Chapter 1: Freshwater
During the first week of the semester, universities are always lively.
Around campus there exists an incomparable energy, a distinct feeling of anticipation, that simply cannot be rivalled anywhere else.
For those destined to begin the next step in their academic lives, it's impossible not to be drawn in. Whether it be a college or a university, students flock to explore what their new home has to offer, to sample their newfound freedom, and of course, to get a taste of the infamous lifestyle.
Iwatobi University was no different.
Opening its doors to students for the first time in months following summer break, the whole place was abuzz with activity.
It was early in the morning, around 9:30 to be exact, and orientation events were already in full swing. Today was the beginning of the first and biggest of these events.
Held annually at the start of term, the main gymnasium on campus played host to the numerous clubs and societies the university had to offer, with each one being given a stall from which to advertise their extra-curricular activity. Naturally, the event was extremely popular with freshmen. Students lined the hall in their hundreds, all of them eager to find a club that best reflected their individual passions.
The atmosphere was nothing short of electric. Already freshmen from across campus were using the event to make new friends; the clubs and societies on offer giving them the opportunity to share in their interests with people of a similar mind. It was exciting and new, and everyone seemed to be having a great time…
…well, almost everyone.
In the corner of the gym, as far from the crowds as possible, stood a boy.
He was a freshman; around average height and slim, with pale, light blue eyes. His hair was a pearly grey, falling messily over his forehead in a number of short, straight bangs. Below his right eye, a small, black beauty mark.
In his hand he held a shiny new student ID card. On it was written his name: Aiichirou Nitori.
He quickly clipped it onto his lanyard and pulled the strap over his head. Taking a deep breath, he picked his head up and scanned the area, his eyes darting back and forth in an effort to pick someone from the crowd of students besieging the gym.
Nitori had never liked crowds. He was definitely a people person, that was for sure; he loved making friends and would happily talk anyone's ear off if given the chance, but when it came to large groups, he found his confidence was nowhere to be seen. They made him feel small, like he didn't matter. He didn't have the biggest voice and he wasn't the tallest, so being noticed was always difficult- even in small groups. It made him nervous, especially when it came to social occasions and club activities.
Nitori sighed resignedly and took out his phone.
Where could he be? he thought to himself as he sifted through his (short) list of contacts. Realising he didn't have the number he was looking for, he slotted his phone back into his pocket and breathed another heavy sigh. Just as he was about to consider leaving, he felt a hand grip his shoulder from behind.
"Aiichirou! I'm here!"
Nitori span around to find a familiar face smiling back at him.
"Oh, Mikoshiba. There you are." Nitori smiled and gave him a small wave. He'd have to get his number later.
"I've told you man, my name is Momotaro. You can call me Momo! Everybody does."
Nitori shook his head, his smile getting wider. It was nice to be able to finally concentrate his attention on one person- and a friend at that. Momo was his flatmate, and although he had a strange obsession with bugs, Nitori rather liked him. He was excitable like a small child, a smiling ball of energy that seemed to radiate positivity, sharing his enthusiasm with whomever he was near. This was how Nitori had been roped into coming to this event in the first place.
"Okay, Momo. Shall we take a look around? This was your idea after all."
"You don't have to say it like that!" Momo yelled, leaning closer to be heard above the noise of the gym. "You make it sound like you didn't want to come."
"I didn't," Nitori shouted back, all too aware of the crowds they would soon be heading into.
Momo gestured for them to move. "Come on man, you need to try new things and do stuff that isn't just sitting in your room studying." Nitori pouted. "Trust me, I know what's best for you!"
"But you've only known me for two days!"
Momo laughed and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him along until they had reached the first stall. There was a large crowd gathered around it, making it impossible to even see what club it was advertising.
Momo peered over the top of the crowd before jumping up and down, trying to get a good look at the club's rep. "Meh, I think it's for basketball," he sighed, turning to Nitori. "Is that something you want to do?"
Nitori shook his head. His height ruled him out of that one. Besides, there was only really one club he was interested in.
"Didn't you say you wanted to join the swim team?" Momo read his mind.
Nitori nodded. Swimming was the only sport he had actually been any good at back in high school. It had been a nice hobby, and although he had only really dipped his toes into the competitive side of things, he was a very competent swimmer. The only thing that worried him about continuing to swim at university was the potentially large size of the club, and of course, the level at which he'd be expected to compete.
"Well let's go find it then! Maybe afterwards I can find the entomology club too!" Momo once again grabbed him by the arm and hauled him away, almost knocking him off his feet.
Nitori had no choice but to be pulled along. He was glad of it in a way. The gym was huge and there was so much going on, so many stalls and so many people; it would have been far too overwhelming for him on his own.
Momo eventually brought the pair out at the opposite end of the gym. It was much quieter here. There were surprisingly few stalls and even fewer people, leading Nitori to believe this was probably the area given to the less 'popular' clubs and societies.
"Hey, there it is! There's the swim club!" Momo was bouncing on the spot, pointing excitedly ahead of him. Nitori followed his gaze until his eyes fell upon a table in the far corner. He gasped.
It was manned by two boys. One had short, dark brown hair and a wide, muscular build. He was tall and handsome, but it wasn't him that caught Nitori's eye. It was the other boy.
Leaning nonchalantly back in his chair, his arms folded, he sat scowling at passers-by. He was shorter and somewhat slimmer than the brown-haired boy, with long, maroon coloured hair that fell gracefully in bangs over his youthful looking face. He looked annoyed, angry almost, but despite his cold expression, Nitori was completely taken in by him. He was simply beautiful.
