A/N: Thanks to FanofBellaandEdward for being my beta!


XII

One week. That was seven days. Seven days before everyone would be on their way to Tokyo for the championships.

In those seven days Rin had noticed a definite change in his relationship with Haru; sleeping together every night was surprisingly comforting. Waking up every morning to have slender arms draped over his torso was surreal as well as heart-warming. He'd missed having company around. The nightly phone calls to his mum and Gou weren't really enough to push back the void that had grown over the space of the summer, encompassing the entirety of the house. It wasn't just the closeness that he loved; Haru himself had come out of his shell a lot more too. Not only was the creature unrealistically affectionate after his years of isolation, he -with the newfound freedom of walking -was always picking things up on their trips around town.

For instance, there was at least one silver bowl filled with smooth pebbles or brightly coloured sea-shells on each floor of his house. Not that Rin minded really. They looked nice against the sunlight. Probably too bland for when the winter months rolled in, but as the sun passed over them, the subtle colours made him smile as he breezed past.

It was also seven days in which Rin decided to take Haru for walks -and sometimes jogs -along the beach near his home. He wasn't too sure why he did, at first, but he thought it had something to do with trying to make the merman as comfortable as possible. It was just pot luck that he lived right along the coast.

Being back in a routine was nice as well. Rin jogged up and down along the beach, the sand gritty in his shoes and against his bare legs before he returned to the spot where he'd left Haru. They'd eat their packed breakfast from the rucksack and drink red tea from a thermos before Rin would spend almost an hour each morning trying to teach Haru to skip a pebble. He was almost getting the hang of it, after four days of practice, but the pebbles usually sank far sooner than Rin's.

Being so close to the ocean made Haru relax completely and to feel the damp sand beneath his feet relieved an ache inside him. He was so close to feeling free and normal again but there was still something cloying about not daring to go back into the salt water.

Being on the damp sand alone made the dull ridges of scales etch out of his smooth, white skin -he dreaded how Rin would handle him diving into the depths and regrowing his tail in the blink of an eye.

Classes were long over now and all the exams had been taken so now there was nothing to do but relax and enjoy the rest of the summer as well as practice.

It had gotten to the point where they were both practicing at least four nights a week. Most of the time their practices were on the same evening so Rin would just drive around to the Iwatobi campus after his own session had ended and pick Haru up from the parking lot, if Makoto wasn't driving him home of course. On the nights where they did practice on different days, Makoto drove Haru home. It was a nice set-up.

On their days off, Rin and Haru would swim at least an hour or two in the pool in his back garden, after drenching the redhead in sun cream.

Finally, Friday morning dawned, the day that they would pack some clothes and head to the meet-up area where they would get the coach and travel up to Tokyo for the championships. Both teams were taking the coach, despite being competitors, as it worked out a lot cheaper and easier than hiring two coaches to head to the same place. Besides, there was more than enough space for both teams and more.

Climbing up into the air-conditioned vehicle, Rin grabbed Haru's bag from the seat next to the one he was occupying, and hoisted it up into the overhead compartment along with his own bag. The aisle was narrow and people kept trying to push past him to get to the free seats behind. Rin glared at them and sneered. It was far too early in the day for pushing and shoving and it would only serve to annoy him even more. He took his time sliding into his seat and buckling his belt, ignoring the glares sent his way from passing teammates. Everyone was tired and irritable and exhausted from their intensive training over the last week and a half.

"How're you feeling?" Rin asked once everyone was buckled in and the driver pulled the coach out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

Haru was looking a little paler than normal and was unusually quiet compared to the last week they'd spent together. He blinked slower, and his movements were sluggish. It was all probably due to waking up at 5AM but Rin couldn't ignore the niggling at the back of his head. Haru nodded slowly, before sighing and shifting lower in his seat, arms folded in his lap. Rin felt his heart thump heavily in his chest. There wasn't anything he could do except wrap an arm around Haru's shoulders and draw him against his chest, letting the merman sleep for the entire journey.

Both teams were staying in a B&B for the weekend, leaving first thing Monday morning, and luckily for them, they got to room with whoever they wanted. The rooms had been paid for so as long as all of them were used, no one cared who roomed with who. Suffice to say, Rin, Haru, Makoto and Sousuke were glad for that news.

