Author's Note: guYS GUYS DID YOU WATCH THE FIRST EPISODE OF ETERNAL SUMMER? I THINK I JUST DIED A LITTLE BIT! I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW MUCH I MISSED MY SWIMMER BABIES! IF YOU HAVEN'T YET, MAKE SURE YOU WATCH THE ENDING THEME ALL THE WAY THROUGH! IT'S ABSOLUTELY GREAT! To celebrate, I thought I'd update! Thank you to sparkling apples and marinefollese for reviewing!
Disclaimer: I don't own Free! or any of it's characters.
Makoto and Gou had caught up with the coachman a few hours after they had eaten their lunch, and had handed the horses over to him. Presently, they sat facing each other in the carriage. Although the carriage had cushioned seating on either side, it was a cramped square that seemed to be made for one person only. Makoto apologized again and again about the discomfort, and told Gou that they would arrive at Iwatobi soon.
True to his word, they arrived in less than an hour, and they jumped out to stretch their legs. Makoto was immediately jumped by a small blonde boy, who wrapped his arms around his neck. "Mako-chan! We missed you!"
Behind him, a boy with raven hair and a bored expression nodded. "Ohayo, Makoto."
The blonde boy hopped back down and brushed off his pants. "Rei's doing something, so couldn't make it." He then seemed to notice Gou and smiled widely. "Ooh, who's this?" He grabbed Gou's hand and shook it. "Yoroshiku, I'm Nagisa Hazuki, and this is Haruka Nanase."
Makoto placed a hand on Nagisa's shoulder and gently pulled him back. "This is Gou, she came from Samezuka."
"It's Kou! Nice to meet you guys! Makoto's told me a lot about you guys and onii-chan."
Haru cocked his head to the side. "Onii… chan?"
Gou turned pink, remembering that Rin and these boys had fallen out. Before she could cover her mistake though, Makoto jumped in and said, "Her brother's Rin."
Nagisa exclaimed in surprise, and Haru's eyes, Gou noticed, widened and flashed. "Gou-chan, how's Rin-chan?" Nagisa asked.
"It's Kou, I said! I'm actually not too sure," Gou laughed. "He's away most of the time. He never tells me what he's up to either."
Nagisa sighed and pouted. "Aw, that's too bad." He opened his mouth to say something, but Makoto grabbed Gou's hand softly and pulled her away. "We can catch up back at the palace. Nagisa, Haru, can you help us grab some stuff?"
"Ah!" Gou pulled away from Makoto, though not rudely, and bowed quickly. "I'll go help get my things."
As soon as she rounded the corner of the carriage, Nagisa slyly slid over to Makoto's side and, standing on his tiptoes, cupped a hand to his ear and whispered, "She's very cute, isn't she. You're lucky, Mako-chan."
Makoto blushed, and laughed awkwardly. "I guess I am."
Gou was returning, dragging one of her trunks by its leather handle. Her summer dress floated around her legs in the breeze, and her hair red hair shone in the late sun's rays of light. Makoto smiled, and thought, "I know I am." He jogged over to Gou and told her not to worry about the trunks, pulling it out of her hands and lifting it up himself. Nagisa and Haru grabbed other pieces of luggage, and the coachman grabbed a trunk himself. Together, they trekked into the palace.
Makoto took Gou's hand again and lead her up a set of marble stairs. He pushed open a set of elaborate golden doors and smiled at Gou. "This is where you'll be staying, but if this isn't alright, we can always arrange for you to have another room."
Gou shook her head hard, her red hair whipping wildly. "No! It's beautiful, thank you!"
Makoto ran a hand through his hair and nodded. "I'll let you settle down, then. Your things will be up shortly, and I'll call you when it's time for dinner."
Gou nodded, bowed, and thanked him again. She wandered over to the large glass windows when Makoto shut the door behind him and took in the view. The windowsill was padded and two plush cushions sat at either end. The window ledge was wide enough for Gou to rest her arms on, or for a mug, or a small plant. Outside, there was a thin band of blue, sparkling river that waved its way around the village and through the forest. The forest was crowded, and from her room, Gou could barely make out one treetop from another, their lush green leaves shrouding the life below.
