We leap nine years into the future…
Viktor Nikiforov glanced at the beige hotel wall. In deep thought, as his memories went back to…was it just before that ice show? Yes it must have been, back then. Viktor vividly recalled his fascination, for the black haired Veela. That had encircled the heart, of his personal passion for figure skating. Suddenly those blue eyes brightened with glee, as deft hands dug into one of the blondes traveling bags.
Tearing open the poor pocket where a small flash drive, tilted out from the intense rustling of the bag. Pale fingers took a hold of the flash drive, and plugged it into the portable laptop. Not long after a familiar recording of a dvd, with the Japanese Veela boy. Blue eyes locked on the screen observing, gazing enthralled. Even if some of the movements were a bit unfinished, Viktor muttered softly toward the boy on the screen. "How much have you improved, since I last saw you?" A sad chuckle escaped Viktor's lips, tapping on the mousepad froze the image on the screen. A stand still image of a black haired boy with dark brown eyes
A frustrated groan escaped those Russian lips with a huff, older limbs stretched out on the hotel bed, the deep tongues of the Russian language filtered along the lonesome room. "My Veela, when will you cast your spell on me again? I feel like I have lost my passion, so empty. Can I even, be allowed out on the ice?" "My imagination has left me." It had been in good faith…when not 6 months prior Viktor had begun working on his new free programme.
*Stay close to me*, was the name Viktor had given the programme. In hopes for a very peculiar reason, that one hidden Japanese Veela, boy from nine years ago…would appear before him again. Viktor remembered that his coach Yakov, had scoffed at the naivety of the programme. Even when Yakov, had been able to see the very Veela, that kept Viktor focused on skating .But these days, Viktor had earned himself enough merit to get some free reins. So while Yakov focused, more on his other students Viktor was allowed to dive longingly with a fragile innocence his blue eyes had imprinted upon.
That early March afternoon only nine years ago, his facial features visibly relaxed. A fond smile quirked around his lips, not long after the Russian 4 time's world champion, dozed off.
Inside the locker rooms of the chosen ice hall for this year's Grand Prix Finale, where two boys, carefully adjusting their skates. And tying those skate laces properly, however the older of the two suddenly fell into a fit of violent sneezing. The younger boy was none other than Thailand's promising hope to make their mark, into the figure skating world. A worried frown gathered along the young man's face, before he asked. "Hey Yuri, you better not get influenza right before Grand Prix?" A small nervous chuckle and a smile, between sniffles another sneeze came. And the man named Yuri could have sworn he, heard foreign words caress his ears.
Mentally the twenty three year old skater shook his head. He couldn't focus on that now, he still wanted to work on a few details before his free programme later this evening,luckily he was not first. Dark brown eyes glanced into those of his fellow rink-mate they shared a coach after all. Replying a few minutes, later than expected, "You should not worry about that Phichit-kun, it is still 6 hours till the first free programme. I am certain there is nothing more to it, you know?
In Japan if you sneeze repeatedly, we say someone is thinking of you. " Phichit allowed a black brow to rise in doubt at such a silly thing. Another disbelieving sigh escaped the Thai twenty year old's lips before he retorted. "Whomever that person may be, it cannot be positive thoughts. To make you sneeze like that, what if it happens tonight during your free programme?" Yuri shrugged lightly on his shoulders, he was not eager to paint a dark cloud inside his mind just yet. At least Phichit left it at that, as both ventured into the main rink hall. Some of the other competitors already, making their own changes and last chance at muscle memory. Yuri and Phichit, chose an area of the rink, void of their colleagues. Close to an hour on the strike Celestino, their coach approached them both a shopping bag in hand, and waved the two over.
Phichit easily shouted his joy at the sight of some lunch, even if it was a plain pasta salad. With a little ham, and the water bottle of mountain water seemed to cheer up both of them. As they had been practicing for close to an hour, Celestino was a very determined coach, but he was dedicated to make sure his skaters. Were able to reach their potential, though his worries carried, more towards his only Japanese student for the past 5 years, envious agility and stamina. Due to Yuri's past ballet, experience conditioning his limbs, and preventing the more common strenuous aches.
That usually appeared in those who began with skating alone, before they ventured into improving their form. ^That Yuri, if only he was able to close himself inside a bubble. Instead of listening to others opinions of him^ Celestino's thoughts trailed off, as he could see the silhouette of Katsuki Yuri leaning against a tree, onto one of the few grassy fields surrounding the Ice Hall. Dark brown eyes, stared down at his quivering hands, Yuri nervously bit down on his lower lip. His left hand grasping around his shaking right hand, knees huddled close to his chin, while observing the noisy traffic of the late afternoon rush in this mountain city. Yuri tried some breathing exercises, to breathe in…hold it for 10 seconds…and then breathe out.
