Chapter 21: Falling For Him

	The chapel was filled with people. Yume didn’t recognize many of them, but from her spot 
at the back of the room, she smiled when she spotted her friends from Kaleido -- minus Mikhail 
-- sitting in the pew just behind her parents and Ken, who held the most adorable baby boy in 
his arms. Her niece Hana, garbed in a frilly yellow dress, was making her way down the aisle, 
tossing matching rose petals on the ground, while matron-of-honor Sora stood at the front, 
beaming with pride at her daughter.

	Yume herself wore a Western-style strapless white gown with a yellow sash tied around 
the middle and carried a bouquet of daisies. Hiromasa, her husband-to-be, grinned when the 
traditional “Wedding March” began to play and he saw her for the first time, but as Yume began 
her walk down the aisle to the altar where he was waiting for her with love and adoration in his 
eyes, the only thought on her mind was that she was about to make the biggest mistake of her 
life. 

	“Is it just cold feet?” she wondered, fighting every urge to turn back around and 
runaway. After all, marriage was a huge commitment; it was normal to feel a little nervous and 
apprehensive about vowing to be together until death do you part, right?

	But deep in her heart, she knew it was more than just a case of last-minute nerves. She 
didn’t love Hiromasa -- at least, not in that way -- so why on Earth was she marrying him?

	No answer came to her as Yume reached the altar and took her spot next to a still-
grinning Hiromasa. She forced herself to smile as well.

	The officiant began the ceremony, his words going in one ear and out the other. Yume 
just couldn’t pay attention. She had to find a way to back out of this before it was too late, 
but how could she do that without embarrassing Hiromasa in front of all their friends and 
family?

	“If anyone present knows of any reason why this couple should not be wed, speak now, or 
forever hold your peace.”

	Upon hearing those words, Yume jumped back to attention and looked over her shoulder at 
the assembled guests, silently begging someone to speak up.

	No one did.

	She let out a sigh and turned her head back around just as the doors in the back of the 
chapel swung open. That time, everyone in the room turned their attention toward the back, 
including Yume and Hiromasa. Yume’s eyes widen when she realized who the latecomer was.

	“Misha!”

	A determined look on his face, Mikhail stalked down the aisle toward the altar, and 
without a word, he pulled Yume into the longest, most passionate kiss she had ever experienced. 
In the back of her mind, Yume knew she should have fought back, but she found no desire to do 
so, kissing him back with equal force. She didn’t protest either when the kiss finally ended and 
Mikhail gathered her in his arms bridal-style to carry her away.

	This was where she belonged, she realized, forever in Mikhail’s arms…

	At that point, Yume was rudely awakened from her dream by the sound of her alarm clock 
going off.

	“Okay, that was weird…”

	“What’s weird?” Fool asked, floating up in front of her after she turned off the alarm.

	She rolled her eyes and tossed aside her blanket to get out of bed. “You’re weird,” she 
said, pinning the blame for the dream on his silly prediction. “Why don’t you go bug somebody 
else for a change?”

	“I would, but, unfortunately, you’re still the only person here other than Sora who is 
able to see me.”

	“So I’m stuck with you? Is that what you’re saying?”

	“If I didn’t know better, I would think you didn’t want me around, Yume.”

	“Oh, really?” After pulling out her clothes for the day, she tossed him into a drawer so 
that she could change. “What ever gave you that idea?”

	“Just call it a hunch,” Fool said dryly, his voice muffled from inside.

	Yume stripped out of her pajamas and began putting on her practice clothes. “How long do 
you plan on hanging around, anyway?” 

	“Until you have reached the pinnacle of your pairs skating career.”

	“And when will that be? I know the reason you are here is because you think I have the 
ability to pull off some amazing, supernatural move like Sora did, but you’ve barely told me 
anything about it.”

	“For good reason: you’re not ready yet,” he said. “Besides, you have yet to find a 
partner, although I sense the time he will reveal himself is drawing close.”

	“I keep telling you, Fool, I already have a partner.” She was beginning to feel like a 
broken record.

	“Not for this, you don’t.”

	“Then who is he?”

	“That’s for your heart to decide.”

