To the End

Start May 25, 2021

Author note: This story is HEAVILY inspired by, not just the original anime, but actually an existing fanfic. Yes this story is essentially a fanfic of a fanfic. I felt so compelled to write this version because of how beautiful the original's author's take was, I wanted to explore it further. See what the characters would do given more time and exploration. So the plot is not my own, just very inspired to dive further. Slightly re-arranged. But the basic gist of the story will remain intact. I, in no way, intend to plagiarize someone else's work, hence writing this as a fanfiction. Nothing is in my possession, not in creativity or original story and characters. This is just how my mind needed to get the idea out of its screaming depths. It's the first time writing out of my first fanfiction world so I'm trying to get the characters right.

Thank you, and I hope you enjoy.

/

Summary: They should have never met. It was… an accident? They pushed fate and fate pushed back. In an attempt to be happy, Haru seeks a spell to give him what he wants. Now, he must find a way to make sure he stays human before time runs out or face a tragic death.

RinxHaru

Prologue

/

There was nothing quite like it. The sun was nearly at the horizon and its brilliance showed several shades of crimson, gold, and rose streaked across the sky. The warmth was unexpected for this time of year. It hadn't been this nice in a while. He wanted to take it in before it faded away to the next season of chilly, dry air. Before the sun didn't linger in the sky as long. Before he couldn't come here for a while and enjoy this.

Haru enjoyed the quiet. Aside from the occasional breeze, all that disturbed the silence were birds. Harmless things, really. Just annoying when they interrupted the sound of the sea. He just sat with his arms propped up under his head, listening to the water churn and splash against the craggy rock he'd chosen for tonight's spectacle. He kept his eyes closed for a moment. A slight inhale. It's so … pure... Sometimes the mist from the salty air would touch his skin and cool his sun-kissed body. It was so alluring; tempting. He exhaled, letting the salt linger on his tongue for a moment as he stuck it out to catch the mist. Like catching snowflakes, he thought, chuckling at the word. That's what they were called, right?

He'd spent nearly the whole day doing the exact opposite of what he wanted - swimming. But why? Why had he chosen to lay on the surface of this rock with the sun beating down on him? Why was he here at all? This wasn't the first change of season he'd experienced. There would be more. He could be doing, quite literally, anything else but today of all days, he chose to wait? To steal a glance? A feeling, perhaps? An omen?

A flock of birds squawking interrupted his thoughts. He blinked. His eyes followed their path leading back behind him, towards the shore. With a slight tilt of his head, he traced their flight and stared briefly at the upside-down world behind him. He spied nothing unusual about the shoreline behind him. So far, all clear.

He closed his eyes and righted his head. I'll have to go back soon. Someone's probably looking for me. He sighed and sat up resting his arms on the surface and hunching his shoulders. He felt exposed. His gaze shifted from the water back to the sun. Another one sets… The water parted where he partially lay in the water. At least some of him was staying cool.

The sun was truly beautiful tonight. Its bottom curve started to touch the edge of the world and the reflection started to become one with the sky. The water was mostly still today, letting the moment linger. He wished this was how every sun would set. He could just start to make out little shimmers of the brightest... stars? Was that the word they used? He furrowed his brow trying to remember...

Another bird squawk. A splash.

Huh? Haru blinked and raised his brows. Quiet. He lowered his head and tilted it slightly sideways. It sounded like it was behind him.

Another splash. And another. And another. Surely a bird wasn't dumb enough to have fallen in the water? He turned around…

And saw someone swimming towards the jutted rocks he was currently occupying. Shit! In an instant he slipped into the water without so much as a splash and stayed out of sight of whoever was nearing his location. He'd gotten distracted. There was no one on shore just a bit ago…

He dared peek his head around the side to see who - or what - was nearing his location. About 20 feet away … he saw someone swimming, a head poking in and out of the water. Double shit. This wasn't good. He curled back around the rock and cursed more. He'd only wanted to see the sun set completely. Apparently that wouldn't be happening.

