Finally~! Big test last night, but the Thanksgiving Break is this week~! Looking forward to going home!
This chapter is (anti)-climactic conclusion to some tension throughout this story~ A LOT of you have asked for more Rin and Gou fluff, and this I'm afraid is the closest I've got for this story...Hope you enjoy it anyway!
Disclaimer: Title comes from Lydia's Album, "Illuminate". I own nothing~!
Hospital
"How was everything?"
Is the first question her mother asks after setting her suitcases on her bed to unpack. Gou shrugs initially, thinking back to everything that happened from when her mother first left for her trip.
Gou was assaulted by a gang, saved by Rin and the others, kidnapped, harassed again, saved again, kissed Mikoshiba, started dating Mikoshiba, confronted by said attacker for a third time, spent the night at both Coach Sasabe's and Chigusa's, had a party-not-party at Haru's and spent the weekend on an island.
"Fine."
Her mother nods slowly.
"Have you heard from Rin any?" Her mother asks, sounding both curious and hesitant. Like she recognizes that that's a sour subject for Gou.
Gou nods quickly, "I saw him a couple times this past week."
"Did you?" Her mother sounds so surprised.
Why is that surprising, Gou's heart sinks.
Gou just nods, though. She doesn't tell her mother the instances of how or when she saw Rin (being saved from her stalker) or how most of the times it was just that—she saw Rin. From a distance, training on the island, or in the corner at Haru's house where he couldn't even look at her.
Her mother yawns and remarks she'll unpack tomorrow. She's too tired tonight, she says, so Gou excuses herself.
In her room, on her bed, Gou contemplates with her phone out whether to text Rin; tell him that their mother is back. He'll care if it's about their mother, won't he?
[Mother is back}
Gou submits send, but feels guilty for it.
Mikoshiba can't sleep, playing out Nationals that will occur in two days' time in his mind, and so is wide awake when he receives Gou's text.
And reading it, he realizes it wasn't meant for him. At least, he realizes it shouldn't be for him.
Mikoshiba is on his feet and out of his room instantly. He's barefoot and shirtless but he could care less about the hour of night it is. He bangs on the dormitory door loud enough to wake the suite mates, but really couldn't give a damn about that, either.
Rin is the one who answers, with enough energy and irritation that Mikoshiba assumes he hadn't been asleep either. From in the room, Mikoshiba can make out Nitori poking his head from the top bunk-he, on the other hand, had been asleep.
"Captain..?" Nitori mutters from behind Rin.
"What the hell do you want?" Rin spits. Mikoshiba glares at the kid before turning on his heels, nonchalantly calling over his shoulder, "Your mom is back. Gou just texted me; thought you'd like to know-"
A hand grips Mikoshiba's shoulder, spinning him back around, "Hang on! What right do you have barging here at this hour to tell me-?"
"-To tell you what Gou wanted to text you but instead texted me? You're right, it was pretty stupid but I thought you might want to know. I thought Gou wanted you to know but didn't want to message you so she messaged me instead, hoping that somehow you'd get the message. I did this for Gou, because she'd have wanted-"
"Shut the hell up about my sister!" Rin was fuming and Nitori from behind them was scrambling from his bunk, urging the two to calm down or keep it quieter. Doors throughout the hall were beginning to open slowly, with zombie-like students peering out at the disturbance-causing scene.
"You want to have this argument again? Because I said all I wanted to before and you didn't take a word of it to heart! You still won't call Gou? You keep telling me to stay away from her! Why? Because that's what you do? You think everyone in her life who cares about her should just leave her alone? You haven't done a damn thing to be there for Gou, so you're getting mad at me because I have?"
"You don't know what you're talking about!"
Mikoshiba is towering over Rin, refusing to retreat. Nitori is on Rin's back, pulling him back into their shared room but Rin is stepping up to defy Mikoshiba.
"She's your sister! Don't you care at all for her?!"
"Of course I care about my sister! Which is exactly why I'm going to protect her from creeps like you!"
"By protect, you mean scare her away so she comes running right to me?" Mikoshiba challenges.
Rin snarls and he's ready to hit Mikoshiba, except Nitori is bracing both his arms behind him.
"Why don't you worry about Nationals and leave my sister alone." He warns.
"Because unlike you, Rin, I care about the people close to me more than I care about being the best swimmer."
Rin flares up and he's out of Nitori's grip instantly. But, when he raises his fist, Nitori is quick to jump back on his hands.
