His swimming was effortless; every stroke, every breath, it could capture your attention easily, and take your breath away. Gou watched him, just as she did every day, mesmerised. Nagisa climbed out of the pool and gave his golden blonde locks a shake before joining his teammates in the changing rooms. Gou sighed heavily. Nagisa never got the attention he deserved, it was always about Haru. She pulled her knees up to her chest, thinking to herself. Sure, Haru was attractive, but Nagisa's cute facial features combined with his golden blonde hair and his quirky personality made him near perfect. Well, perfect to her anyway. She snapped out of her daydream, violently shaking her head so that her trail of thought was changed.

"I don't stand a chance after all." She whispered to herself. With that thought etched into her mind, she grabbed her school bag and ran home, no longer in the mood to wait for the boys.

"Hey Nagisa, Gou was watching you swim again!" Makoto smiled, poking the younger blonde's cheek. They were now all changed, ready to leave. Nagisa grabbed his bag and gave Makoto a blank look.

"Mako-chan, what do you mean? Doesn't she watch us all swim? I mean, she is our manager right? It is her job." Before Makoto could reply, Nagisa ran out. "Sorry guys, I have to go to the store!" Once again, Nagisa ran off before anyone could get a word in. Makoto chuckled as he shut his locker, ready to head home.

"That kid never sits still, it can make you dizzy just watching him!" Haru nodded silently in response, and Rei gave a grunt of approval as the three of them left the changing room.

It was a hot summer day, and Gou instantly regretted running to the store. She was all sweaty now, her hair sticking to her forehead. She scowled, marching into the store angrily. She was greeted by the cool breeze from the air conditioner, and her mood was instantly lifted. She browsed the aisles for what seemed like hours, taking her time to pick out her comfort food. A brief thought of Nagisa came to mind, but she instantly shook it away.

"Knock it off Gou, not only would he say no, but Rin would kill you for dating one of his best friends." She sighed, lugging her basket to the till.

She hadn't been in the store that long, well at least she thought she hadn't. It was getting dark now, and the temperature had dropped significantly. She grabbed both of her bags tightly and began the mile-long walk home. As she walked, she began conjuring up a new training regime for the boys, but her trail of thought always came back around to Nagisa. She scolded herself for thinking of him, but it never worked. She sighed heavily, not only annoyed with herself, but now she was also cold. She hugged herself tightly, loosening the grip on her bag in the meantime. Before she could react, someone kicked her leg, causing her to fall. Crying out, she clutched both bags to her chest, refusing to let them go. She looked up, making eye contact with her attacker, and the bat in his hand. She tried to scream, but the fear silenced her, the scream trapped in her throat.

And then he was running, and Nagisa was by her side. She could see that he was yelling, but no sound came to her ears. She shook her head, and eventually she returned to earth.

"Gou! Gou-chan! Can you hear me? Can you stand?" Nagisa frantically helped her up, placing a hand around her hip. His usual happy self was gone, replaced with a nervous wreck. Gou smiled weakly, and patted his head.

"I'm fine, Nagi-kun. Thank you for the help, I should head home now." She attempted to walk off, but Nagisa grabbed her firmly by the arm. She turned to him in surprise, a blush growing on her cheek. "Nagi, I need to get home, I-"

"I'm not letting you walk, Gou-chan." Nagisa interrupted her, a stern yet worried look on his face. Before she could react, he lifted her up onto his back, and began the walk to her house, not saying another word the entire way.