Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Free! characters. Only my OC


I was thrown into sudden awareness by the raucous music of my alarm clock blasting out some track from some visual novel.
I gave an unmotivated groan and rolled over, smacking at the alarm blindly with the back of my hand, until I made contact with the snooze button which abruptly cut off the upbeat song mid-way through.
I flipped the bed sheets towards the end of the bed and sat up, wiping the sleep from the corners of my golden orange eyes with my thumbs. I let my eyes fully adjust to the brightness of the sunlight coursing through my window before I decided to extract my body from the soft mattress which seemed to call out to me, telling me to stay in bed a little longer.

I gave a yawn as I swung my legs out of the bed. I drew myself over to the clothing I had prepared the night before. I looked down on it for a long second, processing the clothing lain out below me. It took me some time to comprehend what the items were and how I would go about putting them on.
I hadn't actually gotten around to buying a uniform yet so the principal had just told me to wear mufti for the day. I gave another loud yawn as it came back to me in a rush. I started with a pair of bright, aqua blue boy leg underwear and a matching bra with similar orca designs as on my pyjamas.
If you couldn't tell, my favourite animal was an Orca. They were just so awesome, so graceful and so deadly. Beautiful killing machines. If I was reborn as an animal, I would want it to be as an Orca.
I shimmied into my favourite pair of pale blue skinny jeans which tightly hugged the outline of my legs. I pulled a black singlet that had the quote 'I only date cute swimmers' dashed across the front in neon blue over my head and rolled the hem over my toned stomach. I turned to the mirror hanging on my wall between a gap in my photos and ran a brush quickly through the long locks of my hair. I fastened the blue tresses into a loose plait, some stray strands of my hair escaping from the weaves. I applied a little bit of waterproof mascara and pale pink lip gloss before I turned away from the mirror, happy with my appearance.
I looped a pair of bright pink and black headphones around my neck, the soft, spongy pads resting against my collarbone. I tucked my iPod into the tight jean pocket after connecting it to my headphones. I started up a lively music track with heavy bass.
I scooped up a pair of black under the knee lace-up boots and my aqua blue duffel bag, slinging the bag over my right shoulder. I hesitated as I passed by the open door of my wardrobe which held all my swimming togs, from my long legged racing ones, to the ones with a high cut on my hips. They all had the same scale pattern from the waist down but were all a different colour combination. I examined my extensive collection, clicking my tongue piercing against the roof of my mouth in thought and decided to grab a pair.
The opportunity to swim could pop up today and I don't want to be caught unprepared… I reasoned with myself as I grabbed the pale blue mid length pair with silvery scale patterning down to above my knees, tucking it into my bag neatly.
I snatched up a towel from a basket at the bottom of my wardrobe and tromped down the stairs humming to myself.
Dropping my gear off by the table, I went and fed Noiz and Koujaku who were waiting by their respective food bowls patiently.
Noiz barked and gave me a nudge with his snout as I poured dry dog biscuits into their bowls impatiently. I ruffled his fur and picked up my bento box from the fridge. As I walked away from the fridge, my eye caught the time.
"Uwah! I'm going to be late!" I cried as I shoved my feet into my boots and hurriedly doing up the laces. "See ya later Noiz, Koujaku!
I didn't need to worry about those two tearing up my home as they had free access to the backyard.
I dashed out the door and sprinted out onto the sidewalk, my duffle bag bumping against my thigh. My heels clattered against the concrete as I quickly traversed the steps down, stopping when something mewled up at me.
I looked down and saw a tiny white kitten hiding beneath a wide green leaf at the edge of one of the steps.
"Hi there, little cutie." I exclaimed as I bent down and gave it a scratch under its small chin with a fingertip.
I smiled down at it as it began to purr in happiness, feeling the vibrations against my finger.

