( note the important announcement at the below! )

𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓. 𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐋𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃
The Lies We Tell

WAS MINAKO COMPETENT ENOUGH TO COACH? Yes, the medals and trophies back home proved her point tremendously. Does that mean she's capable? She'd like to think so, but Kyoga always said she was too mean to ever help someone other than herself. Minako considers it tough love whereas her brother paints it as being bossy and unrealistic, but then again, would Minako have gotten to where she's at if Coach Anya went easy on her? Of course not. And though she's not properly tested or considered a coach — maybe after a few Olympic medals she'll consider it — it doesn't hurt to help Seina with jumps and tricks that she knows she can do well. Perhaps her anger got the best of her, it does happen much to her dismay but hearing all those cruel words thrown reminded her of her own beginning. There comes a point where your actions are what it takes to shut people up, to make them bite back their tongue, and show them why you deserve everything you got.

      For the first time in months, Minako has never felt more alive than at that very moment. All eyes were on her and it felt like she was back on the rink, ready to dazzle everyone and to leave them breathless by her performance — even if that audience was just her brother, Yori, Tanaka, Akina and some mean girls, and Seina. It was enough to prove her point, to let a few individuals know that she is far from ordinary.

      Perhaps it wasn't the same level of recognition and glory that she was used to, but it was a nice wake-up call to the realization that she'll always be different. The people around her will graduate high school, perhaps go to college even, get stable jobs, and have a stable income, fall in love and have a family, and then they'll settle down. But the idea itself was discomforting for someone who never wants to slow down, someone who can't see herself in a kitchen cooking for a man who she'll only see four hours before going to bed and waking up alone. She didn't see herself as a housewife or someone with a normal job — let's be honest, she was never smart enough to go to regular schooling and she's barely passing now — because all she's ever known is figure skating.

      Settling down, living a 'normal' life, all of that seems like a dull life not worth living.

      Maybe things will be different after she returns to France, maybe things won't be the same between her and Mathis. But knowing that she's still got what it takes to be in the center spotlight was good enough for her.

      So for now, she'll play the dutiful and diligent figure skater and help Seina Arashima with her ice skating.

      Oh, and totally watch Akina's face once Seina crushes her.

      Kyoga frowned at the smile on her face. He shook his head as he tapped her bowl with his chopstick.

      "Stop smiling, it's weird," he commented before being scolded by his mom. Kyoga put his hands up in defense, "I'm just saying, it's weird. I'm allowed to have my own opinions."

      "Let your sister be happy," Ayame Saito told her son as she adjusted the collar of her coat. She smoothed over Kyoga's hair once more and lightly scolded Minako for sticking her chopsticks upright on her bowl of rice. "I'm gonna head to the office really quick, so you kids enjoy dinner, okay? Make sure Papa doesn't burst a blood vessel after his phone call with your grandparents and that Yua-chan finishes her dinner."

      The eldest Saito sibling hummed in agreement as he spooned more carrot ride porridge into Yua's mouth as she continued to roll her toy truck on top of the dinner table. "Have a safe trip there," Kyoga said almost resembling a concerned parent. "The buses shouldn't be too crowded now, but if you need me just give me a call."

      Ayame laughed at her son's concern but nodded nonetheless. She pressed a kiss on the crown of his head before walking over and doing the same to her daughters. "You guys take care, okay?" Ayame ordered gently. Her kids, even Yua, all hummed and nodded in unison. "Tanaka-kun, eat up, yeah? Let Kyoga-kun or Minako-chan if you need anything."

      Tanaka, who was busy shoveling nikujaga into his mouth nodded his head excitedly before he swallowed. "Will do! Thank you for having me over," he thanked before he beamed a bright smile.

      "Of course. Be sure to take some leftovers to your sister, okay?"

      "Okay!"

      Minako who was busy playing with her food rather than eating it quickly stopped once her mother brushed a lock of hair away from her face. Ayame smiled down at her oldest daughter before she leaned down and pressed another kiss against her cheek.

      "I heard from Kyoga what you did today," she whispered in French. "I'm so, so proud of you, mon minou. You did amazing, baby."

      Unable to hide the smile on her face, Minako nodded her head at her mom's complement. "Thank you," she responded quietly. "You're not mad?"

      "I could never be mad, Manon," Ayame cooed before she stood up. With a glance at the clock, she was quick to head towards the door as she blew kisses to her kids. "Okay, you kids have fun, okay? Call me if you or Papa needs something."

      As soon as Ayame left the house, Tanaka was quick to grab out his phone. Kyoga curiously watched as his teammate furiously typed on his phone. With furrowed brows and his tongue sticking out of his mouth, Tanaka was highly focused on whatever it was that had his attention.

