I'm so sorry for how late this update is, especially considering the lovely people who took the time to review, favourite and follow this story. School has been so crazy (I'm in my final year) but now I have a two-week break! Woo! Anyway, I don't want to pull a Polonius, so I hope you all enjoy this chapter! It's extra long to compensate for my inactivity. Hopefully the next update won't take nearly as long. (＾∇＾✿)

CHAPTER FOUR

Kou

"You can't swim?!"

It was a conventionally lovely afternoon. The endless blue of the sky was disrupted only by the occasional white cloud. The sun was high in the sky, providing just enough warmth and light without being too stifling. A cool breeze refreshed those who lived in Iwatobi, lifting their spirits and calming them. Well, most of them.

Hiro winced as she shook her head. "Sorry."

"So why did you join?" asked Tachibana, sounding curious rather than peeved.

"Because Nagisa-san invited me," she confessed, squeezing the life out of her Iwatobi-chan strap. She tried lifting her lips into a smile. "Also, I really wanted the Iwatobi-chan: special edition."

The boy she now knew as Nanase Haruka peered up from his sketchbook. "Why were you so adamant about getting someone who can't swim, Nagisa?"

Nagisa, who had been in the middle of handing Hiro her new figurine, suddenly threw an arm around her shoulders. They were so close he could practically feel the heat radiating from her cheeks, but it was as least better than what happened earlier that day. "Because she's a girl with a guy's name!" he declared righteously.

Hiro turned her head slightly so she could send Nagisa a bewildered stare. "That's why?" she said, even as a much more genuine smile worked its way up her face. The more time she spent with Nagisa, the more she learnt how crazy he truly was.

"Yeah! I mean, all of us guys have girly names, and even the girl who joined before you has a manly name as well!"

Well, that was something. "Someone else joined?" she asked. "Who?"

Nagisa's lips parted as he began to answer her, but he was beat to the chase when the door to the clubroom slid open. A first-year student walked in—judging by the red neck-tie—so comfortably and casually that Hiro had no doubt that this was her predecessor. Her long, burgundy hair was tied into a high ponytail, and the redhead was just about to put a name to the face when they locked eyes. And then it clicked.

Hiro's body froze so quickly it was as if someone had flipped her 'off' switch. From the corner of her eye, she could see Nagisa glancing at her curiously before disentangling himself from her stiff shoulders, but she didn't care. All Hiro could think of was a certain framed photo from two years ago.

"This is our manager, Matsuoka Kou," introduced Tachibana. "Kou-chan, this is our newest recruit, Naoko Hiro."

"I thought your name was Gou," she blurted out, before clamping her lips tight when she realised how rude she sounded. She really made the greatest first impressions.

Kou shot a glare at Nagisa, looking so much like her brother as she did so. "Did Nagisa-kun tell you that?"

The accused pouted. "But Gou suits you better!"

"It's Kou," she said flatly. She turned back to Hiro, who was relieved she didn't have to answer that previous question. Wouldn't that be an interesting tale? Kou gave her a polite, pretty smile. "Nice to meet you, Hiro-chan. Welcome to the club!"

Hiro was eighty per cent sure her answering smile looked more like a grimace. "Thank you. Nice to meet you, too, G— Kou-san."

Kou's achingly familiar purple eyes shone with gratitude at the last words before she pulled out a poster. Hiro was dimly aware of what Kou was saying—something about an indoor swimming pool—but she was too busy staring at the speaker to actually listen. Kou had a slim figure made even more flattering by the school uniform, especially since wore her skirt short like the other girls were fond of doing. Hiro fought the urge to fix her own skirt, which almost brushed again the top of her knees, whereas Kou's barely reached mid-thigh. She wondered how her brother felt about that.

Oh. Okay. That sent Hiro on a trip down memory lane. She occupied on auto-pilot for a while, following the others mechanically as they headed to the faculty office for – what was it again? Club funds? Struggle as she might, Hiro couldn't muster the energy to recall the conversation, because the only thought rampaging through her mind was Matsuoka's sister is right before my very eyes.

