Chapter 22: Confession

	Kate had Yume spend the night at the hospital for observation, but she was released 
early the next morning. Mikhail never did come to visit her, a fact that both disappointed and 
relieved her. She wanted to see him, but after everything that had happened, Yume wasn’t sure 
what she would say to him if she did.

	Back at Kaleido Stage, practice for the show resumed without her. Kate thought it best 
that she stay off the ice for at least one more day, so Yume decided to spend the day catching 
up on her sleep. Because of her concussion, she had been constantly prodded awake at the 
hospital by doctors, nurses, and visitors, worried she might fall into a coma, and she was 
utterly exhausted. After undressing, Yume crawled into bed and instantly fell asleep.

	About three hours later, there was a knock on her door. Moaning at the unwelcome 
disturbance, Yume rolled over on her back and slowly pried her eyes open. “Ugh, who can that 
be?” she asked. “Fool, go see who that is, will you?”

	Looking around the room, however, she saw that Fool was nowhere in sight for once. 
There was another knock on the door, louder than the first, so with a hefty sigh, Yume 
reluctantly pulled herself out of bed and went to answer it.

	“Coming, coming!” To herself, she muttered, “If it’s one of the girls, I’m going to 
kill them. I told them I didn’t want to be disturbed today.”

	She opened the door to find that her surprise visitor was not one of the girls. In 
fact, her visitor was very much male.

	“Misha!” Her heart began to beat a little faster, despite herself.

	“S-Sorry,” Mikhail said, his face uncharacteristically flushed as his gaze dropped 
down to her feet. “I didn’t realize you were sleeping.”

	Confused, Yume looked down and realized that she was dressed in only a flimsy camisole 
and matching panties. In her sleep-deprived state, she had forgotten to change into the more 
modest, “Fool”-proof nightclothes she normally wore to bed. She turned beet red.

	“Um, I’ll be right back.” Yume closed the door and ran back to her bedroom to put on a 
robe, taking a few seconds to run a brush through her messy hair. When she returned, she 
inhaled deeply to calm herself before reopening the door. “Sorry about that. Come in.”

	“I won’t stay long,” he said, hesitantly stepping inside. “I just wanted to see how 
you were doing. How are you?”

	“Tired, but otherwise okay. Dr. Thomas says if I feel up to it, I can probably start 
skating again tomorrow.”

	“That’s good.”

	“Um, would you like something to drink?” Yume offered. “Tea? Coffee?”

	“Some coffee would be great.”

	“Sure.” She headed to the kitchenette, Mikhail following her. “Have a seat,” she said, 
indicating one of the chairs at the table. “It’ll be a few moments while I brew it. I don’t 
drink much coffee. I’m more of a tea person myself. Must be because I grew up in Japan.” She 
was babbling, and Yume knew it, but she couldn’t stop herself.

	“Oh. If you would rather have tea, I don’t mind.”

	“No, it’s fine. Coffee’s fine every once in a while. Besides, I could use the 
caffeine. I really shouldn’t mess up my sleep schedule too much, if I intend to get back to 
practice tomorrow.”

	“You shouldn’t push yourself too hard.”

	“I’m not,” she assured him. “Like I said, Dr. Thomas gave me the okay, and don’t 
forget the show starts at the end of this month. There’s no time to waste. I’m sure Coach Wong 
is furious as it is that I even had to skip today’s practice.” By that time, the coffee had 
finished brewing. “How do you take it? With cream? Sugar?”

	“I prefer it black.”

	“Black it is.” Yume grabbed two mugs from the cupboard and poured the coffee, adding 
several spoonfuls of sugar into hers to mask the somewhat bitter taste. “Here.”

	After handing one of the mugs to Mikhail, she took the other one and sat down in the 
chair across from him. An awkward silence fell over them while they drank. Yume wanted to ask 
him why he never visited her at the hospital, but she didn’t know quite how to bring it up 
without letting on how disappointed she had been at his absence, so she kept quiet, hoping he 
would tell her on his own without her prompting. Mikhail was the one to break the silence as 
he set his almost-empty cup back down on the table.

