12-year old Haruka was lying in bed trying to sleep, but somehow sleep didn't want to come. He was changing his sleeping positions for what felt like the 999th time, but to no avail. Sighing, he stood up and changed into a comfortable light blue hoodie and jogging pants. Taking a walk outside might help him grow more tired, he thought, and sneaked out of the house, trying not to wake up his mother. He couldn't take a bath at this time of the night anyway or she definitely would get angry at him.
Feeling a fresh night breeze on his skin, he walked down the stairs next to his house and threw a glance at Makoto's house but the lights were turned off and it was quiet inside. He didn't want to wake him up, so he started his nightly walk on his own.
Walking past the ocean a few minutes later, he heard the steady sound of the waves splashing on the beach every few seconds. The ocean was dark and wide like the depths of an abyss and one could hardly make out the line separating the ocean and the sky in the distance, both blurring into each other like one single entity. He didn't even recognize that he was walking the path towards his elementary school, until he saw the outlines of the big cherry tree in the play ground coming into sight. Upon seeing the sakura petals floating in the night air, blown off by a cool breeze, he remembered a certain red haired boy surrounded by petals, beaming his bright smile at him.
"I'm going to Australia! You know, I'm becoming an Olympic swimmer when I grow up!"
His heart tightened as he remembered those words and he hated this feeling. Tomorrow was the day Rin's flight to Australia would depart and for some reason he couldn't get the image of the red haired boy smiling at him under a tree of blooming cherry blossoms out of his head. Was this the reason he couldn't sleep? It was stupid. What did this have to do with him? Nothing. He should stop thinking about people who would soon leave his sight anyway. As suddenly as the other boy had entered his life, he would now be leaving it. He had just walked into his mind, made him swim with an amazing team in a way he never thought was possible, thus waking unknown sensations within him he didn't even know he possessed to begin with and then he left again. That was it. There was no reason for him to waste another second thinking about it.
Visiting his elementary school might not have been a good idea after all. Shaking off his thought, he turned around again, wanting to go home when-
“Haru?”
Suddenly said red haired boy stood right in front of him. He was wearing the exact same green vest and white pullover he wore when Haruka last saw him. With a perplexed expression he looked at Haruka as if he'd just seen a ghost.
“What' re you doing here this late?”, he asked confused.
“...same goes for you.”, Haruka replied in an annoyed tone.
Rin grinned. “I couldn't sleep. I guess I'm a bit nervous because of tomorrow after all.”
And how nervous he was! A bit was an utmost understatement. But of course he didn't want Haru to know how scared and agitated he actually was.
“And why're you here?”
“...I guess I'm the same.”
“So we both ended up sneaking out and coming here? That's funny. It's like destiny!” the other one said jokingly. There he was, saying weird things again. Haruka rolled his eyes.
“Oh well, but I kinda think it's true.” All of a sudden Rin sat down under the cherry blossom tree, next to the brick stones that still had their sentence 'I swim free for the team' on them. Since he didn't want to stand around like this, Haruka also sat down, next to the redhead.
“Being able to swim together as a team like this. It really felt awesome. Even more so than I imagined. And we even won! I think Dad would be real proud of us, too.” Rin was gazing up into the night sky, his eyes unfocused. His expression was nostalgic, but he was still smiling. Haruka was watching him from the side and, remembering their relay, the strong emotions he had felt at that time flooded through him once again. Everyone's feelings connecting to him. He had felt something intense like that for the first time. It really had been incredible.
“But you know, I actually knew it from the very beginning! That we could do it. If you and me swim together I think we can make everything come true. That's why I transferred to Iwatobi. And I'm really glad I did that! And I'm also glad I met you, Haru, and that you accepted me. Thank you!”
Rin's honest words hit him directly. And there he was again, smiling at him with that bright smile of his, not leaving Haru any chance of an escape.
“It's nothing.” Haru quickly turned his gaze away from the other, his face suddenly feeling hot.
A moment of silence spread between them. The only noise to be heard was the branches of the cherry tree swaying in the wind.
