Old Friends, New...Teacher?

(Part 2)

Chapter 10

^.^.^.^

...I hate you...

No...not again...

I hate you!

Please, no.

It's all your fault!

I'm sorry, I didn't mean it...

I wish I'd never met you!

Don't say that...

You and you're stupid-

Enough, please!

I hate you!

Stop it!

The world blurred at the edges, everything grew larger, taller, as the floor came closer.

There was a pressure pushing against my head, squeezing painfully. Sharp objects were digging into my scalp, I couldn't shake whatever it was.

My fingers were aching, my feet numb.

My lungs burned with the effort of breathing, my eyes stung at the pricking in the corners of them.

There was noise all around me.

Loud footsteps, laughter, idle chatting. I could hear it all, but it sounded more like it was inside my head rather than around me.

A whirring engine suddenly took the place of all other noises. It resonated sorely, my eardrums at the point of exploding.

It sounded big, whatever it was. A plane, maybe..?

I've been on planes before...many times, in fact. My first time though was when I left Japan for England.

I was only a mere child back then, a little girl about to set out on an adventure.

But it hadn't felt like one. I remember being so against the idea moving.

I'd fought day and night with my father. Our arguments always ended with me running away from home in tears.

The beach was where I'd always end up.

I remember hating the fact that my legs would forever drag me to the shoreline after such conflict. I hated the reminder of what happened that day, but I was still drawn to the ocean's dark, mysterious aura.

I hated it: the beach, my dad, life...

I hated everything. I'd always thought it was unfair that everyone I loved was slowly being torn away from me.

My brother...my mum...

Eventually my dad, as well.

I used to believe I was cursed. The child me would lean out her window at night and scream at the gods for taking everyone away from her.

I remember my last day in Iwatobi.

Those last words we'd shared...

The tears, the shouting...the leaving without saying goodbye...

At some point in my life, I'd suppressed those memories, like everything else. It'd become just another little piece of my past stowed away in that little black box, never to be seen again.

But now...it's resurfaced.

And I remember everything.

The world slowly came back into focus when I felt something warm and firm clasp my shoulder, shaking me senseless.

The blurred edges faded away, revealing the bustling insides of the mall and the crowd of people surrounding me.

I slowly looked up, short brunette locks gliding across my shoulder as my head tilted back to take in the faces of everyone.

A head of maroon hair blocked my view however. I blinked the person before me into focus.

Sharp crimson eyes gazed at me in concern, a deep crease visible between equally maroon brows.

I felt a calming warmth spread through the back of my hands, my fingers roughly being pried away from whatever they were gripping.

The dull ache in my skull ceased and my hands were brought down to rest in front of me.

Had I been the one causing that pain?

Rin's mouth was moving frantically as he tried to grab my attention. He eventually succeeded.

"Shīru, are you alright?" My lips twitched in response to my childhood friend's question, but my jaw refused to open, my voice refused to work. When he didn't receive an answer Rin clicked his tongue in frustration and stood, sharply pulling me up with him.

I fell forward from the sudden movement, my feet unable to hold me upright. When had I sunken to the floor?

I don't remember...

Strong arms broke my descent. Makoto? I flicked my eyes upwards to meet with my those of my saviour.

No, it was Rin...

My hand stretched out of it's own accord, my fingers interlacing with the soft, teal green fabric and tugging it pleadingly.

The person wearing the shirt knew exactly what it meant and moved closer, peeling me gently from Rin's grip before encircling me in his own. I was instantly at peace, nestling into the crook of his arm to hide away from the bewildered stares.

I heard the familiar voice reasoning with the other curious swimmers before coaxing me away from the group.

I don't remember much of how I came to be sitting on one of the many benches placed in the center of the mall, but I do know that Rin had insisted on coming along.

So here we were, all three of us jammed onto one wooden seat, myself wedged between two burly athletes who were fawning over my mental state right now.

Makoto kept one arm around my shoulders, as if he expected me to suddenly jump from my spot and dash off outside.

It was a tempting idea, but I don't think I had the strength to make it right now...

My entire body felt like it'd gone into some sort of shut-down mode, while my mind was a strange mixture of numbness and over-thinking all at once.

Numb, because I couldn't quite grasp the reality of this situation. Yet there were so many thoughts flying through all at once that I couldn't focus on just one thing at a time.

I shifted my unfocused gaze downwards, inspecting my fingers. There were thin layers of crusted red beneath my nails. Had I really dug into my scalp hard enough to draw blood?

It was strange though, I couldn't feel the pain at all anymore. Maybe I've gone into shock...

My head turned without consent to the sound of Makoto's worried tone. He was watching me intently with those pristine emerald jewels of his, thin threads of concern laced deep within them.

I can't believe I've only just noticed how much my eyes paled in comparison to his. We shared a similar colour, as most of the Tachibana's do, but his were such an intense saturation of green that it was hard to compete with.

His sparkled like diamonds, while mine were the equivalent to that of a jade stone. They were pretty to look at I guess, but they held no real shine to them.

