Disclaimer: probably the last time I have to say that only the plot belongs to me. Everything else belongs to YoI's creators.

A/N: I'm so sorry for taking so long. I plan to have this one posted together with the alternate story, but I'm not satisfied with what I have wrote...I need to fix that one first and it might take too much time then LOL. So, I decided to post this epilogue first.

Thank you very much, dear readers/subscribers, those who have favorited this story and reviewed. I love you all! Thank you for sticking so long with me. I hope to see you again!

Please read the end A/N at the bottom of this page too! It's important! Thanks~

This chapter is not betaed. Sorry for any mistakes.

May 3rd, Hasetsu.

When Victor and Yuuri arrived at Ice Castle, there was a…large horde of people. Most of them, as Victor knew, were reporters. Though not as bad as Victor, Yuuri had his share of a star-time after all. Yakov and Yurio was following closely behind them. The youngest cursed loudly the moment he saw the commotion.

This was actually an event already predicted to happen. The three Russians were far more surprised that this took so much longer to turn into a commotion than they thought. Having expecting it didn't mean they must like it all the same though. These reporters could be a very bad hunters and really loved to exaggerate the fact.

Stealthily, the four of them walked over the sideways, hoping none of the crowd would catch on. There is a back door, according to Yuuri, and they would just use it to avoid the mass.

To be completely honest, Victor never once believed that they would pass the crowd unnoticed. Realistically, they were different physically. Silver hair plus blond hair were very eye-catching when they were in the middle of mass with jet-black hair. While it's now spring and the trees had grew with various beautiful colors, a very tall head of almost-white, a very beautiful blond fairy, plus a very cute raven (plus he's probably the main target) were a bad combination despite all the colorful colors from the blossoms around them. Note that Victor purposely excluded Yakov from the 'eye-catching' group.

As he expected, it took only one turn, one short glance from one person, to break all hell loose. At one second, they were still creeping through the sidewalk, hoping the trees would at least make them least obvious. The next second, he heard someone screamed their names.

In just a mere second, they were surrounded by hyenas flashing cameras and flooding them with questions.

"Katsuki Yuuri-san, what do you think of your video becoming viral?"

"Katsuki-san, where did you learn ice-skating? When did you start?"

"Victor Nikiforov-san, what is your relationship with Katsuki-san?

"Victor-san, will you tell us your opinion on your SP that was performed by Katsuki-san?"

"Are you here because of this viral video, Victor-san, Yuri-kun?"

"You brought your coach here, does that mean Katsuki-san is going to be learning under coach Yakov too?"

Victor couldn't even start to answer one. Behind him, Yuuri handled them quite well, unexpectedly. He smiled tiredly at them and proceeded to walk again, this time to the front door. Victor exchange glances with Yakov and Yurio. Yakov nodded to him, saying they had no choice but to follow Yuuri.

"Sorry, that is personal. I can't answer you," he heard Yuuri said.

Victor paused, thinking to himself. "I guess this is an evidence enough that Yuuri's story is not a lie. He handles this very well, like one very used to be in the same situation." Victor voiced his thought.

He had expecting Yakov to reply, or worse a silent treatment from both Russians behind him. Astoundingly, it was Yurio who said, "I don't think he lie from the start. Despite what he said, that pig never lies. He simply decided not to tell the truth, and we assumed."

Both Yakov and Victor turned to look at him as if he had just grown two heads. "What?!" Yurio snapped.

Shrugging, Victor allowed a small grin and went after the crowd and their star.

Yuuri stopped at the front door to the ice-rink, looking exhausted. He had been trying not to let any of them entered the place, making himself the target and barring the hyenas from his safe haven. "Sorry, please leave."

"If you're here, Katsuki-san, then does that mean you're practicing for the competition? Are you competing in the next Grand Prix?"

Victor finally reached Yuuri's side just in time to catch the raven's stunned reaction.

"Eh…what? I—"

Having fought his way to win the GPF five times, Victor knew how it felt to be in the constant state of anxiety. The rush feeling when the music start and everything disappeared from your mind. It was an addicting feeling. Despite the fear and nervousness, when he won, it was the best kind of accomplishment. Even if you lose, you'll still come back, hoping to have a taste of the sweetest nectar called 'winning'.

