Only one more chapter left after this! Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter Eleven: Furious All-out!
At Samezuka Academy
"So, what do you want?" Rin asked Rei.
"I have two questions for you." the blue haired first year told him.
"What are they?"
"Here is my first question." Rei said, taking a moment to push up his glasses. "Why did you suddenly decide to swim in the relay?" he asked.
"I changed my mind." Rin answered. "Did you just come hear to ask me that?" he questioned.
"That answer doesn't convince me." the blue haired young man stated. "You've been fixated on racing Haruka-senpai all this time. Your reason was that you couldn't move forward until you defeated her."
The redheaded swimmer didn't say anything.
"And in the last tournament, you beat her." Rei continued. "Doesn't that mean you achieved your goal?" he questioned.
Rin gritted his teeth together. "My goal isn't to beat Haru." he said. "And it's not to win in this tournaments in this country. I'm aiming higher. My goal is the world."
"The world?" the blue haired first year repeated. "Very well. Moving on to my second question." he looked the other male swimmer straight in the eye. "How do you feel about Haruka-senpai?" he asked.
The redheaded young man's eyes slightly, taken aback by the question.
"In grade school, you and Haruka-senpai were close rivals." Rei remarked. "I saw old pictures of you guys when we were at Coach Sasabe's house. You used to smile all the time. With Haruka-senpai, Makoto-senpai, and Nagisa-kun. The four of you were always together and having fun. So what made you change after going to study abroad? Why didn't you contact Haru-senpai or any of the others after you returned to Japan? What happened while you were aboard?"
Rin said nothing, his fists clenched tightly.
"You used to be good friends, so why?" the first year student asked, his voice getting slightly louder. "You swam in a relay together, so why? You must have been thrilled about swimming in a relay with them! Aren't you the one who understands more than anyone how great that relay was?"
"Shut up!" the redheaded yelled, causing the other swimmer to flinch a bit. "I let you talk, and you think you can say all the stupid logic you want?! Why should I explain myself to you?!"
"Because I'm a victim." Rei replied, pushing up his glasses. "I was originally on the track team, but I ended up joining the swim club. After watching Haruka-senpai swim, I wanted to swim like her. Practice was hard at first, but it started to grow on me. Eventually, I was having fun swimming with everyone. At prefecturals, I finally swam in a relay with them. That was the first time I really understood relays as more than just theory. I realized how fun they can be!"
Rin didn't say anything as he stared at the blue haired young man, his eyes slightly wide.
"I can still remember how it felt." Rei continued, clenching his fist. "We were finally united as one! We felt like a real team! But they all keep talking about you! Rin-chan! Rin-chan! Rin-chan!"
"That's not my problem!" the redheaded young man shouted.
"Like hell it's not!"
A second later, Rei grabbed Rin by his jacket collar and pushed him against the wall.
"Bastard!" the first year student yelled. "Get over yourself and take responsibility for once! It's your fault that Haruka-senpai stopped swimming!"
"What you talking about?!" the redheaded swimmer yelled back.
"Oh, come on! Do I have to spell it out for you?! Haruka-senpai felt guilty about beating you in middle school!" Rei told him.
Rin's eyes widely slightly when he heard this.
"So why are you people acting this way?!" the blue haired young man continued. "I don't understand your logic! You beat Haruka-senpai in your last race! Is that not enough for you?! Are you swimming in the relay just to rub it in?! What do you want from Haruka-senpai?! Do you even care about her?!"
"I care about her!" Rin snapped.
"Well you sure have a funny way of showing it!" Rei yelled angrily. "All I've ever seen you do to Haruka-senpai if to try to hurt her! What do you want?! What will it take to satisfy you?!"
The redheaded swimmer said nothing as he gritted his teeth together in irritation. "In that case..." he started to say. "What about you?" he asked.
"Eh?" the first year student questioned.
"You weren't involved in any of this, so why are you giving me all this grief?!" Rin exclaimed, removing the other swimmer's hands from his jacket collar. "What do you want?!" he asked, grabbing Rei's shirt collar.
"I..." the blue haired young man started to say. "I want us to become the best team at a tournament." he said honestly. "I want to swim with them as a member of that team. That's all I want."
The redheaded young man seemed taken aback by his reply. Then he slowly let him go. The two swimmers stood in silence until Rei turned and started to walk away, stopping for a moment to pick up his bag.
"If you interfere, I will never forgive you." the first year said from over his shoulder before he began to walk away again, leaving behind the silent redheaded swimmer.
Meanwhile, at Iwatobi High School Swim Club
"Is Rei-onii-chan okay?" Kokoro asked.
"I think he'll be fine..." Nagisa trailed off. "But I'm a little worried." he admitted.
"Damn that Rei..." Sasabe cursed under his breath. "Doesn't he realize that an athlete needs to take care of his own health?" he questioned himself. He turned to the swimmers. "Hey, do check on him." he told them, holding a thousand yen bill between his fingers.
Later, in the evening
"Hey, isn't this the first time we're going over to Rei's place?" Haru questioned as the swim club walked to the first year's house.
"I live nearby, so I drop by and visit sometimes." Nagisa informed.
"What kind of gift should we get him?" Makoto asked.
"We have to definitely get him a melon!" Kokoro stated.
"But there won't be any under a thousand yen." the olive green haired young man remarked.
"Should me go for strawberries, then?" the blonde first year suggested.
"Wasn't it a strawberry milk ice cream that made him sick?" Haru asked.
