.

.

.

.

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

.

.

With Yuzuru's recent national popularity in Japan as a result of him winning the 2010 Junior Worlds last month, it was a given that some people had recognized him.

Worst still, this was Sendai. His hometown.

"Can we please have a picture?"

A group of female teens stopped us when we were passing by the shopping district.

"Uh, sure," Yuzuru awkwardly started, tensing as the teens enthusiastically surrounded him. Every now and then, he shot me a look as if asking for help. It would've been alright if it's just a simple picture, but the enthusiastic girls were just that, enthusiastic. Well, maybe a tad too much.

As for me, I just watched at the side with arms crossed, highly amused at the torment Yuzuru was going through.

"You're quite the ladies boy," I remarked in English, emphasizing the ladies boy part whilst playfully throwing a saucy look. Yuzuru finally put his foot down and dragged me by the hand away from the girls.

"Trust me. There's only one lady I want to be like that with." His pace was fast as we escaped from the scene. His hand was still clasped firmly and comfortably with my own.

"Ooh! And that would be?" I was really interested to know who could catch a guy like Yuzuru.

"You," Yuzuru lopsidedly grinned at me as he said that. In English, to top it off.

"You're still going on about that video, huh?" I rolled my eyes and immediately smacked him on the arm.

"It's the truth!"

"Very funny."

"I'm serious."

"And I'm seriously hungry." I tugged on Yuzuru's hand this time and led the way to a nearby strip full of vendors. "Trust me, you don't want a hungry woman on your case."

"Hai, Era-sama." Yuzuru bowed mockingly before he halted my movements as he led me in a different direction. "You're going the wrong way. I'll take you to my favorite restaurant. Trust me, if you want to taste Sendai then that place won't disappoint."

I shot him a skeptical look. "Really?"

"Trust me." He winked suavely.

"Ok." I shrugged. He's the local after all.

After taking several detours, this time avoiding the busy part of the small town, we finally arrived in a semi-deserted alleyway. I was just starting to question him when he stopped in front of a small store, or restaurant, I guess. It had those traditional dark blue cloths hanging from the doorway that I always saw on travel channels.

"Woah!" I gushed as I ogled at the traditional shop when Yuzuru was about to part the blue cloths aside, I stopped him immediately. "Wait! Let me take a picture first." I excitedly rummaged in my handbag for my phone.

"Are we really going to do this right now? Is it really necessary?" Yuzuru was embarrassed as some of the locals passing by gave us amused stares that they usually give to overly excited foreigners.

"Dude, I only see this in television! Of course, it's necessary. Now smile!" I readied my camera.

"Why me? You're the one who wants to have a picture here."

"If you start smiling and stop yapping, we'll have the picture now, ok? My mom said to take plenty of pics here. It's a no-brainer you're included."

"Geez! Fine, here."

"Pose more on the right. No, to the right, don't cover the blue cloths. It adds more to the aesthetic."

When Yuzuru posed on the right, his face was flaming red as the other locals started to notice this anomaly. Why exactly was Yuzuru, who looked Japanese because he really was Japanese, posing like a foreigner in front of a local store?

Some of the locals who wanted to enter the restaurant even stopped to give him a stare. Yuzuru stared back for a second before he bowed and gestured for them to come in like he was a staff of that restaurant. I snorted in laughter at the scene. Alright, my revenge was enough for today.

"Ok, now a selfie. Sushi!" Yuzuru automatically smiled despite himself as I took a selfie with him in front of the restaurant. When I checked, it turned out pretty good.

"Done, let's go." I placed my phone back in my bag, patted it exaggeratedly, and turned to Yuzuru expectantly.

"You, you didn't even get a turn!"

"Of course I did, we got a selfie."

"You... did this on purpose."

"No, I didn't. What are you talking about?"

Yuzuru had a frustrated look on his face and grunted as I nudged him aside. I parted the blue cloths and saw that, in spite of being small and inconspicuous, the place was filled to the brim. There were no other tourists in sight.

I gaped around in awe at the traditional setting. When I was staying in Nagoya, I was in the city center, so all parts traditional were mostly rare when one walks down the shopping streets. I noticed a canteen-like style on the side where one picks the food and the server scoops it up and hands it to you. When I started to head there, Yuzuru stopped me.

"Wait, you need to wash your hands first." He pointed to the sink near the front of the store.

"Wow, this is unique."

