An Unexpected Love (A Yuri Plisetsky Fanfiction)

Chapter 44: Making History (FIN)

Ayumi Matsumoto saw a bright blue sky as she looked out of the car window. It was the third day: the day of the Ladies' Free Skate. Beside her sat Yuri Plisetsky, his arm wrapped around her slender body. The drive was silent as he showered her shoulder with butterfly kisses. She knew what he was trying to say. The day was hers, and she was going to shine.

The car stopped, and Yuri held her hand as they got out. They entered one of the few traditional Budddhist temples in Barcelona. She came up to a statue at one side of the temple, lit some incense sticks and bowed down in prayer.

It was only fitting. The day of the free skate was also the same day as the banquet one year ago. It was the first anniversary of Miwako Ogawa's death.

She closed her eyes. It has been a roller-coaster of a year for her, but she learned to remember her friend with nothing but happiness. She knew that even though Miwako was gone, she would always be watching over them. Miwako will watch her skate that day, and Ayumi vowed to win gold in her memory.

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Of course, having Miwako in her thoughts didn't really help calm down her nerves.

Mila Babicheva, who placed third the previous day, was on the ice performing her routine. Ayumi was the next girl to skate, and she took off her Taiwan jacket in anticipation. She pressed her hands together and breathed deeply, her fingers visibly trembling.

Yuri saw all of this and shook his head. He made his way over to her and gently flicked her forehead. "Oi. Stop panicking, you idiot. You're gonna be great. Miwako will be proud, I know it."

Ayumi gave him a smile, but she was obviously unconvinced. He looked at his beautiful girlfriend, who was wearing a black costume with a corset-like top. He knew, without a doubt, that she will win. She just needed to believe it too.

"If it helps... I'm already proud of you," he assured. She thanked him, and he slowly moved his face closer to hers. Their lips were so close to touching when...

"Ayumi! Get over here! It's almost your turn!"

Ayumi winced and gave him an apologetic smile before heading towards Yakov. He gave the old man an irritated glare before turning his attention back to her. He watched Mila embrace her and whisper words of encouragement as they passed each other at the entrance of the rink.

"On the ice, representing Chinese Taipei: Ayumi Matsumoto!"

She skated further onto the ice, greeting the audience.

"Davai!!!" Yuri shouted, cheering for his girl. She turned to give him a grateful smile, then took on her initial pose.

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I look and stare so deep in your eyes, I touch on you more and more every time

Never in Ayumi's entire life did she ever see herself performing to a song like that. But now that she was, she couldn't help but be proud of her growth as a skater.

She never moved with such audaciousness before. Her sultry eyes and voluptuous hips captivated the audience. She took on the role of a beautiful, alluring woman. And by the blush she saw form on Yuri's cheeks, she knew she was doing a pretty good job.

It was almost time for her much-anticipated quad Salchow.

Got me looking so crazy right now, your love's got me looking so crazy right now

Success. The audience roared in excitement.

Ayumi never knew what it was like to be crazy in love. It was foreign territory. She only knew what Miwako thought of it: being crazy enough to throw away all your inhibitions, let go, and give in to desire. The book her friend got her to read was... graphic about it, to say the least. It honestly made her feel incredibly awkward. But as she turned to complete a triple Axel, everything fell into perspective.