A/N: Hi guys! I decided to write a new story, but this time make Nagisa the star! haha. I wanted to try and write in first person to see if it would go well. Please read and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: Free! doesn't belong to me, it belongs to it's rightful and respective owners. I only own my OC!

Chapter 1 - Part-time jobs are fun.

Boring. That was the first word that came into my mind. I was currently sitting behind the counter at Shiro's Splash 'N' Dash Shop, the puff of air from the air conditioner wafting into my face, feeling anything but excitement. I shouldn't have expected much from a place that specialized in swimming products. I mean, what person in there right mind would come to a shop that sold nothing but swim wear and cheap, sea scented soap on a Friday afternoon?

I sighed and continued to fiddle with my uniform. The bright blue jumper was a tad too big for me and ended past my arms, but I didn't mind. What really annoyed me was the mandatory skirt I had to wear. It was grey and simple, but was way too short for my liking. I looked with envy towards one of the male workers, who was wearing black, long, luxurious pants. Lucky bastard.

I was snapped out of my thoughts, when I suddenly heard the phone ring. I picked up the receiver and took a deep breathe."Hello, this is Shiro's Splash 'N' Dash! Where our motto is 'If it's not fast, then it's not Splash 'N' Dash!' How may I help you?"

"Hello? This is Arata Ikeda?"

I gulped at the familiar name. Arata Ikeda, also known as my new boss, was talking on the other line.

"G-good afternoon sir!"

"Oh! Hikari, is that you? How is my newest employee?

"I'm fine, sir!" I resisted the urge to curl up in a ball and cower in a corner.

"Good, good. I just wanted to talk to Karin about the new shipping's were getting in next week."

I nodded, but remembered he couldn't see me. "Yes, sir! I'll hand you over now."

I motioned towards Karin, a worker who had been here longer than me and she took the phone. My shoulders slumped in relief and all energy was drained from my body. It wasn't that I was scared or frightened of Mr Ikeda, he was a very sincere and kind man. It was just that...he treated me differently from the other staff. I shuddered at the memory of my interview. Now was not the time to be thinking about such disturbing things.

Still bored out of my mind, I decided to flip through one of the nearby magazines. It was full of models dressed in swimming costumes and striking fancy poses. I yawned, and was almost considering the thought of taking a nap,when I heard the bell to the front door of the shop tinkle. My body nearly jumped ten feet in the air as I quickly assumed my position behind the counter and tied my black strands of hair into a neat ponytail. I took several deep breaths, to calm myself down and looked with curiosity to the doorway.

"Hey, Rei-Chan! Let's look at the swim wear section!"

My eyes greeted me with two, fairly built teenage boys. One of them, shorter than the other, was obnoxiously loud and running around the store shouting "Wow! This is so cool" and "Look at this, Rei-Chan!" The other, whom I was guessing was 'Rei-Chan', was quietly following in tow, every now and then stopping to inspect an article of clothing or product.

I sighed in annoyance at the disturbance. Well, I did ask for more excitement... I checked the clock on the wall. I only had half an hour of my shift left. Might as well be happy that I at least got some customers today. I nodded my head, determined to keep up a positive attitude towards the end of my part-time.

"Ah-ha! This one is perfect! The measurements of the leg and waist best suit my body type."

I could still hear the customers loud, irritating comments but managed to keep a smile on my face.

"That one looks nice, Rei-Chan! But how about this one?"

"N-Nagisa-Kun! That one has penguins on it! I refuse to wear something so weird!"

"Awww...But Rei-Chan!"

I rolled my eyes, seeing the two boys emerge from the the swim wear section. Now that they were closer, I could make out their features better. The shorter of the two, now know as Nagisa, had light, sparkling blonde hair and had a sort of 'cute' aura around him. He was pulling on Rei's arm, a big pout on his face, telling him to buy the swim suit with the penguins on them. Rei, his bright blue, distinguishable hair clashing with his red glasses, was continuing to ignore him and making his way to the counter.

I hurriedly plastered on a big grin as they approached me. "Hi, What can I do for you today?"

"Hello, we would like to purchase this swim sui-"

"Wow, Look Rei-Chan!"

Rei visibly frowned at the interruption as I looked down to see that Nagisa was referring to the free bowl of sweets, that we usually gave out to customers. I pointed at them. "You mean these?"

