Your Mondays had never been this boring. I mean, yeah, you'd always spend most of your free time just laying in bed while listening to music or something; but somehow, it just wasn't as much fun when you had a cast on your leg.
According to the doctor it was just a minor facture on your left ankle and that you'd be able to walk perfectly in a few months. However, you were not allowed to move for about a week or two. /*sigh* Isolated in my own house for two whole weeks. And just when I made new friends too…\
You just lay there; sending an occasional stare out the window, just to get fed up with how bright the sun was. "Ugh." You closed the curtains shut. What now? You couldn't even go to the bathroom without your mother's help (which was pretty embarrassing to admit) and the minutes seemed to stretch on eternally. There wasn't much more to do than to fall asleep. And so you did.
*KNOCK KNOCK*
"?!" You jumped awake, startled with all the knocking. "Yeah?"
"[name]-Chan? It's me, Gou." /Gou?!\ You looked around for the nearest mirror and saw your horrid reflection. Your hair was extraordinarily messy and you were wearing a huge, ragged t-shirt. /Oh no!\ The hair brush was nowhere near you, so you just roughly stroked your hand through your hair and hid safely under the cover of your sheets. "C-come in."
The door opened softly and Gou slid right through. "[name]? I just came to see how you were doing. Oh! And here are the notes from today's classes. I'll be bringing them to you until you can come to school again."
"Ah, thanks Gou!" Her shoulders twitched a bit at the mention of her name, but apparently she let it slide.
"The boys are outside. They really wanted to see you,"
"They are? They did!?" Your heart shook at the mention of her words. Waves of Makoto's face suddenly flashed through your mind. "But…um…I'm not in my best condition right now." You looked down at your age-worn attire.
"Hehe, don't worry. We can fix that." She went over to your closet and picked out a nice turquoise tank top. "Here, put this on. And I'll help with your hair." She smiled. /Good thing Gou's here.\ You thought.
A few minutes of fixing up passed and my hair was a lot more decent than before. Though, the thought of having so many guys inside your own room was unnerving. It kinda made your hands shake a bit.
"Come in, guys." Gou announced from behind the door, which soon cracked open, revealing a pair of purple eyes.
"How are you doing, Miss [name]?" Rei asked with concern.
"I'm doing fine. Just a little sore, that's all."
Four guys came inside and you spotted a dazed Makoto on the back /He's still at it, huh?\
"Nee, nee, [name]-Chan; I brought you some delicious ice cream to make you feel better!" He handed over a bag and you nodded a thank you.
"We missed you at school [name]-Chan. Before the incident, I had planned to show you how the swim club activities worked. Like some sort of tour. But…" Gou stared grimly at your ankle.
"It's no problem. In two weeks I'll be allowed to walk with crutches, so I'll make sure to pass by" Certain relief washed over their faces. /Could they have really missed me that much…?\
An hour and a half of talking and laughing went flying by. Gou and the boys had gotten themselves comfortable and sat down on the floor, making a half circle shape around you. Nagisa brought up something about Rei's past, when he forgot his underpants in the bathroom (he was in elementary school at the time). Rei flushed at the memory and begged him to stop. You'd never felt this good while talking to someone. It almost felt natural to you. But all the while, you could see the uneasiness in Makoto's expression. You noticed the subtle glances he'd make at you ankle. There was no telling what was making him so uncomfortable. Suddenly you had an idea. Maybe you could find out what was bothering him.
"Well, I think we should let her rest now. Let's get going." Gou stood up and everyone else followed. "See you later [name]-Chan!" She waved goodbye and went out the door. The guys bowed down respectfully and made their way out the room. /Now's my chance!\
Nanase-San! Could…could you stay for a moment?" Both he and Makoto stared. Haruka looked at his best friend, as if to receive a comfirmation.
"It's alright. I'll head on to my house then." His voice was insecure and hesitant. He looked at you briefly before closing the door behind him.
"What is it?" He asked blunty.
"I…I just wanted to know what's going on with Tachibana-San; and since you're his best friend, well…"
"You thought I could have answers?"
He stared blankly at you for a moment and then sat on the floor. "It's a long story."
"I have time."
"*Sigh* When Makoto was little, he had become friends with a very old fisherman. He was kind, and cared deeply for Makoto." He paused for a moment and raised his eyes from the floor, to you. "Then, one day, there was a big storm, and the sea became wildly dangerous. Much so, that the ships that were out on the ocean, sank; drowning the people inside them. The old fisherman…well…he had gone fishing that day."
"He…died?" Your stomach churned as the image formed in your mind.
"Yes. Ever since then, Makoto has been terrified of the ocean."
"I…" You looked at your hands. "I didn't know"
"So yesterday-" He went on, "-When he saw you drowning, his first reaction was to go in after you; but once he reached the shore, his body froze. The sight of the raging water reminded him of that day. The day the old fisherman drowned in the ocean."
"But, who rescued me, then?"
"Rei and I dove in to get you. Once you were out, however, you weren't breathing. Makoto didn't want to feel useless, so he rushed in to give you CPR. But the thought of not being able to go after you still haunts his mind."
/He gave me mouth to mouth?!\ Despite the seriousness of the matter, you couldn't help but redden at the thought. "I see. Yeah, I get it now. Thanks Nanase-San."
"Haruka."
"Pardon?"
"You can call me Haruka-San."
"Hehehe. Well, if it's fine with you, then alright. By the way Haruka-San, I never thought you could talk this much." His face turned sour and he stared off to the side, making you chuckle a bit. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this. You were of great help Nana-, I mean, Haruka-San." It took him a while to look at you and nod a response. Then he stood up and left out the door.
