Hey guys! For everybody who's been requesting it, I posted the Aki and Rin lemon! :D Also, the lemon takes place a long time from here, so you're not missing anything if you don't read it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Free!.
"That banner is really embarrassing..."
"Screw you Rei! We worked our butts off to make this!" objected Lando; Makoto flashed Rei a nervous face.
"It was mostly Asuka..." said Bunko; she was dressed in her soccer jersey, running over before practice to see the team off.
"The poster isn't embarrassing!" said Asuka, "I think it's pretty! And I did work really hard on it!"
"So screw you, Rei!" continued Lando.
"Is that Haru-chan's drawing?!" asked Nagisa, pointing a finger to Iwatobi-chan, not daring to come too close to the banner, Asuka standing next to it with a protective stance.
"I didn't think it'd be used for this..." said Haruka as Suzeme walked out from behind the banner, pulling her camera from the bag.
"Asuka was just gonna draw another one, but Suzeme suggested using yours." Akihiko said, giving a brief smile for the picture before she let go of her end of the banner, joining Suzeme, "Hmm... It's not all that embarrassing, Rei. It's kind of flattering, don't you think?"
"I guess..." muttered the bluenette.
"Well, I guess you boys should leave now, huh? So you can get plenty of rest at the hotel?" she said, glancing over her shoulder at her team.
"I'm gonna miss you, Onee-chan!" cried Nagisa, jumping forth and latching his arms round her neck; she mocked choking, only resulting in him to tighten his grip, until she was actually choking.
"Ahh - Nagisa, let go of her!" said Kou, Lando coming to Akihiko's rescue, prying his arms from her. "We'll head out there tomorrow, so don't worry too much!"
"The Roman General Ceaser said it best." began Ama-chan as Akihiko was regaining her breath, "If we cross, we will wreak tragedy. If we do not-"
"Oh, it's the bus!" interrupted Nagisa, looking over his shoulder.
"We're off, then!"
The girls all waved off the boys; Bunko wished Rei good luck on his first swimming at regionals before jogging off, hoping her team was not in a panic; Lando ran at Makoto and captured the boy in a tight hug, rocking him back on his heels; Suzeme took a moment to show Haruka the pictures she had taken of the banner; and Akihiko and Asuka were scolding Nagisa as he reached out to touch the banner.
Rin was about to shove his phone back in his pocket to climb on the bus after his little sister had wished both Iwatobi and Samezuka luck when it vibrated with another text; he huffed, expecting another text from Gou, though was surprised to discover the name to read 'Akihiko Hazuki.' The subject was a heart; opening it, he discovered it was a picture.
She was holding up a notebook, flipped open to a page that read, 'Good luck, RinRin!' in pink highlighter, hearts drawn on the sides of his name. She was smiling, revealing her little dimples on her cheeks, hair cascading down her shoulders in its normal straight fashion. He realized her to be in her room, familiar purple walls behind her decorated with pictures and drawing, notes from her friends; she must of just changed out of her uniform, for it laid at the head of her bed, ready to be washed, her wearing a blue shirt that he thought to be from Band - perhaps a souvenir from solo ensemble.
He was unsure what filter she used, though it made her look like royalty.
Snapping his phone shut before Nitori could question him further, he shoved it deep into his pocket, as if this would make him forget of her message, make him feel less guilty of not replying to any of her messages.
Akihiko sighed, falling back on her bed, notebook paper littered beside her; Suzeme sat at her vanity, charging her camera on Akihiko's laptop, Lando coloring a notebook paper on the floor with the help of Asuka. Bunko, too tired from soccer practice, had decided not to come over for the night, promising to meet them in the morning to ride with them to regionals.
Each notebook paper was decorated differently; she had already taped Rin's good luck sign to her wall, about to do the same with the rest when she ran out of tape. Each sign was done in their respected colors, Makoto's green, Haruka's blue, Nagisa's a blinding yellow, Rei's purple; she had individually sent all of the team their signs before taping up Rin's.
"Does this look good?" asked Lando, taking hold of her paper, sitting up and showing it off to all of them; 'First Place, Makoto!' was written in bubbles, 'Love, Lando-chan!' printed at the bottom.
"Mine is better." said Akihiko, barely giving it a glance; Lando's mouth fell open.
"Harsh!" laughed Suzeme, sitting backwards in the chair.
