MISHIMA LISA

She's standing on a starting block that's overseeing a fairly large swimming pool. Put like that, it doesn't sound at all out of the ordinary.

Except she's wearing her school uniform while she's standing on a starting block that's overseeing a fairly large swimming pool. That changes things, doesn't it?

She was only able to take her shoes off and struggle out of her socks, awkwardly hopping on one foot as she did so, cringing at the laughter that reverberated off the walls. Her classmates, talking loudly about her, quite literally talking behind her back, found it to be the funniest thing they've ever seen. That's probably the only reason they allowed her to take off her shoes before forcing her onto the starting block.

But that's not true, exactly, is it? They never forced her to do anything. They just...told her. Coerced her.

That's the worst part of this predicament. They never had to lift a finger; didn't push her, didn't shove her, didn't hit her. One of them simply said, "Hey, Mishima-san, isn't it a great day for a swim? You should dive in!"

She had protested softy, her grip on her bag so tight that her knuckles bled white, while all the other girls joined in, complaining about how hot it was and that she should cool down and maybe she wouldn't be so stuffy if she did a lap in the pool.

Part of her wanted to say, "Why don't you do it instead, if you're so obsessed with the idea?"

But Mishima Lisa isn't strong enough, brave enough. She's just not enough, period.

Eventually she had bowed to their instructions, which found her standing on a starting block that's overseeing a fairly large swimming pool, her emotions wrapped up into a ball in her throat and her hands formed into fists at her sides. Any second now, she'll do it. She'll dive in, and the girls will high five and laugh, and they'll steal her shoes and maybe even her bag and run off. Or one of them will get tired of the game and shove her in herself.

This is how it has always happened. This is how she expects it to unfold this time, too.

This is not what happens.

A/N:

Alternate summary: ZnK meets shoujo manga.

Heads up that this story will be OT3 Lisa/Twelve/Nine! You may have seen this story under my AO3 account; I decided to cross-post it here on FFN because reasons. I hope you all enjoyed so far, and please do review! (: