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Since U Been Gone Kelly Clarkson 2004 #2 Behind These Hazel Eyes Kelly Clarkson 2005 #6 U + Ur Hand P!nk 2006 #9 Who Knew P!nk 2007 #9 I Kissed a Girl Katy Perry 2008 #1 So What P!nk 2008 #1 Hot n Cold Katy Perry 2008 #3 My Life Would Suck Without You Kelly Clarkson 2009 #1 3 Britney Spears 2009 #1 Whataya Want from Me Adam Lambert 2009 #10 California Gurls Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg 2010 #1 Dynamite Taio Cruz 2010 #2 Teenage Dream Katy Perry 2010 #1 DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love Usher featuring Pitbull 2010 #4 Raise Your Glass P!nk 2010 #1 F**kin' Perfect P!nk 2010 #2 Hold It Against Me Britney Spears 2011 #1 Blow Kesha 2011 #7 Loser Like Me Glee Cast 2011 #6 E. T. Katy Perry 2011 #1 Till the World Britney Spears 2011 #3 166
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Ends I Wanna Go Britney Spears 2011 #7 Last Friday Night (T. G. I. F. ) Katy Perry 2011 #1 The One That Got Away Katy Perry 2011 #3 Domino Jessie J 2011 #6 Part of Me Katy Perry 2012 #1 Scream Usher 2012 #9 Wide Awake Katy Perry 2012 #2 We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together Taylor Swift 2012 #1 One More Night Maroon 5 2012 #1 Beauty and a Beat Justin Bieber featuring Nicki Minaj 2012 #5 I Knew You Were Trouble Taylor Swift 2012 #2 Daylight Maroon 5 2012 #7 Roar Katy Perry 2013 #1 Dark Horse Katy Perry featuring Juicy J 2013 #1 Problem Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea 2014 #2 Break Free Ariana Grande featuring Zedd 2014 #4 Shake It Off Taylor Swift 2014 #1 Bang Bang Jessie J, Ariana 2014 #3 167
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Grande, and Nicki Minaj Love Me Harder Ariana Grande and The Weeknd 2014 #7 Blank Space Taylor Swift 2014 #1 Love Me Like You Do Ellie Goulding 2015 #3 Style Taylor Swift 2015 #6 Bad Blood Taylor Swift 2015 #1 Can' t Feel My Face The Weeknd 2015 #1 Wildest Dreams Taylor Swift 2015 #5 Focus Ariana Grande 2015 #7 Hands to Myself Selena Gomez 2016 #7 Can' t Stop the Feeling! Justin Timberlake 2016 #1 Dangerous Woman Ariana Grande 2016 #8 Just Like Fire P!nk 2016 #10 Send My Love (To Your New Lover) Adele 2016 #8 Side to Side Ariana Grande featuring Nicki Minaj 2016 #4 Chained to the Rhythm Katy Perry featuring Skip Marley 2017 #4... Ready For It? Taylor Swift 2017 #4 No Tears Left to Cry Ariana Grande 2018 #3 168
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God Is a Woman Ariana Grande 2018 #8 Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored Ariana Grande 2019 #2 I Don' t Care Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber 2019 #2 Blinding Lights The Weeknd 2019 #1 Stupid Love Lady Gaga 2020 #5 Save Your Tears The Weeknd 2020 #1 Take My Breath The Weeknd 2021 #6 My Universe Coldplay and BTS 2021 #1 169
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Appendix B: “... Baby One More Time” Lyrics [Intro] Oh, baby, baby Oh, baby, baby [Verse 1] Oh, baby, baby How was I supposed to know That something wasn' t right here? Oh, baby, baby I shouldn' t have let you go And now you're out of sight, yeah [Pre-Chorus] Show me how you want it to be Tell me, baby, 'cause I need to know now Oh, because [Chorus] My loneliness is killing me (And I) I must confess, I still believe (Still believe) When I'm not with you, I lose my mind Give me a sign Hit me, baby, one more time [Verse 2] Oh, baby, baby The reason I breathe is you (Oh, yeah) Boy, you got me blinded Oh, pretty, baby There' s nothing that I wouldn' t do It's not the way I planned it [Pre-Chorus] Show me how you want it to be Tell me, baby, 'cause I need to know now 171
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Oh, because [Chorus] My loneliness is killing me (And I) I must confess, I still believe (Still believe) When I'm not with you, I lose my mind Give me a sign Hit me, baby, one more time [Post-Chorus] Oh, baby, baby (Oh) Oh, baby, baby (Yeah) [Bridge] Oh, baby, baby How was I supposed to know? Oh, pretty, baby I shouldn' t have let you go I must confess that my loneliness is killing me now Don' t you know I still believe That you will be here and give me a sign Hit me, baby, one more time [Chorus] My loneliness is killing me (And I) I must confess, I still believe (Still believe) When I'm not with you, I lose my mind Give me a sign Hit me, baby, one more time [Outro] I must confess (My loneliness) That my loneliness (Is killing me) Is killing me now (I must confess, I still believe) Don' t you know I still believe (When I'm not with you) That you will be here (I lose my mind) And give me a sign Hit me, baby, one more time 172
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Appendix C: “Since U Been Gone” Lyrics [Verse 1] Here' s the thing, we started out friends It was cool, but it was all pretend Yeah-yeah, since you been gone You dedicated, you took the time Wasn't long till I called you mine Yeah-yeah, since you been gone [Pre-Chorus] And all you'd ever hear me say Is how I pictured me with you That' s all you'd ever hear me say [Chorus] But since you been gone I can breathe for the first time I'm so moving on, yeah-yeah Thanks to you, now I get what I want Since you been gone [Verse 2] How can I put it? You put me on I even fell for that stupid love song Yeah-yeah, since you been gone [Pre-Chorus] How come I'd never hear you say “I just wanna be with you” (With you) I guess you never felt that way [Chorus] But since you been gone I can breathe for the first time I'm so moving on, yeah-yeah Thanks to you, now I get, I get what I want 173
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Since you been gone [Bridge] You had your chance, you blew it Out of sight, out of mind Shut your mouth, I just can't take it Again and again and again and again [Chorus] Since you been gone (Since you been gone) I can breathe for the first time I'm so moving on, yeah-yeah Thanks to you (Thanks to you) Now I get, I get what I want I can breathe for the first time I'm so moving on, yeah-yeah Thanks to you (Thanks to you) Now I get (I get) You should know (You should know) That I get, I get what I want [Outro] Since you been gone Since you been gone Since you been gone 174
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Appendix D: “Teenage Dream” Lyrics [Verse 1] You think I'm pretty without any makeup on You think I'm funny when I tell the punchline wrong I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down Before you met me, I was alright But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life Now every February, you'll be my Valentine, Valentine [Pre-Chorus] Let's go all the way tonight No regrets, just love We can dance until we die You and I, we'll be young forever [Chorus] You make me feel like I'm livin' a teenage dream The way you turn me on, I can't sleep Let's run away and don't ever look back Don' t ever look back My heart stops when you look at me Just one touch, now, baby, I believe This is real, so take a chance and don't ever look back Don' t ever look back [Verse 2] We drove to Cali and got drunk on the beach Got a motel and built a fort out of sheets I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece, I'm complete [Pre-Chorus] Let's go all the way tonight No regrets, just love We can dance until we die You and I, we'll be young forever 175
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[Chorus] You make me feel like I'm livin' a teenage dream The way you turn me on, I can't sleep Let's run away and don't ever look back Don't ever look back My heart stops when you look at me Just one touch, now, baby, I believe This is real, so take a chance and don't ever look back Don' t ever look back [Bridge] I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans Be your teenage dream tonight Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans Be your teenage dream tonight (Tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight) [Chorus] (You make me) You make me feel like I'm livin' a teenage dream The way you turn me on, I can't sleep Let's run away and don't ever look back Don' t ever look back (No) My heart stops when you look at me Just one touch, now, baby, I believe This is real (Oh), so take a chance and don't ever look back Don' t ever look back [Outro] I'ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans Be your teenage dream tonight Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans Be your teenage dream tonight (Tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight) 176
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Appendix E: “Blank Space” Lyrics [Verse 1] Nice to meet you, where you been? I could show you incredible things Magic, madness, heaven, sin Saw you there, and I thought “Oh my God, look at that face You look like my next mistake Love' s a game, wanna play?” Ayy New money, suit and tie I can read you like a magazine Ain't it funny? Rumors fly And I know you heard about me So, hey, let's be friends I'm dying to see how this one ends Grab your passport and my hand I can make the bad guys good for a weekend [Chorus] So it's gonna be forever Or it's gonna go down in flames? You can tell me when it's over, mmm If the high was worth the pain Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane 'Cause you know I love the players And you love the game 'Cause we're young and we're reckless We'll take this way too far It'll leave you breathless, mmm Or with a nasty scar Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane But I've got a blank space, baby And I'll write your name 177
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[Verse 2] Cherry lips, crystal skies I could show you incredible things Stolen kisses, pretty lies You're the king, baby, I'm your queen Find out what you want Be that girl for a month Wait, the worst is yet to come Oh, no Screaming, crying, perfect storms I can make all the tables turn Rose garden filled with thorns Keep you second guessing, like “Oh my God, who is she?” I get drunk on jealousy But you'll come back each time you leave 'Cause, darling, I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream [Chorus] So it's gonna be forever Or it's gonna go down in flames? You can tell me when it's over, mmm If the high was worth the pain Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane 'Cause you know I love the players And you love the game 'Cause we're young and we're reckless (Oh) We'll take this way too far It'll leave you breathless (Oh-oh), mmm Or with a nasty scar Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane (Insane) But I've got a blank space, baby And I'll write your name [Bridge] Boys only want love if it's torture Don' t say I didn' t, say I didn' t warn ya 178
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Boys only want love if it's torture Don' t say I didn' t, say I didn' t warn ya [Chorus] So it's gonna be forever Or it's gonna go down in flames? You can tell me when it's over (Over), mmm If the high was worth the pain Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane (I'm insane) 'Cause you know I love the players And you love the game (And you love the game) 'Cause we're young and we're reckless (Yeah) We'll take this way too far (Ooh) It'll leave you breathless, mmm Or with a nasty scar (With a nasty scar) Got a long list of ex-lovers They'll tell you I'm insane But I've got a blank space, baby And I'll write your name 179
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Glossary comping : A common editing production practice in popular music where multiple takes are compiled in a DAW to create an ideal “final take. ” Most vocals heard on the final version of a pop song have been comped. Typically, the producer is responsible for comping and deciding what vocal takes to use. digital audio workstation (DA W) : A digital music production software used for recording and editing, typically on a personal computer. There are many DAWs available for download or purchase and their use extends beyond music into producing for radio, television, and podcasts. folkmusik : Swedish word for “folk music. ” folkvisa : Swedish word for “folk song,” typically a traditional folk song composed and passed down orally. kulning : Swedish music tradition dating back to the medieval period. Most often sung by women to lure livestock down from the hills where they grazed. 557 kultur dagar : “Culture-days,” large-scale festivals with music and food, organized partly by political agencies. 558 kulturnatta: “Culture nights. ” See kultur dagar. 559 kulturskola : Swedish “culture schools” or integrated arts schools, which offer lessons in various artistic disciplines for students at the end of the school day. Related to, and often associated with, municipal music schools. Schlager : German word that denotes a genre of popular music in Europe defined by a catchy, danceable instrumental to a pop-style vocal melody, often accompanied by simple lyrics. The word was also introduced in Sweden around 1920 to mean “hit,” as in a “hit song. ” 559 Ibid. 558 Ronström, Malm, and Lundberg, “Concerts and Festivals: Public Performances of Folk Music in Sweden,” 58. 557 Anderson, “Evolution of Swedish Folk Music. ” 181
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slagdänga : Original Swedish word for “hit,” replaced by Schlager around 1920. spelmån : A Swedish folk musician. spelmänslag : An amateur group of Swedish folk musicians. spelmansstämmor : Fiddler 's gathering where folk musicians and fiddlers assemble, play music, and dance in an informal, often outdoor setting. 560 spelmanstävling : Fiddler 's competition where folk musicians and fiddlers compete originally outdoors in the countryside and later in urban city centers. 561 Svensk folkton : “Swedish folk tone” also known as “folkviseton” (“folk-song tone”). Used to describe the sound or sonic qualities of Swedish folk music, such as the inclusion of quarter-tone and half-tone intervals, minor harmony, and fifth-leaps up or down to the tonic. The term is inaccurate for labeling any particular characteristic of Swedish folk music. 562 svensktopp : Swedish term derived from the popular radio program Svensktoppen and used in the 1960s to denote “adult music,” or popular music with Swedish lyrics. 563 563 Ibid, 6. 562 Björnberg and Bossius, M a d e i n S w e d e n, 132. 561 Ibid, 51. 560 Ibid, 52. 182
