The Place Where We Belong
Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Fanfiction
Female Tsuna
Summary: Reborn's opinion of Sawada Iemitsu is that the man is a complete fool. Everyone knows this. Reborn should have known better than to take Iemitsu's words in face value. But he didn't think he would fuck up this bad. In which Iemitsu's child is not a dame middle schooler but an adult woman with a life of her own. They really, really need to check the inside of Iemitsu's head.
Disclaimer: I do not own KHR
Warnings: Lots of OCs, grammar mistakes, typo.
CHAPTER 12: Starting Line
Nagako didn't even blink when Setsuna drop a sack full of stuffed animals in the living room. She is not even surprised to see Reborn come out from the sack, wearing a teddy bear suit. The Maeda matriarch have long learn that she should focus her energy to more pressing issues, such as Setsuna-chan's survival, rather than wondering of how many costumes Reborn has in his disposal. Or the rising price of eggs.
"Good evening, Nagako-baasan," Setsuna greeted her with a huge smile.
"Ciaossu."
Nagako can't help but smile back. "Hello, Setsuna-chan! Reborn," She nodded respectfully to the hitman, which he reciprocate in kind. "My, that's quite a haul you have there. Is it for the children?"
"Yes~ The toy store was so kind to give me a discount. They must have figured that I would buy a bulk this year as well~"
Ever since she graduated high school, Setsuna would go buy stuffed animals in large quantity for the competitors participating in the novice circuit. Everyone got one. Everyone. It was her way to show support to her juniors. The upcoming novice competition is not a big of a deal to the skating community at large, but for Setsuna and these kids, it's the biggest thing ever. Setsuna will never forget how happy she was when someone throw her a rose and a stuffed animal for the first time (coincidentally, it was a duck). These kind of things stayed with you. At least that's how it is for the young woman.
"You are just in time for dinner. I'll tell them to prepare extra serving for you two," said Nagako.
Setsuna grinned. "Aw, yes! Mundou-san's cooking is the best!" And she doesn't have to cook tonight! Yay!
They sit down on the couch. Reborn occupied the armchair.
"So how are you, Setsuna-chan?"
"I'm just relieved that exams are over," Setsuna sighed. "Now I can focus on training again."
"Good to see you so eager, Setsuna," Reborn smirked from his spot.
The figure skater shot him a deadpan look. "Anyways… How is it going, Nagako-baa-san? It must be quite a change to have I-pin here. Speaking of I-pin, where is she?"
"I am doing marvelous, Setsuna-chan. Thank you for asking. As for I-pin-chan, she is in her room writing a letter to her master."
Nagako has pretty much take I-pin under her wing. She is such a darling, polite and considerate. Nagako teach her Japanese. They have hired a tutor to teach her other subjects. In the morning, she, her husband and I-pin would go through katas together in the yard. They also spend time in the dojo to practise. I-pin usually take off after lunch but always sure to return before sundown. In the evening, the three of them would talk about their day over dinner.
Nagako has to admit, she missed having children around.
"So what exactly did I-pin do to blow up the Hibari estate?" Setsuna asked.
Nagako inwardly cringed. Setsuna won't like what she about to tell her. "Hm… I-pin-chan has this secret technique… That basically turn her to a human bomb."
"What?!"
Before her daughter in all but blood start to rant, Nagako beat her to it. "Apparently she is born with a body that can… Endure things normal humans couldn't, so her master thought it is acceptable to teach her such technique. Since I-pin wouldn't die from using it."
"Acceptable?!"
"From what the people at the Hibari's told me, she was triggered by the sight of young Kyouya-san. I-pin-chan has a crush on her master, and Kyouya-san resembled him greatly…"
Setsuna facepalmed. "Stupid mafia..."
Nagako pat her arm.
"So? What about the man I-pin supposed to kill?"
"According to our intel, someone else already got him."
Setsuna can't decide if she should be glad or not.
"Setsuna?" Kazuki step inside the living room, I-pin followed right behind him.
"Hey, Tou-san," Setsuna waved at him. "I'm here to drop off the stuffed animal."
Kazuki nodded. Setsuna always drop off the stuffed animal at their home the day before the competition, so they can put them away in the car.
I-pin bowed. "Good evening, Big Sister," She greet her in Japanese.
Setsuna smiled. "Good evening, I-pin. Your Japanese is good." I-pin beamed at the compliment. "Let's have dinner."
Dinner was lovely. They served siew mai for I-pin. Kami-sama knows the girl is homesick, no matter how well she hide it. Nagako made note to take her to the nearest Chinatown in the area next weekend. The little girl would love that. Setsuna told them about her exams and her kids. Nagi, Gokudera, Yamamoto and Ryohei. They just finished with their exams as well. Masumi told her that Gokudera saved two of her students from delinquents earlier today. It's good to hear him doing so well. The same goes to all the kids. I-pin was intrigued with the two mafia children who live in the same town, Lambo and Gokudera. It would be good if Lambo and I-pin become playmates (and more kids for her to dote on).
After dinner, the woman had tea in the living room. It's been awhile since Nagako had a girl talk. I-pin had retired to her room. The men went to another room to watch the news. Nagako told Setsuna that her boys and their family will stay here for the duration of summer. Oh, how she missed them. Their conversation take a turn to Kazuki's birthday. Her husband will turn sixty two on August 12th. Each year the skaters at the rink would pool their money together to buy him a gift. (Or if you're a little one, make a drawing/painting of Coach. Her husband keep all of them in his office). Then they will have a private dinner party at home.
Setsuna and Reborn went home sometime before nine. Nagako went to look for her husband. She found him at the back gazing at the moon. She take a seat next to him.
"Are you nervous for tomorrow?" She asked him.
"Yes," He admitted. Even though he is no longer competing, Kazuki still feel nervous for his students' behalf. Such a sensitive man. He won't show it of course. He need to maintain composure for their sake. "I have faith in my students."
Nagako smiled. "Make sure to tell our other grandchildren tomorrow I say hello. And break a leg." It is a long running joke that the ducklings (the nickname for skaters under Kazuki's wing) are also dubbed as their other grandchildren. A fact that grate the upper stiff lips in the area. But neither she or Kazuki care.
"Yes, Dear."
"Don't forget to bring the video camera. I want to see the footage."
"Yes, Dear."
"Oh, and make a quick stop at that dorayaki place near the rink. I love those."
"Yes, Dear."
Nagako rest her head on his shoulder. "I love you."
Kazuki wrap an arm around her shoulder. "Yes, Dear."
