Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 68

(Y/n)'s POV

The blond named Hinata was preparing for his beef against Cherry. Megumi had chosen to go against Joe after they finished. Reki and Langa were currently surrounded by a group of the teenage skaters a few benches down whilst we had a man my dad's age guarding us.

I was tucked between Yuu and Miya, both of whom were holding my hands. The two were helping me tolerate the pain but the blood loss would make me faint sooner or later if it wasn't treated soon.

"Miya, help me," said Yuu.
"We don't have any supplies," replied the black-haired male.
"We do, in my bag. I carry everything everywhere."
"O...kay? What do you need me to do?"
"Check my sister's wound."

Miya carefully moved my sweater up, biting back his reaction when he saw the raw, pulsing bruise oozing out hot blood from the finger wounds Megumi had dug into my skin. I hissed when his fingers accidentally brushed against the bruise.

"Sorry (Y/n)..."

His hands squeezed mine, worry etched onto his brow. I smiled reassuringly, though that did little to relieve him of his concern. The man standing behind us suddenly passed me a cold bottle of water.

"Is this poisoned?" was Miya's first question.
"It's not, you can trust me on that," replied the man.
"Why are you helping us?" Yuu asked.
"...you remind me of my daughter. She's only a few years younger...but she's hospitalised because of a severe illness."
"Why are you working for Hinata?"

It was a while before he replied. In the meantime, Yuu had gotten out his medical supplies and was delicately cleaning my wounds. Although I made no expressions, Miya knew how much it hurt from how tightly I was squeezing his hand. He didn't complain nor did he say anything to distract my brother.

"I'm a single father who's had a hard time finding a job. I needed money to pay for my daughter's medical bills and I was desperate. She would've died if she didn't get that operation. I...resorted to stealing...almost to murder. Hinata's father helped me out when I was about to go to jail. Said I should repay him by helping his son."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be. Anyway, Hinata's determined to beat that Cherry Blossom. He moved to Okinawa to find a skater called Adam, who caused his friend such a serious injury that he become paralysed from the waist down. Any one of Adam's friends, Hinata'll kill along with him."

I relaxed as Yuu finished taping the bandage. We watched Hinata and Cherry stand at the front of the park, seemingly arguing about the best course to take. A light smile graced my face once Joe managed to catch my gaze, motioning that Cherry was acting nuts before I laughed.

"How good's Hinata's skating?" Miya asked.
"He's a beast. I'd say good enough to rival your Cherry Blossom. Not that I've ever seen your friend skate but I've heard rumours," replied the man.
"And Megumi?"
"Hinata's better but she was one of the top back in Kyoto. Don't underestimate her just because of her...demeanour."
"It's starting!" Yuu exclaimed.

I staggered to the edge of the park despite Yuu and Miya's protests. The man gripped my arm though I sensed it was more to keep me steady rather than to keep me from escaping. There was little I could do in this state.

The two were neck and neck. Cherry immediately started with a backside railslide, to which I let out a low whistle. It would have been easier for him due to Carla's assistance though it was still a difficult move.

Hinata didn't disappoint and followed with a heelflip over a railing from a highly elevated ledge. Cheers from his friends reverberated across the park. Cherry zoomed past the blond, kicking up his board over a flight of stairs, flipping in the air before landing smoothly.

"Did you teach Cherry that move?" asked Miya.
"No..."

Did he learn that just from watching me a few times? I startled when Hinata suddenly skated past, lightly running his fingers through my hair. He sported a cheeky smirk before dropping into the bowl.

He then performed a grab, spinning thrice, making Cherry move out of his way when he landed. It seemed that he was determined to one-up Cherry. That move just then was frighteningly similar to the one I had done before his friend crashed into me.

"I said Hinata's a beast, didn't I? He can copy moves just from seeing them once or twice," said the man.
"That's impossible," Yuu commented.
"Didn't you just see? Your friend is talented but I'm afraid Hinata will be able to copy his moves, depending on the difficulty."
"You clearly don't know Cherry. He'll win."
"*sigh* Alright, whatever you say."

I returned to watching the two, slight worry now gripping my heart. I tried not to allow this worry to grow any further; I trusted Cherry. He would win. My eyes were drawn to Hinata's body as he performed an effortless kickflip and did a somersault.

Cherry didn't seem fazed by his opponent's execution of difficult moves and swiftly followed with a 1080 spin, doing a smooth heelflip over a highly elevated ledge straight after. I had only rarely ever seen him skate so seriously.

Yuu gripped my hand as the two continued to challenge each other move by move before finally progressing to the end, where it was a race to the finish line, marked by Hinata's friends. We held our breaths as the two drew closer and closer.

I bit my lip as the blond's friends pushed their boards towards Cherry. The pink-haired male kicked his board up without batting an eye, hurriedly rounding a corner to glide off an edge. Yuu's grip tightened as the two passed the finish line.

"They tied," Miya breathed.
"Damn," commented the man.

We waited as the two made their way over, before Reki and Langa were running towards us. Nobody stopped Langa as he immediately came to my side, allowing me to lean against him.

"Cherry, that was sick! How'd you do that?" Reki asked excitedly.
"Disappointing how you only managed a tie," Joe teased.
"Better than any of your efforts," Cherry retorted.
"Hey now, is nobody gonna comment on how great I am?" Hinata asked.
"...where did you learn to skate like that?" replied Langa.
"Heh, that's a secret."
"Well done, Hinata. Anyway, I'll be looking forward to skating against you, Joe," Megumi purred.