The onsen in Hasetsu was quiet and [Name] knew Viktor was dying to ask about what he heard but he didn't want to overstep his boundaries. Yuuri had been with his mother, being hugged and kissed as she congratulated him relentlessly. It was a warm sight to see and Viktor almost walked into your back when he realised you had stopped. He was confused but then looked in front to see Yuuri smiling so kindly, he looked so happy and his mother was praising him no matter how many times he said to stop, he was embarrassed and his cheeks were turning red.

The sight made your tears blurry, a small cough left your throat and Viktor glanced at you, shocked, he saw your lips shaking when your teeth bit them, "[Name]?"

A hand on your shoulder made you flinch and when Yuuri heard his coach's voice, he turned quickly to see his best friend with tears in her eyes. At first he was alarmed, unsure of what had caused you to cry and why you seemed to be crying more frequently these days. Viktor's eyes were hard and he hated feeling this hopeless, he knew something was wrong, something that you couldn't let go of and it was troubling you deeply. He was getting desperate to find out what but he was afraid, too.

He was afraid because he didn't want to cause a rift between the two of you. He didn't know what to say or how much would be going too far. Viktor hadn't felt this way about anyone in his twenty-seven years of life - he wasn't concerned about dating before because he felt so compelled to surprise his audience and make something for them to witness, he wanted them to witness what he was capable of. You had that skill as well, to be so great yet so isolated.

Viktor had been feeling new kinds of emotions ever since laying his eyes on you- he told himself he'd wait and let you speak when you wanted, he wanted to be there for you as a friend, then a best friend and then after some time, he wanted to be your lover. He wanted to be the person who received and experienced your romantic love.

"[Name]-chan!? What's going on?!"

Hiroko had seen your tearful face with her hands squeezing her sons cheeks. She gaped and let go suddenly, approaching you with her hands now in front of her, fiddling with each other. Her cheeks were red, her breath smelling slightly of sake as Toshiya had been sitting in the living room, an empty glass of the alcoholic beverage in hand, ready to be refilled.

"Uh-I'm.. I-I'm sorr-"

Hands were holding your shoulders, making your lips connect and your mouth shut. A breath was stuck in your throat and then a body, a warm and welcoming body was pressing itself against you. Two arms were being wrapped around you, one around your neck as the other rubbed your back. They caressed you as if you were a tearful, little child and you sobbed. Viktor stood by, staring in shock as Yuuri watched with the same expression, his eyes hurt and full of remorse.

"Don't apologise [Name]-chan, you know I'm always here if you want a hug, ne?"

Hiroko's voice was so close to your ear and you didn't even realise that you had started hugging her so tightly with cries leaving your mouth. Your eyes were scrunched shut, "Let's go to Yuuri's room, okay?" Hiroko wanted to see what was wrong, she knew that having you witness a mother and a child embrace each other so easily and lovingly used to hurt you, but she didn't know why you'd still cry now.

Shaking your head, Yuuri was more surprised when you denied, not wanting to go to his room where you had always found comfort in, "My room then, let's go." Viktor watched the twenty-five year old girl hide her face within Yuuri's mother neck and walk after her, sniffles coming from her as she disappeared around the corner. Yuuri stayed in his spot, wanting to hear if you'd say anything but Viktor held his chin in thought, "I don't think she wants to trouble you when you have to compete in the Japanese qualifying competitions soon."

Yuuri glanced at his coach, feeling lost in what to do, what to say, "What.. What happened?"

Viktor looked down, glancing at his arm where you had grabbed him and dragged him away from the ice rink, "[Name]'s mother was there. At the ice rink, with [Name]'s brother and sister."

Yuuri couldn't believe his ears, his jaw fell before his eyebrows furrowed and he felt so bewildered by what he was hearing but one thing stood out more than the rest, "Brother and sister..? [Name] doesn't have any siblings."

Viktor couldn't help looking at the wall that you had previously walked around with Hiroko and breathed out through his nose loudly, so many things were running through his mind, he couldn't even imagine what you were going through. Before when he only just met you, he was upset as the only things he knew about you were thanks to the tabloids online, he hated reading them when he knew that there were lies mixed into it but he knew he had read that you were an only child, pursuing her parents dream of becoming a professional prima ballerina on ice.

"I know.. Her parents, Masaru and Ryoto were her coaches and the only ones she had ever conversed with.." Viktor felt pained when saying these words, he knew how lonely it could be as a professional figure skater taking on the world on his own. Only you had done so with two parents supporting you but it was all wrong, they did it wrong and now you almost seemed broken; lacking a 'normal' childhood with childhood friends and people to trust- your only close connection was with the Japanese skater- perhaps that was why you had clung onto him so tightly. Perhaps that's why you felt so damned lonely and forgotten when he embraced Viktor at the kiss and cry.

Perhaps that was why you always thought you had feelings for him.

"Her mother said that she wanted to make her children; Alexei and Kanako skate at the ice castle as their home rink." Yuuri's eyes grew even wider, "She said that she liked it, that it was nostalgic."

Viktor could see the anger in Yuuri's eyes, "Yuu-"

"How dare she, after taking her from her home to a foreign country and then coming back after five years. Then-Then.."

Viktor stepped closer to Yuuri, his eyes narrowing as he watched the emotions wash over the Japanese boy's face; anger, sadness, regret. "That was where we met, [Name] and I would stay in the rink for hours on end and mess around, we would practice together and learn more about each other, we hardly ever left each other."

"She never wanted to go home, or she was scared to- she didn't like her home but I was too scared to ask why. She always followed me but her eyes were always so empty, they were so dull back then - it makes me angry when they are like that now because then it feels like our friendship was in vain, even before she left Japan, we were together for a tiny while- she said she was beginning but she was actually already really good.. She was four.. I think.." He saw Viktor wide eyes, puzzled, "Ah- M-my mum told me.."

"Ah, okay.." Viktor's shoulders deflated, understanding a little more and Yuuri kept on reminiscing, "I didn't know where she went for those five years after but when she came back, she had gotten even better- I thought it was because I asked her to start figure skating with me.."

"Yuuri, I'm sure once she talks it over with your mum she'll be better, then we can all talk together, hm?"

Yuuri nodded, grateful to have another person to help him think about his options, the best options to take, Viktor didn't expect him to keep going though- he didn't want Yuuri to open some wounds from his past as he had to concentrate and ready himself for the competitions coming soon, "She always... She always used to cry when she saw another kid being hugged by their mum or dad.. After a while she would stop talking and her eyes always looked really hollow when she saw them.."

"Yuuri, let's go eat- I feel like Katsudon!" Yuuri wasn't fazed by his coach's words and Viktor failed at trying to end his venting and interrupt him, he didn't want Yuuri to go on any further, he wanted to speak again but Yuuri's cracked voice rendered him silent, "Our friendship w-was so special.. We- we were each others first kiss- I mean.. doesn't that count for anything..?"