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For all intents and purposes, it was a beautiful morning. The training camp hosted by Starfox FSC this year had just started, and the rink was still filled with light laughter and banter, the dense and competitive air that normally pervades such a camp having not yet arrived. And underneath all that carefree atmosphere...
Yuitsuka Inori was having a crisis.
Oh, how weird it must look to her fellow skaters. Here she was, one of the most successful competitors of her generation, appearing to be sweating bullets and failing to hide it all because of a fairly standard training camp. The truth, however, was much more mortifying than that.
Because this was the day on which Inori intended to finally confess to the Kamisaki Hikaru.
A deep-seated sigh made it out of her mouth as Inori shook her head vigorously, hoping that her nerves would maybe fall off that way. What was she even so scared about? She and Hikaru were skating around each other in every sense imaginable for way too long anyway. Heck, if someone asked one of their friends, for example Suzu, they would tell them with all the confidence in the world that the two of them were already dating.
Inori huffed. From where do they take that certainty anyway? Sure, she might always get visibly fired up when she was watching Hikaru skate, unable to tear her star-filled gaze away from her form. Sure, she might hang on to her every word when they were talking animatedly with each other, often forgetting the attention they would draw. And of course, there were all the touches; a small hug here, a reassuring handhold there, always turning Inori into a stammering mess by the end.
That last thought caused her face to erupt in color. Ok, maybe she had been a lot more obvious than she thought. But who could blame her? Hikaru was just that dazzling. In fact, she was sure that anyone would immediately fall in love with her at first sight.
With a proud and affirmed grunt and a light blush still present on her cheeks, Inori finally let herself glide onto the ice and start preparing her warm-up rounds. The feeling of the wind on her face quickly let her forget her inner crisis as she was immediately calmed by the familiarity of the ice. Still, Inori didn’t take off at full speed right away, instead letting her eyes wander around, hoping to catch a glimpse of a certain black-haired skater. However, the emergence of a booming and recognizable voice put a temporary hold on that.
"Inori!!"
With a bright grin forming on her face, Inori turned around and wasted no time skating to the railing. "Coach Tsukasa, good morning!"
Met with her usual enthusiasm, Coach Tsukasa also brightened up even more—even though it would seem impossible considering how cheerful he already looked all the time—and laughed while pumping a fist. "Good morning to you as well. Are you ready to give it your all for this training camp?"
"Always," Inori cheered with an exaggerated salute. "What's the plan for today?" If Inori had a tail, it would probably be wagging like crazy. Despite her embarrassing plans looming in the near future, she couldn't help but feel excited. It was a training camp after all and she'd be allowed to skate all day! Truly a dream come true.
Coach Tsukasa put his hands on his hips and laughed once more before becoming a tad more serious. "For the first day we'll start with going over the basics as a warm-up. Just a few reps of your more consistent jumps before we tackle the big problem child." He raised a finger. "Before this camp ends, we're making sure that you can incorporate a Triple Lutz into your combination jumps. And not just once or twice, but consistently. After all," his grin grew in confidence, "you want to beat Hikaru this year, right?"
Seeing his trust in her, Inori felt a fire consuming her, licking at her limbs and urging her to move. "Of course!" She raised her fist toward him for a bump which he met with fervor. "Just you watch, by the end of the camp I'll be able to land any kind of jump."
With renewed energy, Inori was about to dash onto the ice again, but the sudden appearance of black hair in her periphery made her freeze. Kamisaki Hikaru was entering the rink.
As usual, she was fully decked out in dark colors, her hair put up in her familiar ponytail. In fact, she looked no different than when Inori had last seen her, but it still made her forget how to breathe. She had no way of explaining how Hikaru was able to capture her gaze this effectively. Inori knew she shouldn't be staring this hard, lest she be caught and teased about it again, but her feelings had her brain in a vice grip. She was just lucky that Hikaru hadn't spotted her yet.
"Hey, Coach Tsukasa?" Inori murmured without looking away.
"Yeah? What is it?" If he noticed where her eyes were going, he at least made no indication that he did.
Finally, Inori managed to look towards her coach again. "What I asked you about yesterday," she trailed off awkwardly, "is it still possible?"
