A/N: Not sure if this chapter turned out the way I wanted it to. But I'm still a little pleased with it. It's not beta'd so expect mistakes. This is probably the last chapter in the series for now. I might add some drabbles later. I'm not quite finished with this AU yet.

~FREE~

Haru's third strange customer came into the restaurant about an hour before closing one Saturday night. The restaurant was nearly empty, with just a few regulars (not the weird ones) finishing up their dinners.

A loud shout of "Haru-chan!" made Haru flinch, almost spilling the bowl of chicken broth he had been carrying. That annoying shout could only come from one person. And sure enough there was Makoto pushing his way through the kitchen door. Irritated, Haru put down the bowl and quickly went over to Makoto, trying to push him back out of his kitchen.

"No civilians in my kitchen!" Haru growled, "And quit it with the 'chan!'"

"Aww, I just wanted to see you Haru! Last time you wouldn't come out until Gou asked you." She hadn't asked. She had threatened. Makoto had easily wiggled his way into Gou's heart after showing her his fireman muscles; damn the firemen's rigorous exercise.

"I was busy, just like I am now. I don't have time for you!"

"I am sorry sir! It is my fault, Makoto said that it would be alright but I should have insisted otherwise!" Haru stopped pushing Makoto and noticed the other man standing in his restaurant. The other man was wearing a tattered and smoke stained lab coat that at one point might have been a pristine white. There were some holes in his pants and he was holding a battered book in one of his hands while the other was nervously pushing up a pair of red glasses with a small crack in one of the lenses.

Now that Haru was paying a little more attention, he noticed that Makoto smelled a little like smoke and was wearing his fireman uniform.

"It's fine Rei, Haru's just a little shy!"

"I am not," Haru snapped back.

"Rei, this is Haruka Nanase, the owner of this establishment. Haru, this is Rei Ryugazaki, a scientist down at that science center downtown. There was, ah, shall we say a little incident..."

"Makoto you don't have to be so nice about it," Rei sighed looking incredibly downtrodden, "With my experiments I caused a fire to breakout and nearly burned down the whole building! How could I be so foolish!" Rei opened up the book he was carrying and frantically began paging through it. "I was so sure that if I added the carbon I would get the right reaction but instead it caused a large fire!"

Makoto sighed and leaned in to whisper to Haru, "It really wasn't that bad. The fire did span a few rooms but at least it didn't spread to any of the other buildings. Rei isn't the first scientist to cause a fire and he won't be the last."

"Why did you bring him here?" Haru hissed back.

"Ahaha, well he was pretty upset about the fire and couldn't calm down. I figured maybe he could use a good meal." Makoto said; Haru who could only look at him in disbelief. "It seemed a good idea at the time?" Makoto laughed, looking embarrassed.

"Well it isn't!" Haru said.

Gou had come out of the kitchen at some point and was watching the scene while looking amused. "Of course it's a good idea Makoto! Why don't you and your friend sit down and decide what you want to order?" Gou turned to Haru, "And you," Haru flinched back at the tone of Gou's voice, "Why don't we go back to the kitchen and have a little talk about customer service?"

Haru was now seriously reconsidering staying with Makoto.

"Sure! Here, Rei why don't we sit in a booth?" Makoto led Rei away while Gou grabbed Haru and pulled him back into the kitchen.

For the next twenty minutes while Haru cooked Gou chewed him out about 'not being polite to potential customers.' Haru argued back that cooks usually didn't have to deal with the customers anyways. Gou growled back that he wasn't just a cook he was the owner and had to suck it up. Until closing Haru chose to stay in the kitchen and grump at Gou. He lost track of time, as he tended to do when he was cooking, and it wasn't until Nitori shyly stuck his head in and told Haru that there was one customer who wouldn't leave until he talked to him that Haru realized it was a little past closing time.

Feeling a slight sense of déjà vu, Haru stepped out of the kitchen to look around for the customer. It was Rei, who was now sitting in the booth alone, Makoto nowhere in sight.

When Rei caught sight of Haru he promptly stood up and said, "My apologies for calling you out again! But I just couldn't leave without informing you of how much I enjoyed your food!"

What the hell was going on. Haru almost fell backwards when Rei suddenly jumped forward and grabbed both of Haru's hands in his own. "Your food was magnificent! Truly a thing of beauty! I have never seen food so elegantly placed on such a clean and lovely plate. It was the most beautiful food I have ever eaten!" Rei said passionately.