My brain sent me a sharp reminder about the time and I stood up quickly. I gave the little kitten a wave and leapt down the last few steps. I continued to jog down the road along the ocean front. I tried to resist the urge to stop and stare at the rolling waves crashing onto the sandy shores, but I couldn't help myself.
My feet came to a halt and I watched the sea dance along the beach, the tame sea breeze pulling at my hair, encouraging more strands to free themselves from the plait. I stood there for a few minutes, just enjoying the view of the sea. I was glad that I had moved to a place that was so close to the sea.
I gave my head a firm shake and forced my feet to move again, turning my head away from the sea.

I reached the school in five minutes. All around me were students entering the school grounds in groups and excitement crashed through my body at the thought of being able to make new friends. First though, I had to report to the teacher's lounge to see which form room I was in. I pulled my bag back up onto my shoulder properly and with a happy smile, I began to stride towards the main building.
However, as I began to walk without bothering to look, someone walked in front of me and we collided and the situation became a bit messy.
As I put my foot forward, the other person did too, our two feet tangling. The person jerked his foot back, taking mine with theirs, causing me to fall forward. I gave a shriek of surprise as I fell and the person turned around so that they had their back to the ground. I squeezed my eyes closed, waiting for the hard impact.
There was a soft thud and a little bit of a jolt. I lay still for a moment, admittedly feeling quite comfortable as the person's hard chest rose and fell along with their steady breaths. When I finally sat up, I opened my eyes and saw familiar green eyes staring up at me, unblinking in shock.
It was the boy from yesterday. And I was straddling his groin.
A blush invaded my cheeks and I leapt off of him, fixing up my singlet as it had dipped low on one side, flashing him a cheeky snippet of bright aqua and half an orca.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" I cried as I stood there, looking at him unsure of what to do.
I realised that if he recognised me, he could report me to the principal for trespassing. I muttered a hurried goodbye, dipping my head apologetically at him and his friends and I turned my back on him to scuttle away.
However, I suddenly felt someone grab my wrist in a surprisingly strong grip and I turned my face down to see the green eyed boy holding my wrist in one of his hands, his other propping himself up.

