In honor of the new episode 14 coming out I guess! What a wild ride that was! Hopefully we'll get more releases in the future!

The house was empty the next morning.

Gou stood in the living room like it were an alien landscape she had not seen before. Seijuro's bags were gone. His phone charger was absent, the gaming system had been returned. He had even folded up the sheets on the couch into a neat little pile.

Seeing that small action, one which he had never done before, gave such a sense of finality to everything that Gou felt it like a wound.

She had known he was leaving early but not this early. He must have left at dawn, or before then. Had he slept at all?

She glanced towards the door. She should go after him, she knew, but then she had no idea what she would say, not to mention Samezuka may very well have left by now. She should call or text him but somehow either option felt wrong given the circumstances. After what had happened texting would seem like a slap in the face and calling him to only sit there in silence would make things worse. Not to mention if he refused to answer her phone call…

She shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. She didn't even want to consider that.

So what should she do?

She stood for a long moment in the empty living room. She turned and headed into the bedroom to get dressed.

She had no idea what to do. But maybe someone else would.

"And then he was gone before I had even gotten up this morning! He even folded up his sheets!" Such a small thing but she made it sound like it were the end of the world. She buried her face in her hands. "I think he's mad at me."

"Uh huh," said Makoto a little too whimsically for her taste. He was silent for a moment, considering. "I don't know if mad is the right word," he observed. "Crushed might be more accurate."

Gou shot a glare at him from under her hands. That's what you were focused on?! As if she didn't feel bad enough already! She had hoped Makoto would cheer her up but instead all he was doing was making her feel worse! She dropped her hands between her knees with a sigh, glancing up at the splashing sound of Haru diving in.

The two boys had left the lodges early to get in one more swim before they departed for the competition. Gou had tagged along, intruding on the two's private venture and making herself an inconvenience, once Hana had let her know she was busy at a hosting event and wouldn't be able to meet up with her. Not that Makoto seemed to mind Gou's intrusion. He appeared to be more inclined watching Haru swim than actually swimming himself.

"I guess I just don't get why he would say that. I mean we've agreed since the beginning that we would get a divorce once we got back to Japan. Why would he suddenly change his mind?"

"I don't know if I'd call it sudden," Makoto said slowly.

Gou narrowed her eyes. She had heard that tone before. From her brother mostly, when he was trying to hide something from her and she was dangerously close to figuring it out.

"You knew already, didn't you?"

The way he moved his shoulders as if he were shrinking down into himself made her certain she had guessed right.

"W-well, somewhat." He coughed. "I didn't know he had changed his mind about the divorce, but I did know he had feelings for you. He…wasn't exactly subtle about it."

Leave it to Captain X-ray to make a comment like that. This coming from the guy who can read No-Expression-Haru like it's nothing! "Well, I didn't notice any of it!"

"Maybe you didn't want to see it."

That made her stall for a brief second, mouth hanging open. "Huh?"

"Maybe seeing the way he truly felt made you feel nervous so you didn't want to see it." He shrugged. "Or maybe you just passed it off as something else. Considering the position you were in, and with your brother here, that's not an unrealistic assumption to make. Seeing those sorts of indications from Seijuro would complicate an already fairly complicated situation, so maybe you just didn't want to see them and thus didn't."

Gou wasn't sure if that were true or not – the way he phrased it made it sound like she had been deluding herself this entire time - but maybe he did have a point. Maybe Seijuro had been obvious and she just hadn't been paying enough attention to truly notice it for what it was. Maybe she had been so tied up in worrying about the marriage and worrying about her brother and the swim team, and worrying about her brother finding out about the marriage that she just hadn't paid attention at all. He had kissed her, twice, and while the first time she had assumed had simply been him just wanting her to stop bemoaning not being able to remember her first kiss, that didn't explain why he had kissed her a second time.

For all she knew Seijuro might have been screaming at her this entire time and she simply hadn't noticed because she had had her hands clamped over her ears. Or maybe it was because he had been screaming at her in a language she had never heard before. It wasn't like she was experienced in any sort of love…thing. Maybe she had always believed his actions were because of some other reason when they had been for the simplest one.

She shook her head. "That aside, I can't believe he would want to stay married."

