Thank you for leaving a review, ashira23! Thank you to all of you who put this story to favorite and follow this story. Here's chapter 2. I hope you enjoy! ^^

Chapter 2

The Night of Introductions

:-:

Haruka walked steadily over the brick path, following the two boys in front of him. While he really wanted to admire the beauty of the garden, he couldn't take his eyes off Makoto's back. Why would someone look around a garden when there was an ethereal person in front of him? Makoto's body was broad and well-muscled, but strangely, it seemed very light.

On the other hand, Hazuki Nagisa was very obviously smaller than him. His body moved in an airy, swift motion, like he could easily fly at any time. If Haruka didn't know better, he would have thought that they were walking on air rather than solid pathway. Maybe all of these should be expected from people who possessed the spirit of sky and wind, Haruka concluded. He'd never met another person like him before, so he assumed that there was still so much for him to learn.

Before Haruka could contemplate any further, Nagisa suddenly turned to him. "So, Nanase-kun, you have the water spirit inside you? That's so cool!" Nagisa slowed down his pace, adjusting himself at Haruka's right side. "Tell me, what can you do with water?"

Haruka was silent for a while. He'd never had someone who was curious about what he was capable to do. The people around him had shut him out before they even saw him doing anything with water, really. That's just how cruel the society could be. Yet this particular blond boy seemed genuinely curious.

"I'm curious as well." Still walking, Makoto turned his head back to him, smiling pleasantly. His sunshine-washed green eyes shimmered under the moonlight, making him look even more like a being belonged to the sky.

"I can shape water." Haruka finally said, "And keep it that way in place, and breathing underwater. I guess that's it."

"Sounds cool! Mako-chan, do you think he can pass the test?" Nagisa shifted his attention away to Makoto.

"Test...?" Although he didn't want to admit it, Haruka felt some kind of insecurity constricted his chest.

"The entrance test." Makoto answered, slowing down his pace so he could walk at Haruka's left side. "Well, because this school doesn't just accept any people, you know, even those gifted with spirits. Iwatobi Academy has its own standards. Don't worry, I'm pretty sure you can manage." Makoto smiled at him, trying to give him assurance and comfort. Somehow, Haruka was convinced. Almost.

"That's true, Nanase-kun. No need to worry about anything. You can trust Mako-chan." Nagisa smiled brightly at him. These two people smiled so much. Haruka made a guess that they had no worries in life. That was probably the case, though. Haruka was pretty unfortunate, living in rejection of his own hometown, with no families and friends. If it wasn't for his grandmother, Haruka would 'commit suicide' by wasting himself away in the ocean.

"What's the test?" Haruka was curious. With a silent agreement with his own self, he'd decided that he wanted to stay in this place. At least it was beautiful. At least there were two people who were willing to smile at him—and probably become his friends. That should be enough for him to make his decision.

"You'll know soon enough. A lot of students have claimed that it's a memorable one. Also, it strengthens the bonds you have with the leaders, too." Makoto answered.

"Leaders?"

Nagisa grinned, then winked at him. "Your will do your tests with both the leaders of two factions of Iwatobi Academy. It's some sort of a tradition."

Haruka was silent, waiting for further explanation. However, instead of explaining, Makoto slowed his pace down even more, until he stopped beside a boxed flowers lining up along their pathway. "Excuse me." He said. Haruka didn't know if he was talking with him and Nagisa, or the flowers beside him. Talking to flowers sounded stupid, though.

The blue-eyed teen gave him a blank look the moment Makoto crouched down in front of the boxed flowers. So he did talk to the flowers?

"What's wrong, Mako-chan?" Nagisa stopped his pace, making his way back toward Makoto.

"These poor creatures are sick." Makoto sighed, lightly rubbing a wilted, brownish white petal of one of the flowers. The flowers around that particular one were also withering. "I wonder why."

Haruka positioned himself beside Makoto, looking at the brunet with interest. Makoto ran his palm along the sick flowers until he lifted his palm up. He slowly stood up. "Let's go. Come on, Nanase-kun, Nagisa." Makoto walked in front of them without looking back.

Nagisa whispered to Haruka's ear, "I will go with Mako-chan. You may stay here and look what Mako-chan had done to the flowers." He winked, then he ran lightly toward Makoto. Haruka immediately turned his attention back to the flowers.