"Oh, that's right..." was all Nagisa said as he smiled nervously. "Have about bananas?"
"Should we even be bringing food if he has an upset stomach?" Makoto questioned.
"Are you sure it was something he ate?" Kokoro asked.
"Huh?" was the blonde first year's reply.
"Or could it be what I said yesterday that's bothering him?" the female swimmer asked.
"Um..."
Meanwhile, at the Ryugazaki residence
After hearing the doorbell ring, Rei opened the door and saw his swim team standing outside.
"Heya, Rei-chan!" Nagisa greeted.
"We came to visit you." Kokoro told him as everyone walked inside.
"Why is everyone here?" the blue haired first year asked.
"You weren't at practice today, so we came to see you." Makoto explained.
"Oh, I was..." Rei started to say.
"Hey, you look like you're gonna be just fine." Nagisa commented. "Gou-chan and Ama-chan-sensei were worried, too. Goro-chan was worried you weren't taking care of yourself with a tournament coming up."
"Everybody was worried about me?" the blue haired young man asked, a look of slight surprise on his face.
"Of course." Haru and Kokoro said in unison.
"It was the first time you've ever missed practice." Makoto remarked. "It'd be one thing if Nagisa missed..."
"Hey, what's that suppose to mean?!" the blonde first year demanded.
"Sorry, sorry." the swim captain apologized, laughing a bit.
"Wow, these are incredible." the violet haired girl said in amazement as she looked at a bunch of trophies that were on a shelf. "Rei-onii-chan, are these from middle school?" she asked the older boy.
"Yes, but's that all in the past." Rei replied.
"But now he has all of these swimming books." Nagisa informed.
"You're right." Makoto said.
"You've read all of these books?" Haru asked as she looked over at the blue haired first year.
"Oh, yes." Rei answered. "I've got all the theories down."
"You're not suppose to say that, Rei-chan." the short blonde told him. "You'll set yourself up to fail!"
"Why would you say that?" the blue haired young man asked.
"Rei, did you really go and see Rin?" the ravenette suddenly questioned.
"I told them everything." Nagisa said to the taller first year. "Sorry, Rei-chan." he apologized.
"It's okay." Rei said. He looked at the female swimmer. "Yes, I did." he told her.
"Is it because I told you about our past?" Haru asked.
"No, I had my own reasons for wanting to meet Rin-san." the blue haired swimmer replied. "But it's okay now. I'm done worrying about him. It's not my problem."
Everyone was slightly surprised by what the first year just said. They all looked at one another and smiled.
"Okay then." Haru said, tucking a strand a hair behind her ear. "The four of us are a team now, Rei." she stated.
"Haruka-senpai..." was the only thing Rei could say.
"Yep, we need you to contribute to the team." Makoto told him.
"That's right!" Nagisa agreed.
"Every member is irreplaceable, Rei-onii-chan!" Kokoro remarked.
The blue haired young man didn't say anything as he stared at his teammates with slightly wide eyes. "Yes!" he finally said.
"Let's take a break then!" the blonde first year said cheerfully.
"Why did you bring melon bread as a gift?" Rei asked as he stared at said melon bread that was laying on the table.
"Because an actual melon would have been too expensive." the ten year old explained simply.
"This is really good though." Nagisa stated as he took out another melon bread. "Here, Haru-chan." he said as he held the bread out towards the ravenette. "Oen wide."
"No, it's fine..." Haru started to say but was cut off when the blonde first year shoved the melon bread in her mouth.
"Well? Is it good?" Nagisa asked.
"Losing moisture..." was the female swimmer's muffled reply as her face started to turn blue.
"Onee-chan, are you okay?!" Kokoro exclaimed.
"Rei, get something to drink! Quick!" Makoto said to the blue haired first year.
"Yes, I'll be right back!" Rei shouted as he stood up and rushed towards the kitchen.
"Hang in there, Onee-chan." the violet haired girl told her cousin as she patted her back.
"The drink that best goes with melon bread is..." the blue haired young man started to say as he came back from the kitchen. "Barley tea." he finished, holding said drink. "The Ryugazaki family has been pairing melon bread with barley tea since my grandfather's time." he said, sounding rather proud.
"Rei-onii-chan, stop babbling and just give Onee-chan something to drink before she dies of dehydration!" Kokoro yelled.
"Water..." Haru said weakly.
"Is Haru-chan okay?" Nagisa asked calmly.
"How can you be so calm?!" Makoto asked in disbelief.
"This is all your fault, Nagisa-onii-chan!" the violet haired girl declared as she started to hit the blonde.
"Eh?! Me?!" the blonde first year exclaimed, pointing at himself, as he was getting abused by the little swimmer.
Rei chuckled slighty as he watched the scene in front of him.
"Rei-onii-chan, hurry up!" Kokoro ordered.
"Oh, yes!" the blue haired young man as he rushed over. "Haruka-senpai, I'm coming to help!"
"Don't die, Onee-chan!" the ten year old wailed.
The next day, at Samezuka Academy
Rin was swimming laps in the pool when he remembered what Rei had said to him the other day, then he remembered how he said something similar when he was younger.
"Matsuoka-senpai seems really off today." Ai commented as he watched the redheaded young man swim through the water.
"Did he say anything to you, Nitori?" Seijirou asked.
"So, he doesn't really tell me anything." the first year student replied. "But I'm sure there's nothing to worry about!" he quickly added. "I'm sure he went through much tougher experiences while he was aboard."
"Matsuoka didn't join the swim team when he first transferred here from Australia." the swim captain told him. "Do you know why?"
