The day had finally arrived. Coach Sasabe had given Makoto and Rin permission to use the swimming pool for their race. To Makoto's surprise, Kisumi had come back to Iwatobi and was standing with Sousuke and Nitori to cheer Rin on. Haruka quickly noticed the glare Kisumi was sending his way, but he didn't pay any mind to it. He was there to give Makoto support.

Haruka looked back at Makoto who was stretching his arms while Nagisa massaged his legs. Rei was muttering calculations and probabilities, most likely to reassure himself that Makoto did have a chance to win, even if it was by a small percentage. Makoto, on the other hand, seemed to be deep in thought which made Haruka want to do something to ease his anxiety.

Moving closer to Makoto, Haruka quickly grabbed Makoto's chin and leaned up to kiss him. The kiss didn't last very long, but it was enough to put a smile on Makoto's face.

"You can do it," Haruka said.

"Thanks Haru."

"Makoto! Let's start!" Rin shouted as he started to make his way to the edge of the pool. Makoto nodded his head and made his way over next to Rin. Kisumi, Sousuke, Nitori, Nagisa, Rei and Haruka were all standing at the sidelines, watching the two as closely as they could.

"3…2…1…Go!" Rin shouted. The two dived into the pool as fast as they could. As soon as their bodies hit the water, they automatically started to swim. Makoto moved his arms as quickly as he could, trying his hardest to become one with the water. He knew Rin was ahead of him by a few seconds, but he needed to muster up the energy to catch up.

Looking up at the ceiling, Makoto thought about different memories with Haruka. The day they first met, how they both wanted the dolphin key chain and Makoto had let Haruka have it, when Makoto convinced Haruka to join the swim team in high school, how they always walked together and shared their favorite blue popsicle, when he had told Haruka that swimming without him was meaningless, when he told Haruka he was going to Tokyo, and when they finally confessed their feelings to one another in Haruka's bathroom.

Those memories and many others were what created happiness in Makoto's heart. They had built such a beautiful friendship over the years that had then turned into a romantic relationship. Losing the race against Rin would throw all of that hard work away. Makoto grew even more serious as he sped up his swimming. The water no longer seemed to be an obstacle that took away his strength, but rather an ally that was giving him the strength he needed.

"Go Mako-chan!" Nagisa screamed as he noticed Makoto was slowly starting to catch up with Rin.

"You can do it Makoto-senpai!" Rei added.

"Come on Rin! He's catching up!" Kisumi yelled, hoping the red head would swim faster and end the race already.

"Rin-senpai!" Nitori shouted, wanting to cheer Rin on.

Rin continued to swim without a care. He was confident enough that he'd win regardless of how hard Makoto tried to beat him. He wasn't Haruka, therefore, he wasn't a threat. Rin was accustomed to Makoto's swimming style after watching him countless times. It didn't matter how much Makoto had trained, he was never going to be up to Rin's and Haruka's level.

"Rin-senpai! Fight!" Nitori shouted again. He looked over at Sousuke, who hadn't said a word of encouragement since they had arrived. It was a little odd since Sousuke was Rin's best friend. "Sousuke-senpai, aren't you going to cheer Rin-senpai on too?"

"…I'd prefer it if he didn't win…"

Nitori became shocked while Sousuke continued to stay serious as he watched the race. He could tell that Makoto was making a big effort to catch up. He could tell by the expression on Makoto's face that he wasn't going to lose. Looking over at Haruka, Sousuke waited for the raven haired to feel his eyes focused on him. It took a few seconds, but Haruka finally looked Sousuke's way and made direct eye contact.

It was strange, Haruka thought. The look on Sousuke's face looked as if he was encouraging Haruka to say something. Haruka looked back at Makoto, his heart racing wildly while his face slowly started to become a bright shade of red. He wasn't the type to shout, but he felt like it was necessary.

"Makoto! I believe in you! Fight!" Haruka shouted as loud as he could. Kisumi, Nitori, Rei, Nagisa, Rin and Makoto were all surprised that the usual quiet Haruka could yell so loudly. Sousuke found it a bit amusing, thanking the heavens that Haruka had understood their unspoken conversation. Now it was his turn to do his part.

"Makoto! You can do it!" Sousuke shouted.

Yet again, everyone was surprised with the sudden outburst. Rin couldn't believe that Sousuke was on Makoto's side. It shocked him so much that he forgot where he was for a moment. It was during this slight error that Makoto was able to catch up and surpass Rin. He kicked the end of the pool as best as he could and quickly turned around to head back to the other edge of the pool.

