Beyond the Sound | Yuzuru Hanyu

26.

They saw each other a few times after that day, mostly for work but also a few that ended in a bed as well.

Yuzuru noticed how detached she was then, in comparison to their previous affairs.

Sure, it was still good for both of them, but it was quite easy to understand that it wasn't the same.

With the show approaching, it was no wonder that most of their time together was spent working.

Maya even went to Sendai for a few days to see the training facility and arrange everything with Mikiko and Yuzuru.

It was nice to work with the woman again. Mikiko always knew what she wanted and was always very specific.

For someone like Maya, that was refreshing.

There was no doubt that she and Yuzuru were walking on eggshells around one another. Even if their evenings ended in a shared bed and moans of pleasure, words were rarely exchanged between them outside of the work setting.

It was weird but it was their deal, after all.

Eventually, the week of the show arrived.

Maya had a crazy week, starting with a Red Hot Chilli Peppers concert and a few other events until they cleared the arena for the big and innovative ice show.

From the first day of the assembly stage to the day they finally installed the rink, Maya was the one instructing the many teams and leading the whole operation.

Everything was far from what her job description entailed but then again, she had signed for all of it when she agreed to take on the challenge of doing more than her usual engineering.

Yuzuru arrived a couple of days later when everything was pretty much set and ready. The only thing left was for the ice to be ready and the sound to be finished.

On the stage, everything was already set since the Philharmonic had been there in the afternoon doing their sound check and they were just finishing setting everything on the other stage.

He wasn't there for long, asking for a report from Maya and listening to the sound with an approving nod.

"Sounds good, thanks Maya."

"Sure."

"I think I'm going to enjoy today to get some rest and review the whole performance as the ice gets ready. Are you staying?" he asked, almost hopeful that she would be willing to go with him but never asking directly given that both their teams were listening to the conversation.

"I still have a lot to do here." she said, turning him down almost immediately.

"Yeah... I will see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Yuzu."

Maya wasn't sure what answer he expected, but it wasn't that hard to realize that he seemed a bit disappointed with her answer. Whatever was on his mind could wait until they had everything ready.

The musicians would only come by later and Maya couldn't help but stare at the piano right in the center of the second stage.

She was mostly alone in the big venue and she had always wondered.

Sitting on the bench felt natural, almost like second nature as she opened the big grand piano and stared at the keys.

It had been so long...

She was completely alone when her fingers grazed on the keys and just went with the flow, playing a soft melody that came to mind from all of those years before.

Unfortunately, experiencing the joy of playing again came with an instant pain in her wrist, one she was more than familiar with.

When she finished the melody, a small smile was on her face.

She missed it more than anything, but sometimes your body forces you to make other choices.

Closing the piano again, Maya just did one last run-through of the staging and waited for the musicians.

The sound-check was as easy to do as expected. After months of preparation, Maya just had to adjust the levels for each musician and make each small adjustment they might ask. Being more than familiar with most people on the stage meant that she was used to working with them and knew their preferences.

One of the perks about working in the industry for so long.

That was it, everything was ready.

Her job was mostly done, now it was up to the musicians and Yuzuru to perform while she watched.

🎚️

When Maya arrived at the Dome the next day, Yuzuru was already bossing everyone around. The ice would be ready in a few hours for his only rehearsal at the venue.

She couldn't imagine the pressure on his shoulders to get everything right in just a single rehearsal.

They tested the video and interludes, as well as the moving screen before Yuzuru even got his skates on.

There was so much more to the show than the skating that each and every detail had to be overlooked.

It was hard to believe that it was already on the next day.

6 months had passed in a breeze, a lot of work going into that one night of show.

She arrived and gave him a gentle smile and wave while going to the center of the crowd section, where every mixing table was, both for the live stream and the show itself.

Maya worked a little bit with the guys from Asahi to set the audio for the stream and before she knew it, Yuzuru was calling her name.

"You think we can start the rehearsal?"

"Whenever you're ready, Hanyu-san. Everything is already set."

She never stopped the formalities when they had others around, even if Yuzuru often called her by her first name only. At least he had the decency of often calling her Maya-san.

"In about 30 minutes then. I'm just going to change and warm up for a bit."

"Ok."

The next hours were just the beginning of the end and Maya couldn't help it, she hated every second of it.