Takeshi wake up bright and early that day. He, Gokudera and Sasagawa-senpai will go support Kudou at the novice competition today. He help Pops with today's preparation in the kitchen like every other morning. When his tasks are done, Takeshi made simple onigiris for their lunch today.
The novice competition will be held in Hamana City. Takeshi only went there once for an unofficial match with the local team. They are okay. The three of them will take the bus to go there. The Namimori FS Club will be riding cars. The skating club has a van. Parents offered their ride for the members. The club will meet up at the rink before going. They said Coach Maeda himself will be driving the fun. He switch with Setsuna on their way back home. Sharing a car with them would be quite the experience.
He went to meet up with Gokudera and Sasagawa-senpai in front of the train station. Sasagawa-senpai was there first. He greeted Takeshi with his trademark 'EXTREME Good morning.' Gokudera arrived not long after him.
His classmate glanced at the bag in his hand. "What's that?"
Takeshi grinned and raise the bag for them to see. "Lunch for us."
Gokudera look torn between choosing to scowl or frown. He choose to frown. "You didn't have to."
"It's okay, Gokudera. I want to do it."
"I can't EXTREME wait for lunch!".
Takeshi grins. "Hahaha! Thanks, Senpai."
The train ride was uneventful. It take at least half an hour. It took them another half an hour to reach Hamana Ice Rink. Even though it's still pretty early in the morning, a small crowd have formed in front of the building. Is Namimori FS Club here yet? It doesn't appear they have arrived. Yamamoto hope there isn't any issues down the road.
This might be the last time they hang out together for awhile. Takeshi has a one week long summer camp and then joint practices with other schools. Sasagawa-senpai and Gokudera will be looking for part time jobs. Kudou will be busy with training as well. Study sessions with these three had been fun. Takeshi hope they can spend time together without studying.
( Takeshi received higher scores than usual. Sasagawa-senpai managed to scrape through, to everyone's relief.)
Their interests differ. The commonality shared between them is Setsuna-hime. But that doesn't matter to Takeshi.
These people are his friends, true friends.
He feel like he could trust him with his secrets.
They are not that close yet. Sasagawa-senpai is an open book but the other two are still reserved. But Takeshi is certain that everyone will consider each other true friends. Gokudera is understandably wary of everyone, everything. Takeshi can only imagine what kind of life he had before coming to Namimori. The silver haired teen like to curse and glare, but he still agree to tutor him. It's a work in progress.
Kudou is a shy thing, but really nice. She only open up to Gokudera in the beginning but they encouraged her to come out from her shell. Kudou stay quiet most of the time but she always have a witty comment about everything. She is not interested in Takeshi, not in the way girls at school are interested in him due to his ace status. She has her eyes on someone else and Takeshi has a feeling he know who it is.
Takeshi look at Gokudera and Sasagawa-senpai who are in the middle of a serious conversation about the science behind spins and smiled.
Today is going to be a good day.
Nagi had made preparation for today.
Today will be the day when she will get the result of all her effort.
It is only a competition for novices. A small competition that offer little to no prestige. Her mother would scoff at the scale of the competition. But for Nagi and every skaters competing, it is an important milestone for them. This is her last time at Novice. Next year she will move on to Junior.
She is going to make this one count.
Everyone gathered outside the building. The younger ones have a guardian coming with them, unlike Nagi who showed up alone. She never let it bother her though, because she has Coach Maeda and Setsuna-senpai.
Her senpai is chipper this morning. She showed up along with Coach Maeda. They had a short briefing before each and everyone of them climb up to the car. Nagi share the van along with five other kids. Coach Maeda as the driver and Setsuna-senpai calling shotgun. Reborn came too. He stayed quiet the whole time and they have learned to ignore him. The ride was fun. They sing along with the radio. Coach Maeda reluctantly joined in, having been persuaded by his skaters. Nagi waved at her fellow members in the other cars whenever they line up. She almost wish the ride would never end.
They arrived at the Hamana Ice Rink. To Nagi's surprise, Gokudera, Yamamoto and Sasagawa are there.
"You guys came?" Nagi look at them in wonder after she join them.
"Of course we came," Gokudera replied. It is only natural they came and support her.
Nagi start to feel warm, and it is not from the summer heat. "Thank you. It meant a lot for me." She smiled.
"How are you feeling?" Yamamoto asked kindly.
...Honestly, she feel like throwing up her breakfast.
"I'm nervous," Nagi admitted. The boys nodded in understanding.
"You can EXTREME do this, Kudou," Sasagawa-senpai said to her. "You know what you're doing. Just remember that you got this locked down. You will be fine out there. I know you will."
"And don't forget to have fun," Yamamoto adds.
"We believe in you," Gokudera smiled at her encouragingly.
Nagi blushed.
"Ara? You boys made it!" Setsuna and Reborn walk over their spot.
Gokudera smiled. "Yes, Setsuna-hime. I won't miss it for the world."
Setsuna grinned. "I'm glad to hear that. Supporters are important. Having one supporter on your side can make a world of difference."
But what if they can't live up to their expectation?
Nagi didn't say anything.
"You skated here before, right Setsuna-hime?" Gokudera asked.
Setsuna nodded. "This place is where I compete for the first time. It was a long time ago." She looked at the building wistfully.
"I heard you placed last," Sasagawa-senpai blurted out.
"Yes, I did place last but that was my starting line. That is what's important. It's only to keep going or to quit from that point on. And here I am."
To keep going or to quit
This is not the end. No matter what kind of result she will be getting later, Nagi will keep going. That, Nagi is sure of. The knot in her stomach considerably loosen.
"Nii-chan! It's Setsuna-senpai!" A girl with red hair pointed at Setsuna-senpai. A red haired man, presumably her brother, scold her up immediately for pointing.
'Ah,' Nagi watched the duo approach Setsuna-senpai. 'Senpai's fans.'
Her senpai will be preoccupied after this. The little children will flock on her until the competition start. Setsuna is weak against children.
To Nagi's surprise, Setsuna-senpai smiled widely. "Mami-chan! Enma-kun! Long time no see!"
Kun?
The teenagers snap to attention as the man get closer. They never hear Setsuna addressing a male her age with the honorific '-kun' before. Gokudera's eyes narrowed dangerously.
Reborn perk up in interest.
"Guys," Setsuna-senpai turn to the teenagers and Reborn. "This is Kozato Mami-chan and Enma-kun. They are from Shimon city. Mami-chan will be competing as well."
Mami is a girl perhaps a year younger than Nagi. She has a bright red eyes that matches her hair. Her bangs are pinned to the side with a cherry shaped hairpin. Mami is slightly shorter than Nagi but is brimming with confidence.
