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..........M.E.R.I.D.I.A.N......L.I.G.H.T.S..........

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"Saya-san, do you skate as well?" I asked Yuzuru's sister as we tied our laces from where we were at the benches.

Saya smiled and nodded. "A little bit."

"Saya-nee is actually the first one to skate, I just came tagging along when I was a kid." Yuzuru grinned as he adjusted his skates and tugged it tightly.

"Did Yuzuru bother you when you were kids?"

"All the time, Yuzuru was like this little duckling that followed you wherever you go and did whatever you did. It's always felt like some kind of competition was happening."

"I gotta say, I'm not surprised."

"You do know that I can hear you, right?" Yuzuru piped up.

"Oh, we know."

"Don't worry, we didn't forget about you, little brother." Saya smiled as she patted Yuzuru on the back.

"Saya-san's just informing me about your deepest, darkest secret." I grinned as I wiggled my fingers at him in a childishly spooky manner.

"Hey, I'm cute when I was a kid, ok? That's all that needs to be said." Yuzuru stood up from the bench and headed towards the ice. "And I still am."

Yuzuru got on the ice and glided around the rink. Saya and I finished tying our skates and went to the rinkside.

"The arrogance in that one is strong."

"I know. I feel it every day."

"I can still hear you." Yuzuru glided by from where we were on the rinkside, he was gone before we knew it.

"We're saying you're cute, don't worry, no back talk here!" I yelled after him whilst Saya giggled at the side.

"Ah, Era-san," a familiar voice said behind us, "I didn't know you're visiting Sendai. It's nice to see you here."

"Nanami-san, good morning," I greeted back, and Saya did the same.

"Did Yuzuru-kun finally rope you in?" Nanami smiled whilst she said this, but I noticed that she had her arm around a little boy's shoulder. There were other kids, whether it be boy or girl, surrounding her as well.

"Pretty much," I started to say before I backtracked. "You know, that's exactly what happened."

"Yuzuru-kun just has that innate talent." Nanami then patted the boy's shoulder and said, "Well, I need to teach the little ones how to skate, I'll talk to you kids later."

We waved as Nanami and the children went to one side of the rink and did some beginner exercises. Saya and I got on the ice as well and just leisurely went here and there while avoiding the other skaters.

"Wow, it's weird to see Nanami-san taking in so many students. I mean, I guess it's not that weird, but I always had it in my mind that Nanami-san is exclusively Yuzuru's coach."

"Yuzu-kun is Nanami-san's most famous student, but she coaches practically everyone in this rink. Sendai has a smaller range of figure skaters compared to other places." Saya shrugged, her hands placed in her jacket as she continued, "There are only a few coaches in this place. So, usually, every person who wanted to skate has to go by whichever coach is available."

"Oh, it sounds eerily like the rink I used to skate in."

The sounds of blades were heard skidding across the ice then the next moment flecks of ice scattered around us.

"Very mature, little brother."

"You're really asking for it." I glided around him and skid which then sent flecks of ice right back at him. The next moment, we were laughing like a bunch of dorks.

"I am surrounded by children," Saya exasperatedly announced, but I could see that she's having fun as well.

"Sorry nee-chan, I'm stealing back my girl," Yuzuru said as he tugged my hand in a random direction sending us gliding away from his sister.

I went along with him, giggling at our silliness. That's why we went skating around aimlessly while swaying our linked hands together humming a tuneless yet cheerful song. It's such a peaceful feeling to go around skating casually like this with Yuzuru.

At some point, we encountered various skaters in varying age groups. Yuzuru specifically liked playing with the younger kids, as those kids circled around us playfully. He was playing tag with a small boy when the kids were called in by Nanami. "Yuzuru-kun, I'm trying to teach a class here."

"Gomen, gomen," Yuzuru called out as he waved at his coach.

"You're pretty good with kids," I observed how he treated the children with much enthusiasm. It was heart-warming to see this side of Yuzuru.

"I like this very much," I whispered to myself.

"Hm?" Yuzuru glanced at me.

