this takes place 1 year prior & during the events of madoka magica.
lowercase is intentional.
kim harumi is a 14-year-old figure skater, who moved all the way from south korea to japan after her parents' divorce. she's a girl who has friends and a l...
backing up into a triple lutz, harumi looked over her shoulder. she glided across the ice like water flowing through a stream, like a dancer moving around a stage. harumi's teammates watched with anxiousness in their eyes--as harumi had never landed a triple lutz yet--and her coach watched with judgement in hers.
come on, haru! you can do this! harumi thought, pushing forward even though she wanted to stop right before she leaped. she was afraid. afraid that she would make another mistake. taking one final breath, harumi leaped into her triple lutz, and...
fell right onto the ice.
squeezing her eyes shut, harumi let herself skid across the frozen surface. she was going too fast for the girl to even pick herself up. harumi's teammates gasped in horror, watching as harumi got closer & closer to the wall. the 13-year-old slammed right into it, having such an impact that a loud 'BANG!' resounded throughout the rink.
"it hurts!" harumi screamed. she felt her hand burn and ache with such intensity. it felt like every bone in there was broken & every nerve was severed. "it hurts!" harumi continued to yell. her teammates skated towards harumi, checking if she was okay. she really wasn't.
harumi couldn't hear herself over her thoughts, that were screaming as well. screaming at her that she made another mistake. that she failed herself & others again. that she couldn't do anything right, no matter how hard she tried.
i can't do this...
-
harumi walked under the cover of darkness and a few street lights, staring down with disappointed eyes at her bandaged & broken hand. she tried to move her fingers, flinching at the small surges of pain every time she did so.
i can't believe i failed again... harumi thought, continuing to stare at her hand. a reminder of what happened earlier that day. a reminder of what harumi feared the most. and nationals is only in a few weeks. what's the point in trying so hard...? harumi continued walking, letting her hand fall beside her. salty tears welled up in her eyes, devastated at the fact that she tried so many times, but only ended up backing down or falling right onto the ice.
harumi furiously wiped at her face. this is stupid. so stupid. the teenager thought. harumi decided that she would only try harder, or she'll never reach nationals. now, she was only focused on getting home. it was well past 9:00 already.
harumi passed a rundown liquor store, one that she usually passed by after practice. nothing to pay much attention to. but now, the abandoned building wanted all of harumi's attention, it seemed. the air got heavier, & the aura... much darker. harumi stopped in her tracks, gradually getting more uncomfortable.
