NOTE: ねごと Negoto meaning "Sleep talk."
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Makoto: Haru, it's the end of the week already.
Haru: Yeah..
Makoto: That means this is the last day of your sleepover.
Haru: I don't know why the hell it had to be a week long.
Makoto: Ahaha. Well...
Haru: It's your fault.
Makoto: WHAT?! Why?!
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"I'll be right back," said Makoto, heading out the door with his twin siblings. Ran and Ren refused to leave Haru's house, thinking that Haru's house is far better than theirs.
"Big brother~~ We don't wanna goooooo."
"Now, now, Ran. Mom and dad must be really worried about you two right now."
"Mako-chan, as long as you're here with them, they shouldn't be worried! Besdies, you're always at Haru-chan's house!" Nagisa pointed something out. Makoto took a few moments to think about it, but still he had to bring them home.
"Unless mom and dad call, we can stay!" the twins declared.
"H-Haru, do something..!" Makoto whined.
"Why me? You're their big brother."
"B-But..!"
"Big brother, unless they call, we can stay!"
"What he said, Makoto." Haru added to Ren's reason. Makoto sighed and stepped back from the door. The twins grew way too excited as they watched their big brother fall into their tiny hands. Haru gave out a small sigh and went into the kitchen to cook something up.
"Haru-chan! Mako-chan! Rei-chan, Rin-chan and I are gonna go get something right quick!" Nagisa called out to them from the other room.
"Okay..!" Makoto replied with his gentle mommy voice. Haru didn't respond, but nodded as a response. He kept his focus directly towards the stove, keeping an eye on the fish he was preparing.
"Ren, let's go watch TV!"
"Okay!" The twins circled Makoto and gave him a big hug before running into the other room to watch TV. Makoto smiled at the little souls and walked into the kitchen to be with Haru.
"This sleepover's been really great..." Makoto complimented.
"Yeah..." muttered Haru. "You're the one who planned it, after all."
"Haha, that is true."
It was pure silence; Rin, Rei, and Nagisa had gone out to go get something, and the twins were happily watching TV. The only thing keeping Haru and Makoto silent was the crackling of the fire from the stove. The smell of fish filled up the house. It made Haru internally happy to smell his delicious food being cooked right before him. His face didn't show any signs of emotion, as he was totally focused on his cooked meal. Not once did he look up at Makoto to talk to him. All he did was nod. That's all he did. He thought that that alone would indicate his acknowledgement of others. Makoto was right beside with that motherly smile glued on his face. His attention was focused on Haru, only Haru.
"You know..." Makoto started. "A few weeks ago, Rei wanted me to join the poetry club."
"Oh?"
"Yup. I suck at poetry, but I do have something."
"Really?"
"You'll see it later."
"Oh."
Then it became silent again.
There are days where we talk to each other without even talking. There are days where we feel alone, but we're not. There are days where we have our moments, but we resolve them. I feel as though Haru really enjoys having everyone with him at the same time. He feels happy. I can feel it. He doesn't quite show it, but I know that feeling.
Makoto slowly blinked at Haru and his food and backed away a little. He eyed the table and slowly reached for something in his pocket. Out came a folded piece of paper. He placed it on the table and quietly crept away. Haru really didn't notice Makoto's disappearance... Makoto had gone to be with Nagisa and the others (if he knew where they were going). After preparing his meal, Haru decided it was time to hang out with the twins to keep them company. However, he was distracted by the small note on the table. He quickly made his way to the table and grabbed the piece of paper. He slowly opened it up and automatically recognized Makoto's handwriting.
If you like water so much, then you already like 72% of me. Yes, I know someone already came up with that...
You are a waterfall; so pristine and sparkling
You are an a earthquake; you rock my world
You are a present; you flood me with gifts
You are Heaven; I can't wait to see you
You are mine; you explode with joy when you see me and only me
Let's enjoy our friendship together~~
Haru had a slight pull in his heart for a moment; he felt so moved by what Makoto wrote to him. Makoto just didn't want to verbally admit his feelings to Haru, and instead did it in writing.
No wonder why he mentioned the poetry club... Haru thought. He then proceeded into the livingroom to hang out with the twins...
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"It's hot..." Rin complained. The four boys were strolling underneath the devilish sun. They pretty much had nowhere to go but down the road. Luckily, Makoto had caught up with them with a few water bottles in his bag.
"Rin-chan, we should go to the convenience store~~" Nagisa whined. Rin scoffed at Nagisa and walked a bit slower than usual.
"Mako-chan... I'm dying here..." Nagisa complained some more.
"Where are we going anyway?" asked Rei. Nagisa shrugged and dropped to the ground as if the entire world was ending.
"Nagisa, are you okay?" said Makoto, getting a bottle of water for him.
"Oh god... Let's head over to the ocean for a quick dip." Rin groaned.
"Why not the school pools?" said Makoto.
"Samezuka's out for the week."
"Oh yeah... But our school must be open..!" Makoto replied.
"Not today, Makoto-senpai." Rei corrected him.
"No reason behind that?" Makoto questioned the nerd. Rei shook his head. Rin was about to explode as he grew more and more impatient over time. Nagisa, on the other hand, was dying of thirst despite being given a water bottle by "mom."
"Well, damn. The ocean it is, then." Rin coughed a little.
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"Haru-chan! We're bored!" the twins complained. Haru sighed and patted the both of them on the head.
"Okay... Do you want to go to the beach?" said Haru. In that instant, the twins were delighted. They scrambled to their feet and grabbed their swimwear.
"Let's go, then.."
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"Here we are!! The beach!!" Nagisa cheered, spinning around in circles.
