Rei had but one glimpse of Haruka's silhouette as he soared through the air, then carved an opening into the glistening surface of the water a few feet away, submerging with a splash of froth. Above Rei's head, the others watched like hawks as Haru rose to the surface with a seamless dolphin kick, then broke into the front crawl like a diligent machine.

"Haru!" "Haru-chan!" cried Makoto and Nagisa, leaning over the starting block not to miss a single second of action. Makoto lowered a hand to help Rei out of the pool, but did so instinctively and blindly, his eyes glued to Haruka's shrinking figure in the distance. Rei took his hand and hoisted himself out, then turned around at once to see for himself what his friends were shouting in strained voices:

He passed one! He's in fourth place!

Rin and Aiichiro were watching from the side, Rin's heart thumping wildly as Haruka darted past him with lightning speed, to finish what the new alpha had started. The idea repulsed Rin, but try as he might, he could sense no hesitation in Haru's fluid strokes, or any difference in his determination as he swam for the others, as if this drastic change of replacing Rin with another signified absolutely nothing to him or the others. They simply continued to sail the ship Rin had once forged with his own hands, only to see its bow and wheel ripped apart, and a shoddy replacement tacked on in its place…

Could they not see how wrong this was?

How could they do this to him…?

"He passed another!" cried Rei as Haruka's turn sent him flying past another swimmer.

"Third!" pointed out Makoto, eyes wide and mouth hanging ajar. Beside him, Nagisa tensed, his cheeks flushed in excitement the likes of which he hadn't felt in years, as though the heart in his chest were beating with the strength of three others.

"Haru-chan…" he breathed, clenching his fist and throwing it in the air, "GOOOO!"

"He passed another! He's second! Second!" cheered Kou from the balcony, where she and Ama-chan had abandoned their seats to bounce on their heels with their hands clasped together. The parasol danced over Ama-chan's shoulder in excitement.

"He's closing in!" cried Makoto, but by the time the words left his lips, Haruka launched forward to catch up to the Samezuka anchor. Makoto gasped. "They're dead even!"

From the blocks, it certainly seemed so, but to Rin, who stood a few meters to the side, the match had already been decided. By the time Haru passed him again, just as detached from him as Nagisa and Rei, he had gained on the other swimmer by an inch, a seemingly insignificant distance that was going to be Samezuka's downfall. And yet those idiots were still anxious about him, Haruka's name tearing from their throats as they flailed by the starting block, Haru! Haru-chan! Haruka-senpai!

Shut up, SHUT UP, screamed Rin inside, but their voices only seemed to swell in protest. In a moment, their boom drowned out the stadium completely, until all Rin could hear was Nagisa, Rei, and a voice that sounded nothing like his. Rin's lips parted, but the air he had swallowed brushed soundlessly past the snapped chords of his throat, doomed to watch in silence as Haru touched the wall and threw his head back.

The board flashed.

2 – Samezuka Academy

1 – Iwatobi High School

"WE WON!" howled the others above Haru's head. On the balcony, Kou and Ama-chan jumped into each other's arms.

Indeed, all of them were in raptures, except for Haruka. He still stood heaving in the pool as he pulled off his swimming cap, lifting his head just barely to check the board. Samezuka's name flashed above Iwatobi, but the reversed ranking said it all. They placed first and qualified for regionals. Should they place at regionals as well, they would go on to nationals, and then – oh, it was dizzying to even think of it. After so many years of wasting away in the bathtub, Haru felt he had managed but a small step in a chain that coiled far beyond his mind's eye, clawing himself to the surface from the deepest pits of his misery to find himself at the foot of a mountain, a mountain he was now expected to climb in his never-ending struggle to move forward…

At the daunting prospect, adrenaline turned to morphine in Haruka's veins, until fatigue oozed over him like a downpour of melted wax. He closed his eyes, struggling for breath and wondering faintly when he would get to go home, to crawl into his bed and sleep until even eternity passed way.

"Haru!" came Makoto's voice from above. Haruka's eyes flickered open, to see his friend leaning towards him with his hand extended. Makoto's face beamed so brightly Haru caught himself squinting up at him. "That was amazing!"

Rei and Nagisa stood on either side of him, cheeks flushed and eyes gleaming as they peered down at Haruka. Nagisa's hands were balled into triumphant fists, while Rei's hand rested on his chest, so shaken he had doubled over with his other hand propped against his thigh.

"You did it, Haru-chan!" cheered Nagisa, his voice so piercing it grated on Haruka's ears.

"Haruka-senpai, that was truly inspiring!" joined in Rei, his hand pressing down to keep his heart from thrashing, but his words merely bounced against Haru's skin and scattered into meaningless syllables, falling into the pool like drops of water from his hair.

