A/N – Because Sousuke doesn't get much love. And I think he's the hottest of them all. I'm nuts about pretty much all the Free! Guys though, so if you have any requests or ideas, do let me know!

Also, I totally picture Kaori to look like the girl from Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary) because I don't like the show but she's freaking adorable.

Chapter 1

"Kaori! There's a call for you on the landline!"

Kaori reluctantly closed her book and set it on her desk before standing up. She frowned, pushing her thick-rimmed glasses further up her nose. Why would somebody call her on the landline? She'd had a cell-phone ever since she entered high school. Nobody used the landline number in their house anyway. Kaori sighed. She hoped it wasn't their grandmother. Obaasan had a tendency to go on talking for hours and Kaori had a test in cram school to prepare for.

"Who is it?" Kaori called out to her mother, padding down the stairs and noticing that her mother had left the phone lying off the hook and disappeared into the kitchen. She'd probably forgotten something on the stove. Kaori sighed, sitting on the floor and crossing her legs before reaching for the ancient landline that still hung by a cord. "Moshi moshi. This is Kaori."

There was a moment during which Kaori could hear nothing but faint breathing over the line. Then a voice spoke, calm and deep. "Kaori. It's Sousuke."

Kaori froze, and almost dropped the thick receiver. Her heartbeat stopped as she registered the smooth, familiar voice. It sent a wave of sickening nostalgia through her, and for a moment, she couldn't even speak. Her hands trembled as she used both hands to clutch the phone to her ear. "S-sousuke-kun?"

The voice on the other side of the line was hesitant. "Is this a bad time? You must be studying."

"N-no!" Kaori said quickly. She clutched the telephone receiver tightly, almost as though he would hang up on her if she let go of it. She closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing heartbeat down. "No, it's not a bad time. H-how are you? We haven't spoken in over a year."

"I'm all right. I guess we've both just been busy."

"Yeah," Kaori agreed breathlessly. There was a pause, and neither of them knew what to say. It had been so long. There was so much Kaori wanted to say to him, and yet in that moment, she couldn't frame a single coherent sentence. She took a deep breath. It was safe to start with small talk, right? Ask him about his life? "How has your training been-"

"I'm coming back home."

Kaori couldn't hold in the small gasp that escaped her throat. She fumbled with the receiver again, trying not to drop it while attempting to control her shock. "H-home?" was all she could choke out. She bit her lip, trying to keep her voice calm. Could he tell through the phone how much this was affecting her? "What do you mean, home?" she asked slowly.

There was a slight chuckle, which made Kaori's heart race. She closed her eyes, enjoying the deep voice that she hadn't heard in so long. She'd missed it, and she felt her throat close up as she remembered how that chuckle could make her day. "I mean, home. I'm transferring to Samezuka. I'll finish my third year there."

Kaori frowned. "Samezuka? But what about your school in Tokyo? Didn't you go there just because Samezuka's swimming team wasn't good enough? Why would you hurt your career prospects by coming here halfway through your high school?"

Sousuke was quiet for a moment. "Jeez, Kaori-chan, it almost sounds like you don't want me to come back."

"That's not what I meant at all," Kaori replied heatedly. Tears stung her eyes suddenly. How could he say something like that, after everything they'd been through together? Didn't he know how much her heart had been broken when he'd left? "But you shouldn't come here if it'll hurt your prospects."

"You don't need to worry about that," Sousuke replied. "My future is pretty much fixed, now."

"You've been scouted," Kaori realized, her eyes widening. She sat up suddenly, clutching the phone so tightly that she was surprised it didn't crumble in her hands. She felt a tear roll down her cheek rapidly. "Is it true? Have you been scouted? You've accepted the offer, is it a good one? Is it what you dreamed?"

"Yeah. I guess I was lucky," he said softly.

Kaori shook her head quickly. "Don't say that. Don't pass off your hard work as luck, Sousuke. We both know how much you strived for this, you can take all the credit for your efforts. Don't ever let someone tell you that it was luck. It's your doing."