      "What are you — " Minako glared as Tanaka shushed her. Before she could snap at him for shushing her, she stopped once she heard a familiar song play from his phone.

      It was the song for her and Mathis' 2011 free skate routine.

      "Holy crap, you actually are a professional athlete," Tanaka whispered in awe. He snapped his head up and stared at Minako in astonishment, almost as if he couldn't believe that the girl on his phone is the same one in front of him with the soy sauce stain on her chin.

      "Tanaka-niichama, you say a bad bad word!" Yua scolded before pointing an accusatory finger at the volleyball player. She turned towards Kyoga who sent his friend a warning through his glare. "He say a bad word, niichama!"

      "I know he did, and he's being a bad bad boy!" Kyoga agreed with his baby sister. He spooned another bite for Yua before he gave her a big smile. "But Yua-chan is a good girl! Better than him, right?"

      Yua nodded excitedly before she rolled her cars once again.

      Tanaka mumbled a quick apology before he practically shoved his phone in front of Minako's face. "So you're a professional figure skater?" he demanded. "From France? You go by Mary?"

      Minako pushed his phone out of her face, but she couldn't hide her smugness as she gave him a smirk. "Why? You suddenly impressed with me?" she teased as she brought a snap pea to her mouth. "And it's Manon, not Mary. It's my French name and I go by my Papa's name and all that. You do know that he is a former Olympian right?"

      "NO?" Tanaka shouted only to be scolded by Minako for being too loud. He darted his eyes from Minako to Kyoga almost to see if either of them is lying, but to his dismay, they weren't. "I thought he was just a random European guy."

      "Unfortunately no, Papa's a former pair skater like Miko-chan," informed Kyoga. With his hand under his chin and the other feeding Yua, he looked quite bored, as if the news wasn't as big of a deal as most would consider it to be. "He retired a few years before he got married to our mom and had me, and then he moved to Miyagi with her."

      "He won silver in one Olympics and then gold the next," Minako proudly boasted whereas Kyoga rolled his eyes. Of course, if Basile was a volleyball player it'd be a different story. "And I'm going to be the same!"

      Tanaka frowned as he placed his phone down. "Does that mean you'll be moving back to France?"

      Her mouth went dry at his question. It was a simple question and she's sure that Tanaka means no harm by asking, but being confronted about her plans made her feel uneasy. How can she say to his face that she'll be leaving Miyagi with no plans on returning anytime soon?

      Ever since she moved back to Miyagi, Tanaka has always been a constant through all the chaos of settling in an unknown area. He was a bit gruff with everything he does and it's clear that female interaction isn't his forte, but he's always made an effort to include her and even though it may be because she's Kyoga's sister, she appreciated it. Minako always thought that the one thing she'd miss about Miyagi is the people and that includes Tanaka.

      After all, it's hard to forget about someone as chaotic and unique as Tanaka Ryuunosuke.

      "Maybe," Minako lied despite already having the answer. She distracted herself by picking up another piece of meat from her bowl. "For now the plan is to go back after Kyoga graduates so who knows. Might leave earlier or later, depends on how the volleyball season goes I guess."

      It wasn't a lie, it's true. The only reason why Minako has been staying longer than she had planned was because of Kyoga's injury. Perhaps she wanted to keep an eye out for the brother who she always viewed as the protector type, the type of brother to defend and protect her no matter the cost. Or perhaps it was because of her own guilt for not ever being around to actually be there for him. Maybe this was her way of making it up to him.

      Her grandparents would say she's running away from her responsibilities.

      And she hates that they're right.

      "Thank God, you'll be less of a pain then," Tanaka sighed before he dug into more food. He pointed his chopstick at Minako, "For someone famous, you're less classy than I imagined."

      "You know you should be a lot nicer to me now," Minako pointed out. "And what do you mean? I'm the same person in the video. By the way, that dress made me look fat so don't point that out and my makeup was terrible that day."

      Tanaka stared at her in disbelief as if she had just spewed some nonsense. "The girl in the video looks like an angel and the person in front of me looks like she'd watch me get murdered and then walk away."

      "So you think I'm pretty?" Tanaka looked like he either wanted to throw up in his mouth or strangle her on the spot. "Anyways, my scumbag partner is still in France so I'm taking all this time to get away from him."

      "He looks too pretty like those stupid city boys," Tanaka grumbled under his breath as he returned his eyes to his phone. He couldn't help but sigh in astonishment as Minako is practically thrown into the air and caught by her partner. "You know, I'd think this a lot cooler if I didn't know you."

