The sound of ticking slowly became audible. It was faint and dull at first. But then it started to pick up in volume, increasing ever so slightly until finally the ticking sounded like it was coming from inside, resonating painfully in my skull.
A pained groan suddenly cut through the incessant noise, causing it to almost disappear completely. Something else was quick to fill it's place though, this time it was muffled voices.
Not much could be made out of what was being said. Everything sounded like it was concealed behind a wall of water.
I could barely make out a name being spoken. It sounded familiar, like it should mean something to me. Like I should be responding to it. But I couldn't because of the dry, burning sensation of my throat that I hadn't noticed until now.
With great effort, I struggled to crack my eyes open, almost immediately regretting the decision when a blinding light pierced my vision.
The voices became more frantic. Instead of attempting to see again, I instead opted for moving, but the best response I could get was a twitch of my fingers.
The burning in my throat grew as I tried to inhale, causing a violent fit of coughing. The feeling of something warm pressed against both my shoulders and my head spun as my back was lifted from whatever uncomfortable surface I'd just been lying on.
That same warm thing started drumming a firm pattern between my shoulder blades, doing nothing to help my fitful choking. As the coughing subsided, I made another try at opening my eyes, glad not to be met with another harsh intrusion of light.
My vision spun wildly and if it weren't for whatever force was holding me up I would've fallen straight back down.
The voices came again, this time a lot louder but still not any clearer. I squinted in an attempt to slow the world down before searching for whoever was talking. A blurry silhouette on the right side of me came into view.
Whoever it was was leaning over whatever I was sitting on, speaking in a rushed manner of nonsense as they tried to grab my attention.
Using what little strength I'd regained, I lifted my hands up to rub at my bleary eyes, but only one made it to their destination. The other was pulled back abruptly by something connected to it.
I made do with just one hand and wiped my face groggily, finding it easier to focus on my surroundings afterwards.
Everything slowly came into focus. I was in a room. It was stark white with machines I couldn't name and little décor. The walls were bare, save for the few guest chairs lined against it unceremoniously around the room.
It didn't take me long to realise I was in a hospital. The familiar skin-crawling smell of sickness that plagued all hospital's became evident when my sense of smell returned. No matter how many chemicals they used to cover it, it was always there. Lingering in the air over everyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in such an unwelcoming place.
My attention was pulled back to whoever was beside me, their figure now clearly visible. I breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar face, fighting back the tears threatening to make their appearance.
I licked my cracked lips and attempted to clear my throat, but it was too dry to even do that.
"Here, try this."
I gratefully took the plastic cup and downed the contents eagerly, sculling as much of it as I could before needing a breath of air. I lowered the cup from my lips and peered into it.
Water sloshed against the sides as I held it in my shaky hand. I gazed at it for a moment longer, watching the hypnotic movement.
Suddenly finding myself lost in thought, dark, blurry images crept into my head. Relpaying a terrifying experience that I couldn't quite grab a hold of.
The images became clearer and I was able to make out an old bridge, the planks rotted through and the railings that had once guarded the sides no longer standing. I watched as someone – a girl – ran out onto the bridge carelessly.
She seemed to be in a hurry, as if she were running from something. Just then, another person came into view, wasting no time in chasing after the girl. They both looked really familiar, but I couldn't place them.
All of a sudden the viewpoint changed. Everything was now moving around me, the eyes I was seeing through swung around to look back at the boy tailing her. I realised then that I was looking through the eyes of the girl.
I felt panic rise in my chest as a plank gave way and we tumbled through the gap, the sight of the boy cut off as we fell.
Time seemed to black out for a moment before coming to again. Now I was looking up at nailed wood stretching overhead. Someone – the boy again – was leaning over the edge and reaching down.
I instantly recognised him as Haruka Nanase. I was taken back by the look of genuine concern on his face. He was shouting, but I couldn't hear any of it over the crashing of waves beneath me.
My arm suddenly stretched up of it's own accord, making a grab for the hand dangling down. A loud crack sounded through the air. A moment of complete stillness followed, lasting only a fraction of a second before everything came crashing down.
The waves smacked painfully against my back as I fell, the impact knocking all the air from my lungs. The lake engulfed me in one foul swoop, soaking into my clothes and dragging me down.
