Here's the second chapter! Thank you for following/favouriting and even leaving reviews, I really appreciate it!~ Hope you enjoy this chapter too ^^

Dear Haru.

How've you been? I miss you a lot. When are you coming back? I hope it's soon. I want to see you again.

It's been pretty hectic, the last few days at school. Homework is piling up quickly since finals are coming soon. Ran and Ren are growing up really fast. It makes me feel so nostalgic, the times we used to play together and have so much fun. I really miss you.

I wonder where you are. How are things over there? Are you having fun? Are you still swimming beautifully? I wish I could know. But you'll come back soon, right?

Let's swim together again soon.

With all my love, Makoto.

Watching from the table, tail swishing about tensely, Haru observed Makoto retrieved a small box from the back of his closet. He set it down and opened it, revealing a stack of pale white envelopes all with but one phrase written on them: 'To Haru'. Makoto placed the newly written one, neatly in its envelope, at the top of the stack before closing the lid with a sigh.

Haru had never been more shocked in his entire life. Nothing had ever been as heartbreaking as…this. His tiny heart was beating fast in his small body, emotion coursing through his veins. His whiskers twitched in slight apprehension. Guilt swept across his mind. Does Makoto think I'm alive?

His heart was further smashed when he noticed a single tear roll down the side of Makoto's face. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Makoto loved scrolling through their old conversations on his phone. Haru would watch silently, snuggled onto his chest if he was on the bed, eyeing their previous messages. If Makoto was sitting up, Haru would be attentively perched on his shoulder, tail swaying back and forth gently. It was a painful reminder, really, that Haru had just left without any notice. That he had just disappeared one day without telling anyone. Especially Makoto. Leaving those concerns aside for now, Haru stared up at the small screen.

He saw the times when Makoto had worried about his nutrition. Makoto had always harped on the fact that too much mackerel was unhealthy, and Haru needed change in his diet every once in awhile.

Ohayo Haru! I'm coming over today with some food my mum prepared. Too much mackerel isn't good for you, ne? :)

He reminisced the days where they had planned activities together. Sometimes along with Makoto's family, other times with the swim team members, but most of the times just the two of them.

Haru, I bought entry tickets to the new water park yesterday! Would you like to come? When are you free?

Or the times when Makoto had responsibilities to fulfil and they didn't get to see each other.

I'm bringing the twins out today, so I won't be able to come over until later on. Take care until then, Haru!

He also remembered how random Makoto could be sometimes. Makoto was the most predictable person in the world, yet the most unpredictable at the same time.

Hey Haru, I was just wondering why the sky was so blue today. It really reminded me of your eyes.

He saw the pictures of cats he used to send Makoto when the brunet was feeling down and the pictures of beautiful oceanic landscapes that Makoto would send him when it was the other way round.

It wasn't hard to miss the occasional quickening of his heartbeat at particularly sentimental messages, or feel his chest rumble with laughter at the memories. But most of the time, it would end up with Makoto in tears and clutching his phone to his chest. His other free hand would be stroking Haru's glossy black pelt feverishly, as if it were some sort of cure to his ailment.

Haru started to hate himself for dying. He hadn't meant for Makoto to be this broken.

Since when did Makoto keep a journal? Haru had never realised, but now that he thought about it, Makoto was the sort of guy who would do these sorts of little things in life. It was a little comforting, yet very painful, to see how Makoto poured out his soul into that small black notebook with a blue ribbon. It hurt to see how it always started with the same thing. How it always ended the same way.

Dear Diary,

Today, Haru hasn't come back yet.

School was normal today. Fujimaki-sensei made us do a lot of work in class. I had a headache, but I don't know why. Maybe I didn't drink enough water? Haru would definitely not have this problem at all, haha.

The cat I found the other day is really cute. He reminds me so much of Haru. His fur is black. In the sun it gives off a blue tint, exactly like Haru's hair. What's more amazing is his eyes. They're so blue, as blue as Haru's. I love him a lot, maybe I'll name him Haru-chan.

That's all for today. I still miss Haru a lot.

Haru would nudge his way into Makoto's lap. He wanted to scream, to shout I'm here! He wanted to wrap his arms around the brunet, maybe even whisper comforting words into his ear. He didn't want Makoto to be so sad. He wanted to make Makoto smile, to produce a smile of his own. That was impossible. He was nothing but a cat.

The days went by, mercilessly trudging on leaving Makoto dwelling in the past. Not once did he fail to write a letter. There was not a day that went without a diary entry. Their messages had been so frequently read by now that Haru was sure Makoto had every single word memorised and every picture sketched in his heart. It hurt to see how chained Makoto was. Chained to the past, chained to the darkness in his mind. It didn't look like he was going to be free anytime soon.

Letters to a non-existent human and diary entries about said human were already too much for Haru to handle. And Haru wasn't even the one dealing with the pain swirling in his chest as the letters and words inked themselves onto the paper. It was Makoto that was dealing with all the stress, all the sorrow, the sadness. How Haru could see the misery in his eyes as he focused on the drawing in front of him.

Makoto had always told Haru how beautiful his drawings were. How talented he was at not just swimming, but art. Haru recalled the brunet always laughing at his own silly doodles and drawings, an embarrassed blush present on his cheeks.

'Haru-chan will always be the greatest artist!'

And yet, here he was, sitting at his desk with a pencil in hand. Makoto would lick his lips, concentrating hard on creating an artwork that could be deemed 'worthy' of consideration. Haru had never seen someone use the eraser so often in his life. He wanted to go up to Makoto, maybe even stand on his drawing, shake his shoulders and tell him to stop erasing his wonderful work. To start believing in himself a little more. But most of all, to tell him that he was right there, right in front of him.

It wasn't unusual either, for Makoto's drawings to be dotted and stained with the occasional teardrop running down his beautiful face. It hurt so much to see his best friend this way. It hurt to see him grip the pencil and write a small 'For Haru' at the bottom of each creation. It hurt so much.

Had Haru been human, this might, just might, have made him cry.