I glanced over at Rin when he also started speaking. Rin's eyes also shone brighter than my own, putting even the most well-crafted ruby gems to shame.

My thoughts immediately drifted towards Haruka and his soul-gripping orbs. Not even a master crafter could replicate the sheer vibrancy that Haru's eyes held. They were giant pools of every shade of blue imaginable, easy to lose yourself in.

But they were also as hard to stone, especially whenever he was unfortunate enough to glance my way. My stomach churned and my heart dropped to my feet, splintering into tiny little pieces as the guilt crashed over me like an unwanted wave.

My head dropped forward, my hands automatically lifting from my lap to catch the weight. I pressed my face into my palms, hunching over to try and hide myself better.

I just wanted to disappear from the world, for a hole to open up beneath me and swallow me whole.

I can't believe all the things I put him through back then...

Did Haru know it was me all along? Surely he would've said something if he had, right?

Surely I meant more to him than just some annoying little girl who could be erased the moment I walked out of his life...

I guess I shouldn't talk though.

...Isn't that exactly what I did to him..?

"Hanako..."

My blurry gaze flicked up hesitantly to the tall teen beside me, my hands falling limply. I hadn't realised my eyes were watery until now.

I must look like an absolute mess...

I wiped at my face half-heartedly to rid myself of the embarrassment, but warm hands caught my own in a gentle grip, fingers gliding easily around my much smaller ones.

My hands were pulled away so he could get a better look at me, a kind smile gracing his face. I swallowed the rising lump in my throat and choked back the tears that threatened to fall.

I had to bite my bottom lip just to stop it from quivering.

"Hanako..." Makoto tried again, his voice the softest I'd ever heard it. It made it that much harder to keep a hold of myself. "You didn't do anything wrong."

You're mistaken, Makoto.

I did everything wrong...

...It's all because of me, that-...

...That we ended up this way.

A sudden jolt ran through my palms and I looked down in response. I'd been clenching my fists beneath the large hands enveloping them, my short nails biting into the skin and leaving crescent moon imprints.

I shook my head vigorously, brown strands flying hypnotically. The locks slowly settled back into place when the movement ceased, most falling to cover my face.

"Come with me, Shīru."

Rin suddenly stood, turning to face me with an extended hand. I reached out to take it without hesitation, but kept a shaky grip on Makoto's fingers.

The red-head pulled me up to stand beside him, but paused in making his retreat only when he noticed Makoto and I were still joined.

My cousin slowly followed suit, sharing a silent conversation with Rin before the two gave each other brief nods.

I glanced between them, head tilted back as they stood a good ruler's length above me. What were they discussing? It's impossible to tell when they mask their faces like that...

"I'll see you later, okay, Hanako?"

Worry settled in me at those words and I tightened my hold on Makoto, giving him a pleading look.

Why was he leaving? Where was he going? Why couldn't I go along?

He simply smiled reassuringly and carefully slipped his fingers out from my grip. My hand swung to hang loosely at my side as he gave a small wave before jogging back to where I assumed the others were waiting.

Rin nudged my side gently before pulling me along behind him, muttering a quiet, "Come on."

I could do nothing but follow him, wrapping myself around his arm as we continued on silently. He guided me to one of the mall's doors, both stepping out into the humid air and leaving the comfort of the A/C.

I didn't question where he was taking me, or why Makoto left. I didn't really want to face the rest of the Swim Club, so I was glad Rin dragged me away when he did.

I needed time to think, to process it all. Rin knew that.

So on we walked, in silence, down the bustling streets of Iwatobi. Just like we used to all those years ago.

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This chapter is a three-parter, the next one will be the last, then regular chapters will presume.

This one's a bit shorter, sorry guys. I just felt it was right to leave it off where it is right now.

I'm also sorry that it's later than usual. I try to keep them posted on Fridays/Saturdays but this week got the best of me.

I'll try not to let it happen too often.

There may be some spelling mistakes here and there. It's been a long night and I think I'll get a good night's rest before even trying to attempt to fix all the errors. Sorry if this bothers you, but I wanted to get something out for you all before the weekend was over.

I'll proof-read it over first thing in the morning, promise.

Also, in case any of you are curious, this FF has been submitted into the Fandom Contest in Inkitt. There's not that many days left of the contest though and I entered pretty late into it, so I don't expect any miracle placing. In fact I'd be surprised if it even got views at all considering some of the competition.

There's a lot of FF written about popular shows/movies/animes which are getting a lot of the attention. Things like The Vampire Diaries, Fairy Tail, Harry Potter, etc.

I doubt a little FF from the Free! Iwatobi Swim Club fandom will ever get noticed amongst all those massive ones. But it was at least fun to enter.

Please leave your thoughts if you have any at all about the chapter! Anything I can improve? Anything need changing? Your input is greatly appreciated.

I don't really say this, simply because I feel it kind of goes without saying, but I'll make an effort to do it more often! I want to thank you all for taking time out of your days to sit and read what I've written/typed.

You could be doing anything else with your time, but you chose to spend it here, so thank you very much! I really am grateful.