But then I noticed something was still connected to me. I peeled my eyes open despite the pain of being under water and saw fingers intertwined with my own, refusing to let go.
I turned my head to see whoever had a hold of me. I caught a head of dark hair hovering in front of me before something sharp and heavy plummeted into the water, striking the side of my head and knocking me out.
The images disappeared just as quick as they'd come and I gasped at the shock of it, the plastic cup slipping from my grip and spilling what was left onto the sheet before clattering to the floor.
"Hanako, what's wrong?!"
I turned my gaze from my hands up to the worried relative hovering over me.
"M-Makoto," I gasped out between the pressure building in my chest. I felt the earlier tears I'd forced back pricking at the corners of my eyes again, but I wasn't about to stop them this time. "I... almost drowned."
Makoto stayed quiet as he stared down at me with the most sympathetic look I'd ever received from someone. But this time I didn't care. No, this time someone's sympathy was the last thing that was bothering me.
The fact that I'd almost drowned was weighing on my mind heavier than anything had for a long, long time. Warm arms pulled me into a comforting embrace and I happily accepted it, allowing the salty tears to flow freely for the first time in what felt like forever.
If I hadn't been clinging to my cousin during my mental breakdown, perhaps I would've noticed the pair of eyes watching silently from the doorway of the room.
The rest of the day past by in a blur. Makoto and his friends had spent most of their time in my small hospital room. To say it was crowded is an understatement. Nevertheless, having everyone around made what would've been a bland day turn out to be quite fun.
After bombarding me with a million questions on what happened, most to which I answered loosely – they wouldn't understand why I'd left in the first place so there was no need to go into detail – Nagisa decided to save me by bringing out a deck of cards and insisting we play Go Fish.
Everyone seemed to be genuinely concerned about my health and refused to leave me be when the nurse came in to say visiting hours were over. Although Haru hadn't hesitated to walk out, I was still grateful that he'd visited in the first place, even if he didn't say a thing the entire time.
The doctor told me that because I'd inhaled a large amount of water they wanted to keep me overnight just to make sure there wouldn't be any complications and that I'd be free to go in the morning.
Makoto was hesitant at first, much preferring to stay by my side, but after convincing him that I'd be just fine on my own, he gave in and agreed to go back with the others.
Miss Amakata assured me that she'd be by first thing in the morning to pick me up before instructing me to get a good night's sleep and taking her leave as well.
I exchanged hugs with a teary-eyed Gou and Nagisa, reassuringly squeezed my worried cousin's hand and gave the smallest of waves to Haru standing in the furthest corner of the room.
The blue-eyed swimmer hummed quietly in acknowledgement before following the teacher out. I watched him leave, the thought that maybe he got hurt during the fall only now crossing my mind.
I felt a pang of guilt at my selfishness in all of this and raised my hand to grab Makoto's attention, but he was already out and around the corner. I sighed and dropped it back onto the stiff white sheets.
I'll ask Haru myself tomorrow if he's okay. He looked fine, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure.
Nestling my head into the lumpy hospital pillow, I willed away the guilt swirling in my stomach and shut my eyes, wishing to hurry up and fall asleep.
. . .
Standing in the waiting room next to a nurse, I bit the bottom of my lip as I looked out the tinted window for the familiar van.
Sleep had evaded me last night. As the buzz of everyone laughing and joking wore off, that emptiness left room for guilt and old memories to re-surface.
Guilt, because I felt bad for making everyone worry about me unnecessarily when they could've been spending their night a better way.
And old memories of that day so many years ago. No matter how many times I'd try to push them down and into the little black box in the back of my mind, they always found a way to creep back out.
So here I stood, with dark circles under my eyes and pasty skin from lack of sleep, waiting for Miss Amakata to pick me up.
The doctors were reluctant to let me leave so soon, especially after seeing my appearance this morning. But I'd convinced them – with great effort – that everything was fine and it was only because of a restless night's sleep.
"Hanko!" I cringed at the use of my real name, but was happy to see Miss Amakata none-the-less.
She scooped me up into an awkward hug, much to my displeasure, before turning to the nurse beside me and thanking her for all her hard work.
