epilogue

COMMENT AND VOTE

Before the Paris 2024, Olympic games had commenced Rin was a rising supernova in the swimming world and the world had no idea that Kiyoko and Rin were dating. A Japanese article had boasted of Rin's talent that he would snag Kiyoko's record she had broke in the Tokyo Olympics four years ago and let's just say Australians and other fans weren't too happy about it.

In an interview, with Rin Matsuoka video calling from Tokyo and Kiyoko in Sydney the host had brought up the news and Kiyoko and Rin had responded in a friendly yet competitive way.

'Yeah I think I'll smash her record I was only ten milliseconds off from her Tokyo games," he smoothly said as the host gasped and Kiyoko scoffing.

'Really now?" she chuckled as Rin gave her a smirk.

'I believe so,' he shrugged

'Ladies and gentlemen look like sparks a firing' the journalist laughed.

'It's on, the hundred butterfly' Kiyoko proposed as Rin smirked at the promise he gave her five years ago.

"Don't cry when you lose," he winked.

---

Kiyoko stood in the private box at the Paris Olympics as she watched Rin and the other swimmers sitting on the plastic white chairs in front of the pool. The blonde female had broken her own record for the hundred-metre butterfly with a time of 48.54 seconds, also winning first in the hundred freestyle and fifty-metre butterfly.

The race about to begin was the most anticipated events, a sense of nationalism and pride, but to Rin a chance to fulfil his promise he made to Kiyoko five years ago. Rin stretched his limbs, flexing off his renowned prominent muscles, his ruby orbs piercing at the pellucid liquid in front of him that had reminded him of his partners' dreamy blue eyes.

"You know I'm not slowing down because of your bet with Kiyoko right?" a voice bellowed as Rin smirked to see his friend Sosuke walk up to him which happened to be swimming in the lane right next to him.

"Didn't expect you to," Rin replied at his friend who had made it into the world stage with him as he then glanced to the side to see Kiyoko in the private box sitting with her coach Pieter, his coach Mikhail. Above he saw his Haru and his other friends, his sister Gou, and his mother Miyako holding a banner.

'Swimmers to the starting block' the announcer echoed crystal clear in the auditorium like building as Rin smirked snapping the back of his goggles which made fans erupt as he stepped onto the block.

Rin had now mastered Pieter's and Kiyoko's signature diving stance with a few moderations that adapted to react faster.

'On your marks...' he adjusted himself, 'GO!'

Kiyoko had started to frantically pray and recite that Rin would win but no break her record... and also not do a hundred suicides after the race, ordered by her coach as in the background fans had chanted for Rin. Sure Rin had broke other records, but never hers for this event.

"I think he might-!" the commentator had got out from his seat, holding his co-worker by the shoulders with anticipation as Rin had slammed his hands on the wall followed by Sosuke by a few seconds as he looked at the leaderboard.

Rin 1

Sosuke 2

Rin had grinned as the crowd went silent as Kiyoko had closed her eyes shut tightly waiting for whether she had broken Kiyoko's record.

"47.08"

Rin's smile had grown even wider as Kiyoko was banging her head against her elbows, the audience jumping for joy.

"Hey," the maroon-haired male looked to the side to see Sosuke, "Congrats man, I hope she says yes," he smiled.

"I'm more nervous than this than the actual race," he admitted as he got out of the pool as he was dried off and went on over to the podium where a gold medal was placed around his neck, cameras flashed.

"Congrats," the bronze winner, a swimmer from America shook his hand.

"Thanks, you did amazing out there," he replied as he dug his hand through the pocket of his national team's jacket.

"Do it, Rin. She'll say yes," Sosuke nodded as Rin exhaled nervously as he made his way to Kiyoko.

Cameras trailed him from a distance, capturing what was the next move the swimming legend was doing. Rin smiled at Kiyoko as the blonde turned the other way unimpressed as the Japanese swimmer took her hand and guided her out, in front of the podium stand.

Handed a microphone and with the audience and viewers confused, Rin took her hand and spoke:

"Kiyoko Charis Brochet," he began in English, "I know you're pissed-,'

"Very," she crossed her arms as the crowd chuckled as he laughed.

"I'm sure, but this was a race I had to win," as Kiyoko raised a brow keeping her pissed yet friendly expression on her face, "For those who don't know, I and Kiyoko are dating," as the crowd gasped in shock.