Haru sunk deeper away from where he'd spent most of the day lingering, hoping for… what again? Above, he saw a figure standing where he'd just been resting peacefully. It was THAT figure. The one he spied every close of the season. He heard some muffled noises… talking? But to who? He'd only seen one figure coming towards his location. Haru dared to move, at a snail's pace further back into the water, deeper, hoping to go unnoticed.

He cursed. The light above him was fading. His crimsons, golds, and roses were quickly becoming dark. He looked in the direction of the sun and back to the situation unfolding above him. Why this time? How many times before had he spied this figure with odd colored hair - the same as the crimsons in the sky. They'd never been this close before. Except...

And just like that the figure turned and jumped back in the water heading back the same direction it'd come from. Luckily Haru hadn't gone far and eased his way back above the surface, clinging to the rocks hoping not to make a sound. He moved quicker when he realized the… person was already half way back. That was fast! He looked intensely towards the shore where the figure had come from. It was darkening quickly and he wasn't able to make out much. He thought he saw at least one other dark figure standing there, was it waving? He heard some noise from that direction. Maybe it was shouting at the figure moving like lightning towards the shore.

Haru relaxed. He seemed to be alone again. He didn't dare move his head above the rocks, should the figure at the shore see him. The waves gently lapped at his back facing the sea. Instead, he turned and sighed. He'd missed it. The sun was set. The only thing left of the spectacle he'd come to see? The very tip-top of the sun. And that, already, was gone in an instant. He gazed for a while at where the giant ball had just been. It still had the slightest trace of an orange glow.

Haru let out a noise that signaled his loss of the day. "Hnn," was all that came out. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, shaking it slightly, defeated. A small, sarcastic smirk left his face with a clear sign of irritability. "Better luck next time," he said to himself. With a brief sigh, he pushed off from the rock and dove into the sea… towards home. The whole time back he would curse in his head that he'd let something… that human... disturb his solitude.

Then he'd remembered why he'd gone there that morning to wait. The boy with the crimson hair. The odd color he'd rarely seen except in the sky. It was the only other time he'd spied a human that close. Back then, as a boy, was his only other close encounter. He had been trying to find a new location to call "his spot" with his newly-given privileges now that he was old enough.

He eyed a peculiar site from off in the distance from where he rested. Two shapes! Coming towards him… and fast! It looked like they'd been out racing to the rock he'd been sitting at just moments before and he couldn't take his eyes off of them. He knew it was risky, but he accepted that. When they got close enough, he slipped into the water, going unnoticed thus far. As they stood in the shallow part of the rock barrier, he was mesmerized by their legs. Their skin seemed unusual, a dark stretch from their mid-torso to part way down their… legs. What is that wrapped around them? He thought that word again. He couldn't understand how they could swim and yet be upright moving so freely? He couldn't do that, and neither could the rest of them back home. Why did humans get two worlds to explore?

They were resting briefly, he heard, before going back to shore. He watched intently as they caught their breath, laughing at something they said to each other. He didn't hear their words, just their laughter.

Back then, Haru stole a forbidden glance. He poked his head out further than he wanted. He had to see more. His eyes locked with crimson red. His own eyes widened in curiosity as they peered at each other for the briefest of moments. The boy he'd spied on blinked and turned his gaze away, back toward his friend. And instantly, Haru snapped his head back around the rock, inhaling deeply and holding a breath. I'm dead… But nothing happened. He didn't dare move. He heard them get back in the water and take off back towards shore. They had to be close to the same age. How peculiar. He'd never been told there were humans his size before? And they seemed jovial! Not dangerous.

Haru released his breath. He was curious. Curiosity killed the catfish. His comrades would kill him if they knew he'd just locked eyes with a human. He stole a fleeting glance around the rock and saw they were nearly at the shore. He sighed, retreating back into the depths.

