"Are you excited? I'm excited! This is exciting!" Nagisa chattered as he went from looking to Rei to Rin then back to Rei again. Rin pinched the bridge of his nose before stepping a little more behind Makoto Tachibana, thanking the gods above this his friend was the same height as him. Makoto looked over his shoulder frowning slightly but he said nothing on Rin practically hiding behind him. The latter was quite thankful for that and he was about to say something when Josh let out a loud whistle.

Rin knew it was him, the high pitched squeal he'd heard a thousand times over during lessons and on the weekends to get attention. Attentively he turned and, surprisingly, the whole of Iwotobi and Samezuka turned their attention to the teen standing in front of them.

He was taller than Mikoshiba, who was standing next to him, and he had this raw presence that made everyone pay attention to him. A backstroker who focused on the minute details of his stroke, he was fast in the water and would probably take most of Iwozuka's swimmers without much effort. Rin winced slightly. Josh was considered the schools top backstroker, but was he still?

"Yo, my name's Joshua Matthews, I'm standing here as a representative…" Rin had been surprised at how much Josh had improved his Japanese and wondered if that was why he had been asked to greet the students. Rin tuned his voice out however, as soon as the doors behind him opened. Coach Adrian Bull, a beast of a man who was unrelenting in his training strategies and long work outs, looked a little older than when Rin had left. Rin shrunk behind Makoto even more, not wanting his old coach to see him. Would he think Rin had improved at all, or would he still look at him like he was a disappointment? "So if you want to follow me, I'll show you around where you'll be staying, studying and training for the next two months."

"Come on Rin," Nagisa chirped, grabbing his forearm and yanking him forward with a hard tug. Rin pulled his arm away immediately, his eyes flicking to Josh and Coach, thanking the heavens they hadn't heard Nagisa's voice. Makoto put his hand on Rin's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze that was accompanied by a soft, reassuring smile as he walked forward, obviously keeping on Haru's trail.

"Rin-Senpai, did you know? Was he one of your friends? I don't have to worry about getting lost if I stay with you, that's a bonus," Nitori chattered, appearing at Rin's side seemingly out of nowhere. Rin rolled his eyes, deciding it would be best if he didn't answer any of Nitoria's questions for the moment, instead walking along to follow the rest of the swimmers. Their luggage would be brought to their rooms, Rin knew, which would be allocated to them after receiving the tour. The teams filled up the foyer pretty nicely and Rin stretched to see the front desk.

The receptionist indeed was no longer there, in her place a younger man who looked slightly familiar to Rin but he couldn't place his name or face. Rin contemplated asking if they had known each other but he became aware that the group was being split into two. Rin jumped to standing behind Makoto, keeping his face down as Coach Bull instructed one half of the teams to follow him. He looked up in time to Mikoshiba and Gou walking after him, joined by Rei and Nagisa.

"Where are they going Rin-Senpai?"

"Probably to the gym and after that they'll be getting their dorms. That means this group is probably going to see the lunch room and be introduced to the swimming centre," Rin replied, running a hand through his hair. It was during the day and his eyes shifted to clock behind the reception desk. It was only twelve, so the seniors and the second years would still be in class, as their sessions didn't start until one and three respectively. Hopefully they wouldn't be hanging out in the lunch room for an hour. He shuffled uncomfortably as they started walking, part of him wanting to run ahead and just go to the swimming centre but he wouldn't be allowed.

The lunch room was a simple pit stop, Josh explaining that they would be there for dinner later that evening anyway so they would get how it worked pretty quickly. Nitori looked around the large room with interest, asking Rin what it was like having lunch with so many people at the one time and Rin didn't really have the heart to tell him he didn't really ever eat lunch in the lunch room, opting instead to hang out in the dorms. He just smiled and said it was pretty fun and Nitori would enjoy himself, because Nitori would. He would probably make friends pretty quickly as well.

Josh dragged the group from the cafeteria, briefly pointing out the weights room before pulling them down a corridor. The smell of chlorine filled Rin's nose and he could hear some splashing on the other side of the door and he felt a little bit relieved. The first years would be swimming, most likely cooling themselves down after a training session to make room for the seniors later.

"Now, this is what you guys are probably most interested in right? You're pretty lucky actually, the schools on a break for the next three weeks so you'll have reign over the pools for most of the time," Josh laughed, running his hands through his hair as he looked around. The swimmers broke into excited chatter, some straining to see through the small windows the place they would be calling their practice home for the next two months. Rin's blood ran cold, he had completely forgotten there was a difference as to when the school had a holiday break to that of Samezuka.

"Hear that Senpai, we get the pools," Nitori cheered and Rin noticed that Makoto had his hand on Haru's shoulder. To anyone else it would seem a possessive notion but everyone else was aware that it was to keep him from running forward, stripping his clothes off and jumping in the pool as soon as he saw the water. Josh looked in the windows of the doors, grinning slightly before turning back to the swimmers.

"You guys are lucky actually, some of our divers and swimmers are practicing over their break. You'll get to see them in action," Josh put his hand on the door handle before biting his lip, "I just hope they don't scare you."