Did that mean he was here too? Or was he still in Australia?

"But we have four swimmers now," declared Kou, snapping Hiro back to reality. She was looking expectantly at the young woman Hiro had met by the clubroom the other day – Miss Ama-chan, was it? Who knew she was actually a teacher?

Tachibana ran a hand through his seaweed-green hair. "Actually, Hiro-chan can't swim."

"You can learn," interjected Nanase, pinning her with that solemn stare of his.

Hiro ducked behind a curtain of red hair. "Sorry," she murmured, "but I'm not good with the water."

"So that's that," sighed Miss Ama-chan. "Unless you can get four swimmers, I'm afraid you won't be able to get the money." She tried to lighten the mood with an idiom that was so bizarre that Hiro thought her inner translator was malfunctioning.

The moment they left the office, Nagisa clapped a warm hand on her shoulder. "Hiro-chan, don't mind," he assured her. "I'm sure we can find another swimmer in no time."

Nagisa's sunny smile chased away the shadows looming over her features. Hiro returned the gesture, though unfortunately not as vividly. "Thank you, Nagisa-kun." And then an idea flickered into her mind. It arrived in the form of a young man, his bespectacled eyes consuming a fitness information book. "You chose me because I'm a girl with a guy's name, right? Well, actually…"

She was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Hiro was by no means a people person. If she had to choose between going outside and striking a conversation with a total stranger or remain cooped up in her room with a book, she would choose the latter in a heartbeat. Still, she wasn't completely socially inept – she knew there were certain things not to say, topics not to touch on. And asking Matsuoka Kou about her brother and his current whereabouts was an absolute no-no.

Judging by the lack of recognition expressed by the other girl, her brother had never mentioned the girl who was perhaps his only friend in Australia. (Yeah, that theory was shot down.) And that was fine. Expected, really. After all, Hiro was just some girl who had burst into Matsuoka Rin's life for a few weeks before disappearing entirely. If ever did refer to her, it would probably be by "that stalker chick".

Yeah. It was probably best that Kou had no idea who she was.

So although she really, really wanted to know how Matsuoka was doing, Hiro locked her lips shut and tossed the metaphorical key into the metaphorical ocean. She could always try to sneak in some subtle questions, but her cousin had always told her that she was as discrete as a bumbling whale. He was such a brat.

"There he is!" cried Nagisa, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Ryuguzaki Rei-chan! He's the same as us – a boy with a girly name."

Kou gaped. "That's your reason?" When Nagisa nodded, she conceded with a sigh. "I have to agree, though. Look at those deltoids," she murmured appreciatively, pressing her fingers against her lips. Hiro could have sworn her eyes were sparkling.

If not for the facial features, it would have been difficult to remember who Kou's brother really was. They were just so different. What if the Matsuoka brother also liked to drool over men and their muscles…? Hiro struggled to reign in her laughter.

"You think those reasons are good enough?" asked a sceptical Tachibana. He truly was the level-headed leader of this rag-tag team of oddballs.

"My reason is good!" claimed Kou.

"Yeah, Mako-chan," said Nagisa. "You gotta go with your gut for these things. Besides, even Hiro-chan agrees!"

"You too, Hiro-chan?" Poor Tachibana looked so terrified. "Nagisa's already getting to you…"

Hiro shot him an amused look. "Sorry, Tachibana-san," she said, though her small smile said otherwise.

Nanase brought them back on track with a, "Hey, it looks like he's about to jump." Indeed, Ryuguzaki was preparing himself. From this distance, he looked as if he was muttering something beneath his breath.

Nagisa noticed it as well. "I wonder what he's murmuring about?" he said aloud, pink eyes alight with interest.

Maybe a magical spell to boost his prowess? The reply was on the tip of Hiro's tongue, but she was saved from embarrassing herself when Ryuguzaki shot off. The track team member's muscles rippled as he ran and made his impressive jump, eliciting gasps from the swim team. He executed his leap so coolly and calmly it was as if he was certain he would make it. And he did.

