Anime Ships Fanfiction Collection

MakoHaru

[A/N: This is my first story in a while, so it's a bit... squeezed out of my mind? Yeah.]

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Water is the only thing that would never betray me.

He believed this for a long time, as a kid on his very first contact and fascination with water. It wasn't as if everyone else had betrayed him, nothing that extreme - just that he understood the fact that even the most trustworthy friend would at some point in time choose something closer to his heart than Haru, and so with this realization he turned to the one thing he felt the most at ease in - water.

But today, Haruka Nanase had an inner conflict. If I really did live up to that belief, why am I in doubt right now -right now, as his childhood friend lay motionless on the shore, victimized by the very same water he loved as Nagisa and Rin try to resuscitate him.

He was paralyzed.

Makoto had always been afraid of the ocean, ever since the funeral procession of Rin and Gou's dad; Haru actually respected him for continuing to swim in the club despite it all. And yet despite knowing this, he cursed himself for not noticing his disappearance before it was too late.

It was those exact feelings that paralyzed him. He wondered to himself if he really still loved the water before anything else, because what it did to Makoto made his blood boil. It may seem stupid for anyone else, but for Haru, this was like choosing his childhood friend over something he had always loved.

But Makoto, unlike the water, could betray him, so why... Why did his heart clench at the sight of his best friend unconscious?

"Haru-chan!" Nagisa's voice brought him back to the present. "Do you know how to perform CPR?"

"...Yeah."

Kneeling beside Makoto's head, he took a deep breath and extinguished his worries with an exhale - for now. Saving Makoto was the top priority at the moment. He leaned down and hovered his ear over the swimmer's pale lips. He could still hear a weak breathing. He faced Makoto and leaned closer, when-

-Makoto jolted awake, turning his head to the side and coughing away seawater as he panted for breath. Every one of the Iwatobi and Samezuka Swim Club members breathed sighs of relief. Makoto took in what was happening and looked around. His eyes met blue orbs staring closely at his own, filled with worry. "Haru..."

They used to play a certain game, where Makoto would try to guess what Haru was thinking. Now he wished Makoto couldn't read his mind, because he was ashamed of himself for thinking such things, for almost choosing the water and letting Makoto die, and he didn't want Makoto worrying needlessly over these trivial thoughts, but-

"I'm alright, Haru..."

Makoto uttered, his voice barely above a whisper barely there that Haruka almost thought he imagined it - and yet that quiet reassurance amidst the sound of the waves crashing against the shore was enough to put his mind at ease. Maybe the olive brown-haired swimmer hadn't peeked through his dark thoughts and had meant it differently, but it calmed Haru's soul.

"Makoto-senpai!" Rei called out, still slightly worried with the rest of the group as they surrounded him. "Are you hurt?"

Makoto reassured everyone with a small smile and got up. "I'm sorry for worrying everyone... I should have informed you guys when I heard Nitori-kun's voice in the ocean..."

"Ah, um, Tachibana-san! I'm so sorry I caused you trouble..." Nitori said, staring at his feet in shame. He felt bad for ruining what was supposed to be a fun joint summer camp of the Iwatobi and Samezuka teams. "I'm sorry to everyone too, I really am..."