All-State competitions are tomorrow, and I'm a nervous wreck because the percentages of people making it is 1.7% since all of the elite people try out from all of these regions, and… nervous. 5,000 people. Trying. Out. Shoot. Me. Now.

Actually, I made it last year, but it just gets harder so I don't even know anymore. By the next update, I'll either have passed and be extremely happy-go-lucky, or I'll have fallen out of the choosings and be extremely dark and gloomy for the week (maybe get some soliloquies in there as well. 'To be, or not to be.')

Enjoy!


Make My World Just Explode

Written by Ko-Sensei

part nine entails of settling into a familiar Samezuka rhythm

"Where are you, Haru?"

….. And Haru feels his heart drop.


【簡単に一日ピック。】

【Pick an easier day.】

So… Rin had been upset because apparently, the redhead had heard that Haru had gone missing after having gotten into some 'accident' of sorts, and that no one knew where he was...

Then this information had come from his Iwatobi friends, none the less.

… Oh.

Other than the first expected initial reaction of shock, Haru wasn't sure what to do with the abundance of strange feelings that were now settling into his chest and making him feel weird.

He felt light-headed, and.. this probably wasn't very good for his health.

Rin doesn't elaborate anymore after those two sentences, but after glancing at his brooding face, Haru understands that all this time, he's been worried about him and is disappointed because all this time, he hadn't really known that Rin cared that much.

Or what it looked like was maybe Rin had cared about all of them, but they had just never been able to see it.

The adult way of looking at things was accepting that childhood friendships didn't last forever. When you were a child, you were blind and not very knowing of the more complicated things, so you could easily form friendships with anyone and everyone because you were so little.

When people left, when people didn't talk, they grew apart.

Just because you had been able to be friends when you were children didn't mean you'd be able to stay close and just snap back years later, especially if some of the more 'complicated' things and history came up,but…

But maybe, just maybe the memories of having had fun together once could stay.

Haru makes a happy noise and stands up in Rin's lap, leaning up on two feet to press his nose to the redhead's cheek, and while the other swats at him and puts him back down, it doesn't-it can't do anything to quell his sudden excitement.

(Haru doubts anything can, at this point.)

Rin makes a half-hearted threat about pushing Haru out the window, and unintentionally, Haru makes a pouting face, because really, does Rin have to rain on his parade like an insensitive kindergartener (though he doesn't know it, Haru will still hold him responsible. Somehow.)?

"Rii, rii, riiiiii…~"

It's probably horrible at him to be happy over someone else being sad, but still.

Haru can't help it, and the world shouldn't have the right to deny him of such a thing.


【私を信用しなさい。】

【Trust me.】

The overly-emotional roommate that Rin had (his name was Aiichiro, apparently) had been literally, in all figurative and physical sense of the word, been waiting on the doorstep of their room.

(And Haru was supposed to be the puppy here.)

As soon as the door-handle had opened, a worried-looking kouhai had stood up from sitting cross-legged on the floor and beamed adorably, blue eyes widening as he had jumped up and greeted Rin enthusiastically, cheeks flushed in bashful innocence.

(...Perhaps the shoujo-definitions were a little far-fetched here, but really, the amount of devotion-)

"Matsuoka-senpai!"

"I thought I specifically told you not to wait for me," Rin answers with a slightly amused snort, and tosses his backpack on the bottom bed by swinging a strap. "Don't tell me you were doing this all day? I also did say I was going to come back late."

Haru ignores the both of them and heads straight for the bed, retreating back to the pillow.

Nitori makes a pouty face. "You don't have to be so mean, Matsuoka-senpai! And I wasn't waiting all day.. I was just worried, because you up and left such a scary face." The smaller boy started trying to imitate Rin's scowl, bending his index fingers and putting them up next to his mouth to show the pointy teeth.

"Better to look scary than to look like an airhead. I'm fine, really."

"Senpaiiiii."

"Okay, fine. Thanks for waiting."

The grey-haired male flaps his arms around. "Almost forgot, I need to tell you something. You were suspended, but Mikoshiba pulled some magic strings and you're off for now, with no record.. though you won't be allowed to come to school for two weeks. But still.. senpai," Nitori ends with a sad face.

Haru only half-listens to the banter, tired out from the trip. Although Rin had spent the majority of the time napping everywhere (and literally, everywhere, from the bus to the train then on grass, for crying out loud), Haru had forced himself to stay awake the entire time.

Which he was kind of pleased with, when all was said and done. He kind of did owe Rin for giving him a place to stay the first night (and now he was just sticking with him), so maybe he could have paid it back by watching over him while traveling.

(Haru curls up on the pillow.)

Maybe it was because he was a lazy animal by nature now, but he had a sudden fondness of pillows that almost came up to his fondness for water. Almost, almost, but not quite.