"No." Ai answered. "Did something happened?" he asked.
"Well, the past doesn't matter." Seijirou stated. "It's performance that counts here. The fastest swimmer wins. It's that simple."
Meanwhile, at Iwatobi High School
"Gou-chan!" Toka called out when saw the redheaded first year and noticed that she was carrying two bags. "Let me help you with those." she offered as she took one of the bags.
"Thank you very much, Toka-senpai." Gou said appreciatively.
"I thought I should let you, some of my friends want to go cheer at regionals." the student council president informed.
"Why are they suddenly so interested?" the manger asked.
"Because the swim club made it past prefectuals." Toka explained. "A brand new club making it to regionals. It's amazing!" she declared, smiling widely.
Later that afternoon
"Practice was really tough today." Kokoro remarked, walking home with her cousin. "Coach Sasabe such is working everyone hard."
"Well, regionals aren't that far away." Haru told her in monotone.
"That's true." the violet haired girl agreed. "I still can't believe you'll all be going in just a few days. I really wish I was going along with you guys when you leave."
"We just can't take you with us like that." the young woman said.
"I know." Kokoro sighed sadly. She looked over at her cousin. "Ne, Onee-chan."
"What is it, Kokoro?" Haru asked.
"Can you and I make a quick stop someone before we go home?"
"Eh?"
Later, at a cemetery
"It's been a while, hasn't it, Papa?" Kokoro questioned, kneeling in front of a headstone that had 'Kei Nanase' inscribed on it.
Haru stood a few feet away from her cousin as she watched her.
"I'm sorry I haven't been visiting you very much." the ten year old apologized. "A lot of things have been going on lately. Right now, I'm currently living with Onee-chan. I'm not sure where Mama is, but I hope she's doing okay. I got to see Mako-onii-chan and Nagisa-onii-chan again, they're both doing good. I also go to met Rei-onii-chan. He's really smart, but his swimming needs a bit of work. There's also Kou-onee-chan, who loves muscles, and Toka-onee-chan, she's strict but really nice. Then there's Kanon-chan and Jimeko-chan, my bestest friends. Finally, there's Onii-chan. He's a bit rude and a jerk, but he's really nice when he wants to be."
Kokoro stared at the headstone for a moment, the afternoon breeze blowing her hair to the side.
"I just want to let you know something, Papa." the violet haired girl continued. "I want you to know that I'm happy. I'm doing well in school, have great friends, and I get to swim Onee-chan and everyone else almost everyday, and it's a lot of fun. Even though I feel sad about Mama leaving me, I know I'm not alone. I'm well aware that I'm surrounded by people who love me."
"Kokoro..." was the only thing Haru said.
"I miss you a whole lot, Papa." Kokoro stated. "I wish you were here with me right now, but know it's impossible. But still..." a small, sad smile appeared on her face. "I know you're watching over me and making sure I'm doing okay." she placed two finger on her lips. "I love you, Papa." she said as she placed her fingers on the headstone. "I'll see you next time."
"Are you okay?" the female swimmer asked as she watched her cousin stand up and walk over to her.
"I course I am." the violet haired replied.
"Then why are you crying?" Haru questioned, immediately noticing the tears that had begun to appear in the little girl's eyes.
"Geez, again?" Kokoro said as she wiped away her tears. "When did I become such a crybaby?" she asked herself.
The ravenette didn't say anything. She knelt down to her cousin's height, wrapped her arms around her, and pulled her close to her.
"You were right about one thing." Haru said as she hugged the ten year old girl. "You're not alone and are surrounded by people who love you."
"Onee-chan..." was the only thing Kokoro could say. Then she wrapped her arms around her cousin and hugged her back.
A few days later, at the Nanase residence
"Are you sure I can't skip school to see you off to your trip to regionals?" Kokoro asked her cousin, about to leave for said school.
"Yes." Haru replied in monotone. "You must get a proper education."
"Remember, my Mom will be coming to pick you up after school is over." Makoto informed her.
"Okay." the ten year old replied.
"Be good while we're gone, Kokoro." the ravenette told her cousin.
"I will, Onee-chan." Kokoro promised. "I'll be there at regionals tomorrow to cheer you on."
"I'm looking forward to it." Haru said, giving a small smile to the little girl as she quickly knelt down and hugged her.
"Haru, we have to get going." the swim captain told his childhood friend.
"Okay." the young woman replied as she stopped hugging her cousin and stood. "You better go, too." she said.
"Alright, bye, Onee-chan, Mako-onii-chan!" Kokoro called as she started to leave, waving her arm. "Good luck at regionals, Onee-chan! Love you!"
"Love you, too." Haru called back as she waved good-bye to her cousin.
"Having Kokoro-chan around sure has been great." Makoto remarked, smiling as he watched the ten year old leave.
"Yeah..." the ravenette agreed.
"I'm just wondering, but what will you do when her mother comes to take her back?" the olive green haired young man asked.
"Even if she did come back, there's no way I'll let her take Kokoro so easily." Haru replied, her face and tone of voice very serious. "Now come on, we're going to be late." she said as she walked ahead of her childhood friend.
Makoto stayed where he was, slightly taken aback from what the female swimmer had said.
"You coming?" the ravenette asked, stopping for a moment to look over her shoulder and at him.
"Yeah." the male swimmer replied, a smile appearing on his face. "I'm coming." he said as he followed the young woman."
Meanwhile, at Iwatobi Elementary School
"Hey, Kokoro-chan!" Kanon and Jimeko greeted in unison when they saw their friend enter the classroom.