"You're right. It's my own doing," Sousuke replied quietly. Kaori could hear him take a deep, shaky breath over the phone before he spoke again. "Anyway, I thought I'd come back and spend my last year at home, maybe relax a little."

"Have you called Rin-kun?"

Sousuke paused. "No. I haven't spoken to him in a long time. We used to write, but…"

"I don't see him much either," Kaori admitted with a frown. She had met the dark-red haired swimmer a few times after he came back from Australia, but they hadn't talked much. It hadn't felt the same; it had always been Sousuke who connected them and without him, their friendship seemed hollow. Besides, Rin had changed, and so had Kaori. "I don't have his number. But I can send a message through his sister, if you want-"

"Don't," Sousuke replied quickly. "I want to surprise him."

Kaori giggled. It was a small, light sound and she realized suddenly that it had been a long time since she'd made it. She closed her mouth quickly, her face turning red, embarrassed that Sousuke had heard her girly outburst. He was the only one who could bring out that side of her. "He'll be glad to see you," she said to cover it up.

"I hope so," Sousuke replied. There was some noise behind him, and he turned to speak to someone faintly before Kaori heard his voice more clearly over the receiver. "Well, then. I'll probably see you on Monday, Kaori-chan."

"Okay," Kaori replied. She waited until he hung up, before putting her own landline back on the hook. She closed her eyes, feeling her heart thumping loudly, almost exploding out of her chest. She didn't know how long she sat there, with her eyes closed. She didn't open them until Kaori's mother came back into the living room, spatula in hand.

"Who was that, Kaori?"

Kaori looked up at her mother. "A good friend."

"Oh. Well, you should give them your cell number darling, that's what it's for. It almost shocked me to hear that ancient phone ringing, I forgot we even had it," Kaori's mother muttered, walking back into the kitchen.

Kaori smiled.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

"Hey! No cheating, Rin-kun!" Sousuke insisted, as Rin did something fishy with the dice behind his back. They were sitting in the classroom during playtime; the rain was pouring during monsoon season, and sensei had forbidden them to go outdoors. The seven-year old kids were instead cooped up inside the classroom, playing board games. "What are you doing with the dice there?"

"Nothing," Rin mumbled, putting the dice in front of him and rolling it. He cursed when the dots added up to four; moving his token on the board. "Your turn."

"You're losing," Sousuke pointed out gleefully as he rolled the dice himself. Rin frowned, but smiled when he spotted something over Sousuke's head. He grinned and waved at someone. "There's Kisumi-kun! Who's that girl with him? I've never seen her before."

Sousuke turned and spotted the pink-haired boy coming over to them happily, pulling a girl by the hand. They looked eerily similar; the girls' hair was a pink just a few shades darker than Kisumi's. Except it was tied back into two bouncy ponytails that brushed her shoulders.

"Rin-chan, Sousuke-chan!" Kisumi greeted, sitting down happily. He peeked at their game. "Oh, you're playing snakes and ladders! Can we join?"

"Sure," Rin said, removing the existing tokens from their places on the board and pulling out two new ones from the box. Sousuke noticed that the pink-haired girl seemed to hide behind Kisumi. He tilted his head to look at her properly, giving her a smile. "Hi. I'm Sousuke. What's your name?"

"K-kaori," the girl murmured, her cheeks flushing the same gentle pink as her hair.

Rin looked up with a smile. "And I'm Matsuoka Rin! My name sounds like a girl, but I'm a boy," he announced happily, before looking at Kisumi. "Is Kaori-chan your sister?"

Kisumi shook his head, glancing at the girl who was still hiding behind him. "No, she's my cousin. Don't mind her. She's shy and doesn't talk much. She used to go to Iwatobi Elementary, but nobody talked to her there, so her parents put her in Sano with me."

Sousuke frowned. "Oh. I'm sorry you didn't have any friends in Iwatobi, Kaori-chan."

"We'll be your friends!" Rin promised, holding out the four tokens to the small girl, who was watching them all with wide eyes. She looked down at his hand, as though she had no idea what he expected her to do. "Pick one," Rin prompted her.

Kaori gave him a shy smile, before picking the blue token and placing it on the board.

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X