you…" Makoto wiped his tears and smiled at all of them. "Thank you for letting me swim with you again."
They had a moment of silence before Makoto turned to Haruka.
"Go ahead. I'm fine," he said. Haruka turned to him in surprise. The others looked on curiously, but Makoto had seen the way Haruka was eyeing the water. "Go on, Haru. I'm fine. You can swim." Haruka stared at him for a moment, as if making sure he was telling the truth, then nodded and stood.
Right before he bounded off to the pool, a man yelled out his name.
"Hey! Thanks for helping me last night!" Coach Sasabe called. Haruka looked over at him. "I'm sorry about your father, Haruka. I hope you're not staying with him…?" Haruka shook his head.
"Ah, Coach Sasabe," Makoto greeted. "How is your arm?" Coach Sasabe lifted the tourniquet and gave a toothy grin.
"Your mother was right when she'd said it was just a sprain. I can't swim but it'll heal soon," he replied. "Say, weren't you with Ran and Ren yesterday, doing all those tricks on the ice?" Nagisa looked at him happily.
"Yes! Makoto is great on the ice!" he chirped. "He's the very best!"
"You haven't even seen him yet," Rei chided. Coach Sasabe clapped his hands.
"Well then! Why don't you show us what you can do?" he replied. "I'll loan you the skates for free!" Makoto shrugged bashfully, blushing with his arm behind his head.
"Maybe some other time…" he replied. He couldn't believe he said that. Skating had been what had gotten him through all the heartache of leaving his friends all those years ago, and now he was delaying it?
The coach wasn't having it, either. "Come on now, Tachibana! You looked like you were meant for the ice!" he protested. Rin narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Are you sure you're not just looking for some publicity for your swimming club?" he asked. Coach Sasabe flushed a bit and gave a large belly-laugh.
"I can't deny that," he confessed. "But I wasn't lying. Makoto, you seemed at home on the ice. Why don't you show it off a little?" Nagisa openly laughed.
"Mako-chan doesn't 'show off,'" he giggled. "But I admit I am a little curious to see what you've been doing." Makoto looked a little lost, but he eventually gave a small nod.
"I suppose I can do a couple tricks," he said.
Coach Sasabe clapped his hands eagerly. "Great! Then I'll start up the music and clear the rink!" he cackled as he went straight for the sound system.
"W-wait!" Makoto called. "That's not we agreed on!"
Rei scratched his head. "Man, for an old man with a sprained arm, Coach sure moves fast." Nagisa suddenly clutched Makoto's arm and tugged him towards the swim lockers.
"Mako-chan! We have to go change!" he chirped. Makoto wondered how a man of his stature could still pull off being cute.
Rin snickered at the two of them. "No, let Makoto skate in his swimsuit. We'll see how that works out," he said snidely. Makoto gave a sigh of defeat and jogged after Rin and Nagisa towards the locker rooms.
Rei, in the meantime, looked out onto the pool as Haruka popped his head up and immediately began looking around for Makoto's hand. He sighed as he got up from the bench.
"Makoto left with Nagisa to change back into his clothes," he told Haruka.
After a minute of Haruka not saying anything, Rei pouted. "Hey, not all of us can read your mind like Makoto can, even after all these years," he griped good-naturedly. The strangest part of it all was that it wasn't strange. It was more like a hole being filled than anything. Rei looked at Haruka, who was looking at him oddly.
"Don't pretend like you didn't miss him after all this time," Rei said casually as he walked towards the locker rooms. He stopped walking right before he had to go through the doors. "He misses you too, in case you don't already know. It'd be easier if you both just went with it." He then turned forward and stretched. "Maybe Rin is right. Forgiving Makoto should be instant. He's still a part of us no matter what."
Rei left and Haruka was alone with his thoughts for a bit before he slowly followed him.
Haruka still felt chilly after showering, drying his hair, and dressing in his multiple layers of clothing. He wasn't as shivery as Rei, whose teeth were almost audibly clacking next to him. Nagisa took it upon himself to hug Rei from behind with his woolly jacket. Rin was leaning forward on the rails surrounding the newly-vacated rink, eagerly awaiting the spectacle.
This was weird. It was like a frozen pool.
Haruka wanted to snap the ice open and dive into the water beneath, even though there was no water beneath. Water, he determined, is worthless when frozen.
But then Makoto came out and Haruka decided to rethink his previous statement.
"It's Mako-chan!" Nagisa cheered. The crowd around them started cheering as well, and Makoto was as pink as a peach. He gave a weak smile, but couldn't quite keep it from trembling. He skated slowly into the rink. Haruka noted the practiced ease with which he carried himself.
With both hands clasped behind his back, Makoto began skating leisurely around and around in a circle. He then started doing two circles in a sort of "8" shape.
"Is that all?" Rei wondered quietly. The audience had stopped cheering in favor of watching anxiously at what Makoto could do. Makoto himself looked confused a bit, looking around at the setting.
"What's he waiting for?" Nagisa asked. As if in answer, the lights that no one had noticed lit up the rink and instrumental music started playing on the speakers. Haruka didn't recognize it at all. It was something daring, with dips and rises in the tune that burned through his veins like fire and made him zero in onto Makoto. It was something he'd never felt before, something that let him know that he was about to observe something amazing.
Despite himself, he smiled in anticipation.
While the song was just starting up, Makoto began skating in a strange, crisscross motion that seemed almost sideways. The audience started murmuring, getting excited as Makoto started building up momentum. The way that Makoto held himself was fluid, his arms outstretched for balance, but still moving to the beat of the song. Haruka envisioned Makoto in water, water that glanced off his broad shoulders and coiled around his legs and arms to move them to their will.
Makoto was the water, fluid and spontaneous. Haruka couldn't take his eyes off of him even if he wanted to.
The crowd was charged with whispers, wondering what Makoto was doing. He was still making a sloppy figure 8, but his movements became faster, more fluid. Makoto's face was one of detached determination. He had his eyes on something, and he was volleying to get it.
When the song reached a tension so high it made Haruka's heart leap to his throat in expectation, Makoto suddenly leapt up into the air mid-skate. The audience gasped, but in that fleeting moment, Makoto spun three times in quick succession before finding the ground again in his skates.
"No way," Rin gasped as the crowd went wild. The show was far from over, however. The song was now far more upbeat, giving quick throbbing beats to each of Makoto's propulsions. Makoto leapt into the air and his legs spread wide in an imitation of the splits. With the music, the leap of faith seemed even more majestic than Haruka realized. Makoto's arms kept dancing with the music as well, sometimes raising up in the air at the high notes and then bringing themselves back to his chest as he ducked down on the low notes. On some of the alternating notes Makoto skated side to side while smiling at the audience, then surprising them with another mid-air spin.
