Chapter 12

The air that afternoon was cool, but not unpleasantly so. A small breeze blew Haru's hair in front of his nose, tickling it, and he couldn't hold back a sneeze. He covered his face with his hand, making a small "ugh" sound afterward.

"Bless you, Haru-chan," Makoto said, and he pulled a tissue packet out of his pocket and held it up to Haru, who took one gratefully. Makoto watched as he rubbed his nose, his blue eyes slightly watery. He reached out and took Haru's free hand in his own larger one and rubbed his thumb across the back of it. "I hope you're not catching a cold," he said worriedly.

Haru squeezed Makoto's hand. "Don't worry about me," he said, voice deadpan but eyes sincere. "You have more important things to worry about."

Makoto gulped and looked away, and Haru mentally cursed himself. "Makoto, it's ok. I'm right here." Please look at me. Haru held his breath until slightly droopy green eyes turned back toward him. Makoto gave him a weak smile.

"I know, Haru. I'm ok." Which was a lie, Haru knew, but he didn't say anything. He knew how much Makoto had been dreading today.

It had been two months since Makoto had collapsed in the hospital. Two months since his subsequent surgery and successful recovery. And two months since his little sister died. Today was Ran Tachibana's funeral.

The main reason it was chilly outside in late spring was because it was barely six in the morning. Haru had gotten a call late in the night from Makoto. All he heard was a whispered "please" and he had thrown his shoes and coat on and practically ran to Makoto's new home. Haru had made sure his own parents had relocated him close to his friend's new house, so it was less than three minutes later that Haru found Makoto on the bathroom floor, leaning over the toilet, covered in sweat and shaking. He was gagging but nothing was coming up.

Haru got him cleaned up and together they walked outside into the cool night air. Haru didn't need Makoto to tell him what put him in that state. The nightmares had been frequent since that day, but last night's had been particularly horrific. Makoto swore he could still feel blood on his hands, his face.

So that's how they ended up wandering aimlessly around Iwatobi at six-thirty in the morning. Out of the corner of his eye, Makoto saw a small beam of soft light, and turned to see the beginnings of the rising sun, spreading its pinks, violets and blues across the horizon.

"How are you feeling?" Haru asked suddenly. Since Makoto had gotten out of the hospital they had tried to keep physical activity to a minimum to give his heart more time to recover. But they had already been walking for over four hours, and even Haru was starting to feel some fatigue set in.

Makoto smiled again. "I'm fine, Haru-chan. This is nice."

A few more minutes passed and suddenly the two found themselves standing across the street than ran along the beach. Despite the sun shedding some light on the water's surface, it still seemed endlessly dark as it lapped against the shore. Haru felt Makoto's grip on his hand tighten. "Let's go back, Makoto."

"Yeah."

There was no point in trying to go back to sleep, so the two stopped at Haru's house to pick up his clothes before walking back to Makoto's. They walked onto the porch in silence and slid open the front door, only to see Ren sitting against the wall next to it. He was in his red pj's and mismatched socks, clutching a worn orca plushie to his chest. He looked up as the door scraped against the floor, his eyes watery.

Makoto immediately bent down and scooped the boy into his arms, squeezing him against his broad chest. The orca plushie slipped from his hand, but Haru caught it before it hit the ground and held it against his side.

"It's today, isn't it, onii-chan," Ren whispered into his brother's neck.

Makoto nodded, rubbing his brother's back gently. Ren didn't say anything more, so the trio quietly headed upstairs to Makoto's room, which wasn't really Makoto's room where he and Haru and spent so much time growing up together, just a plain old room with a bed and desk and some drawers. Makoto could hear his parents getting out of bed from down the hallway.

"I guess we should start getting ready," Makoto said to Haru, who nodded silently. Ren went to his parent for breakfast, but the two teenagers found they weren't very hungry, so they started to pull on their suits. Makoto's was a bit too tight and Haru's a bit too big, but they had to make do. These were just rentals since most of their clothing was lost in the storm.

"Makoto, do you need help?" Haru asked after watching Makoto struggle with his tie. Before it wouldn't have been a problem, but some of the side effects of the medicine he was on was trembling of the hands. He couldn't seem to get the tie through the knot smoothly and frustration was getting the better of him. Haru walked over to him and gently gripped his hand, lowering it. "Let me."

Makoto gave an exasperated sigh, but stood still as Haru looped the tie so that it lay perfectly flat against Makoto's chest. Then he just stood, thin fingers smoothing down the tie over and over again, erasing every wrinkle and crease. Makoto took a breath to speak, his chest rising up, and Haru couldn't help himself. He all but smashed his face into Makoto's chest, wrapping himself around the taller man.