"His form was beautiful," noted Tachibana, and Hiro couldn't help but agree. "He'd probably make a beautiful diver."

"Absolutely!" gasped Kou, voice raw with pure admiration. "And his biceps are also beautiful!"

"Like I said, is that all you care about?!"

But it was true. Ryuguzaki's body was nothing to joke about. His shirt and shorts clung to his fit form, revealing just how toned he really was. It was clear that he constantly kept in shape, probably exercising every day and never coming in contact with any fats or sugars. Hiro eyed him enviously.

Tachibana groaned. "Don't tell me you're a muscle maniac, too, Hiro-chan."

Wha—? Hiro's eyes widened as she stammered out a denial. But it fell on deaf ears as Kou turned towards her with such enthusiasm she no doubt gained whiplash. "Really, Hiro-chan?" she squealed. "You're a fan as well?"

"Uh."

"I'm so happy someone else appreciates the magnificence of muscles! You know, I subscribe to Muscles Monthly. I can loan it to you, if you want!"

"Thank…you?"

And so that was how Hiro became an apparent muscle enthusiast. And Matsuoka Kou's good friend. Perhaps it wasn't so bad.

Kou made good on her promise the next day. When their break began, she showed up in Hiro's classroom and invited her to the rooftop for lunch. Surprised—but not unpleasantly so—Hiro accepted with a nod and a hesitant smile, packed up her novel and her lunch box, and followed the friendly girl.

Being a popular spot, Hiro had been half-expecting the rooftop to be packed with students. Fortunately, the only other person there was a friend of Kou's. Her name was Hanamura Chigusa, and she was so glamorous that Hiro immediately felt like a dumpy troll when she sat beside her. Hanamura's light brown hair was styled into an elaborate bun, tied together by a rose barrette, and her blue eyes glittered like diamonds as she inspected Hiro.

"Um, hello," Hiro said smoothly.

Hanamura stared at her so intensely that Hiro began to fidget. Suddenly, she said, "I know why you look so familiar! You go for jogs in the morning, right?"

Hiro's eyebrows shot up her forehead. "How did you know?"

"Because I like to run around in the morning, too." Hanamura smiled. "Which routes do you like best?" she asked eagerly.

Hiro smiled, now on familiar ground, though it was dimmed by the slight guilt that was undoubtedly evident in her eyes. She initially pinned Hanamura as a girly girl and was infinitely grateful that that wasn't so, because God knew Hiro was hopeless at girl talk. In fact, Hanamura—"Call me Hana," she told her with a dismissive wave of her hand—was rather unruly, tending to blurt out her thoughts and constantly referring to Kou as Gou, despite the latter's complaints. She was also, Hiro learnt, very impish.

"So," she said slyly, once Kou had disappeared inside to grab her latest copy of Muscle Monthly, "you stare at Gou a lot."

"D-Do I?"

Hana smirked, and Hiro felt her eye twitch. "Do you like her?"

She responded with a violent coughing fit. "What the—? Of course not! It's just… She reminds me of someone," she concluded quietly.

"Your past love?"

A sigh escaped past Hiro's, and she swore she could feel her soul leaving her body with it.

"What's this about past loves?" Kou asked excitedly as she returned, magazine in hand.

A glint appeared in Hana's eyes as her lips curled into a smile. Before she could execute her evil plan, however, Hiro beat her to the punch with a hasty, "Hana-san was telling me how she secretly thinks muscles are disgusting." Hana just had time to shoot Hiro a comically horrified look that screamed traitor when Kou unleashed her wrath unto her.

Feeling the slightest bit guilty (fangirls were pretty terrifying when provoked) Hiro intervened by asking Kou for the magazine. She was by no means on Kou's level when it came to muscles, but she couldn't help but admire how hard those fit men and women worked to maintain such a look.

"By the way," said Kou, as Hiro flipped through the pictures, "we're having a joint practice with Samezuka Academy later this week. I told the guys just now."

