CHAPTER ONE

Matsuoka

That afternoon was a strange one. The sky couldn't decide whether it wanted to remain clear and blue or cloaked in a blanket of grey clouds. Australia was weird like that.

Hiro was craning her head towards the glass roof, gazing at the bipolar heavens as she wiped the cookie crumbs from her chubby cheeks. Half a dozen was probably a bit much, but she was a growing girl. Besides, it was her birthday. What better way to celebrate?

Unfortunately, the universe decided to send her a gift. It was both unnecessary and unwarranted, and came in the form of two cruel girls.

She smelt them before she saw them. Their cloying perfume assaulted her senses, easily subsuming the scent of chlorine permeating the air. Her full belly churned at the sickening stench.

"Ugh," groaned one of the girls, as she came into sight before Hiro. She smacked a hand on her thin, unclothed waist. "Who let the pig in here?"

Her friend giggled, the sheer pitch making Hiro flinch. "Can she even float?" she asked. Her voice was hushed in a false whisper that could be heard within a three-metre radius.

Not for the first time, Hiro wished she wasn't so plump. It made ducking out of sight a lot more difficult, but she did her best as she lowered her head. Her eyes were glued to the ground, watching her bare feet pad against the slick floor.

"I don't know," said the first girl – the horribly skinny one. For some reason, chills crept down Hiro's back at the strange lilt in her voice. "Why don't we find out?"

That was the only warning Hiro received before she felt two pairs of hands grip her. With a fierce shove, they sent her tumbling into the icy depths of the pool. She could do nothing but gasp as she crashed into the water. Her wide eyes barely registered the sight of the two girls stalking off and sniggering before the chemical-infested waters ate into her vision.

The water rushed to meet her, invading her entire system. All she could see was an endless blue blur as she struggled to surface, thrashing her limbs furiously. Despite being submerged in water, she felt like she was on fire. Everything burned – her eyes, her throat, her lungs. In her panic, Hiro let out what little air she was clinging onto, and she watched in horror as her final breath bubbled to the surface, which was so far away now…

She knew no one would come for her. She had entered the vicinity by herself, and the pools were almost empty at this time of day, especially the deep end she had been thrust into.

Maybe she could finally see her mother again. Hiro's stinging eyes blinked shut, allowing the darkness to wash over her.

And then it ended as abruptly as it began. Light suddenly seared into her eyes, the pure brightness chasing away the black spots. She gasped, greedily consuming the precious air. Once her senses had cleared, she realised with a jolt that someone had saved her – was saving her.

He had thrown her right arm over his shoulders, propping her body against his own as he propelled them towards the ledge. Were the circumstances any different, Hiro would have been extremely embarrassed with the proximity. As it was, she was busy trying to overcome her shock over what had just happened.

They came to a stop. With a shaky breath, Hiro heaved herself out of the pool, cringing at the way the body of water seemed to want to drag her back in. It made a disgusting slurp as she pulled herself free.

She all but collapsed on the sweet, sweet solid floor. It was hard and uncomfortable and dirty from the countless feet that had trodden on it, but she didn't care because she was on safe grounds once more.

And there was only one person to thank for that.

Hiro inched her water-logged head towards the boy who had rescued her. "Thank you," she whispered, her amber eyes locking with his purple ones. Why did they look so familiar…? And then it clicked. "You're Matsuoka Rin, right?"

The boy in question gazed at her sharply, his surprise momentarily clearing away his scowl. It returned all too quickly. "Yeah. And?"

Um, wow. She had expected her knight in shining armour to be a bit less… well, grumpy. Hiro gave herself a mental slap. Who cared about that? He had done her a favour she could never repay, so he could be as rude as he wanted to be.

"Sorry," she murmured, both because she had irritated him and because of her uncharitable thoughts. "It's just- I've seen you in school, and stuff." Nice save, she thought sarcastically. While it was true, that wasn't the reason she had suddenly identified him. She didn't just see him – she had heard about him, too. Mostly through whispers in the hallways about how he was a freak when it came to swimming. To be labelled as such in a school that was three-quarters dedicated to swimming and sports alike… Well, it said a lot, didn't it?

If anything, his glower intensified. "What are you doing here if you can't swim?"

Hiro could feel the blood rushing into her cheeks. Instinctively, she flicked her hair to cover her face, before remembering it was sopping wet. The thick locks simply slapped her before swinging back in place. And now, she thought, I'm going to pull a disappearing act so perfect I'll never have to show my embarrassing face ever again…

"I like watching the water," she admitted, finally mustering the courage to look him in the eye. "Um, I'm Naoko Hiro, by the way. Thanks… Thanks for saving me."

A look of understanding illuminated Matsuoka's features. "You're Japanese," he noted, a hand through his shoulder-length hair. Was it just her, or did the edges of his face seem…softer? Still, she understood his bewilderment. The red hair was a bit off-putting. His purple tresses could give her a run for her money in terms of eccentricity, though.