	“Yume.”

	Startled by the sound of his voice, Yume almost choked on her coffee. “What is it?” 
She noticed that he had a serious look on his face -- even more serious than usual.

	“I didn’t just come here to see how you were doing,” he admitted, taking a deep breath 
before he continued. “The truth is, I wanted to apologize.”

	“Apologize? For what?” 

	He frowned. “You really don’t remember what happened, do you? I spoke with Elizaveta 
earlier. She said that you didn’t remember the accident.”

	Shaking her head, Yume looked down at her coffee. “I have vague memories of practice, 
but I don’t remember falling or hitting my head on the board at all. Dr. Thomas says it is 
common for people with concussions to forget what happened right before their accidents.” 
Looking back up, she asked, “Why?”

	Mikhail seemed unable to bring himself to look her in the eye. “It’s my fault that you 
got hurt, Yume,” he finally confessed in a soft voice.

	“What do you mean? It was just an accident. I probably got cocky and told you I could 
land a throw triple axel, since I’ve been doing so well on the individual jump. I shouldn’t 
have tried it. My stupidity isn’t your fault.”

	Mikhail shook his head. “You didn’t want to do the jump. I was the one who insisted we 
try it, against your better judgment,” he said. “I… I just wanted to show off in front of your 
friend.”

	“My friend?” It took her a moment to realize who he was referring to, and her eyes 
widened in surprise. “You mean Hiromasa?”

	“Yes. He was your former partner, right?”

	“For a little while. He helped me prepare for my audition with you,” she said, cocking 
her head to the side. “But why would you want to show off in front of him? You’re the current 
Olympic champion; Hiromasa is a good skater, but he’s nowhere near your level.”

	“It had nothing to do with skating.”

	“Huh?”

	He abruptly stood up. “Look, Yume, I’m sorry I forced you to take such a stupid risk, 
okay?” Mikhail apologized. “It was incredibly selfish of me, and I shouldn’t have let my 
jealousy control me like that.” Picking up his mug, he gulped down the rest of his remaining 
coffee. “Thanks for the coffee, but I should probably be heading back to the rink now. Even 
though you aren’t skating today, Coach Wong still wants me to work on Frost’s solo numbers. 
I’ll see myself out.”

	Mikhail started to head back toward the door, but Yume jumped up from her chair and 
grabbed his arm. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying?

	“Wait!” she said. Mikhail pulled his arm away from her, but didn‘t leave. “Jealousy? 
You were jealous of Hiromasa because you thought we were dating? B-But the day after 
Clarissa’s birthday, you --”

	Before she could finish her sentence, Mikhail suddenly kissed her, long and hard. 
Yume’s eyes widened in shock, then closed as she let herself give into the feelings she had 
been trying so hard to deny. With no alcohol to impair his coordination, Mikhail was an even 
better kisser than she remembered, and Yume felt as if her entire body was on fire.

	Is this really happening? Yume wondered as Mikhail guided her arms to wrap around his 
neck. Or is this just some sort of wonderful, concussion-induced dream? She decided she didn’t 
really care either way. If it really was a dream, then she never wanted to wake up.

	And if it was real, then her dream had become a reality.

	Yume had no idea how long they stayed like that. It could have been minutes, hours, or 
even days, for all she knew, but when they finally broke apart, they were both breathless.

	“You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to do that again since that night,” 
Mikhail confessed, brushing back a strand of her hair that had fallen over her eyes. A rare 
smile danced across his lips.

	“You did?” Yume blushed, then shook her head, coming back to her senses. “I don’t 
understand, Misha. You said that kiss didn’t mean anything to you, that you were drunk and 
weren’t thinking clearly. You wanted us to be pairs partners and nothing more. So why? Why 
have you suddenly changed your mind?”

	For a long moment, he didn’t answer. The smile disappeared from his face, and he 
poured himself another cup of coffee, though he only took a sip of it before setting it back 
down on the counter.

