Viktor and Yuri exited the skating rink to head out to the lobby and greet the fans.
And there were certainly a lot of them.
Ever since Yuri's remarkable comeback, he had steadily gained a huge following. Of course, a lot of that was probably due to Viktor becoming his coach.
Yuri generally hated this part of competitions. He wasn't too big about the crowds or having to converse with a bunch of strangers and take pictures with crazy fangirls.
He had just finished taking several pictures (and most of them had requested that Viktor be in the picture with them) when he heard, "Hey, Skater Boy!"
Yuri would know that name anywhere. "Ryleigh?"
He turned to find the friend he had not seen in just over a year.
"RYLEIGH!" Viktor exclaimed.
He bolted over to her to hug her. What Ryleigh was not prepared for was Viktor tackling her so hard that they both fell over.
She laughed as she rubbed the back of her head. "Warn a girl, will you?"
Viktor laughed with her as he helped her stand up.
Ryleigh then approached Yuri and greeted him with a hug that was much calmer than Viktor's tackle. She could feel jealousy radiating from the multitude of fangirls who wanted to hug him, but that wasn't her problem.
"What are you doing here?" Yuri asked.
"I came to see you compete, of course!"
"But it's pretty out of your way, isn't it?"
"Well, you came to see me, so it's only right I come out to support you. Plus, I've never been to Japan before. Your country's beautiful, by the way."
"Thanks."
"Your performance was amazing. What was that song you skated to?"
"History Maker."
"I really liked it. It was perfect for you."
"Thank you."
Ryleigh sat in her seat anxiously waiting for Yuri to skate out and perform. She hadn't told him she was coming to see him since she wanted to surprise him.
Finally, Yuri came out onto the ice wearing a black skating uniform different.
The song began and Yuri immediately started skating around the entirety of the rink.
Can you hear my heartbeat?
Tired of feeling never enough
I close my eyes and tell myself that my dreams will come true
He started off the routine with a double jump that he landed cleanly. She could tell how much he felt the music and took in the lyrics personally.
There'll be no more darkness
When you believe in yourself you are unstoppable
Where your destiny lies, dancing on the blades
You set my heart on fire
He skated around the rink before completing a butterfly jump which flowed straight into a Biellmann spin. He then completed a triple jump followed by a double.
Don't stop us now, the moment of truth
We were born to make history
We'll make it happen, we'll turn it around
Yes, we were born to make history
Ryleigh watched in amazement as he completed another set of jumps. It was one thing to watch his routines on her computer screen. It was another thing entirely to see him perform in person.
She had seen him complete jumps when they had skated for fun together just before he left, but as incredible as that had been, free skating was totally different from a choreographed piece.
Can you hear my heartbeat?
I've got a feeling it's never too late
I close my eyes and see myself how my dreams will come true
There'll be no more darkness
When you believe in yourself you are unstoppable
Where your destiny lies, dancing on the blades
You set my heart on fire
Ryleigh's eyes widened. She recognized his movements.
She had used them in her dance competition when she had danced to 'Yuri On Ice'.
If what she felt at seeing that was anything like what he had experienced watching her performance, it was elating and like nothing she had ever felt before. It was amusing that he had gotten inspiration from a performance that had been inspired by one of his performances.
Mixed in between everything, she also recognized some of his movements from the time they had danced and skated to Roundtable Rival.
Don't stop us now, the moment of truth
We were born to make history
We'll make it happen, we'll turn it around
Yes, we were born to make history
As the end of the song drew near, Yuri started focusing on his presentation more than his jumps. Performers always had to do that since their stamina usually had run out by the end.
So she was very shocked when he went for a quadruple jump so late in the song. What was even more astounding was that it was flawless.
The crowd burst into thunderous cheers around her.
Ryleigh laughed with pure joy. She felt honored to witness his performance that she had helped him create without even knowing it.
The song ended and Ryleigh clapped and cheered as loud as she could. She was sure he had no idea that she was sitting in the audience, but that was okay. It would make seeing him afterward that much more enjoyable.
"Some of those moves were quite familiar to me," Ryleigh smirked. "I'm honored."
Yuri laughed awkwardly. "I didn't think you were going to see it."
"I'm glad I did. Now I know how you felt when you saw me dance. There's nothing like that feeling."
"No. There isn't."
"You were incredible. I've watched your other routines, but this was absolutely amazing. I mean, doing such a difficult move so late in the program? You've got guts!"
Viktor slung his arm around Yuri's shoulders. "I warned him against doing that, but the man would not listen to me. Tell him he should listen to his coach!"
Ryleigh smirked again. "Hey, he nailed it, so maybe you should start encouraging the difficult jumps."
"You are of no help."
The girl laughed and the two boys couldn't help but join in.
"Hey, Ryleigh, where are you staying?" Yuri asked.
"Oh, just some hotel not far from here."
"Well, you know, my family's hot spring is only about an hour away from here. If you'd like, you're welcome to stay there for one night."
"Oh, no, I couldn't impose."
"Nonsense!" Viktor interrupted. "I impose all the time."
"Well…if you're sure…"
"Of course I'm sure," Yuri smiled. "Besides, you can't come to Japan and not try a hot spring."
"All right. Sounds fun."
While Viktor and Yuri finished taking pictures and signing autographs, Ryleigh returned to her hotel to retrieve what she would need for the night.
Then the two boys stopped by the hotel to pick her up and drive out to Hasestu.
Once they arrived, Ryleigh hopped out of the car and slipped her backpack onto her shoulders.
"This place looks pretty cool," she remarked as she surveyed the building. "I would've loved to grow up somewhere like this."