Haruka had never seen something quite so beautiful that wasn't a part of the water. Makoto was stirring up waves in air instead of water, causing his heart to beat rapidly. At one point, where the song reached an extended trill from a violin, Makoto's left leg kicked back and he balanced on his right, straightening his upper torso and left leg so that they were like an arrow parallel to the frozen surface of the ice. In a way that seemed to defy gravity, Makoto began to spin with small circles scoring the very center of the rink.
That was when something changed in Haruka. Suddenly, he saw the grim resolve in Makoto's face and it caused his own to flare up. He looked at the small arch of Makoto's back and it made his fingers ache to trace it. He saw the controlled fluidity of Makoto's movements, sometimes as immovable as stone and other times as pliant as the breeze, and he knew that he had to follow that direction, let it lead him to wherever it could take him.
Haruka felt a hard lump in his throat as he watched Makoto exit his spin by doing a tightly wounded standing spin on his left leg, then extending out in a smooth glide. His heart thumped wildly in his chest the way it would when he was in a competition with Rin. His face burned in a way that he'd previously associated with the thrumming desire to get into a body of water. His chest expanded in a way that was unique to anything having to do with Makoto.
Haruka didn't know why his body was telling him to go out on the rink and snatch Makoto away from all these viewers, to keep him to himself. All he knew is that he couldn't honor it, not only because he didn't quite grasp the feelings but also because Makoto was like a fleeting dream, dancing on the ice like it was guiding him through all the steps. He was untouchable, and that caused Haruka such misery that it was an old wound reopening.
His eyes hardened. He forced his gaze to tear away from Makoto and anchor onto the building beyond. Inside, there was a pool. In the water, everything made much more sense.
When Makoto finished, he was breathing heavily but trying to conceal it by staying poised. The cheers weren't as loud as his thumping heart, but he flushed with appreciation all the same. It was somewhat difficult for him to remain poised in front of the crowd, however, as he wasn't used to all of them staring at him. Makoto gulped a little amidst his frenzied breaths and took a bow. The cheers continued, and when he looked up, he saw Nagisa waving wildly while Rin gazed at him with a look of pride. Rei was astonished at him, and Makoto wanted to laugh at his glazed eyes.
His laughter died in his throat when he spotted Haruka's disinterested stare towards the Iwatobi Swim Club building. Had he even been watching?
Makoto had no time to contemplate this as the lights suddenly flickered out. He glanced at Coach Sasabe to see what was going on, but the Coach looked at his controls with confusion as he began fiddling with the buttons. The speakers suddenly let out a screech that caused the audience to give shocked grunts and gasps. Makoto covered his ears and he saw his friends looking at him with concern. He gave a wary glance at the speakers and began to skate out of the way when the voice that resounded stopped him in his tracks.
"Very good, Makoto," it said crisply. Shivers ran down his spine as a cold terror gripped him.
Mrs. Nanase!
A quick glance showed that Haruka had noticed it too. His face was pale and his hands had clenched into fists. Makoto wanted to skate over to him, but the voice continued.
"This is a very nice setup you have here, Goro," she said with a sort of purr to her voice. "I can't wait to sink my teeth into it."
Goro gritted his teeth. "Who are you?" he shouted.
Mrs. Nanase's voice continued as if it hadn't heard him. "But I suppose that's the least I could expect from Iwatobi's swim club," she said coolly. "I hope this little gem of a skating rink is also part of the bargain. So many beautiful movements on the ice. It's no wonder people are under its spell." The words curled under Makoto's skin and caused him to shiver. The ice was a sort of familiar friend to him, but this shiver was borne truly from malice.
Just as once as the voice started, it stopped. The lights flickered on again, and Makoto wasted no time rushing out of the rink.
"Haru!" he panted. Haruka seemed just as eager to get him away from the ice, because he rushed over and yanked him away from the rink and proceeded to drag him away. Nagisa and Rei were quick to follow him and surrounded Makoto with concern
"Are you alright?" Nagisa asked quickly. "Are you hurt? Makoto!"
"Hazuki," Rei said calmly, and as if Rei's voice was magic, Nagisa melted and covered his forehead, breathing harshly and calming himself down.
Haruka didn't even bother asking. His hands grabbed Makoto's face and he appraised it for any sort of pain. Makoto let himself be examined, closing his eyes and willing himself to calm down. How Haruka wasn't panicking at the voice of his own mother, Makoto didn't know. He was having trouble reining in his own emotions, and he'd only met Mrs. Nanase once after sixteen years!
"We're going home," Haruka said gruffly, standing up and pulling Makoto up with him.
Rin jogged over. "Everything alright?" he asked. Haruka didn't spare him a glance as he started to walk towards his house. Makoto bit his cheek, still frightened, and instinctively grabbed Haruka's shirt to follow him home.
"Mako-chan's fine," Nagisa said, relieved. "I don't know about Haru-chan, though." Rei pushed up his glasses.
"The voice seemed to have startled both of them," he added. "I think we should head over to Makoto's and see what this is all about."
Rin frowned. "Why wait until we're there?" he growled. "I want answers, and I want them now!" Despite Nagisa and Rei's protests, he rushed over to Haruka and Makoto. Grabbing Haruka's shoulder, Rin glared straight into his face. "Haru, what was that?"
To his and everyone else's surprise, Haruka's face melted into one of frenzied rage and he shoved Rin back.
"Don't ask me!" he roared. "You're the ones who wanted to stay! You're the ones who refused to listen when I warned you! Why can't any of you just leave?"
Rin recoiled, shocked. After a moment of silence, however, he recovered. "We want to help you, Haru! There's no way we're leaving, no matter what!" he snapped. "Now tell us what the hell is going on so we can help you!" He shoved Haruka back, which caused him to push into Makoto. This, of course, caused Haruka to feel even more enraged, but Makoto quickly bunched his fingers in his shirt before he could start an all-out fight with Rin.
"Easy you two!" he protested. "Let's talk this over—"
"Why can't you all just leave me with my problems?" Haruka barked. "Why do you have to involve yourselves in every little thing?"
"Would you call this 'little'? It's anything but!" Rin retorted.
"Guys!" Makoto called frantically, but to no avail.
"Why don't we all talk about this when we get home?" Rei snapped suddenly. "Both of you are getting far too excited for something that happened not too long ago. You need to calm yourselves down." Both Rin and Haruka turned to glare at him, but then a large hand clamped down on Rin's shoulder.
"Rin, there you are," Sousuke said quietly. "Mind telling me what that was all about?" Rin shrugged his hand off of his shoulder and turned back to Haruka.
"I would, if someone told me what was going on!" he said fiercely. Haruka opened his mouth to speak again when Rei suddenly stepped forward and took charge.
"We'll all go to Makoto's house to discuss it," he said with finality. "Sousuke-kun, you are welcome to visit if you'd like." Sousuke nodded, impressed with Rei's upstanding figure. They all seemed a bit humbled, but Nagisa was very impressed by Rei's "coolness" and stuck close to him while they walked towards Makoto's home.