"Hi, Kanon-chan, Jimeko-chan." Kokoro said as she went over to the other ten year olds.
"Isn't your cousin and the rest of the Iwatobi Swim Club going to regionals today?" the orange-brown haired girl asked.
"Yeah, and I really wanted to go see her off." the violet haired swimmer said. "But, I have a plan."
"What is it?" the blonde, black tipped haired girl questioned.
Instead of answering, Kokoro just giggled. "Hey, Kanon-chan, Jimeko-chan, are you guys doing anything during lunch?" she asked.
"Eh?"
Later that, at Iwatobi High School
"Are you really going to sneak onto the bus?" Kanon asked the young swimmer, standing beside said bus that was going to take the Iwatobi Swim Clun to regionals.
"Yep." Kokoro replied. "You're not going to tell Onee-chan, are you?" she asked her friend.
"Oh no, I'm completely on board with this plan." the blonde, black tipped girl said with a cheerful smile on her face, giving a thumbs-up.
"Are you going to be alright, hiding in the bus?" Jimeko asked, a nervous expression on her face. "What if you get taught?"
"You worry too much, Jimeko-chan." Kokoro remarked.
"I'm just being a realist." the orange-brown haired girl retorted.
"Let's just hurry up before we're seen." Kanon said.
A few moments later
"Why am I on the bottom?" Jimeko complained, holding the blonde, black tipped ten year old on her shoulders as she held her ankles.
"Because you have the strongest shoulders." Kanon replied, holding up the violet haired girl on her shoulders, as well, gripping her ankles. "Kokoro-chan, you almost got it?" she asked the girl above her.
"Almost..." Kokoro replied, grunting as she tried to lift up one of the windows of the bus. After a few more pushes, she finally managed to get it up all the way. "Got it!" she cheered.
"Please hurry." Jimeko begged, small beads of sweat forming on her face. "I don't know how much longer I can hold you both."
"Here we go." the ten year old swimmer said to herself as she pushed her body through the open window. "I'm in!" she exclaimed victoriously when she was completely inside the bus.
"Alright." Kanon said as she jumped down from the orange-brown haired girl's shoulders, causing her to sigh in relief. "Good luck, Kokoro-chan." she told her friend.
"Please be careful." Jimeko pleaded. "This is as reckless as it can get." she remarked.
"I'll be fine." Kokoro reassured her friend. "Thank you both for your help." she said appreciatively. "You guys better hurry and get back to school before they notice you're missing."
"We'll cover for you when we get back." the blonde, black tipped ten year old stated before she turned to leave.
"Take care, Kokoro-chan." the orange-brown haired girl said before she followed the other girl.
"Bye, Kanon-chan, Jimeko-chan!" Kokoro called out as she waved at her friend's retreating figures.
The two girls looked over their shoulders and waved back at their friend.
"Alright then..." the violet haired girl swimmer said to herself, closing the bus's window when her friends where out of sight. "Now to find a place to hide."
After some quick thinking, the ten year old decided that the best place to hide was at the very back of the bus.
"I'll just stay here until we reach regionals." Kokoro thought aloud, making herself comfortable on the bus's floor. "Now all I have to do is wait until the others come."
Later that day
"Okay, I've taught you everything I can." Sasabe said to the swim club, who were ready to board the bus that would take them to regionals. "All that's left is for you to perform your best!"
"Good luck to all of you." Toka told them, holding up a banner, which had 'Fire it up! Iwatobi Swim Club' written on it, with Gou, Ms. Amakata, and some other girls. "Make our school proud."
"Fire!" Nagisa shouted.
"That banner is really embarrassing." Rei remarked.
"That drawing..." Haru started to say, noticing the drawing that was of the the school's mascot was on the banner.
"It's the one that Haru-chan drew." the blonde first year pointed out.
"I didn't think anyone would use it for something like that." the ravenette stated.
"Well, we'll head up there tomorrow morning." Ms. Amakata informed.
"Make sure you get plenty of rest at the hotel near the venue." Toka said sternly.
"The Roman general Caeser said it best." the lady teacher spoke up. "If we cross, we will wreak tragedy upon the world. If we don't..."
"We better get going." Haru said, cutting off the club's advisor.
"We're off!" the other male swimmers said before they all boarded the bus.
Meanwhile, at Samezuka Academy
As he was walking to the bus that would take the team to regionals, Rin stopped in his tracks when he heard his phone go off. He pulled it out and saw that he had just gotten a text message from his younger sister.
From: Matsuoka Gou
Subject: Onii-chan
Best of luck to both sides! Let's go to nationals!
The redheaded young man just stared at the message.
"What is it?" Ai asked as he walked up to stand beside the taller swimmer.
"Nothing." Rin replied, putting his phone away.
"Rin!" a female voice suddenly called out.
The redheaded young man turned his head to the direction the voice called from.
"Hi, honey!" Ryoko greeted with a large smile on her face, waving her arm as she headed over to where her son was, Ginjirou walking beside her.
"Why is she here?" Rin asked himself.
'Wow, pretty...' Ai thought when he saw the redheaded woman, blushing slightly.
A lot of the Samezuka students stopped what they were and turned to look at Ryoko, all thinking how beautiful she was and such.
"What are you doing here?" Rin asked his mother when she reached him, petting the large dog's head.
"I thought I would come over and surprise you by seeing you off." Ryoko told him. "Well, are you? Are you surprised?" she questioned.
"I'll admit, I didn't expect you to come here." the male swimmer replied.
