**All conversations are assumed to be happening in Japanese**
Two days flew by at breakneck speed in what had seemed like the span of mere hours, and before he knew it, Yuri found himself getting his first-class boarding pass scanned at the departure hall of Fukuoka Airport. Arakawa San had kept him quite busy, filling nearly every waking hour of the last forty-eight with all things training camp.
He had received a thick packet containing countless forms he'd had to sign, rules, regulations, participant profiles, contingency plans, maps, hotel details, tourist information…you name it. She had patiently gone over everything with him and expertly answered every single one of his questions. The daunting amount of information had been quite intimidating at first, and he'd gone through a bit of a nervous patch of self-doubt. But Arakawa San had given him her full assurances that everything was going to work out just fine. She was a consummate professional with lots of experience under her belt, and by the time they got to the last sheet in the packet, he'd been fully convinced that she was right.
The best part about it all had been not needing to be around his family. He had made the obligatory appearance at Yu-Topia and then gone back the following day to present everyone with the gifts he had accumulated during his travels. He'd had the perfect reason not to stick around, and no one really seemed to mind either way. They just knew that he was involved in something big with someone important, and that had been good enough for them.
The training camp prep had also provided him with the perfect distraction. His head was so full of the training schedule and the tasks Arakawa San would be expecting of him, that he hadn't given much thought at all to how he was going to manage meeting up with JJ in Vancouver. He would have to save dealing with that for after he was all settled in.
The sound of tearing paper brought Yuri back out of his reverie, and he thanked the attendant as she handed him back his stub. They had quite an adventure ahead of them, every step of which had practically been planned right down to the second by the people at JSF. Arakawa San was the JSF's dream figure skating ambassador, and they wanted to make sure that she was kept happy and was very well-taken care of. He was just along for the ride.
The first leg of their journey would only last about ninety minutes and take them to the Narita airport in Tokyo. Once there, they'd have to change airports. A private car would be waiting there to take them to the Haneda airport for their ten-hour flight to Vancouver.
The two figure skaters, past and present, boarded the plane in silence and then headed straight for their designated spots. Upon arriving at his seat, Yuri took a moment to look down upon it with awe and excitement. It was so spacious and comfortable-looking, not at all like the economy class sardine can he was used to. He had flown first-class only once before, with Viktor, and was very much looking forward to the luxury. He stowed his carry-on luggage in the overhead compartment and then sank gratefully down into the lavishly upholstered seat. He popped in his earbuds, pulled out the training camp packet, and settled in for some deep re-reading. He wanted to make absolutely sure that he knew its contents inside and out. He had never done anything like this before, and he was putting a lot of pressure on himself to perform well and not do anything that would reflect negatively on Arakawa San.
Their take-off was smooth, and they reached cruising altitude shortly thereafter. As soon as the fasten seatbelt light was turned off, Arakawa San had her laptop out and was on the phone fielding calls. It sounded as if she was getting some last-minute information and updates, as well as working out some final details. Yuri had a feeling that she was going to be kept busy for the rest of the flight. Not wanting to appear as if he was slacking off, Yuri turned his attention back to the packet, cranking up the music volume as he did so.
Ninety minutes flew by in the blink of an eye, and they were soon touching down at the Narita airport. Customs was cleared without a hitch and they made it through the terminal in record time. Their driver was already waiting for them at Arrivals, and an attendant took care of their luggage. The drive to Haneda went smoothly and without incident, filled with rather pleasant and insightful conversation.
Yuri learned that Arakawa San was a rather big fan of his, and he was super flattered and humbled all at once. She gave him a very detailed breakdown of his performances and offered him some pointers as well. He drank in every drop of advice she had to offer. When she asked him if there was anything about her in particular that he wanted to know, he knew exactly what to ask.
Arakawa San had been blessed with natural flexibility since birth, but she had always been quite secretive about her training regimen and how she managed to keep her body so limber. Yuri brought his palms together in front of his face, closed his eyes, and did the best bow he could within the limited space.
"Please, Arakawa San, tell me the secret to your beautiful Ina Bauer!"
Soft laughter filled the vehicle. Such an attractively feminine sound that it even caused the driver to break protocol and covertly steal a glance into the rearview mirror.
