"For me?" Yuuri nearly squealed in delight.

"Well, your mother and I agree, you have had a hard year," Toshya nodded to his son.

"Oh," the young teen said with less enthusiasm. "Yeah. I guess."

True, he'd had a difficult time since his presentation. At first, he thought it was going to be the worst year of his life, but it hadn't been. Although his new status as a rare, too young, male Omega had set off quite a few bouts of teasing at school (being too small, too ugly, too dorky), especially from his senpai in his SED classes (being too young, too naïve, too Omega), he had made it through unharmed. And while the pain of presenting, the fear of almost being bitten, and the shame of his recent false pregnancy were definitely not highlights, they had brought about a few good things, too.

Point in fact, he was now friends with Nishigori Takeshi. His old bully had apologized to him for almost biting him, and they had developed a friendship. A real one. It was different than before he had presented when Takeshi had only hung around at Ice Castle because the older boy had wanted Yuko. While Yuuri was young, he wasn't dumb. It had always been especially apparent when the older boy had picked on him after Yuko showed him any attention. And now all three of them were friends.

Too, his recent biological fluctuations had prompted his parents to gift him with his cherished puppy, Vic-chan, to take care of. It was kinda embarrassing that in the first few days after he'd gotten his new surrogate, he had coddled and fussed over the puppy. He had swathed his pup in his scented sheets, even his dirty clothes, to cover Vic-chan in his smell. Thankfully having someone to care for had helped stabilized his hormones enough for Okigawa-sensei to feel they could start his new suppressants this past week.

So, it hadn't been all that bad: A new friend, a new puppy, and now this?

"That's right, sweetheart," his mother added. "Minako-sensei and Takano-sensei said that they would go with you."

"I can really go?" Yuuri looked down as his mother handed over the paper tickets, his heart beating wildly. "I thought I had to stay away from crowds," he asked. He had just started his new suppressants, and Okigawa-sensei had warned him not to go places with lots of people for at least a month so that their scents would not overwhelm him; too many scents might induce his hormones to spike if he wasn't careful.

"Yes, sweetheart," his mother cooed, smiling happily at her son. "Okigawa-sensei said it should be alright. Just be careful and stay with your coaches. Until then you'll just have to stay inside your room with Vic-chan when you aren't at school or the rink."

"Yeay!" Yuuri shouted, jumping up and down in his excitement, clasping the tickets tight to his chest. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he cheered as his parents laughed at his exuberance.

He didn't care if they laughed. He was going to the World Championship for figure skating in Tokyo! He was going to get to see Victor skate in person!


Two weeks later, he and his coaches arrived in Tokyo, all three of them excited for the outing. Since it was his first trip to the capital, Minako-sensei suggested they visit a few places after they check into their hotel this morning.

"Um… I want to see the Tokyo Tower," Yuuri hesitantly pleaded, "and the Rainbow Bridge."

"Alright," Takano-sensei nodded his greying-hair. His kind smile smoothing his wrinkled face. "But we'll have to wait until after it gets dark," the old man chuckled.

"Oooh, we should do lunch at Tsukiji fish market," Minako-sensei chimed in. Her delighted brown eyes lit up below her long brown hair.

"What about you, Takano-sensei? What would you like to see?" Yuuri asked his skating coach.

"Hmm, perhaps the Kaminarimon gate and on through to Sensō-ji Temple," the Beta offered.

"That sounds nice, sensei," Yuuri agreed. "I'd like to see the temple, too."

With a confirming nod from both his teachers, they led the way to the hotel with Yuuri happily following.

Throughout the day, though, he kept feeling restless, like he was missing something that was just out of reach, something familiar he couldn't name.

At Tokyo Tower, when they rode up to the observation platform, his mind couldn't focus on the attraction. Instead, he felt a little off. Not bad, just off. His skin pricked to attention and he could feel his eyes dilate when he thought he smelled something familiar. It was only a whiff, gone the moment he tried to recognize it. Was someone in the group passing him wearing too much perfume, or maybe his uneasiness was from being in a crowd because his doctor had warned him? He hoped he'd be fine enough to see Victor skate tomorrow night.

"Yuuri?" Minako-sensei asked. Her concern showing in her tone.

"Hmm?" He replied, shaking his disorientation, and smiling at her.

"You ok?" she asked, assessing his slightly heightened scent.

"Sure. I've never been so high up before," he said, turning to the vista. "There sure are a lot of people here." He looked around the twelve-foot tall windowed area. It wrapped around 180 degrees with visitors wondering around to get the wide view of the capitol.

"Of course, there are, silly. This is one of Tokyo's main attractions," she said, seeming to be placated. "It's known all over the world."

"That's right," Takano-sensei commented as he stood next to the ballet instructor, "Minako-sensei, you were an international dancer, right?"

"Yes, I was," she said as the two watched Yuuri wander to the edge of the observation deck, continuing their conversation without him.