Haru sat down on the bed and stared out of the window whilst Rin made use of the chest of drawers on the other side of the room. He unpacked their two bags before tossing them into the empty wardrobe in the corner. "Are you hungry?" he asked as he straightened up and flexed his shoulders. Over nine hours in a coach with only a brief stop for lunch was agony for the muscles. Everything felt cramped and no amount of stretching seemed to ease the tension.

Haru shook his head. "Not ... really."

Rin frowned. They hadn't eaten much on their 'lunch break' and they'd probably need an early night to make up for the early start. Ergo, dinner would be within three hours tops.

A knock came from the door.

Rin strode over and answered the door to see Sousuke and Makoto. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"Well I'm starving," Makoto said, "and I figured you guys might be too, so we were gonna head downstairs and get something to eat. Wanna come?"

"Er ..." Rin glanced over his shoulder. "Hey Haru? Are you sure you don't want anything to eat?"

Haru's shoulders slumped but he didn't turn to look at any of them. "Tired ..." was all he said before he laid down on the furthest of the twin beds, and dragged the thin throw blanket up over his legs.

"I guess it's just us three," Sousuke stated.

Rin nodded as he grabbed his wallet from where he'd tossed it on the floor. "I'll be back soon Haru! Try and rest okay?"

There was nothing but silence as Rin closed the door.

~0~

Saturday was the day of no mistakes. Both teams were up at the crack of dawn and drove to the nearby pool house to train for the day. Twelve hours of swimming was enough to exhaust anybody, but Haru seemed to bear the brunt of it all on his narrow shoulders. His times had been damn near perfect, as though every ounce of strength had gone into pushing himself as hard as he could.

That night as he flopped down on the bed, Rin was at his side in an instant with painkillers and a tall glass of water with ice clinking inside.

"Here. Drink this, it will make you feel better," he said as he sat down on the edge of Haru's bed. The blue-haired man eased himself up into a sitting position, his movements stiff and lethargic as he accepted the glass and the pills. Rin watched him with a steady gaze and pursed his lips together. "You need to get as much rest as you can," he finally said.

"Thanks ..." Haru breathed once he'd downed most of the water.

Rin set the glass on the side as the creature slipped beneath the blanket again. He watched Haru's eyes stare blankly for a while before he brushed the dark blue hair out of his face. "You don't need to push yourself so hard. The race is tomorrow but you need to remember you're only doing this as a favour to Makoto and the rest of Iwatobi. First priority, however, is your health. I don't want you getting ill."

"Won't get ill," Haru strained. "Just need ... sleep."

"I don't care what you think," Rin stated matter-of-factly. "I want you to be okay. Otherwise you'll spend the rest of summer tucked up in bed from exhaustion."

"You ... worry ... too much." Rin pressed his lips together but couldn't deny the truth behind the statement. Haru turned his head to the side and reached up to run a hand through Rin's hair. "Rin? Lay down ... with me?"

It wasn't an odd request. Not really. They lied this way almost every night, tucked up into one another. However, to do it consciously was ... a whole new level of intimacy. Easing himself down onto the mattress, Rin felt every spring bend under his weight as he nestled his head on the pillow in front of Haru's. Curling an arm under his head he relaxed and breathed softly. The feel of Haru's cold skin against his made him shiver against the creature's chest as Haru slid an arm around the redhead's abdomen in a tender embrace.

Haru wriggled closer, tightening his hold on Rin's waist and nuzzling the nape of his neck.

The redhead couldn't help but smile and finally feel sleep dragging at his mind, his own arm coming up to drape over Haru's and lace their fingers together.

"Rin?"

"Yes Haru?"

"I ... I mnh."

Rin peaked over his shoulder. Haru's eyelids had dropped closed. The poor thing was far too exhausted. He needed to rest as much as possible if he had any chance in placing in the championships tomorrow.

They both did.

~0~

Today was the day. It was nothing but heat from both the sun and the mass of bodies swarming around for their seats. The lanes had been laid in the pool and the judges were at their station.

It had been a long and arduous morning; Haru was still feeling ill and despite the painkillers, was still swaying a little on his feet as he lined up with the rest of the Iwatobi team. From his position in the next line-up down, Rin watched the skinny figure slump a little as the referee ticked off everyone's names from the list. Rin couldn't stop his fingers from twitching. He felt nervous -not of the race -but for Haru's well-being. He didn't want the merman to exert himself for no real reason.

The races had gone well. The other teams might as well not have bothered showing up because it seemed like, as of half-way through the day, it was a tie between Iwatobi and Samezuka.

Now there was only one race left; the relay.

Rin could feel every muscle in his body going tense as he rolled the small cramp out of his shoulders. It wouldn't do to cramp halfway through the last lay and be the one to let his team down. His eyes kept trailing over to where Haru stood at the back of the line in the next lane over. Close enough to talk to, not close enough to touch -and neither action was allowed.

First up was the back-stroke.

Rin had seen them practice a few times over the summer but now that hundreds of eyes were watching down on them, Makoto's face was even more determined as he popped back up from the water and took his starting position, holding onto the rails of the diving block. His stroke was fast and determined, much like when they had been children.

As soon as he tapped the base of the block, Nagisa shot off into a seamless breaststroke, gaining evening more speed when he kicked back from the other end.

Rin was scratching the inside of his wrist by the time Rei dove into the water and performed his butterfly. He had to look away. Rei, as nice a guy as he was, was the weakest swimmer of them all. Especially in comparison to Haru.

Haru.

Rin felt a lump rise in his throat as he curled his toes over the edge of the block. His heart was hammering in his chest, the cool feel of the water just inches below him -and all he kept thinking was how he hoped Haru didn't face-plant into the water from exhaustion.

Sousuke tapped the block and that was it -he sprang forward into the water, a fire burning inside him as he dominated the every ripple and powered through. The water was his sanctuary, his second home, being in it felt nothing but natural. The strokes were effortless and as powerful as he could master, his lungs -so used to the adrenaline -burned beautifully as he kicked off from the opposite side.

Everything was getting close; the diving block ... the score board ... the clock ... it was all so close ...

TAP!

Exploding from the water, Rin finally felt his heart catch up with him. He drew in deep calming breaths, unsurprised to see Haru panting heavily in the next lane beside him. Both their teams were cheering. Glancing up at the score board, Rin did a double-take. Not only had Rin won the championship for his Academy but Haru had also helped place Iwatobi in second place, their time was only three seconds apart!

That was going to be a time many would struggle to beat in future years.

Sousuke bent down on the pools edge and held out his hand for Rin to take. Climbing out of the pool was a little trickier considering that his knees were shaking. They'd won. The news still refused to sink into his brain. As the judge gave the final announcement, stating that Samezuka definitely had placed in first and were declared the winners, Rin's eyes wondered back over to Haru. He was leaning heavily against Makoto's side, his eyes red as though the chlorine had irritated them and his skin was paler than normal. He looked dreadfully ill and as though he was about to pass out.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when the creature's knees gave out and he sank down towards the wet floor.

"HARU?" he cried out as he pushed through the damp bodies to get to Haru who, had thankfully been caught by Makoto. Rin wrapped his arms around the limp body and eased himself onto his knees. "Makoto, get the first aid guy! Hurry!"

Sousuke crouched down beside him, a look of worry on his face. "What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know." Rin shook his head. "He was feeling ill since the other night but he kept just saying he was tired."

"He's probably just over-worked himself," Sousuke said, even though he sounded like he didn't even believe what he was saying, "Let the first aid guy check him over and then get him on the coach. He's probably just gotten heatstroke or something."

"Then he should've said!" Rin snapped, "God, why did I push him?"

"You can't blame yourself. You're panicking over nothing. Just relax."

Rin ground his teeth together and bowed his head, his shoulders shaking as little as Haru mumbled something unintelligible under his breath. "It's going to be okay, Haru, you hear me? We're gonna get you some help."

Haru just about managed to make sense of what the red-head was saying before he rasped out a soft, "Rin ..." before he blacked out completely.


A/N: I know this is a slightly shorter update but hopefully you guys love it all the same. Please R&R! x