The flowers were all in full bloom, standing straight, as healthy as ever. There were no traces of sick flowers like he'd seen just seconds ago. He'd heard from his grandmother about the earth spirit having the capability to heal, just like water. Haruka couldn't do any healing yet, though. He suddenly remembered Makoto's prayer before they entered this realm.

'The earth spirit who occupies my being.'

He wondered if it's possible to be gifted with two spirits at once.

:-:

The building in front of him was probably more like a castle rather than school. There were several buildings, all exquisitely designed for luxury. The one in front of Haruka stood in the middle, several meters away in front of a giant circular fountain of the front garden. It was a much bigger fountain than the one on the back garden, with red brick paths around it, and various kinds of vegetations and colorful flowers at the sides of the circular path. Haruka could see enormous gates stood firmly in the distance, at the end of the front garden, across the giant fountain and the building near him.

Haruka's eyes were absorbing all the sights the moment he entered the building. The corridors were like the ones he often pictured in a palace—marble floors with expensive carpets, several potted plants at the sides, large pillars, with all the chandeliers that made them shine in golden. There were large portraits of people Haruka didn't know (and didn't really care) on the walls of the corridors. They stopped in front of an elegantly designed large double doors. Makoto politely knocked on them. When they heard a faint 'come in' from behind the doors, Makoto carefully pushed a door open.

A man was sitting in the middle of the room, behind a large, expensive looking wooden desk. His elbows relaxed on top of it, chin rested on the back of his hand.

Makoto gave him a polite bow before making a way for Haruka and Nagisa to enter. Haruka modestly entered, bowing in full respect to the man in front of him, just like how he bowed to his grandmother. Nagisa did the same before positioning himself beside Makoto. Haruka carefully looked around. It must be the headmaster's office, with all the trophies and honorary awards displayed in large cabinets and large amount of books pushed together in tall bookshelves.

The man had dark brown hair and a pair of eyes with the same color. He seemed to be in his early forties. His smile was amiable. Haruka found himself suddenly relaxed under the gentle gaze of the man.

"Nanase-kun, he's the headmaster of this school. Also, he's my father."

Haruka's heart went faster. The headmaster of this school and Makoto's father. He really didn't know why him being Makoto's father mattered, though. He did radiate a relaxing aura just like his son, but there was a difference. He was not at all ethereal. In fact, the aura he felt from this man spoke all steadiness and solidity. He seemed like the kind of man who would never leave you without you knowing. He made his presence strong, like it was firmly rooted to whatever ground he was standing or sitting on.

"Nanase Haruka-kun, we've been waiting for you. I am Tachibana Akihiko." The man slowly stood up, smiling at him. The smile was not as gentle as his son's. Makoto's smile was probably inherited from his mother, then. He wondered what Makoto's mother would look like. Judging from his father's hair, he could guess that Makoto's mother probably had an olive-colored hair, that gave her son the color of olive-brown as combination.

Haruka closed his eyes for a while. His mind wandered a little bit too far than necessary. "Waiting...?" Haruka carefully asked.

"That's true. In fact, my son Makoto has been waiting for you near the waterfall every night since the first date of June."

Haruka's eyes widened in disbelief. He couldn't imagine Makoto would be that patient, spending his time every night on the mountain near the waterfall, waiting for someone he'd never met before. It just seemed unnecessary, if not stupid—or extremely patient.

"Daad, you don't need to tell him that." Makoto fidgeted uncomfortably in his position. There's a slight blush on his cheek.

"Makoto had been a little bit too enthusiastic, Haruka-kun." His father smiled playfully, "He couldn't wait to see who's this 'Nanase Haruka'. Before we talk further, please sit down." He gestured to a comfortable looking single couch in front of his desk.

After Haruka made his way to sit down, Makoto's father sat back on his seat and continued, "Your arrival has been expected since the first date of June. That's why I sent my son to your world to pick you up. Your grandmother had prepared all the necessary things regarding your application to this school since a year ago. We will happily accept you, Haruka-kun, but rules are rules. They are meant to be obeyed. You have to pass the entrance test. Your grandmother said that you'll be ready for the test by the time you're seventeen, or nearly reach seventeen. So, Haruka-kun, do you want to do the entrance test as soon as possible?"