Victor was sure Yuuri felt the same kind of exhilaration one could only taste in an intense competition. At one point when he lost, Yuuri might've decided to quit. But it was so clear to Victor that Yuuri wasn't ready to retire. If he had, he won't perform Victor's SP with such dedication. While having the right motivation, he wouldn't be able to bring out an outstanding performance in his free.

Yuuri wanted to return. Victor was very sure of that.

"You're past 20, but doesn't mean you can't compete. If you're entering the next Grand Prix, who's going to be your coach, Katsuki-san? Is it coach Yakov, as expected?"

This time, it was Victor's turn to be stunned. Against his better judgement, he wrapped a hand on Yuuri's shoulder and pulled him in.

"If Yuuri decides to compete one day, I will be his coach. I won't let anyone else take that away from me," he countered.

That answer, in returned, silence the reporters. Taking the chance, he herded Yuuri away from them. Yakov and Yurio followed them hastily, having recovered from the shock pretty fast. They locked the door, then turned the door sign to 'close'.

"Are you serious, Vitya?"

Victor ignored the question. He didn't stop until the reporters' voices were but a fading sound in the background. When the noise became nothing but a buzzing on the side, Victor turned suddenly, facing a shell-shocked Yuuri.

"Yuuri," he started, forcefully bringing Yuuri's face up. "Do you want to return?"

Trembling lips parted, stuttering a forced response. "I-I'm not…I don't know, Victor…"

"If…if one day," Victor brushed Yuuri's lips with his thumb, then allowed himself to breathe in deeply. He leaned in, touching Yuuri's forehead with his. Blue eyes fixed themselves to his finger that was still on Yuuri's lips. "If one day you decided to return, I will be your coach. I won't let anyone but me to have that privilege."

Yuuri chuckled lightly. "Not even Yakov?"

"…maybe Yakov, only if I failed." He smiled back an answer. "It'll be great if we can stand on the same ice, Yuuri."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

They laughed at Yurio's annoyed complaints.

May 17th, Hasetsu.

Slowly, each and every day, the number of the reporters began to diminish. The viral effect had waned, and peace returned for Yuuri and Victor. Not that they cared about their pictures were spread to the world, but as expected, it was getting annoying when people commented their photo at Victor's Instagram just to ask if they were a pair. What wasn't clear enough, really?

"Say, Yuuri," Victor caught his hand. They were walking back from the Ice Castle to the inn, passing the sea. Some children were playing on the shore, with the temperature warming up. The sun was blinding today. "Yuuko said asked for the video of your own free skating. What's that for?"

Yuuri laced his fingers to Victor's, pulling the latter to walk beside him.

"Originally, I did plan to have it recorded. I'd ask Yuuko, but at worse, I'll just record it myself. But, anyway, I want to left something for Yuuri."

"The other Yuuri?"

The raven skater nodded. "I don't know how yet, but I just want him to see the ending of our dreams. We have both fail in each of our own respective worlds. He said, this is our second chance. That's why, I want him to see the program I created for him."

Victor hummed, then tugged at Yuuri's hand when Yuuri walked past the grand prix champion. Yuuri stopped only to take a few steps back, facing Victor.

"What's the deciding factor? Have you found your reason for not returning to your own world?"

At first, he wanted to go back. When he saw that news, Yuuri was strike with the sudden revelation that he might have found a way back in Hasetsu. But coming back here, instead of wanting to go back, he's more likely refused given the chance. Why…? What's different between here and there?

"I think…this is just a thought, okay!" Yuuri turned slightly crimson from his cheek to his ears. "I tried to think of what's so different. Why I failed there. I can't say I've succeeded here, but, I did feel a strong attachment that I did not there. When I failed, no one gave me a reason to get up again. So I fell deeper into despair. It isn't the same case here."

"Someone gave you a reason to stay."

"Yes. Someone precious," Yuuri brought their entwined hands, shifting his finger so he held Victor's hand instead. He trailed butterfly kisses on Victor's hand lightly, murmuring to his warm skin. "You gave me reasons, Victor. Not just one, but many of them."

Victor squeezed his hand, then another slipped behind Yuuri's neck, pulling the raven close. "I'm honored to be able to make you stay, золотце." He planted a chaste kiss to Yuuri's lips. "So, did you put in that recording we make? Where do you plan to put the CD?"

