A/N: I had a revelation for my 'Canon Characters meet OCs' story. I have never seen someone do something like this before. However, I know I could have the four main girls (Sora, Akira, Hisoka, and Junko) be accepted into Samezuka like I've seen in a couple of genderbent!Ai stories for their boyish sounding names, but I feel like this would make more sense. Tell how you like it...
Disclaimer: I don't own Free! Iwatobi Swim Club or its characters; just my own.
The petals are floating today, she thought as she watched as the students of Sakurano Academy file into the auditorium. Her cyan eyes observed the looks on the students, mixed from worried to excite, while hers remained a blank expression. Sakurano Academy, an all-girl school, has been kind to her the past year, both in athletics and academics. She was closer to her goal than she has been previous, with being placed in the top ten female swimmers in the nation. Her grandfather was proud of her, and hoped that she continued on her path. She ran her finger through her light brown hair, silently noting that she should cut it soon.
"What do you called us down here for?" her roommate asked, sitting beside her. "Sora?"
"How am I supposed to know?" she, Sora Mizushima, replied, looking at her roommate.
Sora's roommate, Akira Uchiyama, was a fellow classmate and teammate. The two met the first day and they, along with two others, had been inseparable ever since. Akira's hair flutter to her chin in black waves, and her eyes were a bright baby blue. She, along with the rest of Sakurano Academy, wore the uniform which consisted of a dark gray blazer with an emblem of a cherry blossom on the right breast pocket, a white button-up shirt, a matching knee-length skirt, and black shoes. Like Sora, Akira too had a goal, but when they are compared, Sora's goal was more of a dream rather than a goal.
"I'm worried, Onee-chan…" a small voice whimpered from Sora's other side.
"I'm sure everything is fine," came her sister's reply.
The fraternal twins, Sora's other two friends, were Hisoka and Junko Ishiwata. While their golden brown hair was the same, their hair style and eye color differed from the other. Hisoka's hair was in a pixie cut with one side being longer than the other, and her eyes were jade. Junko's hair was a layered bob, ending below her ears, and her eyes were a pretty lilac. Their height was another similarity between the two, towering slightly over Sora and Akira.
Like Akira, the twins were Sora's classmates and teammates. All four were a part of a medley relay team, and made it to national level. Junko started them off with her backstroke, Hisoka next in line with her breaststroke, Akira after with her butterfly, and Sora finished with her freestyle of frontward crawl. At the moment, the swim team was in its off season as the school year starts to end.
However, there are rumors of the school's fate. Some were that the school might close, due to several reasons like financial problems and less attendance. Sakurano Academy has been around for over 30 years, its name indicating that the school was mainly for girls. The dean of the Academy was the one to start the university, and the one that was going to speak to the students.
"Please, quiet down," the dean stated once she arrived at the podium on the stage. The students did just that and the room went silent as they listened to their dean. "I know we are approaching the end of the school and are about to be start a new one. As you may realize, there have been rumors going around concerning the school's fate. Unfortunately," the dean paused to choke out, "Sakurano will not be able to survive another year so the council and I have no chose but to close the school permanently." Shock and horrified gasps filled the once silent auditorium. The dean continued to speak, "I apologize for this, students, and I wish that we could continue to keep the school open. However, we don't have enough money or interest in keeping the school open. We will close the school year like always, but students will be required to head home after that. Thank you and once again I apologize for delivering this news."
Sora honestly didn't want to leave Sakurano, and by the sound of it, her friends didn't either. She have made a lot of great memories, many involving them. She hoped for a better future that wouldn't cause the loss of her friends.
Maybe the better future was long shot, Sora told herself. Their swim captain, Takako Kido, had called an emergency team meeting after the school meeting. Sora assumed that the captain was going to the fate of the Sakurano Academy swim team, and there was not going to be one next season. The school closing put a damper on the team, especially when Takako was about to announce the next captain.
"Why does the captain want to see us?" Akira ranted, her anger growing every step she took. "Haven't they realized that we were there when the dean announced that the school was closing? We won't be a part of the swim team."
"There won't even be a swim team," Hisoka added, just as angry as Akira was. "As the school goes, so does the rest of everything a part of the school."
"Maybe she wants a proper send-off for us," Junko suggested, trying to be hopeful.
Sora could be only be as hopeful as Junko trying to convey. She really hope the captain and the co-captain could provide some kind of back-up plan. The girl and her friends entered the large in-door pool of Sakurano Academy. The captain and her co-captain, Hotaru Naito, stood there, along with most of the swim team and their faculty adviser.
"There you guys are," Takako sighed with relief on her face. "See, sensei, we still have good underclassmen on our swim team."
"I know, and we had a lot of promising girls coming in for next season," their adviser reported with a whimsical sigh. "For Sakurano anyway. Come join the rest of the crew." Sora and her friends did so before she continued, "As you may know, Sakurano will be closing their doors after this school year. The swim team won't be competing next season." Some of the students, mainly Sora and her friends, deflated at this news.
