*Author's Note: I do not own Free: Iwatobi Swim Club or their characters. But I do own the characters that are unfamiliar to the series. Please enjoy!
Chapter One: The New Boy?
Before my grandfather died, he once told me that I might have Greek blood running through my veins. He said that I could be a descendent of the Greek god Poseidon, the king of the sea. I told him that his imagination was false because I was pure Japanese, but it could be slightly true.
Maybe that's the reason I love the ocean so much. It was a crazy theory, but it's sometimes nice to know that there are still secrets you can't ever discover. My mother told me that before she passed away when I was six. She said secrets are never fun when they're told out to the world because then the magic is gone. I have to admit, my mother was a little weird because she would drift off in her own world and babble out these random things, but I miss that about her.
"Mr. Suzuki," I click on reality and turn to my teacher who gave me a hard look. I guess I was day dreaming, something I rarely do in class. "Are you paying attention to my lecture?"
All eyes were glued to me. I sit up and shake my head, "Of course sensei."
"Then why don't you answer this equation on the board?" he pointed at the chalk board that had a rather confusing equation written on it. I took a few seconds to do it in my head and I answered.
"X equals twenty-nine over thirteen. The decimal way is two point two three one."
"How did he do that so fast?" one student asked another.
"He has the brain of a calculator." another commented.
"Should he be in a boarding school?" one questioned.
My teacher looked slightly abashed by my straightforward answer and stammered, "C-Correct Mr. Suzuki. I apologize for calling you out before."
"I don't mind." I just shrug. Everyone, except for a few girls who kept staring at me, turned back to the lesson. Then I noticed one certain blonde haired boy grinning at me like I did something great, a smile you would give to a friend. I raised a brow with a hint of confusion written on my face. Did I know him? Oh wait! We had a short conversation on the first day of school yesterday. His name was Hazuki Nagisa.
Class was finally over and I brought out my lunch, something I made on my own. So in other words, a cheese sandwich because I can't cook anything. Just like yesterday, Nagisa sat down beside me and tried to have a conversation.
"Hana-chan!" he cried. My real name is Hanaru but for some reason, he liked to call me Hana-chan. I didn't like it at first but I've gotten used to it after the fiftieth time. "Are you, like, a genius?"
"What?" I didn't understand.
"You're so smart in class and you know practically everything. So are you a genius?"
I push my glasses up and talked to him like a child, "What do you think?"
"Hana-chan is a genius?" he suggested innocently.
"Then I'm a genius."
"I knew it!" I punched the air. We're both the same height and the same age, but I sometimes feel like he has the mind of an ADHD nine year old. It can get a little infuriated when you think about it.
When I was finished with my lunch, I looked at the clock to learn that we had a half an hour before out next class started. Before I could do anything to spare time, Nagisa grabbed my arm and started to shake it vigorously.
"Hana-chan, now that you're done can you come with me?" he cried in my face.
"Where are we going?"
Nagisa's smile got wider. "I have two childhood friends here and I was searching for them yesterday but I couldn't locate them. So I figured today, maybe I'll be lucky." He hoisted me up from my seat and began to tug. We were out the classroom in a matter of seconds.
"Why do you want me to come?" I question slightly puzzled. He turned back to me and grinned.
"Because you're a genius and with your brains, I can locate them faster!"
"Wait what? Nagisa that doesn't make any sense–"
Then he grabbed my hand and started to sprint down the halls. I kept up with him as much as I could but for some reason, these two friends of his must be important to him. Nagisa then ran outside and accidently pushed passed a lot of students. I made eye contact with a scarlet haired girl who looked moderately familiar, but I shook out the thought.
We went to the other building that had the upper classmen students and Nagisa raced up the six flights of stairs. I began to wheeze uncontrollably and told the hyper boy to slow down, but determination was racing around his brain, making him deaf to even hear me.
Soon, we finally stop, but I accidently crash into his back and fall back first on the stair floor. A few more centimeters and I would've been rolling all the way down the stair case. I felt my eyes swirling around with exhaustion while listening to Nagisa's voice.
