Dangerous Lines | Yuzuru Hanyu

47. Tiny Problem

Leaving him was as hard as she could have ever expected, but as necessary as ever.

He had his life to live and she needed to keep under the radar.

Yaeko couldn't forget she was in witness protection, despite how good it felt to be by his side.

Yuzuru was perfect in every way. He treated her better than anyone else ever before and there were no doubts of how genuine their feelings were.

When he told her he loved her, Yaeko didn't have a single doubt about the veracity of his words and maybe that's exactly how she believed everything would be fine, no matter what came next.

Getting back home after their shared night felt a bit weird, almost counterintuitive but upon arrival, she was instantly reminded of reality when her neighbours curiously asked her where she had spent the night.

Their interest in her life was obviously not new. Given how quiet the city was, it wasn't a surprise that no detail went unnoticed by those who loved to gossip.

"I was with a friend" she admitted before even considering the consequences.

Truth be told, Yaeko had just dug her own grave but there was no use in trying to dodge it now.

"And when are we meeting this friend?"

One thing was certain, she didn't plan for that to happen in any near future but it was probably for the best to just keep them guessing.

"Not sure. We will see."

Just as fast as they had ambushed her with the interrogation, just as fast she was leaving them and entering her home.

Yaeko wasn't really sure why but her body just seemed to be unable to leave him. It ached to be apart and this was something that her body seemed to like to remind her.

But Yuzuru was also right. They would find a way. Once this was all over and her crazy husband was finally arrested for good, then they would have all the time in the world to enjoy each other's presence and touch.

She didn't regret a single thing, as she never did when it came to the skater but at the same time, Yaeko was still worried, not for herself but for his safety.

Being with him was a big risk and if there was anyone looking out and following her, this was dangerous for both of them. Yuzuru was her one weakness.

Well, there was nothing to do now that the whole thing was done. All she could was hope for the best and pray to whichever gods were out there that everything would be okay.

As the days went by and her boring life struck once again, Yaeko eventually started realizing that she would have to pray to the gods even more than expected.

You see, maybe she could have ignored a few symptoms in the past few weeks but once she started throwing up at the mere sniff of strong smells, it was way too obvious to ignore.

When it first started, she thought it was a virus, something that she caught after some bad food or anything of sorts but then? Then it never went away.

As much as she wanted to avoid the reality that was already settling in her brain, Yaeko eventually realized that she was too obvious for those around her as well.

Reality came swinging by when one of those ladies, the neighbours she both loved and dreaded so much, asked her so directly that Yaeko was caught dumbfounded.

"Are you pregnant?"

Yaeko swallowed dry. Deep down she had her suspicions, even before the throwing up started. It was back then, when she went to the show, that Yaeko realized that something was going on. She had never been a sensitive person after all.

The problem was that as much as she loved this man, Yaeko had to understand the implications it could have for the case, her trial and most of all, her safety.

If in the past she had always been more concerned about the skater, slowly understanding that she could be carrying his child changed a lot of things.

Yes, because he was the only option, no questions asked.

Maybe panicking before being certain was something naive but Yaeko had this inner feeling that something was different and the test she would end up buying would be just a needed confirmation.

When her neighbours asked her directly, however, she froze for a few seconds and only managed a very stupid answer "I'm not sure."

It's safe to say that such an ambiguous answer got everyone in a state of distress, going around her as if she were a child.

"What do you mean you don't know? You have to do a test!"

So maybe if she had any plans to avoid this any further, they had been quickly put down when they forced her to get a test. It wasn't simply going to disappear, after all.

Weirdly enough, as they forced her into her own apartment's bathroom, Yaeko could only think of Agent Miura and how much he was going to lose it once she finally told him.

The beep in her timer eventually rang and the nerves were all back at once as she stared at the white stick with the answer to her future life.

Grabbing her phone, the one she only used in emergencies, Yaeko dilled the number with trembling fingers.

"Hello? Is everything ok?" She heard on the other side of the line.

"Agent... We might have a problem."