	“Huh?” Yume was more bewildered than ever by his words, but she shook her head, deciding 
it was too confusing for her to try to understand. “Never mind. I’ve had enough of your silly 
riddles,” she said, releasing him from the drawer. “I’m going to cafeteria.”

	After breakfast, it was time for the group skating practice to begin. Yume headed with 
her friends to the rink, where Hiromasa was already waiting for her outside the main doors. For 
a brief second, she flashed back to the dream she had earlier that morning, but she pushed the 
memory away and waved for him to come join them. “Mihara-kun!”

	“Naegino-san, ohayo gozaimasu!” he greeted as he walked over.

	Pilar, who was standing right behind Yume, discreetly whispered, “Kinda cute, but does 
he speak English?”

	“Some. He can follow most simple conversations, but I don’t think he’s fluent,” she 
whispered back.

	“Spanish?”

	“Probably not.”

	“Shame.” Pilar shook her head and sighed. “Oh, well, you can have him. I like my men to 
at least share a common tongue with me.”

	Yume rolled her eyes at her just before Hiromasa reached their group. “I’m so glad you 
were able to come watch us practice today, Mihara-kun,” she told him in Japanese before 
switching to English to introduce everyone. “I want you to meet my friends and fellow skaters: 
Pilar, Clarissa, and Elizaveta, but you can call her Liza. Girls, this is Hiromasa Mihara. He 
was my former partner in Japan.”

	Clarissa, who was nearest to him, was the first to offer her hand. “It’s so nice to meet 
you, Hiromasa,” she said, giving him a friendly smile.

	Unaccustomed with the Western custom of shaking hands, Hiromasa hesitated for a moment 
before taking it. “Yes, it is nice to meet you as well, Miss Clarissa,” he said in somewhat 
halting English. “I admired your performance at the Olympics with Mr. Sims. It was a beautiful 
program.” 

	“Thank you.” A faint blush colored her pale cheeks. “That’s very kind of you to say.”

	“So, you’re the guy who taught our Yume to skate pairs, huh?” Pilar asked, appearing as 
if she was sizing him up. “Hmm, I bet you were disappointed when she was selected to be 
Mikhail’s new partner and you two had to break up.”

	Hiromasa, of course, had no idea what she was suggesting. “Excuse me?”

	Yume shot Pilar a warning look. “Don’t mind Pilar. She doesn’t know what she is talking 
about.” Pushing open the doors leading to the rink, she led the group inside. “Anyway, we should 
probably start warming up before practice officially begins. Come on.”

	May, Dominique, and most of the guys except for Mikhail were already out on the ice, 
going through their warm-ups. The coach, spotting Hiromasa among their group, skated over to the 
boards, hands on hips.

	“Excuse me, but who are you, young man?” May demanded to know. “Our practices are closed 
to the public.”

	“He’s a guest of mine, Coach Wong,” Yume said, stepping forward. “I invited him to watch 
us practice today.”

	“I don’t care if he’s your boyfriend, Yume. You know the rules of this rink, and we have 
a strict no-spectators policy when it comes to practice.”

	Yume blushed a bright read at the assumption that Hiromasa was her boyfriend, but didn’t 
bother to correct May. “Please, will you bend the rules just this once?” she pleaded. “He flew 
all the way from Japan to see me in the show during a break from school, but since the show 
hasn’t opened yet, I told him it would be okay if he sat in on some of our practices.”

	“I can understand why you offered, but still --”

	“Come on, Coach,” Pilar interrupted. “Have a heart. It’s not like the guy is from a 
competing ice show, trying to steal our routines. He’s come all this way; it would be a shame if 
he didn’t get to see Yume skate.”

	After a moment of silent deliberation, May sighed. “Fine, I suppose he can stay,” she 
conceded. Pointing at Hiromasa, she continued, “But, you, hand over your cell phone and any 
cameras you might have. There will be no recording during practices.

	“H-Hai! I mean, yes, ma’am!” Hiromasa reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled 
out his cell phone, which he promptly handed over to May.

	“You can have this back after practice is over. The rest of you, put your skates on and 
get out on the ice. The show is coming up fast, and we don’t have a second to waste.”

	With that, May skated off to berate Dominique and Sebastien about the sloppy star lift 
they had just performed and Hiromasa staked out the best spot in the bleachers from which to 
watch the practice. Yume and the others, who were already dressed in their practice outfits, 
began changing into their skates.

