Safe Haven | Yuzuru Hanyu

74.

The truth was that slowly getting back to her routine after taking a few weeks off was the best thing Emma could've done.

She had to be very careful at the lab, but given just how much protective equipment they used whenever using live samples, there was realistically a very slim risk for anything too dangerous.

Using her brain again definitely felt incredible to her after so long in a drowsy state.

And well, having something to do seemed to encourage her body to even move more.

Yuzuru and Emma made it a routine to do small walks around the area of his house for at least an hour.

It wasn't exactly a big form of exercise, but it helped her head to clear up and the stress of everything going on to slowly calm down.

Seeing him skate every night once again became a routine just like when they first met. She found it relaxing and it became a sort of a therapy as well.

She was enjoying the process of seeing the whole show come together a little too much but it was fine given how little she had going on. It was a welcome distraction like Yuzuru always was.

The time until the first show finally came ended up going by too fast. Before both of them knew it, Yuzuru was traveling to Yokohama for his first show.

Yeah, because he didn't allow his girlfriend to go there. It was asking too much.

He gave her the live recorded video feed and made sure to keep in contact as much as he could, but Emma obviously wanted to be there for his first real adventure as a professional skater.

Who would've guessed that Emma cared so much about skating shows now.

Well, not most shows, just the ones where he skated. 

The day before the first show, they stayed on videocall through the night. Yuzuru was still editing the last small details of the videos for the shows and she just insisted on staying on the line and giving him tips while he did so.

No matter how many complaints and begs for her to rest would change her view on this. She wanted to be a part of this in some kind of way, even if it was just on this small little thing.

It wasn't as if Yuzuru needed her at all, but feeling like she was a part of such a cool achievement definitely helped her confidence.

One thing was certain, she hadn't been wrong about how good the show looked from the start.

You could always count on Yuzuru's concepts to be absolutely brilliant and there was no doubt that he could execute whatever he deemed best for the show.

Yuzuru being Yuzuru, everything was planned to the second. The smallest of details had an intention behind it and it was just one of the many reasons why she had fallen in love in the first place. There was something about his ability to think outside the box and provide with the most unique thoughts.

There was a reason he was so brilliant on the ice after all.

Later on, watching him perform through the screen almost felt like the real thing.

Of course, being live allowed her to react in real time. It was just a shame that she had no one to react to.

Yumi and Hidetoshi had gone to see the show, of course, and she was all alone at home.

It wouldn't have bothered her usually. Emma enjoyed being alone in her safe place but given that she was the only one who wasn't allowed to go made the situation a bit worse for her.

In the end, the important thing was that Yuzuru did one of the most amazing shows she had seen so far and if it wasn't for the fact that she knew a lot of what he was planning for February, Emma would have doubted he could do much better.

Not that he would ever be satisfied with just doing better, he wanted to give his absolute best every single time.

By the end of the show, he called her once again, looking extremely sweaty and tired. The poor man had just skated over a whole hour and still took the time to call her after.

Emma didn't mind it a single bit, she would always accept any possible contact with him without a single question but she still felt a little bad as his sweat-clawed face appeared on her screen.

"You were amazing, Superstar."

"I haven't heard that nickname in a while..." he told her with a big smile "Did you enjoy the show?"

"Of course I did! I have no idea how you do it, but every single time I see you skate, you manage to astonish me with something new."

He had gone far to make sure she could watch it live even though they weren't broadcasting the show anywhere. The truth was that he hated forcing her to stay at home just how much she hated being there, but given the situation and that she was starting a new chemo cycle the next week, he didn't want to risk anything.

All he wanted was for her to have more than enough opportunities to watch him in the future.

Yuzuru still hoped she could attend the other show in Hachinohe but it would depend a lot on how treatments were going. Maybe she couldn't attend the venue but still travel with them.

And well, his birthday was very near the last date as well and he obviously wanted to celebrate with her by his side.

No matter what he wanted, Emma's safety would always be his number one concern.