Haruka immediately nodded. He didn't want to waste his life away anymore. The sooner the better. His life had been so empty and full of monotony, anyway. He could finally experience school life with people with the same gifts as him.

"That's the spirit. I can arrange the test to be held tomorrow. It will be open for public, so I hope you don't mind other students' attention."

"I don't mind." Haruka lied. Of course he minded. He hated being watched. He had always wanted to keep himself away from the crowd as far as possible.

"I hope you're telling the truth. Even if you don't, we can't make the test private. It's been a tradition. Every student has experienced the same test. Now, I bet you're curious about what the entrance test will be like?" Akihiko's brown eyes gazed into him. Haruka didn't know why, but his soul felt strangely naked. Could this man read him like a book?

Trying to ignore the strange feelings he got from this man, Haruka nodded. He was indeed curious, from the very first time the test was mentioned by Nagisa.

"Let me explain. The student body of Iwatobi Academy has two proud factions. The Samezuka faction, and Iwatobi faction. They even have different uniforms. Iwatobi faction is indeed the oldest faction, judging from the name, but it's been generations since Samezuka faction proves itself as a really strong, elite group. I'm not saying Iwatobi faction is worse, of course. It is just as strong, yet not very popular these days. Let's just say that Samezuka faction is more modern and stylish, and Iwatobi faction sticks itself to the old traditional way. You can guess already which one's more popular among the students.

"Now, Haruka-kun, you are free to choose which faction you want to join, but only if you pass both the first stages of your entrance test. Your test tomorrow is to face the leaders of both factions as your opponents. No need to guess, yes, you're going to a battle arena, with other students as your audience. You may use the gift of the spirit to defeat your opponent, of course. If this makes you feel better, I have to inform that you're even allowed to use the help of the audience, if you can convince them to help you."

Haruka didn't realize that his jaw had dropped, yet his eyes were still half-closed, composing a blank, sleepy expression. A battle. He couldn't imagine using his water spirit in a battle. What could he do? Sculpt a mackerel made of water and threw it to his opponent's face?

"After you have finished the battle, both leaders of the two factions will determine if they will accept you in their factions. If both leaders accept you, you are free to choose which faction you want to join. If one of the leaders doesn't accept you in his faction, you have no choice but to join the other's faction. If both leaders don't accept you in their factions, I am sorry to say that you don't pass the entrance test, therefore you have to leave, Haruka-kun."

You've got to be kidding me, Haruka thought, keeping his expression nonchalant.

"If you're also curious, the Samezuka faction is led by a man gifted with two spirits, Mikoshiba Seijuurou. The Iwatobi faction is led by no other than my own son," Akihiko smiled pridefully, "Tachibana Makoto."

What a small world, Haruka thought. He didn't know if he should be grateful by that information or not. He couldn't ignore Makoto's ethereal presence. How did he fight an ethereal being, anyway? Fighting the sky spirit with water? Didn't that scream impossibility? Makoto seemed too kind to reject anyone, but...

Haruka turned his head a little. Makoto was standing a meter away behind him, tilting his head while flashing a cheerful smile. So adorable, so convincing, but Haruka knew he shouldn't underestimate him. He wouldn't be surprised if Makoto flashed that same smile while announcing a humiliating rejection to Haruka's request to join his faction, not to forget in front of all students.

He thought he'd experienced the worst rejection possible, but now he couldn't tell if Makoto's rejection would be the worst ever.

"Now I hope you will prepare yourself, Haruka-kun. Just relax and be yourself. Trust your own spirit. It is a valuable gift. If you pass your test tomorrow, I'm pretty sure you will pass the rest of the tests."

"Yessir..." Haruka replied weakly, already feeling a little sick in his stomach.

"Well, I bet you must be exhausted. We've prepared a room for you. Do you mind if you have to share a room with another student?"

Haruka never imagined living with another person beside his family. It must be awkward, sharing a life with a person he'd never known before, but he couldn't ask more. Not from people who were willing to give him a place to stay. He had no other choice. He would most likely ignore the person he's sharing the room with, after all.

Well, if he had to share his room with Makoto, perhaps he wouldn't really mind. Why, though? Haruka couldn't really answer. He assumed that was because he felt Makoto's presence to be comforting and didn't bother him that much, but that should be all, really.

Haruka shook his head. "No, sir." He lied. If it was Makoto, then he was honest. Everything depended on who.