"Yeah, my heart was racing just watching it!" replied Nagisa with a laugh. Haru closed his eyes again, more exhausted with every passing word, Please stop, I'm so tired—

"Mine too! Mine's still racing!" cried Makoto, then burst into relieved, jubilant laughter that threw Haru's heart into wild somersaults. His eyes widened as they met Makoto's again. His friend's hand still hovered in the air, waiting for Haru to take it with never-ending patience, and though Haru's shoulder sagged with some invisible weight, he slowly reached out his hand towards the other, letting Makoto's strength carry him out of the water.

Rin could only watch as the guy pulled Haru out of the pool, at which point Nagisa cried Haru-chan, I love you! and jumped Haruka like a child, arms and legs wrapped around him as Rei sealed them into a clumsy hug from the other side. Haruka-senpai! he wailed as he dropped his head on Haru's shoulder, no doubt to bawl his eyes out in joy, the three of them now huddled together until all Rin could see was three children, just as he remembered them from the relay all those years ago. He could see more than hear Haru complain at Nagisa, but instead of releasing him, Rei and Nagisa squeezed him even tighter, so picture perfect until the impostor stepped into the frame.

Once Tachibana intruded upon the idyllic scene, Rin's memories began to wither at the edges. His younger self soon faded from the projection of his mind, pushed out by the green cuckoo that casually reached out, then plucked Nagisa off Haru, like he was no larger or heavier than a housecat. Nagisa's laughter bubbled as he latched onto the guy next, and when Rei followed him to continue bawling on the other's shoulder, Haruka finally stood unshackled by the starting blocks, his shoulders jumping slightly. Now that he had been untangled, Rin almost expected Haru to turn away, just as he had done back then. However, after a moment's hesitation, Haruka stepped over to press his head against the guy's collarbone of his own accord, letting Tachibana's arms wrap around him without resistance.

Rin froze. The Haru he knew would have never, he had never…

The film snapped and Rin's memories sizzled into nothing. No longer able to trace what he saw, he continued to stare at them blankly, his dry mouth the hollow of a tree rotting from the inside. Aiichiro fidgeted uncomfortably beside him, then lifted a cautious hand to Rin's back, just barely touching his jacket as though the slightest pressure of his fingers might crack that fragile facade.

"Matsuoka-senpai… we should go back to the others," Rin heard him say, and though he detested the idea of Samezuka's company, he turned towards the exit at once, letting Nitori guide him in the hallway where each step now felt like his feet sank into a fog, lost in a corridor that seemed no different than the next.


Outside, an organizer soon approached the Iwatobi swim team to kindly request they leave the premises, which they consented to with varying degrees of willingness. Rei was still in tears, so he found it rather difficult to release Makoto, let alone properly compose himself. The very moment he was to leave, Nagisa felt the urge to cartwheel around the entire pool in celebration, then pouted that his brilliant idea was thwarted before it even properly materialized in his head. As for Haru, he remained in Makoto's embrace a moment longer, then pushed himself away with a final nudge of his head against the curve of Makoto's neck. He lowered his head and averted his eyes to the pool. There was a pause.

"Are you okay, Haru?" Makoto's voice grazed his ear. Haru's eyes widened. Something in that voice whisked him away from the pool and threw him back to his school desk in early April, a simpler time in his second-year life when all he had to do was voice his problem, and somehow it would be fixed…

"I'm tired," he replied at last, lifting his eyes to lock Makoto into a meaningful stare. Makoto's brow wrinkled. Haru could see the gears turn in his head, then click into place as Makoto's features smoothed out in a soft smile.

"Got it," he said with a small cock of his head. Haru's shoulders slumped in relief.

A moment later, Makoto pressed a tender hand to his back. The tips of his fingers set Haru's skin tingling.

"This way, Haru."

Haruka obeyed the light nudge of his hand, and so the two of them followed after Nagisa and Rei, who had since thrown an arm around each other for support on their way to the nearest exit. The team soon climbed a flight of stairs, then stepped out in pairs onto the spectators' balcony, where Kou and Ama-chan awaited them with wide grins and a flurry of applause.

"You were amazing!" cried Kou, extremely satisfied she was the one who had made the relay possible in the first place.

"Congratulations! You can now advance to regionals together," said Ama-chan, who then added with a sweet smile, "Since you performed so well, your dessert after lunch shall be my treat."