God, was he attractive! The look on his face made me want to swoon like a fan girl.
"Wait a moment." He said as he stood up, brushing the dirt from his school pants. "You're familiar somehow…"
He was so tall! The top of my head barely made his nose and I felt like the little white kitten next to him. His size was kind of intimidating and I was frozen in place as he examined me closely. As silly as it sounds, I was mesmerized by his eyes tracking over my body in deliberate slowness.
His eyes travelled from my face, to my hair and then to my left arm where my tattoo was proudly displayed. His eyes lit up in recognition.
"Hey! You're that girl from last night!" he exclaimed, finally recognising me.
"Uhm, please don't report me for trespassing." I murmured in a low voice as other students looked at us curiously.
He gave a little laugh and a genuine smile filled his face, causing a little blush to tint my cheeks lightly.
"Don't worry, I won't. Say, what's your name?" he said to me as he motioned a group of three boys over.
"Sora Renchika and you?" I said pulling off a charming smile as I readjusted my bag.
"Makoto Tachibana. It's nice to meet you, Sora."
I opened my mouth to ask about his feminine name when something slammed into my back heavily. I gave an exclamation of surprise and turned my head to see a younger boy with wavy blonde hair latched onto my back like an overgrown leech.
"Sora chan! Why were you swimming so late last night at the pool?" the little blonde asked.
"Huh? Sora chan?! I don't even know who you are!" I said, shaking the blonde leech off of my back. "And who told you that?!"
He stepped in front of me with a wide, carefree grin. He extended his hand, his dark pink eyes sparkling in a childish joy. He was the shortest of the group but for what he lacked in height, he seemed to make up in enthusiasm.
"Wow, you're pretty! I'm Nagisa Hazuki! Nice to meet ya!"
Another one with a girly name…? I thought to myself as I tentatively shook his extended hand.
Once I released the hand of the small blonde another hand was thrust into mine, gripping it tightly. In surprise, I looked up to see another tall boy. This one had cropped dark blue hair, a similar colour to mine, light purple eyes and red framed glasses. He was also quite handsome too.
His lightly coloured eyes shined passionately as he shook my hand vigorously.
"B-beautiful!" he stuttered. "My name is Rei Ryugazaki. The pleasure is all mine."
"Do you all have such feminine names?" I pondered aloud, rubbing my wrist when Rei finally let go of my hand.
"Yep! Even Haruka!" Nagisa butted in, pointing towards the silent boy standing next to Makoto. "That's Haruka Nanase!"
With a bright smile, I extended my hand towards a very attractive looking boy. He wasn't nearly as good looking Makoto, though.
"It's nice to meet you Haruka." I said energetically.
He gave a silent hair flip that seemed to slow time and sent his straight black hair swirling about his face. He reached out silently with his hand to grasp mine and just before our hands touched, a blue spark flashed out from our finger tips and struck each other's hand. We both pulled our hands back at the sudden flash of pain in our hands and our eyes met each other's.
"You too?" he asked cracking a small smile.
"Yeah! Didn't think I'd meet someone like you here." I grinned.
The other's looked at us in confusion and I giggled.
"We'll explain later." Haruka said settling back into his serious expression again.
His eyes still shined happily though and I couldn't wipe the silly grin off my face.
Haruka was the first artificial mermaid I'd met in god knows how long. It was nice to meet someone like me, who knew how I felt. He must know the way the water seemed to call out to him, encouraging him to lose himself in the flow of the water.
I wonder if he carries his pills with him like I do…
I suddenly remembered that I needed to be somewhere important.
"Hey, it was nice to meet you all, but I have to get going. I have somewhere I need to be. I guess I'll see you guys round the school." I said inclining my head politely, letting my eyes linger on Makoto's face for a second longer.
I turned on my heel and pressed myself into a swift jog, heading towards the teacher's lounge.

~xXx~

As it turned out, my teacher was a lively young woman with shoulder length brown hair. She had introduced herself with a bright smile, telling me to just call her Ama chan seeing as the rest of her students did.
Currently, I was following her to my form class. She was burbling happily about her class whilst clutching at a stack of books and I nodded my head politely every now and then to show her that I was listening. My mind, however, was elsewhere. Deep in thought about swimming and Haruka, the artificial mermaid.
Annnnnnnnd Makoto. He was a constant presence in my head and it was quite distracting. If it turned out that he was a swimmer, I couldn't wait to see him in his swimsuit. The recurring image of him in long legged togs put my mind into overdrive. I could just see it now. The way his swimsuit would skim over his hips, water dripping from his hair, following the curve of his face down over the ridge of his collar bone to travel through the valleys between his abdominal muscles.
"Sora…? Miss Sora…?" Ama chan called out to me, waving her hand in front of my face.
I snapped back into reality, giving my head a swift shake that dislodged the image of Makoto. What was I? A pervert? My thoughts seemed to indicate I was.
"Oh, yes! Sorry, I was day dreaming…" I said with a sheepish smile.
She smiled back at me.
"That's fine, nothing wrong with dreaming. There is an old saying that goes-"
The shrill call of the bell broke through her sentence, causing us both to jump in fright.
"Oh my! There's the bell! Better get into class then!" she said pushing the classroom door open.
She strode in the room, clapping her hands the best she could with a stack of books in her arms. I followed her in without hesitation.
"Alright class, time to settle!" she called putting the books on her desk. "Now, today we have a new student joining our class. Everyone, this is Sora Renchika."
She gestured to me to introduce myself to the classroom. I unleashed an energetic smile upon the class as I scanned the faces in the classroom.
"Good morning everyone! My name is Sora Renchika and I'll be joining-" I stuttered as I caught the familiar faces of Haruka and Makoto sitting next to each other at the back of the class. Makoto gave me a sweet smile and a little wave which caused a furious blush seized my cheeks. "I'll be joining your class. Please take care of me!"
I bowed my head politely and Ama chan stepped forward, gesturing with her hands at no one in particular.
"Because Sora is new to the school, would someone be able to look after her and show her round the school. Just to make sure she settles in nicely. Anyone keen to help her out?" Ama chan said weaving her fingers together.

