Huh. I got a review! That shocks me since there's fujoshis here! But, I got you followers and favoriters! Yay! :D Here's Chapter 2! Enjoy!

krito1389: Thanks for your review!

The Return of Rin Matsuoka

Now 17, Haru Nanase soaked in her bathtub full of water. It's what she always does. She was thinking back when she was a child. Her almost drowning in that pool and her accepting Rin's invite. She thought she was pretty childish as a kid, but she was a child back in the day. Rin moved to Australia. She missed him, and she doesn't know why. She sunk deeper into the water until her mouth was in the water.

Rin... she thought. She had good memories of him. She even remembered him saying he wanted to be an Olympic swimmer...or something like that. She has a feeling they were going to meet again, but Haru denied it. He's just gone. Since when did she care about him?

"Good morning, Haru-chan!" greeted a friendly voice she knew. She looked to her right and saw her friend, Makoto. He reached out his hand to her. She grabbed it and he pulled her up from the water.

"You know it's rude to come in here without knocking," Haru stated.

"It's not like you're ACTUALLY naked in the tub, Haru-chan," said Makoto. Haru sighed and left the room. She went into the kitchen and got an apron on. She got a mackerel from the fridge and began grilling it.

"Mackerel?!" Makoto exclaimed. "Why are you eating that?"

"Breakfast," Haru answered.

"Fish for breakfast?"

"I missed breakfast, so this is all I can eat."

"And you're cooking it with an apron over your swim suit?" She didn't answer. Makoto sighed. Typical Haru-chan.

...

When Haru was in her school uniform, she and Makoto were walking to school. Makoto was babbling about how they got the same class and the new teacher in the class. Haru looked at the ocean. I hope it gets warmer so I can swim in the ocean, she thought.

"By the way, I hope it gets warmer so you can swim in the ocean," Makoto said. Haru fixed her eyes on the ocean, still not answering him. Makoto's gotten used to her silent treatments for a while, so he didn't mind her not answering him.

As they were in their classroom, the teacher was taking attendance. When she reached Haru's name, she called out, "Mr. Nanase Haru?" Haru sighed. She's gotten used to being mistaken for a boy.

"Uh, Haru-chan's a girl, m'am!" Makoto stated. The class laughed. Haru sighed again, looking out the window.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Nanase-chan!" apologized the teacher. "You were absent yesterday, yes?" Haru nodded. She announced to the class, "I'm Amakata Miho, your new homeroom teacher. Nice to meet you all!" She smiled.

...

It was lunchtime. People around Haru were talking about Ms. Amakata. They say she went to college and had a job there, but quits after her dream fell through. Haru wasn't surprised that being a teacher was her plan B.

"Can we eat lunch on the roof?" asked Makoto. Haru nodded and thought, Makoto needs a clue. They both got up and left the classroom.

"I didn't bring lunch, just so you know," Haru said.

"Right, I'll share you my lunch." Makoto smiled. Haru's cheeks felt a little warm.

"What do you have for lunch?" she asked.

"Squid," he answered. Haru did liked seafood, so she didn't mind. Suddenly, they both heard a high-pitched voice saying, "Haru-chan! Mako-chan!" They looked around and saw an old friend they knew: Nagisa.

"It's been forever!" he said. "I'll be joining you two here in Iwatobi High School."

"Nagisa?!" Makoto and Haru said in union.

...

The three were on the rooftop eating lunch together. "How many years has it been?" Makoto asked Nagisa. "I don't think we've ever saw you after the swim club has been shut down."

"Yep, because I went to a different school," Nagisa said. "Ah! There's cherry blossom trees near the pool!" He pointed at a pool near cherry blossom trees. "Weren't there any cherry blossom trees next to the pool at grade school, Haru-chan?" As usual, she gave him the silent treatment.

"Don't mind Haru-chan. She usually gives the silent treatment a lot," Makoto stated.

"Ah."

Makoto looked at the pool. "Too bad the pool is old and not in use. There's no swim club either."

"Well, then where do you swim then?" Nagisa asked.

Haru finally spoke, "I quit swimming competitively."

Nagisa almost jumped. "What?! Why'd you quit?! I was all excited about getting to swim with you again in high school!"

"We're not little kids anymore. Things aren't the way they used to be."

Nagisa frowned. "Haru-chan..."

Makoto chuckled. "Well, she stopped swimming competitively, but she still loves water. Haru-chan can't live without being in the water." Makoto began to smile. "In the summer, she swims in the ocean, and she was soaking in the tub this morning."

The blonde boy turned to Makoto. "What does that have to do with swimming? That means she likes to bathe." An idea sparked in his head. "I know! How about a hot springs club?" Haru didn't answer him. He was shaking her shoulder. "Let's start a hot springs club!"

"I can't take the heat," Haru answered.

Makoto smiled. Nagisa hasn't changed one bit. To him, seeing the two friends together was like a penguin trying to befriend a dolphin. It was a funny sight. Suddenly, he saw a girl with magenta-colored hair eating with another girl. He knew her, but couldn't put a finger in it.