"Have you two talked about the divorce at all since you initially agreed to it?" asked Makoto. "Had Seijuro never said anything about it before?"

Come to think of it he hadn't said a word about the divorce ever since their initial conversation regarding their marriage, Gou realized. "No, he hasn't." She furrowed her brows. "I wonder why he didn't say anything sooner."

"He was likely scared to tell you."

Gou nearly guffawed. "Seijuro scared? I don't think he even understands the meaning of being scared." He had dove into a roaring ocean without a second thought to rescue her after all. And he had gone to see whoever had been banging on the pool door last night while she had huddled frozen stiff in the shadows, barely able to breathe much less go confront said person. And the way he always seemed so calm when they were in scary situations. Like at the zoo, or when they had been stuck in that abandoned lighthouse, or at the alligator park – even though it had been partly his fault for why it had been scary. No matter what sort of trouble they found themselves in Seijuro always managed to keep himself calm throughout it all and take it all in stride. Even their accidental marriage.

"Don't misconstrue bravery for a lack of fear," advised Makoto. "And there are different forms of bravery too. I'm sure it was hard for him to say those things to you. Confessing to a person you like isn't easy for anyone when their feelings are genuine I imagine." His mouth twitched a little as he watched Haru gliding underneath the surface of the water. "For him to admit to himself he had those feelings, much less confess to you, may well have been very hard for him. Your accidental marriage threw him for a loop too after all. I'm sure it was very difficult for him to admit all that to you when he was unsure of your feelings."

"But why?" Gou slapped her hands against her knees. "Why wouldn't he want to get a divorce?"

Makoto chuckled. He rose from his sitting position as from the pool Haru prepared to climb out. "Probably because he already knows how lucky he is."

Gou blinked. "Huh?" Maybe she hadn't heard him right.

But he was already walking away, leaving Gou to simply continue blinking after him. He held out a towel for the sopping wet Haru, commenting on how much the other boy had improved, Haru responding with a simple, "Ah," and a turning of his head that did little to hide the slight of red that painted his cheeks.

Well, whatever that had meant those two certainly looked to be doing well. Their relationship seemed so clean cut and simple, unfettered by obstacles or misgivings. She was honestly a little envious.

Then again…Haru and Makoto had gone through their own share of hardship and uncertainty before they had reached this point, hadn't they? It had taken quite a while for them to progress this far. And if Seijuro and I hadn't gotten married it may very well have never happened. She crossed her arms over her chest, eyelids lowering. She didn't want to think about that right now.

They waited briefly for Haru to go change before heading back to the lodges to meet up with the others and head for the bus stop for the boys to depart. "It's not that I'm against Seijuro per say," Gou said slowly as they made their way down the street. "But to stay married? I would just… miss out on so much!" She raised her hands in a gesture like she was desperately holding onto the world. "There's so much more I wanted to experience!"

"Do you mean other guys?"

The statement from Haru was so unexpected Gou almost stopped dead in her tracks. "H-huh?"

Haru pushed his wet hair out of his eyes to look at her properly. "You said there's so much more you wanted to experience." He stared at her as if confused by her confusion. "By that don't you mean other guys?"

Gou's mouth opened and closed a few times. Where was this coming from? She hadn't said a single thing about other guys. "N-no, not at all." There wasn't anyone else she was even remotely interested in. Outside of Seijuro she hadn't thought of anyone else in that sort of context whatsoever.

"Then I don't see why being married would hinder you getting to experience much." Haru shrugged as if were the most obvious thing in the world. "Being married just means you'll get to experience all those things with someone you care about as well, right? Isn't that better?"

Gou blinked slowly. "I…" but that was as far as she got. She didn't know what to say. She had never thought of it like that before.

"Haru…" Makoto meanwhile looked like cannons had shot stars into his eyes, the way he was looking at Haru so breathlessly.

Haru turned back to the road. "That's just my opinion anyway," he mumbled. "You can do as you like." He started forward once more, steps a little too jerky for his normal fluid gait.

"Haru-chan, that was so beautiful!"

"You sound like Rei," Haru accused. And then, as an afterthought, "Drop the chan."

"But Haru-chan!"

"Now you sound like Nagisa."

