A/N: Thanks to FanofBellaandEdward for being my beta!

IX

Three days later the problem started.

Rin didn't exactly realise anything was amiss until he was trying to turn over onto his back and stretch out like he did every morning, when something stopped him. Frowning he cracked an eye open and peered over his shoulder. In the bleak early morning light his heart leapt into his throat and almost choked him. He spluttered as he fumbled to the far edge of his bed before realisation dawned on him.

The pale white skin was familiar to him. The scabbed over gills were raw in the light. The long oily black lashes fanned long shadows over the creature's cheeks. The only thing that was completely unnatural about the entire thing was that, for some reason, Haru was in his bed! How had he gotten there? Just a few days ago he could barely make it between one room and the next without stepping in bowls of water. Now all of a sudden he had managed to make it all the way down the hall to Rin's bedroom and climb into bed with him.

Growing agitated, Rin reached and shook Haru's shoulder, not caring to be gentle. This was a complete invasion of his privacy for goodness sake! They were practically attached at the hip every minute of the day, except for bathroom breaks, so what was the deal?

"Hey!" he snapped as he prodded Haru's shoulder roughly. The creature frowned a little, shifted in his sleep, but didn't wake up. "Haru! Wake up, this isn't funny!" he snapped.

Haru finally sighed and lazily peeled an eyelid open, the large dark iris glaring right back at him over the pillows. "Sleeping ..." he grumbled out before clamping his eyes shut again. Rin ground his teeth together.

"Get out of my room! This is my bed!" he snapped, sitting bolt upright and yanking the blanket away from Haru. His dark blue hair became an inky mess and his body recoiled into a ball. "Out!" he shouted again, raising his voice as he tried to roll the dead-weight creature over the edge. For his part, when he didn't want to move, Haru could become virtually unmovable. "God you sodding fucking fish!" Rin sneered as he kicked the covers back and dragged himself out of bed.

Once upright, he grabbed Haru's skinny ankles and pulled him clean off the bed. He landed with a heavy thump on the bedroom floor before sitting up awkwardly and glaring up at Rin through gritty eyes.

"Don't give me that look, fish boy! What the hell are you playing at? You can't just crawl into someone else's bed when they're asleep!" he raged as he threw his arms about, his anger flaring out of him in vigorous bursts.

Haru heaved a sigh and creaked his knee joints before drawing them up to his chest. His inky blue hair dripped down in front of his eyes as he glared up at the red-haired man in front of him. "... Why?" he croaked.

Rin blinked in shock. "I ... well ... Cause it's just weird! What would you think if a guy crawled into your bed? You'd freak!"

Haru sighed and closed his eyes. "Asked you ... to stay ..."

Rin stopped mid-rant. The air was knocked out of his lungs and the words evapourated from his brain. He blinked in surprise down at the creature lying sprawled on the floorboards of his bedroom, dressed in a pair of Rin's tracksuit bottoms and a baggy shirt that hung off his narrow frame in a very attractive way. Wait ... what? Rin clenched his jaw and felt a tremor run down his spine. He did not just think that! Haru was not attractive, not even in an effeminate way ... why on earth did he think that?

"J-Just get out of my room! Get OUT!" he yelled, an ugly flush staining his skin.

Instead of hurrying out like a frightening mouse at the loud noise, Haru tightened his jaw before slowly peeling himself off the floor and standing upright. Even on his own two feet he barely reached up to Rin's nose. He glared up at Rin and turned on his heel before hobbling as dignified as physically possible out to the hallway. He closed the door behind him. The sound was louder than he expected as the door slammed into place.

Rin let out a heavy sigh as he quickly dressed himself and then made his way downstairs to work up something to eat. He didn't care about making Haru anything; if the fishy little git wanted something to eat, he could make something himself.

Half-way through making breakfast for himself, Rin felt his anger drain away from him. He couldn't be mad at Haru, not really. The poor creature was probably used to curling up in a clam-shell or a rock-pool with a few of his family members packed together. A bed was probably too lonely for him. Not to mention he was with Rin throughout the entire day anyway. He guessed it was only natural for Haru to not want the separation to extend to when he slept. A far too vulnerable state for a fish out of water.

Literally.