Enma share the same red hair and eyes. Nagi is not entirely sure if they are natural or because Enma didn't get enough rest. He looked awfully tired. Still, his gaze softened as he watch Setsuna and Mami.
"This is Kudou Nagi-chan. She will be competing in Group Novice A, same as you, Mami-chan. And this is Gokudera Hayato-kun, Yamamoto Takeshi-kun and Sasagawa Ryohei-kun. They are here to support Nagi-chan."
"Hi there!"
"EXTREME nice to meet you!"
"Hmph."
"And this is Reborn. Don't be fooled with his appearance. He is not a baby. Reborn has this condition called systemic hypoplasia. His growth was stunted."
"Ciaossu."
Mami looked at Reborn curiously, while Enma's gaze turn cautious.
Setsuna-senpai looked around. "Are the rest of your family here as well?"
"Yes," Enma nodded. "In fact, they are walking towards us right now."
Another group of teenagers are coming their way. They are all eye catching in their own way. It's hard to miss them. Especially when one them wear two tubes.
"What the fu- ogh!" Yamamoto cut off Gokudera by elbowing him. There are minors around. The baseball player can understand his feeling though.
Enma ignored Gokudera's outburst. He proceed to introduce his family members to the Namimori kids. He explain to them even though they have different surnames, they are all related.
Suzuki Adelheid, a serious looking girl who is as tall as Yamamoto. Her black hair is tied to a ponytail. The boys try hard not to look at her chest (which is enviably large). Adelheid greeted the group politely, if somewhat chilly.
Katou Juri is a laid back teenager sporting a goatee. His yellow shirt and white fedora hat combo is striking. He winked at Nagi during his introduction, which confuses her and grate the boys.
Aoba Koyo is a green haired boy who wear glasses. He immediately proclaim himself as the 'Hope of Boxing World.' Naturally, that got Ryohei to get fired up, a sentiment Koyo return with as much fire. Setsuna-senpai and Enma cool them down with carefully selected words.
Mizuno Kaoru beat Yamamoto and Adelheid in the height department. He has a pompadour hairstyle like Kusakabe Tetsuya, only with blond hair. He even looks older than Enma and Setsuna-senpai. Kaoru didn't say much. Must be the quiet type.
Ooyama Rauji is not as tall as Kaoru but still taller than Yamamoto and Adelheid. He is the heaviest out of the group but Nagi suspect he actually has muscles. There is an X shaped scar on his cheek. He greet them warmly.
Shitt. P, who prefer to be called Shittopi-chan, is easily the most eccentric person Nagi have met in her life. From her fashion style, speech and just about everything about her is different. She speaks in riddles (or at least Nagi thought as riddles). Gokudera outright call her UMA in front of everyone. Shittopi-chan looked amused by it rather than offended.
"I'm glad to meet you guys again this year! You all look well," Setsuna-senpai smiled at them. They all warm up at that. Even Kaoru's eyes soften.
"Mami has been looking forward to meet you, Sawada-san," Adelheid smiles, putting a hand on the younger's shoulder.
"Nii-chan and I are huge fans of Setsuna-senpai ever since her Senior debut!" Mami grinned. "It's because of Senpai I decided to skate!"
'That's cute,' Nagi can't help but think.
"I'm a huge fan too," Julie slide up next to Setsuna-senpai, smiling flirtatiously. Gokudera looked like he's going to bite his head off if it weren't for Enma who pull the back of his collar. Setsuna just look at him blankly.
"Kudou-san, please ignore this idiot. He likes to flirt with anything with a skirt," Adelheid shot him a look of annoyance.
Setsuna-senpai raised an eyebrow. "You do realise my father is here, right? He would be displeased to know you flirt with one of his skaters. Again."
Julie looked sheepish.
"What does she mean 'again'?" Nagi hear Gokudera whisper.
"Anyway," Mami speak up "I'm in a tip top condition today! And I'm going to win!" She said confidently.
"Well, aren't you confident?" Setsuna-senpai looked at her fondly.
"Sorry to break it to you, kid, but Kudou is going to EXTREME win," Ryohei said with pride.
"Hmph. I admit that Coach Maeda has great students," Koyo nodded respectfully at Setsuna-senpai, "But our Mami is going to win in the end."
Those two glare at each other.
"As a fellow fan of Setsuna-hime, I am always happy to meet fellow fans, but!" Gokudera raise his head higher, "Kudou will be the one on that podium today."
"Don't worry, Nagi-chan. I'll comfort you when you don't get first place," Julie move closer to Nagi.
Yamamoto step forward, putting him on a halt. "Kudou won't need any comforting today, because she is not that weak."
The tension in the air become thicker as the boys eyed each other warily.
"Children, please," Enma step in between the group.
"Be nice," Setsuna-senpai stepped in as well. The boys, their boys, give her apologetic looks.
"I'm in the Novice A group," Mami told them. "So we will be competing against each other, Kudou-san." She turn to Nagi, "Well, what about you?"
"Huh?"
"We actually never hear you defend yourself. Your supporters seem confident that you'll win. It's great to have supporters, but do you feel the same as them? It's pointless to compete if you think you'll lose from the start."
"I…"
"Mami," Enma shot her a look of warning.
"No, Nii-chan, I want to hear it from her. They said you left Tokyo to train under Coach Maeda, to train with Setsuna-senpai. So you must be good then."
"I don't know if I'm any good or not…"
"Then why are you even here? This is a competition, not a recreation. I can't believe someone with half baked motivation like you get to be in the same rink as Senpai-"
"Mami," Enma repeat with more sternness this time. Mami shut her mouth but looked defiant. He sighed. "I apologize for my sister."
"But she's not wrong," Koyo added in. He promptly shut up under Enma's hard stare.
Setsuna-senpai break the tension by clapping, "All right, guys. We can continue this standoff inside. The competitors need to register first. Nagi-chan, join the rest of our rinkmates. Boys, please find good seats for us. I need to go back to the van real quick. Reborn, don't sow chaos while I'm away."
"No promises."
"And you kids," Setsuna-senpai turn to the Shimon Group, "May the best athlete win."
Nagi gulped.
Today is not shaping to be what she imagined would be.
Today has proven to be interesting, and will get even more so from this point on.
Reborn has to admit that even he was looking forward for the novice competition. He has been watching these kids train for months. He want to see how they be doing in actual competition.
Setsuna has been looking forward for this as well. She studied hard for the exams. This competition is just the thing she needed to recover her spirits. Which she will need because they will have full training again. This will also be another distraction for her from Gabriel-Shouka (He need to decide its ship name soon). Reborn has lessen her workload so Setsuna can focus on her exams. Under his tutelage, there is no way Setsuna would get just passing grades. She will get above average at least.
