When you were younger you and Rin were friends. Well, friends with a rivalry. He'd pull at your hair, you'd draw a shark on his desk, he'd tease you about your glasses, but at the end of the day you two were friends over bitter rivals. It was a different rivalry than the one he had with Haru.
Rin and Haru would see who was faster, who was better, and Rin would push Haru to do more, just as Haru was incentive for Rin to be quicker. The relay brought them together and you had hopes for everything to work out.
Then Rin left for Australia. You were the last to know.
When he was gone you filled your time with art and music and track. You sketched and painted, played piano halfway decently and could sing on pitch, and you got reasonable times when running. You even won often enough, but you were never pushed to be better. Never competitive the way Rin and Haru had been, never had a rival in track to keep you on your toes, and you were alright with that. You didn't feel as if you needed one.
You were in your first year at Iwatobi when Rin came back. He didn't return to Iwatobi, but to Samezuka Academy, and while you wanted to see him, you made no effort to go out of your way to welcome him back. You didn't owe him a greeting and he didn't make any effort to contact you. What you had as children didn't matter anymore.
Once the swim team was up and running, you decide to go with Kou to the deserted islands challenge for the swim team. You agree hesitantly, but over the time of preparations the excitement grew. Nagisa's enthusiasm is contagious and Makoto's positivity makes you smile. Even Haru seems to be enjoying himself a bit. Rei is more tense than the others, but he is still dedicated and determined to keep up.
You agree to stay in the cabin with Kou and Ama-chan. It is the most logical choice, for you aren't a part of the swimmers' club and therefore have the right to a comfortable bed and a full bathroom. You also don't want to share a tent with the boys.
The first night you can't sleep. You get up and sneek out of the cabin, making your way to the beach to dip your toes in. The air is cool, the water cold, the sand still warm beneath your toes. You stood away from the Iwatobi swim team's tents to avoid waking them.
A figure appears down the beach, but you don't notice. You slip down till you are sitting on the beach, knees up and chin resting on them, the tide coming up and brushing your toes and then retreating. You run your fingers along the wet sand, drawing little pictures until the water comes back and blurs them.
"O-jo-san?" A person said next to you. "Miss?"
You glance up at the person more amused than anything. As if you didn't know Japanese… though, then again, you don't look Japanese at first glance. This man isn't the first person to mistake you for a foreigner. Then you do a double take and it's obvious he's just as surprised as you.
"Rin-san!" You blurt out his name in surprise. You don't know why you're so surprised, you knew his swim team was here, you knew that you might see him at some point, but it's here at two in the morning on the beach where you first converse. It's the first time you've said his name out loud in years. Referring to him by name had been a bit difficult for you so you just didn't.
Rin is different than you remember. It's not just the height, it's not just his body, or how confident he is. It's his eyes, you notice, they're cold, and he isn't smiling.
"Rin-san!" You stand now, fully realizing that he's here, it's him, it's your Rin… but then you remind yourself that he isn't. He isn't your Rin, he never has been.
"_?" Rin asks in disbelief, then corrects himself. "_-san."
You want to hug him, but you know he wouldn't welcome it. Now that you're standing the height difference is more noticeable. You stand just taller than his shoulders, still slim and almost fragile in comparison to his broad shoulders and muscular chest.
"Rin-san," You say, "you were out running… Do you want to race?"
Rin looks you over critically. Your shirt is meant to be loose, easy to take on and off, for you had considered taking it off and getting wet in your sports bra. Your shorts are short, your feet bare, and sandals are lying further up the beach. He doubts your abilities, that you know, because he's bigger and no doubt he's been training with running and swimming, but you want this. You want the spark of a challenge. You want your odd rivalry back.
"What's in it for me?" Your former friend asks.
"Whoever wins gets the right to ask one thing of the other person and that person has to do it… No matter what. No complaints. No eye-rolls. One request from the winner. That's the stakes." You're smirking, at least somewhat confident in your stamina and speed, as you assess him.
"Three." Rin replies with his own grin. His teeth on display and eyes watching you for any doubt at all, and you know he's thinking that you're prey right now.
"Three?" You question, though you already know what he means.
"If I win you do three things for me of my choice. If you win… well, you won't win." Rin, so confident in his win, flashed a smirk in your direction.
"Cocky bastard." You insult him before starting to stretch. "You're on."
His eyes linger on your body for a bit too long before he mimics you with some stretches. Before long the two of you are lined up. You've shed your shirt and it lays with your sandals a short distance away.
"There's a dying tree about three-fourths of a mile away. Touch the trunk, grab a leaf, and pass this line that we're standing on to end the race." You lay out the rules. It's your right since he chose the prize.
"Ready. Set. GO." The two of you say the words together and then start to run.
You beat him to the tree and get a leaf first, but Rin catches up on the way back. You watch in despair as he crosses the finish line a solid three steps before you…. three steps for him, about five for you. You smile and offer Rin the loser's salute that you had agreed on as children. He doesn't smile in return and your heart sinks.
"Well?" You ask him finally. The silence was suffocating. "Rin-san? What do you want me to do?"
"_… _-san" Rin is more quiet and hesitant now. It doesn't slip past you that he almost left off the 'san' again. "I'm keeping them."
"What?" You're surprised again. That was another thing that you two had agreed upon as children, but you didn't think he'd want to keep all three requests from the beginning. Whoever won could keep the prize (or prizes) for future use. You had assumed that the first request would be to leave him alone.
"I think it's time for us both to get some sleep, _-san. Farewell." Rin tells you before turning and making his way up the beach and back to his cabin. He doesn't look back.
You stare at his retreating figure for a minute before heading back to your cabin. Sleep wouldn't come easily this night, that you were sure of.
Ummm I'm pretty sure this sucks, but it's my first Free! fanfic sooo I thought I'd post it. There will probably four parts total, this one and one for each of the requests, so if you could let me know if this is even halfway decent I'd appreciate it. Like, major time. Review. Please. I'm begging you. Reviews are to me what mackerel is to Haru, so I'll forever remember the (hopefully) supportive readers. Thanks! -FantasticFabrications