Chapter Four: Unexpected Surprises

Over the next couple of weeks leading up to her audition date, Yume practiced almost as much as she did during the months before All-Japan and her chance at an Olympic berth. Whenever she and Hiromasa could fit it into their schedules, they practiced, learning the throw double toe a few days after they perfected the single and the throw triple toe only a couple of days after that. Coach Hasegawa couldn't believe the progress they made in such a short time.

Though Yume wanted to move onto a more difficult throw jump after learning the toe loop, Coach Hasegawa wisely suggested that they focus on lifts and twists for the remaining few days until her trip to California to give her a more well-rounded arsenal of pairs moves. By the end of her last practice before the big day, Yume felt confident she had a firm grasp of the basics. She wished she could have had more time to prepare, but at least she wouldn't make a complete fool of herself at the audition due to her lack of pairs experience.

As she packed for her trip the night before, Yume wondered exactly what that audition would entail. Sora hadn't told her to prepare anything, but she decided to bring along her costumes and music for her competitive short program and free skate, as well as one of her favorite exhibition numbers, just in case. Luckily, Coach Hasegawa had insisted that she perform at least one of those programs once a day to keep up her singles' skills, so they were still fresh in her mind.

"Yume, have you finished packing yet?" her mother asked, knocking on her bedroom door and interrupting Yume's thoughts.

"Yeah, almost." After folding and placing her favorite hoodie in her big suitcase, Yume zipped it up and went to answer the door. "Do you need something, okaa-san?"

Her mother shook her head. "No, I just wanted to remind you to go to bed early tonight. You do have a six o'clock flight tomorrow, after all, and it will be a long flight."

"I know, and I will. I was just about to get ready for bed."

"Okay, then. Goodnight."

With that, her mother left, and, as promised, Yume got ready for bed, changing into a pair of pajama pants paired with a matching tank top and brushing her teeth. When she snuggled underneath the covers, however, sleep was the farthest thing from her mind. It almost seemed like the night before a big competition, and she supposed in a way, it was. For the most part, she had been able to keep her nerves under control, but now that the audition was only two days away, they were back with a vengeance.

"Am I crazy to be doing this?" she asked aloud to Snowflake, a white teddy bear dressed in a cute skating outfit that she had slept with for as long as she could remember. Most people probably thought that she was too old to be sleeping with a stuffed animal, but Snowflake was special, since she was the first gift a fan had ever thrown on the ice for her. "I mean, logically, there's no way I'm actually going to be chosen to be Vladimirov-san's new partner. He and Pekrovskaya-san were the most technically perfect pairs team ever in the history of pairs figure skating, able to pull off throw quad toes like they were nothing. He's not going to want to pair up with a complete beginner with only one throw jump in her arsenal."

But onee-chan and Eido-san obviously saw something in me that they liked, a voice reminded her from the back of her mind. I don't know what it is, but they wouldn't have invited me to try out to be Pekrovskaya-san's replacement if they didn't think I had a chance.

Sighing, Yume rolled onto her side, hugged Snowflake close, and closed her eyes, somehow eventually falling asleep.

The next morning, she woke up even earlier than she normally did when she had morning practice. Yume finished packing up her toiletries and her carry-on bag and got dressed, bringing her suitcase and duffel bag downstairs with her when she went down to breakfast. Her parents were both already up as well, her mother making omelets while her dad read the Saturday paper at the breakfast table. Both looked incredibly tired.

"You didn't have to wake up so early, you know," Yume said after she set her luggage by the front door and sat down at the table across from her father. "I could have caught a taxi to the airport."

Her mother shook her head, bringing two plates to the table. Her father already had one, so she placed one plate in front of Yume, then sat down and took the other for herself. "Nonsense. Of course we want to see you off, Yume. After all, this is the first time you're traveling alone without either Hasegawa-sensei or one of us for company." Though her parents had wanted to come along with her to California to see Sora and her family, since Yume was only staying for a day so she would be back in time for school on Monday, it wasn't practical.

Yume detected a note of worry of her mother's voice, which she tried to assuage by giving her mother a confident smile. "Okaa-san, I'll be okay," she assured her. "I've been to Cape Mary plenty of times with you and otou-san, so I know my way around. Besides, onee-chan was only sixteen when she moved to the U.S. by herself, and she had only visited once before with her mom and dad, but she managed just fine." Biologically, Sora was actually a distant cousin, but Yume's parents had adopted her after her mother and father died in a car crash when Sora was only a little girl. Yume rarely made the distinction between them, however, thinking of Sora as truly her big sister.