Nagisa gasped in anticipation, everyone grinning as they thanked Amakata for her kind offer. Well, almost everyone. Haru merely nodded in acknowledgement of lunch and dessert turning into compulsory events, then left Makoto's side to sink down onto a chair at the end of the row. His withdrawal from the group drew confused glances. Haru half expected them to harangue him about his lack of enthusiasm or gratitude, his shoulders tense at the thought, but before anyone could raise an objection, Makoto flashed them an apologetic smile and moved over to Haruka himself. He sat down next to his friend in slow motion, then slumped against the back of his seat as though he were about to fall asleep. Makoto closed his eyes, pressed a hand to his mouth, then lowered his jaw to mimic a yawn. The effect was instantaneous. Within seconds of Makoto's display, Haru could see a spark of realization hit Rei, who fixed his glasses and cleared his throat, even straightening his back to lend himself an air of formality.

"Everyone, please feel free to rest and enjoy yourselves until the ending ceremony," he said with a small smile, nodding pointedly to Nagisa and Kou before seating himself at a distance, not to disturb the captain or Makoto. "We may leave afterwards, and once we had lunch and dessert, everyone may go home."

Haru shot them one more glance before closing his eyes, suppressing an impressed whistle at Makoto's flawless act.

"Okay," he heard Nagisa a few seats away, his voice lower than before. "I can't wait! We should get strawberry shortcake for dessert!"

"Wouldn't ice cream be better?" asked Kou, the three of them soon caught in a moderately heated debate over the perfect celebratory dessert.

Once he could tell they had been conveniently forgotten, Makoto smothered a chuckle and glanced over to Haruka, who opened his eyes slightly.

"I guess we'll leave soon enough. We should be home by late afternoon, so you just rest until then, Haru," said Makoto in a warm voice.

Too embarrassed to say thank you, Haru merely hummed in reply, then nestled lightly against Makoto's shoulder, his head turned not to be scorched by the other's amused looks.

Some minutes later, Haru's head rolled over in his sleep and bonked against Makoto's shoulder. Makoto pretended not to notice, but his smile widened all the same.


An hour later, the swim club was summoned to the pool area, where the boys received yet another laminated certificate for placing first in the medley relay. With the captain's silent permission, Rei stepped forward as vice-captain to accept their prize, shaking hands with the organizers, and doing his best to look presentable for the journalists' flashing cameras.

When the ceremony was over, and everyone proceeded to leave for lunch, Rei offered the certificate to Kou and Ama-chan so they could share the swim team's joy.

"How nice!" said their advisor, who ended up admiring the pristine gleam of the laminated sheet over Kou's shoulder, her own hands too busy holding her parasol. "It would look great on the wall of the swim club's changing room," she added with an innocent smile, patting herself mentally on the back for resisting the temptation to secure it for her desk at the teachers' lounge. Kou and Nagisa exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.

"We should make a Wall of Fame!" said Nagisa, his voice booming with pride. "We have four certificates now, right?"

"That's right, Nagisa-kun! One for attending the tournament, two that were personally awarded to me, and one for our placement at the medley relay," replied Rei with a small push of his glasses. Nagisa grinned.

"We can pin them all on our wall! It will look great!"

The next moment, they heard a cough behind their backs.

"Um, well," began Makoto, at which point Haruka's pace slackened just enough to fall out of view behind the other's larger frame, "We can definitely pin up two of those. Rei might want to take his own certificates home, since he won them himself…"

By the time Makoto finished, he had colored fiercely at the thought that he couldn't resist butting into their conversation yet again. The others stared back at him with curious looks, but Rei composed himself soon enough, flashing Makoto a grateful smile.

"Thank you for your consideration, Makoto-san," he said, not noticing how Makoto let out a sigh of relief over managing to escape yet another imagined disaster. "You are absolutely right, I would like to take my certificates home to show them to my family."

He paused and glanced over to Nagisa, who lowered his eyes guiltily. Rei's features softened.

"But! Once I have, I shall donate them to our swim club's Wall of Fame."

Nagisa perked up instantaneously.

"That's our generous vice-captain Rei-chan!" he said with a grin, putting a happy flush on Rei's cheeks that lasted all the way to the Sizzler Salad Bar, where they agreed to ignore the dessert counter so Ama-chan could treat them to ice cream after their meal.

With their advisor's consent, the swim club soon queued up at the cashier's, the others looking around eagerly, and Haruka, rather lost.

"This is where we got your lunch yesterday," explained Makoto in a sheepish tone, turning his head back just enough to carry conversation. "I hope it was okay…"

"It was fine," replied Haru, his eyes flitting from Makoto to the main island in search of possible options. Makoto followed his gaze, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"They didn't have mackerel, so I couldn't get you any," he added in an apologetic tone. Haruka's eyes widened. Was Makoto reading his thoughts?

"It was fine," Haru repeated himself, his tone a little thick. He pursed his lips as he sank a hand into his pocket for his wallet. "Who paid for me? How much do I owe?"

"You don't owe anyone anything, Haru," replied Makoto with a soothing smile, but when Haru narrowed his eyes at him, Makoto paused and said, "I paid. Everyone else just helped me put your lunch together."

