Unforgettable | Yuzuru Hanyu

18. Embrace

On that very same day that Kana overheard the coaches' conversation, from the moment she was alone with Yuzuru on that ice, she could gradually feel him approaching her.

Even as she skated around, trying to recover her aching muscles, she could feel him slowly skating behind her.

In the beginning, Kana really tried to ignore it and allow him to just do as he pleased but eventually, as it became painfully clear that he wasn't stopping any time soon, she turned around and finally confronted him.

"Do you need anything, Hanyu-san?"

The skater in question seemed a bit surprised by her sudden confrontation but still gave her a wide smile.

"Not really." he answered, knowing very well that she wasn't finding the whole thing funny. In a way, this man could be infuriating when he wanted to and it seemed like he had chosen her to be his victim.

Kana shut up and allowed him to follow her for a little while more before finally grunting and shaking her head in disapproval.

"Yuzuru!" Suddenly erupted from her as she turned around frustrated with him. It was easy to tell that the coaches were now on high alert and focused on them.

What he did next ended up leaving her completely speechless.

Yuzuru approached her, getting way too close for comfort and it took just a few seconds until she felt two arms wrap around her body from behind.

"You're very cute" he whispered in her ear.

You could be certain that if she was confused before, nothing could compare to how she was feeling then.
For starters, it wasn't normal that he felt comfortable enough to hug her so tightly and warmly in his embrace and then there was the other problem.

Kana's whole body was filled with goosebumps. Maybe she never knew what to expect from something like this but it certainly wasn't the wish to just stay there forever, to enjoy that embrace until the end of her time on earth.

She felt herself melting into the embrace and not even attempting to pull away, no matter how much her brain told her that it was wrong, her body seemed to think otherwise.

It felt weirdly like home, even if in her life she had never truly felt that way.

Sure enough, as the overwhelming mix of emotions gradually lowered, Kana could finally consider what was happening and why her body was reacting in that way.

There was no way that this was just about how he looked when the intensity of feelings consuming her whole body was too much.

Even so, just thinking of all the possibilities behind the way she was feeling was even more overwhelming.
She couldn't explain it but it was impossible to deny at the same time.

Yuzuru could easily have a hold on her and make it so all she wanted to do was let go and allow him anything he could possibly want.

"Yuzuru..."

It seemed like all she could do was say his name, this time in a very different way than when she was complaining. She was now pliant to his touch, melted into his embrace, and probably willing to give this man anything he could ask of her.

This had never happened in the past with anyone else and you could bet it was more and more confusing as she explored each interaction and touch.

"Relax... it's okay" he whispered once again.

It was only then that she realized that the coaches were long gone, leaving them completely alone in that venue.

"Where did they go?"

"Probably getting some coffee or something."

❄️

Her attempt to change the course of the interaction wasn't lost on him. Yuzuru was struggling with himself, trying not to do anything too crazy while getting a bit closer than he had been in the past weeks.

He wanted to desperately tell her everything but at the same time, he just couldn't be sure if she wanted to know anything about her past when it was so clear how much she had been avoiding it before.

Yuzuru had been wondering in the past weeks just how much she remembered, if anything at all. One thing was certain, her body still responded to him in the same exact way as it had in the past.

Even now, as he held her close in his embrace, he felt her relaxed stance. There was no denying that the connection was still there, no matter how many years had gone by.

❄️

Kana still didn't know what to do or what to think whenever he came so close. It was now pretty much impossible to deny how her body was so drawn to him, even now.

Truly, from the moment she noticed they were alone, all she wanted was to ask what was it about her that seemed to change him so much.

What was it that made him so keen on getting her attention and why was she so goddamn affected by every single thing he did?

In the end, she didn't ask a single thing, choosing to just linger on the emotions that seemed to fill the huge venue.

"Can I ask you something?" he eventually broke the silence and from that moment, Kana actually hoped he would say something about the whole thing that would help solve the mystery.

"Sure..."

He seemed to take some time to consider his next question, making her wonder what was on his mind after all.

It was only some moments later that he finally asked.

"Your memory... you don't remember a single thing at all?"