"Um, nothing."

"If you say so."

I skated away from him in a couple of steps before turning back. My hands were clasped behind my back as I tried to find my courage to say something.

"Hey, Yuzu?"

"Yeah?"

"What's it feel like doing a quad?"

"A quad?" Yuzuru looked surprised for a moment before a thoughtful expression settled on his face. "Doing a quad... it's ultra-hard and seems impossible, but if you landed it then it feels awesome. I don't really know how to explain it, but it feels amazing if you land one."

I hummed in understanding before absentmindedly gliding along the ice. It didn't take time for Yuzuru to be beside me, he questioned me, "Why do you ask? Do you want to do quads?"

"For now, I don't know. I'm still up in the air about it. All the women are doing triples, and not to boast but I feel like I land them perfectly 90% of the time. The remaining 10% is when I find myself splat on the ground, like what I did in the Olympics."

"Oh yeah, I remember that one," Yuzuru chuckled, in which I lightly pinched his cheeks in retaliation.

"It's funny for you but mortifying for me. I spread eagled flat down on the ice for the entire world to see... at the Olympics! Even those who didn't know figure skating even existed still saw me because hey, it's the damn Olympics..."

"But you made a comeback in the end." Yuzuru patted me on the back as I continued to sulk. "What you did was kinda cool. Just to let you know, even if Team Japan has Mao-san in it, I was still rooting for you."

I was still pouting like a child when I glanced up at him and asked, "Really?"

"Really, really."

"Aww, thanks Yuzuru." I hugged him tightly in which he responded in return. I was happy that even if countless people were rooting for the well-known figure skating stars in my division to win, at least my family, close friends, and coach was rooting for me. Then there was this guy, this dorky guy who was a skating genius in his own right, silently wishing for me to get on that podium.

A warm feeling overcame me as my idol, the one that got me interested in figure skating in the first place, just revealed that he was rooting for me. Did anyone know that kind of feeling? It was indescribable. I ended the hug and looked up at him; he still had his hands around my waist for a few seconds before he removed it.

This time, I was the one who held on his hand. I said, "I have to show you something."

"What is it?"

"You'll see."

We went to the benches where our bags were located. I rummaged inside my bag before I found what I was looking for. I sat beside Yuzuru who had an air of curiosity about him. Hesitating if I should reveal this or not, I found myself at a loss for words. I mean, even to myself it was weird.

Yuzuru just sat there waiting for me, it's as if he sensed my struggle and, instead of forcing me to 'fess up, he waited patiently. I guess that's why I decided to ultimately reveal it to him. It's not exactly a secret that I look up to him, but this video of mine was a very closely guarded one.

"Yuzuru, how many years have we known each other?"

"Years? Hm, it was back in 2006, so around four years?"

I took a deep breath before I let it all out, and revealed, "I've actually known about you for six years now."

"Six years?" Yuzuru was confused; he started counting the years outwardly with his fingers.

"Yes..." I felt myself blush as I looked down on my phone. The darkened screen reflected my embarrassed face back at me. "You have known about me since 2006, but I've known about you since 2004."

"2... 2004? I'm sorry, I'm sounding like a mimic, but... what?"

I still didn't have the guts to look at him so I just awkwardly gripped my phone in my hand. "Back in 2004... my family decided to have a vacation." I cleared my throat and blinked a couple of times, my neck was feeling hot. "We were supposed to go somewhere else, but as luck would have it, we went to Japan instead. In one of the days that we spent here, in Japan, my dad and I somehow... well, we were curious about this event thing that's happening in Tokyo..." I trailed off at that.

"Go on." Yuzuru was at the edge of his seat as he listened to me. I didn't know if it was because of curiosity or because he wanted to bolt out and leave this creepy foreign girl behind. What I didn't know back then was it was neither.

"It turns out that it was a figure skating competition." I didn't say anything else; I just opened the video in my phone and handed it over to him.

I could hear the rest of the video play out with Yuzuru watching it. Gripping the edge of the bench, a blush overcame me. When the video ended, all Yuzuru said was "Wow".