Pushing back against Victor's chest, Yuuri smiled and resumed their walk. "I've included that one after my performance. Also, I've placed it… In the secret compartment under my desk! Then pray a lot so that Yuuri will get that disk!"

"Haha. Aren't you depending too much on miracles?"

"But it IS a miracle in the first time!"

"Ah, Yes, yes. Of course. You're right."

As they walked, hands intertwined, hearts connected, little did they know that Yuuri's prayer had been answered. A single ring of a bell, soft and hardly noticeably, then the CD he put was gone.

Far, far away, in a world that no longer belonged to Yuuri, another Yuuri woke up, to the same sound. A bell. A laugh. A voice that spoke to him so gently. A familiar voice. A presence of calm. Someone who'd become his new reason to live.

A start of a new beginning. A seed was planted, and now it had grown splendidly, though it was still a very small blossom. At another time, another seed was planted, far, far away from the first.

December 15th, Detroit.

It hurts so much…

His body was hurting. There were screams everywhere. The smell of burning flesh, the smell or iron, the smell of spilt gasoline, they piercing his nose, making him retched.

It was dark outside. In between his panic-laced mind, he vaguely remembered taking a bus from the airport. Snow rained down quite heavily tonight, and Yuuri expected slow traffic due to the piling up snow. Never did he expect the bus he got on slipped on the ice. There was a very loud screeching sound of harsh braking, then a loud crash and they just…fell.

Everything happened relatively fast for him to remember. From the sudden brake, to the fall. But Yuuri's mind remembered with clarity the very seconds where everything started to move in slow motion.

He had worn his seat belt, despite finding the item highly restrictive. It was one of those nights where he suddenly felt the urge to obey the rule. Like something bad is going to happen otherwise. Most of the times, it was just a false alarm, but not today. Not tonight.

They were falling down the bridge. He heard a shriek of people not wearing their belts fell down through the broken front window. He watched in horror as their eyes met, pledging him to extend his hands, saving them from assured deaths. Yuuri did. He reached out, but gravity had too much force playing.

Their eyes were filled so much hatred and fear, screaming a silent question of 'why they were the one dying?' and 'why didn't Yuuri do better to save even one of them'. Those eyes, those questions would probably haunt him for so long…if he survived. Actually, he doubted he would survive the fall.

There was a very loud crash, one that sounded like a glass windows fell down from 13th story room. He felt sharp pain to his sides. He tasted blood. Then, in the midst of his hazy consciousness he heard approaching sounds of siren.

His body hurts so much, his joint creaked every time he tried to move. He was dying, he knew, but he tried to cling to life. He hated his life. He hated his failure, but Yuuri wasn't that desperate to make his family sad.

Is this it…? He asked himself.

Will this be his last moment? When he failed that competition so badly two weeks in London, he was devastated. It wasn't easy to put his broken pride and confidence back together again.

I don't want to die…

He prayed, squeezing his eyes. Tears fell down, never to his cheek, but mostly to the black-leather seat in front of him. He heard the bus creaked again, tilting to the right. Yuuri sat on the second row from the back, on the right side. If it fell, the glasses would probably have pierced his body if he was unlucky.

I don't want to die! Please!

"Please…" he pleaded to no one. He knew none could hear him, even if anyone other than him was still alive. No one would help him. But still, he begged.

He saw a large pool of blood, right at the moment when the bus started to fell to his side. He didn't feel more pain, because then everything just went dark.

May 17th, Hasetsu. [Alternate World]

Rain. The pitter patter sound of the rain. They fell on the roof like big teardrops fallen from the sky. The whole town was quiet. Gloom hung heavily in the air. Adding to the fact that the town was washed by rain for three days straight didn't help in the least. It actually made the mood worsen.

Yuuko patted sleeping Axel's head gently, lamenting on the somber feel. She reached over to the top of the drawer, taking a framed photo of her childhood friend and his poodle.

Tear fell, sliding down her cheek, down to the glass-encased photo. She missed him so much. They missed him too much. Yuuko and Takeshi took the triplets to the Yu-Topia almost every day as of late. They were afraid the people in the inn did something incredibly stupid.

Five months and two days. Yuuri was gone for that long of a time. There was no news, no hint whatsoever. He was just gone, as if he was spirited away.

