Chapter Text
When Yuitsuka Inori received the question, it took her aback so much that she didn't reply immediately.
"Do you want to live together?"
She could clearly remember the nervous look on her rival's— Kamisaki Hikaru— face when she asked the question so suddenly. The sweat dripping down the temple of her head down to her cheek, the redness of the tip of her ears, and the way her usually intense golden eyes were looking down on the ground. If she was kneeling, Hikaru might as well be proposing to her.
Still, it left her stunned. Them, living together? What brought this on? She never got to ask that question back, a lump in her throat forming and the sudden flashes of 'what-if' scenarios formed in her mind if they ever did decided to settle down together as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Really, there wasn't any reason for her to reject the idea, right?
They were retiring as competitive skaters right after Hikaru managed to grab the Olympic gold medal while she herself earned silver. While Inori wished she had finished first, she was proud that it was Hikaru that took the gold. It suited her.
"Are you alright, Inori?"
Inori blinked as she locked eyes with Hikaru who was sitting right across from her. She looked worried. Was she spacing out that much?
"Sorry, I just remembered something," Inori replied as she took a sip of her coffee. She should really tell Hikaru to add more sugar.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. You were cute when you asked me to live with you."
Hikaru almost spat out her own coffee before playfully glaring at her, "You don't need to remind me. Just finish your breakfast already."
Inori held in a giggle as she followed her rival— now roommate— and quickly finished up the egg and toast on her plate. It was Hikaru's turn to cook breakfast and this was where Coach Riley's influence was shown every once in a while. Maybe Inori could suggest to add sausages or something.
Though, she couldn't help but smile as she ate. The cool and calm morning, the quietness of their dining room, and the sight of Hikaru first thing in the morning. She couldn't believe that she would be living like this. If someone told her that she would be living together with Hikaru all those years ago, she would be laughing at them in disbelief.
Something this mundane was something Inori was sure that she would cherish for as long as she lived.
"I'll be visiting Meikoh Wind for a while," Hikaru said as she slowly finished up her plate, "I can drop you off at Lux Higashiyama before I go?"
Inori shook her head, "It's okay. I can go there myself. How about you pick me up later so we can buy dinner together?"
"…Alright."
It had been a little over two months since they've started living together. It was hectic at first; they were still busy right after the Olympics and they still had to discuss with their own coaches on what would happen to their careers afterwards. Both Coach Tsukasa and Coach Riley suggested the same thing: to take a break from training for a while.
Both of them were unhappy about that, of course. They lived and breathed the ice; it would be difficult to separate them from the rinks. In the end, that made the coaches agree that they were still to take a break but they could skate every now and then with moderation. They weren't allowed to do the crazy jumps that they pulled off during the Olympics, however.
It was more acceptable to the skaters somehow. It still made them feel rather unsatisfied, but it was better than having no time on the ice at all.
Well, after all the media and press that they were both obligated to take (considering that they took home two medals for Japan, it was obvious that they would be hounded by every media outlets and that the internet needed more content), they finally took the time to settle on a place to stay.
But before that, Inori and Hikaru had to decide where they would stay in the first place. Inori had been living in Nagoya all this time while Hikaru was staying in Tokyo due to Starfox. If either of them moved, it would be a bit difficult for them. After all, neither wanted to switch clubs.
In the end, Hikaru said something that made Inori's heart burst with affection.
"As long as I'm with you, I don't mind wherever we go," Hikaru said with the softest gaze that Inori had ever seen, "Follow your heart and I will be there."
And maybe it was a bit selfish that Inori had declared that she wanted to stay in Nagoya, but she was reassured more than a hundred times that it was alright. She could travel to Tokyo if needed. They were taking a break, after all. So, why not make the most of it?
Still, the two were still adjusting in their new life. They had to find out what were the habits of the other so they could adjust accordingly. While Inori had a cleaner personal space, Hikaru liked to say that she had an organized mess. Luckily for Inori, that kind of mentality was kept right inside Hikaru's own room rather than their shared spaces.
She also found out that Hikaru preferred that they would at least share a meal together once a day.
"Say hi to Coach Sonidori for me," Inori said as she got up from her seat, "Let me handle the dishes. You can shower first."
