HELLO TO ALL YOU LOVELY READERS! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS!
Everyone: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY MIDNIGHT! *small parade of dragons, poodles, books, fairies, guardians, and etc. along with YOI cast skating their routines* even if we're a few days late we shall celebrate!
Me: You guys*tearing up again* Geez, no wonder I prefer you guys than humans *turns to my readers/followers/favorite supporters* No offense, I meant the humans in my high school
Yuuri: Now, now this is a special chapter and we appreciate your hard work despite the schedules you have to work through *turns to audience* Remember she does not own any of us or the anime except for the amazing OC children she created for us!
Victor: VODKA FOR EVERYONE
Me+Yuuri: I'M/SHE'S UNDERAGED!
Victor: Of course she's underaged, *pulls out bottle of orange juice* She gets this
Me: YESS!
...
Yusha was excited when he was allowed to take Yuuki for a quick walk around the inn. But even more, excited when he and Anatasia were able to convince his grandparents and uncle Otabek to have a trip to the beach on the weekend which is only three days away! All that without having to tell them about his dream! The thought of being so close to finding the mysterious man in his dream was enough to keep him well behaved and full of energy.
The only reason why they had to push the trip to the beach for the weekend was that today was when his daddy is coming to Hasetsu. That was the main reason why everyone is here but Yusha wasn't keen on meeting the man who is his daddy again.
He just didn't expect to see his daddy just a few feet from the door when he opened it.
Right there, a tall pale man with short silver hair and bangs on the left dressed in clothing that screams thousands of dollars just standing there staring at him in shock. The silence between them was enough to hear a pin drop on the ground until he heard his daddy's voice crack from the emotionally surprise.
"Yu-Yusha?"
He didn't know what to do!
There he was, all alone with the exception of Yuuki, with his daddy right there practically becoming an emotional wreck just by looking at him! Yusha began to question if it was wrong to question whether this man was supposed to be his parent or an emotional pervert who needs to be turned in to the authorities for staring at a five-year-old for too long in tears. Thankfully Hana took over from there when she and everyone else jumped his daddy to the ground with full volume laughter with her poodle joining in the fun. Yusha just stood so awkwardly at the scene that for some reason was causing the insides of his chest to feel all funny like someone was just scratching every fiber within.
It's too noisy to be here anyway, He reasoned with himself when he turned around and rushed back inside. There was no time to see if Yuuki followed him, he just wanted to be far from everyone else for now, especially from that man he's supposed to call daddy. He rushed inside to his room to grab his favorite plush poodles toy and then rush into one of the other rooms that were completely dark and quiet as he sat on the ground until someone called him. It's not that he hated his daddy, it's just that he doesn't know him enough to consider him a dad or a parent for that matter.
Why?
For one thing, he looks so scary and hardy smiles at all whenever they come visit him. He opens the door of the home he lives in alone with a sad face and only makes a small smile when Hana begins to talk a lot. Well, only the smile wasn't as big as the one from his dream but it was good enough. But that doesn't help when he avoids his daddy to go play in a corner somewhere and let Hana get the attention. It's always been that way, for some reason, Yusha just had this feeling that the guy coming to Hasetsu for them isn't their daddy but a stranger who knows what happened to the real one.
If I find the mysterious man maybe he can tell me about Papa and help bring daddy back to us, He thought to himself hopefully as he hugged Vicchan tightly in hopes that it makes some of the pain go away. That man knows daddy enough to make him smile. Maybe he can undo the spell cast upon daddy to make him happy again! Uncle Georgi told me about how daddy might seem scary to me because he's been cursed to be someone else! Yes, sometimes he and Hana would go to the ice rink where Uncle Georgi and Auntie Mila were helping grandpa Yakov coach the skaters and big sis would always go on the ice with Auntie Mila.
