The next morning, Makoto emptied his duffel bag with a heavy heart to make way for his Iwatobi High School tracksuit. He then hurried off to school, and though he had arrived earlier than his usual time for class, his discomfort was apparent and his contributions few and far between. Not that he was actively prompted to speak, not at all. As a sign of good faith, Nagisa and Rei steered clear of Class 2-1, while Haruka sank into silence, immersing himself in pleasant daydreams of the water. After all, Makoto's quiet greeting and a few stray glances confirmed he was not in his usual talkative mood. That was permission enough to think of Samezuka Academy's indoor pool, and think of it far more often than the fact that Haruka had willfully coaxed his friend into something Makoto protested to the last. The thought did sometimes sweep across the sea of his mind, leaving virulent ripples in its wake, but Haruka pushed it away like a stubborn child. Surely Makoto could endure watching him swim from the safety of the sidelines for a mere two hours on an uneventful Thursday afternoon. No twisted preference for track or dislike for water could justify such stubborn resistance, not when Haru was asking for so little and fought for it so hard.

After sixth period, Makoto went to the bathroom to change into his tracksuit, then walked down to the trains station with Haru, cloaked in somber silence that painted a convincing portrait of him as the fourth member who was still recovering from an injury, but represented his club with dignity regardless. Now that the time was drawing near, Makoto was almost glad for Haru's interjection, and felt he would be able to play the part very well, thankful that everyone else was blissfully oblivious he didn't have to feign any pain he was supposed to feel. The walk was long, and they hadn't spoken ten words together along the way, but whenever he glanced over to Haru, Makoto's lips twitched into a small, faint smile. After so long, Haru would finally be able to swim with his friends… and if all it took to secure his pleasure was a few idle hours every week, Makoto thought that being no more than filler might not be so bad after all.

Nagisa, Rei, and Kou were waiting for them at the station, the boys still in their regular uniforms, but their manager dressed in a standard first-year Iwatobi tracksuit to fit in better with her team of swimmers. She and Makoto had only glimpsed each other briefly at the track field. They had not been introduced yet, but the time had come at last, and Kou was looking forward to it despite Nagisa's sad intelligence that Tachibana-senpai was to remain clothed for the entirety of joint practice. She flashed him a sweet smile on arrival nonetheless, at which point Nagisa stepped forward, charitable and eager as ever.

"Mako-chan, you haven't met our manager yet," he said to Makoto as he motioned to Kou, who clasped her hands in delight. "This is Kou-chan."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tachibana Makoto," said Makoto, nodding his head with a warm, obliging smile. Kou returned the gesture.

"Nice to meet you, Tachibana-senpai. I'm Matsuoka Kou," she replied, and for one moment, Makoto's expression slipped from gentle calm to confusion and surprise. Haru noticed and turned his head stiffly, but the others merely found it odd.

"Is something wrong, Mako-chan?" asked Nagisa. Makoto quickly composed himself, scratching his cheek with a finger.

"No, it's nothing," he replied with an innocent smile.

Once he and Haru bought their tickets, it was only a matter of minutes before they all boarded the train for Samezuka Academy. It was a long ride, where lively conversation promised a more agreeable journey, so the others happily engaged in a discussion, soon confirming Makoto's suspicions of a connection between Matsuoka Kou and Matsuoka Rin. More curiously, there was a chance the mysterious rival might be present at joint practice, but while the thought filled Makoto with a sense of uneasiness, his concern for Haru was far greater still. He glanced at his friend every now and again to try and search his feelings, but Haruka showed no signs of excitement or anxiety. He merely sat wordlessly through the entire ride, though his eyes, equally guarded, often drifted to Makoto.

The first-years' excited chatter of 'Onii-chan,' 'Rin-chan,' and 'Rin-senpai' only ceased once they got off the train and entered Samezuka Academy's lush green campus, which everyone had visited by now except for Makoto. While the others led, he kept turning his head left and right to admire the scenery, all the way to the indoor swimming pool.

