They said it was a heart condition that ended his life. Close friends and family admitted that he could be forgetful at times. His doctor revealed that he hardly ever came back for refills on prescriptions. Media and news reporters retold the story of his to fame and how he left before he could begin to fall. Skaters grieved in the loss of a star.

It was five years ago since Viktro Nikiforov, famed figure skater, died.

It has been five years since Yuuri Katsuki began skating competitively.

This year was the first year that Yuuri managed to enter into the Grand Prix, but it was more through luck than actual skill. Yuuri was told to talk about his relentless training and diet as well as cooperation with his coach, but he knew that the reason why he was here today was that his competition held less experience than him. Yuuri liked to joke with himself that it was the spirit of Viktor watching over him.

When Viktor first left, Yuuri was determined to keep his spirit alive and trying to replicate his skating performances. The emotion and interpretation of each routine was so lively and could easily be understood by the crowd. It was less of a sport and more of an art when Viktor skated. Yuuri wanted to make sure no one forgot about that. However, as the years passed and Viktor became more of a myth rather than a legend, Yuuri found his will to skate beginning to wane. He had lost his inspiration, and without that, Yuuri was lost.

When the other Yuri, the one on the Russian team, faced him in the bathroom after his despairing loss, Yuuri had enough. He told his coach that he was retiring and would make the formal statement after Golden Week in Japan. Believe it or not, he managed to make some kind of fan base through the years, and his manager would need time to handle to formalities that come with this kind of statement.

Despite his resolve, Yuuri did not feel the need to tell his parents or his friends of his future plans. He figured that they probably already knew. As such, he was surprised when he saw what his parents gave him as a Golden Week gift that year.

"Ice skates?" he asked, surprised at how nice and expensive they looked. His parents mostly stayed away from ice skating items, knowing how important it is for Yuuri to feel comfortable in them. However, theses skates seemed to be gilded on the blades. They definitely looked used but only slightly: they were still in great condition. Whoever had them obviously took great care for them as if they were a prized possession. They were lightweight and surprisingly in his size as well.

"Aren't they pretty? We found them at the market a few months back and thought that they would be perfect for you. Maybe you could visit Ice Castle again some time," his mother suggested with a smile. His father nodded supportively behind her. Yuuri could only smile back.

Since coming home, he hardly visited the rink. Yuuri wasn't sure if it was due to shame or a lack of reason to go. He had finished last at his last Grand Prix, and while the locals were still excited to meet him, his minutes of fame quickly vanished. His parents occasionally asked if he wanted to head down to help Yuuko-san with a skating class, but Yuuri always found an excuse to not go. The coward part of himself always could find an excuse.

However, the part of him that was still a skater begged him to go again.

"Thank you guys," Yuuri said, finally putting on a smile for them. "I'll try and go tomorrow." Yuuri wasn't even sure why he said that. He was out of shape, hardly ever did his drills, and wasn't even sure he still remembered his routines.

In fact, he was so determined that his skating ability had degraded so much that he hung the skates on the door and promptly went to bed without even calling Yuuko-san if he could come in early tomorrow. Yuuri pulled the blankets to his chest and rolled around, but he didn't go to sleep immediately. In his head, he thought about the one routine that has haunted him for years now: the last performance Viktor did in his last Grand Prix. Ever jump, spin, step sequence, played in his head over and over again. Yuuri knew this performance by heart. He could perform it blind if he had to. It was probably the only performance he could probably do at this point.

Just once, a part of his brain whispered to him throughout the night as he imagined Viktor on the rink, one final time. He stared at the posters that seemed glow in the moonlight and the countless medals that hung in his room. His eyes finally rested on the gold shine on his gift.

"Just once," he whispered to himself before finally going to bed.

The night passed quickly, and Yuuri found himself with all the energy in the world. He hadn't felt like this in years. His parents waved him off as he ran to the ice rink in what must have been excitement. In his bag were the ice skates he got from his parents and a CD with a single song on it.

If he was going to do it, he was going to do it right.

He knocked the on the doors to the rink once before inviting himself in. The door chimed as he entered, and a voice immediately told him to go away.

"We're not open ye- Yuuri?" the woman at the counter gasped.

"Sorry for the intrusion Yuuko-san but would it be okay if I could use the rink before it's open to the public?" Yuuri asked, his head bowed slightly downed.

