Yuri didn't know why he had stuck around for the girls division, not like Mila was there so he could watch her flub her jumps and stick it to her later if she damn tried to pick him up over her head again, but for some reason he did. Ah maybe he could steal some moves at least.

Scowling like normal from the competitors seats, he hadn't been much impressed so far, he was questioning if he should just leave then and there, go eat or go back to the hotel room or something, until he heard the announcer call the next skater to the ice. "From Russia, and defending her title for the 2nd year running and hoping to achieve her 3rd junior world championship title, the princess of Russia, Katrina Nikiforov."

It truly was like a regal princess had floated onto the ice and all at once something in his world clicked into place, something that had never been there before but could never be undone. He normally watched Katrina from a distance, normally she was surrounded by Viktor or Yakov or the witch Mila, but had she always been so beautiful?

Her slivery long hair tied up in a crown plait, swept completely away from her feminine face, and she was dressed in an elegant and flowing dress, fading from a royal blue to snow white and decorated with numerous silver Swarovski crystals. It perfectly extenuated her natural grace as well as her developing body, soon no one would mistake her for a young Viktor. She truly was the princess of Russia.

He couldn't keep his eyes off her as she skated, the way she moved her body, the way her beautiful sapphire eyes shone, she was moving without hesitation and without doubt.

He watched her land a perfect Quad flip, taking the whole audience by surprise in a way her brother never could – for a female to land a quad was rare, for a 14 year old girl to land one was unheard of before!

She truly was amazing...

Why hadn't he noticed her before?

She was so beautiful. So...perfect...with her jumps ....yeah her jumps.

He caught her soft smile as she skated and Yuri's heart began to beat so fast, too fast, in his chest. He could feel himself flushing , pulling his hood up over his head in an attempt to hide the blood rushing to his face.

Oh God.

No. No. No. No. No.

He couldn't like her like that! Like, like like her! He, Yuri Plisetsky - the rising star of Russia and child prodigy, could not like like the Princess of Russia! She was his idols little sister! This could not be happening to him!

Why did have to be so pretty?

When she finished her routine, it wasn't joy or relief for getting through her program perfectly, he didn't see a warm smile, she looked up at the crowd and he saw...heartbreak.

"Viktor?" he could hear her whisper to herself, looking round the rink for her silver haired brother. Where was he? He said he'd always watch her. He promised her. This was her last junior world championship before she'd have to debut in the senior division. Why wasn't he here? Where was he?

Yakov was furiously screaming at her to get off the ice while bouquets of flowers and plushies rained down on her. She should have been happy. But she couldn't bring herself to even smile.

She broke the junior record for the free program that year and retained her title, now a 3 time junior world champion but when she got onto the podium to receive her last junior medal, her last junior gold, she looked truly heartbroken, as if she was fighting back tears.

And for some reason, it created a stinging pain in his chest to see her so sad, Yuri clutched at his heart which had been beating so fast before had now completely dropped, heading down from the competitors seating area to the rink side – damn he had to stop her from making that face. He just needed to see her smile, even if it was just for a second.

He almost wished he hadn't.

"Of course she'd win the Gold," he stopped in his tracks, listening from behind the cover of a corner on some female competitors talking to each other, spitting venom with their words, clearly unhappy with their own performances and so turned on the young champion, "I mean she's Viktor Nikiforov's sister, the living legend Viktor Nikiforov, talk about being born with a silver spoon in your mouth."

"I bet the judges couldn't bring themselves to bring down the Nikiforov name," the other smirked, "too bad, well I guess we all can't rest on our brothers Loral's."

They knew absolutely nothing! What right did they have to judge? They were just bitter losers that couldn't accept their own failings! Hearing such bull crap made him want to throw something, to scream at how shit that was, how wrong they were, to use every cuss word under the sun at them and spit at their shoes.

He would of, if he hadn't noticed a sliver of silver hearing the conversation as she walked past them, she had clearly heard their comments, she held her dignity as she walked past them but once she was out of their sight, she couldn't stop the salty water run down her porcelain cheek.

He didn't like those tears - those horrid steaks of water from her eyes that stained her face. Tears didn't belong on her face and he couldn't stand it.

"Hey," Crap, he didn't know what to say or what to do, he'd never like liked someone before and didn't want her to go running or get sadder from him. If it was some sappy movie, which Mila may or may not have forced him to watch, he would of scooped her up into his arms, held her close and say 'I'll protect you' or some sappy crap like that. Should he take her hand and pull her over to those mean girls, shouting at them for saying such things about her and make them apologies? Should he kiss her? Oh man he might faint if he did that. Stay calm Yuri. You can do this. You can do this. You...are taking to long to think of something dumbass! Say something! Don't just stare at her like some weirdo! "You did good out there," his hands in his pockets,she couldn't see them shake if she couldn't see them, and nervously shifting from one foot to another.

Really that was the best his brain could do?

"Thank you," when he caught her face, the wet streaks on her cheeks were still fresh and her eyes were a little red from crying but she was smiling at him which put his heart at ease once more. "You did good too, I saw your routines yesterday, made me want to do a quad today. I'll see you tomorrow at the Exhibition Gala right?"

"Da," Yuri smiled, yes he actually felt himself smiling and he did nothing to stop it, taking a lavender rose from the bouquet of flowers she was carrying and placing it behind her hair before quickly turning and walking away as he felt his face burn with heat again. He could not believe that he had done that, his hands had acted on their own as soon as he saw the flower, how was he going to face her now at the exhibition tomorrow?

"YURI!" he turned his head slightly at the call of his name before he felt himself being tackled from behind into a hug, he was so thankful for his black hood hiding his red face - especially since he could feel her developing bosom pressed against his back. The feeling of her arms around him and her being so close was enough to make him want to jump out of his skin and run away from embarrassment...and yet it felt so right and so good at the same time."Skate well tomorrow ok?"

She was definitely Viktor's sister...but he wanted to know more and she didn't feel like Viktor plus maybe, just maybe, being hug tackled by a pretty girl wasn't the worst thing in the world.

And for a moment, Katrina forgot all about her brother, hiding her own blush in the fabric of Yuri's jacket. He'd seen her and that's all that mattered - he didn't see Viktor, just her. That alone made her heart a whole lot lighter even if it didn't fully numb the sting of her brothers absence.

"Da."