"Yakov," a smiling Victor, a brown bag of what smelled like piroshki in his hands, "is Yuuri here? He didn't seem too confident in finding the rink so I hope he didn't get lost."

"He got here a little while ago," Yakov muttered, still not sure if agreeing to let the Japanese skater practice in the same rink as vitya would be good for his concentration levels which already weren't the best, "and if your looking to bribe Yuri with Piroshki then you've wasted your time since he brought his own today."

"Awww," Viktor pretending to be disappointed before perking up once more with a heart shaped grin, "looks like I'll have to eat them all then." Walking over to the side of the rink to put his practice bag down and looking inside the steam bag of golden delight, "maybe I should give some to Yuuri, although he does put on weight quickly so maybe not too many." He looked round the ice, trying to spot his dark haired fiancé at first but something didn't feel quite right, she was sure she'd be here too - angry or ignoring him but there. Kat wasn't one to miss practice, she was always there from the moment she was able to leave her school until the ice rink closed or Yakov dragged her off the ice - she'd been like that since she first started skating. If she wasn't sick then the only other place she could be..."I think I'll go warm up in the studio."

This clearly didn't sit well with Yakov, "you can warm up here just fine plus the studios being used right now and I won't save you from Lilia's wrath if you plan on interrupting." Yakov knew just as well as Viktor were the younger Nikiforov would be if she wasn't on the ice but it was too soon right now, Katrina was a strong prodigal skater but she was still a 15 year old girl with a mending heart and Viktor wasn't exactly known for being delicate with people's emotions.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Viktor smiling and placing a hand on his old coaches shoulder, leaning in slightly and lowering his voice so the other skaters wouldn't be able to hear him, "I just want to watch her...see if she's ok."

"We both know she's not ok," Yakov muttered, turning his head away from Viktor, "you really hurt her Vitya."

"I know," Viktor gripping the coaches shoulder tighter for a second, looking to the bag of food in his hand, "but I have to start somewhere."

Yakov watched the silver haired man walk away, he knew he couldn't stop Viktor from wanting to see his sister, from the face he made Yakov could tell that this has been eating away at him more than he lets on. The ageing coach had known both Nikiforvs for a long time now, he could still remember how Viktor had pleaded with him to let his sister stay after school and at least watch even though she was still much too young, still in elementary education, to skate competitively, he knew them both well enough to know it wasn't the right time for Viktor to come back into her life but she was still his little sister,

Viktor knew the St Petersburg rink better than he knew his own apartment building, all, the secret passages and hiding spots came back to him so quickly, the room behind the ballet studio mirror wall was a particular favourite. He alway like disappearing into the room, hidden by a caretaker closet - don't ask how he found it, he used to use it to hide from Yakov's shouting or just as a quiet thinking place for him to choreograph his next routine but for now it served as his best way to watch her practice without her even knowing he was there.

Viktor couldn't help but let out a small smile, Kat had grown so much over the last year, the braid in her hair was new and she was definitely becoming a woman, beautiful and graceful like their dear mother, but there was something more in her eyes now. She stared at the mirror intensely, Viktor almost afraid that she could see him through the one way mirror, before taking the bobble out from her French plait braid, brushing her fingers through her hair to straighten it before typing it into a high ponytail. Marking her own face with her hands, looking for change or a hint of what could be labelled as identical to her brothers face. She could still see him in her own reflection, haunting her own face, which only worked to frustrate her; tearing off her ballet shoulder shrug, throwing it across the room, much to Viktors surprise, and pressing play on her phone, connected to the room speaker.

She let the music take hold as the performance began, Viktor watching her every move in amazement.

(See video)

"Not bad," the sound of the former Russian prima ballerina bringing both Nikiforovs to reality, "tighten your arms a little more and it would of been perfect. For a figure skater you can turn like a professional ballerina and tumble like a gymnast...for a skater."

"Is that bad?" Katrina asked, picking her shrug back up from where she had thrown it.

Lilia sighed, crossing her arms front of her, "being even a primal ballerina wouldn't be able to satisfy that amount talent inside of you little girl so what is it that you want to do with it?"