We climbed into the vehicle and left the hospital, turning into the morning traffic. Apart from a lecture on putting myself in danger and being her responsibility, most of the road trip was quiet, save for the crackly stereo playing some sort of old boy band music in the background.
I watched the buildings pass by in a blur, my thoughts drifting in and out of focus and generally just all over the place. I couldn't shake the fact that I'd almost died... no matter how many times I tried to distract myself with more important things like school and grades, one subject kept pushing it's way in.
Those thoughts quickly lead to old memories, ones I'd rather leave left alone in the little black box. But the lock was wearing down beneath the nagging of the recent situation I'd just faced. I felt my walls crumbling piece by piece as the rush of painful memories slowly leaked from the place I'd held them in for so long.
The world outside the passenger window suddenly began to shake, pulling me from the spiralling thoughts and back to reality. I glanced around wondering if maybe an earthquake had hit, but the tremors weren't coming from outside.
It was me.
I hadn't noticed how physically shaken I'd become while being lost inside my head. The teacher was glancing over at me with great concern, her mouth moving frantically.
It was only after noticing that Miss Amakata was trying to grab my attention did I start to hear her worried voice calling to me.
"Han..."
I shook my head to try and clear away the fog looming over me. She became easier to understand once it finally lifted.
"Hanko, are you alright? You need to answer me."
"Um... yeah," I let out a shaky breath as I tried to calm myself down. Breathe, Hanako, breathe. "I'm just a little cold."
Miss Amakata snuck glances my way as she drove, clearly sceptical. "Are you sure? I can turn around and take you back if you think you're not doing well."
"No!" My sudden outburst surprised the teacher as much as it had myself. I cleared my throat and tried again. "No, really I'm fine. I just... need to warm up when we get back."
"Well, if you're sure..."
"I am. Please don't worry about me."
Even though I told her not to worry anymore she continued to frown at the road in front of her, the concern as bright as daylight on her face.
For the rest of the ride I kept my hands wedged between my legs and my eyes trained straight ahead of me, wishing that Miss Amakata would pay more attention to the road rather than eye-balling me.
It was one long, awkwardly silent trip back to the hotel.
. . .
Climbing out of that van was probably the highlight of my day. I was caught off-guard to see the swim team waiting at the curb for our arrival. It was the last thing I'd expected, weren't they all supposed to be practising at the Samezuka Academy?
Makoto had been the first to run over, followed quickly by Rei and Nagisa. Strong arms enveloped me in a circle of warmth, pulling me towards the person I wanted to see the most right now. I returned the hug, happy to be out of the Hospital and back by Makoto's side.
"Welcome back, Hana-chan~!" I peered around my cousin to see the lit up expression of the carefree boy. He was jumping on the spot like a kangaroo and waving his arms erratically, his grin widening even more when he caught my gaze.
I returned a smile of my own to him before stepping back from Makoto's embrace. He seemed almost reluctant to let go, but it turns out he didn't really have a choice once Nagisa decided to bounce his way over and strangle me with a hug of his own.
A surprised laugh escaped me as the blonde hopped on the spot, unable to keep still for god knows whatever reason. I untangled myself from his constricting hold and backed up a few steps, only to be met with, yet again, another chest in my face.
I glanced up to see a very on-edge Rei in front of me. His right arm was trembling all the way to his shoulder. What was he so nervous about? Looking down, I realised he had his hand outstretched, the same one connected to his shaking arm.
Am I missing something...?
"It-... It's good to see you're doing better, T-Tachibana-san!" I raised my eyebrows in shock at the high octaves Rei was able to reach, whoever thought a guy could go so high? I would've laughed at how comical it was if I didn't feel as nervous as the boy in front of me looked.
My gaze fell back to the trembling limb held out between us. Does he want to shake hands..? I guess there's no other reason for it being there. Although I thought the gesture a little out of place in a situation like this, I slipped my hand into his – albeit hesitantly.
I immediately noticed how unpleasantly warm and sweaty his palm was. As much as I wanted to, I fought the urge to pull my hand away and wipe it off. It's surprising to know though that beneath the layer of sweat the texture of his hand was actually quite rough, not what I expected from a swimmer.
I waited patiently for the handshake, but it never came. Rei just continued to stand there as stiff as a rod, his arm shaking uncontrollably and his grip almost non-existent.