      Kyoga laughed at his remark and while others would've gotten offended for their sibling, he wasn't. "She's a different person on the rink isn't she?" he asked before he stood up to put Yua's empty bowl in the sink. "Miko-chan always did look happier when she's on the ice."

      "Maybe that's why I always look dead whenever I go to volleyball practice," Minako hummed as she refilled her bowl with more nikujaga. Before she could eat, a sudden realization washed over her and she quickly stared at Tanaka. "Don't you dare tell the others. About the ice skating thing or Manon or Arashima Seina."

      "Why?" Tanaka questioned. "You looked cool! Besides, the way you went off on that girl was awesome!"

      "Because Daichi-san's gonna get mad at me and because I don't want people to know about my business," replied Minako before she munched on her veggies. Her cheeks flushed at the idea of getting attention because she's Manon and not because of herself. "Besides, I'm not going to be in this season anyway so it's not even that big of a deal."

      "You're coaching that first-year though," Tanaka pointed out. He pondered for a moment, trying to think of where he's seen Seina before. "I think I've seen her and Hinata practicing receives during lunch before."

      "Ah, she's a volleyball head, too? What a shame." Tanaka was ready to snap his chopsticks.

      "Tanaka, keep this a secret between us, okay?" Kyoga requested gently as he returned to the dining table. He glanced at his sister who stared at him curiously before he returned his gaze to his teammate. "Minako just wants to have a normal time here before she goes back so it'd be nice if everything stays quiet."

      Was this a big secret, Tanaka wondered as he stared back and forth between Kyoga and Minako. The look on Kyoga's face made it clear that he was serious about keeping Minako's athletic life a secret and while he was curious and thought that her achievements were something they should all boast about, he knew better than to press further. Besides, Kyoga rarely ever made requests so who was he to disrespect their wishes?

      "Okay," Tanaka agreed slowly. The relief on Minako's face didn't go unnoticed. "When you go back to France and you win, make sure you send me something, okay? After all, you wouldn't have survived at all in Miyagi if it wasn't for me."

      Minako snorted, "Sure, I'll be sure to send you chocolates and sweets."

      "Or maybe find Tanaka a French girlfriend," joked Kyoga. His comment earned a horrified look from Tanaka who dropped his chopsticks and practically looked as though he was going to pass out on the spot. "God knows the guys on the team need a girlfriend."

      "There are no other girls! Only Kiyoko-san!" Tanaka exclaimed.

      "And me!" Yua cheerfully added as she pointed her spoon up in the air. "Me too!"

      "And Yu-chan!"

      As Kyoga and Tanaka bickered over girls, Minako couldn't help but relax at that very moment. Everything seemed to be looking up to her and though none of it fitted the agenda she had created for herself, she didn't mind. After a long time of not skating or popping her jumps, she did it. And sure it was only because she was about to pop a blood vessel because of fucking Akina and her friends — perhaps she has no right having such a big ego — but she did it almost perfectly. Being Seina Arashima's coach also wasn't planned, but it couldn't possibly be that bad. After all, she just needed to help Seina pass her junior-level test which she could easily do.

      Minako won't be competing in the new season and maybe that'll hinder her career for who knows how long.

      But right now she's happy and that's more than she could ever ask for.

      Maybe wishes do come true. Not on shooting stars, but on hills with someone who believes in you.

      To whoever's listening up there, thank you, she thought to herself.

MINAKO IS FAR FROM A MORNING PERSON but if waking up early meant being able to have rink time to herself — with Seina of course — then she doesn't mind. Kyoga didn't mind telling Daichi that she's unable to attend morning practices now and since it wasn't necessarily an obligation for her or Kiyoko to be there, the captain didn't press the issue too much. Going to the rink just before dawn reminded her of her old life of sleeping early and waking up early to head to practice. All those morning practices she took for granted were now something she looked forward to. And though most of it will be spent helping Seina, it was better than not practicing at all. Plus, it allowed Minako to brush up on her basics while helping the novice with her upcoming test.

      Seina arrived five minutes later than planned, Minako didn't scold her too much over it, and somehow looked worse than she did on Saturday. Perhaps it has something to do with her low self-esteem or Akina arriving soon for her morning practice, but anyone who even glanced at the first-year could point out how frail and hesitant Seina looked.

      If they were in France rather than Miyagi and Minako was at her strongest, she probably wouldn't have paid any thought to a skater like Seina. Everything about her screamed weak and insecure that she's a frail skater who will never make it past their hometown rink. She'd be considered a forgettable skater, someone who no matter how beautiful their routine may be, will never have their name engraved or gold shrouding their glory. And all the glitter and shininess will fade right before Seina's eyes because she wasn't special enough.