"Oi, Matsuoka." Seijirou said as he came over. "Why didn't you tell me that you had such a hot older sister?" he asked. "Is she a college student?"
"Oh my, what a charmer." the tall redheaded woman giggled, holding a hand to her mouth.
"Captain..." Rin started to say, giving the swim captain a blank stare. "This is my Mom." he told him, pointing at his mother.
"Eh?!" nearly all of the members of the swim team exclaimed, shocked that the woman was older than she looked.
"It's true." Ryoko confirmed. "My name is Ryoko. Nice to meet you."
"If you're Matsuoka's mother, that means you're also Gou-kun's mother." Seijirou remarked. "Now I know where she gets her good looks from."
"Oh, how sweet you to say." the redheaded woman said. "Thank you very much for taking care of my son." she said appreciatively, bowing slightly to the swim captain. "And I'm sorry for any trouble he has caused for you."
"Mom!" Rin yelled.
Ginjrou barked and bowed his head.
"You, too, Ginjirou?!" the redheaded swimmer exclaimed.
"It's fine. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ryoko-san." Seijirou remarked, bowing back at the cafe owner.
"You know..." Ryouko started to say, smiling a bit too sweetly for her son's liking. "If you ever need Rin to do you're bidding, I have a ton of embarrassing stories about him when he was a kid."
"Mother!" Rin shouted.
"Oh?" the orange haired swim captain questioned in interest. "What kind of embarrassing stories?" he asked.
"Well, there was one time when he was twelve and he-"
"Shouldn't we be boarding the bus now?!" the redheaded swimmer exclaimed, cutting off his mother.
"Alright, alright." Seijirou said. "Again, pleasure meeting you, Ryoko-san." he said to the redheaded woman before walking away.
"Bye, bye." Ryoko said, waving good-bye.
"We're going, too." Rin informed, following the swim captain with Ai behind him.
"Bye, Rin." the cafe owner said. "Good luck. I'll be there to cheer you on at regionals tomorrow morning." she told him. "If you see Haru-chan, say hi for me."
Ginjirou barked in agreement.
"See ya." the male swimmer called back, waving to his mother.
"You're mother is really nice, Matsuoka-senpai." Ai commented as they boarded the bus.
"She can be embarrassing sometimes, but..." Rin trailed off as he stared at his mother. "She's really great." he finished.
Meanwhile, on Iwatobi Swim Club's bus
"Hello?" Makoto said after he answered his phone. "Mom? What is it?" he asked. "Eh?!" he suddenly exclaimed, his face taking on an expression of shock. "What do you mean she wasn't there? Okay, calm down. Maybe she decided to go over to a friend's house. I'll tell Haru."
"Is something wrong, Mako-chan?" Nagisa asked the swim captain as he ended the call he had with his mother.
"That was a my Mom." the olive green haired young man told them. "She said that Kokoro-chan wasn't at school when she went to pick her up.
"Eh?" the rest of the team said in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Haru asked.
"Apparently, a couple of her friends told the teacher that she went home around lunch time because she wasn't feeling well." Makoto informed.
"Why did she suddenly ditch school?" Rei thought aloud.
"More importantly, where could she have gone?" Nagisa questioned.
Suddenly, everyone heard a small sneeze-like sound. They all stayed where they were, all of their faces blank.
"You don't think..." Makoto started to say.
"I wouldn't put it past her." Haru said.
Then the entire swimmer club turned their heads to the back of the bus.
"Kokoro, come out right now." the ravenette ordered, her in monotone.
A small, squeak-like sound came from the back of the bus. A few moments later, the violet haired girl slowly came out of her hiding place.
"H-Hey, guys." Kokoro greeted, rubbing the back of her head with a nervous smile on her face. "How's it going?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" Haru asked in a cold tone of voice that made a shiver go up the ten year old's spine.
"W-W-Well, you see..." the young swimmer stammered, trying to think on an excuse, shaking slightly from her older cousin's cold, pissed off stare. "I-I really wanted to go with you guys when you arrived at regionals. S-So I left school and stowed away on the bus." she told them.
The female swimmer stared at her cousin blankly for a moment. Then she knelt down closer to her height. Then she grabbed her cheeks, and pulled hard on them.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Kokoro cried out in pain.
"You idiot." Haru said in monotone. "For this stupid stunt, you're grounded for a month. And no mackerel during that time."
"I'm sorry, Onee-chan!" the violet haired girl wailed, comical tears flowing from her eyes.
"I'll call my Mom and tell her the news." Makoto informed as he started to call his mother.
After a long bus, making one stop somewhere, it was nighttime by time the swim club had arrived at station the bus was suppose to drop them off at. From there, they walked to the hotel they were starting at.
"Phew!" Kokoro exhaled sharply as she fell backwards on one of the beds of the hotel room her cousin and the swim captain were sharing. "I'm bushed. Such I long bus trip." she remarked.
"That's for sure." Makoto agreed, sitting down on another bed. "Man, we're here all by ourselves in this hotel. I'm getting nervous."
"Yeah..." Haru, who was in the bathroom and washing her face, replied in monotone, shaking her head from side-to-side to get the water off of her face.
"I wonder if Onii-chan has made it yet." Kokoro thought aloud.
The ravenette didn't make a reply.
Suddenly, the door to their room opened.
"Haru-chan! Koko-chan! Mako-chan!" Nagisa called as he and Rei entered the room. "Ready to go?" he asked.
"What do you want for dinner?" the blue haired first year asked.
