Free Underwater

Chapter 5 Finding Free

This Chapter is dedicated to Blood_Red_Reaper thank you for your awsome support.
    The next morning Amaya's alarm began blaring at five in the morning. Amaya ran out of her bathroom with her tooth brush still in her mouth, and bunny slippers on her feet. She shut her alarm off and rubbed her eyes, she had been to nervous to sleep so she deside to of get up an hour earlier. Putting her toothbrush back where it belonged, she got changed. She wore a yellow Iwatobi swim shirt that looked like Gou's and tight skinny jeans. She grabbed her bag and tiptoed down the stairs while braiding her hair. Carefully she opened her front door and slipped out of the house. Her phone began ringing, looking down she saw it was Haru who was calling her.
    "Hello?" She asked as she ran down the street.
    "FYI, I didn't tell anyone you were swimming today, so let's surprise them." Haru cut right to the chase. No good morning, or are you ready.
    "But... How would we get them to the meet?" Amaya huffed, she didn't like the idea of hiding this from her friends.
    "Relax, we were planning on going anyway, plus I packed their swim suits." Haru hung up the phone and Amaya could see him standing near his house with Makoto. They both wore their blue and white Iwatobi jackets and sweats. Haru was out of his cast now, but the doctor said it would need another week to heal before swimming.
    "Hey guys." Amaya slowed down to a stop and shot a you're an idiot, look at Haru .
    "Woe Amaya, it's a little early to be giving looks like that." Makoto laughed.
    'Please'  Haru mouthed.
    "You ready to go watch." Amaya sighed.
    "I'd rather be competing but yes." Makoto looked down sadly.
    "Then let's go." Amaya began walking with the boys as the approached Rae and Nagisa who were leaning very close to each other until Makoto cleared his throat. Amaya wanted to ask the one question everyone wanted an answer to but kept quiet, knowing this was not the time to ask.
Rae and Nagisa quickly pulled away from each other, both turning bight red. "Good...good morning." Rae stuttered as he adjusted his glasses.
    "Good morning." Answered Haru, Makoto, and Amaya, each giving their own version of weird looks at the two boys.
                                                                        ~~~
      The swim stadium was the home of swim teams across the region. The stands were filled with teams, family and fans from all over, and the sun reflect across one of the three pools in the center of the arena.
Gou, Makoto, Nagisa and Rae began walking towards the visitor section, when Amaya called out.
"The team section is this way, you guys." She pointed behind her towards the multicolored stands painted in different color jerseys.
"We're not registered though." Gou reminded Amaya.
"About that, I registered us yesterday." Amaya shrugged casually.
"We sort of found someone." Haru shrugged.
    "Who, where are they?" Gou asked standing on her tip toes and looking around.
    Amaya turned red. "L...lets just say I came out of retirement." Amaya stammered in embarrassment.
    "WHAT!" Screamed the swim team as all of their faces went blank.
    "You know there is a saying, 'do not be surprised when the hero rises to the challenge." Smiled Ms. A as she came up behind Amaya.
    Gou shook her head trying to clear the shock. "Let's go Iwatobi. Now everyone get changed."
    Haru tossed a bag of swim suits at Makoto. "Brake a leg guys." The boys ran to the changing rooms. Haru began walking towards the stands with Ms. A and Coach but stopped next to Amaya.
    "Breath." Haru smirked.
    Amaya let out a large breath she wasn't even aware she had been holding. "What if I don't qualify?" She whispered nervously as she looked out to the pools. A girl dived in and swam quickly across the lane, the power behind her strokes made Amaya nervous. "It' been years since I last swam."
    "Then we will all congratulate you for getting over your fear, and graduate knowing we did our best." Haru shrugged.
    "Just swim free right?" Asked Amaya as she looked into Haru's deep, blue eyes.
    "Now you're catching on." Haru smiled. Amaya began walking towards the changing rooms as well, she stopped when Haru called out after her.