Yes, man was the right word, even if it made Haru's heart ache. They were still young, but all their innocence had been stolen from them.

"Haru?" Makoto asked, surprised at the sudden show of affection. Haru only nuzzled closer, and a few seconds passed before he spoke.

"Please just remember that no matter what happens, we love you. Your parents and Ren and Nagisa and Rei and Rin and Kou love you," he said into Makoto's chest, his voice slightly muffled. "And I love you."

Haru could hear Makoto's heart speed up in his chest, feel the small gasps he was making. Long arms wrapped around him in return, gripping the back of his shirt in shaking hands. But he did not cry. No, he would have time for that later.

His bedroom door opened, revealing a tired-looking Mr. Tachibana. The two untangled themselves and turned to face him.

"It's time to go, boys."

The cemetery was rather crowded. Multiple small funerals were all going on at once, scattered around the large plot. The owners were worried about overcrowding, so it was recommended that the bodies were cremated to save space. Most were anyway, like Ran's, because of the amount of time elapsed before a proper burial was possible.

A short while after they reached the cemetery, guests started arriving. Makoto's grandparents, aunts and uncles and cousins were there first. This was followed by an uncomfortable amount of hugs and kisses from people he hadn't seen in years, and who hadn't seen the twins since they were toddlers.

After escaping the crowd of well-meaning but overbearing relatives, he walked to the edge of the cemetery, where he found Haru leaning against a huge tree. "You looked like you were being suffocated," he remarked lightly.

Makoto gave Haru a small smile, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, it sorta felt like that. I know they mean well, but…"

He didn't know how to put it into words. He remembered most of these people, but he didn't feel anything toward a lot of them because they were never around. And to hear them talking and acting like they knew him and Ren and Ran put a bad taste in his mouth.

"I know what you mean," Haru said, and Makoto realized that he didn't have to put it into words. Suddenly a silver car pulled up and parked at the curb near them, and out of it spilled Rin, Kou, Nagisa, and Rei.

"Rin, you're a really scary driver!" Makoto heard Nagisa whine while rubbing his head. Rei looked slightly green and Kou a bit frazzled as they began walking toward the cemetery entrance. Rin only scowled as he shut the car door repeatedly in an attempt to get it closed. Once it finally stayed put, he looked up saw Makoto and Haru by the tree, and his expression immediately sobered.

Makoto watched as his friends made their way toward him. It was a bit of a strange sight seeing them wear suits, especially Nagisa. And seeing Kou in all black and devoid of her usual bright, fun clothing weighed on his heart.

"Thank you for coming," Makoto said sincerely as they approached him. Kou, who looked like she was closer and closer to crying as she walked toward them, suddenly leapt forward and hugged him tightly.

"Dummy," she said as she released him. "You don't have to thank us." Seeing his surprised face, she gave him a watery smile and walked back to her brother who was staring somewhere off to the side, hands shoved in his pockets.

Nagisa went next and, much like Kou, had himself wrapped around Makoto tightly. "I love you, Mako-chan. And I know Ran loved you so much. I want to be as good of a brother as you are," he said. Nagisa's voice was a little rough and shaky, and it was hard for Makoto to listen to. But he hugged him back, mussing his blond hair a little.

When they let go, Rei took a deep breath and walked in front of Makoto, back stiff and straight. He exhaled and focused his eyes, like he was about to give an important speech. "Makoto-sempai, I would just like to say that you are the best sempai that I have ever had. But you are more than that; you are truly one of the best friends I have or ever will have. And I know that you were the best older brother Ran could have ever asked for. I-" but he was cut off as Makoto stepped forward and hugged him.

"Makoto-sempai! I wasn't done, I still-"

"Thank you, Rei," Makoto said into his shoulders. Rei finally stopped squirming and relaxed, wrapping his arms around Makoto in return.

"Y-you're welcome, Makoto-sempai," he uttered softly.

"How about just 'Makoto'?" the taller man asked, straightening up. Rei blushed slightly and pushed up his glasses, the glare hiding his eyes momentarily.

"Um…you're welcome, Makoto."

That brought out the most genuine smile from Makoto that Haru had seen all day. Still blushing, Rei turned away and walked back to Nagisa and stood by him awkwardly.

Everyone then turned expectantly toward Rin, who tensed up upon feeling their eyes on him. He gritted his teeth and walked toward Makoto, stopping about a foot away.

"Um, Makoto, I…I was wondering if we could talk in private for a minute?" he asked nervously, ignoring the surprised looks that earned.

Makoto looked over to Haru, who nodded. "Sure," he said, turning back to Rin. The red head walked ahead while Makoto gave the rest of the group a small wave before jogging a little to catch up. He could feel Haru's eyes watching him.