"I'm just kidding." responded Akihiko, sitting up, phone falling from her bust into her lap. "It looks really good, actually. Are you going to send it to Mako?"
"Yeah." said Lando, sitting it down on cream colored carpet, Asuka grabbing Lando's phone from the charger and handing it to her; she unlocked it with her passcode of 0925 - the date her and Makoto began dating. Holding her phone above the picture, it flashed as she took a picture of it; glancing at the screen, she decided it was good enough, sending it to her boyfriend.
"Did you send Rin his picture?" asked Lando, locking her phone and looking up at the bed.
"Yeah." sighed Akihiko, "But he hasn't replied. Last night, we talked for a few minutes after we left, but then he stopped, and hasn't replied since."
"Why don't you text Seijuro?" asked Lando.
Akihiko groaned, grabbing her forehead, "That's what I forgot to do yesterday."
"I asked him for his number while you were in Rin's room. Do you want it?"
Akihiko hesitated, glancing down at her friend, nodding; as Lando read off the boy's cellphone number, Akihiko punched it in, saving it in her phone before typing out a message, telling him it was Akihiko, asking the Captain if Rin was alright.
The reply came almost automatically, and she read it off for her friends to hear.
"I dunno, Aki. He's been acting weird the past few days. Has he still been ignoring you?"
She typed in a yes, to which he responded, "Do you want me to beat him up?"
She chuckled to herself, declining his offer, though thanking him for it; she told him she believed that he was just stressed over regionals, though he seemed to avoid this subject, asking her if she was coming. She said she was. Taking a red from the pack, unable to find a gold, she uncapped it, moving her phone to the side; covering the whole page with her writing, she wrote, 'Good luck, Seijuro!' as she'd done for the other boys, drawing sparkles around the page, adding more exclamation marks then necessary.
She grabbed her phone, picking up the notebook - passing it off to Lando, she ordered the girl to take a picture of her, flashing a wink and giving a thumbs-up with one hand, the other holding the notebook. She sent it to the boy as soon as Lando had handed her phone back, asking him for Nitori's number as she found a gray marker, flipping it open to another blank page, writing the same message with Nitori's name, drawing flowers in replace of Seijuro's sparkles. She only took a photo of the notebook, this time around - only Seijuro and Rin had gotten their signs with her face. Seijuro sent her an ecstatic thank you before giving her the boy's number - she sent him his picture, telling him it was Akihiko-chan, Rin's girlfriend, to which he responded with a happy thanks to Matsuoka-senpai's girlfriend.
If either Nitori or Seijuro showed the sharp-toothed boy their signs, he did not message her about it.
Seijuro also stopped messaging her that night - she brushed it off that the Captain must of gone to sleep early, to rest up for the tournament, though she couldn't help but ask herself if maybe she was just annoying.
The four girls awoke groggy, surrounded in crumpled up paper; Mom had bought tape on her way home from the hospital last night, and all Akihiko's signs hung on her wall, fluttering from the fan with all of her other pictures. They had luckily all taken a shower the previous night; Suzeme dug out her hair curler from her bag, Akihiko gathering her most expensive hair straightener to use for the event, Asuka dampening her hair to scrunch it, leaving Lando to decide that today was apparently not the day to pull her hair up in a bun.
"I don't understand why we have to treat this like a dinner party." she said as she plugged in Akihiko's old straightener beside Suzeme's curling iron.
"Why not? I'm looking forward to curling my hair for this." said Suzeme as she applied foundation.
"Well, yeah, but that's just because you want to get with Haru." said Lando, sitting down on the floor beside the vanity, brushing out tangles.
"Oh my god, that is not the reason!" objected Suzeme, though Lando paid her no mind.
"Because, it's for the boys." said Akihiko, waiting for her straightener to heat up; she's already applied her make-up, thin black lining her eye lid, switching her spot in the bathroom with Asuka, so the short girl could do her hair.
Lando simply shrugged, tearing out hair as she pulled the brush through her hair.
Bunko had kept her promise, arriving at the house dressed in her band sweatshirt from the previous year, hair falling in her normal, natural waves down her shoulders, for once wearing eye-liner at the last-minute request of Akihiko. All the girls came bounding out of the house with excited giggles, Mom closing and locking the door behind her, saying goodbye to Kairi and Hime, promising them she'd be back later with treats.
"Alright," said Mom, pulling her keys from her purse, "I don't know how all you little monsters are gonna fit in the truck, but you gotta do it, or else one of you is staying here."