	“Thanks, Pilar,” Yume said, smiling gratefully as she sat down beside Pilar on the 
bottom bleacher. “I really appreciate you sticking up for Hiromasa like that. I was afraid Coach 
Wong would make him leave.”

	“No problem,” Pilar said. “After all, it really would have been a shame if he had come 
all this way and he didn’t even get the chance to see the girl he loves skate, right?” She 
playfully nudged a blushing Yume in the side and winked. 

	“Will you stop saying things like that? Hiromasa is not in love with me!”

	“Whatever you say, Yume.”

	By the time she finished lacing up her skates, the rest of the girls had already joined 
their respective partners out on the ice. Mikhail, however, was still a no-show, which was an 
unusual occurence for him. Other than the day they first met, when he had arrived late for his 
partner auditions, Mikhail was usually among the first on the ice. As Yume stepped out on the 
ice, she frowned, wondering where he was.

	She was just about to ask May if she had heard anything from Mikhail when he finally 
showed up, looking as if he had just woken up. His blonde hair, which was usually neatly combed 
back, looked messy and unwashed, and, on closer inspection, Yume noticed faint dark circles 
underneath his eyes.

	“Mikhail, you’re cutting it close,” May shouted, tapping the face of her watch as she 
skated over to the boards. “You do realize the show is opening in a matter of weeks?”

	“Sorry, my alarm didn’t go off, and I overslept,” he said. “It won’t happen again.”

	“See that it doesn’t.”

	After May skated back to the middle of the ice, Yume took her place at the boards. “So, 
your alarm clock didn’t go off?” she asked. When Mikhail looked up at her, Yume smiled 
sheepishly. “Sorry, I overheard you and Coach Wong.”

	“It’s no big deal. I just set it wrong, that’s all, so lay off me,” he said in a gruff 
voice that surprised her. When he finished tying up his skates, Mikhail joined Yume out on the 
ice. “Come on, let’s start warming up.”

	Letting Mikhail lead her to the center of the ice, Yume couldn’t help thinking that he 
was definitely in a bad mood. Sure, things had been strained between them ever since the night 
of Clarissa’s birthday celebration, but during practice, he usually acted in a professional, if 
somewhat detached, manner. Had she done something to upset him?

	He abruptly came to a stop. “Who is that staring at you?” he demanded to know as Yume 
managed to keep herself from crashing into him. His ice blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. “He 
looks Japanese. A friend of yours?”

	Following Mikhail’s gaze, Yume saw that he was looking at Hiromasa, who was indeed 
watching them from his spot in the bleachers. “Oh, yeah, that’s Hiromasa Mihara,” she said, 
waving to him. Hiromasa turned beet red, embarrassed at being caught, and turned away, although 
he did return the wave. “Hiromasa was my training partner back in Japan when I decided I wanted 
to try pairs skating,” she explained. Knowing that Hiromasa would probably love to meet one of 
his favorite skaters, she took Mikhail by the arm. “Come on, I’ll introduce you. He’s a huge fan 
of yours, so I’m sure it’ll be a thrill for him.”

	Yume attempted to pull Mikhail in Hiromasa‘s direction, but he stood firmly in place. 
“We should be warming-up for practice. Maybe later.”

	“Practice doesn’t officially start for another ten minutes. There’s plenty of time.” 
Yume pulled on his arm again, and reluctantly, Mikhail followed her over to the boards. 
“Hiromasa!”

	Hiromasa came down from his seat to join them. “Shouldn’t you two be warming-up, Miss 
Naegino?” he asked.

	“Yes, but I wanted to introduce you first to Mikhail Vladimirov,” she said, smiling 
brightly. “Mikhail, this is Hiromasa Mihara, a friend of mine from Japan. He’s also one of your 
biggest fans.”

	“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Vladimirov. Back when I was still skating competitively, 
you were my idol. You and Miss Pekrovskaya were amazing together.” Taking a hint from his 
earlier introduction to Clarissa and the other girls, Hiromasa offered his hand in the Western 
manner, which Mikhail pointedly ignored by stuffing his hands in the pockets of his black hoodie 
and looking down at his skates.