Rin stopped suddenly after a minute of walking in silence. Makoto turned around to face him.

"So, what do you need to talk about, Rin?" Makoto asked softly, knowing that it was a big deal for Rin to do something like this. He waited patiently for Rin to gather his bearings.

"Makoto, I…" Rin gulped and clenched his fists. "I didn't really know your sister. But she seemed so sweet and funny, and when I found her in the school…"

"Rin, you don't have to," Makoto said, raising one hand. He wasn't sure if he liked where this was going.

"No!" he shouted suddenly, stopping Makoto in his tracks. "I just…I do, I do have to. Please," he said, practically begging. Makoto lowered his hand and nodded. Rin took a breath and continued.

"When I found her, I thought I was having a nightmare. And when you saw her…Makoto, I'm so sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. You are the last person on earth this should've happened to. And I'm so fucking selfish because when you were hugging her all I could think about was going back to Gou to make sure she was ok and oh god, Makoto…"

Tears had been streaming down both their faces for a while now, and when Rin started to choke on his words Makoto couldn't help but pull him into his arms. Rin clutched to front of Makoto's jacket and his legs turned to jelly. Both sunk down to their knees in the grass.

"Rin, that's not selfish at all," Makoto said after the two had calmed down a bit. "That's normal. You love her and just wanted to make sure she was ok. I'm glad."

Rin gave Makoto a look that was almost disbelieving, and he started to laugh among his sobs.

"I can't…I can't believe that you're the one comforting me today, of all days…" he said shakily, wiping tears from his eyes. Makoto only smiled as he pulled out the packet of tissues from his pocket, offering it to Rin, who took one gratefully. Makoto pulled out one for himself before stuffing it back in his pocket.

"Makoto, I…there's something else I wanted to say," he said, looking at Makoto as if asking for permission.

"It's ok, Rin. I'm listening."

Rin took a deep breath. "I realize now that I've been a pretty shitty big brother to Gou. I wasn't around for a long time, and she didn't deserve that. You helped me realize that I want to change that, and I've been trying. It's just…if something ever happens, I want Gou to know that I loved her more than anything. I just wish it hadn't taken this to make me realize that." He looked up at Makoto, red eyes meeting green. "So thank you."

Makoto didn't respond for a moment. Then, in a whisper so quiet Rin had to lean in close to hear it, he said, "I'm really happy for you, Rin. I really am. I just wish it hadn't taken this much either."

A silent hug and a few minutes of walking later, Makoto and Rin joined back up with the rest of the group. Rin walked right up to his sister and hooked his elbow through hers, much to her delight. Makoto made his way to Haru, who was holding Ren in one arm, and slipped his hand into Haru's free one.

Haru looked up into Makoto's red-rimmed eyes and frowned. Makoto rubbed them once more and smiled a little. "I'm fine, Haru," he said. Haru didn't look convinced, but let it slide. "Can I take Ren from you?"

Makoto took the abnormally quiet boy into his arms. It was no secret he had been hit the hardest by Ran's death. Makoto had been doing his best, but the boy hasn't been the same since. The only thing Makoto could do was hope the pain would fade as he got older.

"Guys, it's starting!" Nagisa whisper-shouted from the seating area. Makoto and Haru made their way over to the front row where his parents were, handing Ren to his mother. She was sitting in her wheelchair, a soft blanket covering her legs. Her lovely green eyes looked at Makoto with intense sadness. She beckoned him lower so she could give him a kiss.

"Sit next to me, alright?" she said quietly. Makoto nodded and he sat down next to his mother, with Haru on his other side and his father on the other side next to his mother. Ren started to whine in her arms, so she pressed a kiss to his forehead and shushed him gently.

"Shh, baby. It's about to start."

The ceremony itself was beautiful, Haru had to admit. Mr. Tachibana went up first to speak about his daughter, and if anybody wasn't crying by the end they definitely were after Makoto's speech.

By the end of Makoto's speech, the grieving brother had tears running down his face and what seemed like an inability to move. Almost a minute of silence passed before Haru stood up and helped Makoto back to his seat, where his mother hugged him so hard he could barely breathe.

Soon after, the tiny urn with Ran's ashes was lowered into the ground. Makoto and Ren both threw the first handfuls of dirt onto the grave. The grave was then filled and people started to leave. That was it.

Hours passed, and all Makoto did was stand in front of the grave. People continued to give their condolences, but it was hard to remain polite. Eventually, the only ones left were Makoto's immediate family and his friends.

But even they couldn't stay too much longer. Although unwillingly, Makoto's parents and brother left without him because he wanted to walk home. It got late and Rei, Nagisa, and the Matsouka siblings needed to leave so, after a few more hugs and some tears, Haru and Makoto were the only ones left.