"Of course! Let me get Tadashi to smooth it out for you first. Oh, and you have to meet the triplets! You didn't visit since you came, and it's been such a busy season that I haven't had the time to come visit you either. That's kind of your fault though, you know," Yuuko reprimanded with a smile. Yuuri smiled back.

"Of course, catching up can come back later. I'll yell at you after you skate," Yuuko joked, and beckoned for Yuuri to sit down. She disappeared to behind the counter and began ordering her husband to start up the Zamboni. There was another gasp and a yell for Yuuri to get his ass over there and give the guy a hug, but Yuuko told him off and said that he could catch up after he did his job.

It was about fifteen minutes until Yuuri go his feet on the ice. During that time, Yuuri stretched and did a few warm ups. He also gave Yuuko the CD that he wanted to play during his possibly last performance.

"Yuuri, this song is…" Yuuko started, an unsure look appearing on her face.

"I know, but just one last time. These skates deserve that much," he explained and showed her his present. With just one look, Yuuko smiled understandingly and told him to just signal her when he wanted to start playing.

Yuuri took a deep breath when he finally got on the ice. Unsurprisingly, the skates glided across the ice flawlessly. It was as if he was flying. He skate a few laps around the rink as a quick warm up. He closed his eyes as the familiar sound of skates scratching the ice's surface reached his ears. He never realized how much he missed it until now. After the laps were a few spins and jumps. His heart sang at the satisfaction of the solid clap as the blades hit the ice as he landed. It was as if he was reunited with a lost lover again.

His blood finally pumping, and his heart beating in excitement and anticipation, Yuri glided to the center of the rink, bowed his head, and kept his arms at his sides. He gave a slight nod to signal to start the music.

At the sound of the orchestra starting, Yuuri raised his head and arms and began to move. His eyes looked the ceiling and dropped as his feet began to move around the rink effortlessly. The voice entered in the music, and Yuuri prepared himself for the first quad.

In his career, he had never mastered all of the quads, but for this time, it didn't matter if he failed. The performance would be completed to the best of his ability. Allowing his body be guided by muscle memory, he brought his arms in prepared to jump.

Not too tight though, his mind supplied. Be prepared to shift your weight onto your foot as you land as well. Yuuri nodded and flew in the air as he landed his Quadruple Lutz. As he landed his body felt lighter, and he himself felt more confident. Next up would be Viktor's signature move, something no other skater has been able to preform.

Remember to stay light and to land cleanly on the ice, his mind told him as Yuuri landed solidly onto the ice after that quadruple flip. Yuuri could still remember his excitement when he Viktor first revealed that move in his Grand Prix performance. It was a magical moment that was recorded into skating history. No one has ever been able to pull it off after Viktor, and Yuuri knew that no one ever would.

The performance was not over yet. Yuuri continued to move through the rink. There were many interpretations of this routine. Yuuri's own personal story of it was of a man stuck in a forsaken wasteland of a place. The world around the main character was dark and desolate. The man had lived many years alone, searching for something that would give the man a reason to continue living.

He searched high and low, for days, years but to no avail. The man was just about to give up when suddenly a light shined upon him and he found his little piece of salvation. This heaven was bright and warm and showered the man in love and care. For once in the man's life, he was finally happy.

As Yuuri continued through the routine, he wondered how Viktor thought when he performed. Was he also thinking about the poor man going through every horror imaginable and still finding ways to stay optimistic about his situation? Was he relating this to his own life? Was he losing his inspiration as well?

Yes. I was so alone…

He must have been.

The spin…

I know.

The flying sit spin was one of Yuuri's favorite of Viktor's routine. He always had a smile when used it and portrayed a sense of comfort the character had with the heaven he had found. It was like he was dancing with an imaginary partner only Viktor could see. As he rose up from the sit and raise his hand up, Yuuri always thought the movement represented the character's sadness. In his story, he thought that this was the moment that the man's salvation was beginning to disappear.

There was a small pause in the routine before he began skating again. This was when the main character realizes what was happening and tried hard to keep that little piece of heaven alive with him. After searching for this long, the man didn't think he could live long without his happiness. The spreading eagle move at this moment represent the despair the character feels when he realizes that there is nothing he can do.

Stay With Me is a fitting title, Yuuri thinks as he lands his quadruple Salchow.

It's the only thing I ever wanted from people.