So no, Rin couldn't find it in his heart to carry on being mad at Haru. Not over something so juvenile. Besides, Gou used to climb into his bed all the time when there was a storm or she got lonely when their parents were away for the weekend.

He sighed as he heard the wet slapping sounds of Haru's naked feet on the hardwood floors.

Rin looked up from where he was eating his breakfast at the island counter and watched as Haru's white knees wobbled as he leaned heavily on the door frame. Biting down on his lip, he asked; "how are you feeling?"

Haru glanced sideways at him before giving a shuddering shrug. "I ... be okay."

"Breakfast?" Rin found himself asking before he fully registered the words coming out of his mouth.

Haru shook his head. "N-No ... Swim?"

Rin glanced up at the clock, "Well I need to get to school. I can let you out if you don't mind being there all day. I won't be back to feed you until around three this afternoon, okay?" Haru blinked at him. "I'll be back after school and if you like, you can come to the swimming practice with me tonight?"

" ... Allowed?" the creature frowned.

Rin shrugged, "I can get the coach to approve. He won't mind as long as it's in the barred off lane at the end. If not you can just sit on the side and see how we do it. Then you can decide if you want to join the Iwatobi team."

"Iwa ... tobi?"

Rin cocked an eyebrow. "That's the name of the other team. Don't worry, you can see what we do. Don't worry."

Haru hummed to himself but didn't say anything else as he wobbled over to the sofa and settled down on the edge of it. He didn't move or do much else as he curled his creaking knees up to his chest, bits of dead, scaly skin fluttering to the floor, and cast his gaze out of the french doors towards the pool. A look of desperate longing filled his eyes.

Rin followed his gaze and winced at the weight that settled in his chest. All he needed to do was to set Haru up on one of the sun loungers outside, but he was really worried that the sun would get too hot and Haru wouldn't make it to the water in time before he dried out. "I can let you outside if you want," he hedged, "but are you sure you'll be alright on your own?"

Haru hummed, his chest rising and falling a little. He didn't reply.

The sun was pouring in through the window bathing his pale skin, the breeze gently ruffled the tree branches against the brilliant blue sky. He flexed his fingers under the weight of Rin's gaze. He was terrified at the prospect of a long summer stretching out ahead of him. The limitation of what was going to be a trial. Staying alone in such a large house was terrifying. Without Rin there to anchor his anxieties he knew he was going to freak out sooner or later. But what could he do?

He was stuck here. Not that he minded too much. Rin was friendly enough, if a little easily-angered.

"Outside ..." he finally murmured, his head feeling heavy from the lack of water washing through it.

Rin gave a swift nod and within moments the french doors were open and Haru was being carried over to the edge of the pool. The sun was warm on his skin and the air was fresh with the smell of cut grass and sea salt. They were so close to the sea he could almost taste it, the air burning down the back of his throat.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes and let himself relax against the sofa.

~0~

Rin was anxious as the day wore on. He had left Haru on lounger in the shade of the house, with a plate of tuna sandwiches and water in a jug with ice cubes. He hoped it was enough to keep the creature sated for the rest of the afternoon until he got home.

"Rin what's on your mind? You look worried," Makoto asked as they met up for lunch at a nearby cafe.

He shrugged and picked at his food. "Just haven't heard from my mum and sister in a while. Thinking about calling them when I get home."

"That'd be nice," Rei stated as he wiped steam off his glasses.

"Not to mention my cousin is still getting his strength back in his leg. I worry that he gets lonely."

"Why not bring him by practice tonight?" Makoto suggested. "It'd just be us, you and Sousuke can keep him company in the sectioned-off part."

"Are you sure it'd be okay?" Rin asked, feeling apprehensive about dragging Haru along to the public pool. He hadn't been up-close to the creature since he first had a tail. He wasn't entirely sure how he'd react to the chemicals in the pool.

"I don't see why it would be a problem. I'm captain so if I say it's okay, then it's okay."

Rin smiled gratefully. Makoto gave him a sympathetic smile and nudged his shoulder as they continued to eat their lunch. It was a quite affair as Nagisa was busy studying for his end-of-term exam and Rei had his nose buried in a textbook. Sousuke was off at the doctor's for his physiotherapy session. He'd strained his shoulder muscles during training and he didn't want to risk further injury.