"Haru-chan! Mako-chan! It's been forever." My head stopped rotating, allowing me to grab the rail and pull myself up. "I'll be joining you here at Iwatobi High School."
I go to his side to see two young men at the top of the stairs looking down at use with confusion. One was tall with olive green hair and droopy green eyes. The other boy was a little shorter with straight black hair and eyes that reminded me of water. He had that serious expression on, which told me that he was possibly an introvert.
The two boys mumbled to themselves for a while until they exploded with shock and stared back at us. "Nagisa?"
He seemed pleased to be remembered and grinned again. His arm then wrapped around my shoulders, like a snake, and he pulled me closer towards him. "And this is my new friend, Suzuki Hanaru!"
-:-
After our short introduction, the four of us went on the roof and scanned the city over the edge. Makoto then started the conversation.
"How many years has it been? I don't think I saw you after the swimming club was shut down."
This got my attention. Swim club? These guys swam together? I guess I have one thing in common with them. But before I could question, Nagisa interrupted me.
"Yep, that's because I went to a different school." He then got a glimpse at something pink and pointed in that direction while moving forward over the edge. "There are cherry blossom trees next to the pool."
Panicked, I grabbed the back of his blazer and pull him towards me until I had my arms wrapped around his torso. His back was pressing against my chest. "You're going to fall Nagisa. Just be careful before you do something reckless."
"I sorry Hana-chan." he chuckled carelessly and turned to Haruka, his mind focused on the cherry blossom trees again. "Weren't there cherry blossom trees next to the pool at your grade school Haru-chan?"
"Can you stop calling me that?" he said in an indifferent tone. That seemed to cut Nagisa's spirit down by a fourth.
"But that's your name Haru-chan." Haruka gave him a small irritated look.
I look back at the pool and with the help of my glasses see that there was no water fill in it. It looked old and used up, like it hasn't touched chlorine during half its life. Weeds sprouted from the cracks it beard and paint peeled off like dried up skin. I wasn't much of a pool girl, but that humiliating sight made my heart drop.
"But that pool is old and not in use." Makoto announced to us. "There's no swim club, either."
Another thing I didn't like about this school, it lacked a swim club. I was never going to join one but it would be nice to just watch. I used to swim competitively in a small town which was located in Japan. Well for a while before– no, I don't want to have a flashback of that memory again.
"How long have you known Nagisa?" my thoughts were interrupted by Makoto as he looked at me with a smile full of serenity. He seemed like one of those people who act motherly towards everyone, including strangers. Yet, just like that scarlet haired girl, he seemed awfully familiar.
"Since yesterday." I answer.
"Really? He acts like he's known you his whole life."
"No, yesterday was the first time I've ever seen him. I guess he's just that friendly with everyone."
He nods in agreement and looks down at my uniform that looked slightly baggy on me. They really were, the pants felt too long and the shirt and blaze were over my butt. "Do you need a new uniform?"
"Yeah, but I might as well just suck it up for the year. They delivered it by mail and gave me the wrong one. But it's whatever."
"Oh okay, are you new?"
"Yeah, I moved here with my brother last week. Well, we actually lived here before but after my father's death we moved to live with my uncle, aunt, and cousins. But we wanted to return home for many reasons."
"Have you swum competitively before? I feel like I saw your face somewhere." he inquired. I just shrug without looking at him.
"Maybe, but we may never know." I heard him give out a long sigh of defeat.
-:-
"Hey have you heard!" Nagisa announced as we walked down the stairs. "The swimming club we went to in grade school is gonna be torn down soon. So before that happens," he jumped off the last three steps and turned to us with a wink, "why don't we pay a visit?"
"To dig that up?" Makoto asked. I for one was not interested in what Nagisa was talking about and walked down the steps with Haruka. But his voice kept ringing in my ear as he said.
"Exactly, we can sneak in at night…"
"You can go by yourself." Haruka said. Nagisa froze for a short second and then started to freak out.
"Don't say that! Come with us Haru-chan. You too Hana-chan." he swiftly linked his arm through mine before I could pass him. I was taken back. "You're our friend now, and we also need your genius brain to help dig up our trophy."