Being too young and afraid to step foot on the ice, Uncle Georgi kept Yusha company on the benches where they'd watch Hana skate. When Uncle Georgi wasn't gushing about his wife and newborn daughter, he would tell him the fairy tales about witches, curses, and the princes who come save the day.
"To you, your daddy may seem like a strange scary man but that is what the witch who cast that curse wants you to think" Uncle Georgi's words repeated through Yusha's mind as a reminder. "It is up to you and your sister to lift the curse cast upon him to free him from being a sad mean man and into the happy daddy who once roamed the world with all the love to give."
Small tears stung his eyes as he curled himself to become smaller. He really wants to help his daddy but how can he if the curse made him too afraid to try?
"I-I want papa," He whimpered when the tears poured down after spending the entire day in this room just feeling his stress and frustration reaching its peak. Even if he never met his papa, he still wanted someone who used to provide comfort he could barely remember. "I want my papa back. I wanna go home, I-I'm scared...Papa, I'm scared."
"Scared?" An old familiar voice asked just as the light from the outside of the room shined inside where Yusha was hiding.
Yusha jumped at the voice that appeared out of nowhere as he looked up and sniffled, "O-Ojiisan?" He rose his arm to wipe the tears and snot. "W-Why are you in here? Are you going to take me to them?"
Toshiya wasn't expecting to find Yusha in this room of all places, he was just entering to offer his respect until he heard the little boy crying out for his son. He shook his head as he closed the door behind him, walking over to the where the light switch was so it can light the room up. "No, I'm not here for that." He was then on his knees, clapping his hands together in prayer in front of something, "Just paying my respects."
"T-To who?" That was when Yusha noticed two shrines with separate pictures framed as Toshiyalit up the incense. One had a young Japanese boy with a small light brown poodle posing in front of the inn. Then another one had a photo of two people in the same dark and blue athlete jackets for Japan, one of them was taller with hair slicked back, eyes closed with an awkward smile while the other was shorter than him with dirty blonde hair with red hair sticking out from the front while having teary eyes and a wide smile of happiness.
"He never really liked taking photos alone," Toshiya commented with a small smile but Yusha wasn't sure if his ojiisan was addressing him or just talking to himself. "He always had to take a picture with somebody, a close friend or one of us. This one was a close friend and fellow competitor."
Yusha stared at the photos in wonder, getting up from his corner to kneel beside Toshiya. His eyes were on both photos, wondering if those people were related and if one of them could be his papa but he couldn't tell for sure. All he could do was clap his hands together and bow down just as his ojiisan did so he can be respectful to the family who isn't here anymore. Maybe papa had a younger brother and a cousin who passed away before him. "Are they family?"
"Very close," Toshiya sighed sadly. He knew the promise he and everyone else made for Victor's own good. No one is to talk about Yuuri in front of Yusha, everything about him is supposed to be a secret until Victor tells the boy himself. But that didn't mean that the task was easy, it was far from him. He wanted to tell his grandson how much he reminded him of Yuuri when he was young, an innocent child with a fragile heart. He's not the first one to decide to hide in here.
...
"Yuuri?" Toshiya called out as he searched around the inn for his five-year-old son. It was only the boy's first day of kindergarten but he came home with red eyes shedding heavy tears while running off to hide before anyone could ask him how his day went. "Yuuri?"
That was when he heard small sniffles from the family shrine room. Ah, ha.
Slowly sliding the door open, he spotted a chubby little boy curled up in the corner crying silently in the dark. He looked up and jumped at the sudden presence of his father but only to look away and cry, "I-I'm scared...I don't wanna go back there...D-Don't make me go back."
"Yuuri," Toshiya slid the door closed behind him as he made his way to sit close to his son but not too close. "Do you want to talk about it? About what is going on at school and why you're scared to go back?" Yuuri shook his head, burying his face in his knees. "You know that we can't help you feel better if you don't tell us. Talking about your problems with me, I promise you that we can fix it together."
Yuuri blinked once at his father before glancing down at the floor and muttered, "Fat."