Akihiko jumped in the passenger seat of the truck - for the day, she wore her Iwatobi Swim Team jacket, staying loyal to her team, fuchsia Coach purse hanging across her body instead of the camouflaged satchel. Asuka wore a cardigan, her scrunched bangs held back by a bobby pin that she held in place as she climbed in one side of the truck; Lando was next, straightening her hair to the best of her ability, though it was already beginning to spring back into her curls. Suzeme's short bob was curled, and she'd borrowed one of Akihiko's hair bows to hold aside her bangs, blue beanie hanging on her head. Her lanyard, claiming her a yearbook manager, was swinging around her neck as was Asuka's. Bunko heaved a sigh as she jumped in, muscles sore from soccer, and closed the door behind her, the four girls smushed together in the backseat.
"Okay," said Lando, "Suzeme and Bunko are the skinniest. They can share a seatbelt."
"I don't think that's how it works." said Bunko, though Lando and Asuka had already strapped themselves in, as if a race.
By the time they'd arrived, Kou and Goro had already found the boys, Ama-chan and Chigusa already having found seats, Goro yelling at the boys not to worry of the outcome. Lando tackled Makoto in a hug once again; Suzeme was the second to reach the boys of the group of friends, laughing and Makoto and Lando, hands shoved into her tribal designed peacoat. Next walked up the remaining girls, Mom following behind them, though they barely had time for any words, the boys having to go down into their lines.
That was when they spotted Rin, the five girls leaning over the railing beside Kou and Chigusa. Bunko pointed him out, the other girls attempting to find him; Lando was unable too, and Suzeme laughed, angling Lando's face to the boy.
"He looks pissed." said Lando, stating the obvious; Suzeme snapped a picture, zooming in on Iwatobi's team, before speaking.
"Did he say anything to you, Aki?"
"Still hasn't texted me." she said, looking down at the boy; he indeed looked very pissed, and it made her stomach clench with worry. She turned towards her mother, who was sitting behind the girl, playing on her phone.
"Mom, come look at Rin." she said, and the blonde woman nodded, standing once her game had finished a few seconds later. She stepped towards the girls, Akihiko pointing out the boy, standing in line with Samezuka.
"Seijuro doesn't look all that happy, either, now that I've seen him." observed Lando, and Akihiko turned away from Rin to catch a look at the Captain while Mom assessed Rin.
"Didn't you say he was stressed from regionals?" asked Mom, looking at her daughter, who turned away from Seijuro to nod.
"Yeah, he told me that the other night he was."
Mom glanced back to the boy, looking him over once again, "He looks a hell lot more than stressed." she said, going back to her seat, unlocking her phone to show that that was all she had to say on the matter.
"Maybe you should ask Kou about it?" suggested Asuka as she took a picture of all the teams.
Akihiko shook her head, "No... That'd be embarrassing. Plus, I'm not sure if Rin wants her to know yet..."
Asuka glanced away from her camera after taking a look at the photo; she blinked at her, before turning back at the teams filed out, announcing the tournament to begin.
"Men's 100 m freestyle, heat three."
"Rin-chan's up next!" exclaimed Nagisa; Mom hesitated at her son's voice, glancing up from her phone, shoving it in her pocket. She couldn't very well ignore her daughter's boyfriend, not to mention the shark-like boy being so close to her from his childhood days.
Asuka and Suzeme had their cameras put away, saving their battery for Iwatobi's relay, though they discovered themselves much more into the tournament then they thought they'd be. Bunko, being the sporty girl she was, was enjoying it to begin with, loving the sound of a crowd cheering from her seat beside Rei; Lando had loved the sectionals, and had found regionals even more exciting with such a big, lively, tense atmosphere; and then there was Akihiko, who was a fan of the sport from a young age. Suzeme, Asuka, Lando, and Akihiko stood at the railing, watching as Rin took his spot.
"Big brother, you can do it!"
"Should we root for him, too?" asked Suzeme, glancing down at Asuka; the short girl shrugged, and Suzeme took this as a yes, looking back at the pool.
"Hey, Daddy Shark!" she yelled, cupping her hands round her mouth; the team gave her a strange look, as did her friends, "Let's go!"
Bunko sighed, placing her cheek in her palm as Lando picked up on this, joining in.
"Yeah!" agreed Lando, "We didn't drive all this way to see you lose!"