"Rin! Think about what you're doing! You can't punch the captain!"
Mikoshiba shakes his head. "I wouldn't kick you off the team even if you did land a hit on me. Swimming is your life," he spits, emphasis on the word swimming as though nothing else matters to Rin. As far as Mikoshiba can tell, nothing else does.
He walks away but this time Rin doesn't yell after him.
Gou's mother makes breakfast that morning and Gou couldn't have slept better. She feels refreshed and having her mother back in the house makes much of the past week feel so far in the past and behind her that she's no longer as bothered by it all.
"I have to work late tonight, but tomorrow I'll try to get off early! Maybe we can-"
Gou winces, "Oh, mom, I was actually going to tag along with the swim team to cheer on at Nationals…"
Gou expects her mother to be disappointed (Gou feels a sinking guilt at having to reject her mother) but her mother just smiles, "That's fine then!"
Gou tries to follow up that 'Rin should be there!' but she's not even sure if he will be there.
Maybe. Haru and the others are going, so Rin might come to see them…
"Perhaps this weekend you and I could go somewhere!" Her mother offers. Gou quickly nods, "That sounds good!"
"We could see if Rin isn't too busy and wants to join?"
Gou tries not to let her mother see her disappointment.
"Mm," she nods, but she doubts it. It's suddenly time for Gou to be off so with a quick, curt 'bye' she grabs her new bag (her mother hasn't noticed it yet) and leaves.
Mikoshiba could not have slept worse. The day before Nationals and his back is sore, eyes tired. His argument with Rin put him in a bad mood (he blames himself; that confrontation would have been completely avoided had he not stormed up to the boy's room to purposely yell at him). He was just so tired of Rin's bullshit.
Talk to your damn sister!
That reminded Mikoshiba, who sent both a morning message to his own sister and to Gou.
Swim practice was to be light that day; no more than some stretches and beginning drills, agilities, to loosen everyone up and then they'd call it.
[My mom is working late tonight; any chance I could come by?]
Mikoshiba smiles to himself; seeing Gou the night before nationals would most certainly help his mood and relax him. Thrilled, he texted back [Of course!].
And then the day couldn't have gone by quick enough. Every class dragged on and all he wanted to do was see Gou. And when it finally was time for practice, he ran through the drills and warm up as quickly as he could, sprinting through the schedule. He wondered when Gou would show up, glancing constantly at the gym doors. Rin didn't say a word during practice. He looked exhausted; no better than Mikoshiba, so the senior assumed that the argument they'd had hadn't set well with him, either.
Nitori looked nervous, as if expecting the two to blow up at each other any minute. Mikoshiba was professional enough to leave the drama outside of practice. However, if Rin came up to him again after practice, that could be another story…
Then practice was finally over and Mikoshiba was already on his way to the locker room, calling back to everyone to quickly change and enjoy the rest of the day.
He didn't remember seeing Rin get out of the pool even.
Mikoshiba had never changed as quickly as he did then, and he was amazed at how excited he was to see Gou.
Of course the universe hates him, because just as he finished tying his shoes and preparing to leave the locker room, he was approach by two first years who thought now to be the best time to bring something to their captain's attention which, of course, called for his assistance that would take a bit of time.
Mikoshiba thought of texting Gou quickly to warn her he'd be just a minute, but instead settled with that he'd finish up whatever this was and be out in time to meet her before she even had to wait.
Gou stepped into the gym, cautiously. It looked to be empty, if just, because the floor was wet all around the pool indicating swimmers had recently been there and the lights still buzzed.
It was such a large empty space that echoed when the door closed, which caused Gou to jump. Gou gripped her bag, looking to the locker room doors. Mikoshiba was probably changing and would be out any moment, so she'd just wait—
The water broke as someone surfaced and Gou had to throw her hands over her mouth to keep from yelping, surprised to find the pool occupied after all.
More so surprising was that it was Rin.
He hadn't noticed her yet, she realized, for his back was turned from her and he just floated for a moment in the center of the pool, his head bowed, before he pushed out, swimming towards the start of his lane. Gou held her breadth, unsure whether to make herself known to her brother or remain quiet and possibly hide until he left.
Her decision was made for her when he suddenly caught sight of her, doing a double take before throwing his goggles over the edge of the pool.
"Gou?"
Gou tried to smile, but found she couldn't even greet her brother with that. She was so nervous, her chest pounding.
