Rosa tried to stop it, but she couldn't. The moment she placed foot on that island, memories of a couple years ago came flooding back. A beach. A storm. A body. She could feel the water in her lungs, as she fought to stay afloat.
"Hey, guys?" Rei's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, as she turned around to look at the boy who had come back from the bathroom after a very…. revolting sail. She spotted Makoto staring at her for a split second, before looking back at their friend "You might want to see this" the girl frowned, and she and the rest followed him, wondering where he was headed.
Some minutes later, they arrived to a window, and down below their rival swimming team was training in the indoor pool.
"Why is the Samezuka swimming team here?" Makoto wondered, speaking up for everybody.
"Look, Rin's here too!" Nagisa announced, motioning towards the familiar maroon haired. Upon seeing him, the conversation Rosa and he had flashed through her mind. She hadn't told anyone about it, not even Joy. It was something she wanted to keep to herself. It was a sign, small but a sign anyway, that the Rin she knew was still there somewhere. He was buried deep down in his cold demeanor, but it was present. She wasn't going to lose hope, she would bring him back no matter the cost.
"What's the deal, Gou? Is this part of your plan or something?" Makoto questioned, looking at the girl. Rosa looked at her curiously, it wouldn't surprise her if she had let Samezuka know. She had done it before.
"This is a total surprise to me, I swear!" she replied, raising her hands in defense.
"Are you sure about that?" Nagisa asked accusatory.
"I mean, it pretty much goes without saying that my brother won't listen to a word I say"
"So you're saying all this is just a big coincidence?!" the orange haired cried excited "We should go say hello then! C'mon, guys!" but Rosa wasn't sure Rin would be too happy about seeing them there.
"Don't" Haru said sternly, earning him more than a few frowns.
"Why not?"
"I made him a promise" Rosa once again was transported to her memories upon hearing that word. She still remembered that day crystal clear "We're going head to head at district" she raised an eyebrow upon hearing that.
"When did that happen?" she questioned curiously, she doubted Haru had called Rin and be like 'Hey, so about the tournament…', but Haru didn't answer. And she wasn't going to pry if he didn't want to say anything, there were an awful lot of things she hadn't told the guys either.
"I'd be so happy to swim in a fifty meter pool" Nagisa sighed as they set up the tents at the campsite, by the ocean.
"Clearly Samezuka is at a different level from us" Rei added.
"That doesn't matter" Haru replied sternly.
"He's right" Rosa agreed with a nod "We came here to swim, and work your stamina, not to relax at a spa"
"They may have a fancy pool, but we have a deserted island!" Nagisa replied, making the girl chuckle.
"Exactly"
"Are you seriously saying a deserted island is better than a fifty meter pool?" Rei demanded, his fists clenched as Makoto chuckled slightly.
"They're not that different, Rei" Nagisa commented innocently, just to taunt him.
"They're night and day!"
"C'mon, Gou" Miss Amakata spoke up, smiling at the girl "If we don't hurry up, we're going to miss our check in time at the lodge"
"Sounds good!" the youngest Matsuoka replied, while the boys gasped in disbelief.
"A lodge? What do you mean?" Rei demanded, as the four guys approached them.
"The way I see it, there's a lodge sitting right there" Miss A replied, motioning to the set of buildings behind them "So why not?" the guys just opened their eyes wider, while Rosa kept setting up her tent nonchalantly "You don't expect a couple of ladies like us to sleep outdoors, right Gou?"
"Yeah!"
"But what about Rosa? You're staying, right?" Nagisa questioned, looking at the girl who smiled at them.
"Of course!" she replied, standing up once her tent was done "All for one, one for all" she added. Miss Amakata had offered her to come with them to the lodge, but she refused. She wanted to spend as much time with the boys as possible.
Once they were all set, the guys immediately slipped on their swimsuits and swimming gear, ready to begin training.
"Okay, listen up" Rosa spoke up as the guys approached her "If you look at the map, you will notice there are a number of smaller islands close by"
"Yeah, deserted island!" Nagisa exclaimed, and Rei once again argued with him. All Rosa did was shake her head in amusement, before picking up where she left off.
"There are three islands: Sukishima, Oshima, and Mizushima. You will be swimming through all three, the distance between them is approximately one kilometer. If you're able to complete the entire circle, that's four kilometers of swimming and one of running" she explained, showing them the map "You're goal will be to complete three full circles on the first day"
"That sounds really hard though" Nagisa commented worriedly "Rei, are you sure you can handle that?"
"Your coach here has everything sorted out" Rosa replied in assurance "Rei will have a different regime than the rest of you"
"I appreciate that, but I prefer to stick with what the team is doing" Rei replied sharply "Afterall, I've read a great deal of books on the subject of longs distance swimming" he added, a slight red tinting his cheeks.
