High Speed! A Promised Reunion ハイ スピード! ザ約束レユニオン
Author's Note: This story is a "bridge" between Free! The Future Beyond and my upcoming Fan-Fiction Free! Heart of the Sixth Magic. Be sure to have read the other stories prior to this one! Otherwise you'll be confused and sorry. ^_^;
Memory 1:ザ初日The First Day
The five friends stood in side by side, holding hands as they prepare to face their lives to a new world. A distant figure casted five magical circles beneath the boys' feet and they began to float in the air as well.
"Go then...the future awaits you..." chanted the voice, "Be free…Haruka, Rin, Makoto, Rei, and Nagisa…"
The magic circles spun faster and faster beneath their feet as gigantic wings encased them, turning them into Sakura Petals and water, flowing across time and space once more…heading to a promised destination…
"You will meet again…in the same world, the same time…you will find one another…and remember…"
Setting: The Past…High Speed!
Haruka woke up with a gasp as he recalled a strange flash of light from his dreams. But everything else was all vague to him.
A dream, he thought, it's just a dream.
He rubbed his eyes to completely wake up and he got out of bed, heading down to the kitchen where his grandma was making breakfast.
"Morning Haru-chan," said the grandmother, "You slept in a bit later than usual…will you get to school on time?"
"Ugh, I can't stand school. It's not as fun as the pool or ocean," he answered.
"Now, now Haru," replied the elder woman, "You'll get to achieve that someday as well as you do well in your academics. It is said that at your age…"
"I know…a prodigy," he answered, "But I'm 12 now…3 more years till I become a genius."
Grandmother chuckled at the response as she prepared him his breakfast and lunch. Once the boy was done, he grabbed his lunch bag and rushed out the door.
Meanwhile, Nagisa woke up with a big yawn, realizing that today was the first day of school. He could hear his mother calling for him so he rushed downstairs with a happy smile on his face.
"Honey please be careful now," said Nagisa's mother as she brushes her hand through is blonde hair, "Don't choke on your food."
Nagisa finished up and smiled at her, saying, "I'm all done. I'll be off to school!"
"Okay honey, take your lunch here. Please be careful on your way," she answered.
Nagisa giggled as he got his lunch and ran out of the door, making his way to the school. He was very excited to join the middle school and was wondering what opportunities there would be.
Makoto woke up as he heard his mother calling him, "First Day, Mako!"
"Coming!" he cried out as he yawned. He quickly got dressed and rushed down the stairs and saw his mother with Ran and Ren.
"I have to take them to the day care, father is at work. Can you handle on your own with breakfast? I made lunch for you at the least," she said.
"Yeah, I'll make something," he answered as he yawned again.
The trio left as Makoto went to the cupboard to find something to eat when he felt something pounding on his chest. He rested his hand over his heart, wondering what it would be.
What was that light, he thought, and were there Sakura petals?
He could barely remember what he saw in the dreams, but he could at least talk to Haruka about it. Oh wait a second, Haruka? Was that name?
I…that name, he thought, remembering that name in the dream, it seemed odd.
He shook is his head and discarded it as nonsense, getting some toast and jelly to eat.
At the school, Rin and Gou walked up the stairs and turned to see their father waving farewell to them.
"Behave now okay?" he called out, "I know it's weird to go to a school like this, but you'll be fine."
"Yep yep!" said Rin, "Right sister? We'll have new friends to be with!"
"Mhmm," she nodded.
"Well then, mother will pick you both up later, alright? I'm off to work," he answered as he drove away.
"Right! Bye dad!" shouted Rin, smiling with joy and waving out. He turned to the stairs and they walked up, heading for their orientation.
Lunch Break
Haruka sat alone at a table, staring over the Sakura Trees that surrounded the outside, empty pool. He was quite disappointed on how the set up was since last year, they had the pool set up properly.
"This is so stupid," he muttered as he takes a bite on his sandwich.
A taller boy walked past his table, looking for a seat. He wanted to sit with some people but many of the seats were filled.
It seems that we have a lot of people, thought Makoto, where am I going to sit?
"Oi!" said a voice.
Makoto turned to see Haruka staring at him, asking, "You looking for a seat?"
The taller boy nodded and said, "Oh…well…I guess I'll sit right here."
Makoto sat down next to him and gave a bow of thanks.
"No need to bow," said Haruka as he turned away to see the trees.
"Man I'm starving…quite a morning isn't it?" asked Makoto, "At least the weather here is nice."
Haruka kept silent on the response; his eyes were fixed at the pool despite how it was empty.
"Not much to talk, eh?" asked Makoto.
"…the water…is alive," muttered Haruka.
"Huh?" said Makoto, confused on what he was saying.
"Nothing," replied Haruka as he got up and went to the restroom.
He seems…odd, thought Makoto, why would the water be alive?
Makoto was opening his lunch and started to eat when he saw a blonde kid walking past the table, looking for a seat.
"There's nowhere to sit today…" said Nagisa when he turned around and asked, "Ah! Is the seat open here?"