      However, that was before and this is now. Who was Minako to judge Seina when she herself had lost almost everything in a matter of months. After all, it was Manon Clavette who has all the glory and fame and attention. But she's now Minako Saito, a regular school girl who only stood out because of her biracial features rather than the beauty she exuded on the ice. There was nothing to show for her efforts anymore, nothing to prove to everyone that she still has the same talent as before.

      "First thing about being a skater is trusting yourself," Minako instructed as she looped around Seina. "You already warmed up, right?"

      "I stretched and rubbed my feet," Seina offered sheepishly. She scratched the nape of her neck before she awkwardly lowered her head. "I didn't really practice much yesterday. I was with Kageyama-san practicing receives and — "

      Minako held her hand up and stopped her from continuing. "Seina, are you a figure skater or volleyball player?"

      "Well, I actually played volleyball in middle — Sorry. Um, I'm a figure skater? No, yes, I am," Seina confirmed firmly before she held her fists up and nodded. "I am a figure skater, yes."

      "Good. Figure skating isn't just about practicing jumps and spins," began Minako as she started doing cross overs to get her used to the feel of the smooth ice. "That also means taking care of your body by eating healthy, stretching, and more. I'm sure you have a ballet teacher and a yoga teacher to help you, right?"

      "Yeah, uh totally! Don't worry!" Minako looked at her hesitantly but continued nevertheless. She has to trust that Seina wants this as badly as she says she does.

      For the next half an hour, Seina and Minako set up a schedule for them to practice and what Seina needed work on — which was just about almost everything. It was clear that they didn't have much time to perfect it, but they needed to get certain moves and jumps down that were required in the test. After a few run-throughs, Minako was able to detect what Seina's faults were and what needed more focus. 

      Coaching Seina in figure skating was far different than her role in the volleyball club. Here she pointed out even the smallest faults that Minako needed to fine-tune now rather than later. Whether it was Seina's sloppy landing or her inability to balance herself after a difficult spin, there were many things Minako had to focus her attention on. Whereas in the volleyball club she had to refill their bottles, making sure Nishinoya and Tanaka's antics take too much of their practice time, or even communicating with other sports clubs that the gym was going to be occupied.

      She felt important on the rink.

      Her brother and the team have always included her in whatever it was they were doing, even on their late-night hangouts after practice grabbing curry buns or heading to the local okonomiyaki restaurants. It was a different type of atmosphere that she was used to. She doesn't have many friends and the few that she does have are daughters or sons of the workers. It was rare that she had any skater friends. Being a part of the team, even if she was just a manager, was a great feeling.

      But it was no secret that she didn't necessarily belong. Minako was awkward around them, always unsure and either too snappy or cold to want to communicate with. Yet they still tried to include her during their conversations over the latest anime episode or the newest manga that came out. She was used to talks about French bakeries, the latest ice skating drama, or who swapped partners and who retired. Not this.

      "I can see why you won," Seina spoke up randomly during one of their breaks. The two sat in the hockey boxes and rehydrated themselves before preparing for another round of double axels. "The championships I mean. You and Mathis Lévésque won silver in the junior division, right?"

      "Our first year entering too," Minako couldn't help but add. Though the thought of Mathis was bitter, she still remembered how numb her skin felt being in the center of the rink for so long. But the weight of the medal around her neck erased all the coldness she felt, all the pain that shot to the bottom of her feet. "We were going to try to reach the Junior Grand Prix last season, but . . . I got injured."

      "Oh," Seina said. "I'm . . . I'm sorry to hear that. But you're good enough to join the senior division. I've studied your performances before and I think you have a real shot at entering the Grand Prix."

      "The plan was to get to the Junior Grand Prix and if that didn't work out then we'd try for one more year before Mathis turns 19," Minako explained quietly as she fiddled with her water bottle. She laughed bitterly as she shook her head, "Didn't exactly work out, but we'd said that no matter what we'd give it one more shot before we'd attempt to pass our senior test. We practiced for it too and honestly, we would've passed. We just thought it'd be easier for us to get into the Junior Grand Prix if we waited it out."

      "And this season?"

      "We're not competing obviously. I mean, I'm here for the rest of the school year. Next year, maybe." Knowing the smug asshole he's probably slacking off while I'm here practicing my ass off, Minako thought bitterly.

      Minako shook her head, ready to change the topic and move on from any mention of stupid Mathis. She forced a smile on her face before she nudged Seina's skate with her own. "What about you? What's your story?" she asked the younger girl.

      "What do you mean?" Seina laughed nervously. She clapped her hands together, "Um, I took ice skating lessons as a kid and hated it. My older sister was a natural. I did volleyball, realized it wasn't as fun as figure skating, and uh, here I am."