"Yume has a point, Midori," her father said, folding down his paper and setting it aside. "She's not our little girl anymore. She's grown up into a beautiful young woman, ready to take on the world."

"I don't know about that, otou-san…"

"Feeling nervous about the audition?"

"A little," she confessed, taking a bite of her omelet. "I'm sure the competition will be tough, especially since I've only been skating pairs for a few weeks now. The other girls trying out have probably been skating with a partner for years. It's a big disadvantage for me."

"But Sora wouldn't have invited you to come if she didn't think you had a chance, right?" Yume's mother asked.

"That's what I keep telling myself, but…" Yume shook her head, forcing the pessimistic thought from her mind. If she didn't stop thinking like that, she definitely wouldn't pass the audition. "Anyway, even if Vladimirov-san doesn't pick me to be his new partner, it'll be nice to see onee-chan, Ken-san, and Hana-chan again, at least for a little while."

"Did you remember to pack those toys I left out on your bed? I thought Hana-chan might like some of her mother's and aunt's old dolls."

"They're all packed, and I'll be certain to give it to her."

"Good."

"Well, we should probably head to the airport now," her father announced after he finished his breakfast. He stood up and started putting on his jacket, which he had hung on the back of his chair while he ate. "You two ready?"

Yume had only finished about a third of her omelet, but, while it was delicious, her stomach was far too nervous to eat anymore. She nodded and helped her mother clean up the kitchen. Once that was done, they got in the car and headed to Tokyo International Airport.

"Did you remember to bring your passport and ticket?" her mother asked as they made their way to her airline's check-in desk.

Yume patted the outside of her denim jacket, feeling the outline of her airline ticket and passport in her inside pocket. "Yes, okaa-san. Right here."

"And did you bring some gum? You know your ears have a tendency pop when you ride on a plane."

"Yes, I've got gum."

"What about your skates? Where are they?"

"In my suitcase."

"Midori, Yume has everything under control," her father said before her mother could ask any more well-intentioned, if slightly annoying, questions. "She'll be fine. She's already a world traveler thanks to her skating."

"I know," her mother sighed. "It's a mother's job to worry about her children, though, especially her baby."

"I'll call you as soon as I get there, okaa-san," Yume promised, knowing it would make her mother feel better. "Oh, there it is." She nodded her head toward her airline's desk.

"I guess it's time we said our goodbyes, then." Stopping just before they reached the desk, her father set down her suitcase, which he had been carrying, and gave Yume a hug. "Goodbye and good luck, sweetheart. Do your best out there, okay?

"I'll certainly try."

"Also, tell Sora we miss her, and give Hana-chan a big kiss from me," her mother added, also giving Yume a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"I will, okaa-san." Once her mother had let go of her, Yume pulled out her ticket and passport and grabbed her suitcase. "This is it, then, I guess. I'll see you tomorrow at nine."

"We'll be here. Bye, Yume."

"Bye!"

"Yume!"

There was no missing Sora as Yume headed to the luggage claim to pick up her suitcase. Her big sister was standing off to the side of the carousel, waving her hands high above her head and shouting Yume's name.

Yume smiled and returned the wave one-handedly, thinking that even at thirty-four years old, Sora was still young at heart. It helped that she didn't exactly look like a woman in her mid-thirties. Eighteen years of performing at Kaleido Stage had kept her in fantastic shape, and she still had the body of a teenager.

As Yume walked over to join Sora after grabbing her suitcase from the carousel, however, she did notice two major changes in her sister. The first one was that after years of wearing her raspberry-colored hair shoulder-length, Sora had it styled into a chic modern bob that came up to her chin, her bangs grown out and swept to the side. It gave her a slightly more mature look, but Yume thought it suited her rather well.

The second, and the most surprising, change was the small bulge Yume detected underneath her sister's T-shirt, barely even noticeable to someone who hadn't known Sora's normal physique. Sora had always had a flat stomach due to the nature of her work, so Yume's eyes widened in shock when she realized what the weight gain must mean.

"You're pregnant?!"

Sora laughed. "Nice greeting, little sis," she said, giving Yume a hug. "It's good to see you, too."

Yume blushed, realizing how rude she must have sounded. "Sorry, of course I'm happy to see you again, onee-chan," she corrected. "It's just…a bit of a shock. You never mentioned that you and Ken-san were having a another baby."

"Well, we wanted to wait until we could tell everybody together, in person. In fact, we were going to announce the news when we went to see you skate at All-Japan, but since Hana got sick and we couldn't make it…"

"You should have told us anyway! This is big news!"