"Swimming in a pool and in the ocean are different things" the girl stated logically "If you truly want to follow the same regime, you do it with a kickboard or inflatables"
"Take your pick" Haru stated lugubriously, holding the objects in her hands. Rei looked horrified.
"This is decidedly unbeautiful!" he exclaimed outraged.
"You don't really have a choice" Rosa said sternly. She knew she sounded harsh, but she was saying the truth "If your problem is the aesthetic, use a kickboard"
"Fine…" he replied reluctantly, but he knew the girl was right. He wasn't able to swim like the rest yet.
"Okay, let's go then" Rosa ordered "I'll be here if you need anything"
"You're not getting in?" Rei questioned, unaware of the girl's problem with the sea. The guys exchanged glances, suddenly remembering he didn't know the story. He just knew Rosa didn't swim because of her brother.
"I'd rather stay here" she replied, not getting into details. Rei was still curious though.
"Well, let's go!" Nagisa exclaimed, hurrying to the ocean and pulling everyone out from the uncomfortable atmosphere.
"Hey, wait for me, Nagisa! We're supposed to start at the exact same time!" Rei exclaimed, following the boy, and holding the kickboard in his arm. Rosa smiled at them slightly, but it soon faded.
"Are you okay?" she heard Makoto asking softly besides her, making the girl turn to look at him "I know being here is very difficult for you" the girl casted her glance to the floor, bothered that she couldn't hide her discomfort better, but quickly forced a smile.
"I'm okay" she replied, and before he could say anything she asked "Are you? You seemed a bit gloomy earlier" she added, and Makoto smiled kindly at her, not wanting to worry her.
"Don't worry about me, I'm fine" he assured, and Rosa noticed Haru standing quietly in the sideline. He too was looking at Mako worried, and the girl was sure she was missing something, but didn't insist.
"Go and catch up to them" she said, her coach voice coming back "Three rounds, today" Mako nodded, and hurried to Nagisa and Rei, Haru quickly following behind. Rosa stayed there, watching over them with a heavy heart.
Several hours later, it was sunset, the guys were back, and Miss A and Gou were preparing supper with the pizzas Coach Sasabe had given to them.
"I never thought long distance swimming would be this difficult" Rei spoke up, trying to catch his breath.
"For a first timer, you did really well Rei" Makoto complimented "I don't think I could've done that"
"Yeah, from what I could see you were working really hard" Rosa agreed with a nod "Good job!" she added cheerfully, but she noticed he didn't look as happy.
"It feels awesome to be working out like this!" Nagisa exclaimed "By the time this training camp is over, we're gonna be in amazing shape! We're going to win district, after that we're taking first place at regionals and then we're going all the way to nationals!"
"Let's focus on district for now, yeah?" Rosa replied.
"Yeah, it all seems so impossible right now" Mako agreed "I'm really excited to see how far we can take this"
"If we place, we'll get a bigger budget for next year!" Nagisa insisted, not being able to hide his excitement as he approached Haru, who was some distance away "How cool would it be to practice indoor during winter?"
"Sounds pretty awesome" Haru replied nonchalantly.
"We can swim whenever we want!" the orange haired added. Rosa giggled slightly, and then noticed out of the corner of her eye that Rei still seemed pretty upset.
"Hey, Rei?" she approached him, as the other guys went up to the tables where they would be eating "Don't bring yourself down over this" she added, knowing he probably felt very inferior in comparison to the other guys, but there really was no comparison. The boys had been swimming for years, Rei for just a few months "You've only recently learned to swim, so it's natural you're not at their level yet" Rei kept his gaze down "Hey" she called softly, placing a hand on his shoulder and forcing him to look at her "When I plan other regimes for you, I'm not doing it because I think you're inferior. I plan them with the thought of you improving over time" she explained, but he stayed quiet "If you keep up the hard work, you will soon be able to swim twelve kilometers without anyone's help. I believe you will" she finished, before smiling at him "C'mon, let's go eat something"
"Oh, no, this is bad, I forgot to bring seasonings!" Miss Amakata exclaimed when they arrived. The food was already set.
"Don't worry, I can go borrow some stuff from the lodge!" Rosa replied.
"I'll come with you" the other girl added, and they went off.
When they arrived to the entrance, Gou bumped into someone.
"I'm so sorry!" she quickly said, and when they both looked up, they met Nathan's eyes.
"Oh, hey Nate!" Rosa greeted cheerfully, almost forgetting that Samezuka was there too.
"Hey, strangers, what brings you to this neck of the woods?" he said back, a bit surprised about seeing them there.
"We created our very own training camp by the beach" Rosalya explained.
"That's a nice coincidence" he replied with a smile, and just then a familiar mat of maroon hair appeared in frame.
"What's going on?" he questioned, and when she saw the two girls, his eyes shot open "Gou, Rosa" he said coldly, and Rosa could almost see his teeth gritting.
