Golden Boy // Free

•Chapter One•

Mrs. Tachibana has always thought that she had rightly chosen the name for Makoto when he was a baby. It came from the English words, sincerity and truth.

Never was a mother more lucky than Mrs. Tachibana. He was her greatest accomplishment. Even if it truly did feel like she had acquired such a treasure on dumb luck alone. Every woman prays to have the perfect son, but they don't dare dream in reality. Every son has some flaw, they say. He will be ugly or stupid or weak, or he will be arrogant and disobedient.

Makoto wasn't any of that.

He has always been a perfect boy. He is frighteningly clever, something that his mother has never been. She supposes that he got that from his quick-witted father, but even that doesn't begin to explain his intelligence. There was no explanation as to why he was able to learn as quickly and resourcefully as he did. He's also handsome - he was always a very beautiful boy. A slender body and when he was young, the face of a cherub with large eyes and round cheeks. As he grew older the baby fat left him more and more, and now he has become a perfect young man.

He is the captain of the swim team in high school, quick and athletic. Best of all, he is nothing but courteous and kind-hearted, good-natured and caring, offering a golden smile to everyone he meets.

She is always proud of him.

Makoto isn't the type to complain much. He puts on a front of humble, friendly indifference. They all know how ambitious he is on the inside, because not many other students are as dedicated as he is. Mrs. Tachibana and her husband always considered that to be a blessing. He is modest outwardly, but inside he was passionate.

But it was something else on the inside that Makoto didn't talk about. Mrs. Tachibana knows it is there. Certainly it slipped her mind time and time again, because her son was leading such a perfect life. He was the ideal boy that every parent prayed for but none bothered to voice these hopes out loud because no one ever got that boy. But she did get that boy. For no reason in the world, either. She wasn't smart or ambitious. How did this angel come out of her womb? But lately, she is beginning to wonder if her angel really is without flaws.

"Mom, you don't have to make dinner for me at six anymore," Makoto declared, but rather quietly so one evening. "I can just eat at Haru's after school."

"What?" The older women asked, looking up from the frying pan which is sizzling with tofu and green vegetables. "Is swimming practice at a different time now?"

"No..." Makoto hesitated meekly as he set down his backpack, heavy with textbooks. "I don't want to be on the team anymore."

"What?" she asked redundantly and dumbfounded, turning to face her son, wondering if she misheard. "You don't want to... be on the team anymore?"

Tentatively, he confirms. "Not really."

"But... but, honey! You love swimming, you can't quit the team. What about Haruka? Is he quitting? Is that why you decided so suddenly to quit too?" Her mind raced through ever possible explanations. "Were the other kids making fun of you?"

It sounds stupid, she knows that it does, because she knows perfectly well that Makoto was popular and made friends, not enemies.

Makoto makes a face. "Nothing like that. Everyone on the team are my friends. I just don't feel like being in it anymore. It's not set in stone yet." And then he runs off to his bedroom, dismissing the topic from any more discussion.

She just doesn't understand.

Mr. Tachibana came home a few minutes later after Makoto announced that he didn't want to be apart of the swim team anymore. The older man sat at the dining room table with a newspaper in his hand as Ren and Ran fought over who got to sit next to their big brother.

Mrs. Tachibana knocks on the wall, letting Makoto know that dinner is ready to be served.

The young boy runs down the stairs to the kitchen and helps his mother set the table.

"Makoto, dear? Why don't you run over to Haruka's house so you two can have a sleepover?"

Makoto hesitates as he sets a plate down on the table. "Um-Okay! Sure, I'll go get him."

Makoto slipped his shoes in his feet and made his way to the dolphin boy's house.

The green eyed boy knocked on the wooden and waited for an answer.

"Makoto?" Haru opened the door with ease.

"Would you like to come have dinner with us? We can have a sleepover if you would like as well."

Haru thinks for a second. "Sure."