At last another update! And this one's longer than usual! O.O The plot bunny hops forward!
I don't own Free! or Frozen, and this time, I tried not to make them OOC.
Impatiently squirming on a tatami-covered floor, Elsa was draped over a table, staring at a small, boxy television set in the corner. Dressed casually in a loose fitting shirt and leggings with her hair braided and laid about her shoulders, she rested her head tiredly on her arm. Flippantly browsing through the channels with one hand, the queen sighed with boredom. The television shows in Japan weren't uninteresting in the least, but there were too many other things on her mind for her to enjoy the brightly colored game shows.
Her and Kristoff's assigned homework from that day rested on one corner of the table, all of it neatly completed and organized into folders long ago. Lifting her head from her arm, Elsa peered at the clock on the wall: a quarter until 11. Kristoff had been gone for nearly an hour now on a trip to the grocery store. Elsa buried her face into the crook of her arm; something was surely wrong. By now, he most certainly would've come back to the small apartment they'd rented or at least have called on the temporary flip phones they'd bought just for their time in Japan. Her trusted friend wouldn't have just left her alone—unprotected—while he went around the town sightseeing.
Or, Elsa suddenly thought, what if the Duke had found them? What if he had sent agents after Kristoff? What if they had figured out where they're living? What if they had seen him leave the apartment? What if they attacked him? What if Kristoff was bleeding to death in an alley right now? Freaking out internally, Elsa ran her fingers through her hair shakily, her pessimistic nature overriding her rational thinking. Drawing into herself, Elsa's mind struggled to remain calm, but panic rose rapidly in her throat.
Without Elsa noticing, the tatami mats underneath her began to whiten and harden. The small living room's temperature discreetly lowered a couple degrees. Crystalline patterns swirled slowly on the table and on the walls. And when Elsa slipped a pair of jeans on and flew out the door, she left a trail of icy footprints leading into the street.
Her delicate figure scurrying in the dark, blond hair seeming to glow in the night, Elsa stumbled through the streets and absent-mindedly realized she'd forgotten her shoes. Suddenly, she yelped as she hit her foot on an uneven sidewalk and flung a hand out at a lamppost to steady herself.
She quickly regained her balance but was horrified by the sheets of ice streaking up and down the pole she'd just touched. "Oh, no…" Backing away, Elsa looked around frantically for anyone who had just seen that. Seeing none, she quickly ran away. Her breathing grew ragged with exhaustion. Worry overwhelmed her. The queen felt like crying out in frustration.
Light erupted from a nearby floodlight. Elsa froze in her tracks. It wasn't shining on her, but it illuminated the side of the school. "I hadn't realized I was already in this area," Elsa whispered to herself. Actually, the light was directed onto a fenced off area, most of which was hidden by a short, rectangular building. Drawn to the light and the familiar setting, the blonde girl hesitantly approached the illuminated area.
About to round the corner of the building, Elsa heard barely audible footsteps. Pausing uncertainly, she placed a hand on the wall, flinching away when an icy pattern swirled onto the concrete from her fingertips. She drew in a deep breath. "Get it under control, Elsa," she muttered to herself, subconsciously touching the lump in her jacket pocket: her gloves. She almost pulled them out but shook her head and told herself she didn't need them. After all, it would only make her look even more suspicious than she already did, given that she was walking around the school at around 11 o'clock at night. Taking another deep breath and holding it, Elsa straightened up and rounded the corner.
The floodlights glinted harshly off the surface of the filled swimming pool. A tall silhouette, whose features were hidden from the glare of the lights, crouched at the edge of the pool. It dipped its fingers in the water as if testing its temperature. Then, the silhouette stepped up onto the diving platform, bent over, and flew into the water, all in one fluid, well-rehearsed motion.
Once the water splashed up, Elsa dared to venture closer. Why would Kristoff even be here? she thought, unlatching the side gate to the fence. It's doubtful he would stop by the pool for a swim on the way back from grocery shopping. But her halfhearted inner protests faded away as she crept through the gateway. Slowly taking half steps toward the water, her feet carried her forward, still not knowing exactly why she was here.
The body in the pool cut through the water with obvious ease, catching Elsa's attention and captivating her. Elsa remembered a time a few months ago in Arendelle; she'd called the court painter in for a portrait of Anna and Kristoff posing together. Despite the two of them constantly squirming and both the snow queen and the painter repeatedly telling them to stay still, the portrait had come out as perfectly as expected. Even now, Elsa could recall the painter's brush gliding smoothly across the canvas, the colors blending beautifully together, and the admirable expression of concentration on the painter's face. Elsa felt that same feeling of being in the presence of art when watching this boy swim. His toned arms cutting cleanly through the water, the bright blue chlorine contrasting with his pale skin, and his occasionally visible eyes that reflected his focus as clearly as the water reflected the floodlights.
Elsa figured that once he came back to the end of the pool he started at, he'd get out and notice her, and then she could politely compliment his swimming abilities and start up a conversation. But, he just pushed off the wall and swam another lap. And then another. And another. Uncharacteristic impatience twitched her fingers, and the queen was about to turn and leave when the boy in the pool called out to her.
"What are you doing here?"
The boy stared at her from the water. Elsa recognized his black hair and indifferent blue eyes within a few seconds.
"Haru…um, kun, good evening." Recollecting her composure, Elsa politely folded her hands in front of her and smiled. "How are you?" There were actually a dozen other questions she wanted to ask, most of them mainly about why he was swimming in the school pool at such a later hour. But, really, she wasn't one to question him, given that she was wandering around the town at night.
"What are you doing here?" he repeated. He gazed at her suspiciously from under his bangs.
