Summer's Come Again

by SailorPlanetMars

Swim season's come back, and Rin's managed to get himself a transfer to Iwatobi. But, his appearance makes some pretty major waves when old feelings are stirred up, new feelings are born, and shipping gets way out of hand.

33. Finale -Birthdays, Reunions and Dorimu-

Author's Note: It's finally finished! Just a warning, this chapter is enormous. I want to thank again anyone dedicated enough the read this far, I love you all. I also want to apologise for the slow posting. Last thing before we dive in: I reached an impasse here. I'd introduced Sosuke before we got to see how he was characterised in the show, so I had to make some guesses. Unfortunately, I guessed quite wrong. I've tried to reconcile the Sosuke I imagined with the Sosuke we got, but it didn't work out all that well. My fault for starting a story in between seasons! Enjoy, please review, and I seriously love you all. Thanks so much for sticking with me.

---

That Saturday, Haru's birthday party starts at his house…

At least I didn't have as much trouble dressing today. We're going to a water park, so it won't be too long until I'm only wearing a swimsuit anyway. So I just grabbed a blue t-shirt and some track pants to cover my swimsuit, because fashion isn't exactly today's top concern. I check the clock as I put on my apron to grill some mackerel for breakfast. It's just past eight. The agreement was to meet here just before nine, catch the 9:10 train to Sato and arrive just in time for the water park's opening at 10:30. I feel like I should have some food or something set up – a little party, if you will. But the party's at the water park, so I forewent the pleasantries. If anyone wants anything, I can grab it at the time, I guess.

I hear a knock on the door echo over the grilling mackerel. Someone's early. Like, really early. I think I know who. Making my way to the door, I can see through the window my guess is correct. "Why are you so early, Makoto?"

"Come on, don't be like that. It's your birthday! As your boyfriend, it's kind of my job to be early." He rolls in the door like a wave over the beach and kisses me. Is this my present? If so, I love it.

"I wasn't complaining. It's just… it's an hour early. Have you eaten yet?"

"Not much, but enough."

"Well, I'll cook up two serves then."

"Thanks." I make my way into the kitchen as I fasten an apron around my waist. "Sorry I didn't get you a gift."

"What's to get? You've brought yourself, and an hour alone. That's all I could ever want." I busy myself with the grill so he can't see my face flush. Actually, more like luminescence. I don't normally blush so violently, but hey. It's my birthday. I'm allowed some transgressions.

"You're such a poet, Haru." His voice cuts strongly over the grilling fish.

"Well, let's say 15 minutes for breakfast. What's to do for the other 45 minutes?"

"I'm sure we can think of something. I mean, it's not like we're short of options."

"Well, we can't do that again."

"Maybe after we come back."

"That'd be a birthday gift for the ages."

"We can't go so fast so soon. You've got a lot more birthdays ahead of you."

"And yours, as well."

"Point taken." Somehow, even though we're talking about that, it doesn't seem like we are. It just feels like a normal chat. Is that okay? Aren't we supposed to feel like everything we say is really charged and hang off each other's words?

I need to stop doing this. This whole question-myself business gets too much in the way. I like it this way. So, why do have to question it? I throw my worries to the wind and decide to think about now first and foremost. "Mackerel's done."

"Great." He doesn't say he's hungry, but I know he is. We've hit the point where we can't keep secrets. Even stupid, dorky little ones. The other one'll just know. But that's okay. We can't keep secrets, but we also don't have to say them out loud. And that's romantic in its own way.

We eat in relative silence, just bathing in the other's company. It's almost like having a conversation without words. Which is nice, because talking with food in your mouth is invariably messy.

I'm excited for today.

It'll be nice for everybody to just have some fun together.

And it really is everybody, huh? I mean, you invited Chigusa, too.

Well, that's got a bit of a tale behind it.

It doesn't take a genius to guess, Makoto.

And when it comes to me, you are a genius.

I blush. Thanks, I guess.

Do you think she'll bring anyone?

Why would she?

I don't know. Maybe if she's found another guy, she'll ask him to tag along just so it won't be awkward. Because she doesn't really know us.

Then why'd you invite her?

It's my way of saying sorry, I guess.

So, we have quite the extensive guest list.

He laughs. The two of us, Rin, Rei and Nagisa, Gou and Mikoshiba, Chigusa and maybe-a-friend. That's not really extensive. Not for turning eighteen.

Why is turning eighteen any different to turning any other age?

It's not much for us here in Japan, other than the fact you leave school. And, like, ten days ago, they lowered the voting age to eighteen, I think. But in other countries, eighteen is the age you're considered 'adult'. Like, you can drink and stuff.

Now that I think about it, Rin said that eighteenth birthdays are a big deal in Australia, didn't he?

All-nighters fuelled on any and all available alcohol, apparently.

I don't see the appeal in drinking. I mean, why do you want to spend exorbitant amounts of money to poison your body and feel like crap the next morning?

I don't really get it either. But, hey. It's not like we have to join in. Or like we can until we're 20.

Why are we talking about this?

I hate to remind you, but we're not actually talking.

I have to blink a couple of times to figure out it's true. "I did not think that was possible."

"If it was anybody, it'd be us, right?"

I smile. "Suppose so."

We've finished eating, so we go and dump our plates in the sink. Neither of us goes to wash up because we know the other will say do it later. Makoto looks at his watch. We have about half an hour before the others are due to arrive. Or, well, we're supposed to. A knock echoes through the house and I make my way to the front door while Makoto sighs. I wanted more time alone.

So did I.

He smiles at me. Maybe after we come back.

Definitely. And with that, I open the door to find Rin there alone.

"Isn't anybody with you?"

"Good morning to you too, birthday boy."

"Gou's your sister, so I just assumed she'd be with you." Now I feel like I've offended him.

"She's waiting at the station for Mikoshiba. He doesn't know the way, is all."

It makes sense when he says it like that, and he sounds unoffended. Makoto's green eyes poke around the corner. "Yo, Rin."

"You're already here, Makoto? I thought I was early."

"I live all of 500 metres away. Of course I was here first."

"You make a fair point." The way he says it sort of says 'sorry for interrupting'. I guess, he does know.

The three of us sit around the low-lying table and I think about the way that we sit. Me and my tight, correct, bullet-straight posture like there's a rod along my back. Rin and his loose, this-is-just-how-I-fell-down-here sort of position. Makoto curls his long legs into his chest and wraps his arms around his knees, then turns out his hips so his leg fall partway open. I can't help but follow the lines down to where they join.

"It's been a long time since the three of us sat here like this."

"Exactly how long, do you reckon?"

"It was a couple of days before the relay." I remember it quite clearly. "You hadn't told us you were going yet, Rin, and I still didn't want to swim the relay. Makoto came over to keep me company, because Grandma was out at bingo night or something."

"Haru, your grandmother didn't play bingo." I never told him that. But, Makoto just sort of knows what I know, doesn't he?

Irritation and tenderness battle for the right to be present in my voice. "The point is, she was out. So you came over to keep me company…" I turn to Rin mid-sentence, "…and you came over to try and recruit me for your relay."

"That was a serious effort! Don't say it like it was a whim." Rin rearranges his legs and bends under his shoulder blades so he's looking up at the ceiling like it's open to the sky.

I fight the urge to laugh at the stupid young me we're all remembering. Why on earth was I so convinced I didn't want to swim a relay? "I'm glad I came around." Makoto and Rin both look at me in shock. They're not used to hearing me be emotional. "Imagine how different things would have been if we'd never done that relay." We all know none of us can. "And sure, some of it was crap, but I think, if I could do everything over, I wouldn't change a thing." A sense of wordless agreement seeps through the air and we just sit there smiling at each other. God, I'm glad my life has been what it has.

Our reflection is gracelessly interrupted by a knock at the door. They both stand up to answer it, but I motion for them to stay put. "It's my house. I'll get it."

---

"Happy birthday, Haru-chan!" At the first available moment, I throw myself around him. "Eighteen! I can hardly believe it. I still remember meeting you when you were, like, what, eleven? No, twelve. Point is, it's been a long time!" Rei-chan pulls a little wrapped present out from behind his back.

"From the both of us. Happy birthday, Haruka-senpai."

"You really didn't have to do this."

"We wanted to." I pout a bit. It's nice of him to say he doesn't need our present, but it also makes it feel like he doesn't want it. "Stop being so damn polite and just open it!"

We walk in and join Rin-chan and Mako-chan around the table. I wink in greeting – words are a bit superfluous, really.

"Good morning, Rin, Makoto-senpai." Rei-chan and his manners don't let him not greet them formally. Whatever. That's a part of his charm.

Haru-chan tries to take the wrapping paper off carefully, like he can't risk it tearing. Maybe he wants to reuse it or something. But, my clumsy handiwork proves too much a challenge, so he just rips it open. 101 Dishes to Cook with Mackerel. "We figured you could use a few fresh ideas." I smile at Rei-chanover our intertwined hands. He looks for something to add, but comes up short, smiling back at me instead. Then, we both open up our smiles to the rest of the table. "Well, we're all here. So who are we waiting for?"

Rei-chan ticks them off on his fingers. "Gou and Mikoshiba-san. Wait, Rin, didn't Gou come with you?"

He shakes his head, and his hair sways gently with it. I wonder when he last got his hair cut. It looks like it's been a while. "She said she had to wait for him, because he mightn't know the way." We can see the tension in his hands. We all know what he's thinking. If that Mikoshiba does one thing wrong, he's dead meat. I laugh on the inside. It's cute how he's so protective. If there's one girl out there who I'd trust to get through anything alone, it's Gou-chan, but he still can't let her go.

"So, who else?" Rei-chan nestles his head in that weird bit between your thumb and your pointer, the way you do when you're thinking hard.

"Gou's friend, Chigusa." Mako-chan pitches it in. "And anybody she brings."

"Mako-chan, why did you invite her, anyway? Like, if anyone, it should have been Gou-chan who did. Or at least one of us." I gesture to myself and Rei-chan. "'Cause she's in our class and stuff."

"Well, there's a bit of a tale there."

"We have, like, fifteen minutes before everyone's due. Go ahead, tell it!" He considers the idea carefully while I stare at him with my very best puppy-dog eyes.

"Okay then." He relents, knowing he'd only start me off begging otherwise. "Remember at the squid festival last year, when we ran into Gou and her out of the blue?"

Rei-chan snaps his fingers like he remembers clear as day. "You said they looked cute."

"Yeah. And then Chigusa deflected it, saying I was talking about the yukata."

"Oh! And then you said, 'not really', or something like that, right?" The pieces start falling into place.

