Unforgettable | Yuzuru Hanyu

10. Test

Everyone seemed excited when Kana said yes to the dreaded thing. She wasn't feeling like it at all, but it seemed like refusing now wouldn't be too polite or nice to these people who were helping her.

It was with excitement that the coaches told her to get on the ice, reminding her to take the guards off her blades before she did.

One step at a time, she was gliding on the slippery surface with the same naturality that she felt on the outdoor rink some weeks prior. If anything, she felt even better now with proper skates, even if they were old and used.

They told her to just skate a bit to warm up. It was inevitable to feel pressured by the eyes of these really experienced coaches. She could feel them judging every single glide, every single marking that the blades did on the ice. In a way, it was as exhilarating as exciting, even if scary.

If you were to ask her when exactly did she start obeying to each word that left the coaches, Kana couldn't even tell you but the truth was that it happened so easily that it was impossible to deny the ease in following instructions.

Sure enough, she was far from being the best skater in the world. Kana had been away from the sport for a very long time but there was also no denying that she was a natural at it, being able to execute most things with an ease that could be envied by a lot of high-level athletes.

Those who were watching couldn't keep their eyes away from her skating and what was supposed to be just a test soon turned out to be a showcase of her beautiful skating.

From the moment she started, it was easy to forget all of her surroundings and just accept how much she enjoyed this and every movement that her body did. Besides everything, skating was still very fun for her. No, she didn't exactly remember anything when it came to her past on the sport but Kana could tell how much she had enjoyed this in the past. It was almost impossible to ignore how it made her body feel.

Every step felt natural, almost like a second home to her that often felt more like it than her actual current home.

Through it all, she ignored most of the outside noise, listening merely to the information provided and every guide from the coaches, everything else vanished.

Truly, she loved every single bit of it and was easily getting in the moment, allowing her body to feel instead of overthinking everything. Well, at least until she heard the dreaded words.

"Let's try some jumps."

It was one thing to just try and do some spins and showcase skating skills, it was something entirely different to actually launch in the air and jump. It was scary, but most of all, Kana just didn't believe in her own skills to make it.

How could she even land on that tiny thin blade? There was no way it was even safe. Against all of her better judgment, Kana just didn't know how to say no.

Still, even as she listened to every guidance and allowed her body to take over, Kana had a lot of doubts about whether it was even possible. She could feel all of her body shaking as she finally took the leap and tried what was an attempt of a single salchow.

Surprising no one at that venue, Kana fell on her ass even before her blade reached the slippery surface. The movement was just no longer there and expecting anything more than what she had already shown was way too crazy.

From the moment she fell, they stopped the test, deeming it more than enough at that time. She had a feeling that both Brian and Tracy had searched her enough to know what her previous level was so there was a big chance that what she was able to showcase was far from the quality they could have been expecting.

"Not bad at all, Kana." they both said eventually just as she was about to mop about her disappointment.

"Not bad?"

She didn't believe it for a second. What Kana showed seemed to be far from the ideal skating anyone would be looking forward to seeing.

"No, not bad. We know very well how long you spent without skating. None of us expected you to be able to land jumps but the truth is that you're skating skills and technique seem to be just as good as I'd been told. Given just how long your last time skating properly was, that's definitely surprising."

"It doesn't have that much utility but I'm glad I got to do this with you." Kana eventually replied, moving to a topic that had been on her mind. "I'm very thankful that you reached out to Japan and found the answers that I never thought to have."

"That does remind me of Brian's offer" Tracy replied almost instantly, as if in fear she would back down if she wasn't fast enough.

"What offer?"

"For us to train you."

Kana stopped mindlessly gliding on the ice and looked in their direction. Why would they even offer to do something like that for her when they didn't know her before this?

"Train?!"

While being in the midst of an existential crisis, it was very easy to get lost in her thoughts and not understand or realize everything else that was happening around. At least not until a stranger's voice erupted in the room.

Kana heard the voice before she saw the face. It was deep and yet, soft and rough all at the same time. She could have sworn she had never heard that voice before but right at the same time, it was almost as if her body recognized it from the way she felt like melting.

"Brian, Tracy... I just wanted to tell you I'm going home."