Step 4. Part 3.

"So you're going through all this trouble to move to Japan, but he's not gonna live with you?"

"Sou, don't start with me here." Rin said, turning to his childhood friend, with his eyebrows already starting to knit in anticipated frustration.

"Oh common, you can't tell me you don't find this the least bit unjustified. I mean you gave up your job-"

"Which I did for myself. He also did the same."

"Yeah, the cowards way. He still hasn't made any sort of announcement."

"He will, he just needs time to sort things out."

"Meanwhile you've recruited me to help pack up your apartment so you can be in Japan next month for him-"

"Also my decision. And we're native Japanese Sousuke. Now that my career is over it's about time I head home."

"So you're telling me that you're decision to stupidly move back to Japan as soon as possible despite the media still being on your tail, and paying out the ass to break your lease, has nothing to do with the fact that you're scared as hell that if you leave Haru alone too long your budding relationship might vanish in a poof of smoke?"

"Sou…" Rin sighed.

"You're only pissed cause I'm right." Sousuke scolded.

"He's coming around more and more though. Honestly I shouldn't be so concerned. Who know's, maybe by the time I show up there he'll be happy to take me in."

Sousuke snorted. "Well for your sake I hope you're not just being delusionally optimistic. So what's the guy up to now that he's unofficially retired?"

Rin smiled, feeling glad to announce Haru's been more social as of late. "Actually he's been making efforts to reunite with the old swimming crew. I think a couple hours from now they'll be attending a festival."

"Haru-chan! Mako-chan! There you are!" Nagisa exclaimed, enthusiastically waving from the entrance of the festival grounds.

"I can't believe you sent Makoto to go to my house an hour early to make sure I changed and came tonight." Haru complained.

"Well I had to make sure you'd come."

"We had to drive back, and pick up his wife and kids too." Haru scolded.

"Ah. Sorry for the inconvenience Komi." Nagisa said sheepishly as he addressed Makoto's wife who stood a few steps to the side of Haru and Makoto, a five year old girl holding one of her hands, and a three year old boy holding the other.

"Look mommy! It's the pretty boy." Emiko, the young girl, exclaimed. She quickly let go of her mother's hand to run up to Nagisa, and hug his waist.

Komi smiled an apologetic smile towards Nagisa. "No it's quite alright. It gave me some spare time to prepare the kids. I'm sorry about her.

"Emi, you shouldn't run up, and hug people without asking first." She lightly scolded her daughter who was still clinging to Nagisa.

"But, pretty boy is a friend right? You don't have to ask friends to hug them." She let go of Nagisa's waist, and turned to face her mother, though already reaching to cling to his arm.

Nagisa chuckled. "It's quite alright Komi, I'm used to people being attracted because of my appearance." Nagisa's expression reflected that of a person who very seriously felt some sort of ego boost from being called pretty by a five year old girl. Rei very audibly sighed just a few steps behind him, and the rest of group, except Haru, laughed off Nagisa's boastfulness.

"So what shall we do first?" Nagisa asked the group, though before anyone could get a response in, he followed with "is anyone hungry?" Of course, meaning that he himself was hungry, and wanted to first get in his suggestion of getting food.

"I want shaved ice!" Emiko exclaimed.

"You should have dinner foods first." Makoto chided as he stepped forward to take his daughter's hand. "Let's get some squid on a stick."

As Makoto and Emiko made the first move of leading the rest of the group into the festival grounds, Rei noticed that Nagisa was slightly pouting that his child admirer has quickly forgotten him, and was more pleased over getting squid on a stick.

"Come here, pretty boy." Rei teased as he took Nagisa's hand, and they caught up to walk beside Makoto and his daughter, while Haru hung behind, walking with Komi her son Eiji, who seemed to be much less social than his older sister.

"I hope you don't mind us tagging along, Nanase-san." Komi said in a soft voice. "Makoto mentioned this being sort of a get together thing for the old team, but the kids just lit up at the mention the festival."

"It's alright." Haru shrugged. "Makoto's siblings used to tag along most of the time if their parents couldn't take them out somewhere he was going, so this makes it feel more like old times, I guess."

"I'm glad you're alright with it. I didn't want you put in a position where you felt left out."

"Left out from what?" Haru asked, raising an eyebrow.

Komi smiled an almost mischievous smile. It didn't look quite right on the face of a woman who was usually as socially polite as Makoto, if not more so. "If you don't get it, it's best I don't tell you." She responded.

Haru shrugged, pretending not to care.