"Exactly. And then, somehow, she develops a crush on me."

"It's not hard to understand why." Haru pitches in from his side of the table, the one between Mako-chan's and the one Rei-chan and I are sharing. "An older student, a good-looking one no less, gives her a complement. Take it from there." They smile at each other and I get the feeling they want to kiss. We sit there in an awkward silence for a little while, and then I chirp up.

"Do you two want a minute?" The spell seems to be broken – they look away from each other, and Mako-chan laughs softly.

"Sorry. I get caught up in myself from time to time."

"And in Haru-chan, too." If I was any closer, I'd nudge him playfully in the side and watch him blush. Unfortunately, we're on opposite sides of the table. Fortunately, Rin-chan picks up the slack and does it for me. Mako-chan and Haru-chan both turn beet red.

"S-so, anyway." Mako-chan stutters back into his story, like he's just remembered that it's kind of important. "Last Tuesday, as in, last week, not this week, she comes up to me at school and confesses. She's done it right and cooked me a lunch and everything. But…" His eyes swing down and somehow, he flushed even deeper. "The night before was the night Haru and I got together." He waits a while like he needs to discharge some of his newfound redness before he can continue. "And she's standing in the courtyard waiting for me, and Haru and I walk in together. And he kisses me. Just quickly." He just can't stop blushing. I resist the urge to laugh. I didn't know it was possible for a person to go so red! "And, well, she sees it and we have this awkward conversation and she's all like, 'you don't need to say you're sorry' and I'm like 'thanks, but I sort of do' and yeah. So here we are." He smiles at us, like he's trying to distract us from his luminescent blush with his equally luminescent (although white) teeth. I'm not entirely sure I understood the last bit of his story, but I've got the gist.

Silence falls, and for once it is actually kind of awkward. Mako-chan gradually fades back to his normal colour. Haru-chan tosses his cookbook back and forth a few times, and it falls open at a random page. The title is in katakana, so it's a foreign language of some description. I try it read it upside-down. Buriyabaisu. Something like that. It looks delicious. He stares at Mako-chan with some meaning I don't think is meant to be public. Snapping the book shut quickly, he stands up. "It's a very thoughtful gift. Thanks a lot, guys." With that, he hurriedly leaves the room to go and stash it somewhere. I take the chance to pounce on Mako-chan.

"What was with that moment there? Does that recipe mean something were not supposed to know?" Now I'm just curious. Playfully so, but curious nonetheless. I mean, I have my suspicions. But there's nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth.

"Nagisa!" Rei-chan jabs me gently in the side, seeing from Mako-chan's fresh blush that I've probably overstepped some sort of boundary. "Don't be so forward!"

"Come on. We're old friends! Nothing we can't share, right?"

"Right." Rin-chan cuts in, from nowhere. Wait, he's curious, too? I feel a little better now.

"You two!" Rei-chan is almost angry, but certainly more so than Mako-chan, who sits there, glowing but silent.

"Come off it, Rei, you're curious, too." Rin-chan smiles devilishly.

Shying away from us like he's trying to dodge the blame, Rei-chan relents. "Maybe just a little."

The three of us turn of our once-again-red friend. "So? What happened between you two?"

"Well… uh. Yeah. There was this thing. And I stayed the night over. And we cooked this French soup called bouillabaisse. Or, well, Haru cooked it. I pitched in a bit. Just a bit. And, well, things kind of took themselves from there and…" He looks away from us and starts padding his shirt against his chest like he needs it for a fan.

"No way…" My mouth falls open as I take the story to its logical conclusion.

"No way what? We've all seen it coming for years." Rin-chan seems happy to know everything went according to… plan? I don't think that's what I meant to say, but I can't think of anything better.

Rei-chan, as the newcomer, doesn't seem to believe in those two like the rest of us do. "What are you all talking about?"

Mako-chan's flustered voice works its way back into the conversation. "We did… stuff. Together. This and that. You get it. Like… stuff." He just can't say it.

"Can you stop using indistinct terms?" Rei-chan's really quite clueless, isn't he? I lean into his ear and whisper it privately. He tenses up, shocked. "I'm sorry to intrude on personal matters like that, Makoto-senpai!"

"Who did the intruding, exactly?" He shoots a forgiving glance at Rei-chan, and then an accusatory one at Rin-chan and I.

"Sorry, Makoto. But you know it was kind of a public secret anyway." Rin-chan laughs it off, while I awkwardly cuddle into Rei-chan. First, because I'm retreating from Mako-chan attack. And second, because I'm trying to point out (in the most subtle way I can) to Rei-chan that I want to hurry up and follow suit. His obliviousness fades into a blush that rivals Mako-chan's as he figures it out.

"Nagisa, can we go get a drink?" He shoots up straight, spouting the most obvious excuse he could have chosen.

"Sure." I smile at him and wink at the other two. Haru-chan walks back in just as we leave. "Oh, Haru-chan. Congratulations, again." Another wink at him and we're off. Mako-chan blushes again and Rin-chan kicks off a conversation, underestimating my eavesdropping capabilities yet again.

"Do you think they have, too?"

"No, but Nagisa's up for it. Yet to see about Rei." Mako-chan gets it one. Guess his boyfriend senses extend a little bit to all of us.

Rei-chan and I make it into the kitchen. "Nagisa! Can you please not act like that in public?"

"Why not?" I push into him again, not as in forcibly, but more cutely. I think. "I mean, they know we're an item. So isn't this the next step?"

"Yes, but first you pump Makoto-senpai for details about… that and then you make such an obvious move on me! It's Haruka-senpai's birthday! We can enjoy ourselves later in private!" He sounds like he's just stopping for breath, but his next sentence never makes it out past my mouth. I feel his argument melt in the heat of the moment, and I grab a glass that's sitting surreptitiously on the bench top, filling it with water behind his back. So at least we have some consistency in our excuses.

Breaking it off, I put my argument forward. "We're not anything to be ashamed of. We're together, so we should be proud of it, private or otherwise. So let's be proud of it!" I wink and walk back towards the room with what really should be his drink.

"I am proud." He sneaks up behind me and whispers in my ear so unexpectedly I nearly drop the glass out of equal parts fright and excitation. "But I'm just not ready for… that yet. So can we keep things behind closed doors for a little while?"

I turn around and give him a quicker kiss, just a peck, passing him the glass as I do. "Sure. Just so long as you know I'm ready when you are." Before we can make it to sit down again, there's another knock at the door. "I'll get it!" I cry it out just loud enough for the others to hear. Running to the front door, I check off the remaining guests in my head and wonder who it is.

---

"Haruka-senpai, happy…" Nagisa is standing there instead, so I catch the last half of my sentence. "Nagisa? What are you doing answering the door?"

"Good to see you too, Gou-chan. Sei-chan, too." He throws a wink at Seijuro, and I can practically hear him getting annoyed.

"I told you never to call me that again and I meant it." He's not aggressive about it (or, not seriously, anyway), but he says it with a playful anger.

"Now's not the time to fight, boys." Assuming the air of superiority that only suits a woman between (sort of) arguing men, I push my way through the door, my pendant swinging as I go, making an educated guess as to where Haruka-senpai is. Seijuro makes his way somewhat shyly behind me, like he's afraid the rest of them (I've now seen the full gathering) are going to bite. I gesture for him to walk in beside me because he's holding the gift we (well, I, but we're saying it's from both of us so as not to offend) bought Haruka-senpai.

"Gou. Nice to see you're here." He smiles at me, and I'm a thrown a little off-balance by the sudden emotion. I was expecting something more like "Oh, you're here, Gou." I smile back at him, deciding I just be happy for it. "Mikoshiba-san, too. It's been a long time since we've met."

"Nanase-kun! Happy birthday, and all. Eighteen, huh? That one's a good year." Seijuro doesn't seem to have much trouble adapting to new situations or talking to new people. Probably just as well. He holds out the gift like he's about to throw it. "We got you this."

Haruka-senpai's sure hands make quick work of the neat wrapping, sliding the paper off in one smooth motion. I hope the gift isn't too cliché, or something he already has. Best Beaches in the World: A Photography Collection. I saw it, and it just seemed so him. And, just quietly, it was half-price. Apparently, I've done well, if the shine in his eyes is anything to go by. He subtly gestures to Makoto-senpai, and he rolls around the table so they're looking at the book together, Makoto-senpai's extra height pushing his head over Haruka-senpai's shoulder. They nestle together, fitting into each other's gaps like they were built to do just that. I take quick advantage of the now-vacant side of the table, claiming it for Seijuro and I, trying to show off my pendant as I sit down. Beckoning him to sit next to me, I notice a certain pattern in the couplings about the table. Rei and Nagisa sit together, Makoto-senpai and Haruka-senpai are analysing the book together (and the look in their eyes screams 'honeymoon destination'), and Onii-chan is alone, which is a little awkward. But this water park is in Sato, so he'll be going to see Sosuke-kun this afternoon, I'd bet. I think my theories are close enough to being confirmed.

"Gou, you weren't around on Tuesday, so you missed a little bit of news from these four." Onii-chan gestures around the table to everyone who's not him. Just on cue.

"So, these two Iwatobi Swim Club couples are finally official?" I wave offhandedly at the two over the book, who are too caught up in themselves to notice just yet, and then at the other two. Rei blushes at his secret being guessed, and Nagisa seems almost angry, but in a cute way.

"Exactly." Onii-chan laughs the comment off.

"Ah? Gou-chan, you're not allowed to steal my thunder like that!" He tries to reach across the table and poke at me, but a subtle little shift from Seijuro and I'm well out of reach. "Well, you've heard our story from Tuesday. What's yours?"

Seijuro and I share a brief glance and a smile, and somehow recapture the beached lovebird's attention. "Well…"

"Where is he?" I whisper it under my breath just in case he's suddenly behind me. We were supposed to meet outside the movie theatre at 4 o'clock sharp to make sure we caught the 4:15 movie, and had time to buy food and all of that. It's now 4:10, I've been waiting for five minutes (so what I was late, too? He's still later) and there's no sign of him anywhere. Is he bailing on me or something? He'd better not be, or else. If Onii-chan doesn't kill him, I will.

"Gou-chan! Sorry I'm late!" Finally.

"Seijuro! What if we miss the movie now?"

"That's why I'm late! I had a heaps better idea, but it was a bit last minute, so I had to sort things out now."

"Do I get to know what this idea is?"

"That depends. Do you like surprises?"

"When they're done well."

"Then we'll keep it a secret." He snaps his fingers and starts rummaging in his shirt pocket. "And before I forget, I bought you this." He holds out a little black box, shyly, like he'd rather forget.

