Yuuri closed his eyes as hot tears streamed down his small, chubby cheeks. His mother placed her hand lovingly on his shoulder and rubbed her thumb in circles. This was the last day Vicchan, his best friend would be alive. Yuuri and Vicchan had been together ever since Yuuri was four; he was only a puppy back then. Now thirteen years old, Yuuri still saw the poodle as a puppy, as his puppy. "I'm so sorry." Yuuri's mother said in a soft tone, but Yuuri did not respond. After the 2nd hour passed of their wait in the small white room, a man in a long white coat stepped out of a large brown door and sadly looked at Yuuri's mother, then down at him.

"I am very sorry for your loss." The man said and proceeded to talk to Yuuri's dad who had been standing in the corner of the room, grieving silently. Yuuri looked up at his mother who had tears streaming down her face, but had a stern expression on.

"It'll be okay Yuuri, Vicchan is in better place." she said, her voice cracking. Yuuri didn't say anything, just turned his gaze to the floor in front of him, focusing on the tiles that spread in a checked pattern across the floor.

On the car ride home Yuuri had been silent, a melting ice cream cone sat in his hands; his parents attempt to make him feel better. Yuuri's Mom turned in her seat and looked at him. "Yuuri? Are you okay honey." She paused for a minute, "You don't have to go to school tomorrow if you don't want to." Yuuri only nodded, his gaze never drifting from the back-seat window. When they pulled into the driveway of the Katsuki family's bed and breakfast and stopped he slid out of the back seat and trudged up to the house. He made his way inside the large house and instantly went to the stairs. The patrons in the main lobby and dinning room payed no attention to him as he went up the stairs with a gloomy expression spread on his face.

He went to the door that was to the right on the hallway at the top of the stairs; his room. Yuuri fell face first onto his bed after closing the door and cried. He was gone, Vicchan was gone. Yuuri kept crying till he fell asleep, overwhelmed by the days events.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Congratulations Yuuri!" Yuuri's parents and other family yelled as he stepped into his family's bed and breakfast's dinning room. Yuuri blushed slightly and smiled brightly as he raised his diploma up and everyone cheered once more. The room looked cramped what with practically every member of Yuuri's family sitting or standing around. Yuuri's family began to drink and talk and before soon things were getting out of hand.

Yuuri manoeuvred through the crowded space, trying his best not to also trip over the small kids that were weaving through the adults legs. Once he made it to the back of the dinning room he ran up the stairs and to his room where he closed his door and sighed with relief to be away from the loud noise his family was making.

Yuuri took off his cap and let it fall to the floor as he shuffled over to his bed. He fell onto his bed, his back hitting the soft duvet. He let his arms lay flat as he remembered today. The cap, the gown, walking the stage, his friends excitement, and most of all, his diploma. This diploma meant he made it. He did it, he'd gotten through high school. His future was now staring him in the face and he was ready. He had gotten accepted into Iwate Universities Department of Veterinary Medicine and he couldn't be more excited. Ever since Vicchan had left him he had made it his life goal to become a veterinarian.

"Yuuri? it's Mom." Yuuri's mother said while knocking, her voice muffled on the other side of the door. "Yuuri made a noise to signal that she could come in and she opened the door, a small squeak coming from its hinges. "I'm so proud of you." She said after closing the door. She walked over to his bed and sat at the end of it, both her hands in her lap. Yuuri sat up and smiled when he saw his mother smiling.

"Thanks Mom." he said and looked around his room. "I'll be leaving soon." He said hesitantly. His mother had always been emotional and prone to crying easily and he didn't want to upset her in anyway. His mother was silent for a while and then glanced around the room.

"You know Yuuri, when I left home for college when I was your age, my mother didn't cry and I was convinced that she was glad to see me go. 10 minutes into the car ride I got a phone call; it was her. She told me that I could always call home when I had any type of problem or when I needed anything. Her voice was shaking the whole time that she was talking and I could practically see her face in that moment, tears falling down her cheeks as dad stood behind her with his hand on her shoulder." Yuuri's Mom adjusted herself slightly and continued. "I know that when you leave I'll be heart broken, but I know that this is all a part of you growing up and I know I'll be okay, just like my mother was."

"But she was crying." Yuuri said, slightly confused.

"Yes she was crying, but that doesn't mean she wasn't prepared for me to go." Yuuri's Mom explained and stood up; Yuuri still slightly confused glanced up at her. "I'll let you rest. It's been a big day for you and I need to go take care of those crazy people we are related too." She said while chuckling and Yuuri chuckled as well. As she began to leave she stopped in the frame of the opened door and turned too Yuuri. "Vicchan would be proud." She said with a small smile then proceeded to close the door. Yuuri fell back onto the bed and starred up at the ceiling.

"Vicchan would be proud, huh?" He mumbled and laughed to himself.