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Songs Cited Clarkson, Kelly. “Since U Been Gone. ” 19 Recordings Ltd. under exclusive license to RCA/JIVE label group, a unit of Sony Music Entertainment, 2004, Accessed October 18, 2022. https://open. spotify. com/track/3xrn9i8zh NZs Ttco Wg QEAd?si=38cb23a a574a488a. Perry, Katy. “Teenage Dream. ” Capitol Records, LLC, 2010, Accessed November 23, 2022. https://open. spotify. com/track/5jz KL4BDMCl Wq Rgu W5q Zvh?si=3430 d590643a4ed5. Spears, Britney. “... Baby One More Time. ” Zomba Recording LLC, 1998, Accessed September 12, 2022. https://open. spotify. com/track/3Mj Ut NVVq3C8Fn0MP3zh Xa?si=1ef3f4 3ec2a94919. Swift, Taylor. “Blank Space. ” Apollo A-1 LLC, 2014, Accessed December 3, 2022. https://open. spotify. com/track/1p80Ldx R V74UKv L8gn D7ky?si=cf0f244 df4554876. 183
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sweden. se. “The Swedish Music Miracle,” April 29, 2022. https://sweden. se/culture/arts-design/the-swedish-music-miracle. Thompson, Stephen. “The Decade In Music: Kelly Clarkson' s 'Since U Been Gone' (2005). ” NPR, November 16, 2009. https://www. npr. org/2009/1 1/16/120442498/the-decade-in-music-kelly-c larksons-since-u-been-gone-2005. This Is Pop. Season 1, episode 3, “Stockholm Syndrome. ” Directed by Jared Raab. Aired March 20, 2021. https://www. netflix. com/watch/81058761?track Id=14277283&tctx=-97 %2C-97%2C%2C%2C%2C%2C%2C%2C81050786%2CV ideo%3A810 50786 Visit Sweden. “Time and Daylight in Sweden,” December 22, 2022. https://visitsweden. com/about-sweden/time-and-daylight-hours/. Trust, Gary. “Ask Billboard: In 2015, the Top of the Hot 100 Is Where the Boys Are. ” Billboar d, October 17, 2015. https://www. billboard. com/pro/ask-billboard-in-2015-the-top-of-the-hot-100-is-where-the-boys/. ———. “Katy Perry Makes Hot 100 History: Ties Michael Jackson' s Record. ” Billboar d, August 17, 2011. https://www. billboard. com/music/music-news/katy-perry-makes-hot-100-history-ties-michael-jacksons-record-467879/. ———. “Katy Perry Still Holds Record, as The Chainsmokers Fall From Hot 100's Top 10 After 61 Consecutive Weeks. ” Billboar d, July 10, 2017. https://www. billboard. com/pro/katy-perry-record-chainsmokers-fall-hot-100-top-10/. ———. “The Songwriters & Producers With the Most Billboard Hot 100 No. 1s. ” Billboar d, August 24, 2022. https://www. billboard. com/pro/hot-100-writers-producers-most-no-1s/. ———. “This Week in Billboard Chart History: In 2000, 'Oops,' Britney Spears Hit No. 1 'Again. '” Billboar d, May 29, 2017. https://www. billboard. com/pro/this-week-in-billboard-chart-history-in-2 000-oops-britney-spears/. Unterber ger, Andrew. “2013 Was the Year That... Streaming Officially Became Unignorable. ” Billboar d, December 5, 2019. https://www. billboard. com/music/music-news/2013-year-of-streaming-8 545169/. ———. “Play It Again, Max: How the Piano Riff to Britney Spears' 'Baby One More Time' Became the Most Iconic Hook of Its Era. ” Billboar d, October 23, 2018. 199
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https://www. billboard. com/music/features/britney-spears-baby-one-more-time-piano-hook-max-martin-8480754/. ———. “While You Weren' t Looking, Taylor Swift Scored Her Biggest 'Reputation' Radio Hit. ” Billboar d, July 6, 2018. https://www. billboard. com/pro/taylor-swift-delicate-reputation-biggest-r adio-hit/. Census Bureau. “U. S. Census Bureau Quick Facts: California. ” Accessed January 3, 2023. https://www. census. gov/quickfacts/CA. Vena, Jocelyn. “Katy Perry On New LP: 'We Nailed It!'” MTV, March 29, 2010. https://www. mtv. com/news/bbdq8p/katy-perry-on-new-lp-we-nailed-it. Walters, Barry. “ABBA 's Essential, Influential Melancholy. ” NPR, May 23, 2015. https://www. npr. org/sections/therecord/2015/05/23/408844375/abbas-ess ential-influential-melancholy. Walthall, Catherine. “Behind the Song Lyrics: 'Since U Been Gone,' Kelly Clarkson. ” American Songwriter, December 10, 2021. https://americansongwriter. com/since-u-been-gone-kelly-clarkson-behin d-song-lyrics/. Ware, Jessie, and Lennie Ware. “S12 Ep 8: Max Martin. ” Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware. Accessed January 2, 2023. https://open. spotify. com/episode/33Jz EO23fe10CFnb3qr6DY?si=be6b5 344c48a4da3. Weatherby, Taylor. “*NSYNC Reflects on Making U. S. Debut & Competing With Backstreet Boys as Self-T itled Album Turns 20: 'It Was Us Against the World. '” Billboar d, March 24, 2018. https://www. billboard. com/music/pop/nsync-debut-album-us-20th-anniv ersary-oral-history-8258181/. Weiner, Jonah. “The Return of Lorde. ” The New Y ork T imes, April 12, 2017, sec. Magazine. https://www. nytimes. com/2017/04/12/magazine/the-return-of-lorde. html. Westhof f, Ben. “What The Hell Is Backstreet Boys' 'I Want It That Way' About? UPDA TE: Mind-Blowing Shit Has Come To Light. ” LA W eekly, December 15, 2011. https://www. laweekly. com/what-the-hell-is-backstreet-boys-i-want-it-tha t-way-about-update-mind-blowing-shit-has-come-to-light/. ABC News. “Why Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Britney Spears and More Turn to Sweden for Help,” August 13, 2020. 200
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https://www. abc. net. au/news/2020-08-14/sweden-dominates-pop-music-could-australia-follow-its-lead/12541620. Willman, Chris. “Dr. Luke: The Billboard Cover Story. ” Billboar d, September 3, 2010. https://www. billboard. com/music/music-news/dr-luke-the-billboard-cove r-story-956518/. Zollo, Paul. “The Oral History of Taylor Swift' s '1989. '” Cuepoint (blog), February 14, 2016. https://medium. com/cuepoint/the-oral-history-of-taylor-swift-s-1989-d98 69cc13adc. Grammy. Accessed January 2, 2023. https://www. grammy. com/artists/max-martin/15284. 201
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I Don't Know Why I Got Married By: Geo Fount [Gou x Mikoshiba] When the Iwatobi Swim team goes to another country for a summer program, Gou thinks this might be the chance they need to earn some money and help her brother be his old self again. What she didn't plan on is waking up one morning after a night of really stupid drunken partying to find herself married to the Captain of the Samezuka swim team. Status: complete Published: 2013-10-14 Updated: 2018-05-29 Words: 260936 Chapters: 36 Rated: Fiction M-Language: English-Genre: Romance/Humor-Characters: [Gou M., Seijuurou M. ]-Reviews: 485-Favs: 438-Follows: 436 Original source: https://www. fanfiction. net/s/9764966/1/I-Don-t-Know-Why-I-Got-Married Exported with the assistance of Fic Hub. net
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I Don't Know Why I Got Married Introduction Marriage Divorce History Bed Worse Schedule Knowledge Shipwreck Key Shopping Illusions Name Conscience Initiate Adoption Cooking Surely Winning Adapt Truth Fantasy Loss Defeat Squid Love Warmth
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Crack Wound Break Decision Truth Redux Loss Redux Love Redux Warmth Redux Marriage Redux Bonus
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Marriage Aka: I don't know what I'm doing with my life anymore. Sort of AUish. T akes place roughly after episode 5 when Rin is still being a butt to everyone but Rei has joined the team and knows how to swim. Water. Water everywhere, as far as the eye could see. Sparking, undulating water like a mirror someone had spilled golden paint on. Ribbons of cloud passed by, swirls of white in the golden reflection. The sun was rising. Gou sighed and pulled the plastic down over the window, leaning back into her seat. She was sick of looking at water. Besides the water, the inside of the cabin was all she had been able to see for the past ten some odd hours. In the seat next to her Miho Amakata stirred. Her arm moved and her hand flung out, coming dangerously close to smacking Gou in the face. It wouldn't be the first time. Amakata flopped around in her sleep like an overactive three year old. Carefully Gou took the hand and placed it by Amakata's head. The cabin was very quiet, only the occasional cough, snort, or slight snore ushering from the occupants. The majority of people were sleeping. Even the stewards had retired to some hidden space to catch some shut eye. In the seat in front of her Gou could see Nagisa's blond head resting on Rei's shoulder and Rei's head atop the smaller boy's. The two were most certainly conked out. Like sleeping Amakata, Nagisa was like an overactive three year old when wake. Gou couldn't recall how
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many times Rei had scolded him for something, not that it stopped Nagisa. Gou wouldn't have been surprised if Nagisa did it on purpose. In the seat in front of the two were Makoto and Haru. Gou hadn't seen or heard much from them. A good thing likely. When they had started flying over the ocean, Haru had promptly crawled over Makoto into the aisle and begun disrobing, intent on swimming in the ocean somehow. Who knew what plan of action Haru had planned to take to get out of the plane. He likely hadn't thought that far himself. They would have been kicked of f f they weren't already in the air. As it was Makoto had been forced to sedate Haru. Haru didn't do well in closed spaces to begin with and he had never flown before. He had moved around elentlessly, standing up in his seat and getting scolded multiple times by the stewards. Makoto had had no choice but to sedate him. It was for the best for all on board. If Gou leaned far enough to the side she could see Haru's black hair and his head leaning against the wall. If she stretched herself up far enough she could see Makoto's spiky hair over his seat. Both sleeping. Across the aisle from her and Amakata sat Coach Goro Sasabe. He had been quiet most of the trip, except for when he had been yelling at Haru when the teen had started flinging of f clothes, content to sit in his seat and read swimsuit magazines. Like the others he too was now sleeping, one of the swimsuit magazines splayed across his lap. Gou glared at its glossy surface, wondering how dirty the material was inside. Sighing again, she leaned back once more. She had gotten very little sleep. Sleeping in this sort of atmosphere was hard for her and it seemed like anytime she did manage to drift into slumber Amakata would plant her hand in Gou's cheek. She had given up after awhile and listened to her IPod but it had run out of juice about two hours ago. Looking out the window had only amused Gou for so long and she was finding herself growing more and more bored. She wished
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someone was awake for her to talk to and she entertained the idea of waking up Amakata but decided against it. The teacher needed all the sleep she could get. Who knew what sort of chaos they would encounter once they landed. Landed. Gou hoped that was soon. She had forgotten to bring a watch with her and she hadn't bothered to use her cell phone so she could only guess how long they had been flying for. Probably somewhere close to twelve hours. Six more hours to go. Or was it ten? Gou sighed for the third time and wondered not for the first time how they ended up doing this. It had been Nagisa's idea. Nagisa was normally the one who thought up such schemes and he had approached this one with the same exuberance he did everything else with. " See, this is where it's at. " He pointed to a country close to Italy. "Right here. " Gou frowned as she looked over the map pinned to the wall. "I don't think that's right. I think it's over here. " She pointed to a country close to Brazil. Rei snorted, a snort that clearly said 'you're both wrong. ' He pointed to a country way in the north by Russia. "It's here. " " D-does it really matter where it is? I mean... " Makoto looked over the pamphlet in his lap. "It says here that's been a private entity for the last forty years and it has not had international relations with any country in that time. Not even its neighbors. " " Yes, yes, Mako-chan!" Nagisa grabbed the pamphlet out of his lap. "But it also says the country is trying to strengthen its relations and is inviting schools from all over the world to stay there for the summer in a program of friendly competition!"
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Makoto rubbed his chin. "A whole summer is a long time to be in a different country," he mused. "A different country that hardly anyone knows anything about. " That was true. They had tried asking Amakata about it but she had only blinked and said she wasn't a geography teacher. She had never heard of the country. Rei hadn't known anything either but he said he would memorize the formula for it, whatever that had meant. " They'll provide lodging and pay for the air flight to and from the country," said Rei, reading over Nagisa's shoulder. "They are also offering free tours of landmarks and important attractions so the students who do participate can learn more about the country. " He pushed his glasses further onto his face. "It is... not a bad deal. " " They're also offering a 5,000 dollar award to the swimming team that wins their competition!" said Nagisa. Makoto's eyebrow twitched. Gou could read it in his eyes. A 5,000 dollar award. That would solve all their financial problems. They had been struggling for funds since starting the club and they had not been able to deliver any accomplishments that might raise their funding as of yet. But 5,000 dollars? They would be set for the whole year if not longer. " What does Ama-chan say about this?" " Ama-chan said travelers repose and dream among leaves. I think she was quoting someone but I forgot who. " Rei frowned. "I cannot be certain if that was a yes or not. " " She's probably waiting to hear what we decide," said Gou. She paused a moment, wondering if she should say it then plowed ahead. "Brother's school is going too. " " Rin-chan will be there?!"