"You didn't have to do that."

"It's only right that a man come bearing gifts for a first date."

I laugh a little inside. I didn't expect him to have this side. That's actually really sweet. "Well, thanks then." I take it with a laugh and open it, half excited and half apprehensive. Inside there's a fairly intricately wrought pendant, on a simple, black, rubber-tubing necklace. You can tell it's only made of steel, and all the decorations are just enamel. But that doesn't stop it from being pretty. There's a deep-red circle at the centre, set into a base that then snakes out with all these little rays, kind of like what I think the sun would look like up close. And these rays are cleverly designed to form another four little nests for four smaller circles, at each of what would be the corners of a square if you joined the sides. They're each a different colour – blue, green, orange and purple, clockwise from the top left. "You know, this is actually really nice."

"It's all fake, imitation style stuff. But hey, what can I afford?" He stretches back his arm and laughs, almost awkwardly. I'm tempted to think that says 'I wish it was more.' But maybe I'm just crazy.

"Well, as imitation goes, it's among the best I've seen. I like your taste." I take a step or two before I realise I don't know where I'm going. "So what's this surprise?"

He smiles at me, and takes off at a gentle run. I get caught up in his pace and start running behind him. Before too long, he abruptly stops. "This is it." We've stumbled into random park in a corner slightly north of the middle of nowhere. At first, I don't see what's so impressive, but then I see all the old-style fairground attractions. A merry-go-round, teacups, that sort of thing. My face breaks out into a smile without my permission.

"You know I'm not a kid, right?" My leg starts twisting coyly, and I wrap my arms around him. "But just for today, I can pretend." Because it's so late in the day, all the children have gone home, so we pretty much have free reign. Looks like the park's closed, officially, since Seijuro has to hop into the little operator's booth and kick things off. It runs on timers, though, so we're fine without anyone there. The merry-go-round has one of those quaint horse-drawn-carriage style things, so we hop right in that. It's kind of slow, and really old. And a little dusty. But there's some sort of instinctual pleasure in riding this sort of thing with a guy. And, you know, the more time I spend with him, the more I come to like him. The ride finishes and we hop off.

"Teacups next?" He proposes a plan of action. I like it, and rather than saying it, I run clumsily towards them. We hop in, and they're the good kind, where you have a wheel-looking thing in the middle that controls how much you spin. The ride starts up, and with a quick glance, we make a silent contract to spin as fast as humanly possible. We grab the wheel, and without talking, spin it in the same direction with as much force as we can put forward. In this case, old is good – the axle's come a little loose, so it spins easily. So easily that before too long, my tenuous connection to the seat breaks and I barrel around the rim of the teacup straight into Seijuro, sending him off balance, too. In our little pile, we start laughing, harder than we probably should. I don't think I've had this much fun in ages.

And it's all over too soon. I snake my hand subtly into his and we walk back towards the station.

"So yeah. That's how it is. Nice pendant, isn't it?" Seeing as I'm wearing it, I might as well show it off. I hold it up for public scrutiny.

I've seen the veins in Onii-chan's head pumping this entire time. He was waiting for some sort of excuse to get angry, but I carefully avoided giving him one. "And you're sure that's all that happened?" He's struggling to come to terms with it, but he's trying, love him.

"Ah, Gou-chan, you forgot a bit at the end. Remember…"

I twist to him with my best 'keep it quiet' glare. "No, I'm sure that was everything."

It wasn't quite everything. But it was close enough. I replay the last part privately.

"I really enjoyed today." We have something of a strained conversation and that's about all I got to say before we reached the station. "Let's do it again, soon."

"Whenever you're free, I can make time. So just text, or call, or whatever." He smiles at me. By now, I'm actually quite taken with the guy. I saw a side of him I didn't expect to exist. And I liked it. Running towards to my train, I wave back at him.

"Oh, wait. One more thing." What the hell? It's only the cheek. It doesn't count. I run back to him and, rolling onto the balls of my feet, press my lips lightly onto his left cheek. I feel his skin burning underneath my lips, and when I pull away, he's as red as I was expecting. "Thanks for everything."

"Well, as long as there wasn't anything more…" Onii-chan growls, managing to come to some kind of terms with the arrangement.

"Chigusa's late." Makoto-senpai's worried voice cuts in. "It's 9:05. We said 9 sharp, right?"

"Oh, don't worry about it. That's just fashionable." I wave it off. That's really nothing to worry about.

"Can you call her anyway? Just for my peace of mind." He does one his really kind sorry-to-bother-you smiles and I find myself unable to say no. Rummaging around in my bag for my phone, I punch in a short sequence of buttons that means I'm calling her.

---

My phone goes off in my bag, and with this miraculous "organisation" thing, I find it in a matter of seconds. I laugh to myself. No more missed calls for me. "Hello?"

"Hana-chan! Are you nearly here?"

I check the watch on my wrist. "Gou? It's only 9:05. What's the rush?"

"Nothing in particular. Makoto-senpai just wanted me to ring to make sure."

I laugh to myself again. Is this more apology from Makoto-senpai? Didn't I tell him he didn't need to? Oh, well. There's nothing that makes you happy in quite the same way as getting attention from a guy, even when you know it's only friendly. "Well, I have a friend coming. And I said I'd meet him at the station. And he's not here yet, so I'm waiting for him. By all means, head down and meet us here!"

"Wait, wait, wait. Go back a step. Friend? He? Does that mean what I think it means?" I hear a few mutters and murmurs in the background. Must be all the swim club boys.

"Well, that depends on what you think it means." I can't resist being a little facetious.

"Don't be coy, Hana-chan!"

I laugh. "Sorry. But, yeah, it sort of does." I hold my phone away from ear as Gou half-screams, half-cheers. "We're not exactly a hot item yet, but I guess we're something."

"Whatever you are, good for you, Hana-chan!"

"I didn't even have to use my full persuasiveness." I wink, thinking it's directed at Gou, before I realise she's not actually here.

"Well, the boys are in for a surprise at the station! We'll head now. See you soon!"

"Yep! No rush, though. He must've missed his train or something. See you." We hit the end call button in almost perfect synch. And almost perfectly on cue, a train pulls in at the station. I find my heart is beating faster. I really hope he's on it.

And the universe doesn't disappoint me. A short, silver-haired silhouette jumps off about twenty metres down the platform, so I jump off the seat I've been on these last few minutes and run towards him. "Aiichiro-kun! You're here. For a minute there, I thought you'd forgotten me!" I throw my head to the side in mock anger.

"Sorry, Hana-san. I just missed the train I was planning to catch, that's all. I got straight on the next one, and that got me here now. Sorry, again." He looks away from me like he feels he's let me down.

"Don't be. There's nothing much you could do. Besides, the others are going to come and meet us here. So, in a way, you're right on time."

He looks up at me again. Thank God. "I feel better when you put it like that. Thanks."

"Who was it that said we shouldn't say thanks to each other?" I extend my pointer like I'm berating him. "Such is our arrangement, remember?"

"Yeah. Thanks for reminding me."

"You're doing it again."

"Sorry!"

I laugh loudly. "You're too funny! Can't you see I'm just poking fun at you?"

"I'm not good at reading social situations, so I pretend everyone's dead serious. Just in case."

"Well, we can fix that. You'll get plenty of practice with me, so let's wait and see, hmm?

"So… does that mean you were just joking when you said you thought I'd forgotten you?"

"Of course."

"Good." He stutters, trying to find a good way to start his next sentence. "Be…because… you know… I don't think I could ever forget you, Hana-san." I look sideways at him in surprise. "I've been looking forward to today ever since you asked me to come. I haven't been able to concentrate or think about anything else. I haven't even slept that well, because today's just been constantly on my mind. So… if that's what it's going to feel like every time… I don't think I could ever possibly forget you, Hana-san."

"Well, that's sweet. I would say thank you, but that's taboo, isn't it?"

"I guess so." He looks away shyly. I feel like there's something he hasn't said yet, and I also feel like I know what it is.

"You doubt it, don't you? You don't think it'll feel like that every time. You think, maybe, this time is special, because it's the first and because there's going to be other people around and especially because your Rin-senpai is going to be there. You're not sure whether it's about him or me, are you?" I almost whisper it. I try to be gentle, and not to accuse or threaten. I think it works, but I'm not too sure.

"Well… maybe, just a little." He shies away from me again, and we somehow wind up sharing a bench, but looking outwards away from one another.

"Because that's fine." I hear him look in towards me, but I don't return the favour. "That was the deal. You're allowed to waver, even break it off altogether if you want. Anytime. I won't blame you." Now it's my turn to struggle over words. "But… I feel the same way. Ever since Tuesday, I've been excited to see you again, Aiichiro-kun. I've been jumping out my skin with anxiety. What should I wear, is a bikini too revealing, will it be okay not to wear make-up, since it'll smudge and all… I've been asking myself these questions all week, trying to make sure everything was perfect." I finally turn into his eyes, with as wide a smile as I can muster. "So, maybe, things'll work out alright."

"It makes me happy to hear that, Hana-san." And surreptitiously, our hands work in towards the centre of the bench until they overlap ever so slightly. I get what I guess you'd call a spark, and I wonder if he felt it too. "I'm sure everything'll work out perfectly. Even if it's not being together, things'll pan out okay for the both of us."

I laugh a little. "You sound like me."

He blushes and smiles a little wider. "Maybe you're rubbing off on me."

And we just have one of those stupidly cute moments where you look into the other one's eyes and everyone watching says 'awww.'

"Awww. You two are cute together!" Goddamnit, Gou, I was enjoying that.

"Hey! Don't ruin the mood!" I stick my fist in the air for emphasis.

"Sorry." She laughs through the first half of the word. "But, you know, it's a group outing. You can't just spend the day staring into each other's eyes. That wouldn't be any fun, now, would it?"

By now, the entire crowd has made their way onto the station. Gou's brother is right behind her, having a pretty serious chat with that guy she met in the park last weekend. Then Hazuki-kun and Ryuugazaki-kun – I know them from class. Makoto-senpai and his boyfriend bring up the rear. I throw a special smile-and-wink combo their way – 'happy birthday, and thanks for inviting me'. They both smile back at me, and then they all notice Aiichiro-kun. Turning to Gou, Hazuki-kun is the first to speak.

"Gou-chan, when you said surprise…"

"Yep!" She proudly presents Aiichiro-kun like the whole thing was her idea. Her brother claps him on the shoulder and something gets said. I can't hear it, but I can see his lips move. Something like "Good for you." I can't escape the fear that even that tiny bit of contact will spell the end of us, but Aiichiro-kun walks over and stands closer to me. He doesn't hold my hand or anything cutesy or romantic like that, but stands there with this dorky smile on his face that kind of says it all.

