An Unexpected Love (A Yuri Plisetsky Fanfiction)

Chapter 23: Agape

The days that followed were busy ones for the skaters in Hasetsu. They only had one week to master the routines for Hot Springs on Ice. They needed to step up their game.

Yuuri has decided to focus on the 'Eros' of the pork cutlet bowl, seeing as it was the closest thing to 'Eros' he was ever going to get. He has been exercising rigorously and continuing to eat nothing but greens in preparation for the upcoming performance, and he's been making gradual progress so far.

'Yurio', on the other hand, was already familiar with his own routine. He was great, execution-wise. The technical elements had grace and power in them. He also has not stepped out on any jumps, unlike his Japanese competitor who still struggled with landing a quad Salchow. But Viktor was never satisfied with his performance. He says the boy lacked the 'Agape' needed, and it was dragging the whole thing down.

The blond Russian was agitated. He can't figure out where he was going wrong. But then again, he couldn't help but execute the routine aggressively, seeing how things have been with Ayumi the past few days.

The girl was rarely around. She never showed up at the rink again, and she was not often seen at the inn, either. On the rare occasion that she and the male skaters crossed paths, no words were ever exchanged. Sure, she gave Viktor and Yuuri a nod every now and then, but she was so hesitant when it came to him. He noticed how she sometimes looked at him apologetically as if she wanted to say something, but the girl always went for the other option and turned away in shame.

It was beyond frustrating.

Somehow Viktor reached a tipping point in seeing the boy so conflicted. Now he, along with Yuuri, found themselves underneath a waterfall, hands pressed together and wearing nothing but white robes.

"I'm gonna kill him," Yuri grumbled. Yuuri somehow agreed to this, saying "Why me, too?"

"Who cares?!?" the blond boy retorted. "Damn it. Who cares about agape, anyway? Forget all of them." He closed his eyes.

He was just a little boy, and his grandfather was walking with him on a small street in Moscow. It was snowing heavily that day, and the two just got back from another long day on the ice.

"Yuratchka," his grandpa spoke. "You were the best of the bunch."

Yuri looked up at him expectantly. "Grandpa, can you come to practice again tomorrow? I can skate even better!"

The old man looked at him with a proud smile on his face.

"I'm fine, even if Mom's not there!"

He felt someone else hold his hand. He turned to look, and suddenly he was back in Saint Petersburg.

He was standing in front of a wooden railing that stood between him and the sea. A hand was laced with his. It was Ayumi, looking at him with so much concern.

"Listen to me. I won't pretend like I understand what you're going through. But I do know one thing: you do not need to go through this alone, Yuri. Never alone."

She continued with a trembling voice. "I understand if you find it difficult to open up to me. I probably haven't made it easy for you. But I... I need you to know that I won't give up on you. I'll always be here to listen to you. Even if you can't tell me everything, it's okay. I promise to meet you halfway, no matter how much you choose to tell me."

His felt his heartbeat quicken as he stared at the girl's eyes. "I won't leave you alone, Yura. No matter what."

"Yurio? Hey, Yurio!"

When Yuri opened his eyes, he found himself back in the accursed waterfall. Yuuri's hand was on his wrist, trying to pull him out of his daze. "Are you okay? Let's call it a day."

"Oh... okay."

------

Yuri has finally decided to make the first move and talk to Ayumi.

That day on the waterfall, he realized how the girl persisted in getting him to talk to her when it was him who was in so much turmoil. Back then, he refused to let anyone get close in fear of being judged or misunderstood. He had too many problems for a 15-year-old boy. Ayumi didn't care about that, and she slowly inched her way into his heart.

She never gave up on me, no matter how much I pushed her away. He realized what he felt back then was probably what the girl was feeling now. Unlike what he did, however, she never took anything against him. She didn't judge him for his actions. She cared for him unconditionally.

That was Agape.

He couldn't give up on her now, not when he has learned to love her that much.

The two competitors came back to the inn, and neither Ayumi nor Viktor was around. Apparently, the Russian went to eat at Nagahama Ramen. No one knew where Ayumi was, though.

Yuri didn't see her even until the next day, which was the last day of practice before the event. He and Yuuri were almost caught by Viktor, who came in late after a night of drinks. The Katsudon has asked for help in landing a quad salchow, which was still turning out to be a bust.

He decided to focus on his own routine instead. He moved with more emotion than he's ever had that week. There was love emanating from him as he raised his arms in a prayer.

Agape... unconditional love. To me, that means Grandpa... and Ayumi.

Viktor observed the boy. "Looks like Yurio found his Agape. Maybe he's ready for the next stage."

------

The night rolled in, and the male skaters were gathered in Viktor's room. They were in the process of rummaging through Viktor's many boxes of old skating costumes, trying to find one they can use for the upcoming performance.

After finding the costume he liked, Yuuri Katsuki rushed to Minako's ballet studio to ask her for instruction. He realized the backbone he needed for the program, and was hoping the ballet dancer can help him with the movements necessary.

He was taking a short break when Yuko Nishigori suddenly called him. "Hello? Yuu-chan?"

"Yuuri! I just arrived at the rink because I left my bag at the locker room and... you three should come here now! It's important!"

Sensing the urgency in her tone, Yuuri decided to call Viktor and tell him what Yuko said. He excused himself and ran to Ice Castle Hasetsu.

He, Viktor and Yuri arrived at just about the same time. When they reached Ice Castle, they saw a black car parked in front of the steps. A Mercedes-Benz. It was rare to see German luxury cars at such a rural part of Japan, so they were confused. They entered the building and Yuko told them to go into the control booth. Once they did, they were stunned.

It was Ayumi Matsumoto, back on the ice.

She was dancing to the beat of an unfamiliar song. Her jumps were a bit unstable due to the prolonged break from skating, yes, but she glided across the ice effortlessly. There was something about her performance, though. Her moves were sultry... seductive, even. It was like she was telling a story: the story of a girl experiencing physical love for the first time and was slowly succumbing to the pleasure.

The male skaters were at a loss for words. That was not the Ayumi that moved around the inn in utter silence. That was a sexy, enchanting 15-year-old woman, and the fact that she was wearing a backless sports bra was only serving as icing on the cake.

Ayumi spun and posed at the center of the ice like a woman who was flustered from a steamy night. She stopped and stared straight ahead, a sad smile on her face. "So, what do you think?"