Playing with Fire | Yuzuru Hanyu

65. Strength

Recent threats on his life made it a necessity for Yuzuru to arrive in Pyeongchang surrounded by bodyguards.

It was funny to see from the outside but Aria almost wished she could walk that path by his side.

She went to Korea too, his sister once again by her side as they escaped the sight of every journalist and media.

It was almost crazy how easy it was to go by unnoticed when no one expected you.

Aria admired Yuzuru for his strength. He looked so relaxed as he faced all of those people with a confident smile on his face. It was almost easy to forget how frustrated he had been with his jumps in the past week.

She could almost understand those people who claimed he faced everything. It was easy to believe when everything seemed so easy once he came back.

Part of her almost thought he enjoyed the judgment because he only seemed to fuel it with his confident remarks about his health.

He always said he was ready and Aria never expected anything else from a high-class athlete. The last thing he needed was a competitor using his health to their advantage.

She should have known that Yuzuru never joked around. He had made it clear what his goals were and the truth was that there was very little that could challenge his will to win.

Aria was there through it all, feeling more helpless than ever before but the truth is that this was something that Yuzuru had to deal with on his own, without any interference from anyone in his life. Sure, it hurt to see him come back to their hotel room and slump on the bed in silence after a frustrating practice but that's just part of being by his side during the good and bad times.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" she asked on the night before the short program, giving him an opening to talk if he felt like it.

"I know... Is it weird that I'm scared?"

Aria gave him a bright smile and kissed his lips gently.

"I would say that it's only normal given that you're about to compete in the biggest competition in the word. I would be worried if you weren't at least a little bit afraid."

"I didn't feel like this on my first Olympics."

"Did you feel the same pressure to win?"

She could see it on his face, how hard it was to explain the current situation of things. As much as the situation was similar, it seemed like all of Japan had his hopes on him now. It was only natural to worry about the expectations that came with it.

"It was different. I went to Sochi with hopes to win but now? Now I feel like I have to win."

"No matter what happens, Gold medal or not, I will be here to celebrate with you in the end because even if you fail to achieve that huge goal, I know just how much and how hard you worked to make it all possible. The outcome, as important as it is for you, won't matter to me. All I want is for you to enjoy skating and be happy."

Somehow, just listening to her on that night, part of that tension left his shoulders. It no longer mattered that much that he hadn't been able to land a single Salchow since he returned to the ice. It didn't matter that he had just started to work on his jumps. All that mattered was that he was there to do his best and the outcome was never solely dependent on him.

Surprising no one, when Yuzuru did get to that ice to compete, both in the Short and Free Program, the injury seemed to be as fake as some people claimed. Even with a chaotic warmup, this man just went out there and made it seem easy as he, once again, skated to the top step of the podium with all his might.

Any doubts that would have been there before were completely wiped away with the last notes of Seimei playing in the Olympic Venue. His won his second Olympic title with only one and a half functioning ankles and no one would ever be able to take that away from him.

It was almost easy to believe that he had achieved purely with his sheer will and conviction that he could, in fact, get this when almost no one who knew of the true extent of the injury thought possible.

Being there with open arms to receive her Olympic champion was easily one of the best moments in her life, filled with joy on both of their faces.

Maybe it was only then that Aria realized who the man in her life was, the one who had once gone to her with a shy expression and innocent look was still the same Yuzuru she knew now, just a little bit more confident in himself.

He had grown in ways that she could have never expected but then again, this same Aria, known as Aurora by most, would have never expected to be in the position she was now. 

Yuzuru hadn't been the only one growing up and realizing his worth. Their paths seemed to be destined to meet so they could grow and learn together through adversities.

If anything, their story just proved one thing: No matter your background or your previous life, you can always fight to achieve more and open your horizons. No two people will ever be completely incompatible purely because of their backgrounds. If anything, it's always a matter of fighting to the end.

Because only what's true will withstand the troubles and concerns that life can bring. When you love someone, it doesn't matter who they are or who they have once been. When you're willing to fight through it all and show it to those around you.

Everything is possible as long as you don't give up.

-The End-