Not by much, but it did sate his nerves for a bit. Yuri had gotten some accustomed to speaking English, except for the few calls back home to check upon his friends and family. The abrupt mumbles of familiar Japanese, escaping Yuri's nervous demeanour, "I have the good luck charms kaasan sent over, I have done well during practice I can do this for sure. Yes, I just need to focus on my own skating." Yuri heaved a deep breath before he stood up and ventured back to the Ice Hall, his butt was beginning to get cold. No point in encouraging more poor luck than he already had.
Darkness fell over the city, but the thousands of orange and yellow lights. Among early evening traffic did not hinder those who had already purchased tickets for the Grand Prix qualifiers. To find their seats, and get away from the massive crowd that would gather, closer to the first competitor of the evening. Yuri sat against a bench near the wall to some of the lower seat rows, his hand twitching for his phone to read the comments online. Grey blue eyes narrowed at the offending piece of technology, an older tanned hand. Snatched the phone under the fingers of a rather agitated Yuri, Celestino gave Yuri a pointed gaze. That promised the phone might return, once the short programme had been completed on the rink.
Yuri might be twenty three years old, but his coach snatching his crucial line to the world wide web, just before he was about to go out on the rink himself. The black haired man pursed, his lips childishly creating a pout. Accusing brown eyes trying to guilt the half Italian, half American of a coach to return his phone. But to no avail…Celestino had years of practice with similar behaviour. "Will Skater Katsuki Yuri come out on the ice…" the spokesman said over the speakers in within the rink. Yuri's back straightened with anticipation Celstino squeezed the nervous shoulder, as he said. "Yuri, you can do this."
Yuri nodded nervously as he took off his jacket revealing his short programme costume, white see through sleeves, softly gliding into the darkest depths of royal blue. Shimmering with accents making, the costume appear akin to a starry night sky above the snowy landscape. Yuri glided onto the middle of the rink, head down cast as the familiar music began to play. A taking a swift swing along the ice, allowing Yuri to gain a momentum of speed. Arms stretched out as he jumped into a triple Salchow. Vibrant blue eyes peeked through one of the staff doors, eyes wide at the short programme performance. "That boy…" muttered Viktor in Russian, the depth of the dark brown eyes focused preparing the triple Salchow. In that moment deep brown eyes gazed into those Russian blue eyes at the door. Yuri knew that he had seen those eyes before, his idol was watching him. Viktor looked at him this time Yuri's heart began throbbing against his chest.
But Yuri's body had acted, on its own and over rotated the triple salchow. Yuri's body landed painfully against the ice, he could hear the comments. But he could not give up when his idol was watching him, rising quickly back up to not loose anymore points.
Sailing upon the ice Yuri, followed into the rotational spin and hopped into split jump before kneeling down on the ice. Allowing the speed to push him, further toward the edges of the rink outside ina bauer, with arms stretched out. An elegant curve, as Yuri jumped into a triple loop. The skating knives carved against the ice. Viktor's heart was beating rapidly he had not meant, for the boy skating to miss his momentum of the triple salchow.
Viktor winced, as he was more than familiar with that kind of bruising. His blue eyes continued watching the remainder of the routine. Suddenly Viktor's chest began heaving for air, flushed cheeks coloured the usual pale Russian champion. As the movements of the brown eyed skater, caught Viktor in a spell his pale hand went in front of his lips. Trying to calm his rapid breathing, swallowing just enough so that Viktor. Be able to breathe normally.
The skater out on the rink finished with a triple lutz, rapid jumps flittered …with a last flying glide toward the middle, of the rink as the brown eyed skater. Spun into a combination spin, left arm raised as the right arm curved against the stomach.
Yuri's body upper half bowed toward the judges and the audience, he was quite certain he had done well this time. Viktor was suddenly torn out of his trance as a firm grip on his jacket made him stumble back, into the annoyed expression of Yakov. "Viktor! You were supposed to help out with the jumps 10 minutes ago!"
AN: And yes I did finally update took me a few more days to finish. I was in such a pinch to find the right short programme for Yuri, but thanks to some help from fellow fans. I decided to use a routine from the 2005 figure skating film Ice Princess. The song to this routine is called Reaching for Heaven by Diana DeGarmo. I realized that the song describes Yuri's current personality before Viktor started coaching him. Now im curious...how Im going to write the next chapter? I have few plot idea's as I plan to write a bit more surrounding the first episode of YOI. But do you guys agree? Or should I make a difference? Please let me know via pm or a review. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!