	“Misha?”

	“What I told you that day at the rink,” he said, his back turned to her, “that wasn’t 
the entire truth. I was drunk that night, but I knew exactly what I was doing when I kissed 
you. I wanted to kiss you.”

	“Then why did you say it didn’t mean anything?” Yume asked, more confused than ever. 
“I don’t understand.”

	“To be honest, Yume, I’m not sure I understand why I said that myself.” Sighing, 
Mikhail ran a hand through his hair and turned back around to face her. “I suppose I was a bit 
gun-shy after what happened with Tania. I didn’t want to risk ruining our professional 
relationship by pursuing a romantic one with you, no matter how attracted I was to you, so I 
just ignored my feelings and concentrated on the show. I thought that was the right thing to 
do. But then I saw you hugging your friend in the lobby --”

	“Hiromasa?”

	He nodded. “When I thought that you might have a boyfriend, I became incredibly…
jealous. I couldn’t even sleep that night. All I could think about was him touching you, and 
holding you, and kissing you… The images wouldn’t stop.” Mikhail shook his head as if to erase 
the memory of them from his mind. “So when I showed up late for practice yesterday and saw him 
sitting in the stands, watching you, I… Well, I guess the best word in English to describe it 
is ‘snapped.’”

	“And that’s why you were so rude to Hiromasa when I tried to introduce you,” Yume 
said, suddenly remembering Mikhail’s less-than-civil attitude toward her former partner. The 
picture was becoming more clear.

	“I was a jerk to him, but even more so to you. I never should have suggested we try 
the throw triple axel. You were still too inexperienced with the jump. If you had been 
seriously hurt during that fall…”

	“I’m fine. It was only a mild concussion. I’m going to be okay.”

	“But your injuries could have been a lot worse, and I would have been responsible. I 
was so afraid when I saw you hit those boards. When I couldn’t wake you, I…” He pulled Yume 
closer toward him as if to reassure himself that she was truly okay, and not just a figment of 
his imagination. “I-I’m sorry, Yume,” he whispered into her hair. “I’m so, so sorry. Can you 
ever forgive me?”

	Even after hearing the whole story, she still didn’t remember much about her fall, but 
it was obvious that Mikhail had been carrying around a lot of guilt over what happened. It 
made sense now, why he never came to visit her in the hospital. He had been too ashamed to 
face her.

	But it was clear to her that it was only an accident. She knew Mikhail would never do 
anything to intentionally hurt her, so in acceptance of his apology, she rose up on her 
tiptoes and kissed him again.

*****

	Mikhail’s kisses were addictive.

	One kiss became two. Two kisses became three. After the third one, Yume stopped 
counting, instead giving herself completely to the moment.  Nothing and no one else mattered 
in the world except Mikhail.

	Yume wasn’t quite sure how it happened, but they somehow made their way from the 
kitchenette all the way to her bedroom. Though a voice in the back of her mind suggested 
things might be moving a little too fast, Yume ignored it, too caught up in how wonderful it 
felt to finally be in Mikhail’s arms. When he reached down to untie the belt of her robe, she 
let him, allowing the robe to slide down to the floor at her feet to reveal the cami and 
panties she wore underneath. She made no attempt to cover up.

	Mikhail then gently pushed Yume down on the bed, his soft lips moving to explore other 
parts of her anatomy. Yume moaned and sighed in pleasure as he kissed along her jaw line, her 
ears, her neck, her shoulders, and collarbone. He was still dressed in his usual practice 
clothes -- sweats and a T-shirt -- a fact Yume felt the need to rectify. Reaching for the 
bottom of his T-shirt, she pulled it up and over his head, exposing his torso, well-toned from 
years of performing pairs lifts and throws. She ran her hands over his chest and back, 
enjoying how his rippled muscles felt to her touch.