"Okaa-san didn't tell me she was pregnant with you until a couple of days before you were born," Sora reminded her. "Granted, I wasn't going to wait *that* long, but, oh, well. It looks like the cat's out of the bag now. Just let me be the one to tell okaa-san and otou-san, okay?"

"Okay," Yume agreed, giving her sister another hug. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you and Ken-san." Looking around, Yume noticed for the first time that the father-to-be hadn't come. "Speaking of Ken-san, where is he?"

"At home with Hana. It is after eleven here, after all."

"Oh, right. I forgot." To Yume, it was only four o'clock in the afternoon, but in California, it wasn't even Saturday yet. It was still Friday night. "I'm sorry I made you come pick me up so late at night."

"It's not a problem. Since you're only staying for a day, your sleep schedule shouldn't be too messed up by coming in this late. Auditions don't start until noon, so you'll be able to get a good morning's rest, when you would normally be sleeping in Tokyo, before then."

"What about you, though? Don't you need to get up early to train?"

"I've been cutting down on my training because of the pregnancy," she explained, taking Yume's duffel bag and heading toward the exit. Yume followed behind her with the heavier suitcase. "Actually, it shouldn't be too much longer before I'll have to cut back completely. I'm already out of the shows for the rest of the year. The show we finished the day I called you about the auditions was my last performance for a while."

"Oh." Yume was a bit disappointed to hear that. She had been looking forward to being able to see Sora perform whenever she wanted if by some miracle she was chosen to be Mikhail Vladimirov's new partner at Kaleido Stage. "Who's taking your place, then?" she asked. "Rosetta-san?"

Rosetta Passel, the former diabolo-champion-turned-trapeze-artist, was another one of Yume's idols. In fact, an autographed poster Rosetta had given Yume when she was a little girl was still among her most prized possessions.

"Actually…"

"What?"

By then, they had reached Sora's car in the airport parking lot. Sora popped open the hood and put the duffel bag inside.

"I probably shouldn't say anything," Sora said at last in response to Yume's question. "Kalos hasn't made the announcement yet."

"Onee-chan, don't go all mysterious again," Yume scolded with a roll of her eyes as she set down her suitcase beside the duffel bag. "It drives me crazy when you do that."

"Okay, get in the car and I'll tell you."

Doing as she was told, Yume got in on the passenger side and waited for Sora to join her. It wasn't until they were on the road that Sora finally spilled the beans about the next show.

"Right now, the recent additions to the cast are putting on The Little Mermaid," she explained. "It will probably run for a couple of months, since the show is always a big draw for us, but once Vladimirov-san finds his new partner, Kalos wants to put on an ice show to show them off."

"You mean not only is Kaleido Stage looking for a new partner for Vladimirov-san, they're looking for the star of their next show?" Yume asked, unable to hide her shock.

"Yes, exactly."

Hearing that, Yume almost wished Sora hadn't told her. It was one thing just to audition to become Mikhail Vladimirov's new pairs partner, but knowing that if she was chosen, she would immediately be given a starring role in the next show… Her stomach flip-flopped.

What's wrong, Yume?" Sora asked, glancing over at her. "You look like I do whenever I have morning sickness."

"I don't know if I can do this, onee-chan," Yume confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Do what?"

She sighed, resting her forehead against the passenger side window and letting the scenery of Cape Mary pass her by like a blur. "This whole thing. I mean, I only know one throw jump, my pair spins are only level 2 at best, and I only learned the split double twist a couple of days ago. I don't even know why I came. There's no way I'm going to win this audition."

"Well, you certainly won't with that attitude," Sora teased. "Don't worry about it so much. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

"I'm being realistic. I'm not like you, onee-chan. When you and Wong-san were competing to co-star with Oswald-san in Dracula, you learned how to skate in a matter of days, but it hasn't been like that for me. No matter how many hours Mihara-san and I practiced over these last few weeks, I only managed to learn the bare basics."

"Maybe that's not necessarily a bad thing."

Turning her head toward her older sister, Yume gave Sora a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Pushing yourself to learn difficult moves without a firm grasp on the basics isn't exactly the best way to go about these sorts of things. In fact, I remember Ken often telling me that the fact that I never learned the basics on the trapeze was my weak spot. By jumping immediately into trying difficult maneuvers, I trained the wrong muscles and put my body in serious jeopardy. It was pure luck that I never experienced any life-threatening injuries."

"But, still, even without the basics, you're amazing. I wish I had that kind of talent."