Gou watched as the two of them went down the road together, Makoto babbling away about how amazing Haru was and Haru turning more and more like the color of salmon.

Gou blew air through her teeth. Idiots. They really were.

And they had been no help at all!

A little while later Gou sat on the outside porch behind the boys' lodge, glaring moodily at the waves moving back and forth along the beach. Makoto and Haru had disappeared inside to pack and, in Haru's case, to take a bath unbelievably. How he could possibly want to be in more water after having spent so much time swimming was beyond her, but it was Haru they were talking about here. If the average human's body was around sixty percent water Haru's was much closer to ninety percent she imagined.

Several yards from her Nagisa was walking along the railing, arms spread out on either side of him and each step a ten second long endeavor. Rei, who had given up on scolding him, hovered nearby, and anytime Nagisa lost his balance and pinwheeled, Rei would let out a high pitched squawk that reminded Gou of some sort of large obnoxious parrot. Apparently the two of them had become quite bored whilst Makoto and Haru had been out. They had been doing this since Gou had come out here to talk to them.

"Either you want to be with him or you don't, Gou-chan." Nagisa pivoted on his heel, making Rei stiffen like a cat that had been brought too close to water.

She ground her teeth. She hated how Nagisa made her whole situation sound so simplistic. "It's Kou," she corrected. "And it isn't that simple."

"How is it not?" He shrugged and almost made himself lose his balance. "Either you want to be with him or you don't. How is that not simple?"

Gou sighed heavily. Nagisa just didn't get it. But he had always been like that. He always saw things so simply. If he wanted something, he went after it. Like the swim club. He had wanted to swim with Makoto and Haru again, and so he had switched schools and started the swim club once he discovered there wasn't one. He had wanted Rei, first as a club member and then as a lover, and he had gone after the other boy with a lack of hesitation and doggedness that was quite admirable.

And maybe it was because of that exact reason that it hadn't taken long for the two of them to become a couple, Gou thought. Such clear direction and fortitude she had to admit she was quite jealous of. If only she had been born like that, like he had.

Or could it be Nagisa had already learned a valuable lesson about letting that which he truly wanted slip through his fingers in order to appease others, letting go of what he truly desired in order to do what was most expected of him. Truth be known Gou didn't know much about his past.

Well, there was time later to discuss those sorts of things. There was a much more paramount subject going on right now.

"It isn't as black and white as that. There are other complications involved."

"Like what?"

"Like the marriage for example."

"The marriage?" Rei chimed in at those words. "But Seijuro and yourself hold no assets together, no shared income or liabilities. You have no wills, and I know for a fact there was no prenuptial agreement. Nor do you have any children together, at least none that we're aware of."

Gou shot him a withering glare.

"With all that taken into consideration your marriage is as uncomplicated as they come."

"It has nothing to do with those sorts of…things." Honestly Gou had understood only about half of what Rei was talking about. Mainly just the children part.

"Then what is it?"

She stretched her hands out over her knees, gaze going back to the ocean. "I…feel a little bit trapped because of the marriage," she admitted softly, both to him and herself. "Trapped in something I didn't necessarily want."

"O-oh." Rei adjusted his glasses. "W-well." He smoothed down invisible wrinkles out of his shirt.

Nagisa moved across the railing to sit down on the portion that was closest to where she sat on the steps. "Gou-chan, you're always looking at that marriage like it's a set of chains or bars to trap you in. Ever since it first happened you have been, but it doesn't have to be like that. It's only you that sees it that way."

Gou scowled. "Fine then." She pointed at the two boys. "How would you feel if you and Rei woke up tomorrow to find out you were now married?"

Nagisa's smile was beaming. "Great!"

"A disaster."

"Rei-chan!"

"Ha!" At least there was one person here who was still sane.

"W-well, it's not like we had planned or wanted to get married," Rei spluttered, like it had actually happened and he had to justify it or something. "It would be quite…alarming, admittedly, to awaken and discover what had occurred without any prior consideration of its actions. It would most definitely be quite a stressing situation considering the significance of such a thing." He paused to scratch the top of his head. "However I don't think I would go so far as to get a divorce if that were to happen. After all in the end I lov—" He blanched. "Care deeply about Nagisa-kun," he corrected himself, although now his ears were so red Gou was concerned they might explode, and he couldn't look either of them in the face anymore, "and so therefore while I hadn't intended to get married I would still try my best to look at it as a blessing in disguise because in the end I would still want to be with Nagisa-kun and that would be preferable than not being with Nagisa-kun and so I…ummm…" His sentence came to a stifling embarrassing end and he fell silent, so red he looked like some sort of Christmas light bulb someone had left on for far too long.