"Yes everyone, I've been dating this amazing woman for almost seven years can you believe it? I first met Kiyoko when I was a transfer student in Australia for a swimming program in Sydney. I met her when I was thirteen and let's just say I was that lovesick kid back then," as the crowd awed.

"I know, I know cheesy. Then I found out that Kiyoko was in the same swimming program as me and when I saw her swim she was the person I wanted to swim like. At the time she was already a junior champion swimmer and there was me who just won club tournaments. I told myself I wanted to swim like her or be better than her. So I would do every extra class to catch up with her and the other swimmers, everyone was taller than me and Kiyoko, including her female friends. And to my luck, we befriended each other.

After two years in Australia I left to go back to Japan and to my luck over a year later she attended the same school, my friend, Haru attended. I confessed to her-,"

"You get it Rin!" a person shouted as Kiyoko and Rin broke out in laughter.

"I did- ow!" Kiyoko slapped his shoulder.

"Now I'm thankful, I don't regret my struggles, my choices. I wouldn't have met Kiyoko, my friends and where I am today. I am thankful to you Koko-, I hope you know I am making this up as I go. Five years ago, when I competed in the All-Japan invitational and Kiyoko was leaving for Sydney I made a promise to her at the airport.

Uh, um before she left, last minute I made a pre-proposed to her with a soda pop ring, you know the aluminium ones- yes I know it was cheesy!" he exclaimed to the crowd as he then dug into his pocket revealing a small black velvet box as Kiyoko put her hand over mouth as Gou in the audience started jumping up and down as he got down on one knee.

"I promised you that if I ever break your record and win gold that I would propose to you," he smiled as he revealed the high quality large black opal ring with vivid blue and teal clouds dominating the space, with two canary diamonds beside it as Kiyoko touched her own opal necklace that she had kept, "I may have won gold today, I may be crowned the best swimmer but my only prize is you, will you marry me?"

With tears streaming down her eyes, she looked around to see everyone chanting a singular word as she nodded finally breaking out the word 'yes' as Rin's eyes beamed with joy as he slipped the ring on her finger.

Getting up Rin had kissed her lips passionately ignoring all cameras clicking.

"Your crying," Kiyoko teased as Rin wiped away his tears.

"I don't give a damn, I get to call you my wife," he grinned.

"Silly-Rinny," she rolled her eyes.

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐫

"Sometimes you just have to ride the wave you were given"

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫

"flow like the water; even though the largest rocks may stand in its way, water will always find a way around it,"

inspired by an episode of Bluey: baby race.

"Hey, mum," Naomi said as she put her surfboard down on the sand as. Kiyoko's eldest daughter -seven years of age- had inherited her summer golden locks, with her dad's face structure and hairline along with her mother's stormy blue eyes, also with her father's bold personality spending most of her early years with her father.

"Yes, Mimi?" Kiyoko looked up as she tied her youngest daughter's brunette hair into a high ponytail. Three years younger than Naomi, with ruby red orbs from her father and dark brown locks that Rin's mother had described from coming from her husband, Rin's dad, Erika Matsuoka had beautiful bronze tan skin whilst inheriting along with her sister her mother's large Japanese almond eyes that were a misconception for being Arabian.

"Am I better than surfing than Erika?"

"Hey!" Erika frowned glaring her ruby orbs at her sister

"Well, you are three years older than your sister," Kiyoko chuckled, "And Erika just started a month ago

"Am I better than Natasha at surfing?"

"Your about the same," Kiyoko thought, she's too much like her father

"I'm not! Tasha can't stand on a board as long as I can and she can't do a proper bottom turn!" Her daughter argued.

"Well, she'll get there one day," Kiyoko rolled her eyes as she applied sunscreen to Erika's face.

"But am I better than her THIS day?"

"Mimi, just run your own race,"

"huh? What does that mean?" she sat next to her mother, "Have I ever told you the story of how you first swam?"

"Nooo," Her eyes glistened.

"Well, it all started when your father had started after your daddy retired from swimming and went into cardiology,"

"I was a baby right?"

"Yeah, just a few months old," Kiyoko recounted, "Your father was quite competitive,"

---

A ten-month-year-old baby was sound asleep, in her white cradle beside the overshadowing curtains.

"Mimi," Rin whispered as he gazed down the little figure sleeping so peacefully, wrapped in her pink blanket, "It's time to wake up Mimi," he let his finger wriggle his way into her small hand as she grabbed onto it making Rin heart flutter.

"Mimi," he repeated, as she rubbed her eyes as she slowly opened to reveal her stormy orbs as she smiled at the sight of her father.