Makoto saw Haruka's stormy expression and frowned. He touched Haruka's arm and held onto it. Although Haruka not once broke his determined stride, Makoto could feel his tension drain bit by bit. He smiled. Even after all these years, it seemed that Haruka hadn't really ever changed.
The walk home was mostly quiet, only broken by the titters of Nagisa to Rei. Makoto welcomed their chatter, something that he hadn't even known he missed. He wondered if it would all change once Nagisa asked Rei out, if Nagisa was still planning on doing that. The two of them certainly formed an odd couple: Nagisa was charismatic and not too bright academically where Rei was somewhat closed off and had a brilliant mind. Nagisa didn't know the meaning of being shy while Rei would probably hide under the Iwatobi Shrine if he wanted to avoid a conflict. Perhaps, Makoto smiled, that was just the way they completed each other. They had a soft spot for each other, and when Nagisa got something ridiculous in his head, Rei was always the one to either bring him down to Earth or go to extreme lengths to chase after Nagisa's fleeting dream.
Makoto sighed. He wished that he could do the same for Haruka, but if Haruka's dream led him to the ocean as a fisherman, Makoto didn't quite have what it took. He didn't even know if Haruka was interested in men. What a coincidence that would be…
When they reached Makoto's house, the men took off their snow clothes and quietly sat in the living room. Ran, Ren, and their parents were out buying groceries together, since they decided that it was safer if they all went together. Makoto called them to let them know that his friends were over, then returned to the tense silence of the living room.
"So," Rei said, clapping his hands. "We'll start by asking questions and having them answered one by one. We'll go clockwise in a circle and if someone doesn't have a question, they will say pass and wait for their turn on another round. This way, we will reduce the amount of questions everyone undoubtedly has."
"I'll go first!" Nagisa chirped, ignoring Rin's indignant scoff. "Mako-chan, Haru-chan, how did you know that mysterious lady's voice?"
"She's my mother," Haruka said bluntly. Rin's eyes widened and Sousuke immediately leaned forward in interest.
"You're kidding," Rin said flatly. Haruka glared at him, but Makoto placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Haru-chan isn't kidding," he said softly. "His parents went to work in America, and they returned a few years ago. Apparently, they've been plotting something this entire time."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Rin asked. Rei snapped his fingers, as if expecting Rin's outburst.
"Please save your question until it is your turn," he said seriously. Rin gave another indignant look, as he was right beside Nagisa, but counterclockwise.
"But I'm going to be last!" he spluttered. Sousuke raised an eyebrow.
"It'll give you time to think your questions through," he said solemnly. The atmosphere lightened slightly as everyone smiled or laughed discreetly into their hands. Rin flushed and turned away, looking pissed, but Sousuke nudged his shoulder in apology and he calmed down slightly. Rei cleared his throat and started off the next question.
"Haru, do you know why your parents are after Iwatobi Swim Club?" he asked. Haruka looked down, as if dreading the question.
"My parents are power-hungry," he said quietly. "They crave power more than anything, and so they look into obtaining Iwatobi Swim Club in an attempt to obtain Iwatobi in general." Makoto got the idea that Haruka was carefully hedging his answer to keep from the whole truth. Rei could see it, too, but he wisely kept his mouth shut and waited for Haruka to ask his question.
"Your turn, Haru-chan," Nagisa said seriously. "If you have any questions for us, that is." Haruka took a full minute to ponder his question.
"Makoto," he finally said, and Makoto jolted in surprise. "When did you see my mother?" Makoto wrung his hands.
"I had just come back from my work, and I saw your house. It was different, so I went and knocked on your new door. Your mother opened it and we had a brief chat before I left for the club."
Haruka's gaze was still on him. Well, what did she say?
"We only talked about where I worked and all," Makoto replied. "I told her that I worked at Japan's Wildlife Conservation Facility as a minor office worker, and she asked me what branch."
"So she knows enough about the facility to know it has separate branches…" Haruka said ominously. It cast a shadow on everyone who was listening. "My mother is manipulative, Makoto. You shouldn't have revealed so much."
"How was I supposed to know?" Makoto retorted. "Haru, you're very secretive. Even if you say that I shouldn't have revealed so much, I only knew her as your mother and not a threat!" Haruka gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, but Makoto wasn't having any of it. "Here's my question, Haru. Just who are your parents?"
Everyone stilled. They weren't used to Makoto being mad at Haruka for any reason. Haruka finally turned to him.
"They're the heads of an organization bent on taking over Japan's major trades by storm. They are like yakuza members, only they aren't mobs or gangsters. They are merely a corporation that will do whatever it takes to take over Japan."
"Why are they after Japan?" Sousuke asked, impressively keeping up with Rei's question circle. Haruka didn't meet anyone's eye contact and kept his gaze on the floor.
"America turned out to be too much for them," he explained. "In Japan, you can make it from one end of the country to another in a matter of days. In America, what with the reservations and flight times, it could take weeks. And in any other country, there is a language barrier or some sort of culture difference that would have complicated the matter." Haruka pulled his arms in to fold against his chest tightly. "Also, I'm here. They want their son to carry on in their stead."
"That's ridiculous!" Nagisa replied. "Haru-chan is content as a fisherman! And he'd never betray Iwatobi like that!" Haruka gave him a heated gaze.
"Not unless they managed to convince me," he said softly. "Using whatever methods they could." His eyes briefly flicked over to Makoto, and with a sudden weight in his gut Makoto understood what Haruka meant.
"So, wait, my question remains the same," Rin said exasperatedly. "Why not tell us? Why not let us help?"
"That's two questions, Rinrin," Nagisa corrected.
"Iwatobi is important to me; that much is true," Haruka explained slowly. "But it's not the town that is as important to me as the people in it. To my parents, the people are merely bodies that they can use or dispose of. It is a weakness I hold that they do not." Haruka took a deep breath.
"The reason I didn't want to get you involved was because my parents' group, Menase Enterprises, could use you as leverage to win me over."
Rei stared up at the ceiling. Everyone's reactions to what Haruka had said had varied. Nagisa had exuberantly said that they'd avoid being seen, though everyone knew that it was foolish to believe they could stay in one place and not be seen. Sousuke had stood up and vanished off with Makoto's laptop, eager to look up "Menase Enterprises." Rei had wanted to follow him, but unlike Sousuke, he felt like a more urgent matter was to see what they could do next.
Makoto's parents had returned home with the kids, so Makoto played with Ran and Ren while Haruka helped Natsumi make lunch. The tension between them was still there, but Natsumi still welcomed Haruka in the kitchen to slice up the mackerel. Haruka's history with the Tachibanas proved to be more formidable than his bloodline. All the same, both he and Makoto seemed content with avoiding the issue.
