Some extra information: Scientists have uncovered data that proved that mermaids actually did exist at some time a long time ago. They were testing DNA from mermaid remains and were curious to see how similar they were to humans. What they found was that some families have DNA that is identical to mermaid DNA. Sora is from one of these families. Although these families have 99% mermaid genes in their own DNAs, they lacked the tail that mermaids are recognised for having. Scientists wondered if they could somehow activate these dormant Mermaid genes and worked hard to create a pill that, when swallowed would activate the mermaid genes and fuse the legs together to give them the tail when the user was in the water. The effect of the pill lasted for however long the person was in the water for. However, these families were very rare and most of the population did not believe the scientists and only saw it as rumours. People with the dormant mermaid DNA were called 'Artificial Mermaids'. Artificial mermaids would be able to instantly recognise one of their own and are always drawn to the water, feeling as if they belong in the water. They are generally fantastic swimmers.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Free! Characters in the story, or the song Splash Free, only my OCs :D
Pairings: I plan for it to be MakotoXOC, RinXOC
Rating: T for now

AN! PLEASE READ!
I went through the chapter and realized that it was a little bit hard to read/follow (thank you to my reviewers for pointing this out to me!) and I have fixed it (well, it makes more sense to me now). I have cut off the last part of the chapter and it will now be the start of chapter two. Thanks everyone :)

"The splash that makes us free!

Basking in the overlapping rays' contrast

Feel so free today, diving into

Our brand new blue, yeah

Following our hearts Set set set

Being ourselves Kick kick kick

We want to grasp It Pull pull pull

We can almost reach it Deep deep deep

Splash free!"

