UPDATE: So, I realized I had used the wrong name for the city in which this fic is taking place( I used Iwami instead of Tottori). I've fixed it now.

Authors Note: Sooo, hi all. As we can all see my updating abilities have yet to improve. Well, this chapter was a bit difficult to write because for the past weeks I've been feeling so inadequate it's not even funny. Life has a wicked sense of humor, and I just don't get the joke. A bit of my gloomy feelings might have spilled over into this fic, so sorry about that. Hopefully with this chapter out of the way, I can advance on the makorin goodness (which I know all of you are here for).

Warnings: Nothing much, things are still tame. Unbeta'd. OOC, most likely. I swear this is a yaoi fic ;_;

Disclaimer: I, in no way own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club or High Speed! for that matter.

There were very few things that Gou hated. Well, hate was a strong word that shouldn't be tossed around so lightly. She disliked things, various things, among them were grasshoppers, spicy food, and thieves. There was, however, one thing she absolutely hated: being useless to her brother. Rin, of course, had never referred to her in such a way, but she knew she a heavy burden to her brother.

After their father's death, their mother had taken the reigns of the family. She got a second job, working long shifts in order to pay off the debt their father's death had created. Gou had watched with sad eyes as her brother was forced to leave the school he attended abroad, she'd watched as he took on various part-time jobs that paid very little and only left him exhausted for his next day of school. She'd watched as her mother and brother sacrificed so much of themselves in order to survive. Little by little, they began to crawl out of the ditch they had been buried in for months, and life seemed bright and hopeful again.

Then their mother fell ill. They urged her to go see the doctor, she refused, giving the excuse that she had no time, and could not afford to miss a day of work. A year later she died in the cold bed of a hospital. The world once again crashed down on them.

At the age of 17 her brother was left in charge of everything their parents left behind, his first priority; Gou. Within a few days of their mother's tragic death, debt collectors began calling the house, their little home was going to be taken away if they didn't pay the rent, their bills were all overdue, and there was barely enough money to buy something to eat. Gou had been so afraid during those days that her brother would not be able to handle the pressure and would give her up to a foster home. She then felt guilty for doubting him when he showed how much he wanted to keep them together.

It wasn't until four months after their mother's death, that Rin declared that he had a job that they could actually live off of. During this time Gou had insisted that she could get a job too, in order to help her struggling brother, but he refused. He told her that all that mattered was for her to get a good education, so that she might be able to get a hefty scholarship for a University. Ignoring the uneasy feeling her brother's supposed job gave her, Gou managed to graduate high school with high grades and managed to get a partial scholarship for Iwami University, it paid for a few classes and some of her books.

Reminiscing over the past usually deflated her spirit, but this time she was doing it with a purpose. She needed to write a four-page essay over life's challenges, and how they shape a person, either for good or bad. She tapped her pen over her blank sheets of paper, unsure of how to put her swirling thoughts into actual words. She considered just packing up her things and heading home, but since her brother would be out the entire day she saw no point in being alone in their apartment. Taking a small gulp of her, now cold, coffee, she shifted in her seat and begged her hand to start moving. Writing should not be this hard.

"Gou-kun?" Gou flinched, her balance thrown off both by the hated nickname and the familiar voice. She regained her composure and looked up to find a gaping blue-eyed man, with flaming orange hair. His name was on the tip of her tongue. Seijiri Mikoshina? It was definitely Sei-something.

"You went to school with my brother, right?" Gou asked for lack of anything better to say. The man nodded. Gou looked him up and down, quickly remembering that she'd had a teeny tiny crush on, the then, boy. It had been just a superficial infatuation, he'd had a nice body, tan, tall, and rippling with muscles. She bit her lip when she noticed that he didn't look the same as six years ago, he looked even better. He was wearing a clean cut black suit that showed off his broad shoulders and narrow hips, a form acquired through competitive swimming. His face was as sharp angled as ever, softening when a smile reached his lips.

"You look great, Gou-kun." The man breathed out. Gou tried to smile, but instead grimaced.

"Please, don't call me that." Gou sighed.

"Eh? That's your name isn't it?" The man's smile faltered a little.

"Well, yes, but everyone-"

"It's a cute name too, so you shouldn't be ashamed." Gou's cheeks pinked when she remembered that those words were often said to her those years ago. One night, after her brother's team finished practice, she had confided in the boy that she'd always felt self-conscious of her boyish name. The boy had not said anything after her little revelation, but since that day he had began to call her Gou-kun, and went out of his way to tell her that her name was cute.

"Shoot, I have to get going, but it was nice seeing you. By the way is Rin in Tottori too?" Gou nodded. "Alright, give him my regards, and well…I hope I'll see you again, Gou-kun." The man gave a quick bow and retreated, the back of his neck tinged a dark red.

