forelsket

(n.) the euphoria you experience when you are first falling in love

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

 A lot has happened. Rin doesn't know where to start. 

Okay maybe he'll start off with the prelims wherein beat Haru in that freestyle event. Thought he'd be ready to move on so that's that. 

Then this blue-haired, spectacled boy named Rei - was it? - came charging at him in his own school, and they were like, outside of the swimming club building. 

(Rin wondered how no one heard them fight.) 

But that's all said and done, and now Rei and him are in good terms right after Rei gave him his spot in the medley relay tournament. 

Which caused a lot of trouble on both sides. Iwatobi High's swim club got disqualified thanks to their impromptu of switching their butterfly swimmer. Rin got scolded by his Captain and the swimming club's advisor and got called to the principal's office for one last reminders. 

That was a crazy thing deal with; especially when you're an emotionally unstable teen, who's going through the phases of depression. 

God what would happen if Rin haven't seen that beautiful sight Haru promised him. 

He'd go whacko by now. 

But. 

All is well. He's all buddy-buddy with his old swimming club folks, and he and Nitori-no, it's actually Ai now. Yeah, he's on the first name basis with his roommate slash kohai. 

Rei, too, that guy. He's actually pretty cool. 

So, now, Rin's currently staring at the top bunk's mattress and overanalyzing things again. He thinks he needs a vacation. Like some sort of getaway trip. 

Just by himself. No one else. 

Maybe go somewhere this weekend? 

Rin sat up from his bed, head to his shared closet with Ai, pulled out the drawer where his wallet is and - there. He saw it. The bracelet Mikoto has given him a few weeks back. 

It's funny how it felt like months wherein Rin's just had a bad week because of a swimming tournament. He almost forgot Mikoto existed. That they've met. That he thought she was a ghost haunting a beach. And that-

And that Mikoto's blue eyes captivated him with the crystal blue color.  

Gosh, why is he remembering her at 3 am in the morning? They only met, like, for a day? What gives? 

It's like that bracelet's a broken CD record that's replaying memories and memories of him and Mikoto just for one damn day. It's like it's saying something. 

And yeah, Rin really did need a vacation. A self-retreat. Alone. 

Or maybe not entirely alone. 

    *~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Rin found himself at their island's harbor at 8 am. Yeah, three hours after realizing that he'd reconsider accepting Jun's offer of coming back. 

He didn't bring Ai though. Just himself, his stuff, and that bracelet looped around his wrist. That's all. 

He hopped on the boat as soon as it docked, and waited for a 10-minute interval before it goes out the ocean again. 

Rin wonders if Mikoto will be at the beach like the last time he saw her. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Turns out, Mikoto wasn't at the beach but her father. Jun. Jun-san, Rin corrected himself. He is 30 years older than him after all. 

Jun-san was playing in a volleyball tournament that the locals of the island had arranged. It kinda looked like a beach party, only thing is, there were a lot of adults, and only a few youngsters could be seen roaming around. Mikoto isn't one of them. 

Rin stayed for a half-hour, just watching Jun-san have a go at it with his playmates. It if wasn't for the volleyball hitting the sand, and have some sprinkled over Rin, Jun-san wouldn't even found at he was here. 

"Rin!" Jun called, running towards the boy. 

Rin dusted himself, shook sand off his bag and went to greet Mighty Jun-san, still managing  to do physical activities at 47. Rin wishes he'd still be swimming in 30 years. 

"Jun-san, nice spike," Rin remarked, clasping Jun's offered hand to stand up. He patted his butt area to brush excess sand. 

"Ya, ya, you should've called out to me! I'm sure my teammates would've managed," Jun proclaimed. "Or not," he muttered to no one in particular but some managed to hear it. 

He received a ball at the head for that. 

"Ow! Oi! I have a visitor here! Show some decorum!" He yelled at the man who threw it. "Anyway," he faced Rin again. "Would you like to drop your bags over? There are some hotdogs and lemonades here. Though you can roam around later if you'd like." 

Rin smiled at the thought of that. "I'd love to, thanks."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

"Where's Mikoto?" 