/So that's why he seemed so upset.\ You flopped back onto the bed and a determined expression grew on your face. /Then I know what I have to do now.\
As the day came to an end, you had already made your preparations and went to sleep.
It was Tuesday evening, and you stood in front of the Tachibana residence. Your whole body racked with nervousness. The doctor had strictly advised you not to get out of bed until two weeks passed. But this had to be done; you had to clear things up with Makoto. It was then when you decided to take your crutches and limp your way over to Makoto's house. /I hope he's home.\
You rang the doorbell and waited.
Almost immediately, a fair looking woman opened the door.
"Oh. Now what could such a nice looking lady be doing here at this hour?" There was no doubt that this was Makoto's mom. She had the same droopy eyes as him.
"I'm very sorry to intrude ." You bent over politely and ended up leaning on your bad ankle. Even though the pain was sharp, you made your best attempt to conceal it. "Is Makoto-San home, by any chance?"
"Oh, yes, by all means. Please, come inside."
"Ah, if you don't mind, I'd prefer to talk outside."
"Of course, I'll call him right away." She smiled and returned to the inside of the house. You fidgeted with your crutches for a while until his warm voice startled you.
"[n-name]-San?! You're not supposed to be out of bed!" He said worriedly.
"Don't worry, this won't take long."
"Huh?"
"Would you care to go for a small walk, Tachibana-San?" He just stared in confusion. "Please?" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Okay then." And so you started your way down the street as Makoto followed close.
You almost lost your footing after a few steps and he grabbed your arm.
"M-maybe you should head back to your house."
"It's okay." He steadied you up a little and you kept walking.
After a deep breath, you began to talk, "I know what's been bothering you, Tachibana-San."
"Wh-"
"Last Sunday, when I was drowning; you froze up before even entering the water." You stopped to look at him, "You are afraid of the ocean, aren't you?"
His eyes widened in surprise and shame, "How did you…?"
"Tachibana-San. I know you feel guilty about not being able to get me out of the water, but you still saved me. I was dying and you…you gave me CPR…" Both of you blushed at the words. "I'm alive. And it's all thanks to you. To all of you."
He stared at the ground with a somewhat disgusted expression. A face that you never thought he could make. "It's not enough." He tightened his fist.
"But why?"
"You probably didn't know; but what happened to me that day, happened to me before."
"Huh?"
"The swim club made a field trip to another island. We were going to try out a new training regimen that involved swimming in the ocean. We were all doing well, but Rei was feeling left behind. He felt that he needed to catch up with us, so he decided to train secretly at night. Unfortunately, a sudden storm came that night and Rei began to drown." By this point, his voice started to shake, "I was this first to notice, so I went in to save him; but as soon as I saw him…his terrified face…"
"He reminded you of the fisherman…" You tightened the grip on your crutches. He looked like he was about to cry.
"Don't you get it? Two people I know have been in danger of drowning…and not once was I able to save them."
A faint tear trickled down his cheek. The sight of him crying formed a knot in your throat. You knew that as soon as you opened your mouth, the tears would come; but you had to help him get over this fear. Limping to his side, you rested your arms on your crutches and grabbed both his hands.
"Tachibana-San, you can't let this fear consume you forever." And down came the tears…
"Stop focusing on the past and start staring at the present; at the future. You have friends now, people you need to take care of. If you keep letting the past drag you on like this, you'll never get over what happened that day. I'm sorry about what happened to the fisherman; I know you really cared for him and I'm sorry for that. However, it was not the ocean's fault that he died that day! Sometimes, things are just meant to go that way, whether we like it or not. But it's the hard situations that are meant to make us stronger, to shape us into stronger beings." You cupped your hand on his cheek and rubbed his tears away. "You're a wonderful person, you are capable of growing stronger and stronger if you wish to do so; but that strength can only develop if you move forward and stop dragging your feet."
His eyes grew wide at your comforting words. "Do you think…I can do it?"
You smiled widely, "I know you can do it…Makoto."
He realized that this was the first time you had ever called him by his first name and smiled. His body bent down until his head reached your shoulder, "Thanks [name]…"
You held his head, stroking his soft, olive hair as he nuzzled his head on the crease between your neck and your shoulder. His silent sobs of breath tickled your skin. Even though he was a bit heavy, you would hold him as long as it was necessary for him to calm down a bit. So there you stood, comforting one another, until you both cried yourselves out. He straightened up and dried his eyes and you did the same.
"You can't walk all the way to your house with that sore ankle."
"I'll manage."
"It wouldn't be nice of me to let a lady walk in these conditions. H-here." He held you by the arm and grabbed the crutches. "Hold these."
"What are you…?!" He picked you up in a princess like position and walked to your house. "T-Tachibana-San!" You blushed heavily.
"From now on, you can call me Makoto. And don't worry, this is the least I could do to make up to you." He smiled warmly with a hint of red on his cheeks.
"Fine…" You gave up and rested your head onto his chest. /His heartbeat is so fast and powerful. It's really comforting…\ You smiled. /Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all.
He put you down at the front door of your house.
"Sorry for the trouble, Makoto."
"It was no trouble at all. I'll see you soon [name]-Chan."
"Bye." You veered to the door and felt a hand grab your shoulder. "What is it?"
"One more thing…" He leaned in and planted a warm kiss on your cheek, making your face flare up instantly. "Thank you, [name]-Chan, for taking care of me." The warmth of his whispering voice mesmerized you, leaving you speechless.
Once he saw your surprised face, he flushed deeply and flustered, "A-anyway, I have to get going now, so, bye!" He turned and walked away.
Your face remained hot at the memory of his kiss. Your shaking hand reached your cheek; your body trembled as you slowly parted your lips to say, "There's no way that just happened…"
Oh, but it did.