...

Haru, Makoto, and Nagisa went off of the rooftop. "Have you heard, guys?" Nagisa said. "The swimming club we went to in grade school is going to be torn down." Haru eyes widened. What? she thought.

"So before that happens, why don't we pay a visit?" Nagisa asked.

"To dig that up?" Makoto questioned. Haru knew what he was talking about.

"Exactly!" He lowers his voice saying, "We need to sneak in at night..." He held his hands, creeper-style.

"You can go by yourself," Haru said. She was about to leave the two, but Nagisa blocked her.

"Don't say that! Come with us, Haru-chan!"

"I'm not going." She tried to move away from Nagisa, but the blonde still blocked her.

"Don't you think it'll be fun?!"

"I don't, thank you very much." Nagisa gave up.

"Why don't you just humor her?" suggested Makoto.

"No. It's too much effort," said the black-haired water-lover.

"But there's a pool there." Haru become silent, not trying to react to the word "pool". "A pool is MUCH bigger than a bathtub." The two were waiting for their female friend's reaction. She looked at Makoto with big, sparkly eyes. He blushed a little.

When school was over and the sun was setting, Makoto and Nagisa were in Haru's home. "You live by yourself, Haru-chan?" the blonde boy asked.

"Her mom went with her dad when he had to move because of work," Makoto explained. He sniffed the air. It smelled like grilled fish. "Fish again, Haru-chan?" He and Nagisa went to her while she was grilling the fish.

"Nobody's forcing you to eat it," she said.

"Looks delicious!" Nagisa said. "Haru-chan was always a good cook!" Makoto smiled, then his expression darkened.

"So, are you sure about this?" he asked.

Nagisa looked at him funny. "Weren't you all for it earlier? Are you scared?

"It's not that. Is it okay just for the three of us to dig it up?"

The blonde boy frowned. "Can't do anything about that. Rin isn't in Japan anymore." Just hearing Rin's name made Haru miss him even more. Her face looked normal, but she felt sad. She remembered a moment from her childhood with Rin in it.

Flashback:

Haru, Makoto, and Rin were outside. They were looking at some writing on some short brick walls. Suddenly, Rin said, "I'm not going to attend middle school here." Haru's eyes widened. She didn't think he was serious.

"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Makoto.

"I'm moving to Australia," Rin answered.

"Austrailia?" said Haru. "You're moving to another country?"

"Yep. I'm going to a swimming school." He was smiling. Haru looked calmly mad and looked at the walls. One brick said, "For The Team".

What are you trying to do to us? She thought.

"I'm going to be an Olympic swimmer!" Rin smiled bigger. Haru looked even more calmly mad.

"Why haven't you told us that earlier? What about the relay?" Makoto questioned.

Rin stopped smiling. "I'll swim the relay. I'll leave the day after the tournament. So this will the last time the four of us swim together." Makoto looked at Rin. She didn't look happy. He was worrying about her.

"You only swim freestyle, right, Nanase-chan?" Rin asked. She still looked mad. "Well, that's why I need you for the tournament! This is our last chance!" He grabbed Haru's hands. "Please swim with me, Nanase-chan!" Haru's cheeks warmed a little bit. Makoto was getting jealous of Rin. Haru refused to see the magenta-haired boy and looked at the wall.

Rin giggled. "Stop being so tsundere, Nanase-chan!"

Makoto was getting envious. "That's enough, Rin."

"Hold on a sec." Rin paused, then said, "Haru, if you swim with me..." She had no choice but to look at him. When she did, he was smiling and the wind was blowing his hair. "I'll show you a sight you've never seen before!"

End of Flashback

At night, the trio was at the building. It looked worn-down. Makoto had a shovel.

"This place looks pretty trashed," said the green-haired guy.

"Oh! Just in case!" Nagisa unfolded a piece of paper and revealed salt. "Purifying salt."

Haru looked confused. "What do you need salt for?"

"They say this place is haunted," explained the yellow-haired boy.

Makoto grinned nervously. "Don't scare me."

"I'm not lying!" Nagisa said. Makoto shivered. Nagisa continued, "People have been seeing shadows moving around and heard sobbing voices." Makoto looked terrified. Nagisa threw the salt on Makoto, then Haru. The black-haired girl noticed something. She tapped her finger on the "salt" then put the small pieces in her mouth.

"This isn't salt, it's sugar," she stated. Makoto and Nagisa just glared at her.

...

Inside the building, Nagisa had a flashlight on. "Well, it's mental anyway, so sugar can still get the job done," he said.

"Cliché," Haru said.

"It is one of the oldest mistakes out there," Makoto added. Just then, something fell and made a noise. Makoto freaked out and grabbed on Haru.

"What is it?!" he yelped. Haru was getting annoyed.

"Makoto, you're on my chest," she said in an annoyed tone. Makoto quickly got his face out of her chest and said, "Sorry, Haru-chan." She sighed.

"My foot accidentally hit an empty can," Nagisa said.