"Mhm. Thanks," Hikaru handed her dishes with a smile and when Inori took it off her hands, she reached out to the top of Inori's head and patted it. She laughed softly, "Your bedhead is cute."
"Wha—" Inori felt her cheeks getting red, "Don't tease me!"
"I'm telling the truth, though," Hikaru did a few more pats before pulling her hand away, "Okay, okay. I'm going now. Don't glare at me too much."
Inori huffed as she watched Hikaru retreat to her bedroom while she was still laughing. Seriously, that wasn't too good for her heart early in the morning.
"Coach Tsukasa! Coach Hitomi! Coach Kohei!"
Inori almost ran towards her coaches as soon as she made it inside the Nagoya Sports Center. She also greeted Sekoma along the way and before Inori could crash into anyone, Akeuraji Tsukasa immediately picked her up and spun her around excitedly.
"Good morning, Inori-san!" Tsukasa's hold was firm, "You're early today!"
At the side, Takamine Hitomi and Kamogawa Kohei looked at them with unamusement that Tsukasa had to put her down with a sheepish smile on his face. Inori didn't mind though; she liked that Tsukasa could still treat her the same after all these years.
"I got up way before my alarm," Inori laughed, "Are you okay, Coach? You didn't hurt your back while carrying me?"
"Of course not! I'm still a-okay!" As if to prove his point, Tsukasa flexed his muscles with a grin. He was still that fit.
"Thank you for joining us today, Inori-chan," Hitomi said with a tired smile, "Ever since you went to the Olympics, the application for new students kept piling higher and higher…"
"Even adults want to skate more," Kohei sighed, "It's good for the club, but I don't know if my body can keep up anymore."
"Well, that's why we asked Inori for help, right?" Tsukasa said and compared to the two, he was smiling brightly, "While she's taking a break, she can assist us in coaching! Plus, that will motivate the kids more to see the Yuitsuka Inori in the flesh!"
Inori couldn't help but laugh in embarrassment. With Tsukasa's loud voice, there were a few people that were skating that stopped for a few moments to look. There were already murmurs between them, most likely surprised to see Inori in the rink so soon.
"But remember, Inori-san, you're taking a break," Tsukasa continued, this time with a more serious face, "You can skate freely after the lessons, but I prefer to not see you jumping your triples and quads. Do you understand?"
"Does that mean I can at least jump my singles and doubles…?" Inori asked and when she saw all of her coaches giving her that look, she pouted, "Okay, fine. Just skating it is."
Tsukasa beamed at her, "Good! Also, you won't be alone. I also asked someone else to help you for a while!"
That made Inori blinked. Who could help her? As much as she tried to wrack up her brain for any names, she couldn't think of one. She doubted that her coach would even dare to ask Hikaru for help. After all, it looked like they had some bad blood between them that had never settled until now. There was a time when Inori would wonder what even happened between them, but neither of them were willing to say anything.
Even when Inori told her parents and her coaches about her moving with Hikaru, Tsukasa didn't say anything aside from wishing her well and that if they needed help in carrying their things, he was willing to help. Though, she was sure that Hikaru would never accept his help at all.
Oh, well.
"What are you daydreaming about, shrimp?"
The familiar voice jolted Inori back to reality and faced towards her childhood friend. Or was it enemy? Either way, she was glad to see a face that she hadn't seen in person for a good while.
"Rioh!" she exclaimed with a grin, "Long time no see."
Sonidori Rioh huffed, but she could see that his expression softened ever so slightly, "Congrats on the silver, shrimp. As expected, Hikaru got gold."
Inori rolled her eyes, "Gee, thanks. I think I would've preferred you shutting your mouth instead. Why are you here, anyway?"
Rioh grinned smugly, "Coach Akeuraji asked if I could assist him in coaching for a bit. I have some free time before the hellish season, so I don't mind."
"Why not assist your dad in his own club, huh?" Inori scoffed. She started to regret a little for being happy to see him.
"We have enough assistant coaches there. Besides, he agreed the moment I said it was to help Coach Akeuraji."
Right, of course. Those two adored Tsukasa that much. While Inori was happy that there were people that respected her coach a lot, she wasn't going to let Rioh take the #1 student off her small hands.
