CHAPTER ONE:

Even the cold morning breeze could not compete to the coldness of the cold dead stare Gou had written all over her face. Both were silent as Gou sat upright, arms crossed as Haru sat, slightly slumped into the bench as they watched cars and people pass them by. It easily could look like it they were the couple that had a fight but that was far from it.

They both had been cheated on. But their hearts were too sore to open it out to anyone but the people they were cheated on.

The car park space in front of them was suddenly filled with a familiar car to them both. Gou was the first to stand up as Haru was a little too slow to hold her back as Gou made her way to the passenger side door, slamming her fists on the window.

Taking a quick sprint, Haru held Gou back and pulled her away from the curve of the road as Makoto finally showed himself. At this point Gou was already kicking and screaming and was already looking like a mentally ill person.

"How dare you! How fucking dare you!" She swore; a rare occurrence for her. Her voice high pitched as she continued to struggle in Haruka's arms. "And it had to be with Chigusa as well you disgusting little-"

This was the first time Haruka's worst thoughts came true. He worried that maybe it could be true that his best friend Makoto would do the worse thing in the world but he couldn't make himself believe it. Makoto acted like their mother during their high school years and to believe he would do such a thing made Haru ill. The nicest person in the world, how could he?

He spaced out as he held Gou a little tighter, making her stop her kicking and punching and caused Gou to glance over her shoulder.

"Screaming isn't going to fix the problem. I've tried." Haru's voice was turning into a whisper. "I've tried."

Even with the kicking and screaming stopped, her blood continued to boil.

"Explain yourself!" Gou yelled, ignoring the fact that Haru was holding her tight in his arms.

Gathering any pride and courage he had left as a man, Makoto began. "Gou, I didn't mean to hurt you. It… just happened."

Her fists clenched, "Don't give me that rubbish!"

"It was just meant to be a celebration with one of my workmates. I didn't expect Chigusa to show up. We got drunk and…" Makoto was losing his words. He couldn't believe he had destroyed such an innocent woman that was once madly in love with him. "You see ever since I asked you to marry me things have been well…too well planned out."

With Haru letting Gou out of his arms, Haru took a step back as Gou stood still, frozen in her place.

"What do you mean too well planned out?"

Taking a sigh, "Ever since I met you back at high school to the point where we got together everything had a plan. You always followed a plan. You would rarely let go and not follow one. Because of that my life started to become a chore rather than enjoying life."

Her anger started to pour over, her calmness had shifted away. "So it's my fault now is it?" Gou yelled, pointed at herself. "So I'm the reason why you cheated on me?!"

Haru stayed silent as she heard the exchanging of reasoning from both parties. He only watched as he could see himself and Rin fighting over the same cause of their possible failing marriage. If he just stayed homed a little longer, came home earlier and helped with the house work from time to time would that stop Rin from cheating on him?

Silently he reached over to hold Gou's wrist. "That's enough Gou. Don't waste your breath on Makoto any longer."

Turning her anger at the silent man, "So your siding with your best friend cheater here are we?"

Still remaining calm, "I'm not on anyone's side, what Makoto did was wrong and I-" Haruka took in a moment to gather his words. "I-I know how you feel." His whisper quietly, only quietly enough for Gou to pick up, barely.

"If you're only saying that to make me feel better than it-" Gou was cut off mid sentence when she felt Haru press a little more tightly on her wrist. She looked up into his face and saw the water in his eyes ready to break loose. She saw how hard Haru was not trying to break down in front of her.

Her eyes widen with shock. "No, Rin wouldn't. He couldn't he-"

Haru turned to look at his best friend. He couldn't understand how Makoto could do that to Gou. The kindest person he had ever made friends with alongside Makoto.

Silence covered them like a blanket. Gou slipped away from Haru's grasp and looked at her fiancée. "I'll be taking my things from your apartment. I'll ask Haru to help me out. Please don't come home until the late afternoon. I can't take to see you right now."