Gou watched as he left the small café, and regretted not giving the man her number.

I wonder, if Nii-chan would flip if I went out with someone older?

Laughing away her musings, she gazed down at her blank papers and frowned. Writing should not be this hard.

…

Rin awoke with a pounding headache, a familiar sting to his backside, and red marks along his chest, stomach, and legs. It took him a few seconds to register the soft humming of the shower his client was surely using. Stifling a yawn, he reached for his phone on the small bedside table and checked to see if he had any missed calls. He had only one and it was from none other than Makoto Tachibana. His stomach gave a nasty lurch. Rin had meant to call the brunette the previous night to inform him that he would be unavailable to babysit Haru, but he had not found the time to actually make the call. Without a second thought, Rin pressed his finger over Makoto name, the phone automatically dialing the man. After the third ring with no answer, Rin considered just sending the man a message.

"Matsuoka-san?" Rin nearly dropped the phone when Makoto's voice rang from his cell.

"Hello, I'm sorry for not returning your call earlier." Rin cringed at his own words.

"No, no, I'm the one who should be apologizing. I didn't pay you for yesterday." The man sounded quite distressed.

"It was partially my fault, I received a call from my other job and was told to come in for double shift. I won't be able to watch Haru today." Rin was almost scared of how easily the lies came out of his mouth.

"That's alright, I'm sure I can find someone else to watch Haru for today." The voice sounded a bit too cheery. After that they said their farewells and hung up. Rin sighed as he placed his phone on the bedside table, noting that the sound of the running shower had stopped. For the first time since his early months of beginning this type of work, Rin felt so tired of it all. He wished he could be at home getting ready to head off to watch after Haru, he wished he could have a normal job he could discuss with Makoto. Need, desperation, and fear had dragged him into this world, and he had found his way of living in peace with his double life. Sure, he had felt guilty at having to lie to Gou over where he went when he disappeared from their apartment, but it had never gotten to the point where he craved to leave his profession.

Rin scoffed, hugging his knees to his chest. Not many people, if any, would consider prostitution a profession, but it was. You had to be damned good at it if you wanted to live off it, and Rin was good. He'd made himself good. He'd done it to keep his sister off the streets, to pay for his parents medical bills (which still lingered), to pay for a new place to live in with less prying eyes. He'd done it for all of these reasons and had convinced himself that it was all justified. His heart began to hammer wildly and he began to panic. He gripped the silk sheets in an attempt to calm himself, because he could not be having a breakdown here. He could not be questioning his life choices at this very moment, not when a man who had paid for his services for the entire day was about to come out of the bathroom.

That didn't stop it from happening.

With barely enough time, Rin dived for the small trash bin beside the bed, right as his stomach heaved and bile rose on his throat. It tasted awful, was the only thought that crossed Rin's mind as wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He vaguely heard a disgusted voice calling for room service as he began to shiver, cold sweat forming on his forehead. He needed to get out of the room. Moving as if on autopilot, Rin dressed and picked up his belongings. His client didn't put up much of a fight when Rin decided to leave, murmuring something about getting sick.

Rin did not know how he made it home, but eventually he did, relieved that his sister was no where to be seen. He crashed on his bed and buried himself under the covers, tears prickling his eyes. Emotion after emotion crashed into him; anger, fear, and sadness mingled and pressed into his chest. The last time he had experienced this was after Nitori had found him. It had been awkward to find his former kohai in the bar of the hotel where he was waiting for a client to show up. The other man had been delighted and had insisted on keeping Rin company while he waited for his date. Unfortunately, when his client arrived he had mistaken Aiichiro for another of Rin's clients and had spoken too much, revealing what it was that Rin was actually doing at the hotel. He'd had the same reaction as today, running off toward the nearest restroom with Aiichiro on his heels. He'd spilled his guts, literally, and Aiichiro had rubbed soothing circles on his back.

Rin shuddered, the chilling cold he felt intensifying. He squeezed his eyes shut and drew in long, calming breaths, shutting away his worries. He tried, he really tried, but they kept resurfacing, over and over again.

You lost a client. He won't call you back. The rent is due in a week. The next bill will be here soon. How will you come up with all of that money now? How? How? How?

His chest heaved as he lost control of his breathing, the tears he had been holding back, now falling freely from his eyes. It felt as of he was falling, with nothing to hold onto, falling through darkness without a single ray of light shining.

"Nii-chan!" Rin jumped at the sound of his sister. He had not heard when she arrived. Warm, surprisingly strong, arms wrapped themselves around him. Rin was too far gone to even attempt to pretend he was okay. He didn't know how long they stayed like that, him curled up in a ball on his bed with Gou holding him.

