𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟖- 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄
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The team clap their hands, and bow their heads as they stand infront of a Shinto shrine to pray for good fortunes. District was tomorrow, so (Y/N), being the overly superstitious person she was, dragged her friends along with her.

After they were done, both Haru and (Y/N) went along to fish two Omikuji fortunes from a small box laid infront of the temple. The rest of their team sat near the steps, conversing with one another.

She looks down and carefully unfolds the paper, and frowns. She reads the words, and looks away. Haru eyes her uneasy expression, and looks down at his own fortune.

'Half luck'

"What do you think it means Haru?" Gōu asks from beside him, and the rest of their group all gather around to see what he had received from the temple.

"I thought luck was good or bad?" Makoto hums, and turns his head to look at (Y/N). "What did you get?" He asks with a small smile, and peeks over her shoulder.

He stares at the words, and frowns.

"Love?" The rest of their friends are immediately at their side, and (Y/N) sighs in annoyance. She shoves the paper into Makoto's hands, and turns around. "Fortunes aren't always accurate, guys." She pouts.

Gōu immediately shakes her head, as well as Nagisa. "Come on! At least try and act like you're interested!" Nagisa nods, his blond hair bouncing.

"Yeah! I mean who knows? Maybe you'll meet someone tomorrow at district!" The words make (Y/N) frown even more. She had never thought about her love life, let alone when she'd find her right person.

If it was going to happen, it would happen. If not, then she'd just have to live with it and move on.

She shakes her head, and looks up at the sky. A small orange and black butterfly flutters along and lands on her nose. She squints, and looks away when Haru gently blows on her nose, and they both watch as the small insect flies away, its wings carrying it further and further.

(Y/N) smiles gently, and crosses her fingers as she looks down at her fortune once more.

'Love..I'll think about it.'

_____

Finally, the day of the tournament had arrived. (Y/N) was quick to scramble out her bed, before getting dressed and making her way downstairs. Her mother watches nervously as her daughter runs around the house, quietly muttering to herself as she gets ready.

'Strange..' she thinks, and sighs when (Y/N) comes over to place a small kiss on her cheek. "Good luck my love" she calls, and waves goodbye as her daughter runs out the door, dust following her.

(M/N) relaxes back into her seat, and reaches down to take a bite of her egg on toast. Her eyes shoot open when she sees an empty plate, and she knocks her chair back when she stands.

"(Y/N)!" She yells, the house practically shaking. "You little thief!"

_____

"Alright guys, here's the roster for the day." Gōu and (Y/N) stand side by side atop the bleachers overlooking a rather large swimming pool.

The team had all gathered together, buzzing with nerves as the chlorine hits their noses and the sound of swimmers diving in for training fills their ears.

(Y/N) points to the paper, her face stern. "They're kicking it off with the freestyle events in the morning." She looks up and stares at Haru. "Haru, you're scheduled for the fourth heat." Her friend nods, and they all look down when Nagisa points to the names.

"Woah, look at that! Haru's lane is right next to Rin's!" (Y/N) bites the inside of her cheek when she reads the name. Haru would be in lane five while Rin remained in lane four.

'Fantastic.' She sighs, and shakes her head. "The eight fastest swimmers will advance to the finals." She looks up and eyes each of her friends. "Advance to finals, you're well on your way to regionals." That only heightens their nerves, as Rei begins to sweat at the pressure.

A small laugh draws their attention upwards, and they see Miss Amakata sitting in one of the bleachers, sporting her usual umbrella.

"You'll be fine. You've got nothing to be worried about, just swim like it's any other day!" She gives them a small wink, before looking forward and raising her hand into the air.

"Remember, perseverance is key! Makes me think of something Napoleon said. 'Just five minutes can make a victory or a defeat!"

(Y/N) stares at her teacher, and blinks slowly. "The race will be over long over before five minutes, ma'am."

"..oh."

The group all lighten up as they listen, and smile as their confidence slowly begins to rise. Makoto looks to his team, and glances to Haru who was sitting by his side. "Alright guys, today's our big chance to go out there and give it everything we've got." His smile is almost contagious as (Y/N) listens.

"So whatever happens, go out there and remember to have fun." Rei and Nagisa follow his lead, and the trio raise their fists into the air with loud yells of encouragement.

Before long several teams had already began heading down to the platforms to stretch and practice. (Y/N) leans down and eyes each of the teams, each more impressive than the last.