She made her way to the bed next, and rolled around in the silky covers and soft mattress. The bathroom was large. Its marble floors were cold and a large shelf above the bathtub was filled with powders and liquids with exotic smells. There was a comfortable armchair in the corner of the room and a tall lamp stood beside it. The room was comfortable, but it was plain, and felt unlived in. Gou walked back to the window and threw it open. She waited a few seconds before closing it again. The view was beautiful, but the ocean was nowhere in sight, and instead of the salty tang of sea that Gou could smell at home, there was the wet, dewy smell of grass and trees.
There was a firm knock at the door that snapped Gou out of her reverie. Makoto poked his head into the gap he had opened and scanned the room quickly, flashing Gou a smile when their eyes caught. "Dinner's ready. I'm sorry your trunk hasn't arrived yet, there was a slight mix up."
"Don't worry about it," Gou said, waving her hand.
Makoto nodded. "I'll show you the way to the dining room, then."
The dining room was smaller than Gou had expected, which was due to the fact, she would later find out, that this wasn't the main dining room, but one of the many smaller ones that dotted the palace. The table was square, made out of dark mahogany, as were the four high back chairs.
Makoto pulled back a chair and let Gou sit down, and then pushed it back in. He sat himself down on her left, and asked her if she would like to drink anything.
Seconds later, the doors burst open and a distressed blonde ran to the table. "Mako-chan!" Nagisa cried. "I can't get Haru-chan out of the bathtub. He won't listen to me!" He took notice of Gou and bounded over to her side. "Gou-kun, do you want to come and see if you can persuade Haru-chan to come to dinner?"
"It's Kou!" Gou said once again, but she knew that Nagisa wouldn't be calling her that anytime soon. "I don't mind. We shouldn't start dinner until all of us are here."
Makoto had already stood up and was heading for the door, muttering something under his breath that sounded along the lines of "Every single time!" and "It's like he's some kind of dolphin!"
Gou ran to catch up with her fiancé, tapping his arm when she reached him. "Does this happen a lot? With Haruka-san?"
Makoto laughed, but his cheeks were tinted pink, betraying his slight embarrassment. "No, well, yes. Haru's a… big fan of water. He would swim if he had the chance, but the lake's pretty shallow now, and we haven't cleaned the pool yet."
The reached Haru's room, and Nagisa pushed past them and rammed the doors open, running in the direction of the bathroom. Gou hovered, unsure if she should go in or stay by the door, finally settling on the latter when Makoto walked into the bathroom. Haru's room was very different from the room Gou had been given. It was smaller, for one, and the walls were wooden. On a shelf, there was a frame, placed face down so that nobody could see the picture. Curious, Gou walked over and lifted it to take a peek. She was startled to find that the picture was of Haru, Nagisa, Makoto… and Rin, all smiling, brandishing medals on their chests, arms flung casually across each other. Gou put the small painting back face down and sidled back to the door. Rin had looked so happy and carefree – the expression seemed almost foreign to Gou.
Not a moment later, Haru stepped out of the bathroom, rivulets of water dripping off of him onto the tiled floor. He was wearing racing trunks, and seemed slightly fazed. Makoto appeared behind him and pushed him gently towards the door. "Haru, come on, dinner's going to get cold."
Haru's head snapped to Makoto. "Are we having grilled mackerel?"
Makoto rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "Not today, I think. We don't have any mackerel."
Haru opened his mouth to protest but Makoto shot him a quick look. "Gou! You must be hungry! Let's go. I'm sorry for Haru's behavior."
Gou laughed, but her eyes were on Haru. His muscles were fascinating – as expected of a swimmer. She snapped out of it, however, when Makoto threw a bulky robe on top of his friend.
They headed down to the dining hall once again, where they sat and ate, sharing stories. Most of Nagisa and Makoto's stories contained Rin. Haru, on the other hand, didn't talk much.
At the end of the day, when Gou had returned to her room, she collapsed on her bed. All the stories she had been told of Rin was back when the three were close friends with him. They were always having fun. Gou's mind flitted back to the painting in Haru's room. She then decided that, whatever it took, she would make sure Rin became friends with Makoto, Haru, and Nagisa again, and that a smile would once again decorate his face.
Author's Note: I hoped you guys liked the chapter! I'm sorry conversation was a little bit stilted – if any of you have any tips, I'll be glad to take them!
