from: y-katsuki2909
to: m-hisashi
date: May 21, 2XXX, 10:23AM
subject: 氷の温泉！見せ物、ショー、芝居！[Hot Springs on Ice! The Show]
Hello, Morooka-san.
I hope you receive this email in good health.
I wanted to ask if you would like to partake in a little gala show I will be doing with my rink in July. It will be a showcase for all the young students at a rink, as well as a culmination of the Ice Castle Summer Skating project in collaboration with the JSF. It is for the parents of the students, as well as to raise some money for the rink.
I would like to offer you tickets as a thank you for your constant support. Please let me know if you are able to attend, and I can sort out lodgings for you as well.
Kind regards,
勝生 勇利
from: m-hisashi
to: y-katsuki2909
date: May 21, 2XXX, 13:23PM
subject: RE - 氷の温泉！見せ物、ショー、芝居！[Hot Springs on Ice! The Show]
Hello, Katsuki-san.
Is it okay if I call you Katsuki-san? If I am being honest, I am so surprised at your email. I did not know you were aware of my articles. I would like to take this moment to thank you for what you have done for our sport so far!
I am humbled to receive such tickets from you personally, and would like to tell you I will 100% come to the showcase, even if I have to call in sick to work! I did not believe it was from you at first, but then saw the attached tickets and well, I will believe it even if you are a scammer!
As a small question, are you perhaps performing during the showcase?
Kind regards,
諸岡 久志
from: y-katsuki2909
to: m-hisashi
date: May 21, 2XXX, 17:12PM
subject: RE: RE - 氷の温泉！見せ物、ショー、芝居！[Hot Springs on Ice! The Show]
Hello, Morooka-san.
Yes, in fact I implore you to call me Katsuki-san. Thank you for replying to my email so promptly, I apologise in turn for my late response as I was away at training. To answer your question, I will be performing at the showcase, although the main focus will be on the children of the program.
Yours faithfully,
勝生 勇利
from: m-hisashi
to: y-katsuki2909
date: May 21, 2XXX, 18:02PM
subject: RE: RE: RE- 氷の温泉！見せ物、ショー、芝居！[Hot Springs on Ice! The Show]
Katsuki-san, I hope you will not hate me for this.
My boss was overlooking my shoulder as I was reading your past email, and has learnt about everything (including my willingness to be absent from work T.T). Thankfully, he seemed more interested in your showcase and asked if you were already signed for a broadcast deal with another station?
Yours sincerely,
諸岡 久志
from: y-katsuki2909
to: m-hisashi
date: May 22, 2XXX, 05:42AM
subject: RE: RE: RE: RE- 氷の温泉！見せ物、ショー、芝居！[Hot Springs on Ice! The Show]
Hello, Morooka-san.
It is just a small showcase at our rink, tickets are sold there so we know it won't be too big. To be honest, I do not see how any would be interested at all outside of Hasetsu. So, the answer would be no.
Sorry for getting you caught by your boss, Morooka-san. Hopefully you will still be able to attend. If you would like more information, you can talk more with my friend and coworker, Yuuko at 郡-優子 for more information about the planning :)
Yours faithfully,
勝生 勇利
"Jackpot." Morooka's voice fills with excitement. There was no way he was going to let Mainichi beat him this time! Jumping from his desk, he runs towards his supervisor's room, his office chair clattering to the ground in his thundering wake.
May
Hasetsu, Japan
It is on an ordinary Wednesday morning that Celestino lands in Hasetsu, Japan.
"Your town is very charming," He freely admits. Yuuri nods in reply, subdued in his manner. In an inversion of his past, it is Yuuri this time who picks his coach up from the train station after his flight over.
After landing in Tokyo for an ISU seminar, he had called Yuuri asking if he could make a detour to Hasetsu before returning to Michigan. Within a day, Celestino had hopped onto a plane to Saga, before catching a train to the small Hasetsu train station before the words "yes" had even left Yuuri's mouth.
Another change from the future - Celestino had never visited Hasetsu until Yuuri's wedding. Now, he's here in the flesh, ooh -ing and ahh -ing at all the right time, holding one of those little retro disposable camera, (well, Yuuri supposes, they're the height of modernity at the moment). They fall into an easy companionship. The silence is comforting, Celestino is comforting - he always has been. Yuuri had never appreciated it much before.
