CHAPTER FOUR HUNDRED TWELVE

By the time Viktor finished eating, it was close to 8am. Mari had come and gone, eating a meager breakfast of her own before clearing the table and starting the day's work. Makkachin had returned from upstairs to curl up next to his human, having failed to find his other human. Jiro had fallen asleep on the man's lap, splayed out over crossed legs like a cat. Viktor's coffee had been refilled, and he sipped at it quietly, eyes fixed on the television even if his mind was miles away.

Mari peeked around the edge of the door to the common room, a strange, curious look on her face. She turned back towards where her mother was helping count the till for the registration desk at the front of the resort, [...He's so quiet. I don't think I've ever seen him like this.]

Hiroko glanced back, holding out a roll of 500-yen coins for Toshiya to take, [Well, he is sitting alone, Mari.]

[I know that,] She argued, pulling back, [But he was like that when I sat with him, too.]

[Give him a little break. He's not reacting well to what's going on with Minako. I tried talking to him earlier while you were waking up, but...]

[Oh...] Mari sighed and stuck her hands into the big pockets of her dark-colored apron, [Yeah he's been salty about everything having to do with Minako since Detroit. I heard that him and his Uncle got into a fight about her.]

Hiroko whipped her head around, [What? Why?]

Mari leaned back onto a heel, standing casually, [Mikhail blames Viktor for the fact that Minako won't marry him.]

The older woman could've sputtered from the absurdity of the statement, but quieted herself before regaining her composure, [Minako-senpai has never even dated the same guy for more than a year. She's always been really independent. I think the idea of being tied down to someone spooks her. The fact that she agreed to an engagement at all, even for just a week or two, still surprises me. Mikhail should consider himself a lottery winner that Minako-senpai even still carries the ring around with her.]

Mari gave a coy look at her mom, [Mikhail is loaded though. That ring is probably worth more than the resort makes in a year. I'd carry it around, too.]

Hiroko just smiled sweetly, [Minako-senpai's love can't be bought. Mikhail has a long way to go if he thinks she'll ever settle down.]

Their attention was grabbed a moment later by the sound of the resort's front door sliding open, and the Nishigoris spilled in from the cold outside, snow falling off their hats and heads. Makkachin lifted his head from his snooze and barked happily, tail wagging as he got up to greet those familiar faces. The triplets suddenly looked more lively than before, surprised to see the poodle.

"Makka!" They called out, abandoning their efforts to get their winter clothes off so they could hug the boofer instead, "What are you doing here so early? Did you get dropped off again for something?"

Yuko blinked in surprise at the dog as well; she pulled off her fuzzy Russian-style Chapka hat, auburn hair tumbling down past her shoulders. Takeshi took it and her jacket before turning to his kids to grab theirs as well.

"Uncle Viktor!" The triplets yelled out abruptly, realizing the poodle's presence was merely a harbinger of other things, and they practically flew out of their coats, boots, and mittens to run into the common room; Makkachin trotted after them.

The silver Russian glanced back, but he could only manage a meager smile as they piled in around him, and set his coffee-cup down before their excitement could cause it to spill. Jiro was still in his lap, fast asleep, and Viktor quickly pulled a finger up to his lips to signal a less-voluminous greeting. The girls quickly took notice and lowered their loudness. The poodle sat next to them quietly, panting softly as he usually did.

"We missed you yesterday!" They whispered in a frenzy, only for them each to break off from the main greeting to offer their own words.

"You won Gold at Nationals! We were sure you'd let Yuri have it!" Axel pointed out.

Lutz nodded, almost professionally, "I guess you still thought you had to impress your new bosses though. What do they think about Yuri's Bronze?"

"I think you guys are missing the bigger picture though..." Loop added, forcing the other two to pause and gasp, then collectively gathered on the opposite side of the table like a judge and prosecution, "VIKTOR! HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SKATE WHEN YOU BROKE YOUR LEGS!?"

He nearly sputtered, but managed a defiant laugh, "I didn't break my legs! I just twisted my ankle! It's better now...we got it checked out and everything."

The girls looked at one another skeptically, then dove under the table, pawing at the offending appendage with their tiny hands, "He's wearing a brace!" "Feels warm...shouldn't he have an ice-pack on it?" "Can he even walk on it!? What's going to happen at the Olympics! " They barged up again, hands nearly slamming down on the table-top, only to slow down at the last inch and softly press against the wood instead, sparing Jiro the jolt of unexpected noise, "YOU CAN'T WEAR SKATES WHILE WEARING A BRACE!"