"Nagisa, as I said before, that doesn't even make sense. And I wasn't a part of your swimming club so I would be out of place." I tried to sound as stern as I could, but Nagisa pouted like the child he was.
"But I wouldn't mind. Mako-chan wouldn't mind, right?" I glanced up at him to see an uneasy look before it switched to welcoming.
"Of course not."
"And Haru-chan wouldn't mind–"
"I'm not going." he replied bluntly and turned to leave, but Nagisa also caught him just in time before his departure.
"Don't you think it'll be fun?" he pleaded.
"I don't." Nagisa whined as Haruka still seemed uninterested. Actually, he did seem interested but he was trying to hide it. That got me wondering a little.
Makoto came behind us, "Why don't you just humor him?"
"No, it's too much effort." he answered stubbornly. I sighed after looking at Nagisa's red face.
"Okay, I'll come."
"Yeah!" the blonde cheered. "See Haru-chan, Hana-chan is going."
"That doesn't make much of a difference." he spat. I narrowed my eyes towards the back of his head, a little offended by his comment.
"But there's a pool there." Makoto said out loud. This made Haruka twitch. "A pool is much bigger than a bathtub."
Haruka looked back at him with a more calm expression and his eyes shining with longing. It was almost like telling a child they were going to their favorite place in the world. He mumbled something, sounding like he was agreeing he'll come with us. I stared at Makoto dumbfounded. He was good at manipulating his own friend.
-:-
Nighttime was finally among us and we stood there staring at the green abandoned building with a chibi swimmer painted on the side. The paint seemed to be smearing off, making it look a little creepy. I wore a blue t-shirt with my black sweater over and cargo plants. My old riding boots kept my feet protected, but it didn't seem to match my outfit. My short dark brown hair still looked choppy and uneven. I cut it myself four days ago, up to the middle part of my neck, after a neighbor of my dyed half of it with pink Kool-Aid. My glasses were still on, since I can't see far distances.
"This place is pretty trashed." Makoto said. I heard fear in his voice and looked up at him for a second.
Nagisa took a piece of cloth out of his pocket. "Here," he opened it up to show us white powder. "Just in case."
"What is it?" I ask.
"Purify salt. They say this place is haunted." he glanced back at the building.
"Don't scare me." chuckled Makoto.
"I'm not lying! People have seen shadows moving around and hearing sobbing voices." this seemed to scare Makoto even more. I put a hand on his shaking arm to comfort him. He looks down at me, a little surprised.
Nagisa started sprinkling each of us with the salt until Haruka noticed something. He licked his finger and notified everyone that it was sugar. I shouldn't have cared, but for some unknown reason I glared at Nagisa for his stupidity.
We finally went inside, Nagisa kept telling us that the salt thing was mental and I just rolled my eyes. We walked down the hall for a while. Makoto tried to make small talk with us until Nagisa kicked a something by accident and made the tall teenager hide behind me and Haruka. I'm guessing he really is scared of the dark.
Nagisa kept scanning the areas with his flash light, discovering a deserted locker room that looked very unused. The place smelled like chlorine and a breeze chilled the four of us. I then noticed some of the pictures and took a look at them. One by one, they were all young boys who won a trophy and looked so excited until my eyes widened at one particular one.
"Guys, is this you?" I pointed at the picture. The boys looked over my shoulders. I could feel Nagisa smiling again.
"Yeah, this is the picture from when we won the relay."
"Who's that boy with the scarlet hair?"
"That's Rin," Makoto answered. "He swam with us before he moved to Australia. It's a little depressing to know that he's not here with us."
"Oh…" was all I could say. I kept looking at the picture and began to feel a pang of jealously in my chest. They all looked so happy together. Makoto with is cheerful smile, Haru looking to the side, that Rin boy flashing his teeth, and Nagisa, well, being himself. They were close together, like one big happy family. I never had friends like that before.
I look to my right to see that Haruka was the only one standing next to me. He looked blank, like a memory was replaying in his mind. I also noticed that his eyes were directly on the Rin kid, something hit me. I spoke up.
"Haruka, do you miss your friend Rin?"