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Makoto nodded. "I understand."

Gou turned around in her spot and walked back, stomping down the footpath as Haruka walked up to his friend. He had so many questions to ask. He couldn't understand if the anger he suddenly felt from his friend was because he hurt one of his family members or because he was also a victim of being cheated on.

"So what's the plan now?"

Makoto, still struggling to gather his words finally looked back at his friends. "I can't be with her anymore. I know what had happened between us will only get in the way in our relationship."

"And your giving up on your relationship just like that?!" Haru raised his voice a little. "Aren't you going to at least try to save what you have? Seven years Makoto! Don't just throw that away!"

Haru's rare occurrence of yelling was enough to stop Gou in her tracks. She glanced over her shoulder. She noticed Haruka standing up to save her relationship with Makoto. The young red head didn't understand why Haru would suddenly do that. Suddenly her mind reminded her of the words Haru was barely managing to get out.

She didn't want to believe it but the way Haruka was speaking and the emotions it was bringing out of him. Rin would never cheat on Haruka. Their love was so pure and was something she always wanted whenever she would get in a relationship of her own.

"Haru?" Gou walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you."

The swimmer glanced over his shoulder and saw a soft smile cross across her lips. "But Makoto is right. I can't find it in me to continue this relationship with him right now." She tried hard not to look at her ex-fiancée, avoiding herself from getting angry once again. "For now, please drop me of at his apartment. There are things I need to get before I move back with my mother."

Haruka spoke nothing in response and let Gou gently guide him backwards before he turned and walked off on his own. Taking one more looked at Makoto; Gou simply shook her head as tears were starting to form in her eyes before dashing into a run, chasing after Haruka. The last person she ever expected to find comfort within.

The coldness of the morning caused a light sheet of fog cover up the inside of Haru's car windows. Even when he heard Gou open the door and take the seat beside him, the swimmer didn't look back. Gou stared at his back, hoping he would turn around some time soon.

"So what you said back then…is, it true? Did Rin really…"

"Yes." Haru's answer was blunt and cold. His back still facing the young woman, "He did it with Sosuke." The young man suddenly slammed his hand on the side of his car door soon after.

Gou never expected the perfect relationship she admired with Haruka and Rin would take such a deep slide downhill so suddenly. Only a few months ago they were celebrating their nine year anniversary and now this. Her heart ached for Haruka.

"I could tell by the way they were talking, the way their bodies and hands were so close. Every time I called your brother's name he would look back as if he had killed someone." Haruka placed his hands on the steering wheel, finally looking ahead of him. Gou looked into his blue ocean eyes and could see the pain he was feeling. "I knew from that moment that I lost your brother. I lost my husband Gou!" Haru yelled and turned to face his sister-in-law. "His gone!"

Gou recalled the times Haruka would open up to her back in high school. Back in the swimming club that she joined in the hopes that Haruka could bring her brother's smile back again. It worked and she got more than she bargained for when they got married many years later.

Haruka sometimes would open up to her without warning. Sometimes he would stand or take a seat next to her instead beside Nagisa or Makoto. They weren't important things; maybe half of them weren't even by choice or on purpose. But she liked that Haruka could lean on her side when trouble came. She was glad he was at least comfortable enough with her to stand by her side.

"You don't deserve this. Maybe that's why back there I was trying to save your relationship with Makoto so just in case mine and Rin's starts to fall apart at least I can look at my friend's relationships and smile because you guys are alright." His hands tightened around the steering wheel. "But just now, when I heard Makoto cheated on you, I couldn't believe it. Now we're both on this boat."

Quiet at first Gou suddenly leaned forward, trying hard not to touch the gear box and embraced the distressed Haruka. Shedding her own tears lightly, trying to fight them back to the best of her ability, catching Haruka off guard.