"Mikoto? She's over at a friend's house. Getting help for an audition." 

"Audition?" 

Rin stopped on his tracks as Jun almost tripped over a log. "Yeah. For a music school in Tokyo," the man mentioned. Rin pondered for a while, thinking how big of a leap that is for an isolated-island native such as Mikoto.   

"I know what you're thinking," Jun easily read Rin's facial expression. "Tokyo's too big for my daughter, I know." 

Rin continued on following Jun to his house, noticing their widened gap. 

"But... it's been a while since she's out there you know? There are far more wonderful--beautiful things out there for her to see! There's a reason why the world is made big. I want her to find her own reason on why it is.  I don't want to coop her up here." 

"Jun-san..." Rin has found a new-level of respect towards an elder. Normally country dad's wouldn't want their daughter out there, alone and vulnerable. But this guy here...

"Though I won't force her if she doesn't want to," Jun added, smiling to himself. "But knowing Mikoto, I'm sure she will be fine. She's a strong girl." 

Rin lowered his head to stare at Jun's footsteps that was leading him to his home. I think I know who she takes after. he thought to himself.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Unlike the last time, Rin didn't enter the Kishimoto house via vintage shop. He was shown the actual front door. 

The house was your typical traditional Japanese house, unlike the one Rin grew up in until grade school, and especially the one back in Australia. Those were Western-influenced house. But this one was purely Japanese. This was his first time seeing the whole exterior.

"Come on in," Jun removed his shoes at the entrance hall and proceeded towards the kitchen to prepare tea.

"Sorry for the intrusion," Rin paid his respects, slipping off his sneakers. 

Jun requested Rin to wait for him in the dining room as the latter did so. He took his time to scan the room. It was a nice home. 

"Is it just you and Mikoto, Jun-san?" he asked to start a conversation. He then realized what he asked and was about to make amends when Jun answered him casually.

"Oh, uh, yeah. It's just us. Mikoto's mom's working overseas so." 

"I see..." Rin uttered, relieved. A thought then crossed his mind. "Can I ask something?"

Jun chuckled from the kitchen. "You've already asked two question, son." 

Rin flinched, rubbing his neck, embarrassed. "Right, so you mentioned about Mikoto... not being 'out' there for a while. What does that mean?" he queried curiously. 

Jun hummed for a while, placing the cups on the tray. "I don't know if I should tell you but," he gave Rin his tea first and joined him on the table. 

He gave the boy a soft smile. "She hasn't made that many friends so," he clicked his tongue and sipped on his tea. Rin raised an eyebrow at his motions.

"Let's just say... Mikoto wasn't always the talkative child," he expressed. "And when she adapted that way of talking, people found out and you know...

"She ended up getting home schooled for high school." 

The explanation was vague but it was an enough sign for Rin to see a barrier between them. He apologized for prying but the man assured it was alright. 

"I'm relieved you're actually a thoughtful person. I hope you and Mikoto can grow closer. Well, even though you two only met once." 

Rin snickered at that, and then he heard footsteps at the front door. Jun's head glanced to the dining room doorway. "Make that two." 

A small white board was suddenly held up and the words: "I'm home," written with black ink. Mikoto then appeared with a bright smile on her face. 

"Welcome home, Mikoto," Jun welcomed her back. He then gestured to Rin. "Rin's here by the way, say hi." 

"Hm?" Mikoto blinked, not noticing Rin's presence at first. And when she saw his figure right beside her father, a shriek escaped her lips before she could stop herself. "Rin!" In an instant, she covered her mouth.

Rin cackled. "You talk to your dad through a white board yet you have no trouble blurting out my name," he teased. 

Mikoto pouted and scribbled something on her board. "It was an accident!" she protested. 

"Sure," Rin wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. Mikoto continued to glare at him. 

"Now, now," Jun calmed them down. "Mikoto, how about you show Rin around? I think he hadn't had the chance to tour around last time since you guys basically chatted in here." 

"What?!"

"Great idea. I'd love to have some lemonade." 

"You just drank tea!" 

