Beyond the Sound | Yuzuru Hanyu

40.

The events that led to Yuzuru's Notte Stellata show merely allowed Maya to get to know the side of him that was protected for so long.

Well, it was protected only because she had never really asked about it, but eventually, it was time for her to know that side of his.

It had been a long and dreadful night as he recalled the events of the day that changed his life forever.

He cried and it wasn't pretty but Maya was very glad that he trusted her enough to tell her all of it in detail.

Maya could see it clearly, the influence of that day on his personality and how he saw every single adverse situation in his life.

Maybe even part of the reason for him to be seemingly so certain about their relationship.

He just didn't do anything in half measures.

Was it that surprising when he went through just a traumatic event at an early age of his life?

She took the opportunity of being in Sendai to watch the rehearsals leading up to the show, it felt different, casual even.

The one thing that impressed her the most was his ability to go through all of those rehearsals and planning even after hosting GIFT a few days before.

And obviously, his back was still nowhere near healed.

When the time of the show came, Maya couldn't help but watch carefully as the sound team worked to get everything ready. She didn't say a thing, she didn't interrupt but she still made sure they were doing a good job.

For anyone who didn't know better, she was a member of the staff, even if no role was necessarily attributed to her.

Still, if Maya saw something that she didn't particularly agree with, you could be certain that she would speak up about it, no matter how small that detail could be.

She didn't miss the looks that a few of the sound team members threw at her but it wasn't as if she cared that much that they were bothered to have her watch them carefully. If they did a good job, there was no reason to worry.

Yuzuru seemed to notice her eyes as he entered the venue and instantly smiled in reaction to her stance.

"Maya... Let the poor men do their jobs in peace... That look is scary."

"I doubt these grown men would be afraid of a look, Yuzu."

A man that she didn't recognize seemed to find the situation funny as he chuckled by Yuzuru's side.

"She's feisty." he muttered loud enough for her sensitive ears to catch it.

"Believe me, you have no idea." Yuzuru replied back as she approached them.

"I heard that."

"I'm well aware you did, my love."

Yuzuru chuckled at her widened eyes. He wasn't one to often be so obvious about his feelings in front of others, not even with his own family. Seeing him so comfortable with this man that she had never seen before seemed weird to her.

She wasn't the only one caught by surprise. The man who heard it was equally stunned.

"You're oddly confident today." she joked.

"Kohei, this is Maya."

"Your girlfriend, I presume?"

"I prefer to call her my future wife."

The small comment earned him a hit in his chest that made him laugh.

"Smart of you. She seems like a good one."

"I'm right here, you know?"

"I'm sorry, Maya-san. I'm Uchimura Kohei, it's nice to meet you."

"It is nice to meet you as well, even with Yuzuru's teasing."

"Kohei is the gymnast that will be performing at the show."

"oh... I'm sorry, I don't follow the sport. But I do hear that you're incredible."

"You flatter me, Maya-san. I'm getting old and rusty now."

"Somehow I doubt that. I hope you have a good time at the show."

"I will for sure."

"He even got skates... I've managed to convince an Olympic Gymnastics champion to try figure skating before convincing my own girlfriend... Who would've guessed?"

"Tease all you want but you won't catch me on that slippery ice any time soon."

"A guy can try."

Kohei watched their interaction with a smile. There weren't a lot of people at the venue but seeing Yuzuru this comfortable and relaxed was a different look than he had been used to seeing in the man that he now considered a friend.

There were no doubts that this girl had his whole heart and they seemed to be good for each other. Yuzuru's love was obvious when he pulled her close and kissed her forehead, completely discarding his surroundings.

"I'm sure you have better things to do than deal with me" Maya eventually said. "I will just be pestering the sound guys while you work."

With a smile, Yuzuru called out for the leader of the sound team.

"I just wanted to say that if this lady wants to change anything, please allow her. She can be a pest, but she is usually right."

"Hanyu-san, this isn't a good idea."

"And why is that?"

"I'm sure you can understand that we can't just allow someone inexperienced to..."

"This is the woman responsible for every detail of my show at the Tokyo Dome. If she is good enough for them and for a show of that magnitude, I'm sure we can allow for her suggestions here as well."

Maya looked at him with a satisfied smirk. She liked it when he spoke of her like that.

"I wouldn't worry too much. I will only change things if they are terribly wrong... You just have to do a good job."