Oh no, not another one. Haru felt himself break out into a nervous cold sweat. Please not another weird customer, Haru had prayed to any god listening. No god seemed to have heard Haru's prayer, and for the next five minutes Rei rambled on and on about the 'beautiful food' he had eaten. Haru began to wonder if this man had ever been out to a proper restaurant before. Did scientists only eat fast food and convenience store food? From the was Rei was talking it sure sounded like it. And how could someone talk like this so easily? Wasn't Rei embarrassed by his passionate (and frankly, pretty weird) words?

"I will make sure to come every day I can so that I can continue to eat your food! Please take care of me!" Rei clapped Haru on the back while shaking his hand. Haru said nothing, watching numbly as Rei cheerily said goodbye to Nitori and happily walked out the door.

Haru hoped and wished he had been mistaken but unfortunately two days later Rei walked in with a sparkling white lab coat on, apologizing for not coming back sooner.

Haru almost managed to avoid him but was dragged out of the kitchen by Rin and Makoto. Grumpily Haru watched as the bothersome trio started to chat. Gou had mentioned that Rin enjoyed swimming, but Haru hadn't realized Makoto did as well. Apparently in the lunch conversations Haru tried to not be there for, the fireman and policeman had worked out a swimming schedule together. Rei wasn't a swimmer but he seemed more than willing to give the sport a try. Together they all teamed up on Haru trying to get him in on their practices.

"Come on Haru-chan, it'll be fun! Isn't it more enjoyable swimming with others than alone?"

"Don't be a wet blanket Haru, I want to see which one of us is faster!" Rin grinned. Haru sniffed and turned away, having no intentions of spending any of his precious pool time with others.

"We could even enter one of the casual competitions Sasabe holds every couple of months," Makoto mentioned.

"Yeah! With all of us on a team we could do a relay together!" Rin said excitedly.

"Wait! I don't know if I'm ready for a competition! The only swimming I've done is walking around in water that isn't higher than the top of my knees!" Rei said.

"Isn't that just wading?" Makoto asked.

"The point is, I would be happy to train with you but a competition is just out of the question with my current workload!" Rei brought out his tattered book again and began flipping through it.

"Well that sucks. It would've been fun to do a relay..." Rin said.

"You need four people for a relay so if Rei doesn't do it...well I can't think of anyone else," Makoto sighed. The table looked gloomy for a few moments before Rei raised his eyes from his book.

"Another swimmer? Hmmm...you know, I may actually know someone. I've met him a few times at work and he's mentioned being an avid swimmer. Would you like me to ask for him to assist you in this endeavor?"

"Yeah! How about we meet here when he can make the time?" Makoto smiled at Rei.

"I will inform him of this then," Rei nodded.

~FREE!~

Haru really should have expected this but it appeared that he never learned. Nagisa Hazuki was Rei's contact and was the second nosiest person Haru knew after Makoto. Actually, make that the first. At least Makoto had learned to politely knock on the kitchen door and announce his presence before coming in. The first time Haru met Nagisa, the short blonde literally seemed to bounce into the kitchen, tackling Haru with a friendly hug before introducing himself.

"I'm Nagisa Hazuki! Rei-chan told me that your team needed another swimmer and here I am! It's nice to meet you Haru-chan!"

Haru was so shocked by the hug that he actually reacted by using the frying pan he was cleaning in the sink to push Nagisa away.

"What, no it isn't my team," Haru stammered out. Nagisa grinned cutely at him and was about to say something when Rei suddenly burst into the kitchen.

"N-Nagisa, d-d-don't run ahead like that!" Rei wheezed, "I couldn't keep up with you!"

"Aww, Rei-chan remember when it was me who couldn't keep up with you? When we used to run to work together? You've let yourself get out of shape! Working in that lab so much isn't good for your health!" Nagisa prodded Rei with his index finger.

"I am perfectly fine!" Rei smacked Nagisa's hand away.

"Hey, what's going on in here? I saw a little blonde dude run in here and now I hear all this shouting," Rin stepped into the kitchen, still wearing his police uniform as he had just gotten off duty.

"Nothing!" Haru said, "Nothing is going out, all of you get out of my kitchen."

Makoto popped his head in, "Guys, is something wrong? I just got here and Gou said Rin and Rei were in the kitchen with Haru. I didn't think Haru liked meetings in his kitchen." Apparently Makoto was ignoring his own past of constantly coming into Haru's kitchen to bother him.

"You must be Makoto and Rin then! Nice to meet you, I'm Nagisa Hazuki! Rei-chan said that you needed another swimmer for a relay?"

