I had been with you, and I could claim, you also had that feeling as well.
Because, I was in Japan, watching the cherry blossom and spent time to think for a while ...
"Vkusno!"
In Russia, cherry blossom is not very popular. The people mostly crossed over the small Japanese garden in Moscow. Russia is huge, yet lack of blossom beauty. Japan is small, yet too many cherry blossom. What a huge difference!
Russians love listening Slavic songs, proud of our Red Army, and the mighty Russian Empire. Japanese people, instead, believe on freedom of air, nail with it and listening Japanese folk songs.
Even culturally we are different. I'm a Russian. You are a Japanese. Japan and Russia are totally two different countries. An European country, Orthodox Christianity, Slavs, huge with a typical Russian Winter, brave human and heroic past; a country mixed between traditional and modern, keep the beliefs of local regions, hard working and never give up. I listen Russian music and a figure skater. You are a young but always study and helpful.
Her name is Haru Miura. She is from Namimori. Me? Yuri Plisetsky, from Moscow, Russia. This is special though.
This is my story, Yuri Plisetsky's story!
We were in Kyoto. A beautiful city though. The Japanese are respectful over Kyoto and tend to see her as a cultural capital of Japan. It reminds me to Saint Petersburg, Russia's cultural capital. Strange, differences in language, culture, but many of similarities. Haru wore a light purple kimono, I wore my own sport suit with the word "Russia" in front. Everybody thought I was from Russia. But true.
My grandfather, Nikolai Plisetsky, always talks about Kyoto for me when I was a kid. I knew it clear.
"Kyoto is very different. Just like our Saint Petersburg. Many of old temples, and the people are very religious."
Actually, I feel the Japanese are even more religious than Russians.
Vladislav Tsirin, my neighbor, a former veteran of Chechen wars, also came to Kyoto once. Later, he got so many lucks: his health healed, public neighbors respect him and even a former Chechen sniper, Muhamed Mustafayev, his rival before, also came to him and played with. I was not just only surprised as well, because Muhamed was mentioned by him many times in his old folk stories of the mighty Russians.
I came to Kyoto and knew, Haru was praying for something. I tried by my best Japanese:
"Kon'nichiwa, Haru-san!"
"Privet, Yuri-kun!"
She responded in Russian. Wow. This was what I could not deny. Totally impressive. In Japan, people don't know much Russian, and so do not many Russians know Japanese. Haru is special.
"What are you doing, Haru?"
"Just around a Shinto temple, Yuri-kun!"
"What an unexpected moment ... hahaha. Seriously, to talk is hard. Ugly that a Russian like me knows nothing much over Japan except anime and manga."
"Don't be too frustrated. When I was there, no prob!"
Haru just helped me to nail my feet. I have good relations with brat Otabek, ridiculous with Viktor and Yuuri K., but with Haru, she was the best girl I have met. I was so happy with it.
I am an Orthodox Christian, typical Russian. She is Shinto girl. In Japan, there are a lot of girls in the temple, they called them the shrine maiden, or Miko in Japanese.
She gives me a feeling closer to Kyoto.
I crossed through, wanna post some photos, but Haru warned me: "don't post it, ghost might come to hunt you." I gave up. Totally, I could take few photos around some non-haunted place. Man, my grandpa mustn't be wrong, the Japanese are very fond of its own belief. Unlike Russians.
I am a Russian boy. I skate in the ice calm and peacefully. But when I was still there, I didn't know where to get my tones. Etc. She made me a bit different for a while.
She kept a paper and wrote. Of course, I read a little Japanese, but she smiled in front of me, and told: "Put it, write something you know."
"I know, I know!" I smiled. But actually inside of me ... I knew more ... just ...
I met her before in Tokyo, when I was arguing with Otabek Altin over some ridiculous perpetration over the Grand Prix. She gave me a smile, slowly:
"Are you okay?"
I was depressed because of Altin, my big bro, didn't care a single word from me. I respected Altin, but not those moments. Haru's smile gave me think a lot, so I believed she'd changed me. I asked again:
"What do you want? I wanna know first."
"Are you ... Russian?"
"Yeah, Moscow's kid. I'm Russian, so?"
4 months ago, under the cold, I met her in a corner of Shibuya, the most populous district in Japan. I saw her come close to me, so I switched to Japanese, despite my Japanese those days were in a mess error.
"What do you want from me, huh?"
"I think ... you are a different person. Hey, do you wanna eat sushi with?"
"Huh? I don't think ..."