"Now, now, Yuri Kun. If I told you, it wouldn't be much of a secret anymore, now would it?"
Yuri opened his eyes and tried to hide his disappointment as he nodded solemnly at his senpai.
"I understand. I'm sorry if I offended you, that wasn't my intention."
More laughter followed and Arakawa San clucked her tongue at him as she playfully wagged her finger at him in mock admonishment.
"That's it? You gave up so easily! Did you really want to know, or were you just making polite conversation?"
Yuri gawped wordlessly at the woman next to him. He was suddenly really confused by the turn in the conversation and was unsure as to how to proceed. Was Arakawa San serious? Was she just teasing him?
"Ara…kawa…San?"
The woman's eyes softened as she took in the young skater's puzzled expression. At 25 years old, he could easily be considered 'young'. But in the sport of figure skating, he was rapidly approaching retirement age. It was quite possible for singles' skaters to have a career well into their mid-30s, but the sport was very taxing and unforgiving on aging bodies. As determined as a skater seems to keep skating, they are only able to do so as long as their bodies hold out. Yuri Katsuki had not had his shining moment yet, not yet cemented his name on the ice or in the sport. She knew that he had it in him to do so, but there just seemed to be something holding him back.
"Yuri Kun, if you really want something, you must not give up on it without first doing everything within your power to get it."
Arakawa San leaned back on the seat, a faraway look taking hold in her eyes and a wistful smile playing gently upon her lips.
"When I was still a small child, my flexibility quickly garnered me the attention of various gymnastics coaches. My parents readily pushed me into gymnastics, and I was flagged as an Olympic hopeful within my first few years at the gym. I didn't really love the sport, but I was good at it. Mostly, I enjoyed the attention that it garnered me."
Yuri's eyes grew wide at the revelation. He had read some blurb somewhere about Arakawa San having some gymnastic training in her background but had never realized that it had actually been the sport she'd been meant to be in.
"While watching TV one weekend morning, I came across a figure skating competition that was being broadcast live. I became immediately enamored with the beauty and grace of the female skaters. They looked so ethereal in their sparkling costumes, like real princesses of the ice. I knew right then and there that figure skating was what I really wanted to do."
The older woman sighed, a fleeting look of annoyance flitting across her face so briefly that it was almost imperceptible.
"As you can guess, my parents were less than thrilled about my desire to switch to figure skating. In their mind, I had been born to be a gymnast and they had already committed to the sport. Changing sports would be expensive, they said. It would take time, and require a change in their schedules."
Yuri nodded sympathetically. He knew all too well what she'd been through. Convincing his parents that continuing figure skating was a better option than a Bachelor of International Business had been one of the toughest things he'd ever had to do.
"But I was in love, you see. And the more I compared the two sports, the more I realized that I didn't want to be a gymnast anymore. The delicate and feminine silhouettes of the female skaters stood in stark contrast to the muscular and well-developed thighs and shoulders of female gymnasts. Figure skaters used music and sharp metal blades to paint moving masterpieces on the ice. Gymnasts used music as a vector for showcasing their power. I had my heart set on becoming a figure skater, and I wasn't going to give up on it without a fight."
Yuri listened raptly to Arakawa San's story. He'd been in the exact same shoes earlier on in his life, and her story struck a deep chord within him. More than anything, however, he felt extremely privileged to be getting such personal insights into the life and struggles of such a massive skating icon.
"I begged and pleaded with my parents every chance I got. Each time, they flat-out refused to trade my gymnastics lessons for figure skating ones. I imagine that they figured that I was just 'going through a phase' and would eventually just drop it. I wasn't. I wouldn't. I rebelled."
Arakawa San's illustrious career was solid proof that she had obviously not given up on her dream to be a figure skater, but Yuri was still positively riveted by her story and wanted to know more.
"What did you do, Arakawa San?"
The former skater smiled rather smugly before turning her head to wink cheekily at him.
"I started learning all that I could on my own, of course. If no one was willing to help me, I was going to have to help myself. So, I read every book I could about it and watched countless hours of competition playbacks on TV. I even found a local rink that ran classes, and would sneak off to unofficially attend them from the sidelines."
To say that Yuri was impressed was an understatement. Arakawa San had taken on a lot at such a young age. She'd been determined and had steadfast resolve right from the beginning.