"Then I'll pay for you today," replied Haruka, stepping out of the line before Makoto could protest, then wedging himself behind Rei, who squirmed forward to give him more room. "Then we'll be even."

"You really don't have to, Haru.." mumbled Makoto, but another hard look had him clamp down on his bottom lip, for fear he might laugh at the childish pout on Haru's face. "But I suppose that's fair… thank you," he added with his brightest smile.

Haruka turned his head with a short hum, and when it was his turn, he paid for two, ignoring the cashier's curious looks from one flushed boy to the other.


Faced with an almost overwhelming variety, Haru ended up gravitating towards the same salads and sides Makoto had brought him yesterday. At first, hunting down a jigsaw meal seemed lengthy and tedious, but in the end, lunch passed rather quickly and dessert was finished in the blink of an eye. Haru could hardly perceive the transition from sitting down with everyone by a restaurant table to parting from Ama-chan and taking a window seat on the train, for in either case, Makoto settled down next to him and drew all conversation to himself with unparalleled ease.

Haru's attention flickered between the view from his window and snippets of talk. Makoto and the others were mostly discussing the relay, with Kou occasionally quizzing them on their weaknesses to adjust their training regimens for regionals, but no matter how many rounds they went, none looped around Haruka to drag him back to earth. Sitting in plain sight as he did, he felt perfectly invisible. Were the others ignoring him, or was it all Makoto's doing? And did the answer even matter, when he was glad to be spared from idle conversation…?

They soon entered a tunnel, its lights flashing black and sickly yellows before bursting into heavenly pastels in the open air. Haru's eyes widened in awe at the smudges of pink clouds on the horizon. He let out a shaky breath as he surrendered his thoughts to the sky, perfectly undisturbed by the others.

For a moment, his lips twitched into a small smile.

Thanks, Makoto.


Haru continued to sit in perfect reverie until Makoto nudged his arm with a smile, coaxing him out of his seat and onto the platform at Iwatobi Station, where it was time for Rei, Nagisa, and Kou to say their goodbyes, then hurry off to catch their homebound trains.

As for Makoto and Haru, they walked home together, and by the time they reached the bay, Haru's fatigue simmered into mellow disinterest. His gaze eventually dropped from the sky to drag lazily on the ground, shoulders slack and hands hanging by his thighs. Makoto occasionally ventured some innocent remark, but Haru replied with no more than a nod of his head, or a dull glance to the side.

"We're almost there, Haru… …I can't believe prefecturals are over… …School is almost out for this term, too," carried on Makoto as he continued to weave a loose monologue, just generic enough to fill the void between them. Haru could tell by his calm even tone that no contributions were required to keep Makoto's words flowing, and so he quietly excused himself from listening… at least until they reached the gate to Makoto's house.

"Haru.."

Haruka turned his head just slightly. Makoto tried for another smile.

"If you want, you could spend the night again, Haru," he began, each word tinting Haru's cheek a deeper shade of sickly pink. "If you're tired, I'm sure my mom is making dinner so you wouldn't have to cook, and I would tell my siblings to go easy on you and keep it down, and if you like, we could—"

"That's fine," replied Haruka a little too fast, his fists clenching helplessly at what he felt must be utter selfishness. "I would rather be alone and sleep."

"Oh.."

Makoto looked away as he clasped his hands together, wringing them slightly. Haruka turned his head.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he managed to say, risking a shy glance at the other. Makoto paused, but in the end, he nodded, doing his best to look calm and cheerful at the prospect.

"Alright. Then see you tomorrow, Haru," he said, still turned towards the stone stairs as though he were going to walk him there. Haru tensed. Makoto relented. "Sleep well."

"You too," mumbled Haruka, careful not to look at Makoto again as he swept past him, climbing in haste towards his empty house.

He lowered his head with a bitter frown as he ascended. Having given Makoto nothing but trouble for the past two days, Haru would have resented himself for imposing on him any further, but his valiant decision to make himself scarce brought nothing but a vague sense of dissatisfaction. Something still lingered inside Haruka like a sour aftertaste of yesterday, a latent disease of the heart that admitted no company or relief, yet with each sluggish step, he found himself wondering if Makoto could fix that too, if Haruka just let him? Haru didn't know, and now he was certain he would not find out tonight, though looking back one last time, he could still see the other standing by the gate, watching over Haru until he disappeared out of view.

Their roles soon switched as Haru appeared in the upstairs window, watching Makoto crouch down by the goldfish grave to replace the flowers with ones he had picked from the street before rising up again to enter his house. Haru's hand curled uselessly against the glass. Somewhere in the bowels of the house, the grandfather clock struck five times.

Haru flinched, then dug a hand into his duffel bag for his phone. He had a missed call from his mother.