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Gou nodded. "He mentioned it my mother and I last week. The captain of his swim team thought it sounded interesting and would make a good presentation on their school. " She didn't follow that with that her brother was hardly around anyway so him leaving for another country for the summer wouldn't change anything. That was best kept to herself she felt. She sneaked a peek at where Haru sat in the chair of the desk Makoto was sitting on, but the dark haired teen was looking at some spot on the wall. She couldn't tell what he was thinking at hearing the news that her brother would be there. Makoto rubbed the back of his head. "What do you think, Haru?" Haru closed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "It sounds like too much effort. " " Oh, look at this!" Nagisa waved the pamphlet in the air. "The country boasts they have the largest swimming pool in the world!" A moment later the pamphlet was snatched out of Nagisa's hand. Haru stood with the paper stretched out before him, staring at it as if he had found the fountain of youth. Makoto laughed a little. "Looks like we're going. " Amakata had agreed to the trip somehow. Even Goro had when the idea had been pitched to him, saying he needed a vacation. It was nice having two adults with them. Gou liked Amakata quite a bit but the teacher could be a little ditsy at times and it was an awful lot for one person to manage. Having Goro there to help would help lighten the burden on the poor literature teacher. So here they were, on a plane flying across the ocean to some country that not had relations with any other country until now. Once their school had been accepted into the program, Rei had done some research on where they were going. Apparently it had been a
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dictatorship up until about ten years when the dictator had finally been toppled and a democracy had taken its place. Since then the country had been working on its human rights, infrastructure, and economy, and was trying to open up relations and communications with foreign nations. The program they were now a part of was one of those ef forts. Other clubs from the school had been invited as well, although most were not as long as the swimming program. Gou's friend Hana would be arriving a few weeks from now with the debate team for example, and Gou had heard the art team would be joining them as well. Gou had been happy to hear that. It would be nice to have a female friend there with her for at least part of the summer. Gou rubbed her hands together, nerves pricking up her arms, and hoped this trip would be worth it. When the plane finally did land, Gou nearly ran over two small children to get of f. As it was it took nearly an hour. Haru was slow and sluggish, some after ef fects of the sedative, and Makoto had to nearly carry him and all their bags of f the plane. It was no easier in the terminal. Nagisa kept trying to run of f to look at stuf f and Haru kept asking where the pool was. This is like herding cats. Thankfully Rei had bothered to learn a little of the local language and was able to find out where they needed to go to pick up the rest of their bags. As they stood there waiting for the carousel to come around, Gou looked about herself. There was a mix of dif ferent ethnicities everywhere. Schools from all over the world had come to participate in the program. She couldn't tell who was foreigner and who was local. The orientation for the program would begin very shortly. As Gou understood their flight had been one of the last flights over. Most of the other schools had gotten here yesterday or the day before.
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A flash of a black jacket caught her eye and she turned to try and find the golden letters of the Samezuka Academy but the person was around the corner before she could know for sure. Had her brother and his school landed already? She had no way of knowing and her phone wasn't currently working. They would have to get new temporary phones to use. Where are you, brother? "Gou-chan," Amakata called and Gou turned her attention back to the present, doing her best to push thoughts of her brother out of her mind for now. It wasn't until the end of orientation that she finally saw him. The orientation was long and boring, Gou found herself dozing of f in her chair. Amakata and Goro were doing the same next to her, but Nagisa, Rei, and Makoto were paying rapt attention. Gou tried her best to rouse herself, reminding herself that she was the swim team's manager. She had to pay attention. To plan things. Yes. Plan things. That's what she did. Her eyelids drooped as the person at the podium drowned on. She looked across at Haru, who was awake as the others, but not paying attention to the person speaking in the least. His eyes were on the crowd, scanning the rows of seated students. He's looking for Rin. She smiled a little. Once the presentation was over, they received their housing assignments, and began to make their way to the front to hail down some cabs. They were almost to the front when Ghou finally spotted him standing near the bathrooms with a shorter gray haired boy that she vaguely remembered as Nitori. "Brother!" At the sound of her voice he looked up. "Gou?" His mouth fell open a bit. "What are you doing here?"
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She stopped in front of him, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. For some reason whenever she saw her brother she always felt like a little girl again, happy and carefree. "W e're here for the program! W e decided to join it!" "The program?" He blinked then his eyes cleared, and he made a tch sound. "The swimming program. I'm guessing that means Haru is here too then. " Gou stopped rocking. "Uh, y-yes. The whole swim club came. " Rin's mouth was set in a firm line and Gou could see him glaring over her head. Gou glanced behind herself. Haru. Rin was glaring at Haru. Nitori asked, "What's wrong, sempai?" Rin didn't get a chance to answer as Nagisa suddenly surged in beside Gou, planting himself right into their conversation. "Rin-chan! I'm so glad you're here! W e'll be able to swim together again!" He made that weird peace sign he always liked doing. "Let's have fun all summer!" Rin grit his teeth. It appeared as if he were about to say something nasty but he didn't get a chance to, "Hey, Matsuoka! Let's go!" Gou recognized that voice. She had heard it several times before. "Captain Mikoshiba... The Captain of the Samezuka Academy, Mikoshiba. Ghou didn't know his first name. He was dressed in the Samezuka colors and his expression was bored until he caught sight of her. His eyes, that strange gold color, lit up like lampposts. "Ah, yo! Fancy meeting you here!" He smiled at her. "Are you here for the program as well, Gou-kun?" Gou's smiled faded. Her eyelids lowered. "Please don't use Gou and kun together... "
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Rin glanced Haru's way again and made another tch sound. He walked away without comment. Nitori followed him and Gou might have done the same had Mikoshiba not started talking to her. "I can't believe you're part of the program, Gou-kun! Matsuoka never mentioned it before. That's great, how exciting! W e can swim together then!" Gou was hardly listening, trying to look at her brother from around the captain. "Ah, yes. " "Hey, hey, you know later tonight after we get everyone settled in we'll be going to take a look around the town!" His smile was so wide it nearly split his face in two. "Y ou should come with us, Gou-kun. " Now that did catch her attention. "What?" "We'll be checking out the downtown area," Mikoshiba continued. "You should come with us to learn more about the area!" "A-ah, maybe... " "Ooooh, checking out the area?!" Nagisa's eyes were bright. "That sounds like a great idea! W e should go together!" "It wouldn't hurt to check out things," Makoto agreed, walking forward to join the conversation. He was the captain of their swim team after all. "W e will be here for three months. W e should get to know the area. " "Exactly, you should definitely come! All of you are welcome!" Someone called out to Mikoshiba, indicating they were ready, and the Samezuka captain waved in acknowledgement. "Be right there!" Turning back to Gou, Mikoshiba smiled once again. "Meet us at the Jurrian at 8! See you later!" He walked of f towards the rest of his swim team with a wave. "Okay!" said Nagisa, waving back despite the fact Mikoshiba had his back to him and couldn't see it.
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"Well, it looks like we'll have some company later on tonight. " He rubbed the side of his face. "I'm-I'm sure it won't turn out badly. " Next to him Haru just sighed. Eight o'clock rolled around faster than Gou would have liked. After going to their housing assignments, two houses with two bedrooms each (due to being a smaller school and a swim team without any accomplishments they were expected to share bedrooms) and unpacking, Nagisa had immediately coerced the others into going downtown. Haru had been resistant at first, only relenting when Makoto said they could check out the pool that was close to the downtown area. Amakate and Goro had opted to stay in. Amakata had a lot of luggage to unpack and Goro was exhausted. The two adults advised the teens to behave and not stay out too late, but had not given them any instruction outside of that. Either the two adults trusted them or were too tired to care at the moment. Ghou tried to protest against going to, but Nagisa pointed out that Samezuka's Captain had invited her and Makoto pointed out that Rin would likely be there. Her brother. She wanted to see him again. It was silly, how much she worried about him. But she did. His smile got taken away. Now all he is anger and frustration. But she kept these thoughts to herself. She didn't want to disturb Haru. She didn't know what had happened between the two but she knew Haru felt responsible for it in someway. The downtown area was busy and packed with people. All of the students participating in the program seemed to have wanted to go out that night despite the jet lag and exhaustion. There were teens everywhere. And lots of swimmers with swimmer bodies. Even fully dressed Gou couldn't help but ogle some of them. It was really unfair that there was so many of them running around together. It was almost like sensory overload.
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"Here, here!" Nagisa waved them over. "Here it is!" The Jurrian. Makoto stood, looking up at it and studying it. His face began to turn a weird shade of purple. "T-this is a bar, Nagisa. " "Yes, yes," said Nagisa as if he had known all along. Haru pointed out the obvious. "W e can't get in then. " "Sure we can. " The grin on Nagisa's face was positively devilish. "It's not like back home! The drinking age here is only sixteen!" There was a moment of stunned silence. "H-how could you possibly know that?" asked Gou. "Rei-chan told me!" Rei's face was red as he pushed his glasses further upwards. "I-I didn't tell him because of that," he stuttered. Suddenly the huge crowds of young people made so much more sense. Most of them had probably found out about the drinking age and had come out to drink themselves silly. Is that why Amakata-san and Goro let us go out? Gou's eyebrows lowered. How irresponsible. Then another thought crossed her mind. Is that what Samezuka is planning to do? Is that what brother is planning to do? "Let's go!" Nagisa was practically dancing his way up the steps, Rei trailing after scolding him about the dangers of running up stairs. It little oddly Haru followed after them willingly. Perhaps he was curious to taste what liquor was like. Makoto's face was still a strange shade of purple. "I-I guess it couldn't hurt right?" He laughed uncomfortably. "Just a little drink, right?" Gou asked, "Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"
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Makoto didn't answer. He just swallowed and began making his way up the stairs like he was walking to his own hanging. The inside of the bar was crowded. Actually more like packed. There was so many people in there it felt like the temperature had risen ten degrees. Gou didn't think there had been this many people at the airport for God's sake. And so many swimmers. The heat was making them sweat and the sweat was making their clothes stick to their bodies like a second skin. So many muscles So many biceps and pecs. Had she died and gone to swimmer heaven? She shook her head. Remember what you're here for, Gou, she thought and began to look for her brother, doing her best to ignore the shapely triceps that were abound in the area. Nagisa made his way to the bar and somehow managed to squeeze in between two people. He began yelling out names of drinks to the bartender, who had either never heard of them before or Nagisa was simply making them up. "Don't ask for things that don't exist!" scolded Rei, then with a noise of bereavement, tried to coax an actual drink from Nagisa that he did like. Haru was studying the board of drinks overhead like it were a math quiz. "I'll have a blue ocean. " Gou made a face. "Are you just ordering that because it has the word ocean in it?" Haru didn't answer, not that she expected him to. Haru reminded her a lot of a phone that took voice commands. If you gave it a question or command it recognized it would answer instantly, but if you said something to it it didn't recognize you would only get silence. Makoto normally understood these silences from Haru but right now he was too busy staring at the board like it was making him seasick. "Gou-kun!" Gou raised her head at the calling of her name. Her real name. Call me Kou, damnit.
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In a far corner of the bar Mikoshiba was waving to her. The Samezuka swimmers seemed to have obtained a round couch all to themselves. How long have then been here to obtain that, wondered Gou then decided she'd rather not know. She didn't see her brother among them either. Hopefully he wasn't busy being sick in the bathroom. "I-I guess we could go over there," said Makoto. He was sweating profusely but Gou didn't think it was because of the heat. Gou hummed in agreement. She may not see her brother but that didn't mean he wasn't there. Him and Nitori might have stepped outside for a moment. Besides, having a couch to sit on rather than standing among all these packed bodies sounded like a much better alternative. Once Nagisa, Rei, and Haru had gotten their drinks (Gou noting with amusement that Haru's drink really did look like water), they made their way over to the Samezuka group. Mikoshiba had that smile on again that split his face. "Gou-kun, I'm so glad you could make it!" "Thanks. " She gave him a little smile then turned her attention to trying and locate her brother. She didn't even see Nitori anywhere, and he always seemed be attached to her brother's hip. Where could he have gone? To another bar? Haru took a sip of his drink. His face immediately squished up like he had eaten something rotten. "Y ou don't have to drink it if you don't want to," said Makoto but Haru only turned away. "I'm fine. " He forced himself to take another sip. Nagisa, on the other hand, downed his drink in two seconds flat. "Looks go get another one, Rei-chan!" and he dragged the other teen haplessly behind him as he went back to the bar, Rei protesting that he hadn't even tried his.