“Let's make a promise!” The redhead's voice suddenly broke the silence.
A promise? Haruka only looked at Rin questioningly.
“Like a promise for the future! Wouldn't that be romantic? “
That line again.
“A promise that we we will swim together again in the future. No matter what happens. Even if you and me will change; even if the both of us will change until then, let's promise we will swim together again no matter what happens. So that we will see that sight once again. You and me and the best team.”
Rin was staring at him with determination in his eyes. At this moment Haruka could feel it again. Rin's strong feelings and his will to make it happen once again. And he felt the same. He wanted to feel it once more. The strong sensation of being connected to the others' hearts.
Haruka nodded and a small smile formed on his lips. Right then a gust of wind blew the cherry blossoms up, making them dance in the air around the two boys.
Haruka smiling, his pale face surrounded by floating cherry blossoms. Rin couldn't help but blush at the sight. His heart began to flutter. He had felt like this from time to time starting from that day when he wanted to convey his feelings to Haru in order to build the best team and ended up being kissed by him. Suddenly he remembered the feeling of Haru's lips on his own. Without even thinking about it for a second time he leaned in on Haru.
Haru gave him a questioning look as Rin suddenly came closer. When his mouth met his own, Haruka's eyes widened in surprise. What was he doing? On the brink of his mind, a memory of Rin from several weeks ago wanting to kiss him flashed past him. Before he could think of any meaning behind this though, Rin's lips began to move against him. Suddenly a hot feeling spread inside of Haruka. It felt weird, but not in a bad way. Something in his mind told him to push the other boy away, but somehow he couldn't. Yet again he was being dragged into something by Rin but for some reason he just couldn't resist the other boy and ended up accepting him; even going along with his ideas.
As Haruka suddenly replied to his kiss, Rin's ambition was spurred. It felt so good. Haru's warm, slightly damp lips against his own made his body feel extremely hot and he loved that feeling. Drawing back now wasn't an option. He didn't want to lose that feeling just yet. If possible he wanted to drown into Haru's presence deeper and deeper.
Suddenly the black haired boy felt Rin's tongue on his lips.
“!?” Not knowing what to respond to this, Haruka halted.
“Rin!”
Now the other boy was pulling away from him finally. His gaze was slightly misty-eyed and his breath unsteady. When he returned to his senses, his face was growing a deep shade of red as if it wanted to compete with the color of his hair.
“Waahh!! Sorry, Haru!! I didn't want to- I mean- err...I don't know!! I saw someone doing that on TV and err... I think I watch too much TV... but it's mom's fault; I swear!”, he was babbling stuff that didn't make sense for Haruka while making wild gesticulations with his hands.
But it didn't matter. Haruka felt weird and his heart wouldn't stop pounding heavily against his rib cage and it was all Rin's fault! It was really annoying. He quickly stood up; his face feeling as hot as Rin's probably did, too.
The other boy stood up as well and after a few seconds of awkward silence between them he began talking again; this time in a bit more composed way. Upon seeing that Haruka was just as embarrassed as himself, he seemed to have regained some of his courage.
“Well, I guess that was our farewell kiss then! Now our promise is sealed!” He grinned at him once more.
Haruka turned his face away from Rin in embarrassment after hearing these words.
So stupid. Who did he think he was? Suddenly entering his life, turning it upside down and then leaving again after saying these stupid things? Nobody knew what the future would hold for them and he didn't even want to know. But one thing he was sure of: whatever weird romantic stuff Rin was talking about, he had better make his promise come true in the end...
One of the floating cherry blossoms landed on the wall of brick stones they used to write down the things that were important for them. Somewhere far above their heads an eagle let out a cry and spread his wings; setting off towards an unknown future.
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So I really wrote a second chapter. /D
I actually already finished it on the day I uploaded the first chapter. xD But since I'm a bit busy lately I only had time to upload it now.
My Free! flash is so strong lately...I'm already writing on another Free! fanfiction. QvQ
I hope you like this chapter and enjoy reading it.^^