Coach Tsukasa's expression took on a reassuring and excited note. "Absolutely! You want to be alone with Hikaru later in the day on the ice so that you can have a friendly competition with each other without anyone getting in your way, right?" He let out a loud laugh. "Way to go, Inori! As your coach I really admire how you don't get intimidated by such a talented skater and even want to challenge her directly. You have grown so much already, and competing with her can only help you grow even more. That's why you have my full support!" As he concluded his speech it looked like his eyes were replaced by a literal fire.
Inori nodded with a chuckle. She hoped he didn't notice how awkward it sounded. "Yes. Totally. Exactly that." That was not quite her intent, but she wasn't brave enough to give him the actual reason. Bless Coach Tsukasa for going along with it with such enthusiasm anyway. It was why she adored her coach so much.
He coughed slightly before continuing, "Anyway, I have asked Coach Riley for permission, and she gave the ok. Even though when I told her the reason, she had a weird smirk on her face." He scratched his head in confusion.
"I-I'm sure Coach Riley didn't mean anything by it," Inori croaked while frantically waving her hands in front of her face, trying to hide the blush forming. Of course, Coach Riley saw through her flimsy excuse with no trouble. She was in for a very embarrassing talk later on, wasn't she.
"However, Inori." Coach Tsukasa's voice became more serious, instantly grabbing her attention back. "You know that I trust you and Hikaru, but I still want you to promise me that you two won't go overboard. The last thing any of us need is injuries caused by reckless behavior, do you understand? If something goes wrong, the other coaches and I will still be on standby in the building."
Inori's expression hardened, and she nodded resolutely. "Of course. I promise."
At that, Coach Tsukasa got his smile back. "Great, then off you go. It seems there's already someone waiting for you."
“H-huh?!”
Confused, Inori turned around and was immediately met with golden eyes staring right into her soul from the center of the rink. Realizing that she finally got Inori’s attention, Hikaru’s eyes grew softer, and she waved with a disarming smile. Inori couldn’t stop a smile of her own forming at the sight of the other girl and, not wasting another second, she made her way towards her.
Inori didn’t make it even halfway before Hikaru also skated in her direction and wrapped her up in a soft hug. Not expecting the immediate show of affection, Inori let out a flustered squeak as her arms flapped around uselessly. How was she ever going to survive this girl?!
“Inori, you’re really here! How are you enjoying the training camp so far?” Hikaru asked after loosening the hug a little while still keeping her arms around Inori’s shoulders to look directly into Inori’s eyes, her own glittering expectantly.
At first, Inori couldn’t respond, feeling like a daze took over her mind, but she quickly broke out of it, not wanting to let Hikaru wait. “Uhm… it’s been great so far. Even if it has just started right now,” Inori said awkwardly, trying desperately to avoid Hikaru’s blinding gaze. In the end, she found it to be impossible though.
“I know, I know,” Hikaru giggled, amused. Her eyes turned even softer somehow. “I missed you, Inori.”
For a moment, Inori wasn’t sure if she had misheard, but the slight red tinge of red on Hikaru’s ear tips made her believe it to be unlikely. She had to fight to make the hitch in her breath not too obvious. This was the perfect moment. It was time to be courageous.
“Hikaru,” Inori called out with as much calmness as she could muster, causing surprise to seep into Hikaru’s expression. “I’ve asked the coaches if we could have the rink to ourselves in the evening once the training has concluded.” Inori took another deep breath as she looked deep into her rival’s eyes. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Hikaru looked shocked for a second before she quickly regained her warmest smile yet. “Then I’ll be waiting for you again.”
A short burst of anxiety shot through Inori’s heart. “Sorry for always making you wait for me to catch up,” she murmured abashedly.
Hikaru shook her head resolutely. “There’s nothing you have to be sorry for,” she whispered, letting her hand brush against Inori’s cheeks. “I would always wait for you.”
---
The rest of the training day went ahead without any incidents, although Inori had trouble concentrating on anything after… that. Hikaru had invaded her every thought for the entire day and even Coach Tsukasa had looked at her with something akin to pity at some point. And now it was finally time for their agreed meeting time, and Inori was a nervous wreck. At least all the other students should have left by now.
Groaning into both of her hands, Inori made her way out of the changing room… and promptly bumped into someone. Of course she jinxed it.
“Oh, Inori, you alright?”
Wait, she knew that voice. When Inori lifted her hands from her face, she was met with striking purple looking down at her. “I-Iruka?! You’re here as well?”