      "You know, you're not that bad."

      "That's just you saying I'm not as good as you, but decent."

      "You said it not me." The two girls laughed and suddenly the tension and cold morning weren't as insufferable as it was before. If their practices continued like this every day then perhaps it wouldn't be as bad as Minako had thought.

      She was back on the ice and nothing could change that.

      Both Seina and Minako snapped their heads as they heard the familiar sound of the large locker room doors opening. Cursing under her breath and preparing herself for Akina's arrival, Minako stood up, ready to snap back at whatever the skater had to say about her or Seina. She was used to dealing with big-mouthed girls like Akina who said more with her words rather than her skating. While Tanaka or Ennoshita wasn't around to stop her from getting into fights, she wasn't ready to be banned at this rink because of Akina.

      It was Akina, but she wasn't alone. Walking with her was another girl, not one of Akina's friends from Saturday.

      This girl looked like someone you'd see on a Japanese television drama. With long, dark inky hair that flowed down her back and a petite face with distinct and dainty features, it was hard to miss her. In some way, her beauty is comparable with Kiyoko, both considered what would be the societal standard for Japanese beauty.

      Unlike Akina who was decked in her training leggings and a tight fitted shirt, this girl wore a standard Japanese uniform with her white blazer coat and beige colored skirt. Still, it was clear that she was a skater since she had her own pair of white skates rather than the ugly rental ones the rink offered.

      Akina glanced at the two girls and huffed out a breath as she tied her hair and made her way to the center of the rink without a second look. 

      "Akina, skate a few rounds and warm-up," the new girl called out before she stepped onto the ice herself. She stood near the entrance of the rink, close to the hockey box where both Minako and Seina were. "We'll be going over the first half of your routine today so remember the sequences."

      Minako leaned towards Seina and whispered, "Who's that?"

      "I think that's Kihara Shiori. Senior skater and almost went to Nationals," Seina responded quietly. "I think she's one of Akina's coaches for this season, I'm not sure."

      Almost as if she had heard them, Shiori turned her head towards them while Akina got ready for her morning practice. Without an expression on her face, she stuck her hand out for Minako to shake. But the firm grip she gave Minako's hand already sent shivers down her spine. There was something oddly cold about her. She reminded Minako of the other type of skaters; Shiori could be classified as the serious, cold type, the one who only cared about their craft rather than anything else. Whereas skaters like Akina liked to rile others up with badmouthing, skaters like Shiori shut everyone up with an intimidating presence that demanded people's attention.

      "Kihara Shiori," she introduced herself briefly before she removed her hand. "I heard from Akina that you skated amazingly on Saturday. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see it for myself."

      "I'm Mi — "

      "Manon Clavette," Shiori interrupted her. "I know."

      I'm not surprised, Minako had to refrain from saying aloud. She dug her nails into the palms of her hands.

      "So, you're Akina's coach this season?" Minako changed the subject, trying her best to keep the situation cool. After all, it was going to be tough coaching Seina if she had to argue with Akina every time.

      "I'm sorry if Akina stepped over the line Saturday, I know she's a bit much, but we're working on it," Shiori stated cooly as she glanced over at Akina who just landed a double flip. "My sister has a lot of issues we need to correct, but I'm sure with my coaching we'll work it out just fine."

      Sister?

      "You're not skating this season?" Seina stammered. Minako couldn't blame her, Shiori's presence in itself was overwhelming, even if she wasn't skating.

      Shiori's face hardened at Seina's question. Minako didn't miss the way she clenched her jaw, almost as if she was refraining herself from snapping in the first-year. But in the blink of an eye, the cool and collected Shiori was back with yet another monotone expression on her pretty face.

      "I'm retired," clarified Shiori. She cleared her throat before she looked over at Minako and suddenly a small smile appeared on her face. But something told Minako that it wasn't brought because of any pleasantries she had to offer her. "I'm sorry to hear that you're the same as well, Manon. What a shame. I watched your videos before and I think you're an amazing pair skater. Too bad really."

      What?

      What was she talking about?

      "Retired? I — I'm not retired," Minako quavered.

      Minako could hear her heartbeat and her hands go cold at Shiori's words. The sound so deafening even in the silence that she felt like she was drowning. It was as if her heart was ready to race out of her chest and fall onto the ice. The second-year stood up slowly as she stared at Shiori in disbelief. 

      You know the feeling when you're about to get bad news? You know it's going to happen, you see it coming from a mile away and even though the warning signs are blaring so brightly with sirens and everything, you can't bring yourself to move away before the impact. You want to so desperately believe that it'll drift by you, that the possibilities of you getting hurt are slim to none.