It's different now, their relationship. Perhaps it was because post-Viktor, their interactions had been that of equal standings rather than coach and student. The usual swoop of anxiety in his stomach is missing.
After three hours of sightseeing, and another hour of his mother helping his coach settle into the inn, the two sit down for business.
"Let's get started, shall we?"
Celestino looks incomparably big amongst the backdrop of his parents inn. In a bid to give them a little privacy, the two of them are sitting crossed-legged on Yuuri's pouch in their family's private quarters outside. Vicchan lays in the sunlight in a deep nap.
"I thought I'd give you a little background into Detroit." His coach slowly sips at the green tea in his mug, leaning back as he bathes in the sun. "There are five coaches including me who coach professional skaters. There's Feoder and Alana, they work with pairs. Freida and Simon are our junior coaches, but Simon is our jumping specialist. You'd be working with me primarily."
He hands Yuuri a little folder of papers, and slowly Yuuri goes through them, eyes skimming over the blurring English words. "Our rink is adjacent to Wayne University so you won't have to worry about membership since you'll automatically be enrolled."
"As for me," Celestino smiles kindly towards him, "Well after the courtesy you've shown me in your home, I'll be sure to treat you the same. I want you to know that you are my main priority Yuuri. I might have a lot of students, but you're my only single senior skater. Anyway, enough about Wayne, let's talk about you. What are your plans?"
"Japanese universities start next month, so I'll be the only one left really. There's no college in Hasetsu so everyone my age is going to the city or elsewhere in the country." He stretches his legs out slightly. "I've got a job at my local ice rink to tide over until I move in August."
Celestino whistles loudly. "So you've got what, a four month break?"
"Yeah, well, I guess you could call it that. I'm actually teaching some kids at the rink, we're doing a summer school next month so I'm planning for that. Saving up and stuff like that, ya know?"
"What about your training?" Celestino leans forward, eyes narrowing. "Suzuki sent me a very interesting email the other week that she's now working here."
"Yes," Yuuri scratches the back of his head. "Wait, how do you know each other?"
At that, Celestino laughs loudly. "We're sworn enemies. Of course I have her email. "
"What?!"
"Oh yeah, we used to be BIG rival teams back in the 80s." Celestino emphasises the word 'big', shaking his head at the memory. "Let me tell you, back then it was cutthroat. I guess it still is." Yuuri tries not to flinch at the insinuation. Celestino had seen the comments online, he assumed. Well, Viktor's fans were always over-zealous; he should know - he was one of them.
Swallowing lightly, Yuuri's throat turns dry. He manages to croak out, "I'm still training, but I've hit a little wall. I- that's actually why I was glad you reached out."
He leaps up from his seat, standing in front of Celestino. He bows sharply, his nose almost touching the floor. He can hear Celestino choke on his drink. "Teach me how to do a quadruple jump, please Coach!"
Ice Castle had undergone some of its own transformation in the days before Celestino's arrival.
New flooring had been spread across the entire rink, a pillowy, rubber-like laminate that made it more comfortable for skaters to start their stretches on the rinkside. Takeshi had also installed two new overhead pulley harnesses in the designated warm-up room for jump simulation after watching Yuuri monopolise the rusty, aged one they had.
Yuuri had also started up skating lessons - working with Sophia, they had planned training sessions out for Haruka, her parents now infinitely more supportive once they found out Yuuri had an invested interest in their daughter's skating.
After news had spread that Yuuri was giving personalised training at the rink, (Haruka was a little too enthusiastic in letting her classmates know who her assistant coach was), there was an increase of kids applying for skating lessons. Parents were clambering to have their kid sign up for lessons, to which Yuuko had to make it clear that Yuuri was not a coach, since he was busy with his own training.
There was a bit of an uproar (he shudders to think about one particular parent who refused to leave, throwing what could only be called a tantrum, after hearing Yuuri wouldn't teach her kid specifically), but one look at Takeshi's scary face was enough to ward them away for the time being.
Sophia had taken over the intermediate group immediately, a handful of kids that were of a similar age to Haru, although perhaps not at the same skill grade yet. As she became more and more busy, Yuuri took it upon himself to take over Haru's training completely, with Sophia supervising when she could until he had to leave for America. From then, she would be prioritising Haru's training, especially as she comes to age for domestic competitions.
