Young lovers who share the same passion for figure skating were brought together by the ice rink. Whoever thought that the rink that brought them together will also be the same rink that takes them apart?
In a journey of chasing after her passion an...
The cheers died down once Yuuri stood at the center of the rink. In no time, the repetitive piano notes of his music started playing. It pulled at my heartstrings starting from the very beginning of the free skate.
"Yuuri On Ice," I thought the moment Yuuri began skating. He said he'd like to use this program to express the different forms of love he feels. In this free skate, Yuuri has two consecutive quads. The first is part of a combination.
Quadruple Toe Loop, Double Toe Loop.
The moment Yuuri lifted off the ground, an image of Victor appeared. Just like the one I saw when Yuri skated yesterday, the image was from years ago. The only difference is that with Yuuri, I saw the Victor that sneaked out of our apartment every night to go to the rink for extra practice.
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There was never a newbie who stepped foot on the ice already skilled, and there was never a professional who hasn't been a newbie. Victor didn't just magically become a legend. He put years and years of practice to perfect his art.
There are times I'd wake up deep within the night and sneak into Victor's room just to check if he is there. Often times, I don't find him there. I would pick up a coat and walk towards the rink where he practices alone. His only light source is the faint glow of the moonlight creeping through the windows.
That was the Victor I saw in Yuuri. The man that worked hard to reach the top. For a moment, I imagined Yuuri taking the spot of Victor since if the universe permits, Victor and I would switch back to pair skating.
For more than half of Yuuri's life, he's been trying to catch up to Victor. Now I can see it: the fruits of his labor. It isn't impossible that Yuuri can even surpass Victor.
There'll be no more darkness when you believe in yourself. You are unstoppable.
Yuuri has grown tremendously. His free skate today proves it so. Victor and I both see ourselves in Yuuri. The way he tells his story as he gracefully glides along the ice reaches me. "Thank you for bringing me all the way here, Victor, (y/n). And it's not just Victor and (y/n) I have to thank."
Quadruple Salchow.
He's changed since Yurio taught him how to do the Salchow. I watched him film Yurio's salchow to study it even when Yurio is not around. I believe he hasn't deleted it yet. I wouldn't either if I was in his place. It once served as a fragment, a puzzle piece, a stepping stone that led me to where I should be.
Triple Flip.
"He changes it from the triple loop..." Victor said knowing exactly that I was thinking the same.
"Yuuri, you can't be serious," I whispered.
"My performance needs to be better than flawless for a chance at the gold. I've been thinking ever since the short program that I'd like the final free skate of my career to have the same difficulty as Victor's."
