Beyond the Sound | Yuzuru Hanyu

68.

Yuzuru knew he needed time to think.

If he was to just go to Maya and confront her about the situation, the most likely scenario would be that things would go south and they would both go mad.

Going back to his hotel, he decided on a shower to try and clear his head.

6 years. 

He hadn't heard a single thing from her.

Not that he tried to.

He remembered their last interaction second by second when she placed the ring on his hands and every single word she uttered.

Looking back, he remembered the pain in her eyes, remembered how she looked different from usual, and how forced the exchange had been. He remembered his mother's doubts when they found that she had left Tokyo.

Until now, Yuzuru had done his absolute best to forget every second of that interaction and yet, on that day, with water running over his head, he just wanted to remember every single detail.

There had to be something he had missed on that day.

Why would Maya choose Toronto? Why would she even work at Cricket and why did she name her child Kaiya?

logically, if the woman wanted to move away from him, if she truly didn't feel anything, the last thing she would do was to move to a place that was so inherently tied to his past.

Cricket had once been his home, there were pictures of him everywhere and his name was just above the ice.

Why would Maya endure seeing the name of a man she supposedly hated every single day for 6 years?

Nothing made sense in his head, especially when he thought of the little girl who seemed so naturally talented on the ice at such a young age.

Maya allowed her daughter to skate.

At every single new thing he uncovered, it just seemed like the woman that he had been actively trying to forget was doing her very best to keep her memories of him.

Yuzuru eventually left the shower, only to start pacing around in his hotel room.

5 years old...

He just couldn't do anything without knowing for sure.

Was that little girl his daughter?

🎚️

Maya knew the predicament she had gotten herself into.

She heard Yuzuru's question to Kaiya and knew he had to be doing the math in his head.

It wouldn't be too long until he realized that there was a big possibility that the little girl was his.

Not only that, the woman knew how obvious it was when you looked at the little details.

Kaiya was such a natural on that ice that one would assume she had been doing it since she was born. 

The raven black hair and the smile were carbon copies of her father, even if you could only notice that when you looked carefully.

As she laid her daughter in bed on that night, Maya tried to come up with excuses to herself, for hiding this for so long, for trying her best to keep Kaiya hidden from him.

And yet, she knew that she was obvious at the same time.

Toronto and Cricket had been too risky. She knew that there was a possibility of Yuzuru coming back one day. She just never expected him to recognize her so easily.

Now, as she remembered his face when the little girl said her age, Maya was sure that he knew.

Yuzuru wasn't dumb.

The real question was if he cared enough to ask or if he wanted distance just like he had asked 6 years ago.

🎚️

Yuzuru woke up the next morning feeling terrible.

He had barely slept on that night.

He needed urgent answers.

Still, he had his responsibilities as well and he had promised Tracy that he would be at the rink on the next day.

Yuzuru dragged himself to the TCC probably looking terrible with the lack of sleep.

As fate had it, the first person he saw as he entered the club was one of the women who had consumed his every sleepless thought.

Maya was right at the desk, working earlier than he would expect.

He approached the front desk with the excuse of needing permission to enter the rink area but in reality, he just wanted to talk to her.

"Hey" he muttered weakly.

In her eyes, you could see that she probably hadn't got much sleep either and it made him wonder just how much he didn't know.

"Hi."

Maya seemed to note that she was softer than on the previous day. His tiredness was obvious but there was something else. It was as if he was afraid of how she would react to any conversations he started.

Still, Yuzuru knew he had to face the demons eventually.

"Can we talk?" he muttered eventually, receiving a weak smile and a nod.

"I'm on my shift now."

"Yeah... huh... when are you done?"

"3 pm. I have lunch time but I don't think this is the right place."

Yuzuru knew what she meant and realized that Maya had also been anticipating their conversation.

"Yeah... after? Maybe over coffee?"

"I think it's best if we talk in a private space."

Scratching the back of his neck, Yuzu tried to come up with a solution.

"Huh... I have my hotel."

"My apartment should be fine, if you're alright with that. It's close enough to walk."

He had to admit he was slightly surprised at the offer but at this point, he would take anything that Maya was willing to give.

"Alright. I will make sure to end the session early enough then."

"Okay."

"Huh...Maya..."

Noting his intense look, Maya knew that this was too dangerous given the place they were in.

"Not now, Yuzuru. Later."

"OK, OK. I will see you later then."

"Yes. Enjoy your session."

As stunned as he was, those 3 words managed to get a smile on his face. All of those years hating on Maya and now he was like putty in her hands. 

Some things never do change.