Haruka was incredible, landing her first combination jump (a triple salchow-double toe) at only twelve years old. She had all her triple jumps down to a tee - her triple loop in particular was a thing of beauty. Yuuri had made it his mission to drill good habits into her - it would be difficult for her to unlearn any mistakes. No student of Yuuri's will have a lutz with a flat edge, that's for sure.
Flourishing under Yuuri and Sophia's combined tutelage, Yuuri knew that Haruka would dominate her age-group. They were preparing for a small domestic competition soon after the showcase. It would be the perfect practice to get her some experience performing to an audience, even though she was wracked with nerves.
Whilst he spent most of his time working at Ice Castle, (and actually being paid for his services which was a foriegn concept to all parties), his training would preoccupy most of his time. Yuuri was training longer and harder than he ever had before. It was the first thing Celestino mentions when they make their way inside the empty rink.
"Suzuki says that you've been working with the overhead during training." Celestino comments, watching as Yuuri slips the jumping harness over his torso. It hangs over his shoulders like an oversized armour, a child playing in his parent's clothes, until Celestino steps forward and tightens the velcro. It moulds against Yuuri's body like skin.
He stills for a moment, before nodding shyly. "I needed to get used to the rotations. My body isn't used to spinning that fast."
Spinning fast was an understatement. Yuuri had been doing quads for over a decade- so tell him why the first time Takeshi had tightened him up into the overhead harness, he had clambered onto his knees and upheaved his entire breakfast over his shoes after a single rotation?
The overhead wasn't even an accurate gauge of how a quad would actually feel - Yuuri of all people would know - but his body was not used to the sudden increase in speed and rotation.
Now, doing it out on the ice, without the help of a harness? It could take up to a year before his body was accustomed, and even then he might not have clean landings. If he was going to make his senior debut count, he needed a quad. He doesn't have a year- not with Saratov a season away.
Of course, it would be an issue if Yuuri was doing his regular hours of training.
"Nothing four months of intensive training can't change!" Celestino speaks Yuuri's own thoughts out loud. "I wish most of my skaters had that much time."
Another thing that fate had given Yuuri. Time - he has always had more time for the ice than anyone.
"Yuuri-kun!" A voice pipes up from behind them.
The sound of heeled boots against the floor of the ice-rink fills Yuuri's ears. Minako strides towards, arms crossed against her chest. Her face is stern, but Yuuri can see the tell-tale quip at the corner of her lips that she is enjoying her little facade as a strict coach a bit too much.
Yuuri still treats his old coach and teacher with the reverence she deserves, bowing and murmuring out a soft greeting, "Minako-sensei."
Celestino stops in his tracks, before sending Minako a thundering smile. "Ahh! Minako, did Yuuri tell you I was coming by? I was going to drop an email, but then the two of us got side-tracked. He was telling me all about the Ninja House, home to Hasestu's own samurais!"
" Sophia already told me." She purposely weighs the sound of her voice on the name, infinitely amused by the way Celestino's lips purse immediately.
"Where is Suzuki, anyways?" He grumbles. "Satan finally picked up His favourite subordinate?"
Yuuri gasps. Minako erupts into a full-bodied laugh. "It's her day off. Aptly planned I think- we wouldn't want the place to burst into flames when the two of you reunited now, would we? Takeshi's only just replaced the flooring."
"Small mercies." Celestino shudders under his breath. "Anyway, enough about that demon. Yuuri! Let's get this show on the road."
The rink is empty, save for Takeshi who is on the other side attempting to look busy by tinkering with some recruitment banner he was going to hang up. His body is half-turned towards them, and Yuuri only rolls his eyes to himself, turning his attention back on his coach.
Celestino takes the first step on to the freshly smoothed ice, and Yuuri watches as he glides effortlessly out.
"You okay, Yuuri?" Minako murmurs to him.
Yuuri takes a deep breath, before he takes a step out onto the ice. Celestino materialises beside him.
"The biggest hurdle with a quad is the fear." Yuuri's throat dries as Celestino gently tugs him to the centre of the rink. "For so long, it was thought to be humanly impossible. I want you to understand that - to really understand it - what you are attempting is the peak of human athleticism."
The fishpole flounders next to him, until Celestino wraps his strong hands around them, tight and secure. "We're just going to do some slow rotations, a simple triple toe-loop, okay? I want you to get used to the added weight of the pole."