Rin made a mental note to stop by before collecting Haru after school.

The alarm on his phone went, signalling he had ten minutes to make the walk to his next class. Thankfully, he'd finished eating a while ago. Shoving his containers into the bin by his table, he swung out from the bench and shouldered his rucksack. "I'll see you guys later tonight. I should be at the pool by 6pm."

"We have it reserved until 9PM so if you're a little late it won't be terrible," Makoto smiled, "Say 'hi' to your cousin when you see him."

"Will do!" he called over his shoulder as he hurried away, the wind tousling his hair as he walked through the sun-drenched park. It was relaxing and helped clear his mind by the time he reached his campus. The food had settled like a warm weight inside him and there was a tingling in his fingertips just itching for him to get back home. His last lecture ended at 3PM so that left more than enough time to get back home, pack his things and help get Haru into his car and drive over to the pool parking lot.

His lecture of English Translation went by in a flash and he was flying down the drive of the campus and towards the main road.

Once home, he dumped his work folders on the kitchen counter and barely stopped to breathe on his way out the french doors to the garden. The sun had gone behind the house so there was a nice long shadow that stretched out towards the pool's edge. He barely paid attention to the empty jug of water and plate resting on the lounger.

"Haru?" he called out as he crouched down at the edge of the pool. "Haru are you down there?" It seemed like a stupid question. Where else was fish boy going to be? Down the local slurping pints?

The gentle sloshing of the water broke out over Haru's head. He bobbed just above the surface, everything but his eyes still submerged in the water. He didn't make any noise. He was like an under-water ninja. Rin tapped his wristwatch and cocked his head to the side, "You gonna get out? Come swimming with me? Meet the team?"

If Haru had sighed the only reply Rin got were a few small bubbles under his nose, before he swam to the edge and deftly hauled himself out and onto the white tiles. Rin hovered over him in case he lost his balance, but thankfully the swimming seemed to be helping.

"Come on, let's get you dressed and into my car. Are you okay to walk?" he asked, crouching down as Haru shifted up onto his knees.

The creature shook his head, the scabbed over gills on his neck making Rin's throat tighten briefly. "Okay ..." Haru said.

"Let's get you up." Hooking his hands under Haru's arms, Rin managed to lift him up onto his feet and, although his legs were a little wobbly on dry land, he manage to get the merman changed into a loose shirt that clung to his wet trunks, and packed the spare tracksuit bottoms in his kit bag for later when it got dark. Despite Haru's unsteadiness, they made it into the car without any trouble. Once he explained the importance of a seat-belt to the creature, they were buckled in and driving towards the swimming pool.

The sun was setting as Rin pulled into the car park. It was empty with only Sousuke's car parked next to him. The air was getting a little cooler as he unfastened his belt and turned to undo Haru's. The blue-haired creature was sitting upright and staring intently at the dim glow coming through the windows. Rin's hands stilled and he frowned at how still Haru was. "Are you okay?"

"Worried," Haru murmured.

"About what?"

"Friend. Stare ..."

"They won't stare at you. I gave you my longest pair of trunks. They won't see anything," Rin hedged, meaning the scabbed over scales and the cobwebbed layer of skin that looked like cracked desert planes. The trunks in question were still damp and dripping onto the floor of his car, but he was trying his best to ignore it as he released the belt and unlocked the car doors. "Just head out and I'll grab the bag okay?"

Haru blinked up at him, his wide gleaming eyes boring through into Rin's soul, before fiddling with the door handle and stepping out into the cool evening air.

Rin climbed out, popped the lock on the boot of his car and grabbed the large duffel bag. He'd packed two towels and a spare pair of chino's. He didn't want to risk Haru wearing jeans in-case the rough fabric rubbed his skin raw. Slinging the bag over his shoulder he looped an arm around Haru's waist and gingerly helped the creature stumble over the uneven tarmac towards the pool house.

The heavy smell of chlorine that hit Rin like a brick wall was always enough to send shivers down his spine. The hallways, though lit, were still dim and gave the whole building a distinct and empty feel to it. The distant sound of muffled voices from the changing rooms helped guide Rin down the corridor towards the locker room, Haru trailing alongside him, his arm limp as it hung through Rin's own.