"I'm glad to hear you care for me so much," Gou pulled back and reached for Haruka's hands that were currently holding on the steering wheel tightly. She pulled them away from the wheel and held them. "We'll get through this. I'll talk to Rin and…you can talk to Makoto if you like."

"I'll talk to him but if your relationship is truly gone than my words alone can't fix that."

Gou looked through the side mirror on Haru's side of the car and saw a coffee shop sign brightly blinking in the morning sky. "Hey, why don't we take a detour and have some breakfast?"

Haruka looked around and noticed the same coffee shop Gou just mentioned. He looked back.

"Just promise me you won't add any protein powder to any of my meals."

Gou showed up a cheeky grin, "I can't make such promises." She teased.

Haru's deep blue eyes stared as his beautiful golden wedding ring. Haru ran his fingertip across the golden material. The smell of pancakes and coffee warmed up the store in the cold August air. He stared from the window hoping to catch a glance of Makoto car's but left to no avail. With his phone on the table Haruka waited for Gou to return with their order. Haru still couldn't find it in him to let Nagisa or Rei about his or Gou's situation. He didn't even know where to begin to save his relationship with his husband yet alone let Nagisa or Rei involved.

Haru's phone suddenly went off, his ringtone filling up the air with a modern pop tune. The phone's screen lit up showing a picture of his husband and him. The picture was them together on their last trip to Australia. It was winter when they went and even though the snow was not as cold as it was back home, he enjoyed the trip because he was with his, at the time, loyal husband.

"Hey, I got you something to eat!" Gou's cheerful voice filled his ears as Haru quickly declined Rin's incoming call for the third time. Gou noticed Haru's action. Her lips were ready to speak but her courage had left her. Instead she placed the tray of food in the middle of the table as she sat opposite her brother-in-law.

Haruka looked at the food Gou had ordered for them both; it was a simple pancake with a side of coffee.

"Thank you." Haruka reached for his share of the food. "I'll pay you back."

Fanning her hand with a nervous smile, "Don't worry about it, we're family remember?"

The professional swimmer stayed quiet before looking up at Gou. "But what if, what if, I decided to divorce with your brother. Will we still stay family still?"

Gou's heart dropped at the idea of seeing her brother and Haru break up but if it would give any of them peace then she had no right to stop them. "We never stopped being a family. We were a family all the way back at Iwatobi Swim Club." Gou smiled softly, "Whatever made you stop believing that?"

Taking a sip from his coffee, "I guess I grew up."

The red head was silent for a moment as she took a bite out of her own pancake as the two ate in silence for a few minutes. Suddenly Haru's phone started to ring once more and before Haruka would reject the call a different photo and name showed up on his screen.

It was Nagisa.

Both looked at one another. Gou nodded and Haruka went on forward to answer the call.

"Haru Haru Haru!" Nagisa panicked over the phone. Haruka could hear Rei in the background, calling out his Haruka's and Gou's names. "Thank goodness you answer the call. Rei and I were super worried about you!"

A smile crept across Haru's lips after discovering that he had so many people looking out for him. "I'm fine. I'm with Gou."

"I know this is a bad time to say this but me and Rei found out the news. We were heading to the hospital to visit Gou but when we got there the nurse told us she was discharged."

Haruka shifted his attention to the hospital on the other side of the road. "Well it's news that I'm not ready to hear about, again."

Haruka could hear the shuffling as Rei made his way closer to his boyfriend's phone. "Well that's the thing Haru. Nagisa and I were planning to go sailing as it was my birthday gift to him when we decided that you and Gou should come along."

Haruka looked at Gou and noticed she was drinking her coffee when she noticed he was staring at her. She gave off a confused look. Haru turned his attention back to Nagisa and Rei.

"But Gou can't swim."

"Don't worry. There are life jackets and there won't be any high tides. I'll make sure that the probability of Gou falling out of the boat is zero!" Rei put on her nerdy side of him on.

Covering his phone for a moment he looked at Gou, "Nagisa and Rei invited us to go sailing with them. You want to come?"