And if you knew him-it was quite a lot.

The last thing he remembers is feeling the bed's height lower when Rin's weight crashes down on it, and Haru falls asleep listening to sound of the redhead breathing.


【それは忘れることは難しい。】

【It's hard to forget.】

Haru makes a discontented sound in the back of his throat, because this had been happening way too often as of late.

His childhood friend would get into this brooding mode, and now that Haru knew why Rin would get like that, it kind of frustrated him (kind of?) that he couldn't say Rin, I'm right here. But then again that would require him changing back, and Haru also didn't want to because everything would change.

He kind of liked it the way it was now.

It was strange to see Rin get visibly worried about him, and though these moments didn't happen often (or maybe Haru wasn't around to see them?), it was disheartening to see the redhead act like his, because Haru was right there, in front of him so why can't you see there's no reason to be sad?

One time, Haru had almost, almost thought Rin had been crying (a tear on his cheek, maybe?) sometime in the late evening while looking up at the ceiling.

When Haru had approached his childhood friend and mewed, Rin had simply brought a wrist up to his forehead and told him stop it, you're just like Nitori.

And looking at his face, maybe there was some kind of relief(?) that swelled inside him because Rin hadn't been crying, of course not, this was Matsuoka Rin they were talking about.

But when they sleep that night, Haru hears the other whisper his name before moving the bed covers over to signal that the day is over.

It's a soft, quiet sound that's hardly audible even with his ears… but one that makes Haru feel like flying.

"Haru."


【あなたに私をリードパス。】

【The path that leads me to you.】

For the next two weeks, things settle down.

(Like hell they have, Rin starts, if you have any idea-)

As Rin isn't allowed to attend school during this 'probationary period' or 'leave the dorms,' he ends up spending a lot of time with the new abomination of a small, domestic fluffy animal that has invaded his life.

(Though, Haru notes disapprovingly, Rin tends to sneak out time and time again to do unimportant things, like taking going on runs, eating out, sightseeing, or just unimportant things. There was even one time he had headed towards the red light district, but Haru had prevented him from going by being "obstinately annoying".)

During the week, Gou tends to drop off things for them at the office (since outsiders aren't allowed on campus easily and Rin doesn't take the initiative to invite her since he's an unsentimental idiot), disguised inside packaged boxes that have cut-out pink hearts plastered all over them (to Rin's dismay.)

So far, she's sent cat food, a collar, two balls of yarn, some toys, and a litter box-

-But Haru also obstinately refuses to use any of them.

Nitori had set up the litter box in the corner of their bathroom, but every time Rin goes to check if it has been used, it's empty and continues to be as squeaky clean as it had been that first day Gou had sent it.

Though the glitter stickers Gou had taped on spelling I-R-U-K-A had been ripped off, because no matter how much Nitori complimented them or begged him (afterwards, when he had seen Rin start to take them off) keep them on, the explosive colors and glitter-cut shapes disturbed his masculinity a little too much.

In the end?

(Other than Haru doing his business outside.)

Lights, camera, and-

Snapshot; there were a number of things that were unused.

1) The litter box was never used, though Rin never had to clean up any messes. Which was weird.

.

2) The cat food was never touched. Rin had relayed to Niori offhandedly that the only thing he had ever seen Iruka eat was cooked mackerel, and ever since, his kouhai had taken to regularly bringing the food in.

3) Rin himself didn't want to put the collar on Iruka, because that would entail ownership, and that meant responsibility. Which was a concept that he wanted to stay away from with a ten-meter stick at all times. (So it wasn't used.)

4) Iruka also refused to play with any of the toys, though it would often come up to him and tug at his clothes often enough ("Goddamnit, stop doing that-")

5) During the two weeks, as Iruka started to roam around Samezuka and gain popularity- it had a fucking fanclub, as far as Rin was concerned, because now a majority of the students knew about the "really cute smart kitten" living in "Matsuoka's room!" And many would often intrude into his personal space to come see Iruka. Bringing gifts and treats alore.

6) It liked playing game consoles, apparently.

7) It puffed his pillow into a nest 24/7, so Rin was left virtually pillow-less.

8) With how often Iruka was around, Rin was also left a certain activity-less (those numbers in his phone weren't going anywhere, but still.)

Then naturally, due to number #7 (he circles the note bullet on the paper with a red pen), Rin hadn't been able to sleep well the first few nights[1]. Nitori had offered him his pillow, but not wanting to feel like a little kid, he'd said 'no thank you.'

So in the end, he'd ended up using Iruka as a pillow.

[1]-In episode five, it's said that Rin is the kind of person who can't sleep without his pillow.

After having written out this list, Rin tears the note paper in half with his teeth (oh, man, the pen ink tastes absolutely disgusting) and tosses the little pieces of white sheet into the trash can as a recreational activity.