The sound of Style Five pulsed into my awaiting ears from the large, black and gold detailed headphones hanging around my neck. A thin gold cord connected my headphones to my phone which was sitting shallow in my pocket. My scuffed sneakers padded silently against the cracked concrete ground and my pink duffle bag bumped against my thigh as I snuck around the outside of the stylishly designed Iwatobi High school grounds, the school I would be attending tomorrow as a new student. The moonlight tracked my hushed progress through the large school grounds, casting my shadow on the concrete next to me, as if it were my companion.
One could technically call this trespassing seeing as I wasn't really supposed to be here because of how late it was and seeing as I wasn't actually a student of the school until tomorrow but, I really, desperately wanted to swim. I yearned for the feeling of water accepting my body, wrapping around me in a silky movement, tangling in my long hair and throwing it every which way, bringing it to life. I wanted to feel my fingers slicing through the water, creating an opening for my body, I desired the feeling of the resistance of the water as it worked my all my body muscles.
The urge was a deep niggling feeling in my breast that I knew I would not be able to get rid of unless I immersed myself in water. I probably could have gone for a swim in the sea, but where was the thrill of sneaking off for a swim in the ocean?
It was a cold night so I had wrapped up warm, but if I had been smart, I wouldn't have come down here at all. But my urge to swim had gotten the better of me.
My long, dark blue hair that faded to a lighter blue at the very ends, was bundled up inside the woollen beanie I had jammed over my head. The hood of my dark red sweatshirt covered up my beanie, casting a black shadow over my golden orange eyes and the slender lines of my face. I wore a pair of dark sweat pants on my legs. I was usually a good dresser, keeping up with the latest trends, but tonight I didn't care for my appearance. I was just here to immerse myself in some water, not impress people with what I looked like.
People would question why I was like this, why I was so obsessed with being in the water. I put it down to the dormant mermaid genes inside my body, but whenever I tried to explain this to people, they would laugh and call me delusional. Artificial mermaids were very rare and most people were in denial that we actually existed. As a small child, I was constantly being bullied by other children and labelled as delusional and a freak. My childhood was hell because of these people and I could only escape my hellish childhood when I got in the water.
The water accepted me for who I was. It didn't bully me or pick on me. It was a neutral object.
The sound of a door opening somewhere behind me shocked me back into reality and I pushed myself into a quick jog down a narrow side passage between two tall buildings, eager to be in the cold water. The smell of chlorine reached my nose and it urged me on faster and faster until I came across a raised concrete area that was surrounded by a fence. At one end was a building that I presumed was a changing room and when I looked for a way up to the top of the raised area, I found some stairs. I approached said stairs, taking them one at a time to draw out the suspense for myself. When I reached the rise of the stairs I turned my body towards the pool.
It was dark but the full moon's rays lit up the pool in an awe inspiring view. The pure white moonlight that streamed down on the clear, rippling waters made the pool's surface shine, glint and sparkle in radiance that made me breathe out a sigh of awe.
My body was struck with a violent impulse to leap into the water and never depart from its familiar embrace.
Yes, the water was where I belonged.
I moved away from the stairs, my shoes scuffing on the concrete as I walked past the pool, not taking my captivated eyes off the glinting surface. I headed over to the nearest chair, dumping my bag onto the wooden seat. I opened up my pink swim bag and unloaded a pair of small speakers which I plugged my phone into. The heavy bass of my music began to flood the surrounding area, the beats pounding off into the distance. I threw my headphones into the bottom of the bag.
I always trained to music, whether I was in the water or on the land. It helped me get into a nice rhythm.
I sighed in happiness and began to strip my clothing off in a hurried manner, revealing my long legged black swim suit bit by bit.
The cold night air bit into my bare skin, chiding me off doing something like this.
I ripped my beanie off with a violent tug, letting my hair tumble down my back in a cascade of shimmering light and dark blue hues. I ran my long, elegant fingers through the silky strands and began to stretch in time with the hard beats of the music. I occasionally sang along. As I stretched out my legs, I gazed down at the gold scale pattern that decorated my legs from the waist down.
It was these custom made togs and my swimming style that earned me my nick name as Sora "the mermaid" Ren. The mermaid shaped tattoo on my upper left arm was also responsible. When I swam competitively back in my hometown, people loved to liken me to a mermaid because of the way I swam and because of the togs I wore while I swam. It was after I won a 100m butterfly race that my friends started calling me a mermaid and I guess the nickname just kind of stuck.
I finished up my stretches and dug through my bag for my goggles. While I was in my bag I pulled out a small bottle that contained many small round, blue tablets. I set the bottle down with a little 'clink' next to my bag.
The pills within the brown glass bottle were specially made pills created by scientists that would activate the dormant mermaid genes when I got into water after taking one. My genes were 99% similar to mermaid genes and the pill had been created to fill in the 1% that I was missing and consequently, when I got in the pool after taking the pill, my legs would fuse together and form a tail.
I brought them along at the last minute even though I wasn't sure I'd use one.
I wandered up to the side of the pool, fastening my darkened goggles over my eyes and in one smooth, graceful motion, I dove in, my fingers piercing the still waters, creating a watery portal for the rest of my slim body to follow through.
The deep tugging motion in my breast was soothed as the cold, chlorinated water embraced my body with a splashy sigh. I floated in a streamline position for a few moments, giving a few lazy butterfly kicks every now and then.
It felt good to be back into the water again after being out of it for so long. It felt natural. I belonged in the water.
As I rolled my hips whilst giving another butterfly kick, I felt my hair brush the back of my thighs. My lungs burned for breath of sweet air so I kicked myself to the surface, breaking the ripple free surface with a loud splash.