Tsukasa clapped his hands to gain their attention, "Thanks for coming, Rioh! Since the both of you are here now, go ahead a prep. We'll get ready before the students trickle in."
The two nodded before heading to the locker rooms. Inori had to admit; she was pretty excited.
If Inori had to summarize her day, she would simply say that it was… hectic but fun.
There were a lot more students than she had expected. No wonder Coach Hitomi had asked her to help. There was no way they could handle multiple bundles of energy all at once. That was simply too much!
Though, it made her glad that she got to experience a one-on-one coaching with Tsukasa. She truly thought that she wouldn't have grown that quickly without the undivided attention and care that her coach provided. Of course, Hitomi and Kohei were also important to her, but she had been taken care of by Tsukasa since day one.
What was expected, however, was that everyone was staring at her and Rioh in awe. It was adorable to see the younger ones practically brimming in excitement. They kept asking questions that was a bit overwhelming, but Inori had welcome it all the same. After all, she wanted to nurture the few skaters that had that familiar fire in their eyes.
To make others fall in love even more with the sport was something she wanted to do all this time. Whether it was through coaching or through her own performances, she would gladly pull everyone along.
As she taught the last batch that she and Rioh would handle, she guided a girl named Rukia. She was a bit older compared to the other kids, but she was still younger than when Inori herself started skating.
"You're so cool, Coach," Rukia said, her voice dripping in awe, "You make the jumps look so easy."
Inori laughed softly as she matched the pace with the girl. Rukia was still slow and awkward, but she was slowly gaining confidence as time passed. "Well, it did take a long time of dedication and practice to get to where I am."
"Do you think I can be like you someday?"
"Of course. Never stop believing in yourself that you can," Inori smiled, "If you really have the thirst to stay on the ice, I'm sure the other coaches will help you towards your dream."
Rukia nodded quietly and even if she didn't say anything, Inori could see that the girl was absorbing each and every word that she said.
"By the way, Coach…"
"Hm?"
"Are you friends with Kamisaki Hikaru-san?"
"She's my rival," Inori said proudly, but then laughed, "But yeah, she a good friend of mine. Why, do you want to meet her?"
Rukia shook her head, "Her skating is beautiful, but I like yours more, Coach."
Inori could feel her heart swell with pride and fondness over this girl. She guessed that must be why the coaches adored their students so much.
As soon as their session was almost done, Inori skated away from the group as the other coaches said their piece. She saw that Rioh was following her suit, so she slowly came to a stop as she waited for him.
"How are you holding up?" he asked. Neither of them were catching their breath, anyway. "Coach said you're banned from jumping."
"Only for a little while."
"We both know that's already feeling like a punishment."
"Well, what can I do? I don't want to betray their trust," Inori sighed as she continued skating and Rioh followed along, "Besides, at least I still have time on the ice during my break and I get to witness the future generation of figure skating grow!"
Rioh snorted, "We're not that old yet."
"Ha, that's true."
The two continued to skate quietly and Inori watched the students slowly filing out of the rink. Their session was done and saw that Tsukasa and the others were discussing among themselves. They sure worked hard.
Inori waved at the students who bid her and Rioh goodbye. She did managed to elbow her friend when he said that it was too embarrassing to wave back because frankly, that thought was stupid.
Inori and Rioh stopped goofing around when Tsukasa called over for them right outside the rink and the two had the silent competition on who would reach the coach first. Unfortunately for Rioh, Inori was still as fast as ever.
"Good job and thank you, you two. For first time coaches, you did well," Tsukasa said as he ruffled their hair. The older man was still towering over them, much to Rioh's chagrin, but it was obvious that he was happy about the gesture.
"Thank you, Coach Tsukasa," they both said, making them glare at each other.
"Now, now. I know both of you are tired, but how about we have some dinner, hm? It's Kohei's treat." Hitomi said with a smile.
"What the f—" Kohei stopped himself before clearing his throat, "I guess it's okay… but nothing too expensive, alright?"
Damn. A free meal sounded good right now and normally, Inori wouldn't dare pass up a free meal, but alas…
"Oh, um," Inori raised her hand, smiling sheepishly, "I'll have to pass for now, Coach Kohei. Thanks, though."