"You can't keep doing this, Nii-chan. Sooner or later, it's going to break you." Her words were barely above a whisper. Rin froze.

"I know everything…I've known for a while." Slowly, Rin untangled himself from his sister's hold, not meeting her gaze.

"I don't care, you know. You provided for us, still do, and that doesn't change how I feel about you, but-" She paused, holding back a sob. "I-I see how doing this tears you apart. I love you, Rin, and I don't want to see you like this." Rin gathered all of his courage and finally looked up at his sister. Her face was drenched in tears, her eyes red and puffy. It broke his heart. He brought his arms forward and hugged her, placing his head on top of hers.

He had known, from the day he decided to go down this path, that one day Gou would find out, but he had never wanted this to happen. He had never wanted Gou to get hurt by his mistakes because they were his alone to bear.

"I'm sorry." Rin held her closer as he repeated those words again and again.

"We'll move, maybe find a place where we can share rent with others. I-I've got a job offer at this store, it's for night shifts, b-but the pay is good. I'll study even harder to get more scholarships next semester…j-just say that you'll get another job." Rin nodded, not having the strength to answer with words.

…

"I'll ask around the school to see if anyone is looking for roommates." Gou said as she headed out of their apartment. Rin nodded, locking the door and following his sister down the stairs.

"Okay, take care, Gou." Rin waved, his sister smiled in return before running to meet her train. Rin turned and walked in the opposite direction, determined to keep his promise to his sister. First, he would trade in his phone for something cheaper, and also change his number for obvious reasons. Then, he would look for a night job. Against his better judgment he would continue to look after Haru in the mornings, what Makoto paid was not much, but it was sufficient. With a night job, Gou working part-time at a convenience store, and with what Makoto paid him to baby-sit Haruka, they would be okay. At least that's what he hoped.

He was pondering this when his phone rang, the screen flashing Makoto's name. Speak of the devil, and he will surely appear. Rin smirked.

"Hello, Tachibana-san." He kept his voice light, not intending to share his personal problems with the other man.

"Good morning, Matsuoka-san. Are you well?" The brunette's voice held genuine curiosity, which caused Rin's smirk to change into a small smile.

Rin hummed, feeling a bit brighter.

"Need me to watch Haru today?"

"If you could, please, that would be great." The rush of relief in the other man's voice was endearing, Rin thought.

"I'll be there, would you like me to pick him up at his school?" There was a sharp intake of breath, followed by a string of grateful words.

"You really don't need to go that far, but it would help me out a lot! Thank you very much, Matsuoka-san! You are too kind." Rin chuckled at the unnecessary praise. They shared a few more words, Rin brushing off the relief-induced compliments Makoto threw at him. After ending his call, Rin found that he was unable to wipe the silly smile from his face. Something about talking with the green-eyed brunette caused his spirit to lift, if only for a short while.

…

At five minutes to 3 o'clock, Rin was standing outside the gates of the elementary school Haru attended. There were a few other parents there, mostly mothers, waiting patiently for their children. He received a few odd glances, and a few appreciative ones, he ignored them all. Minutes later the bell rang. The front doors burst open, and out came a bunch of little kids. Some ran to the waiting arms of their parents, others held hands as they walked home. Rin craned his neck to see if he could spot the familiar raven. After a second glance around the school's entrance, he saw Haruka, walking silently. Rin caught the boy by surprise by flicking him on the forehead.

"Hey, kid." Indigent blue eyes glared up at him, before they softened slightly.

"Don't call me that." Haru grumbled, shocking Rin when he abruptly took his hand and tugged at it. "Let's go, I'm hungry."

Rin conceded, leading the way. On the way, Rin wondered if Haru normally walked himself home. Well, the answer was pretty clear, but he still wanted to ask, so he did. Haru didn't answer straightaway, they walked in silence a few more steps before Haru replied.

"Most of the time. Makoto tries to come whenever he can, but it's not often." Rin bit his lip to keep his other questions at bay.

"Today," the boy began, a hint of uncertainty in his voice. "Could you teach me more English, and can you tell me more about when you swam?" A broad grin overtook Rin's face.

"Of course, let's hurry so we have plenty of time." They picked up their pace, arriving at their destination in under five minutes. They spent the rest of their afternoon in pleasant conversation. Rin was surprised at how much the little boy absorbed and responded. He told Haru about the different swim meets he attended while the boy finished his schoolwork. He also shared some of his experiences while abroad, describing how different the two countries were, especially the food. After a pause in his storytelling, Rin decided to let his curiosity run wild for a moment.