"Eek!" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

Since Mikoto was left to entertain Rin for the rest of the day, Jun returned to his volleyball game and gave Mikoto some cash in case they got hungry and they can go buy at the hotdog stand or something. 

Rin's actually hungry, so he and Mikoto made a detour to the hotdog stand before the girl lured her away from the crowd. 

The island had a lot of mountains; and Rin found himself ogling at the peaks, almost dropping his hotdog. He stained his shirt with the ketchup dripping though. He was cursing the whole time he and Mikoto wandered at the foot of the nearest mountain. 

"Hey, Mikoto. Where're we going?" he called out. 

Mikoto didn't answer him and trekked away. 

They ended up in a large cave, big enough for it to be lit inside by the sun. Mikoto sat on one of the boulders while Rin was still struggling to enter the godforsaken cave. 

"How did you even--nevermind, I'll stay here," Rin was stuck near the entrance, not able to climb the rock wall. 

Mikoto started to write down on her white board again. "Do you know the legend of this cave?"

"No," Rin replied, finishing his snack. 

"Well, it started off..." 

"Wait, seriously? You're going to tell a story with that?" Rin stopped Mikoto from writing half-way; when he realized that's a long ass story you got there. 

Mikoto pouted once more. "Why not?" 

Rin sighed. "Don't hassle yourself. You don't need to tell me the story," he waved off. 

"But it's tradition to know about the story!" 

"I don't live here, okay? Let's drop it." 

Mikoto was frowning now, and Rin knew he just ruined her morning. He exhaled through his nose, rubbed his neck and - okay fine. "What's the story about?" he finally gave in. 

The look on Mikoto's face as it gradually brightened up was worth the trouble of having a really long ass story be narrated through a white board. Add the fact that you have to wait for her to finish writing before finding out what happens next. 

They spent a whole hour with storytelling. 

Rin's stomach growled when she finished. 

Guess a hotdog wasn't enough. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The two went back to the Kishimoto house and Mikoto ended up preparing lunch for the both of them.  It was a simple meal but for the hungry shark Rin, it was more than enough. He was starving! (Next time, he'll have to eat breakfast before disappearing off to some faraway island.) 

There was no signal at the area so Rin didn't have to worry about weekly phone calls from his mom or Gou, or even the worrywart Ai. 

When they were done eating, Mikoto insisted that she washes the dishes alone. Rin didn't know why but that girl was adamant on not letting Rin do work. She told him to wait at the living room while she cleans up the kitchen. 

Rin was watching some old Japanese movie when Mikoto emerged from the kitchen, joining him on the kotatsu. "Hello!" 

"Oh, you're done already?" 

"The kitchen is spotless!" 

"I see." There was an awkward silence between the two of them before Mikoto spoke--wrote again. 

"What brings you here?" 

With that question, collection of events flooded back to Rin's head. He scratched the back of his head; don't know where to start. "Well, a lot happened and I guess... I just needed the time off?

"I only plan to spend the weekend. I have school on Monday." 

"I see." 

"By the way, your dad told me you're going to audition at a music school in Tokyo? Is it for college?" 

"Yes! I want to become a professional opera singer! It's been my dream since I was a kid." 

"Ooh, that's a nice dream you have. I-" Words caught in his throat, Rin reevaluated his answer about dreams. 

It was always his dad's dream that he talked about. He completely forgot to dream about his own. 

Mikoto acknowledged his pause and quickly scribbled down. "What's your dream?" 

Ah, like hell I know. Rin wanted to say. 

He shook his head and rubbed his neck. "Well, I wanted to be an olympic swimmer," he confessed. "...though that was my dad's dream. I guess I wanted to make it come true since he wasn't able to..." 

What Mikoto wrote on the board made Rin's chest charge with overwhelming emotions. He got a bit teary-eyed. 

"It's nice to share your dad's dream." 

Rin sniffed a big snot and wiped his eyes. "Yeah, I guess it is. I--oh." 

"I hope your dreams come true, Rin." 

