Beyond the Sound | Yuzuru Hanyu

1.

A.N: usual warnings apply.

Mature content⚠️

Verona, Italy, 2016

The beautiful sight of the Arena Di Verona filled her eyes. The iconic amphitheater was known for all the opera shows it held throughout the year but with enough luck, you could find yourself listening to any kind of music in the gorgeous venue.

With a seating capacity of over 20,000 people, it was no wonder that this was a place that held a lot of famous concerts.

This wasn't the first time that Maya had been in the important venue, but she had never entered the building with the same intention as she did now.

This was a very special day.

After years of studying, she was finally given the chance to work in something she loved.

It might have been far from her childhood dreams, but today marked her first day as an intern sound engineer.

"You must be Maya!" a woman who looked to be about her age greeted her with excitement. "Welcome! I'm Chiara, an intern in show production. It's nice to meet you."

"Thank you! It's nice to meet you as well. I'm very excited to start."

"I'm just excited to have someone to complain with! You're the first girl I see around that isn't one of the musicians. This really is a world filled with men."

Maya had to laugh at the other girl. That was a truth that she was quite aware of.

"How long have you been here?"

"About half a year. Hopefully, they will hire me properly soon."

"Yeah! I'm sure they will."

Being welcomed by someone who was in a similar situation as hers was reassuring.

That moment was just the first one of many exchanged between the two girls.

In just a few weeks, Arena di Verona became her home, and Chiara, her best friend.

Truth be told, years passed before she even realized and yes, her friend was officially signed to work in the arena, and so was she.

Having lived in the Italian city for a little over 10 years, Maya could say she was very familiar with the area but she quickly understood that it was nothing like her friend.

Maybe it was something to do with being a local, but Chiara knew every single good spot in town, and in no time, she had introduced her to every single one.

The places were so good that she even managed to ignore her friend's clear attempts to set her up with random men every time they went into town.

As much as Chiara had good intentions, Maya was simply not interested in most of the creeps that they ended up meeting.

"You need to learn how to have fun... I still think it's the lack of alcohol."

"You're drunk, that's why you're saying that."

"Maybe... But you could at least tell me your type so I could know what to look for."

"How about you don't look for anything?"

"What's the fun in that?"

Maya had no idea what type of man she wanted in her life. Right then, she didn't want anyone at all.

Men were too complicated.

She was more than fine with one night stand every now and then, but she didn't do any of the sentimental parts.

It was easier.

Well, it had other perks as well.

Maya had enough time to dedicate to her career and it wasn't that surprising when she started climbing the ranking ladder and finally reaching a place she was happy with.

It took her exactly 2 years to become the main sound engineer of the venue where she had started as an intern.

And she loved her job.

Having the chance to work with talented musicians every day and slowly organize the shows and plan every detail was something that she loved with all of her heart.

It was on those happy days that she felt like maybe this was better than what she had dreamed about during her whole childhood.

She probably wouldn't even make it big enough to reach a place like this if her fate had been different.

But now, she has the chance to work in a field that she enjoys while never losing her passion for music.

Everything was great. Not only the work environment inside the venue but also outside.

It was very common to catch a lot of the sound people going out during the weekends together and having some fun.

Chiara even joked that she had to have a crush on one of the guys given how much of a nerd she was.

No such thing happened, of course.

The boy had tried multiple times but Maya was once again, not even slightly interested.

Chiara eventually gave up on her attempts and the other girl couldn't be more thankful. It wasn't as if the Italian had a boyfriend either.

Their lives were very stable in Verona. They liked to live there and the job was great.

Still, sometimes, opportunities happen that make you shift your life completely.

For these girls, it started with an offer that Chiara got randomly through an old university buddy.

The girl had come to Maya with an excited look, almost as if she had just been given her favorite candy.

"Maya, you won't believe it!"

"What is it?"

By now, Maya was used to seeing Chiara excited over things that weren't necessarily justifiable, but this time, she seemed even more excited.

"I got a job offer abroad!"

"You're leaving me?" Maya joked immediately. She wouldn't stop her dearest friend from taking a good job opportunity but she could always joke around.

"I won't be leaving you if you come with me..."

"You seem very confident in my skills... where exactly are you going?"

"Japan!"