"Thanks," Yuri replied. "Come on inside."
The three of them walked in the front entrance and were immediately greeted by Yuri's mother. She spoke in Japanese with Yuri and Viktor, which made Ryleigh realize that Viktor knew three languages, and then her gaze went over to Ryleigh. She asked her some question in Japanese.
Ryleigh looked embarrassed as she nervously fiddled with her loose hair. "Um, I'm sorry, I don't understand."
Yuri said something to his mother in Japanese.
"Oh, English, then," his mother smiled as she looked back at Ryleigh. "No problem."
"I'm sorry," Ryleigh apologized. "If I attempted to say anything in Japanese, I'd probably end up disrespecting you and the Japanese language as a whole."
Yuri's mother laughed warmly. "Oh, that's okay. So you're the famous Ryleigh. We've all heard a lot about you."
"Really?" Ryleigh smirked at Yuri who had turned away from her. "Your son was a really big help to me when we met a year ago. And he's incredibly talented. You must be very proud."
"We are. My name is Hiroko. It's very nice to finally meet you."
"And you as well."
"Are you here to try our hot spring?"
"Well, Yuri invited me out here saying I couldn't leave Japan without trying one."
"Wonderful! For Yuri's friend, it's free of charge!"
"Oh, no, I couldn't possibly accept that. Please, let me pay a little something."
"Nope, this one's on the house. It's the least we can do for someone who helped him out with his skating."
"I really didn't do much."
"Of course you did. We've all seen improvement ever since he met you."
"I'm honored, but I really can't take the credit. Viktor's the one who coaches him."
"That doesn't mean you haven't done anything. Please, enjoy our hot spring. Yuri will show you to the room you can stay in for the night and then give you the instructions to using our spring."
"Thank you so much."
After Ryleigh dropped her belongings in one of the open rooms, Yuri led her back to the entrance of the hot spring.
"This one's for girls," he explained. "I'm pretty sure it's empty right now. You're going to go in the changing room and grab a towel to cover yourself. It's important that the towel doesn't go in the water. Most people keep it on top of their heads. You don't have any tattoos, right?"
"Are you kidding? My dance instructor would kill me."
"Just double-checking. Some people get dizzy the first time or if they spend too long inside the spring, so just be careful, especially if you're in there by yourself. Once you're finished, you can put on one of the robes inside the changing room. If you have any other questions, there are instructions posted inside in English, so you should be fine."
"Okay, thanks, Skater Boy."
"Yeah, no problem."
Ryleigh went inside the changing room and tied her hair up into a loose bun before stripping off her clothes. Then she placed a towel around her and entered the spring.
Like Yuri had said, she was alone. She eased herself into the warm water, carefully making sure not to let the towel get wet.
Then she closed her eyes and leaned back to allow her body to soak up the warmth. It was a wonderful experience, especially on her aching dancer muscles, her feet especially.
She lost track of how long she spent inside the spring, but once she started feeling a little overheated, she made her way back to the changing room.
She picked out one of the robes and headed back to the main room after dropping her clothes off inside the bedroom. Then she took her long hair out of the bun and let it fall back around her shoulders.
"Hey, how'd you like it?" Yuri asked when she came out.
"Oh, it was amazing," Ryleigh replied as she took a seat next to him. "I wish we had these places in America. I mean, we have hot springs, but from what I hear, they're nothing like this. Where's Viktor?"
"We went into the spring, but he wanted to stay in for a little longer. Did you want something to eat?"
"I am a little hungry. Do you have anything good?"
"My favorite is the pork cutlet bowl, but I'm sure Katerina's already told you that."
Ryleigh laughed. "She has. But I'd love to try it."
"Okay, great, I think Mom just finished making a bowl."
Yuri went back to the kitchen and brought out a steaming bowl of the famous dish.
"People normally eat with chopsticks, but I think we have a fork if you want it."
"No, it's okay. When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?"
She clumsily fumbled with the chopsticks before getting them into a position where she could at least grab her food and get it to her mouth without dropping it.
Her eyes widened when she took a bite. "Wow, this is incredible. I normally don't go for foreign food, but I really, really like this."
"It's our specialty."
Ryleigh finished off the rest of the bowl before setting it back on the table. "You know, I've actually been following your progress ever since you left America."
"Really?" Yuri asked in surprise.
"Yeah. I'd always wanted to see one of your competitions in person, and when I found out you'd be here, I decided to come out for this one."
"You didn't have to come all this way."
"Well, it's actually not as far as you think."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm actually…living in France now."
"You are?"
"Yeah. I, um, I got accepted to one of their prestigious dance schools, so I relocated up there after graduating from college."
"That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!"
"Honestly, I wouldn't be there if it wasn't for you."
"You had it in you the whole time."
"Yeah, you did too, but you needed Viktor to give you a push, and I needed you to give me one. After you left, I started working on getting out of my head and focusing a lot more on my dancing, not trying to be the best at everything. It took a lot of time and hard work, but eventually, all of my instructors started noticing a huge difference, and before I knew it, people were reaching out to me to come join their school. I auditioned for a few in Paris, and one of them accepted me."
"That's so awesome, Ryleigh."
"I'm glad you reached out to me last year. Thank you for helping me…Yuri."
Yuri laughed lightly. "I believe that is the first time you've ever called me by my name."
Ryleigh smiled broadly.
One year ago, she never would've guessed she'd be visiting two famous figure skaters in Japan while attending a dance school in Paris.
If it hadn't been for Yuri, she might've even quit dancing because things had gone so poorly for her.
But thanks to him, her passion for dancing had reignited and she now did what she loved for a living.
Because passion truly was a beautiful thing.