Makoto looked annoyingly at him, "You did that on purpose..." He cried, "ARE YOU?!"

"You're always afraid of the dark," Nagisa stated.

"You're not helping any!"

"Sorry."

Haru heard some footsteps. She couldn't tell if it was real or part of her imagination. She ignored it and went on.

...

The trio looked around the school. Some of the things they saw weren't as worn-down and brought back memories to them. They reached to a lounge room. Nagisa spotted something. "Look!" he said. Everyone gathered around to see one picture. Nagisa flashed the flashlight on it. He pointed at it.

"This is the picture from when we won the relay!" the blonde boy stated. Haru saw her as a young girl with Rin, who had his arm around her and was carrying the trophy. She remembered the relay clearly and the time capsule.

Flashback:

"The four of us won together, so it doesn't make sense for one person to take it home," said Rin. "So let's put it in a time capsule..." He paused as he put the lid on the capsule. "And dig it up when we're grown up!" He looked at Haru. "Romantic, right?" She blushed and looked away from him.

End of Flashback

"Haru-chan," Makoto called. Haru snapped out of her memory. "Let's go." She left the picture. "Yeah." They exited the room and walked on.

"C-can you pick up the pace a little?" asked Makoto as he was tugging Haru's shirt.

"What am I? Your babysitter?" she said. Makoto tugged on her shirt again to stop her. The two actually saw a figure coming to them. Haru squinted her eyes to see what it was. A figure of a man around her age...wearing a sports cap, sports jacket, and a sports outfit. Makoto let out a little squeak. Haru still couldn't identify the man coming to them. Suddenly, in the moonlight, the color, magenta, shown in his eyes and hair. Haru's eyes widened. It can't be him, she thought. It can't be...

"Yo," the man said.

"Who's that?" asked Nagisa.

"I c-can't tell," Makoto answered.

I can, Haru was thinking.

The man stretched the back of his cap. "I didn't think I'd run into you guys here." He let the back of his cap hit his head. That made everyone realize who he was. He took off his cap and revealed himself.

"Rin-chan!" Nagisa said.

"Rin!" Makoto shouted.

Nagisa jumped to Rin. "You're back from Australia!"

"What are you doing around here?" asked the green-haired guy.

"Oh man! This must be fate!" Nagisa shouted. "Some unseen force brought us all here at this exact-"

Rin was getting tired of this, so he cut the blonde boy off by saying to Haru, "So Gorgeous, you're hanging around with these losers?"

Haru looked lost. Gorgeous?

"Since when have you've been calling Haru-chan that?" Nagisa asked.

"And what are you talking about, Rin?" Makoto added.

"You never learn," Rin finished, ignoring the two.

"And what about you, Rin?" she questioned. "What have you learned?"

He grinned as he was cracking his neck back and forth. "Glad you asked. Let's race, Gorgeous." He was walking away. Haru was getting annoyed of her new nickname, but she accepted his challenge by walking with him.

"Wait, Haru-chan!" Makoto shouted. She was walking with Rin. Rin should have stayed back in Australia, he thought a bit angrily.

"Looks like we need to follow them," Nagisa suggested. The two ran off to them.

...

In the pool room, Rin took his shirt off. Haru took her shirt AND pants off. Just as Makoto and Nagisa came in, Rin said to Haru, "Man, you look better than when I last saw you, Gorgeous." Haru couldn't tell if this was Rin Matsuoka, the one she missed a lot, or some perverted Rin look-alike that's been stalking her in a sneaky way.

"They're going to swim here?!" Nagisa shouted. Makoto didn't like this kind of Rin. He suddenly noticed something about the pool.

"Haru-chan! Don't! It's a bad idea!" he yelled. Haru ignored it and began to stretch.

"Wait, you wore THAT all day?!" Makoto asked as he noticed Haru's swimsuit.

"Rin-chan too?" Nagisa added as he saw Rin in swimming wear.

"We have to stop them!"

"Do we really?"

"Hey!"

Rin and Haru glared at each other. Rin had his goggles on. They both ran to the diving boards.

"Let's do it, Gorgeous!" shouted Rin as he put his goggles on his eyes.

"Stop calling me Gorgeous," the black-haired female swimmer demanded. The two got into position on their diving boards.

"Ready, go!" Rin shouted. But neither of them moved. The pool was actually dry and empty. Nagisa flashed the flashlight on it.

"There isn't any water," he stated.

"I TOLD you guys to stop," Makoto said.

Rin took off his goggles and got off the diving board. "Lame." Haru got off the board, really ticked off.

"Oh yeah. You guys came here for this?" Rin asked as he held up the trophy from the relay years ago.

"Oh! Our trophy!" Nagisa stated.

"I don't need this thing anymore." He dropped it as he left. "See ya, Gorgeous." Makoto reached for the trophy, but it hit the ground.

"Rin-chan...he really changed." Haru just stared at him. Just who is he?

Done! What do you think?

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I can't wait for the next season of Free! *fangirls* Are you ready for it? :D

I'll see you all later! Byas!