"That's great. Here's your room key." Akihiko lifted up an ordinary-looking silver key. "Your roommate is Ryuugazaki Rei. He's a first-year. Polite and well-mannered. He's also very helpful, so I'm sure you two can share benefits. He appreciates beauty." Akihiko showed him a meaningful smile that Haruka couldn't interpret. "You will get to know each other better."

"Thank you, sir." He didn't know why, but there was a feel of disappointment in his chest.

"Makoto, escort him to his room. Nagisa, go back to your dorm. It's already late." Makoto's father ordered with a new voice of authority. "Now."

"Yessir." Both Makoto and Nagisa bowed low, then Nagisa quickly made his way outside.

Makoto approached Haruka, standing beside him. "Let's go, Nanase-kun."

:-:

Much to Haruka's satisfaction, the room was definitely cozy and the bed gave him all the comforts he needed. There were two beds, of course, and he didn't know which one belonged to his new roommate. He hadn't met Ryuugazaki yet. His roommate was still out, and Makoto had given him an unnecessary little speech about how bad it was to break curfew hours when he found out Ryuugazaki Rei wasn't inside his room. Makoto did talk a lot, but Haruka found out that he didn't mind that fact at all. In all honesty, he liked hearing Makoto's voice.

Makoto was still standing outside Haruka's room, sulking with arms crossed in front of his chest. He said that he would wait for Ryuugazaki Rei to come back and probably give him a little punishment if he ended up breaking the curfew, which would be over in seven minutes.

Haruka used the time to explore the room further. There was a potted green plant just beside the window, which was covered with emerald green curtains. He found a wooden study desk in front of the beds, stacked with various books—science and science fictions, to be exact. Haruka didn't really care about the room. All that mattered to him was the bathroom. Without looking further, he slammed the bathroom door opened. To his delight, the bathroom was quite big. A large circular-shaped white bathtub was there at the corner of the brightly lit room. At the other side of the corner stood a curvy shower box, with white, clean closet two meters away in front of it. A long marble sink with mirrors was installed across the closet.

The moment he saw the bathtub, Haruka didn't want to do any other thing except bathing.

"Rei, where have you been?" Makoto's voice seized his attention. Sweet, calm, and collected, yet threatening at the same time.

"Makoto-senpai! I'm sorry! I haven't broken the curfew, it's still a minute and twenty-three seconds away!" An unfamiliar voice was heard. Haruka assumed it must be Ryuugazaki. He sighed, reluctantly walking outside to see his new roommate.

Ryuugazaki Rei wore red-framed glasses that somehow suited him well. His eyes were a beautiful shade of purple. While Haruka's hair was also blue, he had a very dark blue hair that it was almost black. Rei, however, had a lighter color of blue compared to Haruka. In an instant, Haruka could feel an electrifying aura coming out from Rei.

Electric, he thought, his element is probably electric—thunder, perhaps? Is there such a thing as a thunder spirit?

Makoto sighed. "Fine, go inside. Next time, you should check your watch more often. I know I shouldn't be the one to talk, but really, Rei. My father can't tolerate students breaking curfew."

"I will remember that, Makoto-senpai." Rei adjusted his red glasses.

"And, Rei, today you will have a new roommate. I have already informed you about this, right? Nanase-kun." Makoto turned to him with a sweet smile, "This is Ryuugazaki Rei."

"Nice to meet you, Nanase Haruka-san." Rei bowed a little, pushing his glasses again. "I've been informed about your arrival since a month ago. Makoto-senpai had been waiting every day for you to come, in fact."

"Putting that aside." Makoto quickly said, "Rei, Nanase-kun possessed the water spirit. Nanase-kun, Rei has—"

"Thunder spirit?" Haruka suggested, "Or is it electric?"

Makoto's mouth parted open as he was completely taken aback. "How...?"

"'How' what?"

"How do you know?" Makoto's green eyes stared at him in bewilderment.

"He's emanating an electrifying aura." Haruka said, "Just like you, Tachibana. You're a little bit too airy for your size, but also solid at the same time." Haruka wouldn't say the word 'ethereal', "Your aura practically screams sky and earth spirits. If you think that makes no sense, stop asking."

While Makoto's jaw dropped lower, Rei stared at him almost the same way as Nagisa's: like he was seeing some kind of a new species.

