Blue Echo (Yuri On Ice / Victuuri Mermaid AU)

Yuri, reporting

           

It took Yuri less than a day to reach his nest deep in the ocean. The path to his home was dark and treacherous. His kind had lived here for centuries undiscovered and it was unlikely they ever would. Though in the past few decades some of the elders had expressed concerns that human advances could eventually discover them. That said the elders current worry was the humans abusing their habitat. Something that frankly scared Yuri, but without the danger he would have never been allowed to be a monitor.

His first stop was to report back to Takeshi what he had found during his shift. Yuri repeated everything he remembered from the ship, but there was much he'd have to lie about.

The monitor cave was the second largest in the nest, just a tad smaller than the sleeping and nursing caves. Takeshi was lecturing the group of six fingerlings that had applied to be monitors, the youngest one was only fifteen, it was the first time in the nest's history that they had allowed someone so young to start monitor training. Yuri didn't believe it should be allowed. Being a monitor was the most dangerous job in the nest, but also the most vital one. Even if the nature of the natare was to hide, they needed to be knowledgeable of the world above and also get supplies when possible.

The older fingerlings would start taking shifts within the year while the younger ones had a few more to go. Not all fingerlings that applied to be monitors got approved and even if you did, you had to three years to prove your worth. Yuri himself was still on probation, but his 24th year was almost here, soon he would know if he would remain a monitor or be relocated.

Four of the fingerlings spread out after Takeshi told them to go, the youngest stayed talking with him. The oldest spotted Yuri and headed straight for him.

"Hi, Leo." Yuri waved at the younger natare. "Still training?"

Leo nodded excitedly. Unlike Yuri, Leo was a natural to be a monitor, he had strength, he had speed, his memory was almost on par with Yuri's, and above all he already had a mater aman. He wasn't even an of-age natare, but he already had bonded, his future fingerlings would be born from a bonding pair. Yuri couldn't keep away the jealousy from his thoughts. Most natare were just satisfied with finding someone they tolerated, and if they were really lucky, have a fingerling or two.

Yuri kept his smile as Leo talked about the training they'd been doing. He was happy for Leo, he really was, he just wished he were as lucky. He wanted the power to make his own choices, but that was still in limbo while he remained in probation and still hadn't been branded.

The young blond natare finally stopped speaking with Takeshi and left the cave, but not before glaring towards Yuri.

"Leo, head to the sleeping caves," Takeshi ordered. "Group B is returning from their exposure and may need help in case they brought anything back."

Leo's eyes lit up. His aman was in group B. "See you later, Yuri!" he waved.

Yuri swallowed once he and Takeshi were alone. "Report," Takeshi ordered without wasting time. Yuri told him everything he dared while Takeshi took notes of the location of the wreck. How many trips from the retrieval team would it take to recover the items. Yuri was as detailed as he could recall, but he knew there were things he had forgotten, and hoped the things he was omitting weren't obvious.

Takeshi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "What happened, Yuri? You witness a shipwreck and I have literally less than one page of information about it." Yuri let the unsettling feeling seep into his bones. "You're the one that insisted on this path, do you have any idea how many uncomfortable conversations I've had with the elders about you? This was your chance, Yuri. I don't—" Takeshi stopped his rambling. Yuri fidgeted, this was going worse than he had originally thought. When it was all said and done, Yuri knew Takeshi was just worried about him, but that didn't stop him feeling like a complete failure and liar to boot. Was it really worth it keeping Victor a secret? "And what about that?" Takeshi pointed to Yuri's neck.

Yuri ran his hands across his neck and felt the locket Victor had given him. He'd completely forgotten about it. "It caught my eye," Yuri said cautiously.

"Well," Takeshi seemed to be at the limit of his patience. "It's normal for monitors to take a small object every once in a while. We just don't usually pick something so obvious that others can see." Yuri squeezed the locket. "You can keep it." Yuri felt relieved, but it was only momentary. He knew Takeshi wasn't happy with what he had returned with, and any other monitor chief would have given up on Yuri during his first year. Takeshi kept giving him chances, but there was only so much leeway he could give. On the eve of his 24th year Yuri had to be branded and if he couldn't be a monitor...

"Would being a mater really be so horrible?" Takeshi asked. Yuri winced, they've had this conversation a hundred times before.

"Is it so horrible I don't want to be forced to have fingerlings with someone I don't love?" Yuri snapped back without thinking.

Takeshi sighed loudly. "How can you know you won't love one of them?" There's plenty of of-age natare that are looking for a possible mater.

"I don't like any of them," Yuri bit his lip. "I just want what my parents have, what you have with Yuko."

Takeshi gritted his teeth. "Less than 5% of natare truly bond or find an aman. Your parents, Yuko and I are an exception, I'm sorry you grew up around impossible expectations, but Yuri," he stressed the younger natare's name. "I cannot in good conscience pass you as a monitor with what you have given me in the past three years. Our numbers become fewer and fewer every generation. Instead of fantasizing about falling in love how about thinking about the survival of your nest and that without new fingerlings, we are going to die out."

Yuri felt that dark pit he'd often felt when this topic came up. The one that made him wish he could just disappear. It was like it was his fault. His fault for not having the correct qualities of a monitor. His fault that his body had the affinity to be a mater that was almost to par with the female natare. "So I'll just become a mater who never leaves the nursing caves," Yuri exhaled. "Have as many fingerlings until my body breaks with someone I don't even like." The words were bitter, the tears in the corner of his eyes were bitter. I'd rather be exiled, he thought.

"No one is going to force you," Takeshi tried to minimize the effect of his words. "But if you can't be a monitor the elders could—" he took a deep breath. This conversation always ended like this, with Yuri stressed, scared, and he feeling guilty, but what else could he do. Very soon he won't be able to protect Yuri anymore and they had to figure out what to do.

"Takeshi!" The little blond natare swam with urgency into the cave. "It's group B. They came into contact with something in their exposure and some of them are really ill. Yuko needs help."

Takeshiexchanged a glance with Yuri, their conversation would have to wait. He didn'twaste any time rushing towards the sleeping caves. Yuri and the little natarefollowed.