"Fwah!" I gasped, filling my empty lungs with oxygen, rolling onto my back in a smooth movement. "That feels good!"
A bubble of laughter rose in my throat and echoed around the area with the loud music. I rolled back onto my stomach and started doing freestyle, my kick and arms soon getting back into a familiar pattern. My fingers carved an opening into the water and my arm followed them through, the water willingly parting for my strokes. As I neared the end of the pool, I executed a perfect tumble turn, butterfly kicking until I reached the surface upon where I started preforming my long strokes again. I stopped doing my lengths at the shallow end of the pool and removed my goggles with an excited giggle. I gave my long hair a flick and that's when I noticed him standing there, open jawed at the edge of the pool staring down at me.
He was a tall young man with short green olive hair that was almost brown. His eyes were a lighter shade of green and at that present stage were wide open in surprise. He was holding an open water bottle that was halfway to his open mouth. He was very attractive.
I was torn between two choices. Throwing myself at him in a tight, albeit damp hug and giving him a full introduction or picking up all my stuff and running, hoping he didn't go to the school. It was a little bit awkward, neither of us saying anything. I really did want to hop out and talk to him but my confidence gave in on me at the last moment.
I ducked my head and leapt up on the side of the pool, keeping my eyes down. I stood up and made my way to my bag, my long hair adhering slickly to my back. I threw my pills and clothing into my bag and zipped it up swiftly. Not bothering to dry myself off or put any other clothing on, I dodged past the cute boy and he moved to the side.
"Sorry for the intrusion." I murmured softly as I ran past him swiftly.
I headed out of the school, running towards my home. My wet feet left moist tracks on the pavement behind me. My flat wasn't too far away from the school so it didn't take me too long to get home seeing as I was a pretty quick runner.
I unlocked my front door and let myself in, adrenaline still pumping through my veins after the encounter with the boy.
"I'm home." I called out into the silent apartment.
A large white fluffy canine head popped around the corner and it was followed by a large, fluffy white body. He held his tail curled over his back. He gave an excited bark and trotted over to me, wiggling his tail happily. His orange spiked collar was loosely fastened around his neck.
"Noiz!" I called as I ruffled his fluffy white fur. "Hm? Where's Koujaku?"
As soon as the words slipped from my mouth, a similar dog with blue black fur came trotting round the corner casually. He slipped my hand under his head, as if telling me to pat him. I scrubbed his neck fur and the tip of his tail twitched happily. He had a red spiked collar loosely around his neck.
These two, named after my two favourite characters from the visual novel, DRAMAtical Murder, were my pride and joy. They were my two male Samoyeds who I had rescued from the local pet shelter when I moved to this area a few months ago. Koujaku was conservative and calm and Noiz was noisy and energetic. They provided me with plenty of company seeing as I lived by myself.
I pulled myself up to my feet and made my way upstairs to my room where I put my bag on my double bed. My room was full of swimming things. From posters of my swimming idols to my medals, certificates and trophies I had worked hard to win in competition swimming. One side of my room was completely dedicated to photos of my friends and I at swimming competitions that I participated in my younger years. A flood of happy memories washed through my brain and I allowed a small smile to curl at the corner of my lips.
Those days were long gone though. I hadn't competitively swum in years now, mainly because swimming clubs wouldn't accept me as a swimmer because I was a female and you never really saw a lot of girls swimming these days. I still kept up my fitness training both on the land and in the water, so I was still reasonably fit. Ready to start swimming for a club if they wanted me.
I gave a short sigh and rifled through my bag to grab my phone and speakers so I could listen to music as I showered. I pulled out my headphones and put them with my other pairs on a shelf by my desk but I couldn't seem to find my phone nor my speakers. Frantically, I tipped my bag upside down and my belongings came tumbling out onto the bed below. It was about this time that I had forgotten to grab them as I left the pool this evening. Dread snuck its way through my body.
What if someone stole them? I placed a finger to my lip in thoughtfulness.
It would be expensive to replace either of them. I vaguely hoped that the boy from earlier had picked them up.
I headed to the shower, down hearted. On my way to the bathroom, I stopped off in the laundry. I stripped off my togs and placed them in the washing machine, giving the control panel on the front a sharp tap with the tip of my finger. When I made it to the bathroom I flicked the shower on, turning the handle towards the warmer side of the dial before stepping into the warming spray of the water.
As I soaped up my body to rid myself of the chlorine hanging onto my skin, my thoughts somehow wandered back to the cute boy at the pools earlier.
Was he a swimmer? Even though he had been fully clothed I could see that he had nice, broad shoulders and a slim waist. A perfect swimmers build.
No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't stop myself from wondering what he would look like in togs and what sort of togs he would wear.
He was nice and tall so I thought that he would look really quite tasty in a pair of long legged togs. Ones with a nice, low slung waist that would skim over his slim hips...
I shook my head at the slightly perverted thoughts going through my head, my hair flicking around, spraying droplets onto the glass.
I abruptly turned the shower off and stepped out, grabbing a soft, white towel that had been hanging on the heated towel rack and scrubbed myself dry. I pulled myself into a pair of silk short shorts with cute orca designs on them and a black singlet with an enlarged orca across the bust. I walked back to my room, scuffing at my hair with my towel. I threw the towel down on the floor lazily and climbed over the sleeping forms of Noiz and Koujaku strewn at the foot of my bed. I pulled the covers back and snuggled down between the layers of cool sheets, my body relaxing immediately as it sunk into the bouncy mattress beneath. It didn't take me long to get to sleep that night, and when I did, I dreamt about the sea and the boy from the pool.

Heeeeeey everyone!
Please don't hate me for a new story, I've just had this idea in my head for quite some time now and I needed to get it out!
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Love, LunaFaustus 3
xoxo