Peace and Friendship (Discontinued) (Free! Iwatobi Swim Club Fanfiction)

Defaced of Secrets

Third Person View (For the rest of the story)

A silent murmur is heard from the other end of the curtain. The first thing Haruka thinks is, 'Mei is awake!' He doesn't think about what Rin just realized either. Rin's eyes widen as well as his. What ever she said, couldn't be heard from behind that curtain. Haruka steps over to the large white curtain that covers half the room. Slowly, he moves the curtain to the other side to let the moonlight hit the figure on the other side of the room.

Mei's eyes are well open and she has tears in her eyes. From everything she just realized about her life, and how much she wanted to live, it caused her to physically break down in tears. They just kept coming and coming and she couldn't stop. The thoughts of death and all the chances her father had, made her cry this much.

Haruka notices the tears in her eyes and wonders at first what might be wrong. Rin stares at her flushed face. He would love to stand up and hug her. But, thanks to his crippled self, he is stuck in the hospital bed. But, he knows, by heart, what Haruka is feeling for Mei. He loves her. Surely she might want to get to know him a little more before confessing entirely. They deserve each other...

Haruka walks over to the bedside and kneels down beside the bed. He gazes at the wires sticking out of Mei's hand that gives her medications. He wants to grab it so bad but... he tries to resist and talk instead. Words are clogged up in his throat however. Salty tears flow down her cheeks as she makes small hiccups in between breaths. She turns her head to the side to face Haruka.

"You need to know... about me...", she whispered. Haruka scratches the back of his head. It messes his hair up a little but he doesn't let it bother him. Before he can speak, she tries to sit up in her bed. It's a struggle but she eventually does it. She sighs and lifts up her sleeve to her gown. There is some type of burn on her arm surrounded by scars around the area. But the burn is more noticeable than the scars.

"Mei... How did that happen...?", he asks slowly and calmly.

"It was my father of course... he tried to set the house we were living in on fire... but, I threw myself in front of the gasoline being thrown. It only got me portion of my arm, but he decided to bring the lighter up to my arm and it was brunt as a result. The pain was not bearable at the time... He was too drunk to even stand... He was stumbled on the floor when I became conscious again. As dazed as I was, I took every last of his money to get a passport and left..."

Mei looks down. "I couldn't take his torment anymore. I held in my emotions for too long. Even when I came here, I just felt like he would find me and bring me back. So, when Matsuoka pushed me in the pool, I thought, it would be a quicker way to escape from this life I lived. But... I... I..." Mei's voice becomes a low cry as she realized she can't say anymore. She would only go through too much trouble to say a few more words.

Haruka is emotionless. What she just told him confirms his thoughts but it has stabbed him in the heart multiple times over. Rin is crying like a kid crying over his lost toy. He had no idea, that he almost helped someone with their death wish.

Haruka stands to sit on the bed. He turns his body towards her and embraces her in his arms. He doesn't care anymore. She doesn't have anyone to care for her anymore. "Mei... don't worry. Rin, Makoto and I, will take care of you. Your father was arrested. He won't bother you anymore. Your worries are gone now... Please, try to become as happy you were when you come here." He moves his mouth close to her ear to whisper something. "I love you Mei..."

Mei widens her eyes as he moves his head away. She closes them after in relief. The pain she has went through for her whole life, might actually be over... forever... and of course she loves him too.

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Back at Samezuka Academy, Sousuke is packing up his things. His expulsion from the Academy, put a major dent in his mind. Thinking what did he do wrong? But, while thinking back to the events that happened, he decided to wander back to Rin and Nitori's dorm.

He knocks on the door hoping for a immediate answer. And that is what he got. A grey haired boy with blue eyes, opens the door forcefully with a smile on his face. "Sempa-" He stops when he realizes who the figure at the door is. Aiichirou sighs and also realizes why Rin would knock in the door anyway to his own dorm.

"Yamazaki-kun...", he whispers. Sousuke let's himself in and immediately starts to speak.

"I know what I did was... wrong... but you have to tell me what was wrong with Rin. He seemed a little strange..." Aiichirou turns away.

"Why would I tell you that?!", he yells while facing the wall. " Rin-sempai has gone through so much before you showed up in the picture..."

"Come on... please Nitori..." Sousuke is begging him now. When he punched Rin in the stomach all of those times, he felt as if something was wrong with him. But his anger took over his piece if mind and he continued to punch him. He continues.

"When I was jabbing Rin in his stomach, his abs, his whole body structure, seemed off. He didn't have muscle at all. What happened to Rin, Nitori?!" His temper is coming back. He stands and flips over a single desk in the middle of the room. Aiichirou flinches at the strength and becomes afraid... he is cornered against the wall in fear.

Aiichirou wants to tell him, but he won't... he would rather get hurt for Rin's sake. He shakes his head.

"No... I won't tell you..."

Sousuke heard enough. He punches the wall and storms out of the room, but stumbles on something before he leaves. It looks like a bottle. He picks it up and then label says, 'Lose Weight Fast and Easy' Then is says, 'See warnings on back' Sousuke hesitated before turning the bottle over. The warnings are straight forward. But one that stands out the most, strikes him dead. 'Make sure to eat something nutritional 30 minutes after or before taking.'

He slowly turns his head around to face Aiichirou again. "Nitori... what is this?" Aiichirou's face goes red. His eyes swell up with tears.

"I found that in sempai's bag... he must have been taking them... but becoming sick as a result. He never lost weight because he didn't eat anything. That simple rule, caused Rin to go through excruciating pain for weeks. Punching and hurting himself to make him throw up, caused him to lose the muscle, and then the weight. A terrible combination but he did it all without being seen. I'm amazed but when you go downstairs to the basement... you will see everything..."

Sousuke drops the bottle and runs out. Aiichirou follows him but at a slower pace. He stomps down the stairs to the basement. Immediately, a fowl smell wreaks the whole place. He covers his nose to avoid the smells as he goes all the way down. Then he sees it...

Stains on the ground of where the gross acid of the stomach has been regurgitated. Some of the stains look red which marks blood. He scans the area for anything else. Behind boxes, various pill bottles of the diet pills are stacked in a neat way against a box. 3 of them at least. And these pills had to have been ones that you can buy at a pharmacy no matter who you are. And overdose can lead to your stomach eating away at your insides before the digested food, but because Rin didn't eat anything, he went through so much unbearable pain and suffering. All this time, he thought Rin was just showing off, but eventually, Aiichirou comes clean with another secret.

"I found this letter... I don't know if it is for anyone, but... this will prove your questions. And... I will tell you one last thing, Rin was suffering from this even before what happened to Mei... about the same day, Nanase-kun and Tachibana-kun came here... it must have been jealously..."

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A/N: More secrets were revealed and I cried while writing this. Please review and tell me your thoughts on this chapter. ｡ﾟ(*´□')ﾟ｡