nevertheless || yuzuru hanyu

seven - in the eyes of a stranger

warning: this chapter may include several depictions of violence

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Gabriella tried with every fiber of her being to not talk about Yuzuru, but somehow she just couldn't. He was just an acquaintance, but for some reason she feels that there is something so interesting about him. All the things she could say were so limited, yet the feelings that her intuition provides her just keeps her intrigued about the likes of Yuzuru.

"It felt so good talking to him, Joanna. You wouldn't understand." She groggily said to Joanna with a smile reaching the ends of her mouth.

A little triggered by her words, Joanna gently and jokingly pushed her, "Of course, I wouldn't understand. You got to talk to him, while you made me wait for you in our table." She exclaimed.

Gabriella in a voice as tired as she was, just laughed as hard as her body allowed her.

"Well, I paid for the food so just deal with it..." Gabriella replied, eventually trailing off as her eyes were too heavy to keep her awake.

Joanna glanced at her a few times as she was driving. She felt a little relieved that she was seeing Gabriella smile brightly again. Though they have only known each other for two or so days, she felt like she knew her through the screens.

She knew Gabriella a few days after she started training under her uncle. She saw how Gabriella played, she was truly gifted and skilled in the sport. She was impressive and it always felt like it was an artistic performance when she played, even if badminton was a competitive sport.

Even at her busiest schedules, Joanna would try to update herself and watch Gabriella's matches. After all, it was like showing her support for her uncle who was the coach. Given this, Joanna was mostly aware of Gabriella's career track.

So during the incident that transpired six months ago, she was as shocked as anyone who was watching the program.

::

"It's currently a tie between Kim and Jung. We are now seeing what may possibly be the last service of this match, coming from Jung." A line from the commentator flashed in Joanna's mind. As her opponent took the service, Gabriella was in her stance, ready to strategically receive the service. They rallied shots for a whole minute until Gabriella countered a smash that had hit Jung's racket and bounced off to the right side of her court. Officially, Gabriella won, and Jung lost. It was a fair and good fight, until the moment when Gabriella was about to exit the court. When Gabriella won, she was so happy she knelt down on the ground, let go of her racket, and proceeded to bow to her court. As she was about to stand up, Jung pulled hard on the poles that held the badminton net up.

Out of anger, she hit Gabriella with the heavy pole. Out of confusion, Gabriella looked behind her, but even so, her opponent just continued hitting her with the pole in every part of her body. During the whole incident, several blows were dealt to her head, ears, legs, stomach, and arms. Her opponent hit her anywhere she could do so. As the guards and referees were also in shock at what was happening, they came very late to Gabriella's aid, and when they came was the only time that the blows to Gabriella's body stopped.

It was one of the heaviest and most traumatic scenes that the Olympics ever had. There was a huge amount of blood in the court and laying on it was an unconscious Gabriella, unable to even celebrate the victory she worked so hard for. The worst part is that her memory is tainted by the day in which she almost lost her life to victory and trust.

::

Once more as Joanna stared at Gabriella peacefully sleeping in the passenger seat, she was reminded of how much pain she had suffered in less than a year.

But more than her health, that match robbed Gabriella of her prosperity and trust in people.

Joanna knew that, her uncle and her family were the only people that Gabriella deeply trusted after that six months of torture she experienced. So, seeing her smile genuinely like how she used to, was something that made Joanna feel complete.

The drive back to the apartment was peaceful with only the music from the radio playing. Gabriella was in a deep slumber, in which Joanna eventually woke her up.

A headache welcomed Gabriella as she opened her eyes and made her way inside the apartment with Joanna. She cleaned herself up as best as she could in a winter seasoned night and laid down on her bed trying to fall asleep.

It didn't take long for her to fall deep within a slumber once more. A smile was on her lips as she fell asleep, only the divine knows what she had in her mind as she closed her eyes embracing a peaceful rest.

After a long time of being in internal pain, this was the first time she finally felt like she was healing.

::

It's faint. But something is there. Sweet or bitter, one can't tell, but faintly, it's there.

Someplace along the many corners of the world and in the segments of life was a rumble. In the warmth and happiness that the snow provided, was an unprecedented and distant avalanche waiting to fall.