"Wakey, wakey~" he chuckled softly as the baby giggled as he continued to make faces further making the infant laugh.

"Come?" he reached out as she did the same with her arms as Rin carefully picked her us, letting her head rest on his broad shoulder. Walking down the carpet steps to the bottom floor, Kita the old canine greeted his owner by rubbing his head against his leg.

"Kita wants to say hi, say hi Kita," he tried to encouraged his daughter as she only responded in gibberish, "close enough," he chuckled.

Placing her on her high booster seat, in front of the black marble benchtop, Rin read the note left by Kiyoko on the fridge as she had worked tirelessly as a starting architect whilst Rin played mum with Naomi doing most of his work at home.

"Food, in pantry, the apple one," he read on the yellow sticky note, "Don't forget bib-, off like I would forget that," as he went and prepared her food as she placed the plastic plate in front of her as babbled.

"Right, bib," he clicked his fingers, "where, where-, oh line. Hey, Mimi, want to help me pick up your bib?" he asked as tilted her head.

"Papa?" as she giggled putting her arms out to him opening and closing her fingers, "That's right! You love papa!" he grinned as he scooped her up as he walked towards the screen door that lead outside. On one side a large pool glistening in the light, lush green grass that to which was covered by hanging clothes on the rows of lines.

"Which bib baba?" he asked as he stood in front of three colourful bibs. Naomi reached up for one then looking up at her father. Rin looked at it to see the bib of having a cartoon shark on it, "That's my girl," he smirked as he grabbed it and walked back.

"Here comes the fishy~, open wide. Chomp, chomp- yeah!" he laughed as Naomi swallowed another spoon of her food as she giggled.

"No, Mimi-, chew first then laugh," he chuckled.

"Fishy," she said as his eyes widened.

"What did you say? What did you Mimi?" he diverted all his attention to her.

"Fishy!" she gurgled as he started to form tears.

"That's right Fishy! Fishy, Fishy, Fishy!" he lifted her up, "Huh! Cheryl! Beat that! My kid just said Fishy!" he put his cheek beside her's.

"Fishy!" she repeated.

"I love you so much"

---

"My first word was fishy?" Naomi blinked.

"Yep," Kiyoko popped the 'p'.

"Where was I?" Erika looked at her mother.

"You weren't born yet honey,"

"Ooohhh, I'm invisible," she giggled.

"Anyways, your father boasted about it to everyone. First thing I got home I saw daddy and you prepared for me. And he said Fishy and you repeated it. And I was babe I already know, you bombarded me with texts earlier," she recalled.

---

"It is very early for her to say her first word," Rin boasted as he kneeled on the ground watching Naomi babble.

"Well done Mimi, first she rolled over last week, now she's saying her first word," Colette, another mother in the weekly mother's group -to which Rin was the only father- congratulated as she put her hand behind her daughter's back to support her.

"ooh, she's sitting! She's sitting!" they turned to see Cheryl's voice jovially bellowed as her daughter Natasha was sitting up, "Oh, you clever girl your sitting up all by yourself,"

"Oh goodness, that's very early to be sitting," another mother added.

"Oh well, you know it's not a race," as Rin furrowed his eyebrows.

---

"It was a race!" Naomi hammered her fist onto her other hand as Kiyoko deadpanned.

"A baby race!" Erika chimed in.

"Yep, it was a race to see who would walk first,"

"You said it was about me for swimming for the first time,"

"Will get to that, it's part of the same story,"

---

A week later Noami Matsuoka was sitting before their very eyes as Rin's smile grew wider with pride.

"Your sitting!" Colette cheered as they then saw Natasha crawling across the floor with Cheryl following her.

"Goodness, I can't keep track of them," Cheryl shrugged.

---

"Tasha beat me again?!" the blonde anxiously said as her sister snickered.

"Yep, your daddy was reading books and searched a lot to get you to crawl. Instead of crawling you were bum shuffling,"

"Bum shuffling?!" they shouted.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Then Tasha was climbing on furniture, the step right before walking,"

"And I was bum shuffling around,"

"You're definitely not winning the baby race," Erika said.

"Your father didn't have it, but... Tasha had won, she was walking first,"

---

"Hey, babe-, why aren't you at the mum's group?" Kiyoko put her bag down, her blouse crinkled from work as she kissed Rin's cheek wrapping her arms around him.

"I didn't go," he sighed as she frowned.

"What's wrong Rinny?" she asked.