I seemed to wake him from his fantasy and he gave me a quick side glance before returning back to the photo. I was about to talk again before Nagisa called out to us. "Haru-chan! Hana-chan!"
We both followed the sound of his voice and caught up to both him and Makoto. Then we stopped in our tracks when the sound of footsteps cut through the air. A dark figure began walking towards us. Makoto squeaked while Haruka narrowed his eyes. I did the same and noticed something under the stranger's hat. Scarlet locks.
"Yo." he greeted.
"Who is that?" Nagisa mumbled to Makoto.
"I can't tell." he replied feebly.
The stranger spoke up again, "I didn't think I run into you guys here." He did something with the back of his hat, I couldn't tell what, but the two boys exploded with excitement.
"Rin!"
He took off his hat to reveal his face and my heart stopped. It was Rin, the same Rin from the picture! That couldn't be, didn't Makoto tell me that he was in Australia?
"You're back from Australia!" Nagisa jumped forward to greet him. "This must be fate guys!"
Rin scanned everyone up and down, but when he looked his eyes on mine, he gave me a sudden glare. I took a step back, intimidated by his look. Then he looked back at Haruka.
"Haru, you still hanging out with these guys? You never learn." he snickered. Makoto and Nagisa seemed to look sadder than they have been this whole entire time.
"What are you talking about Rin?"
Haruka spoke up. "And what about you, have you learned anything?"
Rin cracked his neck, giving off a loud noise that made me shudder. "I'm glad you asked, why don't I show you. Let's race, Haru." he waved his hat in a come-follow-me gesture. Haruka accepted with no hesitation.
Everyone was muddled on this unexpected event. I was too, a little shocked on Haruka's sudden change of attitude. We all followed them into the pool where Makoto was trying to convince his friends to stop the race. They both took off their clothes, both wearing their swim trunks, which I found a little bit obsessive.
I then walked over to the edge of the pool to get a look inside and saw something that shocked me. Rin and Haruka ran to their platforms, but I called to them before they could dive in. "The pool is empty!"
-:-
The next day, Makoto, Nagisa, and I were sent to the faculty office. Apparently, the teachers heard of our experience last night and weren't took pleased. We apologized and left. I went home, trying to progress everything that just happened.
So Rin is back and it seems like he and Haruka aren't getting on terms. I guess something happened between the two, but what? The way Haruka kept looking at Rin in the picture immediately told me that something was missing. I didn't want to snoop or anything, but I like trying to solve problems. Almost like a really hard math equation.
My cell phone vibrates and I take it out. It's from Kaoru, my brother:
Hey Hanaru, I'm working late again tonight so I wouldn't be able to make it home. I'm sorry, but I'll make it up to you tomorrow. I have a big surprise for you!
So I'll be home alone again, great.
I go through my bag, searching for my keys in every pocket. I take on thing out and see that nothing I'm not getting any closer in finding them. My face goes pale white at the thought of getting locked out of my own home. Maybe there's a spare?
I final get to my apartment and try to look for a spare key under the rug. Nope, nothing.
I sit on the steps and watch the sun, waiting patiently for it to go down so that my brother could be home sooner. I was a little hungry too, but I already ate my lunch hours ago. The sun began to beat down on me and I grew extremely hot. I rolled up my pants and took off my blazer to get somewhat cool. My glasses began to get fogged with moist and I had to repeatedly wipe it off. I thought all hope was gone until I heard my name.
"Hanaru?" I look up to find the source and see Haruka looking out of his opened window. He still had that blank look on, but in his eyes, I could tell he seemed confused. His apartment was only across from mine.
"Haruka, you're one of my neighbors?"
He ignored my question. "What are you doing?"
I explain my situation and when I was done, he waves his hand up. "What?"
He does it again and I don't seem to comprehend. He sighs and says. "I'll let you stay until your brother comes."
"Oh…" I said, a little shocked by his offer.
His home was just like mine, except more roomy and wide, probably because he lives alone. He cooked me his favorite fish really quick to satisfy my hunger and then went back to the bathroom. I ate the sea food quickly and waited a couple minutes for Haruka to get out. Soon, thirty minutes passed and I grew suspicious.
