Chapter 13

"Why didn't you tell me?" I ran into the dining room with tears in my eyes that were threatening to spill over.

"Kei what're you-"

"Uncle Daiki! He's sick and you didn't tell me."

"You have to calm down-"

"No! Why didn't you tell me? I want to see him!" My dad got up from his seat to kneel down in front of me. The tears in my eyes began to roll down my cheeks like a waterfall, but I didn't care. At that moment all I wanted was answers.

"You have to calm down."

"Is that why he left? Because he's sick?"

"He'll get better soon-"

"He has cancer, dad! You lied to me about why he left. He lied to me. You all lied to me!" I screamed as I felt my knees give way. I landed on the floor and continued to sob in front of my parents. "I love my Uncle! I don't want him to die." I felt my father wrap his arms around me as he pulled me into his chest.

"Neither do I, Kei. Neither do I." He whispered as the idea of his brother passing away in just a few months terrified him to no end.

"Kei!" I turned around to see Miss Amakata running towards me once again. When she reached me my eyebrow raised slightly as she began to take deep and staggered breaths to catch her breath.

"Maybe you should stop running, Miss Amakata." I suggested.

"I'm fine. I did want to ask you if you got a chance to talk to Haruka yet?"

"No I haven't, why?"

"Everyone is worried about him."

"Why?"

"His swimming is a little different for some reason. Rei noticed. He said that it isn't how he usually swims. Maybe you should come to today's practice to see."

"Kei! What're you doing here? You haven't been here in a while." Makoto greeted me as I stood by the side of the pool.

"I was told that something's bothering Haru." I said.

"That's what we're all thinking. Did something happen between you two?"

"Nope." I continued to watch my other half swim in the pool in front of me. I noticed what Rei noticed. It wasn't so much as his form that was different, but it was his passion. Whenever Haru swam you could feel the passion radiate off of him, but this time it didn't. It almost looked mechanical.

"What do you think is wrong?" Makoto asked me.

"I don't know, Makoto. I really don't know." I answered.

I sat in Haru's family room as usual while he was in the kitchen making himself mackerel. I didn't know how to ease into the conversation with Haru, so I decided to just go for it.

"Haru."

"Hm?"

"Is something wrong?" He was silent for a few seconds before he answered me,

"No."

"Haru."

"Hm?"

"Come sit here for a second." I waited for him to walk towards me and sit down at the table. He sat across from me and stared at me with a bored expression. "Miss Amakata came to me the other day asking me if we could talk about what you're planning on doing after graduation." Haru stayed silent as he looked at me. "You know that I would never push you to do anything you wouldn't want to do, but even I'm a little worried about your future."

"Why?"

"Because graduation is coming and you should know what you want to do next year."

"Free."

"Haru."

"That's what I want, free."

"That's great, but free won't pay for your bills in the future, Haru." It was almost like a staring contest between the two of us. Haru didn't say anything as he stared at me and I didn't know what to say. "You have options, Haru. At least have a think about it."

"Why?"

"Because it's important. You have to know where you're going to be next year and what you're going to do."

"Why?"

"Why? Because we need to know what's going to happen next year."

"Huh?"

"I need to know-"And that's when it hit me. As I stared at Haru I knew what my mom was talking about in that very moment. Love. It finally made sense. "Never mind."

"Kei." I didn't realize that I wasn't looking at Haru until he called my name. I looked up to him and saw him look at me with soft features.

"Yes?"

"Do you think about what's going to happen to us, too?"

"Huh?"

"You said that I make you happy and that I'm special to you, right?"

"Yes."

"But what about Yamazaki?"

"Sosuke?"

"You go to see him all the time, right? Is he special to you too?" My brain began to slowly put the pieces together. It took me a while to realize what Haru was asking me, but when I did I got up from my spot and walked over to him. He turned his body, so I could sit in front of him. I took his hands in mine as the softest smile came to my lips.

"It isn't just your future that's been bothering you the past couple of days?" Haru didn't answer me. He just stared at me as I continued to talk. "Yes, Haru, Sosuke is special to me, but so is Makoto, Nagisa, Rei and Gou. Even Rin is special to me too. You're all a part of me, but you Haru, mean so much to me. I don't think I could put it in words."

"But Yamazaki makes you happy, right?"

"Yes, Haru, he does, but he's one of my closest friends. He has always been one of my closest friends, so of course he makes me happy, but not like you. No one can compare to you, Haru." I knew that that was enough talking for now. I noticed Haru's eyes soften even more as the smallest smile spread across his lips as he realized that he was the only man in my life. I leaned forward and gently pressed my lips against his, but that was the time when Haru pressed his harder against mine – turning a sweet kiss into a passionate one. As I pulled away I smiled at him, "I'm too busy being yours to fall for somebody new."

Aww! Isn't that cute? Leave me a review! :D

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