"See, Gou-chan." Nagisa turned grinning back to her, leaving Rei to steam in his own awkwardness.

"That was a hypothetical situation! You can't possibly compare to the two."

"But you were the one who suggested it," said Rei in a weak voice.

Gou pretended not to hear.

"Well, if you still can't look at the marriage in any other way then just tell Sei-chan that. If you tell Sei-chan you just don't want to be married because of that reason, if you explain it properly, I'm sure Sei-chan will understand. If you don't explain your feelings to him then how is he supposed to act?" Nagisa swung his legs like a toddler on a playground. "Sei-chan will just be happy that you're not shutting him out completely. I doubt he'll even be upset. He only wants to please you. If you told him you'd never want to see him again I'm sure he wouldn't be happy about it but he'd still do it just to make you happy. Sei-chan is like that."

"Are you saying I should date Seijuro because of that?" she grumbled.

"No. Date him because you like him. If you like him, date him. Simple as that."

Simple as that. Too simple. "I never said I wanted to be with him," Gou insisted stubbornly.

Nagisa sighed. "Gou-chan," he said tiredly, "do you really think we would be having this conversation if you didn't?"

Gou opened her mouth but froze before any words made their way out. She blinked slowly, staring at the spot past Nagisa's shoulder as slowly the pieces fell into place, creating a whole and…

He was right. She couldn't believe it. Nagisa was right.

She wouldn't be having all these conversations, bothering everyone with her problems, if she didn't. If she didn't want Seijuro then turning him down and letting him disappear out of her life would be easy and…

Simple.

She stared. It would be…Utterly and stupidly simple.

If she truly didn't want him then letting him go, telling him no, would be effortless and so, so easy. It would be so laughably simple.

But it wasn't. And because it wasn't, because she spent so much time and energy worrying about things with him, agonizing over it, as much as she was, as much as she had been, then that meant…that meant…

She shook her head. Instead she tried to imagine what it would be like to have Seijuro disappear from her life. To imagine if she wasn't able to see him every day or hear his loud voice anymore. To not eat his cooking or watch scary movies and play video games with him. To not be able to ogle his muscle or see the way he looked at her when she was all done up, like she was some sort of gorgeous creature that shouldn't exist. To never again see that smile that crossed his face whenever he first saw her and made her feel like she was the entire world. If she wasn't able to feel his warmth whenever she wanted to anymore.

The very idea of cutting Seijuro out of her life completely, of letting him go and not having him there anymore, made her feel like she was hurting so much she would be sick.

What am I supposed to do if you're no longer a part of my life? She swallowed. Her chest ached with such a severity it was like someone had struck their fist clean through her. What am I supposed to do, she thought, if you're not there to offer me a hand to hold anymore?

There was only one thing she could possibly do in such a situation. She began to cry.

"Uwahhhhh!" Nagisa scrambled like a squirrel to maintain his perch. "G-gou-chan!"

"W-what did you do?!" Rei's voice was shrill. "You—you broke her!"

"I-I didn't meant to!" Nagisa fell more than got down from the railing. "What do we do?!"

"I don't know! I-I think we should get get Ama-chan-sensei!"

"Oh god! I broke Gou-chan!"

"I'm not broken, you idiots!"

But it was too late. Nagisa was already dashing towards the door, screaming as he went, "Ama-chan-sensei! Ama-chan-sensei!" She could hear him screaming even as he entered the house.

Rei followed quickly after him. "W-we must—we must—" It appeared that he was stuck on repeat.

What idiots. Gou rolled her eyes. They truly were idiots. All of them.

She wiped at the tears on her face. She laughed a little.

But then again she was the biggest one of them all, wasn't she?

"Now, now." Amakata wiped the cool cloth over Gou's face, wiping away her tears. "There's no reason to get upset and cry. It isn't the end of the world."