"C'mon! Hahi!"
She grabbed my hands and quickly took me out of Shibuya. Then, she led me into a typical Japanese restaurant, where I and Haru enjoyed sushi together. It was the time I began to understand her. She is from Namimori, a small town outside Tokyo. I felt weird. She was nominated many times for Olympic test, but she refused to focus on studying at school. She must be very good. Me? Normal, even more controversial, especially with my teacher Anita.
After the dinner, I asked:
"What does Namimori look like, Haru?"
"Small, but nice. Where we always enjoy. Slow but normal life. Unlike Russia, as my dad always talks about Russian literature."
"What do you think about Russian literature?"
"Not much. I have no taste at all."
"I don't even know a s*t over Japanese literature. I learnt Japanese, but I am suck on Japanese literature."
"Oh, we are very similar, right?"
"Aha! In Namimori, who share the same with you?"
"Uhhmmm, not clear. I actually don't know anyone except myself. I feel like I am a bookworm with no one around."
"Well, ... I can help! Join me?"
My first reason is so absurd. Really, true. I accepted it. But who knew it was the time I found my first place. Totally special. It made me weird, but also ... interesting.
I met Haru's dad next day. He said he would be very happy because I was special and he hoped we could be together. I smiled and lived with her. 3 months with Haru ...
Sitting with Haru Miura, I also shared a lot of wonderful moments ...
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...
...
When I met her friends, she told me about them. One of them was on my black list: Hayato Gokudera. I called him "baka" - "idiot". Another guy I knew, is Tsunayoshi, but she pretended to call him "Tsuna" and urged me to do the same. She has two other friends, Chrome and Kyoko. I felt she always took care and opened her eyes.
This was the first things. There were more others ...
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...
...
There was a time I followed behind her. She made me special. When we were watching cherry blossom together, guess so? Yas ...
...
Those days, I was in clash with Kyoya Hibari. I almost used my ability, but Haru prevented and said it was "worse". It was in a very sensitive moment, no need to angry. There, I - a Russian - almost made violence. But thanked for Haru, I sat at place. It was the most remembered. I felt Haru was so special for me through ...
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...
Sometimes, talking seriously, I had no feeling of romance. Each time I had a joyful moment, I just put my skates, came to the ice rink and practiced. I practiced just to improve my power and my stamina. Might be due to the Grand Prix, through. I have two life: one belong to ice skating figure; at night I become a different person, might be of my Plisetsky blood.
Haru rarely cared on it, until a day when I was skating on the rink. I saw Haru. She secretly followed me at first.
"Yuri! Go on! Keep fighting!"
"Haru?! What the ... please stop following me, so embarrassing."
"Uh ..."
I left. Many times, I found myself normal. Until ...
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...
...
"Haru is very sick! Like being hacked by virus!"
Haru was very sick! She was not waking up for a day. Must be for some reason. Tsuna knew and he would attack them to save her. I looked on and asked:
"Do you know how to cure it?"
"Yuri, sit down! We will hunt them!"
They left, without me. I sat down. Suddenly, I remembered to this: origami! 1000 paper cranes. I took over 2 hours to work and I felt tired. After that, I sought into a nearest temple. Unfortunately, damn, I met a yokai. But no problem! I am a fighter so my skills are nothing to debate about, just I didn't like to tell.
I killed him, a yokai who always take others' souls by my tiger hands. Because of this, I could come and pray for Haru. Those days before, Kyoko almost died with the same reason, only cured with Tsuna over there. This small temple lays behind a local temple. After that, I left, carrying a Greek bible and read.
But when I returned back, Haru was awaken on late night, after a day. I was cursed because of abandoning her. I just kept silence, drank all. Being a Russian, I could not explain anything to them. They tended to think only Japanese could understand, not for a Russian. Might be?
Haru just hugged on Tsuna. I sensed something from it ...
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I continued in silent. I drank all the pains inside. I just thought over the preaching of Fathers, especially Father Pyotr, when I was 7.
"Sometimes, pains make people more honorable."
I have my own belief.
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...
I kept following Haru. Later, I found that, she was more closer to Tsuna than anyone else. Damn, because I found myself in love with her. I wanted to tell: "I love you". But I couldn't. Because from time and time, I felt, I was too late.
I wanted her feeling to death! But, she had another person! Tsuna! Tsuna Sawada was her dream person, not me. I am an outsider! I can't change it anymore?
Then ...
