The afternoon of a hot, summery Thursday at the Iwatobi swim club was met with tragic news. Haruka Nanase, Nagisa Hazuki, Makoto Tachibana, Rei Ryugazaki, Seijuurou Mikoshiba, and Aiichiro Nitori were all staring at Rin Matsuoka as if he'd grown a second head.
"I've decided to move to America," he'd just said. His words were met with a stunned silence that seemed to drag on for hours and was only broken by a loud sob from Nitori.
"R-Rin," Makoto stuttered. "I don't understand. Wasn't going to Australia and leaving us all behind once enough?"
"Don't you remember what happened the last time you left the country!?" Rei yelled. "Your dreams were crushed, Rin-san."
"S-Senpai, DON'T GO!" Nitori squealed between sobs. Seijuurou patted him consolingly.
Rin could no longer meet his teammates eyes. "I have to do this," he murmured. "I have to follow my dreams. I heard of this swim club in the town of Salem that has an Olympic sized pool."
"I can't let you do this Rin," Haru could be silent no longer. "Not without me. I'm coming with you."
"Haru-"
"You can't leave me again," Haru cut in firmly. He and Rin had only just found each other again. He couldn't let them be separated. Not when they were just beginning to know each other. Makoto was jealous. Secretly.
"Me too!" Nagisa cut in. "I've always wanted to go to Salem! I think I'd really fit in."
"I've memorized all the theories for living in America," Rei said with a confident nod. "I will be accompanying you if Nagisa does."
"You guys...," Rin said, touched.
"Onii-chan! You can't leave without me!"
"No, Gou. You have to stay with mom."
Gou was upset. She fell to her knees and cries. She was losing her brother all over again. He probably wouldn't even write. Seijuurou left the pool and went to Gou's side. And comforted her.
"So it's settled," Makoto said, smiling like always. "We'll all be going to the town of Salem."
"Well," Rin said. "My flight leaves in four hours, so if you're coming, you better hurry up."
There was a scramble to get out of the pool, and all the boys ran home to pack and buy plane tickets without bothering to change back into their school uniforms. There was no need for them anymore...
The flight to America was kind of tense. Rin sat between Haruka and Makoto, and he couldn't help noticing that something seemed off between them. But he couldn't place his finger on it, so he made awkward conversation.
"So, can you guys speak English?" He asked.
"Of course, we can," Makoto said, looking at Rin incredulously. The redhead raised a lofty brow. "It's true. I studied hard while you were in Australia because I was planning on visiting you." For some reason, and Rin didn't know why, this made him blush.
"Same for me," Haru interjected.
Rei piped up from the seat behind them. "I've studied all the theories of fluent American-English. I can't posisble fail."
"I'm half Italian-American," Nagisa said, as if this explained everything.
Nitori and Seijuurou said nothing. Nobody knew if they could speak English.
The plane landed. The former Iwatobi swim club disembarked, heading into a world that would change their lives forever...
