I am incredibly sorry I didn't upload yesterday, but it ended up being a busier day then I had thought so I didn't have the time to. But I was previously looking back at my other chapters and I realised that it seems a bit confusing because I change the time or scene or whatever you call it all of a sudden, and I usually show I am doing this by using three dots. But for some reason when I upload the file it doesn't show the dots, so sorry if that confused you.
Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter! (It is also kind of mushy and cheesy so just be ready for that)
Disclaimer: Free! and it's characters do not belong to me and belong the respected owners. I only own/made this story.
The sun beamed it last rays of light across the sky. Birds were beginning to rest while the insects sang as the sunset coloured the sky in bright red and orange. The cold wind ran through the cherry blossom trees that were beginning to bloom, but still not showing their full beauty.
Two small boys, both around the age of ten, walked next to each other on a small pathway. One of them smiling and laughing while the other was looking away and seemed to be disinterested.
"Haru!" the small redheaded boy whined "Stop ignoring me! It is our last day together before I go to Australia!"
The raven haired boy flinched slightly when hearing those words and looked away once more, a glisten of hurt in his eyes. He had just won the relay with Rin, Makoto and Nagisa, life seemed great at that moment, except for one thing.
Rin was going to Australia, and Haru knew he couldn't do anything about it. It was a Monday, but a public holiday, and Rin was leaving late in the night. So the redhead had offered Haru to spend the day with him, which Haru unwillingly accepted to since he was practically dragged out of his house by Rin.
Rin had wanted Makoto and Nagisa to come too, but they were both doing something with their large families. So it was just the two of them, now walking down the street and heading home.
Haruka wanted to ask "Why are you going to Australia? What's wrong with Japan? Do you not like it here?" but it wasn't in his nature to be so nosy so he didn't ask anything, he didn't even speak. The whole day he spent with Rin just made Haru think of how much he was going to actually miss the boy, but he forced those thoughts out of his head and refused to think about it.
Haruka turned to the redhead next to him to see him tying small, flexible, vine like sticks together to make a circle. He couldn't seem to tie it though and began to get frustrated.
As they walked up a pair of stairs Rin said "Haru, can we sit down for a minute? I want to get this"
Haru said nothing and sat down, as did Rin, and the blue eyed boy watched in slight amusement as his friend couldn't seem to tie the small vine together. So, without saying a word, he grabbed it off him and tied it together easily.
"Hey no fair" Rin whined "I almost had it!"
"Pass me another one" Haru said, ignoring the previous complaint and holding out his hand. Rin frowned and took one of many he seemed to be holding in his hand to give to Haru. Haruka didn't even see him collecting them, but he ignored it.
Rin watched in fascination as his friend carefully wound the small vine around the one already tied together, then held out his hand for another one once he was done.
This pattern continued and Rin couldn't help but admire the boy's craftsmanship. He knew Haru was good at art, but he didn't know he was that good.
Finally finished, Haru inspected it to make sure it was all tied together properly, then handed it back to Rin. The redhead tsked and took it without saying a word, obviously annoyed he couldn't make it himself.
Rin suddenly stood up and looked at the cherry blossom tree's either side of them, looking at the flowers that had landed around the base of the tree's.
"Wow, lucky these two bloomed early, or I don't know what flower's I would have put in it"
Haru watched in fascination as Rin began picking up flowers and putting them into the base of the crown, so when curiosity got the better of him after Rin had been doing this for five minute's, he asked "Why are you making a flower crown?"
The redhead turned around, a large smile on his face and a finished flower crown in his hands. He walked up to Haru, who was still sitting down, and put in on the boy's head.
"For you, stupid, to remember me by. I couldn't buy anything so I thought I would make something, a flower crown was just the first thing that came to mind!"
Haruka's blue eyes sparkled for a split second, before it was gone and he stood up, taking the crown off his head "I don't want it"
Rin's smile widened and he jumped down the stairs, then turned back to Haru "I need to go home now, hopefully I will see you again"
Haruka's eyes widened once more, the spark now back in them as he looked down at Rin from the top of the stairs.
With a final breath, Rin opened his mouth and said "Goodbye, Haru chan" and walked away.
Haruka let out a strangled gasp as he watched his friend walk away, a sound that meant he was trying to say "Don't go, don't say goodbye, come back" but he knew he would never say those words. Instead, he watched as that long red hair disappeared around the corner and he felt his heart sting, a feeling he wasn't familiar with.
Haruka held up the flower crown Rin had given him, staring at it intently with quivering eyes before gripping it tightly and walking up the stairs, flower crown still in hand.
"Something to remember you by..." Haruka mumbled, stopping and feeling his eyes begin to water "Rin, idiot... I don't need this to remember you..."
even so, he still tightly held the flower crown and continued up the stairs.
...
"Why did you keep it?" Rin asked, still holding the delicate item in his hands. Haruka didn't answer, instead just clutched his sketch book and looked at the wall. Rin looked at his friend's quivering blue eyes, seeing the teen was clearly embarrassed.
"Okay, you don't have to tell me why you kept it, but...how are the flowers still so colourful and fresh? There is no possible way they could still-"
"I kept it because you said it was a gift!" Haruka burst out, his face quickly heating up "I-I couldn't just throw it out when you made it for me! It was the only thing you ever gave me! A-and the flowers are still fresh because I replaced them! Every time the cherry blossoms bloom I g-go to the same two tree's where the original flowers you put in were from and r-replace them! The b-base of the crown is still the same from that day though!"
Rin looked at his friend with wide eyes, seeing Haru's cheeks were bright red. He knew the teen was easily embarrassed and couldn't help but smile when seeing the rare expression.