"You going to be okay?" Rin asked as he opened the door awkwardly, trying to balance a sea-creature, a duffel bag and said door. Haru leaned against him a little heavier as they shifted into the room. Everyone else was already out, probably warming up in the pool and stretching their muscles. Rin ached to dump his stuff and hurry out to the pool as well but he needed to make sure that Haru was stable enough to walk alongside him.

He took his time dressing, shooting concerned looks over at Haru as he sat stiffly on the wooden bench, looking very much like a child in the way that his wide, dark eyes roamed over the whole of the changing room. It was almost like he was assessing any possible danger within and the nearest escape route.

Once Rin was changed and had filed his belongings away in a vacant locker, including gently tugging the shirt off over Haru's narrow frame, before slipping a strong arm around the creature's waist and hauled him up to his feet. In the florescent lights, it was hard not to notice the gently cobweb scarring that marred Haru's skin, like splintered sunlight on the bottom of the pool floor.

It was hauntingly beautiful to look at.

As Rin had predicted the rest of the Iwatobi team were already in the pool and Sousuke was just finishing off a series of laps. He yanked his goggles of his head and wiped water out of his eyes. As Makoto dictated the exercises to be undertaken by his team members, Sousuke came up to the side and beckoned Rin to climb in. "I didn't realise your cousin was so scrawny, Rin," he cocked a dark eyebrow before smirking, "Are you sure he's strong enough to swim?"

Reaching out his hands, Sousuke beckoned for Rin to make the next move. Anticipating some resistance, the redhead leaned close to Haru's ear and whispered, "I'll lift you down into the water, okay? Sousuke will catch you."

Haru was tense as Rin shifted his hand under his armpits and slowly eased him off the side and into the water. Sousuke, like any born elder, caught Haru with ease and slowly lifted his weight down into the warm water. As soon as he body was submerged, Rin noticed an instant change; Haru relaxed, his limbs uncoiling from his body and floated just a few inches out of Sousuke's firm hold. Hopping down into the water with a splash, Rin grinned over at Makoto and waved him over to the partition.

Gliding over, Makoto called out instruction for the other three to keep going. At the partition he said, "Are you sure your cousin looks well enough to swim?"

Rin nodded, "He's more confident in the water at the moment. At least if he falls he won't have far to go."

The taller man smiled and tilted his head to the side before glancing over at where Haru was floating lazily on his back, his eyes staring straight up at the ceiling as his legs hovered just below the surface. He looked so relaxed so -at home. Rin felt a weight drop in his chest. He had grown used to having Haru around, ignoring the fact that sooner of later the blue-haired creature would have to return home to the ocean ... if he could.

"Well we'll see how he swims today. If he feels up to it later, maybe a quick race to check his times?" Makoto suggested, dragging Rin back to reality.

Nodding he agreed. "That sounds like a plan. Hopefully we won't distract you guys too much."

"We're not that weak-willed, Rin," the taller man beamed, the corners of his eyes crinkling.

As the swim team practiced their different strokes and their relay times, Rin and Sousuke did a more relaxed breast-stroke up and down the pool, gently working their muscles, the water lapping over their bodies, with Haru trailing along behind them. Rin couldn't help but frown; usually the boy could swim faster than that. Or maybe is smaller home-pool made it seem that way. Either way, he seemed to be too cautious in this new environment. Considering he was in a pool and the only other people there besides Rin and Sousuke, were the gentlest and youngest people, there shouldn't have been an issue.

Perhaps he was just shy?

"Hey Haru," he called over his shoulder, "Later on do you fancy showing us just how fast you can be?"

"No pressure then, eh Rin?" Sousuke mused dryly.

Haru didn't say anything. Rin stopped at the side of the pool and grasped the rough edge beside Sousuke's shoulder, before turning to wait for Haru to come up to the side. Drawing in a breath, Rin slid below the surface, goggles firmly in place. The water was soothing and cool over his head as he turned to watch Haru; the creature was so graceful, as though he was one with the water. Even as he glided closer the myriad of white and blue patterns dancing across the white skin. Before he surface, he focused in on the merman's legs. They were still there. He had no idea how grateful he was until he almost exhaled all his air. From a distance you could hardly see the webbed skin where the scales and fins used to be.