"I know..." He answered skeptically, his tone more normal, "I was told to give it a rest for about 2 weeks, then I should be fine again." He sighed a bit and leaned his elbows down against the table's edge, "I was hoping I could skate an Exhibition with Yuri at Euros, but...doesn't look like that'll happen now."

"Euros?" They echoed, "You're not competing there anymore though. Why go?"

"Chris is still competing, and so is Yurio." Viktor answered, gently pressing one hand down the puppy's back to keep him placated and asleep, "Besides...we thought it would be kind of fun to show up at Euros after the RSF threw me out. They'd never expect it, so being there anyway, in spite of them, would be like putting a stick in their eyes."

All three got mischievous looks on their faces, glancing at one another before turning to look across the table again, "Did you see or hear about what happened at Russian Nationals?"

"Oh, Yuri and I actually watched part of them." The silver legend mused, "We spoke to Yurio right before his Free Skate and actually had the whole audience get interactive with us, because we were watching through a LiveStream from one of the fans. By the end of it, I even got yelled at by Yakov for what happened with my ankle..." He grimaced slightly at the memory of it, but then sighed and shook his head, "We saw the scorecards fans were holding up though, showing off Yuri's and my final scores from our events."

The girls were nearly howling with laughter, bowled over against the table and on the floor with their hands over their mouths, trying not to be loud. Soon, their mother was walking over though, and settled them down properly as she sat. Nishigori was soon to follow, and the whole family sat around the Russian's table.

"Viktor..." Yuko waved from her side, "We didn't expect you here this morning. We thought you and Yuri would be asleep for days."

"No rest for the weary," He answered with a tired smile, "I took Yuri to the train station to go with Minako to Fukuoka. Now I'm just waiting for a vet appointment."

"Vet appointment? Are the pups okay?" She glanced to Makkachin, who was still just panting and looking around, trying to be part of things where he sat next to Loop on the end.

"Oh they're fine. Yuri and I decided to go to Euros though, but we're taking a small vacation-detour before that." Viktor explained, "We're taking Makkachin and Jiro with us, so they need travel papers so they can get on the plane. Jiro had all his first puppy vaccines before the JSF gave him to Yuri, so it's just a matter of getting some of the 2-week boosters."

"Ah, interesting...when are you all leaving?"

"Friday."

"Anyplace special you're going?"

"The deep, dark, northern woods of no-reception Russia." Viktor gave an uneasy laugh, "Where no one will know if we're in trouble."

The Nishigoris all gave nervous stares at him, "...Say what?"

Another laugh, but Viktor shook his head and raised his hands defensively, "I kid...mostly... Yuri and I are going to go visit my papa for the weekend on the way to Euros. We'll be taking the scenic route on a train from St. Petersburg to Vienna after that." He suddenly had a weird epiphany though, and pressed a fist into the palm of the opposite hand, then held up a finger, "I almost forgot! You guys should come over sometime this week. Yuri and I went nuts at the Harry Potter World at Universal. We bought all of you souvenirs!"

The triplets all gasped in excitement, "Does that mean you picked Houses for us!?"

"Of course!" Viktor announced proudly, "I think Yuri and I picked the right ones for all of you... Because of your creativity, leadership, and resourcefulness, we pegged the three of you as Slytherin."

"Slytherin?" Yuko echoed, "Isn't that the bad House?"

"No!" The Russian corrected eagerly, shaking his head, "None of the Houses are bad in and of themselves. It's unfortunate that a number of darker wizards come out of Slytherin, but that's just because the same traits that are so great in your girls can be twisted into something nasty when arrogant people get their own ideas about things and make the wrong choices. For its own merits, people in Slytherin can be extremely cunning and ambitious, and they crave responsibility, just like when these three were so determined to help produce Onsen on Ice last year, and organized a bunch of the viewing parties here at Yu-Topia. It's a great honor to be a Slytherin, make no mistake."

Yuko seemed relieved to hear it, "What about me?"

"Gryffindor, no doubt." He mused, "Because of all the years of bravery and loyalty you showed, and standing up for Yuri when he was down on his luck or being picked on,"

Nishigori tried not to make it obvious that he knew he was being singled out, and put on a nervous smile as he crossed his arms.

