This I Promise You

Chapter 1:  The Olympians

"Uncle Rin! Uncle Rin!"

Rin couldn't help the grin that tugged the corners of his mouth upwards, at the sight of his nephews - six-year-old Takashi and two-year-old Hiroki. The boys were a rambunctious pair, as Takashi ran towards the webcam and smooshed his face as close to the screen as he possibly could, with little Hiroki trailing not far behind.  Not to be outdone by his brother, Hiroki clambered onto his mother's lap, and his little face soon joined Takashi's in peering into the webcam.

"Uncle Win!" Hiroki happily echoed, banging pudgy little fists onto the table.  Wrapping one arm around her youngest, and holding him close, Gou smiled.

"Uncle Rin - guess what??" Takashi asked, his voice hitched in his excitement.  Of the two Tachibana boys, he alone had inherited the distinctive Matsuoka genes - the fiery red eyes, the wine-colored hair - a spitting image of Rin when he had been of the boy's age.  Unable to reign in his impatience to make his announcement any longer, Takashi plowed on in the same breath: "I joined the Iwatobi Swimming Club!  Same as you and Uncle Haru, and Daddy!"

Rin's eyes widened momentarily in surprise, before his expression softened in the next instant into a look of pride.

"We've got another Olympic swimmer in the making," he grinned with a wink, earning a giggle from the child.

"I'm already the best in my age group!" Takashi boasted proudly.  "We had a race the other day, an' I smoked 'em, Uncle Rin!"

"Put 'er there, kiddo," Rin raised one palm to the screen, and on the other side, Takashi enthusiastically slapped at the screen, a broad grin on his face.  Rin burst out laughing at the sight.  "Better watch out, Makoto," he grinned at his brother-in-law, who stood just slightly behind Gou.  "That kid of yours is gonna catch up to your ass soon-"

"Onii-chan!" Gou cut him off sharply, a warning tone in her voice.  "Language!"

Makoto, however, just gave an easy laugh.

"He's well on his way, isn't he?"  He ruffled his son's hair affectionately.  Turning his eyes back to Rin, he smiled, his expression just as open - just as friendly - as it had always been.  "Is Haru still at the pool?"

"Yeah - he was wanting to get in one last swim tonight at the pool before we leave this place for good in the morning..."  Rin glanced around him at the now-empty apartment, a small wistful sigh escaping past his lips.  The last eight years had passed them by just like that.  The newly-bare walls - once adorned with framed photographs of the two of them, and peppered in-between with pictures of their family and friends from back home - looked strangely lonesome now, the memories of their life together here long-since packed away and shipped off to Iwatobi.

...Had it really been that long?  It seemed like just yesterday that he and Sousuke were graduating from Samezuka, and Haruka and Makoto were doing the same at Iwatobi...  In the end, they'd all gone their separate ways - Makoto had been accepted into one of Tokyo's most prestigious universities on a generous swimming scholarship; Sousuke had set his sights on a new dream - coaching; and he and Haruka had set out together, and left the world of high school swimming behind them, with the same dream of taking the world stage by storm and conquering the international circuit.  Before they had parted ways at the airport following graduation - he was returning to Australia to train, while Haruka was headed for Tokyo - the two of them had made a solemn promise to each other that the next time they met, it would be in a few years' time at the world championships in Rome, where both of them would give their all in a race without any regrets.