"Nice work, Nanase-san! Are you going on break?" one of the young apprentices called out to Haru as he took off his apron and made his way to the back entrance. He nodded at him before exiting.
Haru sat down on the bench nearby the back entrance, sighing as he took his break. So much happened to him in the last five years it sometimes made his head dizzy.
He had trained under Coach Sasabe's relative who had opened up a seafood restaurant, sourcing its ingredients from the fishermen in the fishing village close by. He had been at it for three years when his relative had offered to make him co-owner, and now he was responsible for the kitchens when he was away travelling, finding more inspiration for his ever expanding menu.
Which was all well and good, since the restaurant began to gain fame among food enthusiasts worldwide after more famous celebrities started to frequent the place. Now it was an attraction spot on the edge of Iwatobi, just along the border of the fishing village they sourced their ingredients from.
Haru sighed and took a sip of water as he continued to look up at the clear sky. It was around mid-July, so the heat was starting to pick up, and Haru squinted up at the glare of the sunlight. The back door opened and out stepped Nitori Aiichirou who stretched a little before taking notice of Haru.
"Ah, Nanase-san!" Nitori called out to him, and Haru nodded his acknowledgement. "Are you taking a breather out here?"
"Yeah," he replied and Nitori smiled at him.
"I'll be going off to get lunch with some of the managing staff while the kitchen is closed. Did you want anything?" he asked politely. Haru shook his head, and Nitori waved good bye as he went back inside before leaving with the staff members.
Haru remembered the day that Nitori had been hired as part of the management staff, nervous and clumsy at everything. He smiled to himself, because now Nitori was one of the three restaurant managers and took care of the floor, as well as trained new employees.
Now that Haru thought of it, almost everyone at Iwatobi was starting to get on with their lives. Nagisa had opened up a beauty salon with his sister, who had a fashion boutique on the floor above him. Rei was assisting a researcher at the local university who was studying the wildlife in the ocean. Rin was currently training as a professional swimmer, while translating for a publishing company that had an English branch. Even Gou was at an architectural firm, designing buildings and large structures that were being put up in the city. Nagisa had managed to squeeze a favour out of her and she was the one that had designed his salon.
Haru leaned back on his palms as he realized that all of his friends were starting to grow up, him included. It was nice to know that they were all doing okay.
Well, the thought drifted into Haru's mind before he could stop it, and he frowned to himself as he felt the wave of negative emotion pass over him. No matter how hard he tried, he still got this way whenever those thoughts managed to float through his mind.
It had been five years since that Obon festival, and he hadn't seen or heard from Makoto once.
Haru ran a hand through his hair as he leaned on his knees. The years without contact had done nothing to dull his feelings for his best friend, and it hurt whenever he didn't see him. It was even worse when he realized that Makoto was probably avoiding him, and Haru couldn't really blame him.
"Haru-chan!" Haru turned around and was tackled by the twins, who looked at him wide-eyed and excited. Haru adjusted their scarves as they hugged him, making sure they didn't feel the chilly winter cold.
"Ah, Haru-chan, guess what! We're going to see Onii-chan in the city!" Ran exclaimed, eyes bright with excitement. Haru's hands stilled when he heard what she said.
"What?" he managed, and Ren spoke up, nuzzling his face into Haru's glove for some warmth.
"Onii-chan and his girlfriend invited us to spend the holidays there with them! We're going to meet her family!" he cried before letting go of Haru and running around in the new snow. Haru watched the twins chase each other before their parents called to them so they could go. Haru waved them good bye, feeling the ache in his chest that was all too familiar by now.
Haru wished he could blame everything on Makoto, but he knew deep down that he couldn't. In a way, he was avoiding talking to Makoto just as much as Makoto was avoiding talking to him.
It didn't stop the hurt in his chest when he thought about him though.
Haru scratched his head, knowing full well that he was probably pretty pathetic. All these years had gone by, and Haru still had Makoto's old shirt, though it didn't smell like him anymore. He wore it to bed as often as he could, relishing in the memories that it brought him, all those years of innocent bliss when growing up wasn't on the forefront of their minds, when all Haru knew was Makoto being a constant by his side.
When all Haru knew was how to take Makoto for granted.