Inori thought it was a sensible question, however, Iruka simply responded with a snort. “Uh, yeah? What, were you blind while training today? This camp is not just for you brats, you know.”
Honestly, Inori didn’t remember recognizing anyone today on the ice. Apparently, she was even more out of it than she had initially thought, how embarrassing… Not knowing how to retort, she just looked away while grumbling to herself, “It wasn’t my fault that I was distracted.”
She hoped Iruka hadn’t heard her, but to no avail as Iruka started to laugh. “That captivated by our little princess, huh. You’re so down bad, girl.”
Mortified, Inori turned away, her face feeling like fire while Iruka continued to snicker. The worst part was she couldn’t even deny it; she was down bad for Hikaru.
Ignoring her plight, Iruka continued, “By the way, I heard from the coaches that the rink was reserved this evening for two people.” She bowed down, surely to try to catch a glimpse of Inori’s flustered state. “I bet you’ve set this up. You’re finally confessing, I guess?”
Letting out another bashful squeal, Inori pushed Iruka’s face away which only made her laugh even harder. “H-how are you so sure about that? Me and Hikaru have a perfectly normal relationship,” Inori proclaimed while jabbing a finger towards Iruka.
The older girl snorted, her infuriating smirk on full display. “Yeah, if that relationship is called marriage, that is. I’m surprised you two haven’t announced the wedding yet.”
“W-w-wedding?!? Not you too!” Inori’s head reeled at the thought as she started to pace around the room in a panic, her head in her hands. That idea was for way into the future, she hadn’t even confessed normally yet. How affectionate were her and Hikaru actually acting for everyone to say stuff like that all the time?
Although she very much enjoyed the image of Hikaru in a wedding dress.
The sudden feeling of a hand on her shoulder pulled Inori out of her daydream. Iruka was looking at her with a slightly apologetic smile. “Sorry, I guess I went a little overboard.”
Before Inori could answer, Iruka had already stood back up and turned her back to her with a wave of her hand. “Anyway, gotta go. Good luck on your big confession, don’t mess up.”
Inori groaned. She liked Iruka a lot, but she was so infuriating to deal with sometimes. Feeling her competitive streak come back to her, she shouted, “I won’t! I bet I can make a confession so great that you are going to be begging me for tips on how to do it yourself once you finally ask my sister out!”
Inori watched with satisfaction as Iruka visibly stumbled on her way out of the room.
Well, she mused to herself as she turned towards the rink, nothing left to do other than being optimistic.
---
Inori was standing still in the center of the ice with her eyes closed. To an onlooker it might have looked like she was just concentrating, but in fact it was quite the opposite. She had to fight to bring her wildly beating heart back under control. After talking such a big game to Iruka and herself just now, she had kinda hoped that Hikaru would already be here so that she wouldn’t have to wait while wallowing in her own anxiety. How optimistic indeed. Now here she was, second-guessing every single one of her decisions that had led her to this point.
No, keep calm, she chastised herself. It can’t be that hard, she just had to tell Hikaru that she has a super huge crush on her and that she wants to continue skating with her forever and then—
“Boo!”
Only a kangaroo would have been able to jump higher than Inori did in that moment. Except it wouldn’t have screamed as loud as her.
“H-H-Hikaru?! Since when were you standing here?!”
Inori couldn’t have been that caught up in her own mind, surely, she would have noticed Hikaru entering the rink. Yet instead, she had just appeared out of nowhere with a serene look and voice like a ghost or something.
Hikaru couldn’t have possibly been a ghost this entire time… right?
Seeing Inori’s reaction, Hikaru began to break out in loud laughter, a rare sound that shouldn’t make Inori feel this warm inside, yet here she was, trying to forever commit it to memory.
It took a minute, but after Hikaru had seemed to calm down again, she finally answered Inori’s question with a light giggle. “I have just arrived, but I guess you were too busy contemplating something to notice me. You looked too cute, so I guess I wanted to spook you a little.”
“Well, you definitely succeeded with that,” Inori pouted, pointedly avoiding thinking about how being called cute by Hikaru made her feel lightheaded.
“Yep!” Said girl didn't seem to pick up on Inori's pickle and beamed back at her before she took on a look that Inori would almost describe as bashful. “Anyway, there’s something you wanted to tell me?” Hikaru asked, the tip of her ears appearing to take on the slightest shade of red as she tucked a strand of her hair behind them. All the while her golden eyes filled with anticipation never strayed from Inori.
