With A New You

𝘊𝘏𝘈𝘗𝘛𝘌𝘙 𝘛𝘏𝘐𝘙𝘛𝘠-𝘕𝘐𝘕𝘌

𝑇𝐻𝐼𝑅𝐷 𝑃𝐸𝑅𝑆𝑂𝑁 𝑃𝑂𝑉

          Maki is in awe of Megumi and his performance, she can feel the emotion from all he does. She wasn't going to take this job, she wanted to vacation far away but when she heard Megumi was going to be there, she had no choice. For so long her and her family have been looking for him, for the baby that was given away. "He's marvelous, Toji. His talent is exceptional." Maki compliments over the phone as she watches the show from the performance on her hotel room television. 

     "Shit, I wish I could've been there to see him. How does he look? Healthy?" Toji questions, feeling such relief from knowing that after all this time, they've found his child. He has a son and he didn't even know. He didn't know whether it was a girl or boy, whether the child resembled her or him or neither of them. Toji sees the competition on his television at home, he sees his son on the ice. He's perfect, he's so perfect and Toji wants to see him so badly. He's been worried sick for years about his child, about if he was being taken care of. 

       "Healthy. From the intel I gathered he has a good relationship with the mute skater Inumaki Toge. He has a group of friends that showed up as his support as well as his adoptive parents. Toji, his adoptive mother is related to your late wife. They're cousins." Maki tells him, ripping off the band-aid. Toji is silent, watching his son finish his performance. He looks off into the crowd towards someone, adoration in his eyes as he lets out a breathless smile before making his way off the ice. Toji's late wife, Megumi's mother, was never close to her family. All along he had been so close without him realizing it.

     "I'm a horrible father."

      "You're not. A horrible father would be not even looking for your child. You searched tirelessly while getting completely sober from the drugs and alcohol. Being clean for over fifteen years is something to be proud of. If Megumi is as smart as I believe he is, he will appreciate that about you too. Get some rest, don't worry too much. The judges had a lot of positive things to say about his performance." Maki tells him before hanging up the phone. 

      Her sister Mai, and her irritating cousin Naoya, as well as Toji's brother Jinichi had to witness Toji in the worst possible state. He was always drunk and doing all different kinds of drugs, starting fights and crying, nearly overdosing and then actually overdosing. All the while he kept with him two things. A picture of him and his late wife, looking happy and in love as he hugged the smaller woman from behind. The other was a tiny, baby blue and white teddy bear that looked so small in the palm of Toji's hand. Maki never knew that the blue teddy bear was supposed to be a gift for his unborn child. She'll never know why Megumi's mother ran away or why she gave him to her cousins without Toji's knowledge. Since the woman is dead and has been for many years, they'll never get the answers.

      There was no record of her going to hospital, it was as if she never even existed. 

      Eighteen years old, her cousin is still so young. Maki and Mai are twenty three and already Maki feels like she's in her late forties. Naoya is twenty two, one year younger than the twins but still older than Megumi. 

       She can't believe they really found him and he's a figure skater of all things! She can't wait to talk to him, she hopes he's as amazing as they always believed him to be.