      But there was no avoiding the collision, no chance of the news not slamming you to the ground until you're breathless. The gears in your head work furiously, trying to think of any other outcome to prevent the news from coming.

      No miracle, no wish could prevent any of this.

      Wishes were false. They don't come true.

      They don't exist.

      There was no point in yelling at the top of her lungs on that stupid fucking hill.

      They were fake.

      All fake.

      None of it mattered.

      There was no point.

      None.

      No.

      Go.

      You're done.

      Just go.

      Stop.

      Please.

      Seina looked desperately between both Minako and Shiori, just as lost as her new coach as to what was going on. But Minako looked as though she weighted the entire world suddenly thrown onto her shoulders with no lifeline to spare her from any of the oncoming pain.

      Shiori fished out her cell phone from her pocket and typed before she turned the screen to face Minako.

      "I'm surprised you didn't hear about it, Manon. It's all anybody could talk about in the skating world," Shiori commented calmly, almost as if she hadn't said anything of importance.

      Almost like she didn't just shatter Minako's world in a matter of minutes.

      No more chance at glory, no more shots for redemption. All of it was gone.

      She never even had a chance.

      "The news has been out for a while," Shiori went on as she took her phone back. She shrugged on her blazer, no ounce of sympathy or pity in her eyes as she took in Minako's sudden frozen state. Instead, the retired skater faced the practicing Akina. "Heard the new partner's good too. Lisette Boucher?"

      "Lisette Boucher?" Minako repeated in a small voice. She looked over at Seina, almost as if she was waiting for the younger girl to explain everything to her. But she looked just as confused as Minako. "Mathis . . . Mathis has a new partner?"

      "She's a great skater from what I've heard," Shiori looked over Minako, "Pity, really. I was hoping I'd be able to see you on the big stage one day. You know, from everything Akina told me, you sounded like the perfect little figure skater. Guess I was wrong."

      It was like a bucket of water was thrown over her head and the sudden realization slammed her into the icy cold truth. Her fingers felt numb, was that even possible? Why . . . why were her feets hollow? Why does it feel like her chest is going to cave in? How come her heart is racing so fast? Was it allowed to be this fast?

      Minako wanted to throw up.

      Was it really all over?

      Was this . . . can she not return?

      She sat back down and numbly placed her skate guards over her blades. Minako grabbed her backpack that was on the ground and picked up her Karasuno jacket that laid on the bench before she headed towards the hockey box's exit.

      "Minako-san? Minako-san?" Seina panicked as she tried to follow her coach. "Where are you going? We — I thought we have an hour left of practice!"

      There was no answer.

      Why me, the question burned itself into Minako's mind as she headed for the locker room so she could change out of her skates. Why me? Did I . . .  Did I miss up? Was I not good enough anymore? Was it too late?

      A few more months. All Minako was a few more months and then she would've come back. It was only going to be one more season and she would've returned to France immediately. She would've done anything and everything so they could go to the Grand Prix.

      But I wished for it, Minako told herself. I wished for it. I yelled it out to the world. They were supposed to listen to me, they were supposed to make my wishes come true.

      Was it all a lie?

      Wishes . . . were they all a big lie?

THERE WASN'T EVER A MOMENT WHERE Kyoga regretted Minako's decision in becoming a professional figure skater. She was beyond gifted, a natural at a sport that defied the odds and much more. Not many people found their purpose, but at an early age, Minako discovered it on the rink. Any parent or any family member would be proud of someone who took a risk as Minako did. She wasn't necessarily following in their father's footsteps, but she was making her own path as an athlete. He wasn't able to go to her competitions and the only time he ever got to see her performances for the season were through the videos their grandparents would upload on YouTube for him to watch. Even though he was a thousand miles away, that didn't erase the swell of proudness that was in his chest every time Minako did her thing.

      But there was this creeping fear that had been lingering within him for days ever since he found that stupid news article. Kyoga wanted to fly over to France and strangle Mathis for himself for not only hurting Minako but then replacing her without even as much of a notice. That bothered him more than anything because maybe then his little sister wouldn't be hopelessly practicing as her life depended on it, especially when Mathis already made his decision.

      It was easy to keep up this facade of acting like everything was okay. Minako didn't have a burning curiosity that forced her to keep up with everything in the figure skating world. Nor did she have any interest in what was going on with Mathis' life. 

      However, Kyoga knew it wasn't going to last forever. That someday she'd find out and the walls that had lowered around Minako would shoot right back up. He couldn't keep it a secret forever and even if he wanted to, it'd only be a matter of time before she'd find it from someone else.

      He wished he told her the night he found out.

      Maybe things would've been different.

