Could It Really Be?/Second Reunion (Zhenya/Sasha)

[alexanderdupont]

There was a sense of excitement in the air of the Dom Cardillo Arena as six men took to the ice for their first practice before competition was set to begin at the 2002 I.S.U. Grand Prix Final. Not only was it the first time that the best in the world were slated to compete at a single event, but it was also the greatest test that the athletes would face prior to the Winter Olympic Games. For most of the spectators, the favorite was clear. Russia's Evgeny Potemerenko was the two-time reigning world champion, and was the only one in the field to have won three Grand Prix events. At the moment all eyes were on him.

Sasha quietly made his way to the ice, each of his steps deliberate. Despite having secured two victories of his own, he did not mind that the focus was on someone else. It gave him a chance to clear his thoughts of any distractions before beginning to skate. Even if this was not the competition, he had been taught to treat it as such. 'Act professionally. Show them no weakness,' Phillipe's look seemed to say as he stepped onto the ice. He nodded his head firmly in response, then turned to join the others.

From his first movement, he commanded attention. He glided toward the center of the rink, his torso held upright, arms extended to the sides, and free leg held slightly above horizontal in an arabesque. The purity of the position, edge, and stroke was reflected in how silent and rapidly he flowed. It was enough to draw a collective gasp from all around him...

[Angela]

Zhenya loved all the attention he was getting from the press, which was a real change from the negative attention he had gotten the previous year when he had been involved in a false rape incident. Now, the attention was focused on his skating, seeing as how the Olympics were coming up. He was also faced with the occasional question about his personal life, about Nadya, his father, and the impact their deaths had left on him. Still, he liked being the charismatic charming champion he had become before the scandal and tragedies struck his life.

Zhenya paused at the entrance to wave at some of the few fans who were attending the practices, blowing kisses to them and smiling. Then, at a look from his coach, he stepped onto the ice and started to warm up. As soon as he saw his competitors, he took note of their strengths and weaknesses and mentally compared them to his own. One skater grabbed his attention immediately.

The positions were pure, the glide, the power, yet elegance, in each stroke, each movement was carefully executed right down to the fingertips. He knew very few skaters who were so strong and utterly invincible. He caught sight of his face and smiled. It had been a few years since he'd last seen Alexander Dupont, but he would know him anywhere. He skated over to him.

"Sasha, I can't believe you're here!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "Well, it's not so hard to belikeve, but I didn't expect to see you skating here! It's good to see you! Well, we'll actually have a fight for the gold! That's the first time in ages I've had a real rival out here."

[alexanderdupont]

Sasha looked somewhat surprised, yet still clearly pleased to be recognized. He had changed quite a bit since they had last seen one another, having grown more than half a foot taller. Similarly, his lean frame had filled out with powerful muscles that showed from underneath his long-sleeved white and navy blue t-shirt. His face had long lost the last of its boyishness and his voice had dropped an octave. However, some things were as they had always been. His father's soft, gray eyes were unmistakable, and he moved with the same grace of five years past.

He offered a hand, smiling warmly. "Far too much time has passed since we were last together, Zhenya," he greeted. "It is wonderful to see you too." There was a hint of mischief on his face. Both knew what was in store once they had finished warming up.

[Angela]

"Indeed it has," Zhenya agreed, his face now mirroring the same mischievous emotion on Sasha's. "It's wonderful to see you too. But we must catch up later... Some of us are here to win!" he proclaimed, just messing with his friend's mind as was the usual case for skaters. He smiled, and skated into a triple flip-triple toe-triple loop combination, which was odd because the combination was not in his program.

[alexanderdupont]

While Zhenya's display drew an appreciative roar from the crowd, the Frenchman acted in his usual, calm manner, and as if nothing had happened. At a first glance it appeared that he was content to continue performing simple edge work, but his smooth, broad strokes were soon causing him to glide with breathtaking speed. He opened into an outside spread eagle as he rounded the corner, then soared into a triple Axel. He appeared to hang in the air for an eternity before landing as if touching down on a cloud. One might have wondered why Sasha had chosen the move, but his friend would understand immediately. It was one of the Russian's trademark elements.

[Angela]

Zhenya's eyes widened, then narrowed. True, their rivalry was a friendly one, but it was times like these when Zhenya felt a little agression paid off. He stroked around a bit, then launched into a quad Salchow, almost colliding with another skater in the process, but landed beautifully just the same.

"You've been practicing, I see," Zhenya said casually to Sasha as he skated over to him.

[alexanderdupont]

"Something has to keep me occupied when I am not dancing," Sasha acknowledged, a hint of a smile on his face. Despite their serious manner, both were clearly enjoying what was taking place. What had taken place in St. Petersburg four years ago had lit a fire under each of them, to take the next step and become even better. "But since it has been so long, let me make things a little more interesting. Why don't you choose my next move?"

[Angela]

Zhenya smiled thoughtfully and mischievously, contemplating what he should challenge his friend with next as they skated.

"Triple Lutz," he said finally, then added, "'Tano triple Lutz."

[alexanderdupont]

Sasha took a few quick strokes, now gliding several feet in front of his friend. He performed a short series of steps, rotating first counterclockwise, then clockwise. Instead of a long gliding entrance, he turned while extending his right leg, and immediately tapped into the ice. He flaired his left arm high over his head, maintaining the position until he finally landed. "And the verdict?" he asked, while skating back to where Zhenya stood.

[Angela]

Zhenya sighed with jealousy as he watched his friend skate into the best 'Tano Lutz he'd seen since Boitano himself. Damn, he thought, how do I stand up to such a thing?

"You were okay," he said nonchalantly as Sasha asked for his thoughts. "How about you give me something to do?"

[alexanderdupont]

"We will save the best for last," he replied in an understanding tone, while the two continued to circle the rink. "Perhaps you have a new spin variation that you have been working on?"

[Angela]

(LOL sorry, inspiration didn't strike till now, man that's pathetic of me)

Zhenya grinned, and did a spread eagle in a circle, casually avoiding the subject of spins on purpose. "Well, there's not really anything special in my spins, you know that," he said, recalling that previously he had been criticized for that, saying that they were his worst fault. However, this year things would be different, and it was precisely because of what Sasha had asked about: a new spin. "I suppose I could show you something I've dabbled a little in," he said, and skated into a long back outside edge, as if he were going to do a Lutz, but instead of doing the jump, he ended up doing a flying right back camel, with a pure position, great centering, and speed. He exited with a flourish and did a lunge to get back to Sasha. "Not really interesting." But he was proud of this spin, especially considering the criticism that he had gotten over the past years. He tried not to show his arrogance though; this was practice after all.

[alexanderdupont]

"The entry is both original and difficult. I am sure that it will be appreciated by the audience and the judges. The quality of your spinning has also improved," Sasha acknowledged with a smile, recognizing the look on Zhenya's face.

So little had changed in the way that each approached gamesmanship on the ice. Zhenya the older of the two was more reserved with his comments, but quicker to show his hand and crush the opposition early on. Sasha was more open, but kept his most dangerous weapons from view unless challenged.

"I think we are both sufficiently warmed-up," said the Frenchman innocently, hinting at the display of jumping that was about to begin...