He nodded, his eyes practically shining. "C-Can I have one?"

I smiled at the way he phrased the question. So cute...

"Sure, take as many as you like!"

"Really!? Yay!" He proceeded with stuffing gallons of sweets into his pockets.

"U-um...Would you like a bag?" I wasn't sure if he was planning to actually carry all those sweets in his coat.

He laughed. "I'm okay! I'm not going to take that much!"

I nodded nervously. He was a very strange and lively character, his charisma reminded me greatly of someone I knew. I mentally shuddered.

"Ahem..."

I ripped my gaze from the gleeful blonde and back to his associate. To say he looked irked was an understatement. He glared at Nagisa before speaking. "As I was saying, before I was rudely interrupted." He glanced at Nagisa, who was still filling up on sweets. "We would like to purchase this swim suit."

"O-Of course." I quickly scanned the costume's bar code and wrapped it up, not wanting to anger him anymore than he already was.

"That will be 14 yen, plea-"

"Wait!" The short blonde again interrupted.

Rei sighed, clearly annoyed by his friend's antics. "What is it now, Nagisa-Kun?"

"I want a pair of those!" He pointed behind me at the array of goggles on the wall.

Rei raised an eyebrow. "But you already have a pair!"

"But, Rei-Chan...!"

Nagisa again pouted. His eyes twinkled, coaxing Rei into buying what he wanted. The bluenette slumped his shoulders in defeat and told him to hurry. This was a battle he clearly knew he was not going to win.

Nagisa took no time in picking out which pair he wanted. He decided with the ones that had penguins on them. I stifled a laugh. No surprise there. The only problem was that they were placed really high up. I would have to get a ladder to reach them. Dammit! I inwardly cursed at my short height.

"Um, one moment please." I explained the situation to the two of them, which earned me an annoyed stare and a sympathetic smile in return. I hastily walked over to the storage room in the back, the stench of wood and ancient swim kit filling my nostrils. When was the last time someone cleaned this place up? As I moved about, I was careful not to trip over discarded pieces of equipment. My lungs burned for clean, fresh air rather than the dust that they were now inhaling. You can do this. I encouraged myself. All you need is a ladder! I squinted my eyes, the dim light from the bulb not helping my vision at all. I found tons of things - costumes, paddle boards, even a pair of giant oars! But sadly, no ladder was to be seen anywhere. I was just about ready to give up and tell the customers that they would have to come back, and get the goggles some other time, When I happened to trip over a box of swimming floats. "Ow!" That would definitely leave a mark.

I blindly stretched out my hand, trying to find something to help hoist me back up, when I felt a really cold and solid object. I looked up and found an old, dust covered metallic ladder and smiled in triumph. Thank god I was getting paid for this.

Dragging the heavy ladder with me, I made my way out of the musky smelling room and back into the main part of the shop. "Sorry to keep you...waiting...?"

I frowned in confusion when I saw that there was no one there."Um, hello?"

No one answered me. The shop was deathly quiet.

Where did the customers go? What happened? Why...? In my desperation, I called for the only staff member that I knew. "Karin!"

There was no reply, she must have gone home. Why did they just leave like that? Did they steal anything? My heart sunk at the thought of finding no money in the cash register and I practically ran to the counter, blood rushing in my ears. I jerked open the till and counted the money carefully. It all seemed to be there? I counted again, just to make sure. It was as I had left it. Then what..?

I scanned the work top, looking for any clues that could answer all my questions, when my eye caught something near the bar code scanner. On closer inspection, I realized it was a note. What was that doing there? I licked my lips, trying to get moisture back into them, and opened the piece of paper. I flinched in surprise when money fell out. Huh?

My eyes quickly scanned the sheet, shocked at what I was reading.

Hi! Sorry to leave so suddenly like that! We hope we didn't scare you! Don't worry we didn't take any thing! I'll be sure to come back for the goggles.

See you, Hika-Chan!

P.S Thank you for the sweets. :P

I stared at the note in my hands, my mouth agape. I didn't know whether to be surprised at the fact that the sweets were all gone or that the person writing the message, I presumed it was Nagisa, gave me a nickname.

I outwardly groaned, my head throbbing as flashes of the eventful day ran through my mind. The boredom, the unexpected phone call and the innocent looking blonde with the sappy grin. I balled my hand into a fist, successfully scrunching up the note.

"Cute, my ass."