Akihiko was unsure if perhaps her team knew of her relationship with Rin, for they all cast her an expectant look, which she attempted to ignore, glancing back to the pool.
"Set - Go!"
Akihiko gasped, Bunko standing from her seat to go over to the railing, caught off guard by this. Lando's mouth dropped open, Suzeme and Asuka furrowing their brows at the pool.
"He had a late start?!" asked Makoto.
"Rin can make it up on the turn." responded Haruka, and Akihiko gripped hold of the railing, praying the boy to be right.
She heard Samezuka cheering; glancing up, she caught Nitori's eye, and held it before they both turned back to Rin's lane.
"Come on, Rin!" she shouted down to the pool; from beside her, Bunko joined in.
"Go, Rin! Go, go, go, go!"
Asuka was hit on the back by Suzeme; she sighed, muttering under her breath, "Loser, you can't screw this up."
It was the thought that count.
"What's wrong with him today?..." asked Akihiko to herself, in such a pleading tone that eyes were drawn, her Mom's pink eyes flicking towards her daughter protectively.
The boy touched the edge of the pool, panting as he yanked off his cap and goggles; their eyes did not turn up to the scoreboard, not daring to see what he placed. Akihiko's hand gripped at the strap of her purse, as if a lifesaver, Suzeme, Asuka, and Bunko disappointed this was what happened the first time they saw him swim. Lando's hands clenched into fists at her sides; she hoped Akihiko did not start crying, because she did not want to beat the boy up after such a loss.
Rin's hands found the edge of the pool, beginning to hall himself up; he failed, and Akihiko let out a strangled gasp, grip tightening on the strap, clenching it in her palm. She wheeled on her heel when Haruka jumped up, Makoto calling his name and running after him; Nagisa followed, as did Rei, and Akihiko was close at his heels, the four other girls unsure what else to do besides run after her. Mom sighed, glancing behind her at them; she turned back to the pool, and, a surprise even to herself, she felt the tiniest of regret for Rin.
Their attention was drawn at the loud bang that echoed throughout the hallway; Akihiko jumped, glancing behind her, as Rei pointed out which way it came from, all of them following after it.
At the sight of Rin, wild and angry, they all stopped; Akihiko was shocked to find herself gripping onto Rei's sleeve for condolence.
"I'm done swimming!"
The boy lashed out, kicking a nearby trashcan; the tiny grey-haired boy rose his arms in shock, Rin walking off, never noticing Akihiko's eyes as Nitori did. He glanced back at the team, before turning away, running off in the direction Rin had gone; though no words were said, Akihiko couldn't help but think he was apologizing. For what, she wasn't sure.
"Rin-chan was taken off the relay?..." asked Nagisa to no one in particular - Akihiko's phone dinged, and she hesitated, pulling it out of her pocket barely to take a glance at it.
"It's from Mom." she announced, "She said his name isn't in the line-up..."
"So it's true... We thought we'd be able to race Rin if we made it to the final..." said Makoto, glancing over his shoulder at Haruka, though the boy seemed too shocked to speak. He staggered back, leaning against the window, sliding down until he sat.
"I won't get to swim with Rin again?..."
Akihiko's grip tightened on Rei's sleeve at that; Suzeme glanced round at her friends beside her.
"Guys, the relay prelims are about to start..." said Bunko, glancing around at the swim team.
"... Bunko-chan's right. We need to focus on our own race right now!" said Makoto, to which Nagisa objected with, "But just look at Haru-chan!"
There was a pause, and then Akihiko felt Rei take a breath; she glanced up at the boy as he spoke.
"I have something to tell everyone." he began, and they all turned to him, except for Haruka, head buried in his knees, "Last night, Rin-san called me outside to talk. He told me that when he said he wanted to quit swimming in middle school, it wasn't because he lost to Haruka-senpai. He hit a wall while training abroad and his confidence was shaken... That's why he wanted to quit swimming. But after returning to Japan, running into Haruka-senpai, and racing him again, he could put it behind him. After watching us swim at prefecturals, he remembered what is was like, and wanted to swim in a relay again. That's why he said he'd swim with Samezuka to give us the best relay ever."
