The day has finally come! Earlier than I planned, but I really couldn't wait to upload the first chapter. In advance, thanks to everyone to reads this and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'Free!' or any of the characters. Ayaka Shibata, Satsuki Moriyama and any future OCs belong to me.


1 - sense

They were of an indefinable nature. Those who knew them struggled to place words to their characters, merely comparing them as a match set. The pair had been together since childhood, inseparable from an early age – though that didn't mean one couldn't define what they were not.

Ayaka Shibata, undoubtedly, lacked all simple sense of decency. Satsuki Moriyama, in turn, lacked a social life.

In a way, given Satsuki had next to no reputation to ruin, they were perfect for each other. Ayaka was free to be as crude as she cared, for any certain defiance or objection was never bound to leave Satsuki's lips.

As they walked down the halls of Iwatobi High, enjoying the familiar despondency of their first day back at school, they spared no second glances. Ayaka swung her arms wildly, despite having been warned that she was likely to drop her lunch doing so – Ayaka didn't care for worries of her friend.

"You're just trying to make me feel bad for being happy." Ayaka insisted.

"No, I'm trying to make you understand that what you're doing is stupid." Satsuki retorted.

"Miserable." The blonde-haired Ayaka insisted.

Satsuki scoffed noisily. "Go ahead then, if you're fine with letting that lunch your dear older brother prepared for you go to waste."

At once, Ayaka's hands snapped to her chest, hugging the paper bag to her chest. Though of average height, Ayaka's figure was well endowed and her figure curvaceously defined through her athletic lifestyle. A contrast to Satsuki, who considered herself unremarkable in regards to her curves and disappointing lack of tallness. Lucky for them, their school uniforms were tasteless enough to conceal any and all shape.

"I would never," Ayaka retorted sullenly, "My brother poured his heart and soul into this lunch."

"But does that really justify his crappy character bento?"

Ayaka nodded resolutely, causing her shoulder-length, blonde hair to bounce around. She looked, when pouting in the way she was, like the epitome of naivety. It was a deception that ran deep, for despite her wide-eyed, soft-faced look, there was no stopping the comments that poured like filth from her lips.

"It's familial love, plain and simple." Ayaka declared, "You wouldn't understand, being an only child."

"I do too. My parents are my family."

"But you don't have siblings. The best you have is Haruka and he's not-!"

Satsuki flushed a deep red. "Shut up!"

"Does just the sound of his name incite your lust?"

"No, it's-!"

Ayaka clapped her across the shoulder, using her taller height to her advantage. Satsuki shot her a fierce glare, conveyed easily through her narrow, hazel eyes. "Don't worry," Ayaka assured cheerfully, and while speaking much too loudly, added, "It's totally normal to have weird, sexual thoughts at our age."

"Ayaka, shut up or lower your voice." snapped Satsuki.

Her smirk indicated she would do no such thing. "If you keep worrying so much, you're gonna get so many early wrinkles." She teased instead.

"Whatever, let's just keep looking."

"Hm, okay. I'm surprised those two didn't try to find us."

Satsuki's expression relaxed. "Haru isn't the type."

"Makoto is, though. They're probably on the roof." Ayaka surmised.

"Probably." Satsuki agreed disinterestedly.

"You sound like you don't care, Suki-chan."

For the comment, Ayaka received a haughty glower from her friend. Satsuki understood Haruka Nanase well, but she also understood self-respect. "It's his turn to come find me," she declared, "I'm only coming because you wanted to see them."

"Speaking of, now that we're second years, we'll be getting some cute, new juniors!"

"You wouldn't actually date someone younger than you, would you?"

"I'd date people older than me, so why not? There's only a year's difference in our ages anyway," Ayaka pointed out seriously, "Which, considering, should mean that-!"

There were no following words, only the sharp exclamation of surprise. Ayaka, having walked right into the person, stumbled a few steps back to regain her balance. In her surprise, the jolt that rattled her body, her lunch slipped through her fingers – there was nothing she could have done.

In the aftermath, Ayaka could only stare at the bag containing her lunch. She waited, breathless, for Satsuki's voice teasing her about how right she had been. What brought reality back to her was not that, however.

"Aya-chan!"

Ayaka returned to herself with a revelation and a grin. "Bingo." She muttered, "Found you, Gou."

"It's Kou!" the girl insisted, quickly recovering from having been bumped into.

"Right, Kou," Ayaka corrected, "Kou Matsuoka, how are you today?"

Gou cast a brilliant smile upwards. Her burgundy hair, longer than she recalled, was bound into a ponytail and her uniform pressed clean. From that smile, Ayaka knew that there was nothing to worry about and she was still very much her same young friend from middle-school.

Gou ignored Ayaka's question. "I knew it was you, Ayaka. You've still got that birthmark."

"Well, birthmarks don't just disappear…" Ayaka quipped, her hand drifting to the mark along her jaw.