"Wouldn't it be rude? I mean Rei has been planning that sailing trip for him and Nagisa for the last week."

"They wouldn't find it rude if they were the ones that offered it in the first place." Haru stated.

Knowing she was defeated, Gou sighed and nodded. Haru focused back to his friends on the other end of the call. "We're coming."

Nagisa's voice was coming through the phone once more. "Oh, when we were leaving the hospital we bumped in Makoto. He was the one that told us about…that stuff."

"I know. Makoto can't hold secrets fro-" Haruka quickly stopped his train of thought and quickly dived into a new conversation topic. "When is this sailing thing going to happen?"

"On Saturday, 11am."

With a smile, "Thanks guys. We'll see you there."

Ending the call Haruka looked at Gou. She smiled. "I'm so glad Nagisa and Rei are always out for us even after high school."

Smiling back, "Like you said we're family."

Haru found himself on the road once again before taking the shortcut that brought him off the freeway. As the red lights flashed Haru took in a moment to glance at the person beside him. With her long red laces of hair spread across his passenger seat he stared at her sleeping face. He gazed at her red eyelashes before noticing her tear glands were wet. Without him noticing Gou was crying until she was too tired too and fell asleep.

Haru sighed and thought maybe he'll be doing that eventually. Unlike Gou she wasn't married. She didn't need to wake up beside a cheating husband every day.

Driving down a couple more roads he was at the suburbs and soon was at the driveway of his mother-in-law. He sighed surly knowing that Gou's mother would have known both her children's stories by now. Walking over Haruka opened the passenger side door and knelt down, shaking Gou's shoulders lightly.

"Hey Gou, wake up. I brought you home."

Her eyes opened slowly, showing her ruby eyes to the world. Catching Haru's attention for a briefly moment before the sound of a door opening took his attention away. At the front door was Gou's mother. Her hair was as red as Gou's and her eyes deep ruby. She stood there with arms crossed as Gou sat up, finally seeing her mother was waiting for her.

"Haru? I thought you were going to drop me off at Makoto's to grab my things?"

"I was but I thought it was better if you don't go anywhere near there and stay with your mother for a few days."

"Maybe you can stay over too." Gou asked.

Haruka shook his head. "No, maybe Rin is here and I have no doubt your mother is going to take his side over me."

"Mother isn't like that. She'll never defend a person who has done the wrong thing."

Haru looked seriously at Gou's eyes. "But that doesn't stop a mother to take their son in when they are down."

Gou sighed, knowing Haruka wasn't going to stay over no matter what she said or done. Haruka stood up and took a few steps back to let Gou pass.

"So the next time we meet up will be this Saturday right?"

Closing the door, "Yeah, Nagisa won't make me live it down if I turned down his invitation."

Gou chuckled at the idea, "I expect no less from him." She twirled in her spot, "If you ever need anyone to talk to, call me. I'll keep you company the way you did for me at the hospital."

"And you do the same." Haruka added.

And with that both made their own way home. Both didn't notice that a smile had crept across their lips as they parted ways for the first time in a long time.

The sound of Haruka's car keys echoed in the home as her dropped it on the coffee table. Haruka looked around and noticed how empty the house had become ever since his confrontation with Rin. The house was kept slightly clean even after the drama as Haru slowly walked around the room. Haru walked past the kitchen before passing by a certain room, only a few feet away from his own room with Rin.

Reaching forward the door slowly opened forward as her peeked through. The room's walls were repainted and the room was mainly used for storage. Boxes piled up like towers as the light from the window pierced through. Names were written on the boxes as a certain name caught his attention.

"Saito…" He softly murmured. "My little boy," He smiled as the image of his son popped into his mind.

Leaning on the doorframe the swimmer sighed as she reached for the doorknob and closed the door, leaning his forehead on the door and closed his eyes for a brief moment.

"H-Haru?"