"I feel like I'm doing something wrong," Rin put his head on her's.

"Rin," she smiled, "You are an amazing father, I mean a stay at home dad while doing cardiology? That's amazing. You taught Mimi how to say her first word, crawl now, bum shuffle," she laughed.

"Really?" he teared up.

"Yeah, cause you are and she is a Matsuoka," she points her finger at his heart as he kisses her, "Let her run her own race,"

---

"Daddy was crying?!" They said in unison.

"Yeah, your daddy's dad was there cause of an accident. He wanted to give everything he can and every time he had to you guys," she pulled the two girls close to her, "Of course within a month or two you caught up... but now this is the first part when you first learned how to swim... and you beat Cheryl-, I mean Tasha by miles!"

---

"Hey ladies," Rin tiredly said as he held the little Naomi in his hands dressed in a swimming costume.

"Hey, Rin-, are those swimming shorts?" Colette chuckled as he looked down mentally facepalming himself.

"Oh god," as he placed down Naomi next to Colette's daughter as they started to splash the water gurgling.

In an Aquatic centre, the ladies and their kids of the mother's group were in the shallow end of the pool -the baby pool connected to the deeper bit for kids further out- whilst Rin would head on over adjacent to them the fifty-metre pool as he would analyse future candidates for the Australian national swim team with the director and coach.

"Tired?" Colette sympathised.

"Yeah, rough night. Koko and I tried to get Mimi to sleep," he said as he crouched down to the blonde baby's level.

"Kiss papa," as she knowing the term got up and with Rin support kissed his cheek, "Thank you, Mimi," as he got up greeting the director.

He stared at the men in front of him, some slightly nervous with their muscles tense and in awe of his presence.

"Everyone, I'm sure this man had no introduction, this is Matsuoka Rin. Legendary swimmer and now our current national's team head cardiologist slash physical therapist, he will be also helping us inspect who will qualify for our team," the director said as Rin gave a smile.

"Also with us the national team's official coach Will, he will be in and out training other people in an elite program that some of you might have done," As Will smiles.

"First laps, don't need to push yourselves to the best, that will be saved for races. Stretch over there while we get ready," he ordered as they did.

---

Rin quickly sifted through the data another time as he heard the squeaky footsteps of the swimmers lining up before him.

"Okay, thank you for all your efforts but we have short listed so step forward please-,"

"SHE'S SWIMMING! NAOMI IS SWIMMING!" Rin's head diverted head across the room as he ran over the bridge to find his over ten month daughter swimming by herself as she giggled as climbed onto a block.

Rin's eyes widened, his body not keeping up with his head still processing what was going on, behind him the director and coach had ran over to see what was all the commotion about. Without second thoughts, Rin had threw off his polo shirt and dived in as he streamlined his way to his kid. Grabbing her form under as he shook his head reaching the surface.

"Mimi- how?! Were you swimming?!" he exclaimed as his daughter giggled, "Show papa, come on," he put her back on the block as he moved back a bit stretching out his arms.

"Do it again," he asked as his daughter wanted to reach out so she jumped and started to move her legs and arms to her father. Tugging her father's hands, Rin instantly pulled her towards him laughing with joy, not bothered by the chlorine.

"Looks like you've got a swimmer," Will smiled.

"Mimi! How do you learn to swim?!" Though he had spent a lot of time with Naomi in the pool, he had never expected her to swim at such an early age.

"Fishy!" she pointed to the large screen showing a moving cartoon fish for an add.

"Fishy- fishy! Yes fishy!" he littered kisses over her daughter's face.

"A baby can't swim at such an age!" Cheryl had exclaimed in the background holding Natasha close to her.

"I've never heard of it either, the earliets I've seen was one," Will chuckled.

"Well, she's a Matsuoka,"

---

"So your saying I learnt to swim by that swimmin' nappy add?!" Naomi inquired as her mother nodded her head.

"Uh-huh," Kiyoko replied as she looked at the time on her phone, "We should go now, you have netball training and I have to get Erika to swimming lessons,"

"Is dad picking me up?" Noami asked

"Yeah, he his meeting with the Olympic committee should be over, why?"

"Cause I'm gonna tell him what you told us," she grinned as Kiyoko shook her head laughing.

"Oh lord," as they got up, Naomi walking ahead.

"Hey mummy," Erika looked up at her mother,

"Yes sweety?"

"How did I learn how to swim?"

"Yer' dad through you into the ocean,"

"What?!"

COMMENT & VOTE