"Huh? What's up? You got a date or something?" Rioh asked, raising a brow.
"No, it's just…"
Before Inori could say anything more, their attention was grabbed by the person who entered the sports center. It was already getting pretty late and mostly every guest had left, so who was crazy enough to go inside?
They didn't need to wait for an answer as Hikaru finally got into view. The coaches were surprised, but Rioh and Hikaru were even more surprised to see each other.
"…No wonder you're not in Meikoh Wind, Rioh," Hikaru finally said as she walked closer to their group.
"Yeah, I'm assisting Coach Akeuraji here— Wait, why are you here?" Rioh blinked at her as if he couldn't believe that Hikaru was right there in the flesh, "You're not in Tokyo? So, the rumors of you going back here is true?"
Hikaru smiled wryly at him, "I'm still under Starfox, if that's what you mean. I just decided to settle here."
"Huh? Then—" Rioh glared at Inori and the latter looked away to feign innocence, "You knew, didn't you, shrimp?"
"To be fair, we only saw each other today," Inori shrugged as she stepped out of the rink after putting the guards on her blades on. Besides, from Inori's knowledge, the only person that Hikaru told about the move was Coach Riley. Word sure travel fast, especially around Hikaru.
Hikaru glanced at the coaches and nodded curtly at them. At the corner of Inori's eye, she saw that Tsukasa was slightly stiff and only Coach Hitomi and Coach Kohei were greeting her back normally.
Weirdos.
"Inori," Hikaru stepped closer to the said woman and gently brushed a stray hair behind Inori's ear, "Are you guys almost done?"
"Mhm, I just need to pack up," Inori slowly raised her gaze to lock eyes with Hikaru to find the familiar warmth behind those eyes, making her smile.
Hikaru returned it with a gentler smile, "Okay."
Inori moved slightly away and saw that Rioh was walking towards Hikaru with an expression that was obviously grim. He had a lot of questions to ask and she wasn't too sure if Hikaru would feel like answering all of them at the moment.
But then, she also noticed something else.
Hikaru, who was already sighing in defeat as Rioh started shooting questions at her, was still taller than Rioh.
Inori had to admit that she hated that Rioh had gotten taller than her. The difference wasn't much, but it was enough for the latter to tease about it. In return, however, she boasted that was still more ripped than him. Which was true, in her defense. Still, it must've been a low blow for Rioh to see that Hikaru was taller than him whether he would admit that or not.
Damn, no wonder Inori felt like she was still small.
Leaving them alone for now, Inori quickly changed out of her skating outfit and into more comfortable clothes. When she returned, she apologized to the coaches for leaving them so suddenly, but if she really thought about it, Kohei was probably relieved to feed less people than expected.
"I'm ready!" Inori exclaimed as she immediately latched herself onto Hikaru's arm, startling her.
Hikaru's attention quickly focused onto Inori, "Yeah? You didn't forget anything?"
"What am I, a child?" Inori huffed, "I don't forget that easily!"
"Remember the time when you almost forgot your worm plushie right before we left the hotel back in Italy—"
"Okay, okay. I get it! But I promise I didn't forget anything today."
Well, she hoped.
"If you say so," Hikaru then took Inori's bag from her and carried it with her free hand.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Coach!" Inori slightly bowed her head to the three coaches and then grinned at Rioh, "See 'ya."
Rioh rolled his eyes, "Whatever."
As the two started to leave, Inori held in her laugh as she heard Tsukasa saying something so ridiculous.
"Ah, they grow up so fast…"
"Don't make it sound like you married her off…"
Once Hikaru and Inori stepped outside the building, the latter shivered as the cool evening air hit her body. Not even her usual jacket was enough to shield her from the cold.
"How about we have some ramen to warm you up?" Hikaru asked as she slowly wrapped her arm around Inori's waist. When she felt no objections, she relaxed.
Inori hummed as she leaned closer to Hikaru, relishing in her warmth. "Good idea."
"And ice cream right after?"
Eating something cold while it's freezing out? Yeah, why not.
Inori laughed, "You sure know your way to my heart!"
Hikaru mumbled something incoherent but when Inori asked what it was, she reassured her that it was nothing.
Huh, weird.
But first things first: Ramen.