Chapter 2 Hello
Yukirin was startled awake by the car coming to a halt and shifted in her seat quietly for a moment getting her bearings and realized her uncle had parked the car, and took in the suburban area, seeing a few glowing lights in the house in front of their parking spot she realized dimly they ha arrived at her cousins home. She rubbed her eyes trying to wake up just a little more. It was early morning, about 5:30 am, they'd been travelling all night, "Wait here Yuki-chan I'll take your bags in first." "Ah.." she murmured softly slipping back down, "rest a bit longer sweetie" he smiled warmly and Yukirin smiled back lightly.
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"Tadaima[1]'
"Ah Oto-san, Okaeri[2]" greeted Nagisa walking through to the kitchen, half dressed in his uniform and preparing stuff to go to school. "Hello Nagisa, let the others know to be quiet Your cousins asleep in the car I'm going to carry her to bed, so be careful not wake her." "Ehh...but I wanted her to come to join us at the swim club today" he pouted lightly turning to face his father with a saddened expression. "She's been travelling all night and she just fell asleep not to long ago, when she wakes up and if she feels like it I'll take her to your school." he supplied trying to ease his sons worries.
"Hontoni!?[3]"
"Yes" he said placing his niece's bags down near the kitchen door before turning and heading out to the car. Opening the passenger side door, he couldn't help but smile "you remind me of Nagisa when he was small," he muttered before reaching into the car and slipping his arms underneath Yukirin's knee's, she flinched at the contact and he almost let go before he calmed her down with a gentle "shh" and slipped his arms behind her back lifting her with ease out of the car.
"...You're so thin..." he muttered softly frowning at how easily he picked up the 18 year old girl.
She didn't answer however and just rest her head across his shoulder breathing evenly as he carried her inside, checking around briefly he could hear the mumbling of his children in the kitchen trying to be quiet as he entered the house. Moving up the stairs he entered the guest room and pulled back the covers of the bed best he could before tucking Yukirin. Making sure the plush fabric held her properly and her legs were body on the bed before he smiled at his handy work.
"Nagisa is so excited to see you" he said smiling sadly at the young woman..."So young" and he turned leaving the room.
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"Ne, Ne! Everyone, My cousin came! She arrived early this morning" Nagisa smiled excitedly as he chomped down on the home made 3 layer bento box Gou had made everyone to share.
"Ya? Was she happy to see you?"
"Ah, well I didn't actually get to see her Rei~ she was fast asleep so my dad told me and my sisters to be quiet when he brought her into the house, but he said if she was up to it when she woke up, he'd bring her here to join us during Swim practice" he smiled.
"Ah that's good then, it'll be nice to actually see her wont it?" Makoto smiled taking a drink of some barley tea. "Ne Haru?~"
"Ah."
"It\s going to be super exciting to have her swim with us, Ne we should invite Rin to come join us too?!"
"I think he has his own practice today" Gou said reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cellphone. "but I can check" she said.
"He'll come if we tell him he can race Haru-chan"
"don't use chan on my name"
"heh, Haru~"
"What kind of strokes does your cousin specialize in?" Rei looked to Nagisa curiously it would be nice to know more about his cousin before they met her.
"Ah she's specialized in all of them, she's especially good at free style but she has a really beautiful backstroke too" he said smirking, "Watch out Makoto she will probably leave you behind in a race" He was super confident at the idea of it, he'd seen sister cousin race once before and it had been such a beautiful thing, compared to Haru it was essentially the same feeling just in a different way.
"Wow, all of them? Really doesn't it take alot of work to learn all the strokes?" "Well yes and no, I mean Yuki-chan has been swimming since she could walk so it's not usual that she'd have so much time learning each and every stroke." Nagisa leaned back on his hands.
"since she could walk?"
"Ah Haru's interested now!"
"Yes Haru!~ My aunt had her in swim classes from a young age and since they lived near the sea too, she wanted to be sure all her children new how to swim in case they ever fell into the water."
"That's a real good reason to learn to swim..."
"Rei-chan should have learned too as a kid"
"I...didn't know how beautiful swimming was then..." Rei sighed sheepishly
"Well anyways she liked swimming so much she just kept doing it, up until last year"
"We seem to talk alot about this..." Gou muttered a little miffed that the boys attention was all on some other girl they had yet to meet.
"perhaps its worth meeting her then..." he said biting into some mackerel, supplied specifically for him by Gou. He supposed then that she wasn't so bad for quitting swimming, well as long as she still swam leisurely it was okay too, he'd quit swimming competitively as well.