"We won the medley relay," he told his mother two minutes later, laying in a heap on his bed with the phone cramped between his ear and shoulder. She let out a gasp.

"That's wonderful, Haruka," she said in a relieved tone, sounding genuinely happy for once. "Does that mean you will advance to the regional tournament?"

"Yeah."

"Wonderful! Finally something you can be proud of..!"

Haru pursed his lips at the wording, his fingers sinking into the sheets.

"After all these years…" carried on his mother with a content sigh. "But, wait, Haruka, I thought you said you only entered the hundred-meter. Did you place?"

"No. Rin won," replied Haru, his breath acrid. There was a pause on the other end.

"Oh… I see," said his mother in a curt tone, that irksome staple of high-achieving mothers everywhere. "Well, what about your friends?"

"Rei placed twice in butterfly," Haru informed him in a tired tone.

"Is he the one that always sinks otherwise? Really, Haruka… but what about the Tachibana boy? If you won the relay, does that mean he has gotten better? How did he do?"

A knot formed in the pit of Haru's stomach.

"He was.. disqualified from the one-hundred meter. But he placed fifth in the two-hundred."

"Eh? That sounds pretty terrible," replied his mother in painful honesty. Haru clenched his jaw. "If he really is that bad, then your medley might have been nothing more than a stroke of luck. What a pity… I wish you could have found someone better."

"He swims fine," snapped Haruka, just barely keeping his voice down. "He was just anxious. It was his first tournament."

"Well, I suppose not everyone is born a natural prodigy," replied his mother in a lenient tone, but if it was an olive branch, Haru had no desire to take it. "But if you can't find someone else, then you really need to work him harder, Haruka. Please take yourselves seriously, it would really be important to place at regionals, any achievements can only help you in the future—"

"We will."

"You sound tired. You must have had a long day. I'll let you rest, okay? Your father says hi."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye, bye. We'll call you again next Sunday."

"Yeah."

Haru pressed End Call, then pried the phone out of the groove of his shoulder, tossing it onto the desk. The knot that appeared in his stomach only continued to tighten with his mother's every word – work harder, your future – until any desire to eat dinner or prepare for tomorrow's classes had vanished completely.

Haru sighed. With nothing left that he could will himself to do, he bunched the blanket around himself and screwed his eyes shut, hoping sleep would claim him faster than regret that he chose solitude over Makoto, privacy to deal with the obligatory family phone call over the chatter of the twins, or the hot coil of Makoto's arm over his chest…

Haru bit his lip as he buried his burning cheeks in the pillow.

You're an idiot, he thought to himself. The last four years have taught you nothing.


Haru fell asleep ten minutes to six in the evening, spending almost twelve hours in blissful unconsciousness, but his long rest had done little to restore him to his former self. The moment he stirred awake, curled up in his sheets quite alone, the emptiness of his bedroom seemed to echo his own, tugging at thoughts of Rin like a puppy mangling old shoes in the closet. As his eyes trailed across the floor strewn with discarded clothes, Haru could almost see him standing just as he had been by the pool during the relay, Rin's face dark and distorted in the dim light of his memories. After Rin's victory, it made little sense for him to care, yet there was something raw about the way his lips split apart like a small, angry wound as they stared at each other.

Why would Rin look at him like that after he had thrown Haru away so decidedly? Did Rin feel betrayed that they tried to imitate his greatest achievement?

I'll show you a sight you've never seen before, promised Rin before their own relay years ago. In the end, it was the only promise he had kept, and with no other experiences to compare to it, Haru continued to regard that sight as unique to Rin, a spark only he could ignite in their souls… but where did that leave their latest relay, then? In his desperate rush for first place, had Haru seen or felt anything that could surpass even nostalgia?

Suffocating in the tangle of his blanket, Haru couldn't say. Once that feeling of loss wore off as quickly as it had crept upon him, Haruka felt little more than hunger, and a dull drowsiness that not even his morning bath could wash away. Climbing out of the bathtub, he toweled himself dry slowly and absentmindedly, trapped in a lucid dream that lulled him complacent with its dull, tangible realism.


Makoto waited for him by the gate, so the two walked to school together, but neither spoke even once on the way. Haru had nothing to say, while Makoto continued to censor himself over and over, drawing thin smiles over the words trapped in his throat.

The moment they reached the gates of Iwatobi High School, they were told by a teacher to head to the backyard for a special announcement. Makoto hardly dared hope it was about the swim club, but he found to his surprise that their advisor left no stone unturned. The moment Ama-chan got home, she called the principal to inform him that not only did Ryuugazaki Rei-kun place twice in his events, but the entire swim club also qualified for the medley relay at regionals. The principal received her news with modest enthusiasm, then sent out instructions to his secretary, so by the beginning of first period, the entire student body gathered in neat columns in front of a makeshift podium in the school yard, whispering among themselves as the swim club lined up in the front, standing to the right while their teachers gathered on the left side.