Hiro peeked up from the magazine. "Really? That's pretty amazing, Kou-san." Even though she personally wasn't swimming, it was nice to know that the guys could finally take a dip – especially Nanase. The way he eyed their outdoor pool was unnerving; it was even more intense than the stares couples directed at each other during Valentine's Day.

Kou beamed, blissfully oblivious to the dangerous path Hiro's mind was spiralling towards. "It's only natural, since I'm the manager and all."

Her reply sobered Hiro quickly. That was right; though Kou was a non-swimmer as well, she was doing her best to support the club and the team. Nagisa was struggling to recruit Ryuguzaki, and the second-years had helped resurrect the club itself. Everyone was diligently doing their part, hard at work… Everyone except her.

Hiro spent the rest of the afternoon in a contemplative silence.

The trip to Samezuka was, in one word, awkward. Nagisa had managed to hook in Ryuguzaki (which was great) except he refused to swim (which wasn't so great). The six of them sat in the train in a silence only disrupted by Nagisa's light snores. He must have suffered from a late one last night, because it was nearing mid-day and he was already conked out. With the social butterfly out of the picture, little to no conversation passed between the group. Hiro never fathomed there would be a day where she would miss Nagisa's constant chatter.

She frowned. What was with the mood? Sure, they were visiting a school notorious for its proficiency in swimming and sure, they only had three swimmers instead of the required four, but the tangible tension seemed to run more deeply than that. It felt…personal. Hiro fiddled with her backpack, worrying what could be awaiting them at Samezuka Academy.

The train jolted, sending Nagisa crashing into his seating buddy's shoulder. The blonde snoozed on as he drooled all over Ryuguzaki's shoulder. If only the rest of them could feel so at ease… Especially Ryuguzaki, who repeatedly tried to push Nagisa back into place, only to have his efforts ruined by the bumpy track, sending the blonde crashing back to his shoulder. The bespectacled boy finally relented with a sigh, but Hiro could have sworn that he wasn't nearly as upset as he made himself out to be. She smiled and wondered if she could capture a photo or two.

They reached the school several minutes later. It was huge. Beautiful, too. The building was so sleek and modern that Hiro had to check that they hadn't accidentally wandered into Tokyo instead. The others didn't share her awe, however, as they stepped stiffly inside.

The tables turned when they entered Samezuka's swimming centre. The others gaped freely as the sheer size of the indoor pool, having never witnessed such at this scale.

Kou, the one least obsessed with swimming, was the first to snap out of her trance. She probably noticed how Hiro's reaction—or lack thereof—because she turned to her and said, "You don't seem very interested, Hiro-chan."

Hiro nodded. "I used to go to a school crazy about sports and swimming, so…" The one in Australia was much grander, seeing how it accommodated students from all over the world.

Kou's eyes shone with curiosity. Before she could continue her train of thought, however, Tachibana stepped forward, interrupting them. "Should we get changed now, Kou-chan?" He nodded towards Nanase, who was fiddling with his necktie as he gazed longingly at the pool. "Haru's getting restless."

"Ah, right! Let's see… I think the locker rooms are over there," said Kou, pointing to the change-rooms on the other side. "I'll take your bag and put it with mine, okay, Hiro-chan?"

"Are you sure you don't mind, Kou-san?" When her friend nodded, Hiro smiled and shrugged off her backpack. "Thank you."

"No worries! In the meantime, do you think you can tell the captain that we're here?"

"Uh, sure." It was with slight bemusement that Hiro watched Kou walk off. Their manager tended to take charge on these types of tasks, so why would she leave Hiro of all people to handle such a social matter? It was almost as if Kou was avoiding something… Or someone. Hiro felt the muscle in her jaw twitch. What kind of person was this captain? Was he the reason everyone was so anxious?

She fidgeted with the zipper of her jacket. The manager had entrusted her with a job, no matter how small or detestable, so she was going to complete it seamlessly. With that thought it mind, Hiro headed over to the only other person who was fully clothed.

"Um," she piped up to the tall man who had his back turned to her. "Excuse me. Are you the capt— eh?" Hiro stopped short as he swivelled around, her jaw falling open. "Sei-nii?!"