The confrontation with the kids from Shimon city was highly entertaining. The boys from each group (minus Rauji and Kaoru) glared at each other before they went separate ways. Enma shot Setsuna apologetic look, which she return. Reborn get this impression that there is something going on between Setsuna and Kozato Enma. He is going to have so much fun with that.
Nagi left to regroup with the rest of the club while Setsuna went to get the stuffed animals. The boys got sidetracked in the hallway when Gokudera noticed a photo of young Setsuna displayed. There is even a plate. Guess his student is even popular over here.
One-fourth of the seats are already taken. The boys quickly look for strategic place to sit. Parents and family members would undoubtedly make up most of the spectators today. Coaches will be right outside the rinks, obviously. Setsuna would probably prefer higher grounds so she can throw the stuffed animals...
The boys managed to find a great spot… At the same time as the Shimon kids.
"Boys," Enma said sternly before any of them can say anything. Koyo turn around to argue but a level stare from Enma and Adelheid stopped him.
They all sat down, with an empty seat between them as some sort of border. Enma sit the closest to the Namimori boys. "So is this the first time you come here?" He start to make a small talk.
"I've been here before. It was… 1997 I think?" Ryohei scratched his head. "It was a long time ago. My older sister and Setsuna-nee are best friends. We grew up together."
The Shimon group looked more interested now. "Did she win?" asked Rauji.
"I think she got first place. For the very first time. We got the video of that competition at home. And others."
Gokudera looked at the boxer in envy. Yamamoto too. He only has videos of Setsuna after she start to compete in the Senior circuit. Ryohei have yet to show those videos to them.
"Are you all fans of Setsuna-nee?" Yamamoto asked.
They all nodded.
"We've been her fans since Senior," Adelheid told them. "Mami is a huge fan. So you all childhood friends with Sawada-san?"
"Setsuna-nee and her mother have been regulars at our family's sushi restaurant," Yamamoto grinned.
"Setsuna-hime saved me," Gokudera told them with so much solemnity Adelheid straighten her back seeing it.
"I guess we all won't be here if it weren't for Setsuna…," Enma mused. There is something about the way he say it that made Reborn pause.
Before any of them can say anything else, the chatter dies down.
Suddenly, the entire rink fell into silence. Setsuna and Coach Maeda have arrived, followed by the rest of the Namimori FS Club. All eyes trained upon them. Awe. Curiosity. Respect. It reminded Reborn when a particular mafioso of high caliber such as the Ninth enter the room and everyone cease their chatter to pay attention to him. The atmosphere changed as well. You know that moment in movies where the cameras pan to this character, whom you know someone to watch out for. Someone who change the tone at the very moment of their arrival? This is it.
They are in the presence of two Olympic athletes. Maeda Kazuki, whose generation shaped Japan's figure skating world (even if he returned a bit late). His pupil, Sawada Setsuna, Japan's ace and one of the best figure skaters in the world. Those two are on an entirely different level compared to the gathering coaches and skaters here. It is understandable for everyone to feel a little overwhelmed at the moment.
Coach Maeda barely pay attention to the onlookers as he turn his attention to the little ones. The first group will be those under the age of eight. Also known as Chicks in other countries. They are undoubtedly be the cutest out of all competitors here. Setsuna made her way to their group, carrying a large sack with her. She take the empty seat next to Enma.
Yamamoto peered inside the sack curiously. "What are those, Nee-san?"
"Stuffed animals for the kids. I bought lots so everyone get one," Setsuna answered cheerfully.
"Mami take such good care of hers," Enma smiled fondly, "Especially the ones from you." Setsuna smiled back.
Gokudera narrowed his eyes. Something is fishy here…
"Look! The warm up is starting already!" Rauji points to the rink.
Eight boys, all below 8 years old, enter the rink. They are all so adorable in their costumes. Woody from Toy Story, Dragon Ball's orange outfit, Luke Skywalker, Masked Tuxedo from Sailor Moon, Tigger, Nutcracker, Peter Pan, Robin. Setsuna squealed in delight ("Look at them! Look at the babies!"). Their warm up time lasts for four minutes. The boys perform one by one. After the first group is done, come the next group. The performances have technical flaws, each and every one of them, but they are full of energy and cuteness. The girls are just as adorable as the boys. The audience respond everything they do. Applause for every successful jump, gasps when one of them fell, cheerings after they finish their program. ("Precious babies!")
Setsuna throw a stuffed animal for each contestant after they are finished.
All of the winners are from Namimori FS Club.
The next age group to compete is for those between the age of 8 to 10 years old (also known as Cubs). They are just as adorable as the Chicks. The duration for each skate will be approximately 2 and a half minutes. Triple jumps are not permitted but flying spins entries are. Warm up session will take four minutes. Setsuna cheered for all of them, no matter which club they are from. They got stuffed animals too of course.
Namimori FS Club dominated this one too.
Gokudera looked smug at that. "Our club will win the Novice A and B as well." Nevermind that Gokudera technically is not a member.
"Our Mami won't lose to you!" Koyo stood up. "She is the 'Hope of the Figure Skating World', just like I am the 'Hope of the Boxing World.'"
"Is she really that good?" Yamamoto asked.
"Of course. She won first place last year."
"Mami-chan has a lot of potential," Setsuna acknowledges. Koyo shot the Namimori boys a smug look. "But the thing with potential is," She look down to the bottom floor, where Mami are watching her juniors with the rest of her club. "It's unpredictable. Practise help you discover it but sometimes it's not just the physical, but also the mental. You can never tell when it'll start to show, nor where. By the end of the day, it all depends on the person."
"So you don't know who will win," Reborn summarised. Or it's more like Setsuna don't want to take sides.
"No, I don't," Setsuna put her chin on her palms, gazing upon the rink. "Isn't that what makes this so much more fun?"
In the mafia, such sentiment is not appreciated. It can be thrilling, yes, but not recommended in the long run. But they are not in the middle of gang war or playing a game of cat and mouse. They are here to watch and that is exactly what they will do here.
"You're doing amazing, sweetie."
They have a one hour lunch break.
The adults (namely she and Enma) pull the children away to join their respective clubs. Ryohei and Koyo almost got into another argument. If they leave those two alone, those boys would definitely come to blows. Reborn didn't do anything to worsen the situation, which is suspicious in itself. Come to think of it, he didn't introduce himself as a hitman lately. What's up with that? Maybe she is thinking too deeply about this… Nah… It's Reborn.