"It'll be like when we were kids!" Takeshi decides to stop pretending that he's working. "Remember? That's how you learnt triples!"
Takeshi's comments are not helpful as memories of ten year old Yuuri being lifted up by Takeshi's father, stuck in the harness like a diaper in front of the entire skating class. Yuuri lets out a shaky breath. He was also only seventeen kilograms then too.
A mad bag of stress, sports and genetics, Yuuri had spent his entire life obsessing over his fluctuating weight. It had taken him many years before he accepted that his body was just his body , a sack of bones he used to move around, a body that did its fucking job.
He wasn't a lithe, elven beauty like Viktor who's natural metabolism meant that he was physically built for figure skating. But where Yuuri's body was not naturally gifted, it was shaped for the sport - contorted and stretched and pulled and broken with every step he took out onto the ice, until it became sturdy and strong.
Yuuri may have lost all of his future strength, had lost the map of his success that was embedded into his skin with every stretch mark and jut of muscle, but he now understood how important it was to live inside his own body.
He was not the eighteen year old who would compare his short limbs to the mountains of Russian skaters, he did not obsess over the pudge of his stomach during the off-season.
Yuuri was kinder, because whilst no-one will know about the filtered, narrowed-glare which he would send himself in the mirror and compare every freckle atop his nose, he does. He remembers the days spent haunted by the number on the scale. He remembers the diets and the stress eating and the guilt . He remembers the hours wishing he was somehow born into a different body.
It was Viktor, Viktor who would make sure he was eating three square meals a day (albeit mostly protein and lean vegetables), Viktor who trailed his fingers up his thighs every chance he got, Viktor who would kiss the stars of his stretches, the dips by his hips, the curve of his back, in the glowing light of their bedroom. Viktor, and his cute little "Piggy" nickname, that made Yuuri begin to love his everlasting pudge and his rounded face. Because how could he not, when Viktor spent every night loving it so?
Health and fitness would always be a priority - his body would need to stand and fight against the greatest of battles, but the uncertainty always lay there, dormant and hiding. He was heavier than he originally was when he started to learn quads - it was mostly muscle, but that did not change the fact that Yuuri was deceptively heavier than his lean body would assume.
That would inexplicably change the way his jumps would work. After changing his diet and off-training plan to increase his muscle density in preparation for the quads, he had already felt the change of his triples. His axis was strange, the way he lifted his body into the air disjointed due to the added weight - but it was nothing he could not adjust too. Within two weeks of constant jumping drills, his triples were cleaner, stronger than before.
When Yuuri had first learned his quads with Celestino, his body was horribly underdeveloped. Whilst he may be younger now, he could say with his pride that he was as ready as he could be.
He catches Celestino's gaze, the emeralds of his eyes burning.
"I will be with you the entire time." Celestino says confidently, and somehow, that is enough for Yuuri's shaking nerves to flood out like air escaping a balloon.
He smiles to himself, erasing all the worrying and leaving himself in his coach's capable hands.
(A week later…
Ice Castle Skating Rink
Celestino gapes."Tha- that was four rotations, wasn't it?!"
"He never lands, but yes," Takeshi's grin splits across his face so widely it looks painful. "It's four rotations."
"I- is that even possible?!"
Yuuko laughs from Celestino's side, leaning forward over the edge of the rink side. Yuuri is splattered on the ice floor after another failed attempt. "You've never seen Yuuri train before, have you?"
"This is normal?" Celestino gawks.
Takeshi grins. "Oh yeah. Those record-breaking junior programs? He did that because he was bored whilst on bed-rest."
" What?! "
Yuuko throws her head back, laughing. "You can blame us for it. Ice Castle lets him skate anytime it's not booked already. Yuuri was able to grow because he had a place where he could practise whenever he got anxious."
She smiles, and there is a tinge of sorrow to her look that Celestino can't help but notice.
"He's no genius," She turns to him, eyes stern. "But, he was gifted with more free time than anyone else to practise."
Celestino watches as Yuuri slams back to the floor. Again and again, he rises up, and throws himself back into the toe loop. The more he does it, the stronger the jump looks. It's beyond remarkable.
Time, Celesitno wonders, a man's worst enemy, but perhaps, it had been Katsuki's friend for a long time.)
28m
Hasetsu, Kyushu, Japan
[PHOTO: An editorial picture that half covers the model from view. The model is half under the ocean, and the sun is rising above him. It sends a beautiful hue across the body. There are words in bold white above the person, saying 由紀 [Yuki by KUMA'], the name of their new line.]