Rin had tried to go home and come up with a battle plan, but Sousuke had told him that it was a stupid idea and that if he was going to make an impulsive plan, he could do it here at Makoto's house. Nagisa was currently helping with the "method of attack," spouting out ridiculous ideas while Rin tried to identify the basics of what they knew.
First, Haruka's parents were crazy.
Second, they seemed to have no weaknesses except Haruka.
Third, the friends couldn't use Haruka to manipulate his parents because Haruka would be in the crossfire.
Fourth, they themselves were in danger, and there was currently nothing stopping the Nanases except the knowledge that if something happened to them, the entire town would know. And if they gained control of the entire town, then it really wouldn't matter if the six men disappeared, now would it?
Rei covered his eyes and mentally blocked the arguing he heard from the other side of the room. It seemed like the living room, still covered with blankets and pillows, had become the men's den. Makoto's father was helping cook lunch, which was rather extensive considering the five additions to the Tachibana household. Rei was the only one who was currently cradling his head and trying to figure out what he could do. All of the other men's methods seemed ridiculous, but finally Rei went to see Sousuke.
"How's it going?" he asked. Sousuke glanced up at him briefly before looking back at the computer.
"As expected, 'Menase Enterprises' doesn't really show up anywhere," he sighed. "It's hard, especially since 'Menase' is a last name and a play on the English word 'menace.'" Rei frowned.
"If only we had a super computer or something stealthier," he muttered. "I bet if we were able to contact the Japanese government, we could figure out Menase and attack the corporation directly." Sousuke sat still for a moment, scrolling down the page he'd found.
"You know, kiss me might help," he said casually. Rei blanched and flailed away from him.
"Wait, what?" he choked. Sousuke looked at him seriously.
"Kiss me."
"No!" Rei squawked. "I thought you were a mature individual, Sousuke-kun!" Sousuke was looking at him like he was crazy.
"I just said 'kiss me,'" he said slowly. Rei clenched his teeth.
"And I said 'no,'" he whispered calmly. "I don't know how you figured out that I was gay, but I'm interested in someone else." And after that, Sousuke choked on his own spit and stared at him in shock.
"What does 'gay' have to do with kiss me?" he yelped. Rei looked as if the world had tipped upside down. "I wanted to call him because he's an agent of the government and may have some secret files on Menase!"
"'Him?'" Rei echoed. Sousuke nodded.
"Kisumi, the man I was talking about," he replied warily. Rei stared at him for a good two minutes before he burst out laughing.
"Oh! Kisumi!" he laughed. "I thought you were saying it in English! Kiss me!"
"What does English have to do with any of this?" Sousuke said, bewildered. Rei wiped the tears from his eyes.
"You know? When you kiss someone? 'Kiss me?'" he replied. Rin called from the other side of the room.
"It's pronounced 'kiss me,' with no 'soo' sound," he retorted. Rei waved him off and Nagisa giggled, causing him to blush.
"So you're a homo, huh?" Sousuke said casually. Rin's ears perked and he stared at Rei. Nagisa looked over, mouth agape, and Rei wanted to claw open the surface and hide beneath.
"Hahaha, Sousuke, you're too funny," he laughed weakly. "First making that 'kiss me,' joke, then saying that I'm a homo, hahaha…"
One glance proved that Rin wasn't buying it, but gullible Nagisa (who, really, was the one that mattered) visibly drooped before picking himself up again and smiling cheerfully. Rei flushed a bit as he looked at Nagisa. Did he really…?
"Kisumi's in the area," Sousuke said suddenly. "His mail says that he's been suspicious as well, and that he's heading over to Makoto's house."
"He'll get detected!" Makoto suddenly said from the far corner. "That would be unwise…" Sousuke typed that in, but his phone immediately rang back.
"Kisumi's fast at texting," he said in surprise. "He says that he's already on the…the roof?"
"Ah," Makoto said suddenly. "There's a tree outside my house that leads straight onto the roof. I don't know how Kisumi got into the road, though…"
"Of course I found all the bugs in the immediate area and displaced them."
"Waaah!" the men, save Sousuke, screamed. Kisumi grinned at them for a moment before immediately leaping onto Sousuke and giving him a huge hug around the neck.
"Sou-kun! Did you miss me?" he laughed. "Is that why you contacted me from Makoto's house!"
Makoto's eyes shined, impressed. "Kisumi, how did you get in here?"
"I told you, through the roof! You obviously haven't been using your fireplace. It's as clean as can be," he replied. "Makoto! It's great to see you!"
He then leapt onto Makoto, who noticed all the soot and mold around his arms and yelped. "K-Kisumi!"
"Makoto, why didn't you ever call me? I thought we were good friends!" Kisumi whined. "Wow, you're still as strong as ever!" He began squeezing Makoto's muscles fiercely, causing Makoto to push him off.
"Kisumi, that hurts!" he complained.
"Oh, but if you're here, then Haruka must be here, too!" Kisumi chirped. He looked around. "Where is he?"
"Kisumi," Haruka suddenly said from behind him. Kisumi jumped about a mile into the air and Sousuke snickered. "What do you know about Menase Enterprises?"
"So soon with the questions?" Kisumi groaned. "Alright, gather 'round, everyone! Kisumi needs to tell you a story!" Rin and Sousuke glanced at each other with doubtful stares. Rei sighed and motioned everyone to come together.
"Let's hear what he has to say," he said reluctantly. "He's the only real lead we've had this entire afternoon."
"Oh, another friend of yours, Makoto?" Natsumi said pleasantly, bringing in trays of sandwiches and snacks. Haruka and Makoto immediately stood up to help her. She carefully avoided looking at Haruka, but smiled at him all the same. Nagisa's eyes shone at the food.
"Oh! Do you think we could put Gou-chan's protein powder in-"
"NO!" everyone said unanimously.
Once everyone had settled and Ran and Ren had gone to their rooms to do their homework, Natsumi and Kyou sat down to join the men in their circle.
Kisumi pouted. "Is it really okay for the parents to be listening to us?" he complained. Natsumi narrowed her eyes.
"Our children are in grave danger and you want us to just stay in the kitchen and pretend like we have no idea what's going on?" she seethed, causing Kisumi to flinch in horror. "Why don't you take a moment to remember just whose house you're in?"
"Point taken!" Kisumi squeaked.
"The women in my family are so scary…" Makoto whimpered. Rei and Nagisa were equally as stricken, but Rin straightened up and clapped his hands.
"Alright, Kisumi, what do you have for us?" he said flatly. Kisumi smiled and stuck out his tongue.
"I dug up some old files and it turns out that the Menase Enterprises targets small, upstart companies and provides them with a considerable sum in order to set up shop in rather low-key areas," Kisumi explained. "I can only find one match within all these areas: they are next to a natural source. Forests, ocean, oil mines; though Menase doesn't actually own the sources, they are near them and are able to exploit them should the time come."