She is glad to see Enma and his kids doing so well though.
Setsuna first met them in 2004. In this same tournament to be exact. She was chaperoning the club as she always did every year. Her father is yet to recover from his sickness at the time so it fell on her to look out for the children. This is also when Mami competed for the first time ever. Setsuna distinctly remember her pink dress that didn't clash with her bright red hair. Her skate was not clean but Mami grab the audience' attention right away with her energy. She won third place. Not bad for a first timer. But what really grab her attention was when the skate is over. Mami just bowed to the judges before rushing towards her. Not her brother Enma, but Setsuna. Setsuna was standing right outside the rink at the time.
Mami basically went 'nyoooooom' to her direction. She clutched the dog plushie Setsuna have thrown. The memory would always make her chuckle every time she remember it.
Setsuna look down at the little girl who is staring back at her with sparkling eyes. She wonder if this is the sort of expression she wear when she met Ito Midori. "Hello there. That was quite the performance you just showed us. I enjoyed it." Setsuna smiled kindly at the little girl.
Mami looked like her soul about to leave her body and ascend to higher plane. "I love you so much!" She blurted out. "I first watched you on TV! Metamorphosis is my favourite! I love your skating so much! I will treasure this for the rest of my life!" Mami hugged the dog plushie tighter.
Setsuna is trying SO hard not to squeal. "Thank you. That means a lot to me."
"Can I have your autograph? Ack!" Mami look down on her person. "I didn't bring any paper with me! Oh! There's Onii-chan! He has paper! My Onii-chan is huge fan of you too! Onii-chaaaan!" She waves to a young man messy red hair. Trailing behind him is a throng of children older than Mami, probably around Ryohei's age. "Onii-chan! It's Sawada Setsuna! The real deal! This is my onii-chan! Introduce yourself, Onii-chan!"
The older brother bowed his head, "Kozato Enma."
Setsuna return the gesture. "Sawada Setsuna."
"Onii-chan!" Mami tugged on Enma's sleeve, "Setsuna-senpai just told me that she enjoyed my performance!"
Enma smiled. "She did?" He look up to meet her eyes. "Thank you…"
Before Setsuna can say something, one of the children side up next to her. "Good afternoon, cutie," He winked. Setsuna blinked at the nerve of this child.
The girl with the ponytail pulled his ear with a huff of her own. "I'm so sorry. Julie here is an idiot…"
"No harm done," Setsuna reassures her.
Mami proceed to introduce everyone to her.
"Onii-chan has something he want to show you, senpai!" Mami tugged Enma's sleeve some more.
Their eyes met once more before Enma look away. He mumbled something under his breath as he unzip his duffle bag. He pull out a brown tube (something she vaguely recall seeing something similar in the Art Department). Enma wordlessly handed it to her. Setsuna accepted it. Inside is a roll of paper. She unroll it.
It's a watercolour painting. A painting of her to be exact. From the free skate program of her last season, Metamorphosis.
Setsuna is speechless. She received gifts from fans before, but never this… Personal (not counting the lingeries).
The kids smiled widely, knowing that Setsuna is impressed.
"It's great, isn't it! Enma-niichan is really good with these kind of stuff," Mami said proudly. "He is your number. 2 fan."
"And who is number 1?" Setsuna asked.
"Me! I'm your biggest fan!" Mami point to herself. "Everyone here are fans of yours, Setsuna-senpai!"
"I won't let you down," Setsuna smiled before addressing Enma. "Thank you for the painting. I will cherish it."
Enma nodded. "I hope Coach Maeda will recover from his illness soon."
Her smile turned sad. "Thank you." It's been hard but she managed. Her Tou-san is made from hardier stuff. He won't let himself succumb to sickness.
Enma's gaze softened. "You and Coach Maeda will get through this. You're going to do great. I… We have faith in you," He pull Mami close. "So… Have faith in Coach Maeda as well."
And that's how she first met the Kozato Siblings and their cousins. Setsuna gave Mami her autograph afterward, and had a few pictures taken with her and her family. They parted in good terms.
Her theme that year is Faith.
Because at the time, she need faith more than ever.
They meet again the following year and the next. Each time, Enma present her with a watercolour painting. They also exchanged phone numbers. There is something about Enma that make Setsuna know that she can trust him with her contacts. Both of them are busy, so their correspondence are limited to text messages and occasional phone calls. They ask each other for advice. Enma usually asked about recipes and girls. Adelheid is a teenager now, and Mami will soon follow. She is always happy to help. Enma is a good person.
Well, enough reminiscing. She need to get out of here and return before the children get too excited or Reborn come up with a scheme. Setsuna had excused herself to the restroom a few minutes ago.
When she walk out of the door, it happened at the same time with Enma walking out of the men's restroom.
"Oh!"
Enma smiled. "Hey."
"Hey," Setsuna returned his smile in kind. "So we meet outside of the restroom… Again."
"What are the odds?"
"Apparently not that bad," Setsuna put away her handkerchief. "So how are you?"
"I'm good. Thanks for asking," Enma regard her carefully. "What about you?"
"I'm well." Could have been better, if Iemitsu didn't bring her into this mafia mess and chuck Reborn at her. "How are things at work?"
Enma stuffed his hands in his pocket, "I managed."
Setsuna didn't ask any further. Money is always tight in the Kozato household. Enma is the sole breadwinner in the family. He spent the majority of his high school years working multiple part time jobs. He didn't go to college after graduation. College is expensive and he feel that the money would be better used for the kids. Also, Enma's grades is not enough for him to be granted scholarships. Enma switched jobs every now and then until recently. Now he is working full time as a cat groomer.
"So those are your kids, huh?" Enma snapped her out of her musing. Setsuna nodded. "I know I only met them once but I can tell that they are good kids."
Setsuna smiled softly. "They are."
"I'm glad things work out between you and them," Enma said softly. "It's bad when you had a fight with one. Imagine all of them."
"I didn't have a problem with all of them," Kyouya never wanted Harmonisation and Lambo is too young to grasp the situation. "But you're right. It was awful."
"One of the worst feelings in the world," Enma said solemnly. They stood there in silence for a moment before Enma sobered. "I apologise for Mami. She didn't always think first before she say something."
"It should be Mami-chan who apologise, not you. And she should say it to Nagi-chan. But I know you mean it," Setsuna pat his arm.
"I'll tell her," Enma nodded. "I'm going to go back. Mami must be wondering what's taking me so long."
"All right. See you later."
Setsuna turn around, only to see Reborn standing there, smirking.
"Enma-kun, huh?" He teases her.