Seeing Hikaru like this in front of her, Inori clammed up. She felt her emotions churning like crazy inside of her, threatening to overflow and desperate to break free, so why was this still so hard? Inori thought she was determined. She was sure that this has to happen right here, right now. But then why were her legs trembling like jelly and her eyes jittering?! Surely, she had this in the bag, all the glances, smiles and touches Hikaru always sends her way and only her way had to mean something.
But was she really worthy of standing on Hikaru's side as an equal? Despite how far she had come by now, she had never actually managed to beat the black-haired prodigy on the ice. Especially at the All-Japan Junior Hikaru once again showed her how far apart they were in skill, even if the fact that she had explicitly dedicated her performance to Inori that day still turned her heart to mush.
Inori steeled herself as the warmth of the memory flowed through her and the trembling stopped. It didn’t matter how far behind she may be. The truth was that Hikaru herself chose Inori to be her only rival. She saw something in her and trusted her with all her heart that she would catch up.
So, before she could confess, Inori had- no, wanted to show Hikaru what she was finally capable of. That she was able to reach her.
Filling her eyes with determination, Inori locked them with her rival’s. “I want to propose a competition,” she said, without letting even a tiny bit of nervousness show in her voice. There was no backing out of this now.
Clearly, Hikaru had expected to hear something different because at first the smallest hint of what Inori thought was disappointment crossed her face before a competitive, almost feral, glint took over. An expression that never failed to send unnerving yet pleasant waves of shivers down Inori's spine.
“What are the rules then?” Hikaru asked eventually.
Inori already had an idea prepared. Something she had been wanting to try with Hikaru for a while now. “Let’s keep it simple. We each take turns jumping, and the moment one of us fails to land one it’s their loss. Also, the jumps must increase in difficulty as we go along.”
“And the stakes?”
Inori froze for a brief moment. She hadn’t actually thought about any stakes.
“Uhm…” Scratching her head, she scrambled for a reply. “If I win… you’ll have to listen to what I’ve wanted to tell you.” Inori puffed herself up and put her hands on her hips for emphasis.
Snorting in amusement, Hikaru replied playfully, “I mean, I was already planning to do that, it's why I’m here in the first place, silly.” She batted her eyes at Inori. “And if I win...” With a lowered voice, she suddenly brought her face closer to Inori's, staring into her soul with a way too saccharine look. "I will make you say it anyway. So, no pressure~."
Inori gulped audibly as the unusual intensity washed over her. Screw 'no pressure', this was the most pressure she had ever felt in her entire life. And besides, why did it feel like Hikaru was already completely sure what Inori was about to drop on her? And why did it seem like she was actually looking forward to it? Now Inori didn't have any escape route left whatsoever.
But that was fine, wasn't it? She wanted this to be the day she would let Hikaru know her feelings for her regardless, which meant that the outcome of this little game of theirs was ultimately irrelevant.
And yet, it didn't change the fact that Inori really wanted to win.
"Alright, I'm fine with that. Bring it on," Inori shouted full of newfound drive, pumping her fist towards her rival.
With a growing, ecstatic smile, Hikaru met her fist in the middle for a bump before dashing away and shouting back, "I'll start then!"
Inori watched as the black-haired girl gracefully got into position and prepared for her first jump, seemingly taking her time in the process. Slight trepidation wormed its way into her mind as she knew for a fact that Hikaru could end the competition right away by performing a jump that she wouldn't be able to follow up on. However, none of that mattered because she got to see Hikaru's skating from up close and it made her heart soar.
Hikaru picked up speed before facing forward, stretching her right leg out for a swing and leaving the ground with a loud clack, spinning through the air. To Inori, it felt like time had come to a screeching halt, the elegance of Hikaru's form utterly consuming her attention. The way her hair flowed around her like a spiral or the way her eyes were hardened with focus, all of it served to cause a deep-seated longing to rapture from within Inori. She had to be careful or else she might forget how to even breathe.
Without a single imperfection, Hikaru landed, finishing off with a twirl, and only once her manic grin reached her did Inori regain control over her body and thoughts again. A Double Axel. Simple enough for them by now and probably the best starting point Inori could have asked for. It seemed like neither of them wanted this to be over too quickly.