I flinched at that and bowed my head lower. He repeated, "Wow, that's..."

"I'm sorry," I apologized as I bit my lip.

"What for? There's nothing to apologize about." Yuzuru nudged me with his shoulder.

"It's just... before anything, no, I am not a stalker."

"Yes, I know. Even if you are then it's all good, I told you I'm just too cute when I was a kid." He laughed without a care. I rolled my eyes at him as he joked around, but I was relieved that he didn't react negatively about the video.

He actually played the video again, commenting, "Ahh, that spin was no good, and those jumps were lanky... what the hell was I wearing back then?" he continued to criticize his past self as the video played out.

"Hey, you're superb for that age! Ok?" I couldn't believe I'm defending the past Yuzuru from the present Yuzuru.

"I'm just stating the truth." Yuzuru shrugged then smirked as he handed my phone back. "I actually watch all the videos of me that I found online again and again. It's my way of seeing what I can work on and what to improve."

"You're not mad, right?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"I did keep the video and all," I said, fiddling with my phone before turning it off.

"It's your video. It's actually neat that you have that video. Hey, maybe we're destined to be together," he excitedly said to me.

I put my hand on his shoulder in an effort to contain him. "Down boy, now that is going too far."

"Why not? It's like serendipity or something."

"No, it's not. Serendipity in that sense only applies to couples, and – hashtag – we're not a couple."

"Two is couple; we're two people, equals?"

"Stop it, Einstein. Even if you say it in English, it doesn't work that way." I snapped my fingers sassily to make a point.

"Geez, kidding here." He leaned back with his hands on the bench and his feet splayed out on the ground. "But still, wow, is that why you got into figure skating?"

I swiftly turned my head towards him. "How did you...?"

"You said it in that conference, right? You said I was your idol and that you got into figure skating because of me, your idol."

"You still remember that." I covered my face in pure shyness.

"It's kinda unforgettable since it went viral that time."

"Oh my god." I groaned.

"What I didn't get back then was... if I was your idol, then why were you already a part of that skating club in Nagoya in 2006, the first time I saw you?" Yuzuru righted his position and leaned forward with his elbows touching his legs. "I was curious about it, but this video answered it all."

I sighed out and shrugged. "It's all out. Yes, you're my idol and you got me into figure skating. The first time I saw you skate... it was like this adrenaline rushed through my body. I wanted to skate and do what you did."

I covered his hand with mine as I continued, "Yuzuru, I may not be your first fan, but I'm sure as hell the first one who idolized you."

A dash of pink flashed through Yuzuru's cheeks before a smile played on his lips. "Starting from novice?"

I nodded with resolution. "Starting from novice."

*****

It was around the middle of the night when I suddenly woke up. I cleared my throat and turned to my side, trying to find the perfect spot to fall asleep again. A few seconds drifted by wherein there was nothing but silence and darkness, yet my mind was in that sort of activeness for sleep to elude me.

It was a perfect night. Dark, silent, and breezy.

Wait... breezy?

The window wasn't open so why the hell was the curtains moving?!

Thump!

My back hit the wall hard as I rapidly huddled backward. My heart froze, throat clogged up in fright, and cold sweat dripped at the back of my neck as I continued to stare at the swaying curtains. Even though the aircon was on, it's not powerful enough to move the curtains around like this. My hands gripped the covers of the bed and my breath came in staggered gasps.

Oh, hell no!

I think I mentioned somewhere that I love horror in movies, not in real life.

The curtain moved again causing me to flinch and whimper in pure terror. What was worse was that the only light source in this darkened room was from the glow of the moon, highlighting the freaky dancing curtain.

Would I stay in a room waiting for a ghost to probably pop out any time now? Heck no! I didn't want to end like those actors in television where instead of hollering out of the room they stupidly chose to hide under the covers of their blankets. That's just asking for a beating.

With a few rapid movements, I bolted out of the room and ran wildly in a random direction like a madwoman.

"Era?"

