"Please stay! Rei-chan, you leaving would be unfair! After you joined us! We're your friends."

Hazuki Nagisa put his head against Ryuugazaki Rei's back, gripping his jacket, crying.

"Rei-chan, you're always fair; this isn't! Why would you leave? We'll miss you."

"Apologies, Nagisa-kun, but my mind is made up," Rei answered, pushing up his glasses, not looking back once as he stepped forward.

"Rei-chan! Mako-chan, Haru-chan, and I will help you! We're a team… you said you wanted to swim with us… Come on, the pool's that way. Everyone's over there… let's go!"

Nagisa tugged on Rei's jacket, trying to pull Rei the other way. He attempted to grab Rei's arm, to see if that would work, but Rei simply moved his arm out of Nagisa's reach.

"My mind won't change so easily, Nagisa-kun. I wish you the best."

"Rei-chan!" Nagisa reached for him again, falling over on his attempt. Rei said, nothing, walking away.

"Please stay… I… I'll miss you too much… I don't want to be alone!"

Nagisa frowned, shaking, as everything around him began to collasp. Without Rei, there would be absolutely no swim club in the next year. Nagisa would be swimming solo, and he just couldn't do it. He couldn't have it.

"Stay! Don't leave me, Rei-chan. Not you too..."

Nagisa's eyes snapped open and he shot up, hands immediately going to his chest and gripping his clothes – he had awoken in a cold sweat. His heart was racing, and his breathing was quick, as if he was gasping for air. He pinched himself, knowing that he was fully awake in that moment.

"Wahhh, just a dream."

He sighed, falling back onto his pillow. He tried closing his eyes again, but they opened in a near instant. It frightened him too much. Hurt him too much. That was something he didn't want to think about. Couldn't.

Rei wouldn't just leave him, would he?

He smacked his face, finding it wet when he did.

"I was… crying?" He questioned himself, before laughing it off, "That really was a scary dream though."

No slowing, he had to find a resolve. He would find his own confirmation. Had to. That would be the best way to counter this restless night, full of worry that was already carrying over.

After fighting his fear, after calming his mind from thinking of all the ways to convince Rei to stay, to assure to himself that Rei would never leave, he finally fell back asleep.

"Mako-chan! Haru-chan! Good morning!" Nagisa put on his usual smile, waving enthusiastically to his two long-time friends and teammates.

Makoto couldn't help but chuckle slightly. Oh the typical way of Nagisa, "Good morning, Nagisa."

After all was said in done there, Nagisa hurried off to class. The second-year sat down in his seat, behind Rei, but ended up hardly paying attention to the teachers all the way to lunch.

At lunch, he chirped, talked like normal, planning when to ask Rei what he wanted, even if he was right beside him at lunch. He didn't want to do it when the others were there.

This was more personal, and Nagisa was going to keep it that way.

After school, Nagisa put his plan into action.

"Rei-chan! Rei-chan!" He beamed, calling after Rei. There was a gentle breeze in the air, and Nagisa felt the slight cold as he ran toward Rei. In return, Rei turned around, his eyes widening slightly as Nagisa ended up hugging him.

"N-Nagisa-kun, what are you doing?" He asked, his words coming out quickly. Glasses nearly falling off his face, cheeks practically burning red, this moment was honestly, a less-than-beautiful one from afar.

"Rei-chan! Please stay!"

"Nagisa-kun?"

"You can't leave, ever, got it?" He looked up, his cheeks puffed out. Rei fixed his glasses, noticing tears forming in the corners of Nagisa's eyes. And that… that wouldn't do! Really, Rei decided, it was that that was making the moment seem under what he would consider ideal.

Rei gave a soft smile, using his hands to carefully wipe the tears from Nagisa's cheeks, "I don't break promises." He told Nagisa. He had never intended to leave, and he thought that one outburst about it from Nagisa would have been enough, since he did so make sure the team knew he wasn't leaving.

No, he couldn't leave. Especially away from Nagisa. Nagisa had gotten him into this, initially, by picking him as their next teammate. And he had picked up training so he could safely swim with Nagisa and the others and carry his own weight.

"I couldn't leave. I'd never want to, Nagisa-kun," he said, closing his eyes and letting himself wrap his arms around the blond, causing Nagisa to freeze for a moment, looking back up.

"Really, Rei-chan?"

"Naturally, I say what I mean!"

Nagisa perked up instantly, for the most part, with his grip tightening, voice rather loud, "Rei-chan promises to stay with me~!"

"Eh? T-That's..!"

Nagisa tilted his head, feigning confusing, before his lips broke out into a smile, "You do, don't you? That is, you're not leaving, right?"

"Of course not, but..!"

"What?"

Rei took a moment to think over his answer, before taking a deep breath and just resting there in the hug. This was fine. That would lead to the answer.

"I'm glad! …I had a nightmare where you left, and… and it worried me a lot!"

"Calm, relax. This moment was, truly, one in its grandest beauty. He patted the back of Nagisa's head gently.

"I'm going to work my hardest to keep up with you, Haruka-senpai, and Makoto-senpai."

"So~?"

"Of course, I'm going to be staying right where I am."