I realize it's been awhile but I wanted episode 9 and 8 to sink into my brain a little before I write anymore. Rin's personality is intriguing to me and now that I see Haru can express more then a weird stare I know that my character writing isn't to far off. Anyway lets begin shall we?

TIME SKIP AHEAD – SPOILERS IF YOU HAVENT WATCHED EPISODE 8(slightly)

ChapterSeven: BrokeMyself

IT should be noted this is after episode 8, where Haru and Rin have parted ways after the race, so there is very little to catch you up to speed about.

The light rap tap tap of a bouncy ball echoed throughout the dorms as Rin Matsuoka tossed it against the opposing wall of his own personal room. He'd been like this for quite sahile, and his grey haired roommate had been getting more and more worried about his red haired Sempai. There was nothing he could do or find to cheer the shark up. The only thing he'd managed to do was get the predator to snap at him and practically hustle him out of the room. So like any normal person he decided to leave him alone to his thoughts. There was simply nothing else to be done.

Just what were those thoughts? To many to count. The rubber play thing smacked into Rin's palm as he closed his fingers over it and let out a long sigh. Why did he feel so gone inside? Why did he care so damn much that the team of bait had won the relay? Why did he care that Haru wasn't swimming with him even though he'd announced to the raven haired male he wouldn't ever swim with him again? The gill-less fish knew the answer. It was practically ripping a hole in his chest. Rin's arm whipped out as he tossed the ball against the wall at full force and it came snapping back across his forehead causing him to flop over in agony.

"Dammit!" He put a hand to his forehead as his other hand flexed into a fist. He beat into the mattress below him repeatedly as he repeated the word over and over again. "dammit..." A soft sniffle from his nose automatically made him rub his hand across it forcing whatever emotions were trying to breach the surface back behind his little wall. The shark rolled onto his back staring up at the bottom of the bunk bed above him. What was he doing? How could he have fooled himself into thinking he'd be happy after he beat Haruka? Of course he wasn't going to be happy...He was never happy. He was only happy when he was with Nanase. The sour face he hid behind was just his mask, inside he was feeling anything but what he displayed. The only person he couldn't fool was himself.

Rin sighed as he slapped a hand over his face and smoothed his fingers through his strands of red hair. He just wanted to melt into the covers and sleep. Maybe he just wanted to dream again, go to that fantastic world...that world that would never exist for him. Maybe he just wanted to go back to being a young kid again..during the days where he was the snarky youngster that was the only one who managed to get a reaction out of Haruka. Now all he managed to do was get all the wrong reactions...only in his dreams did it seem at all possible that Nanase wanted anything to do with him. Matsuoka's hand moved from his face and he turned onto his side tucking his arm under his head as his eyes rolled closed. He just wanted to stay here and never come out of the room. Never fucking again. This was all his fault. He was to proud, to egotistical, to obsessed with his fathers dream and all he really wanted was to be able to shout out from atop of some dangerously high moutain...

"...I think I love you.." Rin mumbled quietly to himself pressing his face into a very plush dolphin about length of his arm. "...Do you even like me anymore?"

Rin wasn't sure when he'd fallen asleep, or how on earth he'd transitioned into waking up, but he found that he was no longer in the bed he usually called home. He was instead completely buried within a pile of throw pillows and blankets that he had to wrestle his body out of lest he suffocate. The shark then preceded to tumble out of the cave of felt into a shallow pool of water that he quickly sat up out of as he looked around with bewilderment. Where in the world was he? Was he having that dream again? He quickly stood up brushing himself off and tugging at the strange and now damp clothes he had on. They were so strange, he was quite certain he'd never get use to them. Upon further inspection he realized he wasn't alone in the room. Nitori was sitting on the ground next to the only door in the room, and he appeared to be asleep. He was dressed just as weirdly as Matsuoka, which further confused the shark. It really must be this dream again.

"Aiichiro!" Rin called lightly as he crossed the rest of the way to the other side. The grey bob jumped as he woke up. He then quickly stood up bowing toward Rin making the red head stop. "...Aii-"

"I apologize your Majesty! I swear I wasn't trying to sleep there..." Nitori was rambling and having no patience for this Rin moved to the grey bob and pinched his lips shut with his fingers.

"Now, I am going to let your lips go, but your only to answer my questions...got that?"

Nitori nodded slowly as Rin analyzed him carefully. "Where is Nanase?" Rin asked as he released the shorter male's lips. This question seem to confuse the dream Aiichiro as he cocked his head to the side for a moment before making an o face.

"You mean the intruder? Why he is in a holding cell...why?" As soon as the words left his mouth Nitori knew something was terribly wrong because he was almost positive he'd never seen the king look so terribly scary before. He could barely get out another word before the shark picked him up off the ground by his shirt."S-sir!"

