Losing Makoto

Disclaimer: I own nothing!


Makoto: I can't wait for you to get here Haru-chan. It'll be a like a sleepover that lasts two weeks or maybe it's more like camp. ^.^

Haru: I am bringing Mackerels and borrowing a sleeping bag from your parents.

Makoto: Ah! But I already bought a futon for Haru-chan! I am also going tomorrow with one of the girls from the talent agency to buy fresh mackerels for Haru.

Haru: Don't do anything unnecessary. Especially with random girls.

Makoto: Are you jealous? ^.^

Haru: No

Makoto: ^.^ Megumi-san practices LOHAS. She's going to help me buy fresh organic mackerels. She says it more delicious than ordinary mackerels. So I thought I would get some for you.

Makoto: I'll grill some for you or would you rather have it cooked in miso?

Makoto: Haru-chan's not responding.

Makoto: Let me guess, you are thinking "Makoto you idiot, mackerel is just mackerel"

Makoto: Haru-chan, I can't keep reading your mind from this distance you know.

Haru: So I win!

Makoto: Lol, are we playing that game again? You still haven't explained the rules to me.

Haru: You read my mind, I win if you fail or aren't 100% accurate.

Makoto: Can I even win this game?

Haru: If you are losing it just means you are not paying enough attention to me!

Makoto: Lol, I suppose that's fair.

Haru: Did you contact Aki?

Makoto: Why would I contact Zaki-chan?

Haru: You miss her don't you? And you are in Tokyo, she's in Tokyo and…

Makoto: Are you trying to set me up?

Haru: No.

Makoto: Haru-chan...

Haru: I don't want you to have regrets.

Makoto: I don't have any regrets. Not about Zaki-chan. I miss her but not enough to drop into her life and see if she's single and still has a soft spot for me.

Haru: Do you want a new girlfriend?

Makoto: Where are these questions coming from?

Haru: sends link to fan forum post

Makoto: Oh Haru-chan! I am so, so sorry! I am so sorry you got dragged into this and they said such mean things about you! Honestly, you are not the reason why I don't have a girlfriend. I just don't know any girls I want to date. If anything, I am the one holding Haru-chan back!

Haru: I don't care what they say about me and I am happy with you.

Makoto: That makes me so happy! But how did you find that place?

Haru: Nagisa found it.

Makoto: So that's who BigCutePenguin is? The one who is defending you and tearing that poor girl apart.

Haru: He seems to be enjoying himself.

Makoto: He seems to be quite the troll… I mean he seems to be just bashing the poor girl at this point. I should tell him to stop. She said some mean things about Haru-chan but I am sure he made her realise her mistake 20 posts ago.

Haru: I'll tell him to stop.

Makoto: Thanks Haru-chan. I am looking forward to seeing you again.


Makoto met Haru at the train station late saturday night and that night Makoto cooked Haru some of the "organic" mackerel he had gotten, while Haru had a bath.

"Sorry the bath tub isn't very big," Makoto said when haru came out with a towel wrapped around his waist. Contrary to popular believe he did not always wear his swim suit or always wear his swim suit in the bath. In fact, since he started swimming again, he wore his swimsuits in the bath less and less.

"It's fine," he said, as he went to his bags and started taking his sleeping clothes out.

Makoto set the table while Haru got dressed. They sat down to eat and discussed their schedule for the coming two weeks, "I have two shows tomorrow," said Makoto, "Nothing big. Just something one of the bigger malls is putting on to entertain their customers and promote the cloths of the retailers. I do one at noon and another at 3PM, then I am free to do anything Haru-chan wants."

Haru nodded, "Kou got me into a gym nearby for the two weeks. I can train and swim there leading-up to the the trails."

"Great!" said Makoto, "I have a lot of shoots and other shows lined-up with the big one, the angels and devil show I was telling you about being schedule for the 11th. I have a few shoots after that but no shows. But I'll definitely be able to come watch you swim on the 13th."

"You don't have to," replied Haru, looking away slightly.

"I want to," said Makoto smile that smile he usually only smiles at Haru but this time Haru returned the smile. Making Makoto's heart jump and his smile bigger.

After dinner and the clean-up, they put away the table by resting it against the wall and laid out the futons side by side. They crawled in.

"I am cold," complained Haru.

"I am sorry," whispered Makoto, starting to get out, "I'll turn the heater back… Haru?" Haru had simply crawled onto Makoto's futon and under his quilt and then put his own quilt over both of them as he transferred his pillow so that it was mostly on makoto's futon with the spillage being on Haru's futon.

"It good like this," he said through an yawn.

Makoto smiled, "Okay, Haru-chan," he laid back down.

"I am glad Makoto doesn't have a girlfriend," Haru suddenly said.

"Huh? Why?"

"I would feel a little guilty if I did this while Makoto had a girlfriend," Haru confessed.

"But why? We are childhood friends. We have slept like this lots of time. Plus not like we are about to do anything perverted," Makoto pointed out, "We are just going to go to sleep."

"A girl might still get jealous," replied Haru.

"I wouldn't date a girl who got jealous of something like this," Makoto declared in a huff.

"Still," said Haru, "I am glad I don't have to share Makoto."

Makoto smiled at that but only said, "Goodnight, Haru-chan."

"Goodnight… Mako-chan," Haru replied in a tone that he would normally use to say drop the -chan.

But Haru's plan backfired because Makoto just laughed, "I feel like I am four again!"

"Idiot!"