"Sei-nii…?" Mikoshiba Seijuro stared down at her for a good while before comprehension dawned in those gold eyes of his. "Hiro! Is that you?!"

"Y-Yeah," she murmured, dazed with shock. "Still slow on the uptake, huh?" she couldn't help but note, smiling wryly.

"I can't believe it. It is you!" Sei placed his large hands on her shoulders, as if to determine that she really was there before him. Hiro grunted at the sudden weight. "How long has it been – eight years? I haven't seen you since the funeral. When did you come back from Australia?" He paused, frowning contemplatively. "You're still smart-mouthed, I see."

Hiro's smile shifted into a smirk. "Only for you."

"Australia?" repeated Kou, startling Hiro. Since when had she returned? "You went to Australia, Hiro-chan? Is that where you attended that sports school?"

Her smirk slid right off of her features. "Um, yes. How did you—?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Sei. "Hiro, you're friends with Gou-kun?"

"Uh, yeah," she said slowly. Things were getting weirder and weirder. "Kou-san, this is my cousin, Mikoshiba Seijuro. Though I haven't seen him in almost ten years…" She turned back to one of her only living relatives, admiring how different he looked.

They had first met when she was five and living in the city. Sei and his family came to visit over summer break, and the two had eventually bonded, even though he tended to tease her, and she retaliated by tackling him to the ground.

"You look the same as ever," her cousin told her with a grin. Hiro was momentarily thrown before she remembered – she hadn't started putting on weight til after she left Japan. "A bit redder…" He ran his eyes over her school tracksuit, its crimson shade clashing horribly with her hair. "Like a chilli pepper."

"Bullying me just like old times," she grumbled. "Do you want me to pay you back like then as well? My dad's taught me some new moves."

Sei let out a loud laugh, sounding just like his own father did whenever he belted out one of his infamous chortles. Hiro could have sworn she detected a hint of unease in his expression, though – especially when he glanced at Kou. He removed his hands from her person and ruffled her red hair, which was several shades darker than his own bronze locks. "As if you could hurt me, little cousin. Don't give the others the wrong impression!"

Surprise rippled across Tachibana's features as he and the rest of the team approached. Hiro knew this because she was valiantly keeping her eyes above their shoulders and away from their half-naked bodies. "The captain of Samezuka's swim team is your cousin, Hiro-chan?" the boy asked, oblivious to her discomfort.

Hiro ran a hand through her hair. "I'm surprised, too," she confessed. Wait. He was the one Kou was so wary of? She looked calm enough now, but…

She sighed. This was all too much for her poor brain.

"We'll catch up later," promised Sei, as he directed his attention to the Iwatobi Swim Team. Still bossy as ever, she thought, barely paying attention while her cousin showered compliment after compliment onto Nanase, who looked like he couldn't care less. Then again, Sei never was perceptive when it came to people's opinions about him. He was kind of dumb like that.

Disinterested with the conversation, Hiro's eyes wandered to her cousin's left. A boy stood a little ways behind his captain, with only a pair of incredibly small swimming trunks covering him. Hiro adamantly refrained from looking past his petite face and blue eyes. Jeez, these swimmers needed to learn about modesty.

Surprised, he caught her gaze for a moment before turning away to greet the newcomer. "Oh, senpai," he called. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he replied. Hiro was too busy feeling relieved that this clothed person had blocked her view of the shameless boy before her mind registered what she was seeing. Those long, purple locks… There was no way—

It was as if her feet had a mind of their own. Hiro stuffed her trembling hands in her pockets as she took a shaky step towards him. She was dimly aware of the curious look the blue-eyed boy was shooting her, but she was too focused on his friend to care.

"Hey," she said, snatching his attention. The tall boy turned around, knocking all the air from Hiro's lungs. His eyes regarded her dully, almost as if he didn't recognise her. Didn't remember her. "F-Funny seeing you here, huh?"

Hiro smiled so widely she was afraid it would split her face in half.

"Matsuoka-kun."