And suddenly I've got the same dorky smile, Gou catches it too, then her boyfriend, her brother and everyone else. And our dorky-smiling session is rudely interrupted by a very loud train bound for Sato. "Time to go, then?" I propose the motion, and take the first steps. I find myself more excited than I reasonably should be. I reach back and grab Aiichiro-kun by the hand. We make it onto the train first to discover a group of ten seats conveniently empty. I book out one of the four corners with him, and the other seven file in a pretty random order, but they fall out into obvious couples. Gou and… Seijuro, that's his name (or something like that) take the corner next to Aiichiro-kun and I, and then the five members of our school swim team fall out into their internal couplings. And I can't help but feel sorry for Gou's brother. Everyone else here has a date, so he's the only one left alone. It only makes it worse that I know Aiichiro-kun has a crush on him. I feel like it's partly my fault he's alone. So I decide that nobody is allowed private conversations. Anything they can say to each other, they can say to all nine of us. "So, Matsuoka-senpai." I look at him, trying to encourage our four separate couples, just for a little while, to not be couples. "Do you know what you want to do after school?" A stupid question, yes. But a question. It's better than the gaze-into-each-other's-eyes that every other couple on this train is contributing to the group conversation.

He smiles at me like he gets the message. Thanks for the help, it says. "Well, I do want to go international with swimming, but if that falls through, I don't know where it is I'll go. Just, follow the wind for a while, I guess." He looks wistfully over my shoulder, outwards at the blue, surprisingly cloudless sky.

"I'm sure you'll be able to go international, Rin-senpai." Aiichiro-kun contributes to my efforts. "I mean, you dedicate yourself totally to swimming. You eat for right for it, you train right for it, everything you do is about swimming. With a will like that, nothing could stop you. That's what I think." He blushes deeply, and my little fear comes back again. If he swings the other way, I'll be left alone again. I don't want it to be over this fast. But now, his emotional statement seems to make the conversation public, so I put my worries aside and just enjoy myself.

---

Phew, finally. We've made it to this water park. I was planning to bring Haru here for our first official date last weekend, but we all know how that turned out. So, if somewhat later than first thought, we're here. I glance sideways at Haru, and I know I've done right. The way his eyes light up, you'd think it was the Fountain of Youth or something, not an amusement park. He turns into me and smiles until Gou runs between us. "Now, now, boys. No private moments while everyone else is around." To be honest, I'd half-forgotten the crowd around us. Nagisa jumps on my shoulders unexpectedly and I have to wonder how it is I did that.

"Yeah, Mako-chan! There's plenty of time for eye-gazing when you two get back home, so for now, everything's a public affair!"

"Okay, I get it. Can you get off me now? You're heavier than you look!" With a rough shake of my shoulder, I dislodge the blonde from my shoulder.

"What are we waiting for?" Chigusa grabs Nitori-kun by the hand and drags him through the gate, and before long we all follow suit. The park isn't very busy today, it seems. I guess, for summer, it is pretty cold. But not that cold. Oh, well. Whatever the reason, the park is serendipitously underpopulated.

And that's a good thing. We pretty much have free reign. "Well, we have to go by the change rooms first. Do we all have enough for locker rental?"

"We only need two. It won't cost that much. But, maybe since there's nine guys, we'd want to split over a couple." Mikoshiba-san tries to do the sums in head.

"It's my birthday, so I'll pay for one." Haru puts it forward before anyone else can.

"I organised this, so I'll pay another." So between Haru and I, we have two.

"I guess I'll pay for the last one, since I'm the tagalong." Chigusa smiles her volunteerism. "So now we have two for the guys and one for the girls."

"According to some cursory calculations, that should be sufficient." Rei cuts in with his excessively scientific observation.

"Well then, what the hell are we waiting for?" Rin starts stalking off, not bitterly, but excitedly, if with a hint of exhaustion. We crowd behind him towards the change rooms.

"Five minutes. That's it. Then we'll meet back here." Gou makes her very strict declaration before we split based on genders.

"Two lockers, adjoining if you could." I ask the man who stands at the booth-thing. That must be the worst job.

"203 and 204. That'll be 1800 yen for the day." I ferret around in wallet and produce a 1000-yen note, and Haru quickly follows suit. A machine eats the payment and rapidly spits back two coins of change and two sets of keys. I reach for them instinctively and I'm somewhat surprised to notice my hand meets Haru's. Pleasantly so, but surprised. Time seems to stop for second and before we notice Nagisa's swept all of it out from under our hands.

"Hazuki-kun! Give them back their money!" Nitori-kun is as adamant as I've ever seen him. He confiscates the coins and passes one back to each of us.

"Thanks, Nitori-kun." I smile at him gently. He's nice. I hope he and Chigusa work out. I'll admit I have my doubts – the poor girl seems to have run into the same problem she had with me. But, I can still hope.

Nagisa (who still has the keys) locates and unlocks the two lockers in record time. Waving at us, he shouts "Over here!" We crowd into the small area and commence the almost-too-natural ritual of stripping in front of six other guys. There aren't any showers in the room, so there's less obscuring steam than we're used to at a swimming pool. But that's okay. Using a clever combination of doors, towels and clothes, we manage to maintain some level of modesty. I accidentally bump into Haru in the awkwardness of the confined space. Why is nothing in this country built for people taller than five-foot-ten? Thankfully (for everyone else, at least), he was already dressed (is that the right word? I'm not too sure). I examine the lines his semi-naked form makes as he regains his balance. All of them seem to lead back to his eyes, which seemed to have gone bluer than normal at the exciting prospect of water everywhere. There's an almost childlike fascination in them that I just can't get away from.

"Mako-chan… no private moments, remember?" Nagisa speaks loudly into my ear, calling back my inattentive brain.

"Mmm, sorry." I look away from Haru's eyes just long enough to convince him I am actually sorry. "I just can't help myself sometimes."

Nagisa grabs Rei by the arm and they start walking out together. "Gou-chan'll be expecting us! Five minutes are nearly up!" He turns and whispers into Rei's ear, but underestimates the audibility of his sentence in the echoing room. "I think Haru-chan's getting an interesting birthday present tonight!"

Rei tenses up. "I thought I asked you not to talk about that!" Nagisa sneaks a kiss on his lips and laughs. I smile to myself. They're a good match. I'm surprised it took them this long, actually. Thinking back over it, there's been a bit of tension there for a while. I think they knew for a long time before they realised. Well, I'm one to talk, aren't I? I look back at Haru, who's stood back up, and suddenly I'm looking the five-year-old Haru-chan I met on the first day of school and wondering why it took me until my last year to notice. We sure took our sweet time, didn't we?

"Makoto? What are looking at?" I realise I'm staring blank-eyed into the distance. "Everyone's already gone. We should hurry up, too."

I shake my head to try and evacuate the vestiges of my reverie. "I'll race you back to the entrance." I don't give him a chance to argue, taking off at full power. After a brief moment of confusion, he starts running after me. He doesn't even look like catching up. He might unbeatable in water, but on land, he's nothing special. As in, like, speed-wise. Other than that, he just might be the most special person alive, in water or on land.

The other seven wait for us in a small crowd. "I thought we said no private moments, you two. If everyone else can handle, you can." Rin sounds tired, like our flirtatiousness is getting to him. I take stock of the circumstances. Rin's the only one without a date, and that must suck. But he said there was something we didn't know about. So I hope he'll work something out. We all know how he gets when the chips are down.

Humming in the back of brain, I'm vaguely aware that the others are arguing about where to go first. "We should save the best for last!", "Get in before it gets crowded!", "I'm not sufficiently warm for that level of activity!", "Let's just follow our noses!"

I'm not too sure which voice belongs to which person, but it doesn't take a genius to guess who said what. Haru suddenly raises his hand, putting his forearm through the centre of my vision. "That." He points to a slingshot-based ride that seems to be, basically, the halfway point of a tennis game and waterfall. Rin and Rei look at each other in this way that means more than I know, so I get the feeling they've been here before.

So, unsurprisingly, we follow Haru's dictated path and line up for the ride. It seems that every person at the park decided to come here, so even though there's not that many, we have to wait a little while. While in line, Haru tugs at my arm, around where my sleeve would be if I was wearing anything. Other than my swimsuit. I am wearing that. He points shyly towards these side-chambers designed for couples and blushes. "Can we?"

"No." Rin cuts in. I forgot again. No private conversations. "Don't even think about it. If you two want to have some sweet-enough-to-give-me-diabetes moments, you can come back here alone. For now, you're with us, so act like it!" He sounds happy, he is happy, but there's a distinct edge to his voice. Not an angry edge. Just like he's feeling alone but doesn't want it to show. So I nod to Haru. Let's indulge them. He's right. We can come back alone if we want.

Haru begrudgingly submits to the conditions of his birthday party and we all climb into the ride together. I instinctively grab at his hand through the seatbelts. "This is a little scary. Don't let go, okay?" What am I saying, a little scary? This thing is terrifying! The fun kind, but still terrifying. We wrap our hands tighter and tighter together as we ready ourselves for the launch. I hear the latches release and scream pre-emptively. I hear Haru's uncharacteristically passionate voice mingle with mine, shouting with a mixture of fun and fear. As we rocket towards the wall of water, I send a message through our linked hands. Happy birthday. I love you.

---

I have concluded that the fun of fairground rides increases proportional to the number of people in your party. The first time, when it was just Rin and I, it was fun. But now, with a crowd of nine, it was significantly more so. Although, I have to wonder if the individuals involved exert an influence on the relationship. The possibility exists that if I were to do it alone with Nagisa, as my boyfriend, it would be the most fun under those conditions. I resolve to test my hypothesis at a later date.

For now, we, as a party, start running from ride to ride in a huge rush, trying to visit every conceivable corner of the park in the shortest time possible. We return to the several-story-tall water slide and encounter something of a logistical issue. "Only five to a raft." The attendant manages to force the park's dictate out of a mouth locked shut by boredom and chewing gum. Running numbers in my head, I realise that at least none of the couples have to split. But who will form the set of four and who the set of five? I try to calculate the possibilities in my head. 4 groups to be placed in four places, and then Rin can occupy the remaining space in either raft. Meaning a total of 48 distinct paths are available to us.