Back then it was curiosity. Now it was a game. He wanted to know more. He was ready...

/

From where he stood, there was nothing better than the setting sun. Its promise of another day and another start. He inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and exhaled. Today's run was nearly over. The inlet he was testing out as an alternate route seemed to be a good choice. It had a great view of the horizon to the west. He was just about set to go back to his jogging pace but wanted to steal one final glance at the evening's close. He exhaled and refocused on the horizon...

… and caught movement? What? Rin stopped his transition from standing to walking and eyed the distance. Surely he just … no there was definitely something… err, someone, out past the allowed swimming zone. Were they crazy? The shape seemed to be sitting with their back to the shore. Just like when-

"Rin! Finally I caught you!"

"Hey, Nitori! Hurry it up!" Rin paused his thoughts and turned towards the slacking teammate running up, panting fairly hard. "Geeze, Nitori, I take a five minute break and you're still slacking! Better pick it up!"

With a huge sigh, Nitori let out a huge groan. "Matsuoka, I'm not as fast as you!" Rin chuckled and stole another parting glance at the oddity he'd spied earlier. Still there…

"Hey why don't you go on for a bit, I want to go check something out." Rin turned back to see his companion sprawled on the shore. "Or just hang out here. I'll be right back."

Nitori panted, "Sure thing, boss!" He threw a sarcastic 'tumbs up' in the air and just as quick let his hand hit the sand. Rin groaned. He quickly had taken off his shoes and unneeded clothes, leaving just his suit snugged against his hips. He waded out into the water and quickly dove in. No goggles, so he'd have to just take it slow. He reached the safety buoy in no time. Easy… But his goal was beyond that. A bird squawked overhead.

He continued to spy on the figure - definitely a person - just out in front of him. He paused, wading briefly, and turned to make sure his exhausted running partner hadn't strayed. Yep, still on the beach. With a quick splash he started moving again. More bird squawks… annoying!

But when he turned to look at the figure, it was gone?! How can that be? He was only about 20 feet away! Surely his mind hadn't been playing a trick? With a few quick kicks, he was pulling himself up onto the jagged rocks. Carefully he surveyed the area around him. If someone had been here, they couldn't have gone far. "Hello?" He called out. He put his hands on his hips and slowly gazed out towards the sunset. "Is there anyone there?" He kept quiet, thinking if there was someone nearby, they'd make a noise attempting to get in or out of the water. All he heard and saw were the waves hitting the area below him. But he saw no one. "I know I saw you! Come out! You shouldn't be out here..."

He let a few moments pass before he crossed his hands in front of his chest. A growl escaped his throat. He gave one final pausing look towards the sun. At least I got a good look before winter settles in… With a sigh, he turned and quickly jumped in the water, jetting back to shore.

Once again, Rin knew he'd seen someone there. Just like last year. And the year before that… Actually for a few years now. He'd been spying on the figure that sat on the rocks every year since he was a kid.

As he swam back to shore, he remembered the first time. He remembered racing out there against a childhood friend, bragging how he'd beaten him. He was surveying his newly-won territory that came with bragging rights for winning! That's when he'd seen them - the purest blue eyes he'd ever seen. A person out here? His friend said something and he looked away for just the briefest moment. When he turned back, there was nothing there. At that time, he didn't think anything of it. He quickly turned to his friend and they raced back to the shoreline. Just a glare of the sun! That was before the safety buoy had been put in. For him, the distance was nothing.

As he closed the gap to shore, he let it go away from his thoughts. Nitori was waving him in, meaning he was ready to go. Obviously he was losing it. "Let's go, Nitori. Time's a-wasting!" Deep down, he felt like someone was watching him. Both then and now. So blue...

With a heaving sigh of relief, Nitori stood up and brushed off the accumulated sand. "Let's get back!" he said, agreeing. And just like that they were off. The final day of fall meant he'd have to wait another year. Next year, he'd be ready. For what? He didn't know.

/

End Prologue