Only Rin understood what he had said and he was also the only person to understand his true meaning. It had nothing to do with the skills of the swimmers, nor their ferocious and unrelenting persistence to train. He was meaning…

"Do it! Don't be a coward, just jump!" The voice seemed to bellow into the hall as soon as Josh opened the door, gently ushering the swimmers inside. More voices were joined and it was incredibly loud inside the swimming centre. Nitori strained, trying to see where some of the voices were coming from, but the pool looked completely empty despite the loud, heavily accented voices that were echoing around the centre.

"I can't see them Senpai, where are they?"

"Divers, Nitori."

"What?"

"Look up," Rin nodded, his gaze having not shifted from where he had spotted them. They were sitting on top of the ten metre diving station, three sets of legs dangling over the edge and one face peeking over the edge, looking down to the water below them. They hadn't seemed to notice the presence of the swimmers, not until Josh let out another whistle.

"Hey, yo! Joshua!" A raven-haired male sat up. Rin couldn't pick his face but his voice he knew well enough. He couldn't help the shit eating grin that stretched over his face. Rin didn't realise he had missed him so much until he saw him again. Thomas Brooks, Rin's old room mate. He was a senior swimmer and had been attending the school since he was nine. Rin shook his head, already knowing he would be challenging Haru to a race as soon as he heard the name. Thomas always enjoyed a good race, the only problem was that he didn't mind losing.

"Guys, come on down. The swimmers from Japan!" Josh shouted back, motioning to the swimmers. Rin felt his heart beat even faster as those who were sitting up with Thomas. Sophie Brooks, Thomas' little sister and the first friend Rin had pretty much made in Australia. Her golden hair gave her away the moment she was in view. Annabeth Matthews, Josh's little sister and quite a close friend of Rin. She was Sophie's roommate, or had been the last time Rin had been here. That left Richard Blake, no doubt the one who had been peeking over the edge of the diving platform. The class clown that could make everyone laugh just by the faces he pulled.

"All right, we're coming! Hold your fucking horses!" Annabeth shouted over the edge of the pool as the boys started climbing down the stairs wrapped around the column. They weren't divers, nor were they stupid enough to even consider jumping off the ten metre diving board. Rin scratched the back of his head, knowing full well he had been proof for them not to. Sophie had disappeared from sight only to reappear again charging up to the edge and flinging herself off.

Rin shook his head as he saw her stick her arms and legs out wide, heading quite fast to the water as though to belly flop. At the last second she pulled herself into a diving position and entered the water smoothly. Nitori gasped, tugging on Rin's shirt and he wanted to tell Nitori that was her fucking about.

Annabeth jumped after, tumbling through the air and landing less than gracefully. She made more of a splash, but from the position she had brought herself into Rin knew she'd done it on purpose. Both girls swam to the edge together, pulling themselves out of the pull easily before tiling their heads to the side, shaking the water out of their ears.

"Nice dive dumbass, want to get anymore water?"

"At least I didn't look like a starfish," Annabeth cackled back to Sophie as they both walked over. They snatched their towels up from the seats and started to dry their hair, looking over the faces in the crowd. Rin ducked his head, running his fingers through his hair and wondering if it looked ridiculous. He didn't hear his name shrieked in fury or excitement so he figured it worked out pretty well after all.

"So, Samezuka and Iwatobi, these are two of our resident divers. Sophie Brooks and Annabeth Matthews."

"What up?"

"I hope you enjoy your time here," Sophie smiled whilst simultaneously smacking Annabeth around the ear. Rin grinned, realising they hadn't changed all too much since he left. It stung a little as he realised that meant Sophie was probably going to kill him when she finally caught sight of him.


"Rin-Senpai, is everything all right?" Rin looked up from his bed and blinked twice at Nitori. He felt more than tired and his bones were started to grow weary as he nodded, ruffling his hair slightly. Even the chirpy younger teen looked like he was ready to hit the hay, even though the sun was still shining brightly outside.

"Just tired is all," Rin yawned as he looked to the alarm clock Nitori had set up for them during the stay. It was hardly past four and he slumped against the pillows. Dinner wouldn't be served until six and they had been given free time. Rin grinned a little, Josh made a pretty big mistake in saying they could swim in the pool during their free time if they wanted. Haru had all but ripped away from Makoto, ripping his clothes off in one easy motion before diving into the water. The scene had caused Sophie to giggle uncontrollably whilst Annabeth made a comment about strippers as Makoto seemed completely horrified and a little too shy to do anything about him. They decided to just leave Haru in the pool for the moment, letting the others find their dorms as Thomas watched over Haru to make sure nothing happened to him.

"We should go swim," Nitori suggested. Rin looked to him, blinking a few times as he worked over what Nitori had said. He could see the excitement brimming from his friend and he let out a sigh, nodding as he stood, walking over to his bag. Nitori kept chattering about random things as Rin pulled out his swim suit. He smiled gently at the younger teens excitement before he slipped into the bathroom to change.

