Melody of You | Yuzuru Hanyu

39.

It turns out that even for two introverts it can be hard to be caged in a hotel room with almost nothing to do and deprived of the things they love to do the most.

The first days were fine. Sophia and Yuzuru had plenty to catch up on and talked like there was no tomorrow. But soon, the conversation themes started running out once a few days have passed.

Yuzuru wanted to desperately go back to training and Sophia was desperate that she couldn't play. It dawned on her how much she took her life for granted before. The woman was sure that as soon as she could start playing again, she would value every second a bit more, simply to not risk the chance of it being the last time.

She could see him desperate for something to do, it almost seemed like they ran through all of Netflix's catalog in a week and there was still another one to go. There was only so much they could talk about headphones and music.

At the same time, Yuzuru sensed that there was something in her head that was making her constantly sad. Sophia would still laugh and smile with him, but not as he remembered. Maybe she missed playing, or it was just the weight of all the emotional things she went through in the past weeks. Either way, he didn't like it one bit.

They were sitting on the room's couch, the TV turned on a random show when she started a conversation about an entirely different subject.

"When you said you asked them to invite me... do you really have that power?" Sophia decided to explore a bit more of the mystery that was her invitation to FaoI.

Yuzuru laughed at her question and pulled her closer.

"I'm no god... but I can invite people. They often consult me on invited skaters. Music and performers not so much, but I made the request and they tried."

"Uhm. So if you were to ask again...?"

He looked at her carefully, trying to understand what was on her mind.

"You want to go? I thought you hated the environment, at least on the first leg."

"yes... If I can play, that is. I liked most of it, some of the other musicians were little bitches, but it's fine."

"You will be able to play, and if that's what you want, I will make sure you go"

And it was true, even if he had to beg and sign some kind of deal to do every show in the next years, Yuzuru would do anything for the woman in his arms and her happiness. He knew that in normal situations, all he needed was to say her name and it was assured, but you never actually know with those people.

"Thank you. I will need it after all of this."

There it was, something was for sure creeping up on her head and something told Yuzuru this was about the orchestra.

"But will you be able to come if the orchestra has shows?" 

"I don't think I will be going back"

The look on her face was one he hadn't seen before, it was filled with hurt and emotion. He wasn't sure if this was about the accident or lack of self-confidence to be back after her injuries. Either way, it was his job to be there for her.

"Why not?"

"So much stuff... I was out for a few days and was replaced right away. I know they have to come back to concerts, but it's not like we would even be performing this week. They just went back to London and took the place of the Junior Orchestra again as if nothing happened. Like we didn't lose friends and colleagues just over a few weeks ago. It hurts to think we are just another number."

Yuzuru had no idea about this, he remembered Josh saying something about a concert but never expected the orchestra to just go back to concerts as usual like it was nothing. No wonder Sophia was feeling so down lately.

"You're not just a number" he said with a stern expression.

"I know...It's just how it feels. I don't know if I will even be able to play, or if I will be half as good as I was if I recover but either way, I don't think I would be able to just ignore all of this and come back. It hurts too much."

"Whatever you decide you want to do, I will be here. ok?"

She smiled at him and hugged him tighter. Sophia knew he would always be there, no matter what happened, Yuzuru will always be at her side.

It was by her side that he spent the next week. They got out of their boredom once Yuzuru decided to attempt to play the violin. As determined as he was, once you pick up that dreaded instrument, you can be sure it will sound bad if you're a beginner.

Sophia was almost sorry for the other hotel guests, but once he told her the walls were insulated and no one could hear a thing, the fun really started. To be fair, for someone who never played an instrument in his life, Yuzuru wasn't that bad, but he would be playing concertos any time soon for sure.

She took it as a personal mission to teach him whatever she could in that week that they were pretty much locked in the hotel. The skater had music theory classes, learned how to properly read music, and did a bit of ear training too. If it sounds like a lot in one week, well, it was, but they didn't have much else to do.

By Saturday, his music knowledge was far superior to what they started with, even if still low for a beginner. He was a fast learner but there was simply too much to cover.

To say that Yuzuru was amazed at how many small details were a part of her job couldn't cover it. Everything was going fine when she told him which notes were which but started complicating as soon as she introduced the rhythmic figures, measures, and expressions. It was truly an unknown world for him.

That week changed the way he saw music. How could something so simple as a beautiful melody be so complicated once you wrote everything down? 

And still, he had an incredible time learning with her. Sophia was a natural teacher, she managed to simplify things while never taking their value. Maybe if things didn't work out it would be an option for her. Either way, the important thing wasn't what she would do, but that she did it by his side.