This scene was giving Gou a strong sense of déjà vu for some reason. She sniffed. "I wasn't crying because I was upset." Well, maybe a little. "I just…thought of something sad, that's all."

"The marriage?"

Gou twitched a little. Had the boys said something to the teacher or had she guessed it on her own? "Y-yes."

Amakata stepped back, seemingly satisfied with her work, and leaned against the bathroom counter. "Well, no one could blame you for that. I'm sure it was very frightening waking up to such a thing. Any person would feel trapped in that situation. What you're feeling isn't wrong."

"I'm glad someone agrees with me." Gou blew her nose. "The marriage was a mistake."

"Mistake, yes, of course." Amakata tapped a finger against her chin. "By the way, Gou-chan," she said slowly, "have I ever told you about why I moved back to Iwatobi?"

Gou raised an eyebrow. That was an odd change of subject. "No…"

All she knew about the teacher was what everyone else around school already knew. That Amakata had gone to college in Tokyo and found a job there, only to return to Iwatobi when her dream fell through. Whatever that dream had been or why it fell through Gou had no idea. Nor did she know why Amakata refused so vehemently to ever wear a swim suit again.

"Well, I can't say too much since that could get me into trouble," Amakata laughed, "but I can tell you a little bit." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at the light overhead as if asking it where she should start. "I guess you could say I was really lucky. Right out of college I got a job, you see, and such a prestigious one too! It was at a very well established company, and they offered me a lot of money and a lot of perks too. They really wanted me working there." She laughed a laugh that didn't really sound like one. "It was a grand time. I got to live in such luxury. I traveled to so many exotic places, attended so many parties, saw so many ritzy places, and the men! There were so many men! Lots of good looking men! Rich men! And so sophisticated! I thought one day I would marry one of them. One of those sophisticated rich men, and for a while it looked like I would."

Gou paused in blowing her nose again. She had never heard Amakata mention a previous relationship before, much less a serious one. Nor had she ever pegged the teacher for liking the rich, sophisticated type. Goro certainly didn't fit into that mold…

"Needless to say it didn't work out," Amakata continued. "In that sort of business you're in one day and out the next. Before long you become old news and people start looking for the next new thing. The contracts stop coming in, the calls cease. Popularity can be easy to obtain but hard to maintain and when that sort of things happens it isn't long before the company will drop you altogether. That's what happened to me." She sighed. "I tried looking for other work but nothing got through. In that sort of business everyone knows who's who. I didn't have the qualifications for other work either, not in the big city where there's so much other competition." She moved her shoulders. "So in the end I decided to move back to Iwatobi. It was my way of tucking my tail between my legs and fleeing back home when I couldn't make it. I lost my dream and when I did I came back here to lick my wounds."

"S-sorry," said Gou, not sure why she was apologizing but feeling like she should.

"Oh, no, dear, don't apologize." Amakata laughed. A real laugh this time. "I'll admit at the beginning losing my job and my boyfriend, it made me feel like my entire world had come to an end. To tell you the truth when I first moved back to Iwatobi I felt like I had made the biggest mistake of my life." She smiled. A full smile. "But if I hadn't done that I would never have gotten to be the teacher of those boys. I would never have gotten to advise the swim club. I would never have gotten to meet you or Nagisa or Rei. I would never have gotten to meet Goro." She bit her lip, fighting her way too large smile, looking for the entire world like a young school girl with her first crush.

"A-anyway the reason I'm telling you this is because while you may think you've made a mistake that doesn't mean it has to be. It's what you make out of it afterwards that really matters. You might just end up finding that mistake was one of the best things that could have happened to you."

For a long moment Gou was silent, digesting that. "Are you trying to say that," she began hesitantly, "that the…the mistake I made was…can be a good one?"

Still smiling, Amakata pushed herself off the counter. She smoothed the hair back out of Gou's tear-stained face. "Some mistakes you'll find, my dear, they're worth making."

She straightened. "Well!" She clapped her hands. "I'm going to go make sure the boys are ready! We'll be leaving to see them off at the bus stop soon! Come out whenever you're ready, okay!"

And with that she disappeared beyond the door frame, leaving Gou alone in the bathroom with nothing but lights that were too bright and her thoughts for company. For a long moment Gou just sat there, staring at the tile floor and letting Amakata's words rattle around her head and heart.