"So what's the progress on Tachibana Makoto, Yamagami-san?" asked Shiori's boss.

"We have had good success so far," Shiori started, "Tomorrow he will be walking in the angels and devils valentines show. After that we have a few more shoots but then he's returning to Iwatobi for exams and to finish out the rest of his current school year. But he's returning during spring break for more shoots and a few shows."

"Is he transferring to Tokyo for his 3rd year? He should. This back and forth is limiting our potential to use him," her boss pointed out.

"No but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We don't want him over exposed," Shiori pointed out.

His boss made a noise that was semi-disapproving but didn't say anything. Instead he turned on a video recording of Makoto that they had made to showcase his TV commercial potential.

"Hi, I am Tachibana Makoto," Makoto was saying in the video with a huge smile plastered on his face, "I am 17 years old. I study at Iwatobi High and I am a member of the swim club. I have been swimming since I was about 8 years old. I really enjoy it. My best friend in all the world is a boy called Nanase Haruka. We have been friends for as long as I can remember. He is a swimming prodigy. I am not a prodigy though. In fact, I am a little afraid of the water but especially of the ocean," his face and smile took on a achingly vulnerable quality, "That's why I swim the backstroke, its good for people who are afraid of the water."

Cheering back-up, "I don't have any special talents but I can sing a little and play the guitar. I enjoy music very much and its one my best subject along with maths. But then maths and music are related so that makes sense. But my absolute best subject is Japanese Language."

Someone off camera asked Makoto to sing something. Makoto looked embarrassed and protests he's not that good but after a little pressing says, "Well I wrote a song for our middle school talent contest. I guess I can sing that. Since I wrote it, I won't be insulting anyone by singing it badly," he said with an apologetic smile. Then taking a deep breath he started,

Kokoro wo saa / ashita he tsunagu you ni

Egaite motto motto / jiyuu na jounetsu de

Oretachi nara / dokomademo ikeru

Shinjite mezashite susundeku / sorezore no sutorooku

Kitto shizen na nariyuki de

Dakedo, kou nareba ii na to omotta yo

Minna to tsukutta kono basho ha

Dare hitori kaketa tte nanika chigatteta ne

Shiori's boss paused the video and leaned back on his chair, "How is someone this ridiculously talented, this ridiculously unaware of his own talents?"

"I think he knows at some level," said Shiori, "Nor else he wouldn't have mentioned he could sing but the humility is genuine. Makoto meant it when he said he choose to sing one of his own songs because he wouldn't insult anyone by butchering their song. But probably because we unexpectedly asked him to sing. If we gave him time to prepare, I think he would have sang whatever we gave him."

The boss nodded and unpaused and video. Listening to the rest of the song. When Makoto finished the off screen voice asked him if he won the talent contest back in Middle school, "I did with Haru-chan," he said with a big smile, "I was going to sing alone because Haru-chan didn't want to take part but I really wanted to win the playstation 3 for my siblings. But then Haru-chan agreed to do a duet with me and we ended-up singing a different song and winning!"

"I was really glad," Makoto continued, "I don't think I would have won without Haru-chan."

Shiori's boss paused his video again, "This Haru-chan…"

"Annoying obstacle or good leverage," said Shiori, "He tends to oscillate between the two on a daily bases."

"Not what I was going to ask," replied the boss, "I mean, are they… involved?"

"Absolutely not!" said Shiori a little annoyed, "They are just best friends."

"Oh good," said the boss, "We want the fangirls to think they have a chance with 'Mako-chan'. Do let Tachibana know we prefer he NOT be dating at the moment and if he absolutely has to date someone, girl or boy doesn't really matter, he has to be super discreet!"

"I'll let him know but I don't think there is any danger of him dating," said Shiori, "He's… too picky," but then she thought for a moment, "Although I am yet to meet Mr Shark-teeth so maybe I shouldn't get too ahead of myself. "

"Mr Shark-teeth?"

"I can't remember his name or if I was even told his name, just that Asami said he had shark like teeth," explained Shiori, "He punched Tanaka when Tanaka came on too strongly with Makoto during their first meeting and then came with Makoto to Asami's studio. But I have never met him. Not even during the amusement park shoot - during which I pretty much got to meet almost everybody important to Makoto."

Her boss did not look happy, "Find out who this shark-teeth person is and if he's something we have to manage. Tachibana could be big and very profitable for our agency. I don't want to be blindsided by anything. New talent, Yamagami-san, new talent is like a fragile bud that can be easily trampled on."

Shiori nodded in agreement, like she always did when her boss brought-up the "new-talent is like fragile flower" analogy. They turned to the other talents under Shiori's charge.


At about the time Shiori was meeting with her boss. Mr Shark-teeth aka Matsuoka Rin found himself staring-up at a billboard showing Makoto pulling on a clean white shirt while walking. It was supposed to advertise a body spray but it took Rin full 5 minutes to tear his eyes away from Makoto and pay attention to the rest of the billboard to pick-up on that.

Rin swore under his breath as he finally turned away and headed to the restaurant that had been recommended to him, "Yep," he found himself thinking, "If I had the time to be dating, I would definitely turn gay for Makoto."


Author's note: Sorry for typos and stuff. Didn't have time for clean-up and if I don't post it now, I wouldn't be able to post it for a bit. Also, obviously all celebs have their image controlled to a certain degree but I gather they control celeb images a great deal in Japan. But I will be taking liberties with both the swimming and celeb world because I am not 100% on either. Especially for the swimming where I will be borrowing a lot from how they do things in Australia.