"You really like you cousin huh?" Makoto smiled leaning back against the cool wall of the rooftop exit. He thought it was sweet of Nagisa to talk so excitedly of his cousin, family was a great thing after all. "Ya" Nagisa smiled an expression of shy happiness covering his features. "Me and my sisters admire her, " he said glanced at his fiends. "Yuki's a very strong person, and she's always been kind to us and she would always play with me when the family came to visit for Christmas" "Not to mention she's my dads niece so they are closer than the rest of our relatives" he said, "so getting to see her is a rare occurrence" he said biting into a onigiri and standing up, "Yosh! I'm going to go and get things ready for later!" he said grabbing his bag, "See you guys at club!" he jogged off leaving the rest of his friends to the rest of their meal.
"He's so energetic" smiled Mako.
"Theoretically speaking Nagisa is much more energetic than usual which means his normal level of energy has been boosted quite a bit" Rei said sliding his glasses up his nose.
He glanced towards Haru who had stopped eating. "Is something wrong Haru-sempai?"
"..."
"Mako-sempai?"
"heh, he's just trying to figure out how he feels about this situation is all"
"Oh"
"Ding!"
"Oh Nii-san texted back...he says he'll come practice was moved to tomorrow, due to make-up exams." she said, " seems a few of the members really mucked up their tests." Gou smiled.
"Ah"
"Haru's interested again" chuckled Mako.
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"My dad says he's here! He's bringing Yukirin! Hurry change change!" Nagisa cheered pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it quickly into his basket haphazardly. Rin had joined the group after class ended and changed in the corner next to Haru listening quietly with the black haired teen to Nagisa ramble.
"Your bent up about this arn't you?" he asked sliding on his swimmers
"I haven't seen her in a year I'm excited!"
"Someones got a crush"
"eww! Shes my cousin Rin-rin!"
"be patient, the only one ready is Haru" Mako said sliding a leg into his jammers.
"Haru's always ready!"
"She isn't going anywhere Nagisa-kun"
"But Rei I want to see her" Nagisa pulled up his swim trunks before heading towards the door. "Ah wait up" Rei finished putting his on and grabbed his swim cap and goggles. "Come on Haru" Makoto said walking towards the door.
Upon exiting the door Nagisa smiled, he could see his cousin sitting on one of the bench''s lining the edge of the pool near the diving stands and waved, "Yukirin!" he ran forward to her.
Mako glanced in the direction Nagisa had run and stopped cold. Haru , Rin, and Rei knocking into his back as a result. Siting upon the bench was Yukirin and he took in her appearance with both Haru and Rei. She was tall and slender, seated demurely upon the bench her long white hair flowing down her back in waves her pale skin a soft porcelain colour and her blue eyes deep like cerulean waters.
Mako blushed and brought a hand to his face in embarrassment, he'd pulled a Haru he'd just compared her to water. "Beautiful" murmured Rei from beside him and he could only nod in light agreement as Haru walked past him up the stairs.
"A Yukirin! I've missed you its so good to see you!" Nagisa smiled sitting next to her and wrapping her in his arms. He nuzzled her affectionately and she chuckled, "Oh Nagisa! It's nice to see you too" she said ruffling his fluffy blond hair.
"How was the trip?"
"Dark"
'ha ha, I bet travelling the country side all night" he smiled light. "Ahem" Yukirin and Nagisa both turned their gazed up to the voice who'd made the sound. "Introduce?" Haru questioned lightly gazing at Yukirin as if gouging her.
"Ah Yuki-chan, this is my friend Haru he's an amazing swimmer, and this is Mako-chan, Rei-chan, and Rin-chan we all have girly names" Nagisa chuckled.
'Hello, I'm Yukirin" she smiled warmly at them, Taking in the boys appearance's she looked them over, "Nagisa's shown me pictures of you all" she said shifting up slightly "But its nice to finally meet you in person." she said.
"Like wise"
"So Nagisa said you were a world class swimmer at one point"
"Ah I competed competitively a couple years ago in Worlds swimming Championships" she said, "But I've stopped swimming since then" she said lightly, "You, what do you plan to do with swimming?"
"I want to compete at the Olympics" Rin admitted.
"That's a wonderful goal"
"Yuki, you didn't bring a swim suit? Nagisa questioned taking in Yukirin's long white dress, with blue bows on the back, the layered white fabric pooling around her feet hiding them, "Ah I forgot my swim suit back home" she said sheepishly. "Ah that's okay." he smiled.
"We'll find you one"
"Its okay Nagisa, don't worry" she said and he pouted.
"So would you mind giving us pointers on our technique?" Makoto asked leaning down to intrude on the conversation as Rei nodded. "Yes anything we can do to improve our skills" he smiled and Rin smirked, "Even with pointers your still not beating samezuka" "We'll see"
Yukirin smiled softly "Show me what you got" she said and the five males took their diving stands.
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A/N: More character interaction in the next one, just wanted to get them introduced. Please read and review, and try to guess what will happen next!