Well, it didn't exactly take a statistical analysis to figure out which of the 48 we'd take. Gou and Chigusa-san push ahead with their respective boyfriends. Nitori-kun makes an odd sound of protest, as though he wanted to discuss the order further. The meaning is lost on me, thought apparently not on either Rin or Chigusa-san, who, in a joint effort, forcibly coerce him into sitting and holding the ropes of the raft next to her, while Gou and Mikoshiba-san take the two remaining places. Nagisa waves at them jokingly as the bored attendant navigates a few wooden poles and locking mechanisms and sends them on their way. He shouts after their retreating backs. "Have fun!"

As the five of us load into another, waiting for our turn to follow them down, there exists a collective consciousness between the four of us who are in couples. We actively arrange ourselves in the least intimate settings possible, allowing room for Rin to join us and not feel excluded. We're all sharply aware of his somewhat irritable attitude. He has a right to it, and that's why we're indulging him like this. If he was just being angry for the fun of it, that wouldn't be okay. But, this mood in particular, is a little bit all of our faults, and a lot of mine.

As it happens, the raft isn't all that big anyway. So we fall into place quite neatly, and try to avoid interlocking legs. It only takes a few seconds to figure out we can't, so we each spread our legs to a comfortable distance, making something of a star-shape in the raft. We're all different heights, so it's a little bit disproportioned, but at least it has five points. "We all having fun?" Nagisa's question chimes into the recesses of my brain, and I try to keep his voice there to reverberate for a little while because I like the sound. Its echo dislodges a particular thought. No private moments.

There are general murmurs of assent from everybody except Rin, who seems more than a little distracted. He's taking advantage of the height of the tower to see out past the boundaries of the park (I had the foresight to bring my goggles today, so, wearing them around my neck, I can, at leisure, both see and shield my eyes from the stinging of chlorinated water). "Rin? What are looking at?" The question falls out before I can think to stop it.

The sound of his name seems to tear him back to attentiveness. "Oh, nothing in particular. I was just thinking about… urban landscapes and stuff. It looks nice, even though it's not natural. 'Cause, artists are always like 'natural landscapes are the best' and stuff and I just don't agree. You know?" He forces a smile to try and make his flurry of excuses believable. It doesn't work.

I decide not to press. "So long as that's everything. Because, if you need to talk, you have four pairs of willing ears." It sounds dorkier than I anticipated. "I just need to know you know that."

"I do, Rei." His smile relaxes and becomes more natural. "Thanks."

Without warning, we start moving and his smile gains a more excited element, exhilarated by the unique combination of water and gravity that characterises the water slide as a concept. Nagisa screams from the shock of the affair. I try to focus on the sweet, fleeting sound before it disappears. The raft throws us up and down the walls with all the grace of a hammer. We rocket around the perimeter of the barrier, intermittently colliding with either the person to our left or right. So, in my case, alternating between Nagisa and Rin.

My theory seems to hold true. That ride was significantly less fun in the group of five than a group of nine. However, there is an alternate variable that could be affecting the validity of my results. Rin possessed a particular discomfort. Every time the ride threw me into him, it felt like there was an unnatural tension in his arm, his side, his stomach. Like he couldn't let himself relax.

"Ahh, that was fun!" Nagisa explodes out of our now stationary raft with excess energy and runs over to join the four that wait for us. Is he really so oblivious? We start walking again, off to another ride. Despite our best efforts, we fall out into couples. I seize my chance.

"Nagisa." A private whisper, in direct denial of our rule. "We need to do something for Rin."

"Something like what? A surprise? It's Haru-chan's birthday, you know."

"No! We need to cheer him up! Can't you see he's out of it?"

"Oh, that. Just let it blow over. Rin-chan's just like that. He won't let us help until he has no other choice."

"That's not okay!" I'm adamant. "We're supposed to be precious friends. How can we just let him be miserable while we're all having fun?"

"Did you even pay attention last year? None of us want to do that, it's just how it is." He frowns and now I know why Rin's behaviour is so irritating. This is how he was last year. This prickliness, reserved attitude. Even the aggressive speech, every little detail is like a trip to past.

"Rei. We're here." I nearly walked past it again. Wait. What? Where is 'Rei-chan'? I only now notice that it was Rin who said that. He stretches out a hand with the most natural smile I've seen him manage all day.

"Sorry. I'm a bit distracted."

"We all know. Exactly how soft did you think you were speaking? You were really quite audible, you know." I blush and start stammering, trying to make a sentence out of nothing. "Save it." The abruptness of the sentence makes me obey instinctively. "It makes me happy that you're worrying about me, Rei. Really. It's nice to know you care. But this is something I have to deal with myself. You've done more than your fair part for me, so please just let me handle this alone."

I can't find anything to say, so I settle for taking his hand with a somewhat embarrassed smile.

"Rei-chan, you're not falling for Rin-chan, are you? That's not allowed!"

"Nagisa, please. We discussed this!" I blush deeper, embarrassed to admit the next part publicly. "I said you're the only for me, and I meant it."

"Well, aren't you two a sweet couple?" Chigusa-san calls out to us from a few metres ahead. "But while you're giving us all cavities, the line's moving. So could you follow suit?" I have to say I never noticed she had that biting humour. Even though it's just a little insulting, I can appreciate how it's funny. So we follow suit to find an unpleasant surprise awaiting us at the ride itself. It's that one that semi-simulates the motion of being sucked down a drain. I had a sneaking suspicion this might be the case. The mass simply wouldn't allow for it. We're only allowed two people at a time. Thankfully, one is allowed to go alone, so we aren't at a total mathematical loss. But, socially, we're in a much less advantageous position. I can't assuage my guilt about letting Rin go down alone. At the same time, I've paid my debts to him, so I want to ride with Nagisa (bonus points for letting me test my final hypothesis about party sizes and the fun of fairground rides).

I look back and forth searching for a conclusion that doesn't have a downside. My sense of beauty doesn't allow me to settle for second-best. But sometimes second-best is all that's available. Theory and practice both confirm that. So I swallow my guilt and let Rin have it his way. If he wants to deal with it himself, it's probably best I just let him.

Nagisa lays himself along my arm and forces our hands to intertwine. "You're sweet, Rei-chan."

I smile and allow myself a transgression. "So you're not jealous anymore?"

"I was only teasing."

"So was I." We trade the most complicit smile I think I've ever known to occur.

"God, I can't watch this anymore. You two go first!" Chigusa-san's voice cuts into our flirtatious exchange. The rest of group laughs in an almost-insulting chorus of assent. But I have no qualms. I'm excited.

Nagisa and I climb into the little rubber figure-eight that passes for seating in this ride. With Nagisa's general forwardness, and my prior knowledge of attempting to fit two people in this thing, we settle for the most natural arrangement, laying our legs alongside each other so they touch at every conceivable point. "Ready, Rei-chan?"

"Of course." The attendant pushes our raft into the ride with the offensive 'glad to be rid of you' glare, but I don't even care. Immediately, I have confirmed my hypothesis. The experience of a fairground ride is most fun when partaken in alone with one you love.

---

"Is it almost time for lunch?" I skipped breakfast to make it on time, and this amusement park stuff is exhausting. But if Gou-chan's having fun, I'm happy for it. I make a natural move to check the time on something – my phone, someone's watch. But we left them all in the change rooms, because we didn't want them getting wet. So there's not a timepiece in my field of vision.

"Seijuro, don't be so inconvenient!" Gou-chan grabs my arm in a way that makes me think I should be inconvenient more often. "It's Haruka-senpai's birthday! He decides when to eat!"

I turn to the black-haired freestyler. "Nanase. Would you mind?" I ask playfully.

"Seijuro!" Gou-chan looks up at me, embarrassed by my lack of self-control.

"It is about lunchtime. So we may as well." He says it in that cool monotone that seems to define his personality.

"Great! So now the big question is where?" I smile sheepishly, myself somewhat embarrassed by my inability to control my stomach.

"The problem is, if we want a proper, birthday-party-style lunch, we'll probably have to leave the park." The tall one, the one who's with Nanase… Tachibana? That's it. He hums out loud as he ponders this newfound dilemma. "There are those upmarket kinds of places in the park, but they're still not really proper fare for the occasion."

"Come off it, Makoto. Anything's proper fare." Nanase cuts off his pondering at the roots.

"Haru, don't say that! We can't let our first birthday together be just anything! Everything has to be perfect." He's almost screaming, with this vehement look on his face.

"It already is." Nanase smiles – for the first time, to my knowledge – and gestures to the crowd around him. "What more could I want?"

"Well, sorry to spoil the fun, but after lunch, I've got to leave." Matsuoka pipes up with this sort of casual disinterest, like he has something more important to do. "I can't tell you why, but just trust me here."

Meanwhile, Gou-chan, Nitori, his new girlfriend and I watch the drama unfold between these five childhood friends. The blonde one cuts in with some childish observation about how he should had said earlier, and the other one, the one that couldn't swim at first, acts like he's pushing up his glasses, until he realises he's not wearing them. I turn to the other three. "So, while we wait, should we make arrangements?"

Gou-chan laughs. "Yeah. This is gonna take a while." A renewed chorus of shouts confirms her statement.

"Well, it looks like the party's gonna break up after lunch anyway, so we may as well go dry off and dress up and leave. Find a good place." Gou-chan's friend has a good point.

"You're a thinker, Hana-san." So her name's Hana. That's probably a good thing to know, at least for today. Nitori expands a little on her ideas. "I'm not too familiar with the area, but I hear there's a place with excellent sushi around here someplace."

"Well, as long as they've got mackerel, you'll have Haruka-senpai sold." Gou-chan giggles her assent.

"I think that'll make a good end to the day. Like, it won't end the day or anything. But I think we'll all go our separate ways after that." Hana makes her observation.

"I think you've hit the nail on the head. Without Matsuoka around, we don't have any reason to not be romantic, so we may as well split up into our private couples."

We reach our conclusion in almost perfect unison with the end of the argument between the other five. As the oldest, I feel a certain obligation to be the voice of the group. "So, we have ourselves a plan, folks."

"Care to give details?" Matsuoka cocks an eyebrow impatiently, like every second's cutting him in the side.

"Give me a chance. We go and dry off and redress, hand back the locker keys, so on. Then we up and leave the park. The tickets you got, Tachibana, are good for the whole day, yes?" He nods silent confirmation. "So if anyone wants to come back, that's an option. Nitori says there's some hearsay of a good sushi joint in the area, so we go there for lunch."

The blonde one with the weirdly pink eyes interjects. "But Sei-chan…"

"Don't call me that."

"Why not? That's your name, Sei-chan."

"That is not my name!" I sigh, defeated. "Whatever. What is it?"

"Do we even know where this place is? How much does it cost? Who'll pay?" He looks like he's got more questions coming but I don't let him carry on.