"It's quite common in these parts; the old stores usually have a sink near the entrance." Then Yuzuru narrowed his eyes at me, he said, "You do know I'm going to get you back for that, right?"

"I predict this cycle will never end," I stated, whilst I innocently washed my hands.

"I'm afraid so too." Yuzuru smirked in return.

"So now, any recommendations?" I looped my arm with Yuzuru's arm as we looked at the selection of food available.

"Do you want the foreigner-friendly style or the simple yet overwhelmingly delicious Japanese style?"

"I'll go with simple yet overwhelmingly delicious if you don't mind."

Yuzuru ordered raw eggs, steamed rice, ramen, stir-fried vegetables, other local side dishes I didn't know but it sure looked delicious, juicy piece of meat, and...

"What the hell is that? Ew, it's moving!"

"Hey, you said Japanese style, no take backs."

I was still weirded out as we took our trays and sat around an empty table. When the food was set on the table and we're both ready to eat, I took careful consideration to push the wiggly thing away from me. It looked exotic to the core.

"I said no take backs. Don't worry, it's delicious." Yuzuru handed me chopsticks before he opened one of his own.

"It's ok. I ate isaw. I can eat this one," I started to prep talk myself before I turned to Yuzuru and threatened him, "I am seriously going to make you eat all the known exotic foods in the Philippines!"

"I await for that day." Yuzuru cracked a raw egg and poured it on his rice, he then proceeded to mix it. I just stared at the process before I looked at my own raw egg.

"Is it safe?"

"Sure, we always do it here. The eggs here are clean."

I shrugged then made an egg rice of my own. It looked very sticky but oddly appetizing in a way. I've always wanted to try it since I saw other people doing it, I just didn't have the courage in the past.

"Here, add some of this." Yuzuru poured a little soy sauce on the rice and did it also on his own bowl.

"Mmm! I love the taste."

"See? Sometimes, you really just have to trust me."

"I'll take note of the word 'sometimes'."

We continued on with the banter as we both ate happily and leisurely. Yuzuru made me try the various local dishes, I liked some of it but the others were not up to my taste. The biggest surprise was the wiggly thing, it was very delicious. This particular exotic dish cemented my perception that the prettiest ones were not always the tastiest.

For some reason, we got into a more emotional topic.

"I broke up with someone."

"... broke up?" Yuzuru gripped his chopsticks tightly. His expression became oddly strained, but the oblivious me just minded my own ramen bowl.

I let out a long sigh as I lazily stirred my noodles using my chopstick.

"I've known him for years. I think, nearing six years? He's quite the reliable guy. I admit I'm kinda sad that we're pretty much over now." I grinned sardonically despite myself as I thought of that person.

"You... you didn't tell me."

Hearing that tone, I looked up and saw Yuzuru wearing a very aggrieved expression. It was like those actors you saw on cliché television where the wife caught the cheating husband right on the act together with his mistress.

I snorted in laughter and asked with a smile, "What's with that look?"

"You never told me you had a boyfriend." Yuzuru frowned, he opened his mouth again before he swallowed his words and bit his lip.

For a split second, I was astounded then I burst into laughter. "Oh my god! I was just being dramatic here. While I did break up with someone, he's definitely not my boyfriend."

It was Yuzuru's turn to look mighty confused.

"It's my coach. Coach Edmund." I tried to grin but it quickly turned into a sad one as I remembered our conversation.

It happened a few days before I left the Philippines to visit Japan.

Talk about impeccable timing.

... ~ Flashback ~ ...

"Elana, I know my capabilities."

"You were the one who helped me." I shook my head as I didn't quite understand why this was happening. "Look where I am now, what I am now."

"Yes, I did help you. Emphasis on 'help'," Coach Edmund replied, adjusting his glasses and giving me one of his side grins. "I know my own capabilities as a coach. Compared to others, I'm a greenhorn. The other coaches have years of experience under their belts, and the majority of them competed internationally; some of them were even Olympic medallists... but me? I only skated locally."

I opened my mouth but he interrupted me, "It's honest to goodness truth. You have so much potential Elana. So much potential. I want to see you soar into the skating world. I want you to dominate the Ladies division. And... I'm afraid, if you continued training, you won't reach that potential."

"This is sounding more and more like a breakup, Coach Edmund." I tried to let out a laugh, but it came out stiff. I mean what the hell? My coach was breaking up with me, figuratively speaking.