Rin finally realized what had happened and rapidly swam to the end of the pool, took a quick turn, and swam as fast as he could to catch up to Makoto. It didn't take long for Rin to be head to head with Makoto. The two continued to swim with all of their might, forcing their bodies to move faster after every stroke.

"Makoto!" Rei, Nagisa, and Haruka yelled.

"Rin!" Kisumi and Nitori shouted.

Sousuke watched on as the two were getting closer and closer to the finish line. It was a close call; no one could predict what the outcome would be just by watching them. Haruka looked on with anticipation. Time seemed to slow down with the last few strokes from the two young men in the pool. It was quick, it was close, but one hand finally slammed against the edge of the pool. Everyone was silent and amazed at the incredible race they had just witnessed between the shark and the killer whale. It was official. The winner was victorious.

"Mako-chan! You did it!" Nagisa yelled, breaking the silence in the room. Rei laughed in joy as he tried to calm down his overly excited heart. Makoto took a moment to catch his breath. He looked over at Rin who was looking down at the water in utter shock.

"Makoto…"

Makoto looked up at Haruka who was standing in front of him with his hand stretched out and a smile on his face. Makoto smiled back, reaching out to grab Haruka's hand as he got out of the pool. He didn't hesitate to hug Haruka, soaking Haruka's clothes in the process, but Haruka didn't seem to mind since he hugged Makoto back.

Rin looked at the two, heart broken and distraught. He couldn't believe Makoto had beaten him. It was surreal. He never thought something like it would happen in their lifetime, but it did.

"It's over Rin."

Rin looked over at Sousuke who was bent down in front of him. His serious face and teal eyes didn't show any sign of rage or sadness, but instead showed relief. Rin grit his teeth and got out of the pool. Sousuke stood up just in time for Rin to grab his shirt collar.

"Why did cheer Makoto on?! I thought you were on my side Sousuke!" Rin yelled.

"I've always been on your side Rin. I cheered you on with your charade of making Haruka yours because that's what you wanted. You were blinded by your love and obsession for him. That's why I didn't want you to win."

"Then you wanted to see me fail from the start?! What kind of friend are you?!"

"…I'm the friend who's been in love with you all this time."

Rin grew shocked by the confession. Everyone in the room was also surprised by it. Rin slowly started to loosen his grip on Sousuke's shirt collar while he kept his gaze in line with Sousuke's. "W-What did you say…?"

"I've loved you since we became friends Rin. I never told you because you always talked about Haruka. I knew you wouldn't give me a chance if Haruka was in the picture, so I was actually happy when I found out Haruka and Makoto were together. I thought you'd give up, but you didn't. I didn't know how to talk you out of it, so instead I stood back and waited until you stopped going after Haruka on your own. I was confident that Makoto and Haruka would not be pulled apart, and I was right."

"Sousuke…"

"You can hate me all you want Rin. I'm just glad it's all over. Whether you want me still at your side or not, I'll be okay with whatever decision you make."

Sousuke turned around and started to walk away. He looked back at Makoto and Haruka once he reached the door and smiled. "Be happy you two." With that said, Sousuke walked through the doors and left the room. Rin couldn't move from where he was standing. He was still in shock with everything that had happened. Nitori walked up to his side and grabbed onto his arm.

"Let's go Rin-senpai. You should rest."

Rin looked at Nitori and then towards Makoto and Haruka. He didn't know what to say or what to feel. He was so confused with the outcome of the race. He looked back at Nitori and nodded, letting the smaller male lead him away from everyone else and towards the exit of the room.

Makoto watched as they left, hoping Rin would think things through and accept Sousuke's feelings. Rin may have done many things that weren't right, but Makoto still believed he deserved his own happiness. He hoped in his heart that he would be able to find it with Sousuke.

Looking over at the other side, Makoto realized Kisumi was still there, silent and disappointed with the results. Makoto let go of Haruka and walked over to the pink haired male. Kisumi looked into Makoto's green eyes and before he could say or do anything, he was pulled into a tight embrace by Makoto.

"I'm not mad at you," Makoto said with a soft voice. "You've always been a great friend Kisumi. I'm sorry I couldn't return your feelings like you wanted me too. It's not fair to you to feel heart broken and rejected. But even after all that has happened, I still want you by my side as my friend…Do you think we can?"