?ￂﾠ ➤
liked by katsuki-y, mari-k and 718,748 others
: coming soon…
View all 178 comments
kiko-123
O.O ああ、なんてことだ
[the picture oh my gosh]
hk24av;2
待って…はせつ？
[Wait… Hasetsu?]
アラヤ.巣林
ああ、なんてことだ
[Is- oh my god]
LOV3.333
あれ…優里くん？
[Is that… Yuuri-kun?]
赤城
彼でなければ、なぜ彼らは私たちのファンダムの名前を使うのでしょうか？！
[Why would they use our fandom name if it's not him?!]
起きない
それは理にかなっています！優里がインスタグラムでKUMAをフォロー!
[It would make sense! Yuuri follows KUMA on instagram! ]
YURI1235
彼は投稿が好きだった！
[He liked the post!]
12m
Hasetsu, Kyushu, Japan
[PHOTO: A second shot of the editorial picture. This time, the model has turned his face towards the camera, a wave engulfing his body. It is Yuuri.]
?ￂﾠ ➤
liked by katsuki-y, mari-k and 1,234,748 others
: 初のスキンケアライン「Yu by KUMA」のフィギュアスケーター「ユウリ・カツキ」の新フェイスと名前の由来！[Introducing the new Face and namesake of our first skincare line, Yu by KUMA, figure skater Yuuri Katsuki!]
Trending . celebrity (japan)
カツキユリ
[Katsuki Yuuri]
1k
KUMA
2k
ゆりくん
[Yuuri-kun]
1k
長谷津
[Hasetsu]
2k
Sports Champions Club,
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Is it possible to have a nosebleed at the ripe age of twenty one? Evidently, yes, as Viktor pinches his nose tightly to stop the flow of blood escaping his already light-headed head.
"Noob." Yuri snickers under his breath.
Viktor kicks a leg out to hit the child's shin, but his vision is obscured by Anya, their team medic, tightening her pinch on his nose. He winces, but she pulls the napkin away when it seems like Viktor's nose has stopped bleeding.
Yakov breathes deeply, the air exhaling out of his nostrils almost visible by how hard he blows. He's obviously trying to make his frustration known to all of them, but Viktor decides it's best to ignore and so flops backwards so his back hits the chair, pouting even as the blood starts to dry around his nose.
"Mind telling me how you ended up walking into the one-way door?"
Viktor would rather not.
His mind conjures up the post he had seen on his instagram feed, a post which he never would have known about if he wasn't such an avid fan of the skincare's sunscreen. Ebony hair slicked back and wet against the waves, tanned skin illuminated by the setting sun, dark eyes half-lidded in an alluring display of sensuality. Viktor wants to trace the curves of his muscles, the ridges of his collarbones. He wants to-
" Viktor ."
He jumps, heart stuttering at the sound of Yakov's voice. "I- I was distracted. Sorry-"
"Distracted enough to walk head first into a wall." Yuri snickers. "Do you think Sasha will let me download the CCTV footage onto my phone-"
"Yura. Go warm up. Viktor, no skating. Home, now."
"What?!" Viktor leaps up, ignoring his throbbing head. "I need to show you my new program! It's perfect for the season, I have a new motif and I need-"
"You are not going out on the ice when you have a face injury. Anya, take him to the National team's hospital to get checked out and make sure he's wearing a mask. We don't need a media circus starting because Nikiforov has a bruise the size of his forehead on his face."
"Understood." Anya grips Viktor's forearm, already predicting the way he would start protesting. He flails his limbs anyway, to which Anya tightens her hold in response.
"But Yakov-" Viktor startles as his phone beeps in his hand.
[Message: Unknown Number. Please open to view.]
"Fuck off." Viktor shoves his phone back into his pocket. "I'm going to need a new phone number. I keep getting unknown messages."
Anya frowns, before pulling out her own phone, obviously messaging Viktor's head of security. "We only got you that phone a few months ago. What does the message say?"
Viktor grumbles, tugs his phone back out, before swiping it open to read. He freezes.
"Viktor." Yakov straightens, stepping forward protectively. "Is it one of those messages like before?" The whole cohort freezes at the thought, and Anya steps closer.