"Hmm." Makoto hummed, placing his hand to his chin in thought. "There's only one thing to eat before a tournament." he said.
Sometime later, at a small restaurant
"Pork cutlet bowl!" the blonde first year requested.
"I think I'll go with tenderloin cutlets." the olive green haired swim captain said
"Me too." Nagisa remarked. "Two tenderloin cutlets!"
"Two miso mackerel meal, please." Haru and Kokoro ordered in unison.
"Saw that coming." the short blonde said.
"I'm thinking the hot pot or pork cutlet bowl with anakake sauce." Rei thought aloud. "Hm, or maybe the chilled cutlet udon..."
"One hot pot, one ankake, one chilled cutlet udon."
"What?!" the blue haired first year exclaimed. "You've got it wrong! I wasn't placing an order!"
All the other swimmers started to laugh, except Haru, who just turned her head away, her shoulders shaking from the laughter she was trying to keep inside.
Later
"That was so good!" Kokoro declared, walking down the streets with the others.
"I had too much to eat." Rei remarked.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Nagisa noticed something. "Hey, are those guys going to be in the tournament tomorrow?" he asked, talking about the small group of young men that had walked past them. "What if they end up in the lane next to us?"
"They're probably students at a local high school." the blue haired young man told him. "After all, they're aren't built like swimmers."
"You sound like Kou-onee-chan." Kokoro pointed out, giggling.
"Hey, I have an idea." Makoto spoke up. "Let's check out the pool."
A little bit later
The swim team were all starting at a sign that had 'Only authorized personnel allowed.' written on it.
"No luck." Nagisa said.
"Guess it's too late." Kokoro remarked.
"This isn't going to happen, then." Rei commented.
"Wait, we might be able to see the pool." Haru suddenly said.
Later
"Last one to the top is a sea urchin!" the violet haired girl shouted cheerfully, rushing up a flight of stairs, that lead to a hill, with the other swimmers.
"Don't run up stairs in the dark." the ravenette scolded her cousin as they made it to the top.
"Woah..." was all Kokoro could say from what she saw at the top.
From where they were, everyone could see the large pool, which was glowing brightly from the lights in the stadium, that they were going to swim in for the tournament.
"It's big." Haru commented.
"It's so pretty." the ten year old remarked.
"We'll be swimming in that tomorrow." Rei said.
"I'm getting excited!" Nagisa declared, excitement obviously in his voice.
No one said anything else as they stared at the large pool.
Meanwhile, at Iwatobi High School
"All done! What do you think?" Gou asked Toka as she showed her the banner she had made.
It had 'Fly High! Iwatobi Swim Club' written in it, along with a crude drawing of some type of bird.
"It's close..." the student council president started to say. "As for the drawing... What is it suppose to be, exactly?"
"I can't help it if I'm not a talent artist like Haru-senpai!" the redheaded manger yelled.
Then the door to the classroom they were in slid open.
"Girl, you should go home." Ms. Amakata told the two students. "We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning."
"Yes, we're almost done..." Gou replied. Then she heard her phone go off. She picked it up from the desk she had set it down on and look at it. She had just gotten a text message from her older brother. "Onii-chan?" she questioned.
From: Onii-chan
Subject:
I need to ask you something.
Meanwhile, back at the hotel the Iwatobi Swim Club was staying at
"Haru, are you asleep?" Makoto asked his childhood friend, was who sharing a bed with her cousin.
"No, I'm awake." Haru replied, talking quietly so she didn't wake up Kokoro.
"Can't fall asleep, huh?" the olive green haired young man questioned.
"Yeah..." the ravenette said softly.
"I hope we make it to the final tomorrow." Makoto told her.
"Yeah..." was all Haru said. For a while, she didn't say anything. "Makoto." she finally said.
The swim captain turned his head to the right, finding himself staring at the back of the young woman's head.
"I appreciate you being here for me." Haru told him in monotone, not turning to her head to look at him. "Thanks." she added.
Makoto was a bit taken aback by what she just said. "Haru?!" he said a bit too loudly as he sat up.
"I'm going for a quick run." the female swimmer informed as she sat up as well and got out of the bed.
"Wait, now?!" the swim captain asked.
"What's going on?" Kokoro asked, waking up from the sudden run.
"I'm just going for a run." Haru told her, putting on her shoes.
"At this time of night?" the violet haired girl questioned as she watched her cousin walk towards the door. "Wait, I want to come with you!" she declared as she quickly jumped out of the bed and put on her shoes.
"If you want to, fine." the ravenette replied. "But don't blame me if you get insomnia."
"Okay." Kokoro said as she followed the older girl.
Makoto said nothing as he watched the two cousin walk out of the room. When he heard the door close, he smiled as he started to laugh.
Meanwhile
"Hey, Rei-chan..." Nagisa started to say to the other first year that was laying in the other bed of their hotel room.
"What is it?" Rei asked.
"You shouldn't eat that squid..." the blonde first year mumbled.
"He's talking in his sleep?!" the blue haired young man exclaimed in disbelief.
Then he noticed that his phone at gone off, signaling that he had just got a text message.
Meanwhile
A certain redheaded swimmer put away his phone after sending a text to a certain blue haired swimmer, looking out towards to the windmills that were in front of him.
Somewhere else
Haru and Kokoro was jogging down the street, the violet haired girl a few feet away from her cousin.
"Haru-chan! Koko-chan!"
The two stopped in their tracks when they heard their names being called. They turned their head in the direction of the voice, seeing a certain blonde first year waving at them.