"...All the support you showed him for his skating, and how you protected him when he needed space. Those are all noble Gryffindor traits."

"What about me...?" Nishigori asked anxiously.

"Slytherin." Viktor laughed, "That's probably where your girls got their natures from."

"He's the evil Slytherin," Axel teased.

"What!? What makes me evil!?"

"For pulling Yuri's pudgy belly out when he came home from Detroit!" Lutz explained.

Takeshi just gaped at them, "You three little goblins were taking pictures and video of it!"

They just laughed though.

"So what Houses are you and Yuri in then?" Loop wondered, looking past the craziness beside her as she leaned against the table.

"I'm a Hufflepuff!" Viktor announced proudly, "Hard work, dedication, loyalty, and patience. My mission in life is to make Yuri happy! Yuri is a Ravenclaw though; because he's super smart, wise beyond his years, and a bit quirky."

"Minako is a Hufflepuff too, I bet." Lutz deduced, "Or maybe a Gryffindor, cuz she's supported Yuri as much as mom has."

Mention of the woman made Viktor 'sober up' a little, and he just smiled at the continued banter between the triplets across from him. He looked down slightly as he felt Jiro move on his lap a little, eyes opening blearily before the pup closed them again to try and go back to sleep.

"I guess her and Yuri are going to meet up with Yurio and your Uncle, and cousins, right? They're coming to live in Hasetsu now..." Yuko wondered, "So many people..."

The silver Russian nodded quietly, "Minako is going to be Yurio's new skating coach...I agreed to be his choreographer for next season, too."

"...You don't sound as excited as you did a minute ago." The Madonna noticed, leaning forward slightly to try seeing the man's face better where it was still looking down, "You okay?"

Viktor kept his eyes averted, looking from Jiro to Makkachin.

It doesn't seem like they know what's going on with Minako...or the conflict I'm going through. Best leave it be for now and not worry them unnecessarily.

He then shook his head lightly and drew a breath, "Mh... Yeah...I think so." He feigned, "Harry Potter drabbles aside...I guess I'm still just tired. I was going to take a nap after getting back from the vet. I'll probably come here for it, and go home only after Yuri gets back." He yawned against the back of one wrist, and shook his head again, "What brings all of you to Yu-Topia so early though? Especially since you didn't know I was here..."

"Oh! We came to drop the girls off. Since school is on winter break, but work isn't, we bring them here for the day. The Ice Castle is opening at 9:30. ...I'd say you should come skate later, but with your ankle, Yuri would probably sense it and call you from Fukuoka to tell you to quit it."

The Russian smile-sighed and nodded, "Mmhhh...probably."

.

Minako and Yuri waited in the ante-chamber to the arrivals gate, nearly in the identical seats that Viktor had used after the Rostelecom Incident with Makkachin. Yuri kept his eyes towards the long glass wall, waiting for the stream of passengers to start flowing by. The monitor on the other side of the room showed that the plane had arrived already, but as with all disembarkments, just because the plane was on the ground didn't necessarily mean that people were allowed to deboard yet.

The buzz in his pocket told him all he needed to know though, and he withdrew it to see a message from Yurio in the group-chat he'd started earlier in the morning, [Ugh these people won't get off the goddamn plane fast enough.]

Yuri huffed a laugh and started to type a reply, nudging the ballerina next to him with an elbow, "Looks like they're stuck while folks get their overhead luggage sorted out."

"They're in First Class. There's no wait for them."

Yuri blanched, "Oh...right. I wonder what he's talking about then?"

"Who?"

"Yurio." He answered, tilting his phone so she could see the screen, "He's complaining about being delayed on the plane."

"Maybe they're waiting on Mikhail," Minako offered, "I'll have to see if I can't fix him when we get the chance."

"With your torture-mitts?"

"Mhm." She waggled her fingers for emphasis.

Yuri laughed at that, "You don't think it's because of the fracture?"

"Nah." She shook her head, "Even if it's still got a few weeks left to heal completely, it's been fixed with that cement stuff. His back's hurting because he's been sitting for hours and he's getting muscle spasms. Not even First Class can change the position you're in for such a long time."