"You... could put it that way." Coach Edmund gave a sad comforting smile. He patted my shoulder before bringing me closer to him. We hugged for a moment or so.

Coach Edmund was the one who introduced me to skating. He was the one who first taught me how to stand on ice without flailing around like a chipmunk. Yuzuru may have been the one who ignited the fire within me, but Coach Edmund was the foundation who started it all.

"Who?" I asked, looking up at him as we both took a step back. He wouldn't leave me lying around in a ditch without any support. If he decided to leave me as a coach, then that meant he already had someone in mind to fill in his spot.

"Orser."

"Brian Orser?"

The whole Yuna-Brian split made rounds in the skating community. It was typically unheard of for a skater to win Olympic gold, or get on the podium, and then fire the coach who trained them afterward. The net was ablaze with speculations regarding this Skating Scandal.

As always, it was the coach who got the brunt of the attacks. The netizens were bashing Orser left and right. He was cast in an extremely negative light. I actually pitied the guy as there were countless articles painting him as the bad guy.

Kim Yuna was the darling of the figure skating world, and now that she won gold in Vancouver, her persona rose to new heights and it cemented her status in the figure skating community. That was why the general mentality was 'It was Orser's fault', 'Brian Orser betrayed Kim Yuna', 'He's a backstabbing coach', among many others.

Even when the other skaters in the Philippines chatted about it, I preferred to stay quiet regarding the issue. From what I've seen, Brian Orser was a nice and polite guy, but I didn't know him personally to make a proper judgment. On the other hand, Kim Yuna was... ok, I guess. She seemed pretty impatient from my encounters with her, but as Mao said, Yuna was generally nice. So, I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. We did meet under stressful times after all.

I personally knew how the media works. One second, they love you, and then they'll stab you in the back the next day. They'll grab whatever story they could and sensationalize it.

Coach Edmund took my attention again as he said, "I know what you're thinking. The news about him isn't all that great. However, despite all that, there's no doubt that he's a great coach."

"I don't care about the news," I quickly interrupted him, dispelling any doubts. "What I care about is... why him, specifically? I mean, there are other coaches out there. Nearer coaches. He's in Canada for god's sake. I don't even know if my parents will agre-"

I stopped as I saw Coach Edmund's weird expression. I narrowed my eyes and continued, "They know." It was a statement, not a question.

Coach Edmund had an awkward grin as he said, "I couldn't exactly set you free if I didn't tell your parents that I'm leaving you as your coach, right?"

Basically, I was speechless.

"Elana, it's not that I don't want to continue being your coach. Believe me, I sure as hell do. But to let you grow into your full potential, you need highly capable coaches. A better coach other than me," Coach Edmund began, sitting down on the bench where he beckoned me to do the same. Once we settled in, he continued, "I mentioned it to the Philippine Skating Federation, and they helped me make a shortlist of potential coaches. In the shortlist that we procured, there were several coaches in Japan, Russia, America, and Canada."

I perked my head up once I heard Japan. Coach Omura was there, she was one of my coaches who helped greatly in my development.

"I know you like Japan. It's actually ideal for you to train in Japan; you have a coach there already, not to mention you already know their language. But the Federation insisted on taking you to the other countries with a greater selection."

It felt weird knowing that the Philippine Skating Federation was concerned about my future. Weird in the sense because the Federation generally steered clear and was more hands off when it came to the skaters. It was nice in a way since I felt that the Federation was finally becoming more and more supportive in recent times.

"Russia, it has a nice and deep selection of great coaches, but I'm afraid you'll hit another roadblock with that."

"I agree. One foreign language is enough." I detested the idea of learning a new language from scratch. Again.

"Then America came to the talks, followed by Canada. In the end, one of the members in the Federation brought up Orser. Even though he has this scandal thing going on, it doesn't change the fact that he produced a gold medallist. It's also a plus that Orser has his own training venue for his skaters. The Toronto Cricket and Curling Club."

"That's all and good, just two things. Canada...my parents?" I raised my brow at him.

Coach Edmund gave me a sheepish grin as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well, you did mention your mom was initially against you training overseas. Japan was alright since it's close to our country, but when it became clear that the Federation wants you in Canada, I warned your parents beforehand."

"You warned my parents... before you warned your own student," I stated, slowly yet surely in a deadpan manner.

Coach Edmund let out a sheepish laugh in return.

... ~ End of Flashback ~ ...