	“Yeah, thanks,” Mikhail replied, not sounding sincere in the least.

	Yume couldn’t believe his boorish behavior. Skaters were taught to always be friendly 
and polite toward their fans, at least in Japan. Maybe things were different in Russia, but that 
didn’t excuse him from being a jerk.

	“I need to finish warming-up,” he said, starting to skate away. “Are you coming, Yume?”	

	“In a minute,” she said. As Mikhail skated back to the center of the rink, Yume frowned 
and turned back to Hiromasa. “Sorry about that, Mihara-kun. I don’t know why he acted that way.”

	“It’s okay. He’s probably just focused on the show.”

	“I guess so.” Yume doubted it, though. Something was bothering Mikhail, and she had a 
feeling it had nothing to do with figure skating or the upcoming show. “Anyway, I should head 
back and finish up my warm-up.”

	“Gambatte, Naegino-san!”

	“Thanks.”

	Skating over to where Mikhail was finishing a scratch spin, Yume stopped and placed her 
hands on her hips. “You know, you could have been a little nicer to Hiromasa,” she lectured. “He 
is one of your fans, after all.”

	“Why is he even here?” Mikhail asked, sounding irritated. “Practices are supposed to be 
off-limits to outsiders.”

	“Coach Wong gave him permission to stay and watch. Is that a problem?” 

	“If Coach said he could stay, then I don’t have a problem with it,” he said, though his 
face said otherwise. Taking Yume’s hand, he sighed. “Come on, let’s just finish the warm-up.”

	All throughout the rest of the warm-up and into rehearsal, Yume wondered why Mikhail 
seemed so bothered by Hiromasa’s presence. He was acting like a jealous boyfriend, which was 
ridiculous because he had made it perfectly clear that he had no interest in her beyond their 
professional relationship.

	But then she remembered Fool’s prediction and the strange dream she had that morning. 
Was it possible that he like her after all? Yume’s heart started to race at the thought, and, 
looking over at Mikhail as they performed crossovers around the ice, she felt her cheeks warm in 
spite of the coldness of the rink.

	“Yume,” Mikhail said, startling her from her thoughts.

	“W-What?”

	“Let’s try the throw axel at the next jump.”

	“The double? But that’s supposed to be the throw triple toe,” she reminded him, 
confused. Why was Mikhail suddenly suggesting replacing their most difficult throw with an 
easier jump? That wasn’t like him at all.

	“No, the triple,” he corrected.

	Yume’s eyes widened. “B-But we’ve never practiced --”

	“You can do it. I have faith in you.”

	“Mi--”

	Before she could protest, Mikhail threw her across the ice with more force than he ever 
had before. Yume’s mind immediately went on auto-pilot, completing the three-and-a-half 
revolutions required of the jump. In fact, she almost felt as if she could do another 
revolution, but she didn’t attempt it, ecstatic that she even did the triple.

	Unfortunately, she was so excited about completing the revolutions that she didn’t check 
her landing. Triumph turned into fear as Yume felt the edge slip out from underneath her, 
causing her to fall and crash into one of the boards, head first.

	“Yume!”

	Mikhail’s voice, shouting her name, was the last thing she heard before the world went 
black. 

*****

	“Itai…”

	Yume, feeling as if a hundred hammers were simultaneously pounding on her skull, slowly 
opened her eyes to see Dr. Kate Thomas, Becca’s mother, leaning over her. Kate smiled, 
reassuring her that she was at least still alive.

	“Good, you’ve finally regained consciousness,” the doctor said. It took Yume a few 
moments to comprehend that Kate was speaking English.

	“Dr. Thomas?” Yume partially sat up and looked around at her surroundings. It appeared 
that she was in a hospital room, joined by Sora, Ken, and May, who were standing at the foot of 
the bed as Kate examined her. “Why am I at the hospital?”

	“Yume, do you recall what happened?” Kate asked instead of answering her question, 
shining a bright light in both of her eyes. “What’s the last thing you remember?”

	“I…think I was on the ice. It was a group practice?” Everything was kind of fuzzy. Yume 
tried to remember what might have happened to land her there, but came up blank. “Sorry, I can‘t…”

	“Do you remember falling?”

	“Falling?”   