"Well, so the pervert-pair is reunited." Satsuki interjected, and despite her teasing words she was smiling just as happily as the rest.

"We just appreciate the aesthetic of the human body." Ayaka argued.

"Exactly." The new-come first year agreed.

"Well, you," Satsuki's finger pointed to Ayaka, "could stand to do that a little more quietly. Also, pick up your lunch."

"Oh, yeah!"

As Ayaka leant down and recovered her precious homemade lunch, Satsuki and Gou had a chance to greet each other. They hadn't seen each other much the previous year, given that they were in high school and she was still in middle school. Their friendship had struggled onwards, mostly due to the excessive number of outings Ayaka planned between them.

"Good to see you." Satsuki greeted warmly.

"Same to you," Gou replied, "I'm so happy we're finally all back in the same school."

Ayaka chose that precise time to re-join the conversation, and she did so shamelessly. "So, Kou, have you had the chance to check out any of the athletics clubs?"

"Not yet."

"Well schedule it in. Iwatobi has actually bulked up this year."

"Pervs," muttered Satsuki, defeated, "But you might be able to help us, Gou-,"

"Kou."

"-Kou; anyway, have you seen Haruka or Makoto around?"

"Um, they're on the rooftop, I think," Gou revealed, before tilting her head inquisitively, "Why? I didn't think you were close to them."

"Nonsense," Ayaka dismissed, "I've known them since elementary."

"We hung out more as of last year." Satsuki amended for the sake of sufficient explanation.

Ayaka nodded curtly, before sidling over and jabbing her friend with her elbow. "Only because a certain someone had their eye on another certain Haruka Nanase."

"Shut up." Once again, Satsuki's cheeks began to glow a red more vibrant than that of Gou's eyes.

Gou smiled warmly. "That's cute. Are you two dating then?"

Immediately, the words Satsuki wanted to say fell out of her reach, leaving her tripping and stumbling over her tongue. Mindful of her stuttering, Ayaka took it upon herself to answer for her, saying, "You know, it's really very unclear."

"We just-!" Satsuki began, before biting down on her words.

"Just what?" Gou asked, leaning forward conspiringly.

"Just, um…"

"Well, they kissed," Ayaka interjected, "Though Satsuki hasn't explained what happened after that."

Satsuki's head fell, the bushy tangles of her short, brown hair obscuring her vision. She was, almost certainly, hiding her embarrassment. "Shut up," she muttered, as embarrassment gave way to irritation, "If you want to know, ask Haru."

Gou's smile remained vibrant, persistent, for a moment longer until her doe-eyed look faded to something more morose. "Ayaka," she began, "Do you still talk to my brother anymore?"

Ayaka shrugged, nonchalant. She had met Rin, with a more official introduction than elementary school had permitted, a few years ago. He had been visiting from Australia, and the encounters from then on had been brief and his attitude abrasive.

"Matsuoka-kun?" Despite the metaphorical distance between them, Ayaka was ever informal in addressing him, "Not really. Sometimes he'll text me to ask how you are."

"Oh, so you probably haven't seen him then either…"

"Seen him?" she wondered, "He's in Australia, isn't he?"

Gou shook her head, a bittersweet smile warping her lips. "He came back. He's attending Samezuka Academy, which is a boarding school, but he still hasn't come home yet."

"That bastard."

"Sometimes people are just like that." Satsuki added gently, an impersonal reassurance. The brunette knew of Rin through stories only, and she was far less inclined to invest herself in the situation.

"Rin isn't – or wasn't always." Gou insisted.

Ayaka's lips parted in a long, heavy sigh. "Well it can't be helped."

"Anyway, we should keep moving. Wanna come and say hi to the guys, Gou?"

"Kou – it sounds better and you know it!"

Satsuki smiled but didn't bother to correct herself. In light of the silence, Gou continued calmly, "I have to go find my friend, actually."

"Shame," Satsuki replied, before walking forward, "It's good seeing you again."

Gou nodded resolutely, sharply, and stood to the side as the pair of older girls moved passed. Satsuki dragged Ayaka along by the arm, though she didn't seem to mind in the least. There had always been a peculiar sense of apathy and humour about Ayaka.

"See you 'round!" Ayaka called back, throwing up a clumsy military salute.

She embodied it, every waking moment.


Just on a quick side note, the first two chapters act as a shoddy introduction to the story and are (partly) Rin free. I'll upload the second chapter this weekend (two days from when this is uploaded) but after that, updates will be from each Saturday.

Just so there isn't any confusion, the pairings are Ayaka/Rin with a little Satsuki/Haruka on the side. I'm hoping to get a oneshot up about Haruka/Satsuki soon, which will act as a sort backstory to their relationship in this story. Hopefully, someone will be interested in that?

In the meantime, please feel free to leave a review, a critique, or anything of that sort!