The principal rose to the podium and cleared his throat. Mic test. One, two, three.

"Good morning, students. I have a special announcement to make on behalf of the Iwatobi High School Swim Club," he said in a firm, even tone. "I was informed yesterday that despite being a brand new club, our swimmers placed in the top eight at the prefectural tournament, and qualified for the regional tournament. One of our students also qualified in his individual events. Congratulations."

Rei frowned a little that his name did not merit a mention. Beside him, Nagisa flashed his classmates a victory sign with one hand, the other pointing repeatedly at Rei.

"We hope they will be able to advance to the national tournament and make our school proud. That is all," said the principal, then clapped his hands dutifully. Everyone followed suit, giving the swim club a modest round of applause, Ama-chan quite out of place with her cheerful grin that shone brighter than anyone else's.


As soon as everyone was dismissed, Kou and the boys walked around to the main building, where they discovered to their delight that a long banner had been hung from the wall in their honor. It announced in bold, black letters, Congratulations to the Swim Club on Qualifying for Regionals!

"They were really ready for this," Nagisa marveled at the banner. Rei shook his head softly.

"It's obvious that they reused an old banner," he said, pointing upward as a gust of wind brushed against the fabric to reveal that Swim Club had been painted on a separate sheet, then pinned onto the banner to hide the words Judo Club. "Ah… It still feels like a dream sometimes, but it's finally starting to sink in that we won," Rei added with a warm smile.

"Yup," replied Nagisa, stepping away from the others to head to class, Rei following close behind him. "They'll treat us like heroes when we enter the classroom!"

Kou, Haru, and Makoto remained behind to stare at the banner for a little longer. Even with the others gone, Rei's words continued to linger in the air, just another surreal utterance in the dream Haruka had yet to wake up from. Makoto stood beside him, hands on his hips and a grin on his face, but even he felt miles away as Haru read the banner over and over again. How strange, he thought. He had lost to Rin, and yet…

"We won..?" he mumbled under his breath, tasting the words that seemed weightless on his tongue, but as saying them out loud failed to anchor him to reality, Haru drifted off to class, leaving a confused Makoto behind.


By the time Makoto entered their classroom, Haru was already seated at his desk, his torso twisted towards the window to ward off interaction. His classmates had been shooting curious glances at Haru from their own desks, but with Makoto's arrival, attention now turned to him as the next, the only possible candidate.

"Good morning, everyone," mumbled Makoto in the crossfire of their hungry gazes, feeling like a plump carcass circled by a committee of vultures.

One of the girls cleared her throat. Makoto vaguely remembered her giggling by his desk when he first joined Class 2-1.

"Tachibana-kun.." she said in a thick, nervous tone, her eyes darting from him to Haruka's back, then to Makoto again. "Congratulations. For advancing to regionals, I mean."

"Yeah, way to go," said another girl with a clap of her hands, the example followed by most of their classmates, who seemed perfectly genuine in their praise for once. Makoto flushed, then lowered his head with an uneasy smile.

"Thank you, everyone," he said quietly, "but I really didn't do that much. Haru, and Re— I mean, Ryuugazaki-kun and Hazuki-kun, they were the ones who made it possible. They deserve praise more than I do."

"Well, they don't go to our class and it's not like Nanase cares," replied the girl who backed up her friend in congratulating the swim club, one hand thrown out to gesture vaguely at Haru in the corner. "Look at him, just sitting there like, I am too good for the rest of the world because I am a swimmer, I'm so cool," she said in a droll tone. Haruka turned his head just enough to glare at her. Makoto lifted his hands in protest.

"N-Now, I'm sure that Haru—"

"Good morning, class," came their teacher's voice from behind him and Makoto inched behind his seat in relief, glad he didn't have to explain to her how insulting someone to their face would make them even less inclined to engage with their classmates than they normally would.


Fortunately for Haruka, on the last week of the first trimester, not even their teachers required his attention. For their final classes, students who had performed well on their exams had little more to do than wait patiently for their graded tests and assignments, which afforded Haru the luxury of immersing himself in the sky instead of annoying coursework. His eyes traced a line of white smoke drawn by an airplane across the everblue, more real than the chair under him or the desk his elbow rested on, until Haru found himself wondering if his fingers might graze it if he could just will himself to reach out his hand. Cotton clouds drifted in and out of his vision, flecking the blue sky like foam on the surface of water. Water…

Haru closed his eyes.