The redhead walked over to Haru and put the crown on his head, making the smaller teen jump slightly and look up to see Rin's wide, joyful smile.
"You didn't have to keep it, idiot. And it wasn't the only thing I gave you, I showed you that sight, remember? Don't tell me you've forgotten about it"
Haru stared at Rin for a moment before looking away with a small pout "I didn't forget it, I never could...and don't call me an idiot"
Rin's crimson eyes softened when looking at the red faced Haruka, thinking of how the cherry blossoms really made his eyes stand out and sparkle. At that moment he wanted to hug the teen, but forced himself not to. Instead he sat down and laughed, almost not believing what he had heard.
Haruka looked at him, confused "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, nothing..." Rin reassured, combing his hair back "but...if I had known you cared about me like that when coming back from Australia, I would've come running straight to you..."
Haruka's eyes sparkled "What do you mean...?"
"So oblivious" Rin smiled, shaking his head "The reason I was such an asshole when coming back from Australia was because I thought you didn't care for me at all. I saw the friends you had made and got jealous, which is lame, I know. So I thought if I finally beat you, you'd see me as more than just a pest"
"W-when did I ever see you as a pest?!" Haruka questioned, astounded as to what he was hearing
"You never did, but when I was in Australia I wrecked myself. I saw people around me with friends, laughing with each other and swimming together. I started losing my passion to swim, and for some reason I just started thinking 'I bet Haruka is happy, swimming with Makoto and Nagisa, he probably doesn't even remember me'. That's why I challenged you to a race at the train tracks and cried when I lost, because I thought if I couldn't beat you, you'd never care about me..."
The room went silent as Haruka stared in disbelief at the still smiling teen, except the smile had died down a bit and looked almost regretful. Haru couldn't believe Rin would think such things, he had no idea just what had happened to him in Australia. But, at that moment, it all seemed to make sense as to why Rin had done the things he did.
Haruka squeezed his sketch book and quietly sat down next to the redhead teen. Then, without a word, handed the object to him. He ignored the confused look Rin gave him and felt the book get lifted from his hands, then heard the surprised gasp as Rin opened it.
Inside the book were multiple perfect drawings of Haruka, Rin, Makoto and Nagisa smiling together as children. Sometimes it was just Rin smiling by himself and looking joyful.
"When you came back...I was sad I didn't see you smiling" Haruka mumbled, staring at the ground "It was something about you that I admired. Whatever happened, whatever situation we were in, you always smiled. It's something I can't forget, something I could never do. I didn't want your smile to fade away so I started drawing it, and I missed you..."
Rin's eyes sparkled and he continued to flick through the pages, every drawing was one of him smiling by himself or with others. And when he finally got to the last page, it was his present self that was smiling. He was smiling with Haruka, Makoto, Nagisa and even Rei, and he recognised it as the day they won the relay at regionals.
"Shit..." Rin cursed, feeling his eyes water "Ah crap, I'm such a girl. You really know how to make me cry, Haru"
"Don't cry..." Haruka quickly said, looking away "I really hate...seeing you cry"
The redhead's crimson orbs widened before he smiled and wiped away his watering eyes "These are tears of joy, you dumb ass. Why do you have to say such cheesy things?"
Haruka said nothing and Rin could no longer hold back the urge to hug the smaller teen, carefully putting down the sketch book and leaning over to wrap his arms around Haruka.
Haru's eyes widened as he felt his heart thumping, his cheeks reddening and his skin burning where Rin touched, just like it had at the pool on that day. And just like that day, he couldn't explain the feeling.
"R-Rin" Haruka stuttered, feeling an unknown emotion taking over him. He began to raise his hands, feeling a desire to grip onto the teen in front of him.
There was a sudden sound from the hallway and the two teens both shot their heads up to hear someone opening the door.
"Haru? Are you here?" a warm voice called, now walking down the hall.
A tall brunette walked into the lounge room, seeing the two teens sitting on the floor together, closer then they should be.
"Makoto?" Haru questioned, seeing said teen's green eyes slightly widen.
The look was quickly gone though as he gave his usual warm, calm smile "Ah, so that's why you didn't respond to my texts, because you were with Rin? Well you left your shirt at my house a few days ago so I thought I'd return it, I also bought over some leftover mackerel my family couldn't eat."
He placed two plastic bags down on the table, one containing the shirt and the other containing mackerel. The brunette continued to smile at the two, all three of them not saying a word.
"I should go" Makoto stated, breaking the silence "See you tomorrow Haru, you too Rin"
Rin could almost swear he saw Makoto's green eyes darken before the teen smiled again and left, making the redhead raise an eyebrow.
"...he usually does that...coming over unannounced I mean..." Haru mumbled, hearing the door close
"Did you notice...he seemed a little off?" Rin asked, still wondering if he had seen that cold look or not.
"Seemed normal, strange he just left though" Haru shrugged
Rin gave him a questioning look "You mean you didn't see that cold look? Or hear his voice drop for a second?"
The teen shook his head "You must be tired from tutoring, let's do math tomorrow night"
Rin frowned and noticed the flower crown was still on Haru's head "Makoto was probably wondering why this was on your head" he chuckled, snatching it off the teen "and don't think you're getting off your math that easily, it's still pretty early you know"
Haruka pouted and snatched the flower crown back, then carefully placed it back on the shelf. After that the two teens got back to the tutoring, but Rin couldn't shake off the suspicious feeling about a certain brunette...
Alrighty, after this chapter Makoto gets more involved so just be prepared for that! Also, we all know dear RinRin is a crybaby who is easily overwhelmed and I imagine Haru being really easily embarrassed. If I remember correctly Nagisa actually said that about Haru in a Drama CD.
Hopefully I can upload the next chapter tomorrow, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to.
Thanks for reading!