He soon entered the pool area with Kou, while Haruka, Nagisa, and Rei were shown to the locker room by a member of the Samezuka swim team. They reappeared some minutes later in their favorite swimsuits, Haru clad in his usual black and purple jammers, Nagisa wearing red jammers with yellow stars on them, and Rei sporting a dark purple legskin striped with an entire rainbow from top to bottom, though how he managed to look so dignified in it remained an utter mystery to Makoto. Rei was unavailable for comment, as he immediately started his warm-up stretching exercises, and prudent as such exercises seemed to be, nobody followed his example – Haruka was rubbing idly at his shoulder, and Nagisa was bouncing on his heels.

"Indoor pools are so nice!" he said with a happy sigh as he glanced around with a grin, but his excitement could scarcely compare to Kou's, whose eyes kept jumping from one chiseled torso to another in a scrumptious visual feast of muscles.

Easy to see they're from a champion school… But ours are just as good! she thought in admiration of Rei's firm back and the hard flatness of Haruka's stomach, wishing Tachibana-senpai would at least take off his jacket to reflect better on the united Iwatobi Swim Club. She could not bemoan Makoto's unwillingness for long, however. Mikoshiba Seijuurou had received word of their arrival, and made his way over to bid them welcome.

"Hey! Thanks for coming," he called out with a wave of his hand. Kou twirled around with a cheerful smile and Rei abandoned his exercises at last, joining the others in a bow as they said (and Haru merely nodded), Thank you very much!

"No problem," replied Seijuurou, turning to Haruka next. "You're Nanase-kun, right? You won a bunch of regional tournaments in grade school."

"Yeah," replied Haruka, his displeasure at being noticed and expected to talk so obvious, Makoto had to suppress his laughter.

"I've heard a lot about you. You may not remember, but when you won the Iwatobi regional, I was second. I still remember how you beat me on the fifty meter turn," continued Seijuurou, apparently determined to have Haruka to himself for as long as possible. Watching Haru turn his head slightly to the side like an annoyed child was amusing, but Makoto's attention was soon diverted from him. His smile faded with it. Not too far away, another figure had just entered the pool area, the shade of his dark hair rather suspect.

"Oh, Senpai," said a first-year standing nearby. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," came the curt answer as the guy turned his head away to steal a careful glance at Haruka, who was still detained by Samezuka's captain. Now that he was facing them, Makoto could finally see the now familiar red of those large, fiery eyes, but if he had any doubts left, the delightful glow of Kou's face dispersed them as she ran past Seijuurou towards her brother.

"Ah, Onii-chan!" she called out with a smile. Rin stiffened and gave her a look.

"Gou," he replied, his tone no less cold than how he had spoken to the first-year student who greeted him. "What are you trying to do?"

"Rin-chan!" cried Nagisa too, hurrying over with a grin. "We get to swim together again, so let's have fun today!" he said, flashing his friend a peace sign. Rin scoffed.

"Together? Tch. You guys are a waste of my time," he replied, then turned away from them, leaving the pool area for good.

"Onii-chan…" said Kou in a small voice, unheeded by her brother. One look at her drooping shoulders and Makoto's face darkened, his features so uncharacteristically hard it even caught Rei's attention, who left Haruka's side to walk over to him.

"Think nothing of it, Tachibana-san. Rin-senpai simply wasn't in the mood for conversation," he said with an apologetic smile. Makoto nodded, and did his best to smooth out his expression, but that voice kept lingering and turned his mouth sour. He would have expected a brother, especially an older brother to be more kind and attentive to his sister. He searched his heart and immediately protested the idea of treating Ran so coolly in front of anybody, and when he measured Rin's actions by the tender feelings of a younger sister, he found it all the more baffling that his friends condoned the other's behavior so easily and defended him so decidedly. Not having known Rin the way they have despite his conversation with Coach Sasabe, Makoto had little choice but to trust their judgment of Matsuoka Rin's true character, but while he had his own feelings for guidance and comparison, he secretly ventured to think of Rin just as he had before: unreasonable, and selfish to the core.

The two swim clubs soon gathered by the pool side to begin joint practice, and the Iwatobi Swim Club did their best to crowd in front of Makoto, who hopelessly towered above them like a large green cuckoo in a nest of rainbow robins.

"I was thinking that you could practice with our first-years today," said Seijuurou, clapping his hands firmly together. "Okay! Let's start with individual time trials… hm?"

He paused, then narrowed his eyes at Makoto. "You there! Get in your swimsuit."

"Uh, I'm sorry, but I—" began Makoto, until Nagisa jumped in front of him to steal the captain's attention.

"Oh, sorry! He's injured so he can't swim," he said, laughing nervously as he rubbed the back of his head.

"What? Why is he here, then?" asked Seijuurou in a strict tone, turning back to Makoto again. "When did it happen? Where are you injured?"

"Last Friday… I fell on my back," replied Makoto, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Almost a week ago, then," mused the captain. "Do you have wounds or stitches?"

"..No, just bruising."

"Can you bend down and move your arms?"

"Um, yeah, but—"

"Then swimming will help your muscles get back into shape. It's called corrective physical therapy," replied Seijuurou in a no-nonsense tone. "You probably didn't bring a swimsuit. You can use one of ours, so go get changed!"

"Huh?!" blurted Makoto, now dangerously out of his comfort zone.

"Oi, Nitori!" shouted the Captain.

"Yes!" came the immediate reply, at which point the first-year from before hurried over to Makoto, motioning towards the changing rooms.

"Come with me, please," he said. Makoto tensed.

"I'm sorry but I can't—" he tried to explain, but was seized by the arm mid-speech to be taken to the changing room, dragged with greater strength than Makoto had imagined such a small frame to possess.

"Hurry up, please!" scolded Nitori on the way. "You'll get in trouble if you don't follow orders!"

"No, wait, you don't understand!" Makoto insisted, shooting a horrified glance at his teammates as the doors closed behind him. Haruka's face remained stiff and expressionless, but Rei and Nagisa exchanged worried glances.

"Uh-oh…" sighed Nagisa, not knowing half of what worried Makoto so much.

Makoto was soon returned to the others in nothing but a standard purple and green Samezuka speedo, feeling naked and vulnerable as he reunited with his teammates. Nobody offered any comment, but Kou admired his abs with a look of silent approval, while Haruka stole one wide-eyed glance at him and turned his head. Makoto sighed and stood next to Nagisa and Rei, his arms wrapped around as much of his bare torso as he could reasonably cover on his own. Nagisa flashed him a soothing smile and patted his shoulder, his eyes drifting to Makoto's back in awe.

"Oh wow, you even painted on bruises just in case!" he said wide-eyed, then jabbed a curious finger into a colorful blotch in the middle of Makoto's back. Makoto hissed and flinched violently. Nagisa reeled.

"Wh-What the— You didn't tell me those were real!" yelped Nagisa, slapping a hand over his mouth. Rei pressed a hand to his face so hard the frame of his prescription goggles bit into his skin. Kou winced with a queasy expression, while Haruka stood in awkward silence as his foolproof plan backfired, putting Makoto's injuries on shameful display. His back was a sad sight, his skin dipping into sickly hues of blue-tinted yellow and green where he had fallen on one of the broken pieces of the vaulting pole, but Mikoshiba took one look at his blotches and said they were healing nicely, and swimming any number of laps would only speed up muscle regeneration. This might have been a soothing thought to most, but it did nothing to cheer up Makoto.

"I don't want to swim," he whined uselessly to the others as the exemplary vice-captain stepped forward to be the first volunteer for time trials, assuming a perfect stance on top of his designated block. Nagisa patted Makoto's shoulder again, his touch now careful and feather-light.

"Don't worry, Mako-chan," he said soothingly. "These time trials are just for practice, so it doesn't matter if you're slow."

"It's not my speed I'm worried about…" muttered Makoto.

"Relax, let's watch Rei-chan take the first turn," replied Nagisa, nudging him in the arm and pointing at Rei, who performed a beautiful dive at the blow of Mikoshiba's whistle.