She moved her hand to blow her nose and as she did so something caught the light. The pearl ring. She had almost forgotten about it. It was still on her right hand. Her right ring finger. She laughed a little, remembering the day she had switched it from her left hand to her right, after Seijuro had been so displeased seeing someone else's ring on her before he understood what it was, and after she had realized her mistake. And boy, what a mistake that had been!

She paused. Or had it been?

She stared at the ring on her hand. Some mistakes, she remembered, they're worth making.

She reached over. The ring glittered as she pulled it off her right hand, only to slide it once more onto the ring finger of her left one.

It was close to early afternoon by the time the boys left. Everyone saw them off, including Yuka, Yuko, and Hana, who had barely managed to make it in time.

"I've taught you everything I can!" For some reason Goro had tied his bandana around his head so he looked like some sort of ninja about to head into battle. "All that's left is for you to go out there and do your best!" He struck a fist in the air.

His enthusiasm was picked up by Nagisa, who mirrored his actions. "Fire!"

The other boys didn't move, standing there like frozen logs, much too preoccupied in staring at the large colorful banner being displayed to them than to acknowledge Goro's words.

"That banner is really embarrassing." Rei's eyes were nearly slits.

Makoto turned his head as a pair of women walked by, pointing at the banner and laughing underneath their breath. He began to sweat.

Haru's eyes widened as he caught sight of something. "That drawing."

"Oh!" Nagisa latched himself onto Haru's shoulder. "It's the one you drew, isn't it, Haru-chan?! Iwatobi-chan!"

"I didn't think it'd be used for this." Haru sounded like someone had desecrated a masterpiece of his.

Gou's hands tightened around the edge of the paper she held. So much for her banner going over well. She had worked hard on it, damnit! Seijuro had liked it when she had shown it to him! Clearly these guys had bad taste. "Anyway!" she said a little too loudly. "The rest of us will be heading up tomorrow morning. Make sure you get plenty of rest at the hotel near the venue!" Don't keep each other up in other words. Maybe I should have gotten each of them their own hotel room. But then...Who am I kidding, that wouldn't have stopped them. With their budget they couldn't afford such a thing anyway.

"Oh, the bus is here!" With a grunt of brakes and exhaust the bus pulled up behind them.

"Guess we'll be off then!" Makoto stooped down to pick up his bag. For a brief instant he met Gou's eyes. He winked at her. "Good luck."

She made a weird noise, looking away. "Y-you're the ones who need it! Try not to stay up too late! And don't eat too much pocky on the way there!"

"That's only Nagisa you have to worry about."

"So mean, Haru-chan!"

She waved as they clambered on and a moment later the bus pulled away, taking the boys off to their destination. Good luck, guys. She wasn't worried though. They had worked so hard to get where they were. They were sure to do great.

With the Iwatobi boys safely on their way to the competition, those remaining turned to head back to the lodges. Allowing Yuko and Yuka to go a few paces ahead, Hana sidled up to Gou. "Sorry I wasn't able to make it earlier," she said. "Those hosting events can sure take up a lot of time. Is everything alright now though?"

"Everything's fine," said Gou, "but I need your help."

"My help?"

"For an operation."

Hana's brow furrowed. "An operation?"

Gou nodded. She fisted her hands. "Operation Get Seijuro Back!"

Seijuro was awoken by bright sunlight shining straight on his face. Glaring in through the window, the setting sun was casting blazing spikes of light to sear through the bus, one of them proceeding to shine right into his retinas. He shifted his position with a groan to save himself from going blind.

Sleeping on buses was so uncomfortable,despite how he had an entire row to himself. Yawning widely, he stretched up to peek over the seat.

Around him the bus was calm and peaceful. All the swimmers were talking softly amongst themselves or looking out windows or fiddling on cell phones or napping like Seijuro had been. Good. He settled back into his seat.

He had claimed the entire back row for himself upon boarding, leaving Nakagawa in charge so he could get some shut eye. He had had hardly slept at all last night.