"Really, dude? That's your reaction?" Nathan questioned sternly "I thought you'd be more happy to see your girl-"
"Hey, Nate, do you have a minute?" Rosa quickly cut him off, sensing what he was about to say.
"Uh...Sure" he replied, a bit confused about her sudden reaction. As they walked away, Rin watched them with a raised eyebrow and glowering eyes. Did they know each other? If so, for how long? Why didn't he know about that before?
"You know, you and Rin are a weird couple" Nathan admitted with a frown as they sat on a bench nearby, Rosa completing forgetting about the seasonings she was supposed to get "If I saw my girlfriend here, the first thing I would say would be 'Hey, I missed you!', instead you got a glare and he...Was completely ignored"
"I wasn't ignoring him" Rosa replied "And by the way, he is not my boyfriend. We're just friends...Kinda"
"Kinda?"
"It's a long story, I might save it for later" she replied, and he just nodded in understanding.
"But if he's not your boyfriend, then why did Gou say he was?"
"She enjoys teasing me" replied the girl, which was white lie, since that wasn't all there was to it "That, again, is part of that very long story"
"But you actually know each other"
"From junior school" she replied with a nod, and stayed quiet for some more seconds as an idea came to her. She obviously couldn't know everything that was going on between the walls of the Samezuka academy and, therefore, most facts about how Rin spent his time and what he did remained a mystery, but maybe Nathan could solve that for her. They had a trust with each other. She wasn't going to propose any spionage or anything like that, those were just movies, she would just ask Nate from time to time to give her an update on her best friend "What is he like there?" Rosa questioned "At school, I mean"
"He doesn't really talk much with anyone" he replied, and she frowned. That was another thing that had changed, Rin used to be a very lively and friendly guy, able to get friends easily. He could quickly engage in conversation with anyone "Except Nitori" he added, and the girl knew who he was talking about. She had seen that boy at the joint practice, and he seemed to be quite attached to Rin "He is a great swimmer, though, and very hard working. But he pushes himself a lot"
"That sounds like Rin, alright" she replied with a small smile, before frowning "Hey, can I ask you a favour?" he looked at her curiously upon hearing that.
"Sure" he nodded "What is it?"
"If something happens to him, or her seems sort of...Out of it, could you let me know?"
"Is that also part of the long story you owe me?" Nathan questioned in amusement, making the girl chuckle.
"Yeah"
"In that case, I will" he assured "No problem"
"Thanks"
"Oh, hey, how did that lesson with Rei go?" he questioned, suddenly remembering their last encounter a couple days ago.
"Excellent!" she replied happily "He could finally learn a stroke, butterfly"
"That's great"
"He still needs a lot of practice obviously, but he's doing his best"
"And how did you feel about teaching him?"
"Honestly? Pretty good" she replied. She felt a sort of thrill while helping Rei learn her signature stroke, as if she herself was learning it again for the very first time. She raised her gaze to look at the sky, and it was then that she realized night had fallen; stars were shining brightly. She had lost track of time "Oh, I should get going. The guys are probably waiting for me to eat" she added, standing up.
"Sure thing" he replied with a nod "It was nice seeing you, Rosa"
"You too!"
That night, everyone was in their tents and Miss A and Gou at the lodge. Nagisa was sharing the tent with Haru, and Makoto with Rei. For obvious reasons, Rosalya was by herself, but she hadn't been able to get one wink for the past two hours. Her mind kept going over and over through the day she had; Rin, Rei, Makoto, and even the training camp itself. It had been an intense day, full of several different emotions that she was still trying to process.
And she had to admit...Seeing the guys training like that and having fun, a part of her wished to be there with them, swimming, but...Something was holding her back. It was as if she was at the top of a rollercoaster, the thrill and adrenaline heightened, but the fact of not knowing what was down below terrifying her.
"REI!" a scream pulled her out of her thoughts, and she sat up abruptly. It sounded a lot like Makoto, but she couldn't really make it over the sound of the wind howling. A storm was brewing.
"Mako?" she questioned, getting out of her tent, wrapping her arms around her body to block the cold that the storm had brought with it. Squinting, she tried to see beyond the sea and the drops of water falling on her face, one after another.
And then, she saw them. Rei was in the middle of the ocean, four meter waves were pounding as the storm only grew bigger, and Makoto was on his way to save him. Rosa covered her mouth in horror, her heart beating out of her chest, terrified for her friends' lives. Would Mako be able to make it in time?
But suddenly, he stopped. Stopped moving, stopped swimming. What was he doing?
And then, a wave swallowed him.
"Makoto!" she yelled, and instinctively sprinted to the ocean, in a plain short and t-shirt. She began moving her arms and feet just as she had learned all those years ago, in the hopes of reaching her friends in time.
"Rosa!"
She heard a voice, but it wasn't any of her friends'. It was the voice of a ten year old boy, crying for his life.
And suddenly, everything went black.