For the first time he saw his reflection in the mirror and realised why they'd asked him if he was all right. His eyes looked dim, not bright and excited like Nitori's, and he had a rather sour look on his face. He rubbed his hands over his face, trying to clear his expression to something less fierce and managed to get a relaxed expression. He let out a breath before pulling his jeans and underwear off, pulling his swimsuit up. He reached for his jeans, pulling them back up before stepping out of the bathroom. Nitori was sitting on one of the chair beside an empty desk, swinging his feet as he waited for Rin.

"Grab my towel will you?" Rin asked and Nitori reached into Rin's bag, pulling out his beloved shark towel. He jumped off the seat and handed it to Rin, his own towel hanging over his shoulders as Rin stepped into a pair of flip flops.

"It's weird, isn't it, not needing to take our shoes off," Nitori chirped as he practically skipped alongside Rin. The latter shook his shoulders. It had taken him longer to remember that was required in Japan than it took for him to drop the habit. Then again, it was easy to just stroll around in sneakers without having to worry about whether or not he was meant to take them off.

"You'll get used to it," Rin shrugged as he lead Nitori down the corridor towards the swimming centre. The dorms they were staying in were a different part to where Rin had previously stayed, but he could remember Sophie explaining to him all those years ago that schools often come to train at the school. "It's remembering to take them off back home that will be the problem."

"Really Rin-Senpai? Maybe I should stay in the habit of taking them off then." Rin nodded, only half paying attention to what Nitori was prattling on about. He licked his lips as he tuck his hands into his jeans, thanking his lucky stars that today was a rather cool day. He didn't really want to be thrust right into the good old Australian summer just yet. His first summer he spent with Sophie and Annabeth most of the time, hanging out by the beach coated in sunscreen and yet somehow still managing to get burnt.


"You think it's stupid, don't you Rin?" Sophie questioned as she picked up another rock, throwing it into the ocean. They were sitting on the jetty, legs dangling over the edge as they watched the clear blue water below them swirl and swelter, their hair whipping around their heads. To his left sat Sophie, sporting a pair of denim shorts that reached her knees and bright yellow tank top that matched her hair. Annabeth was on his right, a pretty blue floral dress whipping around in the wind that she had given up trying to control, tucked under her thighs.

"I'm not stupid enough to comment on that," Rin replied, resting his forehead on the bar in front of him, kicking his feet gently. He picked up a small rock, letting it plop into the ocean as he let out a sigh. Annabeth snorted, poking his ribs before sticking her face right in his. She didn't really seem to have a sense of personal space and she made Rin lean back, wanting to get away for a moment.

"Hey, leave the poor kid alone!" Sophie snapped, leaning around Rin boxing Annabeth on the ear. Annabeth pulled back, whining before rolling her eyes.

"I would if he gave an answer."

"He did!"

"That's not an answer, that's a misdirection!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Rin looked between the two as they started arguing, letting out a sigh before falling back and letting his head rest in his hands. He stared up at the clear blue sky, scrunching his eyes at the hot sun for a moment before he let out a yelp, feeling fingers rake down his side. He was being attacked on both sides and as much as he struggled, he couldn't get away. Sophie was giggling whilst Annabeth was giving her cackle of a laugh. His eyes screwed shut as he tried, and failed, to fight them off.

"No, please, stop, s-stop," Rin giggled, squirming and trying to push them away. His eyes started to water and his laughs came out in chokes, provoking the girls to stop tickling him, both laughing too hard for him to forgive them immediately.

"Oh my god, you're such a pretty boy!" Annabeth cackled, falling against the concrete. Rin sat up, rubbing the tears that fell down his cheeks with the back of his hand, narrowing his eyes at her. They both knew that he hated being tickled but that never seemed to stop them from doing it. He blamed Thomas, this was all his fault!


"Rin-Senpai? Hello?" Rin jerked out of his memory, realising he was smiling to himself and Nitori was looking at him rather confused. Nitori must have remembered the way to the swimming centre with ease because they were standing outside the doors, which Nitori pushed open rather confidently. As soon as they both stepped in they were slightly overwhelmed by music blating from a small boom box on top in the bleaches. Rin looked around, certain that this was against the rules, and saw that Haru was talking to Thomas, who was lounging lazily on the side of the pool with his feet dangling in the pool.

Makoto was sitting beside Thomas, looking rather comfortable with the Australian although Rin wasn't too surprised. Thomas and Makoto were similar with their gentle smiles and kind words, although Thomas a lot more laid back, almost on the verge of lazy. His crooked Japanese might have improved over the years like Josh's had, and part of Rin was glad Thomas was getting along so well with Makoto and Haru.

Rin sucked in a deep breath, his gaze focused on Thomas. He would go say hello, take whatever Thomas had to say to him about him leaving, and then go for a swim with Nitori to calm his nerves. He could feel his heart thumping quite hard against his chest and he swallowed before gently lying his towel on a chair a few metres away from him. He pulled his shirt, letting out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding before straightening his shoulders.

All this worry was for nothing however, as when Rin started walking towards his old roommate, hands shaking slightly, he heard someone running up behind him. He turned around in time to receive a hard slap sting across his cheek.