"For Sakurano, anyway," a voice quipped, perking the students up. Sora saw a man come to stand beside their adviser. "However, the swim team will compete next season, if they want, for Samezuka Academy. Your adviser had a feeling that it would be so and came to me for advice. I mean, why wouldn't she? We are married…" the man cast a flirty glance at their adviser.
"Finish your story," their adviser barked, shooting a glare at her husband.
"Right," he nodded before continuing, "Originally, Samezuka was building a dormitory for any extra male students coming to the academy. However, the attendance is going to stay the same so the academy has an extra dormitory not being use until now anyway. The new dormitory is going to house the first ever females to attend Samezuka. Which will include the Sakurano Academy swim team, soon-to-be a part of the Samezuka swim team. So, girls, would you like to attend Samezuka?"
The news floored Sora and her friends. If this was true, then Sora wouldn't have to be without her friends and she could continue her goal. She was all for it, but there was still the matter of her friends and what they want.
"I'm in!" a voice beside her exclaimed, surprising her. It was Akira. "I mean, I would like to if my friends were going to be going, too."
"I will attend," Sora piped up, face blanked.
"So will we," Hisoka and Junko voiced in unison.
"Congratulations, girls," the man hummed, smiling proudly.
"Since you girls will be a part of the Samezuka swim team, it would make sense to announce captain for next season here at Samezuka's pool," Takako explained, making Sora look around the pool. She could see the Samezuka's swim team nearby, their captain standing in front of them. "But before I announce captain, I want you girls to know that I'm proud of each and every one of you for all your hard work last season. I strongly advise that you continue working on your strokes the way you have been doing. Who knows?" Takako shrugged, smirking at the group. "Maybe you all will be in the nation's top female swimmers someday."
There's no maybe of that, Sora thought with a huff, I am and will be one of Japan's top female swimmers, and I will take them with me.
"Mizushima," Takako piped, making Sora stand at attention. "Step forward." Sora did so, standing in front of Takako and Hotaru. "Lead them on for me."
Sora visibly gasped, her cyan eyes widening. Takako had named her captain for the next season, and the season after.
"Congratulations," Hotaru voiced, smiling proudly at Sora.
"You're the only one I've seen take the leader role," Takako explained as Sora continued to gap at her. "I trust you to be the captain to lead this team on, even if you won't attend Sakurano anymore."
Sora recovered her composure. "Thank you, Captain," Sora replied before bowing. "I will respect and honor it." She raised up with a smile on her face. Sora turned to see her friends, clapping for her as she walked over to them. Akira pulled her and the girls into an embrace.
However, it was a quick embrace as Takako called Sora back. "Hold on, Mizushima. Come over here." Sora did so once more as she stood in front of her former captain and some boy wearing the Samezuka Swim Team jacket. Sora could describe the boy in three words: tall, tan, and buff. He had bright red hair, slick back, and the most golden eyes she has ever seen. "This is Seijuro Mikoshiba, the Samezuka captain for next season. You and he will collaborate during the season, doing what you think is best for your part of the team. However, he will be a third year so you will only have a year with him. Seijuro, this is Sora Mizushima."
"Ah," Seijuro sighed, before bowing to Sora. "It's nice to meet you, Mizushima-san."
Sora bowed to him as well. "Same to you, Mikoshiba."
"Oh, please," Seijuro chuckled, surprising Sora and made her look up. "Call me Seijuro."
"I would rather not," Sora remarked, snarky. "I'm not that familiar with you just yet."
"You might as well since we're going to be spending a lot of time together," Seijuro quipped, which caused Takako to huff.
"Great, you already have another victim in mind," Takako groaned, rubbing her forehead. "And she is the new captain of the swim team."
"Well, she is nice to look at," Seijuro hummed, looking her up and down. Sora turned her head away, crossing her arms, and made an angered, offended sound through her close mouth. "But I won't do anything she wouldn't want to. I'll treat her with respect, itoko-chan." Sora didn't show her shock of learning the new Samezuka captain was her former captain's cousin. "I promise."
"I know. Mizushima, let's go," Takako ordered, both Hotaru and Sora following her.
Sora packed the last of her boxes into her father's car. The day had come when Sora would be moving into Samezuka instead of a new dorm room in Sakurano. Her friends had already gone ahead, along with her cousin, Minako Takai. She looked back at the school she had lived and learned at the past year, reminiscing over the memories she had made here. Though going from a boarding school to another would be interesting, she couldn't help but wonder what would had happen if the school never closed in the first place.
"Going to miss it?" Sora turned to look at her father, who was standing at the driver's door. Sora looked more like her father, Daisuke, than her mother, Michi. With his hair and eyes, she was a splitting image of him as a girl, but she had her mother's smile, only missing the black hair and bright peach eyes. However, that smile was rare.
"Yes," Sora sighed, looking back at the school.
"I know, but you're going to a new school and hopefully it won't be as bad as you think it will." Her father paused to release a frustrated groan. "Even if it's an all-boys' school." Sora laughed, looking at her father. "Come on. Get in the car. We have a long way to Samezuka." Sora nodded, doing so.
As her father pulled away, Sora took one last look at Sakurano. She took a deep breath and looked forward as her life began to change.