Deciding that it would be better if I just pulled my hand away, Nagisa obviously had other ideas.
"Don't be so shy, Rei-chan. Show Hana-chan how much you were worried!" I felt an abrupt push between my shoulder blades, sending me sprawling forward in an inelegant fashion.
I yelped at the sudden contact of my forehead hitting a very toned chest. I regained my balance with the help of Rei – after he snapped out of his little stupor – and took a very large, very obvious step away from the flabbergasted swimmer.
He was bumbling for words and clearly in a state of shock, his face painted a colour that rivalled the red frame of his glasses. I'm sure mine was just as bad, if not worse.
"O-of course I've been worried, we all were! And where do you get off pushing a girl!" The blonde snickered at the poor boys flustered state, leaping away from death's grip every time Rei went to swipe at him. "Get back here, Nagisa..!"
I made my way back over to Makoto. He was shaking his head at the sight of his friends running like mad chooks around the car park.
"How are you feeling?" I jumped when he suddenly started talking, having been caught up in the grand chase happening before us.
I cast my eyes downwards, watching the stray pebble roll away after kicking it with the toe of my shoe. "I'm fine... you don't need to concern yourself over me."
"Of course I do," Said Makoto in an almost exasperated tone. This isn't the first time we've had this conversation, so I'm well aware of what's to follow. "You're my little cousin, worrying about you is my-"
"Your responsibility, I've heard it a thousand times before," I turned to face Makoto this time, letting him know that he wasn't about to win the argument, not this time. "I know you think you're responsible for me, but I can take care of myself I'm not a little kid anymore.
"You have more important things to be focusing on, like your practise sessions. Isn't that the whole reason you guys came out here?" Makoto was about to argue back but I shot him the most pleading look I could muster.
He reluctantly dropped whatever he was about to say, heaving a heavy sigh and rubbing the back of his neck in a defeated manner.
"I don't want to fight you over this, Hanako."
"...I don't either. Just promise me you'll focus on your sessions."
Makoto placed his large hands over my petite shoulders, almost engulfing them completely. "Only if you promise to stay at the hotel and recover."
I was about to protest and say that I had already, but when I caught the serious look in his eyes I knew he wasn't referring to me physically.
"Okay... I will." My chest warmed at the familiar smile I was so used to seeing.
"Good, we'll be off then. We have to be at Samezuka Academy in half an hour and we're already running late..."
I took a step back, gesturing towards the waiting van. "Then don't let me stop you."
We exchanged another hug and goodbye's before separating. I made my way towards the hotel while Makoto rounded up the other two and ushered them into the vehicle. I glanced around the car park, wondering where Haru might possibly be.
Miss Amakata started the engine and the van pulled out onto the road, beeping the horn in farewell before driving out of sight.
Perhaps Haru's already at Samezuka? Assuming that was the case, I stepped inside and made my way up to the floor we're all staying on.
Now that I was all alone again it was easy for the earlier thoughts to weed their way back to the front of my mind. Feeling a sudden wave of lethargy hit me all at once I struggled to lift my foot for the next step.
The world suddenly spun around me, warping my sense of judgement. I went to climb another step, but the toe of my shoe clipped the ridge and threw me off balance.
I came tumbling down, my ribcage bashing painfully against the jutted staircase and my hands receiving scrapes to the palms as I tried to catch myself.
Bile rose in the back of my throat, my head spinning and my stomach lurching as the world continued to turn dizzily around me.
What's happening? How did I get on the floor..? Why can't I... My thoughts were beginning to fray, my mind too fuzzy to think.
I made a go at trying to hold my head in hopes that it might help it clear up, but it was hard to control them. They felt like lead, and even when I did manage to lift them somewhat I couldn't figure out where exactly my head was.
It was almost like I was disconnected from my own body. The pain had subsided to nothing but a mildly irritating throb and I couldn't feel the steps beneath me.
Was I even still on the steps? I wasn't sure, I can't make anything out around me.
Laying here and getting my strength back is the best option. I'm not able to do anything in this state and might only end hurting myself even further if I try to get up.
Keeping my eyes tightly closed, I try my best to focus on taking deep, steady breaths. But the more I do, the harder it becomes.
