Edited by the ever loving Mahlerman :) -[Mahlerman]

Rin looked out the window, staring at the puffy, white, spring-time clouds. It was the first day of his final year at Samezuka Academy. The soft clouds floating through the clear blue sky reminded him of the clumps of pale pink sakura blossoms skimming the surface of Iwatobi swimming pool. His chest constricted slightly at the memory of his childhood dream manifesting through the kindness of his friends. When he first saw them at the derelict Iwatobi Swim Club building, he had acted standoffish and cold, yet now they repaid his hostility with friendship. He couldn't believe the kindness of Captain Mikoshiba, either. Even though he acted bitchy throughout the majority of the semester, Mikoshiba still left the club in Rin's responsibility. All this consideration seemed like a foreign, long forgotten dream, and Rin felt quite overwhelmed. Still, he was happy. So different from school in Australia...

His teacher's voice cut through his thoughts. "Class, please welcome our new transfer student: Yamazaki Sousuke!"

It couldn't be...Rin looked up to a familiar face, a face he hadn't seen for many years.

"Sousuke...?" he whispered. His mind went abruptly blank before flooding with memories of the past.

-5 years earlier-

It was Rin's first day of middle school. SO MANY WHITE PEOPLE IN ONE PLACE. Well, he was in Australia, so this fact shouldn't have been so surprising, but the mass of defined noses and natural blonds (unlike Nagisa) was quite jarring. Everyone was chattering in English, and Rin's elementary school foreign language skills were proving utterly useless when pitted against twenty-five hyperactive native speakers. He quietly walked to his desk, avoiding eye contact with the cliques of boys, talking and laughing in a comradely fashion.

"Hey, man!"

Wait, was that Japanese? Rin whipped his head around and stared up with large, shocked eyes at a tall, wiry boy with a mop of short black hair and glinting turquoise eyes. A wide grin spread across the boy's face.

"Ha, I knew you were Japanese!" He reached out his hand. "My name's Yamazaki Sousuke."

Rin's face broke into a wide smile and he clasped this...Sousuke's hand. "I'm Matsuoka Rin."

"So, what dragged you Down Under from the motherland?" Souske asked.

Rin launched into his description of following his father's footsteps on the path toward the Olympics.

"After winning the relay with Iwatobi, and now getting to swim at this amazing school, it's like my dream is finally coming true!"

Souske's smiled flickered slightly, and his blue eyes seemed to crystallize. "Well, you've still got a long way to go." His gaze bored into Rin's. "Let's race later...to see who's faster."

Rin blinked, and felt a few butterflies flutter in his stomach, only to be tamped down by anticipation.

"You're on."

Well, Rin thought, I'm definitely not in Iwatobi anymore.