Now that the first swimmers had begun their laps, and all by-standers were free to observe as they chose, the boys watched Rei's flawless butterfly stroke while Kou looked around, soon spotting her brother on the spectators' balcony on the opposite side. Rin was leaning flat against the railing, watching the others swim… or so it would have appeared to a disinterested observer. He might have fooled some, but not his highly observant sister, who aptly traced his gaze back to Haruka, who stood idly on the side as he waited for his turn. Kou shook her head with a grin.

So he is curious, she thought to herself, gladly forgiving Onii-chan for brushing them off so coolly before.

"I'm up next," said Nagisa as Rei was making his way back, then left to take his place on the starting block, leaving Haruka and Makoto behind. They stood side by side now, Makoto glancing uneasily at the other, but Haru seemed unreachable by any silent plea, his eyes still fixed on the water and his cheeks just the slightest hint of pink.

"Ready!" shouted Captain Mikoshiba and Nagisa sprung forward at the blow of his whistle. On the side, Rei finally lifted himself up and out of the pool. "Keep it coming! Next swimmer, get ready!"

As soon as Rei adjusted his goggles, he walked back to his teammates to urge them, but as Haru showed no signs of readiness, Rei stopped in front of Makoto instead.

"You are next, Tachibana-san. Please assume your position on the starting block," he said with all the self-importance his high position afforded. Makoto stared at him in horror.

"But, we agreed that I wouldn't—"

"Hey, next swimmer!" shouted Mikoshiba, staring pointedly at the troublemaker. "Move to the starting block!"

"Can the next person get over here, please?" added Nitori, his voice just the slightest hint of annoyed. Makoto heaved a bitter sigh.

Once he snapped his borrowed goggles and swimming cap into place, to head towards the front of the pool, Haruka finally found his voice. However, all he said to his friend in a strict undertone was, Respect the water. Makoto bit his lip before he could say something he might regret, passing Haru and rising onto the starting block. The water below him was sparklingly clear, so translucent one could see the wobbling patterns of small blue tiles lining the bottom. It wasn't too deep. It seemed to hold no secrets. As much as his back protested, Makoto managed to curl himself into position, his hands gripping the edge and his feet inching further and further apart, as though he were preparing to run.

Nagisa was drawing near and Makoto waited, frozen as a statue.

"Ready!"

He lowered his head slightly. Nagisa's hands touched the wall.

"Set!"

His arms tensed solid. The path was now clear.

"Go!"

Mikoshiba blew his whistle and Makoto did not so much jump as hurl himself into the air to tackle the water head on, hurtling towards it at a flat angle that sent him crashing with full force against the unforgiving surface that could not let him through. He landed on his chest and stomach and twitched like an impaled animal, his arms and legs still stretched out as he drowned to the sound of his teammates' cries. They stood there for several seconds, waiting for him to recover, but Makoto drifted to the bottom without resistance, his last gulp of air escaping in torn bubbles.

"Is he okay?!" cried Seijuurou.

"U-Um, this looks bad..!" stammered Kou, and as if on cue, Haruka sprinted forward to dive in, prompting Nagisa to scramble back towards the lane to help him. They gathered Makoto by his arms and dragged him to the surface, where he finally coughed water and gasped for air.

"Oh, thank goodness…" sighed Rei, pushing at his goggles with a shaky hand as Haru and Nagisa guided Makoto towards the edge, then helped him clamber out of the pool. Makoto's shoulders were jumping wildly in his struggle to catch his breath, looking as though he were going to be sick.

"The bathrooms are down to the left," offered Seijuurou. Makoto gasped a Thank you and brushed the others' hands away, taking a few winding steps that turned into a slow jog until he disappeared behind a door on the far end. Only then did Haruka turn to glare accusingly at Mikoshiba. The captain quirked his brow.

"He'll be fine. He dived at a wrong angle, that's all," he said, turning back to join Nitori again. "Next!"

"Haru-chan, shouldn't someone go after Mako-chan..?" asked Nagisa, his brow creased in worry. Haru bit his lip.

"I'll check on him in a minute," he said, following Mikoshiba's lead to be the next diver. Rei sighed and shook his head but he and Nagisa stayed put: it was not unreasonable to give Makoto some time to recover.