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Hopeless and useless, therefore, being a Russian, I felt hard. I just watched behind. I still practiced ice skating. But this time, it missed a voice before. If I didn't want to tell, then ... when I practiced ice skating, she was there. After the first time, she always came to cheer me. But now, with Tsuna, she already abandon me. I didn't care.
But my heart had begun to broke ...
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In my last day, I took Haru out, after Kyoko, Chrome, Tsuna, Kyoya, Gokudera and Yamamoto were not there. I - Yuri Plisetsky - looked direct on Haru's eyes like steel. She wore a yellow kimono, I kept my Russia coat. This is my nation, my national pride to be a Russian.
But, I felt stuck! Stuck for saying nothing after all. Just a romantic cancer ...
I asked Haru some after I regained my patience, especially Tsuna. But it haunted me.
"Haru, how he [Tsuna] so important for you?"
She didn't answer. I must remember back to those days. When I first came to her house, she promised to teach me and understand Japanese language and pronunciation better. In contract, I had to help her learning and understand Russian. I often invited her to go somewhere then. Same as her. She helped me about understanding Japan, especially its people and its culture, society. I sometimes read to her some stories of Anton Chekhov.
I am fan of Chekhov, Pushkin, Turgenev and Dostoevsky, but I like Tolstoy's ones. I remembered a poem from Pushkin which I read to her, in Russian language: I love you - Pushkin.
I loved you; and perhaps I love you still,
The flame, perhaps, is not extinguished; yet
It burns so quietly within my soul,
No longer should you feel distressed by it.
Silently and hopelessly I loved you,
At times too jealous and at times too shy.
God grant you find another who will love you
As tenderly and truthfully as I.
I started to live and wear more Japanese. But of course, my pride is too high made me weird. Sometimes, I played some Russian songs for Haru to listen. She liked "Kto to prostit" - "Someone forgives" of Murat Nasyrov first. She always listens this.
Кто-то простит, кто-то поймёт
Но от меня любовь не уйдёт
И на песке размытом волной
Я напишу образ твой
(Somebody loves, somebody not
Someone forgives and someone forgot
But on the sand, yellow and wet
Somebody writes I'll never regret)
She played "Sakura" for me. I listened it twice, then I fell in love with. Sometimes I played songs for her. She sang for me. I even said like this, a promise:
"If I win the Grand Prix, what do you want?"
"You can follow me to Kyoto, join me. Please, teach me how to skate!"
"Promise ya! I'll come!"
Otabek Altin could be my good friend, my big brat. But of course, he would never understand romance like this one. I kept this promise 2 weeks before I went back to Moscow.
...
But this time, Haru didn't even mention anything about it. I wanted to tell, but I was depressed, collapsed. I sat down, felt pains and cried: "I have lost. Lost disastrously! Useless!" A Russian Fairy, a Russian Tiger, a Russian Fighter, a Russian Monster, but I became weak in a needed moment ...
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My heart had broken ... because of her ...
...
She actually followed Tsuna when they were young. She considered Tsuna as a friend first, but after when Tsuna impressed her, she fell in love, reality. Those days I was in Russia, talking with Daniil Shevchenko and our friends. So tragic ...
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"Yuri-kun! Please come here!"
Haru recalled me! I went silent. No more mentioning anyway. Haru now, must have forgotten it. She might know I won the Grand Prix, but she might have forgotten the promise. She just gave me back this thing. I looked after, shocked when she left. Tsuna, Gokudera! I knew it! I just stood out. I bowed my head. Suddenly I remembered to Murat Nasyrov's, I realized:
"Somebody loves, somebody not
Someone forgives and someone forgot
But on the sand, yellow and wet
Somebody writes I'll never regret"
What could I say? I just reminded to her paper:
"Yuri, you are always a good guy in my heart"
Let it be. Must accept that Haru would walk with Tsuna. I am still Yuri Plisetsky, a foreigner. I need to let it go. I still prayed for her. I wrote in Japanese, then sent it to the temple. I just thought simply:
"Haru Miura ... please forget me! I had helped you, now, I have no more debt with. I must continue to learn. You have to walk by your own. I will always look after, but, you must be strong. Tsuna is your future, take responsibility. Be with Tsuna ... and ... forget me. I'll still wait you, from Tokyo to Moscow!"
Might be so, I sensed, when love broken, it ... must be so tragic and tears a lot. I did cry. But I must continue. Must continue! Do svidanya!
Looks like, Kto to prostit, once again, come to me ...
Forget me, Haru Miura. I - Yuri Plisetsky, must continue.