Drowning (Free!)

Trapped

"See, I told you this would be fun," Rin grinned, showing his pointy teeth, and flipped himself over so that he was floating on his back. Haru stared at him for a few seconds before diving back under water and swimming a little bit further.

Right now, both the Iwatobi High swim team and the mixed-medley swimmers of the Samezuka swim team were on a small vacation on the coast celebrating their achievements of getting to Nationals. All of them had just eaten a huge lunch, so they were now headed off towards an island that Nagisa had desperately convinced everyone to go to. Gou and Miss. Amakata had both stayed on the mainland, doing 'girl things'.

Haru was trying to think without having everyone else interrupt him. Even though he had had such a plentiful meal of mackerel, his stomach still felt light. Plus the ocean felt larger than it should've been; it felt too deep and too wide. He could see nothing but water around him, even though he didn't think they had left the mainland too long ago.

"Hey, Haru-chan? Are you alright?" Makoto had swum up beside Haru, slowing down his pace so that he moved at the same speed as his friend.

"I just have a bad feeling," he shrugged it off, watching Rin go further ahead, pushing Momo out of the way. The water didn't even feel the same - it didn't flow around his body comfortably.

"Don't make me even more scared," Mako laughed shakily.

"Sorry."

"It's okay - I've got you guys here to protect me, right?" Mako grinned. Haru stared at the green of his eyes, nodding slowly.

"I can see it now!" Nagisa shouted excitedly from the front of the group. Both boys glanced up to indeed see the island rising into view. It seemed a lot closer than than what he'd thought.

"I bet there's going to be ghosts and even scary monsters!" Momo cackled, splashing water at both Nagisa and Nitori.

"C'mon Haru, let's go," Mako encouraged, diving under the water to swim a little faster and to catch up with everyone else. Sighing, Haru went to join everyone else, gliding through the water like a dolphin.

In no time, they were wading onto the shore, running up to the sand. Momo had even gone and pushed Nitori over in the shallow water so that he tripped and fell on his knees, Momo laughing hysterically. Haru was, for the first time, one of the first people out of the water. He glared at the tides lapping around his feet, washing away the sand into the sea.

"Aw, Haru - don't look so bored," Nagisa frowned, pulling on Haru's arm, "Why don't we go and explore the spooooooky island."

"It shouldn't be that frightening after all..." Rei began.

"But it's haunted," Nagisa interrupted.

"... Since it's in the middle of the day."

"Reiiiii, why do you always have to ruin the atmosphere?"

"Hey Haru, are you coming? Souske is," Rin called beside the edge of a forest, Souske already standing by his side, "Unless you're too scared?" Haru narrowed his eyes, leaving suddenly into the forest.

"W- wait, Haru? You're actually going? Into the h-haunted forest?" Mako shouted, running off after him.

Stopping and bending over to catch his breath, Mako found Haru standing beside a small creek. Joining him and shaking his head, he commented: "This is the first time I've seen you not emerged in the nearest source of water."

"Don't believe everything that Nagisa says."

"Seriously Haru, is there something wrong?" Mako ignores the remark, sitting down to wash the sand off of his feet and swimsuit, splashing a bit of water on Haru's ankles to wash off the sand still on him.