The ride in the federation van went by under a dense silence, but one radically different from previous days. The journey from the quiet residential area of Setagaya toward the ice sports complex on the outskirts of Tokyo was usually an ordeal of tension and avoided glances, but this morning the atmosphere in the vehicle breathed a calm full of determination. Aibek rode next to the back-seat window, feeling the warmth of the heater on his legs as he watched the urban landscape blur behind the rain-fogged glass. Beside him, Jake's left hand rested on the cloth seat; his fingers barely brushed the edge of the sleeve of Bek's sports jacket in a discreet contact, imperceptible from the rearview mirror, but for Aibek that closeness was a calm he had always desired.