Not able to wait for even one more second, feeling a desperate itch in her legs, Inori shot back a grin of her own and sped up straightaway. They didn’t need to butter each other up with words, they knew that their skating would convey everything for them. Briefly, Inori relished the feeling of the wind on her body as she glided across the ice before focusing again. Everything was lined up perfectly for her favorite jump, there was no way she would mess this one up.
With a big smile, Inori kicked off the ice for a Triple Salchow, tearing through the air with confident speed. This is what she lived for, she mused, the environment blurring around her, only a single shining light always visible through it all.
Inori landed again flawlessly on the outer edge of her skate, immediately throwing a peace sign and toothy grin at Hikaru, who just responded with a light giggle, hand over her mouth.
However, that peaceful little moment didn’t last long as Inori saw Hikaru’s aura changing rapidly again. Sporting a challenging smirk, the black-haired girl skated towards her and deliberately passed by close, causing goosebumps to sprout all over Inori’s side where the resulting gust hit her. Her head whipped around to not lose sight of Hikaru, she didn't want to miss a single second of her skating, as embarrassing as that thought may have been to her.
This time Hikaru wasted no time at all, and before Inori could even wonder what jump she was about to see, she was already in the air. After three rotations, Hikaru came down again, effortlessly as always and with more momentum than usual, yet instead of using that and going for a combination jump, she just halted in front of Inori.
It ended up being only a simple Triple Flip, a fact that confused Inori to no end, it really looked like there should have been more to Hikaru’s jump. Not that her Triple Flip was bad or anything, it blew all other instances she had witnessed one out of the water, but there was no way Hikaru couldn’t have gone for something more complex, Inori was sure of that.
She studied her rival for an answer and was about to open her mouth, but then she finally noticed the expression on her face. Hikaru was smirking at her, openly and without shame, her eyes almost seeming to shimmer despite the bright light in the hall. It was as if she had just achieved the biggest victory against her.
Inori’s thoughts stalled, a slight shudder crawling down her body accompanied by a flush of warmth. Why was she looking at her like that, didn’t she realize what it was doing to her? No, knowing her, she knew exactly what she was doing, Inori mused in resignation inside her head. So then why?
Shaking her head, she quickly tried to compose herself again and began to scramble for an answer when it finally hit her. After the Triple Flip, the next jump in line in terms of difficulty would be the Triple Lutz. Hikaru knew that she was still struggling with that jump in particular, of course she knew, she had probably seen her fall dozens upon dozens of times during practice.
Inori gulped. Hikaru was goading her, daring her to go for her problem jump right then and there.
“Inori? Everything alright?” There was a slight undertone of worry in Hikaru’s voice, yet the challenging look still prevailed. And not only that, there was also something else shining in those eyes which made Inori’s breath hitch. Unwavering faith.
Normally, she would feel anxious and uncertain when being confronted with so much expectation, especially from people she looked up to. Except she had grown a lot the past few years. This time she could only feel elated.
Inori met Hikaru’s eyes with burning passion. She knew what she had to do. “Watch me.”
At first, Hikaru seemed a little surprised, but that quickly turned into delight as her smile became radiant. “Always.”
Inori’s heart fluttered as she turned around and picked up speed, hoping that Hikaru didn’t catch the creeping smile and blush on her face. Not now, she chastised herself, right now she needed every bit of concentration to overcome her limits. There was no way she would be satisfied with solely landing a Triple Lutz after everything. No, she would show Hikaru that she was finally able to stand by her side.
Taking a deep breath and clenching her teeth, Inori stretched out her leg and brought it back in to launch herself off the ice.
First, Triple Lutz.
Inori’s mind went several miles an hour as she spun, going through all the necessary steps for what she had planned, and yet at the same time she felt calm, almost eerily so. After all, she knew that she could do this.
Inori landed perfectly on her leg and immediately used it and the remaining velocity to lift off again.
And finally, Triple Loop!
Inori understood that what she was trying could be construed as outrageous. This was Hikaru’s signature jump, the one that made everyone aware of what a genius she was. In their age group, only she and Yuna were able to land it in competitions so far. Inori was pretty sure that even if she begged Coach Tsukasa, he would be apprehensive to put it in one of her programs yet. Of course, they were already giving it their all towards making it a possibility for the future, but at present her success rate was still far too low.