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Gou looked the table in front of her. It was littered with empty glasses and beer bottles. How much had these boys been drinking before they arrived? How much had her brother drank? A weight settled next to her and she looked up to find Mikoshiba had taken Rei's seat while he was away with Nagisa. "I'm glad you came, Gou-kun. " She noticed faintly that when he was happy his whole face showed it. It wasn't like the smile on the faces of the boys she was used to seeing. Makoto's face didn't light up like this and Nagisa's happiness was more frantic, as if he were going to burst with rainbows and sunshine or something. Mikoshiba's face of happiness was ecstatic but not as charged as Nagisa's. It was a pleasant look. He blinked then and his face smoothed out. "Are you not drinking?" "Oh, um, I don't know. " "You should get a drink!" Mikoshiba gestured to a bar worker walking by. "What do you want?" "Oh no, that's fine. I don't have much money. " "Don't worry about that, don't worry about that, I got you covered. What do you want?" Gou pursed her lips. She had no idea what she wanted or what drinks were like at all. And if he was willing to treat her then hell, she might as well try something. "Something sweet," she said after a moment. She expected Mikoshiba to tease her but he only grinned and said something to the bar worker. Gou twiddled her fingers. "Captain Mikoshiba. " He turned to her and she noticed when he was being attentive his whole face showed that as well. You knew when Mikoshibe was
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giving you his full attention. "Is my brother here?" "Matsuoka?" He tilted his head. "No he decided to stay in and get some sleep. Nitori stayed with him. " "O-oh. " She lowered her eyes. So he hadn't come out. W as it because he knew the Iwantobi boys would be here with his team? Did he want to avoid them that much? "Hey, don't look so glum. " Mikoshiba nudged her in the ribs. "Y our brother was only tired. I don't think he flies well. He complained about motion sickness during the flight. You know your brother, when he sets his mind to something he does it no matter what, and that includes sleeping. Besides, you came out to have fun, didn't you? Don't let him spoil that just because he isn't here. It's our first night in a new country! Let's go crazy!" Gou frowned, not feeling convinced. She looked at the others. Haru was trying to get Makoto to take a sip of his drink. Makoto was tentatively trying to, looking like he was already sick even though he hadn't had a single thing to drink yet. Across the couch from her Nagisa was laughing uproariously and leaning all over Rei. How much had he had to drink? He was smaller than the other boys so he would get drunk faster. He looked like he was drunk already. Rei was yelling at him and there were wet stains on his jacket from Nagisa spilling his drink on him or causing Rei to spill his own drink on himself. Gou stifled a laugh. Okay. They had come out to have a good time. Everyone else was, even Haru. She shouldn't let thoughts of her brother spoil that. Mikoshiba was right. She took a deep breath and smiled. "Okay. " Mikoshiba smiled back. When he smiled his whole face showed it.
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Gou didn't remember how many drinks she had. She remembered that what Mikoshiba ordered for her was red and tasted great, and asking for it when he asked her if she wanted anything else. She remembered toasting with Mikoshiba and both of them laughing. She remembered Haru at one point taking of f his clothes and trying to get into the punch bowl, and Makoto yelling and grabbing him, and Nagisa laughing and encouraging Haru and Rei leaning over barfing into a corner. He didn't hold his liquor well apparently. And Mikoshiba's smile. She remembered that. His smile which lights up his entire face, and how he transitioned so easily from happiness into captain mode, like when he is saying something to one of his swim members who have asked him something. I like that, she thinks. His face, when it becomes so serious. The deep tone of his voice. But his laugh. How does someone have so many different sides of him all in one person? A red drink in her hand. Mikoshiba's arm is extended behind her, not on purpose, just there for him to be comfortable and when she falls back she falls back onto it. Mikoshiba turns to her for a brief second but one of his teammates is talking and Mikoshiba turns back to him, laughing. His arm falls around her shoulders but she doesn't care. She's against his side and he's warm, like sand at the beach. Like a fire. W arm like home. She closes her eyes. He smells like sun and wind. When she opened her eyes, they felt gritty and dry, almost like there was a deep pulsing behind them. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear her vision, and groaned. Her head felt full of cotton and her throat was so dry. She raised a hand to her forehead to try and quell the pounding. Good God she felt horrible. She couldn't recall the last time she had felt this bad. Had she ever felt this bad? This was a terrible idea. I'm
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going to kill Nagisa. Blinking she tried to locate a clock somewhere. What time was it? It had to be early morning. It felt like morning, that coldness in the air before the sun has had a chance to melt it away. Why was she up so early? Then something more important occurred to her. Where am I? She didn't recognize the room she was in. It was most definitely not her room back at home and it wasn't the room Amakata and her had decided to share in their lodging. A weight moved on her hip and Gou looked down. An arm. An arm was draped across her waist. A bare arm that was long and muscular with olive colored skin. Slowly Gou's eyes traced their way up the arm to the body that was attached to it. Oh my. God. Mikoshiba. Mikoshiba was lying beside her. On his stomach with his face buried in some pillows, utterly passed out. He was shirtless and only wore a pair of what looked like boxers. Oh my God, oh my God. Why was she in Mikoshiba's bed ?! Very slowly and very carefully Gou lifted his arm from her person. He stirred a little, muf fling into the pillow, and turned over. Gou took advantage of the opportunity to slide out from the bed. Thankfully there was no one else in the room. Mikoshiba's bed was the only one. He had a room to himself. The perks of being a captain of a strong swim team. She pattered herself down quickly. She was fully clothed. Good, that was good. She hadn't done anything that stupid. She didn't feel any pain either down... down there. Surely she would if that had
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happened. Mikoshiba was a big guy after all, he was taller than Makoto for God's sake. " You know what they say about tall men, right?" Rin's voice from the past, teasing her when they were kids. Gou covering her ears. "Stop it, I don't want to hear it!" " Big shoes, haha!" Rin laughs. "What were you thinking about, huh? You pervert!" Gou's face was red hot. Mikoshiba was nearly naked. Had she seen it last night? Why am I thinking about something like that right now? She encountered no one on her way to the door and she found her shoes flopped down as if she had thrown them there. She slipped them on. V ery quietly she opened the door, pausing a moment to make sure Mikoshiba had not awoken. She heard nothing and she closed the door, beating a very hasty retreat down the street. She was lucky. Her lodge was not far and she found it easily enough. By the time she got there, her stomach was queasy and her whole body shaking, her head booming. Running in the condition she was in was not very wise, not that she could help it. She leaned on the fence post a moment to regain her bearings. God why had she drunk so much? How much had she drunk? She didn't know but it was obviously too much. I am never doing that again. She was also lucky that no one in the lodge was awake yet. She slipped into the room she shared with Amakata on quiet feet. Amakata didn't stir when she entered and Gou slid open her drawer. Amakata turned over and Gou froze like a deer in headlights. But Amakata was simply doing her usual sleeping routine, tossing and turning like a child. Gou quickly changed into pajamas and slipped into the bed.
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Gou breathed a sigh of relief. She was fine. No one had seen her come home. If she was careful no one would have hopefully noticed she been gone all night. She closed her eyes, intent on getting some sleep, and forgetting all about what she had woken up to. When the alarm woke up her several hours later she felt a little better. Not much better but a little. Amakate slept through the alarm somehow, and Gou got up and left the room before she had a chance to. She didn't want Amakata asking her questions. Not yet anyway. She took a long shower, letting the warm water course over and relax her. She examined her body once again but found nothing unusual. I didn't have sex with him, and this time she was convinced. Had she done anything with him? Her clothes had not shown any signs of distress and she hadn't felt... wet in any places. The blushing racing down her neck was fire. Had she kissed him? Now that she didn't know. There was no way of telling. She certainly hoped not. She didn't want to think her first kiss had been given away in a drunken fit which she couldn't remember. And with Mikoshiba... Quickly she turned of f the water and stepped out of the shower. She wouldn't think about it anymore. She would put it out of her mind and not think about it anymore. She felt better after the shower and after getting dressed she went over to check on the boys. To say they were worse than her was an understatement. Nagisa was lying on the floor, his arm covering his eyes, moaning like death warmed over. Haru and Rei were at least upright seated on the floor at the table. Haru's head was cradled in his arms atop it and Rei was
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pinching the bridge of his nose, looking as if he were going to vomit any second. Makoto was the only one who wasn't hung over, but he still looked tired and worn thin. Poor guy had probably had to baby sit the three the whole night. "Well, you guys certainly did a number on yourselves," Goro observed. The three only moaned in response, Makoto chuckling in that uncomfortable way of his when he doesn't know how to handle something. Goro sighed loudly. "Ah, well, I guess it's to be expected. Kids will be kids. I'll tell Akamata you three ate some bad shellfish if she asks about it. " "She's still asleep," said Gou. "Yeah," said Goro. "She was up late last night unpacking. " That made sense. Akamata had brought enough bags with her to kill a small elephant. It looked like she had packed for a year trip instead of a three month one. "Get yourselves ready," said Goro. "W e leave in an hour for a joint practice. It's mandatory so you have to go. " He received no response. "Anyone want breakfast?" "Ugh," said Nagisa and Rei covered his bulging mouth with his hand. Makoto had begun to raise his hand but lowered it with another awkward chuckle. Poor guy didn't want to make the others sick by watching him eat. Goro left the room, leaving the teens to their post drinking misery. When he had left, Gou turned her attention on Makoto. "What time did you guys leave the bar last night?" She stopped herself from asking the question she really wanted to. Why had they left her there? She couldn't blame them, she wasn't their responsibility, but a part of her was still mad that they had left her behind. If they hadn't left her she wouldn't have woken up in a bed with Mikoshiba...
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Mikoshiba, his bed, and how he smelled like sun and wind. Her forehead crinkled. She remembered thinking that when she had been leaning against him. At least she remembered something about last night. She wondered what the other boys smelled like. Makoto, she imagined, would smell like spring in a field. Nagisa would smell like sunshine. Rei would smell like an of fice, sharp and clean. And Haru... he probably smelled like mackerel. Any why the heck am I thinking about this? "I don't know," Makoto was saying. He looked a little desperate. W e had to leave because Rei kept vomiting. " Rei made a strange sound, like a cat being stepped on. Nagisa waved a hand weakly in the air, a ghost of laughter passing his lips. "Rei-chan is terrible at holding his liquor. " "Shut up," said Rei from behind his hand. "This is all your fault. You kept giving me drinks and insisting I drink them. " Nagisa let out a pained laugh. "Y ou still drank them though. " Rei was silent. Apparently he didn't have an argument for that. "I tried to get you to come but you wouldn't move," Makoto went on. "You kept saying you were fine and having fun and being crazy for once and that you wanted to stay. Mikoshiba insisted he had you. " Oh he had me alright! "Then Haru took of f running down the street trying to find that pool... " Makoto trailed of f, looking at the dark haired teen. "I had to chase him for almost two miles before I caught him. " Haru shifted on the table. "Shut up. " He dragged the words out like a moan.
