Clouded Distance | Free! Fan Fiction

Epilogue

Clouded Distance
Epilogue
For the Future

- Three Years Later -

Hana walked briskly down the familiar path, her footfalls echoing slightly in the air. She wanted to run, but knew if she tried to she'd trip over and probably break an ankle in the high-heel shoes she was wearing. Even now, she was risking injury by walking this quickly.

But she couldn't help it. She was so excited she felt like she was about to burst. She couldn't wait to relay the amazing news she'd just received to Haru, she couldn't afford to walk slowly.

She'd been living in Tokyo for three years now. During that time, she'd attended her university and was coping well. Of course, the expectations were high for her due to her being a scholarship student, but Hana found herself flourishing under the course. She continued to learn new things every day and only continued to grow more excited to add those things to her writing.

Makoto attended a college nearby. He also lived in the same apartment building as Haru and Hana, so they got together every day to hang out. It was good, having her best friend still be by her side. They studied together, and took turns cooking dinner, and they still weren't too old to have movie nights that would go past midnight. Of course, the three of them often went swimming on occasion, but only casually. The competitive swimming was left to Haru and Rin.

Rin was in Australia, and showing everyone just what he was made of. He'd made a reputation for himself, apparently, and was among the best of the swimmers there. He often told them just how much he was enjoying Australia, and would send pictures of the family he was staying with, who were the same people he'd stayed with when he first lived in Australia. Though Hana missed her friend dearly, they messaged each other at least once each day, and Rin had made a few visits back to Japan over the years. Hana, Haru and Makoto had even managed to squeeze in one trip to Australia. Rin had had a blast, showing him around the country.

Gou, Nagisa and Rei were now in university too. They'd all found universities that were just over half an hour away, so it was easy for everyone to still come together and hang out on weekends. They were all doing well in their respective courses.

And as for Haru... Hana smiled and quickened her pace. They had been living together for three years with only a few minor hiccups along the way. They'd had the most fun together, staying up late watching movies together, helping each other with the cooking, and Hana getting Haru to play video games such as Mario Kart with her. They'd learned how to work together to keep the apartment in order, and after the uncertainty and chaos of the first few months, they'd settled into a routine.

When Haru wasn't swimming and she wasn't at college, they'd often go for a walk in the streets and go to a nearby park just to talk. Or, of course, they'd head down to a pool and swim. They'd only continued to grow closer over the years.

And as for his swimming, well, she had seen his progress with her own eyes. She had walked down the path she was currently walking on so many times that it became automatic to her. He'd progressed so much since he'd started competitive swimming. If she thought he was good beforehand, it was nothing compared to how good he was now. His form was as beautiful as ever, and his times continued to amaze everyone.

She had come to the pool so often to watch and encourage her boyfriend. And now she was walking down, burst with the news she desperately wanted to relay to him.

When she stepped through the doors to the pool, as always the smell of chlorine was the first thing to hit her. She turned and headed to the pool area, her eyes trying to find Haru. Sure enough she found him; luckily, he was on his break, and currently taking a large gulp of water from his water bottle.