Once Haru arrived back at the starting block, Rei moved forward so the captain would be free to leave for the bathroom. Haruka walked down the side and soon disappeared into the hallway, his pace slower than his concern warranted, for one reason only: he had no idea what to say to Makoto. He hardly knew what he had witnessed at the pool. The angle was wrong, there was too much momentum, his form was tense, and once he hit the surface, he seemed paralyzed. Had he never dived before? Could he even really swim…? There had to be a reason the water didn't like him, and Haruka dreaded the answer.

Those were the thoughts that carried him to the bathroom, entering so silently his feet made no noise against the tiles, but every strange and convoluted thought was snatched out of his head when he finally spotted Makoto just past the wall. His friend was leaning against a sink in the far end, his hands gripping the edge as his whole frame shook like something inside him had snapped. His legs and chest and face trembled. Even his teeth were chattering, knocking together violently with each surge of his neck and shoulders. Haruka wanted to move, but he stood paralyzed in that living nightmare, watching helplessly as tears poured Makoto's cheeks that the other could not wipe away. When he at last forced his jaws open, Makoto started heaving. Something splattered onto the sides of the sink. Haruka's throat clamped shut as Makoto's opened, his body twitching backwards of its own accord to flee the bathroom, unheard and unseen by Makoto. Outside, Haru threw his back against the wall, heart jumping and lungs screaming for air. He clenched his hands into fists, even planted his foot and gritted his teeth, but the longer he stood there bracing himself, the less able he felt to face his friend again.

Haru waited five minutes, ten minutes by the wall, but Makoto did not come. A clock in the hallway kept score for him, and when Haru could no longer justify his own shameful cowardice, he clenched his fists again and slipped back into the bathroom one more time to check on Makoto. He expected to find him still standing by the sink, but his friend now huddled by the opposite wall, those large, strong arms curled around his legs to keep them from trembling so much. Makoto seemed to have calmed down somewhat. His teeth no longer chattered and he was staring quietly into space, but Haruka remained shackled to his hiding place behind the wall, unable to approach him. There was nothing he could do or say to Makoto. Rin was one thing, but this… how could anyone forgive him for this?

Haruka retreated as silently as he had come, and returned to the others a few minutes later, but as Makoto was nowhere to be seen, Rei and Nagisa abandoned the front of the pool and hurried over to him with Kou in tow. Their faces were tense. Haruka, too, was very pale, looking just as ill as he did a few weeks ago.

"Haru-chan, where's Mako-chan?" asked Nagisa, his face scrunching up.

"Is he alright? Does he need assistance?" added Rei. Haru shook his head.

"Leave him alone," he said, his voice thick and unnecessarily sharp. "He'll be back when he's ready." He then hurried past them towards the starting block. He needed to stop thinking. He needed the water.

They had managed some three or four rounds by the time the door at the far end opened. After a moment of hesitation in the doorway, Makoto stepped into the pool area, frightfully pale, but otherwise calm as he walked towards the others with slow, careful steps. Captain Mikoshiba spotted him first and nodded to Nitori, waiting patiently for Makoto to reach his teammates. Haruka was just making his turn to swim back towards the start block, but Nagisa and Rei caught the nod and followed Mikoshiba's gaze. When they finally noticed Makoto, both jumped up and hurried over with Kou to welcome him back.

"Mako-chan..!" sighed Nagisa in relief, almost teary-eyed as Makoto nodded to them and sank down on the nearest bench.

"Tachibana-san, welcome back," said Rei, doing his best to look cheerful.

"Here, Tachibana-senpai," said Kou, who brought him a towel to wipe his face. Makoto thanked her and tried for a smile, but it was lopsided and faint.

"Are you alright?" asked Mikoshiba when he at last walked over to them. Makoto's half-smile faltered.

"I think so.." he said, his voice hoarse and quiet. Mikoshiba gave him a reassuring look.

"Do you want to give it another try?"