"Yeah, but you'll have to sit across from me," replied Makoto, "There's another one who sits next to me…I guess he went off to the restroom or something."
"Okay then!" smiled the blonde as he introduced himself, "My name is Naigsa Hazuki."
"I'm Makoto Tachibana," he answered as they shook hands, "Nice to meet you."
They turned to see Haruka returning to his seat as Makoto said, "Hey you're back!"
"Hello!" smiled the blonde, while eating his lunch.
Haruka kept silent as he continued to stare outside. Makoto had enough so he said, "Oh come on! At least say hi!"
"….morning," answered the tsundere.
"My name is Makoto Tachibana," said the taller boy, "And this blonde here is Nagisa Hazuki. We both would like to know your name if you please."
"…it's Haruka. Haruka Nanase," he answered while looking away still.
Makoto gasped as he remembered from his dream. But was it just by coincidence or could it be…? He shook his head and changed the subject.
"Just what are you staring at outside?" asked Makoto, getting up to see the outside.
"I want to go into that pool," said Haruka as he pointed to the empty pool deck with the Sakura petals floating around.
"Oh! You're a swimmer?" asked Makoto.
"Huh? Oh that's sooooo coooool!" said Nagisa.
"I…I do like the beach and ocean a little," replied Makoto.
Haruka still kept silent but he was secretly hearing this conversation. For some odd reason, it was as if they have already known each other…but for what?
"Hm…so Haru-chan likes the water? Why don't we just go and swim?" asked Nagisa.
"It's not open yet," he answered, "And could you drop the –chan?"
Haruka finally turned as a breeze from the outside struck his hair, creating a gentle blow across his hair and face. Nagisa blushed a little as he somehow felt like as if he seen that face before, but he couldn't put a finger on it.
"It's almost time for class again," he said as he got up.
"Aww…why don't we hang out after school?" asked Makoto.
"Yeah! I like that idea! Please?" asked Nagisa.
Haruka walked away, wondering what the future would become for him and these two. He somehow couldn't understand what was going on in the last few minutes as his head was a bit cloudy.
By early afternoon, it was finally dismissal as the students rushed out to meet up with the beloved families. However, Makoto's mother was already busy dealing with Ran and Ren while his father was away on a business trip. He would have to walk home by himself but first…
"Hey Nagisa!" he called out.
The blonde turned to see him and waved out while walking. They turned to see Haruka going down the stairs.
"Oi! Haru-chan!" shouted Makoto.
Haruka turned to see them and asked, "Why do you two even bother?"
"Why not?" asked Nagisa.
"It's not like we're going to bite," smiled Makoto.
Before Haruka could answer, they all heard a crash from above. Haruka turned to see a red-hair boy with his backpack open and some papers were flying off. He rushed back up to collect the papers while Makoto and Nagisa went to check up on the boy himself.
"Hey! Are you okay?" asked Makoto as he and Nagisa got the boy back on his feet.
Rin blushed a little and said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I must have run a little too fast."
He checked his hands and realized that his right hand had a little bit of a bruise/blood from the fall since the steps were concrete. Haruka held the papers in his hands and handed them over.
"Here," he said, "They fell out."
Rin bowed his head while getting the papers and said, "Thanks."
"So are you new here?" asked Makoto.
"Oh? Um…yeah, I was here with my sister for an orientation. We'll both be starting classes tomorrow," said Rin.
"Oi! Such pretty red hair," giggled Nagisa.
"Oh um…thanks," replied Rin as he blushed a little bit.
Haruka remained silent about this stranger…however, he felt a bit odd about him.
"So then I guess we're all in this school?" asked Rin.
"Pretty much," replied Makoto, "Did you transfer here?"
"Yeah…my sister and I have moved to this town just a few days ago. We were from Tokyo," answered the red-hair.
"Wow…" replied Nagisa," You were in a big city!"
Haruka kept his distance…but his head was beginning to ache a little. He tried not to show signs of pain but Rin could somewhat noticed this.
"You okay there? What's your name?" asked RIn.
"….Haruka. Haruka Nanase," said the tsundere.
"I'm Nagisa Hazuki," smiled the blonde.
"Makoto Tachibana," said the taller boy.
"Rin Matsuoka," replied the red-hair.
Rin turned to see his sister Gou walking out of the school finally. She was a bit shy at first to see them but in her heart, she knew that this was inevitable.
At last, she thought, they're just all about together…again…at least.
"Something the matter?" asked Rin.
"Oh no. I'm fine," smiled Gou, "I'm Rin's sister…Kou."
"Sister…that's not your real name," replied Rin, "It's Gou."
"Such a cute name!" laughed Nagisa, "Gou-chan!"
"I don't like to be called Gou, okay?" she asked.
Rin walked up to see Haruka staring at the empty pool. His eyes widened a little as he realized the reasoning of Haruka's silence.
"So you like the pool?" he asked.
"Yeah…?" replied Haruka.
"Well then…why don't you guys come with us? We got a pool in our backyard!" said Rin, smiling.