Haru could admit to himself every once in a while that he missed him, missed the familiarity. The gentle presence that Makoto was, the way he looked out for him and was always there next to him. Haru didn't have that anymore.
He probably was planning to marry that girlfriend of his.
Haru shook his head, chasing the thought away. He couldn't deal with the thought of Makoto marrying his girlfriend without at least talking to him once. If Makoto was going to marry her, he would have lost his chance to say anything. He hadn't heard anything from the twins, so perhaps nothing had happened in that direction for those two.
Haru thought a little of the twins. They had entered their first year of high school this last spring and the very idea made Haru feel old. He remembered how small they used to be, now they were all grown up. Ren especially, who had shot up during his last two summers.
Haru felt a little bittersweet whenever he looked at Ren. Seeing his demeanor, the way he treated people, especially now that he was so tall, reminded him so much of Makoto that it hurt to look at him. He would always stare wide eyed at people that he was meeting for the first time, before smiling gently and tilting his head a little to the side.
It was such a Makoto-like gesture that Haru sometimes had to swallow back tears.
Haru thought of how he was probably going to go home later and fill up another few pages in his sketchbook with the face that was already burned into his mind after haunting dreams filled with them when he heard a high pitched screeching. Haru jumped off the bench and ran into the kitchen as the fire alarm continued to screech its shrill ring. He saw two of the new apprentices, one looking utterly terrified, and the other looking at his hands that were holding a frying pan, staring at the ridiculous flame that was beginning to lick at the exhaust just above the stove.
"N-Nanase-san!" the one with the frying pan, Tomoji, whimpered as he looked at Haru.
"Put the fire out!" he yelled over the alarm, deciding it would be best to ask questions later.
"W-water!" the other apprentice, Sakuya, cried as she dashed to the sink and began to throw water at the pan.
"No!" Haru started, but the water hit the pan before he could do anything, and the flame erupted as soon as Sakuya had thrown water at it, making Tomoji drop the pan on the floor. Haru grabbed both of them by the wrist as he walked out the back door. "Call the fire department," he said as he pulled them out, and Tomoji nodded teary eyed as he dialed the number.
Haru sighed as he stood outside the restaurant with the two new apprentices. He'd have a talk with them later, right now he hoped that the fire department showed up before the rest of the his kitchen burned up.
"Nanase-san! Are you alright?" Nitori called to him as he and the management staff returned. Haru nodded at him and he looked mildly relieved. "What happened here anyway?"
"Unsupervised kitchen fire," he mumbled as three fire fighters came out of the kitchen's back door, while the two apprentices whimpered and bowed at them, apologizing profusely. "They were experimenting without me there to watch."
Nitori clicked his tongue as he put his hands on his hips. "They were already lectured about things like this," he sighed. "Perhaps this time, with something so major like this, they'll learn not to get too cocky." Haru hummed his agreement.
Nitori left to talk with one of the fire fighters about the damage assessment, thanking them for the trouble, and apologizing on behalf of the apprentices. Haru was zoning out, thinking of giving the apprentices onion and dish duty until they managed to chop and wash enough to cover the damage, when he heard a familiar laugh that almost made him drop his water bottle.
"No, not at all, Nitori-kun. It's minimal damage, although you may have to repaint the kitchen," Haru's palms began to grow sweaty at the voice, and he felt his heart pick up its pace.
"I'm surprised to see you here like this, though. It's been too long hasn't it?" Nitori replied, and Haru couldn't help how slowly his head turned.
It can't be.
"I'll let the staff know what you've just told me," Nitori said, waving to the fire fighter. "It was nice seeing you again, Tachibana-san!"
Haru stood up immediately, turning to look at the fire fighter that Nitori was just talking to. His back was turned, and he could barely see anything, but the way he carried himself gave Haru a sense of familiarity that he hadn't felt in so long he almost felt like crying.
"Tachibana," he said out loud, and he saw the fire fighter flinch, before turning to face him slowly. Haru was met with green, and he felt himself shake with emotion as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Makoto?"
Makoto blinked wide eyed at him, before his eyes settled into a much gentler expression. Haru wanted to kiss that expression right off his face, but he was afraid that he would trip and fall as he ran to him.
"Haru..."
