Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

21. Departure

Just because they had found a way to keep contact, it didn't mean that the departure was any less painful.

Yae knew how suspicious it would be if she did what her body really wanted, to wrap itself around him and enjoy that body warmth one last time before she left. Keeping all of her calm and collected exterior wasn't exactly easy but she somehow managed it.

The tears were still in her eyes, not only because of the man in front of her eyes but also everyone around them.

Nakayama-san was wary from the moment she saw her tears. So far, the older woman had kept her calm and not once mentioned the very obvious times when she looked a bit down but on that day, no one seemed to be able to ignore her.

"Yaeko-chan..." she approached carefully with a term of endearment that had become usual. "Are you ok?"

Sure enough, Yuzuru's eyes seemed to be begging the shop owner to avoid mentioning anything but the concern was just too obvious.

"I'm ok" she tried to reassure Nakayama-san. "But I'm leaving today so it's always a bit hard to say goodbye."

Yaeko barely had time to react before the woman's arms were around her, tight in a hug that brought even more tears to her eyes.

"We will all miss you so much... Yuzu-kun, you better give her a tight hug as well."

Yuzuru seemed lost for words when he heard it but the expression was quickly wiped away and a gentle smile settled in his face. It was almost as if he needed an excuse to touch her and the older woman had provided it without even realizing it.

"It seems fair, doesn't it?"

His smile brought warmth across her body and the moment he touched her, it seemed like everything would be alright. The excuse they both needed for each other's touch was dutifully provided and enjoyed.

"Thank you... for everything." Yaeko whispered in his ear, receiving a small hum in acknowledgment.

"You know the door is always open for you. Sendai will miss you."

"Just Sendai?" she joked right away, almost in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

"You know I will miss you like crazy... now what am I going to do in the morning?"

"You're probably going to have a stable sleeping schedule."

"Somehow... I highly doubt that"

It was with smiles that they did say goodbye. The ping on her phone, the one she had before that morning, was the alert she needed from her husband that it was time to leave.

Yaeko took one last meaningful look at the place where she had spent so many hours and then, at the people who had welcomed her like no one ever before. Surely enough, most of them didn't know who she was, either way, she had always felt more accepted in Sendai than anywhere else ever before.

It felt wrong to leave but like so many other times before, it wasn't as if she had any other choice.

There wasn't anything else to do but obey.  She knew what happened to those who tried to leave and the last thing she wanted was to be yet another victim.

For now, the goal was to just accept her fate and eventually, finding a way out in another way. Doing anything too irrational was a perfect recipe to end up dead somewhere.

It was impossible to resist one last hug to Yuzu, who seemed to be as emotional as she was despite the attempt to make it look as if nothing was going on.

"If he ever touches you wrong..."

"You won't do anything because I value your life way too much to even tell you about it in the first place."

The conflict in his eyes was evident but Yuzuru didn't say anything else.

Neither of them wanted to say goodbye with a fight and it was far better to just enjoy those last few minutes instead of making a scene.

"Keep in touch, ok?"

"I will do my very best."

Just like that, it was time to say goodbye. It was time to leave the first place that made her happy during those 10 years of marriage and go back to the life she hated so much.

At the very least, the experience made her realize how much there was to see in the world and how life could be different if she hadn't experienced the same chaos in her life.

Knowing how it felt made her value those moments even more now and you could bet she would enjoy every second of freedom that was allowed of her.

On the back of her mind was Yuzuru's well-thought-out idea to gift her that phone. Yae was more than aware of how much she had to keep it hidden but the whole thing meant more to her than she could ever describe. The gesture alone showed her how much he cared and wanted to keep in contact.

It was even the exact color and model of her current one, making it easier to hide if she was ever caught. 

His genius surprised her sometimes but she should've known by now that you can never underestimate that man.

Now, as she returned to the man in her life who was supposed to love and cherish her, Yaeko knew it would be easier to live with the prospect of having a few chats with a certain figure skater.

And who knows, maybe the NTV director or someone else connected to the media would screw up and allow her one excuse to see this incredible man in person again.

Because one thing was certain, seeing him once was never enough.