However, at that very moment Inori didn’t care about any of that. Success rates didn’t matter, the label of genius didn’t matter, her past failures didn't matter. All she could think about was landing this single jump. Land it, land it, land it, LAND IT!
Inori held her breath as she got closer to the ice again, every fiber of her body tense, ready to receive the brunt of her weight once more. With a clack, her skates touched the ground, and she rode out the momentum before simply coming to a stop.
Inori stood. She didn't fall. She didn’t stumble. She didn’t underrotate.
She did it. She landed a Triple Lutz / Triple Loop combination.
As reality finally hit her, Inori could feel a well of pride and elation surge through her which made her unable to stop her body from erupting into uncontrollable cheers. "YES, I did it, I did it, I can't believe I actually landed it!" Her gaze immediately sought out Hikaru who also started laughing loudly and met her with a look that Inori could only describe as adoring after skating closer to her. "That was amazing, Inori. Well done."
At that, Inori felt her heart hammer without abandon inside her chest, and she was sure that her face was more than a little red, yet she couldn't bring herself to care. She was too happy.
"Thank you," Inori finally managed to say after calming down, still full of every possible feeling all at once. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
Hikaru chuckled in response, mirth evident in her voice and look. "No, I think I can imagine. Did you go for this jump on a whim or was this preplanned as a ploy to impress me?"
"N-no, not at all." Inori shook her head desperately, hoping that the motion would cover up how much Hikaru's smirk affected her. "I mean... I did always want to try that jump ever since I first saw you perform it... and I did practice it a lot in secret in hopes that I could one day show you and make you acknowledge how far I have come. I just didn't think I would be able to land it today of all days."
An awkward giggle escaped her. "So, did I succeed?"
A little anxious about Hikaru’s reply, Inori looked up to see the other girl staring at her with a complicated expression before she opened her mouth. "You don't have to prove to me how far you have come, I'm seeing it every time we meet on the ice." The edges of her lips then turned upwards into the brightest of smiles. "I don’t think you realize how much your presence on the ice always captivates me, how carefree and yet determined you seem, how hard you try, how often you fall but never give up. There’s nobody else I could ever imagine catching up to me other than you. You’re brilliant, Inori."
It was like the world had suddenly come to a standstill, every single particle in the air suspended in time. Despite all the close moments they had already shared with each other, a part of Inori still wanted to dismiss everything she had just heard, to deny that there was any way someone as amazing as Hikaru could look at her like that.
However, seeing the pure, distilled honesty sparkling in Hikaru’s golden gaze, all these thoughts seemed rather silly to Inori in hindsight.
She could feel a light sting in her eyes as she clutched her hands in front of her heart as if that would help keep it and everything it held inside from overflowing. “Do you mean it? Am I really that brilliant in your eyes?”
“Yes,” Hikaru immediately answered with affection radiating from every single word. “The most brilliant girl in the world.”
The words hovered between the two athletes before Inori eventually let them settle inside her. The fire that contained all her emotions licked at her, threatening to break out and make itself known to the world, and yet, she felt oddly serene as if a wrongly placed cog finally corrected itself.
A defeated chuckle wormed its way out of Inori’s mouth along with a quiet murmur. “I really can’t win against you, huh…”
Hikaru tilted her head questioningly, her smile, however, not leaving her face. “What do you mean?”
“It means it’s my loss. You’ve won,” Inori replied with an exasperated huff. She tried to put on an annoyed expression but found herself unable to do so. Her smile was too difficult to wipe away.
“Is that so…” Hikaru hummed, a playful look spreading on her face. She glided a step closer to Inori, hands clasped behind her back, fixating her in place with her gaze. “Then, I guess if this is the end of our little competition, let me ask again. I heard there is something you want to tell me?”
Inori took a deep breath, using that second to collect all the last bits of her resolve. She was ready. There was only one thing left that she wanted to do beforehand.
“Ok, but first…” Inori reached out to her rival, gently taking one of her hands into hers, her fingertips prickling at the contact and her pulse quickening. “Do you want to skate with me for a bit?”
Hikaru’s features softened again as she offered her other hand, Inori grasping it immediately. They felt warm, as if they had just been held up in front of a cozy campfire.
“You don’t need to ask for that, you know,” Hikaru whispered almost reverently, goosebumps erupting all over Inori’s skin as a result.
