✔️ Body and Mind 3

Worlds 2022

March 2022

-No hand this time.

Yuzuru grumbled as he was putting on his gloves and getting ready to enter the rink for his free skate at the Worlds.
Even the idea of smashing his face on the ice like he almost did at the World Team Trophy the year prior was better than touching the ice again while landing the Quadruple Axel.
He made a mental note to definitely put his hands behind his back as soon as his right blade would make a contact with the ice.

He removed his skate guards and hopped on the ice, quickly touching it and going straight in the middle, not even turning to Brian for last words of encouragement. He was on a mission now and heard it all before anyway.
There were no words that could make him land that jump. It was just between his body that he felt is finally ready and the ice that hopefully won't betray him this time around.

The music filled the arena and he once more skated towards the judges with another look of determination just before he hid his face behind his arms.

He wasn't thinking of Anya anymore, because she had her life now and there was no point in dwelling on what they could have had. And hopefully, by now, Emily would be with somebody who would treat her feelings better than he did.
And he, he had his quad Axel and skating.
At that moment Yuzuru turned to his back counter entry and suddenly realized that once he lands the jump cleanly he will cross that imaginary line of his career and there will be nothing left.
Because Anya was engaged, Emily was hopefully happy with somebody else too, Javi had Nyx and coaching and he had just that damn skating.
And once he would land the Axel perfectly there would be no turning back, no more excuses to fall onto of why he didn't retire yet.
He would achieve it all and stay alone.

One rotation, Two, Three, Four, Half.....his mind fought with his earlier determination to put his hands behind his back, but now he wanted to do exactly the opposite. And since he had only a split second to decide, his body didn't react to either and he ended up on the ice with his full body.

Yuzuru quickly collected himself off the ice and sped up to get back to the right beat of the music.
And though he could hear the shocked gasp of the audience after his fall, he couldn't help himself but let a small smirk cross his face.
Because now he still had something to skate towards. To keep his days having a meaning.

______________________

Summer 2022

Anya was once more drying her increasingly more sweating hands on her jeans and biting her lower lip so hard she was pretty sure it's already leaving a mark.

"That is truly an interesting sight. Usually, miss Fraser is very calm during her games, no matter who she faces. But this time, even though she was against Magnus several times already, we can see the nervousness bubbling up to the surface. On the other hand, her opponent seems rather amused by her behavior, which I assume doesn't come as a surprise to any of Magnus' fans.
And yes, we were all surprised last year when she showed up with her so-typical braid being much shorter, but now it's finally back and I am more surprised she didn't start to rebraid it yet considering they are well in the end game.
Oh, wait---I take it back."

Anya took a deep breath and closed her eyes, reaching to her braid resting over her shoulder, and slowly started loosening up each strand before she began to braid it once more. Her fingers were working through her hair and her mind through all the remaining moves and their potential outcomes, branching out into a flood of possibilities that would be reduced with each upcoming move they make. Leaving her then with several variants that will allow her to quickly foresee the final outcome.

"Alright, Magnus has decided to go for the defense with his rook, but Anya did not see it yet as she is---- never mind, her little ritual is over and she is making her move right away.
This is always something interesting to see. Because anytime she calculates all the possible outcomes ahead like this, she plays rather fast afterwards, whereas this is exactly where Magnus cautiously slows down. Not that he could not calculate the moves himself as well, but he usually doesn't go as far as Ms. Fraser does."