Sora blushed. "Thank you for saying so, Yume, but, seriously, you shouldn't feel like you have to do everything like I did. Rosetta is a much better role model. When she decided to become a trapeze artist, she trained for it the right way, and look how amazing she's become. In fact, she's technically better than I am *because* she learned the basics first, so don't feel discouraged just because you're not as technically advanced as some of the other skaters that will be trying out tomorrow. I'm sure that once you've had some more training, you'll be just as good a pairs skater as any of them."

"That doesn't exactly help me right now," Yume pointed out with a sigh. "An Olympic champion pairs skater like Vladimirov-san isn't going to want to skate with a beginner like me."

"You never know until you try. That's what I always say." Sora pulled into the driveway in front of her house and turned off the engine. "Well, we're here," she announced as they got out of the car and pulled out Yume's luggage from the trunk. "Welcome to Casa Robbins. Ken and Hana are probably asleep already, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait until morning to see them. Are you hungry? It's getting close to dinner time in Tokyo, isn't it?"

Following Sora into the house, Yume shook her head. Even if she was hungry, the way her stomach kept somersaulting, she doubted she would be able to keep it down. "No, not really."

"You sure? I can warm up the fried chicken we had for dinner if you want."

"I'll be fine. You're probably exhausted, though. You should go to bed, onee-chan. If I get hungry later, I can always warm up the chicken myself."

Sora stifled a yawn. "I am pretty tired," she admitted. "If you're sure you'll be all right, I'll go get some sleep. You remember where the guest room is, right?"

"Upstairs, third door on the left?"

"Right. Try not to go to sleep too late, okay? We'll wake you up around ten-thirty."

"I won't," Yume promised. "Goodnight, onee-chan."

"Goodnight."

Sora went upstairs, leaving Yume, who was still wide awake, to her own devices. Remembering her promise to her mom, Yume pulled her cell phone out of her duffel bag and called home. Her mother picked up on the second ring.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Hey, okaa-san, it's me," Yume said, plopping down on the couch in the living room. "Onee-chan and I just got in from the airport."

"So you got there okay? Good. How was the flight?"

"Long. Boring. The usual."

"And Sora? She isn't training too hard, is she?"

"Actually, onee-chan isn't train--" Yume stopped herself just in time, remembering she had promised Sora that she would let her tell their parents about the upcoming addition to the family. "Onee-chan looks really great," Yume said instead. "She's practically glowing."

"Good." Luckily, her mother didn't seem to catch the hidden truth in her words. "Can I say hello to her for a second?"

"She just went up to bed a couple of minutes ago. It is almost midnight over here, after all. In fact, I haven't even seen Ken-san and Hana-chan yet. They were asleep by the time we got home."

"Oh, right. Well, don't bother waking her up. I'm sure she has a busy day tomorrow. You both have a big day ahead."

"Yeah, I do," Yume sighed, reminded of the next day's audition.

"You don't sound very enthusiastic about it, Yume," her mother commented. "Is something bothering you?"

"Just pre-audition jitters, I guess. Onee-chan told me on the drive to her house that whoever Vladimirov-san chooses as his new partner will be his co-star in Kaleido Stage's next show."

"Co-star? I thought Sora usually was the lead in all of Kaleido Stage's shows."

"Normally, she is, but Eido-san wants to put on ice show to show Vladimirov-san and his new partner off," Yume explained. "It's probably the reason why Vladimirov-san decided to join Kaleido Stage in the first place. After all, he doesn't have much of an acrobatic background, so unless Kaleido Stage puts on at least one ice show a year, it doesn't make much sense for him to join."

"I wonder if that was the reason why Sora and Eido-san wanted you to audition…"

Confused, Yume's brows furrowed together. "What do you mean?"

"Your background in gymnastics. You used to be quite the gifted gymnast before you decided to focus solely on figure skating," her mother reminded her.

"The key phrase being 'used to.' It's been over five years since I trained seriously."

"Well, whatever the reason why you were invited to try out, I'm sure you'll do your best, Yume. Your father and I are very proud of you. Remember that, not matter what happens tomorrow, okay?"

Yume smiled, feeling a little better. At least her stomach had settled down some. "I will. Thank you, okaa-san."

They chatted for a little while longer until her mother had to go start dinner. By that time, Yume was feeling a bit hungry herself, so after saying goodbye, she warmed up the leftover fried chicken she found in Sora's refrigerator, fixed herself a small salad, and watched some late night TV while she ate. She then took a long, relaxing bath and finally went to bed.