"Pardon?"
"T-They called me a fat and ugly pig," Yuuri whimpered, turning to his father to hold onto him tightly "A-All the kids called me names a-and say mean things for being too fat so no one wanted to be m-my friend...No one likes me. I-I'm scared to go back, papa." He cried a new set of tears, "I don't wanna hear them anymore, I don't wanna go back."
Toshiya was speechless when he heard those words. Sure children can be cruel but are they really that cruel to bully his young adorable baby boy. A boy who has done nothing wrong except having a powerful passion and smile. "Yuuri, you shouldn't listen to bullies like them. They don't see what your mother, your sister, Minako-sensei, and I see in you. A smart, handsome, adorable little boy who can beautifully dance and just started to ice skate."
"But you guys are my family," Yuuri protested, "You're supposed to be like that."
"Then what are your new rinkmates you told us about after your trip to the ice rink for those lessons?" Toshiya asked, "I believe their names were Yuuko and Takeshi after all, you did talk about them all evening that day." Yuuri made a small smile. "Didn't you say that Yuuk called you adorable and even if Takeshi called you fat, he still apologized and called you cool didn't he?"
"I-I guess," Yuuri nodded. "But they're not in my class...Everyone there hates me."
"Would they even be friends if they think of you so poorly?" Toshiya questioned and when Yuuri shook his head, he continued, "The only friends that matter is those who accept you Yuuri and believe them when they tell you that you are just as beautiful and handsome as the stars above. You do take after your beautiful mother after all."
"Mama is very beautiful," Yuuri agreed firmly, there was no arguing with that fact.
"So the next time those kids decide to give you a hard time, give them your beautiful smile and ignore their comments. You're going to grow up to become a handsome prince who will find happiness," Toshiya smiled, ruffling his son's hair. "There's nothing to be afraid of except fear itself, just tell yourself that your family loves you and you'll remember that you have special friends and family who see you as a treasure. And one day, you're going to prove them all wrong-"
"I-I can dance beautifully on the ice," Yuuri suggested, almost sounding like he was talking to himself, "Minako-sensei said that dancers are more beautiful on ice! I can be an ice dancer and show them!"
Toshiya chuckled, "You'll be the best figure skater this world has ever seen."
...
"Ojiisan?"
Hearing his grandson call for him snapped Toshiya back to the present. Yusha was looking at him with a concern which was enough for Toshiya to realize that he must have spaced out for too long. "S-Sorry about that, just remembering something that's all," He apologized sheepishly. "It's nothing bad though, not to worry."
"Ojiisan," Yusha repeated as he pointed to the shrines, "Where's papa's shrine? You were his papa right, where is his shrine? Why isn't his shrine here?"
Ah, Yusha must think that these shrines are for someone else, Toshiya realized with a sigh as Yusha was switching glances from him then to the shrines. No one ever showed him a photo of Yuuri, the boy doesn't know any better. After a moment, he cleared his throat and gave his best explanation, "Well, Yusha. Your papa's shrine isn't in here because it's somewhere in here that only your daddy knows where to find it."
"My daddy only knows?" Yusha gulped.
"Yep," His ojiisan nodded. Sorry, Yusha...And you too Victor. But it's the only way I can make sure I keep the promise of keeping Yuuri's past a secret. "And I promised him to keep that a secret, but I'm sure he'll tell you very soon."
"B-But..." Yusha looked down nervously, twiddling his fingers in the process. "H-How can I if I-I'm scared?"
"Hey now, there's nothing to be scared of," He reassured his grandson, wiping off the tears from his eyes. "Your daddy may look it but once you get to know him, he's just as harmless as a feather. And you'll have your sister with you to help you get to know him." His eyes glanced over at the two framed pictures with Yuuri and looked back at Yusha who thankfully didn't notice, "If your papa was able to love, and marry your daddy along with bringing you two into their lives, then surely daddy's not a scary person if he managed to get all that."
