Free! - Sink to the Bottom

(1) - Chapter 6: Fine

Rin Matsuoka

Two blue eyes, clear as the ocean, stare at me. They're slightly squeezed closed, because of the light.

Is he awake? Or waking up?

I can't tell, because of the lack of expression on Haru's face.

"Ehm," I stammer. I feel both Nagisa's and Rei's eyes look at me. "He's waking up. I think."

I don't take my eyes off of Haru, because somewhere deep inside I'm afraid that he might just disappear if I look away for a second.

"Rin?" Haru mumbles. He's slurring his words, which makes it even harder to understand his mumbling. "Is that you?"

"Oh my god! He's really awake!" Nagisa shrieks of happiness.

Haru frowns, just for a fraction of a second. After that his face turns blank again.

"N-Nagisa?" he asks. I can't hear if he's happy to hear Nagisa's voice, or he's concerned.

Nagisa leans closer to Haru, giggling when he almost falls. "Yes, Haru?"

"Are you okay?" Haru sounds slightly concerned. But why? Because Nagisa's eyes are still red from crying, or did something else happen before Haru's accident?

"What? Yes," Nagisa answers, confused. "Are you okay?"

It takes Haru long to answer Nagisa's question. I wonder if he's hesitating about lying and speaking the truth. "Yes."

"Maybe." Rei enters the conversation as well. "But it's still better if we get someone to take a look at you."

Haru glances at Rei and mumbles, "Look at me?"

"Yes." Rei is already making his way to the door.

Haru's eyes follow Rei while he walks outside the hospital room. Rei is being followed by Nagisa.

After the door closes, Haru looks back at me.

There's no expression on his face and still I can see that he's confused.

Does he even know where he is? And why he's here?

"How are you feeling?" I ask after a long and awkward silence.

Why is it taking Rei so long to find a nurse? To me, it feels like he's first having a tea-party with the nurse before telling them about Haru.

I sigh.

"Fine." But he doesn't seem "fine" at all. He's in the hospital to begin with, but he doesn't seem to notice. His voice sounds croaky and hoarse, which also worries me, because I don't recall Haru had a sore throat ever before. And finally, he could be paralyzed for all we know. And he's "fine"?

"Are you sure?"

Haru nods with a serious face.

I don't think I'll ever understand this guy completely.

The door sways open and Makoto appears in the doorway. "Rei told me Haruka woke up! Is that true?"

Both hope and fear is very present in Makoto's voice. The panting in between the words makes it obvious that Makoto ran all the way back to Haru's room.

"I told you," Haru mumbles, he sounds annoyed. "Don't call me Haruka."

Makoto walks past me, kneeling down next to Haru's bed. "I'm sorry."

I roll with my eyes. Haru really hates his full name, doesn't he? He's lying in a hospital... after a car crash... and Makoto calling him Haruka is what he's worried about?

"How are you feeling?"

I already expect Haru to say that he's "fine" and I also know that Makoto isn't going to take that for an answer. Not from Haru.

"Why are you all so worried about me?" Haru sounds confused, annoyed even, maybe.

Before Makoto can answer, a nurse walks in. Followed by Rei, Nagisa and Gou.

"Good evening, Haruka." The nurse made a huge mistake calling Haru by his first name, he's never going to be honest with her now. He probably already hates her.

"Don't call me that," Haru mumbles, but the nurse ignores him. She turns around to us and says, "I would like to talk with Haruka for a moment. And I must run some tests."

Her voice tells me that she doesn't like our presence when she's going to do that.

"It'd probably be better if you'd wait in the waiting room until we're finished."

Honestly, I think it would be better if one of us stayed, to help her figure out if Haru's speaking the truth. But she's a nurse. So, we all listen and leave the room.