I walked to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Haruka, are you okay?"
No answer.
"Haruka?" I open it slightly and see that he was in the tub, staring at the ceiling.
My face goes red with embarrassment and I shut the door, apologizing for interrupting his time. But I hear his voice again. "You can come in."
"Unless you put clothes on." I object.
"I'm wearing my swimming trunks."
"What?" I barge in again and this time, he's standing with his trunks from yesterday on. I shake my head. "You are way too water crazy."
"There's nothing crazy about the water."
"I guess you right…" I sigh, understanding what he means. Maybe we're not so different after all. He enjoys feeling the water, just like me and the ocean. I would go swimming in it right now if it wasn't so cold outside.
Without hesitation, I sit on the stool by the tub and look out the window. It had a clear view of the ocean and I smiled slightly at the thought of wild horses running through the waves. My grandfather told me that horses came from the ocean, which is why they're good swimmers. He also told me that I mount a wave like it's a horse, and I do.
Once, at the beach, I rode the waves with only my body and it was the most exciting ride ever. I would break the ocean surface when my body plummeted into the salt water and get sore from the hit. It didn't matter though. I would mount the next wave and laugh my butt off. At the end of the day, I got small bruises on my arms and legs.
So Haruka and I stood there in silence, each of us in our own world and not minding the company. I never realized this but Haruka was a good person, so why did Rin hate him?
-:-
Soon, Makoto and Nagisa came over to tell Haruka about the school Rin was in and how they wanted to go visit him. They were surprised to see me, but Nagisa quickly offered to take me with them. Since I had nothing better to do, I agreed. Haruka, however, was a problem.
"No."
"Let's visit Samezuke Academy." Nagisa complained again.
"Don't you want to see Rin again?" Makoto suggested.
Haruka dried his hair with a towel. "We saw him yesterday."
Makoto sighed and his droopy eyes seemed to get droopier. "Here I was thinking you'd finally get to swim if you came. Samezuke is supposed to have an indoor swimming pool."
Like yesterday, this got Haruka's attention and his eyes of longing appeared again.
We went to the train station and got on the metro that would take us to the next town. Nagisa took a nap on Haruka's arms while Makoto and I had a conversation.
"Why were you at Haru's house?"
"I got locked out and he offered a roof over my head until my brother came. He won't be home until much later."
"Your blazer and tie are gone. You look a little sweaty too." he mentioned.
I gave him a dirty look, "Thank you captain obvious, you know, some people can't look as nice as you. Maybe I like looking like a total slob." In my mind, I was smirking. Messing with people is my one time favorite things to do.
Makoto took the bait and looked panicked. "W-What, no I didn't mean that! I-I'm sorry, I just thought–"
"God, it's always about you isn't it…" I grumble.
"Hey! No I just– I mean, uh…" he freezes in place when I laugh hysterically out loud. Makoto was blown by my suddenness.
"I'm just m-messing with you, I-I'm sorry, but that was really f-funny." I burst out another laugh, making Haruka turn to look at me oddly.
Makoto looked at me with a small hint of anger flashed in his eyes, but it faded into his calm zen again. He also chuckled along and told me to never do that to him again. When I bent my waist down, I felt something slide down my face and a small smashing sound was heard. I opened my eyes to see my broken glasses.
"Oh no…" I frantically picked up my frame and plucked up one lens shard at a time until they were all in my hands. I looked down with fear hammering my chest. I bring my face up to see that everything was clear but the horizon outside the metro window was fuzzy.
"Your glasses Hana, that's not good." Makoto noted. "Are you okay? Do you want to go home?"
I looked up at him, and shake my head. "My brother still isn't home so I guess I'll stay with you guys. They were only for distance anyway, so it's not that big of a deal."
I noticed something strange about Makoto. His expression grew from concern to disbelief, like I grew another head. I title my head to the side puzzled by his feeling. Before I could question it, he shakes his head and turns back to Haruka.
"Okay…?" I mumble.
