I don't own Free!
"Rei-chaaaaan! Let me see your swimsuit!"
"No, Nagisa-kun! I-I'm still changing…"
Nagisa ran up to him. "Wow," he said, looking at the speedo. "Very… flattering."
Rei looked away and wished he could have gone swimsuit shopping before the practice.
"Let's practise," said Makoto. He was wearing his usual long black and green swimsuit.
"Mako-chan, what's that white powder on your swimsuit?" Nagisa asked, pointing.
"Ah! Um, nothing…" Makoto laughed, hastily wiping away the powder.
"Wow, I look great!" Nagisa yelled, posing in the mirror. "Paparazzi will be everywhere!"
"Don't let them take a picture of me!" Haru said.
"Let's go and swiiiiiiim!" Nagisa shouted, running out of the changing room.
Nagisa cannonballed into the pool, submerging a few floating toddlers. Rei touched the surface of the water lightly with his foot, then drew back. Then touched it again. And drew back.
"The theory…" he said. "I don't understand!"
Haru dived in, swam up to Rei and pulled him in feet first.
"Ahh!" Rei yelled as the water splashed around him. He sank to the bottom, then pushed himself upwards.
"That wasn't what it said in the book!" Rei shouted.
Haru sighed. "Rin's never going to want to join us."
"What did you say about Rin?"
They turned around. A girl stood at the edge of the pool. Her swimsuit pressed tightly against her well defined abs.
"Rin Matsuoka?" she asked.
"Yeah! Do you know him?" Nagisa asked.
"I'm his sister. Where did he go running off to the other day? He was supposed to be working out."
Makoto shrugged. "We want him to join our swim club."
The girl's face lit up. "Brilliant! That'll get him fit."
"The only problem," Makoto continued, "is making him want to join."
"Well I know a guy who could be your captain," she said. "My name's Gou, by the way. Call me Kou if you want to be kicked in the balls."
They nodded nervously.
"I'll send him to your house, Haruka."
Haru's eyes widened. "How- how do you know my name? And HOW DO YOU KNOW WHERE I LIVE?"
"Everyone knows where you live, Haru," she said.
Haru fainted.
"DON'T DROWN, HARUKA!" Rei said, splashing towards him.
"Don't worry," Makoto said. "He can probably breathe underwater."
"Hello, everyone!"
Seijuurou's grin stretched from ear to ear. The other four boys watched him uncertainly.
He sat down next to Haru. "So, why did Ko- Gou ask me to be your captain?"
"I don't know, so…" said Haru, gesturing to the door.
"Not so fast," Seijuurou laughed.
"Well," Rei said, pushing up his glasses. "I have a slight problem."
"And that is?"
"I can't swim."
Seijuurou laughed, far louder than a normal person. The others exchanged glances.
Seijuurou saw their faces. "Oh." he said. "I thought you were joking."
"Unfortunately not," Rei said coldly.
"Well then," he said, still smiling. "We'll have to get started!"
They walked Seijuurou's private swimming centre in silence. It was getting dark, so the street was illuminated by the streetlamps and the lights on in the swimming centre.
"Wow," Nagisa breathed when they entered the building. "I remember this place! I did some modelling in the pool."
Haru stripped off to his swimsuit and dived in.
"Come on," Seijuurou said, taking off his own clothes. "I'll teach you how to swim."
Rei slid into the pool and immediately sank to the bottom. Nagisa swam down and brought him back up.
"Silly Rei-chan," he said.
"First of all, you need to float," Seijuurou told him.
"'Any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.'" Rei recited.
"You can memorise a principle but you still sink like a rock." Haru said.
The next hour was spent with Seijuurou holding Rei up as he kicked and splashed, and the others idly trying to drown each other.
"Hold their head under and keep away from the arms and legs," Makoto said.
"How do you know, Mako-chan?"
"Yeah, how do you know that?" Haru smirked.
Makoto looked around the room, as though there was a lie written on one of the walls. When he couldn't find any, he pushed Nagisa under the water.
"Ahhhh!" Nagisa spluttered from under the water.
"Look everyone!" said Seijuurou.
Makoto let go of Nagisa and they all turned to watch Rei swimming butterfly.
"Yay!" said Nagisa, water pouring out of his mouth. "Next step: get Rin to join!"
"Rin?" asked Seijuurou. "That boy who went to Australia?"
"Yeah!" Nagisa jumped up. "Do you know him?"
"Yes. Gou's brother." Seijuurou scowled. "That little bitch. It's none of his business if Gou and I-"
"Hello, Sei-chan!" Gou said, running into the swimming centre.
Seijuurou's face lit up. "Gou!" he said happily.
"Let's leave them to it," Makoto said.
"Thank you very much, Seijuurou," said Rei, bowing.