Free!Dom (Free! Fanfic/ONC Entry)

Fanfare

Haru didn't understand his classmates.

For starters, many of his classmates were excited about Haruna joined their class, yet he didn't understand why. He liked Haruna because she was his sister, but beyond that, he didn't understand what made her stand out from other girls. That said, in his mind, Rin's sister stood out yet his mind didn't understand why he thought that either. There were a lot of things he didn't understand that others did.

He didn't, for example, understand the looks some of his classmates gave Makoto when Haruna pulled out the lunches she prepared for the two of them. She simply turned and again asked Makoto to thank his mother for the items in the fridge as she utilized some in the lunches, yet offered to make him one as well the next day. The one thing Haru understood about the situation was that the looks actually made Makoto uncomfortable for some reason.

Then, after class everyone wanted Haruna to join their clubs. She seemed bothered by the requests and Haru stepped between her and the others but felt Haru pull him back. "She's simply overwhelmed by the requests Haru."

"Oh."

"And they're really not doing anything wrong."

"Oh."

Haruna listened carefully before saying, "I've already arranged with Amakata sensei to join the swim club."

"Wh..." Makoto paled when hearing the news.

"You don't want to join any of the clubs related to music?"

"Wait! We don't have a competitive girls' team, but you were never interested in that in the first place."

"Haru finds the water relaxing and I'm trying to lessen my stress load. Plus, it lets me hang out with my brother more."

Makoto let out a sigh. "Yeah, but..."

"I promise I won't get in the way."

"That's not what I was thinking." Makoto rubbed the back of his head. "I guess we can get headed over there."

Haru scooped up his bag but walked at a quicker pace. Haruna joining the club seemed like a good thing. He felt Makoto tug at his sleeve. "Hold on. Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Haru's eyes widened, but he stopped while Haruna walked ahead a few steps only for a few others asking if she would join their club and ask for her autograph. "Haru, I don't think Gou will be happy seeing Haruna there."

"Haruna said she wouldn't get in the way. I believe her."

"I believe her, though I do suspect..." Makoto took a deep breath. "That's not what I'm concerned about. It is more of Kou-chan has a bit of misunderstanding about you and Haruna."

"We're siblings. What is there to misunderstand?" Haru watched Makoto close his eyes and start walking again. "Makoto..."

"I'll explain if I need to if you find out the misunderstanding."

"Okay." Haru, of course, trusted Makoto to keep his word. They arrived at the swimming pool and found Rei and Nagisa already warming up while Gou stood staring at Haruna. Haru tilted his head. His mind interpreted the look as a look of horror, yet he didn't understand why anybody would want to be afraid of Haruna. A lightbulb went off and he turned to Makoto. "Did Kou steal Haruna's desert?"

"What?" Makoto stared at him in confusion.

"Kou looks scared of Haruna."

"What?" Makoto shook his head as Haruna headed towards the bench at the outdoor shelter.

Haru whispered as if what he was saying some kind of secret. "Haruna's only scary if you take her desert. I should know."

"Or use up all of her bubble bath in the swimming pool."

"Oh yeah." Haru's eyes widened.

"Or wash her whites with red resulting in them turning pink."

"I was trying to help."

"I know you were." Makoto sighed. "Kou's not afraid of her. It's..." His mouth twisted into a frown. "Complicated."

"Oh." Haru glanced up. "Why are we being watched?"

'Uh..." Makoto turned his head. "I think their Haru-chan fans?"

"Why?"

Makoto's eyes blinked. "Oh. Not you."

"Good."

"Haru-chan as in Haruna."

"Why?"

"Haru, you do understand your sister is a famous pop idol, right?"

"So?"

Makoto let out a deep breath. "Never mind."

Haru shrugged his shoulders and started doing a few exercises when some of the girls decided to make annoying sounds. He glanced over and moved so Makoto was between him and the girls and heard sounds of dismay. For some reason, Haruna found what happened amusing, but Gou...

Gou stood frozen at one end of the pool. She was definitely not her usual exuberant self and he found himself staring at her while she stared at Haruna. He was now very confused. Makoto said, "Don't ask me. I don't understand girls much better than you do."

"Oh." Haru returned to trying to warm up before getting into the pool when Nagisa and Rei came over.

"What is she doing here?" Rei seemed in a panic, but Nagisa seemed excited for some strange reason.

"It's a rather long story."

"How is it a long story?" Haru was yet again confused.

"Never..."

A sudden flash made Haru step backward into Makoto, but his entire body froze up. The people Haruna called paparazzi – people with cameras who got into people's personal space to make money off other people's discomfort – showed up. Amakata sensei started shouting yet Haru couldn't hear the words. Instead, he found himself starting to panic as another picture was snapped.

He did register certain things such as Haruna's bodyguards showing up despite not being visible until that point. He also heard Haruna's soft voice talking to him trying to calm him as well as Makoto's voice trying to do the same. He almost felt as if he were drowning, yet the memory of almost doing so rushed back. Water never made him feel that way, but people did.

It was then that he heard Gou let out a sound indicating someone startled her and glanced up in time to see someone bump into her where she stood next to the pool. The action of bumping into her knocked her into the water, but he remembered Gou, despite being the swim manager, that she couldn't swim. He heard the splash indicating she'd hit the water but quickly dove in.