Oh gosh, sorry! I meant to post this last chapter last week, and then my final project just...no excuses, I'm sorry!
Here's the, I personally think anticlimactic, finale to this story~! I hope you enjoy it, sorry for the wait~!
Disclaimer: I own nothing! The title is from Lydia's album "Illuminate" and is a beautiful piece~ fitting for the last chapter~
All I See
"This pool is huge!" Nagisa beams.
They're on the second deck of bleachers and there's still a third above them. It's a dome of a pool gym and Even with their combined group of Samezuka and Iwatobi swimmers, they still can't fill a single row in the stands and remain amongst the smallest school groups present.
"I don't envy Mikoshiba right now," Makoto mused, watching swimmers warm up below them. None looked an inch under 6 ft. and all looked uniform with swim caps and black suits.
"I hope Mikoshiba does alright…" Hana muttered, eyeing the competition.
"Captain Mikoshiba will be fine!" Nitori cheered.
"Where is Mikoshiba..?" Haru asked.
"Hm? Probably checking in for his event. It's soon isn't it?" Rei answered.
"There's only one heat, just like at Regionals. This meet will be quick…"
"Oh, he better win!"
"Go Mikoshiba!"
"Not yet, Nagisa! He isn't even racing right now!"
Gou stood aside from everyone gathered, searching for Mikoshiba somewhere below. She bit at her lip, wondering if he really could win against all these athletes, all the best within the nation…
"Gou."
Gou whipped around, her brother standing behind her but pointing to a corner of the pool.
Gou's eyes followed his finger, settling on the unmistakable figure of Seijuro Mikoshiba.
"You better go see him before his race; tell him we all said good luck."
Gou smiled at her brother, nodding once before turning back to the stairs and hurrying down them.
"Eh? Where's Gou going?"
"Probably the bathroom. Oi, Rin, have you found Mikoshiba yet?"
"Nope."
Mikoshiba is stretching, trying to focus on the music through his head phones. He's nervous. He kept calm the entire way here, but the moment he saw the pool and everyone warming up around it, his stomach twisted itself into a knot. He could throw up, he tells himself. He's that nervous and his muscles are twitching to race now, get it over with. He snaps his swim cap on and off, trying to get all his hair underneath it perfectly. And his goggles don't feel tight enough, or are too tight, or are fogging up or-
"Seijuro!"
Gou.
The nerves melt away and Mikoshiba forgets completely about the race he's on deck for.
He turns around and sure enough she's standing there, dressed in her Iwatobi manager shirt and her brother's jacket to show her support for Samezuka and for Mikoshiba.
"Good luck, Seijuro!" She smiles, tilting her head and yep, she's too cute.
Seijuro takes two steps and then he's standing directly in front of Gou and he doesn't wait for her permission or for her to react. He just takes her in his hands and leans in, kissing her and that's the breadth he wants to hold while he swims; that's all the good luck he needs and that's what he's swimming for.
When he does finally let her go, not willingly because he could have held that kiss for days, Gou is pretending to glare at him but her smile is giving her away. The whole gym is watching them and no one's eyes are on them.
"I really, really like you." Mikoshiba blurts.
Gou chuckles, "Do good on your race."
"You didn't say whether you really, really like me back?!" Mikoshiba's shoulders sink.
"Swim your best, then I'll tell you!"
Mikoshiba is about to retort that she should tell him now, but before he can, he's interrupted-
"Kou?"
"Ah! I found Mikoshiba!" Nagisa points out.
Rin shrugs. He'd bought the two as much time as he could.
"Eh? Gou is with him?!"
"So that's where she went!"
Rin's eyes are on the other swimmers, stretching and lining up. They look like tough competition. Mikoshiba's in the third lane, which isn't the best time placement lane but neither is it the worst.
"Ah! Isn't that..?"
Rin jerks at Hana's outcry, looking suddenly back to Mikoshiba and Gou as the others are.
No way…
"Kent."
Mikoshiba is aware that Gou ended on better terms with the boy, but still can't help stepping defensively between Gou and him. He knows Rin would have his head if he didn't do something.
Gou brings her hand up to Mikoshiba's elbow, motioning him to stand down. He doesn't trust Kent, but he steps aside enough for her to face him.
Kent looks no different than when Gou last saw him. Pale hair and eyes; that smile.
"Mikoshiba, was it?" Kent acknowledges. Seijuro nods with a grimace on his face. He glances up into the stands, wondering if Rin can see them.
"Kou…I thought I might see you here. I was hoping-"
Mikoshiba steps up, about ready to yell at this kid to shove off but Gou has beat him too it, stepping forward.
"Kent." She cuts Kent off. Kent flinches, which Mikoshiba finds odd. Especially because he continues to smile.
And Mikoshiba waits for Gou to break into a warning, to tell Kent off a second time.
Instead, she holds out her hand.
"Good luck."
Mikoshiba never heard everything that Gou said to Kent. He doesn't know what all passed between them and how Gou truly forgave him. All he knows is she promised he'd never bother her again and he had to believe her. But something else, some understanding, passed just then between the two because whatever else Kent was going to say was lost. He took Gou's hand, shook and, and turned to Mikoshiba.
"Looks like we'll be racing each other."
"Is that so?" Mikoshiba smirked. He'd suspected as much all along; the universe had a way of being ironic like that.
"Good luck to you, too, then."