She listens as Gōu began to explain several different swimmers, as well their nicknames. This made her slightly nervous with how calculated her friend was at collecting information on random swimmers, as well as their..muscles?

Yeah, best not to question it.

A shout catches her attention, and (Y/N) looks down to see none other than the Samazeka team captain, Seijuro. He was waving his hand in the air, a bright grin on his face as he called out to Gōu.

'He's whipped.' She thinks, and can't help but smile as she watches him continue to shout for his friend's attention.

She places her chin on her palm and scans the area, slightly hoping to catch the sight of a messy matron haired boy, but to no avail, she couldn't spot him.

"I wonder where Rin is.." Makoto's voice makes her look up, and (Y/N) purses her lips when she catches his eyes. For whatever reason she couldn't understand, his expression was almost sad, like a child being refused ice cream.

She squints her eyes at him, and all he can do is smile. "It's late enough, he might have headed over to the assembly area.." his voice fades out when (Y/N) feels someone grab her arm. Looking up, she sees Haru holding her hand, and begins to drag her away from the rest of their team.

She allows it, and looks back to throw Makoto a small wave, signaling that she'd be right back.

Makoto watches her leave, and furrows his brows. "Haru.." he looks at the grip his friend had on (Y/N)'s arm, and curls his hand into a small fist before settling it over the railing beside him.

_____

"Haru?" (Y/N) calls to her friend for the hundredth time, and gently tries to free her arm from his grasp.

She tugs and tugs, but his grip only tightens. She sighs loudly, and throws her head back in exasperation. Looking up, she traces the small lines on the ceilings, and huffs.

"You're gonna miss your race, dude.." she mumbles, and grunts when he finally stops, and she smacks into his back. "Damn it, Haru.." she curses before rubbing her nose.

She hears someone scoff, and opens her eyes to see Rin. The two lock eyes, and she could have sworn she saw something else, something that replaced the shine in his eyes.

"I'm here, just like I promised." Haru speaks up, and slowly lets go of her arm to face his 'rival'. Rin grins, and brushes a few pieces of hair from his eyes.

"Course you made it here, hope you appreciate that I matched the qualifying times so we could be in the same heat." His voice was different, snarky with a small lace of mockery. (Y/N) curls her mouth to the side, a bit on edge at whoever this was.

"That really wasn't necessary, we would've met later on in the finals."

"I'm not a very patent guy." Rin scoffs at Haru, and fiddles with his goggles so they rest on the top of his head. "And you can't take for granted that we'll both be in the finals." He reaches back and pulls the elastic, before letting it go and smack the back of his head softly.

"But if you don't make it that far." His tone makes Haru glare at him even harder, and he grins, seeing that he was getting under his skin.

"Everyone else is background noise. This is strictly between you and me." He passes Haru, and his gaze quickly flickers to the girl beside him before he passes. "And I will relish destroying you."

He begins to walk away, and flinches when something hits the back of his head. Looking back, Rin sees (Y/N) with her hand outstretched, and a pair of goggles lying by his feet.

"What the hell is your problem?!" She seethes through gritted teeth. Both Rin and Haru stare at her, wide eyed. "Ever since you came back, all it's been is 'beating Haru', 'beating Haru'." She mocks him, making her voice deeper for effect.

Rin glares at her, and fully turns around. "Yeah? At least I actually have ambition, what about you? Always following him around like some lost puppy!" He yells, his words ricocheting off the tiled floors and hit (Y/N) squarely in her chest.

Seeing that he had hit a nerve, Rin carries on. "At least I'm not a wash up. At least I'm not falling behind." The words hit her even harder, and (Y/N) stares at him in disbelief. Her eyes begin to sting with unshed tears, but she sniffs and continues to hold his gaze.

Haru watches them, his hand trembling. He reaches out for his friend's hand, his fingers gently graze her palm before she yanks her arm away. Both boy's eyes widen when they see a small tear escape down her cheek, falling to rest beneath her chin.

Curling her lips up, (Y/N) bares her teeth, a broken sound clawing its way up her throat. "I hate you." She forces out, and Rin steps back, his heart sinking.

This is the girl he'd look to for validation. The person he shared small smiles with. The girl he know doubt held so close to his heart for so many years, had just told him that she hated him.

A heavy silence blankets the room as the three remain frozen, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air. Rin watches as more tears flow down her cheeks, and he looks away. Turning around, he begins to make his way out the locker room.