What's wrong with these people, really? Perhaps Haruka should check himself in front of the mirror, making sure he hadn't grown a fin or fish scale.

After several seconds, Makoto blinked his eyes, too many times than necessary. "What do you mean, aura? Are you saying that you can feel auras emanating from us?"

"Isn't that normal...?" Haruka's voice lowered, "The spirits inside you guys are all strong, so I can simply feel them."

"This is impressive." Rei pushed his glasses to his eyes again. Haruka was hoping that his habit of adjusting his spectacles wouldn't be too annoying. "I've never known a person with the ability to tell spirits inside people by simply 'feeling', let alone reading auras. And what do you mean, Nanase-san, when you said Makoto-senpai has a sky spirit?"

"Nanase-kun!" Makoto suddenly grabbed Haruka's wrist, "W-we have to talk! This is i-important! I'm sorry, Rei! I'm borrowing your new roommate for a while!" He frantically dragged Haruka out of the room.

:-:

"I've never heard about someone having the capability to feel the spirit's aura." Makoto explained to him as his rested his back on the wall of the corridor.

Haruka was silent. Despite the nonchalant expression pasted on his face, he listened to Makoto's every word intently.

"I mean, maybe some people can sense if there's a free spirit wandering around, but you can't simply sense an aura coming from the spirits that have occupied a person, let alone telling what kind of spirits are inside him or her. You're the first person who can sense them so easily, Nanase-kun." He eyed Haruka with glimmering, admiring green eyes.

"Really...?"

"Yeah." Makoto nodded, smiling gently at him, "It must be another gift you have, Nanase-kun."

This time, he didn't feel like superheroes in the movies when they first discovered their superpowers. This time, Haruka felt like an unfortunate teen boy who found out that the girl he'd just kissed was pregnant with his baby.

"To be honest," Makoto continued, seemingly oblivious to the faint shadow crossing Haruka's face, "nobody except my family and a friend of mine knows about me possessing the sky spirit. Everyone thinks I have only the earth spirit inside me. If I may request your help, Nanase-kun, please don't tell anyone else about it."

Oh great, Haruka thought, I haven't been here for more than one night and now I have to keep an important, sensitive secret of the principal's son.

Makoto's ethereal presence was the first thing that Haruka noticed the moment he saw the brunet. It was hard for Haruka to imagine that anybody couldn't sense it. Finally, Haruka looked up, gazing at Makoto straight to his eyes. "Why?"

"I'm sorry. It's something I can't tell you."

And of course, a new mystery to color my boring life.

"I guess that's it. I'm sorry for keeping you away from your bath." Makoto tilted his head a little while keeping his smile gentle, "I'll see you tomorrow on the arena."

After Makoto said his good-night and waved, he left Haruka alone in the corridor.

Haruka took a deep breath before entering his room. Today was a bit exhausting. Too much new things, including problems, were stuffed with force inside his already sleepy head. When Haruka closed the door behind him, he saw Rei standing by the window, its green curtains were slid opened. The guy seemed to be staring into the distance outside the window, and Haruka decided to just leave him alone.

That particular night, Haruka found himself thinking about Makoto's spirits. Sky and earth. Perhaps that was why Makoto's presence felt so odd the first time he approached Haruka. They were two spirits that shouldn't be merged. He couldn't imagine what would happen if the sky and earth collided. They were contradictory.

Impossible.

If Makoto didn't tell him directly, Haruka would doubt his own sense, but it was confirmed that Makoto was indeed a contradictory mess.

None of my business, he thought. With all the worries about tomorrow and the wonders about everything, Haruka fell in a deep sleep. He was dreaming about rejection. Makoto rejected him in front of everybody, smiling apologetically.

Haruka hated that smile.

"I'm sorry, Haru," Makoto said to him in his dream, with head tilted down and droopy green eyes closed, "good bye."

Notes:

If you think this chapter might be a bit slow-paced, I'm sorry. I decided 'Akihiko' to be the name for Makoto's father. I just think it kinda suits him, although it's a bit random as well. A lot of things had to be informed, since Haruka was still new to the Academy, but I will try to suppress the informations and explained them bit by bit while the story flows so it won't be overwhelming.

Reviews are very much appreciated. I would love to hear your opinion about this chapter or this fic so far. Thank you for reading and see you again!