Elsa stumbled over her words. "Oh, I was just walking around. And, well, I noticed the lights over here." She awkwardly gestured to the glaring floodlights to avoid maintaining eye contact with Haru. "And I was wondering if something was going on. So I came over, and, um, found you..." She finished lamely, her voice trailing off in embarrassment.
"Okay." His eyes never left the blonde girl. He didn't think it was possible, but she somehow looked even prettier in the light reflecting off the water. It'd been a while since he had had a good, long look at her face because he always sat at the back of the class. Haru felt a twinge of guilt that she was getting visibly unnerved by his blank stare but made no move to stop himself.
"W-well, I should really get going," Elsa turned to leave. "I have to go find Kristoff." She turned quickly on her heels, eager to put some distance between her and Haru, though she hated to be so rude. She already took a few steps before a soft but audible voice stopped her.
"I saw Kristoff a couple minutes ago." Elsa paused and faced the swimmer.
Haru steadily ascended the pool ladder, water dripping off his hair as he flicked his head to the side. Running his fingers through his hair, he slowly strode toward the foreign exchange student. "Where was he?" Elsa asked, keeping her voice level. Haru stopped a foot away from her—a bit too close for the refined, introverted queen. Awkwardly, Elsa averted her eyes and raised a hand to block her gaze, a slight flush on her pale cheeks. "Um, Haru-kun, if you don't mind, could please put a shirt on?"
Haru ignored her request. "I want to see you swim."
Elsa's eyes widened and she whipped her head to face Haru. "What? Why?" But, his clear blue eyes seemed to bore into her, forcing her to look away sheepishly.
"If you prove to me that you can swim, I'll tell you where I saw Ice Boy," Haru negotiated, frigidly referring to Kristoff.
"That bargain is hardly reasonable," Elsa protested. "Besides, I don't have a swimsuit to use."
"There are swimsuits in the storage room. And it's unlocked. Or maybe…" Haru added tauntingly, "foreigners just can't swim at all?"
Pride momentarily flared up in Elsa; she and Anna had spent dozens of their childhood summers swimming at the beaches in Arrendelle—before and after her powers had temporarily overwhelmed her. She was just as good in the water as anyone, and such an assumption about all foreigners being unable to swim was practically begging to be disproven. And yet, there was something nagging at the back of Elsa's mind: the ice on the streetlight from earlier.
She was still worried about Kristoff and, to be honest, had no time to waste with Haru, even if he did know where her friend was. In addition, her anxiety greatly lessened her control. She had no idea if she could suppress her powers right now if she came into contact with water. It'd been a few months since she last went swimming. But, at the time, she hadn't frozen the sea. Can salt water even freeze? Wait, yes it can, she did it before. But, what about chlorinated water? Well, obviously, yes. Then, what if she froze the pool again? Everyone in town would know within a matter of hours and then, everyone in the country, the world. She was getting more nervous by the second. How could Haru not feel how much lower the temperature of the air around her was?
But, rapidly recollecting her composure within moments, the queen cleared her throat and calmly replied, "Not at all, Haru-kun. I can swim just fine. I would just prefer not to do so at this moment."
"I think you're lying." Haru retorted immediately. "Ice Boy couldn't swim either."
Elsa used all her willpower to resist rising to the bait. Hardening her resolve, she stated assertively, "If you're not going to tell me where Kristoff—that is his name, not 'Ice Boy'—then, I'm leaving. Good night, Haru-kun." She was turning to leave when she felt a tug on the loose fabric of her jacket.
Haru's fingers lightly held on her shirt. He seemed about to say something, most likely another attempt to make her stay, but instead his voice cut short and his eyes widened exponentially. Elsa glared at him over her shoulder, ready to tell him to let go, when Haru spoke two words that made her go stock still with fear.
"You're cold."
Elsa's face paled more than usual. Her heart skipped a beat, fully taking in what this boy had just said. In any other context, he would just be sounding polite and caring for her well-being. But, with the setting they were in and the look of utter surprise on Haru's face…
Quickly pulling away from Haru's grasp, Elsa hurriedly rushed toward the gate. She could practically feel ice gathering at her fingertips. She had to get as far away as possible before the anxiety inside burst out of her…
Suddenly, Makoto came running in almost frantically, barreling through the fence gate and onto the deck. Elsa skidded to a stop, letting the brunette rush past her.
"HARU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING A BATH! I SWEAR, IF YOU SNUCK OUT THE WINDOW AGAIN…!"
Haru looked like he was considering making a run for it across the pool area and over the fence. But before he could sprint off, Makoto grabbed Haru's wrist, still lecturing and scolding him while simultaneously throwing a jacket he'd brought along over his shoulders. Then, turning to Elsa, he ingratiatingly apologized for anything Haru might've done to bother her. Within a minute, the two of them were already heading out the gate, leaving Elsa standing self-consciously on the lighted deck.
But before they left, Makoto paused and called out to Elsa over his shoulder. "Oh yeah, I saw Kristoff on my way over here. He was carrying a bunch of groceries and petting a stray cat. Just thought you might like to know. See you tomorrow!" Then, without even giving her a chance to reply, Makoto dragged Haru out of the pool area and back home. But despite his friend's kind words, Haru's constant glare told Elsa something else: his confusion had resolved into a startling realization.
As Elsa stood alone under the floodlights next to the pool, her cell phone in her pocket buzzed—most likely her long-awaited call from Kristoff—and the last time the queen had felt this anxious was when she had frozen most of her country over with unbreakable ice.
R&R as always and if I made any grammar mistakes or some of my sentences don't make sense, please tell me. :) I'll try to get another update by at least the end of Thanksgiving break.
Also, I wanted to thank everyone who's followed or favorited my story. I never thought I would get any more than 5! Thank you sooo much! :D