"Nagisa/Nagisa-onii-chan?" Haru and Kokoro said in slight surprise.
Later, at a park
The three swimmer were sitting on a swig set, the violet haired girl sitting between her cousin and short blonde.
"Rei-chan was gone when I woke up, so I went looking for him." Nagisa explained. "What about you two?" he asked.
"I'm out because Onee-chan was going out." Kokoro told him. "I don't know her real reason for going out, though."
"I'm..." Haru started to say.
"Too nervous to sleep, right?" the first year questioned.
"It's not exactly that." the ravenette replied.
"I'm feeling pretty nervous myself." Nagisa remarked.
"You are?" Haru and Kokoro asked in surprise, both slightly surprised that the energetic blonde was actually saying he was nervous.
"What if I screw up my dive? Wouldn't I ruin it for everyone?" the first year asked himself, looking up at the sky. "I'm worrying about things I usually don't think about. Because I get to swim in a relay with you guys again!" he said happily, smiling widely at the cousins. "And we;ll be racing Rin-chan tomorrow. That's probably why Haru-chan is nervous."
"That does make sense..." Kokoro remarked.
"It'a all thanks to Nagisa." Haru said.
"Huh?" the other two swimmers questioned.
"You're the one who came up with the idea of starting a swim club." the ravenette stated.
"Yep, that's right." the short blonde said.
"I never thought I'd be swimming in a relay again." Haru said more to herself.
"Well, that means you should be showing more gratitude to me!" Nagisa declared.
"What's with that high and mighty act?" Kokoro asked.
"He's right." the ravenette suddenly said.
"Eh?" the other two said in slight surprise.
"Thanks, Nagisa." Haru said to the blonde swimmer with her usual expressionless face, although her voice had a tone of gratefulness in it. "And Kokoro, thank you for always being there and encouraging me every step of the way." she told her cousin.
Kokoro and Nagisa stared at the ravenette, a look of shock on both of their faces. Then they both smiled widely.
"Onee-chan/Haru-chan!" the two swimmers cried as they jump from where they were sitting and wrapped their arms around the older girl.
"Oi!" Haru exclaimed.
"I'm so happy!" Nagisa said happily.
"I love you, Onee-chan!" Kokoro declared.
"Knock it off! Are either of you listening, Kokoro, Nagisa?!"
Meanwhile
"Yo." Rin greeted nonchalantly when he saw a certain blue haired first year walking towards him.
"Do you want something?" Rei asked.
"I never answered your question." the redheaded young man said.
"That is no longer necessary." the other male swimmer told him.
"No. I'll give you my answer. I won't feel like it's over until I do." Rin retorted. "You wanted to know how I feel about Haru, right?" he questioned. "It's true that I was fixated on racing her. But it's not Haru's fault that I wanted to quit swimming."
Rei was slightly taken aback by what he just said.
"I was pretty shocked when I lost to her." the redheaded swimmer continued. "But that wasn't what did it. After moving to Australia, I trained every day and participated in tournaments. But I couldn't swim the way I wanted to. The Olympics where completely out of reach. I felt more and more like I was being left behind. I could only wonder. Why was I struggling so much? Why? Ah... It was because I swam in a relay. I ruined myself. That was the conclusion I arrived at."
Rei said nothing at he stared at the other swimmer, slightly shocked by what he was saying.
"After returning to Japan, I didn't let any of them know." Rin said. "I didn't talk to any of them. But when I swam with Haru that night, I had a breakthrough. I wanted to swim again. When I watched you guys swim at prefecturals, it reminded me our relay."
"Rin-san, you..." the blue haired young man started to say.
"Your name's Ryugazaki?" the redheaded swimmer questioned. "I'm going to swim in Samezuka's relay. I'm going to show you how good I can be." he declared. "So do the best you an with Haru and your other teammates. But that also means that you can't embarrass your team."
Rei didn't say anything as he stared at the other young man.
"That' all I have to say." Rin said. "Sorry to make you come out here." he apologized as he walked past the first year.
"How you feel for Haruka-senapi..." the blue haired swimmer started to say. "You love her, don't you?" he asked.
Rin stopped in his tracks when he heard the question. He didn't say anything, not turning around to look at the other swimmer. "Yeah, I do. Very much." he finally said before he started to walk away again.
Rei just stayed where he was, thinking about all the things the redheaded young man told him.
Later, at the hotel Samezuka swim team was staying at
"Welcome back, Senpai." Ai greeted when he saw the the second year walk into the room they were sharing.
Rin didn't make any reply.
"Did something happen?" the first year asked.
"No, nothing happened." the redheaded young man told him.
"Oh, that's right. The captain was looking for you. He probably wants to talk about the relay tomorrow."
A bit later, outside in the hallway
"What?" Rin questioned as he stared at the pieces of paper in his hand.
"This will be our lineup for the relay tomorrow." Seijirou told him. "You can focus on the 100m free."
"Hold on! Why?!" the male swimmer demanded.
"You haven't paid any attention to your own relay team." the swim captain remarked. "You're focused on something else. I'm sending our best members out there. That's what a team should do. You're not at your best condition right now."
"You can't..." was all Rin was able to say.
To be continued...
Omake Nine
One bright, sunny day
"Okay. Who's ready for our 'all girls shopping trip'?" Ryoko asked.
"Yeah!" Kokoro, Gou, and Toka all cheered.
"Uh..." Haru groaned.
"Haru-chan, stop making that 'This is such a pain in the ass' face!" the redheaded woman ordered.