For a moment, the two only stared at each other in blissful silence before Hikaru shifted her attention behind herself. Sensing that the other girl was about to start skating to take the lead as she would always do, Inori reacted quickly by pulling her away instead, setting a slow but steady pace. She knew that this went against every single instinct of Hikaru’s, but there was no way that she would pass up this chance to fluster her rival at least a little bit.
And she was immediately rewarded as the sudden switch prompted a small yelp to break free from Hikaru which Inori couldn’t help but find utterly adorable, giggling to herself. Seriously, the gap between the monster performer and the cute girl before her now was so unfair.
It was clear that Hikaru was completely unused to being led around, as at first, her movement was unusually stiff and clunky. However, that didn’t last long and soon they were both gliding confidently across the ice. For a few minutes neither of them spoke a word, just enjoying the comfortable quiet wrapped around them like comfy blankets on a winter night.
Eventually though, Hikaru began to talk, a small, teasing smile on her lips. "You know, if you just wanted to skate with me, there was no need for all that buildup."
“Shut up, I’m about to get to it. Just let me have this first,” Inori pouted in response, a chuckle, however, still breaking free.
"Don't worry, I'm very much enjoying this right now. And I'm patient." As she said that with the gentlest tone imaginable, Hikaru leaned her forehead against Inori's, the touch almost fleeting, and yet to Inori it might as well have set her alight. Her heart practically jumped underneath her skin, and Inori had to catch herself before tears started flowing. Somehow, all of this was real, and she was about to confess her love to the most amazing girl in the world. It nearly made her laugh as she brought the two of them to a stop.
"Hikaru," a quiet voice let itself out.
"Yes," came the soft hum in response.
Inori swallowed. The entire time she had thought about what she wanted to say when the moment came, how she wanted to convey exactly what she felt for this amazing girl, but in the end only one word seemed to be appropriate after all.
"I love you."
With slight anxiety, Inori watched as Hikaru processed her words for several painful seconds until eventually, recognition began to dawn on her face. Then, the happiest smile Inori had ever seen started to bloom there instead, Hikaru's eyes almost appearing to be glittering in the remaining light of the hall. Soon, an uncontrolled giggle also erupted, and Inori had to steady herself as the taller girl promptly threw her arms around her waist, bringing themselves even closer and burying her nose deep into her hair. Inori could feel Hikaru's breath grazing over the skin of her nape, tingling every single nerve on there and beyond.
It took all of her willpower not to combust on the spot.
Finally, the giggling subsided somewhat, and without lifting her head, Hikaru began to speak, her voice muffled through Inori's hair. "Took you long enough."
Repressing the shudder that went through her at the sensation, and with Inori’s mind finally catching up, she freed herself from the hug and stared incredulously at Hikaru. “You knew?!” She cried out, unable to keep her mouth from hanging open uselessly.
“Let’s just say I had a hunch. Or at least I hoped it was the case since sometimes you look at me like others would describe me looking at you all the time,” Hikaru hummed a little bashfully, a finger on her cheek for emphasis. “But more importantly…”
She leaned forward again as she cupped Inori’s cheeks with both of her hands, her eyes piercing a burning hole into Inori’s heart, mind and body all at once. Their breaths mingled together as Hikaru brought her lips impossibly close, only a sliver away from actually touching Inori’s, and whispered sweetly, “Does that mean I can finally kiss you?”
Inori’s heart raced furiously as she felt the situation slipping more and more out of her control. She never really thought about what to expect after the confession, but Hikaru reciprocating her feelings this readily? Surely that would just be a pipedream, a fantasy where the most talented skater in the world would be somehow captivated by the hardworking newbie.
But no, this was reality. And it was the one time that Inori could not allow Hikaru to win.
Trying to ignore how sweaty her palms were and how her blood rushed through her body, Inori freed herself from the hands cupping her cheeks, before returning the favor. She was probably looking like a maniac right now, considering how surprise and red now colored Hikaru’s entire face.
Awesome. That meant she was flustering Hikaru at least as much as she was always flustering her.
“Yes, it does,” Inori finally growled her response, then crashed her lips against Hikaru’s.
If asked, Inori would not be able to describe how that kiss felt exactly. It was simultaneously somewhere between the elation after finally landing a difficult jump, the feeling of coming home, and the ultimate freedom that only the ice could offer. Meaning, Inori would not want this feeling to ever stop.
