Axels and Heartstrings

What You Need to Do

Chapter Six

Saya had been shooting him death glares for over an hour.

Such was a nightly occurrence when Yuzuru was in town, when skating at Ice Rink Sendai.  He would skate until the late hours of the night, and Saya would watch until she got tired and began issuing threats of impending doom every time he passed her.  Like any seasoned younger brother would do, he only threw the towel in when she was too exhausted to unleash a full-scale verbal beat down.

Yet, tonight, Saya's nagging wasn't because of her exhaustion. It was because of his, and his inability to conceal it.

The symptoms of Soulmate Sickness were still mild for him- progressive fatigue, subtle food aversions, and perhaps some growing dark circles beneath his eyes. It was nothing extraordinary, but enough to notice. And despite being mild, these symptoms were still concerning, especially considering the lack of progress in finding his soulmate.

For days on end, Saya had been contacting ticket holders, ceaselessly searching for any information about a lost soulmate from the night of his last ice show. Unfortunately, her efforts had borne no fruit. Not even a single clue had surfaced.

Meaning, Yuzuru was well aware that he shouldn't be overexerting himself on the ice.  He knew he shouldn't be carelessly expending his energy, without a way to replenish it. But, it was a double edged sword, because the longer he went without finding his soulmate, the more stressed he became—and the more he needed to skate.

The ice was his sanctuary, where he found solace and felt most at ease.  As soon as he stepped out of this rink, he knew that his brain was going to latch onto every possible fear he had, repeating irrational worries incessantly, like it had for years.  The ice was his therapy.

Particularly tonight, it just felt right to be here.

"You really need to stop doing this," Saya scolded him when he finally stepped off half an hour later. "Now is not the time to be pushing yourself."

"I'll be fine," he muttered, though the truth lingered in the discomfort pulsating through his calves.

"If you keep this up, you are going to run out of energy."

Beginning to methodically unlace his skates, Yuzuru shrugged.

Saya's eyes narrowed, skepticism etched on her face.  For days now he had been trying to act nonchalant, behaving as if life hadn't changed for him at that ice show a few days ago—like he hadn't met his soulmate.  He was almost defiant about his fate, like a rebellious teenager. 

Saya certainly wasn't buying it; she knew that what lay beneath the surface was far deeper than what Yuzuru allowed the world to see.

She spoke, "You don't need to keep pretending. I know you're scared, and that's okay."

For the briefest moment his fingers stilled.  As much as he wanted to deny the implications of Saya's words, or the situation he was in, he couldn't. He was scared. Terrified.  For the immediate future and for what would come after that. 

"We will find her, Yuzuru."

Yuzuru closed his suitcase, sealing his belongings inside.  

He sighed, "And then?"

She didn't immediately answer him, instead she began walking through the secluded halls of the rink and towards the entrance, where their driver was waiting.  At her silence, Yuzuru thought his mini-lecture was over, that he had been spared. He should have known better.  

Before they could reach the lobby, Saya stopped, pivoting around and catching him off guard with a look of disapproval. It was the kind of look that made it clear that he was about to receive some tough love, whether he liked it or not.