It was odd seeing this bastard being polite. Maybe he really wanted to make a good impression on Gou. It was a little late for it, but Mikoshiba preferred this side of the bastard to the other one.
"Go, Mikoshiba!"
"C'mon, Captain!"
"Sei-Ju-Ro! Miko-Shi-Ba!"
Gou is cheering and hollering right beside Hana and the others. Rin isn't one to yell too much, but he's standing like the rest and Gou insists he helps her hold up the poster she and Hana decorated; he and Rei are the tallest, and can hold it the highest.
The swimmers get set and Gou is frantically pointing out Mikoshiba in the third lane. Rin's eyes travel to the fourth lane.
Kent.
So, the bastard's fast, swiping the best time lane. Rin glances at Gou, to see if she's any bit bothered. He saw her talk to Kent. He wants to ask her what they said.
The stands grow quiet because the gun is raised and the swimmers are all set, ready to dive. Nagisa is trembling with anticipation and everyone else is on their feet.
Coach Sasabe is biting his nails, until Miss Amakata lifts a hand and lowers his arm. It's a nasty habit, she mutters to him.
The gun goes off.
The starts are simultaneous; no one is off by a second and it's a matter of who stays under water the longest.
Gou is leaning against the railing of the bleachers, nearly falling over. Everyone's eyes are on Mikoshiba, who had a good start but should have an even better turnaround. Kent is right on his heels, gaining a little only to lose it only to regain distance. It's too close to make a call on the first down.
"Come on, Mikoshiba…" Rin mutters. If he loses to that bastard…
Gou is holding in her cheers now, watching the race nervously. Just at the turn around, she finally leans forward and yells with all her might, "Go, Mikoshiba!"
"Third at nationals?! That's amazing!"
Mikoshiba laughs, holding his medal proudly and shrugging at it, as if third is alright.
Gou is beside him, walking in step as the others bounce around eyeing the bronze.
"You're third in the nation!" Sasabe congratulates proudly.
"That's quite the high note to end a high school career on," Miss Amakata agrees.
Mikoshiba rubs at the back of his neck, thanking the two adults.
"Good job, Captain," Rin offers. It's a bit odd complimenting his captain, but he thinks he deserved it. Mikoshiba glances at Rin and there's something else unspoken between them that only they two understand and Mikoshiba nods once in acknowledgment at it.
Good job in beating Kent.
Fourth. The icing on the cake is that Kent finished just shy of a medal. While Rin feels for him as a swimmer, personal reasons obviously lean him biasedly towards feeling slightly victorious.
"We should celebrate! With pizza!" Nagisa yells above everyone else's chatter.
"I'm fine with that!" Sasabe agrees.
"I can grill, too."
"We know, Haru. Mackerel."
"Gou! Sit by me!"
"Alright, alright, Hana!"
When they're all full on pizza and mackerel and remember that it's the middle of a school week and have classes tomorrow, begrudgingly, the gang goes their separate way from Haru's house (the default gathering spot).
Mikoshiba offers to walk Gou home, much to her surprise in that Rin seems fine with this (Or pretends to not know. Nitori is doing a good job calling his attention away so Gou and Mikoshiba can slip out). When they're almost to her house, Mikoshiba stops walking and looks down at his medal in hand.
Gou stops a few steps ahead.
"What's wrong?"
"Third is good, right?"
"Third is great!" She laughs, stepping back to grip his arm, tugging him forward. "Don't worry about just getting third! That's really good, now let's go home-"
"But, would you say I swam my best out there?"
Gou nods, struggling to pull Mikoshiba who has planted his feet against the pavement.
"I think it was the best I've ever seen you swim-"
"So I swam my best?"
"Yes!"
"Then tell me you really, really like me."
Gou sighs, smirking, "I really, real-"
Mikoshiba cuts her off with a kiss that she should have seen coming. When he breaks apart, his bottom lip still hovers over her top lip so he whispers into her skin, "Sorry. Tell me again."
She's smiling, "I really-"
He cuts her off with another kiss, this time bringing his hands up to her face and running them through her hair, forgetting completely about his medal and letting it drop to hang around his neck. Her own arms are at his collar until she feels the buzzing alert of her phone. She breaks apart, reaching into her bag expecting it to be her mother messaging, asking where she's at.
When she sees the caller ID, her grin stretches from ear to ear, and Mikoshiba blushes because it's unfair how cute she is when she smiles!
"Who is it?"
[Mom called me. Said she wants to try to hang out, the three of us this weekend. Does all day Saturday work for you?]
A/N: I knew I wanted the last line of this story to be a text from Rin-that's the full circle for me for this chapter. (Yes, he texted her once earlier but we overlook that text considering Gou didn't receive it in time and whatnot~) I also knew Kent had to be in the last chapter, but we all saw that coming prlly yes~?
This chapter feels too short for me, and kinda weak. I knew it'd take place at Nationals, but for the life of me I couldn't beef it up anymore...I wish I'd found some way to incorporate one last scene from the POV of Rei or Chigusa, since they'd had earlier scenes throughout, but couldn't really because, again, I couldn't beef this chapter up enough and I needed the focus mostly on the wrappnig up of conflicts and conclusions between the main three-Gou, Mikoshiba and Rin~
Anyway, THANK YOU to eeryone who alerted, favorited, reviewed or READ this story! I'm glad so many of you followed it and I hope you enjoyed it!
(I'm actually finishing a multi-fic~! My first ever XD)
See you!