The final movement of the piece was the most powerful part. The performance is much more demanding than the other part with another quad as well with three or four more triples sprinkled in. To Yuuri, this was the part when the man's salvation has left him, but the man figures out that his will to live on is still in him. The man realizes that his small piece of heaven, his light, his reason to live, would be sad to know that he stopped smiling the moment they left him. As a result, the man chooses to continue living in that god-forsaken land of his. He continues to live with only a single wish in his heart: to one day be reunited with his salvation knowing both have lived life to their fullest.

I want to find that person again: the person who gave me the reason to skate.

I think I found you.

Will you stay with me this time?

I will try.

Yuuri found himself approaching Yuuko at the edge of the rink, reaching for the salvation that his heart ached for and then pushing away from the edge with a promise that they'll meet again.

Stay with me.

For a moment, Yuuri swore he felt a hand as he reached one final time.

Stay with me. There was a brief pause in thought. Just one more quad, but don't forget the triple right after.

Yuuri nodded quietly to himself and performed each action flawlessly. The solid scratch on the ice made him smile. All that was left was the combination spin, which in Yuuri's mind, represented when the man was finally reunited with that piece of heaven he found all those years ago.

Stay with me. Don't leave me. Promise me.

As Yuuri rose from the spin and folded his arms across his body and looked into the sky with labored breaths escaping his lungs, Yuuri managed to cough out what was on his mind.

"I promise," he whispered, and it was if the ice shattered beneath him. He felt like he was falling, but he could not scream. He was frozen in place in a darkness that somehow only illuminated himself. He was scared, and it was cold, and where was he? Was he going to die? Was this how he was going to end? He wanted to scream. He needed to scream. What was going on? What-

Calm. I have you now. Trust in me, my heart.

Yuuko's cries from the side brought Yuuri back to reality.

"What?"

"That was super cool! A perfect copy of Viktor! Awesome!" she screamed with tears flowing freely down her face. Yuuri smiled as Yuuko threw compliments at him. He was never one to take them so easily, but he was happy that he was able to give these skates the performance they deserved.

"I should have recorded you Yuuri! You looked exactly like Viktor would have looked during that performance, right down to the eyes and emotion you always go on about. And when were you able to land all of your quads? And were you keeping the fact that you could do a quadruple flip from all of us until now?" Yuuko asked. Yuuri sheepishly rubbed his head and was about to tell her that he had been practicing it on and off again, but he could never get the quads quite right when he full processed what was being said.

"What did you just say?"

"Those quads were beautiful Yuuri! Why didn't you use them in your last Grand Prix? Surely you would have won if you did."

"Yuuko-san, I can't do any quads…" Yuuri said slowly, slowly feeling lightheaded.

"Not according to video!"

"Axel, Lutz, Loop! What did I say about interrupting Mama's conversation?"

"Wow Yuuri! Why were you holding back?"

"That was totally a Viktor move back there."

"Can we upload this video on the Internet?"

The world was spinning again but not in a good way. It was as if suddenly performing a very demanding routine after months of inactivity wasn't a good idea. He needed water. Yuuri actually needed a lot of things, but water was a good start.

Slowly. One foot in front of the other.

Yuuri skated himself to the edge of the rink, ignoring the number of questions that were being thrown at him.

"Yuuri? Are you okay?" Yuuko-san asked. Yuuri tried to reply, but his eyes were getting heavy and a calming silence washed over him.

I'll take care of things for now. Rest. Thank you for trusting in me.

Yuuri closed his eyes. In his final moments of consciousness, it felt as if arms were wrapping around his chest and a head falling onto his shoulder. The arms wrapped tighter but not to the point of discomfort. There was only enough pressure to keep the thought that someone was with him as he fell asleep. Yuuri could only snuggle further into the warmth and sigh. For the first time in a long time, the world seemed to finally be spinning in the right direction again.

A/N: So this is an odd idea that popped in my head a day ago. The initial idea came from being a little too obsessed with Yugioh and supportive possession. However, as I developed it, I really like the thought of Viktor being the cause of Yuuri breaking out of his shell and becoming a more confident person. More about Viktor's powers and the limits of his possession and the details will come soon, but I hope you all enjoyed reading it.

My favorite part of writing this was definitely the descriptions scenes. The anime is so beautiful that I thought it would be fitting to give it descriptions that any Romantic author would cry for.