Akihiko's grip loosened on Rei's jacket; she blinked up at him, before gripping on once more, eyes turning to look down at her feet. Lando sighed, huffing it out - Shark boy has some emotions, besides cocky asshole, does he? she asked herself in a sarcastic tone, though it was half-hearted. Bunko, Asuka, and Suzeme could not help but feel sad, even for this boy they barely knew - Suzeme did not even have a joke for once.
"I didn't realize Rin-chan felt that way..." muttered Nagisa.
I did, thought Akihiko, still staring at her moccasins, I was just too convinced it was stress to realize it...
"But that's not really what he wants." continued Rei, "He didn't care about the race. He just wanted to swim with all of you again. To swim with the best teammates he could have..."
They did not realize Haruka had stood until he had spoken, "How do you know that?" he asked, and they turned away from Rei towards him, Akihiko glancing up.
Rei thought for a moment, and, when he replied, he was smiling, "Because... I feel the same way he does."
They all blinked at him, though he just continued, "I want to swim in a relay with all of you, with the best teammates I could ask for. I'm sure you feel the same way, Haruka-senpai! The race isn't important. There's someone you want to swim with, right?!"
Akihiko hesitated, glancing away from Rei to Haruka; the girls, though they did not make an attempt to leave, could not help but feel they were intruding, not being a part of the team.
"... I want to swim with Rin..."
There was a pause, the girls all sharing a look; Akihiko smiled in reassurance at them, letting go of Rei's sleeve slowly.
"... If you don't do something, Rin-san will stop swimming. You're the only ones who can help him!"
"But what are we supposed to do?..." asked Makoto; Akihiko was shocked when Rei's voice rose as he responded.
"You still don't understand?! Logically speaking, there's only one possible solution!"
Lando was about to object when she realized Rei's meaning; she sighed, folding her arms across her chest. She supposed she'd let the boy off for yelling at Makoto just this once.
"Rei, are you really okay with that?" asked Haruka, and Akihiko glanced up at the bluenette.
"You don't have to do this, Rei, seriously..." she muttered to him.
The boy paused, before smiling, taking hold of his glasses.
"Of course I'm okay with it!"
Goro returned back, panting and heaving, "No luck!" he called, "I can't find them!"
"The medley relay swimmers are supposed to report soon... They'll be disqualified!" muttered Ama-chan; still sitting, Reika sighed, locking her phone after reading her text message from her daughter.
"Don't worry about them." said the blonde woman, and they all looked down at the E.R. nurse in the chair, "They'll be here soon."
As they split up, Bunko went on her own, able to run faster and cover more ground then the other girls, she checked the remaining hallways. Suzeme and Asuka were to check all entrances, while Lando and Akihiko explored the outside that Nagisa and Haruka did not cover.
It was when Akihiko was beginning to truly panic that Bunko found the two girls, barely stopping to tell them that they all were meeting up; Akihiko and Lando glanced at each other before beginning to run, following Bunko's lead. They joined the swim team and the other girls; Akihiko saw a tree in the distance, and realized the importance of this place almost immediately.
"Oh, there they are! Rin-chan!" called Nagisa; the redhead glanced up from Haruka, and Akihiko smiled at him, even though she had yet to regain her breath.
"Honestly," said Rei, and they glanced up to the boy as he folded his arms, "Watching you irritates me so much."
"We have never had so much in common." said Lando, and Rei smiled down at her, slowly becoming less and less afraid of her, before continuing.
"If you want to swim, go ahead."
"You better not fuck this up," muttered Lando, and Makoto placed a hand to her shoulder, all four girls hitting her shoulder in a scold.
"Come on, Rin." said Haruka, outstretching his hand, "It's my turn to show you a sight you've never seen before."
And, though Suzeme had a joke this time around, she did not say it, smiling at them as if she were a part of the team.
"Men's medley relay, heat one."
"They're here!" cried Kou, pointing out her team; Reika laughed from her seat.
"What did I tell you?" she taunted.
"Men's medley relay, heat two."
By now, the five girls had also returned, standing at the railing, watching their team. Suzeme and Asuka had their cameras out, taking photographs like crazy; Lando whooped as Makoto stepped forth.
"Set! - Go!"
"Come on, Mako!" shouted Lando, before joining in on the chant Goro had started; even Mom had stood at this, cheering even louder than Lando.
Akihiko smiled, Bunko too cheering; Suzeme and Asuka would occasionally pick it up, though for the most part worried about pictures.
When Nagisa jumped into the water, Reika became even louder - just as when they were children, she was the loudest to cheer. Akihiko hoped she would not get kicked out, this time around.