"How did you manage to do all that on your own? Did your parents not catch on?"
The older woman shook her head.
"They didn't. Although I had already started pulling back during gymnastics classes and putting less effort into them, I was still attending them faithfully. Eventually, I got noticed by the coaches at the rink, and on one fateful day, they invited me to try out a class. I didn't have my own skates at the time, so they lent me this absolutely horrific and ill-fitting pair of rental skates."
Arakawa San scrunched up her face in disdain as she relived the memory of her first-ever pair.
"They smelled absolutely ghastly and hurt my feet, but I just swallowed my pride and gratefully accepted them with a smile.
Arakawa San's entire demeanor lit up with pure joy just then, and Yuri knew that he was witnessing someone caught up in a moment of genuine happiness.
"Let me tell you, Yuri Kun, once I stepped onto that ice, my whole life changed. I felt free. It was a culmination of everything I'd been fighting for. The only thing that mattered at that moment was that I was finally on the ice. Nothing else."
Yuri had already been on the ice for a few years before he had his inspirational skating 'a-ha' moment, but still found many parallels between his story and Arakawa San's. She had chased after the beauty and elegance of the sport, while he had chased after the beauty and acknowledgment of one its participants. The paths they had taken had been very different, but their commitment to the sport was the same.
"That's truly amazing, Arakawa San! I bet you took to the ice like a duck to water."
The woman sitting next to him burst into hearty laughter, tears welling in her eyes from the force of the mirth.
"Hardly! I was more like a newborn fawn trying to stand on its wobbly new legs for the first time! I fell on my backside more times than I could count!"
A sharp bark of laughter filled the inside of the car, and it was a split second before Yuri realized that the sound had actually come from him. His hands immediately flew to his mouth, and his eyes widened in horror. He had just laughed at a skating legend!
The mental image of someone like Arakawa San; the epitome of elegance and grace, falling down unceremoniously onto her butt, had just been too much for him to handle. The laugh had come out before he'd even been aware of it. Dread pooled in the pit of his stomach. He was in for it, now. He was absolutely certain that he'd be sent back on the next plane to Fukuoka.
What actually ended up happening was the complete opposite of what he'd been expecting. Arakawa San began laughing even harder, tears leaking freely from the corners of her eyes. Breathless, she dabbed gingerly at them with her fingers, careful not to smudge her eye makeup.
"I…know…right?"
People often say that laughter is contagious, and on this day, this proved to be exceptionally true. An uncontrollable fit of giggles bubbled forth from Yuri's throat, and forcefully pushed its way past the hands over his mouth. And once they started, they wouldn't stop. Yuri's laughter caused Arakawa San to laugh even harder, and soon they were both reduced to a pile of unrestrained hilarity and glee.
As the car pulled up to the Haneda airport, there was a relaxed and friendly atmosphere between them. It had taken a lot of effort, but they had eventually managed to get their laughter under control. They had even managed to compose themselves enough to resume normal conversation. After having heard Arakawa San's story about not giving up, he decided to ask her again about her Ina Bauer. He had been determined to get some kind of answer out of her that second time around, and his newfound resolve had apparently been enough to convince her.
It was then that he'd learned about Bikram yoga, also known as 'hot yoga'. It consisted of a fixed set of 26 postures and was performed in an environment that was set to simulate the climate in India where it originated from. The studio was kept at 41°C and 40% humidity and excessive sweating was a guaranteed part of the experience. Yuri had never heard of the Bikram variety of Yoga before, but it sounded like absolute torture to him.
Arakawa San had gone on to explain that the increased temperature improved lower body strength, increased the range of joint motion in both upper and lower body, ameliorated balance, and more importantly…made bodies more pliable and flexible. Yuri was left feeling rather intrigued and vowed to do a little research on the subject later on.
As they pulled up to the check-in counter, Yuri realized that he was experiencing a sense of lightness in his soul that he hadn't experienced in a long time. The tension he'd been feeling about working with Arakawa San had dissipated greatly after he'd seen her 'human' side. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he'd had a good laugh like that and felt a lot more relaxed in her presence. He was, now more than ever, really looking forward to what Vancouver had to offer.
