Chapter Text
Breathe in, breathe out.
The phrase repeated itself, racking Haruka’s mind, reminding her to breathe. Despite that each ragged intake of breath was consuming that much more of her already limited supply of energy.
You can’t back out now. You promised Rin.
The girl’s eyes fluttered closed in an attempt to clear the fuzzy world that was part of her clouded vision.
Moments treaded by, and her eyes slowly opened.
“Damn it….”The curse left her lips immediately. If anything, her vision was now far worse than it had been before.
I have to race… I can’t let this stop me!
With the silent reminder, Haruka ran a clammy hand through her bangs, pulling the sticky tresses from her damp forehead.
“Haruka,”
The girl’s gaze ventured forward, making direct contact with Rin’s maroon eyes.
With every last once of raw power in her body, she straightened herself upward, into a proud stance. “I’m here as promised, Rin.” She said, working her body even harder to keep her voice from sounding strained.
Rin drew even closer, stopping his trek once he stood a meter in front of Haruka.
A scoff filled her ears, followed by his overly arrogant voice. “Of course, though, you should be thanking me. I had to keep my qualifying time low so that we could be in the same heat.” He smirked, flashing a glimpse of his pearly-shark teeth.
Haruka clenched her fists tightly at her side, glaring at boy with the fiercest look she could muster. “I would have still gone against you in the finals!”
The smirk on Rin’s face only grew at the response, stepping up to the girl where his face was centimeters from her ear. “There’s no guarantee, you would have made it that far.” He whispered, walking away.
A low growl erupted from Haruka’s throat. “I’m not going to lose against him.” She vowed, being a long trek towards the locker room. “Today, I will become free.”
~o~
Haruka stood atop of her block, glancing slightly over at Rin. Their gaze was locked, neither looking away, each daring the other to chicken out first.
The looks that the two were sharing were cut short, by an overwhelming sense of vertigo.
Everything’s spinning….
Haruka shut her eyes tightly, ripping her gaze away from Rin’s and turning forward, the red-head smirking in victory, unaware of the battle that Haruka was undergoing.
“SET!”
The girl had to bite her bottom lip, as she knelt down her hands gripping the top of the block. Her chest was searing with pain, making it difficult to carry out the simple task of opening her eyes and looking forward.
“GO!”
In a single swift movement, Haruka sprung from the platform and out into the water.
Her chest was screaming in protest, begging her arms to cease their lapping against the water. Going at the speed of boat propellers, she had to will her arms to move faster to match the pace Rin was maintaining.
Each stroke she made was making it harder for her to breathe, each time she went to draw in a breath of air; she would take in three times the water instead.
Her pace was beginning to slow dramatically, her opponent, Rin, taking advantage of the moment to overtake the girl, leaving her behind him.
It’s only the first leg! COME ON!
Haruka willed herself to move faster, glancing over to the side to see Rin smirking, at her heading off towards the opposite end of the pool to finish.
Deep within her body, a fire sprung. Enabling the girl’s speed to increase drastically, making her turn propel her forward a great distance.
Now, she was neck and neck with Rin. Each competing to overtake the other, merely meters from finishing the race.
Faintly, she could hear Makoto and the other’s start to call and chant her name from the stands, their words becoming warped.
Almost there…..
Haruka sped up to her body’s full potential, a sensation equivalent to a thousand knives piercing her lungs and chest, her arms feeling as though they were melting off of the bone.
FINSHED!
The girl latched onto the edge of the pool, unable to support her body on her own. Her eyes glancing up at the score board, her heart sank.
Second…….
Haruka’s breaths were now leaving her body at a dangerously slow pace, and time was slowing everything down.
“Haruka,”
Just barely, she managed to look up.
“I win. This means that I’ll never swim with you again…. Never,”
Every ounce of pain that Haruka had endured throughout that entire day now seemed miniscule. The level of shock outweighed everything. Watching Rin’s retreating form out of her peripheral vision only made it worse.
“R-Rin….”The name left her throat in a barely audible whimper, the remainder of her words getting hitched in the back of her throat where they would never be heard.
~o~
Haruka was stumbling down the hallway, her vision swarming around her. She could no longer differentiate what was above her, from what was below.
I’ve got to find Rin….
She had to keep going and continually remind herself. She couldn’t stop, she had to see Rin. She refused to acknowledge it before, but she loved him… It wasn’t the fake sort either, she truly loved and cared for Rin.
Coughs began to rack her body, bringing her against the wall for support. Glancing down slightly, she was able to make a faint red color.
What?! Blood…?
Haruka’s eyes were widening to the size of saucers.
I thought it was just a cold… What is it? Pneumonia, bronchitis?
The overwhelming pain in her chest brought her thoughts to a halt. Free hand now, clawing at the fabric covering her chest.
(Rin’s POV)
Rin had been walking from the locker rooms, when the sound of woman screaming filled his ear drums. Raising a curious eyebrow, he changed direction, and headed off towards the source.
What the hell could be going on?
He questioned himself silently, continuing the trek down a corridor, right before making a left turn. Now, remarkably closer, he could faintly hear a voice.
“A-Are you alright?”
That’s the one who screamed
Rin easily came to the conclusion and listened even harder for a reply.
“Y…Yeah… I…I’m alright…. J…Just go away.”
Rin’s curiosity was now at a peak. Taking in a deep breath, an iron-scent filled his nostrils.
Blood?
The boy took off running, at a speed mimicking that of a shark rampaging on bloodlust.
Reaching the end of the hall, and rounding a corner, Rin was faced with a sight he could have never in his life possibly expected to come across.
Leaning against the wall, he saw Haruka, her long inky black hair covering her face. Bits of blood droplets scattered over the floor and over her swimsuit and arm.
“Haruka?” Rin asked, not willing to believe what he was now seeing.
The girl’s head snapped up at the sound of his voice, glancing over in his direction.
Rin’s eyes widened at the sight of Haruka’s ghostly pale skin contrasting the blood dotting the corners of her lips.
Slowly, the girl attempted to push herself off of the wall to walk towards the boy, only to begin to fall forward.
At an amazing speed, Rin had managed to catch the girl, holding her against his chest. Wrapping one arm around her waist to keep her from falling, he pressed the other to her forehead to find that it was incredibly warm.
“Oi! You’re burning up! Why’re you here?” Rin asked, his voice nearing a growl. “Why aren’t you at home? You shouldn’t have raced me! Why did you do it, Haruka?!” He continued, demanding the girl to answer him.
Haruka glanced up at Rin, “I promised you….”She muttered, passing out and losing consciousness in the boy’s arms.
Rin heaved a heavy sigh, leaning his head down and kissing the girl’s moist forehead. “I’ll have to find the others now, won’t I……”