Waves caressed his body on either side as his memories rolled across the blank screen of his mind, pulling him back into the stadium pool of yesterday, back to the final stretch of the medley relay. A soft, steady beat rumbled in his ears, his own heart… but was it really? One moment, Haru caught a glimpse of the poolside, water streaking his goggles as his head emerged. The next moment, he was Rei, arms spread wide as his torso lifted to the surface, propelling him towards the block. When Rei's hands touched the wall, energy surged up the concrete into Haruka's toes, himself again as he launched off the block, diving into the water for the final stretch. He broke into a dolphin kick to reach the surface, where he rolled over and became Makoto, his mouth gaping for air with each hard pull of his arms in upside down freestyle. He turned over again to glide forward, floating along the wave feeling lighter and lighter, until he shifted into breaststroke as Nagisa, hands clasping together in silent prayer with every stroke that stretched him impossibly long. Jolts of electricity coursed over Haruka, and as his heart jumped from swimmer to swimmer, friend to friend, the beat grew faster, louder, stronger. Rei's discipline, Makoto's power, and Nagisa's determination roared in Haru's blood as he became himself again for the final spurt towards the finish, the others crying his name over and over from behind the block.

The next moment, Haru's hands pressed against the wall, and when he looked up, Makoto's hand reached out just for him, his face so bright it outshone the sun. Beside him, Rei and Nagisa waited with smiles on their faces. Spoken in their choked, quivering voices, Haru's name rang out like a hallelujah, so loud it startled him out of his trance.

Haru!

Haru-chan!

Haruka-senpai!

Haru flinched behind his desk, eyes wide as his hand slowly sank into the folds of his shirt, just above his thrashing heart. The mist over his eyes dispersed. The chair suddenly felt too hard, the desk too cold, and Haruka, never more alive.


At the end of sixth period, Haru was the first to stand, rushing out of the classroom as though he were trying to escape everyone else, including Makoto. A few classmates stuck out their heads into the hallway to stare after him, while others looked back at his friend, who found himself squirming in the spotlight.

"Everything alright, Tachibana?" asked the same girl again with casual but unfeigned concern. Makoto pulled on a sheepish smile.

"Everything's fine," he replied as he sank his textbooks into his backpack.

"See, I told you Nanase doesn't care," she said, folding her arms together with a huff. "Even now he's just run off and left you behind like he forgot you were there. Nyoom, he dashed off without you, just like that, nyoooom!" she gestured with her hand, slashing across the air with her fingers held stiffly together.

Makoto closed his mouth, unable to refute her statements except for the fact that Haru made no such sounds in his hurry. Brutal honesty was a terrible, terrible thing.

"Excuse me," he mumbled as he rose from his seat with the backpack under his arm, fleeing class in the hopes that he might catch up with Haruka.


Unable to find his friend along the way, Makoto joined the first-years at their usual meeting point in front of the building, his head hanging slightly as he walked over to them.

"Where's Haruka-senpai?" asked Kou the moment he walked over to them alone. So no one else has seen him either, thought Makoto.

"He seems to have wandered off," he replied at last with an awkward smile. Rei's brow creased.

"I wonder if he went home, even though he knows we have practice," he said, glancing from Makoto to Nagisa, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, Haru-chan is kinda like that, isn't he? He goes off on his own a lot."

"I suppose that's true," said Rei with a sigh. "I wish he would warn us beforehand though…"

"Anyway," interrupted Nagisa in a loud, emphatic tone, taking a long step forward to coax the others along before Rei might end up gnawing on an issue that could not be helped. "Let's talk about our future plans instead! We've accomplished our objective of placing at a tournament, so they should give us a bigger budget! Then we can use that budget to swim at a gym all year round!"

Rei nodded with a smile, and Makoto hummed in agreement, but Kou looked absolutely flabbergasted.

"How can you say that?!" she snapped at Nagisa, startling the others into frightened yelps. "Weren't you listening to the principal? Our next objective is to make it to nationals!" she added, her finger pointed menacingly at the others.

"Huh?!"

"Always aim high!" replied Kou, lifting that finger towards the sky with an air of solemnity. The others stared at her in awe. Nagisa broke into an excited grin.

"Okay!" he replied, balling his hand into a fist and raising it to the sky to match Kou. "Let's do our best to make it as high as we can go!"

"Yes!" joined in Rei, his own fingers curled up, and as if on cue, Kou and Nagisa pulled their arms back so the three of them could lift their fists up again in synch.

"SKYYY… HIGH!" they cried in unison. Makoto blinked.

"Sky.. high..?" he mumbled, the phrase sounding oddly familiar, but the moment the others lowered their arms, Kou spun around and broke into a jog.

"I'll be the first one in the club room!" she cried with a giggle.

A moment later, Rei gave his glasses a firm push, then twirled around on his tiptoes to pursue her.