It all felt so overwhelming that Inori let out an involuntary gasp before ultimately letting go of Hikaru’s lips to catch some breath. Her entire body felt electrified as if every single nerve end was giving a firework show at the same time. Finally, she let her gaze meet Hikaru who was also breathing hard, her face flushed all the way to her ears and neck. The sight was honestly stunning, and Inori couldn’t help the little flicker of satisfaction sprouting within her.
For an uncertain amount of time, they were just staring at each other, dazed, the air sitting unmoving between them. Inori was just about to say something when laughter suddenly bubbled out of Hikaru, clear and euphoric. Unable to react, Inori was then enveloped by a crushing hug, her body being pressed snugly against Hikaru’s as the taller girl began to spin her around wildly.
Inori yelped as she desperately clung to Hikaru, trying to get her racing heart back under control and to not make both of them fall. “W-wait, Hikaru, calm down! Did I do something wrong?”
“Nope, you were perfect. You’re perfect, Inori,” Hikaru sang with clear elation in her voice until she finally let her down again. Her eyes caught Inori’s once more, the shimmer in them filled with what Inori could only describe as adoration. Embarrassingly, she was certain that her own eyes looked the same.
Hikaru opened her mouth. “I love you too, Inori.”
Inori failed to keep the flustered squeal at the words locked up inside which only made Hikaru break out into light laughter again. "You're so cute," she finally managed to say after calming down.
"And you're unfair," Inori shot back, exasperated, a grin still sneaking its way into her expression.
Hikaru chuckled at that. "I don't see the problem with that one, you're plenty unfair as well." She then looked wistfully out the windows where the world had already fallen to the night. "I think we should leave now. Otherwise, the coaches might have it out for us tomorrow for staying up so late."
"Yeah..." Inori shared the wistful look as she laid her eyes again on her... now girlfriend? Was this actually real? Hikaru was so talented and beautiful, how could all this have possibly happened just now. It was genuinely baffling.
Trying to test out the waters, Inori reached out for Hikaru's hand tentatively as she murmured bashfully, "Let's go?"
At the touch, Hikaru perked up and met Inori with a serene smile as she immediately laced their fingers together, securing them in a gentle lock that conveyed everything it needed to and more. "Yeah, let's."
Inori's heart burst with affection, the feeling of Hikaru's fingers inside her own grounding and elevating her at the same time as they made their way off the ice. It was real, all of it. And Inori didn't know what to do with all the giddiness surging within her because of it.
They briefly separated to take off their skates, but after that Inori immediately latched onto Hikaru's arm again before she could think about it, snuggling into her side with a satisfied hum.
Hikaru giggled. "I didn’t think you would be so needy."
"Is that a problem?" Inori looked back at her with a pout as she squeezed her hand for emphasis.
"No," Hikaru said, a small shade of red now travelling across her face, "I like it."
"Good," Inori huffed with satisfaction as she focused forward again, feeling like she won. Whatever that was.
Hikaru paused for a second before she continued, a teasing lilt now seeping into her voice, "I'm just thinking about what the others would say tomorrow, when they see you clinging to me as if you would never let me go again."
That finally brought Inori to a stop as her entire head erupted in crimson. She completely forgot about the fact that they were at a training camp with dozens of other people. There was no way she would be able to hide their new relationship status from everyone. Oh god, the teasing was going to be insufferable, wasn't it.
"W-well, it's probably going to be fine... right?" Inori winced at the higher pitch of her voice. What a way to try to appear confident.
With a chuckle, Hikaru squeezed her hand reassuringly, beaming at her. "If anyone bothers you, I'll just have a little talk with them. You're important to me, after all."
Warmth spread through Inori's entire body at her words, making her breathing speed up. Everything about this situation was new and overwhelming and yet felt so right that Inori didn't know what to do with herself. Except for one thing at least.
Without second-guessing herself, Inori went on her tiptoes to capture Hikaru's lips in a kiss again. It was shorter than the first one, but she could still feel Hikaru melt into it, tasting every bit of affection oozing through her. "Thank you," Inori whispered against Hikaru's lips once they separated enough to speak, feeling the weight of her gaze on her, while looking like she hung up the stars for her.
Inori smiled. Everything was going to be fine.