"Yes," she replied, switching to her native language. "I moved here to Australia when I was seven… Y-Your English is pretty good." Oh, god, she hoped didn't sound patronising, even if it was true; there was only a hint of an accent in him.

But her wishes went unheard. "Yours is pretty bad," he said flatly, snapping his goggles into place. The transfer student pushed his feet off the side of the pool, shooting into the water. During the entire conversation—or was it confrontation?—Hiro had been avoiding looking at him more than necessary. So that was why she didn't see the horrible marks on Matsuoka Rin's bare torso.

Her chest began to ache again, just like it had when she had been submerged in the watery depths of the pool. Her eyes were glued to Matsuoka's lean form, but it wasn't because of admiration or lust. It was due to the furious red scratches imbedded in his body.

Crescents and of crimson and streaks of scarlet stood out against his pale skin, causing Hiro's hands to clench and her feet to curl out of immediate sight. She couldn't bring herself to peer down, because she knew what she would see: nails caked in blood. Matsuoka Rin's blood.

All of a sudden, the humungous swimming centre seemed much too small. The blue walls seemed to close in on her, trapping her in its confines. The sharp stench of chlorine lashed out against her senses, and all she could hear was the rushing of the water and the slamming of her feet as she hastened outside, away from the pools and away from Matsuoka Rin. The boy who saved her – the boy she attacked.

It was official. Naoko Hiro hated herself.

By the time she made it home, she felt as if she had aged fifty years. Her body seemed heavier than normal, and it wasn't because of the cookies or the fact that her clothes still hadn't dried. It was because of the guilt weighing her down. She spent the rest of the day with her head down, refusing to look her father in the eye or even eat dinner. The latter was supremely worrisome.

As she stepped out of her bathroom covered in nothing but a towel, she flipped open the door of her closet. The mirror on the opposite side was cloaked in a thick layer of dust, having not seen the light of day in at least a year. Hiro tended to avoid it as much as she could. But now she needed to face the limelight.

If asked, Hiro wouldn't say she was skinny. She wasn't fat, either. She didn't even know what she was, but it wasn't normal. Maybe if she had been lighter, she wouldn't have sunk so effortlessly. Maybe if she had been thinner, she wouldn't have clawed Matsuoka Rin to shreds as she flailed about like a drowning cat.

It wasn't the first time Hiro had viewed herself as heavy, but it was the first time she had realised how utterly burdensome she was – like an anchor. Plummeting towards rock bottom and dragging along anyone unfortunate enough to come in contact with her.

Well, she would have to change that. Hiro glanced at her reflection, unsurprised to see a fire flicker into her eyes. She instantly knew what it was. Determination.

The flames still smouldered the next day, she woke up at the crack of dawn. All her senses protested loudly, but she ignored it all and went out for the first of many jogs. She immediately regretted her decision when she staggered into her home twenty minutes later. Her father paused in his breakfast to eye her warily before retreating to his study.

When he returned and found her collapsed on the wonderfully cool tiles of the living room, he silently placed a small container by her side. Hiro eventually plucked her face off the floor and discovered it contained a salve with soothed away all her sores. As she sat there, relishing the feeling of the aches fading away, she knew what she had to do.

When the final bell of the day rang, Hiro immediately went straight to the athletic department of the school – more specifically, the pools. Entering her almost-grave still made her jumpy, but that was the life jacket was for.

Still, she couldn't shake off the slight chill creeping up on her. Hiro sighed. Why couldn't she and Matsuoka share the same lunch period? Because he was a year ahead of her—not to mention in the athletic department—their schedules ran differently, meaning her chances of running into him within the school building were slim. Things would have been so much easier if she were in eighth grade like Matsuoka.

Hiro found him in the furthest lane from the entrance, already at full-throttle. Though the actual training sessions didn't start for another hour or two, Matsuoka always arrived earlier and stayed way after everyone else. That was what she had gleaned off the mutterings of the swim team members and uninvolved students, at any rate. It seemed like the rumours held a ring of truth to them, even if they were embittered with envy. "Crazy," they called him. "Dedicated," thought Hiro.

In fact, he was so dedicated that he didn't even emerge until half an hour later. Hiro had whittled the time away by kneading away the tautness of her muscles and watching the water swell and swirl. She was startled out of her trance when a head shot out of the endless blue a metre or two away from her bench. Matsuoka extracted himself from the water with a powerful lurch, sending waves crashing around him as a result.

It was now or never. Hiro swallowed back her trepidation and braced herself.

"Matsuoka-san?" she said, slowly stepping towards him. She was half afraid the swimmer would tell her to buzz off or ignore her together. But he did neither of these, choosing instead to flick his gaze at her in acknowledgement as he shook off his swimming cap. Bolstered by this, she presented her peace offering. "I'd like you to accept this. It's for…for your wounds."

Poisonous purple eyes bored into her. Hiro tried not to squirm as she maintained his stare as best as she could. Finally, after a ridiculously long moment, he nodded and took the small container of cream from her outstretched hands.