	May came forward, looking surprisingly sympathetic for once. “Yume, you fell on a throw 
triple axel attempt and hit your head on the boards. Remember?”

	Even knowing the facts, Yume couldn’t recall the accident at all. “I’m sorry. I don’t 
remember that,” she admitted, frustrated with herself.

	Kate placed a comforting hand on Yume’s shoulder. “That’s okay. It’s not uncommon for 
patients to experience some loss of memory when they have a concussion.”

	“I have a concussion?”

	“I’d like to run some tests to make certain it’s nothing more serious, but, yes, it does 
appear you received a mild concussion from the fall.”

	“Oh.” Well, that certainly explained the pounding headache. “Where’s Mikhail?” Yume 
asked, noticing for the first time that her partner was not in the room.

	“Don’t worry about Mikhail right now. Just concentrate on resting and getting better as 
soon as possible. Remember, we have a show coming up soon, and we need you in tip-top shape,” 
May said, patting Yume‘s arm. “I’m going to head back to the waiting room now. I’m sure 
everybody is anxious to hear that you’ve finally woken up.”

	“Yes, I know Becca was especially worried about you,” Kate added. After May left, she 
turned to Sora and Ken. “I’ll be ordering a CT scan to make sure that Yume’s brain didn’t suffer 
any other major damage in the fall, but she should be fine,” she informed them. “You may stay 
with her if you like until it is time for the tests. Just try to prevent her from falling asleep 
again. I know she must be sleepy, but until we know the full extent of her injuries, I don’t 
want to risk her falling into a coma.”

	“Thank you, Kate,” Ken said. “We really appreciate it.”

	As soon as Kate left to order the scan, Sora, who had been unusually quiet, walked over 
to Yume’s bedside. She tried to take a seat on the edge of the bed, but because of her advanced 
pregnancy, she couldn’t, so she settled for just standing by Yume’s side, squeezing her hand.

	“You sure gave us a fright today, imouto-chan,” Sora said in a strained voiced. She 
attempted to smile, but Yume could see the tears in her eyes. “I don’t think I was ever more 
scared in my entire life than when May called me to tell us that you had been taken to the 
hospital after falling on the ice.”

	“Don’t cry, onee-chan. You heard Thomas-sensei. It was just a mild concussion. I’ll be 
fine,” Yume said, squeezing her sister’s hand back. “Have you called otou-san and okaa-san yet? 
I bet okaa-san totally freaked out when she heard I was in the hospital.”

	“A little.” Sora’s smile became a little more genuine. “When I called her earlier, she 
was ready to book the next flight to California, but I convinced her that it wasn’t serious 
enough for her and otou-san to fly all the way over here.”

	“Good. Thanks, I appreciate it.” Their parents were already planning to fly out again for 
the opening of the show, so Yume hated the thought of them having to spend even more money on an 
unnecessary trip.

	“I’m just so glad you’re going to be okay,” Sora said, giving Yume a hug.

	“We all are,” Ken agreed.

	Just then, the door to Yume’s room opened, and a nurse came in, pushing a wheelchair. 
“Yume Naegino?” she said, although she pronounced it more like You-mee Nah-ee-jee-no. “I’m here to 
take you down for the CT scan Dr. Thomas ordered.”

	Ken came over, placing a hand on his wife’s back. “Come on, Sora. Let’s go down to the 
cafeteria while they’re performing Yume’s tests. I’m sure you must be hungry.”

	“I suppose I could go for a little something to eat,” she admitted, patting her rounded 
tummy. “Yume, we’ll see you later, okay?”

	Yume nodded. “Later!”

*****

	Yume returned to her room about twenty minutes later. Despite Dr. Thomas’ words of 
warning, she could feel herself desperately wanting to fall asleep again. Yawning, she was about 
to close her eyes when she heard a knock at her door, jerking her awake.

	“Misha?” she murmured to herself, wondering if her partner had finally come to check on 
her condition. In a louder voice, she called out “Come in!” to whoever it was at the door.

	The door opened, but instead of Mikhail, it was Hiromasa, carrying a bouquet of daisies. 
“Naegino-san?” he said in a tentative voice. “Are you feeling up for visitors?”

