Disclaimer: I'm not the owner of any of the characters mentioned in this story.
Chapter 2
It was already morning by the time Daisuke arrived in Sendai. He had slept and gotten some homework done while on the bus, so he was feeling refreshed and ready to explore the city.
"Let's see. . .the Pageant of Starlight is supposed to be held down these two main avenues. . ."
Daisuke wandered down the tree-lined street, looking up and around at his surroundings. He noted several cheerful looking shops, and that the trees, bare of leaves, were strung with many lights.
". . .perhaps I should come back when it's dark."
In the meantime, Daisuke was perfectly content strolling aimlessly down the streets of Sendai, window shopping and simply enjoying the time to himself. Already, he was feeling better from before. . .perhaps it was because of the change of scenery, or even being able to spend time alone and do his own thing. Surely, it was a pleasant respite, rather than being caught up in his usual routine of school-training-meals-sleeping. He stopped by a café for a light lunch, then continued down the road. The Christmas displays in many of the store windows caught his interest, and he felt somewhat inspired.
"I wonder what Utako-san was expecting me to find here in Sendai. . .could she really have wanted me to simply see the lights display?"
After wandering about the city for a few hours, Daisuke found himself standing before Sendai Rink. He stood in front of the building for a few minutes, pondering. While feeling a slight temptation to try to skate his short program again and see whether he could do it more confidently today, he also had gotten the impression from his coach that he was supposed to be resting this weekend, not training.
"Maybe I'll just take a peek inside. . ."
Overcome with curiosity, Daisuke headed inside and took a seat in the spectators' area. He was thankful that nobody seemed to recognize him, as he wasn't in the mood to sign autographs and be interviewed by fans that day. As he watched people skate, he began to daydream. He almost didn't notice when a familiar voice calling his name interrupted him from his daze.
"Takahashi-san! Hey!"
"Huh? Oh, Yuzuru-kun! I didn't expect to see you here!"
"I could say the same for you!" Yuzuru added with a bright smile. "What brings you to Sendai?"
"Ah, my coach sent me here to see the Pageant of Starlight."
"Really? Amazing. . .you came all the way here just to see it?"
Yuzuru and Daisuke continued to chat, touching upon such topics as the next Japan Nationals, their programs and the sights of Sendai.
"Say, Takahashi-san, you say you're not confident about your short program? Why not let me see it?"
"Umm. . .sure. . ." Daisuke replied with a bit of hesitation. The prospect of potentially embarrassing himself in front of the younger skater didn't particularly thrill him, but then again, he figured it couldn't go that badly. Lacing up his skates, and then hooking up his mp3 player to the rink's stereo system, Daisuke stepped onto the ice and prepared to skate.
"Ganbatte, Takahashi-san!" Yuzuru called to him.
The music began and Daisuke began to perform his short program. Indeed, his step sequences and jumps did seem to come to him more easily today, but still. . .he felt something lacking. He slipped and fell after his quad this time, so was unable to perform the connecting triple axel. It was slightly disappointing, but as he always did in a performance situation, he continued on gracefully as if it was meant to be that way. As the music ended, he struck his finishing pose and he could hear Yuzuru clapping from the spectators' area. Daisuke knelt down on the ice and buried his face in his hands.
"As usual, you're incredible, Takahashi-san!" Yuzuru skated towards Daisuke and held out his hand to help him up, but Daisuke didn't even turn to face him. "Takahashi-san? Hey, are you alright?"
Daisuke brought himself to his feet, but kept his gaze downcast, avoiding Yuzuru's concerned eyes.
"I guess. . ." Daisuke began, unsure of how he could explain his feeling to Yuzuru. Would the 17 year old boy be able to understand such a thing? ". . .maybe it's because I'm getting old for this, or. . .I don't know. I feel as if my programs are lacking in something, and thus, I'm unable to perform them confidently." He turned to Yuzuru, and with a gentle smile, placed a hand on his shoulder. "You and Takahiko-kun skate with such ease and subtle elegance, that I fear I cannot keep up."
"Takahashi-san. . .don't say such a thing!" Yuzuru pleaded, his voice softening. "You're like a big brother to us. . .a role model that we admire and respect, because of all the amazing things you have accomplished in skating!"
"I am honored that you see me in such a light," Daisuke continued with a slight bow. "But you saw me skate such a lackluster performance just now. . ."
Yuzuru gave Daisuke a bewildered expression, but Daisuke simply smiled back.
"Daijoubu. . .you don't have to understand, Yuzuru-kun," Daisuke reassured him, before turning and skating back towards the spectators' area.
"Wait, Takahashi-san!"