"I-I guess," Yusha sniffled, "Papa...Papa must have been really brave." Wiping the last tears for himself, his cheeks puffed up with a spark of determination. "If p-papa can be brave t-then so can I."
Toshiya simply smiled and nodded in agreement with the boy's resolution until they heard the door slide open.
"Ah! Yusha, there you are!" Mari called out with relief, catching both grandson and grandpa by surprise as she walks towards them. "You shouldn't be in here, neither of you should be in here at this late in the day." First, her eyes were on her father, "Dad, if you wanted to come in here, you should have told me. I could have helped you get here, you were supposed to be in bed getting better."
"You just seemed a little busy so there's no harm done," Toshiya reassured. "Besides, I'm more than capable to be able to walk by myself so you don't need to worry."
"Sorry but it's my job to worry about you, dad. You're just recovering, you need your rest," She sighed until she glanced down at Yusha, "And speaking of rest...It's past your bedtime young man! You haven't eaten your lunch or dinner! We've been looking all over for you-"
Yusha can hear her, he just wasn't listening as he looked away from how his auntie Mari was scolding ojiisan again and stared at the two frame pictures, preferably the second frame. That building behind them...He told himself, catching the last word on the sign since the two people blocked the first one. 'Castle'. If daddy used to skate on the ice like big sis told me, then maybe that place can tell me how daddy met papa. Maybe one of those people in the picture knows.
...
"You'll have to be patient with Yusha," Anna explained to Victor that evening in the living room. All the adults with the exception of Mari, Hiroko, and Masumi weren't present since they were on bedtime duty with the children. "As you know, he's a very timid boy but this whole move is new for him. He doesn't take change very well so it takes time for him to adjust. Especially when he meets new people. He just instantly becomes afraid," Seeing the disappointment in Victor's eyes, she quickly assured with a smile, "Even so, I'm sure he'll come around to accept you. You just need to show him that you're the kind of dad who he shouldn't be frightened of."
"We think that maybe it's due to the lack of confidence," Vitaly rubbed the back of his head. "But I'm sure we'll get that confidence to grow don't worry."
Lacking the confidence, Victor thought to himself with a small smile. Just like Yuuri.
"Or maybe you just need a chance to bond with your kids," Toshiya's voice interrupted, catching everyone by surprise. Once the older Katsuki sat down next to Vitaly, he spoke again, "Mari is just giving little Yusha something to eat in the kitchen before she sends him off to bed. I found Yusha in the shrine room by himself and he doesn't seem to realize who was in the pictures there."
"W-Wait, you mean he saw Yuuri's photo?" Victor asked with panic. He didn't want his son to get overwhelmed with questions all at once and especially when there is no one who could tell him everything. They left that duty up to Victor.
"No, no, he didn't seem to recognize them. In fact, he didn't acknowledge the chances of them being his papa," Toshiya reassured, then his expression turned serious towards his son-in-law. "Victor, sooner or later, you will have to share the story of Yuuri to Yusha. He deserves to know who his papa was after five years of being locked away from such knowledge about him."
"I know," Victor looked down dejectedly, "It's just hard...H-He'll miss him. It was difficult trying to explain the situation to Hana because she knew Yuuri, but Yusha was only a baby, barely a year old. I'm just worried it might be too much for Yusha to handle and that he'll miss him too much."
The adults in the room were silent, unsure of what to say including Yurio.
Finally, Chris cleared his throat and spoke up, "But at least, he'll be able to miss his papa together with you and Hana. It's only fair to mourn as amending family than as a broken kind."
...
Me: That's all folks, next chapter will include a little discovery Yusha and Hana will make while waiting around to have that trip to the beach
Victor: WHERE'S BONDING MOMENTS?!
Yuuri: Victor...
Me: THEY'RE COMING SOON! *Turns to audience* PLEASE REVIEW, FAVORITE, AND FOLLOW TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT, I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS CHAPTER