"take me to him..now." Matsuoka demanded as he saw the grey bob's eyes widen. He let the linen slip from his fingers lowering Aiichiro to the floor as the boy scrambled around to gather up...a ...whaling hook and then scampered out the door. Rin followed right behind him, practically on his heels. By the time they reached the underguts of the palace Rin was steaming and Aiichiro was not about to ask the king why he was suddenly so angry. He was the one who'd ordered to have the raven haired male thrown in the cells after he'd apparently touched him in some manner...the story hadn't been very clear. Still, the prisoner had been in there for several days now and it wasn't like the king had cared anything about it before now..

Rin shoved Nitori to the side once they reached the correct cell. His hands wrapped around the metal bars as he leaned on them staring into the dimly lit area. His tongue caught in his throat as he heard the sound of metal grinding against itself and saw shackled hands reach out from the shadows tugging a metal plate over, that just must have been placed there moments before arrival. He saw the flash of blue eyes and the plate clanked to the floor as Haruka took notice of just who was standing at his cell.

What did he want? Which one was this? Did it really matter in the end? Whether it was King Rin, or his Rin it didn't seem to matter. Both didn't care about him. He felt like they didn't care anyway. He looked off,his foot nudging the plate away. Nanase then leaned back into the shadows so as to block Matuoka's view of him.

At some point during this very quick exchange Rin had forgotten how to breathe and finally he seemed to remember that that was a thing and let out a extremely haggard exhale as he leaned his forehead on the bars. "Aiichiro...unlock the cell." It was the only thing he managed to say, but the intent in his voice was filled with so much poison. Nitori was almost certain the King was going to kill someone, which made him move all the faster to unlock the cell. Once this job was finished he was quickly banished to go stand outside of the cell alcove with the other guards.

Rin's footsteps were deliberate as he entered the cell. His hands moved up to unhook the lantern swinging from the ceiling and maneuvered it toward the other male on the floor so he could see him properly. He was beginning to remember something. Something that made his stomach turn with disgust as he saw the bruises littered across Nanase's face and down his neck. In this dream he'd felt pain before, and this Haruka, the one that was supposedly just a figment of his imagination had told him things about this dream, that he had not been convinced of at all until the other had punched him across the face. The gill-less shark lowered then lantern to the ground as he pressed a hand to the wall behind Haruka's head. "..N-anase...look at me." He was having a very hard time keeping his voice level, but clearly Haru could hear the struggle in his voice and his eyes finally fixated on the red hues of his counter part.

Matsuoka almost gagged, who'd done this to Nanase? Who in hell would ever lay a hand on him in such a way? Whoever it was...they wouldn't be breathing for very long..

"Who did this..to you?" He questioned as his hand lifted off the lantern handle and fell across the other's face. There was a tiny visible flinch that caused Rin's entire body to freeze up. No. . ...please no...

Haruka Nanase knew which Rin this was instantly just based on that question, of course his Rin wouldn't know. Even though what Rin had said at the competition had hurt immensely he knew that Matsuoka would never lay a unkind hand on him. There had been times he'd grabbed him by his shirt or some other nonsense, but that was just Rin, Rin expressed his emotions through action. Haru didn't want to say it. It would hurt Matsuoka, and possibly cut the connection, possibly waking them up. As much as he was in pain...he didn't want to go home. Home was far more painful.

The silence was the only answer Rin needed though. His stomach lurched as he looked away his eyebrows furrowing as the creases on his forehead intensified. ….so...the other me did this..this...all this is real..?Even in this place..all I manage to do is hurt him..? Dammit. I should..just disappear..

Haru's eyes didn't leave Rin's face. He could see the turmoil gathering in the sharks features. He looked so angry...why was he angry? He didn't know if he wanted an answer but he inhaled sharply when Rin's head fell on his shoulder. What? What is he doing? I thought he didn't want anything to do with me...Haruka slowly began to exhale when he felt something warm fall across his skin. Were those tears? Was Rin crying? Nanase was shocked when his ears began to catch the sounds of Rin's sobbing. His Rin was crying, the last time he'd heard Rin like this was when they were only children.. This crying was different though. It wasn't childish rivalry, it was...

The free styler weakly brought his shackled hands up from the ground smoothing them over Rin's shoulders very carefully. He didn't want to disturb him, but he couldn't just continue to sit there as if he didn't notice. It felt like hours before Rin's sobs turned into dry sniffles and Haru shifted his hands to the red head's face bringing it up from his shoulder gently. Rin's eyes were far more red then normal and his face was all puffy. Honestly, it was the first time Haru had ever really seen grown up Rin so weak. They stayed like this for quite sometime before Matsuoka moved his head just a little pressing his cheek into Haru's palms.

It was then that Nanase decided that he didn't think he could do it. He couldn't just accept what Rin had said about never swimming again. Somehow he'd prove to the shark that they'd always be swimming together, even if it was just as rivals. Before he was quite sure what he was doing the free style swimmer pulled the gill-less predator forward and pressed his mouth across Rin's tear stained lips.

Several feelings converged on each other at once, the mackerel shocked himself far more then he'd shocked the gill-less shark, as a singular thought rang out through his head.

….I feel like I'm swimming...