"They're in third!" announced Suzeme during a break; she zoomed her camera into the scoreboard.
"They've got first, if they try!" boasted Bunko, beaming.
"Rei's up next!" said Goro; Mom chuckled, though they were unsure about what.
It wasn't until they looked at Iwatobi's lane that they realized.
"What?!" they screeched, leaning over the railing, all except for Mom, who smiled, glancing over at her daughter, who smiled back.
Akihiko caught sight of Seijuro and Nitori across the pool; she smiled at them when they saw her, waving briefly, before looking back down as Rin jumped in.
"I told them to be free, but they went too far..." said Goro, and Mom laughed.
"Is it really all that surprising?" she said.
"His entry angle is five degrees off, but I guess it will do."
"Why are you here?!" yelled Goro; Mom smiled, sitting back down in her chair.
"I'll explain everything later."
"You," began Mom, drawing Rei's gaze, "are way too nice."
Bunko wrapped an arm around Rei's waist, pulling his eyes down to her as she gave him a squeeze. "She's right. That was really nice of you." she said, looking up at him, and, under her turquoise gaze, he felt his face heating up.
"Th-thank you, Suzuki-senpai."
"Go, Rin!" shouted Akihiko, cupping her hands round her mouth to amplify; Mom soon joined in, though did not need to stand in order for her voice to carry out.
"He better hope he doesn't mess this up." said Bunko, sounding dangerously close to Lando, "Maybe she said it at the wrong time, but I agree with him. You gave him a really big chance, Rei." She gave him another squeeze, and he smiled down at her.
From the other side of the pool, Nitori cheered, "Matsuoka-senpai!" and Akihiko smiled at him.
As Haruka jumped, Suzeme got one picture, then told Asuka to cover this for her; shoving her phone in the pocket of her coat, she began cheering as well for the noirette.
As he hit the wall, breaking the surface of the water for air, the number 1 appeared aside Iwatobi; Asuka zoomed in, capturing a photo of the scoreboard, before she was dragged by Suzeme towards Rei for a hug, Bunko, Lando, and Akihiko already having their arms wrapped tight around the bluenette.
"Lando, are you crying?!" laughed Bunko, catching sight of the brunette girl's face buried in Rei's jacket, sniffling and whining.
"N-no!" snapped Lando, and they all laughed at her choked voice, "Shut up!" she objected, "It's just... It's making me cry as bad as a Nicholas Sparks book... Ugh..."
Akihiko laughed, though, at the sound of Nagisa's call of 'RinRin!' and the team down below laughing, she herself felt tears come to her eyes, though, unlike Lando, she did not try to hide them.
Rei was glancing over the heads of the girls', down at the team - his team - and Bunko heard him mutter, "You guys truly are beautiful."
Mom was slowly clapping, and spoke to herself, "Good job, losers."
Asuka attempted to pull away from the hug, being held down by Suzeme, "Come on," she said, "We should probably go get a picture of the team, now that they've won."
"Oh, good idea." said Suzeme, letting go of Rei; she grabbed hold of her camera, turning it back on, "Come on, we'll head down to the pool."
"Hey, all of you!" said Asuka, snapping her fingers at the three girls still latched onto Rei, "We need him to go take a picture!"
Bunko let go, and, with the help of Akihiko, Lando's arms were removed from Rei; though they only needed the boy, the other three girls followed them down to the pool, until they'd reached Iwatobi's team, Akihiko's tears dried, Lando still rubbing at her eyes.
"We need a picture for the yearbook." laughed Suzeme, smiling at the boys, still dripping from the relay; they all glanced at her, and laughed, nodding. At the command of Asuka, Rei joined the picture, and all the boys joined together, smiling; except for Haruka, that is, though Suzeme did not expect him too, and didn't even bother too try and make him.
Lando sniffled, feeling a fresh batch of tears coming when she looked up at the team; Bunko chuckled, patting her shoulder, Asuka close beside them; Akihiko looked at her friends, smiling, before glancing to her team, the smile widening. They were all flashing the peace sign, aside from Haruka, and her brother, who had one arm stretched high; Rin's arm was thrown around Haruka's shoulders, the shark-like boy grinning.
Suzeme zoomed in and snapped the photo.
Woah. I didn't mean for this to get so long.