	Flipping over on his back, Mikhail let Yume take the more dominant position. She was 
just about to strip off her camisole when she noticed Mikhail was looking at something over 
her shoulder, instead of the more obvious area. While Yume was well aware that she had not 
been blessed with large breasts -- a blessing-in-disguise, considering her sport -- she always 
thought their perkiness made up for it. Letting the camisole fall back down into place, she 
crossed her arms over her chest.

	“Misha.”

	Mikhail looked up at her. “Yume?”

	“Am I doing something wrong?” she demanded to know. Admittedly, Yume didn’t have much 
experience to draw from.

	He partially sat back up on his elbows, shaking his head. “Believe me, you’re doing 
just fine,” he assured her. “I was just wondering where that flying doll came from.”

	“Flying doll?” Mikhail indicated the spot above her right shoulder, which he had been 
staring at, and Yume craned her neck to the side to discover that a certain perverted pint-
sized Spirit of the Stage was indeed floating in the air beside her, a lecherous grin on his 
face as he looked down her camisole. “Fool!”

	“Damn, so close!” Fool said as Yume grabbed him by the midsection, never more 
mortified in her entire life.

	“I can’t believe you!” she admonished, dismounting Mikhail and grabbing a blanket to 
cover herself as best she could. “You were seriously going to watch me and Mi…sha…” Her voice 
trailing off, Yume turned her attention back to Mikhail and pointed to Fool, who was 
struggling to get out of her grasp. “Wait, so you can see him?” 

	“You can see me?” Fool echoed, for the moment, giving up his attempt to break free. 

	“It talks as well?” Mikhail asked. “Japan certainly makes some amazing toys…”

	“You really, honestly can see him?” Yume repeated, ignoring his question.

	By that point, Mikhail looked hopelessly confused. “Of course I can, Yume. It’s a very 
realistic-looking, talking, flying doll dressed up like a court jester.” He sat up completely, 
his brows furrowed together. “Is there a reason why I shouldn’t be able to see him?”

	“Uh, well…” Yume scratched the back of her neck. She had not expected this, since 
Mikhail didn’t have the ability to see Fool before. “It’s a bit complicated…”

	“What is so complicated about it?” During her distraction, Fool managed to wiggle out 
of her grasp and bowed deeply to Mikhail. “Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Fool, 
the mystical Spirit of the Stage. Only those who are truly destined for the stage can see me.”

	“Then that means…”

	Fool nodded. “Yes, Yume. That means you have finally found your partner.”

	“What are you talking about?” Mikhail asked, pulling his discarded T-shirt back on. “I 
have been Yume’s pairs partner since April.”

	“True, but to perform the Lovers’ Maneuver, the pair attempting the feat must be a 
couple both on and off the ice.”

	“The Lovers’ Maneuver?” both Yume and Mikhail repeated in unison.

	“You both know of the Legendary Great Maneuver and the Angel’s Maneuver, I presume?”

	“Of course. I was only a baby at the time, but I know Sora performed both of them here 
at Kaleido Stage.”

	“I think Coach Wong mentioned them once or twice.”

	“To perfect those two maneuvers is the greatest accomplishment a trapeze artist can 
ever attain,” Fool explained. “Likewise, the Lovers’ Maneuver is the figure skating 
equivalent, a mystical act that only those truly destined for the stage can ever hope to pull 
off.” 

	“But what is it, exactly?” Mikhail asked.

	“Yeah, what kind of maneuver is it? A new jump? A new spin? A new lift? You told me 
that once I found my partner, you would finally tell me everything I’ve been wanting to know,” 
Yume reminded Fool.

	“And so I will,” the Spirit of the Stage said as Yume and Mikhail gave him their 
complete attention. “At a later date.”

	Yume jumped back up and grabbed Fool again. “Fool! You promised!”

	“I’m sorry, Yume, but I cannot reveal the mechanics of the Lovers’ Maneuver until I 
judge you and Mikhail worthy of the task.”

	“Isn’t the fact that Mikhail and I can see you proof that we can do it?”

	Fool shook his head. “The only thing that proves is that you are both destined for the 
stage. The qualification to perform the Lovers’ Maneuver is completely separate from that.”

