Clouded Distance | Free! Fan Fiction

1. A New Beginning

Clouded Distance

Chapter One

A New Beginning

"The water is alive. Once you dive in, it will immediately bare its fangs and attack. But there's nothing to fear. After all, this water has been tamed. It's been defanged and neutered. For me... it's not enough."

It was strange how, only a mere year ago, overlooking the waves as they crashed against the land would send a thrill of fear through Etsumi Hana's body. How she would freeze and panic at the mere thought of being pulled under the icy waves once more.

That was a year ago.

But now, she stood, leaning against the railing overlooking the ocean, feeling nothing but calm, content, and very, very, cold.

The waves, coloured a light grey that reflected the clouded sky, rolled over one another as they crashed against the shore. They were bigger than they were in the summer, since the winter wind was howling over the surface.

The wind was cold and, if you were standing right on the beach, sans would have been continually flicked against any exposed skin, the grains stinging. But no one was on the beach, perhaps for this reason, and the ones nearest to it stood on the road overlooking the grey waters.

Though she wasn't being constantly attacked by minute grains of sand, Hana still had problems with the wind. She suddenly cursed herself for not tying her hair back when she left the house: strands of light brown hair constantly got in her eyes, no matter how often she tucked it behind her ears. In the end, she gave up, instead focusing on keeping herself warm. She crossed her arms over her chest and dug her chin into the scarf she was wearing. Even though she had rugged up well, the wind that day was relentless.

It wouldn't have been too bad a day, really, if it hadn't been for the wind.

Hana glanced down at the watch on her wrist. She'd rolled up the sleeve of her light blue jumper so she could keep an eye on the time. She grimaced. She'd been waiting for about ten minutes now. She guessed it was her own fault for arriving much earlier before their scheduled time.

I hope he doesn't take too much longer. This wind is awful. Why did we decide to meet on the beach anyway?

Hana was so preoccupied with keeping warm that she hadn't heard anyone approach behind her, so she jumped a little when she felt someone's arms wrap around her body. But she soon relaxed, a smile coming on to her face as she leaned back, allowing the arms to squeeze her just that little bit more.

Tilting her head back, Hana grinned to see two vibrant blue eyes, the exact colour of the water on a beautiful, sunny day. "Hey, Haru."

Nanase Haruka's expression remained mostly unchanged, but Hana knew his face enough to see the smile in his eyes, and the look of fondness and love he reserved only for her. "Hey, Hana," he said in response.

Hana smiled and detached herself from his arms, so she could turn around. Standing on tiptoe, a bit irked that, despite that she'd grown a little, she still remained about half a head shorter than Haru. She interwined her hands in his and kissed him. He did the same. It only lasted for a short while, but it still meant as much to Hana as a long, drawn-out kiss would.

They'd been going out since the regional competition the previous year. They had been unsure and hesitant about the whole relationship thing at first, neither having much experience to do with relationships. Hana's only knowledge came from books and movies, and the occasional video game, while Haru hadn't had much of a clue at all. But they'd tested these new waters together, and eventually the awkwardness had vanished, and they suddenly were in tune with each other to the point they were more comfortable around each other than anyone else.