Resurfacing just as Haru reached the side, Rin swiped his hair back out of his eyes. "Why don't we turn the heat up?" he challenged with a grin. He was really eager to see what Haru was made of. "Sousuke, you in?" he asked, glancing quickly at the injured shoulder of his friend.

The tall man shook his head, "I'm going to take it easy. But you two should race or something. Hey Haru!" he called over Rin's head. Two wide, stoic eyes looked up at him. "Maybe you should show Rin that someone can beat him for once."

Haru didn't reply. He merely turned his blank expression onto the empty lane stretched out in front of them.

"What do you say Haru? Think you can beat me?" Rin smiled at the creature bobbing beside him. He hoped that his eyes were gentle enough to show Haru that he wasn't doing it to be mean. He genuinely wanted him to get better and strengthen himself and, yes, show-off a little bit. If he was going to help Makoto's team enter the championships then he needed to show them what he was capable of.

"Yes," he finally murmured, so low that the lapping of the water almost drowned it out.

A spark of excitement raced through Rin. He had never been so excited for a race. He didn't plan on going too fast just to make sure that Haru didn't strain his muscles too much.

"Sousuke, call us in!"

"Okay. Three ... Two ... One ... Go!"

Rin launched forward into the water. There was no indication if Haru had even bothered to join the race, but either way he was in the water and it felt like magic. His muscles were like iron engines tearing through the water. He wasn't focusing on the tiled floor passing by, he was in a world of his own filled of an endless blue, as though he were suspended in the deepest oceans, cut-off from the world. Just him and the water.

At the other of the pool, he made a flawless turn and then kicked back off, dominating his freestyle technique. His lungs gasped for air and his muscles were hot with a delicious burn. He loved this adrenaline! There was no way he wanted it to end.

All too soon his hand grasped onto the edge of the pool. It was always over way too soon. If it wasn't for the sharks dotting the coastline, he would happily swim in the sea.

Yanking his goggles off his head swiping the sodden hair out of his eyes and regulating his breathing, Rin stood up and flexed his muscles.

Shock almost knocked him back into the water, when he saw that Haru was already standing like an alabaster statue his expression blank and water beading down over his svelte frame. He was watching Rin with the calm stoicism that he always did. Rin wished he could read the creature, but there was just no way to do so. When he finally found his voice he was nothing if elegant. "How ... er ... how long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"He literally touched the edge about a fraction ahead of you," Sousuke observed dryly. "You sure you weren't going too easy on him, Rin?"

Rin blanched a little but nodded. He had intended to give Haru some form of leeway. He'd just -forgotten as soon as he'd launched himself. Not to mention ... he hadn't felt Haru powering away so close beside him if they were literally head-to-head for the most part. How had he achieved that? Was it a secret boost from his merman background? If so, it could easily work in Makoto's favour. "Well, if that doesn't convince Makoto to let him join I don't know what will."

"You'll have to up your game then," Sousuke smirked.

Rin rolled his eyes and ignored him. Instead he turned to Haru and placed a hand on his shoulder and dropped his voice a little. "Are you okay?"

Haru said nothing. His head bobbed in a nod just as Makoto walked along the edge of the pool and clapped his approval. "That was amazing, Rin, Haru." Perching on the edge of the pool he dipped his legs into the water and leaned forward a little, his bright green eyes observing them both. "So Haru ... how would you feel helping us to fill the blank space in our relay team?" he asked jovially.

Haru blinked slowly, his expression giving nothing away.

"Is there a preferred styled you like to swim, Haru?" Makoto asked, not caring about Haru's silence.

"Haru?" Rin nudged the creature beside him. It was like he was in a trance just being in the water. "What style do you want to swim?"

Haru exhaled slowly, his pale skin shifting over every bone and muscle, the gleam of the water making something inside Rin stir. He looked steadily from the onlooking faces and if he was intimidated -since he was the smallest one there -he didn't show it. Rin bit down on his lip.

"Free ..." Haru said quietly. "I only swim ... free."

A/N: Finally a new update to sink your teeth into!