"What?" Yuri snorts, although there is anger in his voice. "Is it that bitch Dmitri? Why doesn't he take no for an answer- like hell Viktor would ever give him an exclusive after he made everyone think he threw Katsuki under the bus-"
A strangled, gargled-like sound screeches out of Viktor's mouth. His body moves like someone has pulled taut all the veins running across his back, snapping up with a resounding crack.
[Unknown number]
Hi, this is Yuuri
received 19:09
"Oi, old man. What's going on-"
Yuuri? As in Yuuri Katsuki? That Yuuri?! His Yuuri?
"Viktor, what's happening-"
[PHOTO: A candid photo of a chocolate, toy poodle wrapped tightly under some bedsheets.]
This is my baby, Vicchan. He's a big fan and wanted to say hello.
seen 19:12
"I- I-"
"Oh my god, give me the phone." Anya reaches out, but, like he had been gifted by the gods, Viktor slaps her hand away with a frantic speed, holding his phone tightly to his chest. He closes his eyes, and thanks every god there is for this blessed day. Anya rubs her stinging palm, glaring at him.
Viktor barely even acknowledges her, holding his phone so tightly in the centre of his palm. "Oh my god. He likes dogs."
"What the fuck-" A vein on Yakov's forehead throbs. He reaches out and covers Yuri's ears.
Yuri scratches at Yakov's hands, but the older man tightens his hold. "What?! What is he saying, YAKOV. LET GO OF ME!"
Yakov snaps out loudly, "Are you fucking someone? What did I say?! You're banned from romance!"
"How can you ban me from romance? " His voice breaks, filled with tragedy. "Yakov, you cannot! And of course I'm not fucking anyone- Yuri stop trying to lip-read me, YAKOV. Are you going to stand in my way of true love-"
"YES!" Yakov rips his hands from Yuri's ears before grabbing Viktor by the collar. "For god's sake, I'm not having you spouting this kind of nonsense now when you could have a concussion. How the hell have you found someone? I've been following you like a hawk everywhere-"
"And don't I know it!" Viktor screams back. "God, you won't let me breathe. I'm not going to go galavanting to another country or some shit like that in the name of true love! I was just having some fun!"
"Well, I don't trust you!"
Viktor gasps, face drawn out in horror. "Trust me?! I am a vision of trust!"
"Anya, take his phone away right now. People should stay away from screens when they have a concussion, right?"
Viktor all but hisses, holding his phone towards him protectively. "No, I have to reply to them now-"
Viktor's screams fill the studio. Maybe Yakov should call a psychiatrist instead. "Anya. Grab him."
Ice Castle,
Hasetsu, Japan
Celestino leaves almost as quickly as he arrives, a whirlwind of fiery passion gone with the wind. He leaves behind a training schedule, suffering a stunted meeting with Sophia to continue Yuuri's training, and makes him promise to send daily updates over email about his progress.
Yuuri loves his hometown and would sacrifice anything for it - but it was not his world. Having someone else who was a part of the international skating world made Yuuri feel included, made him sure that his time on the ice wasn't all some fever dream.
Hasetsu had a way of slowing everything down, the world went on around them, but they were stuck in their ways. Celestino's visit was visible proof that the outside world was waiting for Yuuri, a promise for the future.
His quest for a quad had yielded some visible results. Able to make four rotations in the air now, he had progressed far more quickly than he thought would be possible.
It wasn't like he could land it - if he did the four rotations, he would 100% wipe out, body slamming to the ice and bruises pooling all around his body. He had a nasty, purple-infected bruise along the side of his torso that had made his father scream when the two had bathed in the onsen . His body was a painful mangle of muscles, every movement too strenuous to even make on most days.
More times than not, Yuuri could be found collapsed outside on the engawa, unable to even make it inside the inn because he was so exhausted. Frequent visitors of the onsen would take it upon themselves as a civil duty to help drag Yuuri back into the inn when he fell asleep on the cool, wooden porch.
It was the simplest of quads too - Yuuri decided not to tempt fate and went back to basics. Learning the quad toe loop was the fastest way to get a stable quad in his arsenal. It was nothing compared to Viktor's jaw-dropping flip, but it would be the perfect starting point for a newly debuted senior skater.
He could count on one hand the number of skaters able to do any type of quad, and he would use this to his advantage.
To this day, Viktor was the only one who could do multiple different types, aptly titled the 'Quad King' by various international media bodies and fans alike, but even he only ever utilised one quad per program.
