Eyes on Ice [EDITING]

EYES ON ICE - 15

XV. Day 2 - To Auld Lang Syne (Asian Open Figure Skating Trophy, ISU Challenger Series Part IV)

Sixteen year old Japanese skater Ishida Yukiharu had a frown painted on his face while he wore his figure skates. He hadn't been smiling for a while now which is quite unusual. The crease that had formed at his forehead was a sign that something was troubling his mind and no other skater at the rink could figure out what it was except for an Italian boy, aged fifteen, who came approaching him with a wide smile.

"Buongiorno, Signore!" he exclaimed and looked at him cautiously. Moments later, he sat next to him and said, "sorridi un po' di più."

Yuki sighed and stood up, saying, "you're very much aware that I can't understand your language, Luigi. I live in Japan and not in Italy." He heard the kid laugh and wear his own skates on. Having known him for over a year already, Yuki was kind of used to the way he was approached. Luigi said he's not that good at speaking in English and he understands that since he started from that before.

"Was it about the senior debut?" Luigi asked with a hint of concern. He had always been the one who worries the most among their circle of friends. Although he just started training here at California last year, he had gotten along well with almost all the skaters at Ice Palace. He's the type of person who can easily identify what's troubling his friends because he likes to listen very well at their stories, even at the smallest turn of events they wanted to share and yes, he remembers almost all of those.

"My coach said I can't debut at the senior level without getting a higher score than my average at the upcoming World Championships. I mean, I can get past that average score. I can do it if I try, you know. But I feel like they're declaring that I couldn't," Yuki said and frustratingly clutched his shirt. His tears were almost near but it's a surprise that he managed to hold them back. "Can't they just trust me?"

Luigi smiled and walked in front of Yuki with both his arms at his back. "Certo che lo fanno," he cheerfully said. "Everyone knows you're good. Some people just wanted proof. I know you can do it, Yuki."

A warm smile started forming up on Yuki's face though he's too shy to made the skater notice that he felt happy because of what he said. "Y-yeah, thanks," he answered and was about to enter the rink when he heard someone calling his name.

The two of them had to look back, only to see Rob coming with a kid behind him who seemed enthusiastic. The fifteen year old American skater with his training clothes on, was smiling ear to ear, as if something just made him really happy. The moment he approached Luigi and Yuki, he shifted his eyes to the kid beside him and said, "they're going to be your rinkmates from now on, including me, Ken. There are other skaters here too but we're the only ones who are currently training under Mason. Welcome to Ice Palace."

The boy whom he called Ken, suddenly bowed in front of Luigi and said, "buongiorno, Signor Danesi." He then did the same at Yuki. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Ishida-san. Mister Rob introduced your names to me earlier. My name's Ken. Ken Madrigal from the Philippines. I'm thirteen and will be debuting at a junior international level this upcoming season. I hope we can make good memories and also, I'd love to learn from all of you. Please take care of me."