	“Then what do we need to do in order to qualify?”

	“That, I cannot tell you,” he said. “However, I will suggest that if you are truly 
interested in training for the Lovers’ Maneuver, you should contact a skating coach by the 
name of Merle. I believe you already know her, Yume.”

	“You mean Merle Palmer?”

	“Who is that?” Mikhail asked.

	“The owner of the Cape Mary Skating Center. She was the one who helped me train for 
the Triple Axel Showdown. She also trained Coach Wong back in the day.” She turned her 
attention back to Fool. “So Coach Palmer can train us for the Lovers’ Maneuver?”

	“She knows the basic training regimen, yes.”

	“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go talk to her!” Yume said, jumping up from the 
bed. She was so excited by the idea, she didn’t even care that Fool was ogling her in her 
underwear.

	“Hold on.” Mikhail stood up as well, reaching for her wrist. “You’re still recovering 
from your concussion, and I’m supposed to be at practice.” He glanced over at her alarm clock. 
“In fact, I’m already ten minutes late.”

	“Oh, right.” She had forgotten. “Then we’ll go tomorrow after afternoon rehearsal.”

	“You really want to do it? The Lovers’ Maneuver?”

	“Of course!” she said. There was never any question in her mind, but she frowned, 
noticing that Mikhail didn’t seem quite as enthused by the prospect. “Don’t you?”

	“I… This is a lot to consider,” he said. “Everything has happened so fast. I don’t 
know how I feel about it.”

	“That’s all the more reason to talk to Coach Palmer about it, right? She can tell us 
more about it.”

	“I guess so. Okay, we’ll go see her tomorrow, if that’s what you really want,” he 
agreed. “I really do need to get back to practice, though.”

	“Sorry I kept you for so long,” she apologized as she pulled her robe back on and 
walked him to the door. “Coach Wong is going to be furious with you.”

	“Don’t worry about me. I’m just sorry we were interrupted.”

	Yume blushed, remembering what they had almost done. She still couldn’t believe she 
had let herself get so carried away like that. A part of her was disappointed as well, but for 
once, she was grateful for Fool’s perverted nature. She wanted her first time to be special, 
not some spontaneous thing that she knew she would regret later, no matter how much she cared 
about Mikhail.

	“Anyway, get some rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, chastely kissing her on 
the forehead before leaving.

	She closed the door behind her and headed back to her bedroom, practically floating on 
air. Fool seemed pleased with what had happened as well, a smug look on his face as he flew in 
front of her.

	“Ahem, I do believe somebody owes me an apology,” he said.

	“For what?” Yume asked, pulling out a pair of proper pajamas to change into.

	“For doubting my prediction. Everything I told you came true, didn’t it?”

	“I suppose so,” she was forced to admit, “but it could have just been a lucky guess.”

	Fool sighed. “You’re never going to take my fortune-telling seriously, are you?”

	“Nope!” She laughed at the crest-fallen look on his face. “Sorry, Fool, I just don’t 
believe in that sort of thing. Never have, never will.”

	“Well, the important thing is that you’ve finally found your destined partner.”

	A gleam appeared in Yume‘s eye. “Which also means you now have somebody else you can 
stalk, right?”

	“Ri-- Huh?”

	Yume grinned. This day had been a long time coming. She grabbed Fool and triumphantly 
tossed him out the front door. “Have fun with Misha!” she trilled in a sing-song voice, 
slamming the door in his face when he tried to fly back inside.

	“Yume, hey, open up!” Fool shouted, knocking frantically. “I don’t want to keep 
company with a…a man. That‘s no fun!”

	“Too bad.”

	“Come on, have a little compassion. You know you enjoy having me around.”

	“Only in your twisted little mind.”

	“I’ll be good this time, I promise.”

	“Bye, Fool!”

	Ignoring his continued pleas, Yume changed into her snowflake-printed pajamas and 
crawled back into bed, a smile on her lips as she visited Mikhail in her dreams.


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