xxvi

3rd Person's POV

Time flew by fast. The most-awaited 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics is exactly 2 weeks away. For the past few weeks, Luna had been taking it easy with training and Yuzuru had just started getting back to skating from his injury. 

"Why does this look like its happened before?" Javi said to Yuzu who was sitting down on the bench after warming up, the two watching a chaotic scene in front of them.

"It did. A few months back." Yuzu replied with a sigh.

"You're seriously the most hard-headed woman I know besides your mother." Coach Brian said.

"I know. That's why you love me. So pretty please with a cherry on top, just bump up my program difficulty a teeny tiny bit more?" Luna replied, tailing her Uncle who had just went out of his office and onto the middle of the rink.

With how persistent his niece is, all he can do is muster up deep sigh before speaking. "Tell me what you want to do first? What are you going to change?" 

"I want two quads in my short and add two more of those in my free." Luna replied, a huge smile plastered on her face, her hands together pleading his Uncle.

"Now that"s-"

"Absolutely mental and dangerous, Luna. No." Yuzuru interrupted Coach Brian mid-sentence. Javi followed suit and said "He's right chica."

Coach Brian was about to talk again but this time was interrupted by Luna. "I didn't ask you two for your opinion." She rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at the two men as if teasing them.

"I thi-"

"Luna stop being so stubborn and just listen to us. You're asking for too much." Yuzuru retorted putting his arms across his chest.

"Wait a sec-"

"Blah blah blaaah I don't care." Luna said, covering her ears childishly.

"YOU TWO! STOP IT. Could you guys let me speak?" Coach Brian exclaimed after being interrupted by the arguing couple when he wanted to speak. His voice booming and echoing throughout the building, the three immediately stood straight and paid attention to the man.

Coach Brian turned his attention to Luna saying, "Why did you suddenly want to add quads to your program again?" 

"Because! I already qualified for the Olympics! I'm not gonna show up looking like a display doing easy stuff. Since we're there, why not aim for the gold?" Luna said, eyes burning with passion. The three men standing in front of her looked at each other after witnessing Luna's declaration of her goal. After a few seconds of utter silence, Coach Brian just pinched the bridge of his nose and replied, "You know the Olympics is just around the corner and you wanna change your program so suddenly?"

"I know. It's not going to be that hard. We're just going to switch out some jumps and replace them, no problem. I've been focusing on my quads the past few weeks and I'm almost 100% I can do it during the competition." Luna said, a hand on her waist while explaining to her uncle. It was true. Other than running through both of her programs during training, she worked on perfecting her quads. It wasn't easy though. In the middle of training, she sprained her ankle so she had to bandage it up and ice it every night so that it would get better as quickly as possible.

And of course, Yuzuru did not dare to further disagree with Luna after what she just said. Though he has to admit, he's still terrified at thought of losing Luna anytime. However, he believes in her. The bond they share got stronger after that night when they skated together. They made a pact. The ice will always be their safe haven. 

Coach Brian just pursed his lips in reply before talking. "Fine. We'll talk about the changes later. Break's over guys. Javi and Luna, polish you quads. Yuzuru, come with me. Let's take things slow during training since you just got back. We don't want to injure your ankle more." And with that, he skated away from his athletes with hands behind his back towards the other side of the rink. 

"Be careful okay? No funny business. You're still healing." Luna jokingly scolded Yuzu who was pouting. His childish antics made her and Javi laugh before they walked away and started their training. 

Yuzu heaved a deep sigh and looked at his ankle. He crouched down and touched his ankle. "Let's hold out for a couple weeks more, okay?" Yuzuru gently tapped his ankle twice before standing back up and skated towards his coach who was waiting for him.