He walked under the ceiling's strung up twinkle lights to get a better view. There was a free space in the crowd at the glass, and Yuuri wanted to see the skyline. Surprisingly, when he looked down, there was a section of the floor made of thick glass, showing a startling view of one Tower Leg's intricate red metal lattices woven together above a silver base at the corner of the green trees and the busy road below. The shock from the height allowing his nose and mind to clear. What a view!

Next, they walked Tsukiji fish market for lunch. Mismatching awnings covered both sides of the small walkways between busy stalls. Yuuri was surprised there was no fishy smell.

"That's because it's so fresh," Takano-sensei chuckled. The old Beta happy to see his student getting to see more of the world than their sea-side home.

Yuuri took another deep sniff and found himself again distracted by a fleeting and subtle trace of something his conscious mind couldn't detect. He tried to follow along with his coaches' conversation as they continued down the crowded path, but their words seemed lost to him. Something was nagging at him, something he couldn't place, but thought he should know. He tried to concentrate, focus in on what had caught his attention among the smell of iced fish knitted through the loud clatter of vendors and shoppers until Minako-sensei touched his shoulder. Absently, he wondered if Victor liked fish.

"Hey, Yuuri, what about this place?" she said leaning in to his ear to be heard above the cacophony of the market.

"Sure," he agreed, not really paying attention nor noticing his coaches' shared glance of apprehension.

Later at the Kaminarimon gate, Sensō-ji Temple, and Rainbow Bridge he kept getting distracted. Frustrated, at not being able to put his finger on what was tingling in his brain, he gave up and just followed where his coaches went, wondering inattentively if Victor had ever been to this place or liked that. They ended the night with dinner in their hotel room, for which Yuuri was grateful. At least here, he could focus here.

"Is everything alright?" Takano-sensei asked. "You seemed distracted all day, Yuuri."

"Was it the crowds?" Minako-sensei asked. "Was it too much?" She pursed her lips then flailed her arms around above her head. "Maybe we should stay in the room and head back in the morning."

"Wait! No! I'm fine," Yuuri yelled, raising his eyes to meet hers. "I want to watch Victor skate. He's my Alpha. I have to!" Oh, no. He'd hadn't meant to say that, but he was here and so was Victor. He couldn't go home before seeing him.

"Now, Yuuri," the old Beta male beside him said in a disapproving tone. "I know you look up to Victor as a skater, but do not mistake your admiration for a dynamic claim."

"But…" Yuuri began, trying to explain what he had known to be true since he'd presented. "But he is."

"Yuuri," Minako-sensei began, looking at Takano-sensei for help. "Sometimes we think we are attracted to celebrities, but they are just people. People who deserve their private lives without others trying to claim them."

"I know," Yuuri said, putting down his chopsticks and placing his hands in his lap, sadness filling his voice. "That's why he's so lonely."

Silently, his coaches looked at each other, eyes full of alarm.

"Yuuri," Takano-sensei's soothing voice tried again, "why do you think that?"

"I can just tell," Yuuri shrugged, not looking at either of them. He had watched all of his Alpha's performances, read or saw all of the interviews. He wasn't obsessed, like some people he saw commenting online or television, but he cared about Victor. True he had posters plastered all over his walls, but that was because it helped him feel closer to his Alpha than he could actually be.

Even if Yuuri was unworthy of his mate (for any of the reasons he'd been picked on for - he knew they were true, too), he understood, could see, the stress and false face Victor put on, and every time it hurt his heart, especially because he had no way to make it better.

"And is that because you think he is your mate?" the old Beta asked smoothly.

"Uh-huh," Yuuri answered then pursed his lips, fiddling his fingers. He hadn't meant to say anything to his coaches about it; he'd only told Yuko and Takeshi, and thankfully they had believed him since they were there when he presented. Right now, though, he was unprepared; it had just slipped out. "But I doubt he'd want me," he muttered to himself. He shook his head, and continued aloud, "I just want to watch him be free on the ice," he said wistfully. Raising his eyes to meet theirs, he begged, "Please? I just want to see him skate."

"Hm," Takano-sensei replied, thinking over the request. "I don't see a problem with us going to the arena tomorrow…"

"But sensei…" Minako-sensei argued.

"So long as Yuuri promises to leave at the first signs that he is feeling overwhelmed by the crowd. I will not have you overdo it, Yuuri. You need to let your body adjust, and if I suspect that the crowd is too much for you, we will leave, understood?"

"Yes, I promise I'll tell you," Yuuri nodded with a smile on his lips. "So, we can go, right, Minako-sensei?" He pleaded with her. He knew he needed both on board, and was scared to admit that he might not be able to see Victor because of his own shortcomings.

"Alright, but you have to tell us at the first signs, Yuuri. I mean it." She said, but the coaches dropped the topic of mates. For now.

"Yeay!" the young Omega cried out. His heart was thrilled knowing he'd get to see Victor tomorrow. In person. His Alpha.


That night and all the next day until the competition, they stayed in the room. His coaches agreed that Yuuri should use the extra rest to reduce the risk of being affected by the crowd at the competition.