Everyone got some squid, and found some picnic tables just outside the lines of food and games booths. Emiko scarfed hers down fast enough that she probably risked regurgitation, and then demanded they go get shaved ice next since she had dinner like she was told to.

"How about we go play some games first? Let your stomach settle." Makoto kindly suggested. Emiko pouted but didn't bother to argue, and soon as the rest of Makoto's family had finished their food they were off to a game where children fish for water balloon yoyo's.

Nagisa wanted to play games too, so Rei and Haru tagged along to a game Nagisa insisted Haru was going to love. It was a game that included water guns, which Haru guessed he could see where Nagisa got the idea that he'd be interested, but in all honesty he'd rather stick his face in front of the water gun, and spray himself rather than aim for a target.

The three of them sat with three other people, all of which having the goal of hitting the target with their water gun, and holding it there long enough for some gauge to rise to the top, and declare them a winner. It seemed pretty easy, the only challenge to it was to have the gun lined up, and press the button faster than your opponents. The game was short lived, and the winner ended up being a boy sitting at the far left. He was handed a creamy orange kitten plushie which he presented to his girlfriend, who was standing behind where he sat. She thanked him, and kissed his cheek before they began to walk away arm in arm.

"Aww, we didn't win." Nagisa whined, and just as the determined look formed in his eye, Rei slid off his stool, and pulled Nagisa off his own seat, stopping Nagisa from suggesting that they continue to play more rounds until they win.

"...Haru?" Haru blinked, and looked up at Rei who was eyeing him quite intently.

"Yeah?" Haru asked.

"I asked if there anything you wanted to do next?"

Haru shrugged.

"Let's watch the ceremonial dance!" Nagisa cheerfully suggested. Rei internally wished that Nagisa wouldn't be so quick to decide everyone's plans, but he didn't have any particular place he wanted to be either, so he followed along, keeping his head turned back to make sure Haru was still mentally present, and following with them.

Haru kept close, however he couldn't really focus on being with his friends. Something about that couple that walked away with the prize dazed him, as they left his eye's couldn't help but linger on their held hands. As he continues through the fairgrounds he realizes that he can see it everywhere. Couples of all ages with their fingers intertwined, some of them laughing and smiling with each other, others not really paying attention to their partners, but looking at ease in their own space, others, probably newer couples, looking ever so anxious like their contact is somehow taboo, despite being in a sea of people doing the same thing.

Even Rei and Nagisa kept their hands clasped in what looked to be a common compromise between them of Nagisa eagerly wanting to lead the way, but Rei firmly holding Nagisa to slow to Rei's own pace. Haru grasped at the edges of his own pants, feeling uncharacteristically self conscious that his hands had no place to go. Rei raised an eyebrow as he looked back once again, and noticed Haru fidgeting with his own clothes, but Haru offered no response, so Rei didn't press for one.

The dance ceremony was flashy, with young fit ladies in traditional kimono doing a choreography while holding fire torches they used as batons. Near the end of the show Makoto and his family had caught up with them, both Eiji and Emiko having cups of shaved ice in hand. Makoto walked up to Haru, and handed him a shaved ice as well. Haru responded with a slightly annoyed look that he didn't need a desert like he was one of Makoto's children, but he took it, and slowly picked away it anyway because at least he had something to do with his hands that way.

When the show came to an end, Makoto suggested they set up camp to see the fireworks since they would start in a half hour. They wandered to the top of a grassy hill, and set out a few blankets side by side of each other. Makoto sat to the right of his wife, with Emiko sitting in his lap and Eiji sitting in Komi's. Haru sat with a foot's distance away from Makoto with Nagisa flanking his other side. Rei sat close next to Nagisa at the end of the group. As the fireworks began everyone's eye's lifted to the sky, the children letting out sounds of awe as large one's with their favorite colors exploded. Everyone looked so happy in this moment, which Haru was glad for, but for some reason it all felt like something was incomplete. So Haru pulled out his cell phone slowly, in hopes not to distract the others from their moment, lifted it slightly, and captured a picture of the fireworks.

Rin had finished putting his dishes away, and was about to retire for the night when his phone vibrated. He opened it up to see two pictures, one of the fireworks, and one of Haru's slightly forlorn looking face, lit only with dim color of the lightshow in the sky. Under the pictures was a small line of text that read, "wish you were here."

Rin couldn't help but hug the phone to his chest as his heart filled with warmth and joy. With a giant grin on his face, he pulled the phone back in front of him and replied, "Don't worry, I'll be home soon."