-timeskip-

It had been a tiring week for everyone. Despite that, everyone's hard work seems to be paying off. Javi and Luna worked on their jumps while Yuzuru started doing triples again, which was a quick and surprising progress actually. No one expected Yuzuru's ankle to heal so fast and withstand training of that intensity. Coach Brian, along with Luna and Javi though, keeps on checking on Yuzuru, asking him if he feels any uncomfortable pain and to stop if he feels so. Everyone was treating him as if he was dying.

How ironic. How pathetic. 

However, Yuzuru also bugged Luna and keeps on nagging her that if she feels tired or exhausted, she immediately take a seat and rest. The two became inseparable but they weren't the kind of couple that would do cheesy, overly sweet things on an hourly or daily basis. Between them, those occasions would occur naturally. They were the comfortable kind of couple and everyone can't help but fondly look at how the breathtaking but tragic story of the two skaters unfold in front of their very eyes. 

As for Jason and Zhenya, they have decided along with their teams to stay in their countries until the Olympics, still contacting Coach Brian on certain days for training. 

Tomorrow, they're leaving for Pyeongchang, South Korea and train with their remaining time at the venue. It had been approved by the Canadian Skating Federation that Luna head out first with her coach before the team. It has also been decided and approved by the Japanese Skating Federation for Yuzuru to not participate on the Team's Event in order to ensure that he doesn't sustain further injury to his ankle prior to the Single's Event.

Currently, it is 11 PM and Luna is stuck in her bedroom trying to pack her luggage for tomorrow's 6 AM flight. Trying, yes. Because she keeps on spacing out, making the process longer than it should be. 

Luna stood in front of her window, the moonlight reflecting on her face and her eyes lost at the sight of the countless, shining stars. The night was clear. Behind her was a mess of a room. Her costumes and skates on her bed, clothes piled on top of each other, her luggage empty and wide open on the floor. 

After spacing out for what seemed like forever, she turns back and walks toward her bed. She grabbed her right skate swiftly before heading towards the window again. She held it up by the laces, the gold blade now reflecting the moonlight. As the boot slowly rotates, the light shone upon an engraving on the back of the blade.

"Yours forever, Yuzu"

A short and sweet phrase written by Yuzuru himself. It was three days ago when they got their blades engraved. It was Luna's idea that the two of them write something in each other's blade, sort of like a lucky charm to which Yuzu immediately agreed. That day, they weren't allowed to peek at each other's writing until it was already engraved on the blade and they started teasing each other that they would write some silly stuff as a joke. It was a simple yet memorable day. 

Luna thought of that memory, her eyes filling up with tears as she unconsciously hugged what she was holding. She wanted to believe in forever. She wanted to experience it. Why was life so cruel that all of this is happening to her. In the back of her mind, she dug deep for anything that she had possibly done wrong throughout her life that would be a reason why she is suffering like this. 

Its not fair. 

But then again, what is?

She was knocked out of her trance with a knock on her door. 

"Hey, Luna. Mind if I come in?" She heard her brother's voice from the other side of the door.

She sniffled and wiped her tears away with the sleeves of her sweater before saying "Sure."

"Woah. Now this scene reminds me of the first time you were packing for your first competition a few months back." Sky whistled as he tiptoed across his sister's floor trying not to step on stuff sprawled everywhere. 

"It kinda does, doesn't it?" Luna chuckled lightly as she put the skate she was holding back to where it was.

And like how he did back then, Sky sat on the end of Luna's bed in silence as if waiting for Luna to speak what's on her mind on her own accord. 

It seemed like Luna was attracted to how the moon looked tonight as she kept coming back her window to look at how majestic it is.

After a few minutes of complete silence, Luna decided to speak up. 

"The Olympics will be my last." If possible, with every word she said, her heart broke into a million pieces.

"You're retiring? Thought you wanted to compete at worlds, too?" Sky replied, not wanting the conversation to go where did not want it to go. 

"No Sky. I meant for good. I know it'll be my last. I'm at my limit. This," Luna said pointing to her left chest, "is at its limit. So even if I do want to compete, this stupid thing won't let me. めんどくさい (mendokusai)." 

