Unforgettable | Yuzuru Hanyu

42. Jealousy

The circumstances of the trip to Japan were highly debated between them.

For once, Yuzuru kept insisting that this wasn't a choice she should do merely because he suggested it but Kana had long made up her mind.

She had to know how it felt to be back home and more than anything, she wanted to meet the people of her family that were long gone from her mind.

Maybe that was the one thing she was mostly nervous about. Meeting her grandparents meant that they would have to know about her being alive and the last thing she wanted was to shock them too much without any preparation.

Still, Yuzuru kept insisting that she was overreacting with the whole thing and that she shouldn't be afraid of their reaction.

She knew he wanted to reassure her but that seemed very difficult when she was already imagining every single possible situation on earth when the day actually came to life. In all reality, the man himself knew them better than she did, at least right now, so maybe trusting him was the right call after all.

They planned it for the summer. Yuzu had shows to do in Japan and was more than willing to be by her side through the experience that was connecting with her past.

Let's just say that the months that followed were hard to endure because of all the anticipation. She was definitely nervous but at the same time, couldn't wait for the experience to finally meet some of the people that had seen her grow up.

Before that, however, the man she frequently shared a bed with had been pressuring her to do something she wasn't fully confident about... AKA, meeting his mother.

Kana had been informed by him that his mom had known her in the past, as expected. What wasn't really nice in her eyes was that the woman seemed to be very keen on meeting her again.

It was one thing to date the man, it was another to actually go and meet the family.

The problem was that the whole thing was pretty much impossible to avoid. Yumi was often the one who drove Yuzuru and that meant that every single day, Kana was dutifully reminded of the detail that she had been actively avoiding in her mind.

"Come on, I promise my mom is nice." he said at one particular time as they left the rink.

"Yuzu... I just don't think I'm ready for that."

One is never ready to meet their partner's parents, but there was no reason to tell him that directly.  

Yuzuru teased her right away, hands immediately on her belly, tickling her to the point of no return.

"Yuzu! Stop!!"

In a way, this day was like any other for them. The easiness in the conversation and the little fun moments that always defined them. 

Yet, just as she was starting to giggle again and resist the temptation of kissing his lips, a figure showed up in front of them and quickly took her out of Yuzuru's arms by force.

"What the..." she heard the Japanese skater mutter and his eyes turn into rage as he noticed exactly who it was.

"Matt?"

"She told you to stop." the other skater quickly said, expression fixed on Yuzuru as he clearly looked mad. The truth was that Kana had no idea what was going on but the tension in the room was way too high to simply ignore. One thing was certain, both men looked ready to kill one another.

"Matt, it's fine."

"No it isn't. Just because he's famous it doesn't mean he has the right to do as he pleases."

She couldn't believe how their situation was so easily misinterpreted. In a way, it shouldn't be that big of a surprise if she had been paying enough attention to Matt and how he was constantly looking at her.

Throughout the exchange, Yuzuru didn't say a single word.

Kana could see it in his expression and closed fists; he clearly wanted to do something about it but chose to stay as calm as his body allowed and not make a scene.

Matt started rambling again, stopping every attempt of Yuzuru's to get closer to her. What was initially sweet when you thought of his concern, soon turned into something that she wasn't comfortable with.

She was usually calm and collected, just like her boyfriend was, but when it got too much, a few seconds were all it took for her to go a bit crazy.

"STOP IT!" she let out immediately in a tone that managed to even surprise Yuzuru. In no way did he expect her to speak out but it was very clear that she wasn't amused with the whole situation either.

"What?" the other man mumbled.

"Me and Yuzu were just messing around with one another. I don't need protection, Matt."

She could see the proud look on the man's face quickly disappear and an expression of anger showing up just as easily. He didn't expect Kana's reaction either.

"But..."

"No... I'm not some damsel in distress."

Just as quick as she was saying those words, Kana took Yuzu's hand and dragged him the hell out of there. There was no doubt in her mind that she was about to have a lot to explain and all she hoped for was his kindness.

"Slow down." Yuzu said with a smile on his face.

"Let's just get the hell out of here."

"I take it you won't go and meet my mom today, then?"

"Yuzu..."

"Fine... whatever you say. Just let me know when you feel ready."

"Just like that?"

"Can I admit something?"

The mere thought of Yuzuru overthinking something should be enough indication that it was trouble.

"Should I be scared?"

"Hum... not really."

"What is it?"

When those words left her, Kana noted his face turn into a knowing smirk that she knew very well.

"I just... You have no idea how hot you looked when you faced him."