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"Oh well," said Gou softly. So they had tried to get her to come with them and she had insisted on staying. It would have been better if Makoto had forced her to come but Makoto wasn't the type to force people into anything and he was inexperienced with handling drunken teens anyway. Everything considered he had a done a pretty fine job of getting the other three boys back to the lodge without major incident. He had had his hands full dealing with their nonsense. Goro poked his head in, telling them it was time to go. The five rose with a series of moans and groans and trudged their way out of the lodge. The practice was indeed a mess. Nearly everyone who was there was hung over. Their times were slow and horrible. Some weren't even capable of doing a full lap and a few times Gou glanced up to see one of the poor swimmers running towards the bathroom, his hand covering his mouth. "This is one fine way to make an impression," Goro grumbled. Gou made sure not to voice her laughter aloud but in her head she was amused. What did the country expect making the legal drinking age sixteen and then inviting a bunch of highschoolers to visit? That was asking for trouble. She was relieved when she didn't see the Samezuka Academy at the practice. If her luck held they wouldn't have practice today and she wouldn't have to see them. She didn't want to see Mikoshiba. Not after last night. Her face turned red just thinking about it. Did he remember anything? W ould he even know she had been at his house when he woke up this morning? She hoped not, she hadn't left any evidence of her time there and if he had been as drunk as she had been he wouldn't remember either. That would be the best. Gou looked at her stopwatch. She didn't know how long this practice was supposed to last and time felt like it was crawling by. She really
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wanted to go back to the lodge and get some more sleep. After a sleepless night on the plane and... last night she hadn't gotten much rest. Plus the stupid jet lag. The door opened behind her, another swim team piling in for practice. Gou blanched. Samezuka academy. Oh god. Her luck had of ficially ran out. Her brother walked in, looking as scowly as ever but well rested and alert unlike his comrades, who boasted dark circles under their eyes and sluggish limbs. Gou barely paid him any mind for once, watching instead for someone else, hoping he wouldn't make an appearance. But he did. He looked worse for wear, as tired as his comrades and a little queasy. Even his hair looked tired, not standing up as straight as usual. He wore a jacket over his swimsuit. That attire was a little unusual considering the weather. He gave out a few orders, gesturing to his swim team, then he looked up and Gou knew he had saw her. Quickly she turned away. Her cheeks were already flushing with heat. She prayed Goro did not turn around and notice, and that Mikoshiba would not approach her, that he would pretend she didn't exist. Goro didn't. He was yelling something at Nagisa, something about not falling asleep in the water. Goro didn't but Mikoshiba did. She heard his footsteps and out of the corner of her eye she saw his tall frame approach her. He stopped beside her. "Yo. " His voice lacked the usual enthusiasm she heard in it. Tentatively she looked up at him from beneath her hair. "G-good morning. "
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Mikoshiba rubbed the back of his neck. His expression was almost pensive. "Do you have a moment?" he asked after a moment. "I need to talk to you. " Gou's face grew hotter. She wanted to tell him no. She didn't want to talk about last night. But if she said no that would only be more suspicious. "O-okay. " They moved away to the side, away from everyone else. Gou was glad to see Rin doing some laps. She didn't want him to become curious or suspicious and come charging over. Mikoshiba glanced around as if to make sure nobody was nearby or watching them. He cleared his throat. "I was hoping you could explain something for me. " Gou blinked. He reached inside his jacket. From within he pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. He handed it to Gou. Confused, she unraveled it, not knowing what to expect or think. She stared at the paper for a long minute. And then another long moment. "Is-is this some sort of joke?" She looked up but Mikoshiba's face was a blank mask. He did not respond. Across the paper it read: Certificate of Marriage This certifies the rites of matrimony. On this day of the 5th of May in the year 2013, Seijuro Mikoshiba and Gou Matsuoka were united in marriage.
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Divorce Yeahhhh. This fic will be the death of me. If it was a joke it was a terrible one. Gou raced out of the building. The marriage certificate was clutched in her hand. V aguely she remembered asking Mikoshiba if she could take it and Mikoshiba saying she could. She couldn't believe it. W as she really so stupid that she had gotten married while drunk? She had heard stories about people doing that and had always laughed about it. The stupid mistakes people made when inebriated. Now she was one of those people. She had gotten married! It has to be a joke. A really bad one. It has to be fake. It's a fake. She unfurled the certificate and studied it again. W ell, it certainly looked of ficial. It even had the county's seal in gold on the top right corner. And their names written in scrawling letters. Seijuro Mikashiba. I didn't even know that was his first name. She rolled the certificate back up, panting. What should she do? This was a mistake, a terrible, terrible mistake that Gou had no idea how to deal with. She didn't know anything about marriage. She couldn't be married! An adult. An adult would know what do. I need an adult. Goro was still inside with the boys. Which left only one other alternative.
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Swallowing down her panic, Gou took of f running towards the lodge. A bit later Gou sat on the floor of the lodge. She had her eyes closed, hands held stif fly in her lap. To her right was Amakata and rolled out on the table in front of them the marriage certificate sat like a student's bad report card. "W-well. " Amakata gave a little cough. She was significantly calmer then she had been when Gou had first burst in the door with the... news. She was at least not exclaiming shrilly anymore. The teacher had been surprised to see Gou home then, once Gou showed her the paper she had in her hand, Amakata had descended into a mini freak out. Gou had barely been able to discern much of what Amakata had been saying during that. The few words she had been to make out were 'what', 'marriage', 'how', 'you' and 'why'. Gou hadn't known if they had been questions or not either. Regardless she wouldn't have been able to answer them anyway. Amakata cleared her throat again. "I... I know kids like to do reckless and crazy things sometimes but this seems a little uhhh... extreme. " Gou raised her eyes to the ceiling. She grit her teeth. "I hadn't realize you wanted to get married, Gou-chan. " Gou's head thunked onto the table. Of all the things... "I didn't want to get married!" "Y-you didn't? Then why did you?" "I don't know why I got married!" Gou raised her head of f the table, rubbing her reddened forehead. "I barely even know him. I was drunk. I literally don't remember any of it, I have no idea why I did it. It was a stupid, horrible, terrible mistake. " "O-h my. Marriage is never a mistake, Gou-chan. Marriage is a beautiful, wonderful thing. As the famous French playwright Moliere
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said, 'Love is often the fruit of marriage'. " That didn't make any sense. W asn't it supposed to be the other way around? W asn't marriage supposed to be the fruit of love? You were supposed to be in love before you got married, right? Gou never understood Amakata's quotes. "I just wish you had waited for a bit longer than a day to decide to go through with it," said Amakata. Suddenly she buried her face in her hands and shook her head rapidly back and forth. "Oh this is going to look so bad on me as a teacher! The principal will never trust me to take students anywhere anymore!" she wailed. "I was supposed to be in charge of you! They're going to think I'm so irresponsible! I... I could even get f-fired. " As if Gou didn't feel bad enough. Now Amakata's job may be on the line as well. Should she cry? Gou kind of felt like she wanted to. "I'm sorry, Ama-chan. " She wringer her hands. "I never meant to cause so much trouble. W e were just trying to have a good time-" She grimaced at her word choice. "I never intended for this to happen," she said instead. "No, no, I know Gou-chan. You're a good girl. I know you wouldn't do something like this on purpppp-while sober. Ahem. Just kids being kids. " Her laugh was stif f. She took a deep breath. "Okay, let's just... let's just focus on the task at hand. W orrying about my job is too premature at this point. " Another stif f laugh and another deep breath. She leaned forward to look at the marriage certificate. "Who is Seijuro Mikoshiba anyway?" "The Samezuka Academy's swim captain. He's in charge of my brother-" Gou stopped herself, pupils dilating. Oh no. Oh no. How could she not have thought of that? Did her brother know about this? No, no he couldn't have. If he did Mikoshiba would likely be dead and maybe herself as well. He certainly wouldn't be acting as calm as he had when she saw him at the pool anyway. Brother cannot know about this. If he were to find out...
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Gou found she really didn't want to think too much about that. He may act distant towards her and rarely listen to her but she knew for a fact he wouldn't be very happy about this... debacle. Of fering congratulations would be the last thing on his mind. "Oh is he the tall boy with the spiky red hair?" asked Amakata. "He's cute. " Gou made to say something then stopped. Had Amakata just said what she thought she had? "Uhhh... " Amakata realized it too. "I-I didn't mean it like that. " She waved her hand, a light dusting of red coloring her cheeks. "I meant for someone of your age he's cute. " "I... I suppose. " This was the last conversation Gou wanted to be having. Cute or not, it didn't make the fact she was married to him any better. She hadn't even known his first name. "Ama-chan I don't know what to do. I don't know how to fix this! I was hoping you might since you're older. " "Oh I'm not that much older, Gou-chan," Amakata laughed then became worried. "Why do I look like I am?" Don't focus on that, Gou wanted to yell at her. Gou buried her face in her hands. If Amakata wasn't able to help her, what should she do? She could go to Goro but she felt reluctant to. He was an adult male and broaching this subject with him would be less than comfortable. Plus he'd probably freak out worse than Amakata had. She couldn't go to her brother, that was a definite no-no. All that left was the Iwantobi boys. I guess that wouldn't be so bad. Rei is smart, I'm sure he'd be able to think of something and Makoto would certainly try. "Gou-chan," said Amakata suddenly. She was frowning down at the certificate. "Y ou don't happen to know what the age of consent in this country is, do you?"
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Come to think of it Gou didn't. "No. I know the drinking age is sixteen. " She rolled her eyes in irritation at herself. "Why?" "Well. " Amakata picked up the certificate. "If the age of legal consent in this country is higher than sixteen, you can't be legally married without a parent's consent. " Gou's eyes widened. Amakata was right. How had Gou not thought about that before? "In which case if I don't have a parent's consent... " "Then this contract is null and void. " Gou's shriek would have frightened cats had there been any in the vicinity. "Ama-chan, you're the best!" She wrapped her arms around the teacher's neck, practically bouncing against the older woman. "I knew I could count on you!" "W-well. " Amakata patted her arm. "These are just the things I can do when I set my mind to it I suppose. " She leaned back to look at Gou seriously. "Now, Gou-chan, this only applies if the legal age for marriage is older than sixteen. W e still need to find that out, don't forget. " Gou nodded. "Right, right. I'm sure it is though. There's no way they could let people that young get married!" She laughed. "But who would know something like that? I don't want to ask a local, they probably think we're strange already... " The answer came to her a second later and she smiled. "I know just the person. " "Who, Gou-chan?" Gou winked at her. "The smartest person I know. " Rei peered at the marriage certificate like it were a treasure map or a 'Where's W aldo' picture. He held it up to the light then lowered it back down to face level, the sunlight reflecting of f his glasses. His
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gaze and face was so intense that Gou found herself leaning forward in her seat, balancing on the edge with breath held. Amakata had managed to pry Rei away from the other boys and bring him to their lodge. How she had managed to persuade Nagisa not to come Gou could only assume was because the blond still felt pretty terrible. He had drunk more than anyone. He probably didn't have the energy to argue with anyone. All things considered, Rei had taken the news of the marriage in stride. He had simply stood there and once Gou had handed him the certificate he had sat down in a chair without a word to inspect it. Nearly ten minutes had now passed since Rei had first started looking at it. Gou was getting impatient but she forced herself to wait. Rei would know what to do. Gou was sure of it. He was the smartest person she knew and the only one who had bothered to learn anything about their host country. If anyone might have an inkling about their laws, it was him. Rei finally lowered the certificate. He coughed lightly into his hand. "I am quite impressed. " He adjusted his glasses. "Y ou weren't even in this country for twenty-four hours and you managed to do something like this. " Gou's mouth fell open. She slammed her hands down on the arms of her chair. "T-that wasn't what I was doing! I didn't mean to get married!" "How does one accidentally get married?" "I was drunk! I didn't want to get married!" "If you didn't want to get married then why did you?" "I don't know! I was drunk, like I said!" She clutched her aching head. "I don't know why I got married!"
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"N-now, Gou-chan. " Amakata tried to pat her back soothingly. "Don't worry. It'll be fine. " Gou moaned into her own lap. "Rei," asked Amakata, turning her attention to him, "do you happen to know the age of legal consent in this country?" Rei's mouth was in a line and Gou could already tell he had guessed what Amakata and she were hoping for. Here comes the disappointment... "The legal consent for marriage is the same age as the age for drinking. " And there it was. "Ugh. " Gou buried her face into her lap once more. This was awful. So awful. How had she gotten herself into this situation? Alcohol. It was the alcohol. I am never, ever touching that stuff again. What was she supposed to do now? "Wa-wait. " Gou raised her head, a flicker of hope alighting in her heart. "What about a divorce?" Her eyes widened. "Or an annulment? W e can do that right? I mean it hasn't even been twenty four hours. There shouldn't be any reason why we can't get it annulled. " "Oh Gou-chan that's a great idea!" cried Amakata. "W e'll just get it annulled. What a great idea! That's the perfect solution!" Rei's mouth was still in that line. He made a weird sound in his throat and adjusted his collar, as if it were choking him. "The... the human rights in this country are still being developed, remember," he said. "It isn't until recently that they've really improved, however some aspects have... lagged behind. " Gou stared at him with baited breath. "What are you trying to say, Rei? What does that mean?"
