“Mei-chan! Let’s go dive off the cliff over there!” A girl around sixteen tugged on my hand, leading me towards the tall, scary cliff that hung over the ocean. No, it’s scary over there. My mind kept telling me that, and I knew that it was true. The waves were crashing against the rocks at the base of the cliff. No! I’m scared. It’s dangerous! The girl tugged harder, beckoning me to go with her.
“Come on, Mei-chan! You promised that you’d come dive with me!” She insisted. How come I couldn’t see her face? It was in a shroud of shadow. Mat-te! Chigau! I don’t want to! I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Waiting for us at the top of the cliff were four other girls my age. They surrounded me in an instant, cornering me like a mouse.
“Why are you better than us? Just lose to us. Just once would be enough. We want to shine too. You always take the spotlight. Jump off the cliff and die. If you are talented, you should survive, ne?” Yamete! They grabbed me, herding me towards the edge of the cliff. I stepped backwards, already at the edge. A rock broke free, crumbling down to the crashing waves below. “Just die already!” They lunged towards me, causing me to lose my balance. I fell down the high cliff, grasping at air, falling towards my death. The waves pulled me under, farther and farther down into the dark ocean. I knew I could hold my breath for a couple of minutes, but there wasn’t enough time for me to reach the surface and break free.
It was silent under the waves. It was strangely calm. I had a feeling that I was going to die soon unless I could break the water’s grasp on me, but I didn’t want to move.
“Mei-chan, wake up.” A voice called out to me gently. No… I don’t wanna. It’s calm down here. Let me go rest in peace. “Mei-chan, it’s just a nightmare. Wake up.” The voice was persistent, rattling my brain. The currents continued to pull me deeper. Is that… a shining light? I squinted at the golden light descending down towards me. Sunlight? No… it’s too dark down here. It took on the form of a hand that belonged to a person. It reached out towards me, and I took it.
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I bolted upright in bed, gasping for air. I tasted the salty ocean water in my mouth, feeling the pressure crushing my chest, making it hard to breathe. I gasped for air, expanding my lungs. A pair of green eyes studied me, worried. My view came into focus as my rapid breathing slowed down.
“Where am I?” I panted out, swivelling my head.
“We’re at the hot springs inn in Hokkaido. It’s Makoto.”
“Ho-kkai-do?” I racked my brain, recalling my memories. Ah, that’s right. We came here for a break. We were in the room with Rei, Nagi, Haru, and Mako. Haru and Mako switched rooms, so Mako’s with me now. “Did I fall asleep earlier?”
“Hai. I carried you back here while you were still asleep. Are you okay? You were having a nightmare.” Mako leaned in closer to check my temperature, his forehead against mine. After a couple of seconds, he pulled back, satisfied that I didn’t have a fever.
“It was so scary,” I whispered out, still trembling in fear from the nightmare. “I was dying. Being pushed off a cliff taller than 15m was really scary, you know? I know it was just a dream, but I still taste it – the salt water filling my lungs up.” I drily chuckled without humor. “I still believe in the water though.” I lifted my hands in front of my face, watching them quiver. Makoto remained silent as I babbled on before enveloping me in his warm embrace. My face was covered by his soft shirt and soothing scent.
“Daijōbu. You’re fine now, Mei-chan.” He released me, lying down. Mako patted the spot next to him. I laid my head on his arm, hiding my tears in his shirt.
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he whispered, holding me tight against him. His soothing voice slowly lulled me back to sleep.
“Please, just don’t leave me.” The words unconsciously slipped from my mouth as darkness overwhelmed me once again.
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(Makoto’s POV)
It nearly killed my watching Mei break down like that. I couldn’t do anything as I watched helplessly as she tossed and turned in her sleep, crying out for help. I kept calling out for her to wake up, but she didn’t respond until the twentieth time that I called for her. After the first time I met her, I never saw an intense and scared look in her eyes until today. It really scared the crap out of me. I wanted to find out what was haunting her, but instead, I pulled her close calming her to sleep. I could understand why Haru wanted to be near her. Just her smile could captivate me. Her scent was intoxicating. Mei was important to me. I couldn’t figure that feeling out until this morning when I saw her in Haru’s arms.
But I won’t tell her anything yet. Not yet. I want her dreams to come true first.
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“Aww, I can’t believe we’re already leaving Hokkaido!” Nagi whined, bouncing up and down in his seat on the train.
“Nagisa-san, please stop.” Rei glared at Nagi, unhappy with his bouncing. I softly smiled, still feeling tired. I couldn’t wait to get back in the water and swim. After all, we only had a year and seven months until the brutal training for Olympics begin.
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Caught in the Act (A 'Free! Iwatboi Swim Club' Fanfic)
FanficWhen 16 year-old Megumi Haruno was involved in a near-death accident, she lost her confidence in swimming in front of others. Still never giving up, she continues to harbor her dream of making it to the Olympics by practicing. Megumi was the competi...