At the first month, everybody was worried, but no one dwell too much on a negative thought. They assumed Yuuri was too engrossed with his practice. After all, it wasn't the first time that Yuuri forgot to call them when he was busy. However, it happened right after his disastrous GPF. Yuuko felt that Yuuri must be very down then.

She tried to make a call after the GPF. Twice without answer. His mother called, five times, also without answer. The next day, they tried again. This time, the call was never connected. They must've tried the futile attempt for a hundred times already, if not more, to the same result.

They called the rink on the second day. According to some staff, Yuuri was last seen resting on the infirmary. After a quick confirmation with the doctor, he said Yuuri left around midnight after talking to one of the judge. They both assumed Yuuri went back to the hotel. However, the hotel staff said he was never seen returning after the GPF.

On December 14, Katsuki Yuuri disappeared from the world.

"Mom, I'm hungry…"

The voice of her girl startled her from the sad memories. She wouldn't allow her children to see her distress.

"Let's make some Katsudon, okay?"

"Katsudon…"

She trailed Axel's gaze to the same photo she had just put back on top of the drawer.

"I missed Yuuri so much…"

Hearing that small voice, the usual cheerful and obnoxious voice of her girl said that in low tone, it hurt her so much. Yuuko sobbed, hugging Axel hard.

"Mommy too, Axel…" She let herself let go of her building desperation. Axel didn't struggle in Yuuko's embrace. Being such a young girl, she understood the pain and hug her back. The warmth of her small hands penetrated her skin, reaching directly to her heart. "Why don't you go play with your sisters while mommy prepares the Katsudon? See, they've woken up."

"I will!"

Yuuko ruffled her head affectionately and went to Yu-Topia's kitchen. She paused right beside the open door. It wasn't that she stopped on purpose. Yuuko couldn't get in. Not when she heard Hiroko's muffled sobs turned into a hiccups. She seemed to have cried for quite sometimes. Yuuko looked up, finding Mari's eyes just as dead.

There was a big hole. A very big gaping hole left when Yuuri disappeared. Even nearly half a year, the pain was still so fresh in their minds, creating a permanent scar to their hearts.

But they couldn't stay like this forever. Yuuri would be sad, and Yuuko wouldn't let her dearest baby brother feel sad.

Purposely raising the volume of her voice, she said to the blond girl, "Mari! I'm about to make some Katsudon. Would you like some?"

Mari's eyes widen, but quickly caught on Yuuko's intention. She cleared her throat loudly and replied, "Yes. I'd like that."

Yuuko nodded gratefully and entered the kitchen. Hiroko was smiling, though her eyes and nose were puffy and red. Yuuko didn't say anything, and Hiroko wasn't about to start. In complete silence, the two began to work.

May 17th, Hasetsu [Alternate World] - Katsuki Yuuri's Room.

"Hey, Axel, mom's gonna get mad at us," Lutz looked around, hoping no one would find them sneaking around the house.

When Lutz and Loop woke up, Axel were already awake, watching their mother walked away with a deep frown unbefitting their age. The other two didn't know what was going on with their sister's mind when she suddenly said she wanted to go to Yuuri's room. But being a triplet, that meant, wherever Axel go, Lutz and Loop would follow.

"What are you looking for, Axel?" Loop looked around the room. It didn't feel like the owner was gone for so long, she noted sadly. There were a few top skaters' posters on his wall, but no one particularly stood up. Loop switched her attention to her sister again.

"There must be something that caused Yuuri to disappear. I want to find a clue," Axel answered with a renewed Vigor. Her eyes were burning with determination. "Then, mommy and daddy wouldn't look so sad every time! We can eat more happily together with Mari-nee-chan, then oba-san and oji-san too!"

Lutz and Loop immediately perked up, most definitely taken away by Axel's persuasion. In no time, the triplets run amok, pulling and shifting things where they felt they would find a big treasure inside. They looked into the wardrobe, under the bed, inside the drawer, even inside the pillow. There was nothing.

It was maybe just a mere coincidence, when Lutz suddenly yelped in surprise. Loop and Axel harried off to their sister.

"What is it, Lutz?"

With eyes as big as giant marbles, Lutz shakily pointed to the darkness under the desk. "I thought I heard a sound of bell, and then suddenly there's some sparkly, uh… sparkly things. Then—then I saw that!"