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"What I am trying to say that divorce and annulment are currently... illegal in this county. " Gou's heart sank. "And since you got married in this country," Rei continued, the words like nails in a cof fin, "you'll have to abide by their laws while on their soil. " Gou really did cry after that. "Now, now, Gou-chan. " Amakata wiped the cool towel against Gou's cheeks, clearing away her tears. "There's no reason to cry. It isn't the end of the world. " "No, it's just the end of my world!" Gou wailed. She threw her head back. "My life is ruined!" "I thought it was normally the husband who says that after getting married," muttered Rei and Amakata threw him a dark look that said he wasn't helping. "Marriage isn't so bad, Gou-chan," Amakata tried to soothe her. "Lots of people are married to people they don't particularly care to be wed to. " Gou wailed even louder and it was Rei's turn to shoot Amakata a dark look. Sighing, Rei patted Gou's shoulder. "Calm down, Gou. I didn't say you could never get divorced. That would be lunacy!" He laughed but nobody laughed with him. "Y ou just can't get divorced while we're in this country is all. " Gou snif fed into the handkerchief Amakata had given her. "So?" Rei sighed again, as if he were trying to explain physics to a child. "We're only going to be in this country for the next three months," he
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reminded her. "But after that we'll be returning to Japan, where divorce is legal. Once we return you can get a divorce then. " Gou stilled. He was right. Rei was right. "That's right. " She lifted her face, eyes bright. "That's right. Rei, that's right! That means... That means I-I just have to get through these next three months! I just have to get through these next three months and then I can get a divorce once we get back home! I just have to get through these next three months!" She grabbed Rei's arm. "Rei, you're a genius!" "W-well, I don't... about that. " He pushed his glasses further onto his nose, trying his best to hide the grin that was spreading under his hand. "I suppose I am though. " "The next three months. " Gou started pacing the room. "That shouldn't be that hard. W e'll just pretend like nothing happened! Three months isn't that long. I can do this! Once we get back home we'll just have to do the divorce quietly so no one back home finds out about it. My mom would kill me!" "Three months," said Rei. "Three months is still a long time to keep something like this a secret. What do you plan to tell the others?" She paused, considering that. "I... I guess I'll have to tell them. " "Are you sure that's a good idea, Gou-chan?" asked Amakata but underneath her words Gou could hear what she was really trying to say. They're boys. Are you sure you want to tell them? Gou nodded. She knew if she didn't all that would happen is she would make up a lie and then forget it later and end up contradicting herself, and those three were sharp enough they would catch it rather quickly. They would know something was up. In this case she felt honesty would be the best policy and save her some trouble. She trusted them to keep her secret besides. Makoto definitely would. Nagisa was loud and energetic but he was the type who would die before ever hurting a friend of his. Haru would likely not
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even care and not say anything. Either way they would understand the situation and honor her wishes. "And Coach Sasabe," Gou began but Amakata cut her of f. "I think it would be best if you left him to me. " She smiled awkwardly. "He'll be tempted to yell less if he hears it from me. " "O-oh, okay. That sounds good, I guess. Then that just leaves... Mikoshiba. " Gou grimaced. The thought of seeing him again made her feel extremely embarrassed and nervous. Even just picturing his face in her mind made her antsy, but she would have to see him again. She would have to tell him what was going on, there was no avoiding that. He was the other half of this messed up equation after all. "I-I'll talk to him later. He'll want to know what's going on. " She would have to meet him elsewhere. She couldn't go to his place and she couldn't bring him here either. That would be too personal. She would meet him somewhere that was a little more public, but somewhere Rin wouldn't be. If Rin stumbled upon them... W ell, it wasn't worth thinking about. As if reading her thoughts, Rei asked, "What about your brother? Aren't you going to tell him?" Quickly Gou shook her head. "Ohhh no. He can't know. Can't. He must never find out. Ever. Ev-er. You know how my brother is. If he finds out he'll lose it. " Rei's mouth twisted. "He's your family, Gou-chan. You should tell him. " Gou shook her head again. "No. Brother must never find out. W e must never tell him. He can't know. You can't tell him. " She seized Rei's sleeve in her hand. "Promise me you won't tell him, Rei. Promise me. Please! You have to promise. "
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Rei leaned as far away from her as he could, his face in a grimace. "I find that's awfully unfair to your brother, in my opinion," he stated, "but I'll do as you ask. " He delicately plucked his sleeve out of Gou's hands and smoothed down the abused fabric. "If we are finished here I would like to get some food. I haven't eaten anything since last night's escapade. If my calculations are correct the alcohol will have dissipated from my system enough that I shall be able to eat without regurgitating it back up. " Gou twitched nervously. "You didn't say I promise about not telling my brother. " He sighed. "I promise I won't tell your brother. " He turned and made his way towards the door. "But you should. " This has to be the worst house meeting in the history of mankind. Gou stood with her back to the wall, arms crossed, eyes closed, and eyebrow twitching just a little bit. Next to her stood Amakata, and in front of her seated on the floor were the other members of the Iwantobi Swim Club. The three boys were noticeably confused by this strange meeting that had been called, muttering questionably to each other. Nagisa was looking around a lot too. Probably for Rei. The blue haired teen was currently running a... errand for Gou. Rei had been none too happy about it but Amakata had coerced the poor boy to do it while they explained the situation to the others. At least Amakata had promised to pay for his food when he returned. "S-so," Amakata began. She cleared her throat lightly, worrying her hands in front of her chest. "W e have had a... delicate situation arise suddenly. " She laughed as if trying to make light of the situation. The boys simply blinked at her and Gou ground her teeth painfully. "A-anyway. Ummm you see... " She fell silent then tried again. "Sometimes when people are young they decide to do things that aren't necessarily smart or... or wise. As Thomas Edison said,
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maturity is often more absurd than youth and very frequently is most unjust to youth! Ha-ha! Ummm. " Gou turned her head to glare down the hallway. The boys looked even more confused. "Sometimes these unwise decisions involve... legal matters that... aren't... easy to get out of. Especially when alcohol is involved some people... make rash decisions. " Gou was scowling and the boys turned to look at each other, dumbfounded. "Did someone get arrested?" Haru asked finally. "I tried to stop Haru from taking his clothes of f," muttered Makoto. "I knew one day he was going to get arrested for indecent exposure. " "Umm... " Gou sighed. She was going to have to take care of this. Amakata seemed to be at a loss as to how to explain it. "No, no one got arrested or is going to get arrested. " She rubbed her aching forehead. She could feel a headache forming behind her eyes and she suddenly remembered she was still hung over. Best to just get it over with quickly, like ripping a band-aid off. Then I can go sleep off this hang over. "Um. D-do you guys remember last night? At all? Anything?" Haru and Nagisa looked like they didn't-no surprise there-but Makoto was nodding. One was better than nothing Gou supposed. "Okay well, I... I had a little too much to drink last night, you see. And ummm when I was drunk I... I sort of... " She took a deep breath. Just get it over with. "I sort of... got married. To Mikoshiba. " There was a long moment of silence. "Congratulations!" cried Nagisa. Behind him Makoto was looking like he had just gotten punched in the sternum.
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Gou's mouth dropped. "N-not congratulations!" "Gou-chan used sexual appeal to get him to marry her!" "I didn't use sexual appeal!" "Mikoshiba," said Haru slowly. "He's the captain of Rin's swim team isn't he?" It was not lost on Gou that he said Rin's swim team and not Samezuka's swim team . "Yes, yes, that's him. He's the tall boy with red hair. " "Ohhh I like him!" cried Nagisa. "The really energetic guy! When's the wedding going to be?!" "There isn't going to be a wedding!" "Why would they need a wedding?" asked Haru. "They're already married. " "Wh-what. That isn't-" "Oh yeah, Haru-chan is right. " Nagisa paused, considering, then he brightened. "When's the honeymoon then?!" Gou's face felt like it was going to burst into flame. They were completely missing the point! "Now, now," said Amakata, interceding at last. "There won't be any more talk of weddings or... or honeymoons. " She cleared her throat once more and stuck her hands together as if clapping, becoming all business. "Gou-chan and I have discussed the matter at length. Unfortunately due to the country's laws we are unable to obtain a divorce at this time. But! Once we get back to Japan we will get this situation rectified as soon as possible. Until then. " She fixed the three boys with her most dangerous stare, like the one they had received when talking about placing her in a swimsuit, and leaned towards them. Makoto and Nagisa shrank back. Haru just sat there.
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"Until then we are going to keep this as quiet as possible," she continued. "W e are not going to discuss it or let others know about it. We are going to keep this to ourselves and pretend like it never happened. Is that understood?" "Y-yes, ma'am," Nagisa muttered. "Good!" She smiled and leaned back. "I'm glad we are all on the same page then. " "I still would have liked to have a wedding," Nagisa continued under his breath. Gou rolled her eyes. Nagisa would think about something like that instead of the seriousness of the situation. She envied him a bit, being so carefree and able to giggle his way out of predicaments. If only she could giggle her way out of this one. She looked up and noticed the look on Makoto's face had not changed. He still looked like he had been punched in the gut, like he was distraught. He hadn't said a word the entire time either. She made a mental note to speak to him later. "Well, now," said Amakata. "I have some more unpacking to do"-Still?! Thought Gou-"and you four should go get some food. I think Goro left some hot dogs in the fridge for you that you can grill up... " It was Haru who cooked the hot dogs surprisingly. And some mackerel to go along with it. Of course. He claimed they went well together but Gou figured he was just trying to have his way with the mackerel. Where he had gotten the fish she didn't know. She wouldn't have been surprised to find out he had gone diving into the ocean and fished for it like a dolphin. It was a good thing mackerel existed in this country. Haru would have had a mental breakdown if they didn't.
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It was because of his love for mackerel that he was so good at grilling, Gou figured out. She couldn't help but watch him as he cooked. Haru was a handsome guy, there was no doubt about that, and she found it incredibly intriguing watching him perform something else besides swimming that he was adept at. It was the same as watching him paint, another one of his talents that Gou would never have guessed someone like him would excel at. And he did it all with such a blasé attitude, as if none of that stuf f meant anything or mattered. The only thing that matters to him is swimming. Just like my brother. They were more alike than either of them wanted to admit it seemed. Rei finally showed back up when it was nearing dark, aggravated and starving. Gou intercepted him before the others could, asking him about the errand she had sent him on. The news he delivered made her face heat up again. Tomorrow. She would have to deal with it tomorrow. Better sooner than later I guess. Still she didn't look forward to what an awkward conversation that was going to be. After they had eaten and when the last rays of the sun were kissing the ocean water, Makoto finally approached her on his own. He looked downright trodden, like a kid that had studied all year for a test and then failed it miserably. When he sat down beside her, Gou blinked at him. He stared at his hands lying palm open in his lap. "This is my fault. " Oh jeez, he was blaming himself for it. No wonder he had looked like that the entire time. Then again Gou should have known he would. That was just the type of person Makoto was. He would feel responsible for it and blame himself no matter what. "It's not your fault, it's mine," she said. "I mean I'm ultimately responsible for myself. I was the one who made the stupid decision. I
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don't remember it but I did... " Makoto shook his head. "I should never have left you there. I was the only sober one, I should have paid better attention. I should have made you leave with us. " He turned to her. His green eyes were incredibly serious. "I'm sorry, Gou-chan. " Gou looked away, feeling even guiltier than she had before. Not only could Amakata possibly lose her job but now Makoto, poor sweet Makoto, was beating himself up over her stupid actions. God I'm such an idiot. "You don't have anything to apologize for," she said. "If anything I should be the one apologizing. I'm the one who got everyone into this mess. You have nothing to be sorry for. " Makoto smiled a little, but it was a wan smile, and in his eyes he still had that kicked puppy look. Gou sighed mentally. "Look, its fine," she reassured him. "W e just need to get through these next three months and then we'll be back in Japan where we can get a divorce. Problem solved. " We? She had been using that phrase the entire time instead of I, including Mikoshiba into her divorce plans without even thinking about it. Then again she couldn't imagine what reason Mikoshiba would have not to go along with it. No, surely he would agree with her. "Okay. " Makoto took a deep breath, losing some of that saddened look. "I understand. And," he turned to look at seriously again, green eyes bright with determination, "I promise I won't let anything else bad happen to you. I swear it. " "Oh stop it. This isn't that bad-" She stopped herself. "Okay it's bad but it's not your fault. You don't have to promise me anything. " He still did though.
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Gou sat in the café, nervously sipping from her straw and whopping her foot against the table leg. Every few seconds she would turn to look outside the large windows in the front, searching. She had been waiting for fifteen minutes. Where the hell was he? Rei said he would meet me here... The errand Rei had run for her yesterday. She had him go over to Mikoshiba's place to arrange a meeting. If Rin had seen her at Mikoshiba's place he would flip, but Rei going over there wouldn't be that unusual. Rin would probably assume they were discussing swimming or something. Gou turned back around. She fiddled with the marriage certificate she had tucked into her jacket. Her stomach was so upset with her edginess she had hardly eaten anything that morning. She could feel it growling. At least she wasn't hung over anymore. She really just wanted this to be over with already. She saw his tall form a mere second before he was next to her. "Yo. " He paused. "Are you in disguise?" She was but apparently it hadn't worked that well if he had recognized her right away. She tore the sunglasses of f her face with a touch of annoyance. The baseball cap followed shortly after and she shook out her disheveled hair. So much for that. "Sorry I'm late. " He sat down on the opposite side of the table from her, slouching down with his hands in his pants pockets. "Ueda pulled a muscle in his leg that had to be taken care of. " Taking care of his teammates. She couldn't be angry for him being late because of that. Since he was the swim team captain he was in charge and responsible for them. They would always come first. Speaking of legs, his long legs took up pretty much the entire space under the table. They were only a mere inch away from Gou's own
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and she regretted suddenly wearing a skirt. She could feel the warmth of him even through the fabric of his jeans. "Rei said you wanted to talk to me. " He was using Rei's first name. That was a bit surprising. Did he feel that close to the Iwantobi swimming boys? "Uhhh, yes. " Gou glanced around herself then stuck her hand into her jacket. She took out the marriage certificate. When she laid it on the table, she didn't miss the expression in his golden eyes. He looked like he didn't really know what to do with it, as if it were some kind of foreign animal. Gou rubbed her lips together. "I don't suppose you know much about the laws in this country, do you?" He looked at her blankly. She hadn't expected he would. "Soooo. " She clasped her hands under her chin. "In this country, as I've come to find out, divorce is illegal. So is the annulment of marriages. " The flash in his eyes was unmistakable. Dismay and anxiety. But he held it together and Gou quickly moved to finish, "But I've talked with some people and we've figured out we can get a divorce when we get back home to Japan where it is legal. Once we get back home we can get a divorce. " She leaned back. "However, as I'm sure you know, that isn't for another... three months. " He did not respond for a long moment, appearing to be mulling it over. "You're trying to say that while we're in this country we have to stay married no matter what?" "Yes," she said. "W ell, unless you want to go to jail. I personally don't. I'd hope you agree. " He was silent again. "What do you propose we do for the next three months then?"
