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Yuuri spends the whole train ride clutching Viktor's hand, his attention on the rolling scenery outside. Viktor doesn't mind the harsh grip, since Yuuri cannot hurt him without activating his Circle. He wouldn't dare do that amidst so many people, especially since he and Viktor are so recognizable. Only through the careful application of disguises can they get away with traveling like this, anyway.
Even after everything, Yuuri hates activating his Circle. Viktor never pushes him.
Returning to Japan is strange. Hasetsu looks no different than when Viktor and Yurio came long ago, yet the sight of it infuses Yuuri with something like serenity, some long-forgotten worry draining out of him to see his home town. With violence breaking out across the world, perhaps Yuuri feared that Hasetsu would be affected, given that it was the source of much of the madness, but the buildings look the same, the people as normal as can be.
Viktor keeps a sharp eye out, regardless. He does not doubt that their enemies still hunt for them, but at least they are safe, for now.
Almost by instinct, Viktor turns toward where Yuuri's house sits on the edge of town. Yuuri catches his hand and shakes his head, and Viktor acknowledges the decision. Perhaps later, after he has scouted the area and determined if the house is safe or not. Given the news reports, it will likely be blocked off by the government, but Viktor is tempted to sneak in anyway.
If Yuuri lets him.
They spend one night in a normal hotel. Viktor disappears for three hours in the middle of the night, then returns with a small smile, his hands empty. Yuuri sighs in relief, then curls up against Viktor and doesn't let go of him all night.
The next day Yuuri leads Viktor to an older part of town, with cobblestone streets and tall walls with steam rising beyond them. They walk up a hill, dragging a small suitcase alongside them, if only to appear as proper tourists. Yuuri grows more and more tense as they approach the inn at the top of the hill, which Viktor reads as Yuutopia.
They halt at the threshold.
"Maybe we shouldn't," Yuuri whispers, staring across the yard at the warmly lit doorway. Viktor thinks it looks quite inviting.
"They will not betray you," Viktor reassures him, and Yuuri lets out a breath.
"No, but... it's dangerous." Then Yuuri takes Viktor's hand, threading their fingers, his eyes hardening with determination. "They risked everything for me, though. I just hope..."
"Phichit got the information to them, and the building is free of bugs. It will be fine, Yuuri. They've been waiting for you," Viktor says softly, lifting Yuuri's hand and kissing his fingers. "Come. Let us see your family."
"Okay," Yuuri whispers, then follows Viktor through the yard, past the small piles of bright red leaves and the single car parked in the lot. Viktor already recognizes the license plate as belonging to the Katsuki family; he had Mila run that information weeks ago. He listens to the house for a moment, but he can only hear three heartbeats other than himself and Yuuri.
Good.
Yuuri hesitates at the doorway. Viktor pushes him into the warmth of the inn.
"Irasshaimase," calls a voice, moments before a short Japanese woman steps out of one of the rooms wearing traditional clothing and an apron. Her hair is fluffy, lighter than Yuuri's, but Viktor can see his lover in the curve of her cheek, the brightness in her eyes. She smiles at them quizzically, glancing at Viktor first before shifting her attention to Yuuri.
Her expression falters. Then her eyes go wide and fill with tears. Even with a wig, sunglasses, and a hat, it seems Yuuri's mother will recognize him anywhere.
"Yuuri...?"
"Okaasan," whispers Yuuri, his voice tight with tears. Katsuki Hiroko stumbles down the steps and throws her arms around Yuuri, who catches her and pulls her close, his limbs trembling from the effort not to use every ounce of his strength to hug her back.
Viktor smiles softly, watching them. He knows how much it hurt Yuuri to be apart from his family, to put them in danger by existing as he did. Yet Yuuri's family was never harmed during all the chaos of the past two years, through both Viktor's and Yuuri's efforts.
He doubts the Katsukis will ever know how much Viktor worked to keep them safe for Yuuri.
"What's going on?" says a woman with fluffy hair and narrow eyes, stepping out of a hallway, soon followed by a man. They both stop short at the sight of Hiroko hugging Yuuri, both of them crying and unable to calm themselves down. Katsuki Mari, Yuuri's older sister and the calmest of the family, rushes forward to throw her arms around her brother, while Katsuki Toshiya approaches more slowly, his eyes wide behind his glasses.
Hiroko only lets go of her son when he is safe in the arms of his sister and father. Viktor watches them, listening closely to everyone's heartbeats, but never bothering to activate his Circle. He can feel the love that the family has for Yuuri, and he knows how much Yuuri needed them. He only hates that it took so long for them to return to this place.
"You're Vicchan, aren't you?"
Vicchan... Viktor cannot help the way his breath hitches.
"She would probably call you Vicchan."
Viktor turns to find Hiroko standing next to him, a happy smile on her face. She wipes at her eyes with her apron, then throws her arms around Viktor, who stares down at her blankly.
"Thank you," Hiroko whispers, her arms tightening around Viktor. "You saved my baby."
"He saved himself," Viktor whispers, then gently embraces Hiroko back. "He saved us all."
"You saved him first," Hiroko says in a small voice, then pulls back and beams up at him. "That makes you family, Vicchan. Come in! Come in and let us take care of you, both of you."
Viktor can only obey as the tiny woman takes his hand and leads him into a large dining room, so much smaller and weaker than him, yet stronger in far more important ways. He glances back over his shoulder at Yuuri, who has surfaced from his family embrace with a peaceful smile on his face. Their eyes meet, and Yuuri relaxes, his eyes bright.
"Okaeri, Yuuri, Vicchan," Hiroko says, looking back at her family, her eyes just as bright.
Yuuri smiles wide, tears gathering in his eyes again. "Tadaima."
We're home.