As promised, Yume got a ten-thirty wake-up call the next morning, delivered by an adorable blonde five-year-old in pigtails, who decided the best way to wake her poor aunt up from a deep and satisfying sleep was by jumping on Yume's bed and shaking her until Yume finally opened her eyes.

"Aunt Yume! Aunt Yume! Aunt Yume! Aunt Yume!"

Groaning, Yume slowly lifted her head off her pillow and glared at her niece. "Hana-chan, what do you think you're doing?"

"Waking you up!" Hana exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Mama sent me up here!"

"I always knew onee-chan had a dark side somewhere underneath that good girl exterior," Yume muttered, sitting fully up. She couldn't stay mad at Hana for long, though, her lips breaking into a smile as soon as Hana grabbed her hand and attempted to pull her toward the door. "Hey, hey, where's the fire?"

"Huh?"

"What's the rush?" Yume clarified, tossing her blanket aside and throwing her legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm not even dressed yet."

"Mama's fixing breakfast, but she won't let us have any until you come downstairs."

"Oh, I see. I bet you must be hungry then."

Hana solemnly nodded. "Starving."

"Well, why don't you go downstairs and let me get dressed? I promise I'll be down as soon as possible."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay, but you better not take too long, Aunt Yume," Hana threatened with a wag of her finger before heading back downstairs.

Yume chuckled and quickly got dressed in jeans, T-shirt, and her hoodie. She then went down to the kitchen, following the smell of freshly made muffins she detected on her way down the stairs. Everybody else was already up and sitting at the table when she joined them.

"Good morning," Yume said in English, taking a seat in the empty chair across from her brother-in-law. While Ken had become quite fluent in Japanese over the years, Yume figured it was as good a time as any to practice her rusty English. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"No, not at all, Yume," Ken assured her, taking her cue and answering in his native language. "It's great to see you again. Did you sleep okay?"

"For the most part, yes. It took me awhile to go to sleep, but once I did, I was out like a…fog? That is the correct expression, right?"

Everyone at the table laughed. "I think you mean 'out like a log,' Yume," Sora corrected, passing Yume the plate of muffins she had smelled earlier. "A fog is the low-lying clouds that sometime appear in the morning."

"I was close at least," Yume said, grinning. She took two muffins off the plate and passed the rest to Hana, who looked hungry enough to eat the whole thing, plate and all. "Besides, it's been a while since I had a chance to practice my English conversation skills, so cut me some slack."

"Well, I, for one, think your English sounds pretty good for being out of practice."

"Thanks, Sora. I just hope Mr. Vladimirov speaks English, too. Does he?"

Sora shrugged. "I actually don't know. I haven't had the chance to meet him yet. Ken, have you?"

"Not really. I saw him a couple of times with May and Jean discussing the preparations for the audition, but it seemed like they were doing most of the talking," he said. "Still, since May is his coach, he must speak English, right? I don't think May speaks Russian, and I doubt Mr. Vladimirov speaks Chinese."

"Not necessarily," Yume replied with a slight frown. "Many top-level skaters go to other countries to find the best coaches. It's not totally unheard of for skaters and coaches, or even pairs partners, to speak different languages. As long as they share the language of skating, that's all that really matters."

"In that case, you should be fine, then. Right?"

"I hope so, Sora." Yume took a large bite of her muffin, her nerves having the opposite effect on her appetite that morning than the night before. "By the way, do either of you know what kind of audition they're having? I brought some music and a couple of my costumes just in case, but I don't want to drag them over to Kaleido Stage if they aren't necessary."

"All you need is your skates," Sora informed her. "You won't be performing any programs. That was what the tape was for."

"So Mr. Vladimirov saw my performance at All-Japan?" Yume sighed, wishing that Sora had chosen a different recording to submit as her application. She had hoped to be able to skate again live so Vladimirov could see that she could skate a clean program. "Now I know I won't pass the audition."

"Don't say that, Yume. You made a couple of mistakes at the beginning, but the rest of the program was great. Kalos saw something special in you, after all."

"But it isn't Mr. Eido I need to impress. Mikhail Vladimirov is known for his technical ability. That's why he and Miss Pekrovskaya were called the Ice Prince and Princess of pairs figure skating."

"Ice Prince or not, Mr. Vladimirov doesn't necessarily have all the say in who will be his new partner. He does have final approval, of course, but Kalos and May hold a lot of sway in deciding who he will choose. Just skate and don't worry so much about the technical side of things."

"If you say so," Yume said, but she was none-too-confident.

DISCLAIMER: Kaleido Star doesn't belong to me.