"Oh, nice to meet you Nagisa! I'm Makoto and Rin is the one over there," Makoto entered the kitchen and shook hands with Nagisa. "Rei said you two work together?"

"In a sense, I'm training to be a spaceman-"

"Astronaut!" Rei interjected.

"And Rei's working on some outer space techno-bobble stuff so we meet up on occasion to discuss sciencey things," Nagisa said.

"Stop calling it outer space techno-bobble stuff! It is important space technology that you need to know if you're ever going to be accepted as an astronaut in the NASA space program!" Rei shouted at Nagisa.

"Eh? But techno-bobble is a good name for it! Right Makoto?"

"I'm not sure if I'm exactly qualified..."

"Makoto don't you dare agree with him!"

"Rei-chan don't be so grumpy!"

"Hey Haru why is your face so re-" Rin began.

"Get...out..." Everyone leaned closer to listen to Haru's whisper, "of my KITCHEN!" Haru shouted.

Rin, Rei, Makoto, and Nagisa scattered, tripping over one and other to get out of the kitchen. Haru was soon left alone, breathing hard and holding the frying pan menacingly in his hands. Letting out of a growl of frustration Haru dropped the frying pan back into the sink. He leaned against the wall and took a few slow and deep breaths to calm himself.

Haru very rarely lost his temper but there was just something about that group of people that just got under his skin. He had told them again and again (with the exception of the newcomer Nagisa) that his kitchen was not open to them. So to be fair he had every right to shout at them.

But still...Haru could feel a small flush working its way onto his face. He was beginning to feel less angry about the situation, and more embarrassed for shouting. By the time Gou came in two minutes later, Haru was sitting on the floor with his face in his hands.

"What did my stupid brother and the others do now? You're pretty hard to get mad. Even when Nitori broke several dishes during his first week here you stayed calm." Gou sat down next to Haru.

"So what did they do?" She asked.

"Came into my kitchen and made a ruckus," was Haru's muffled replied.

"That was it? They do that almost every week and you never shouted before."

"It was different this time. Rei brought in Nagisa and then Rin came in and Makoto followed and all together they're just," Haru pulled his hands down his face, "Ugghhh."

Gou laughed at him, and at Haru's annoyed look she just said, "I'm sorry, but this is the first time I've seen you so frustrated."

"Hopefully you'll never see me like this again." Haru muttered.

"Mmm, I think I might if my brother and the rest of them stick around," Gou said.

Haru sighed, "You probably will, unfortunately."

"But," Gou smiled, "I think I'll also see some other, better, sides of you as well."

Haru didn't quite understand what she was getting at, but wasn't able to ask her because Makoto was poking his head into the kitchen warily.

"Hey, um," Makoto glanced at Gou and then at Haru, noting their expressions and body language, "so are you still, uh, upset Haru? We'd all like to apologize for our behavior..."

Haru let out a loud sigh and stood up. "No, I'm fine. I...I shouldn't have lost my temper." Haru apologized, not meeting Makoto's eyes.

"No! No, Haru you had every right to be mad at us! We're so sorry!" Makoto opened the kitchen door all the way, and behind him Haru could see Rin, Rei, and Nagisa standing closely behind Makoto looking nervously at Haru.

"Yes, we are very sorry Haru, especially Nagisa for interrupting you so rudely." Rei spoke up.

Nagisa pouted and jabbed him in the side, "Reeeiii-channnn, don't be so cruel! But I am sorry Haru-chan, I've made such a terrible first impression! Please give me a do-over!" Nagisa made to move back outside, presumably to restart their first encounter, but Rin grabbed onto Nagisa's collar and said, "There's no need for that, just stay here and apologize."

"We are all very sorry!" The four men all bowed their heads and apologized together.

Haru let out a breath of air and felt his body relax. "I accept your apology."

"All right! Thank you Haru-chan!" Nagisa hopped back into the kitchen and gave Haru a hug.

They never really learn, Haru thought as the rest of the group piled into the kitchen, chatting amongst themselves and thanking Haru for his forgiveness. Thankfully this time Gou pushed them out, claiming Haru had to finish with work before anymore meetings could take place. The rest of the evening was quite except for the occasional interruption from Gou who acted as messenger from the group outside. Apparently the swim competition was still a go, with Nagisa offering to fill in the empty spot on their relay team.

And grudgingly accepting that doing a relay might be enjoyable, Haru agreed to be on their team with once condition. He had to be the one swimming freestyle.