Wings of Change | Yuzuru Hanyu

3.

Toronto|April, 2012

Joan POV

I'm already late for my session, I should have started making dinner earlier, I always lose track of time.

I take my skate bag, look around the room to make sure I don't forget anything and start my 10-minute walk to the TCC.

Ever since my retirement, I made sure to try to skate at least 3 times a week, usually after dinner time so I wouldn't mess with anyone's practice schedules. Having an empty rink all by myself was something I always cherished.

When I arrived, all the lights were turned off, no one was there as usual. I take my own key to the rink and make my way through the familiar walls. The rink administrators have known me for years, trusting me with the key as long as everything was spot on the next day.

I put everything down near a bench, take my Bluetooth earbuds, and start my off-ice warmup routine.

After about half an hour I decide I'm well warmed up and put my skates on.

The smooth ice is waiting for me, I connect my phone to the stereo system and play my classic rock playlist on shuffle. Queen's 'Don't Stop Me Now' starts playing and brings a smile to my face. Let's get this party started

I take my skate guards and my feet enter the ice, the feeling is always indescribable. I start gliding in circles, experiment a little with a few turns and steps, a few crossovers, and waltz jump. Yeah, Feels good.

After getting a bit of momentum I go through most of my jumps, starting with doubles to make sure I'm well warmed up. Soon enough, I'm doing the 3,5 rotations of the triple axel, my all-time favorite jump.

Enough joking around, let's do a program. I go to my phone and scroll through the extensive skating playlist. I've been working on a few programs in the competition layout, to prove to myself I still got it.

Chopin's Ballade No. 1 stands out to me, I haven't done this one in a while. I press the delayed play and put myself in the starting position. As the song starts I feel entranced by it, everything else just disappears.

I skate through a program I had choreographed in the past to be my Olympic short, possibly one of the hardest Shorts ever done but without the pressure of competition everything came naturally, even the devil quad Salchow that I had chosen as the first jump. Surely enough, this couldn't be the layout if I was competing but it didn't mean that I didn't enjoy putting quads in the short program.

Being able to still perform at the top of my game after 2 years was something I was incredibly proud of, I have been training without a coach all this time and somehow managed to not overwork my body.

Entering the step sequence, I just let go and enjoy myself, I love the part of the program where I can just forget about jumps and enjoy skating. Soon enough I struck my ending pose and heard someone clapping at the other side of the rink.

"You are even better, that program was something else" a heavily accented voice said.

"Yuzuru?" I was incredibly surprised to see the Japanese boy in front of me, he seemed more grown up, almost intimidating. I knew he was coming to Toronto, Brian had told me, but he just came out of the world championships, figured he would take some time off before heading to the other side of the world.

"One and only"

"Your English seems to be improved"

"I worked hard, knew I would need it. Don't know everything yet, but it's getting there"

I smiled at the Japanese, it was clear he had been working hard.

"What are you doing here?"

"I will train here"

"I'm aware, but no one comes at this hour... It's quite late"

"So you knew huh?"

"Yes...Brian mentioned it. But you haven't answered me"

"I live in the building in front, saw the lights on..."

"And decided to come check?"

"I was hoping to skate, really..."

"Skate? Right now?"

"Only had boring introductions when I arrived today, they didn't let me skate"

"You arrived today? Have you never heard of rest?" I was turning into a momma bear, this boy needed rest, not ice time.

"Olympic champions don't rest" he said with a smirk. "Besides, you're here too, thought you were retired"

"Can't I skate while retired?" He was getting on my nerves, who does he think he is? Not the same gentle boy I had met two years prior. "I always skate at this hour, can't mess with the training hours of competitive skaters... don't tell me you're about to steal the few hours I get every week"

Yuzuru frowned, he knew he had screwed up.

"Noo... Nooo...of course not... I was just wondering if you didn't mind sharing, just today... I want to see how it feels" he tried "I won't get in your way"

I softened, had I been too harsh? He seemed mad at me but it was hard to say why.

"It's okay, my body hurts anyway, ice is all yours... Just don't take too long, I have to stay so I can lock up after"

"Joan...you don't have to... I can just skate tomorrow"

"It's alright, world medalist, show me what you can do these days" he looked at me in a weird way, studying my expression.

"no, if you're not skating I'm not either..." He said with a proud expression before realizing what I had said. "Wait...You saw?"

"I did... How did you even fall doing steps?" I started laughing when I remembered his unexplainable fall

"Don't know...stop it..." He was clearly embarrassed, hands hiding his face. His reaction made me smile, maybe he's still the same boy after all...

"I'm joking, your free was incredible, I mean it" A fond smile was across her face "So... are you gonna skate or can I go to sleep?"

"You can close up."

"Okay..."

An awkward silence settled, I left the ice and started getting ready to leave. As I checked everything was in place, it wasn't hard to note his eyes on me, observing, judging...

We left the building in silence, none of us really knowing what to say. Joan closed and locked up everything without any words being uttered.

I found his eyes staring at me once again... It was clear he had something in his head.

"Just say it, whatever it is" The awkwardness started bothering me. I had a feeling this had something to do with the reasoning for him to be mad.

"I have a question"

"So... Will you ask?"

"Why didn't you come to the gala? You promised..."