Hello, I'M BACK with another update! I know I promised it wouldn't take me months for another chapter, but it technically took like a month and a half, so...we're good. And I'm honestly sorry, but I love having Makoto and Haru be in a relationship. They're both adorable dorks, and that ship needs to be canon.
Well anyway, I regret to inform you that I still do not own neither Frozen nor Free! and I suck at writing established characters. :P
If the student body's interest had been sparked previously, they were fully ablaze by the next day. Elsa arrived at school with a small smile on her lips, the whole school already confirming their rumors and gossip with that small smile. However, as Elsa walked through the hallways, the poor girl slowly became aware of the blatant whispers and stares in her direction. The quick glances and barely concealed grins seemed to grow thicker with each step she took. Clutching her book bag strap a little tighter and sweeping her white-blond bangs away from her face nervously, Elsa hurried a little faster to her homeroom. All the school hurried a little faster with her. Finally, all eyes were on her as she opened the door to her classroom. All students watched fervently for the first interaction of the day after between the lovely, elegant foreign exchange student Elsa and the mysterious, handsome star swimmer Haru Nanase ...… who was absent again today.
The student body groaned in disappointment with Elsa, who'd hoped to talk with Haru and secure their friendship. Everyone would just have to wait until after school. The bell chimed, the teacher walked in, and students hurried to sit down. Elsa pulled out her pencil bag, silently noting that Makoto seemed to be gone as well. Those two certainly seem to always coordinate their truancies, she absent mindedly thought. Well, at least they're looking out for each other.
Kou Matsuoka had always believed herself to lean more towards optimism and hope. Despite her fair share of hardships, she'd still prefer to err on the side of overconfidence. This positivity carried into many aspects of her life, the most relevant being her management of the Iwatobi High School swim club. Although they were never able to recruit any more members than their loyal four, Kou never stopped hoping that, someday, the pool area would be overflowing with eager young men and women, ready to train and win competitions. Of course, such hopes had yet to be attained, which admittedly made Kou a little depressed. So then, when the redhead swung open the creaky pool gate after school, she thought she'd just hit her head and fell into a dream.
The pool area was packed.
Packed with four-packs, six-packs, and oh my god, was that an eight-pack?
At least twenty other male and female students surrounded the pool, all in swimsuits, cap, and goggles. Some began swimming warm up laps, while others stretched off to the side, while others were applying sunblock. Meanwhile, Nagisa, Rei, and Kristoff sat off to the side, awkward and uncharacteristically quiet. Makoto and Haru were as late as always, but Elsa was strangely absent. Kou could only stand there in shock, taking in the wonderful sights before her.
Suddenly Kou felt a hand on her head, rubbing her hair. Looking up at the person, a grin spread across her face. Today was just getting better and better. "Onii-san!"
"Hey, Kou." Rin chuckled at his little sister's expression, flashing his sharp teeth. He was dressed in his school tracksuit and seemed to be sweating and catching his breath. "What's happening here?"
"What's happening? Well, would you just look at all this…. this beauty!" Her hands flung out to gesture at the bustling pool area. Kou's words bubbled out of her like a fountain overflowing with suds from a dish soap prank. This was probably one of the best days of her life. Rin just smiled and watched and listened. Finally, Kou managed to calm down, but still couldn't keep her smile off her face. "Anyway, not that I don't like visiting with you, but what brings you here?"
"Ah, right," Rin pulled out his phone. "The little blond kid texted me about a mob attacking the pool area. He refused to explain anything, so I rushed over." He scrolled through a lengthy text conversation showcasing Nagisa's freak out.
Before Kou could respond, some of the students by the pool area called out to her. She was the manager after all; she would need to hand out instructions for the daily training regime. As the two redheads made their way poolside, Kou noticed even more students piling in, but rather than putting on swimwear, they just sat down in the sidelines to watch. She picked up her clipboard from its hanger and flipped through the papers.
Kou looked up to face the new swim club members and rapidly paled. This was definitely more than a little nerve wracking. All eyes in the pool area were on her, every ear was tuned in to hear what she had to say, and so many toned muscles were leaning toward her, awaiting her instructions. Even though she'd never had stage fright before, Kou could feel her cheeks losing color and her hands shake. Thankfully, the clipboard was quickly plucked from her hands by none other than her dear older brother.
"All right, here's what you all are going to do. Split yourself into two groups. One group is in the pool, the other is on the sidelines stretching or doing strengthening exercises. We have limited resources here so let's be smart about this…" Automatically assuming control, Rin barked out instructions, his experience as team captain showing through. Within minutes, the club was up and going, with all the present members busy at their stations.
Rin slid the clipboard back into his sister's hands. Finally letting out a sigh of relief, Kou slumped forward. "Thanks, Nii-san."
Club activities went smoothly to say the least. Kou brought out water for the swimmers and spectators, took back the manger position, and quickly learned how to effectively shout instructions. She was beginning to come down from her high of how many members the swim club had gained, but Kou began to feel an air of uneasiness around the pool area. It came primarily from the spectators; their tension was nearly palpable; there was the sense that they were waiting for something that hadn't arrived yet.
When the gate creaked open, all heads turned simultaneously to see the new arrivals. The tension seemed to shatter as Elsa, Haru, and Makoto all strolled in.
Leave a review, and please don't forget about the poll if you have another pairing you think I should include!