"But it is a pain in the ass." the ravenette retorted.
"Come on, Onee-chan." the violet haired girl said. "You need some new clothes."
"I'm fine with what I have." Haru remarked.
"Haru-senpai doesn't like shopping very much." Gou stated the obvious. "But only for swimsuits, though." she added.
"She's such a tomboy." Toka commented, giggling.
"Haru-chan..." Ryoko started to say. "If you agree to come shopping with us, you can have all the mackerel you want once we're through." she offered.
The female swimmer perked up when she heard this. She thought about the older woman's offer. "Alright, I'll go..." she finally said with some hesitation.
"Alright!" the cafe owner cheered. "Let's start the shopping!" she stated, grabbing the ravenette's wrists and dragging her with her, the other girls following.
Sometime later
Haru, Kokoro, Gou, Toka, and Ryoko were all standing in front of the store the oldest of the group lead them to, a lingerie store.
"Why are we at a lingerie store?" the female swimmer asked.
"Do we really need to go in here?" the redheaded manger questioned.
"I figured we could buy some new underwear for Haru-chan while we're out." Ryoko told them. "And maybe get something for ourselves."
"I'm not even old enough to wear anything from here." Kokoro pointed out.
"I don't need anything from here." the ravenette informed in monotone. "I have my swimsuit."
"You can't just wear a swimsuit in place of underwear, Haru-chan." the redheaded woman retorted.
"You've just never tried it." Haru shot back.
"Why are you so stubborn?" Ryoko asked, sighing.
"What does Haru-chan mean she says she only needs her swimsuit?" Toka questioned.
"Oh, Onee-chan says her swimsuit kinda has a built-in bra." Kokoro explained.
"I guess that makes some sense..." was all Gou said.
"Haru-chan." the oldest one of the group spoke up, her expression serious. "If you agree to buy at least one set of underwear, not only will you get as much mackerel as you want, I will also buy you the cutest stuff animal I can find."
Haru froze when she heard this. "Really?" she asked, her eyes taking on an adoring look, despite her face being emotionless.
"Yes, I swear on the Matsuoka family name." Ryoko vowed, placing a hand over her heart.
"Isn't that taking it a bit far?" the ten year old, manger, and student council president asked in unison.
"I'll do it." the ravenette said immediately.
"She agreed to it." the other three stated the obvious.
"Fantastic!" the redheaded woman cheered happily. "Well then, let's go inside." she said as she herded the girls into the store.
Inside the lingerie store
"Oh, found one in my size." Ryoko thought aloud as she picked up a dark purple bra from a rack.
"What size is Ryoko-san?" Toka asked.
"My size is F." the cafe ordered replied. "What size are you, Toka-chan?" she questioned.
"Ah, I'm an E..." the student council president answered in a soft tone of voice, blushing a light red as she smiled sheepishly.
"You don't have to be so embarrassed." Ryoko told her. "You should be proud to have big breasts."
"M-Maybe..." was all Toka said, the blush on her face darkening a bit as her glasses fogged up from the steam that was coming from her face.
"Ne, Kou-onee-chan..." Kokoro started to say as she turned to the redheaded first year. "What size are you?" she asked.
Gou flinched form the questioned. "Oh, uh..." she trailed off, lowering her head. She mumbled something.
"What was that?" the violet haired girl questioned, not hearing her.
"I'm a B..." the redheaded manger repeated what she had mumbled, her face slightly red.
"Don't look so ashamed." Kokoro told her. "I hear that small bras are cuter."
"That doesn't make me feel better!" Gou exclaimed.
"Haru-chan, try this one on." Ryoko said to the ravenette, handing her a red and black bra.
"Okay..." Haru replied.
"Do you need help putting it on?" the redheaded woman asked.
"I've worn a bra before." the young woman retorted. "Don't treat me like I'm a child." she said, pouting.
'Aw~' everyone mentally gushed in unison. 'She's so cute...'
Later
"Geez..." Haru mumbled to herself as she walked into one of the changing booths, pulling the curtain closed. "Such a pain in the ass."
The female swimmer grabbed the ends of her shirt and lifted it over her head. After setting it aside, she grabbed the straps of her swimsuit and pulled it down to her waist. Then she put the bra straps over her shoulders, leaning forward a bit after that. The ravenette grunted a few times as she tugged on the hooks. After a few more tugs, she was able to finally clasp them together. Next, Haru reached inside the bra and moved her breasts to fill up the cup.
"Haru-chan, are you done?" Ryoko asked from outside the changing booth.
"Yes." the female swimmer replied in monotone.
"How does it feel? Does it fit?" Kokoro questioned.
"Honestly, it's feels really tight." the ravenette told her.
'But that's the biggest size they have here.' the cafe owner thought to herself.
Later, in the evening
'In the end, we couldn't find any bras that were even close to fitting her in any shops.' Ryoko thought, riding home in a train with the other girls.
'Does this means she's bigger than 102?' Toka asked herself mentally.
'I feel even more inferior to her now.' Gou thought, her head bowed down in depression.
'This must be the power of mackerel.' Kokoro mentally remarked.
'So cute...' Haru thought to herself, clutching the cute stuffed bear, which the redheaded woman had bought her, close to her chest.
Meanwhile
From : Kokoro
Subject :
Apparently, bras are not for Onee-chan.
"The hell is this?" Rin asked himself after reading the text message the violet haired girl had just sent him.
FIN
Finally done. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought about it in your reviews. I'll see you next time in the last chapter. Until then.