Both were sitting on the ground in front of the grave, which had been covered in flowers. They were leaning on each other's shoulders and Haru felt himself falling asleep. He was just about to slip away when Makoto moved suddenly. He snapped awake and turned to look at Makoto.

"Haru…I'm ready."

And that's how they found themselves at the beach by their old houses. This section had been hit the worst by the storm, but relief efforts managed to clean it up so that it looked even nicer than before. The beach was free of debris, and the sand felt pleasantly cool under Makoto's feet. The tide was in, and the loud swoosh of the waves made it so Haru had to raise his voice to be heard.

"Are you really okay with this?" he asked.

Makoto nodded. "I am," he said, and his eyes shone brighter than Haru had seen in months. The taller boy pulled off his suffocating suit jacket and shirt, letting them land in a pile with Haru's on the sand.

They gripped each other's hands and walked toward the surf. The moment the water rose up around Makoto's feet he tensed. Haru's right here with me. Nothing's going to happen. He took a step, and another.

Slowly they made their way until the water reached Makoto's waist. The waves were still big here, pushing him back with each swell.

"Are you alright?" Haru asked. Makoto nodded without speaking. He needed to do this.

Soon he couldn't touch the bottom, but he didn't stop. The two kept swimming, keeping it slow, without letting go of each other's hands. The waves got bigger and bigger until suddenly, they stopped.

Makoto had never been this far away from shore before. He'd imagined that it would get worse the farther from shore you went, but right here there were no waves. The ocean was almost completely still.

He looked up at the sky, which was still transitioning from day into night. The rays of sunlight hit the water at an angle, making Makoto feel like he could reach out and scoop up some liquid gold. His entire body felt weightless, and all the pain in his chest had been replaced with a warm, soothing feeling.

"Haru, it's beautiful," he said, his voice full of amazement. Haru nodded in agreement, staring up at the sky with him. Then he turned to look Makoto in the face, thinking it was just as beautiful a sight as the sky was.

"Makoto, what are we?"

"Huh?" Makoto looked at him, his eyebrows drawn up in confusion. "What does that mean?"

Haru mentally smacked himself for his awkwardly phrased question. "Uh, I mean, are we boyfriends or lovers or something?" he rambled, face steadily growing more red. "Because I've been thinking about it and none of those really fit. You're…you're more than a boyfriend or lover. You're, uh…" Haru continued to stutter, wishing he could just sink under the water until his face stopped burning.

Before he could make that decision, however, a pair of warm lips crushed themselves against his. He lost his self-control instantly, kissing back with vigor. Finally, the two broke apart and gasped for air.

"Makoto, what-"

"Haru, you're right. We're more than that. I love you and I'm in love with you, Haruka," Makoto said, once he caught his breath. Immediately, Haru felt a warmth fill his chest. Makoto had gotten it; thank goodness, because Haru was never very good with words.

Haru was so in love with Makoto, and to know that Makoto felt the same was unlike anything he had ever experienced.

"So I guess we don't really have a name, huh? We're just Makoto and Haru," Makoto said, smiling.

"Can't have one without the other," Haru whispered back. They both looked up at the sky, and Makoto could see the constellation Ran had found a couple years ago. If you looked hard enough, you could see a dolphin and an orca swimming side-by-side.

"I'm never going to leave you, Makoto."

"Neither will I, Haruka."

Time it took us

To where the water was

That's what the water gave me

And time goes quicker

Between the two of us

Oh, my love, don't forsake me

Take what the water gave me

-Florence and the Machine, "What the Water Gave Me"

THE END

A/N: Yay for corny endings! So yeah, this is it for What the Water Took. I want to thank everyone who took the time to read it and follow through, and for all the wonderful reviews. I really needed a kick in the pants to finish this. I'm so glad I did, though, cause this is the first multi-chapter story I've ever finished. As always, but especially this time around, reviews are GREATLY appreciated. I especially would love if you guys could give me any prompts that you want filled, I would be more than happy to.

I'm thinking about doing a couple separate one-shots based off this story based on Makoto's father, Rei's offer for the gang to stay at his grandparent's house (remember that?), how Ren is dealing with everything, Makoto's mom, how Makoto and Haru's relationship progressed, ect. So PLEASE let me know if any of those sound interesting! I need some more inspiration asap.

Oh and the lyrics at the end are from the song that inspired me to write this fic. If you type the song title and "makoharu" into youtube you'll find a short little amv with it and its amazing.

Sorry for the super long a/n guys. I just wanna say one more time that you are all WONDERFUL and this story would've never been completed without your support. So thank you all so, so much.