Setsuna didn't take the bait, "I call a lot of people with that suffix."
"Except they are kids," For example, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, or the male club members.
"There's Kobayashi-kun," Setsuna pointed out. Kobayashi is one of the staffs working at the rink.
"Kobayashi-kun don't make paintings of you."
"A lot of people gave me handmade gifts."
"You don't just text or call a random fan for advice."
Reborn have listened to her phone calls and read her texts. Of course. Of course. Setsuna is hardly surprised. Reborn is that kind of asshole. Probably read her chat history with the girls too.
Setsuna rolled her eyes. She don't want to waste time here talking about her non existent relationships with Reborn only to give him more ammo to use against her. "I'm going to have lunch." She left him standing there and there's that.
Takeshi is having the time of his life. He can't for the life of him remember the last time he is the spectator, not the athlete. He is the one doing the watching instead of being the one who compete. It felt quite nice. Even though he is not the one on ice, he can still find joy in figure skating from the audience stand. Not to mention the kids are positively adorable. Those kids had the time of their lives. They were having fun.
Fun. That is also important. It wasn't until he rested did Takeshi rediscover how fun baseball is. He couldn't believe he almost lost something so important. Seeing those kids having fun… It reminded him of why he took up baseball in the first place. Because he find it fun. He was just like these kids once upon a time. Back then everything was simple. Can he recapture those magical moments. Probably not, because many things have changed, him included.
But that is all part of growing up, isn't it?
Takeshi would never return to be that little boy, but he will always remember. That boy was real, and so is the present him.
He is real.
They had lunch together with the rest of the Namimori FS Club. Gokudera put a distance between himself and Coach Maeda out of respect and fear. Coach Maeda greeted Takeshi and Sasagawa-senpai, only to give one look at Gokudera to acknowledge his presence but that was it. Nagi is grateful for their presence. None of her friends from school could make it. Takeshi caught her looking at the little ones and their parents with a hint of envy. The other two must have noticed as well, and tactfully don't bring it up.
"How are you holding up?" Yamamoto asked Nagi kindly.
Nagi didn't say anything, only staring at her cup. Ah, she must be nervous.
"Personally, I don't think you'll have any problem," Gokudera fold his arms. "I know that I've only seen you skate once… But you're good. I know you'll destroy the other competitions. Show those Kozato brat that you are strong. After all, it was Coach Maeda who trained you. Not to mention you have the support of Setsuna-hime."
"Yeah!" Sasagawa-senpai joined in. "You are an Extreme skater, Kudou!"
Nagi just stay silent.
Takeshi think back of his conversation with Setsuna-nee weeks ago. When he was almost swallowed up by the pressure. The pressure his teammates, coach and peers put on him. He doesn't want Nagi to be swallowed up.
Nagi look up when Takeshi touch her shoulder. "It will be okay," He smiled kindly at her. "Remember to have fun."
Her shoulders lost some of the tension. "Thank you, Yamamoto-kun…"
"That's right! Fun is important too!" Sasagawa-senpai unconsciously put up his fists. "Make sure to enjoy yourself out there, Kudou!"
"Thank you, senpai."
Takeshi grinned.
"Hey, kids!" Setsuna-nee wave at them, having finished her business at the restroom. "What did I miss?" She plop down next to Sasagawa-senpai.
"You didn't miss much, Setsuna-hime," Gokudera answered. Takeshi wonder when he will drop the 'hime' suffix?
Setsuna turn to Nagi. "How are you feeling, Nagi-chan?"
"I'm nervous," The younger girl admitted.
Setsuna hummed. "Breathing techniques always work for me. You already know how to that." Nagi mutely nodded. "But you know what works better, if you think of your important people. One look at them before the program start will calm you down. I always sneak one last look at Tou-san. He believes in me. That alone always make me believe in myself. So you could say I draw my strength from him and everyone else."
"Like Guardians?" Nagi piped out.
Guardians. It's been so long since Takeshi heard that word. No one in their group mention it until now. He thought about it, yes, but he never said it. Not ever since…
Setsuna-nee doesn't seem all that bothered though. "If you want to call it that."
That got Nagi to look thoughtful.
When lunch hour ends, they file back into the rink. Takeshi and his friends returned to their previous seats. The Shimon group is already there. Gokudera and Sasagawa-senpai glared at Aoba Koyo and Kato Julie. The green haired boxer return the glare. Setsuna-nee and Kozato Enma situated themselves between the teenagers, effectively acting as buffers.
Nagi and everyone else in Novice A went to get changed. Takeshi wander what sort of program she had competitors trickle in one by one. Even from this distance, Takeshi can see it clearly. The look of concentration. The way they pressed their lips in anticipation. How they straighten their back... Come to think of it… The air felt different just now.
Many of them are looking at their direction. No, not him. Or Gokudera. Or Sasagawa-senpai. Nor are they looking at the Shimon group.
They are looking at Setsuna-nee.
"Is it just me or the tension just doubled?" Takeshi wondered. The air is heavier. The contestants looked tenser than before… He recognised this. He always feel like this before a game.
"It's not just your imagination," Adelheid said. "The little ones are too young to understand. But the older kids are now under more pressure because of Sawada-san. She is after all, Japan's best figure skater. She won gold in the Olympics. To have your skate watched by someone like her… It's nerve wracking. The members from Namimori FC Club have it worse. Since they are coached by Maeda-san, everyone expect them to win. They also trained with Olympic gold medalist. They are the favourites around these parts. They have this pressure to continue the winning streak. To lose here means a crack on Maeda-san's reputation. And Sawada-san's. It will make the club look weak."
"But they know what Setsuna-hime is like."
"They do. But she is more than that. She is their goal."
The figure skaters look up to Setsuna, figuratively and literally. She sits up high at the bleachers, smiling down upon them.
"She is someone these children could become in the future. Ace skater, champion of Japan, Olympic gold medalist. And who knows? Perhaps one person from this crop will climb high enough to compete against Sawada-san. Do you know what an immense pressure that is? To be watched by an athlete of her caliber?"
"Adelheid-san, you speak of me too highly," Setsuna-nee blushed a little.
"I speak true, Sawada-san," Adelheid replied. "Sports is not just the skills or physical strength. It is also a mental battle. These kids are beginning to realise that."
"Well, it means little if their mental strength can't withstand me ." Setsuna-nee said. "If these kids truly want to aim high, they won't let the pressure swallow them. If my sole presence throw them off, how will they fare against athletes from other countries?" She crossed her legs. "This competition may be small, but it's one step forward. This is the world of figure skating. If you want your name to be known, you have to fight for it."
