Unforgettable | Yuzuru Hanyu

46. Grandparents

Yuzuru made sure she quickly settled in his room without many questions asked.

Kana didn't mind it one bit. Being in his arms at night was the best way she could imagine for a good and refreshing night of sleep.

He was her best confident when she didn't have Stella and those first few nights, she confessed every fear and reticence about the pending subject of her family.

Only then did he inform her of his plans. Yuzuru admitted that he visited them every time he was in Sendai and that it wouldn't be too hard to go there now as well.

The whole thing was scary enough as it was but adding to that the very obvious old age of the couple, it was only natural that she worried about them being able to handle such a crazy revelation.

There wasn't any real excuse on her part. All of it was useless when the master of self-control was right by her side and ready to pounce at any hesitation but it didn't mean that all of her worries disappeared.

Once they had finally settled on a date, her first instinct was to research Japanese culture and the gifts and exchanges that you were expected to respect in each circumstance.

"Baby, you do know you can ask me those kinds of things, right?" he asked as he noticed what she was doing.

"I didn't want to bother you. I know you're probably sick of all my doubts by now."

"Nonsense. I want to be here for you in every single circumstance, no matter what it is. You don't bore me in the slightest."

"You think they'll react well?

There it was, the full reality of her concerns. Just like with his mom, Kana always worried about the impact that the news of her survival could have on everyone's lives. She didn't want to be a burden to people after so much time had elapsed and the obvious fact that she still didn't remember much wasn't helping the situation in the slightest.

"Kana-chan... I don't see how they could react any other way..."

"You're sure?"

"I think you severely underestimate your importance in the lives of those who care about you."

It was impossible to ignore the spark of butterflies on her stomach. That's just the way he always made her feel and the simplest of words could relax her so easily that it was almost scary.

Kana closed her laptop and kissed his lips gently, enjoying the soft touch of his skin. It didn't matter how many times they had been in a situation just like that, the girl had learned to value every exchange as if it was the last.

Just being in his arms was already reassuring. He cuddled her to sleep and made her forget about every single insecurity and problem that came with the situation seemed to be magically gone. The power of his love never failed to amaze her and not once she would take it for granted.

💙

On the day of the scheduled visit, Kana was shaking with every step.

Dressed in a beautiful flowy dress and armed with a selection of expensive fruits, she wasn't feeling ready in the slightest.

Just like every other time, knowing that he was right by her side seemed to drastically improve her mood and prospect of the situation. Yuzuru just kept smiling every time she glanced at him. In a way, it was almost as if the skater knew that it was what she needed to feel better right away.

He drove the whole way, surprising her with how easily he could be around Sendai without causing too much ruckus. It wasn't too hard to realize that people in town were used to seeing him around and that wasn't really a matter of concern for the skater.

Once they finally arrived, the deep breath that left her made him focus on her face again.

"Are you ok?"

"Just nervous."

"I'm right by your side, ok? Anything goes wrong and I'm here for you."

His presence wasn't underestimated. In no way she could do this without his presence and support.

So when he finally opened the door of her side of the car and gently guided her to the door, she felt supported, even if not ready in the slightest.

Kana hid a bit behind him, unsure of how to guide the conversation without making it any more awkward than it was certainly going to be.

If it wasn't Yuzuru ringing the bell, she highly doubted that she would do it herself.

From the moment the door opened, Kana heard the excited voice of an older lady greet Yuzuru so fast that she barely noticed her surroundings.

"Yuzu-kun! You came to visit! How are you? Have you been eating well? Not training too much?"

The whole exchange was so cute that she wanted to melt. Just like she had been part of his family, he was part of hers as well.

Being distracted by the excitement of his presence, the woman only realized that he wasn't the only one there after a few seconds.

"Mizuki-san... I have something to tell you "

"You brought a girlfriend, Yuzu-kun? Have you found someone special? I never thought you would..."

The woman had barely looked at her face until that moment but mere seconds later in the midst of the rambling, her eyes were closing in on the girl by Yuzuru's side and she finally realized that this was no ordinary girl.

"Hi." Kana ended up muttering, unsure of what to say at that moment to this woman who effectively felt like a stranger to her. The warm eyes felt welcome, despite the obvious shock that the woman was currently enduring.

She saw the older woman turn to Yuzuru again in confusion.
"Yuzu-kun... this isn't possible..."

"It is, Mizaki-san and I hope you give Kana the chance to explain."

And just before she knew it, Kana felt the tightest embrace of her life. She was home.