"Aw yeah!" cheered Nagisa, "That sounds like fun, fun, fun!"
"Um Rin," said Makoto, "Are your parents going to be okay with this?"
"Oh of course!" replied Rin, "We all live nearby…right? Don't be nervous, we'll be just a few hours or so."
They arrived at the Matsuoka's family house where the mother greeted them all. Their father was at work at the coastline, getting some fish for the markets.
Nagisa jumped in while Haruka floated on his back. Makoto was a bit nervous once again but Rin reassured him and they got in together.
"I'm so glad we came here," smiled Nagisa, "I just hope my mother doesn't worry too much."
"Yeah, I got two siblings that I need to keep an eye on soon," said Makoto.
"Hehe, you could say that again with my three sisters," sighed Nagisa as he recalled that horrid day when they would play with his hair and clothes.
Haruka continued to float on his back as he opened his eyes to see the Sakura petals drifting around. Some of them landed in the pool and one of them landed on his chest. All seemed peaceful and tranquilly.
Suddenly he gasped as he lost his balance on his back and turned over and lifted his head off, coughing and gasping.
"Oi! Haru-chan?" gasped Makoto.
"Haru-chan? What's wrong?" asked Nagisa.
"Hey Haru! You okay!?" shouted Rin, worried.
Haruka's eyes for a split second turned blank as he muttered the words, "Suiei…Suiei…Suiei…"
The others had blank expressions but they were worried that something was going to happen to Haruka. He finally shook his head as his eyes were back to normal blue, breathing a little bit on the heavy side.
"What…what was that?" asked Makoto.
"I…I don't understand…" replied Haruka, "I…I saw strange cloaked beings in the darkness…chanting one word."
"Suiei?" asked Nagisa.
Haruka nodded, "Yes. That's all I saw…and heard."
"I have no understanding on what that means," said RIn.
Haruka sighed and replied, "I'm probably just tired…it's been a day."
He climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel to dry off while the others got out and walked up to him.
"Please do not worry," said Haruka, "I don't live far from here."
Makoto looked at the sunset and replied, "Yeah…it's almost late. At least tomorrow is Friday."
"We'll have a fun day tomorrow," smiled Rin, "I'll see you guys!"
Somewhere across the globe…
The Five Suiei Gods drifted across the Pacific Ocean, heading south towards Australia when they could feel the senses of the four children.
"H-Haruka…" mutered Suiei Nanase.
"Does he remember now?" asked Suiei Tachibana.
Nanase shook his head and replied, "It's only a small fragment."
"Well they have only met today…it'll take some time," agreed Matsuoka.
"My poor Rei is not even with them," said a saddened Ryugazaki, "I wish he was there…but he's already in Osaka with the family."
"Well at least it's something right?" asked Suiei Hazuki, "He's not alone like how he was in the Time Loop."
Suiei Ryugazaki kept silent about it…but he nodded in agreement.
"Tch…Nagisa," chuckled Hazuki, "I'm going to maybe visit him in the dreams and see if he can remember a little."
"But they will remember," said Nanase, "and what they do with that…"
"Is entirely up to their decision," finished Tachibana.
Iwatobi, Japan
Nagisa stared at his ceiling, trying to fall asleep. It was quite an exciting day since he made great friends. Wait a second, friends? Didn't they seem somewhat familiar to him?
He finally closed his eyes as he drew the sheets over his head.
Nagisa woke up in some sort of a white void where he saw a Sakura Tree before him with a small pond next to it. It seemed like a familiar place already as he smiled on the beautiful sight.
"So beautiful!" giggled Nagisa as he walked over to the pond and saw that the water was crystal clear yet it was beautiful in a bright, sea-blue color.
He poked at the water a few times as ripples drifted across. A Sakura petal fell onto the water and suddenly, the images changed and showed various scenes that almost frightened the blonde.
"W-What…what is this!?" screamed Nagisa as he grew scared on the frightening images.
Behind him, a warm hand brushed through his hair, saying, "Nagisa…"
The blonde turned to see a tall-like entity with blonde hair and robes of pink and yellow and smiled happily, reaching out for the man before him…
Nagisa woke up with a gasp, shaken by the dream.
"Wh…what? What was that?" he muttered to self as he placed his right hand to his heart.
He was too tried to even to try and understand but he somehow recognized the man before him. However, he wasn't sure if this was even a real thing…but it was only a dream, right?
Just a dream, he thought as he lied back down.
Meanwhile, Makoto woke up in a strange place as well. He saw a taller man standing before him in his green and black speedos as the wind blew across his hair. A strange-looking necklace in a shape of a heart pendant, glowing green as it rested on his chest.
"…is…is this me?" asked Makoto.
The older Makoto turned around to see his younger self and smiled, saying, "Have no fear…it will all be okay."
Makoto stared up at his older self as the latter extended his hand down to his younger self, smiling, "Here…"
By the time Makoto reached out to his hand, he woke up, confused by what he was seeing.
What was that necklace, he thought, why did it feel so familiar?
The time to remember…has finally begun…
~To Be Continued...