Thinking of that, he leaned his head back, gaze drifting to the bus roof. Fleeing so early in the morning before Gou had awoken had been awfully cowardly of him. Even he could admit that, but he hadn't wanted to have that conversation. Not right now at least. Not with the competition literally twenty-four hours away. In order to win, he had to stay focused.

Afterwards. Then he would talk to Gou. He'd talk to her and things would come to their inevitable dismal end.

Not that there was ever a beginning in the first place. He really had been deluding himself with Gou. He realized that now. He had been digging for pearls all this time but all he had end up finding were empty barren shells. He had thought something had been there but he had been wrong. Maybe he had tricked himself into believing it because he had wanted it to be there, believed in things that didn't actually exist because he wanted it so much.

Like that conch shell. That conch shell Gou seemed so fond of and kept by her bedside. When you held that shell up to your ear you could hear the ocean. Seijuro had been the one who had told her about that. If you held it up to your ear you could hear the ocean, and if you closed your eyes you could see the ocean too. But no ocean existed in that tiny shell. It was simply something you believed in.

Maybe he had had his eyes shut this entire time too.

Well, they're open now.

Once they got back to Japan he would give Gou the divorce she wanted. They would get a divorce and put everything to an end, and Seijuro would pretend to pretend like nothing had ever happened. Just like she wanted.

A movement drew his attention and he looked. Nakagawa stood next to the seat in front of him and Seijuro shuffled himself into a sitting position to make room for the other boy to sit.

"You'll have to make a decision now."

Seijuro didn't have to ask to know what Nakgawa was referring to. Matsuoka and the relay team, and whether or not he should allow the red head to compete or go against Matsuoka's wishes and remove him. He couldn't delay that inevitable situation anymore than he could the ending of his and Gou's relationship.

"We'll remove him."

Nakagawa nodded in acceptance. "Shall I be the one to tell him?"

Seijuro shook his head. "I'll do it." That was the captain's job, regardless of his feelings regarding matters that had to do with Matsuoka. Both Matsuokas. "Later tonight I'll tell him."

Doing it on the bus would be no good. If Matsuoka took it badly and caused a scene, like Seijuro imagined he would, it could negatively affect the rest of the swim team. Drop a rock in a pool and the ripples would eventually encompass all of it. It would be best to let Matsuoka know about his removal once Seijuro got a chance to talk to him privately.

"Alright." Nakagawa reached into his pocket and withdrew a piece of folded up paper. A list of all the Samezuka swimmers. He handed it to Seijuro. "Who would you like to put in his place?"

Seijuro's eyes went down the list. Who could he put in that would be capable of winning, he pondered. Who would insure a victory? Who was it in Samezuka that sought victory over everything else? Or, more to the point, who was capable of beating Iwatobi? Who, he wondered, could beat Nanase?

Down, down the list of names his gaze went, looking at a name and then discarding it a half second later. He won't do, he won't do. Then he came upon a name and froze. The letters stood out starkly against the white sheet.

This person. This was the only person on the list that fit the description of the person he needed...

But could he do it?

"So," Nakagawa said after a moment had passed without an answer. "Have you decided on someone?"

"Mmm." Seijuro raised his head.

"Who will be taking Matsuoka's place then?"

Seijuro hardened his resolve. Winning, after all, was what was most important.

He crumpled the paper in his hand. "I will."

Okay so I changed a few things from canon but this is an AU, right?! Eh-heh.

This chapter turned out way wordier than I imagined it to be so my apologies. I promise next chapter will have a bit more action to it. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, or followed!

Responses to some things:

Guest - Well, considering how Gou has lost family before and how she sees Rin as both a brother and a father (at least in this fic - I don't think it's ever really been explored in canon how Gou's father's death affected her) it would make sense that she wouldn't want her brother to be disappointed or angry with her even if he hasn't been a very nice person recently. But there's still a few chapters left! Character growth can still happen!

Guest - Gosh you guys need names. I've actually been debating lowering the rating for this fic but I am super, super paranoid about it getting deleted so I tend to leave the rating pretty high just in case. But maybe there will be a smut scene, never know!

Writtenby - This actually drove me nuts in the anime too! I have no idea how Rin managed to place but Haru didn't considering their times were SO close. Maybe it WAS just every winner in each heat that got to move forward? That really doesn't make much sense to me though. I honestly have no idea.