An Unexpected Love (A Yuri Plisetsky Fanfiction)

Chapter 17: Broken

It has been a week since the Grand Prix Final ended, and not once has Ayumi responded to any of the Russian skaters' calls or messages.

Viktor, Mila and Yuri returned to Saint Petersburg the day after the banquet. The atmosphere was heavy, and the three couldn't bring themselves to celebrate their victories after what they witnessed. Instead they tried to find any information on her. it was scarce despite her status. They couldn't figure out what could have possibly make Ayumi so grief-stricken. That is, until two days later.

Japan's society pages were plagued by a news so rare in their confined social circle. The sudden death of Miwako Ogawa the day of the banquet. Death by suicide.

Photos of the wake surfaced online. In some were the eight friends of the girl, wearing pitch black clothes, weeping in silence. Ayumi was clearly seen looking like she was run over, her face void of the happy smile they knew her for.

Yuri looked at the photos in despair. That was never supposed to happen. He knew how much Ayumi treasured her friend, calling her whenever she was free in between practices. He's tried desperately to reach her, sending her several messages in a day. He's even contacted Kamoshita to ask him how she's doing, but he's heard from neither.

It was the week before Christmas, and the skaters were busy preparing for the World Figure Skating Championships: the last event of the season. Yakov's students were meant to use the remaining time to tie any loose ends in their routines and ensure smooth execution, learning from any mistakes made in the Grand Prix series.

While the seniors had three months to prepare for the competition, Yuri was not as lucky. The World Junior Championships was scheduled on the last week of December that season. He only had one week to polish his routine, and he was not exactly in the best of moods to do it.

The four Russian skaters and Yakov were huddled at the sidelines. No one dared to make jokes, and even Georgi refrained from talking about his new girlfriend. Their voices were stern and hushed, and it was hard to ignore the absence of their outgoing Asian rink mate.

The sound of the door opening broke their concentration. They turned to look, only to be shocked with what they saw. Ayumi Matsumoto walked in, Kamoshita in tow. Her face was stoic, devoid of any emotion. She was wearing a dark jacket with a black pin on her chest. Her movements were slow and minimal as she walked towards a nearby bench, taking her skates out of her bag and putting them on.

They all tried to approach her, greeting her with a soft smile. Ayumi did not acknowledge any of them as she moved to enter the rink like a lifeless ghost.

Yuri winced visibly. He wondered if that was what it felt like for her every time he entered the rink in anger or frustration. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Kamoshita looked at the lady with sadness before turning his attention to Yakov and his students. He asked to talk to them privately, and they moved to an empty room as Ayumi continued to practice.

Yakov was the first person to break the silence. "Look, you've been ignoring my calls for the past two weeks! I am tired of not knowing anything! I demand to know what is happening with my student!" he shouted to the butler. The others waited tensely.

"I'm sure you've heard of Miss Miwako's passing. Her death bewildered Ayumi and her friends. They never imagined her to..." Kamoshita paused in his explanation. "So yes, they all went to Japan to attend the funeral. Miss Miwako's parents welcomed their presence, as they were her close friends. After the burial, however, Japanese authorities came and brought them all for questioning."

That shocked everyone in the room. "They found a surveillance video on the night of her death. In it was Miss Miwako entering the basement and shooting herself with a hand gun. The police... they were cruel. They showed the video to the teenagers. They aggressively interrogated them asking if they had done or said anything that might have triggered Miss Miwako to kill herself. The kids were only given permission to leave after being cleared of suspicion."

"The video affected all of them deeply. They all just... derailed somehow. Mister Ryoji hasn't returned to his school in America and has been drinking out and having sex with multiple women. The others won't come out of their rooms and refused to eat or drink. Miss Jessica has been caught driving under influence."

Kamoshita took in a deep, shaky breath before speaking again. "Miss Ayumi hasn't had any sleep the past week. She's been screaming, thrashing around crying every time she tries. I've taken her to a psychologist to help her with the nightmares, but it never stopped. Suddenly, Miss Ayumi told me to book a flight here. She said she needed to get back to practicing for the Worlds, and that Miwako will be disappointed if she drops out of the competition."

Viktor, Mila, Georgi and Yuri looked at the old man with pure shock and pity. Ayumi has been through so much, and yet she's still going to compete? Even Yakov was silent, questioning her decision.

"I was really hesitant in allowing Miss Ayumi to come back," Kamoshita admitted. "But you people are some of the closest friends she has. The others are..." he paused. "They can't help her now. They're all broken. I was hoping that maybe having you around her will help her get back on track."

Yuri stared at the ground with his mouth open. His breathing quickened while he tried to process everything that has happened. The girl he loved was in pain. She was miserable. She needed them. She needed HIM.

As soon as everyone had their moment to take in Kamoshita's words, they all returned to the side of the rink. They watched as Ayumi fell while attempting a triple Axel. Instead of getting up right away, she stared at the ice with wide, frightened eyes as her vision was plagued by her nightmares.

Blood. So much blood.

Viktor was getting worried and attempted to rush out and help her. But before he could, she stood up robotically and made her way out of the rink. He tried to approach her as she stepped off the ice, but his hand was swatted away. She walked towards the bench in a frightened daze, and the Russian skaters reacted in horror when the girl pulled out a medicine canister from her bag, got a pill, and took it. Ayumi tried to calm herself down and took off her skates, her eyes fixated on the pills in her hand.

"They're antidepressants," Kamoshita said before they could ask. "It was prescribed by the psychologist. It's helped with the nightmares so far, but she's been taking them whenever the visions came back. Miss Ayumi has thought ahead, though. She made sure that the pills were approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency before taking them so she could compete without violating the rules."

Now all Yuri wanted to do was rush over there and hug her.

It looked as though Ayumi was about to burst out in tears, but she quickly controlled her expression. She took a deep breath and whispered, "I'm sorry."

Yuri felt his heart break, while the others slowly walked towards her. The girl ignored them, standing up and walking out of the rink in slow, miserable steps.