"So they're a time bomb," Sousuke pondered. "Waiting for the right moment to take over the natural sources of Japan."
"They won't have to get a license, either," Kisumi added. "Here's the deal. Menase Enterprises have been working for a good while now, and with their funding and consulting the small businesses that have started have flourished under their grasp. You know PicPerfect? The restaurant where you decorate a custom cake?"
"No way!" Nagisa whined. "I wanted to go there! It's world famous for having the cutest designs to decorate with!" Kisumi nodded gravely.
"It's also a Menase upstart," he said gravely. "And it's right next to Japan's most prominent fuel line. The property has increased so much that some of the veins of oil that used to belong to the fuel line now belong to PicPerfect only because they bought it out. People love decorating their own cakes, especially if you can make it any flavor you want and have it ready by the next day."
"Wait…" Rei murmured. "If what you're saying is true, then why does Menase want Iwatobi?"
"Mackerel," Haruka said flatly. Rin growled at him.
"There's mackerel all over the ocean! Stop putting your desires into serious conversation!" he snapped.
"No, Haruka's right," Natsumi said suddenly. All eyes went to her and she straightened. "Chub mackerel is the mackerel that is most popular here because it's normally found here. Iwatobi happens to be a great place for mackerel because the predators don't often come into our area. Recently, the fishermen have noticed another type of mackerel in the area." Natsumi took a pause to gather her bearings, then faced Haruka.
"There is a mackerel that is in danger of going into extinction in the southern Atlantic Ocean," he confirmed. "And yet, it is flourishing here in our little town of Iwatobi. Monterrey Spanish mackerel."
"Monterrey Spanish mackerel?" everyone asked. Haruka looked around.
"Yes," he explained. "Monterrey Spanish mackerel is a delicacy around these parts because not only is it difficult to transport from California to Japan, it is also limited to California and vulnerable to extinction. And yet, my fishing boat has been catching more and more of it than any chub mackerel. It doesn't taste as good."
Makoto looked startled. "In my work, we deal with these sorts of things. I'm wondering why this is the first time I'm hearing about it, especially if Menase had set up shop here for three years," he said worriedly.
"Maybe they didn't know about it?" Nagisa supplied. Makoto grimaced.
"I suppose," he replied. "But this is a pretty big deal." Nagisa frowned as well.
"I'll say. I may have to take a diving team out to see the extent of the damage," he replied. Rei looked at him in surprise.
"Damage? But Menase hasn't done anything to the ocean yet," he said. Nagisa looked up, and his serious expression caught everyone off-guard.
"Haru-chan, you said that there were more Monterrey Spanish mackerel than there were chub mackerel, correct?" he asked. Haruka nodded. "That means that the Spanish mackerel are overwhelming the chub mackerel and disrupting the ecosystem." Rei clenched his teeth.
"This won't just affect the mackerel," he said sullenly. "This will affect every species in our ocean."
"But what does this have to do with Menase?" Rin interrupted. "Why would this be the end to their 'time bomb'?" The group fell silent as they tried to think of the answer to Rin's question. Kisumi raised up his hand.
"Oh! I know! It's because of Haruka, isn't it?" he chirped. Everyone turned to Haruka, who looked down. "Since he's their son, they're going to want him to take over."
"That's true," Rei said reluctantly. "Haruka told us this much earlier."
"And since he's a fisherman," Kyou said in concern. "He's the perfect link between them and the ocean. All they have to do…is…"
"Hold the town ransom," Makoto finished. "Make the town dependent on the mackerel for progression, and then over fish it so that there's no more mackerel left. The fisheries will be out of money because they will be out of the preferred fish, and Menase will swoop in to save the day." He sighed exasperatedly and ran a hand through his hair. "I've seen the charts from the Wildlife archives; I know how it is when a species becomes preferred and hunted until it is too scarce. Businesses close because they can't just return to what was previously being sold. It's a moment of glory before the fall."
"The city government would also suffer," Sousuke supplied. "The taxes that they got from the fisheries would reduce by a lot until the government wouldn't have the appropriate funds to govern. And Menase will be there, waiting."
"But wouldn't they plan for all of this?" Natsumi asked. "Governments should plan for these sorts of things and provide countermeasures! They can't just stay back and let another shady corporation do what they were meant to do!"
"They wouldn't be willing to give it up, Oba-san," Rin said suddenly. "We saw what they tried to do with Coach Sasabe. The government wouldn't have to agree to hand over their affairs."
A haunted silence filled the room. Makoto looked down and clenched his fists at the truth of it all. He was just getting to know Iwatobi again, and he wouldn't let anyone take his town away from him!
"We have to do something," he said grimly. Everyone turned to him, surprised at just how grim he seemed. "I know I haven't been here in so long, but Iwatobi is my home, first and foremost. And I'll do anything to protect it!"
"So you've said," Haruka retorted. "But if you all didn't put yourselves in danger, then there would be nothing to hold ransom!"
"So you want us to pack up and leave?" Rin shouted. "We can't just abandon our town!" Haruka turned searing eyes onto him.
"Why not? I'm the only one living here nowadays!" he cried back. "Why can't you all just leave and not come back? Why can't you avoid becoming targets and stay safe?"
"Don't you care about the town?" Sousuke ventured. "What about the Iwatobi swimming pool? What about the swim club?" Haruka gritted his teeth and looked down.
"My parents have taken everything away from me ever since I was little," he confessed reluctantly. "I couldn't play with any toys and could only focus on my homework. I couldn't get a pet to keep me company because I had too many chores to do around the house to take care of a pet. When they left, I was free."
Natsumi looked away with shimmering eyes filled with guilt. Kyou put his hand over hers and wrapped a hand around her.
"But suddenly, I had a friend," Haruka continued, avoiding Makoto's gaze. "And I secretly went to the pool when my parents were away. The more frequently they left, the more frequently I found solace in the water and with my friends."
Rin's mouth was in a grim line. "So? Get to the point." Haruka's eyes snapped to him.
"No matter what, they can't keep me from the water," he said. "So the only leverage they have over me is my friends. Not the town I lived in, not the swimming pools littered throughout the town. There are swimming pools all over the world." Haruka looked at each and every one of his friends. "The only ones that they can take from me are you. And I don't want that. If they took you all, then I would submit without a second thought."
Everyone gave expressions of defeat. They knew that Haruka was speaking the truth by the force behind his eyes.
"I will be sad for Iwatobi, but not as sad as I would be should any of you get into trouble," Haruka said finally. "So we have to leave."
"That's just the problem, isn't it?" Rin said angrily. "If we leave, they'll follow."
