Thanks for the response so far! Glad to see you like it. My apologies if the characters personalities aren't entirely accurate, I'm very new to the Free fandom and haven't quite absorbed all the characters yet. thanks for reading! Now… on with the story.
When Gou came to, she immediately groaned at the blinding light that filled her vision. She raised a hand to block the light, only to be suprised at how sluggish and heavy she felt.
"Sis?"
Gou's heart bumped a little and she cracked her eyes again as her brother gently grabbed her hand.
"Hey." She said croakily, turning her head to the side and smiling lightly at her brother.
"How are you feeling?" Rin asked, the crease in his brow evident. Gou frowned at that.
"I feel heavy and tired." She admitted. Gou attempted to sit up but struggled, wincing at the dead weight feeling in her limbs.
"Woah hey." Rin said cautiously, gently stopping her by touching her shoulders. "Don't get up. Just rest for now."
Gou slowly leant back and scanned the room, her eyes still adjusting to the light.
"Where." She paused, spotting the IV bag hanging above here. "Oh."
"We're at the hospital." Rin said, looking down. "There was an incident at school."
Gou cocked an eyebrow and shook her head in confusion. "Really? What happened?"
Rin stared at her. "You don't remember?" He said. "I should get the nurse, they'll want to check on you."
Gou flinched as Rin stood up.
"Wait."
Rin stopped and looked at her.
"What is it."
Gou shuffled up in her bed and pressed her hand against her head. "My head is killing me. I, I think I might remember." Gou then gasped and clutched the sheet as the memories suddenly flooded back
The training session
the beer can
the equipment
those two boys
the pool.
Gou drew a short breath in as she realized what had happened. Her eyes prickled with tears and her breath stung in her throat as her heart rate doubled in pace. She could faintly hear Rin calling her name and shaking her shoulders but she was frozen. All she could think about was being in that pool. The water. Nearly drowning. The tears coursed through her veins and through her fingertips as she sat. She could her Rin more loudly now and the concern in his voice made her worry. Her body started shaking and Rin croaked out a whimper as her body refused to calm itself. She was going into shock. Everything spun into a blurr. She heard Rin yelling and distant voices yelling in response. She couldn't tell but she had a feeling it was the boys. Two nurses were in the room suddenly and pressing her down flat, injecting something into the IV attached to her arm. Then suddenly, everything felt like slow motion and Gou relaxed into the sheets, unconsciousness quickly taking over.
"What the fuck are you doing to her!" Rin bellowed as he saw his sister go limp after her episode. He fought against the two pairs of arms that held him back.
"Rin calm down!"
"They aren't hurting her."
"Rin, stop!"
Those were the voices of his teammates. After loading Gou into the ambulance they loaded Rin into their own car and all sped towards the hospital. Rin woke up on the trip there and to say he was hysterical was an understatement. They'd all rushed to the hospital but as soon as they arrived, it was made clear that unless Rin composed himself to an extent, he would not be allowed inside. Rin hastily gathered himself together and claimed that he had control but it was evident now that that was merely a feign. Haruka and Makoto struggled as they each grabbed one of Rins arms, pulling him backwards and outside into the hallway. After moments of no difference in Rin's rage, Haru acted. He marched right up to the red haired boy.
"HEY."
Rin's head snapped up in anger, only to go reeling as Haru stared at him
"Pull yourself together." Haru said slowly. "Behaving like this isn't helping anyone. We are all upset about Gou but creating a scene will not solve anything."
Rin hung heavy in Makoto and Rei's arms.
"She nearly died." Rin croaked out. "I don't know what I'd do if I lost her."
The group stood in silence as Rin cleared his throat, then sighed slowly.
"I guess I owe you guys an explanation." He said. "It all happened so fast."
7 years ago.
9 year old Gou giggled as she played in the sand, while her brother climbed up numerous rocks. She smiled triumphantly as she finished her sandcastle and stood, looking for her brother to come admire her handywork.
"Rin!" She yelled, eyes scanning the beach. She spotted her brother finally, sitting on top of one of the biggest rocks she'd ever seen. Eager to retrieve her brother, Gou scampered off, clambering over rocks, slipping multiple times but still retaining her balance. She reached the one that Rin was seated on and smiled, noting the way he sat perfectly still, staring at the waves.
"Oni-chan!" She called happily, straightening up and moving her way across the slippery surface of the rock. Rin's head snapped round, his eyes widening at his sister.
"Gou, wait!" He said urgently, crouching on his feet. "Be careful!"
Gou scoffed and smiled. "I'm fine Rin!" She said. "I'm-"
Her voice ended in a squeak as she lost her footing once again, however this time there was no more rock for her to grasp onto. In her excitement Gou had ventured too far to the edge. She was falling.
"Gou!" Rin yelled, jumping to his feet and sliding over to where she'd just been standing. He stared desparately into the water below.
"Gou!" He called again, falling to his knees and scanning the water desparately. "Where are you?"
Moments felts like minutes to Rin, his heart pounding in his chest. His eyes stayed glued to the water until he spotted something.
Red.
Red hair.
Rin's heart jumped. "Gou!"
Without a moments hesitance the 11 year old dove into the water and kicked towards his sister. She looked exhausted and was nearly fully submerged until he grabbed her round the waist and started kicking towards the shore. They reached the shore and Rin lay on the sand, breathing heavily as the water lapped at their feet. Dragging himself to his feet. Rin scooped up Gou and carried her inshore. They both set down on the sand and Rin wrapped up Gou in a towel. Her lack of response was a worry.
"That was scary." Rin commented, staring back at the sea. He placed a hand on his sisters head and looked down at her comfortingly. "Are you ok, Gou?"
Rin's look was met with scared, wide eyes with an abnormally pale complexion. Gou shakily nodded and Rin wrapped an arm round her. The pair sat as the sunset approached, then just like that, the day ended and the pair were off for home. RIn was constantly asking her if she was alright but little Gou smiled and said she was. Really inside she was mortified. A fear of the ocean had been born and she never wanted to go near it again.
The boys stood quietly as Rin stared at the ground. Haru frowned and raised his hand and placing it on Rin's shoulder, Rin flinching a little as he did so.
"She'll be alright." He said, quietly.
The phrase resounded in the hollows of Rin's mind as the floor remained within his gaze.
She'll be alright
She'll be alright
Gou.