"We can figure out that stuff later! We can always change plans at the business end. Anyway, we go to this sushi place, eat, and split off into couples, seeing as, without Matsuoka around, we'll be too caught up in each other to really bother for the most part." They seem a touch taken aback at that, but it doesn't take them too long to realise it's pretty true. "Then, proceed to go about the rest of our day as couples." I pause for a second to allow for any disagreement, and also to gather my thoughts. "Any complaints?"

They exchange glances, with some sort of silent conversation. "Good enough for me." Nanase speaks for the five of them and before too long, we've all left the park. I'm glad I thought to dress up, even though we weren't supposed to be fully dressed for the entire day. Wearing tracksuit pants or something in this situation would just be embarrassing. But more to the point…

"So, Nitori. Where is this sushi joint of yours?" He jumps a little like he wasn't expecting the question.

"Well, um… I don't know for sure, but I heard that it's just in the town's business centre. It's called Inari, I think."

"That's a weird name for a sushi restaurant." Gou-chan puts her finger on her chin while she thinks, like an idea's about to fall out of her mouth and she can catch it there. "Inari is the kami of fertility, represented by a ten-tailed fox, right?"

"Well." Ryuugazaki pushes up his glasses, meeting with success this time, as he's actually wearing them. "Inari has no precisely defined gender in mythology, being male, female and androgynous in different contexts. It's a kami of more than just fertility – also foxes, rice, tea, sake, agriculture, industry and general prosperity. So fish is probably in there somewhere. Also, it could just as easily be named for inarizushi, the type of sushi with deep-fried tofu instead of seaweed." How does he know all this stuff? Why does he know all this stuff?

"Woah, Rei-chan." The little blonde one looks impressed. "You're like my private Wikipedia!" I don't have the inclination to point out that he's hardly private. In a serendipitous moment of silence, I take notice of everyone else. Nanase and Tachibana have broken off in front, and they're talking about I don't want to know what. The looks on their faces and their whispers say enough for me. Hazuki and Ryuugazaki have now broken off the side, and Nitori and friend are trailing behind. They've evidently all forgotten the 'no private conversations' rule. So I allow myself a trespass and lead Gou-chan away from her stormy-looking brother.

"Seijuro! Can't you see Onii-chan's lonely?" She seems angry that we've informally separated ourselves from him.

"Of course I can. But I don't think there's a great deal to be done about it, so you should just let it slide."

"But…" She trails off.

"But nothing, Gou-chan. Trust me on this. It's a male pride thing. He just needs to be alone right now."

She turns into me, and I can't decide if she looks angry or happy. "Thanks, Seijuro. You didn't make me feel any better about it, but you tried. So long as this broodiness is normal, I guess I can deal with it." She shoots a concerned glance back at him.

"It's perfectly normal." I lie just a little. Everyone needs to be alone sometimes, but different people do it different ways. Matsuoka goes broody, I just lock myself away in a room someplace. That's just people. Of course no-one's the same. "I think you'll find once he's done with that business he was talking about, he'll be doing just fine."

Gou-chan takes charge of my arm and arranges us so we walk in a makeshift hug. "Now I do feel better. Thanks." She buries her head into the side of my chest, and I keep it quiet that it kind of hurts my lungs.

"No worries, Gou-chan."

---

I'm glad we found this famous Inari. I couldn't have dealt with having accidentally led everyone to some phantom lunch. That would have ruined everyone's day. "Aiichiro-kun?" Hana-san's voice slides sideways through my thoughts.

"You know what? Call me Ai. It's shorter, and it has a kind of ring to it."

"Okay then, Ai-kun." She giggles a little, but I'm not sure whether it's just because she's happy or because "Ai-kun" sounds more than a little weird. "Can you stop brooding and get in?" She smiles at me with that energy that no-one else seems to have. I realise I've stopped walking, and it's only her and I left outside the restaurant.

"Sorry, Hana-san." I take a few quick steps and we wind up inside. We didn't book ahead so finding enough space for our party of 9 may be a little awkward. I see Nanase-san and Tachibana-san talking with some sort of staff member. The restaurant doesn't look busy, so maybe there's a back room or something with our name on it. The staff member bows and confirms my theory, showing us into a little room built to hold about ten.

I feel a little rude sitting next to Hana-san. It's almost like we're asking to be shut out and have some privacy, but at the minute I don't want that. Seeing as this is going to be the end of our time as a group, I feel as though we should all be social and everything, but with everyone else sitting in couples, I've not got much choice. And, it so happens that I'm sandwiched between Hana-san and Rin-senpai. I don't know whether to be ecstatic or horrified. I squirm awkwardly into position between them and hope no-one notices the tension.

"We've landed a special birthday arrangement with the room." Tachibana-san announces from his position next to Nanase-san. "There's going to be a platter for entrée-style and then main-style sushi, so everyone have your fill. This one's on me." He smiles as the room erupts in protest.

"Mako-chan, that's not fair! You've already paid a locker and the tickets and everything!" Hazuki-kun pipes up with the most insistent look I've ever seen.

"I agree, Makoto-senpai. Let Nagisa and I split this one." Ryuugazaki-kun joins the fray.

"This is supposed to be a special day for you, Haruka-senpai and Makoto-senpai, so I won't let it turn into a wallet weight instead." The two blush at Rin-senpai's younger sister's assertion.

"I haven't paid for anything yet, and I'm busting up the party, so I think it's only fair I pay." Rin-senpai says it in this way that doesn't allow for argument.

"Okay, okay, I get it." Tachibana-san waves off his horde of protesters with the most ridiculously broad smile.

"Well, how much is it, Tachibana-san? If it's neatly divisible by, say, 4, I can pay a part, Hazuki-kun and Ryuugazaki-kun can pay a part, Matsuoka-san and Captain Mikoshiba can pay a part and Rin-senpai can pay a part." That's everyone except the birthday boy and his boyfriend accounted for.

"Ai-kun? What about me?" Hana-san looks at with a look that seems to veil some supernatural anger.

"You've already paid for a locker and besides, it's only fair the boyfriend pays something like this. So I'll pay for the two of us, Hana-san." I make my excuses in the most natural way possible.

"Well, I guess that's sweet. But I can pay for myself." She rummages in her handbag and pulls out her purse with unparalleled speed. That thing must be as well-organised as a library.

"I have to insist on this. As I said, you've already paid for a locker, so it's only fair I absorb this part of the expense."

She toys with the idea for a while and then puts her purse away again. "Okay then. You can pay. But just this once, got it?"

"Sure. Just this once." And we break into another one of those dorky smiling sessions and it sort of catches until everyone at the table has a dorky smile.

"That works out pretty neatly, Nitori-kun. It's 12400 all up, so that's 3100 yen apiece, yes?" He counts on his fingers to double-check his calculations."

"You were planning on paying all of that yourself, Mako-chan! That's too much!" Hazuki-kun never seems to keep his mouth shut.

"As much as it pains me to say it, I agree with Nagisa on this one." Rin-senpai cuts in. "3100 yen is much more manageable for us, and it makes it feel like we've done things." He turns his head to me, and his face swings closer to mine that what I am currently comfortable with. "Good thought, Ai." He says it to me, who's turned as red as a lobster with the awkwardness born of physical intimacy.

Why is this decision so hard? Why are feelings so confusing? Looking out the sides of my eyes, my peripheral vision is crowded – Hana-san sits on one side and Rin-senpai on the other. And it frustrates me to no end to know that I don't know how I feel about either of them. I don't know whether it's right for me to love another guy. I don't if this feeling is called love, or if it's just admiration. And I don't if like Hana-san in that way either. I definitely like as a friend, but I don't know if that's all. And I decided that not knowing is enough for now, enough for me to get to know her well enough to find out. But I'm seventeen soon. I feel like this is sort of dilemma a fourteen-year-old has.

"Ai." Rin-senpai says it softly enough that, even in this crowded room, only Hana-san and I could conceivably hear it. "Don't get hung up on me. I said it at the station, didn't I? This girl is a good match for you, so don't let it go waste because you don't know what I am to you. I'll always be your friend, if nothing more, so go for it." He smiles at me privately and I both like it and hate liking it. But it's reassuring to hear it from him.

"Thanks for the support, Rin-senpai." Hana-san is more sarcastic than she probably should be in this situation, but that acidic humour is actually quite likeable. "But thank you, legitimately. I think Ai-kun needed to hear that." She knows me better than I thought possible, considering we met a week ago. "And, I just need to make sure you know I'm not pressuring you either. If you're not cool with this, you can break it off whenever you want." She leans in against my arm. "It's not worth it if your heart's not in it."

"Thanks to both of you." Hearing it come out of someone else's mouth has cleared my head. "I still don't know. I might never know. But for now, it's enough. It's enough to play it blind and see how it turns out. But it's reassuring to know you'll both be there."

"Your entrée platter has arrived." The waiter arrives with the food as promised and lays it on table, laying his arm between Rin-senpai and I to do so. A general murmur of thanks rises from around the table and he takes his leave. "Enjoy."

"Mm." I make my final private comment to my two neighbours. "I don't know really know what love means yet, but for now, let's eat!"

---

Well, I can't say I don't feel bad for ditching them, but this is something I have to do. They'll understand soon enough. I pull a small sheet of paper out of my pocket with an address on it, just to double check. Sato's changed since we lived here all that time ago, so it's tough to find someplace I know. But some part of me stubbornly refuses to ask the internet for directions. I can find my own way, with a little time. So I just meander for a little while, following the wind to wherever until I happen upon the old pool.

It's certainly in a better state than Iwatobi. You can tell this thing's never been shut down. It's buzzing just like it was when Sosuke and I joined the afternoon we first met. If anything, it's busier. I look through the windows at the next generation of swimmers, but all I can see is memories. Sosuke and I, our first day. The day we started backstroke, then breaststroke, then butterfly. The day we made a bet over a race, and I lost again dammit. The day I had to leave.

It gets a little difficult to keep staring all these memories in the face, so I resort to some age-old internal map and start walking towards the place that Sosuke lived when we were kids. Even after all this time and all these places, I still remember it. I could walk the path blindfolded. Over there is the streetlight that's bent at the top, like the light bulb's too heavy. I look at it now, and see the droop has been fixed. I'm almost disappointed. I turn right into a side street without having to give my body active permission to do so. It's about a kilometre from here. I remember a stray cat that'd set up shop here, like it intended to make this little alleyway its home permanently. I come out the other side into a street I recognise. Did I used to live here?

