Hey all, I'm back with a new story. I know I haven't been around much for the past year as I have been through a lot and writer's block was killing me. Also my Fairy Tail muse has left for a vacation while my Free muse is here to stay for the time being. The Voiceless will still be coming out soon; I just don't know when yet as I have to work some things out.

This story came to me when I was re-watching the episodes of Free in English and after seeing a dish that Haru made in one of the episodes, I was thinking to myself... "What if Haru transferred to Totsuki Academy from Food Wars?" This came up. I will admit that certain people are OOC (like Haru for instance) but it is pretty much a what-if. We will see how this risk will go.

Without further ado, here is the first chapter of The Sea of Time! Thank you to ShiningMoonSlayer for your title suggestion. I do not own Food Wars or Free!

Chapter 1: Adjusting

Totsuki Culinary Teahouse Academy.

This is my new school? I looked up at the vast landscape, taking in what I could see. This is a fortress…not a school. How can such an enormous area be surrounded by a wall and placed on a hill?

A light breeze blew through my hair, revealing my bright blue eyes. So this is going to be my new life? Why did they have to suggest this school?

Because if you don't want to swim again, then maybe you should have a culinary career!

I sighed as I remembered the words of my friend, Nagisa. It's true that I like to cook almost as much as I like to swim. However…because of that day, it would seem that my days of swimming were far beyond my reach. That was the day that my life changed. Why did Nagisa have to retain his cheerfulness when he too was affected by that day? My hand, which was tightly grasping one of the straps of my backpack, dropped to my side.

That day…

I don't want to get into the details, as it was something that I would rather forget. Yet still, that night was traumatic, even for me. It was difficult dealing with it, almost impossible anyway. Could that be why they decided to send me away? So that they won't have to deal with me anymore?

"This is it, Haru…" I said softly to myself as I reached for the door handle, "this is how my new life will begin." I opened the gate and walked right through the entrance, taking in the breath-taking views lined with Sakura trees that had seemed to lose half of their petals. The oak trees that surrounded them had already begun to change colour, showing off bright orange and yellow hues. All I had to do was follow the path to the main building.

Some students were walking nearby, and they stopped and stared at me. Either they recognized me from the tournaments or this is something that usually happens with the new kid. Either way, it made me feel uneasy. Ignoring them, I continued on my way.

Am I nervous? Probably. The cooking that I have been doing was mainly for myself and my friends. I never went to school for it, never had any competitions. To be honest, I am indifferent on the matter. If I have to partake in any competition for cooking, then so be it…but much like swimming I don't care if I lose or win. That part never changed. I just want to get this part over with.

The walk was long and arduous. How far does it go? Perhaps I can run the rest of the way there, keep up my stamina, even though I haven't done that much physical activity the past several months. I started off with a light jog, feeling the autumn breeze through my hair as my shoes hit the concrete.

Eventually I made it to the school, sweat pouring down my body as I tried to catch my breath. I had forgotten how it felt to have so much physical activity. Did I really lose so much stamina the past few months? After my breathing was back to normal, I straightened up and walked in through the door.

I couldn't help but stare in awe at the magnificence of this place. Did those guys really pitch in this much to send me here? Anyone who was filthy rich could afford this place, and it made me feel so out of place. The walls were white and pale yellow, as expensive decor lined every corner. The carpeting seemed like velvet, and the furniture was probably made of the finest marble and mahogany. I stopped walking and looked around. Where am I supposed to go?

Sure enough, a voice made me turn around sharply. "Haruka Nanase?" It was a girl, around the same height as Gou and Nagisa. She had purple hair that fell just passed her ears and reddish-brown eyes that had a fierce look. A dark blue blazer covered a pristine white blouse, and a red and purple striped bow tie at her collar.

"Uh…hi," I managed to force out. I was never good at conversation, so this was going to be difficult.

"We've been expecting you. My name is Arato Hisako, and I will be your escort." That frown still remained on her face. Does no one even smile in this school? Then again…I barely smile either, so perhaps I fit right in.

"Okay," was all I could say.

"Follow me then," she turned on her heel and walked down the hallway. I followed after her, not saying another word.

"You will be put through a test. Pass it and you will continue being a student. Fail, and you can forget your future here at Totsuki," she explained, not looking back. I took this all in. This school was pretty tough, huh? And here I thought that Samezuka was tough. "Furthermore, the graduation rate at this school is only 1%. I hope you're not scared…Nanase-San."

"Why would I be?" I asked. "I never am." That was a lie. Sure, I don't act my emotions, but that doesn't mean that I can't keep up appearances. I'm doing this for my friends after all…for myself.

"We'll see about that," she trailed off.

We walked the rest of the way in silence. Eventually, we came to a large kitchen that was full of state-of-the-art equipment. I had never seen a kitchen like this in my life; I only saw kitchens like these in TV shows. So this is where the test will be. I swallowed a lump in my throat as I took it in.

"Erina-sama, I brought him," Arato announced as she walked toward a girl with long strawberry-blonde hair. She was a fairly tall girl, with medium-sized breasts and a uniform similar to Arato's. There also seemed to be a permanent scowl on her face. Something inside me seemed to screamed "bitch" when I looked at her.

"Good," she replied, also not smiling as she haughtily flicked some hair behind her ears. She looked at me and studied me from my head to my legs. The way she was looking at me was making me slightly uncomfortable.

"What?" I scowled at her.

"You better show respect to Erina-sama," Arato snapped.

Erina smirked. "Arato, it's okay. I was just admiring him. For a commoner, he seems to have a good image. But now it's time to see what he can really do."

"Well what do you want me to do?" Haru asked.

"I want you to make me your best dish. Did you bring ingredients?"

"Was I supposed to?" Crap. I was never told this!

Erina sighed as her smile went away. "Useless." She looked at a couple of chefs standing behind her and snapped her fingers. "Bring whatever ingredients we have in the pantry." The chefs nodded as they did what they were told. I looked over at them, wondering what they will give me. Good god, I hope it's mackerel.

"So," Erina looked at me, "Your file says that you are from Iwatobi, is that correct?"

"Yes," I affirmed.

"And you don't have any further cooking experience other than cooking at home?"

"No," I answered.

Erina narrowed her eyes. "I see…well you hope that you will pass this test because if I taste something that's remotely disgusting then I am sending you packing. After all, only I have the best palate in all of Japan. So you better hope to exceed my expectations."

Best palate? In Japan? I hope she was bluffing. I kept my poker face to hide my anxiety. If I manage to scrape by…that would be a miracle.

The chefs returned with some ingredients and put them on the table. I studied each of them carefully. Potatoes, leeks, miso, pineapple, rice…salmon? My heart sank. I have barely cooked with salmon before, maybe once or twice.

"What's the matter, Nanase-San? Are you getting cold feet already?" Erina taunted.

I looked up at her. "No, I'm not. I can work with this."

She frowned. "Then begin."

I took out the equipment I needed - ricer, two pans, and a pot - as well as any seasoning that I could get my hand on which included salt and pepper. After putting water in the pot, I turned it on and started to prep the potatoes, leeks and pineapple. Once the potatoes were peeled and the leeks and pineapple were both cut up. I put the potatoes inside the pot and covered it.

Then, I took a smaller pot and turned it to medium after filling it with two cups of water. I proceeded to put the miso inside, followed by the pineapple.

As I was working, I could feel that Erina girl staring at me from behind my back. My future rode on this dish. If I could at least impress her with my sauce, then maybe I could have a chance. If I didn't know any better, I would also say that she was talking to Arato-san about me. Whatever they were talking about, I had to stay focused.

After a while of cooking, I put the rice down, followed by the salmon fillet which I glazed with my pineapple-miso sauce. I added the potato and leek fritters, which I had fried then seasoned. "Finished," I announced after plating my dish.

"Show me," Erina ordered as she sat at the counter.

I gave her a pair of chopsticks and my dish, then waited with anticipation as she proceeded to pick up the chopsticks. The tension was starting to kill me when she took her first bite. Is she going to like it?

She swallowed and her eyes widened. That's a good sign right? "Did…you like it?" I asked slowly, hoping for a good response.

She pursed her lips as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. "If I were to be honest…it's a simple dish." I narrowed my eyes. So she doesn't like it. "If I wouldn't know any better, I would say that it's like enjoying a day at the tropical beach, only to be massaged by a hideous fairy."

"Huh?" I looked up. What kind of analogy was that? Did she like it or not?

She took another bit of food and put it in her mouth. As she chewed, she closed her eyes and hummed in thought. I could almost see a small smile on her face before she scowled again. "Though, while it could use some refining, the sauce is delicious." She opened her eyes and put the dish forward. "As someone who only cooks for himself, you aren't bad but not good either."

"Yes well, I don't cook salmon all that much," I commented as I studied my dish. "All I ever cooked was mackerel."

"You sound boring," Erina remarked as she got up, rolling her eyes. "Consider this a pass, but only because of your sauce. You cook the same thing around me or anyone here, then you will might as well kiss your future here goodbye."

I rolled my eyes, "Whatever. Can I go now?"

"Please," Erina haughtily replied before turning on her heel. With one quick glance at me, Arato followed her. "Looking at you already makes me sick anyway," Erina continued and I glared at her back.

Watching them go, only one thought came to my mind: are all the kids that go to this school this snobbish? I knew that Rin was bad, but at least he lightened up over time. This was on a whole different level, like how most rich people would act towards those who are poor. I turned and walked out of the kitchen, shaking my head. Why did my friends have to send me to a place like this? I was happy in Iwatobi. How could they send me away? I thought we were a team.

I never liked changes; they always scared me the most. In my own world, I was wanted nothing more than to swim with my friends, to be free. But this is cold, harsh reality…I'm not free. I feel alone. This was probably ten times worse than how Rin felt those years ago when we had our fallout. All that hope of swimming and having fun with my friends died six months ago on that night. My head pulsed and my hand gripped it. There I go thinking about that night again. I was never much of a crier, but this was too much. If I'm not too careful, I would eventually break.

I leaned against the wall as I tried to catch my breath. My hand shook as I lowered it from my head. All I could hear was my own screaming and heavy rainfall. Goosebumps appeared on my skin as I shivered. Tears prickled my eyes as I tried to block that night out.

"Nanase, are you alright?" A voice startled me and I let out a gasp as I staggered back.

After regaining composure, I looked behind me. "Who…are you?"

He was an older gentleman, probably around 60, with a beard, mustache and sideburns that took up almost half of his face. He was dressed in an olive green kimono, covered with a black robe and tied together with a black obi belt. Sandals and white socks were on his feet. His stern eyes gazed at me, and I noticed a long, deep scar on the left side of his face. With the way that this man looked at me, I could tell that he was an authoritive figure. "My name is Headmaster Nakiri," he introduced himself, "but you will address me as Nakiri-San." I knew it. So he owns this academy. Interesting.

"Hello…Nakiri-San," I greeted, stumbling on my words. I never really was much for conversation, and I tended to be shy when the time came for it.

"Hello," Nakiri greeted as he studied me with his cold gaze. I shifted uncomfortably. "I couldn't help but see you are having issues of your own. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," was my response, my automatic response.

"I see, well whatever it is, I suggest you start to buckle up. What happened happened in the past and it doesn't apply here. You need to be focused." He advised.

"I understand, sir," I replied.

"In any case," he reached into his large pocket and took out a package. "This is for you. Since I knew that you would be facing my granddaughter for a test, I figured I would give this to you in person. It contains the map to your dormitory and your scheduled classes. Make sure you study it well."

I took the package and opened it. Nagisa did tell me it was a boarding school. As long as I am alone and away from human contact as much as possible, this should be fine. After taking out the contents, I read the words on top of the map - Polar Star Dormitory.

"In any case, welcome to Totsuki. I advise you go to your dormitory immediately."

I put the rest of the package in my bag but continued to hold onto the map. "Thank you, Nakiri-San." I turned and walked out of the school, finally glad that I am able to leave the main building and lie in a bed.

While I had left the building, the walk to the dormitory was long and tiring. I checked the map to see if I was really going in the right direction, and it confirmed it. Oh boy… If I could think of any kind of silver lining, as it gave me time to think. A new career…I never thought that I would do anything in my life other than swimming…yet here I am. I wonder what being a professional chef would feel like. I made it this far; I guess we will see what happens next.

I wondered how my friends were doing at home; perhaps I should call them when I get to the dorm…perhaps I shouldn't. I don't think there is any need to, especially with how I will probably be when I get there. After all, this whole thing was part of moving on, right? No need to look back.

The dorm was in a clearing surrounded by trees. An old, dilapidated building - this would probably scare off any new students transferring here. Did I get the short end of the stick? Not like I haven't stayed the night in anything like this before.

A year ago, I was training with Nagisa, Makoto and Rei in the ocean. We had to do an exercise where we swam three kilometres between three deserted islands and the campsite we stayed at. Each island was a kilometre apart, so we had to run that kilometre before swimming to the next island. It was an old training regiment that Gou found when she was cleaning up the storehouse, and it was left behind by the old swim club when it was around.

One night, a storm raged the landscape, forming waves as large as a small ferry due to the strong winds. Prior to knowing this, Rei had snuck out to train while we were asleep, as he had felt he was holding the team back with his lack of swimming experience. Thus, he was caught in the storm and at risk of drowning. Makoto dove in to save him first, then Nagisa and finally me.

We washed up on the shore of the nearest island, with Makoto receiving the worst of the water, but I was able to revive him. Knowing we didn't want to go back to camp due to the horrendous weather, we decided to look for shelter and found an abandoned lighthouse on the island. It was worse for wear, probably a lot worse than the building before me at this very moment. After doing icebreakers and getting something to eat, we spent the night at the lighthouse and swam back to camp.

There was no one at that lighthouse and it was pretty bare, except for the food that I somehow found there that was still edible. Then of course there was the old swim club my friends and I broke into. So what's the worst that can happen if I go in here? It's a dorm, right? So there would be people inside as well as food.

My stomach rumbled at the thought of food. When was the last time I ate? I remembered buying a snack before I left Iwatobi station, but that was the last time I remembered eating something. With the way the sun was setting over the horizon, maybe they are having dinner.

I walked up to the door and knocked on it, pushing away any nerves I might have about who would be inside. Would they be friendly? That would be a nice break, especially with how I had been treated so far in this place. The looks that the other students have given me earlier did not help either, and they were far from friendly. If anyone's listening, please give me a break…

The door creaked open, giving me a slight chill. This is the kind of thing that usually happened in horror movies, not like they scared me that much. Makoto on the other hand… A small smile formed on my amused face as I remembered those times he would hide behind me or grab my hand if something scared him.

"What are you doing smiling there, boy?" The voice of an old lady snapped me back to reality. I widened my eyes, startled by this new voice. That's right. This must be the lady that answered the door. She had a pink top covered by a sleeveless olive dress that went down to her knees. Her silver-gray hair was styled in a large, wild ponytail, where the long hairs were spread out in various directions at the back of her head. Even though she was quite old, her eyes seemed to hold a youthful gleam to them, much like Coach Sasabe did back at home…though he was much younger of course.

"U-uh hello," was all I managed to croak out.

The lady looked at me closer and I bent back a bit for space. She hummed as she studied my face. "You look a little familiar. Are you the new kid?" She inquired as she continued to look me over. Before I could answer, she gently gripped my chin and I cringed at her bony fingers. "Eyes as blue and crystal at the ocean," she observed, "very unusual. Then again, you do seem familiar. I can't seem to put my finger on it."

"Maybe from the television," I blurted out, very uncomfortable with her touch. When will she let go of me?

She hummed again as she finally let go. I gently rubbed my chin as I looked at her. "You have an interesting build, something like an athlete's. I'm sure that's what you were in your previous city."

I nodded. "I was a swimmer after all."

She snapped her fingers as though she just realized it. "That's where! You were at the regional tournament, swimming that beautiful relay. I was impressed with your skills, and I am glad that your school won…but only to be disqualified in the end."

The relay she was referring to was the one where Rin swam with us instead of Rei. Because Rin went to Samezuka Academy, another school that participated in the race, we were disqualified due to the breach of the rules. Despite all that, it was worth it, especially since we were once a team back in elementary school.

"Yes well, those days are behind me now," I said.

She shook her head. "I am sorry to hear that. Something must have happened th-"

My gaze steeled as I glared at her. "Change…the subject."

Taken aback by my response, she sighed. "My apologies for my nosiness." She smiled. "In any case, welcome to Polar Star Dormitory. My name is Fumio, and I am the caretaker of this little dorm."

My gaze went back to its neutral state and I bowed in greeting. "Pleased to meet you…Fumio-San."

"You must be tired and hungry," she said as she stepped to the side. "Please come in."

"Thank you," I said as I walked inside.

She followed and shut the door. "Though I must apologize for saying this because you had a hard time and a long journey to get here, but I need to be impressed by any student that comes in here."

I froze in my steps as I dreaded the meaning of those words. She wants me to cook for her…is that right? Sighing, I asked, "Let me guess…you want me to cook for you."

"That's right," She grinned. "Though to help you, I do have some good ingredients and you can make a dish for yourself to enjoy."

I looked up at her, eyes full of determination. If she wants me to cook for her then so be it. "Do you have any mackerel?"

So what did you guys think? Do you want more? Do you want to see what really happened that night? And who do you think Haru should be with? I will be posting a poll about this, so watch out for that. In any case, I will see you in the next chapter! Later!