His eyes were a deep red, and although they looked tired and bored, they sparkled brilliantly under the bright lights of the gym. Their colour was accentuated by the vibrancy of his hair; red and maroon in perfect harmony as his long, pointy bangs curled delicately over his eyes and onto his cheeks. Below those cheeks lay an equally delicate, yet angular jawline. It was incredibly well defined, curving perfectly into a subtle point at the centre of his chin.
Nitori swallowed, hard.
"Aiichirou?" Momo still had hold of his arm. "You want to check it out?"
"Err… I… I don't-"
"Of course you do! Let's go!" Momo's vice-like grip on his arm tightened and he felt himself once again being pulled along against his will.
No no no no no.
Nitori tried to resist, but Momo's limitless energy and surprising strength was too much. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the swim team's makeshift stall. He panicked, shoving his hands deep into his pockets and looking off to the side in an effort to avoid the maroon-haired boy's gaze.
Nitori had never been very good at talking to people like him. For some reason, anytime he tried speaking with someone he felt even a shred of attraction towards, he'd either say something stupid or just totally freeze up. He had put this anxiety down to his lack of experience over the years, but in actual fact it was more likely it stemmed from the fears he had over his sexuality. He was bisexual, and although he was more than comfortable with that, he was afraid of how others would treat him if they found out.
"Hey guys. You two looking to join up with our swim team?" The brown-haired boy spoke calmly, but Nitori's gaze remained on the wall to his left.
"We sure are!" Momo was quick to respond.
"That's great to hear. How about you just tell me about yourself first? Things like why you want to join, how much experience you have…"
As the brown-haired boy addressed Momo and the two began talking, Nitori was left to stand there awkwardly.
A low, serious voice from behind the table soon startled him.
"Do you swim?"
Nitori's felt an explosion of butterflies take hold of his stomach. He knew this was going to happen. He couldn't just stand there and not talk to the guy. He was supposed to be finding out about the swim club; Momo couldn't do all the talking.
Putting on a brave face, Nitori turned to face the maroon-haired boy. He opened his mouth to speak… but he couldn't seem to form any actual words. The sight of the boy so close up somehow caught him completely off guard.
He could now see every part of him in exquisite detail, and it was quite literally breath-taking. His eyes were particularly stunning, like two rubies in the rough. They held an intensity and an elegance that seemed to surround his whole being. He had a presence, an aura, that just made Nitori stop and stare…
"Umm… I said do you swim?" The boy looked up at him, a little bemused. He didn't look anywhere near as bored or angry as he did from afar; his expression seemed softer somehow.
Nitori felt his cheeks redden.
He still hadn't answered him!
"Oh, uhhh… y-yeah I swim, I did a lot back in high school…"
Don't say something stupid. Don't say something stupid.
"…do you?"
As the words left his mouth, Nitori knew it was all over. The embarrassment was almost instantaneous. The boy was either going to think he was a complete idiot, or he was somehow making fun of him. All Nitori could hope for was the slim chance that the ground would open up beneath him and swallow him up.
The boy cracked a smile and laughed a little. It wasn't a malicious laugh. It sounded genuine and warm, even if it was at Nitori's expense.
"Well I am the captain, so what do you think?" The boy smirked back at him, flashing his teeth. They looked unusually sharp. Such a unique quirk only added to his appeal, especially for Nitori who had a particular preference for that kind of thing…
Nitori floundered, words now tumbling from his mouth at pace. "Ha-ha, of course you would swim, with you being the captain and all. Why would you not? You're the captain. Of the team. Sorry…" Leaning closer, he clocked the name on a badge pinned to his jacket. "…Matsuoka."
"It's Rin. Just Rin. Or captain if you like." Oh God he even got his name wrong. Could this be going any worse? "So do you want to try out or-"
"Rin what have you said to this poor kid?" Nitori and Rin both looked up at the brown-haired boy, who was giving Rin a rather disapproving look. "He looks scared to death."
"What?! Nothing!" Rin protested.
"I told you to let me do the talking." Turning to Nitori, the brown-haired boy smiled. "Sorry about him, he's not very good with people. He might be our captain, but he's still got a stick up his ass."
"Fuck you Sousuke." At that, Rin folded his arms and went back to sulking as he had been before.
"No, it's okay!" Nitori practically shouted. Something inside was compelling him to come to Rin's defence. "He… uhhh, he didn't say anything bad. He seems nice."
The one named Sousuke looked shocked to hear this. Rin on the other hand looked a little uncomfortable. Nitori thought he could see an extra splash of colour in his cheeks, but it was probably just his imagination.
Sousuke raised an eyebrow. "Well anyway, as I was saying to your friend here, if you want to join the team, try-outs are this Friday at 2pm."
Nitori nodded. He was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable now too. He felt hot and flustered, like he was coming down from some sort of adrenaline rush.
Momo spoke up. "We'll be there!" He turned to Nitori and gestured towards the exit. "Wanna grab a bite to eat now? We can come back later."
Nitori nodded hurriedly. He couldn't quite summon up the courage to look at Rin again, so he offered Sousuke a shy smile instead, before turning to leave.
"Wait."
Nitori stopped dead in his tracks.
Was that…?
Tentatively, he turned back around. Sure enough, now leaning over the table with his arms still folded, was Rin.
"What's your name?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, uhh… it's Aiichirou, Aiichirou Nitori."
Rin looked as though he was going to respond, but he didn't. Before Nitori could panic and say something else, making things even more awkward, he was whisked away by Momo.
As he was pulled towards the gym doors, his heart still thundering in his chest, all he could think about was possibility of spending the next year swimming with Rin.
He had to get on this team.