You know what? I did. I see the house I called home as a kid, and wondered how it is I forgot it. I stop walking just for a second, and just let myself reminisce a little. That night Rue-chan broke her arm. The moon controls the tides. All the other sleep-overs and play-dates and parties and get-togethers that happened there. It's like looking at all the pages of a photo album at once. It doesn't look inhabited. The garden's overgrown and the fences are covered in some sort of climbing plant. I forgot we even had a garden. Something so rare, and I forgot. I wonder what else I've forgotten as I turn my head towards the pavement and start walking again.

I check the address in my pocket again to make sure it hasn't changed. Everything else is different, so I can't trust that Sosuke still lives at the same place. My rushed handwriting is difficult to read on the crumpled paper, but the words still ring familiarly in my head. Sosuke's house. My body hooks to the left autonomously, and I find myself face to face with a two-storey white house that I remember better than my own. And walking out of it, carrying a box loaded to the brim with god-only-knows what, comes a face I couldn't forget if I tried. "Sosuke."

He starts when he hears my voice. Well, he wasn't exactly expecting me. "Look what the cat dragged in." His tone and his smile are harshly at odds with his words. A cat meanders out of the front door as proof the universe has a sense of humour. In patent defiance of physics, it jumps up Sosuke's legs and somehow gets to his shoulder, where it nestles into a little groove caused by the weight of the box. "It's been a long time, Rin."

"Yeah." I can't quite bring myself to look him straight in the eye, but at the same time, I can't make myself look away. "Sorry I never wrote or rang or visited or anything."

"That's as much my fault as yours. So, I'm sorry too, I guess." He puts the box down into the open boot of a car that sits on the street. "Can you tell we're moving?"

"It's pretty obvious." I laugh, and that relationship we had as kids starts seeping back in. "But, as it happens, I already knew."

"Gou-chan's not good at keeping secrets?"

"Not in as many words. There were… circumstances."

He looks at me with one eyebrow cocked. "Circumstances, huh? Like what?"

"Well, like, all the guys in swim club at school started getting into relationships and everything and I kind of started feeling really alone. You know."

He rubs his fingers over the pink nose of the cat of his shoulder. "Yeah, I do. We adopted that stray from the alley so I could have some company after you left. Rin, meet Nekorin."

"That's really the best name you could come up with?"

"Well, it's exactly what he is. Why bother with anything fancy?" I remember now why we were so close in the first place. It's like we were never apart. "So, what brings you here?"

"I was in the area anyway, so I thought I'd drop by." I try to hide my blushing cheeks. "I wanted to see you again."

"It wouldn't have been too long anyway." He sits on an empty patch of the car boot and motions for me to sit next to him. With some difficulty, I manage to contort myself into a position that suits the curvature of the car, and I'm not left with much choice but to put one leg over Sosuke's knees. "You just couldn't wait, is that it?"

Somehow, now I'm here, I don't want to say it so straightforwardly. "Well, you know how I said all the guys in my swim club were getting into relationships and started feeling alone and all that?" I turn my head into the car so I don't have it talk directly to him. It's easier to confess this to the car and then have him overhear. Unconsciously, my hand starts searching for his, and before too long we join hands like we did back then. It's like he's given me permission to say whatever I need to now. "Well, I was thinking that… with the letter and everything, like… you know."

"I do know, but I'd still like to hear you say it. I like it formal."

What a time to discover I'm not a wordsmith. I just don't know what to say to him. "Well… it's a bit like… when we were kids and all, I always thought I'd be around you forever. And, after going through boarding schools and whatnot, I've come to think that meant something a little different." My tongue stumbles over the words in some sort of nervous fit. "I think the way I felt about you when we were young was love." There. That wasn't so hard. He hums in some sort of assent. "So, when my friends started falling in love, I thought of you. And… I just wanted to know if you felt the same way." I breathe out heavily. There. Done. Simple.

He smiles back at me. "Do I really have to say it?"

"I had to say it to you. One for one."

"Okay, then." I can't help but envy the ease he has about this. "I loved you too, Rin. I always have, and still do." He rearranges himself so we face into one another, legs mutually folded through the other's. "But, I want to know just one thing."

I straighten my back in surprise, because that's the only movement left to me. "What?"

"Dorimu." That's all he has to say. I can fill in the blanks myself.

"Well, I am now. Thanks to my friends." I have to fight my brain to get the words out. "Actually, that's why I never wrote."

"I don't get what you're saying, Rin. You never wrote because you were too busying training, is that it?" He looks a little confused.

"No." I can't find the right words to explain everything. "A year or so after I left here, I went to Australia, to a school there with a specialist swimmer program."

"You always were good at English."

"Not good enough to go to a foreign country age 13." He doesn't respond, so I press on. "But, anyway, I sort of plateaued while I was there and I just couldn't get any better. And when I came back and I couldn't even beat Haru, I just about gave up. And then again, last year, I just couldn't get my times up, and I couldn't keep them up. I kept going backwards, and I was just about ready to throw in the towel again."

"But you're okay now, right?" The concern in his voice isn't a thing I deserve to hear. I caused a lot of people a lot of trouble for that.

"Mm. But, the point is, I couldn't bear to face you again knowing I hadn't gone anywhere."

"Well, you're not the only one who's had off patches, Rin." I gasp a little in half-shock. Sosuke, the powerhouse, the machine, had a slump? "A couple of years back, Rue got herself a placement with a ballet company in Tokyo."

"What? Really, when she was 16? Great for her!" I'm surprised to find myself so genuinely ecstatic to hear that. "So, she's a pro now?"

"Yeah. And you know how competitive she and I always were." Do I ever.

"I remember, one time, she said she'd passed some exam. Grade 6? Something like that. And the next day, you pestered our coach to start teaching us breaststroke, just so you didn't fall behind." We share a laugh over that stupidity that characterises childhood.

"Well, yeah. Just like that. She went pro, and I felt like whatever I did just wasn't good enough anymore until I went pro too. So I worked and worked and went to competition after competition but nobody wanted anything to do with me because I was only 15. So, at nationals that year, I came first in my main race but still, no scout or anything." I catch my breath after coughing it all out at that comment.

"You came first at nationals and that wasn't good enough for you?" Christ, I couldn't even make it to regionals when I was 15.

"You know how it is with Rue and I. I wasn't a pro, so it wasn't enough. And after that, the next year, I didn't even pass prefecturals, because I just lost sight of the point and gave up a little."

"What got you back on the train?"

"Our promise."

There's nothing left to say between us. So instead I take our hands, still linked and pull us in closer to each other. "It's nice to see you again after so long." With that comment, I close the last of the space between us and suddenly we're kissing. Really nice.

---

That Monday…

"Okay, class. I know we said Rin-kun was an exception, but we've accepted another transfer student due some exceptional circumstances." I can hear the teacher's voice through the door. "Come in, Sosuke-kun." I push the door open and make my way in. There's a little murmur of curiosity, as you'd expect. I take a piece of chalk and write my name on the board.

"Yamazaki Sosuke. Due to some financial trouble, I had to move last minute." I catch sight of Rin in the front row and almost lose my train of thought. "It's nice to meet you all." I've never much been one for pleasantries, so I don't smile or bow or anything. My job's done and now I just make my way over to the only seat available. I cast a glance at Rin as I walk past. We share a moment of privacy in the open world, the way only we can. I pull the chair out from the desk. Second from the back, right near the window. Fantastic view of the pool. What more do I want?

A voice cuts in from behind. "Nice to meet you, Yamazaki-kun. Tachibana Makoto." A tall boy with green eyes sits in the seat one behind and one right of mine. He gets the dubious honour of being the first to welcome me (technically, as of Saturday with Rin and all, I hadn't yet transferred). I turn around to face him, and instead see a face that's somewhat familiar staring out the window. "And this is…"

"Nanase Haruka." Hearing his name said, the daydreamer turns his attention to me for only a second before reverting to poolgazing.

"How do you know my name?" He seems to care enough to ask, at least.

"Really? You have to ask? You're quite famous in the swimming community."

"Oh, Yamazaki-kun, you're a swimmer, are you?" Tachibana (that was his name, right?) seems fascinated by the prospect.

"Only since I was five."

"So we can expect to see you at the swimming club then?" Rin throws a glance to the back of the room from his seat. He smiles at me. You've hit it off with them already.

"Of course. I already know Rin quite well, so I think I'll fit right in." Saying I know Rin "quite well" has to be the understatement of the century. After Saturday, we know each other about as well as you can possibly know a person.

"Well, class is about to start so I won't ask how right now. But see you this afternoon!"

That afternoon…

"Sosuke, you've already met these two, huh?" Rin meets at the back door of the classroom as we go to walk out. "The friends I told you about."

"I'd guessed." The four of us naturally fall into two couples. And I can't help but notice Nanase and Tachibana are as close as Rin and I. I join the dots in my head. So maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but I'm not wrong on this.

"So, Yamazaki-kun."

"Please, call me Sosuke. I don't like standing on ceremony."

"Perfect, neither do I. Call me Makoto."

"Haru." I think that's the last word I'll get out of him.

"Sosuke. How is it that you met Rin?"

I smile as the exact memory comes back to me. "First day of school, way back when. Things just kind of rolled from there." Rin and I cast a glance at each other, mutually agreeing to keep exactly how far it's rolled a secret.

"Just like Haru and I! Must be fate, huh?" He puts on this devilish smile that at once confirms that yes, he is with Haru and also makes me suspect he's onto me and Rin.

"I guess you could call it that." While I had no way of knowing it for myself, we've made it to the pool.

"The other two aren't quite here yet." Rin makes the assertion in a way that makes him sound almost disappointed. "You'll get a real kick out those two, Sosuke. C'mon, time to change." So we go into the beat-up old change rooms and do exactly that. Just as I've managed to get my things in order, these infamous two others barge in.

"Oh? Who's this?" This kid with an explosion of blond hair and pink eyes bubbles into the room and immediately notices me.

I clear my throat to answer him and his bespectacled companion before Rin says "Just change for now. We'll introduce you formally once everything's in order." So we change in relative silence, but the two newcomers seem to have a private little conversation. So are these two a couple as well? I laugh to myself ad Rin and I walk out together, having finished changing in near unison.

"When you said your friends had gotten into relationships, Rin, you didn't say with each other."

"I thought you'd figure it out pretty fast." We take a moment to just laugh.

"Ah! Sosuke-kun!" A head of red hair pokes around the corner.

"Gou-chan! It's been a long time." I smile gently.

"It sure has! And your muscles have only gotten more fabulous since we last met!" I look at Rin in moderate surprise. Is this normal? He nods quietly, and that sets my mind at ease just a little. "Mmhmm. You've really matured into a fantastically muscled swimmer!" I decide to just accept it. Who'd ever have known that the innocent little kid I knew would turn into a muscle maniac? She did always have a thing for anatomy. She should be a physio.