	Hiding her disappointment that it wasn’t Mikhail, Yume sat up and waved him in. “Of 
course, come on in. I could use all the company I can get to help keep me up,” she admitted as he 
entered the room. “Dr. Thomas told me I shouldn’t fall asleep with a concussion, but I’m just so 
sleepy…” As if to prove it to him, she yawned again.

	“These are for you.” He presented her with the daisy bouquet. “I didn’t know what flowers 
you liked, but you seemed like someone who would like daisies. I hope you like them.”

	“Thank you, Mihara-kun. They’re beautiful.”

	“Here, I’ll put them in some water for you.” Hiromasa took the flowers back and headed to 
the private bathroom to put the daisies in a vase. When he returned, he placed the arrangement on 
her bedside table. “How are you feeling?” he asked, taking a seat in the chair provided for 
visitors. “That was quite the spectacular fall you took earlier.”

	“Really? I don’t really remember the accident.” Sighing, Yume looked down at her hands. 
Ever since she had regained consciousness, she had been struggling to recall the moments leading 
up to her fall, but it was as if the incident had been completely erased from her memories. “Coach 
Wong says I was attempting a throw triple axel, but I don’t know why I would have done that. I’ve 
never tried one before. I’ve only just begun landing the individual jump with any kind of 
consistency, so why would I do something so reckless? It doesn’t make any sense.”

	“You almost landed it, though. In fact, it almost looked as if you could have turned it 
into a quad, if you had wanted to,” he told her. “Vladimirov-san really has a lot of power in his 
throws.”

	“Mikhail-san?” At the mention of her partner’s name, Yume’s head jerked back up. “Have you 
seen him? Is he here?”

	“I haven’t seen him since the accident, now that you mention it.” Hiromasa frowned. 
“That’s strange. He seemed really concerned when you fell, but when your friends and I arrived at 
the hospital, he was nowhere to be found. He hasn’t come by to see you?”

	“No, I haven’t seen him,” Yume said softly, shaking her head.

	“I don’t get it. If my partner was in the hospital, I wouldn’t leave her side until I knew 
she was going to be okay.”

	“I’m sure he has his reasons.” Even as she said that, though, Yume doubted her words. She 
couldn’t think of a single reason why Mikhail hadn’t come by the check on her. Didn’t he care for 
her at all, if not on a romantic level, then at least as a friend and partner?

	“I guess that’s why people call him the Ice Prince. He’s as cold as they come.”

	“No, he’s not!” The vehemence in her voice surprised Yume, but despite his absence, she 
felt the need to defend him. “I believe Mikhail really is a kind person, underneath it all,” she 
insisted, tightly clutching her blanket with closed fists. “I know he seems aloof sometimes, but I 
think that’s just because he’s afraid of getting close to people. Pekrovskaya-san really hurt him 
when she left him for that other skater, so --”

	“You’re in love with him, aren’t you?” Hiromasa asked, interrupting her. 

	“What?”

	“You’re in love with Vladimirov-san,” he repeated, to which Yume responded by waving her 
hands in front of her.

	“No, of course not. Don’t be silly! He’s just my pairs partner, nothing more,” she said, a 
little too quickly. To mostly herself, she added, “Isn’t he?”

	Why did she keep trying to deny it? The truth was, from the moment he kissed her after 
Clarissa’s birthday celebration, Mikhail had been constantly on her mind. Yume had tried to forget 
the kiss like he had asked her to, but it was impossible. Maybe he only thought of her as a 
professional partner, like he told her the day after, but her feelings for him ran much deeper 
than that.

	Hiromasa sighed. “It seems I was too late,” he said. “I knew I should have told you how I felt when I had the chance.”

	Though she had her suspicions about Hiromasa‘s true feelings for her, Yume felt awful, 
knowing for certain that she would never be able to return them. Hiromasa was a good friend, but 
that was all that she would ever feel for him. “Mihara-kun…”

	“Hey, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,” he said. “Long distance relationships never 
work out anyway, especially when the participants live on different sides of the world.” Getting 
up from his chair, he gave her a weak smile. “Anyway, I should probably let somebody else have a 
chance to visit you. I think your friends have the wrong idea about our relationship. They 
insisted I see you first.”

	“Mihara-kun… I‘m sorry,” Yume apologized as Hiromasa opened the door to leave.

	“I hope you get well soon, Naegino-san.”


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