(Wasn't there some kind of mobile game like this everyone had gone insane about a while ago?)

With nothing to do, Rin would have most likely bored himself away (after working out and exhausting his electronics batteries), but the two weeks fly by quickly. Too quickly, actually.

Life becomes interesting because Iruka does something crazy everyday, people are barging into his room, and though he refuses to admit this on any ground, Iruka actually isn't that bad to have around.

(Except for that one time Iruka had gotten into the pool-he had spent two entire hours apologizing to the captain. That was not fun.)

(Or that one time the track team had all burst into his room while he had been trying to read, and all they had done was chase Iruka around excitedly and ask him "Can we use your pet as our mascot?" -Due to some incentive that with such a cute mascot, they would get funds and popularity from the school.)

(He'd told them to "Screw off," saying that the thing wasn't his pet.)

(Lies, they all whispered as Rin slammed the door in their faces.)

And strange things happened everyday.

"What the fuck are you doing now?" Rin asks curiously, sitting down on the desk chair and resting his arms on the table. "Really, did Nitori teach you this?"

Iruka… was now currently trying to balance a clear, plastic ball on his nose.

Like a seal. Or maybe even a dolphin.

Iruka ignores him and continues trying to keep the ball up there, pivoting around on two feet.

(Really, the actual image of this happening is much weirder than you would think.)

"...You're more of a seal than a dolphin now," Rin announces with a grin, and darts to the side just as Iruka swats at him half-heartedly, mewing in a discontent manner.

Iruka had a tendency to get slightly irritated whenever he made dolphin comments, apparently.

Sulking, Iruka seems to retreat to the corner of the room with the clear, plastic blue ball.

Rin only goes into another fit of laughter, shaking his head as he reaches for a pillow (or actually, the pillow) before he throws it across the room to slap against Iruka's whole frame.

"Riiiiii!"

"Aaahh, loser."


【あなたが行動するように言われた場合は、移動するでしょうか?】

【If you were told to act, would you move?】

Haru had been lying on his lap, sleeping there while Rin had tried to do some reading makeup for class. Technically, he wasn't supposed to be getting any word from school, but Nitori had told the club about him needing help... which lead to some other swim team members from his grade had texted him assignments.

Shit. They were starting two new stories without him, and one huge work was made completely of sobriquets[2].

[2]-Guidebook preaches that Matsuoka isn't good at Literature and Old Japanese, though he's adept at English and Math? Not sure about this, but someone sent me this info in a comment.

The redhead makes a groaning sound when he flips over a few textbooks to reach what he's looking for, along with a tattered, paperback novel. He glances back at his phone to check the names of what they're reading, and.. yeah, fuck.

『Akeno Hirakawa: Here it is, Matsuoka. We started reading a 19th century novel called 'Shunshoku Umegoyomi, so I'd guess you should read up until page 107 to catch up? Then in the textbook (the Kirizaya Haruo one), we've started to read 源氏物語. Genji. Do questions 1-37 for that.』

"... Oh God," Rin mutters under his breath, and immediately starts looking up online notes (turning on his kouhai's laptop and plopping it over on his bed), because he just knows he's not going to understand any of this ancient dialect material.

Sobriquets.. . it was so hard for him to keep track of all of these characters when they were not given particular names, and with so much going on, he'd get lost for sure. Damnit. Flipping the novel open and scanning through the pages, all Rin understands in-between the words are funerals, deaths, and misfortune.

Immersed in attempting to study (though he knows it's not going to really happen), Rin takes a small band and ties his hair back into a mini-imitation of a ponytail before reaching over to slide on reading glasses.

He hadn't really meant to, but with all of the rustling and the bed sinking down (under all the weights of textbooks being moved around), Iruka wakes up and stirs on his lap.

"Ah, sorry," The redhead says offhandedly, flipping open a few other diction books (since his terminology and way of phrasing things was really bad, apparently). "Go back to sleep."

Iruka mews quietly and stands up, stepping on some papers in the process.

"Come on, you're stepping all over my important papers. I have to turn those in, and I can't really just go get second copies since I'm kind of banned from- Iruka."

The two of them look at the worksheet paper Rin slowly holds up, seeing how bad the damage is.

In the answer blanks, there are three footprints.

"...Damnit."


【したら、それはそれは本当に起動したときにそれはだ、上だと思う。】

【Once you think it's over, that's when it really starts.】

Rin blinks. "Where did you get this from?"

Iruka ignores him in favor of playing with some loose seams the thing had pulled from his shirt.

It's a thin, plain black leather collar with some silver metal lining pieces. It looks more like a wristwatch than anything (collars were the same thing, maybe?), actually, and Rin fingers the collar a few times, before turning it over to check if it has a tag on it.