-:-
Samezuke Academy was an extremely large school. There were signs all over the place, but due to my sight, I could read out what they said. We watched the boys swim team practicing and I looked at them with envy. If they were swimming in salt water, I would strip off and jump in with them.
Haruka was about to take off his clothes but Makoto stopped him. I just looked at Haruka with sympathy and turned back to the boys' team, trying to help Nagisa find Rin. So far, we were unlucky.
When night time came upon us again, the four of us went inside the indoor and I heard Makoto commenting on how he regretted coming here. I ran to the edge to look at the water and noticed how beautiful it looked under the moonlight. The water was taunting me to jump in.
Haruka took off his clothes and jump in with his trunks still on. I watched him swimming so gracefully, almost like he was hugging the water with each stroke. I unconsciously began to unbutton the first buttons on my shirt, until I remembered I was around guys.
I didn't even hear Nagisa running past me, but he jumped right in and splashed some water on my clothes. When he resurfaced, I saw he had no trunks or clothes on. I backed away, my face burning. "Mako-chan, Hana-chan, come over here!"
Makoto stepped forward, looking tired and annoyed. "What now? I'm not going to join you–"
When his foot was at the edge, Nagisa grabbed him and began to pull. Makoto waved his arms around until he gripped my shirt and took me with him in the pool. When I broke the water surface, I felt cocooned in cold liquid making goose bumps form all over my skin. My large shirt floated around my body and I felt my pants get heavier. But after so many years of not feeling the water kiss my skin, I was willing to stay down forever. So I closed my eyes and floated.
But Nagisa had to ruin my moment when he pulled me up into the outside world. I inhaled deeply and I figured I was probably down there for a least a minute. They must've been worried about me. I open my eyes to see that Makoto and Nagisa were staring at me with open mouths. Makoto was shirtless and Nagisa was still naked. I'm confused and I feel like my back is more exposed. When I look down, I notice the problem. My shirt fell down to my elbows, exposing my white bra.
"Hanaru," Makoto squeaked while blushing furiously and covering his eyes. "Y-You're a– you're a… a–"
"I knew it!" Nagisa cried out and punched the air. "You are a girl!"
I lift my shirt to cover my bra, my breast weren't flat or big, but I still wasn't, as my brother would say, blossomed yet. When Makoto uncovers his eyes, he stammers with his words while Nagisa swims towards me. "How come you're pretending to be a boy Hana-chan?" he seemed quite happy to know I was a girl.
Before I could speak, we hear a noise entering the indoor pool. The three of us turn towards the source to see Rin with his hands in his pockets and a grim expression on. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Rin!" Nagisa calls out, "We came here to see you." For some reason, both Makoto and Nagisa's back were shielding me from Rin. I ask why, but Rin didn't seem to care.
"Get out."
"Rin-chan…" Nagisa was hurt by Rin's coldness. Even Makoto seemed very hurt. Some urge of anger rose in my chest and I sent a glare towards the scarlet hair young man.
"What's your problem?" I hiss at him. He raises a brow and scowls down at me.
"Mind your own business, jerk."
After his insult, something emerged from the waters in front of us. It was Haruka of course with his head down and hair dripping wet. You couldn't see the emotion of his face because it was hidden by his black locks. "Free…" he mumbled.
"Huh?" Rin was confused and so were we.
"Did you forget?" he asked. "I told you that I only swim freestyle."
Wait, what is he talking about? No one seemed to understand, actually no, me and Nagisa didn't seem to understand. Haruka lifted himself up out of the pool and stood in front of Rin. He whipped his hair out of his face but I couldn't see his expression.
"I want you to show me that sight again. I've forgotten what is was that I saw." Rin looked taken back for a second until he seemed to follow where Haruka was coming from. He dipped his head down slightly and replied.
"Sure, I can do that. But," he lifted his head again and his eyes seemed to flash with so much energy. "It won't be the same this time. I'll be showing you something completely different."
*Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I know not a lot of romance happened at first but I like to take relationships slow and sometimes, make them crazy. So it you're confused, Hanaru is a girl, but she was accidently given a male uniform by the school and her hair is also choppy short almost like a boy. Please review and I hope to have the next chapter up soon. Thank you again!