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"We'll act like nothing happened," Gou said it right away. "We'll act like this never happened and that we didn't do... didn't do this. W e'll keep it as quiet as possible so no one will know about it when we get back home. W e'll just pretend it never happened and act as normal. " He didn't respond. He picked up the marriage certificate and held it in front of his face. For a minute Gou could only see the paper between them. Finally he lowered it, tossing it lightly to the table top. "Alright," he said. "If that's what we have to do then that's what we'll do. " He ran his hands through his hair on the back of his head. His easy acceptance of the situation annoyed her for some reason. Why wasn't he freaking out like she had been? Then again it had been a day since it had happened. He had likely had some time to think about it and calm down. "It's definitely not the most ideal situation," he was saying, "and I hate to leave it as it, but it doesn't sound like we have much choice. We'll just have to deal with it and get through the three months the best we can. " Gou sank in her chair. "Yeah. " They had no other choice but to deal with it. There was no escaping or fixing their predicament at least not for now. Gou could feel her frustration building up, anger at the situation and herself for the stupid thing she had done. But since she couldn't take it out on herself, she lashed out at the other half that had caused the problem. "Let's have fun, right? Let's go crazy, right?" she said bitingly, throwing his words back at him. Mikoshiba looked up in surprise. "I wouldn't have gone along with it if I knew it was going to be something like this!" "What are you-I never intended to-" He stopped himself, forcing himself to lower his voice as a waitress walked by. "I never meant for us to go get married! All I wanted to do was show you a good time-" Gou turned red at his wording, "because you were upset about your brother! I just wanted you to have some fun instead of sitting there moping all night. That's all! I never planned on this happening. "
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"I've never had a drink in my life until I hung out with you! You were the one who invited us to that bar!" She glared at him. "This is all your fault. " Mikoshiba leaned back, rolling his eyes away and exhaling sharply, his hand gesturing slightly to the marriage certificate as if to say, 'my signature isn't the only one on that document'. Well, he did have a point there. Gou sobered, feeling her anger dissipating after letting some of it out. "Y ou didn't... tell my brother did you?" He gave her a lofty look that she was unable to discern. "No. I haven't told anyone. " He hadn't needed an adult to confide in like Gou had. Then again had Samezuka even brought any teachers with them? She didn't believe they had, it seemed like Mikoshiba typically handled everything on his own without an adults help. He was the type of person who could handle anything thrown at him on his own without anyone else's help. Gou envied him a bit for that. "Good," said Gou. "W e can't tell him. Seriously . He can't know. If he finds out he'll kill you. " Mikoshiba grinned a little. "I already figured as much. " Of course he had. With the way things were now he probably knew her own brother better than she did. He spent a lot more time around him than she did currently. "I don't intend to tell him," said Mikoshiba. Gou was relieved. Having Mikoshiba on the same page as her when it came to her brother made her life so much easier and less stressed. If Mikoshiba had insisted on telling Rin she didn't know what she would do. Running away to Mexico would have likely been the best plan in that case. "Hey, um, by the way. " Gou twisted her fingers together. She swallowed. "Do you... do you remember anything? I mean from that
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night. " He shook his head. "I remember being at the bar but I don't remember anything after that. I don't even remember leaving. " Gou was turning red again. She forced the words out. "W e didn't... I don't think... W e didn't...." Mikoshiba eyebrows creased in confusion at what she was getting at. Gou's face was flaming. "W e didn't... y'know. " He understood then. He looked away again and Gou was surprised to see a faint dusting of red across his cheeks. "I-I don't think so. " Was it possible that Mikoshiba was a virgin? She had never thought about it before but his flush now made her think it. Honestly she sort of expected for him not to be. He was a good looking guy after all and older than she was. What had he thought when he woke up that morning, she wondered. He had been in nothing but his underwear after all, while she had at least been fully clothed when she awoke. He must have realized she had been there. Had she... touched him? Oh god. Had she seen... it that night and just not remembered it? It wouldn't have been hard to considering his state of clothing, or lack thereof. I have to stop thinking about this. "Did we ummm... Did we kiss?" Mikoshiba's face was definitely red. He closed his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't know. We must have had to when we got married. " When we got married. This situation was so damn bizarre. "O-oh. " Gou lowered her eyes. Had they kissed at all outside of that? If they
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kissed when they got married it might have just been a quick peck. That didn't count as a real kiss. Did it? My first kiss and I don't even remember it. She wanted to wail. This whole situation is horrible. There was a strange sound and Gou looked up to see Mikoshiba pulling out his phone. His phone? So he had gotten one in this country already. Gou still needed to do that. With everything that had been happening she had totally forgotten she needed a new phone. Mikoshiba frowned down at the screen. "I have to go. Our hosts need to figure out our schedule for our stay here. " "O-oh. " Why did she feel disappointed suddenly? "Okay... " He motioned to the marriage certificate still sitting on the table. "Are you going to hold onto that?" "A-ah yeah. " It was for the best that she did, she figured. If Mikoshiba had it there was no telling if Rin might stumble on it. It was safer with her, where she could keep it among people who already knew about it. Mikoshiba stood, tucking the phone back into his pocket. He wasn't looking at her again. Maybe he didn't know how to handle the situation, which had now turned awkward. Neither did Gou. He coughed. "I'll see you later, I suppose. " He gave her a slight wave and then headed out of the café. He didn't look back, his focus already on other things. Gou watched him leave, and wondered why she felt cheated. A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed, favorite, or reed this! Seriously I am very surprised at the reception this fic received considering it has like no plot.
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Other pairings will be traditional ones but they will be kept in the background. Now sleep time!
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History Oh my god. I have no idea what I'm doing with my life anymore. So I was very unhappy with how chapter 2 came out considering I wrote it in the middle of the week where I don't have a lot of free time and don't get much sleep. It just felt very rushed and sloppy. So I went through it again today and made some changes that should hopefully improve it. Nothing big enough that would require a reread but I feel a lot happier with it now and I hope you guys will too. The ONL Y thing that I added that is important is that Gou and Mikoshiba talk about not telling Rin about their situation (because I am dumb and forgot this important part when first writing the chapter-I need more sleep). Hopefully this won't happen again as I finally feel like I have a better grasp of where I want to take this story and some semblance of plot finally. When Gou returned to their lodging Goro had quite a few things to say to her. He was the only one who hadn't yet voiced his opinion so he did so when she returned from her meeting with Mikoshiba. Most of the things he said she had heard from various people already, only he said it much more loudly and vehemently. She bore it all in silence. She knew she deserved it. Her reckless decision had put quite a few people in a sticky situation and could have harming effects on not just herself but others too. There was one thing however that Goro said that did strike a cord with her. That if she were his daughter he would have grounded her for the rest of her life and never allow her out of the house, much less near any boys. If you were my daughter. Gou couldn't help but think upon it later when she was tucking the marriage certificate safely into a drawer. What would her own father think about her situation, she wondered.
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Would he be angry? Most likely. Or maybe he would have been happy for her, as some dads can weirdly do when their daughters do reckless things. Maybe he would have looked upon the marriage as a blessing instead of a mistake. He had given up his dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer to marry her mother and have children after all. Maybe her father would be the type of man to see her marriage as a positive. It was strange thinking of him in that way. Gou hadn't thought about her father in such a long time. It wasn't due to lack of caring. She had been very young when he died and she could barely remember anything about him. The only thing she could really recall was his hands. She remembered they had been big and rough from hard work and sea salt and wind, but they had been gentle when they touched her hair or picked her up. That is all she can remember after so long. She can't even recall his face anymore. Unlike her brother. Rin had been older than she when their father passed away. He remembered their father much more clearly, remembered more than just his hands. He remembered his father's dreams and his ambitions, his dreams and his sacrifices much more clearly, felt them so much more. Yet, like Gou, he couldn't remember their father's face either. But that fact only seemed to haunt him all the more than if he actually could remember. When Gou tried to picture her father's face now all she saw was-Well, that part wasn't important. Gou closed the drawer and left the room, trying her best to put those sorts of thought out of her mind. She stood in front of the glass counter, peering down at the objects that lay sedately within on a red cloth as if they were some sort of precious jewels. They were anything but. Cell phones. Big clunky ones, those old style flip cell phones with the thick bottom and the
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tiny display window on the front. Gou's first phone when she was twelve had been one of these. She hadn't missed it. Well it is only for the next three months. Regardless of how ugly or bulky they were the phones would serve the purpose they needed them to during their stay here. There weren't many to choose from either. The store had a limited set of colors and Goro loudly insisted they weren't going to go around looking or spend any more money than they had to when Nagisa complained about it. Gou wanted to get the pink one but somehow Nagisa managed to snag that one before her. Purple then? Nope, Rei had grabbed that color. Seriously, did they have to pick the girliest colors that were available? Gou tried not to let her irritation show. She was the girl, she should be able to have the girliest color! Haru had picked blue, of course, Gou knew better than to ever consider getting that color for herself. Makoto had chosen green. Amakata had gotten a soft pleasant yellow color and Goro orange. Which left the only other color available. Grey. Gou sighed heavily. Oh well, it was just for the next three months. She could bear with an ugly phone for that long. After receiving the ugly clunky phone, Gou stepped outside with the others to program their new phones and exchange numbers. It was a bit of a confusing situation. Nagisa had already forgotten his new number and Amakata had never gotten it in the first place. They had to spend some time calling each other to figure everything out. After twenty minutes of frustration and once everyone had each other's number, Amakata and Goro departed to head back to the lodge, Amakata with a good natured wave and Goro snarling at them to stay out of trouble. "If one of you boys suddenly decides to get married, I'll drown y-" he stopped, a better idea seeming to hit him, and he finished with, "I'll never let you in the pool ever, ever again. "
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A much more terrible threat for sure. Haru looked like someone had just told him the world was coming to an end. "Speaking of marriages," Nagisa said once Amakata and Goro had departed, "you're going to have to get Captain Mikoshiba's number, aren't you?" Gou's face heated. "Why would I need that?" "It actually wouldn't be a bad idea to have it," Makoto mused and instantly held up his hands when Gou turned her hot glare on him. "I mean just considering the situation. You two do have some... unusual circumstances. You might need to contact each other quickly. " He did have a point there. Gou couldn't send Rei over to Mikoshiba's every time she needed to talk to she, much as she would prefer to. As of right now she couldn't foresee any reason why she would need to talk to Mikoshiba. They had made their plans and had nothing else to discuss. Still it wouldn't hurt to have his number in case an emergency came up. "Alright, alright. I'll get his number when I see him. " As they turned to walk towards the rest of the city, Nagisa began wondering aloud what color other people's phones would be. "I bet Rin-chan's phone is black," he said. Or white . For some reason Gou couldn't help but imagine him having a white phone instead of a black one. Black didn't really seem to suit him. "Nitori's would be grey to match his hair. " Rude. "I wonder what color Mikoshiba's phone is," pondered Nagisa.
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Gou didn't need to imagine that one. Red, she thought. It's red. The same color as his hair. They didn't have anything else on their schedule for that day. Due to the high volume of swimmers in the program each school had a set schedule for when they could use the pool for practice. At the moment it was only once a week but the host country was looking to increase that to two or three times a week once everything got smoothed out, and were even seeing about obtaining students access to other private pools. Like most programs, more students had enrolled than the host country had initially been suspecting and they were now having dif ficulty accommodating them. "There will be two rounds of competition. " Gou read of f the schedule they had been given. As manager she felt responsible for this sort of thing so had put herself in charge of it. "The first competition won't be for two months. The host country wants to give the students time to adjust to the time dif ference so no team has an advantage over the other and also to give the students time to learn about the culture. " "Two months," said Makoto thoughtfully. "That will give us some time to improve. " Rei fisted his hands as if he were about to get into a boxing match. "I will definitely improve my times! I've been studying the theory on it!" Makoto smiled. "It's not just you, Rei. All of us need to improve. " "Yeah, Rei-chan!" Nagisa chimed in. "Let's all improve together!" Gou couldn't help but smile a little herself. It was nice seeing them all so enthusiastic. Even if Haru didn't say anything she knew he would try as hard if not harder than the others. Her brother was in the competition with him after all.
