Open Waters | Free! Fan Fiction

19. Fun and Games

Open Waters

Chapter Nineteen

Fun and Games

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They had spent the night on the deserted island, and had only swim back early that morning.

Haru was exhausted beyond belief. He didn't know how he had managed to finish the swim, for he was dead tired. Having spent the night up, following by the taxing swim back, was enough to tire anybody out.

While Makoto, Nagisa and Rei all collapsed on the hand and dropped off into a heavy sleep, Haru forced himself to remain awake for just a little bit longer. For the duration of his time on the island, a part if him had been worrying about Hana, and how she'd react it she discovered them missing, especially since the incident at the docks with the fisherman.

Though his body screamed at him to rest, Haru forced himself to walk the short distance to Hana's tent. He listened closely, hearing nothing. Slowly, he opened the tent and peered inside.

Inside, he found that Hana was indeed inside and was curled up into a tight ball, her eyes closed, her breaths light. She was fast and soundly asleep.

Reassured that she was okay, Haru closed the tent door once more and stepped away from her tent. He only staggered forward a few steps before he collapsed to the ground, tiredness weighing him down heavier than gravity.

Soon after he collapsed on the sand, Haru passed out into sleep just like his friends.

*          *          *

Hana, to put it simply, was tired.

No, she was exhausted.

After she had awoken due to the storm, she had only fallen asleep once the rain had ceased, which had taken a good amount of time. During that time, the sound of the torrential rain, the howling wind and the roaring sea had kept memories she'd rather keep at bay at the surface of her mind. Those fear-filled memories had kept her awake and shivering long after the rain had stopped. And even as she'd drifted off to sleep, it had been a fitful and uneasy one.

Hence, when she woke up the next morning, she was excessively groggy and felt like the walking dead.

Hana groaned lightly and shifted positing. Her eyes felt like they would be impossible to open, like her eyelids were coated in iron. She was sure she had huge bags under her eyes. She'd be surprised if she didn't.

It took Hana a long time to finally drag herself from her half-asleep state. It was almost like she had been drowning in her tiredness. Even when she was sitting up, battling the persistent yawns and droopy eyes, it wasn't only Makoto's gentle call of, "Hana, breakfast's ready," did she crawl from her tent, not caring just how bedridden she looked. She was too tired and preoccupied to care.

Makoto and Haru were waiting for her as she crawled out of the tent, blinking profusely in the sudden sunlight as it hit her eyes. Makoto's trademark warm smile was on his face, though it looked more weighed down that usual. Bags were under his eyes and, if she squinted hard enough, she could see similar bags under Haru's eyes as well.

Did the storm keep them up as well?

"Hana, you alright?" Makoto asked gently, obviously noticing how tired she was. Or maybe he had thought of last night's storm and how it connected to her, to the both of them. To Haru as well.

"Fine," she mumbled, finishing her unconvincing statement with a large yawn. "And, you? The storm..." Now she thought of it, was Makoto's hair damp, and Haru's, too?