Chapter 1:

Gou stepped off the train with ease and landed on the platform, only to be shoved and pushed left and right by strangers attempting to get on the train she had just exited. Under normal circumstances, she would have been annoyed. But she had been well informed by Rin, Souke, and Makoto. They schooled her on what to expect upon her arrival, so she wasn't all that surprised. It was loud and busy. After all, this was Tokyo. Though she was here last year at nationals, the pace of the city still amazed her. She could already tell that this city waited for no one. She could tell just by looking at them, that the people here worked around the clock non-stop. Like they were chasing time, afraid it would leave them behind.

At first, the idea of moving to such a city was terrifying. The noise, the rapid speed would be too much for her. Gou enjoyed working hard, but at her own pace. And in a city like Tokyo, she wouldn't have that luxury. Nevertheless, Rin convinced her she would be fine. That leaving the old to enter the new was uncomfortable for everyone. She believed her brother, he more than anyone knew what it was like to step out into the world of the unknown. Though he didn't like to talk about it much, Gou knew that leaving for Australia in middle school must've been frightening. He was all alone.

Unlike Rin, she would have company. Gou turned her head sharply as she heard someone yell her name. With a crowd of people entering and leaving, it was hard to figure out where it was coming from. She looked around, her eyes dashing from person to person. This wasn't easy; everyone was talking at once. As she helplessly continued to look, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. It was a message from Rin.

Look left dum dum.

Gou faced left and saw a familiar purple head with maroon eyes. It had only been a couple of months since his last visit, but it felt like an eternity. He propped his head to the side and waved at her. Gou ran over to him, and in the process, she was shoulder barged by more strangers than she could count. From up close, it seemed like he had grown taller. But his mischievous face remained the same.

"Yo!" He said with a grin.

"Are things always this fast-paced around here?" She asked.

"Welcome to Tokyo sis," Rin chuckled.

"You know you didn't have to come; I would've been fine on my own," Gou replied, folding her arms across her chest.

"I know, but mom wanted to make sure you got settled in okay."

"She worries too much."

"That's why she's mom."

"She didn't make this much of fuss when you left."

"That was different."

"How so?"

"Well because she still had you, her little girl. But now you're all grown up and starting University, in a huge city!"

Gou paused. She noticed that her mother wasn't as devastated when Rin left, but she was finding any and every excuse to keep her in Iwatobi. Gou thought she wanted to control her life, but it never occurred to her that her mother was lonely. After Rin went to pursue his dreams, she was all her mother was left with. Both the men in her life were gone. Gou was the only one who stayed back then, and they never anticipated that the time to leave would arrive so soon.

"Stop thinking too hard; you look old."

"I do not!" Gou pouted.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go", Rin said dismissively.

To say the streets were busy would be an understatement. Everywhere she looked, there were people. She had trouble seeing the pavement. There were more cars than in Iwatobi, that was a bad thing. Traffic took longer. For example, the two siblings had been waiting in line with a bunch of other cars for almost half an hour. They had barely moved. Rin looked frustrated behind the wheel, and it didn't help that the sun's powerful rays had penetrated the car - making it excruciatingly hot.

"Come on!" Rin yelled while hitting the steering wheel.

Gou chuckled, it was just like Rin to get irritated quickly. He had never been the patient type, the complete opposite of Haruka. Nanase was always calm and emotionless. The guy didn't care for much, except water and Mackerel. If he were driving instead of Rin, he wouldn't even let out so much as a grunt. Rin, on the other hand, didn't have a single patient bone in his body.

"Finally," he breathed as they passed the traffic lights. From here, they were only a couple of minutes from her new apartment. Rin drove straight before taking a right. He did a few maneuvers to get the car to sit in the designated parking space before hopping out. The apartment building was surrounded by cherry blossom trees, just like the ones back home — what a strange coincidence. Well, at least she knew she would feel right at home. Rin tossed her the keys before opening the trunk to get her things. Gou didn't wait for her brother, as the excitement filled her she ran up the stairs to the second floor. She stopped at door number 12, which corresponded with her key. With one twist, Gou gave the door a gentle push before walking inside.

Upon entering, she left her shoes in the small corridor. There was no need to turn on the light since the sun's rays already illuminated her whole apartment. She passed the small kitchen, which she noticed had a little white counter. She asked Rin if possible; she wanted a white counter. When he heard her request, Rin scoffed and mumbled something about her being "so darn picky." But it looked like he made it happen after all. Gou continued to the living room. There wasn't much except a sofa and TV. That was normal of course; she hadn't settled in yet. But it was still beautiful thanks to the view. She slid open one of the double glass doors that lead to the balcony and took it all in. She watched the tides push and pull, waves coming in hard and fast before smoothly dissolving into the sand. The sea here, it reminded her of home. Of Iwatobi. Of all those summers she, Makoto, Haru, Nagisa, Rei spent together. The water brought them all together. She was sure it also brought her to Tokyo. For what reason? She had every intention of finding out.

"So what do you think?"

Gou walked back into the apartment and took a box from Rin. She looked around once again and thought hard. The cherry blossoms, the white counter, and the ocean. It was all so charming and well, homey. Gou grinned and hugged her brother tightly. Rin was a little startled, though they were siblings, he and Gou were not very sentimental towards each other. Before today, he couldn't remember the last time they shared a hug like this. He blushed before patting her purple head as he had seen Makoto do to little children.

"It's perfect Rin, thank you," Gou looked up at him with a beaming smile.

"Umm...it's nothing," he said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "We should hurry up and unpack, you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Right!"

Gou nodded and took a lid off one of the wooden boxes. She pulled out a small notebook, Gou instantly recognized it. It contained the old training regiment and diet plan she made for the team, back when she was a second year. She put it down then picked up a photo she took last year when Rei and Nagisa swam at nationals. There she was with the new members of the Iwatobi swim club and old friends. It made her wonder what kind of memories she would make this year. Whatever they'll be, she was sure they would help her grow even more. Gou was taken out of her thoughts by the sound of Rin's stomach rumbling. She raised an eyebrow at him, and Rin shrugged.

"What? We were stuck in traffic too long."

Gou rolled her eyes.

"I'll get started on dinner."

Author's notes: Hey guys, This is my first Free! Fanfic! Super excited, I hope you are too. Please review and let me know what you think.

How will Gou do in Toyko?

What awaits her at her new university?

Find out next time!