The way Setsuna-nee said it made them gulped.
The competition resume. Gokudera went off to explain the technical rules for Novice A. Their program must be two and half minutes long. The multiplying factor of the Component Score will be 2.5. A bonus of 0.5 will be given if a double Axel is executed, even if the skater fall. However, it is a one time deal. There will be no bonus points for jump elements performed during the second half of the program as well. Takeshi will leave it to Gokudera to calculate the points.
The boys went first. Gokudera and Sasagawa-senpai cheer loudly whenever someone from Namimori FS Club step onto the ice. They watched Coach Maeda put his hands on his athletes' shoulders and give them the pep talk. This must be first time Takeshi see him being a coach live, as opposed to watching him on television. He sneaked a glance at Setsuna-nee. Is she not going down there? Nagi could use her support…
Takeshi looked at the competitors again. Figure skating to them is what baseball is to him. Something about that warms his heart. There is something in the atmosphere that excites him and somewhat nostalgic. He look at his surroundings. He is together with friends and Setsuna-nee (and whatever Reborn is), to support another one of their friend.
Takeshi is having the time of his life.
Takeshi is glad to be alive.
Takeshi is happy to be alive.
Nagi stand silently on the side as she watch her competitors enter and exit the rink one by one. They are good, every single one of them. The crowd loves them. She feel admiration for them, and envy.
'They are rising stars,' Nagi thought. 'What does that makes me then?'
Self doubt is something she is familiar with. It had followed her for years and will rear its head in moments like this. It's not something that can easily be shaken off, no matter how much Nagi has grown. She will probably be battling this feeling for years to come.
Everyone here are rising stars. They push themselves over and over till they reach new heights. Where do they want to go? Towards the Sky and beyond. Setsuna-senpai is already there, at the very top. The skaters in Nagi's generation want to go where she is now. Little do they know,Setsuna-senpai actually is a Sky.
They never talked about it after that day at the Maeda residence. About Guardians, Vongola, the mafia… Nagi sense that Setsuna-senpai doesn't want to talk about it in further details with them, to avoid implicating them further. But Nagi can't help her curiosity. She wants to know more. She and the boys have different elements. Gokudera is certain that he is a Storm. Yamamoto is a Rain. Sasagawa-senpai is a Sun. Hibari is a Cloud. Nagi herself is a Mist.
What does it mean exactly? To be a Mist?
'Creating something from nothing, and nothing from something; thus bewildering the enemy, to render the Famiglia's true form intangible with visions of deceit.'
That is what Gokudera told her, when she asked him about Flames. It was a while back, but it felt like a long time ago.
To create something from nothing, and nothing from something.
It sounds like a playing pretend to her. To trick people. To impress them. Bedazzle them. Nagi can do that she supposes. She can entertain them. Isn't that also a part of figure skating?
"Next contestant, Kozato Mami!" said the announcer over the microphone. "From Shimon Figure Skating Club. She will be skate to Strauss' Voices of Spring Waltz."
Mami glide to the center of the rink. She is wearing a grass green dress with colourful flowers sewn on it. The colour make her red hair pop out even more.
("Uwoooooooh! Mami-chan! Ganbatte!" Koyo waved enthusiastically from the bleachers.)
The music start to play. Mami throw her hands up in the air in a theatrical manner. It reminds Nagi of a blooming flower. Mami timed it so perfectly with the music that it catch everyone's attention. That's good. Everyone is familiar with this piece of music. It is catchy, fun and not to mention intense. Mami have to match the energy in order to own the music.
Nagi wander what Mami is supposed to be. A fairy? A flower nymph? Or maybe even Kore, the goddess of Spring? Nagi know that you don't always have to act up a role everytime you skate… But all of programs so far have her acting as someone else. To transform to someone else.
Mami here looked like a flower blooming in the middle of a frozen lake. A shoot that slip through the cracks. Pretty yet hardy. Something that full of life, wanting to live, fighting for its life.
What sort of skater does Mami envision her to be, Nagi wonder. What kind of skater does she want to be?
"Double Axel!"
Nagi's eyes widened. Not only the jump is perfect, it was high. This must be the highest jump yet in this competition. Mami's family roared. She will receive 0.5 bonus point for this. The crowd is on her side now. They are thoroughly enjoying her performance.
Mami's skating is intense. And she is only eleven? Nagi's 11 years old self won't be able to skate to this program. Not like Mami did. She just couldn't imagine it. Then again, all of her programs so far use soft music as opposed to a dynamic one like Voices of Spring Waltz .
Mami has a real shot to get first place. Nagi belatedly realised. She easily outshine the other skaters that performed before her. No mistakes are made. Mami has charm, energy, and the skills. And there's something about her skating that felt… Different.
Yet something about the way the younger girl skates feel familiar to her….
Next to her, Coach Maeda looked thoughtful. Did he notice as well?
When the music ended, the room is filled with thunderous applause. The audience like her best out of every contestants so far. It will be difficult to win their hearts after this kind of performance. Mami meant it when she said she will get first place. She know she can win . That kind of confidence is something Nagi never had before. It is almost enviable and definitely frightening.
Especially knowing that it will her turn after this.
Well, not exactly. There is still another skater that will perform ahead before her. Someone from another club. Nagi sneaked a glance at the girl. She looked cowed. Oh no.
"The total score is 63.30!"
It is the highest score so far for Novice A Ladies. Mami's family roared at the announcement. Mami (who has left the rink) whooped.
"Nagi," Coach Maeda laid a hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to watch the next one. Go warm up."
Nagi gulped. "Yes, Coach."
Mami is waving at the audience. She is being showered by flowers and stuffed animals. Is that not the sign that she is the most liked skater in this competition, Nagi don't know what is.
She went to the back to do her warm up. She can still hear the crowd clapping for Mami. 'No. Don't think about it. Focus on yourself.'
Yet all she can think about is Mami's performance and words.
"Your supporters seem confident that you'll win. It's great to have supporters, but do you feel the same as them? It's pointless to compete if you think you'll lose from the start."
"Then why are you even here? This is a competition, not a recreation. I can't believe someone with half baked motivation like you get to be in the same rink as Senpai"
Why didn't Nagi say anything back? Why didn't she defend herself?
Because she didn't think she is good enough.
Before she knew it, the music ended. It will be her turn now. Time flies when your thoughts are preeoccupied. Did she warm up enough? Stupid Nagi.
Nagi make her way back to the rink. Coach Maeda and her rinkmates are waiting for her. Without much word, Nagi take off her jacket. Her costume is a pure white dress with see-through sleeves. She is going to be a spectre after all. One of her rinkmates take her jacket.