Rin gaped at the message given to him by Mikoto. He stared it for a while, understanding the characters in black ink. "I..." for a second his mouth hung agape before he recomposed himself and pursed his lips as it formed a small smile. "I... I hope yours come true too, Mikoto." 

And for the rest of the afternoon, the two chatted about dreams, memories, and they even got to know each other more. 

Rin told her about his grade school swimming team. How much he had fun swimming with his teammates, how much it was fun swimming in a relay with them. How... how happy his childhood was. How the Iwatobi Swimming Club was the best thing that ever happened to him. 

Mikoto enjoyed listening to him. The whole time they talked, their eyes were glued together, they gazed into each other's eyes. 

Mikoto loved the ruby color his eyes had, and Rin felt the same why with her cobalt blue pair. 

Rin's cheeks were hurting since his smile didn't falter the whole time. Same with Mikoto. 

She just looked so gentle; so pure and warm. 

Rin was so glad he came. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*   

"Papa wanted to train me to get used to the city. So in my third year of high school, he's going to let me stay at a relative's house in Iwami. I have to take the train though." 

Rin was feeling exhausted for Mikoto. Writing and erasing nonstop just to talk must be tiring. 

His eyes were half-open and he was too distracted to respond to Mikoto. The girl thought he was sleep so she offered to unfold a futon for him to sleep on. 

Thump. 

Mikoto tapped Rin's forehead with her marker. 

"Huh? Sorry, what?" Mikoto showed him the board again. He muttered a sorry and reread Mikoto's memo. "Oh Iwami?!"

"It's where Rin lives right?" 

"Before. I'm in a dorm right now. My school's in a different station though," Rin swore he saw Mikoto's shoulders deflate. Is she disappointed? 

"That's a shame. Here I thought we'd be living in the same town together." 

"Well, I can always take the train for us to meet up." 

With that, Mikoto brightened up, and Rin grinned. 

"I look forward to next year, Rin!" 

"Me too." 

And they stared at each other for a good solid minute. Rin leaning his cheek on his palm while Mikoto's head in between her folded arms on the table.

Until Jun-san barged the front door, causing for both of them to scream in shock. 

"Oh! There you guys are," Jun padded inside the living room. He noted how the two's head were pulled far away from each other. "...What?" 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Eh? You're staying at the inn?" 

"Y-Yeah. Luckily they had open rooms when I called earlier. I kinda left impulsively..." Rin admitted sheepishly. 

Mikoto and Jun walked him to the front door, bringing the bags with him. It was getting dark so Rin figured it was time to set off.

"Then you should've said so earlier! We could've pass by when you arrived." 

"I forgot about it..." 

Jun snapped after efforts of controlling his ticking nerve. "This is what happens when kids don't think while they act!" he roared. Rin observed that no matter how hushed Mikoto is, this house wouldn't be as quiet as the early morning if Jun barked like there's no tomorrow. 

"I'm sorry," Rin apologized. 

"Anyway, are you sure you don't want to join us for dinner?" Jun offered one last time but Rin declined politely. 

"It's okay. Mikoto already cooked lunch for me." 

"But..." Mikoto seemed crestfallen again. This was the third time today. Rin didn't know what to do now. 

"I'll drop by again tomorrow, okay?" Rin promised, hoping it would make Mikoto feel better. 

She just nodded and was about to go inside when Rin grabbed her wrist. She glanced down at his hand, and recognized the bangle around Rin's wrist. It was the bracelet she gave him. 

Rin saw where her eyes where and blushed.

"Oh! You're still wearing that Rin!" Jun pointed out, worsening Rin's beet red cheeks. 

"W-Well you did say to come back," Rin stuttered out. Mikoto was still gaping at it. "So, then. I'll come back tomorrow, okay?" 

Rin raised his wrist to file an oath to her. That he'll return. Success was written on his face when he saw that quirk on Mikoto's lips. 

He got her to smile again. 

"Rin," Jun and Rin's eyes widened as they heard her voice. Mikoto lifted her head to show that beautiful smile at Rin. "Sweet dreams." 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* 

That night, he dreamed of the beach, and girl in a white dress singing to him. 

Rin did have sweet dreams.