I'm breathing in short pants now, barely getting enough oxygen into my lungs. It's doing nothing for the already faint feeling I have.
Maybe...maybe sleeping will help. Yeah...just a little rest, I'll be able to think better.
I drew in another breath despite the discomfort it caused and slowly felt my conscious slip away as I exhaled.
. . .
The feeling of the crisp, salty sea breeze was a welcoming sensation as the swimmer surfaced above the lapping waves.
Cool, ocean water danced and kissed around the well-toned torso protruding from it, splashing playfully up at him, begging that he stay just a few more minutes and continue swim within it.
But the swimmer knew better than to keep the others waiting for longer than he already had. As much as he wanted to stay in the embrace of the ocean Haru had other plans today; plans he couldn't skip out on.
Making his way back to the shore, Haru retrieved his belongings and began the walk back to the hotel.
He'd originally gone for an early morning run since he'd woken from a restless slumber, but in the end the call of water was just too strong. Haru decided that from now on he'd start running through town instead of on the shoreline to avoid temptation.
Gou wasn't going to be pleased with his tardiness.
Haru threw the towel over his head, hanging his clothes over one shoulder while half-heartedly drying himself off. He saw no point in trying since he's going to get wet again at the pool.
But if he climbed into the teachers car soaked from head to toe the swimmer knew he'd be in for an earful of lecturing.
As the hotel came into view Haru saw no sign of the van. Which means they've already left. Guess that meant more running for Haru.
He climbed the stairs while fumbling through the pockets of his clothes to find his room key. Haru was so focused on trying to locate the little thing that he almost didn't notice the large lump blocking off the second flight.
Haru had to catch himself on the handle before he fell on whatever almost took him down. Upon closer inspection he realised that the 'thing' was actually a person, and that person just happened to be someone he would've least expected to see in such a situation.
Not quite sure what to do, he nudged her leg ever so lightly, ready to jump back at a moments notice if the girl suddenly flew at him in a frenzy.
She didn't respond. Haru stood there for a moment while he tried to figure out what to do. Is she even still alive? He summarised that that would be the first thing to check.
Crouching down, he slowly shuffled his way up to her, tip-toeing over her arms and legs, hoping he didn't stand on any of her fingers.
Haru swallowed past the uncomfortable lump in his throat and carefully leaned towards the unconscious girl, keeping his eyes trained on her face to keep a look out for any indication that she might wake up.
With what little space he had, Haru managed to lean over and press his ear to her chest. He couldn't pick up anything though. Was it because of all the extra...stuff she had that he couldn't hear it?
The swimmer took up the position again, pressing his ear a little harder against the area where a heart's supposed to be. It was moments like these that Haru was beyond relieved about the fact that the others weren't around.
He could only imagine how they'd take it. Just as he was about to pull back the slightest thump caught his attention.
Not sure if he'd really heard it or not Haru pushed even further, hoping that it wasn't just in his head. But there it was, though it was faint, he could still hear it.
A pained groan sounded from the body, snapping Haru back to the situation. He flung himself back against the wall in surprise. His breath caught in his throat as the girl let out another muffled groan, but this one was followed by small, rushed breaths.
Her breathing was quick but her chest was barely rising. Had she just fallen asleep here? No, she seems to be in pain. Maybe she fell?
Well whatever happened, Haru knew that if he didn't do something fast the girl that just got out of hospital might end being rushed straight back to it.
Standing up again, Haru eased his way around her and dropped his clothes off at the next level before going back down.
Now the next thing he had to figure out was how to get at her from an angle in which he could pick her up. That was going to be the hard part...
He jumped back down to the lower steps. It seemed like a better place to work from. Haru reached out to take the girls arm and began to pull her up.
He almost had her in an upright position and was about to loop his arm beneath her knees when the unconscious figure let out a rather shocking yelp.
Surprised out of his wits Haru quickly released her without thinking and she fell forward like a rag doll, the bang of her head meeting the wall resounded painfully in Haru's ears.
He cringed at the position she was in, it looked far from comfortable... Her cheek was smushed and pulled up at an odd angle when she slid down, making it almost look like a drunken smile.
Haru cleared his throat and turned his eyes away, unable to stare at the ridiculous expression for too long. He repeated the same steps as before, but with much more care.