Coach Maeda studied her. Nagi try not to fidget, but he must noticed that she is nervous. "Nagi," She look up to him. "You have trained for months for this moment. There is only one last thing you need to do. Go out there and skate." Nagi nodded. Coach Maeda's grey eyes locked with Nagi's violet ones. "Do you want to skate?"
"Yes," Nagi answered without thinking. With absolute certainty.
"Then do so."
"Yes!"
Nagi take off her blade covers and hand it over to Coach Maeda. She take a deep breath before stepping onto the ice.
"Next contestant, Kudou Nagi from Namimori Figure Skating Club!"
All eyes are on her now. Her heart is drumming against her ribcage. Nagi scanned through the crowd. She easily find her friends and Setsuna-senpai. Her friends are waving and cheering for her. Setsuna-senpai's brown eyes meet hers and she nodded.
Do you know who you are?
I am Nagi
Melody filled the air as Nagi moved. The music is Dance of the Willis by Adolphe Adam. It is one of the music for the ballet Giselle. Nagi had done her research. Giselle told the story of love and death. A girl who went mad from heartbreak before she dies. Even in death, her love for the man she loves is so strong, she find it in herself to forgive him. She saved him from the other spirits known as Willis. In the end, she was able to rest in peace. The story of Giselle was partially inspired by Victor Hugo's poem Fantomes. Phantoms. Ghosts. The Willis are spirits of girls who died before they married.
Mami's program is about life while hers is about death. A contrast.
All of the Willis died from a broken heart. It is a terrible thing, a broken heart. No wonder they and Giselle went mad. They are sad. They are angry. It led to madness. Not all heartbreak will lead to loss of sanity of course. The story was clearly written by men. But Nagi still get the sentiment.
Her heart has been broken before. When Setsuna-senpai told them that they won't Harmonize. Nagi chased her all the way from Tokyo only to get rejected… Of course it would hurt. Nagi don't know how she would recover from that if it weren't from Coach Maeda and the boys.
It made her wonder. Did she come here to Namimori purely for Setsuna-senpai or for the sake of skating? It was for Setsuna-senpai. Nagi was so transfixed with her she unseat her whole life just to be near her. It all worked out in the end but Nagi admit that it was a reckless move on her part.
But it was so worth it.
It was all thanks to figure skating that Nagi was able to meet Setsuna-senpai. Namimori helped her to rediscover her love for the sport. She didn't pick it just because her mother dislike the cold. Maybe she'll remember what is it exactly about figure skating that drae her so. For now, she just want to skate her heart out.
Kozato Mami is wrong.
Nagi may doubt her skills, but never ever doubt her love for figure skating. It took her this long to realise, but Nagi genuinely love the sport. She will prove it and make the red haired girl acknowledge her.
She is a Willis. A girl, not quite a moment yet, who died from heartbreak. She died before she can tie the knot with the one she love. A Willis rise from their grave, not quite human, not quite evil either. A spirit still attached to the mortal plane. Willis dance with the other Willis. They enchant men to dance to the death. That's how they find peace. Except, not really. Their anger never truly go away. The madness never pass. Their hearts remain broken.
She is Giselle. A peasant girl born with a weak heart. Who fell in love with a man above her status. That man loved her, but he lied to her as well. When she found out, she danced her feelings out. They said she went mad. She died. And her lover still lives and due to marry. She hated him. She wanted him to suffer. She wanted to forget about him. She love him still. It was agony mixed with happiness when he visited her grave. It was fear mixed with delight when she saw the Queen and the other Willis curse him to dance to death.
It was love that drove her to save him.
She is Nagi.
My name is Kudou Nagi. I am a twelve years old skater originally from Tokyo. I moved to Namimori a few months ago so I can share a rink with Sawada Setsuna. She is Japan's best and my idol. Thanks to her I met my friends. There is still a lot about me that I don't understand. But that's all right. I'm getting there. Cats is my favourite animal. I like chocolate. I enjoy ghost stories.
I love...
Nagi crossed her arms delicately in front of her and bend forward slightly. The music ends. Claps and cheers fill the air. Nagi bowed to the audience as stuffed animals are thrown. Her eyes scanned through crowd. They are smiling. At her. It felt… Good? Yes, good.
"EXTREME!" Sasagawa-senpai's shout cut through the audience's cheers.
She easily find her friends. The boys has leapt to their feet, cheering and waving at her. Nagi can't see Reborn but she can see Setsuna-senpai. Even amongst this crowd, she will always be able to spot her. Setsuna-senpai is looking at her, smiling at her. She is proud of Nagi.
Warmth filled her heart and Nagi smiled back.
Then something hit her on the head and the last thing Nagi remember is how cold the ice is.
Muahahahahaha
I never said it will be Setsuna who do the skating XP
The Shimon Famiglia is here!
Since Mami lived, Enma is in a much better mental state and thus capable to take care of his family. In return, the kids gave him the respect Canon!Enma didn't have. Enma here is the father figure for Shimon kids. Work took most of his time but he always made sure to give attention to everyone equally whenever he's at home.
Mami is the baby of the group. Everyone dote on her, especially Enma. He try to give equal amount of attention to the kids, but Mami always end up getting more. The older kids are understanding, to his relief.
Sadly, I can't find a lot of reference about interclub competition rules. In the end, I used competition regulations based in Belgium (there is a file). The Chicks and Cubs part killed me. The names are so cute! Those regulations were last updated in 2017. They are also accordance to ISU Novice rules dated back from 2014. I can't find anything from before 2007, please don't flame me for this!
I am not a long time skating fan or a judge, so I apologise if I calculate the scores wrong. The rules for Novice stated two spins, a step sequence and a maximum of four jumps. Double Axel can only be used once. Triple jumps are strictly forbidden. And they only do Free Skate here.
I know the 'You're doing amazing, sweetie' meme is not from 2007 but I'm putting it here anyway.
Midori Ito is a Japanese figure skater. She won silver in the Olympics in 1992. In 2003 she was inducted to World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.
I hope you dear readers realise what a big step this is for Yamamoto. Yamamoto's segment is always hard for me to write. It led to self introspection. As someone with depression, I want to stress that 'not wanting to die' and 'wanting to live' are two different things. It's hard to explain. I found myself editing this paragraph multiple times. In some days, I want to give up, but I was scared of that too. So I keep holding on… But that's not what necessarily what you would call as 'living'. I hope that one day I can be like Yamamoto and think to myself; 'I'm glad to be alive. I'm happy to be alive.'
Thank you for reading
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