They arrived early, allowing Minako-sensei time to shop for official merchandise. Yuuri, too, excitedly bought another Victor poster for his growing collection, and Takano-sensei merely smiled at his younger counter-part and student's enthusiasm. They also bought concessions before finding their seats with plenty of time to watch the Junior's competition before the Senior's started.

"Imagine, Yuuri," Takano-sensei said, "you could be down there in a year's time…"

"Really sensei?" the young Omega asked with hope. "You think I can?"

"If you put in the effort, my boy," Takano-sensei relied to his bouncing student.

"I want to! I really do! I'll do my best!" Yuuri promised.

"I believe you can, Yuuri," the aging man said, smiling his approval at the young teen.

"You're going to have to work twice as hard in the studio and on the rink, you know," Minako-sensei added.

"I will. Will you help me?" Yuuri pleaded with his whole heart on display. He wanted to skate on the ice with Victor one day, and if his coaches thought he'd be ready to enter the Junior League by next year, he'd take that as a stepping stone to his dream. He would do anything to make that happen.

"Of course," Minako-sensei smiled at his request. "We'll start increasing your practice time as soon as we get back."

"And you can start preparing now by really looking at each of your future competitors," Takano-sensei said. "Look at their technical and performance elements, Yuuri. Think how your skills compare. We will start by analyzing what we see. How could you incorporate their strengths or learn from their weaknesses?"

"Yes, sensei," Yuuri nodded seriously, taking everything his coaches had to say to heart. He did not notice that his coaches shared a relieved look that their plan to distract Yuuri from the growing crowd was working. They had formulated their strategy after Yuuri's difficulties yesterday and their conversation over dinner last night.

Yuuri watched his potential rivals as they performed. He took note of what he could see, and asked his coaches for their analyses after each athlete finished their skate. Then, realizing now that the Juniors had finished competing, his excitement peaked. It was time for the Seniors to take to the ice.

The announcements were made, indicating that the Senior competitors had six minutes for a warm up before their short program event would begin. Six professional athletes skated onto the ice, but Yuuri only had eyes for one.

Victor took to the ice in his Team Russia warm ups. The edges of his white costume peeking out beneath the cuffs of his jacket. His silvery hair was styled back into a French braid down his back that curled around his shoulder. It was elegant and wistful.

His strong features were beautiful. Aquamarine eyes glittered in the light, truer in real life than the amazing shade ever looked captured through a lens. Crème skin called to him, and Yuuri wished he could reach out to sweep his hand across Victor's cheek. His strong jaw and large forehead did not detract from his beauty, instead enhancing it. His thin lips smiled playfully to the audience, but all Yuuri could do was stare and feel his heart coo. Elegant hands swayed to the internal song Victor danced to, flowing honeysuckle, ice, and brine into Yuuri's soul.

Cool fingers traced the air, and Yuuri was lost. When he had seen Victor the first time, the world had jumbled together into a mess of color and shape, everything but Victor. Now, it was as if the world fell away calmly and all that was left was the angle on ice. Yuuri's reason for being was circling the rink with care and dedication in his steps, and all Yuuri could do was breath.

"Yuuri, stop it!"

"Yuuri! Don't!"

Rough hands clasped him then. Harsh sounds found him as he was pushed and maneuvered out of his seat by steady, firm hands. Confused, and unable to look away from his center of gravity, he noticed a sharp change in his Alpha. Victor was no longer smooth lines and calm waters; he was agitated energy.

Had Yuuri made him mad?

His vision was being blocked as he was corralled into the hall, out of the main arena, down the main corridor and into another, smaller passageway. His eyes tried to adjust to the repetitive blank walls as he was carried into a white room. Someone was shouting, no, someones. There was too much noise for just one person.

He recognized the calming balm of Takano-sensei's Beta scent and Minako-sensei's Alpha dominance as she took control of the situation. Too soon, cool sharp pain hit his neck, and Yuuri could feel his overwhelmed senses dull, become greyed and less intense. He could now tell that he was in the emergency medical station of the arena. The staff and his coaches were watching him as his eyes fought to stay open.

He had just wanted to see his Alpha, and now he had made him mad. It was no wonder Victor would be. Yuuri was not worthy of him, had accidentally let himself call out, had let himself interrupt his mate. He hadn't even recognized he'd done anything until he could smell Victor, as if the older teen had been right next to him, that they had been the only two people in the world. Yuuri's behavior was unacceptable, he knew that, or thought he did as everything became hazy and dim. In the moments before his consciousness left him, he was able to get out one word.

"Sorry."


A/N:

Hi all. Again, I'm bad at posting on time, but this one took me a little while. I had the bare bones, but it was missing something. Hopefully you'll like it and not kill me (hahaha).

Thank you for all your wonderful comments. I think I was able to reply t them all, but if I missed you, I'll try to get to you this week. They really do feed my muse! So, let me know what you think. I know a lot of people were hoping for a meet up this chapter, so was this chapter acceptable instead? Another cliff hanger (because I am evil- Muahahaha!) to tide you over until next week! ;) Also, my arm is better, so thanks for your kind comments :)