"The guy talked to my parents before he talked to his actual student. I mean, who does that?" I got hyped up in indignation but then deflated visibly like a balloon. "My coach, apparently," I answered my own question.

"You're going to Canada?"

"Yes," I replied as I continued eating my ramen. "I talked to my parents about it. I didn't have to do much convincing because Coach Edmund already did the job. Can you believe it? Besides, I have relatives in Toronto. Parents were fine with it as long as I report my Alive status to my aunt each week."

I ate some of the delicious white bread thing that I didn't know the name of, then stirred my ramen again.

"One thing I'm glad about is that I'm not as well-known as Kim Yuna. I didn't have to deal with all that drama those two went through. Yuna and Orser, I mean."

"When are you going to Canada?" Yuzuru questioned in a low tone, causing me to glance at him.

"... in a month."

Silence descended on our table as we both knew the implication and the consequence of me switching to Canada for training.

"Did you tell your coach in Nagoya about it?"

"Yes, she wished me well. Shoma doesn't know yet though."

Both of us didn't converse further after that. We finished our food and left the restaurant. Side by side, we walked the streets of Sendai in heavy silence. It was getting dark now, more vendors were setting up their stalls and lights were turned on giving the ambiance a more festive feel.

It was a sharp contrast to the mood we were in. I didn't want to reveal this news to Yuzuru in this way, but I was going to leave soon. If I didn't tell him now and just reveal the news to him via text or call, that would be even worse.

Once I leave Sendai, I had to go back to Nagoya anyway to get the rest of my stuff. I'll tell Shoma before I leave Japan.

"Ah!" Yuzuru suddenly exclaimed, surprising me. He shook his head and laid an arm around my shoulders for a side hug. As usual, I laid my arm around his waist. "It's your last night here in Sendai, let's go have fun."

I didn't say anything for a few seconds as we looked at each other. I let out a sad smile. "Alright. Let's do that."

We tried to forget my impending departure as we scoured the city of Sendai. However, there was a heavy loom that always seemed to follow us. Somehow, we ended up in a playground, eating ice cream while sitting on the swings.

The natural sound of the night, the intermittent buzzing noise of crickets, and the creaking chains of the swing filled the space for any conversation happening.

I licked at my ice cream, taking careful note where the side was dripping down. I detest stickiness out of all things. I was seriously regretting getting a cone and not a cup.

"It's not like we'll never see each other again," Yuzuru said, finishing up his own ice cream.

"You're right," I replied, nodding and swaying on my swing. "It'll be just like old times... except, of course, not in Japan."

"I'm turning Senior next season. We'll meet at events in other countries."

"Yup! Even in the past, we didn't meet all the time, right?"

"Right!" Yuzuru nodded.

It felt more and more that we're trying to find a silver lining in this situation, but if that's what kept us from being gloomy then we would take it.

"We really should get a social media. The costs of texting internationally from Japan to Canada, and Canada to Japan? Our wallets would be crying." I smiled as I kicked the ground and swung a little be higher, all the while balancing my ice cream with my other hand.

"Any suggestions?"

"Hm, there's kik, line... Oh, and viber."

"Whichever is fine with me."

"I'll look into it then."

We descended into silence again, this time we both finished our ice creams and took the time to play on the swing. The rush of air when you swung high was amazing. Yuzuru even did this awesome thing where he jumped off mid swing and landed on his feet.

Other people my age categorize nightlife as going into bars, dancing with strangers, and getting drunk for fun. I prefer this kind of nightlife, hanging out with Yuzuru and doing simple and admittedly childish things.

*****

"So, do you like my brother?"

I sprayed out the juice that I was drinking. Damn, I nearly choked on it.

"I'm sorry, what?" I wiped my mouth and chin in bewilderment.

We were currently in the airport, waiting for my departure time. Yuzuru's dad was kind enough to drop me off. Of course, Yuzuru came along and also Saya, to my surprise.

Originally, the two siblings were accompanying me when Yuzuru's phone rang. It was his dad calling that I forgot a bag of mine back in the car. Yuzuru volunteered to get it, that's why Saya and I were left alone while waiting for her brother to show up with my remaining bag.

"Do you like my brother?" she repeated.

"I like your brother as a friend," I emphasized the last part. "What made you ask that?"

"Aside from the fact that you're the only girl my brother ever brought home? I saw you embracing in the rink. You're also awfully too close with Yuzuru at the beach. Yuzuru doesn't hang out with girls, alone."