"I do not think so, Kou-san!" they heard him say, Nagisa and Makoto staring as the two of them turned around the corner. Nagisa laughed as he turned back to Makoto.

"Race you, Mako-chan?" he said with a wink. Makoto just barely stifled his own laughter.

"You're on, Nagisa," he replied.

As soon as Nagisa dashed off, Makoto slapped his cheeks to make sure the burst of happiness in his chest wasn't a dream.

His face felt crisp, and his joy real indeed.

So you think you can beat a former track and field athlete… then watch out! he thought to himself with a grin. He then broke into a sprint, managing to beat all of them to the changing room with a few seconds to spare.


Reliable as ever, Kou had revised the boys' training regimens the evening before school, so once they changed into their swimsuits, she called them over to tell them her plans for today's practice.

"We'll mainly be running drills for now," she began, consulting her papers for each swimmer. "Rei-kun, you'll be working on your kick. You'll be training to develop a faster and stronger kick."

"Yes, ma'am," replied Rei with an obliging smile.

"Nagisa-kun, you'll focus on strengthening your crawl stroke," continued Kou.

"Okay!" chirped Nagisa.

Finally, Kou turned to Makoto.

"And Makoto-senpai, you need to work on making your acceleration more even."

"Alright," replied Makoto, unsure how he was meant to do that, but almost certain Kou or Rei would be able to help him. Kou flashed him a smile, then picked up a stack of towels to take with her to the pool, the others following obediently behind her.

"Well, let's start warming up then—" she began to say, her voice trailing off as she heard a splash. She turned towards the pool in disbelief. The water frothed, there was another splash, then two hands emerged from below to clamp onto the edge, followed by a mop of soaked black hair.

"Haru!" cried Makoto as Haruka clambered out of the pool, shaking wet locks out of his eyes. The others stared at him pleasantly surprised.

"You were already here, huh," said Nagisa with a grin. Haru wiped at his dripping face.

"Here," Kou stepped closer, offering her stack of towels to him. Haru picked one off the top, draping it over his head to dry his hair.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

"Haru-chan's really motivated," whispered Nagisa to Rei and Makoto. Rei quirked his brow.

"Perhaps he's upset about losing his freestyle event," he mused, obviously at a loss as to what else might be behind Haruka's display of voluntary effort. Makoto bit his lip. Back at the stadium, he told Rin Haru was not upset about having lost the race, but could he really be sure? The more he tried to untangle Haru's feelings, the more they split between his fingers in a million directions, mysterious and complicated as ever. Was there anyone who truly knew his heart..?

"Maybe," conceded Nagisa, watching Kou and Haruka talk by the pool.

"How long have you been swimming?" asked Kou.

"Not very long," replied Haruka, rubbing vigorously at his hair.

"It's hot out today, so I brought some ice to keep your drinks cold."

"I appreciate it."

"I'm happy to see you so motivated, Haruka-senpai," said Kou next, beaming up at Haruka, whose hands stopped rubbing circles against the fabric.

"I'm not," he said in a low voice, pulling the towel off his head. Kou stared at him confused. Haru did not meet her eye. "I was swimming because I didn't know what to do."

Everyone now seemed to stare at him in wait of an explanation, as if Haru owed them a three-page essay due this very minute. His shoulders grew stiff as he pulled them defensively together.

"I figured I should ask the water about matters involving water," he said at last, hoping it made perfect sense to everyone else as well, but Rei and Nagisa exchanged puzzled looks, and Kou's lips curled into a small 'o'. Only Makoto seemed placated by his words, his features carefully guarded as he studied the stiff arch of Haru's posture and the hard lines of his throat, every inch of him speaking of discomfort, and the desire not to be quizzed any further for words he couldn't find.

Something akin to gladness melted over Makoto, who closed his eyes with a tender smile. Well, if Haru didn't want to talk, the solution was simple.

"What do you mean?" pressed Kou. Haru now turned his head slightly, but Makoto took a step forward, and another brought him close enough to speak.

"Well, everyone's here now," he said from behind her back in a gentle but firm tone, his eyes locked innocently into hers. "We should probably start practice."

Kou blinked at him as if she had quite forgotten about practice and Makoto's words were her wake-up call. She cleared her throat with flushed cheeks.

"Oh, yes, you're right. Then, everybody should start by warming up," she said next, looking to Rei as their resident instructor.

"Yes ma'am!" replied Rei with a smart salute, turning to the others with a smirk as soon as he felt in charge. "Everyone, please gather in front of me and we shall conduct our warm-up stretches! Makoto-san, if you please!"

"Coming," said Makoto, his eyes still on Haruka, who allowed himself but a glance at his friend, then stepped to the edge of the pool. He dove in again, this time to escape the others for a while longer, feeling as embarrassingly transparent to Makoto as illuminated projector sheets.