Safe Haven | Yuzuru Hanyu

79.

There was only one answer possible in Emma's mind.

She owed this man a lot of her strength and hopes, she owed him the life in Japan and she owed him the change of her career.

Yuzuru had come out of nowhere and changed her life views and almost every single thing that she thought to be keen on.

The old Emma would never consider marriage, and certainly wouldn't have worried so much about the possibility of having children in the future.

This man had changed her perspective on a lot of things and made her want certain life goals that she hadn't considered before.

He managed to do all of that while bringing her love for skating back and even teaching her new things.

She would be the proudest woman to call this man her husband.

"Of course, I will marry you, Mr. Hanyu. That would make me a very happy woman."

"Then I am now a very happy man." he joked and quickly stood up to kiss her lips. "Thank you for trusting me."

"Always."

The only thing that Emma wished was that he hadn't chosen a day when she was so damn tired, but it would have to do now.

They cuddled in bed for a while while making out but nothing too crazy given how tired she was.

"I know you're tired, Em. You can just rest."

"I feel bad..."

"Don't you dare. I want you to be happy about this, not give you any extra concerns. And we don't have to rush to planning either. Whenever you're better and with more energy. I would want to marry you in 50 years if that was what I could get."

Those words meant more to her than she would ever be able to put into words. Just the thought of planning a wedding now was completely overwhelming, no matter how small. 

Let's just say that Emma was very happy that Yuzuru was willing to wait for her treatments to be over if she needed it.

The promise was there, she had said yes.

⛸️

Just two months later, her last chemo cycle was just 2 treatments away from being finished. It was hard to believe that so much time had passed after her diagnosis.

Even harder to believe was that Yuzuru was performing at the Tokyo Dome in less than a month. 

Pride filled her chest every time she remembered how incredible her future husband was.

She had really hit the lottery with this one.

When the time for the show finally came, she was still a bit down from the treatments but was already feeling a lot better than she expected to feel after just two weeks after the last treatment.

The exams showed that all the cancer seemed to be gone and it certainly looked like treatment had been a success as initially expected.

Emma would still be monitored regularly to make sure it didn't come back but for now, this was very good news.

And even in the middle of his busy schedule, they managed to find time to be together and slowly plan their summer wedding.

Yuzuru, being as crazy as he usually was with numbers had already chosen a date that he found to be appropriate. The 4th of August was a very auspicious day in Japan and somehow, the date marked 1994 days since one of his biggest achievements. His second Olympic medal that was won with only one and a half functioning ankles.

As funny as she found the situation to be, Emma had no objections when everything indicated she would be all recovered by then.

Watching Yuzuru make history at one of the most important arenas in Japan after so many punishing months seemed to be the perfect way to close the chapter.

Sure enough, he had managed to get a back injury just days before the performance. An injury so intense that he had never gotten to rehearse the whole show in the venue. 

Even still, and in true Yuzuru fashion, the show was incredible and on the verge of complete perfection. Once again, it was pure history-making.

Yuzuru could now add to his impressive career achievements the little title of being the first person to hold and sell out an ice show at the Tokyo Dome.

You know, something completely normal...

How she managed to make this incredible person fall for her was still a mystery, but she would never let him go now.

⛸️

They married just like he predicted, in August, near the Sendai Tanabata festival. 

The whole affair was very small, with just close family and a few selected friends.

How he managed to keep everything a secret was another mystery.

The media went in complete shock as he announced the special day in a cryptic Twitter post that blew up around the world.

Not only did no one know he was dating, no one expected him to marry any time soon.

Emma could only laugh as he waited nervously with his phone in hand, waiting for the special time of 11:11 to post the news to the world.

As confident as this man seemed to be on the ice, the real Yuzuru was often unsure about his next steps and what he could share without making everyone mad.

But this was a big moment that he wanted everyone to know.

He was happy.

He had someone by his side.

He was ready to take on new challenges.

Yuzuru hadn't changed with the ring. he was still that boy completely obsessed with the ice. That boy who did over 60 shows in the summer after the earthquake to be able to train without a rink. The boy who had sacrificed everything to move to Canada. The boy who couldn't believe it when he won his first Olympic medal and the one who achieved it again just 4 years later and the boy who risked it all for a jump that his 9-year-old self had dreamed about.

They could write everything they wanted about him, judge him for random nothings but in the end, Yuzuru was always Yuzuru.

Their relationship might have started by chance but everything that came afterward had a purpose. 

Sometimes, a chance is all it takes.

The end