Lucky for Yuuri, he wasn't yet in the era where you would need harder quads.
A quad was taxing at the best of times, but Yuuri refused to dumb down his step sequences or spins to accommodate the increased exhaustion he would feel. That had the added consequence of Yuuri doubling his off-ice training, needing his incredible stamina and endurance to raise to the levels it had previously been at.
Outside endurance training was his new enemy, dragging himself outside to run around the uphill stoned mountains surrounding Hasetsu did wonders in training his cardiovascular muscles - but like all forms of exercise that wasn't ice skating - left Yuuri wanting to die.
Yuuri was still falling on his ass 90% of the time. He'd take a step-out landing over completely flailing on the ground, but all he can do is adjust his routine after each practice session and wait - wait for his body to adjust, wait for his training to become second nature, and then he could implement it in his programs. He wasn't going to half-ass anything.
What was the point in putting in a quad if it would make his program look ugly? No, Yuuri was going to integrate the quad so spectacularly, people would forget that it was even a quad.
Anyway, it wasn't like he was getting any closer to landing it - but he was close enough . He can feel it in the way everyone around him would hold their breath when his practice time would sometimes eat into another person's session.
Takeshi would try his best to keep him away from too many prying eyes, but sometimes, other skaters would be there, waiting for their turn on the ice. Yuuri can feel it when he steps on the ice and when he steps off it. The looks, the stares, the gazes - all of it, he knew what it meant.
What other skater could say they were close to landing a quad after only three weeks of training? By the time he moves to America, Yuuri may even be able to land one.
His days were filled with preparation for the future - and speaking of the future, a new tidal wave in the name of Nadiya Kovalenko arrived in the heat of summer.
Vibrating with energy fresh off the plane, Cara can barely keep up with her daughter as she bounds towards Yuuri. Takeshi lifts their luggage into the back of his truck as they all fall into the car, with Takeshi stammering out English here and there, forcing Yuuri, (yes Yuuri, the introvert with anxiety ) to keep the conversation flowing. Luckily, Naidya is bursting with questions.
"How long does it take to get to Hasetsu?" Nadiya peers forward.
Yuuri smiles warmly at her through the mirror view, before checking his watch. "About an hour if there's no traffic, do you want to stop at a service station?"
"Nope!" She grins. "The quicker we get there, the quicker I can get on the ice!"
"Diya." Her mother frowns. "We've been travelling for over ten hours straight. The first thing we're going to do is rest."
"You're mom's right." Yuuri snorts at Nadiya's pout. "I'll take you there first thing tomorrow morning."
"Promise?!" She begs. Yuuri holds out his little finger, and the young girl wraps her pinky around it with a grin, flushed by the promise.
After a day of recovering, (even Nadiya's hyperactivity could not account for jet-lag), Yuuri sets about sorting the Kovalenkos' itinerary for the next few weeks.
His parents have a difficult time overcoming the language barrier, with English being both Cara or Hiroko's second language, communicating with polite smiles and over-the-top body language.
Fearing he'd be relegated to tour guide once again, (he could only handle someone awe-ing and ah-ing at the Ninja Castle so many times), Mari had jumped at the chance to elude her potato-peeling duties to show the two girls around their quaint town. Nadiya however, tugs incessantly at Yuuri's sleeve enough times that her mother concedes, allowing them to take a detour to Ice Castle instead.
Like Q showing James Bond his hidden gadget lair, the automatic doors behind Yuuri snapping open. Pride floods him as he hears the quiet gasp of awe Nadiya breathes out. He spins around so he is walking backwards, eyes trained on the every move Nadiya makes.
Cara too looks awe-struck, stepping through the entrance with a hesitant step. Her daughter bounds forward, slipping her arm through Yuuri's as the two top skaters almost skipping towards the main desk.
Mina, the new summer hire, is manning the desky by herself - Yuuko must be out teaching. It didn't take her very long before the idol-worship was dead as a doornail - she'd seen Yuuri fall on his ass enough times for the magic to wear off. She waves lightheartedly anyways, before she notices the other people walking beside him.
"Hello!" Nadiya shouts in accented Japanese. Her smile is bright, as she bows like Mari had taught her at the inn.
Mina nods in the way teenagers do, headphones spilling out of her ears. "Size?" She motions behind her to the pile of rentals.
