Yuzuru came home late from practice one night, but instead of the usual welcome home greeting he would get from Misaki that came along with a hug, he heard the sound of her in frustration as she was on the phone with somone.
Coming closer to her bedroom door, he began hearing what she was talking about.
"I don't understand what part of you that doesn't understand that I am not ready to go back to work yet. I'm on a break and I would like to extend my break for just another month."
"Why does it matter to you where I am? I'm doing my best to stay out of the spotlight."
"You can't just send out a search party just because I'm not telling you where I am, mum. I'm not some high school girl anymore. I'm an adult and I can do what I want."
Her shouting suddenly came to a halt as she let out a sigh of defeat.
"Fine. I'll go back. But make sure the offer's worth it."
Once she hung up, he walked away and she opened the door to find him sitting on the sofa, head filled with thought. She greeted him with a backhug and greeted him.
"Welcome home." She said with her usual sweet tone. Taking a seat beside him, she held both his hands and he smiled at her.
"You seem stressed, Misaki." He commented.
"So you heard that, huh?" Misaki said with an exhale, "It was my mother. She's telling me to go back to Japan for a whole two weeks of busy schedules."
"You have to get back to work now, huh?"
"I've been working for a whole year with no breaks. I take a few months off and she just pulls me back into the industry." Misaki explained with annoyance in her voice, "This was exactly what took me away from you before."
The two were silent, as they both recalled the incident - where Misaki just disappeared from Yuzuru's life as if she had never been there, and she was on a plane crying her eyes out with her mother having a satisfied look on her face.
"Let's go out for a walk." Yuzuru suggested, "It's late, so we won't need to wear disguises."
Misaki grabbed her coat, and Yuzuru did as well as he opened the door for her and they walked out of the apartment together.
"Where are you taking me, Yuzuru?" She asked, and he led her to a small family home that had a garden and a welcome mat on the front porch. Knocking on the door, a woman who resembled Yuzuru very much so greeted them.
"Hi, mum. It's late, but can we have some tea here?" He asked.
"Son!" His mother greeted, and once she noticed who Misaki was, a gasp escaped her lips, "Akiyama Misaki-san? What are you doing here?"
"Mum, this is my girlfriend, Misaki. Misaki, this is my mother, Hanyu Yumi."
"Pleasure to meet you." Misaki said with a 90 degree bow.
His mother was a bit taken aback. Yuzuru was never so fond of relationships. She was sure her son was a workaholic who was married to his work, but she never thought that out of all the girls, he would bring a celebrity back to meet her.
"Pleasure to meet you!" Yumi said with happiness, "Thank you for being a great support to Yuzuru."
Yumi didn't hesitate to invite her in, treated her like family, and they surprisingly got along well. She showed Misaki Yuzuru's baby photos and some of the old costumes she had sewn for him.
"He doesn't need me to come with him anymore but I just love this house. I make sure to tend to it each time he comes back here. But after this, Yuzuru will be living alone when he comes to train in Canada." She said, "He was such a baby back then, depending so much on his mother despite being a nineteen-year-old."
Yuzuru was embarrassed, but Misaki loved the idea of Yuzuru and his mother being that close, since she never had a good relationship with her mother.
They enjoyed tea on the kitchen island and Yumi talked a lot to Misaki, specifically about her work and dreams.
"I was brought into the industry by my mother. But if I weren't modelling in the future, I would very much like to be a translator."
"You could translate for me. That way you'd be with me almost all the time." Yuzuru joked, and the two women laughed.
"This boy can't be further than five kilometers from the people he loves. He must stick to you like glue." Yumi said.
After the visit, the two left, and Yumi told Misaki to visit her when they were in Japan as well, and she agreed to do so.
The walk home, Misaki had a smile on her face and she told Yuzuru, "Your mother's a really nice woman. She raised you well too."
"She's right though. I'm always so dependent on my loved ones. It's annoying, isn't it?"
"I'd like it if you were dependent on me a little more. It makes me feel like you trust me with your heart." She said.
She suddenly attacked him with a hug and her expression turned sad. Yuzuru kept both his arms around her tightly, not wanting to let her go.
"I don't want things to be like the past. I don't want to disappear from you again."
"You won't. I promise, this time, I won't let you disappear. I'll come back to you after the season, and I'll come running." He told her.
In his words, she felt sincerity, and this time, they were both much older than when she last left. She was sure that this time it would be different.
The very next morning, Yuzuru was training at the rink with a little Japanese girl and he was simply teaching her during his free time. He realised today was the day Misaki was leaving. But even if that were the case, their fame didn't allow them to say their goodbyes at the airport.
"Yuzuru-kun." The little girl called.
"What is it, Aiko?" He asked with a sweet voice.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind. Do you need my help?"
His heart melted at the little girl as he began to squish her cheeks.
"You're so cute. I'll be fine, Aiko."
"It seems like I have some tough competition." Misaki's voice suddenly came from behind. She had her bag in her hand, and he knew what that meant.
"Hey." He said, as he went out of the rink to greet her with a kiss.
"Relax, she's a little too young for me." Yuzuru joked, "Is it time?"
"It is. The car's waiting for me outside, and I'll arrive in Japan tomorrow morning." She told him, "I'm going to miss you."
He took her to the back where there weren't many people and he said, "We can't let Aiko see this."
He kissed her passionately and cherished everything, hoping that that would be enough before he could kiss her again in the future, which was unknown.
"I'm going to miss you a lot." He said, caressing her cheek with his thumb. The two hugged and she placed something in his hand before leaving. He watched her walk out in her jeans and jacket, not noticing the tears that she was trying to hide as she was rushing out so he wouldn't see them.
I guess it's back to reality from here. They both thought.
But it's different this time.
I'm sure it is.
Because we'll come back to each other this time.
YOU ARE READING
In Our Corner of the World || y.h.
Fanfiction"it was in this moment, this place became our little corner of the world." The story evolves around seventeen year old Yuzuru Hanyu, who was still in high school, and Akiyama Misaki, the new girl who came to their town. The curiosity he had for her...