Rin's voice suddenly disturbed the peace of him reimagining his time with his son. Haruka glared at his red head husband.

"You're finally home." Rin continued.

"Yeah, I bet your fine as well with Sosuke probably spending the night here while I was gone." Haru hissed.

Rin walked over and tried to place his hand on his husband's shoulder before Haru slapped his offer away. "Don't touch me." Turning around Haru made his way to his room as Rin followed by.

"Haru please!" Rin followed suit. "Please let me explain!"

Finally reaching the bedroom, Haru looked over his shoulder. "Ah, yes. Please explain how you made love with Sosuke. I'm all ears!"

Rin face palmed himself. "Haru please believe me. Sosuke and I never had sex." Rin noticed Haru was ready to enter into the room and close him off. He leaned forward and placed one hand on the door and another on the entrance.

"Ok, so you may have not down the deed but I'm sure he must of run his hand down your-"

"God damn it Haru I'm not that low! Yes I admit I was lonely but I wouldn't go that far to throw my body to another man! I wouldn't throw out nine years of marriage like that!"

Haru's face lit up with irritation at Rin's words. "Then you should of thought of that before you cheated on me."

Finally letting go Rin moved back as he watched his husband slam the door right in front of him. Rin stood there quietly as he leaned his back on the door, sliding downwards until was sitting on the carpet floor, trying to fight to save his marriage that was already falling apart before his scandal ever got out.

Underneath the sheets he stayed, curled into a ball as he rested on one side. Haru had no idea how long he had been under the sheets, curled up to one side like a cat. He had not bothered to look at the clock as it would only remind him of the reality he had to face. The last time he acted like this was the last time he fought with his best friend. It was their very first fight and being alone for most of his life, he didn't really have anyone to rely on except his bed.

The only way he got out was when Rin came over and rung his doorbell and suddenly invited him to go to Australia with him. That day helped him on the path he was on now; the path on becoming one of Japan's best swimmers and to win a gold medal at the next Olympics.

He had told his coaches his situation and agreed to give him a week off to sort himself out. He knew that wasn't enough time but he didn't expect them to help him out as it was so rare for people to cheat. He knew there were plenty of good partners that never cheat; he just got that unlucky bunch that does. He and Gou did.

Haruka heard his phone going off again for the longest time before popping his head through the covers to only be greeted by the morning rays. By his side table his phone laid, still charging as he reached over for it. His phone's screen showed a picture of Gou. Lazily, Haru answered her call and put her on loud speaker.

"Haru? Haru?" Gou began. "Are you awake now?"

Lying on his stomach, "I wouldn't be able to answer the call if I didn't." Haruka stated the obvious.

"R-Right." Gou rolled her eyes. "Anyway it's Saturday today. Is that sailing gig still up?"

With his head on one side, "Nagisa has been bugging me all week with that."

"Alright, anyway I'll be a little late but I'll be coming over. Knowing you I doubt you'll miss this for the world!" Gou cheered.

"I rather would be in the water than on the water." Haruka stressed.

Gou paused. Sometimes she didn't know why she would bother. "Eh, anyway, see you there!"

Dropping the call, Haruka lie quietly on his bed before slowly sitting up as he looked at the window minutes later. For an autumn/fall season August really knew when to put up a warm summer-like days. Haru smiled at the idea of being near the water.

As Haruka sat there something in him told him everything was going to be alright and he was going to make it through. As long he had his friends and with Gou by his side. Thinking about Gou's name suddenly sent an unexpected sent his lips to smile.

Finally he was able to look forward to the day.

A/N: Hello again. It's really rare for me to update a story so soon but I have this rule that if I make a new story I should upload at this two chapters near one another before slowing down so some of the answers of you guys can be answers.

Of course, there is some mystery left and that will be answered as the story progresses. I do hope you stick around for when that happens and when the love story of Haruka and Gou begins!

Until then!

~midnight