"You may think that Iwatobi isn't as important, but that's not what the rest of us think!" Kisumi added. "I don't want to traverse the entire world having to watch my back because your parents are possibly the vilest people on Earth! I'd rather fight them head on!"
"You guys…" Haruka said, clenching his fists.
"We already talked about this," Rei said determinedly. "I don't want to give up, either. I want to fight as much as I can! We have so many memories here in Iwatobi that I can't just let go of it without a fight!"
"What about the costs?" Haruka shouted.
"We won't know until we get there, won't we?" Rin retorted. "We have to try our best!"
Nagisa nodded. "I also don't want to give up. Haru-chan, we won't lose!" he exclaimed. "I promise! We won't run away and let you keep getting haunted!"
"This also involves our families, too," Makoto said, gesturing to his parents. "We can't uproot ourselves easily without being detected!" Haruka deflated at that, knowing that it was a valid point.
"So it's like this," Sousuke determined. "Nanase-kun's weakness is his friends, but they're weakness is the town. So, Nanase-kun," he continued. "You have to treat the situation as if your weakness is your town, not just your friends." Haruka stared at him, mouth agape and eyes wide with rage. He clenched his teeth and turned his heel, heading to the bathroom and slamming the door. Everyone flinched at the slam. Rin immediately stood up.
"I'll go talk to him," he said resolutely and left before anyone could say otherwise.
Makoto looked at his clenched hands with regret. He used to be the one who could calm Haruka down, but now it seemed that he only riled him up with everything he did. His mother sighed as she stood up.
"Alright, everyone. Let's take a moment to relax," she said gently. "We'll get our thoughts together and decide what we want to do later."
"We'll leave you boys to it," Kyou agreed. "Let us know if you need anything." The both of them looked at each other and exchanged a wordless conversation before heading off into the kitchen. Kisumi immediately deflated after they left.
"Whew. That was difficult enough without having your parents listening in, Makoto," he laughed. "Now we can talk like we used to!"
"Oi, idiot," Sousuke said, ruffling Kisumi's hair affectionately. "You're an adult now, you should act like it." Kisumi pouted at him as he fixed his hair.
"We should think of a plan of action," Rei insisted. "I think that we should start by protecting the swim club from whatever Menase is up to." Nagisa gave him a hard nudge.
"No, the swim club isn't the only thing that's under attack! If we focus all our efforts on that, then we'll definitely lose the other parts of Iwatobi! I think we should tackle the base of the problem. We should protect the mackerel ecosystem and get rid of all the Spanish Monterrey mackerel!" he said instantly.
"Eh? How exactly do you hope to accomplish that?" Makoto asked incredulously. Nagisa stared at them all sternly.
"By fishing them all out and eating them," he said seriously, causing all of them to throw their heads back in exasperation. "Well then what's your plan?" Nagisa asked Makoto indignantly.
"Protect the government officials and ensure that they don't get blackmailed," Makoto said automatically. "That way, the government of Iwatobi isn't under the Menase control."
"Unlike all the small businesses," Kisumi retorted. "They'll just all overthrow the government anyway if they continue to gain power." The five of them sat back with a groan.
"So the only choice we have is to attack the Nanases directly," Sousuke said grimly. "Bring defamation their way by having them recognized for the frauds they are."
"I guess…" Nagisa said. "But Haru-chan would probably hate that idea the most."
"Haru is haunted by his parents," Makoto said. "If we directly went after them, then we'd attack the heart of both the Iwatobi problem and the Haru problem."
"Speaking of which," Kisumi pondered. "Why aren't you and Haru always together? I was surprised when Rin said he'd go after Haru. I'd thought for sure you'd be the one to go after him." Makoto flinched and looked at the ground. Nagisa and Rei looked apart awkwardly.
"Kisumi, you shouldn't ask such things," Sousuke said sharply. "It's obviously unwelcome."
"No, it's alright," Makoto said softly. "It's because I decided to end our friendship a couple years back." Nagisa and Rei looked at him with surprise.
"Wait! You decided to end it and then dropped off the face of the Earth?" Rei said incredulously.
"Haru-chan had made it seem like a mutual thing. What do you mean you decided to end your friendship?" Nagisa snapped. Sousuke and Kisumi gave each other awkward stares, but Makoto's mother called from the kitchen before Nagisa could possibly maul Makoto's head clean off his shoulders.
"Boys? Could you go to the store and grab a couple things for me?" she called. "I want to make dinner, but dinner for eleven people is different than dinner for five." Her tone was mildly accusatory, but good-hearted. Nagisa had the presence of mind to remember where he was.
"Sure, Oba-chan!" he chirped, and Makoto could practically hear the smile in his mother's voice as she thanked him. They headed outside the house, and the moment they walked out the door Nagisa's face returned to its angry, hurt status.
"Oh, he's gone," Sousuke mused. Kisumi had disappeared right as they were exiting the house. "I wonder what he plans to do." Makoto gave a half-hearted reply, but couldn't avoid Rei's steely gaze or Nagisa's cold shoulder.
He stopped, suddenly. "Nagisa, Rei," he said. "I'm sorry." The other two paused for a moment before Rei gave an annoyed sigh.
"And? What do you expect from us now?" he asked. Makoto looked up at him and was immediately taken aback by his burning green eyes.
"Certainly not forgiveness," he confessed. "At least not yet. But I wanted to tell you two that immediately. There were a bunch of things that happened five years ago that caused unnecessary pain, and it was all due to me. I can admit that much."
"Whatever, Makoto," Rei said, and the flatness of his tone caused Makoto's heart to sink. "If you know that it'll take a long time before we can forgive you, then that's good. Five years is a long time to yearn for someone's friendship." Nagisa bit his lip and turned to Makoto.
"I…I don't want to wait any longer," he confessed. "I forgive you. Just like Rin." Nagisa wrung his hands and tears shimmered in his eyes. "But you have to promise that you won't hurt us like that again, got it?" Makoto smiled at him.
"Yeah, I got it," he said. "Thank you for being my friend again, Nagisa." Nagisa flushed a little, but Makoto could still tell that he held reservations about becoming friends again with Makoto. To Nagisa, the balance tipped in favor of having Makoto as a friend than not having Makoto at all.
Rei, however, was not so direct. "I heard from Nagisa that you wanted me to split up my friendship with him, even after we'd worked so hard to maintain and cultivate it," he said coldly. "And to be honest, you were the last person I'd expect this from." Makoto nodded.
"I wish I could still be the last person you'd expect it from. I'm truly sorry, Rei. I thought that everyone's friendships were falling apart, and I thought that since it was a good time for Haru and me to split, it'd be a good time for you and Nagisa to split as well. I had no idea that…" Makoto stopped himself then, not wanting to reveal the two's feelings for each other before they'd had a chance to talk about it.