    "Breath, for crying out loud!"
    Amaya let out another breath. Breath.
                                                                           ~~~
    "Girls 100 meter freestyle. Last call for girls 100 meter freestyle." Called the moderator over the screaming crowds.
    "Where is she? I don't see her!" Shouted Nagisa as he scanned the nineteen girls near the first pool.
    "There she is." Rae pointed over the rails at the blonde haired girl pulling down white goggles over her eyes.
    "Haru, what the hell is Amaya doing!" Shouted a very angry Rene as he marched over to the Iwatobi swim team.
    "What does it look like? She's swimming." Stated Haru turning and looking at Rene with a don't ask stupid question look.He turned back and watched Amaya.
    Having grown up watching people instead of interacting with them, Haru prided himself with being able to read people's emotions. Amaya was scarred.
    "Damn, she needs to calm down." Haru pulled his hair and leaned against the rail, he and Rene both watched Amaya intently as they waited for the rest of the girls to check in.  The more Amaya waited the more nervous she looked, her skin began to pail and Haru could had sworn she was shaking.
    "Is that Amaya Mizuno?" Asked a man from behind them.
    "Oh mommy look it's Amaya Mizuno, she's back!" A little girl shook her moms arm in joy.
That's why she's freaking out now, all these people know who she is, they expect something from her. "Amaya!" Haru shouted, hoping to let her know she wasn't alone. She didn't flinch, odds are she couldn't hear him.
    "If she keeps going like that, she'll have a panic attack." Whispered Rene.
    "I have an idea." Haru grinned evilly.
                                                                        ~~~
    Amaya waited near her lane as the rest of the girls checked in. Breath,  breath, breath. She kept telling herself. She pulled down her goggles and made sure everything would stay, the last thing she needed was for her goggles to slip in the middle of the race.
    "Swimmers take your mark." The moderator announced. A whistle blew, once, twice, three times
    Amaya stepped onto the edge. Somewhere between where she had been standing, and this board she had forgotten to breath. A whistle blew again and Amaya bent down, taking her mark she felt stairs coming from the other girls, Amaya swallowed and began to focus on the light dancing on the water. Everything became quite as she focused on the task at hand, the only thing that grabbed her attention was a white and blue figure jumping up and down, all sound returned as she looked to see Haru trying to get her attention, he stood near the edge of the pool and cupped his hands around his mouth.
    "Just swim free! You can do this!" He shouted. Behind him stood Rene, arguing with two large security guards who towered above him and they didn't look happy. Amaya smiled.
    "Let's go....lets go lets go A-may-a!" Shouted the couch from the stands.
    "Let go.....lets go lets go A-may-a!" Mimicked Gou, Rae, Nagisa, Makoto, and Ms. A.
Amaya looked back at the water smiling, and in doing so, breathing. Bring it on. The whistle blew again and 20 girls dived into the water itching for their chance at victory.
~~~
A buzzer sounded as Amaya hit the wall along with three other top racers. She lifted her head above the water as fast as she could and looked at the score board.
Iwatobi..........7.02
(Random school)...........7.05
"Yes!" Squealed Amaya.
She had hardly gotten out of the pool when she was picked up a spun in a hug by Haru. "I knew you could do it!" He smiled. As Haru looked into her light purple, sparkling eyes he began to turn red. He quickly sat her down.
     Amaya stopped giggling as a dozen reporters pushed their way towards her.
    "Amaya Amaya Amaya! Do you intend to go to the Olympics?" Asked one reporter shoving a mike into her face.
    Amaya cleared her throat. "No, I intend to just swim free, not for my country, but my school, and not with my team, but with my friends." Amaya smiled at team Iwatobi. "I have no further comments." Reporters kept shouting questions but Amaya linked arms with Gou and made her way to the stands. "Alright boys your turn!" She shouted at Rae, Nagisa , Makoto, and Rene.

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