"She's the Junior World champion- she has her own skates." Yuuri rolls his eyes, reaching up to swipe a headphone out. "And don't listen to music when you're on the desk, Yuuko will kill you."
Mina sticks her tongue out, but listens anyway, stuffing the tangled headphones into her pocket. "What do you want from me then?"
"Is Sophia-sensei free?"
Mina taps at the computer, "She's got a class in five."
"Intermediate?"
"Advanced."
Yuuri whistles. The advanced class was what they called Haruka's time. The jump between intermediate and advanced was best seen in the fee price - advanced kids were competition ready. The plan was to slowly integrate the intermediate group into the advanced level. At Ice Castle, there was only one skater who was - Haruka.
"Nadiya, you got your skates?"
"Duh."
"Then let's go!" He spins her around, hands resting on her shoulders. "On to the ice!"
After introducing the Kovalenkos to Sophia and the rest of Ice Castle, it was like a switch had been turned on for Nadiya. Surrounded by like-minded people, she moves on the ice like a bird taking flight, her wing-like skates soaring across the rink and proving to everyone why she was the Junior World champ.
"Good job, Nadiya." Sophia calls out in English, "Let's try that flip again, you were shaky on the landing."
Yuuri skates up beside Haruka, holding a hand out for the young girl to grab. If looks could kill, he would be ten-feet under the ground, but Haru refuses to grab his hand, staying sprawled out on the ice. He doesn't miss the glare she sends Nadiya's way. Yuuri drops down next to her.
"Ow!" She cries out, rubbing her ear. Yuuri twists it harder. "Child abuse- I'll get you reported!"
"Where did you learn things like that?" Yuuri glares, dropping his grip on her ear. "And if you glare any harder, your eyes will get stuck there forever."
"Why is she here anyway? Doesn't she have her own fancy rink of her own-"
"Haruka." Yuuri frowns. "You know that her rink closed down. I asked your permission before inviting her. I didn't know you were such a rink-hog- you'll be sharing the ice with other skaters next week, so why are you acting like this now?"
"That's not true!" She glares. "And that's different! They're nobodies, like me-OW"
"Haruka."
She looks down at her skates, biting her lip. Yuuri's voice is stern- he even used her full name. "I didn't mean it like that."
"Well it sure sounded like you did." He scowls. "What's up with you?"
"You-' She bits her tongue, and immediately, Yuuri feels horrible when he sees her face. Her eyes are squeezed shut tightly, and her face has screwed up like a tight ball. He taps lightly at the centre of her forehead, watching as the wrinkles disappear. It almost makes it worse for him - Haruka's face eases, but her eyes are still closed.
"You're leaving." She breathes out in a rush. "You're leaving, and all you're doing is spending time with her ."
"Haru-"
"I feel like I'm losing time." To his horror, there are tears dripping down Haruka's cheeks. She roughly wipes them away. "You'll be gone soon. How can I even compete?"
"Haruka." Yuuri pulls her shaking hand into his own. "If you think I'm just going to up and leave you, then you don't really know me that well. You are one of the most talented skaters here."
There's a loud laughter that echoes against the rinkside. Haru's eyes train on Nadiya, flipping through jumping exercises without a single break. "I'm not a world champion."
"Not yet."
Haru's head snaps up. She frowns at Yuuri. "Let's think of it this way - Nadiya's the Junior World champion. She did it with minimal help either, with only her two skates. She has competed at the highest level of you age group, and proved that she is the best."
There is something familiar in Haru's defeated shoulders, something that echoes a memory that these four walls of Ice Castle contained.
"What an astonishing fifteen year old! He nailed all of his jumps!"
The ease at which Yuri turns into a bracket step, pushing his body backwards as he picks up the choreography in minutes is nothing compared to the long hours Yuuri had needed to digest his own program. Yurio finishes his program, hands extended towards the ceiling.
Yurio picks skating apart like he is breathing, an ease in his movement that can only come from his child-like bravery. Very little scares Yuri Plisetsky, and it is this iron-clad fearlessness that pits a seed in Yuuri's stomach. No one can look away from this beautiful, ever-evolving monster.
Yuuri leans down until he is eye-level with Haruka. "That kind of monster is in front of your eyes now- how can you waste this opportunity?"
Haru lifts her head up, "What opportunity?"
"To learn from the monster herself."