"Ah, that's true... At least he doesn't have to go anywhere for a little while. He'll have 2 weeks to settle down before flying to Vienna." He nodded, then looked more directly at the ballerina next to him, "I guess that'll be your first official event as Yurio's coach?""

Minako hesitated, but then nodded, "Yeah, I guess it would be. For some reason it didn't really occur to me that it would start so soon..."

"I can imagine. You have been slightly preoccupied with things."

"...Yeah." She sighed, "It's going to be weird enough to be at Euros, since I've never gone before...but to be there as part of the athlete's staff instead of a spectator, too. Wow..." She shook her head, "It's been ages since I did anything like this. For years, the most elaborate thing I ever went to was a local ballet recital for my students. This is so different, with the kiss and cry..."

"And the Olympics right around the corner, too."

"Ahhh! That's true, too! I didn't even think about it! I keep imagining it's still Yakov!"

"I'm sure Viktor won't mind easing you into it at Euros if you want." Yuri offered, "Even if he didn't choreograph anything of Yurio's this season, he could still technically be counted as part of the team..."

"...Would you ask him for me? Or maybe suggest it without saying it like I need his help?"

Yuri blinked at her, but nodded, "Yeah...sure, of course."

The both of them suddenly jumped when they heard a loud THWUMP against the Plexiglas wall, and eyes turned in the direction it came from, spotting a red leopard-print shoe banged-up against it, and the frustrated Russian Tiger attached to it.

"YOU GOTTA SAVE ME FROM THESE PEOPLE."

"Y-Yuri!" The older skater stammered, getting up from his seat; Minako was quick to follow, and they started walking down the way to the security-door that joined Arrivals with the public Pick-Up area. By the time Yurio had stomped his way down there, hood pulled up and sunglasses in place, Yuri was already nervous about how the trip had gone. He stood in the same place that Viktor had once been for his own return, and watched as the ornery Russian Punk stepped through.

Yurio paused though, flicked his head up, and pulled his sunglasses off, "You guys haven't evicted my big tiger plush from Yu-Topia, have you?"

Yuri huffed a laugh and shook his head, raising his arms, "I hope not. I wasn't there long enough to look."

Yurio stared skeptically for a second, but then, that same sweet katsudon-pirozky smile returned, and he hopped forward the few steps to get his welcome-home hug, "It's only been a couple weeks, but it feels like forever anyway. It's good to be back."

"How'd everyone take the news that you'd be moving here?" Yuri wondered, letting the Tiger go, only to be mauled unexpectedly by a blur of silver hair, "Wah!"

"Yuri~!" Nikki chirped, her much-shorter self looking up from where she'd attached herself to the man's chest, "I'm so glad you came!" She pulled him down unexpectedly and whispered into his ear, "We gotta fix my dad and Viktor!"

"Nihon e yōkoso." He answered stiffly, pulling back up to his normal height with a weird look on his face.

"What's that mean?" The teen asked innocently, head tilting aside just so.

"Welcome to Japan, of course." Yuri answered, patting her shoulders with both hands, "One thing at a time."

Minako waved at the duo quietly, but her attention was focused elsewhere. The group stepped out of the way to let other passengers through. It seemed like forever, but finally, the ballerina spotted the silver hair and dark-grey flatcap poking out above the heads of others nearby. Soon, she could see another silver-haired head close to the first, and the purple-blue-green colors woven through the braid it had been fashioned into, as well as the dark coat worn by the tall figure. Minako felt a flutter in her gut, and felt her vision cut out for a moment, returning only after she heard the words.

"Hey there, zvezda moya." (My star.)

Viktoria waved quietly as she stepped past her father to join the rest of the group.

Minako swallowed nervously before looking up, and finally found those jade eyes, framed between silver wings.

Mikhail reached up to pull the flatcap away, and quickly ran his fingers through his frizzy hair, "How are you holding up?" He asked, feeling just as anxious as the woman before him, but was unsure how to proceed.

The group watched quietly, waiting for someone to finally move.

The ballerina finally took a step forward, and dropped her forehead against the tall Russian's shoulder. Hands came up to grip at the front of his coat, "...You did this to me..." She huffed, already crying but somehow finding it in herself to laugh about it.

The elder Russian immediately wrapped arms around her, "I don't know how to answer that." He retorted, giving an uneasy smile, one hand going up to stroke the woman's hair.

"I don't either."