Join Me In Hell

This Moment Forever

It was impossible for her not to smile, watching Yuuri interacting with her husband and her daughters,  her long cherished friend's happiness being so genuine now.  Even after so long they had fallen back into the comfortable patterns forged during childhood,  with their help Yuuri always found an escape from the chaos of his life, first the loss of his mother and sister, then his father's madness and Celestino's strict dominance.   Yuuko wanted Yuuri to feel he could always be safe here.   Hearing her friend laughing and enjoying himself lifted her spirits.   

During the four days Yuuri had been here he had gradually opened up again,  spurred on by Yuuko's relentless efforts  to make him feel comfortable here.  Though renovated since he last saw this place it had once been his home after all.   Yuuri was the reason his place remained,  why her parents, along with Takeshi's had bought it.  They all wanted this place waiting for Yuuri when he found his way back.  

She found the last ten years painful  as she was forced to watch Yuuri's  decline from a distance, seeing him only on magazine covers, online interviews and the clips of his routines she found difficult and sometimes impossible to watch.  In the beginning anyone could see Yuuri loved to dance, to perform for crowds and his eyes shone in interviews and pictures.   The more time passed the less his eyes would shine,  he was simply going through the motions, doing what he was good at doing.  

Yuuko had  missed him greatly, and to have him show up unannounced when they had been expecting a Russian man and his companion startled her completely.  She felt it her duty to scold him for being so thoughtless by not contacting them at all.  There had to be ways to get around any handlers Celestino hired to keep track of him.  

Now Yuuri was here,  along with a handsome man she assumed must be his newest handler.   But this man was different.   Yuuko  couldn't get much information out of Yuuri, though they had talked for hours.  She really wanted to know what had caused this man to make the impossible happen,.  Maybe she was only being protective.   Her being cautious  made sense, this man though good looking was most likely  in the mafia just as Celestino was.  He also had that wound on his side, something  she  discovered after asking him  why he didn't join Yuuri and Takeshi in the hot spring baths.  He looked like he could use  a little relaxation.

"Thank you for bringing him here,  all these years I've been thinking and worrying ..."  she said,  "You can't know how grateful I am.   "

Viktor Nikiforov,  the man who had caused this to be was also watching  the scene as he sat with her.   To most Yuuko decided that this man would be unreadable,  an  intentionally created mystery  that no one could ever solve.   But it was quite clear to her, seeing how he was watching her friend , that he cared for Yuuri.  

She was glad he'd taken Yuuri's advice , having swapped his suit for more casual clothing,  now looking  even better in her opinion dressed in that  loose sweater and casual pants.   

"Actually, it was Yuuri who asked that we come here,   he insisted we would be safe.  " Viktor said in response,  his eyes still on Yuuri.   "It was a good choice,  you and your family have done more for him in days than  I have  in the weeks I've known him. "

"Well,  we've known him longer, my husband and I grew up with Yuuri.   He's been through a lot.." she turned her attention to Viktor now.   "After his father's death it took Celestino years to get Yuuri out of Japan,  my parents fought to have him come live with us.  I think Takeshi's parents did the same.  But  there was no use in going against him,  they  found out he was working with the local Yakuza clan and once they got involved my parents didn't stand a chance.   I don't think Yuuri ever knew about that.   The last time we saw him, ten years ago,  Celestino brought him on some business trip and Yuuri was already changing.  You care for him, too, don't you?"