Katrina looked at the former prima ballerina, "People who can be "reborn" as many times as necessary are the strong ones, that's what you told Yuri," putting her drug back on and looking her straight in the eye, not a single tinge of hesitation in her words, "I'm the only one who can and will surpass my brother that's what I'm going to do with it. As a girl I'm already limited so I'll become a Phoenix and rise from the ashes of my previous self to become stronger than he ever was."

Lilia smiled at her words, "Yakov certainly has hidden a gem from me, you could teach some of those girls at the Bolshoi a few things," turning back to the speaker, taking the remote in her hands before looking to the young girl in front of her, "again then my young Phoenix. Hurry up we don't have all day."

Viktor on the other hand was a little shell shocked.

Since when did Kat dance like that?

Or had he never noticed?

How was it possible for her to move like that through the air off the ice?

Did Yakov remove her spine or something?

DID YAKOV REMOVE HER SPINE!

Then again this Lilia looked more like the spine snapping kind - he dodged a bullet for sure last year.

"I wonder where Yuuri is..." Viktor getting up from the floor, he'd lost track of how much time he had spent watching Katrina,"I may have to go find him myself if he's still lost."

He looked at his sister one more time through the one way glass mirror before walking back to the main rink - at least he could concentrate on coaching Yuuri now that he knew Katrina was doing better than he thought.

"I hope she hasn't been training too hard," Viktor spoke softly to himself as he made his way down to the rink, "YUURI!" Waving enthusiastically to his dark haired fiance, who just turned bright red as the rest of the skaters in the rink turned to look at them both, Viktor on the other hand did not seem to care about people staring and happily bounded over.

"Victor!" Yuuri exclaimed in a more horrifyingly embarrassed squeal as he got surprise hug/tackled by his silver haired coach, "where have you been?"

"And I'm here too asshole!" Yuri not happy at being ignored, seriously he had to make his presence known or they'd both go all gooey and sappy romantics and in general make him want to throw up.

"I went looking for you," Viktor lying through his million dollar camera smile, "I thought you got lost and went looking for you."

"Yeah right," Yuri muttered under his breath, glancing at his phone; he knew exactly where Viktor had been and it made his blood boil - how dare he go spy on Katrina! Viktor watching her practice should be a revoked privilege! It made him want to scream and kick the living legend in his pretty boy face! He didn't scream or kick Viktors face in though since Yakov had eyes everywhere (or at least seemed to) and Yuri liked keeping his teeth in his mouth, so he just aggressively tapped his phone as he scrolled through various social media apps.

Luckily Viktor also knew how to handle an agitated Yurio, "I brought piroshki," Viktor holding up the bag of bribery in front of the blonde haired teen.

Yurio just glared, looked at the bag for a second then glared back at Viktor - that was just plain dirty bringing in piroshkis, "no thanks, You can't bribe with food like the piggy," turning and walking away from the two, wanting to start his own practice early.

Viktor and Yuuri were a little shocked - Yurio just turned down Piroshki.

"What just happened?" Yuuri hoping Viktor could answer but from the expression on his coaches face, he didn't know either.

Viktor looked at the bag and then Yuuri before offering, "Piroshki?"

As much as Yuuri knew that he shouldn't eat so much since he put on weight too easily and he was looking to keep up with the Russians as to show that last season was not a fluke and he wanted to you know stay in shape for his fiancé who happened to be one of the most beautiful men in the world and- Fuck. Viktor was bringing out the big guns.

Puppy dog eyes.

And Yuuri couldn't say no to Viktors puppy dog eyes - no matter how much he tried.

Yuuri sighed and stuck his hand out to receive the brown bag, "fine."

"Oh good," Viktor smiling like his normal self, a little pleased he could still get a Yuuri to do want he wanted even if it meant resorting to the puppy eyes, "we'll just increase your run tonight and that should keep the piggy fat off."

'Life is unfair,' Yuuri thought to himself, sighing for what seemed like the millionth time that day, putting the bag of piroshki with his practice bag, 'and anyways,' Yuuri looking up and over to Viktor who was contently warming up at the side of the rink, smiling and talking to a few other Russian skaters as he did so, 'how do I talk to Viktor about what

happened with Katrina? I mean...there has to be another side to the story, right?"

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