"I really love you Makoto…I love you so much I didn't care how I could win you over…It's just hard to accept that I've lost…"

Haruka's eyes saddened at Kisumi's words. Even though Kisumi had done wrong and tried to break them up, he was still a good person at heart. Even if they didn't see eye to eye and always fought for Makoto's attention, it was only natural since they both loved him. Just like Makoto, Haruka wanted Kisumi to find happiness.

Makoto kept his embrace around Kisumi, feeling Kisumi's body starting to shake within his arms. Nagisa, Rei, and Haruka probably couldn't hear it, but Kisumi was trying his hardest to keep his crying to a minimum. Makoto closed his eyes and held onto his friend.

"Can we still be friends Kisumi?"

"…Yes," Kisumi replied in a soft and shaky voice. Makoto smiled and allowed Kisumi the comfort of his embrace. He wanted the best for everyone, where no one would be sad or disappointed. The race had ended the rocky journey of jealousy and envy for all of them. Now everything would be different. Everything would turn out like it should have from the beginning.

XXXX

Five months later…

The spring semester had finally come to an end. After numerous nights without sleep, stressful days, and fun times, Makoto and Kisumi were on their way back to Iwatobi for the summer. Mr. Tachibana had gone to pick them up and helped them put all of their luggage and belongings into the car. They were excited to be reunited with their family and friends again after being away for so long.

The car ride went by quickly and before the two knew it, they were at Iwatobi beach. Makoto looked at his dad confused. "Umm dad, why are we at the beach?"

"You'll see. Come on you two."

Mr. Tachibana got out of the car followed by Makoto and Kisumi. They walked along the beach that was partly empty until they finally reached an area with only a group of people. Makoto and Kisumi were surprised as they noticed their friends and family were waiting for them with smiles on their faces and tons of food on top of towels.

"Welcome back!" Nagisa yelled as he ran over to hug Makoto and then Kisumi. Hayato, Ren and Ran did the same as soon as the blonde haired male was done.

"I hope you liked the surprise. We thought it'd be nice to spend your first day back here," Mrs. Tachibana said.

"Thanks everyone. This is a really nice welcome back," Makoto replied.

"I'm glad to see the semester didn't kill you two. After all of those text messages of being tired and stressed, I was afraid you wouldn't make it back," Rin joked with a grin on his face. Sousuke nudged him a little which annoyed the red head. Sousuke smirked and decided to grab Rin's hand. It quickly changed Rin's face from annoyed to embarrassed and a bit happy.

Makoto smiled at the two. He was glad Rin had given Sousuke a chance. They were perfect for each other and deserved to be happy just like Makoto and Haruka were. Kisumi, on the other hand, hadn't found anyone to be with, but he seemed happy living the single life.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go swim!" Ran yelled. Hayato and Ren agreed as the three quickly ran towards the water. Nagisa followed along while he dragged Rei. Nitori ran after them while Sousuke and Rin walked hand in hand towards the water. Kisumi smiled and looked over at Haruka who was walking up to Makoto.

"I'll leave you two alone," Kisumi said as he walked over towards the others. Makoto looked at Haruka who stopped in front of him and smiled down at his lover.

"Did you miss me Haru-chan?"

"We talked every day…And drop the chan."

"Aww! But Haru! I thought I could call you Haru-chan now! It sounds so cute!"

"Makoto…"

Makoto sighed, "Okay Haru, I'll give up."

Haruka couldn't help but smile at Makoto's pouting face. He slowly cupped Makoto's face and leaned up to kiss him. He then leaned away with the smile still on his face. "I'll let you call me Haru-chan, but only when we're alone, okay?"

Makoto was taken aback but quickly smiled and nodded his head. He wrapped his arms around Haruka and leaned down to kiss him again.

"Ah-ah, you two. Save it until you're alone and have protection," Mrs. Tachibana nearly yelled at the two.

Makoto and Haruka pulled away from each other with red hot faces. Everyone except for the kids who were too busy playing a game of marco-polo, laughed at the couple's embarrassment.

Some things never change.

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The end ^_^ Phew, that was a rollercoaster of a chapter! I had the urge to work on it this morning and tada I finished the last chapter after a while of writing :P I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! It was really fun and I'm proud of it since it was my first MakoxHaru story ;-; It's sad that it's over.

Anyway, thanks a lot for your support! Your favorites, follows and reviews are greatly appreciated :D

Also if you can please check out my YouTube Channel: KoiandKirai Productions

I've started to work on a Drama CD for an anime story I've written so if you can please check it out! :D Thanks!