Though he had positioned himself so that he was facing away her, Hiro could see him struggling with the lid. His toned arms trembled as he attempted to wrestle it open, and she was sure she could hear some faint curses of frustration. She tried to smother her smirk.

Hiro cleared her throat slightly. "Swimming must be tiring," she said, in what she hoped was a casual voice. When he made no reply, Hiro took the cream once more. "Sometimes it just needs a gentle touch." The lid twisted open with a pop, filling the air around it with a refreshing minty scent. A small, shy smile was on her face as she looked back up to Matsuoka. It quickly died when she noticed his scowl.

"Maybe I wouldn't be having so much trouble if someone hadn't chosen to use me as their scratching post," he muttered, lips pulled back slightly to reveal a flash of white. His teeth seemed sharper than the average human's, and all Hiro could think was, Get away from the shark.

Her instinctive reaction was irritation. It quickly fizzled out when drops of water flecked her skin, as Matsuoka ran a hand through his damp hair. The movement revealed the angry red marks colouring his skin, reminding her why she was here in the first place.

Hiro grimaced. "Sorry." Privately, she wondered if Matsuoka was now regretting his impulsive decision to dive after her thrashing body. Her guilt intensified at the thought.

Matsuoka grunted, his fingers tightening around the open jar of cream. She tensed, in case he decided to throw it back in her face. To her pleasant surprise, however, he turned his back to her and slowly but surely applied the salve. Hiro beamed, though her joy was dampened somewhat when she heard him wince.

Realisation slammed into her like an anvil. Matsuoka swam with his chest bared – meaning his cuts were exposed to the open air and water alike. He had practically rubbed salt in his wounds as he tore through the chemically enhanced pool.

The revelation haunted Hiro as she headed home. Like yesterday, she had broken into a run. The only difference was that the unease twisting her stomach was gone, replaced by something much warmer. Resolve. Because if Matsuoka Rin could spend hours swimming with his skin practically on fire, then she could sure as hell sprint a few measly minutes.

That last thought became her mantra. She chanted it to herself as she exercised, pushing her protesting body to its limits. It wasn't as if she was completely resolute; no, Hiro was still human, and that meant she wanted to laze around and stuff her face and not lift a single finger. It was only the sight of Matsuoka and his empowering dedication which spurned her on.

Which was why she visited him almost every day. Normally, non-competitive swimmers were prevented access from the pools, but being the daughter of one of the school's major benefactors tended to have its perks. It also helped that she didn't do anything but sit and spectate each day – although the object of her interest would probably say otherwise.

At first, Matsuoka had barely acknowledged her presence. Hiro always seated herself far enough to not be considered as invasive, and stayed no more than an hour. Plenty of time to drink her fill and depart before the actual training began. Whenever she felt particularly drained or on the brink of giving up, the sight of the swimmer barrelling through the lanes cheered her up, fuelling her with newfound willpower.

Days turned to weeks. Finally, Matsuoka decided enough was enough.

"Why are you stalking me?" he demanded one day, stomping up towards her.

Hiro didn't bother dodging the drops of water the swimmer sent shooting towards her with his explosive movements. He sounded so sober and serious that she tried not to feel too amused. "I'm not stalking you," she said. "I'm observing the area, which you happen to be in, Matsuoka-san."

He crossed his arms over his (healed) chest. "So that's why, whenever I switch lanes in the pool, I always find you nearby?"

"Coincidence," she muttered, looking anywhere but in his direction. "Also… there's something about you, Matsuoka-san. It makes me worry."

He looked at her as if she had sprouted a second head. "What?"

In one sweeping gesture, Hiro snatched the book from her lap and almost shoved it in the boy's face. "This book details everything about swimming – including all the things that could go wrong. What if your muscles cramp as you dive in and you can't surface?"

"That's stupid," he said flatly. And so are you, was his silent addition.

Hiro shrugged, well aware of that fact. "Better safe than sorry. Think of me as your…spotter."

Matsuoka frowned. "This isn't weight-lifting. Swimming doesn't need spotters! Besides, you can't even swim." When Hiro began to point at her glaringly obvious life-jacket, he snapped, "How do you expect to reach the depths of the pool when you're bobbing along on the surface?"

Hiro extracted a whistle from her pocket. "There are loads of people here. I'm pretty sure someone will rush over if I blow this."

Matsuoka gave her an exasperated look. It might have been the lighting, but Hiro could have sworn she saw a hint of amusement in those violet eyes. "Fine," he conceded, sighing. "Do whatever you want."

Hiro: 1
Matsuoka: 0

And so their days continued (arguably) peacefully. It was a continuous pattern they shared, one they both got accustomed to and—at least on Hiro's part—comfortable with. Matsuoka swam and ignored her, Hiro watched wordlessly with her gear prepared. It was the same every day.

Except, one day, Matsuoka Rin didn't show up at all.


And...cut! Ooh, cliffhanger.

My first Free! fanfic, and the only thing I've published in several years. Thoughts? Feels? Let me know!