"Like I give a shit." He mumbles, and stuffs his hands into his pockets before leaving both Haru and (Y/N) alone. One with determination so strong it could challenge a tempest, and other with a heart so broken the loneliest of souls would turn their heads away in shame.

_____

By the time (Y/N) had made it back to the bleachers, her cheeks were puffy, her eyes red and tear streaks staining her skin.

Makoto had rushed to her, his whole face covered with worry. He waited for her to explain what had happened, but she kept quiet, and faced forward with a blank and tired face.

He didn't push her, and resorted to wrapping his arms around her middle, and allowing her to rest against his chest. Rubbing his hands up and down her arms, he allowed her to feel her emotions, and would wait as long as he needed to for when she was ready to talk.

'At least I'm not falling behind!'

That one sentence rings through her head, but (Y/N) quickly rubs her nose, and looks down to see Haru enter with his lineup, ready to swim.

"Who will you be cheering for Miss Matsuoka?" Miss Amakata asks, and Gōu cups her hands together in a silent prayer.

"For Haru! And for Rin." She says nervously, and the team all look down, eyes set in focus as the swimmers begin to stand near their blocks.

"You got this Haru!" Nagisa yells, and Makoto gently tightens his hold on (Y/N) when he sees his friend and Rin step onto their diving boards.

The whistle blows, and the swimmers all bend down, before bending their knees. A moment or two passes, and (Y/N) jumps in surprise when the beep sounds off, and they dive in, almost perfectly.

By the time they're at the half way mark, Rin had gained a rather decent lead on Haru, and the Iwatobi team all watch with nervousness.

"This isn't good, Rin's gotten a whole lot faster!" Nagisa exclaims, his knuckles turning white by how hard he was gripping the railing. "I don't know how but he's pulling ahead of Haru!"

"It's the first leg and Haru's already behind." Makoto calls from his side, leaning over slightly so he could get a better view. (Y/N) brings her first to her mouth and bites down, dread filling her stomach from what the outcome might be.

She gasps when she sees Rin already make the turn, and pushes past Haru, who was just as surprised. By the time he made the turn, Rin had gained about a two second lead, and the two push for that last stretch.

"Come on Haru, come on.." (Y/N) mumbles into her fist, and reaches down to grip Makoto's hand that rested on her stomach. The rest of the team yell for their teammate, and by the time the two placed their hands against the wall, she knew who had won.

Looking up at the scoreboard, (Y/N) feels her knees wobble when she sees the score.

1st- RIN MATSUOKA
2nd- HARUKA NANASE

She feels the last bit of air leave her, and grits her teeth when the rest of the team all sink in defeat.

"Haru..lost." Makoto speaks from behind her, his hand going limp in her own. Gōu frowns when she looks up at the scoreboard, and gasps.

"And..he didn't advance."

From below, (Y/N) watches as Rin slams his hands into the water, a bright grin on his face as he yells into the air. His team all cheer for him from above, their banners and horns raised in the air.

Without thinking, Rin looks up to the stands, his eyes rapidly searching for someone. When he spots her, however, his go lucky grin slowly fading. (Y/N) stares at him from above, and her face spoke a thousand words.

She was disgusted.

Disgusted with him, with his actions, his words, she was disgusted by him. The words she spoke to him in the locker room only ring louder, and his lips slowly start to wobble when he remembers her words.

'I hate you.'

He wires his mouth closed, refusing to look at her any longer before climbing out the pool, the adrenaline from his win slowly drifting away. "Haru." He calls, and looks down at the boy still standing in the pool.

Haru looks up, his mind fuzzy as he stares at his old friend.

"I beat you!" Rin grins from above. "This victory means I never have to swim with you again." The words hit Haru hard, and his eyes widen when a shadow crosses over Rin's face.

"Ever."

His vision slowly becomes blurred, and Haru looks down at the water, his breathing hard and  uneven. Rin watches him, before scoffing and turning away to change.

He looks up one more time, and (Y/N)'s eyes are set on him. Her eyes were red, he could see that, but finally her eyes were on him. After so many years, her eyes left Haru, and he had her full attention.

But he scoffs, before turning away. He thinks back to what happened in the changing room, her face when he yelled at him. The way her lips shaking made him want to reach out and apologize for what he said.

He shakes his head with a scoff. Rin walks away, leaving the one person he had so much admiration for, so much love for, behind.

"Like I give a shit.."

_____

𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝟕