The Strength of Spirits

Chapter 1

"Noya, come on! It's super fun!"
A black-haired girl stood at the edge of a cliff, her hazel eyes wide in uncertainty and fear as she looked over the edge to the water flowing below.
Shivering in her swimsuit, the girl shook her head frantically. "Guys, I'm sorry! I can't do it."
Backing away, Noya nearly shrieked when something cold and wet grabbed her arm, only for her to turn and spot one of her friends, Aoki Hiro.
"Hiro! Don't scare me like that."
The tall brunette laughed as he tugged gently at his friend's arm. "I won't. I'm sorry, Noya. But come on, I'll jump with you. It really is fun."
Noya groaned lightly, but relented. She was being a scaredy-cat, she knew, but that didn't lessen her dislike for the water.
The pair stopped on the ledge to look down at their three other friends who had already jumped, smiling up at them. One of the guys treading water raised a fist in the air, yelling, "You can do it, Noya!"
A shaky smile graced Noya's face at her friend's encouragement, but it dropped when Hiro gently tugged on her arm. Turning to face him, Noya looked deep into his shining blue eyes as he smiled. "Are you ready?"
Noya nodded mutely before turning back towards the ledge. She gulped and gathered her courage, and waited as Hiro began to count.
"One... Two..." Noya took a deep breathe before Hiro called, "Three!" and they jumped.
There was a moment of weightlessness where Noya froze, her eyes still glued to the water rising up to meet her, before her feet hit the surface of the water and she went under.
Gasping in shock at the coldness of the water, Noya reflexively breathed in a lungful of salty seawater and started coughing. She tried to swim to the surface, but her legs weren't working. Noya began to panic until the hand she had forgotten was still holding hers hoisted her above the surface.
Gasping again in relief, Noya coughed and spluttered as she tried to expel the water from her lungs. Voices rang around her as her hacking filled her ears.
A large hand came to roughly pat her back, helping her to get the last dredges of the water out. Breathing almost normally again, Noya wiped her watering eyes to see her friends crowded around her in worry.
Noya smiled shakily at their worried faces, warmed despite the chilly water with their concern. "Sorry guys. I'm just not really... cut out for water," she coughed wetly.
"Nonsense!" a larger boy crowed. "That's the same tripe you tried to sell when you first climbed a tree, but look where you are now!" He laughed as he patted Noya on the shoulder again, a warm smile on his face. "You're one of the best climbers I've ever seen."
Noya blushed in embarrassment as she turned away from the boy, Takao Daichi, but she blushed brighter when she saw that everyone else looking at her and nodding along. "Thanks Daichi, you guys. I- I guess I can do it again."
The other girl in the group, Sawai Hina, gave a cheer before she swam for the shore, her blonde hair and giggles bouncing along the cool waves. Noya laughed with the rest of her friends as they made a move to chase her, but Hina was too fast.
When they were all back on land and trudging up the side of the cliff face, Noya could hear Hina being jokingly chided by the dad of the group, Hamasaki Atsushi. Atsushi was the shortest of the five, but he was very laid back. He loved to organize trips during the weekend for the group to adventure around the island that they lived on. Not to mention he was the guy who got the group together in the first place.
"You sure you're up for this, Noya?"
The girl in question shrieked as she jumped in the air, turning around to spot a sheepish Hiro smiling at her. "Hiro! What did I tell you earlier?"
The gentle boy laughed as he moved to be by Noya's side. "I'm sorry. I'll try not to scare you so much next time, but... are you sure you're okay? We both know Daichi can be a bit pushy. No one will blame you if you back out."
Noya looked down at her dripping hands before giving a smile to her friend. Hiro was like that- always looking out for other people. "Thanks Hiro, but I'll be fine. It was kinda fun."
Hiro sighed softly before shaking his head in amusement. He smiled as he softly said, "Only you, Noya."
I turned my stare onto him as I opened my mouth to question him, onto to be interrupted by Daichi.
"Come on you two love birds! The sun's setting and we wanted to take a group photo!"
Hiro and Noya each choked on a laugh in shock before the lanky brunette took off up the cliff. "I'm going to push you off, Daichi!"
Noya giggled as she spotted Hiro tackling Daichi to the ground. The both of them rolled around, trading insults as Atsushi videoed with his camera and Hina cheered them on.
She loved her friends.