"Uh, I think you got it wrong," I replied, waving my hands to dispel this situation. "Yuzuru is just a friend, nothing more. I am affectionate to my friends; it's just a friendly hug. I swear."

"I like you Era-san, it's been fun hanging out with you," Saya cautiously started, as she fiddled with the cap of her own drink. "But I also care about my brother, and I don't want to see him get hurt."

"I promise, it's not what you think. Yuzuru and I are just friends." I waved my hands again. "Besides, I'm way older than Yuzuru. I'm eighteen and Yuzuru's only fifteen."

"Three year's not too big of a gap; my mom is like five years older than my dad."

"Um, yeah. Yuzuru's fifteen, minor alert."

"Thirteen is the age of consent in Japan."

"Ok, hang on a sec. Which side are you on exactly? Me liking Yuzuru or me not liking Yuzuru?" I was very confused at this point.

"Ultimately, I'm on my brother's side."

I was almost afraid to ask which side she thinks her brother is on. We were in a stalemate here.

"I understand. I have brothers too. Well, older ones at least. But please believe me on this, I won't do anything to intentionally hurt Yuzuru."

"I know, that's what I'm afraid of."

"Huh?"

"Sometimes, Era-san, not all pain comes from intentional actions." Saya averted her eyes before she shook her head. "Ah, forget about it. I'm ruining the mood here. This is me, the awkward one in the family, running off my mouth again and creating awkward situations faster than a bullet."

We went silent for a second before snorting in laughter.

"You're not alone, if you're the self-proclaimed awkward one in the family, then I have the same position in my own family."

"Is that one way to appease my embarrassment?"

"Definitely not. Honest."

"I'll take your word for it." Saya was going to drink again when she stopped, and added, "In both ways."

I just smiled in acknowledgment.

"It's really fun hanging out with you, Era-san. I hope you visit us again in the future."

"Yes, I definitely will. Thank you for the accommodation. The past few days had truly been wonderful."

"Got it!" Yuzuru came running, panting as he clutched his side while trying to regain his breath. "My stamina is too low for this."

"Thanks! Here, drink." I handed over my drink and patted his back to help him out.

While I was fussing over Yuzuru, Saya smiled and held her hands behind her back. "I'll leave you two alone. See you, Era-san." With that, she walked backward before finally turning and heading off.

I nodded at her then continued fussing over Yuzuru, wiping his sweaty hair to the side. "Did you have to run far?"

"My dad just has to pick the farthest parking lot in this whole airport, it's not even funny."

I looked at my wet hand and bluntly wiped it on his jacket. "With all the sweat you got going on, it seems more and more like you just finished a long program."

"I know, I need to work on my training exercises." Yuzuru shook his head, then he looked around. "There's still time before you board? I'm not late?"

"A few more minutes before the call time. Relax." I placed on his chest. We both leaned back on the sofa as we watched the people passing by.

"Will you be in Japan again?"

"Of course I will. Not as frequent as in the past, but I'll definitely visit Japan in the future."

"Ok."

Instead of the gloomy silence that accompanied us yesterday, this time it was a bit more comfortable. My mind went back to my earlier conversation with Saya.

"Yuzuru?"

"Hm?"

"We're friends, right?"

"Are we seriously having that conversation again?"

I smiled as I remembered his words. "You said... if we're not friends, then what are we?"

"I did."

"Then tell me, if we're not friends... what are we?"

Gazing directly into his eyes, I tried to detect anything that would make Saya's assumptions correct. Yuzuru was caught off guard by my question, it took a moment for him to answer, "What do you want us to be?"

I sensed something in him. I sensed it in the way he worded his question. I remembered Yuzuru's advice at the beach, it was better to be decisive instead of staying in a grey area because eventually, it would hurt someone in the end.

"Nothing more but friends." My smile wavered for a moment before it met him with full sincerity.

"... then that's what we'll be."

Waiting for my plane to board, we stayed oblivious to the people passing by as we leaned against each other to make up for a future loss of time.

.

.

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

.

.

(I heard someone's heart breaking... don't worry! It will be mended soon... in a few years?)

(Is this chapter depressing or what? Better re-read those Glimpse chapters if you want a fluffy one.)

(This Sendai arc was way too long! Why did I split it into several chapters, you say? That's because I limit my chapters into a maximum of 4k to 5k words. That's right, every Sendai chapter is around that range.)

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