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"The top eight teams of each event will progress to the second and final round," Gou continued reading. "The final event will take place after the initial one. " "Only two rounds?" asked Nagisa. Gou nodded. "Due to having other clubs like the art and debate clubs competing respectively the host country couldn't af ford to hold more rounds than that. " She shook out the paper. "It's going to be very competitive. " "I'm sure it will be fine," said Makoto, always the optimistic one. "W e just need to improve as much as we can and try our best. " "That last event," said Haru. "The final one. That's right before we leave, isn't it?" "It is," said Gou. "W e leave shortly afterwards. " "But the winner of each event will win $5,000, right?" asked Nagisa eagerly. "That's correct. " "Alright!" Nagisa threw his hand in the air. "Let's win that money! In all events!" Makoto chuckled. "It isn't just about the money, Nagisa. " "No, but it won't hurt to have! Otherwise we'll be lifting weights and running track all winter! Who wants that?" "No one," Haru deadpanned. "R-running track isn't so bad," muttered Rei but quietly. "We'll have our time with the pool," said Gou, returning to the program. "There's lots of other stuf f on here too. Lots of events we have to participate in so we learn about the host country. "
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The museum of history, a wine vineyard, a trip to one of the country's most prestigious spas and hot springs pools-"Ama-chan will like that one," Gou said with a snicker-a tour of one of the country's industrial facilities, a marine park, and a few others. Some sounded interesting, others not so much. The museum of history would be tomorrow. With nothing scheduled for them, they spent the rest of the day exploring the city, trying dif ferent foods-both good and bad-and checking out the local shops. They purchased little knick knacks to bring back to their families at home in Japan, little keepsakes of the foreign nation they were in. Makoto bought items for his brother and sister as well as his parents. Rei got something for his parents and Nagisa for his sisters. He also tried to buy something for Rei as well for some reason but they were all weird things. Rei protested that none of the things were beautiful and why would he need something when he was right there anyway. Haru didn't have anyone in his family to buy for so he bought stuf f for Makoto's siblings instead, trying to shrug it of f as if it were no big deal when Makoto looked at him in shock. Gou spent some time searching, finally finding a lovely silver crafted ring with an pearl on it. Her mother loved pearls. Crafted by the rolling waters of the sea. She had once told Gou that pearls reminded her of Gou's father. It was more money than Gou wanted to spend but worth it. She knew her mother would appreciate it. She slipped it onto her finger for safe keeping, knowing it would be better there than in her bag where someone could pick pocket it. It looked nice on there as well, though she imagined it would look better on her mother's finger. As sunset neared they headed back to their lodges, not wanting to be out when the more unruly nighttime crowd came out to indulge in the low age restriction for alcohol. Even Nagisa grimaced at the mention of that.
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"I'm sure it's helping their economy out a lot though," Rei commented as they walked back. "Having so many young students here willing to throw money around for it. I'm sure they'll make much more in market sales then they'll lose by giving out those cash prizes. " Rei did have a point. Not only was the program a good way to improve relations with other nations but the host country would make a ton of money of f the purchases the schools and their students would make while residing here. It was a win-win for the host country. Gou felt someone's eyes on her and she glanced up. Haru was staring at her for some reason. Or more accurately staring at her hand. He must have felt her eyes on him too, for he looked up at her face. "Nice ring. " "Oh, t-thank you. " He turned his face away but she could still see his profile. He was smirking a little. She couldn't believe it. "What's so funny?" His smirk almost widened but he managed to restrain it with some difficulty. "Nothing," he said. "Nothing at all. " The museum was indeed impressive, at least from the outside. It was big, with giant pillars that stretched above Gou's head, and the stonework was fascinating, ancient and yellowed with age and accented with darkened bronze. Nagisa made a comment about it being beautiful, which Rei responded that it was but it had once been used as a deadly military base back during some war or other. Whatever. It was too early for Gou to care what had happened here in eons past. Why had the host country decided to host this sort of thing so early? Even if she had gone to sleep at a good time getting up early was still bothersome. They waited in the lobby for additional schools to arrive. To save on time and man power, the host country had decided to have schools
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participate in the programs together. And since Iwatobi was a smaller group they would surely be paired with others. It would be a school from Japan Gou was certain. The host country wouldn't want to throw them together with students they couldn't communicate with, plus it would require them to have additional translators present. No it would most definitely be another Japanese school. Stifling a yawn, Gou looked up at the painting adorned vaulted ceiling. Most of the paintings were... quite bloody. Depictions of conquerors ordering executions or great battles between various factions. How unpleasant. She lowered her gaze with a grimace. The door opened and Gou looked to see who the other school would be. She froze. Oh, no. Why them of all people! Samezuka swim team came piling in like a tidal wave of lemmings, nearly five times the amount of people Iwatobi had when you included every student regardless of year. They were dressed in normal clothes and Gou may not have recognized them as Samezuka if she hadn't seen Rin right away. He stopped upon seeing her, surprise showing on his face, and then something which might have been irritation or annoyance at seeing the boys. Beyond the doors Gou could hear Mikoshiba's deep voice. She could already see his tall frame coming through. He would have to be here. Oh god, what am I supposed to do? If Rin saw them together... Gou backed up. Unable to think of anything else, she hid behind the tallest person currently in the room. Makoto blinked down at her form cowering in front of him. "Are you alright, Gou-chan?" "Shhh!" she hissed. "Don't say my name!" But hiding behind Makoto had not been a good idea either. He was the Iwatobi Swim Team Captain. Who else would Mikoshiba approach? And he did, almost right away.
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"Ah, Tachibana-san! Good Morning!" Gou buried her face in her hands, barely realizing that Mikoshiba had used Makoto's last name. Why had he used Rei's first name the other day when he called Makoto by his last name? "A-ah, Captain Mikoshiba. " Makoto half turned. "Good morning. " Gou tried to make herself as small as possible. Maybe Mikoshiba wouldn't see her... But he did and, when he did, his eyes lit up. "Gou-kun! Good morning! Nice to see you here!" His smile was wide and bright. It lit up his entire face. "G-good morning. " Her eyes were wide. What the hell was he doing ?! Her brother was right there ! Had he lost his mind? To the side she saw Rei bending over to whisper something to Nagisa. Nagisa's head perked up and then he was racing of f, shouting, "Rin-chan! Hello! It's nice to see you this morning, Rin-chan! How is your swimming coming?" Rei. He had set Nagisa to distract Rin. Perfect. If there was anyone who could make themselves an inconvenient distraction it was Nagisa. Gou quickly motioned for Mikoshiba to come here. He blinked and leaned down to be level with her, Makoto's frame still blocking them from view. "What do you think you're doing?" Gou whispered furiously. "What am I doing?" Mikoshiba sounded genuinely mystified. "I'm acting like nothing happened. " Gou's mouth fell open. W as he joking around? Above them Makoto let out a nervous chuckle. His face was almost as red as Gou's own, and he kept glancing behind himself to where Rin was. Haru just looked bored.
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"If we acted weird around each other or ignored each other that'd be odd, right?" Mikoshiba continued. "That would only draw more suspicion. It's things like that expression you wear right now that would get us caught. " He pointed a finger at her red face and she leaned away from the of fending digit. Damn him, he was right. If they were going to act like nothing happened then he would have to act like he had towards her before that night and not be uptight. If he acted suddenly distant and awkward around her then Rin would catch on like a shark smelling blood in the water. And she had to do the same. If she avoided Mikoshiba, Rin would notice that as well. Gou glared at the corner of the room, biting her bottom lip. "Alright, fine. I get it. " Mikoshiba smiled at her then he straightened, popping up beside Makoto like a cork from a wine bottle. "Alright!" he shouted to his team. "Let's get this show on the road! Lots of history to learn! Have fun but keep your hands to yourselves! Don't touch anything and don't get into any trouble!" He moved away from them, his team following, the guides for the tour scrambling with so many people now. Rin passed by Gou and Makoto, muttering something irritably about Nagisa's loud voice but otherwise paying no attention to the Iwatobi swim team. Gou felt her muscles relax. Good. He hadn't seen her talking to Mikoshiba. Nagisa had done his job well. "W-well," Makoto coughed. "I guess that wasn't so bad. " He was still red. "R-right?" "If you don't act normal you're going to be the one to get them caught," Haru intoned, causing Makoto to stif fen. Gou took a deep breath. Okay, she just had to act normal. That shouldn't be... too hard? Ugh. She would just have to pretend that
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marriage certificate didn't exist in that drawer back in the lodge. That would be the best and easiest thing to do. This sucks. Nagisa came up beside them, looking positively excited and pretty proud of himself. He winked. "I did well, didn't I, Rei-chan?" Rei was beaming like a teacher that was proud of his student or a boyfriend whose significant other had done something amazing. "Yes, Nagisa-kun, you did very well!" Gou rolled her eyes and shook her head, albeit fondly. All of them were idiots, herself included. "Thank you, Makoto, and thank you for doing that, Nagisa-kun. " He smiled at her and with another deep breath, Gou began the tour of the history museum with the Samezuka swim team. It didn't take very long for Gou to figure out the country had a violent history. Decorated with betrayals, suicides, corruption, genocide, religious persecution, and extortion of power by various warlords, the country's history was quite bloody and littered with corpses. "Here we have a painting of Princess Ira Parisa," the guide was saying, gesturing to a picture of a woman dressed in what looked like a gauzy wedding gown that was nearly see through. "In 1866 she was betrothed to the Duke of Normontshire, however after her wedding day she refused to lay with her husband. " Good for her, thought Gou. "She was later beheaded," the guide went on. Gou grimaced. Not so good for her. She stopped in front of a large gray stone carved with runes. A description was beside it and Gou leaned in to read the letters. Another story about a princess. This one had the princess betrothed
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to a prince but being in love with someone else, and refusing to marry the prince. Gou clasped her hands for the power of love. How romantic! A shadow fell over her and Gou glanced out of the corner of her eye, already knowing who to expect from the height and shape of the hair in the shadow. Mikoshiba. "Every bit of history about this country seems rather violent," he mumbled distractedly. "It's always someone getting beheaded or stabbed in the back or a sword in the stomach. " The corner of Gou's mouth tweaked up. "I noticed. " Mikoshiba leaned forward to see what she was reading and Gou fought the urge to move away from him. He was incredibly close, practically leaning over her shoulder, but they were trying to act normal. She forced herself to stay put, despite the fact she could feel his body heat along her upper arm. He smells like sun and wind. She closed her eyes in an ef fort to banish that unruly thought. "What's this about?" "T-the Princesss Branwen Mala," said Gou. "She refused her arranged loveless marriage in order to marry the man she was truly in love with!" She clasped her hands together once again, eyes starry. Mikoshiba's gaze, which had been briefly on her, moved slowly back to the description. He leaned forward further to better read it. His chest brushed against Gou's shoulder. Gou fought to keep her heart beat even. "It says here on the bottom she was burned to death for her crimes. "
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Gou closed her eyes very tightly, hands tightening around where she still clasped them. She hadn't read that part yet. "T-the princesses don't seem to get treated very well in the country," she remarked. "The princes either. " Mikoshiba straightened. "I read one of them was caught in bed with a prostitute. He was castrated and hung for it. " "What about the prostitute?" "She was paid and sent on her way. She was just doing her job after all. " "O-oh. " Okay. It occurred to her then what she had talked about with the guys earlier. Mikoshiba's cell phone number! She needed it. She was about to ask him for it when there came a crashing sound somewhere down the next hallway. "I-I hope that's one of yours and not ours. " "It likely is. " Mikoshiba turned to walk away then paused as if to say something, but his mouth stopped before he had formed the word. His eyebrows lowered, looking oddly at Gou's clasped hands. Gou blinked, but he moved of f without another word, leaving Gou standing there utterly confused. What was that about? For the rest of the tour she hardly saw him and anytime she did catch sight of him he was surrounded by his teammates. The one time I actually want him to come up to me is the one time when he doesn't. Gritting her teeth, she waited. Rin had pretty much ignored her too. He had kept mostly to himself and the only one he appeared to interact at all with was that Nitori boy. Anytime Gou tried to talk to him he would give her a short answer and walk had wanted to mention the ring to him but it looked like he was in a bad mood. She would wait until later.
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