"Watch where you're going, Nagisa..!" Rei warned the penguin. Nagisa just couldn't contain himself any longer. Rin and Makoto were separated from Rei and Nagisa to have a little one-on-one conversation.
"This sleepover's been so crazy lately..." Rin yawned.
"Yeah, it sure has..." Makoto laughed. The walked together along the shoreline as Rei and Nagisa continued with their antics. Their shadows followed them wherever they went... The sun blazed brightly above them...
"I'm gonna go jog for a while before I head back to Samezuka..." Rin stretched his legs and jogged off, leaving Makoto all alone. Makoto waved at Rin and decided to sit down for a while.
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"We're here! We're finally here!" the twins cheered. Haru smiled a little and let the kids run wild.
"Rei and Nagisa..." Haru said under his breath.
"Oh, look! Nagisa-senpai!" Ran pointed out. She grabbed Ren by the hand and ran toward the two morons. Haru watched them run off like dogs and relocated himself somewhere else on the beach. Rin had gone jogging around the beach, Nagisa and Rei continued with their antics, the twins met up with them, and Makoto was all by himself. Haru was walking by himself, which was quite rare of him to do so since he'd usually jump into the ocean first. Maybe he was still thinking about the note Makoto wrote to him? Maybe he just wasn't in the mood? Who knows?
It has been a while since Haru deparated with the twins... He was surrounded by shady trees, which made him feel a bit better. There was something else that made him feel better, too...
"Makoto?" went Haru in surprise. Makoto looked up at Haru and gasped in delight.
"Haru..!" Makoto was so happy to see Haru again after a while. He was obviously blushing at the very sight of Haru. Haru looked away for a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed to meet up with someone like this, Without a word, Haru sat beside Makoto with his head down.
"Something up, Haru?" asked Makoto, gently patting Haru on the back. He felt the bony arches on his back, and felt a bit interested in them. Haru kept hishead down, staring at the sparkling sand.
"Haru?"
"......" All was silent as the waves continued to crash. Birds were crying in the sky as the sun continued to blaze. The two boys sat together in silence as they let time pass by them. Haru tried to gather all his courage to talk to Makoto. He found it very stupid because of his deep relationship with him. Haru curled his toes in the wamr sand, and felt a bit tense by the second. He cupped his face for a while, feeling his soft skin with just small amounts of sweat trickling down his face.
".... I feel the same way about you too... Thanks." Haru started quietly. Makoto looked at Haru, having no idea what he just said. Haru got up from his spot and had his back turned to Makoto.
"Haru?"
".... I found a place where we can chat alone...." He then ran off, signaling Makoto to follow him. Makoto watched Haru run away from him, and chuckled at the thought of following him to a special place on the beach. He finally knew what he meant by what he just said.
He read the note.. He read it. Makoto thought.
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"Nagisa, stop splashing me with water!!" Rei was constantly being attacked by Nagisa as the two screwed with each other. The twins were giving Rei more pain as they too were splashing him with water. Rei was in deep trouble; being attacked by three people and not having his bodyguard, Rin, around. Rin was still jogging around the beach, so what was Rei to do with all the mess?
"Nagisa-senpai, where's big brother?" asked Ran, continuing to attack Rei with water. Nagisa stopped for a moment to take a look around the pristine beach. No one but him, Rei, and the twins were present. Nagisa began to feel a little worried about Makoto, but had no idea that Haru was also nearby.
I hope Mako-chan's okay--
"Gah!"
"Didn't see that coming, huh? That's revenge for attacking me with water in the first place!" Rei said, triumphantly. Nagisa whipped his hair from excess water and glared at Rei. For once, Nagisa was actually serious.
"What's the matter, Nagisa?" said Rei. The look in Nagisa's eyes wasn't the one Rei expected to see until....
"I'm hungry." Nagisa muttered, clutching his stomach in despair.
And I thought you were really serious about something very important... Rei thought.
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Haru still ran deep into the thick woods and Makoto tried to keep up with him. He tripped several times, but managed to catch up to him. Makoto was too afraid to lose Haru deep within the beautiful beach. He never knew about the beach's secret forest, but he did wonder how Haru knew about it. Maybe his parents took him there when he was little? Maybe he accidentally discovered the forest while relaxing at the beach? There were so many things about Haru that were unknown to Makoto, and Makoto wanted to read the entire book of him. He wanted more chapters, and this time, he was about to read some more.
There were loud, crashing noises coming from deep within the forest. It sound like water pounding against a wall. Maybe that's what attracted Haru in the first place...
Makoto finally caught up with his friend and gasped for air.
"You okay..?" asked Haru, softly. Makoto slowly looked up at him and smiled.
"Haru, where are we?"
"What my dream was about... The waterfall I told you about a few days ago, remember?"
"Waterfall... Haru, you don't mean..!" Haru smiled at Makoto and lent a hand to him.
We're here to chat alone... But what are we going to talk about? Makoto thought.
"Follow me." Haru unlocked hands with Makoto and walked toward the waterfall. He happily embraced it and let his hair just soak in gracefully. The water hugged his hair as a warm welcome.
"What are you standing there for? Come with me."Haru glared at Makoto for a second and walked a little farther away from him. Makoto smirked and made his way through the aqua curtain. There stood a door-- it looked ancient, but it was recently built. Haru turned the handle and the door suddenly opened to them. Inside there was a king-sized bed along with marine animal-themed pillows such as the dolphin, orca, and shark. Makoto suddenly realized that whatever Haru said about his dream was real. The description of the room was very accurate, indeed. Haru was spot on with his dream.
"Haru, this is..."
"This is the place I told you about... Sit." Haru motioned Makoto to go sit on the bed while he stood outside to watch the waterfall.
Dreams really do come to life, but it feels as if I'm forgetting something...