"He's had enough," came Haruka's voice from behind him, so unnaturally demanding as to make Seijuurou stop and turn to him. Haruka stood a few feet away, frozen into a glare, his skin still dripping from having just climbed out of the pool. Mikoshiba paused, but eventually nodded and turned back to Makoto one last time.

"Alright. Listen," he began, "in case you want to come back later, lane seven is free. You won't be timed, so if you feel up to it, get in and swim any way you want." Then, before anyone could reply in acknowledgement or protest, he headed back to the front in a swift stride. "Next!"

It was Rei's turn, so he had no choice but to run off after Seijuurou. Makoto stared after them and his hands curled into loose fists he could not clench, his eyes boring into the floor.

"I… guess I will try that lane, then," he said slowly, looking at no one as he shifted his arms to push himself to his feet.

"Stay there!" snapped Haruka, his hand twitching forward to halt him. The sound of his voice made Kou wince. The others, too, stared at him wide-eyed as Makoto lifted his head with a look of confusion and what seemed almost like fear. Haru tensed, lowering his hand.

"Just rest.. alright?" he said, trying to sound less harsh, less angry. It didn't work. His own voice rang forced and embarrassed in his ears, but Makoto stopped and remained where he was, his hands now idling in his lap and his eyes back on the ground.

"Haru-chan…" whispered Nagisa. Haruka lowered his head. Nagisa shook his, but in the end, both sat down on the bench to stay with Makoto and watch Rei swim.

When Rei finished, Nagisa relieved him and Kou stood up to accompany him to the front, the two talking in hushed voices. The walk was long enough to leave Haruka and Makoto by themselves for half a minute, but Haruka still sat there in heavy silence, as though his throat had filled with sand. The opportunity flittered past. Rei joined them by the bench, removing his goggles to adjust the strap.

"You will be next, Haruka-senpai," he said in a hesitant tone. Haruka tensed, his fists firmly clenched.

"It's okay," he said, not looking up. "You go next, Rei."

"But, Haruka-senpai—"

"I said it's fine," replied Haruka, now shooting Rei a pleading look that the other finally understood.

"Very well, Haruka-senpai," said Rei. He walked back to the front, and when Nagisa climbed out of the pool, Rei reached out for his arm to detain him for a moment, whispering something that eventually made Nagisa stop near the front, instead of going back to the bench as he had done before.

Haruka and Makoto continued to sit motionless as the others swam in their place, isolated and undisturbed, but though he searched his mind over and over, Haruka found nothing he could say, nothing to offer Makoto except a few guilty glances at the other. Back then, Rin tore himself away and ran off before Haruka could finish what he tried to tell him, but Makoto wasn't running anywhere. He looked so tired and worn Haru would not have been surprised if he stayed on the bench for the rest of the day, and if he did, so would Haruka.

Nagisa finished and Haru was skipped again, still sitting wretched and tongue-tied by Makoto's side, until…

"Haru.."

Makoto's voice was barely above a whisper, but Haruka turned his head instantly. Makoto closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry I disappointed everyone, Haru."

"You didn't," mumbled Haruka, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. Makoto shook his head, but his face looked eerily calm, as though his own feelings had grown tired with him.

"Why don't we go together next..?" he said as he tried for another smile, still crooked and weak and horrible to look at. "While you dive, I'll just get into the pool from the side."

"You don't have to," replied Haru, his voice harder than he intended, but Makoto kept smiling, the same, tired smile that could not reach beyond the dark circles around his eyes.

"It's okay, Haru. I can swim, I promise.." he said, his laugh quiet and raspy. "I'm just a terrible diver…"

Next!

Before Haru could protest, Makoto pushed himself off the bench and headed towards Nagisa, leaving the other no choice but to follow him. Haruka's every urge protested it. He hoped, prayed Nagisa would stop them, but Nagisa simply looked relieved, and happily retreated to let them both pass. Makoto stopped on the side and crouched down, slipping into the water by degrees as Haru unwillingly climbed onto the starting block.

Makoto smiled up at him one last time, the curve of his mouth still weak and strange. Haru lowered his eyes in guilt.

"Go!"