"R-Rin…"
"What're you doing here?" He snapped.
He sounded angry. Angry because of a bad day? Or to see her? Her heart sank.
"I'm…here to see Mikoshiba."
Gou didn't catch how Rin flinched, because he was pulling himself out of the pool at that moment, refusing to look at Gou. Water pooled over the top with him as he brought his knees up and stood, still keeping his face hidden from Gou.
"He'll be out in a minute," was all he retorted with before walking forward towards the locker room.
Gou didn't want Rin to leave, not like that. Stay! Stay and look at me! Speak to me, ask how mom is, ask how I am! Run to me like you did when I was with Kent!
Gou panicked.
Rin!
Gou began sprinting to cover the distance between her brother and her. She needed to talk to him-she wanted to. She wanted him to turn around, to stop avoiding her!
"Rin-!"
The water.
Gou ran too close to the pool, slipping on the water that had come up with Rin as he'd gotten up from the pool.
Gou's balance was thrown and she hit the edge of the pool. Her head stung briefly before everything went black and she thought, though it could have been a trick of her mind, that she heard Rin scream out her name just as she hit the water.
Rin only turns when he hears the hiccup of shock in his sister's voice, just in time to watch in painfully slow motion as she fell forward, sinking into the water after her head collided with the edge of the pool.
"Gou!"
And he's already mid diving after her when he catches sight of red drifting around his sister and recognizes it to be blood.
Under the water, he wraps an arm around Gou and pushes off the bottom of the pool, kicking them both to the surface.
When they break the surface, Gou's head slumps and he realizes she's unconscious though he subconsciously assumed as much already.
As Rin grips the edge of the pool, and hand from seemingly nowhere grabs at his arm, hoisting him and Gou up.
"I got you! Here, let me help-"
It's Mikoshiba.
Rin doesn't get angry or yell or tell Mikoshiba to back off. He lets Mikoshiba assist in pulling Gou over the side of the pool, watching him from outside his own body as Mikoshiba lifts Gou's head into his lap, dabbing a cut on her hairline with his shirt to soak the blood.
"She needs a towel…" Rin remarks absentmindedly, pulling himself alone from the pool and starting to walk towards the locker room; his sense of emergency is skewed and all he sees is the image of Gou falling repeatedly.
"Rin!" Mikoshiba barks, turning him by his shoulder. "You stay with Gou. I'll get the towel and some ice."
Rin can't even argue, or thank him, because Mikoshiba is gone before Rin can grasp that he even left.
At now Rin is standing over Gou's unconscious figure, confused at how this happened and uncertain of what to do.
He falls to his knees, helpless, and pulls Gou slowly into his lap. He keeps rubbing his thumb over her cut, wiping away blood as it surfaces and watching water droplets form his own hair fall upon Gou's cheek.
She starts to stir and Rin suddenly wakes up with activity, gripping Gou's shoulders.
"Gou? Gou, are you alright?!"
"Rin..?"
Gou blinks her eyes open quickly, confused as to why she's soaked and Rin is to and then she remembers but before the fall she remembers that she doesn't want Rin to leave and she's suddenly sitting up and clinging to Rin's arms as much as he is hers.
"Rin! Rin, please don't go, I-I want to talk to you! Rin, I-I'm so sorry-"
Rin ignores her and throws his arms around her, burrowing her face into his shoulder in the embrace.
"Gou, I'm sorry."
Gou tenses briefly before relaxing and Rin himself sighs with relief until Gou starts shaking and hiccupping.
Is she crying?
"Gou..?"
He pulls apart and sure enough tears or trickling down her cheeks and mixing with the water that he hasn't dried off her yet because where is Mikoshiba and that towel?
"Rin…" Gou is trying to say more but she just keeps crying and Rin has to wipe at her wound again because it's still bleeding and he's just relieved she's awake and okay but he wishes she'd stop crying.
"Gou, quit crying…" he mumbles but he's smiling and she starts laughing, trying to wipe her tears away before they fall but it's not very effective and she gives up, returning her hands to Rin's arms as if to anchor him from trying to walk away.
He wasn't going to, not now.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I-I stopped messaging you a-and that I left that day without talking to you. And I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you or thank you the day you saved me from Kent-"
"Kent..?"
The white-haired boy? She knew his name?
"I'm sorry I didn't explain things that day in the café, or that I still didn't call you. Or this weekend, when I didn't say a word to you on the island-"
Rin's heard enough and shuts his sister up by pushing her head back down towards his chest, once again embracing her.