Rei and Nagisa were looking away from each other awkwardly. "Well," Rei finally said, wringing his hands. "I know that I'm not as close to you as Haruka, Rin, and Nagisa, but you still should have thought about me before deciding that I shouldn't be friends with Nagisa anymore." Makoto reeled back, surprised.
"You thought that I didn't want you to be friends with Nagisa because we haven't known you as long?" he asked incredulously. Rei looked at him, bewildered.
"Well what else could it be?" he cried. "Out of all of us I was the one who you decided was drifting apart more than the rest! I'm also the one who wasn't your childhood friend or an original member of the team!"
"Rei…" Nagisa said softly. "You're always a part of the team. Nothing can change that." Rei glanced at Nagisa, but his gaze dropped to the ground. Makoto understood. Nagisa wasn't the one who'd hurt him. Rei knew that Nagisa always thought of him as a team member, but it was clear that Rei was having his doubts about Makoto.
"You were always the rational one; the one who could provide a third perspective into our dilemma with Rin," Makoto said softly. Rin looked up at him with surprise. "What you did for us when we were in the high school swim team was something wonderful; something that I can never hope to pay back. You found Rin and told him that he was being silly. You looked over your own insecurities and instead of quitting you persevered and took a giant leap to solve our problem. You even let Rin take your spot on the relay." Makoto felt choked with emotion as he laid a hand on Rei's shoulder. "That didn't mean that you were not a part of the team anymore. It cemented your spot with us."
Rei remained silent. After clearing his throat, Sousuke stretched and awkwardly looked away from all of them.
"When Rin was training you, I asked him why, since you were Iwatobi and we were Samezuka. He said that he owed you for something big. He sees you with no little amount of respect," Sousuke explained. "These days I don't get to talk to Rin as much, since I'm a school swimming coach and he's off in the championships, but it's clear to me that every time we meet, he still considers your favor to him as a huge turning point in his career."
"If you hadn't given up your spot," Nagisa persisted. "Rin would've probably never found his love for swimming again!"
"And that makes you invaluable to our team," Makoto confirmed. "I promise, Rei. I'd said all that to Nagisa only because I was projecting my own feelings of abandonment."
"And what do you mean Mako-chan and Haru-chan are closer to me than you?" Nagisa complained. "I see you almost every day! I talk to you constantly!" Rei flushed a little and smiled.
"That's true," he said with a smile. Nagisa, however, didn't stop frowning.
"Seriously!" he snapped. "You get me lunch every day! And I come over and practically live in your apartment!" Sousuke looked at him with surprise.
"Nagisa-kun…" he began, but Nagisa plowed through.
"I try to get you to come out of your stupid lab so that we can hang out like old times, but you're always so 'busy' and I have to wait until later!" he wailed. "And now you're telling me that I'm closer to Haru and Makoto? Next you'll be telling me that I might as well be friends with Haru's parents because, 'well damn Nagisa, they're closer to you then I am'!"
"Nagisa, I-" Rei started. He looked genuinely shocked at Nagisa's outburst, and Makoto couldn't help but feel bad for him.
"I freaking followed you to Sawari Corporations!" Nagisa cried. "I begged them to let me work there! I showed them that I could swim and even made a freaking program there for scuba divers to help gather data!" Makoto raised his eyebrows and glanced at Rei. Was Rei really that dense?
Rei had the decency to look bad. He tried to lay his hand on Nagisa, but Nagisa stormed ahead and ignored him.
"Whatever. Who cares?" Nagisa laughed. "Let's just go get the groceries and get out."
"Nagisa…" Rei called, but Sousuke stopped him.
"Rei, let him calm down," he urged. Makoto gave an affirmative sound from behind them.
"He seems too upset to hear you out," he replied. "Let's just go and get the food."
They walked in silence for a minute. Makoto looked out at the snow and felt amazed. Iwatobi, being so close to the ocean, hadn't seen this much snow in possibly the history of its founding. Still, Makoto couldn't wait for spring to come. Though he'd have to go back to work, he still wanted to see Iwatobi the way he was used to seeing it.
"I upset him. Really badly," Rei suddenly said, quiet enough so that Nagisa was still out of earshot. Makoto glanced at him while Sousuke nodded as if expecting Rei to say that.
"If he really did all the things he said he did," Sousuke said. "Then I can't blame him for being upset. You're obviously important to him." Makoto bit his cheek and looked away. If Haruka was right, then Rei didn't know just how important he was to Nagisa.
"Nagisa told me that he wanted to be friends with you, no matter what," Makoto said. "All those years ago, despite what I'd said, Nagisa wanted to be friends with you. Even though you seemed like you were headed a completely different direction." Rei looked at him with an unreadable expression.
"I'm sorry, Makoto, but I don't want to hear this from you," he said suddenly. Makoto's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he and Sousuke shared an unsettling glance. "You were talking about us splitting apart, and now you want us back together? Why did you even leave?" Rei continued. "You don't know how much you hurt Haru by leaving." Makoto bit his lip.
"Rin said the same thing."
"Well, Rin is right."
Sousuke saw that Nagisa had walked a bit slower to hear the conversation. He suddenly felt out of place.
"It was a bout of insecurity," Makoto said. Rei rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, I heard that part," he snipped. "But what insecurity would cause you to end your friendship with us? With Haru?"
Sousuke could see that Nagisa was incredibly interested by now. Makoto's ears were red.
"I…well, I…Rin," Makoto stuttered. Sousuke's ears perked up. Rin?
"What is it?" Nagisa asked, scrutinizing Makoto's expression. "What is it about Rin?" Makoto shut his eyes tightly and willed himself to say what he meant to say. It should have come naturally to him; all those years of speaking for Haruka had made him a rather good orator. But for some reason, this secret seemed to be tough to strangle out of his throat. He saw Nagisa and Rei's concerned expressions, and most humiliatingly, Sousuke's curious one. But he had to say it. If Nagisa and Rei's expressions were any indication, there had to be a damn good reason why Makoto decided to do what he did and he had no chance to kick Sousuke out of it.
"It's not about Rin…it's about Haru," he admitted.
"Then why did you say Rin?" Nagisa asked, only to be elbowed gently by Rei. "Hey!"
"What is it about Haru?" Rei asked seriously. Makoto steeled himself and took a deep breath.
"I fell in love with Haru," he said slowly, his eyes never leaving the ground. It was embarrassing to hear Nagisa's gasp and Sousuke's surprised cough. "I know. It was pathetic."
"Well…" Rei said hesitantly. "It'd be more pathetic if I didn't already suspect it." Makoto's head shot up as he looked at him.
"Wait, what?" he squawked. Rei smiled sheepishly.
"I thought about it once, and really, I couldn't imagine you or Haru falling in love with someone other than each other," he confessed, feeling his face get heated by the stares all three of them were forcing on him. "I mean, it's hard to see Haru with anyone at all, and it's incredibly easy to see you with a girlfriend, but you've turned down girls before and Haru is the focal point of your life. So…in all honesty, it's not that hard to figure out."