"You mentioned before," Rin began, "that you used to swim, but don't do it anymore. Why is that?" The little boy lifted his gaze from his finished assignment and faced Rin.

"Because I almost drowned the last time I was in a pool." The calmness in the boy's voice surprised Rin, he briefly thought the boy was only kidding, but he was not.

"I don't really know how it happened, and Makoto won't tell me either. All I know is that I woke up in a hospital and Makoto was crying…he told me I wasn't allowed to swim again." Haru looked away after he was finished. Rin was left conflicted by that revelation. Part of him felt troubled by the sad expression Haruka held when he spoke about swimming, the boy clearly missed the sport and wanted to continue swimming. However, another part of him felt irrationally protective, he also didn't want the boy anywhere near a pool so that the incident wouldn't repeat itself. It was odd and overwhelming all at once.

"You miss it. Swimming, I mean." Haru nodded.

"You're lucky though, to have someone who cares for you that much." Blue eyes met red, twinkling with emotion.

"I am." Were the only words that left Haru's mouth. Deciding not to pry any further, Rin showed the boy a list of English words he had come up with.

They were half way down the list, when the front door opened, and in came an exhausted looking Makoto. He looked worse than the last time Rin had seen him.

"I'm home." Makoto breathed out, shrugging out of his jacket.

"Welcome home, Makoto." Haru said, reaching Makoto's side and hugging the man. Rin inclined his head toward the brunette, offering a soft greeting.

"What do you say we go out to eat today?" Makoto asked, grinning down at Haru. The boy nodded his head vigorously and dashed to his room. Rin had not seen him that enthused before.

"Would you like to join us?" Rin squirmed under the man's kind eyes. He swallowed down his acceptance, and instead shook his head.

"No, thank you. I'm actually meeting someone after this." Rin informed the other as he gathered his things, missing the slight falter in Makoto's smile.

"Oh."

Rin continued to babble on, "Gou and I are actually looking for a new place, you know something cheaper, and this person I'm meeting says he has this one-"

"Would you like to live here?" Rin froze, as did Makoto. They stared at each other in shock, one not believing what he had just offered, and the other not believing his ears. The stretch of silence that fell over them was only broken when Haru spoke, causing both men to jump.

"Rin's going to live here?" The boy's voice held a tinge of excitement.

"W-well, I might have spoken too soon-"

It was Rin's turn to cut off the other man, "Would it really be okay?"

Makoto, face red, wasted no time to give an emphatic yes.

"Haru and I had discussed the possibility of renting out the spare room we have, and if you and your sister need it, then by all means it's yours. If that's alright with you." Rin stayed quiet as he mulled all of this over in his head. This certainly solved one of the problems that was plaguing him, but was it a good idea to accept Makoto's offer? It would be a bit easier since he already knew the man and somewhat knew the routine with Haru, yet he still felt unsure. What put him even more on edge was how badly he wanted to say yes. Regardless of his own shaky feelings he'd have to talk it over with Gou first, and that's exactly what he told the brunette. He left the man's apartment feeling far better, if not a bit confused, than when he had arrived.

….

"Are you serious, Nii-chan?" Gou asked excitedly, clapping her hands. Rin nodded, eating the sandwich in his hands in two bites.

"What do you think?" He asked after his mouth was free.

"I think that's great! His place is closer to the school, and we would be saving so much money." She was practically skipping around the kitchen. She stopped when she noticed her brother's solemn expression.

"Is there a problem, Nii-chan? Do you not want to live with him?" She cocked her head to the side, her brows furrowed.

"No, that's not it." Rin began, hoping to get his thoughts in order. "I guess since it's just been me and you for so long, the thought of living with strangers has got me all jittery." It was partially true.

Gou pursed her lips, "I see, but they're not complete strangers, Nii-chan. You've told me, extensively, how kind Tachibana-sensei is." A smirk formed on Gou's lips. "Also, from how you talk about him, I am dying to meet Haru-chan!" Rin sighed, had he really talked about those two so much?

"So, are we saying yes?" Rin wanted to be completely sure they were on the same page.

"We are saying yes." Gou replied happily.

To be continued...

Authors Note: I adore writing Gou and Rin, like you have no idea. I love this idea of them being really close, yet they still annoy each other to a certain degree. Anyway, after this chapter the story will finally be moving toward more slashy things, seeing how the two soon-to-be lovebirds will be living together, but how smooth will this process be? And, when will Rei show up? Seriously, I just can't manage to fit that guy in (Captain Miko was hard too, but I managed to bring him in earlier than I had planned, hehehe) AND, what has got Makoto (my perfect baby angel-cakes) so worried? You'll have to stick around to find all of this out, my dear readers.

Until next time, and thanks again for all of the support. Hugs and kisses for all!