one-shot and short story

2022-1

Winter Olympics, Beijing.

As Anna got ready for her upcoming performance, she couldn't help but feel a little uncertain. Despite her previous success, she was no longer confident that she could get another gold medal. The competition was tough, with many other skaters now capable of executing quadruple jumps. Anna wasn't sure about the judges, who often had their favorites and would give higher scores even if the skater's skills didn't deserve it. All of these factors contributed to Anna's confidence, making her performance all the more challenging.

"Anna, there's no need to worry. You have prepared for this and I have complete faith in you. Trust yourself and go out there with confidence." Petra reassured. while she facing Anna, put her hand on both of Anna's shoulders.

"Next skater, representing Canada, Anna Villeneuve!"

She starts to glide her blade. Standing in her position, Anna closed her eyes, remembering all the efforts she made to step her feet at this most prestigious competition. Anna suddenly remembered her conversation with his mom.

"Remember, whether you come as a champion or not, what matters most is that you have tried your best. I am always proud of you," Anna's mom said, holding her hands, one day before she left Anna behind in this world.

As the music starts, Anna's confidence is back, ready to show her best version of herself.

⛸️

It was not easy to be the most decorated female skater in Canada in the 2010s. The pressure from the federation left her feeling exhausted, and she believed that another skater should also experience the same pressure. She did not want to go through the unfairness she had experienced again.

On the other side, it seems that Beijing will not belong to Yuzuru. That salchow, when Anna watches it secretly behind other Japanese skaters, was a disaster. There's a hole in that damned ice rink and if he still jumps by hitting the hole, it would be worse. Looking again at the kiss and cry, when Yuzuru starts moving his finger, Anna just runs away.

She didn't even want to watch the men's free skate. Anna knew that Yuzuru would attempt the quadruple axel. She had often watched Yuzuru practice and was sure that the chances of landing it successfully were still low. In the end, she watched her love fall, although she was mesmerized by his performance.

The atmosphere in Beijing brought back memories of Sochi. Fans of figure skating often refer to the podium of Sochi's figure skating competition as "The Rise of the King and The Fallen of the Queen." This narrative seemed to be repeating itself once again but with a different position.

Yes, you're right. Anna is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Yuzuru is in 4th place.

⛸

Anna sat in silence, gazing out of the window of her hotel room. The view was breathtaking, with the sunrise casting a warm, golden light across the room from the left side.

As she picked up her phone, Anna began scrolling through her social media feed. Among the news about this year's Winter Olympics, she came across tweets from his fans. Overwhelmed with emotion, tears start to fall from Anna's eyes.

You should be happy with your gold medal, many people want to be in your place.

Anna looks at her gold medal after she took it from her desk. Did I deserve it? Did I have a right to be happy when my loved one suffers with his emotions? Will anyone call me as an egoist person if I'm happy with my hard work?

At the same time, Yuzuru was looking out of his window, reflecting on his hard work from the beginning of his third Olympic participation. He didn't have any intention to talk with someone as he was still recovering from his experiences. Yuzuru had already decided that Beijing would be his last competition, but it shouldn't end like this. What I worked hard for day and night was not rewarded. I'm so sorry for my bruised ankle and wounded heart that didn't deserve this.