"I just don't know if Haru-chan feels anything," Nagisa pondered. Rei smacked him in the shoulder.
"You don't just say that!" he chided.
"What? Oh, uh, I mean I don't know if Haru-chan feels anything for anybody!" Nagisa amended, noting Makoto's hurt face.
Sousuke looked on impassively. "Before all of this, I thought that Haruka-kun felt something for Rin. He seemed very eager every time Rin was in the picture." Makoto took the bait and leapt with it.
"I know, right? Haru and Rin are passionate when it comes to each other," he laughed shakily. "That's why my feelings were pathetic. And I've gotten over them. So we have to move on."
"Rin has a girlfriend," Sousuke said flatly. Nagisa, Rei, and Makoto stared at him in shock. "And by the looks of it, you haven't quite gotten over your crush on Haruka-kun." Makoto turned and saw a pair of narrowed eyes from Nagisa and a shine in Rei's glasses.
"I guess that's a good reason for you to end your friendship with Haruka," Rei said reluctantly.
"But what about the rest of us?" Nagisa said indignantly.
"He was probably afraid of us judging his feelings," Rei replied. "Well, Makoto, I'll have you know that you'll have no judgment from me." Nagisa smiled firmly and pumped his fist.
"Me neither!" he replied. "We'll get you married with Haru-chan as soon as we can!"
"Eh?" Makoto cried, flushing indignantly. Sousuke chuckled.
"Sounds fun. I'll join in," he said. Makoto buried his head in his hands and muttered something.
"What was that?" Nagisa said.
"Don't try to get out of it," Rei said with a grin. Makoto looked up with a massive pout.
"I had a boyfriend after I left," he said stubbornly. The smiles dropped from Nagisa and Rei's faces while Sousuke just looked unfazed. "His name was Katsura Shinji. He was a really good figure skater that trained me. I kind of trained myself after I broke up with him, but he was my boyfriend, and I did…love him." Makoto looked away from them. "So it's not like Haru is some sort of enigma. I like men over women. That's why I turned all those girls down."
"That…I…but," Nagisa stuttered. "So you're a homo?" Makoto flushed as he stared at him. Then, slowly and reluctantly, he nodded.
"That's what I was afraid to tell you," he confessed. He wrung his hands and turned his eyes away. "That's why I just wanted to get away. And I was also selfish and thought that if I couldn't have you all as friends, then the friendship should fall apart." He turned watery eyes to Rei and Nagisa. "But I was wrong. And your friendship is stronger than ever. And I'm sorry."
Rei sighed and blew his bangs out of his face. "With an apology like that, how can we not forgive you?" he muttered.
Nagisa looked away for a moment. "But I think you should still love Haru-chan," he said firmly. "I can't see you two with anyone but each other."
"Oh, but Haru probably has a girlfriend he's been hiding," Makoto said softly. "I don't think I could bear to be hopeful at this rate." Nagisa, Rei, and Sousuke looked at each other for a moment and shared a private telepathic conversation, much to Makoto's annoyance.
"We still think you should hope for it," Rei ventured. "I don't know why, but I feel like Haruka's focus has been shifted onto you. When I first met you all, Haruka had been fixated on getting Rin to swim again. Every little thing that seemed wrong about Haruka was attributed to Rin. And you were hurting because Haru was hurting, so that made two people hurt by Rin. And getting Rin back became a big deal."
Sousuke looked on, interested. He hadn't known that Rin had played such a big part in their lives.
"Now, everything's about you, Makoto," Nagisa asserted. "If we ask Haru-chan anything, he doesn't answer until he remembers that we can't tell what he's saying. It's like he is in reinforced castle, and you used to be the drawbridge." Makoto shrugged.
"He needs to learn that not everyone's going to be there for him," he spat suddenly. Nagisa and Rei looked at him, startled, but Sousuke nodded.
"I agree, Makoto," he said gently. "It's hard falling in love with someone who doesn't know all that you do for them." Rei and Nagisa looked from Sousuke's knowing expression to Makoto's hateful one. "We're here at the grocery store. Why don't you think about what you want? You may not think Haruka-kun is worth your friendship, but why don't you start thinking of him in terms of a friend and not as you two were before?"
Makoto nodded. He didn't say a word, but his dark expression remained. Nagisa and Rei looked at him as he went straight for the vegetable aisle of the store.
"Mako-chan probably got tired of dancing around someone who was so close to him," Nagisa sighed.
"I would, too," Rei agreed, flushing a little. "But I don't know what it's like to be Makoto. He was as close to Haru as a second arm." He and Nagisa looked at each other for a short moment, then looked away.
"I'm…sorry, Nagisa. You're right. And I appreciate what you did for our friendship," Rei said softly. "I can't imagine where I'd be without you."
Nagisa blushed, but nodded his assent. Sousuke looked at either of them awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
"…Well, what do you think about the situation between Makoto and Haru-kun? We can't forget that Makoto was looking for a new life after he left Haru-kun," Sousuke said. "And we also can't forget that returning to normal would be hard on Makoto because he would be with Haru-kun all the time while still loving him."
Rei smiled at Sousuke. "So you believe that he still loves him as well?" he said.
Sousuke replied with a smile.
"You miss him, even though he's right there," Rin said. "I know the feeling."
Haruka didn't reply. He stared out the window at the snow falling. The water was freezing now and the only way he could swim was at the swim club. Or he could run a bath. But Ran was using the bathroom and Haruka didn't have the will to get her out.
"Still not saying anything, huh? Well, that's fine. I love talking," Rin continued. "Aki thinks that I should talk less, but she's also fond of listening to me. At least, I think so." Haruka looked at him in surprise. Rin laughed. "Don't look so surprised. Yeah, it's Yazaki Aki from our elementary school. She's a water acrobat."
At Haruka's unimpressed expression, Rin quickly added, "But that's not why I wanted to date her! We'd met again and she asked about you. I told her that you were fine, and we got to talking about you." Haruka turned his disinterested expression back to the window.
"You don't seem surprised that I'm dating someone. But I still know that you miss Makoto," Rin said off-handedly. "What if I told you that Makoto could very well be dating someone?"
Haruka's head whipped back at Rin in such shock that Rin almost fell to the floor laughing.
"Rin…" Haruka said in a low voice.
"Relax, relax, I'm joking!" Rin laughed. Haruka looked disgruntled. "But you know, it's entirely possible." He leaned forward on his chair and towards Haruka.
"One day, Makoto will find a girl. Will you really be able to let him go if he does?" he asked, and his voice sent crackles of electricity through Haruka's veins. "Makoto doesn't belong to you, you know. What if, one day, he finds someone who he loves? It scares you, right?"
Haruka shivered unintentionally. Rin sat back, satisfied.