"Shut up, Gou," he shakes his head. "I'm sorry." She his grip tightens and he folds himself over Gou, creating a cocoon around her and trembling.
"I'm sorry I never messaged you back, or called you. I'm sorry I never was online."
Gou doesn't understand that, wondering why Rin was apologizing about being on the computer, until she remembers those nights in middle school, falling asleep at a keyboard. Her fingers tighten on Rin's arm.
"I couldn't…I didn't know what to say that night," he admits, and she doesn't ask him which night he means because he continues immediately, "You were sitting there, trying to sleep, and I…I didn't know what to say. How to comfort you. So I left, because I thought that's what you needed. Then I kept doing it; I kept giving you space, I didn't realize that what you needed was not space."
Gou shakes her head, it wasn't his fault, but he doesn't let her interject.
"And…and then Mikoshiba was there for you. He's right, he was in place of your brother. You could go to him, you could talk to him."
Gou blushes; she wants to tell her brother that's not it but he's still not letting her speak.
"I saw you both."
Gou tenses, wondering if he means the night they first kissed, or the tent-
"At the pool, in the morning practice on the island. I knew then…I was so angry, because he was there for you at your lowest, but also…he was there for you at your happiest. And I just…haven't been there for you. At all."
"Rin…"
Rin is shaking and Gou isn't sure if it's tears or anger. She hopes it's neither. Don't be upset, Rin!
"Rin…Mikoshiba was there for me, and I appreciated that. But, you could have been there, too. He didn't, hasn't, replaced you." She sniffles, trying to lift Rin's chin up to look at her. "I still need my big brother!"
To her relief, he isn't crying but he looks almost to be. Except he smiles when she does and that's a load off her chest. Rin is smiling at her!
His thumb is under her eye, catching another tear before he lifts it to push back her hair, to scrub at that damn cut again. He doesn't know what to do with hands so they just keep brushing across her face, her temple, her forehead.
"You…have got to stay a day out of trouble."
Gou laughs, "This hasn't been a good past week for me." She scrunches her nose, blushing, "Well…some of it."
Rin frowns.
"Rin…d-don't get mad or anything, but…Mikoshiba and I…"
Mikoshiba watches the pair from behind the divider, ice pack and towel in hand. He wants to go to them, but knows they need this. Rin needs to confront Gou, just like Gou needed to confront him. He can't see Rin's expression but when Gou finally looks up she's smiling and Rin is holding her in an embrace and that's a good sign, right?
He waits for the right moment to 'appear', because Gou is still bleeding and they're both still soaking wet, and when he thinks that moment is now he steps out one foot from behind the wall—
"-What?! Dating?!"
-and retrieves it just as quickly.
Nope. They definitely need more time to themselves, Mikoshiba decides, retreating all the way back into the locker room.
A/N: One more chapter after this~! This chapter in relation to the rest of the story is supposed to be very important; it's where Gou and Rin finally restore their relationship~ I kinda dropped the ball, though, I think...It's a slow chapter that I prlly should have revised a little more :/
Mikoshiba and Rin's confrontation though I liked~ Maybe I just like writing those two arguing~ :/ Sorry for the OOCness of this entire chapter~!
The bit of Gou falling unconscious was some dramatic bit I'd thought up originally for another story; Back in developing this one, I had an idea for two stories (Have I mentioned this yet..?) One being centric of SeiGou, covering mostly the Kent-drama, and a second that was Gou and Rin fluff, which included this drama of Gou slipping unconscious; I ended up combining the two stories, but I think in this one it's just one too much whumpage for poor Gou~ Sorry! Though at least their relationship is on the mends...Except, I think how I handled it mayb have been anticlimactic...All this build up, and then...
Rin saw Gou and Seijuro kiss, but didn't automatically assume they were dating and acts surprised when Gou confirms as much? Maybe hopeful wishing on his part...I like to think (Well, I wrote it so I guess it's fact as far as this story is concerned) Mikoshiba purposely left Rin with Gou. Yeah, he's worried for her safety and wants to be by her side, but recognizes that if she wakes up, she needs to wake up in the hands of Rin; their relationship needs that moment more than his and hers does...is what I thought he'd think :p anyway...
Ah, sorry-anyway, last chapter I'll post sometime over this Thanksgiving Break! Thanks to everyone following or simply reading this story! Hope you enjoyed most or any of it! Thank you!