      The sound of the gym doors bursting open caught everyone's attention. Suddenly, all eyes were on Minako. But the smile on Kyoga's face faltered as he noticed the panicked and erratic look on her face. Her eyes were wide and practically pleading for answers, her body language showing signs of frazzledness that Minako felt. It wasn't his sister, he almost couldn't recognize the person in front of him.

      "Oi, Minako-chan!" Suga greeted excitedly as he waved at their manager. He began walking over to her with a big smile on his face, excited to see the younger girl. "I thought you weren't joining — "

      "Did you know?" Minako demanded, her voice harsh and sharp as her eyes narrowed in on her brother who had a ball in his hands. She stormed over to Kyoga until she stood right in front of him so he could see the anger and pain in her eyes.

      "Know what?" Kyoga replied calmly as he took a step back. He couldn't lie if his life depended on it. She knows and there was nothing he could do to prevent all of this from happening.

      Feeling the eyes of his teammates' on them, Kyoga flashed them a small smile before he grabbed Minako's arm and headed for the door. Giving a quick and mumbled apology, he excused them both. Even if Minako hadn't spoken in French, it didn't take a genius to know that something was awfully wrong. The tone of her voice, the distressed look, almost everything pointed to signs of trouble. And Kyoga could only wish that he was as clueless as to his teammates, but there was no hiding the fact that he knew and that everything was now crashing down on him.

      Maybe he should've taken his Papa's advice.

      Maybe he should've just told her, save them both from this.

      When they got outside, Minako snatched her arm out of his grasp. Kyoga placed his hands up in defense to show that he had no intention of grabbing her again. He didn't even need to say anything. Perhaps it was sibling telepathy that told her that he knew or maybe it was because he had a habit of sticking his nose in her business no matter how many times she told him to just butt out.

      "Mathis, Lisette. All of it. Did you or did you not know, Jérémie?" Minako repeated herself once more, each syllable flying out like bullets. "Did you know that he replaced me?"

      "I need you to keep your voice down," Kyoga instructed quietly even though his voice was on the verge of shaking. 

      "Just answer the stupid question!" she exasperated as she grabbed the collar of his shirt. From up close Kyoga could finally see the desperation in her eyes, the franticness that was threatening to cut the loose thread holding it all together. "Did you or did you not know that he replaced me? Please?"

      Silence.

      "It was for your own good, Manon — " Minako released his shirt before she stumbled back. 

      Eyes widening and shaking, Minako stared at him in disbelief. He could almost physically see the switch in her turn off. The hard and tough facade she was clinging to for dear life until she got here was now dropped. And now the sister in front of him was nothing but a fumbling and panicking girl whose dreams were now shattered in front of her very own eyes. 

      Pacing back and forth, Minako tried her best to keep level-headed, but as she grabbed at the roots of her hair it was obvious that she has officially lost it.

      "Manon," Kyoga began, the guilt at the bottom of his stomach gnawing its way up to his throat. "I'm sorry — "

      "I WAS THERE FOR THREE FUCKING YEARS AND I WORKED MY ASS OFF!" roared Minako as she faced her brother. She held three fingers up and shook it in front of his face. "THREE! I WAS ALONE IN FRANCE FOR THREE YEARS BECAUSE I WANTED THIS MORE THAN ANYTHING IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!"

      "There are other chances," Kyoga tried to reason as he took a step closer, trying to stop Minako from hurting herself any further. "You're good, you can do this — "

      "No one's going to want me!" Minako cried out as tears welled up in her eyes. "Mathis was the well-known one and I was thrown in with him and I got this far because of him. I'm a pair skater! I can't do this alone!"

      "You can find other partners!"

      "And then what? I start all over? From the bottom? You don't know how any of this works, okay?!" Minako tried to even out her breathing to prevent herself from having a panic attack. She grabbed at the roots of her hair as she tried to push away the numbness that encompassed her entire body. "You should have told me! You should have told me! God, why didn't you tell me?"

      "What difference would it have made?" reasoned Kyoga, his throat tight from all the emotions. "You couldn't have prevented any of this."

      "I would've flown back to France! I would've gone back and talk to him and do anything to get my spot back!"

      "Manon . . ."

      "You can't just make decisions for me! You can't just — just decide what's best for me!" Minako gasped out. She grew lightheaded. Was she dehydrated? Tired? Maybe it's finally hit her that it's all over now. "I'm 16! I can make my own decisions for my career, I've done it before! You don't get a say in any of this, do you understand me?"

      "He cheated on you! He broke your heart! He made you feel like shit and you had to go out of your way to prove something to him when he doesn't care about anything!" shouted Kyoga as waved his arms, doing anything to get her to listen and understand. "He just needs you there so he can win and the minute you're off the rink he treats you like shit! What, you're just going to throw your pride aside to go back to that piece of shit?"