『Iruka. Owner: Matsuoka Rin.

Call 080-92-1827 if lost.』

...Wait, wasn't this one of the items Gou had sent over?

The redhead was positively and absolutely sure that he had locked away this along with the rest of the pet toys in a box, taped it up, and set it outside their door for disposal, because there was no way he would be using any of those and it was just taking up space.

Someone… was going to die today.

Whoever had done this would have had to take a knife and hack away at all of the taping on their box, dig it out, dust and clean the thing off, and call Iruka (a demon) over to place it on, and it would have been hard.

Would have taken much dedication.

Then who would have…

….

"Nitori."


【知られている世界は信じていたが - あなたが笑うとそれを "幼稚"と呼ぶでしょうか?】

【The world known was believing-would you laugh and call it "childish"?】

"Shh, Iruka. Trying to concentrate."

A disappointed sound. "Mew."

Repeated tapping noises. An exaggerated sigh.

"Fuck. Come on, you can't possibly tell me you want to try this."

"Rii!"

"Oh God, if anyone sees me doing this, they're going to send me to a mental hospital-fine, but only for thirty seconds. Fine."

Happy and contented purring.

There's the sound of a door opening, and with a few footsteps, Aiichiro Nitori asks-

"...Senpai, exactly why is Iruka playing your PS2?"

.

.

.

"...My life doesn't make sense at the moment, don't ask me impossible questions like that."


Thanks to PinkSugarDust, LightHead ( e), Lily, celestialstarynight, Guest, vakiromi, betstar, MeikoKuran999, pixnic, Oshawott-kun, Maiden Warrior, shadowmarialove, Tigerwulf, Peque Saltamontes, Jackhammerbaby0103, AsDarknessSpreads, L. Monster, Break of Dawn.

Logbook #64. You shall write in a PS2 moment in whatever next chapter you write for whatever story. Completed it, jerks.

If you have any requests, I might as well take some up since all of you are so sweet. Oh God, some of you are so adorable Then Jackhammerbaby0103 comes and asks me for M-rated material. Whoa, whoa. I don't even pass first base until the fourth date, Haru. Why? (Because I'm secretly getting you tested for diseases and God-knows what activities you've been doing with that dirty water, Haru. -CoughcoughPipulp99.- You don't even let me finish my sewage lines anymore-)

(...No, but I'll keep that in mind.)

(-Whistles and looks away- the next chapter may go a little up in rating, actually. Rinrin gets a little action.)

Maiden Warrior (Since I can't reply to you), this is kind of centric to the Free! episode feels, though I might have to re-watch some to get it back. And I hope so, because everyone hates Rin. Outright hates Rin for being a "bastard" or they make him inherently evil in their stories (-casually points to MakoHaru-), and honestly, I feel like he's the tragic hero. He's like a shounen protagonist, with how he's so cute and excited and fired up when he's young, trying to make friends and being alone, but.. but when he comes back. Instant hardships and everyone's like "Bastard. Rin." Thankyou, sweetie. -Snuggles.- You're too nice. -Really happy by the comments.- Yes, Nagisa likes homicidal crowds. It's what he'll do for his birthday party.

Apparently, giving anon love and having a sisterly-twin fiance (making water and crap children) is cheating, so I'm going to stay in the corner and be miffed because CapturedbyNoodles is taking this seriously and nope. Nope, nope, nope.

(Kidding, kidding… kind of, not really-but I am hurt.)

(Mikado/Sasuke/Levi/Rin sulks. Less than three broken. Because being having someone chosen over-okay, okay, I see how it is.)

See you next time!


Owari

Rin: ….I don't know why Nitori invited all of you here, but I don't need help or any kind of therapy talk. I'm fine. You can leave.

Nitori: Senpaiii, I asked them to come over to show team spirit! And that we miss you.

Mikoshiba: Huh? Where's Gou? I thought you said she'd be here…

Rin: ….Why would she be here? -Realizes the real reason why he came. Raises an eyebrow at Nitori.- Team spirit. Huh.

Nitori: Eeeck. Senpaiiii. The… the effort counts?

Akeno: Matsuoka, even if you're banned from doing any kind of activities, you should still exercise and work out. -Disapproving stare.-

Rin: And who are you, again? Oh, yeah, your name isn't 'Matsuoka.' So I'm fine, thank you. I am excercising, though I really can't go anywhere to do so since I'm banned. That's a little bit of an issue.

Akeno: -Almost growling.-

Rin: -Dark glare.-

Nitori: Waah, don't fight, senpai's! Even if you have your rivalry over the relay… just be friends!

Mikoshiba: -Looks around.- Gou? Gou? Is she coming later?

.

.

.

Rin, Nitori and Akeno: ….What an idiot.

.(It's okay bbys, your captain just needs a little -gestures- girl-action every once and a while)