"So, Rin-chan! About that introduction…" That blonde kid is back, and the other one isn't wearing his glasses anymore. He looks different without them.

"He couldn't happen to be the extra circumstances you talked about, could he?" The one with(out) the glasses speaks this time.

"Spot on, Rei." Makoto and Haru finally emerge from the change room. "So, is it time for a formal introduction?" Makoto nods permission – so he's the captain.

"I'm Yamazaki Sosuke. I specialise in butterfly. I'm a third-year, but I had to transfer due to some financial difficulties with my family. Rin and I are childhood friends, and Haru and Makoto are in my class, so they've heard all this already. But in any case, nice to meet you all."

The blonde one answers first. "Sou-chan, is it?" Rin just shakes his head. Can't help it with that kid. "Hazuki Nagisa. I'm the club treasurer, but I don't really do all that good a job." Nagisa laughs it off like that's not even an important role.

"Ryuugazaki Rei desu. I'm also a butterfly specialist." So, glasses is Rei. "Welcome to the club, Sosuke-senpai." At least one of them is normal.

"Now, there are a few other little things you need to officially hear, Sosuke." As well as something we need to officially announce. Rin looks at me and then takes a deep breath. "Haru and Makoto are boyfriends. Rei and Nagisa are boyfriends. And Gou's boyfriend is the ex-captain of the Samezuka swimming club."

"Thanks for the tip, but the last one aside, I'd figured all that out already."

Rei tenses up. "Are we really that transparent?"

I laugh a little at his serious tone. "You say it like you should be ashamed. You are that transparent, but go for it, I say. If you love each other, good for you." I let Rin take the stage. He's the established one here, so it makes sense he makes the announcement.

"And lastly, you five. Sosuke and I are boyfriends." We reach out and join hands without even knowing. The rest are a little shocked, except Gou-chan.

"Let it be said, I had this called when you two were six." She's almost proud of that.

There are a few murmurs of "Congratulations" and "I'm happy for you, Rin" and all that stuff. I guess they knew they made him feel lonely. But for some reason, Rei is the only one who's not saying anything. I look quizzically at him. He takes the moment to address me while everyone else fawns over Rin (that Nagisa is a real character – he's totally glomped him.)

"You're a lucky man, Sosuke-senpai. Rin's a truly beautiful person. I hope you can be happy together." There is something I don't know behind those words.

"I'm not sure I understand, but thanks. Same to you and Nagisa." I've learnt so many names today, I'm amazed I haven't made a mistake.

"Well, now all the excitement's out of the way, we need to register for our events at prefecturals." Makoto makes the statement, but I'm not so sure what I should compete in. "I know what everyone else wants to swim, and we know our relay line-up, but Sosuke, what will you swim?"

Rin and I exchange a glance. One last race. "Whatever Rin's in." That's all I have to say about that.

"Okay, so. 100-metre butterfly, 100-metre freestyle and the individual medley. That's all good by you?"

"Right as rain." I couldn't be happier. I get three races against Rin, all the style included. How else do you celebrate a reunion? "That means I'll be up against Rei and Haru in the butterfly and freestyle, as well. Am I right?"

"Well, there's no guarantee we'll be in the same heat, but the theoretical possibility exists, yes." Rei… mightn't be so normal after all.

"Now that's all sorted, time to practice!" Makoto claps his hands twice and we all take a diving block.

---

After swim training…

… Gou left a little early, because Seijuro called and said he had something for her. After a brief train ride, she met him at a restaurant.

"Gou-chan!" He waved her down from his table.

"Seijuro! What's this urgent thing? I can't just ditch training for a date, you know!"

He blushes a little as he structures his next sentence. "I've finally figured out how I want to say it."

She tilts her head in confusion. "Say what?"

"I love you, Gou-chan." She smiles at first, but then laughs.

"It took you two weeks to come up with just that?"

"I'm not good with feelings and stuff. I'm a man, you know."

A little short of breath, she replies. "That's fine. I can't ask for everything. That's part of why I love you too." Without warning, she swoops in for a kiss. No longer satisfied with the cheek, she shoots for the lips.

… Hanamura was lying on her bed, wondering whether this arrangement with Aiichiro really suited after all. Was it okay to be on his hook like this? Just as the doubt crept in, her phone buzzed and, fishing it out of her immaculately organised handbag, she answered quickly.

"Hello?"

"Hana-san, can you come to the park? There's something I want to say." His tone confused her. She couldn't make out enough over the phone to know whether to be happy or scared.

She had to argue with her mother a little before she was allowed out. It was pretty late and all. But when she got there, Aiichiro was waiting for her near the oak tree where they first met.

"Hana-san! Glad you could make it so quickly."

"My mother would have had it otherwise, but that's neither here nor there. What did you want to say?" Her heart starts racing. She's almost sure she's about to be rejected again.

"I think we can upgrade this relationship a little. I still have my doubts, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like I really love you. So, it mightn't be as stone-clad as I'd like, but I think we can call this a true relationship now." He manages the entire confession without stuttering or pausing, and the last word is almost cut short by his new girlfriend's violent hug.

"Ai-kun." She whispers into his ear, eyes threatening tears. The happy kind. "Thank you."

"Now, now, Hana-san. I thought we said we couldn't tell each other thank you." With that, he returns her embrace, comfortable in his decision.

… Nagisa and Rei catch the train back home together like they do every day, and manage to land a fairly well unpopulated train. So there's no sort of social expectation and they're free to do as they like. Rei sits down first, and is promptly joined by Nagisa sitting on his knees.

"Rei-chan, you make for a good seat, you know." He's so ridiculously serious in tone Rei can't help but laugh.

"I'm more than just a seat to you, I hope."

Rotating at the hips, Nagisa turns until their faces are together. "You know you are." A brief kiss serves as punctuation. "Do you want to study at my place tonight?"

"You know, my room's bigger. Why don't you come over to my place so we can have enough space for the two of us to sit comfortably?"

"We don't need much space to sit comfortably, Rei-chan. Look, we're making do with just the one seat!" They laugh at each other and the silent decision is made to go to Rei's. They were at Nagisa's the last time they were in a bedroom together. Equal sharing, right?

"Rei-chan." Nagisa's tone takes a heavier note. "Did I ever actually say I love you?"

"Well, you never really needed to. But, no, not in as many words, I don't think."

"Then, it's about time. I love you, Rei-chan. I have since I met you and I think I will forever."

Rei feels no need to answer, because he knows that Nagisa already knows he feels the exact same way.

… Haru and Makoto walk home together just like any other day. "I have to say, I feel a lot better now that Rin's found somebody, too." Makoto sparks the conversation, just like any other day. "After all, he was your other choice. So it's like I took you away from him."

"Were you listening at club the other day? He's thought we should be together since we were kids. Do you think he would have taken me?"

"You know, when you put it like that, it's a fair point. I guess we really were the last ones to figure it out, huh?"

"Your parents, Rin, Nagisa, Gou, Rei. They all came first." Haru ticks them off on his fingers. "We really were the last, weren't we?"

"But you know what?" Makoto turns his face forward so he's silhouetted against the setting sun. "I wouldn't have had it any other way." He and lover face inward in perfect unison, meeting each other's eyes as surely as if the whole thing had been a highly choreographed cosmic stage show. "Every day we didn't notice makes every day after noticing that much more valuable."

Haru looks down and smiles. "Couldn't have said it better myself."

… Sosuke and Rin decide to walk back to their respective houses, because they live in the same general direction, Rin needs to learn Sosuke's new address and hey, you can always use the exercise. They find themselves out of conversation. Is there anything they haven't already said?

Sosuke suddenly thinks of one thing he needs to know. "Say, Rin?"

Accustomed to walking in silence, Rin perks up at the sudden noise. "Yeah?"

"What exactly is your relationship with Rei? He seemed to be in a really unique position about you."

"You're really sharp, you know that, Sosuke?"

"Only when it comes to you." A moment passes as they both realise how true that statement is.

"Rei and I… have a bit of a history. Remember I said last year at regionals, I was ready to quit swimming altogether?"

"Yeah. You said your friends saved you."

"Well, yeah. Rei was the driving force behind that. They were swimming a relay, the four of them. And then I went and chucked a hissy fit, as I am wont to do in stressful situations."

"And he had the butterfly leg, yes?"

"Right. Anyway, Haru, Makoto, Nagisa and I were in a relay together as kids, and Rei was like my doppelganger. Sort of. But then I got all worked up, and they all saw it. It hit them really hard, and they lost their drive for the relay. So Rei did the only thing he could. He gave me his place. We won, but we were disqualified, of course."

Sosuke whistles. "Can't say I saw that coming."

"I didn't either. But because of that, I sort of had a bit of a thing for him."

"You didn't forget me, did you?" A playful smile makes sure the statement has no malicious intent.

"Of course not. I was just a little ashamed to face you after running away from my dream so often. Dorimu, right?"

"You know, we can both say it properly now. Why are we still saying it like five-year-olds?"

"For the nostalgia, I guess. Just leave it be."

"Good enough for me."

"So, yeah. Turned out Rei's bi and he had a crush on Gou and Nagisa at the same time, so I tried to convince to date me for a while on the premise I'm half-Gou, half-Nagisa."

"That's just the thing you'd do in that situation. You always were that little bit cunning."

Rin is almost offended before he realises it's true. "But, that turned out about as well as you'd expect and so here we are now."

"I have to say I glad he decided he couldn't love you. I can't give you away so easily."

"Calm down there. We've been an item for all of two days."

"Gou-chan had us picked from six, she said. So can we just say it's been that long?"

"Well, I guess it has, hasn't it?"

"We just took our time putting a stamp on it." They stop walking, having reached Sosuke's new house. "I guess we part ways here."

"Don't say it like that. It makes me feel like I'm leaving you all over again."

"You don't have to tell me. I don't think I'll ever be able to watch you walk away without thinking it'll be another six years 'till I see you again." They grasp each other's hands, searching for stability and permanence. "Can you tell me why I don't want to let go?"

"You don't have to. Just because we're not standing next to each other, it doesn't mean we're not together. Well, like it does, literally. But…" Rin trails off, lost in his metaphor.

Sosuke laughs. "Thanks for saying that. It makes me feel better. But can I get a promise from you?" Pulling his partner in close, he steals a quick kiss. Rin wants to be shocked, but can't manage it next to the ecstasy that love turned out to be. "There. Now you have to come back so we can break even."

They laugh again, bumping fists as Rin walks into the setting sun.