I squealed before I quickly covered my mouth, hoping to hell I didn't wake up everyone in this household.

A lamp was suddenly turned on, blinding me for a while as I tried to adjust from being in the darkness this whole time. I saw Yuzuru sitting up on the couch, the edge of his blanket was still draped on his shoulder as he rubbed his face groggily.

"What's wrong?"

"Yuzu!" I screamed in a low whisper. I didn't even know I could do that, but I was scared silly while still not trying to wake up the rest of the household. I swiftly headed towards the poor shocked guy and huddled myself against him on the couch.

"Uh, what, what's going on?" Yuzuru was bewildered to say it lightly.

"There's a freakin' ghost in your room, that's what!" I replied while still trying to burrow against his back, forcing him to lean forwards.

"Ghost? What ghost? There's no ghost in my room."

"Uh, yeah, there is. I saw it!"

"Era, I slept in that room my entire life and not a single ghost was seen, felt, or discovered. I can vouch for that."

"But, but there is," my eyes were downcast as I struggled to make a point, "the curtains were dancing and all."

"Curtains?"

"Yes! I saw it..."

Yuzuru had a dawn of recognition on his face, which I abruptly recognized. "See! You know! So there is a ghost!" I accused him while gripping tightly to him at the same time. Yuzuru just snorted in laughter in response.

"It's not funny! Why the heck would you let me sleep in a haunted room?"

Yuzuru grabbed my hand as I attempted to mockingly slap his back again, he was grinning widely as he said, "C'mon, let's go, I'll introduce you to the ghost."

"Yuzuru! Stop this! I swear to god."

Entirely disregarding my protest, Yuzuru pulled me back to his room. He flicked the switch open and the light went on.

"Y-you see? It's still swaying." I tightly clutched the back of Yuzuru's shirt. He ignored my comment again as he went towards the curtain. "Yuzu... ru?" I cocked my head.

He parted the curtains and showed the closed window, and then he touched the glass panels. A mirthful smile graced his lips as he looked at me. "Come here." He beckoned to me with his other hand.

I hesitated for a while before I went to him. He grabbed my hand and placed it on the glass panels. The coldness of the glass shocked me but I got used to it and it wasn't even that bad since Yuzuru's warm hand covered my own. I was surprised again as I felt a strong wind coming from the edges of the panels.

"Feel that? It's the drift that's causing the curtains to move." He rubbed my head messily causing me to whine in protest. "It's definitely not a ghost. I told my dad about it a couple of weeks ago but we still haven't fixed it yet."

My face felt hot at my blunder. "Sorry for waking you."

Yuzuru sighed helplessly, before shrugging. "Well, I'm awake now... and so are you. What time is it anyway?"

The clock on the side of the room indicated that it was 4:35 am.

"It's still too early." But as Yuzuru said, I was wide awake.

"Want some hot chocolate?" Yuzuru led me to the kitchen. "I always felt sleepy after drinking a cup of hot choco. Hey, maybe it'll work?"

"Is that your sleeping drug?" I watched him as he bustled around the kitchen, taking out all the necessary utensils.

"You could put it that way."

"Wow, dude, you're really making it from scratch?"

I was amazed as he brought out a pan, a few concentrated chocolate bars, a powdered chocolate mix, and some kind of powdered milk. Amazed with all this work, I then continued to say, "Whenever I make hot chocolate I always just get a packet of hot choco, pour some hot water on it, then bam! It's done."

"It's not exactly from scratch." He went on his way to make his concoction.

"I thought you don't know how to cook?"

"I don't, but I don't mess around with chocolate." He grinned as he stirred about, then he chanced a glance at me. "Want to know my secret ingredient?"

"Secret ingredient? In a hot choco... really?" I propped my face on my hand as I sat on the table. "Hm, ok, I'll take the bait." I shrugged at him.

"Well, it's secret. So turn around, I don't want you copying my recipe." He even gestured with his hand for me to turn around.

I gasp, mockingly affronted. "This much secrecy for a hot choco?"

