This is the story of Ayame, a young artistic gymnast who, due to a stroke of fate, can no longer practise her sport. In search of a new purpose in life, she comes to Sendai from her home town of Sapporo by chance to work in the house of a famous fig...
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Toshiro-sensei now wanted to know everything that had happened from Ayame, but he immediately realized that her nerves were beginning to flutter as well.
"I think I need to take care of you now too... please, take this, it's a homeopathic remedy that calms the nerves a little. Let it melt in your mouth. It will help you to see things more clearly. That's important now."
"Yes, Yashida-sensei, of course. Anything you think is right." Ayame took the small, white homeopathic globules.
"That's right. Calm down, everything is under control for now."
Ayame sighed.
"Just sit here for a while and breathe. I'll get you some tea, shall I?"
"Thank you, that would be good..."
When the doctor returned with the teacup in his hand, Ayame had closed her eyes and was breathing in and out deeply.
"I see..." the doctor said quietly. "I see you know what to do yourself..." He carefully put the cup down on the desk where they were sitting.
Ayame opened her eyes. "I learned breathing techniques years ago and use them often. It's almost a remedy for everything. But sometimes... you reach your limits even with it!"
"Of course! Especially in a situation involving a loved one. Because it's love, isn't it?" Toshiro-sensei wanted to know.
"Yes... it has... surprisingly and quickly become love..." Ayame blushed slightly and bowed her head.
"Please, don't be ashamed of loving Yuzuru! He deserves your love, and you deserve his. That much is clear to me. I'm glad that you two have each other!"
Ayame nodded.
"Does Yumi know yet? She'll want to know what happened," the doctor asked after a little while.
"No, I... thought about calling her, but then thought it best not to call her. Because of her argument with Yuzuru. That's what started the whole thing in the first place."
"Do you know what happened?"
Ayame now told the doctor everything she knew in detail. She wasn't comfortable at first, but she realized that it was necessary now. She took her time.
"We have to tell Yumi. It can't wait. You understand that, don't you? It would only make things worse." Toshiro-sensei said after Ayame finished. "The two of them need to sort this out as quickly as possible. Because the bond between Yuzuru and his mother is strong, very strong. He can't cope with this shock in his current situation," the doctor summarized.
"As far as I can tell, his life has taken a positive turn since you came into his life. Apart from the almost-pregnancy... and even that would have been manageable..." Toshiro-sensei thought for a moment.
"We would have made it together!" Ayame assured the doctor.
"Yes, I'm convinced of that, Ayame-san. Still, at the moment it's better that it didn't happen... It's very, very good that you're here, that you're with him. I've known him for most of his life. I know exactly what he's like. The best thing that could have happened to him is a woman who understands him. And you obviously do. Otherwise you wouldn't be here now and we wouldn't be having this conversation." Toshiro-sensei put it in a nutshell.
"I... love him... quite simply! I want him to be well!" was all Ayame said.
"Yes..." the doctor smiled, "... I know that! ... I'll call Yumi now, but I'll ask her not to come over yet. She can't do anything for him now anyway. But she needs to know. Will you please check on him in the meantime? It's been almost two hours since he fell asleep. Let's see if he reacts again. Try to wake him up gently."
"Alright, I'll go to him."
Ayame stood up slowly. She felt a little wobbly as she left the study and walked over to Yuzuru's room. All the excitement had left its mark. But now it wasn't about her, it was about him first and foremost!
***
Ayame slipped quietly through the half-opened sliding door, climbed over Yuzuru's clothes and sat down carefully by his bed.
He lay there, asleep, breathing calmly, his hair sticking to his face, which no longer looked so tense, but was smeared with tears.
Ayame's heart tightened. It hurt to see him lying here like this.
She thought of his energy, his joy, his ecstasy when he had last been on the ice. She thought of his thoughtfulness when he had described to her the feelings he had experienced during "GIFT". And how he had gone through all the fears with her when they suspected they were pregnant.
Finally, Ayame thought about how he must have felt when his mother, whom he loved so much, had suddenly thrown so many bad things at him.
No wonder all these emotions had now become too much for him! His soul had had to endure so much, and now it simply hadn't managed to process it all.
Ayame took his hand, it was warm and dry, no longer freezing cold and wet with sweat. That was good. She squeezed it lightly.
"Yuzu, my heart?" she whispered softly. "Your Aya is here with you."
Nothing. He didn't move. Ayame tried again.
"There's something I really need to tell you, so would you please wake up for me?"
Again, nothing. He remained silent and didn't move.
Ayame did not give up. She tenderly stroked Yuzuru's cheek, brushed his hair out of his face, leaned over and whispered directly into his ear as she continued to caress him.
"Yuzu, my heart. I love you so much, and I wish I could look into your beautiful eyes. Would you please open them for me?"
She sought his lips and kissed them tenderly.
He remained silent... but then, suddenly, a barely audible whisper.
"Aya... my flower..."
"Yuzu!", Ayame's eyes welled up with tears. "There you are again..."
He opened his eyes and looked straight at her.
"Aya... my Aya..."
She looked at him with a gentle smile.
"My heart!"
Yuzuru slowly and awkwardly dug his arms out from under the blanket to finally wrap them around Ayame, who was now burying her face against his neck.