      "THAT PIECE OF SHIT WAS MY WINNING TICKET TO THE GRAND FUCKING PRIX, YOU IDIOT!" Minako grabbed his collar once more, forcing her brother to look at the pain he's caused her. She shook him as her cheeks stiffened from the tears. "I was so close! I was so fucking close to winning and being up there and making something out of myself!"

      Kyoga didn't know what to say. What can he say to help her? The pain she feels is unmeasurable to anything he's ever experienced. And what made it worse is that she was entirely right. It was her career, not just a hobby or activity like volleyball. He had no goals of pursuing volleyball after school, but figure skating was Minako's life, it was everything to her.

      He knew it wasn't entirely his fault. Should he have told Minako sooner? Yes.

      But that doesn't change the fact that it was Mathis who decided to change partners, to drop Minako, and have someone new by his side. It didn't matter if they aren't romantically together or that he likes her. Nothing could change what had happened, that Minako's first love broke her heart and used her and gained her trust just for the sake of good chemistry for their stupid performances.

      I wasn't there to protect her, he thought to himself. Maybe if I was there I could've warned her about dating him. Maybe I could've convinced her to keep their relationship professional.

      There were so many what if's, but there was nothing he could do to change what happened.

      Her grip on his collar softened, but her right fist pounded against his chest. Not hard enough to do any damage, but to release her frustrations as she repeatedly hit his chest over and over again.

      "I trusted you," he wasn't sure if those words were directed at him or Mathis, "You were supposed to be on my side. You were supposed to help me."

      "I'm sorry," was all Kyoga could say to her, but his words fell on deaf ears.

      She was done listening to what he had to say. She didn't care anymore.

      Minako stepped away from her brother. She stared at him, her red eyes trying their best to focus on him. He couldn't read what she was thinking nor could he make any assumptions on where they now stood. It was the first time where Kyoga was unable to figure out whether or not he and Minako were okay. The gray area now expanding exponentially as time ticks on and soon he grows more and more unsure of where they stand on the spectrum.

      Without another word, Minako turned around and walked away. And Kyoga had no choice but to watch as his little sister left, not even bothering to stay for school. Where she was going was unbeknownst to him, but he also knew that running after her would only increase the strained tension between them. Wherever she was going he could only hope and pray that he made the right decision by not following.

      The lies he told, the secrets he kept, all of those were supposed to protect her.

      Yet somehow, the lies we tell only backfire when we least expect it.

      Because time is up and now the music starts.

A/N;

Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are that I got this chapter done as fast as I did. I kid you not I wrote this in the span of three days. The first two days I wrote about 2000 words and then today (right now) I wrote about 5500+ words. I'm probably gonna burn out because of this so I don't know when I'll be updating again haha!

OKAY, THE IMPORTANT NEWS:

My dumb little brain realized that I've introduced a lot of new original characters you probably never heard of so here I am to explain myself!

If you don't know, this is book one of my Haikyuu series: Lovesick Girls! The second book is now up and it's my Kageyama fic that features baby Seina! So the plans aren't official yet (aka I'm not sure if I'll go through with it) but here is a rough plan of the series line up!

BOOK ONE: Black Swan
Minako Saito x Daichi Sawamura

BOOK TWO: Butterfly Effect
Seina Arashima x Tobio Kageyama

BOOK THREE: Plot Twist
Shiori Kihara x Hajime Iwaizumi

BOOK FOUR: Unlisted
Airi Ueno x Kotaro Bokuto

BOOK FIVE: Unlisted
Unknown x Atsumu Miya

BOOK SIX: Unlisted (Also I'm still debating if I wanna do this one)
Unknown x Tetsurou Kuroo

So you'll be seeing a lot of different skater girls pop in out of this book as well as being introduced to a ton of new, original characters who are part of this series!

It's a bit of a mindfuck, I know, but I think I can do this!

So if you guys want, Seina's story (Kageyama) is already up so feel free to check that out!

Also big, big thank you to Rika for helping me and for proofreading the last part of the chapter ( I was very insecure about Minako and Kyoga's fight scene ).

I also have a Haikyuu Help Book with tips and all that for your own Haikyuu fanfics and I also have a Todoroki fanfic up too! (shameless self promo)

As usual, I hope everyone is aware that right now the world is going through a lot of individual issues. I've left links to carrds with different petitions, information, and so much more for you to be aware of what is going on. I hope you all check it out and learn more through this.

Much Love Guys.

( written: october 31, 2020 )
( published: october 31, 2020 )