"I'm afraid so, there's been some intel that some spies had gotten aboard." Yuzuru placed down the ladle for a moment and let the pan boil. He then went to the table and rested both his arms on it.

"Oh, am I a spy?" I quirked my lips as I leaned forward.

"I don't know, are you?" He also leaned forward, eliminating the distance between us.

We were so close that I could feel the hotness in our breaths. I could also clearly see the brown irises in his eyes. The atmosphere around us was strange, and for me, it was somewhat weird.

It was weird, and I didn't know what to make of it.

"You should burn your curtains. That inanimate shit scared me to death." I leaned back and tried to divert this strange thing happening between us.

"You're still alive right?" He winked at me. "Now close your eyes, and no peeking."

"You're serious?" I grinned at his silliness.

"Of course, tell you what, if you guess my secret ingredient correctly then I'll do one thing for you, whatever you want. I absolutely have to do it."

"Ooh, Hanyu, you better not regret this." I leaned back on my chair, crossed my arms, and closed my eyes.

After a moment or so, whilst hearing all the noise going on about, I finally heard Yuzuru again.

"There, finished." He handed me a mug of hot chocolate, his own was on the table already. We sat facing one another on either side of the table.

"Moment of truth." I lifted my hot chocolate as cheers then softly blew on the steam and slight foam forming at the top. I took a sip of the drink. "Mmm! This is good!" I gushed out and my jaw dropped a little.

"I never mess with chocolate," he reiterated, smugly drinking his own as well.

"This is hands down the best hot choco in the world, no lie," I stated with utter conviction.

"Uh, thank you?" Yuzuru snickered at me.

"About that secret ingredient..."

"Before you begin," Yuzuru began as he put up a hand to stop me, "you only get three chances, if you answered incorrectly and those three chances are all used up, then you have to do something for me, whatever I want, and you absolutely have to do it."

"Wow, well, that takes this game to a whole new level. There must be rules though. I mean, we can't tell each other to do something harmful and anything like that, right?"

"Of course, no harm will befall whoever loses this game. So, you still in?" Yuzuru smirked as he challenged me.

I narrowed my eyes at his confidence, and then I sipped my drink again. "This hot choco has a pure, bitter, and rich taste in it... at the same time it's also creamy and thick... is the secret ingredient... cream?"

Yuzuru still didn't change that smirking face of his as he held out a hand towards me. I tried to get a sense of change in him but I couldn't decipher any hint, I laid my hand on his. He overturned our hands and wrote an X symbol with his thumb on my palm.

"One chance down, two chances to go," Yuzuru stated, letting go of my hand as he sipped on his mug again.

Now, I started to panic internally. What on earth did he put in this thing? As a recognized foodie, I thought I could easily guess the ingredient he mixed in here. But I couldn't put my hand on it, I honestly didn't know.

Seeing my internal struggle, Yuzuru couldn't help but laugh. "Relax, there's no time limit for this thing. Just take your time and think about it carefully. Remember, only two more chances left."

"If there's no time limit, how do you know I won't just let this thing rest until we're like, seventy or something?"

"You won't," Yuzuru said, confidently. "I know that because you're a figure skater. You love challenges. A person may ice skate for fun, gliding around the rink and all. However, figure skating takes much more than that, it requires time, focus, and dedication to learn how to figure skate. You need to take that extra step, and you did."

I was silent as I let what he said sink in, and I noticed that what he said was the truth. I played with the lip of the mug, letting my index finger slowly slide here and there before I stared back at him. "You're saying such profound words today, Hanyu-san."

"I save it for special occasions." Yuzuru just smiled and drank his chocolate.

"You're right, it might not take many decades, but it might take several years. Just to let you know, I'm stalling the time to save myself from embarrassment."

"As I said, take your time. I'll wait for you."

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..........M.E.R.I.D.I.A.N......L.I.G.H.T.S..........

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(What is Yuzuru's secret ingredient in that hot choco of his? Can anyone guess?)

(If you liked this chapter, please leave a vote and/or a comment, thank you!~)