He hoped there were no broken bones, if there were some then moving her is the last thing he should be doing. But it's not like he can just leave her on the stairs, she'd be in the way of everyone.
Finally getting a solid hold of the limp figure, Haru hiked her up against his chest to better carry her while going up the stairs. He shuffled towards the girls room, but when he got there he noticed one little problem.
He didn't have the key. Haru slowly glanced down at the sleeping girl in his arms, her head was lolled back and her arms swung freely by her sides. Where on earth would she keep a key on her?
Why does she have so many pockets?! Haru shuffled the body over onto one arm as much as he could so he was free to search.
Now...where to start? This has to be illegal in some part of the world. Haru bitterly dug through the pockets of her jacket first, hoping that it might be over and done with quickly.
No such luck...
Next he went on to the breast pocket. His index finger slowly and carefully inched it's way between the thin fabric, feeling around in the most discreet way possible for what he needed.
Haru kept his head turned anywhere but at what he was currently doing. If Makoto could see him now, the swimmer was sure his best friend would turn him into minced meat on the spot.
His finger met the end of the pocket. Not here. He retracted it at the speed of light and looked around for anywhere else that pockets might be placed.
The only ones left were on her pants. If it's not there then all this torture would've been for nothing. All Haru could do was pray that she didn't wake up.
Going with the left pocket first, Haru continued his search. When he didn't find anything the right pocket was next. Once again, he turned up blank. The only one left was...
No. There was no way in hell Haru was going to dig through the back pocket of a girl's pants. Not happening. He'd already invaded her shirt, what else was this cruel world going to throw at him?
Was all this trouble even worth it? He could very easily just drop her off at the door and let someone else take over. He'd only be fifteen minutes late to the session, which still leaves him with a little over an hour of swim time.
Haru looked once more at the girl. A long, silent sigh escaped him. No, he can't just leave her on the floor.
Even if he detests her, Haru's not that type of person. But what else could he do? She has no key, and he's not searching the last pocket.
The swimmer looked over his shoulder, the idea suddenly hitting him. Without wasting a minute he turned and went in the other direction, heading towards a familiar door that he knew he could get through.
Now the only problem was getting his key for it. Haru rolled his head forward in defeat. Great.
After much struggling and several instances where he almost dropped the sack of weight, Haru finally managed to open the door and squeeze his way through.
He dropped the girl unceremoniously onto his bed, glad to be rid of the burden. He rolled his shoulders back and stretched his numb arms out.
Good, now he can go. Just as Haru turned to leave the laboured breathing worsened.
Reluctantly, Haru spun back around and stared with irritation at the gasping figure before him. Her face was flushed red and her clothes were soaked with sweat. Her hair was a mess and sticking to her face.
She looked bad, and it seemed she was only getting worse.
Haru can't leave, not with her like this. Completely giving up on the idea of ever making it to the pool, he sulks over to the bathroom and prepares a wash cloth.
He comes back out and places it gently on her forehead. Haru finds his displeasure towards this girl building the more he looks at her.
Not only does she hate water, the thing which he loves most, but now she's also keeping him from it!
He swears on his life this girl is some kind of curse that's been placed on him. Though, he can't entirely blame her for not being able to get to the session. It's not like she willed this to happen.
...At least Haru hopes not.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I'm sorry this took so long to get up. I don't want to throw excuses around but, life's been pretty... hectic, to say the least.
And lately I'm just not happy with my style of writing, so I've been trying to work on improving it.
Another thing I want to address is that I started this story before the second season was out, so my original idea has changed quite a bit from what it first was after having watched Free! Eternal Summer. (Which was pretty awesome, by the way. I'm excited for the movie to come out.)
I'll probably incorporate a lot of what happened in Free! ES into the story from here on, but it'll have little differences since obviously Hanako's apart of this story.
I can't guarantee that I'll be updating frequently after this, but I can assure you that I'll keep posting for as long as people keep reading. (Which I'd be surprised if anyone still is at this point. If any of you are though, you're amazing and extremely patient. Kudos to you.)
Also, I'm changing the breaks between sections of the story to ". . ." because the line break function isn't available on the toolbar anymore and the only other way I know of putting it in is too much of a hassle. Just thought I'd let you know.