So, yeah! Don't get scared; just because I'm done with the twelve episodes doesn't mean I'm anywhere near done with this fic! Oh, no no no! We still have Allen's nationals to go!
orangeporqupine: Here you go! :D
MachineWash: Thanks! :3
Alright, guys; as a warning, I might be disappearing for awhile, but I'll still try to update as much as I can! If I get a chance, it should me every two weeks, but I'll be back a little before Christmas, so don't fret! I haven't given up this or any of my other fics! :D Love you all! :3
"Hello, everyone."
Behind the 5'10, shark-like boy, 'Rin Matsuoka' was scrawled with chalk on the board. The redhead stood at the front of the almost empty class, face etched into a bored expression.
"My name is Rin Matsuoka. I previously went to Samezuka Academy. I have a girly name, but I'm a boy."
Nagisa, sitting at the front of the class, was slumped over at his desk, "Hmm, it doesn't feel quite right..."
"Zero points!" said Rei, hands to his glasses, sitting diagonal from the blonde; at the back of his row sat a familiar brunette girl, pink eyes staring out the window, instead of at her boyfriend, "Put more effort into it."
"You used to be more..." Makoto trailed off, attempting to find the right word; Akihiko glanced over at him, proving she had actually been paying attention the whole time.
"Fresh?" suggested Nagisa from the opposite side of the room.
"Yeah, that's it!" agreed Makoto.
"No!" objected Akihiko from the back, "I think you mean mobile. He used to be more mobile."
"Shut up!" snapped Rin, slamming his hands down on a desk, "You guys told me to do this!"
"It's pretty funny." said Akihiko, and, though Rin didn't see it, both Rei and Nagisa nodded their heads in agreement.
The door suddenly slid open, distracting Rin from replying to her.
"Hey! Why are you fooling around?!" snapped Kou, standing with a hand to her hip; beside her stood Nitori, while a dark-skinned boy stood behind them.
"Our joint training's about to start!"
"Yeah! Suzeme is already down at the pool waiting for you guys; she needs pictures of you guys training for yearbook!" said Kou, "So stop playing around, big brother!"
"Fine, fine!" snapped Rin, rubbing the back of his neck; the dark-skinned boy stuck his head in the classroom, discovering Akihiko sitting at the back, even though she tried to slide down in her seat.
"Aki! We need to head to the band room, Kuhn said if you're not there in the next ten minutes he's leaving! You told me you'd help me with my solo!" Indeed, he was already beginning to feel the stress.
"Fine, fine!" she agreed, and they all silently chuckled at how much she sounded like Rin.
"Let's get going, then!" said Makoto, standing from his desk; he knew Lando would be waiting for him at the pool.
"It's time to avenge my previous showing at our joint training." said Rei, standing with his hand to his glasses; Bunko had an away game today, and he had told her he'd be waiting at the school for her when the bus came back to walk her home. "I will show you my beautiful butterfly stroke!"
"Strong words, Rei!" smirked Rin, watching out of the corner of his eyes as Akihiko stood, brushing her hands against her skirt, her bag already in the band room, "I'll show you how good Samezuka is!"
Nagisa laughed, winking at him, "Wanna have a race?" he taunted; after practice, he would be going up to the art room, where Asuka was currently editing pictures for the band pages of the yearbook, to mess with her.
"You won't beat us!" objected Rin, "We've got our eyes set on the world."
"Haru, what are you doing? Hurry up!"
The noirette in the back gave a yawn; Akihiko passed by him, her hand ruffling her hair as she walked by, "Better hurry, Haru." she teased him, smiling down at him, and he stood, not replying to her; Suzeme would be there at the pool, readying her camera for him.
"Akiiiii!"
"I'm walking as fast as I can, Allen, calm down!" she said, rolling her eyes at the begging Allen; she walked out of the classroom, Rin close behind her, and he bent down to peck her lips as she turned one way, him going another.
"See you after practice?" he asked, and she smiled, nodding.
"I'll be in the band room. Tell Seijuro I said hi."
Rin rolled his eyes, not replying to her, waving a goodbye as he ran to catch up with the others. Akihiko smiled, watching them go, though was brought back as she was dragged down the hallway by Allen.
Once in the room, while waiting for Allen to ready his saxophone, she glanced down at the window; catching sight of the boys running towards the pool, she smiled down at them, called out of her stupor by Allen's voice.
"Akkiiiiiii!"
"Coming, Allen!"