"How did you know? Even after the Olympics, you'd still have at least a month left. Or you could even surpass that, you never know. So don't say such bullshit." Sky said, a slight irritation evident on his tone.

Still not looking at his brother, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Because I know. Its my body. And though I may have a strong personality, my body is not cooperating with me."

Sky never really cried in front of his sister. He knows she's going through so much already and he knows that she hates it when people cry because of her. Though Luna has witnessed a lot of people do so, the last thing he wants to happen is for his little sister to see him in so much pain because Sky has been Luna's rock their whole lives. 

Holding in the tears from pouring down his face, Sky could only bite his lip and clench his fist. To say that this was harder than a major exam in med school is an understatement. He'd rather study for days on end than hear his sister expect that she already feels like she's dying soon. But like always, there was nothing he can do but listen and be there for her, no matter how painful it is for him. 

Without waiting for her brother to respond, Luna spoke up. 

"Ne, Sky. Since I already told you, I'm going to ask you to do some things for me when I'm gone." 

"Let's pack your bag fir-" Sky said attempting to change the topic by reaching out for the pile of clothes in front of him. 

Luna just clicked her tongue in reply. "Tsk. Please? That can wait. I'll just throw them all in the bag and I'm done." 

Sky looked up to his sister. Luna's face showed fake annoyance with a small smile on her lips despite the tears falling one by one from her eyes. He sighed.

"Fine. Don't ask for too much though. My exams are a month away." He said jokingly trying to lighten up the mood as he sat back down. 

"All right. Don't speak, don't interrupt me and just listen. First, I want you to take care of mom and dad for me. I know they're going to beat themselves up and say that it was their fault that they did not know sooner and they could've done something. I think the best way to comfort them would be to say that it was my decision." Luna said looking back at her brother who was listening attentively. 

"Second, you. Take care of yourself for fuck's sake man. You're old. I get that you're a med student but don't you think you should get married soon? Mom and dad keeps on bugging you for grandchildren anyway. That's why I want a niece or nephew I can be a guardian angel for in a few years, okay?" Luna continued, her voice cracking midway trying to stop herself from sobbing. Sky's lips visibly quiver as he just nods before looking away from his sister, secretly wiping away the tear that was about to fall from his eye.

"And Yuzuru... take care of him for me. Though I already know you will since you already treat him as family. You see, even though I don't see it, I know he's beating himself up for not knowing about my condition...Tell him its not his fault. And that I'm really sorry." Luna trails off, her emotions finally failing her as they resurfaced causing her to silently breakdown. Her hand goes up to her mouth as she slid down the carpeted floor trying to muffle her sobs. 

The sight of Luna visibly falling apart makes Sky's heart ache. If only there was something he could do for his sister. But there wasn't. It was too late and he knows it. They both know it. 

Sky stood up and made his way towards Luna whose whole body is trembling from all the crying. He bent down to her level and engulfed his sister in a warm, comforting hug. He placed his chin on top of her head and started caressing her hair. 

"Its okay. I got you. I got you. Let it all out. I'm here." 

And with those words, she let go. Luna clutched her chest as she cried like there's no tomorrow. In the silence of the night, Luna's cries resonated throughout the room. Slowly, she starts to empty out her bottled emotions once again, just like how her luggage was void of any contents until someone finally decides to fill it. 

And that she will do again starting tomorrow. Just a few more weeks.

-----------------------------------------------------

AND CUT! Hi guys! I'm currently in the middle of studying and decided to spend my break writing this emotional af chapter. I'm so sorry if I made anyone cry with this but I do hope you did because that would mean that my writing is effective, I guess?

Just a few more chapters you guys!! Tell me what you think about this one and what kind of scenes would like to see in the future chapters. Who knows, maybe I'll make a chapter out of one of em :))))

Anyways I'll go back to studying now. 

Stay safe and stay golden, my lovelies! ✨