There was a flurry of movement as hands were raised simultaneously. Ama chan studied the faces of the people who had their hands up.
"Hmmmm. Makoto san, I'll leave her in your care." She said decisively. "You and Sora can share a desk for today until I can get another spare one."
With an encouraging pat on my back, Ama chan walked me to Haruka and Makoto at the back, people watching me with curious eyes as we passed by.
"You could even push your two desks together maybe, Haruka, Makoto." The teacher suggested as she walked back to the front of the classroom, leaving me with the boys.
"Hello, stranger." Makoto said with a smile as he pushed his and Haruka's desks together.
I picked up a nearby chair and planted myself between the two boys.
"And who are you two again?" I giggled happily, dumping my bag at my feet.
It seemed that this year could turn out to be quite fun.

~xXx~

The bell tolled for lunch and everyone started packing up their things. Makoto reached into his bag and pulled out a neatly wrapped up bento box and turned to me.
"Hey Sora, wanna join us for lunch?" he asked as Haruka grabbed his own bento box.
"Sure!" I cried excitedly as I picked out my own lunch.
I followed the two boys up a pair of staircase that led up to the roof where a visibly excited Nagisa was conversing to Rei, already eating their lunches. Nagisa turned his head as he saw us approaching.
"Haru chan! Mako chan!" he called, not noticing me behind them. "Hm? Sora chan! What are you doing here?!"
He raced over to me, pushing Haruka and Makoto out of the way and seized up my wrists, bouncing elatedly.
"Turns out that I'm same form room as them. They invited me out here for lunch. Is that okay?" I explained.
He nodded and pulled me over to where they had been sitting down in the shadow. I smiled in greeting at Rei and I noticed the short blonde dash back over to the older two of the group who were still lingering by the door. They seemed to be discussing something. I leant in towards Rei.
"Do you know what they're talking about? It's suspicious." I whispered unwrapping my neatly wrapped up bento box.
Rei shook his head, adjusting his glasses with a finger. I gave a shrug and started to dig into my lunch. Halfway through my midday meal, the boys walked over, Nagisa grinning like an idiot at me. He flopped down next to me.
"Mako chan tells us that you're a really good swimmer, is it true? Not that we don't believe him or anything…"
I finished my mouthful.
"I guess so." I said slowly.
"Great! Come to our training after school!" he demanded eagerly.
I blinked slowly, the words taking a little while to process through my head. Makoto gave Nagisa a light shove and wriggled in between us, looking me directly in the eyes.
"Don't listen to him." He sighed. "Are you busy after school today, Sora?"
I shook my head firmly.
"No, I'm not busy at all."
"Awesome, would you like to come watch the swim club train after school then?"
My heart jumped a little bit at the offer.
"Who's in the club?" I asked coyly.
"Nagisa, Rei, Haruka and me. Haruka is the vice-captain and I'm the captain of the club." He said rubbing his cheek. "I remember how well you swam yesterday and I thought that you might like come along to watch."
"Do you swim?" I asked directly.
"Me? Of course I do."
"I'll be there!" I said energetically. "You can count on me being there!"
Makoto unleashed a dazzling smile.
"Great. Meet us at the pool after class then, yeah?"
I gave an enthusiastic nod and images started creeping back into my head.
Shut up brain, shut up… I thought to myself.


Hello again!
Welcome back to another episode of Artificial Mermaid!
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A big thanks to Xaphen and Carrie153 for reviewing!
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Love, LunaFaustus 3
xoxo