"Saw what?" Loop tilted her head, approaching the desk. She and Axel heard nothing. But they weren't about to second guess their sister. They never lied to each other.

Sharing the same thought, Axel walked beside her, gripping Loop's hand as they both reached over to a small indent under the desk. Their small hands easily slipped inside the unknown space. Axel was the first to touch something hard and cold.

"I got something!" She announced to her sisters. Loop retracted her hand and worriedly looked over to Axel's hand. Lutz joined them, gripping Loop's t-shirt. Axel had to tiptoed a little to pull out the thin and hard thing from it. She thought it was a book, but it was not.

Encased in a thin transparent plastic case is a CD. It had something written on the cover, but they'd been taught Hiragana. Not the Latin alphabet. The writing on the CD was definitely in alphabet.

"Let's take this to mom!" Axel announced proudly. If the CD's been hidden in a secret place, it must be a very important CD, right? That meant, it might have a clue on Yuuri's where about.

The triplet rushed down back to the living room. The good smell of rice and fried Katsu immediately invaded their nose, watering their mouth. They jumped down the last step, making a loud thump on the wooden floor. Usually, their mother would've screamed them to stop, but not today. She wouldn't be angry at them for finding this!

"Mom! Mom! Look at this!"

Nishigori Yuuko had just finished arranging the bowl on the table. She turned just in time to catch her triplets that had run too fast and unable to stop. They all collided in their mother's arms, Axel being the front most was squished. Yuuko giggled, letting the three slowly untangled themselves.

"What is it, you rowdy triplets?" Her eyes, for a long time, twinkled in amusement.

Axel proudly pulled up the CD they discovered. "Look, mom! We found this!"

At first, Yuuko thought it was just another random CD of some skater. The three were quite often to bring her a new skater's CD. Their most recent one was Christophe Giacometti's FS.

She flipped the CD, her whole body froze in time. She read the title. Blinked. And read it again. She wasn't having a very bad dream right now, right? Yuri on Ice, the title said. No, she wasn't misreading this.

"Hiroko-oba-san! Mari-nee-san!"

Mari and Hiroko came rushing, sensing the urgency of her voice. "What is it, Yuuko? Are you in pain?" Hiroko immediately ran over, seeing Yuuko shook on her knees.

Still with trembling hands, she turned, eyes watery and tears already fell like the rain outside. In between the sobs, she gave the CD to Hiroko, "Yu—" she swallowed her sobs and tried again. "Yuuri…it says…"

What was she even talking about. She couldn't even form a coherent sentence, but she was overwhelmed. Too much emotions came to the surface at the same time, and she didn't know how to suppressed it. So, she just pointed a shaky finger at the CD's title.

"Yuri…on Ice?"

Their story started with a nonsense for most. But for them, this was a wonderful chance they would willingly die to have. A chance to change; a chance to meet the one meant for them. One had attained his happiness. Another…is waiting for his chance to bloom…

Help me…

Save me…

Victor…

Note:

Золотце — one webpage says this means my gold, but a quick google translate says it means sweetheart (Russian).

Nee-chan — older sister (Japanese).

Oba-san — aunt (Japanese).

Oji-san — uncle (Japanese).

Otaku — well, do I have to explain? LOL. Otaku is someone who's really into something. Like, someone who's so into Yuri on Ice (namely, us!) are YoI otaku =3

A/N:

Now, this story has come to an end. I'm so sad, but I guess I'm happy too.

Anyway...if you notice, there is a long gap between the dates in the beginning of the epilogue. 3rd to 17th. There's a side story (check my profile for the link. The title's Saving Us: Eros) happening in between these dates. It contains lemon and explicitly M-rated. I do not suggest you to read it if you're underage or dislike smut. Otherwise, do read ;D

After this final chapter, there will be a new story (the title will be Saving Us: Alternate) about the other Yuuri and Victor. Some of you may have asked in your reviews, so yeah. I'm writing about them too. Been planning to since the beginning.

Thank you again for all of your supports! I hope to see you again =D

Edit 28/12: to prevent confusion, here's the link to the rough timeline of the two worlds - https(colon)(double slashs)i(dot)gyazo(dot)com/59d95da9b25a04ab01072d7f00d0ce02(dot)png

Man! FFNet's really troublesome. The bold texts inside the brackets represent symbols. Please replace them OTL